Blogger Love! Varnish Vixen

I got in touch with one of my favourite Nail bloggers, Rory who runs Varnish Vixen blog (who doesn't like fox themed things?), who also has a neat eclectic steam-punk style. I asked her if she'd do a Blogger Love interview for you all and she agreed! Also because she is mainly a nail blogger I had to add in a couple nail polish questions for you too! Thank goodness she was so patient about it all!

1) Favourite Nail Polish Brand and why?

I couldn't limit this to just one brand.  My top three nail polish brands are: Rescue Beauty Lounge, Essie, and China Glaze.  Rescue Beauty Lounge because their formula is perfect and there are times when I just want to put on two easy, opaque coats and be done.  Essie because it wears like iron on me.  China Glaze because they have great colors are reasonable prices. 

2) Most unique Nail Polish(s) you own?

I guess I'm going to go with Rescue Beauty Lounge No More War.  It isn't wildly unique, but I've never seen anyone on the street wearing anything like it! 

3) Are you more of a Morning, Day, or Night time person?

 I'm a morning person.  When I was young I had to get up at 4:30 AM every morning for swim practice and the habit stuck with me.  Now I only get up at 5 AM!

4) Something you struggle with on a day to day basis?

Ummm...I guess I struggle to have patience with other people and with myself.

5) Favourite Animal?

Elephants are my favorite animal.  I spent the first 10 years of my life in Oahu, Hawaii and the local zoo let patrons interact with their elephants.  There was a large park outside of the zoo (complete with awesome banyan trees!) and they'd take the elephants there and let them interact with the kids...pet them, teach them about their teeth, how to clean out the pads in their feet, give them baths, etc.  So for a very long time I wanted to be an elephant care giver.   

6) Favourite Colour?

Right now it is orange and navy.

7) Preferred foundation coverage and finish ex. Heavy coverage, matte

 I have mediocre skin with some scaring around my jawline along with a healthy dose of Irish redness.  I even out it's appearance with Clinique Almost Make-up.  (Not sure where that falls on the spectrum, but it is very sheer, and has just enough coverage to smooth out some imperfections while making it look like I'm not wearing anything.) 

8) How old are you?

I am 26.

 

9) What do you do in everyday life? If you’re a student what is your major?

Right now I work at a hospital in an administrative position.  I go to school part time at night and am working towards my MBA in Healthcare Administration.

 

10) First makeup brand that really got you interested in cosmetics?

I really didn't know anything about cosmetics up until the last 6 months.  I pretty much only wore Clinique's Almost Make-up and mascara.  In the last 6-8 months I've acquired a decent amount of NARS and Too Faced products.

11) Do you have any makeup or skin care items that are perfect for you? (HG items) If so which- include shade names please.

 I don't know if they're perfect for me, but I love NARS bronzing powder (can't remember which shade) under my cheek bones, NARS Orgasm on my cheek, and NARS Albatross on my cheek bones.  

12) What is your favourite food? Drink?

My favorite food is...really all foods.  I'm not a picky eater.  My favorite drink is Smuttynose IPA.

  

13) Favourite Gem Stone?

 You know, I don't really like "real" jewelry.  I like cheap-affordable costume jewelry as accessories, but I couldn't be bothered by anything fancier.  My birthstone is a topaz and I used to think that was really unfortunate back when I was a kid and birthstone rings were the thing to have. lol.

 14) Do you have any pets in your life? If yes, what are their names (and can we have pictures?)

I have no pets.  E and I tried to adopt a dog from the local shelter a few years ago and it just didn't work out.  He was a 130 lb. 2 year old chocolate lab and he just couldn't live in a one bedroom apartment on the 28th floor of a building (in an area with no parks).  That combined with both of our work schedules and we realized that as much as we loved him, it was inhumane to keep him.  We had to take him back to the shelter after 72 hours.  It was really, really, really sad. (It was a no-kill shelter, for what it's worth) :(

 15) One place you’ve never been that you want to visit?

There are a lot of places I want to visit.  I spent 2 months after I graduated from undergrad back-packing through Europe alone.  I'd like to go back, only this time with E.  I'd specifically like to do a whirlwind trip with him through Paris-Amsterdam-Bruges-Munich-Interlaken. In a perfect world we'd do the whole thing by bike. (okay, maybe not the part to Switzerland because that could be a lot of uphill riding!!)

  

16) What inspired you to start your blog?

Around this time last year, I got serious about quitting my nail biting habit.  I thought that if I got a manicure each week, I might stop.  I did that for a while and then realized I couldn't afford a salon manicure on a weekly basis, so I started buying polish for myself.  Once I started researching polish online, I immediately found nail polish blogs.  After following quite a few blogs covertly, I decided to start my own.  I wanted to help fill the internet with swatches for other women like me who didn't want to commit to a purchase before seeing the product and thought that having pictures of my nails up on the web would be additional motivation to not eat my fingers.

 

17) What are some of the most useful things you’ve learned about since you started blogging?

Hmm...well, I've learned a lot about how camera's work, I've learned how to hack away at html, I've learned about a lot of new products I never would have known existed without bloggers recommending them, and I've learned that online communities can be as real and fulfilling as "real life" communities.  

 

18) Favourite Season?

Summer (although I love fall too).  I grew up in Arizona and I love the feel of hot wind on my skin...I like it when the heat feels like the air is coming from an oven...but I hate humid, sticky heat.  

 

19) What do you use to take your blog photos? What type of computer?

I use an Olympus E-420 to take my photos.  My computer is a Lenovo laptop that runs Ubuntu (Linux OS) and I use GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) for editing.

 20) What genre of movies/books do you like?

Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Adventure.

 

21) Other hobbies or events that you’re involved in?

 I'm pretty athletic.  I love cycling, running, and swimming.  If I could be outdoors and active all day long, I would be.  

22) Most unique eyeshadow you own?

All my eyeshadow is conservative.  NARS Brousse or Too Faced Romantic Eye are probably the most non-natural eyeshadow shades I own.

 

23) Most unique lip product?

MAC Morange or Cover Girl Divine Divine...or Illamasqua Sangers.  They're all very bold.

24) Favourite colour combinations?

Right now: Orange, lapis lazuli blue, navy blue, white, and red.

25) Favourite piece of jewelry? Why is it your favourite?

  My Claddagh ring.  I've had it since I was 16 and I never take it off (not to exercise, not to sleep...)  I don't really consider it jewelry, but it's the only thing that I have that isn't totally trivial.

26) Best drugstore product you’ve tried?

 Burt's Bees...I'm a big fan of all their products.

27) Random fact you'd like to share about yourself?

 Ummm...I used to buzz cut my hair, but now I'm growing it out and it's taking forevvvvvvver. :(

Collective Summer Haul

Over the last little while I've bought quite a few things (to my bank accounts displeasure), but I thought you might enjoy seeing what I got.

Image from Swatch and Learn Blog

Though I haven't received it yet, I recently ordered a bottle of Nubar Reclaim over amazon. I can't wait to paint my nails in this shade! Holographic green!

Also in the mail hopefully to make its way to me soon (Stupid Canadian Postal Strike!!!!) is a huge order of pigment pressing pans and pressing medium from the Body Needs website. 

I also needed a new bottle of my cleanser from Murad (Clarifying Cleanser- my full review here) as I accidently left my half full bottle at my cottage. So I bought a new one at Sephora and also received a free sample of DDF's Advanced Eye Firming Concentrate which I gave to my mom.

I also bought 2 tubes of Jack Black's Lemon and Chamomile (SPF 25) lip balm- which is amazing! I have one and the other I gave to my grandmother who has a difficult time with her skin. She really likes it too! You can see my full review on this product here!

Also from Jack Black (and for my Dad for father's day) was the Pure Clean Daily Facial Cleanser, a cleanser designed to help with shaving and sensitive clog prone skin- which my dad has. He seems to like it, I keep trying to get more details out of him than that so I can write a review, but that doesn't seem to be happening all that easily. Oh well it's natural and he likes it so that is good at least!

I also bought an empty Mac palette to hold pressed eyeshadows and received my 500 point Sephora gift which was the best I've ever received a Too Faced 8 eyeshadow palette and mini Too Faced Shadow Insurance. It has a magnetic closure and has super pigmented shadows inside! I'm so pleased with it that I got excited and did swatches for you all. (Plus I've got a shot of the inside of the Mac palette for anyone interested).

Two shadows from each of the palettes from Too Faced

Two shadows from the Natural Eye kit- Heaven and Push-Up

Two Shadows from the Smoky Eye Kit- Silver Spoon and Smolder

Two shadows from the Naked Eye kit- Satin Sheets and Like a Virgin

Two shadows from the Romantic Eye kit- Honeymoon and Ever After

First Column T-B: Honeymoon, Satin Sheets, Silver Spoon, Heaven (looks invisible but is actually there just skin coloured)
Second Column T-B: Ever After, Like a Virgin, Smolder, Push-Up

Same order as above

I also got a Fruits and Passion Argan Body Butter as it was on sale for $10 CND. Their hand cream with Argan oil is really good so I'm hoping for results from this too! (Argan Hand cream review is scheduled to show up soonish).

The last time we were at the cottage it was raining as we were trying to get home and my poor little dog got quite wet and cold. Despite trying to keep him warm and drying him off as soon as possible he was shivering for about half an hour and so we ordered him this rain coat. It has a warm fleece lining that wicks water away from his skin and a nylon water repellent outside. It velcros on and even has a little collar to keep his neck warm. On top of that it's really well made and has a reflective strip that reflects light so we can see him better at night. I purchased it online at Gear 4 Dogs, a great easy to order from West Coast Canadian company. They have lots of colours and sizes available too!

I also bought some clothes though only the new shirt is pictured here. I love the colour of this shirt and the ruffles are really pretty on. I also recently bought a black sundress with little red and white flowers on it and a brown flowy tank-top but my photos have gone missing for these items and due to major packing we've been doing the clothing has disappeared so I can't conveniently take another photo for you. Sorry!

Last but not least I bought two little figurines. They're both hand-made in Uruguay and I just adore them! A chubby little Zebra and a sweet little Elephant! They'll fit perfectly with all the stuff I brought back with me from Tanzania when I went last year.

Phew! Sorry this post was so long, but I hoped you enjoyed it. Have any of you hauled lately?

Is your True Blood tasting a little Tarte?

Tarte one of the best natural companies has gotten together with HBO to create a small but heady True Blood collection- out just in time for the new season to start on Sunday. Not many of you know this but I  adore vampires so this is right up my alley! There are 3 limited edition items and they are currently only available on the Sephora website. The cheek stain (a sheer red with shimmer) costs $30 USD, the lip stain (still infused with that strong mint scent) is a iridescent red shade for $24 USD, and lastly is the eyeshadow palette that has 17 eyeshadows and black eyeliner, mascara and eyeshadow primer for $52 USD. 

At the moment it is only letting beauty insiders buy them but it's free to sign-up to become a BI so that isn't such a difficult thing to overcome. 

The 17 eyeshadow shades are:

- The Light (Shimmering Warm Ivory)

- Fairy (Shimmering Pink)

- Dusk (matte warm taupe)

- Dawn (Shimmering gold dust)

- Werewolf (Matte Chocolate)

- Waitress (Sparkling pink Champagne)

- Nocturnal (Sparkling deep indigo)

- Charmer (Sparkling burnt copper)

- Glamour Me (Sparkling Deep Plum)

- Stake (matte Steel)

- Bayou (shimmering golden tan)

- Telepath (Sparkling warm rose) 

- The True Death (Sparkling Silver)

- Immortal (Sparkling midnight Black)

- Moss (Shimmering forest green)

- Legend (Deep Matte Black)

- "V" (Sparkling Crimson)

I think most of the names are appropriate though I wish they'd actually named a couple of the shades with character names like Pam, Sookie, Eric and Godric. (Why oh why did you have to die Godric!) Also I don't really get why the palette has two black shades.

Anyways, tell me what you think? Gimmick or cool? Personally I'd love to get a chance to swatch all of these!

Beauty Tips and Tricks I've Learned Over the Past Year

As most of you know, I've been at this blog for a little over a year now and I've really learned a lot! So I listed most of the things that I've really benefited from learning and put them down here for you. I hope they can help and make easier the world of cosmetics for some of you!

• Find your brows are just slightly unruly but not enough to warrant wax or a brow gel? I like to use the remnants of my face primer from my foundation brush.  Not overkill, not crunchy but a little bit more in the lines!

• If you do have crazy brows but don’t want to pluck them down to nothing, I recommend clear mascara from the drugstore. Cheap, comes with a spoolie and you can mix a bit of your brow powder in it to give a really subtle tint for extra coverage.

• I have issues with over-filling my brows. Because I’m not naturally Auburn (shhh! Don’t tell!) I like to use a coloured brow pencil in auburn to make my colour look more natural. However, to tint my brows and create a natural look (while still making them look fuller) I find it best to only do a couple swipes of pencil in the middle of my brows and the with a small brush or a q-tip blend out. I don’t get such a harsh line where my brows are on my pale face.

• Suck at eyeliner pencil application? I do! I also hate wasting pencil products, they give you so little as it is! I don’t want to sharpen it until I absolutely must i.e. it’s flat! My solution is to use an angled liner brush. I can get a sharp, even line across my lashes without wasting the pencil and without major agitation. Plus if you want to tone down the intensity of the liner colour you can blend the liner out more with the brush.

• Need to tone down blush your after you’ve accidently overdone it? This happens to me all the time when I’m a bit overzealous! Use your setting powder (either translucent or coloured!) and lightly buff a little over your blush. This will also make your blush last a bit longer!

• Have an angry red zit, and you’ve got to be in a photo in fifteen minutes? Believe it or not Visine eye drops on a pimple will take some of the redness away. Just like with red eyes! Dropping an extra drop in your eyes will make them whiter too, so with a little cover-up you should be good in a fix and able to draw the attention away from your spot. The redness will come back- the Visine’s effects aren’t permanent but for a shorter period of time this could be exactly what you need!

• You’re daytime moisturizer with SPF will not last you all day! Chemical sunscreens break down overtime on your skin. To keep on top of protection from the sun this summer try a powder or physical sunscreen that you can apply over makeup really easily- this will keep you matte and protect you from skin cancer. (Remember- the sun will damage your skin through the window- not as much, but UVA rays do penetrate glass!)

•  Use a liquid highlighter on your undereye circles before your concealer. It will subtly shine through and make you look much more awake!

• Another trick to looking awake is to use a nude matte eyeliner on the inner rim or water line of your eyes. This will cover the redness naturally there and will make your eyes look bigger and more awake.

• If you have some eyelid discolouration (like me) I recommend using a matte semi-opaque to fully opaque eyeshadow in the same tone as your skin. I personally use Wet n' Wild's Brulee and it's perfect for making my eyes look more youthful as well as providing a highlight shade (as I cover from my lash line to my brows) before adding what ever shadow colours I want to wear for the day. Or if I'm super lazy it looks very natural if I just leave it!

What are some of your beauty secrets?

Sephora Smoky Waterproof Cream Liners Swatches

Recently during one of my trips to Sephora I noticed that they had a variety of cream liner pots and so I took the opportunity to swatch them. I was actually impressed with my limited exposure to their formula- a fairly dry cream that seemed to set and stay well (took a quite a bit of scrubbing to get them off! Especially the black). Some of these are more of a matte finish while others have a beautiful shimmer to them.

There are eight shades, I've listed them, their finishes and their names below. :D

• Must Have, a matte dark black
• Made in Manhattan, a dark smoky shimmery grey
• Cafe a super dark matte brown
• Statue Bronze, a shimmery true bronze shade
• Grass is Greener, a shimmery dark slightly olive grass green
• Electric Teal, a shimmery bright electric blue 
• The Deep End, A bright matte royal blue
• Bewitch Me, an amazing shimmery red plum (with red shimmer!)

On to the swatches!

T-B: Must Have, Electric Teal, Bewitch Me, Made in Manhattan, The Deep End, Grass is Greener, Statue Bronze, Cafe

T-B: The Deep End, Grass is Greener, Statue Bronze, Cafe

T-B: Must Have, Electric Teal, Bewitch Me, Made in Manhattan, Deep End and Grass is Greener

I apologize that the swatches aren't the best and the pictures are a bit off- not only was I in a rush, I didn't start swatching expecting to actually photograph these for you guys. In the end I decided that these were too good and intense to pass up. In Canada they cost $13 dollars, but in the USA they'll be less. I was really tempted to get Bewitch Me, as it would totally be a colour to bring out green in anyones eyes. I also love the shimmer in it! If I get one I'll certainly do a review.