Current Nails: Lust for Lilac by Maybelline Color Show

Hey there!

In my last post, New Beauty Buys, I showed a new nail color I got called Lust for Lilac by Maybelline's Color Show line. I finally polished my nails with the color today, and I love it! Lilac shades are some of my favorites to wear on my nails, especially during the season. I got this color from Target, and it was $3.04. Don't ask why I remember that exact amount. Anyway, the polish needs at minimum two coats for it to duplicate the exact color in the bottle. I, however, did three coats just to make the color pop a bit more since it's so light. Anyway, check out my pictures of the color below! 

Until next time!

XO,

Kandace

New Beauty Buys!

Hi guys!

I've grabbed some good stuff over the last few days, and I wanted to share with you all! We all know how much makeup and beauty products make me very happy, so I've grabbed a few things that I needed, and some that I just wanted, and I wanted to share and review! It's not much, but I got some great stuff, so check it out!

I finally got a new NARS concealer after a long time without it, Geranium by Essie, Lust for Lilac by Maybelline Color Show, NYX Butter Gloss, and Maybelline's Define-a-Line eyeliner! 

As you can see, this NARS concealer is packaged like lipstick kind of. The packaging is really cute too. I am a big fan of NARS concealer, because it is lightweight, and it conceals very well. I like their creamy concealer a bit better (that is the concealer that is packaged like lipgloss and has a brush), but because they did not have my shade left, I purchased this one. I didn't settle because I have used this one plenty of times before and I love it, but I just prefer the one with the brush. This shade is Dark2 Cacao. This concealer is $24 in Sephora. 

The left shade is Geranium by Essie, and the right shade is Lust for Lilac by Maybelline Color Show. First let me say, I was never one for red nail polish mainly because I thought it made my hands look too old for my body if that makes sense. However, I have been on the hunt for a cherry red polish that was very bright and this was it. Plus we all know Essie has amazing polish. (Between $8 and $9 in stores) I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked it on me. I can't deny that wearing red polish does take some getting used to but overall I liked it a lot. It is a very classy polish. I don't really wear red except for lipstick and some accessories here and there, so I was surprised at how much I liked it. (I didn't post it because I rushed and did it right before work and most of it smudged, so when I redo the color I will definitely post!) 

The right shade is Lust for Lilac by Maybelline Color Show. This was not a color I was on the hunt for. I was just doing my usual browsing and I came across this. It is about $4 in stores. I haven't tried it on yet, but when I do I will definitely post. I have no doubt I will like it because I love lilac colored nails. Very summer! 

I have been trying to get my hands on NYX Butter gloss for a while, and I finally grabbed one today! I love it! This particular shade is Apple Strudel, and it's a pale pink gloss. It's sheer but with a pink tint, and it's perfect for a subtle and natural look. I highly recommend. This was a little over $5 in CVS. I definitely will be getting more shades!

This is literally one of my favorite eyeliners ever! Maybelline Define-a-Line in Ebony Black. It's long lasting, doesn't smudge, and glides on so smoothly. You cannot go wrong with this. This is my signature eyeliner, but I have been using a Lancome pencil when I ran out of this and just never replaced it. However, I've kicked the Lancome pencil to the curb (although I really do like it), and I'm back with my fave! This eyeliner is about $5. Love.

I just wanted to share my grabs with you all, I will definitely follow up with the nail polish colors in a post. Stay tuned for more posts coming very soon!

Until next time!

XO,

Kandace

White Mani!

Hey everyone!

I'm back just hours later with a white mani post, as promised! I did my nails with the white polish that I got from Target today, which I mentioned in my last post. It is called Sure Thing by Revlon Color Stay Gel Envy line. 

This color has a base coat plus the nail enamel which is awesome and made applying this a lot easier. Applying white polish is never easy, but the base coat mixed in definitely helped. White manicures are hard to perfect because they can get very messy very quickly, mainly because the polish glides on so streaky the first coat. You just have to be patient. If you take your time, it will turn out very pretty. Check out the rest of my pictures below!

Hope you enjoyed the post! Try out a white mani and see if you like it! This is a great polish to try.

Until next time!

XO,

Kandace

Weekend Beauty Grabs!

Hey everyone!

I know I haven't posted in a week, but that's because I was trying to make sure I had a great post for you all for my next post! I haven't even done my nails this week, can you believe it? But that will change today as soon as I finish this post, because some of the grabs I got today and yesterday will get put to use on my nails! So look out for another post either tonight or tomorrow. Yesterday, my mom and I went to Bare Minerals because she won a makeup party. We got the chance to play around in makeup, you know I was in heaven, and got some really good stuff. I also got some things from Forever 21, and Target. 

The top picture shows the sunglasses and two nail colors I got from Forever 21, which were buy one get one free, and I love F21's nail polish. The goodie bag was full of personalized freebies from Bare Minerals, plus the lipgloss that the lady who assisted me at Bare Minerals showed me. I had to get it. It looks perfect on. 

The bottom picture shows what I got from Target today, which is Rimmel's Extra Wow mascara, Revlon's Color Stay Gel Envy white nail polish, which is a base and color enamel combined. I can't wait to try. (I'll have a nail post with that color following this post) I went into Target with the intention of getting Blanc by Essie, but Target only had Marshmallow. I also got a new eyeshadow brush, which I'm excited to use because Elf has great products. 

The colors above are called Neon Pink and Emerald, which I'm excited to use. A girl can never have enough pink nail polish! The Emerald color has a very pretty shimmer to it. I'm almost out of the color I have like this, so I thought this would be pretty. Plus, they were buy one get one free, so I got both of these for $2.80. Steal! Don't sleep on F21's nail polish. It's awesome. I got the sunglasses because one, I can never have enough, and two, I needed some new plain black sunglasses. A lot of my sunglasses have designs on them. My only other plain black plastic pair have round lenses, and my plain black aviators are kind of done, so I thought these were cute. They were $5.80.

First, please excuse my nails. I'm taking care of them today, promise. This was the lipgloss I bought from Bare Minerals, it was not included in the goodie bag, but I couldn't leave it in the store. It smells SO good. It has a minty smell, and it tingles a bit on your lips upon application. It's called Risk Taker, and it was $18. Well worth it. Very well worth it. It's amazing quality, and looks great on.

In the goodie bag, there was translucent powder, which is typically applied after all of your makeup is applied to give it a nice finish, to prevent shine, and to prevent sweat from messing it up. There was also moisturizer for combination skin, which is perfect because I have combination skin. The lady who helped me personalized my goodie bag, and I was very excited to get it. I tried it last night and liked how my skin felt this morning. It was less oily on my forehead, and the bottom of my face didn't feel dry so that was awesome. She also included under eye brightener. I was talking to her about the dark circles under my eyes so I was happy that she included that. I tried it today, and it made under my eyes look SO much better. Very pleased. The last photo is lipgloss, and it is super gorgeous on. It's like a nude color, and it has a really nice shine. I love it. The shade I have is called Saavy from the Pretty Please line. 

This mascara is from Rimmel, and is the Extra Wow Lash mascara. It is the Extreme Black #003 shade. I haven't tried it yet, but I will be sure to let you know how it works when I try it! It was $3.04 at Target. I was going to get the Falsies by Maybelline, but I wanted to try something new. I still may go back and get the Falsies just to have another one because it's my favorite.

I had no plans of buying an eyeshadow brush today, but I saw it and remembered that I needed one. It was like $1.14 if I remember correctly. I have so many shadow brushes but a lot of them are worn down, so I'm trying to get my stash back up of new ones. Elf has great products at pocket friendly prices.

This is Revlon's Color Stay Gel Envy white polish. This color is called Sure Thing. I don't want to post too much about this because I've never tried this line, and I am doing my nails this color today, so I'll have more for you guys on how it turns out and how I liked it later today. I love love white nail polish, and I haven't had white nails since last summer so I'm excited.

That does it! These are all my buys from the weekend. I hope you enjoyed the post! Stay tuned for future posts about some of these products!

Until next time.

XO,

Kandace

New Nails: Island Coral by Sinful Colors

Hey all!

Two posts in one day! Yay! Anywho, I have been kind of fake because I didn't exactly post about the color I had on last. But, I'm back with a nails post, and the color I am currently wearing is called Island Coral by Sinful Colors. I was looking for a new coral nail color since the coral I had has gotten really old, and the nail polish remover trick isn't working anymore. I love Sinful Colors, as I've mentioned before. They're inexpensive, and the colors are very vibrant, and long lasting. Check out pictures of my mani below! 

Perfect summer color! I hope you enjoyed the post!

Until next time!

Kandace

New Hair: Highlights!

Hi all!

I hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July! So, for those who know me, you know that I have wanted highlights in my hair for the LONGEST time. Yesterday, I finally got my long awaited highlights in my hair, and I'm SO happy with how they turned out! First off let me say, that absolutely no bleach was needed for these. Every hairdresser or salon I spoke with about getting highlights told me that because my hair is so dark, they would need to bleach my hair in order to obtain a lighter color. However, this color came with absolutely no bleach at all. I was hesitant to get highlights done if bleach was needed because I already have a relaxer in my hair, and I didn't think it was a good idea to add that harshness to my hair. Especially since it is just now growing back to the length it was a few years ago after heat damage. My cousin Theresa, fondly known as Tee Tee, is a hairdresser in Atlanta, GA, and she came up to visit her sister, my other cousin, this weekend to go to the Beyonce' and Jay Z concert. (which I will be attending on Monday, stay tuned for my outfit and makeup posts!) A while ago I asked her to do my highlights the next time she came to the DC, and she agreed. I wanted like chestnut colored highlights, and that's exactly what she gave me. She trimmed it because it was quite uneven, and she curled it very pretty which you will see in the pictures. She mixed two colors, and she used a developer so that bleach was not needed. She also sat me under the hydrating machine, which was definitely an experience. If you have never sat under a hydrating machine, just let me tell you, it works, but it is not fun. It's very steamy, and very hot water can tend to drip on you. However, it works wonders for you hair, leaving it very moisturized and hydrated. It tremendously decreased the shedding in my hair also. Remember, if you get a relaxer, it is super important to wait 2-3 weeks before you put any type of dye or color or whatever in your hair. Too many chemicals in a short amount of time can cause serious breakage, and even cause your hair to fall out. Well, enough of me blabbing, check out the pictures of my highlights below!

These two photos were taken with flash.

These two pictures were taken without flash.

I absolutely love how it turned out! I have attached the link to my cousin's StyleSeat page here. GA people, check her out! She does great work!

Until next time!

Kandace

Five Essentials You Need for a Perfect At Home Mani!

Hey guys!

First, let me apologize for my absence. I know I've neglected my blog for a week, but work has had me super tired! Working with kids is no joke. Plus, my summer class is ending soon which means the work has picked up. There's been lots of other things going on as well, so I've been a little tied up, but I'm back! I've been wanting to do a post about at home manicures for a while, and though due to time constraint, I can't do an as in-depth post as I would like to right now, but I thought this would make a good post, and be very informative. We all want a pretty at home manicure, and with these five essentials, we can get one easily. Let's get into it!

(pictured from left to right)

1. Top Coat (this one is Sally Hansen's Super Shine Top Coat, the one I swear by)

2. Nail Buffer

3. Nail Scrubbing Brush

4. Nail File

5. Cuticle Pusher/Correction Stick/Under Nail Cleaner (I'm not really sure what the correct term is for this item, don't judge me, but it can be used for more than one thing)

This top coat is AMAZING. I posted about it previously, and you can check out that post here. Top coat is key for any manicure, because it helps avoid chipping, and it makes your nails look even better with a shiny finish. Just an fyi, my nail color is called Lacey Lilac by Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear.  I probably won't get to do a nail post on that particular color, so I just wanted to throw the name out there.

This brush is so so important for any manicure because your nails have to be clean to look pretty! When there's dirt under your nails, it makes the top of the nail and your finger  dirty, and that throws off the whole manicure. It's very important to make sure that under those nails are super clean. When giving a manicure, you can soak your hands and use this, or do it in the shower. Trust me, you'll notice a difference. 

A nail file is key in shaping your nails, and taking care of those jagged edges. Definitely use a nail file to make your nails your desired shape (round, square, oval, etc.) and to make them the same length if you do not want to use a nail cutter. The second item is good for pushing your cuticles back, as well as using the sharper part to clean under your nails if the nail scrubber couldn't reach the dirt. Also, sometimes I use the sharp part (after I clean it) to get rid of the excess nail polish on my skin. Although, I typically use Q-tips for that.

These are some of the items that I use to do my at home manicures, and I wanted to share! Most of these items can be bought for very cheap individually, or found in a manicure set. I hope you enjoyed the post! 

Until next time!

Kandace