Happy Holidays!

Sorry I've been MIA the past couple days, but I've been very busy. With Christmas, and a wedding I'm in on New Year's Eve, I haven't even removed the "delicate nails" yet. :( 

But, anyway, on to Christmas! I had a fabulous day yesterday, and I hope all of you did too! I am extremely grateful for all of the gifts I received. A very big THANK YOU to everyone. :) Now, I'm not normally one for picking favorites, but my favorite gift(s) of the day were.... A T-shirt from my dad, with a sheep on it, and the table-top lighting system from my mom! :))) 

I totally did not expect either of them, and they are both so great. I love you mom! I love you dad! (I think they both read the blog...) 

Of the gifts I gave this year, I think my favorite has to be a goat, to my friend Skyler. In all honesty, it wasn't even a whole goat. It was a share of a goat. But the message behind the gift is what makes it my favorite. 

The goat came from Heifer International, an organization that gives animals to underprivileged, or less fortunate families in other countries. Each animal a family gets will provide them with milk, for all kinds of food, for a long time. It could also provide them with meat, if they so choose. I love giving these as presents, because it's a great way to give back, and help other people, and it's only $10 for a share of an animal. (You can pick the one you want to give.)

So, by now I honestly don't remember where this post was going... Oh yeah! I've been thinking, and I think I want to start another blog, for everything else I like to do! I love to cook, and bake (just got Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, super excited!) and I love fashion too. I could do a separate blog for my everyday life, not just nails and makeup... Let me know if you think it's a good idea, via Twitter, email, or comment here. I'd also like help on figuring out a name.. I was thinking The Emily Files... but it just doesn't have a real ring to it like say... The Rebecca Files would. It's times like this I wish I had a fancier name.. Maybe I'll hold a contest to see who can come up with the best name! The winner would get a prize!

Now I'm rambling, happy holidays everyone!

Thanks for reading,

~Emily

31 Day Challenge: Day 12 and my first franken!

Hello everyone!

Today is Day 12: STRIPES and  at first I wanted to do a matte/shiny stripe combo, however,  it turned out horribly, and I have no idea what I did wrong. After that fail I thought I'd stick to something more basic and fool-proof, so I did what I'm showing you today- something on the nautical side:

I used OPI Alpine Snow as a base, then I used my Migi Nail Art Pen to make the stripes. Now, for those of you who don't know, Migi art pens are so good for nail art that involves making skinny lines, or teeny drawings. Here's a photo of what the tips look like:

image source

See? They are so tiny, and perfect for small nail art. I used my blue one for the stripes, and yes, I know they aren't the best stripes on the planet, but they were freehand and very small. Be gentle! After I made the stripes I went over them with a small brush and Essie Mesmerize to deepen the blue because it wasn't dark enough for me. 

Then on my ring finger I did a red anchor, and here's where the franken comes in. I was originally just going to use China Glaze Salsa, but I kind of wanted a more orangey red, so I thought I'd franken one. I used China Glaze Salsa, and Style Wars, and Orly Terracotta for this, and this is how it came out (I only made a little bit because I knew I'd just be stamping):

I thought it was a really nice orange-red. A little pink, but who cares? I was wrong. I don't know if the stamp (Bundle Monster BM08) was faulty or what, but it was very sheer, and the stamp didn't even pick all the color up. I was disappointed.. So I just used the same brush I was using to paint the stamp-and darken the stripes- and freehanded the anchor, using China Glaze Salsa. 

All in all this manicure was, in my opinion, way more trouble than it was worth. I got the idea for this manicure from here. I want to give credit where credit is due. See you tomorrow!

Thanks for reading!

~Emily

EDIT: I'll actually be seeing you later today, I typed this last night, but my computer had a complete freakout and said no battery was detected.. I couldn't figure it out to save my life, but today everything's right again and I have no idea what I did. So, see you later!

Back in the Saddle- 31 Day Challenge: Day 7

So sorry! I've had a busy last few weeks, and haven't had enough time to sit down and do my nails. But it's a Sunday night, and I have plenty of time, so lets dive right in!

Today is Day 6, BLACK and WHITE nails, and I came up with this:

 This is OPI Mummy Knows Best, and Konad Special Black Polish stamped with the Bundle Monster plate bm20, which I neglected to take a picture of. :(  Anyway, I knew I wanted to do stripes, but I was watching a eye tutorial on YouTube today that inspired me to do rhinestones on them! I only did the rhinestones on my ring finger though, as an accent. The last picture is a close-up. Hope you like!

On a completely different, and slightly more serious note, I've really been getting into makeup lately, and I want to know if you think I should start doing makeup looks, reviews and such on here. Should I? I think it would be cool, and I think it would also give me a chance to practice a skill I'd really like to achieve. I already have a ton of makeup in my possession, so maybe part by part I could swatch it? I'm not sure, something to think about. It's really been weighing on my mind lately.

Another thing that has been weighing on my mind is that nobody ever voices their opinions! I don't know if you know this, but I can track how many people view my blog daily, and in what countries. It would appear that people in Europe and Asia have viewed my blog! Europe and Asia! Why don't you people comment or something? I'm a fourteen year old girl, and I get excited very easily. That would make my day! You have no idea how happy I get when I see someone I've never spoken to follow, or comment, or even view! So please, make yourselves known. I'm not asking you to follow, (even though that would probably make me pass out,) but when I ask questions, like above, I really do want to know your opinions. Think about it?

EDIT: For the record, people in the US, Brazil, Sweden, Canada, Russia, Thailand, Austria, Australia, Egypt and Chile have viewed my blog this week. Yep. I wasn't lying, I really can see you.

Thanks for reading.

~Emily

Difficulties

Hey everyone!

I am extremely sorry about the lack of posts going on lately! My camera has been dead, and I need a new lightbox. Therefore, I can't take any pictures. :( Until I get this fixed I'll need you guys to hang on and not hate me too much while I don't post. I have a TON, and I mean a TON, of posts lined up for when I return, from my blogging break and from the vacation I am taking come Monday. You can expect:

A Birthday Haul

A Sally's Haul

Some new makeup looks I'm trying

Vacation Nails

Major Swatches

A Walmart Haul

Amazing Hair Products I've found recently

A guest post

Some Hair Tools I've acquired

Well, that's all for now. See you when I get back!

 Thanks for reading, 

~Emily

Super HUGE NYC Nail Polish Haul! :)

Get ready.

Forever 21: Love and Beauty polishes: left to right:
1.) Gold chrome-ish base, full of tiny silver glitter, and regular, holo, hexagon glitter.
2.) Fuchsia/Pink/Purple tinyt glitter in a clear base.
3.) Opalescent/Holo tiny glitter in a clear base.
4.) Teal/Blue microglitter in a clear base.
5.) Green/Blue microglitter in a clear base.
6.) Fuchsia, Purple, and Blue tiny glitter in a clear base.
7.) Tiny, and regular hexagon Silver glitter in a clear base.

Random-On-The-Side-Of-The-Road-Polishes: left to right:
1.) Diamond Blue- light blue jelly base, full of tiny silver glitter.
2.) Sparkle Purple- tiny purple glitter in a clear base.
3.) Holo Chrome- sheer purple base (not a chrome) full of holo micro glitter.
4.) Green with Envy- tiny, and regular hexagon green glitter, in a lime green base.
5.) Afternoon Picnic- multi-colored small/regular/humongous glitter in a very sheer light blue base.
6.) Firework- multi-colored regular hexagon glitter, and tiny gold glitter in a clear base.
7.) Winter Wonderland- multi-colored tiny glitter in a frosty silver base.

close-up of the shimmer in Phallic

Illamasqua Nail Varnish: left to right:
1.) Force- awesome bright blue creme.
2.) Phallic- beautiful blue shimmer in a dark base.
3.) Boosh- very opaque, glossy balck creme.

 

 NARS Nail Lacquer: 

1.) Orgasm- gorgeous sheer peach, full of a beutiful gold shimmer. xD

American Apparel Nail Polish: left to right:

1.) Neon Coral- a neon peachy color.. not really coral..creamy finish.

2.) Neon Red- a neon bright pink. Not the normal creamy pink, but brighter, and with a jelly type finish-- not red.

3.) Neon Blue- just that. Neon blue..has a jelly finish too.

*sigh* Done. :)

EDIT: Just comment and ask me if you want to see a certain one swatched! I'd be happy to if anyone needs it! :)

Thanks for reading!

~Emily

Haul: Walmart! (Picture Heavy!)

So, a couple of days ago I went to Wally World, and thought I could splurge on a few items. :) Here's the nail polish:

 Left to right: Claire's: Bored/Excited; Pure Ice: Celestial; Busted; Oh Baby!; Claire's: Flirty/Shy; Bon Bon: A random sparkly/holo one! :)

Celestial, Busted, Oh Baby! Okay, all of these are gorgeous, and I spent a ton of time trying to get a good picture of the sparkles, and here are the best I got:

Celestial: Direct sunlight, and in my lightbox.

Busted: Lightbox, and direct sunlight.

Oh Baby!: Direct Sunlight.
Aren't they pretty? I love them :) I wore Busted for a few days, and it was hot! :D

 Bon Bon:.. something... There isn't really a label with a name... Oh well! Look at the amazing-ness of this label though! The color is nice too. Would look nice over black..

Direct Sunlight :)

Claire's: Bored/Excited, and Flirty/Shy. These are color-changing polishes, but I've never seen them do anything. When I use one, we will see! This is a coral/putty color, and a royal blue/teal. :)
And on to the makeup!

In a circle: Kiss Everlasting French Nails; Revlon Beyond Natural False Lashes; Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse; Hard Candy Sheer Envy Primer; Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstain

Kiss: Everlasting French- Medium Length, number.. 53241 EF06, up in the right corner. I plan to use these for Mayzie nails, but I will most likely do a test-run, since there are 28 ( Why?) nails. These say they are guaranteed not to chip, and last a week.. We shall see.....

Revlon: Beyond Natural False Lashes. These are the Ultra Lightweight, and number.. 91169, I think. I have a bone to pick with these.. See how it says "Includes: 1 Pair of Professional.." blah, blah? Well, they mean it. There isn't any glue!! WTF? How am I supposed to put them on dummies!! Ugh. Just want you to have to make a separate purchase... :P These are going to be "Mayzie Lashes". :)

Maybelline: Dream Matte Mousse- Creamy Natural, Light #5. I. Love. This. Stuff. It really is a mousse, and it makes my skin feel so soft after I put it on! And it makes even my nose (super oily. I hate it.) look matte! Love love love. I am going to use this for my foundation when I do Mayzie. :)

Hard Candy: Sheer Envy Primer. Ultra light formula is right! It's amazing! The reason I got this was so my makeup would stay longer, and it really helps! This will be under my foundation as Mayzie.

Maybelline: Color Sensational Lipstain: Cherry Pop.The typical red lip stain. Wonderful in every way. It says long, and my lips look SO full when I wear this! This will be part of my "Mayzie Lips" post. :)

And NOW the skin care items!

Left to right: Clean and Clear: Blackhead Eraser Cleansing Mask, Finishes Pore Perfecting Cleanser; Finishes Mattifying Cleanser.

The mask. This stuff is so cool! It has about the same color, texture, and smell of a Head and Shoulders shampoo, but I love it! The second you put it on, it tingles to let you know its working. Then you leave it on for 5 minutes, and wash it off. Wah-lah! Blackheads are gone! :) I also like that I look funny with is on, lol!

Pore Cleanser. This stuff is cool! It smells amazing, and really gives me that sense of clean after I wash with it. Plus it has little sparkles, with is super cute!

Direct sunlight. That's not glare. That's little gold sparklies!

Mattifying Cleanser. Not much to say here.. I LOVE the packaging. I can't get over that. Its so cute! The product itself, is a thick-ish white cream. It foams when you rub it in though. I like the texture of this stuff. It makes me smile, for some reason... It feels familiar? Huh.. Anyway, it makes my face nice and shine free. :) <3

Good news! That's all! This is one of the longest posts I've ever done, and it made me realize, I love blogging. Saying what I think about something really made me feel special! Also, I have a couple Mayzie posts lined up, so as soon as I can get some free time, they will be up! Eeee! I'm excited! For those of you who know me, the play will be on May 26th, at SMS. I dont know what time yet though. I'll let you know!

Thanks for reading!

~Emily

Essie- Knockout Pout!

Hi all! :)

Today I am showing Essie- Knockout Pout from the summer 2010 collection. :) This is a nice, coral, pinky neon. :)

 

I love this color. :) Honestly, I think my bottle is faulty though because on all of the other blogs, I am seeing a bright, creamy neon pink, but mine looks more like coral! Not at all like I expected it. Also, the formula was horrible. This was five (!) coats of polish! FIVE! It didn't need it for opacity though, I needed it for everything to be evened out. It was streaky, and watery, and every time I would move my fingers, the polish would run and pool all over my cuticles. Needless to say I won't be using this again for a while. If I want a good neon pink, I will turn to one of my Color Clubs, or China Glazes, or Orlys. :) This is a neon so it does dry matte, so if you want it to be glossy, you'll need a topcoat.That will be all for today! But just for fun.. It matched my new blush (a random Physician's Formula btw.) perfectly!

Thanks for reading!

~Emily

P.S. An update on Mayzie: I ordered a dress, so I will post pics as soon as it comes! (It shipped today!!) Also, I am ordering feather boas tonight, and I plan to do a "Mayzie Series" and show you everything I have planned. :)