Monday, May 9, 2011

Review: Sally Hansen's Nail Art


Right before Easter I tried Sally Hansen's real nail polish strips because I was in the middle of moving and it was getting really annoying whenever my nails would chip so I figured that this was a good solution. How this works is you buy a pack and it comes with a buffer, a file, a cuticle stick and 16 nail stickers, however mine only came with 12. You prep each nail by buffing it and filing it down, the package also suggests making sure that your nails are super clean, so no leftover polish! Then you size the sticker to your nail (there's tons of sizes so one is bound to fit) and then peel off the back and put it on your nail. With the excess sticker you file it down to your nail. It's difficult to explain, but it's super simple to do! You can size down the sides too with the cuticle stick so there's none poking out the sides.

I chose the pattern "Girl Flower" but there are a ton of different patterns and Sally Hansen is introducing more later in the spring and summer season. One pack retails for about 10 dollars (CDN) so approximately one bottle of regular polish. It guarantees that the pattern will last 10 days, mine lasted about 14 because I put on a top coat every night after about the fifth day. I would definitely recommend this product just because it's fun change and its so easy. The only compliant that I have is if you're doing it on short nails, the process of putting them on will make them shorter, be weary of that!

If you want to check out the different patterns click here.

PLH,
kmatheson

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Celebrity Inspired: Vanessa Hudgens

I spotted this in an article on glamour.com (link here) and decided that I absolutely have to try this! Vanessa Hudgens was spotted wearing this manicure where her ring finger was a completely different polish then her other fingers. It looks super cute on her so naturally had to try it, but I don't think it came out as well as I had hoped.
My attempts:

"Lucerne-tainly look Marvelous" OPI, ring finger-"Happy Anniversary" OPI with OPI Black Shatter over top.


Same as above just without the black shatter over Happy Anniversary



"Moon over Mumbai" OPI, ring finger-"Sparklelicious" OPI

I think that I could have picked colours that were more in the same palette because Vanessa Hudgen's is a very subtle change and mine was not. After obsessing over this manicure for a week, I saw a youtube video with her in it and she mentioned her nails! Seems like a small thing but she has different colours on and says where she gets it done, so if you're in California I would say go get one of these manicures.
Video Here.

PLH,
kmatheson

Sunday, March 27, 2011

If it was warm...

This freak snowstorm has got me wishing so badly that it would be spring! It's really hard to when you see all the new summer/spring products coming out in stores and what not. Reading all these different blogs where it's warm and sunny, well...not this one! One thing that I find super annoying is that I still can't wear flats or any lighter clothes outside because its so cold! This is what I did while praying that it would finally be warm!

I'm pretty sure those heels are what dreams are of...
I also cannot get over how badly I want a NARS lipgloss or blush, so that's included too!
Praying for Warmth

Praying for Warmth

PLH,
kmatheson

Review: OPI's "Fiercely Fiona"

A while ago I had a discussion with a friend about yellow nail polish. We both decided that it looks cheap majority of the time, but the people that can pull it off look really great. I own two different yellow nail polishes and the softer one of them is this one "Fiercely Fiona" from (you guessed it) OPI's Shrek collection. In the bottle this colour looks like a nice Easter pale yellow, but it comes off a lot brighter than that. After I had first put it on, I was ready to take it off beacuse I really didn't like it. But I stuck with it, and it grew on me a bit. One thing I didn't like was that I had to plan out my outfit very carefully, I only wore blue and grey tones as I thought it looked best with yellow. I have to say that I'm still split on yellow polish, but overall I think I'm drawn to different colours and it will be a while before I wear this one again. The quality of the polish was okay because I had a mini bottle and the brushes on those ones are not easy to use.

What do you think?

Sorry about all the reviews lately! I'll mix it up more
PLH,
kmatheson

Monday, March 21, 2011

Review: Sally Hansen's Mint Sorbet

I have to admit that this was quite an irregular purchase for me because I had seen this brand everywhere (this specific line from Sally Hansen) and I absolutely hate the packaging. I really don't like the look of the bottle and I'll admit that packaging is the difference in what will make me purchase something or not. I know that it sounds terrible but I believe if a company puts in a solid effort to make their packaging appealing, that's a reason to buy and its hard work being supported.

Anyways! I DID end up buying this because I was hunting for nice mint green as I had been seeing it around a lot and really wanted it. I got this one because the original one that I wanted wasn't on sale and I didn't have the time or patience to make it down to American Apparel to get their version (called "office") so I paid $4.49 for this one. The full name is Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear Nail colour in 340 Mint Sorbet *phew*.

The application I did only took two coats but I found that I wasn't satisfied with it. The colour didn't spread evenly on my nail so some areas were not as full with colour as others. I would have applied another coat except the polish is very thick so it became tacky and hard to dry. As it was drying I messed up them up about four times because I was getting impatient (really it took so long). Once my nails were dry (on the second day or so of wearing it) whenever my nails would drag across a hard surface (such as counters) where the nail scraped would turn the colour of the surface! So I had scuff marks on my nails. That being said, the colour is really nice (when not scuffed) and I got a ton of compliments on them! I don't think that I'll purchase this line again unless I'm desperate. The end result was nice but the experience of applying the product was really not great. I did pay under five dollars for it, so I can't say that I expected the best.

PLH,
kmatheson

Monday, March 7, 2011

Review: OPI's "Elephantastic Pink"


I bought this colour over reading week desperate for some spring colour and I found this perfect fix! This is a perfect bubblegum pink, it's super cute... that's really the only way to describe it. It applies really nicely and only took about two coats! This colour is 10/10 and I really can't say more about it! It's lovely and a great spring purchase with a super cute name. If you want a perfect pink hue that's not too soft, purchase this one.

Sorry about all the chips in this picture as well as the ones below.

MORE shatter pictures! This one is OPI's "Ogre the top blue" from the Shrek Collection.
This is OPI's "What's with the Cattitude?" full review here. It's one of my favourite colours ever also from the Shrek collection.

PLH,
kmatheson

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Review: MAC's Prep and Prime Mascara

Time for some freaky photos, but they prove my point....
This is with the primer on (it looks like white mascara)
And these photos are with mascara layered over top (Maybelline's Falsies Mascara in "Black Drama")

I have never used prep mascara before this one so I was not really sure what to expect and I have to admit that I was totally freaked out with the white mascara look. I usually wait until the primer has dried and then apply my mascara afterward that way it doesn't mix all together. I did notice a difference between using a primer and not, it felt like it reached every eyelash which was good. What I don't like though is that once your lashes are clumped together in the primer they are stuck and it can end up looking really clumpy, so that's no good. Where it made the most difference is in my bottom lashes, it was incredible! They looked giant! I would recommend this product but it's not really necessary. It also makes you use less mascara over top which is nice and takes less time to apply your mascara.


PLH,
kmatheson

Monday, February 28, 2011

Oscar Picks for Best Dressed 2011

I picked my favourites based on my initial reactions to the dresses (and celebrities) and originality of the gown. I found it all too easy to just keep on looking at the dresses and liking them all but I got it narrowed down. (although the winner was hands down for me) I hope you like my picks!

5. Jennifer Hudson
When I saw her at first I was completely shocked! Not just because of the all the weight that she lost (which congratulations to her) but because she looks amazing! Actually drop dead gorgeous. It's such a rich bright colour and nothing could be a better pick for her. (Versace)



4. Natalie Portman
Okay I have to admit, I adore Natalie Portman. If I could have her eyebrows I'd be a happy girl (I know weird, but seriously they are perfect). Despite being super cute all the time I found that the way she dresses her pregnancy is really subtle, and I like that. All too often you see pregnant celebrities with the focus of their dress on their baby bellies but not Ms. Portman. Super elegant, love her, loved black swan and was SO happy she won! I thought it was sweet of her to wear the designer(s) that did the most of the costumes for Black Swan (Rodarte - Kate and Laura Mulleavy).



3. Mila Kunis
I loved her dress, I have to admit that I would never be daring enough to wear it myself but! it was quite sexy without being trashy. I love this colour on her as well, it was quite a lovely pick for her. The lace throughout the dress sets it apart from other ball gowns and creates dimension within the gown which really stood out to me. (Elie Saab)



2. Sandra Bullock
I loved her introduction for Best Actor and I really think that she could host the next Oscars. She looked amazing last night! I feel so inspired every time I see her on T.V. and I'm pretty that's all because of Miss Congeniality and what she's been through in the past year. The hair and makeup were flawless and she looked killer, a well deserved second. (Vera Wang)




1. Cate Blanchett
oh my goodness, this dress literally made me gasp when I was watching the oscars. I really don't think I've been more fascinated with a dress before, it is simply gorgeous. This is saying a lot too because Cate Blanchett used to scare me a bit because of Lord of the Rings. Benjamin Button did not help either which means really she's a great actress and I just can't get over her sometimes freakier roles. Either way! This dress is beautiful and Cate Blanchett looks gorgeous (no longer terrifying) and I can't stop staring at it. The architecture in this dress is amazing, the cut-out in the center and the shoulders are classy and well executed. The beading in the dress is so feminine and beautiful. This is definitely an original and something I feel I haven't seen before. Even my father yelled at everyone in our house to come look at this dress! (Givenchy)

Honorable Mentions:
Reese Witherspoon
Scarlett Johansson

PLH,
kmatheson

Monday, February 14, 2011

It's Never Going to Stop!

First off I have some more photos of OPI's shattered polish with some different colours underneath.

This above photo is my favourite colour combo so far! I used OPI's Happy Anniversary underneath and then put black shatter on top (obviously!). If you want to know more please read my full review on Happy Anniversary here.
This combo I didn't really like! I used Zoya's Kristi polish underneath because my boyfriend was curious to see what red would look like with the shatter. But after wards we both agreed that it was a little too goth for my tastes so I only had it for a day!

On to the real point of this entry! When black shatter came out I thought that it was really neat that now there's technology that makes nail polish separate (yes, I think about that kind of stuff...) so I was wondering if now since this new polish is out, what are the next steps? Are the people at OPI going to release more shattered colours? And lone behold! My thoughts were answered.

OPI is to release a new collection (in May 2011) for Pirates of the Caribbean (4? I believe...the newest one that's coming out) and in this collection there is a METALLIC shatter!!! Which leads me to think that it wouldn't look much different than the Happy Anniversary/Black shatter combo pictured up top. The collection features a lot of cool colours and I'm pretty darn excited for this one! :) I'm starting to think that this shatter insanity is never going to stop! So if you didn't luck out on getting the black shatter, there is still hope!

I found this all out on this article at NYLON magazine's site.

Happy Valentines Day!

PLH,
kmatheson

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Celebrity Inspired: Christina Hendricks






Christina Hendricks was spotted wearing a silver and gold shadow combination! I never really thought to combine two metallics before because I thought it would look tacky but Ms Hendricks proved me wrong!
I started off lining my eyes, the top with MAC's fluidline in "Dipdown" and then lower waterline with a brown liner from Shoppers. I completely covered my lids with a silver shadow from (the Ed Hardy Colour kit). Then on the inner corners and outer I used Maybelline shadestick in gold. I finished off with mascara (I used MAC Zoomlash in Zoom Black).
That's it! Super simple! I didn't follow through with this look for lipstick and blush just because I was going out in the day and didn't want to look too made up.

Enjoy!


PLH,
kmatheson

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Review: OPI's Black Shatter




oh. my. goodness. :)

I tried SO hard to get this polish and by some genius stroke of luck I FINALLY got it!


This polish makes nail art super easy and it looks really nice :) I think that it would look better with a lighter colour underneath but I was so excited I just used the polish I had on already. (Nicole by OPI "Loyalty to Royalty") I saw this used with a bright pink underneath and I think that it looked a lot better.

How this polish works is you have a base coat (which is the blue that I used) and then paint a layer of this black shatter over top. Make sure that the base coat is dried COMPLETELY otherwise it will not work. At first the polish will look solid black but then as it dries it shifts apart creating the shatter effect. Let that dry, and you have beautiful nails!

Before purchasing this bottle I watched this video, it will show you the shatter effect better as well. If you just want to see the shatter effect go to 1:30.

Here's a clearer picture:



Prepare to see a lot of this colour as I will be using it a lot!



PLH,
kmatheson

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Half Moon Manicure

This past week I decided to do something different with my nails. I found half moon manicures which I saw in a lot of magazines lately so I really wanted to try it!

This is what they're meant to look like....
First paint your nails a light colour, I chose "Moon over Mumbai" (Review here) You want to pick a colour that doesn't need a lot of coats. Wait for this colour to COMPLETELY dry, trust me you may even want to wait for the next day.

After that you take hole re-enforcers (for paper) and stick them halfway on your nails. I cut mine in half and then stuck them on. They should cover the bottom half of your nail (This would be the moon part). Then you pick a darker colour for the second half, I chose "We'll always have Paris" by OPI. Paint the upper half of your nail over the first lighter colour and it should look like this...
Once the second colour has dried slowly peel off the sticker. Once all colours are set, paint a clear top coat over them. and you're all done! These are what mine looked like before I cleaned them up..
Some problems I had were I stuck the stickers on too early so I ended up with my lighter colour messed up :( and I was really disappointed. I also applied too many coats to the bottom layer making it thicker so it took longer for the darker colour to dry and it chipped easier. All in all I really like these! It's easy to do at home and it looks professional! Hopefully I'll have better luck the next time! :)

PLH,
kmatheson

Monday, January 17, 2011

Two Reviews

First up is OPI's "Happy Anniversary!" This colour (I think) is meant to look like diamonds, the picture is a little deceiving that way because you can't really the dimension of the polish. But it's super sparkly while maintaining a smooth finish. I would recommend this colour to replace some of the Burlesque ones because it's smoother and it also doesn't chip as easily. The finish is really metallic and super pretty! A definite must buy!
Secondly, is OPI's "Russian Navy" my apologies for the blurry picture but I was trying to capture how blue this colour really is. The bottle makes it look like its almost black but I swear it's a bright navy once painted. I found that this colour is really nice neutral, it matches with a lot of stuff and I have a soft spot for navy.

Both of these colours are ones that I got for christmas, you can see the rest of them here.

PLH,
kmatheson

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Lip Stains

As I had mentioned in my New Year's post, I want to be more creative with my lip makeup (if that's how you say it) This blog is a semi requested blog from The Parisien Pigeon who also has an awesome blog check out here. The way I started to experiment with lip colour is with lip stains! I have purchased two so far, I got one of the Covergirl lip stains in 440 which is the most red one and I got a dupe for Benetint (by Benefit). Lip stains are a good way to ease into lip colour but there are some faults.

Lip stains give really bright colour and it does last a long time. It also doesn't feel like anything on your lips aka the way that lipstick feels or gloss or anything. I found that the covergirl one really dried out my lips and the overall look was just not good. The other one that I have (that's called true beauty) is a little brush in a pot, (as I said before, it's made to copy Benetint) this one is really nice stain but it tastes funny! I only know this because it will leak into your mouth a little bit and it's not so pleasant. That being said though, I pair MAC Dazzleglass lip gloss in Baby Sparks over this, and it makes the nicest fushia lip colour. I LOVE IT! I didn't pair a gloss with the Covergirl one because I couldn't find a nice one to go over it but it's really cool that it looks like a marker.

If you're interested in lip stains, definitely try them! It's a neat product to try and it's super easy. I would recommend Benetint but I only have a cheaper copy of it and not the exact product (I got mine in Ireland and haven't seen it anywhere else :( sorry) so I'm not 100% on how good the product is.

I'm really excited to try Revlon's lip stains because they come with a lip balm to cancel out the drying effect! I also want to try Posie tint by Benefit which is the pinker verison of Benetint. Hopefully there will be more on these as I explore more into them!




ENJOY!
PLH,
kmatheson

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Review: OPI's "Moon over Mumbai"

This photo is SOO terrible! But I didn't have time to take another one because I repainted my nails after this. So this "Moon over Mumbai" also it looks like a white nude in the photo, it is a more greyish purple in real life. This colour is gorgeous! I love it! I got it from one of my best friends for Christmas (she gave me another one too, so expect a review on that later as well) This colour didn't chip for a whole week, which is really impressive considering I usually change my nails every 3 days because of chips. I found that this colour is a nice alternative to the popular taupe colours this season because I could never find a taupe that suited me. This is a perfect neutral and one of my favourites!
These are all the nail polishes that I got for Christmas and I will try to put reviews up on them all! From left to right: Moon over Mumbai, Russian Navy, Lucerne-tainly look Marvelous, Kristi, We'll always Have Paris, Louvre me or Louvre me not and Happy Anniversary!

PLH,
kmatheson

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

New Year's Resolutions

Better late than never! I kept forgetting which resolutions I made so I figured I would write them down and it would make an interesting blog post!

I have a lot of basic ones, aka eat healthier, work out more BUT I've tailored them to me.

1. Eat colourful vegetables
it sounds easier than it is, but being on my own I don't really know how to cook veggies (I know, terrifying) so hence why this healthy choice is tailored to me. I don't think I eat badly, I just need more vegetables in my life.

2. Stick to a work out routine
I've been going to the gym five days a week since September but once I go home for a visit or I get too stressed; I lose my groove, so my goal is to stick to it.

3. Learn German
It'd be awesome.

4. Try to wear colourful lips
The Natalie Portman cover basically convinced me of this! If you don't know what I'm talking about, see my last post.

5. Master "bedhead"
I have curly hair, I don't really like it and I straighten my hair everyday. I try to embrace the curls but I end up hating it more and more each time, so my goal is make peace with my hair and master the bedhead look.

6. Take better care of my nails!

7. Rely on natural remedies
I'm a big wuss, I go to the doctor for everything which is terrible. I'm currently sick and I've forbidden myself to go the doctor so I'm toughing it out.

I'm sure that I will remember some that I've forgotten but that's all for now!
Happy 2011! :D Happy New Year!

PLH,
kmatheson

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Natalie Portman on the Cover of Elle Canada


I am the first to admit that I buy the majority of magazines if they have a cover that I'll stare at. I know that's completely the wrong reason, but I'm a sucker. I LOVE this cover so much! I love the contrast of colours (the pink lipstick and the yellow dress) and her hair! Just love it so much! It makes me want to go buy a bright pink lipstick right away!
I also saw Black Swan over the holidays which made me love Natalie Portman more. If you haven't seen it, it's a great flick.

PLH,
kmatheson