Kat Stays Polished | Beauty Blog with a Dash of Life: August 2013

chic cipro

Chic Half Moon Manicure

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

backstreet boys

Backstreet Boys - In A World Like This: Concert Manicure!

Monday, August 26, 2013

august ipsy

August Ipsy Glam Bag + WHOLE MAKEUP LOOK!

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Hey guys! If you kept up with me over the last weekend then you saw a sneak peek at the products in this bag! When I checked my Glam Room before this arrived, I was actually really excited [and a little scared] for the Urban Decay lipstick. I decided to start creating looks starting with this bag and now I've spun out of control into the YouTube universe!

So, like always, let's start out with the breakdown of the contents and their values.

Michael Todd Jojoba Charcoal Facial Scrub: trial size - $6 [Full - $18]
Mica Beauty Cosmetics Shimmer Powder in Bronze: Full - $14.95
Pixi Lash Booster Mascara: trial size - $8.50 [Full - $17]
Pacifica Alight Multi-Mineral BB Cream: trial size - $5.30 [Full - $16]
Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick in Anarchy: deluxe sample - $11 [Full - $22]
BONUS: Lime Crime polish in Crema de Limon: $8

The total estimated value of this month's bag is $53.75 and the lipstick, mascara, and eye shadow will all last me quite a long time. So now let's go on to the individual products and my thoughts on them.

Okay, so I haven't actually used this scrub yet, but that's because I have some other facial masks/scrubs that I've been testing out. As soon as I use this I'll post it on my Facebook and maybe even do a video on it. What I can say is that there is very little smell to it. What you can smell is very subtle and sweet.

Ipsy August Glam Bag - Michael Todd Jojoba Charcoal Scrub

I have reviewed this BB cream before and I'm sticking with those thoughts. This also came in one of the Pacifica beauty sets a couple of months ago. It doesn't really do much except moisturize and slightly cover up and blur some blemishes, so I use it under my normal makeup/foundation. It's a small tube so it should be used up in no time. I do like how smooth it goes on and how fast it dries. It doesn't leave my skin feeling oily or greasy.

Ipsy August Glam Bag - Pacifica Alight Multi-Mineral BB Cream

I as happy to see a neutral colored eye shadow in this month's bag. I used this for the look at the bottom of this post. I love the amount of shimmer it gives off because it's not too intense. It's absolutely perfect for natural, glowing looks and for the upcoming Fall season.

Ipsy August Glam Bag - Mica Beauty Cosmetics Shimmer Powder: Bronze

The Pixi Lash Booster Mascara works like most waterproof mascaras I have used. I did curl my lashes before application because my lashes are impossible to work with in general. The brush is pretty nice and I had no clumping with application. It did make my lashes look a little bigger.

Ipsy August Glam Bag - Pixi Lash Booster Mascara

Oh Urban Decay--Well, this was a shocker. I will not be wearing this often, but I have been complimented on how great this looks on me [hint: scroll down to watch my video]. It glides on so smooth and is so incredibly pigmented. It stays on all day even during daily eating/drinking. It wipes off just fine with makeup remover wipes. I'm super impressed with these and maybe I need more of them in my life.

Ipsy August Glam Bag - Urban Decay Anarchy

Lastly, here is my bonus item. I was so excited to see the Lime Crime polish in my bag! When I applied it...well, not so excited. I had to use 3 coats and it still appeared a little streaky. Maybe it's because it's yellow.

Ipsy August Glam Bag - Lime Crime Crema de Limon

Here is the look I created with my Ipsy products as well as some of my other go-to makeup products. If you'd like to see how I got the look, the video is posted right below it!

What's your favorite item from this month?

If you're convinced that this is a GREAT deal each month, join me and the rest of the Ipsy community HERE.

This post contains affiliate links. I purchase my Ipsy subscription each month.

childrens charities

Satya Jewelry - Information and Review

Monday, August 19, 2013

Hey all! Today I have a different kind of post for you. Today's post is about a jewelry company who gives back to children's charities. I have here this beautiful turquoise "Arm Yourself" bracelet from Satya Jewelry.

Satya's mantra is:
Satya Jewelry is handcrafted with the modern, fearless woman in mind. Designed for the journey, each Satya piece empowers adventurers to inspire and be inspired by the world. Meaningful, radiant, symbolic and powerful, Satya designs incorporate semi-precious stones and sacred symbols into pieces destined to become heirlooms. Satya Jewelry strikes a subtle balance between tradition and ever-evolving style, honoring the infinite potential of all who wear it.

Just 10 years ago, Satya and her friend Beth started this company to create beautiful jewelry works of art for you and to give back to children's groups around the world.

The Arm Yourself campaign is designed for the Home of Hope helping exploited girls in South Africa. These bracelets are sold for $48 and 10% of the proceeds go towards this charity.

I chose the turquoise because I love that color and apparently so does my husband. It will go with most of my wardrobe so I will be sporting this often. I'd love to spread the word about this jewelry company.

Here are the details of the bracelet:

- Serpent - energy, eternity, immortality

- Gold plated over brass with silk

- Bracelet diameter- 2.25"

- Pendant- 1.75" wide

I really love the quality of this bracelet. I also love that it fits my tiny wrists. I can't wear too many standard bracelets because they tend to fall off but this is a perfect size. It's lightweight but still makes a statement. The serpent surprisingly stays put and doesn't feel heavy like you might think.

I love seeing shops donating to a cause and I'm so glad I was able to share this one with you. If you want more information or if you want to check out the rest of their jewelry selection, please visit their website!

You can also get social with them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

Items in this post were provided for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

born pretty store

Born Pretty Store - Feather Water Decals Review

Thursday, August 15, 2013

fuzzy coat

Sally Hansen Textured Nail Art - Fuzzy Coat

Sunday, August 11, 2013

*Disclosure - I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and their client. All opinions expressed are 100% my own.* #IHeartMyNailArt #cbias #walgreens

Hey all! Today I have something pretty interesting for you. It's more in depth than some of my other posts but I think you'll enjoy it! For today's nail art, I had an excuse to get more Sally Hansen Fuzzy Coat polishes. After I reviewed three for them, I knew I wanted more colors.

I ended up buying Fuzz-Sea and All Yarned Up at Walgreens. AYU is one that I have wanted the longest. It honestly reminds me of a skein of yarn.

My purchase #shop #iheartmynailart #cbias #walgreens

Oh yea, while I was getting my polish, I saw they had the new issues of Nail It! in stock! If you check out page 75, you'll see lil 'ol me! Well, one of my manis anyway.

Display and Nail It! magazine #shop #iheartmynailart #cbias #walgreens

My inspiration for my I Heart Nail Art mani today is my wedding. More specifically, the colors I chose for my wedding. In just about 1 month, I'll be celebrating my 2-year anniversary. Blue is my favorite color and green is my husband's. No wonder I am always drawn to this color combination. That's probably why I also picked up a light blue and green Xtreme Wear polish too!

Polished purchased and used. #shop #iheartmynailart #cbias #walgreens

Inspiration for nail art #shop #iheartmynailart #cbias #walgreens

Okay, so the first step is to apply a base coat -- I used Sally Hansen Miracle Cure. Then I painted my ring finger 2 coats of Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Mint Sorbet and the rest of my fingers with 3 coats of Breezy Blue.

Fuzzy Coat Step 1 Nail Art #shop #iheartmynailart #cbias #walgreens

For my ring finger, I added 1 coat of Fuzz-Sea over Mint Sorbet and then let that dry. In the meantime, drop some Xtreme Wear White On onto a piece of foil/paper/plastic bag and break out your small dotting tool.

I used the dotting tool to create our wedding date on the tip of my nail.

Fuzzy Coat Step 2 Nail Art #shop #iheartmynailart #cbias #walgreens

Now, the beginning part is totally customizable and you can put whatever you want. It sort of reminds me of celebratory confetti.

So the next step is to take a plastic sandwich bag and paint on 2 coats of the Mint sorbet. Once that is dry, paint on 1 layer of your choice of Fuzzy Coat polish. Let that completely dry. When you're sure it's dry take a razor blade ad carefully rock it back and forth over the polish. This will create polish strips that you can use to place on your nails. It also adds to the textured effect. You can also use an orangewood stick to carefully lift the polish off of the plastic bag.

Fuzzy Coat Step 3 Nail Art #shop #iheartmynailart #cbias #walgreens

Now is the time to get really creative. For my middle and pointer finger, I took the strips of polished and sort of "blocked" off section of the Breezy Blue underneath. For my thumb, I cut out tiny triangles and randomly placed them around my nail.

Fuzzy Coat Step 4 Nail Art #shop #iheartmynailart #cbias #walgreens

For my pinky, I just added a Mint Sorbet heart, topped it with Fuzz-Sea, added K+T and used two pieces of "fuzz" for my "+."

Add top coat to all your nails and you're done!

Final Look: Fuzzy Coat | Xtreme Wear #shop #iheartmynailart #cbias #walgreens

Final Look Fizzy Coat | Xtreme Wear #shop #iheartmynailart #cbias #walgreens

Final Look: Fuzzy Coat #shop #iheartmynailart #cbias #walgreens

Fuzzy Coat: Xtreme Wear #shop #iheartmynailart #cbias #walgreens

I hope you like what I came up with! This nail art idea can be used with any of the Sally Hansen Fuzzy Coat polishes and any number of the Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear polishes!

If you want to experience my shopping trip, you can also check out my Google+ album!

Be sure to check out my Instagram feed too!

Inspiration | Purchase | Process | Final 1 | Final 2

You can get both of these polishes at Walgreens like I did! In fact, on the week of 8/18, check out these specials for BOTH of these polishes using your Balance Rewards card:

Complete Salon Manicure and Fuzzy $5.29 or 2/$10

Xtreme Polishes are $1.99

Be sure to also check out Walgreens and Sally Hansen on their twitter pages! Show them your nail art using these two polishes!

julie g

Julie G - Swatches 2012 Line - Part 3

Thursday, August 08, 2013

china glaze

Glitter Daze - ColorPOP Collection Review

Wednesday, August 07, 2013

Hello all! Today I have 2 of the Glitter Daze ColorPOP Collection glitter toppers to show you. It was so hard to choose ones that I know I would wear often. I could have gotten them all if I wanted to, but I stuck with the 2 that jumped out at me.

One thing I noticed right away is that even in the mini bottles, you still get a NICE WIDE BRUSH! It doesn't feel like I am working with a mini.

Okay, first up, we have A Boardwalk to Remember. Here is the description from the website: A Boardwalk To Remember was inspired by long summer evenings, when they sky is a swirl of pink and purple, and the reflection on the ocean gives the water a dark blue hue. Neon blue and neon purple multisize hex glitters in a clear base with small neon pink accents.

Glitter Daze: A Boardwalk to Remember | Creative Fantasy, Escaping Reality

I wanted to pair it with colors that were shown in the glitter mix. I always find myself drawn towards the colors from the Worlds Away collection from China Glaze for pops of color in my manicures. For A Boardwalk to Remember, I chose Creative Fantasy and Escaping Reality. I think it shows off the glitter quite well. I used 2 thin coats of glitter and then applied a layer of top coat.

The formula looks thick in the bottle, but when applying it, you can wipe off excess base and still have enough glitter to cover your nail.

Glitter Daze: A Boardwalk to Remember | China Glaze Creative Fantasy

Glitter Daze: A Boardwalk to Remember | China Glaze Escaping Reality

The second polish I picked up is called Life is But a Breeze. I don't have a neon glitter topper yet so I figured this would be a great one to try. Again, I picked out 2 colors from the Worlds Away collection and went with Surreal Appeal and Def Defying as my base for this topper.

Life Is But A Breeze was inspired by the easy breezy stress-free days of summer; a time to chill out, relax, and enjoy your company and surroundings! Multisized neon blue, yellow, and pink hex glitters with multisized white accents in hex, shred, micro bar, dot, and star glitters as well as iridescent glitters in a clear base.

Glitter Daze: Life is But a Breeze | Surreal Appeal, Def Defying

My favorite part about this glitter is the mix of shapes, especially the cute little stars. Starts are my favorite but I usually can't find ones that like to stay flat on my nail. These gave me no troubles.

As with the other topper, I used 2 thin coats of this and then a layer of top coat. I also love how the different glitters look like different colors dependin on what base color you decide to put on.

Glitter Daze: Life is But a Breeze | China Glaze Def Defying

Glitter Daze: Life is But a Breeze | China Glaze Surreal Appeal

I hope you like these two! Have you ever bought any Glitter Daze polishes? Which ones are your favorite? You can purchase a variety of colors from her shop! Colors are available in 4 ml minis and 15 ml full sized bottles.

Get Social with GlitterDaze:
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Glitter Daze polishes were provided to me at a discounted price for review purposes. All opinions are honest and my own.