Glitter Gal Pysanky Nails

Sunday, April 20, 2014

Happy Easter! 

Today's manicure is inspired by some of the recent pysanky designs I've worked on. It turned out a bit more tribal/geometric looking than I had anticipated but I absolutely fell in love with the colors I used. 


 The three colors (plus a no name off white color) I used were from Glitter Gal, one of my all time favorite brands for holographic shades. I used Citrine which is a light orange/tan holo, Belgian Chocolate which is a stunning dark rich brown holo and Redback which is a squishy chili red. I used a thin brush and just free handed everything.

You can purchase Glitter Gal shades directly from Glitter Gal or through their international stockists. GG is based in Australia.

Do you have any favorite Glitter Gal shades? I've swatched quite a few of the holos, they are some of the finest ones out there!

Products featured by me were press samples. For additional information, please refer to my Disclosure Policy.

Winstonia Kolinsky Sable Detail Brushes + Easter Nail Design

Thursday, April 17, 2014
Hi folks! I'm back from our honeymoon but unfortunately quite ill (again) so I haven't tackled the comments you guys have left me. Hopefully I'll be caught up soon. Tonight I wanted to review new sable nail art brushes from Winstonia, your US based nail art supply store. These pink aluminum sable brushes come in five sizes but I'll be showing you the three smallest detailers; #0, #00 and #000. If you're familiar with the brown set of detail brushes (these), these are similar in terms of the size of the brush tips but are far superior quality wise. The hairs have a much better taper. 

 I like that the brushes come in aluminum cased handed and caps. They're light but sturdy and best of all, acetone proof. No more accidentally half dissolved handles (oh wait, maybe that's just clumsy me). The caps have a hole at the end so that brushes will dry out too, which is nice. So far I have used them with acrylic and nail polish, cleaned them with acetone and have experienced no issues- no scraggly hairs or anything. The bristles come to a nice point.


For this manicure I used white acrylic paint using the brushes to paint designs over glittery polish bases. From left to right: Maybelline Drops of Jade, The Face Shop 04 and 01 glitters and  Maybelline Blue Marks the Spot.

I definitely like the quality of these brushes and I can't tell you how nice it is to have brush caps to protect the bristles. I would be extremely happy if even finer sizes were made available, I'd buy them for sure! These brushes are definitely affordable too! Each brush is $6.95. Click here to shop.

Do you have a favorite set or individual nail art brushes?

Products featured were press samples. For additional information, please refer to my Disclosure Policy. 

OPI Sheer Tints Nails

Sunday, April 13, 2014

So a few days ago I posted a review and a sorry excuse for swatches of the OPI Sheer Tints. I finally completed a successful manicure using these shades. Well by successful I mean that it didn't bubble up, I didn't actually care for this manicure much! In the end, I used a lot of thinner to really dilute the polish until it was quite watery and used a striping brush to just doodle it on.

Short and sweet post! Hope you had a great weekend.

(I'll be back in just two more days, this is a scheduled post while I'm on vacation!)

Holo Watermarble

Friday, April 11, 2014

Here's a recent manicure I did using Nubar Kiss the Sky and Color Club Eternal Beauty in a watermarble. This was maybe... 3 weeks ago? 2?

Anyways, I'm still on vacation so I won't be able to read/reply to comments until after I get back.

Have a great weekend!

Anthony Logistics For Men Instant Fix Oil Control

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Ever since my beloved Urban Decay De Slick in a Tube was discontinued, I've been on the hunt for a similar oil control product to use on my t-zone. Even though I am leaning much more towards dry skin these days, my t zone remains oily. With the warmer weather here already well on its way, I definitely felt a greater sense of urgency as without grease control, my t zone is likely to just melt when I walk outside. A few months ago, a sales associate and I were discussing primers without much or any silicones when she offered to show me Anthony Logistics for Men Instant Fix Oil Control.

This product comes in a pretty standard looking squeeze tube. The first thing I noticed was how big the tube was (well in comparison to Smashbox Photo Matte Anti-Shine which I reviewed here), for $28 you get 3.0 fl. oz. of product. Pretty fantastic if you consider that most primers in the mid price range at Sephora or Department tend to be $20+ for usually 0.5 to just over 1.0 fl. oz. Though geared as product for men, I found this milky gel to definitely be usable as a makeup primer.


You can use this either under your makeup as a primer or on top of oily skin. I only use a small dab, as pictured. As a primer, it sinks into skin very quickly without drying it out, giving me a few hours without shine. It doesn't hinder makeup application in any way; no pilling of foundation or the like. It's tricky to apply on top of oily makeup (I suggest lightly dabbing it in with your fingers, taking care not to smear your foundation) but works fantastic if you want to apply it to bare oily skin. In fact, if you know a guy (or you are a guy) looking for a product to combat a slick face, this is for you.
On the left, I applied two drops of jojoba oil and rubbed it into my hand to mimic shiny skin. I then dabbed  Anthony Logistics For Men Instant Fix Oil Control right on top.

It's very similar to other silica gels out there, perhaps a bit on the thin side. It works reasonably well but not as great as De Slick in a Tube. It does however make your skin really soft and pretty smooth which is a plus over oil control products I've tried. One slight problem I found was that it contains limonene. Limonene is a major component in citrus oils and gives Instant Fix Oil Control a light citrus scent, not unlike a sweet clementine. Unfortunately for me, I have a sensitivity to citrus oils. This sensitivity runs in my family; my brother and sister also experience dry peely skin when we are exposed to it. So it made me a little bit itchy and therefore it wasn't exactly a suitable replacement. However most people don't have a problem with limonene, so I hope my experience doesn't deter you from trying this product if you'll looking for something with light to medium oil control.

Anthony Logistics For Men Instant Fix Oil Control is paraben free. It does contain silicones but not nearly as much as say, the Smashbox Photo Finish Primer line. You can find this line at Ulta or online at Sephora.

(By the way, this is an scheduled blog post, I'm on vacation! I'll won't be able to respond to comments until after I get after April 14th)

What's your current solution for oil control?

Product featured was purchased by me, for my own use. Post contains affiliate links. For additional information, please refer to my Disclosure Policy.