Makeup Withdrawal

Everything You Need to Know About Konad (Pt. 1 Materials)

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Ok, I should amend the title to "Everything Mimi Knows About Konading". I've been using the Konad system of nail stamping for about four weeks, and I'm pretty darn proud with the progress I've made so I wanted to show you all how it's done. Chances are, you've already seen other bloggers/YouTubers talk about it (because I'm always the last person under the sun to try anything) but I wanted to have a very detailed tutorial nonetheless.
First, though, I wanted to talk about the materials. You'll need:
Plates- Konad (which is the brand) sells a whole range of plates for about $7 a plate, each plate with 5 images. Some have little symbols, while others have fancy tip designs, and others have designs that are meant to cover the whole nail. Bundle Monster, another brand makes a whole set of 21 plates (each with 6 images) for $17.99 or so. I got that set as well on Amazon with free shipping, a pretty good deal. There are also other generic plates out there, sold on eBay that the nail world calls 'fauxnad' that are octagon shaped. Essence (found in Ulta) even has a little nail stamping kit with a plate (and in Europe, have expanded their line to several more).

Konad double ended stamper and Essence regular style.

Stamper- The tool that allows you to transfer the image. There's a few different stamper styles out there. There's the cute little pink one sided stamper with its scalloped edges, a double sided stamper (one regular sized side for all over the nail images and a smaller side for tiny images) and even a stamper-scraper combo all in one. I prefer the double sided stamper, just because it's easy to grip.

The plastic scraper looks really
similar, only you know, plastic.

Scraper- This is what you need to scrape off excess nail polish, a crucial part of the process. There's two, a regular scraper with a metal blade, and a plastic scraper. I really would recommend the plastic one (as recommended by StrawberryMochi, thanks!) because I had tried the metal one and it scratched the crap out of the plate I was using.

Polishes- Konad sells special polishes that they recommend using them to get the best result. They're $7 each and honestly, I never bought into them. I've used regular nail polish and it's turned out just fine. The key though, is to use very dense, pigmented polishes.
I've used Wet'n'Wild Black Creme, Color Club holos, holos from China Glazes' OMG collection as well as Romantique collection metallics and even Orly Foil Fx collection, etc.

So let's run through some costs real quick:
Essence Stampy Kit (one metal scraper, one regular stamper, one plate with 6 designs) at Ulta: $2.99
Konad plates: about $7 on eBay or WowSoCool.com
Bundle Monster plates: 21 plates for $17.99 on Amazon or BundleMonster site
Konad stampers, scrapers from $2.50-$7, depending on style and retailer

Other materials you'll need include: nail polish remover, cotton pads, a base color, a top coat and optional- Vaseline or natural oils to cover your cuticles if you're picky about getting polish on them.
I'd also recommend working on a polish safe surface.

Stayed tuned for Part 2, the actual tutorial!

Domain Change!

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Exciting, isn't it? I've been contemplating having my own domain for about six months now, but Mr. MakeupWithdrawal finally pushed me to do it. I had to wait until my Urban Decay Naked contest was over, but here it is now!
The only difference should be that in the next few days, your old MakeupWithdrawal.blogspot.com bookmarks may become outdated (or redirected).
Also new: there's now the option to subscribe via email! On the left hand side of the page, there's a box where you can sign up to get email updates every time I post.
Oh! And one more thing, my new email is now Mimi@MakeupWithdrawal.com! Feel free to shoot me an email anytime, just to test it out.

Thanks again for reading,
-Mimi

What do you think about the new site? Enjoy it while it still has it's new car, er, new blog smell!

Urban Decay Naked Contest Winner!

I've tallied up all the entries to my contest, and altogether there were 216! Wow, way more than I expected. I'm happy to see new faces following me, I really do love interacting and getting to know you guys.
Anyways, on to the winner.
I used Random.org to pick a winner, and it was #72....

So congratulations to Kristy! She's been notified via email and now has
72 hours to get back to me.

Thanks again to everyone to participated! I hope to have new and exciting contests up soon!

Review: Avene Diacneal Skincare Lotion (For Blemishes)

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

stock image from aveneusa.com

Is there such thing as a miracle product for acne?

Yes, I'd say so- I've finally found mine. Acne has been troubling me for the majority of my life, ever since I was nine years old. There's been times when I had the whole pizza-face thing going on (that's how bad scarring and cystic acne was for me in my early teens) and times when I only had a handful of zits, but they were always there.

I've tried practically every line of acne care products found in American drugstores- over the counter benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid products just haven't really proved effective for me.

Behold, Avene Diacneal.

What it is: a treatment lotion containing 6% Glycolic Acid and 0.1% Retinal for acne or wrinkles. It comes out of the tube as a pearly yellow cream that smells like... I'm not sure. But it's definitely scented.

First, I have to say that my skin is quite sensitive. When I try a new product, there's a good chance that it'll make my skin worse, not better. Heck, my skin is so sensitive that if I even LOOK at a product funny, I'll break out or it'll burn, etc.

Not only did this treatment get along with my skin, I've seen amazing results. My skin is overall clearer, more even and much, much smoother. Really.

I'm not completely blemish free (due to diet and hormone fluctuations, I doubt I'll ever be) but I'm no longer super self conscious about a few minor zits. It's no longer a matter of being embarrassed to go out without concealer because my acne is such a prominent feature of my face and the first thing people see when they look at me. Even when I do get acne, it clears up much faster now. I've also noticed that past acne scarring has been reduced, and that the texture of my face has changed for the better (this also works as a wrinkle reducer!).

Now, I started using Diacneal about two months ago, at first every three days, at night- increasing to every other night in the last few weeks. The reason I use it at night is because that when I put it on, it does seem to make my skin a little slick feeling. Not saying that it makes my skin oily overall, but if I put it on at night, I can wash away the treatment in the morning.

Ingredients: Water, Cetyl Alcohol, Cyclomethicone, Polysorbate 60, Glycolic Acid 6%, Alcohol, Sodium Hydroxide, BHT, Dimethiconol, Fragrance, Polymethyl Methacrylate, Potassium Sorbate, Red 33 (Cl 17200). Retinal 0.1%.

Also be aware that products such as this one will increase skin sensitivity to the sun's rays. Anyways, Avene Diacneal isn't super cheap for an acne treatment, $52 for 1 oz. on SkincareRx.com. But let me tell you, I have never found a product that has made more of impact on my skin, so it's worthy every penny. One tube has lasted me 2 months so far, and I estimate that it'll go for another month at least, even though I spread a thin layer all over my face for every application.

So, lengthy review. What do you think? Have you ever tried this, or any of Avene's other products?

Product was purchased by me, for my own use.

Orly Cosmic FX- Space Cadet is MINE!

Monday, August 30, 2010

3x Space Cadet, outdoors, direct sun, no flash

When I first saw the promo pictures for this polish, I died a little inside, of pure happiness. It looked so incredibly cool- a foily duochromey polish and now that I finally have it in person, I'm ecstatic.

I do have one problem though- I've never ever encountered anything quite like this, I don't know if I have the vocabulary to describe it.

What does it look like to me? A greenish jelly base with metallic magenta/olive foil-like shimmer. At different angles and different distances from the light, it looks more green-yellow or more blue green. How is this possible?

According to Orly:

"The new Cosmic FX collection from ORLY features six new shades made with exclusive Mineral FX raw material technology, which delivers multi-dimensional lacquers that reflect light in a sparkling spectrum of intense color."

Awesome. That doesn't really explain matters any further for me, but oh well- I love this collection.
So here is a crap load of different polishes in different lighting/coats.

Indoors, 3x, flash

Outside, indirect flash, 3coats, flash

Outdoors, 2x, no flash, direct sunlight

Polishes from this Cosmic collection are more than the regular retail price, $10.
So, what do you think of this bizarrely complex lacquer?

Product was purchased by me, for my own use.