Guest Blogger: Hot Nail Trends For 2012

Hi everybody,


Today, My Makeup Blog has an honor to welcome guess blogger Aleya. She writes the blog for LI Beauty School which is a beauty school college and Hair Design Institute which is a hair and makeup school with locations throughout New York and Florida. I hope you will enjoy her post. Take it away, Aleya!


The New Year is right around the corner but the nail trends that are going to be in style in the coming year are already being worn by women of all ages. The good news is that there’s something for everyone. The bad news is that there’s going to be so much to choose from you won’t know where to begin.

REDS

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Whether it’s a true red or a dark wine shade, red is in the forefront of nail polish colors this season. Although it’s gorgeous and sophisticated on its own, you can make it even more personal by doing a red French mani or applying some fun nail art to it.

NUDES

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Take inspiration from the seventies and paint your nails in a sultry nude tone. There are dozens of shades to choose from that are more conventional. But if you want to give your color a kick try a metallic nude or add sparkles to your polish.

 METALLICS

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Gold, silver, copper and chrome aren’t the only metallic colors were seeing in the streets. Just about any color can be found in a metallic version so go ahead and get creative with your look. Midnight navy in metallic, bordeaux and turquoise are some of my favorites. Get out there and try a few metallic polishes to see which ones you love.

GLITZY 

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I don’t know a single girl who doesn’t love sparkly polish and this season you can find more variety than ever before. These polishes are surprisingly easy to apply and remove and have the same lifespan as your average polish. They’re also pleasantly uplifting and great to wear for festive occasions such as the holidays and New Years.

MOON MANICURES

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Otherwise known as reverse French manicures this design has been around for a few seasons now and shows no sign of slowing down. Basically you have to draw the moon shape at the top of the nail bed instead of at the tip. Don’t forget to use two colors that pop such as red and purple to really nail down the look. It’s edgy, it’s fun and it’s worth trying out at least once.

LONG AND ROUND

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Many women prefer to file their nails down in a square shape but if you’re up to a change try letting your nails grow super long. Once that’s done make them round and add some polish. It’s a look that’s gaining in popularity amongst celebrities such as Adele and Rhianna and it won’t be too long before you start seeing more and more women trying it out in everyday life.

So now all you have to do is decide which one you want to try out first and where you want to go from there. Don’t be afraid to try new things as you may be surprised by what you end up loving. Have fun and stay beautiful.

Thank you, Aleya, for the wonderful post! Readers, what do you think? What nail trend tickers your fancy? Let me know in the comment section, ok?

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Post-Christmas Loot

Hi everyone,

Boxing Day was yesterday and I had my intention to blog. When I sat down and revved up my blogging engine (aka Blogger), poof went le internet. For a whole day, we didn't have internet. It was rough, y'all!

Anyways, I've been shopping my heart out lately because (a) it's the holiday season and (b) I need some stuff, mostly shoes. Finding a pair of size 8 shoes in Vietnam is harder than finding gold. I went to many, many shops and tried on hundred pairs of shoes to get only two. Same thing with clothes, although I have better luck with them now that I'm slimming down a little bit.

Talking about losing weight, I had 2 wisdom teeth taken out earlier this month and seriously, for the month of December, all I have been eating was soup and lots of it. Needless to say, my stomach has shrunk and now, a lot of clothes I bought earlier during the year are looser. I'm determined to exercise again to keep the weight off for good and I do believe combining exercise and diet is a good way to go.

Anyways, here are what I got:

I bought this pair a while back (since July, I think) but I never got a chance to showcase it. Lovely shoes with 3 different leather textures (regular, faux croc, and suede.) Haven't even worn them outside yet.

My cutie pair of flats!
This is a habit I gained since my lab days. Beside sneakers, which are neither cute nor dressy, flats are the most comfortable type of shoes I was allowed to wear in the lab since I can only wear close-toe shoes with no heels.
I tried on about a dozen pairs of shoes before finding this one. Literally praised the Lord for getting me to them!

Close-up at the bows

Next stop: Crocs! The most comfortable pair of shoes ever! The heels are so cushy that I feel like walking on marshmallows!

Got this pair for mi madre. She likes it, I think :)

Two nail polishes from Odessa, an eyelash curler from The Face Shop, and 3W Clinic eyeliner (reviewed here.)
This loot was purchased before Christmas, btw

After getting my Odessa nail polishes, I've come to realize OPI is the greatest rip off ever! I mean, at $9 USD a bottle, the OPI is no better than the Odessa. Maybe the color selection is wider but quality-wise, the Odessa is just as good as the OPI. And you know how much the former costs? 60 cents. No kidding whatsoever!

Right now, I'm wearing the hot pink color on my toes and it makes me smile. That obnoxious neon pink nail polish is cheesy as hell but it's also a good mood booster. You can't take yourself too serious when you wear hot pink, right?

Our Buche de Noel from Givral. You can't say you have cake until you try their butter cream toppings (yup, the white, fluffy stuff around the cake.) It's light, fluffy, and not intensely sweet. I wish to have another bite.

Last but not least, meee!

This is how I looked on Christmas Eve.
The ultra-sharp winged liner was done using the 3W liner. Gosh, I can't love it enough!

No foundation and sweating through the pores!
I do look different at various angles :D

I enjoyed my Christmas very much. It's amazing how much has changed since last year. It's been so long since I had Christmas in my own home that I almost forgot how it felt. Now, I can say that it felt good.

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The Amazing 3W Clinic Lash Building Eyeliner

Hi everyone,

Lately, I've been focusing more on basic makeup items. Gone are the days when I could apply layers after layers of beautiful colors on my eyelids. Now, all I need are a good mascara and a few reliable eyeliners to complete my task.

Believe it or not, the Vietnamese makeup market is friendlier towards skincare. While there are Korean, Japanese, American, and French brands available, the prices for makeup are not that affordable. Since my MAC Fluidline is running low and my ELF black liner is not that awesome anymore, I set out to find a black waterproof eyeliner that has the intensity of Blacktrack without breaking the bank. With a touch of luck, I found 3W Clinic lash building eyeliner when I was browsing for nail polishes.

First of all, I was drawn toward the price since it was the cheapest liquid eyeliner available in that store. As I was about to purchase a different liner, the sales girl opened the tube and told me to take a look at the tip. "Look how skinny it is," she said, "This liner gives the crispest and thinnest line I've ever seen. You should get it."

Look how thin the brush is

I did a comparison with the tip of the pencil and it's even thinner. I know, amazing!

So I did, after doing a few lines on my hand to confirm that it lived up to my standard. As it is not the felt tip pen type, I was a bit weary. I mean, these brush liners are very hard to draw precise lines and they tend to skip or deposit the material unevenly. But not with the 3W liner. It is as crisp as daylight. If I want a thick line, I can put more pressure on the brush. If not, this liner will deposit a nice, thin line.

(L-R): 3W Clinic eyeliner with a lot of pressure and with light pressure, ELF eyeliner, MAC Blacktrack fluidline

 As you can see, the 3W Clinic liner has the intensity en par to Blacktrack. The ELF liner looks dull compared to the other two. However, the advantage the 3W liner has over the other two is the thickness: you can draw a really tiny thin line with the brush while the others cannot. For the last two days, I have been playing with it and I have created the perfect cat-eye liner that we all covet. It is sharp and it totally changes the shape of my eyes.

See what I mean? Angelina Jolie wishes she has this liner.

Although the name of this liner has "lash building" in it, I'm not sure if it can build any lashes since I only use it to line my eyes. The only negative thing I can say about this eyeliner is the durability. It is not built the same way as a Fluidline but so far, I don't have any smudges. It does not last as long on my eyelids without a primer (4 hours without and 6 with primer.) Still, I can't complain. As far as it goes, this is the best liquid eyeliner I've ever tried. I'm glad I bought this eyeliner and I hope to find it once I run out of this bottle I have (which will take a while, knowing how little I need per line.)

So, what do you think about this eyeliner? Have you tried one with a thin brush? Let me know about it, ok?

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A Poor Woman's Clarisonic

Hi everyone,

My beloved facial cleansing brush that I just bought about a week ago.
Yup, that's my frugal version of a Clarisonic. Read on for more details!

A few Christmases ago, I received a gift that transformed my skin. You see, my Secret Santa put this tiny facial cleansing brush inside her gift package for me without saying anything. It was just a brush, nothing so impressive about it. Then, a few months later, my face decided to give me a hard time. I broke out so badly that I had to go back to ProActiv, which I hate. Still, it did not tame the zits or make my skin better. I was desperate and there, I saw that facial brush again.

I wet it, put a tiny bit of face wash on it, and brushed it in circles around my face. After three days, my skin started to behave better. Lotions began to absorb better and the zits decided to go away by themselves. Even the scars seemed to fade faster.

That was before Clarisonic was available for us to buy. And no, this concept of a facial cleansing brush is not new. I've seen brushes like this around for ages. My mom even bought one for me when I was 12 or something and if I remember correctly, this concept came from Japan. Nowadays, if you want to spend $$$ on a Clarisonic, you can. I bet it's wonderful but a manual facial cleansing brush works as well. Dermalogica has one on sale for about $12, Sephora has theirs for $5 or $7 but the cheapest one you can get in the U.S is from Sally Beauty ($1.99 without membership card, $1.79 with the card!) I actually used the one from Sally before and the bristles are so soft and the grip is comfortable.

Needless to say, I'm using this facial brush again and I have to tell you, my skin is in a state of bliss right now. The rough patches around my jawline are gone and I hardly have a zit anymore. Yes, I know this is a manual exfoliator, no more or less, but so does the Clarisonic. The only differences are (a) you don't have to spend so much money, (b) no electricity required, and (c) you may need to move your hand a little bit more, that's all.

If you choose to get one of these facial cleansing brushes, make sure the bristles are soft. Also, during the first few times you use it, go easy on the brushing motions. You don't want to scrub your skin with the same force used while scrubbing the toilet, do you?

Who should use it? Anyone who wants glowing skin. However, those who have sensitive and/or heavily inflamed skin should not use it, as it might worsen your condition(s.)

How about you? Have you tried a facial cleansing brush yet? What do you think about it? Let me know, ok?

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Feliz Navidad para mí!

Hi everyone,

Last Saturday, I went to this charity event with my brother. It was a Christmas celebration for handicapped and orphaned children. We all enjoyed the performance and felt the early spirit of Christmas during that time. I got a moment to walk around and there were a lot of vendors selling hand-made goods. All of these goods were made by the children and the profit is used to feed and shelter them. Needless to say, I decided to do some good deeds and brought two items.

I bought a wallet and a bracelet. The Nyquil pills were for my cold :(

I love this bracelet from the first moment I saw it. It's so unique with all the glass beads and they look even more stunning under bright light.

LOVE this embroidered wallet. I originally went for the orange one with golden embroidery but changed my mind. This combination is more elegant without being too overly ostentatious.

Notice how I like to take close-ups of things? Well, this wallet makes it hard not to. The embroidery is so beautiful!

The thing is, I don't wear bracelets that much, if at all. But I do like my new bracelet very much. It is comfortable yet has some weight to it. I guess I like how it lays flat to my skin. The embroidered wallet is something I don't see that often and it is chic enough for me to go to events.

As the organizations did not ask for donation, buying gifts is the way to support them. I hope these children are going to have a nice Christmas and I know their beautiful creations have made mine a lot more cheerful.

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Justin Bieber Has a Perfume? What Is Going on???

Hi everyone,

Recently, I was browsing the Ulta email ad and something caught my eyes:

Like, srsly, Justin Bieber has a fragrance?
What is going on??? o_O

 I could not believe my eyes! I mean, this kid is 17, his rise of fame is faster than anybody else's in the music industry, he wrote a book, and now he has a perfume?! What else hasn't he done? Running for the president?

I just don't get it. People are treating him as if he's Baby Jesus's second coming or something. While I know he is talented, I also believe that he is over-promoted. Over and over again, we have seen child stars turned into troubled adults once they grew up and did not resemble the cute kids they once were anymore. I hope he is not going to be in that category but again, Justin Bieber has a perfume?

I know how 17 year-old boys are. My brother is one and he is only a few weeks younger than the Bieber. Boys that age don't care about perfumes (or their own personal hygiene per se.) The only "perfumes" they wear are those Axe cans that they freely douse on their bodies. You can smell their B.O with Axe several miles away. The smell of a team of 17-year old boys can suffocate a giraffe to death. Yet, the Bieber managed to have a perfume. And it's not for people of his same gender. It's for the ladies.

Smooth!

Apparently,  it's called "Someday" and looks like this:

Someday by Justin Bieber
Don't expect me to give a link. Just don't, ok?

According to Ulta.com, this is what "Someday" supposed to smell:

Description
Playful, thought-provoking, fresh yet flirty and nothing but ordinary, the bottle comes with a removable, crystal heart charm from Justin. What better way to carry his heart on your sleeve? Top notes: Mandarin, Juicy Pear, Wild berries, Middle notes: Jasmine, Creamy Florals, Bottom notes: Vanilla, Soft Musks.

From the description, it doesn't sound like a bad perfume after all. Someday is a fruity-floral with a soft musky base. Not bad, but not so unique, either. So many perfumes out there have the same description. Also, the bottle looks like that of Marc Jacobs Lola, don't you think?

While I don't entertain the idea, I do expect this perfume to sell well during this holiday season. After all, the Biebs's team knows how to price their stuff ($30 for 1 fl. oz and $45 for 1.7 fl. oz.) It's ok if your teens like it. Blame it on their lack of exposure. But if you are over 25 and you sing praises to the Bieber's perfume, we need to talk.

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"Where's My Order?" and the Art of Complain

Hi everyone,

Christmas is coming and for those who have ordered their gifts online since Black Friday, I hope they are coming to you. Although the internet is a good place to shop and you tend to have better deals than purchasing in store, it is the waiting that gives us a lot of jitters. While a lot of companies deliver their goods on time, some don't, mostly due to overwhelming orders placed from such sales.

Usually, I would give them a week to 10 days before I start making some noises. Although I am not like Dr. Sheldon Cooper in "The Big Bang Theory," I do believe in complaining to customer service to get my orders. After all, it's my money and it's their responsibility to deliver the goods to me. This is a tried and true method and it works. So if you placed an order about three weeks ago and you haven't seen it, here are a few tips for you:

1. Read the company's shipping policy: while most companies do have policies to ship out their stuff after 48 hours to 5 or 7 business days, others may take longer. If you purchase from Etsy, definitely pay attention to this part. Since Etsy stores and some other small businesses are ran by one person, it is hard for them to juggle all the balls at once. Also, during the holiday season, a lot of these small businesses are swamped with orders so it might take them longer to ship.

2. Find your electronic invoice and shipping notification: if the company already sent you one of those, please read to see if a tracking number is attached. If not, move on top step 3.

3. Email customer service: legitimate companies often have an email address to their customer service department. If you haven't seen your order after 3 weeks (internationally, 8 weeks,) it is fair game to email them and ask where your order is. You should include the order number, content of your order, as well as the account number you have for that company. Better yet, forward them your e-invoice. It should have all the information. Wait 2-3 business days to see if you receive a reply. If not, move on top step 4.

4. Call them: again, legitimate companies should have a phone number for you to call. It might take some time and make you feel like you are jumping through hoops but again, it's your money and you don't want to disappoint a certain someone in your life so jump! Again, have the information in step 3 ready.

When you call, make sure to ask the representative for his or her name and ID number as well as extension number. Should more problem persists and you have to go higher up to the ladder, at least you have a name and some information to tell the supervisor, rather than "I talked to someone on the phone the other day."

5. Take it to their social medias: I hope you don't have to go this far to get your order but if that's the case, Facebook and Twitter are surprisingly beneficial. I had a case when I could not get a satisfactory answer from emails and calls. I was so frustrated that I put a tweet online with the company's name (something along the line of "I placed an order in @soandso's website 3 weeks ago and haven't received it yet.") Within an hour later, I checked my email and saw my order was shipped. Was it a miracle or what?

Apparently, companies these days are very conscious of how the social medias view them. Who knows where that tweet or that Facebook status would go. Within a click of a button, that tweet would be retweeted so many times that it can make your head spin. Of course, they don't want to be badly perceived. Also, companies tend to have people checking tweets and posts on their Facebook pages, even during the weekends.

6. If all fails and months later, your order is nowhere to be found, it's time to file a dispute to your credit card company. If you can't have your goods, they can't have your money, either. I hope none of you have to go to this extreme and it is very annoying to be in this state.

I have seen good companies fail because of bad customer services. Apparently, regardless of how awesome the products are, customers can only put up with the bad services for so long. If you are not in a rush, it is worth the wait but since this is the holiday season, you need to do all you can to get your orders. Good luck in that area, everyone!

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Dove Beauty Cream Bar: an Oldie but a Goodie

Hi everyone,

It has been cooler during the past few weeks and my skin decided to have its own crisis. The body wash that I used before started to give my skin rashes and I felt unclean a couple of hours after taking a shower. Very strange, indeed. Thankfully, I found a bar of pink Dove beauty cream bar and gave it a try. Best decision ever!

About 3 days after I started using the Dove bar, my skin started to heal. No more itching and the rash began to calm down. Yay, thank you Baby Jesus! On top of that, my skin felt smooth and nice. I actually smelled nice, too! Lovely!

Dove bar is probably one of those body care products people tend to overlook because it is so familiar. I mean, a lot of us know what it is when we were babies. Even my grandma used it. It's that familiar. Yet, Dove bar is still in the market while other new brands kinda dwindle these days.

Here is a thing about Dove: it is very gentle and moisturizing. Even babies can use it. I remember my mom washing my brother with Dove when he was a wee kid and I loved to smell his skin afterwards. And when I had a nasty burn during freshman year, guess what the doctor gave me? A bar of Dove to wash my hands as well as some lotions.

Which leads to one point: the Dove bar is a multi-functional product. You can use it to wash your body as well as your face since it has neutral pH. A bar can last for a long time if you keep it away from water. I always keep my Dove bar in a soap dish away from the shower. Also, if you want a basic face wash without spending a lot of money, the scent-free Dove bar is right up your alley. In fact, I used it for a while even when my acne was worse than now. It cleansed my face without making it too crunchy and oily. While it did not give my skin a lot of improvements, it was a relief from the strong medicated acne face washes I used back then.

Dove beauty cream bars are great and I am glad to use it again. Every time I use a Dove bar, I find something nice and surprising to add to the list. These days, it is easy for us to get hooked into new and fancy things while the tried and true are always there for us.

How about you? Do you love Dove beauty cream bar?

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SinfulColors Holiday Collection: Wish

Hi everyone,

The holiday season is coming and while it is busy to juggle everything together, we girls still need to pamper ourselves. While 2 dollars cannot get us a lot of things these days, we still can have a spanking new bottle of nail polish from SinfulColors. Their holiday collection called "Wish" just arrived and the colors as well as the price are lovely.

The Wish Collection, Sinful Colors Holiday 2011
(L-R): Out of this world, Midnight Blue, Sugar Sugar, Daddy's Girl, Last Chance, Flower Girl, and Fashionista

This collection includes 5 nail polishes and 2 nail art colors.

The five gem-inspired shades of polish are:

• SUGAR SUGAR: a candy cane, red-hot tint 
• MIDNIGHT BLUE: a bold, bright twist on navy 
• LAST CHANCE: an emerald with depth and allure 
• DADDY'S GIRL: a deep purple with a drizzle of shimmer and glitter 
• OUT OF THIS WORLD: a perfect silver with swirls of glimmer

The two nail art colors are:

• FLOWER GIRL: a bronzy gold with tons of sparkle 
• FASHIONISTA: a glitter-laden pewter

Out of the five nail polishes, I know for sure Sugar Sugar and Daddy's Girl are in their permanent line-up. I did a review of Daddy's Girl before (click here) and it was a lovely color. Midnight Blue is probably a permanent color as well as it does look familiar to me. Regardless, this line up for the holiday collection does look festive and at $1.99 a bottle, there's nothing to lose but pretty nails to gain (haha, I know it's cheesy but I can't help it!)

Where to get them: Walgreens for sure as well as other selected drugstores.

How about you? What do you think about this holiday collection from SinfulColors? Like it, love it? Let me know, ok?

(Btw, I was told that SinfulColors is written in one word, with no space in between. Talking about the new things I learn everyday, right?)

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Lipstick Shape Psychology

Hi everyone,

Today's post is courtesy of BeautyPress.com. If you haven't heard about it already, BeautyPress is a service to link companies and beauty editors together. As I do have a beauty blog and I do write about beauty, makeup, and their related topics, I was granted the access a while ago (probably 2+ years already!) Yet, I haven't used any of their materials here, although they have a lot of beauty releases for us beauty bloggers to use.

Recently, BeautyPress posted an interesting article about lipstick shapes and their owners' personalities. I think it's an interesting article so here we go:

Lipstick Shape Psychology

Originally from BeautyPress.com

A lipstick reveals more than a thousand words 
Short psychology of shapes of used lipsticks 

Stick shape no 1: The daredevil 

She is daring, imaginative and very sensual, a creative type with lots of spirit and a strong personality. She loves surprises and a varied life, and her lipstick looks just as adventurous. Worn down equally on both sides, it looks like the mouthpiece of a whistle. She couldn’t care less about conventions and goes her own individual way.

Stick shape no 2: The buddy 

She has a carefree disposition, she is eloquent and a born diplomat. Friends often ask her for advice, because she is a good listener and always gets to the heart of things. She handles her lipstick just as straightforwardly as she goes through her life. It is worn off flat and reliably. Women do not consider her a competitor, and men do not consider her a sex object – no matter how pretty she looks.

Stick shape no 3: The super woman

She is gentle, feminine, and has a deep need for peace and harmony. Everybody feels at ease in her company, because she is has no rough edges – she simply is a marvellous lover, an excellent cook, and a loving wife. Everything in her life proceeds in a purposeful and planned manner, because she leaves nothing to chance. Not even the shape of her used lipstick, which is also perfectly round and smooth.

Stick shape no 4: The power woman

She is self-confident, well-balanced, conscientious, and has a love for detail. With her energy and creativity, she gets over every hurdle. She has a perfect memory, doesn’t bear grudges, and is always the centre of attention in her circle of friends. In her life, everything always goes steeply upwards, just like the shape of her lipstick. So she is not the type of woman whose place is in the kitchen – nobody can control her.

Stick shape no 5: The emotional woman

She is sensitive, thoughtful and reserved. Her passion flourishes undetected, and in her dream world, everything is much more beautiful than in reality. She looks for understanding, friendship, and closeness, but quite often, she is disappointed. Her desire for an intimate relationship is also reflected in the firm pressure on her lipstick which shows a clear concave-hollowed tip. Big romantic words, poems and charming lyric poetry make her a passionate lover.

My lipstick shapes are all veered toward number 4 (the power woman) with a few that are leaning close to number 2 (the buddy.) I think this has more to do with how the lipsticks were molded since most of them have slanted edges anyways. Number 1 and 5 can happen if you use a lip brush to apply your lipstick. I know my mom had a few lipsticks that were dented in the middle. She wanted to scoop up the remaining amount left in the tube once the lipstick was not enough for her to apply by itself.

How about you? How do your lipsticks look like? Do you believe in this theory at all?

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