Twi-tini Party!

Yes, this would be one of those aforementioned Twilight-themed posts.  But don't stop reading just yet or you'll miss the good stuff!  This past weekend I hosted, what I dubbed, a Twi-tini Party.  A bunch of girls and I got together and watched the first two movies in the saga, Twilight and New Moon in anticipation (preparation for a couple of the ladies who hadn't seen either!) for the release of Eclipse.  Drinking + hot vampires + hot werewolves = one helluva fantastic evening!

The essential component of the Twi-tini Party is, as you may have already guessed, a martini!  A Vamptini, to be precise!  I'm sure there's some sort of "official" Vamptini recipe, but being lazy inventive, rather than do the research, I threw together my own version of the cocktail.  My creation came out a blood red color - very thematic! - and it was, uh potent, and quite delicious!

To see the drink recipe and more of the menu, keep reading!

NOTD Vampicure

I love Twilight.  There.  I said it.  Don't judge me.  At least, not unless you've read the books.  In which case, you won't need to judge me because you get it.  And if you don't get it, then you're dead inside...or a dude.  Don't worry, I won't hold it against you.


Behold, the Vampicure.  It's dark, mysterious, and like certain vampires, it sparkles!  I know, I know, you're thinking, "Too early. Eclipse doesn't come out until next Wednesday!! Squeeeeeeee!!"  I assure you, this will all make sense very soon, so stay tuned, folks.

More pics along with the polishes used after the jump.

Nothin' Makes a Day Better Like New Shoes

I'm sure I'm not the only one who indulges in a little retail therapy for a case of the blues.  I generally prefer instantaneous gratification, so I avoid online shopping when I'm feeling bluesy.  Plus, I tend to purchase more because stuff just isn't real until it's in my hot little hands.


But for these Diane Von Furstenberg Luna sandals, I broke my cardinal rule...I bought online.  I couldn't pass up these babies.  Mega-high heels, metallic bronze, need I go on?  Perfect for a night out on the town or oh, say, grocery shopping at Tar-zhay.   I'll let you guess where I did the test driving.

I promise these aren't nearly as cankley-looking in real life as they are in the pictures.  I had to bend, contort, and position my feet in odd positions just to get a couple of good shots.


More of me waxing poetic over these shoes and don't miss out on the kitty pics!

Paul & Joe Spring and Summer 2010 Goodies

Paul & Joe is one of those brands that has flown under the radar since it's creation, but really deserves to have a spotlight shown on it.  It was once carried at Sephora, but now is really more of a boutique-brand, being carried at only a few locations and places online.


I did purchase a couple of items back when P&J was carried at Sephora, but lost track of the brand when it was discontinued.  It recently piqued my interest again when I spotted the Summer 2010 Collection being reviewed on The Beauty Look Book.  She recommended purchasing from Beautyhabit, which I went ahead and did.  I'd like to mention Beautyhabit's customer service is really fantastic.  The Mirage nail polish was on back order, and I received an e-mail from a real person letting me know that my order would be shipping without Mirage, and it would be sent along once it was back in stock.  When my main package arrived, there was a nice little pouch of samples and a handwritten thank you card.  Mirage arrived just a few days later with another pouch of samples and another lovely note.  I highly recommend purchasing from Beautyhabit, and I will do so in the future.


The nail polishes in the Summer Sahara Collection are what really caught my eye.  Well, those and the cute kitty packaging on the Honeysuckle Eye Shadow from Spring 2010 Collection.  Those items promptly went into my bag.  I'm also a purple fiend, so I snagged Purple Clover Eye Shadow.  Finally, although I'm normally a gloss person, I wanted to try out one of the lipsticks, so I chose Sahara, as the other two appeared a little frosty for my taste.

Clockwise from top left is Sahara Lipstick, Marrakesh and Oasis Nail Polishes, and Purple Clover and Honeysuckle Eye Shadows.  Photo is sans Mirage, as it just arrived the other day.  Lucky I put this post off!


Many more pictures and swatches after the jump, along with my general thoughts of the cosmetics line.

TKB Trading Pigments & Micas: Review and Swatches, Part 2

Annnnnd here are the rest of the fantastic swatches!

More awesomeness after the jump!

Brigitte Bardot-inspired Winged Liner

Her iconic winged liner has survived the test of time, spanning a few generations.  Winged liner is just awesome in my book.  It's a look all it's own, and it's a look that has endured over the decades as the sex-kitten look.

More pictures and what I used to create this look after the jump.

TKB Trading Pigments & Micas: Review and Swatches, Part 1

Have you discovered TKB Trading yet?  If not, you totally have to check them out for budget-friendly beauty.  They have a bevy of pigments, micas and glitters with fantastic pigmentation and texture, and some of which are exact dupes for MAC Pigments.  Teaspoon-sized "samples", which are pretty much all you need as that is a lot of product, are $1.50, and sizes go up from there.  Shipping is really reasonable and they ship internationally!


I use these for everything from eye shadows to using in frankening nail polishes (custom-making my own nail polishes).  These are so inexpensive that I don't worry if something turns out bad, like I might if I used my expensive MAC Pigments.  I definitely wouldn't call these pigments and micas "cheap" since that speaks more to quality.  TKB pigments and micas are really great quality.  Some I'd say are even better than MAC!

See plenty of swatches and comparisons after the jump.

NOTD Antique Green

No, I didn't fall off the face of the Earth.  Sometimes, I just like to unplug and remove myself from technology.  I had an enjoyable weekend with friends and the husband, and then Monday, I drove my parents and Grandma to a mini family reunion.  I was able to see many of my second cousins that I hadn't seen in awhile...a couple I hadn't even met before!


Now I'm back to regular posting and I have a ton of stuff lined up!  First at bat is a mani I did just before leaving for the family shindig.  I had absolutely no idea how this would turn out, so you could file this under "Huh, didn't expect that!".  I figured it would probably just be a more shimmery charcoal, but nope!  Antique Green!  Really pretty.  The sales ladies at the Cosmetics Company Outlet I stopped at on the way home just about fell over themselves getting a look at it!  Trust me, it was that pretty.

More pics and what I used after the jump!

NOTD Prettiest Green Evarrrr!!

I'm gonna really have to be careful when driving with this mani.  It's just so pretty and sparkly and shiny and greeeeen!!  Words utterly fail me.  See for yourself.

More pics of the sparkly, shiny green goodness after the jump, along with the polishes used.

EOTD Light Golden Bronze

I don't always spackle put on a full face to run errands.  But some days I just feel like prettifying myself, even if I'm just getting a few groceries.  Besides, isn't always the day when you're wearing your holey sweats and looking like you were hit by a cement truck that you run into everyone and their mother?  Some sort of twisted karma.  Ergo, the opposite should be true...looking cute is a key part of avoidance techniques.


Simple rules the day in my book, and this look can be done in less than fifteen minutes - despite the endless list of products.

More pics and what I used to create this look after the jump.

EOTD Simple Smokey

With my pale eyes, I love a good smokey eye.  I love the contrast between the light iris and the dark shadow.  Not that smokey eyes don't also look fantastic on dark-eyed beauties, but I think we can all agree that there's something alluring about those pale eyes surrounded by smoldering shadow.  Plus nude-y lips look killer with smokey eyes, so I always pair 'em together.


This look I did for a dinner out with friends this past weekend.  Smokey eyes for a night out are just the bee's knees.  Makes any outfit sexier.

More pictures and what I used to create this look after the jump!

Salmon Cake Burgers and Mediterranean Bean Salad

Yet another kitchen experiment today.  I picked up some salmon since it was on sale, and decided I'd do something a little different with it.  Plus I had leftover buns from regular ol' chicken sandwiches.  The salmon cakes are kinda another sneaky recipe.


The salad, well, isn't exactly sneaky, but the husband ate it right up, and he is not a tomato-lover.  I always tell the husband that if he were still in the 'old country', they'd have kicked him out for his dislike of tomatoes!  Extra bonus...it's a lazy-wife dish!

Recipes after the jump!

Make Up For Ever Aqua Creams: Review & Swatches

Make Up For Ever launched a new product, Aqua Cream, a couple months back.  Since I don't live in NYC I had to wait for them to be released at Sephora, which they finally were to Beauty Insiders, just a couple of weeks ago.  After reading some of the initial review from the lucky NYC ladies who were able to snap them up immediately, of course I wanted to try them!  Creamy, pigmented, superior staying power.  A shadow lover's dream!

Since I have quite a few cream shadows already, I picked colors that I didn't already have.  I went for #4, a bright, shimmery white, #5, peach with golden shimmer, and #12, a golden, shimmering bronze with the prettiest golden glitters (super subtle, so no worries about being a disco ball).

More after the jump.

American Apparel - Part 2

Now for the remaining swatches of my American Apparel haul.  Check here for my thoughts and part one of the haul.


Factory Grey is a gorgeous grey.  It has slight blue undertones, but nothing that leads it into blue territory.  Factory is a pretty good description.  It's industrial looking, but still pretty.  Loves it.  Oh, and yes, that is a little bald spot on my pinky.  Just ignore it.  I was lazy in the application.

Check out more after the jump.

American Apparel - Part 1

After several non-swatch-related posts, I'm finally getting back to doing what I set out to do...swatches!  And after hauling big time from American Apparel's Friends & Family Sale, I've got a bunch of 'em!  In fact, I owe this entire haul to my friend Audrey, who alerted me to the sale.  I'd been lemming several of the reformulated polishes, and what better time to pull the trigger than when they're 30% off?  I ended up getting 13 in all, and I'll post the first batch today, second batch tomorrow.


My general thoughts on these polishes are that they are freaking awesome!  All creams, not a frost, shimmer or glitter among them.  The formula is fantastic, although a little drippy, since they're big 3 free.  Every single color had full coverage in two coats - TWO COATS - with a couple completely opaque in just a SINGLE coat!  The majority I had absolutely no application problems with, and the ones that were troublesome (if you can even call them that) just had streaky application with the first coat, which is not uncommon with cream polishes, anyway.  My verdict...get thee to the nearest American Apparel store (or nearest computer) and snatch up a few of these babies.  You won't regret it.


Five paws up!

Onto the good stuff.

MAC To The Beach - Marine Life Edition

Look what the UPS man brought me yesterday!

Sooo pretty, ain't it?!  The only way it could be better is if it were a cat instead of a seahorse.  They could call it 'Feline Life'.  It would be awesome.

Summer Essentials

It occurred to me that I should've done this entry pre-Memorial Day Weekend, but given that summer has yet to officially arrive, I'm not exactly late to the party.  Living in the middle of the U.S., I don't readily have access to golden sandy beaches and turquoise waters.  The husband and I do, however, have friends in high places, so we are lucky enough to spend many weekends lakeside and cruising around in boats and on jet-skis.


Being pale and prone to burning if I just go out to check the mail, I rely on a few essentials for keeping myself looking great all summer long.

More details after the jump.

Spring is in Bloom

In general, I'm just not a big fan of spring.  I have allergies which make me miserable for two weeks of beautiful weather that could even be classified as "spring-like", and living in the Great Plains, we get severe weather.  I don't mind the occasional thunderstorm, but when it interrupts my sleep, I get crabby.  I'm also not too fond of the threat of tornadoes.  So far, I've been lucky enough never to have had to experience one, but I've had my share of close calls.  In my book, fall is just so much better.