I'm Commander Shepard, and this is my favorite blog on the Citadel

10 points to you if you get that allusion. If not, shame, shame on you!

It's a line from the popular trilogy of video games, Mass Effect. I'm so in love with those games it's not even funny. 

It's why I've been gone since the last post...I've been playing. It's really addictive. Only thing, I don't really like Multiplayer, but I'm sure that will grow on me.

Today's manicure is a tribute, if you will, to my FemShep. I love it, I want to keep this on for as long as I can. I don't much care if it doesn't match what I'm wearing. (:

The thumb is a little messed up, but it's not too noticeable.

If you haven't played these games yet, CHECK THEM OUT! I know that a lot of people are all uptight about the ending, but I think that's because they're just upset it's over. Maaaaybe not, but whatever. 

Well, that's all for now!

A Sigh of Relief

I'm not sure that I'm feeling better, and, actually as I typed that I kind of fell back in a slump. I know that I'm not better yet, though, I'm going back to regular posting, to keep my mind occupied. Also, I start classes in three days, so, that should also help. I'm hoping that I'll be back to my "normal" self soon. Depression is not fun, especially with the host of other issues that come with it. 

Anyway, I do have a mani to show you today, and, I'm very happy with the way it turned out! At first, I didn't like it and thought it looked "stupid," but, the more and more I looked at it, I decided that it was quite lovely. 
For those of you that know me in person, I love science and the unknown. Lately, my passions have been geared toward space, so, I thought that would be the perfect inspiration for a manicure. Yes, I did SPACE NAILS!

"It's full of stars."

Because I layered so many colors, it was a little hard to clean around the edges, as you can see on my thumb-nail. Actually, looking at this picture, I can't believe how well it turned out. 

For the base color I used a simple black. Then I took one of those cheapy cosmetic sponges and sponged on some white. Then a pale yellow on the white, and then a coraly pink in the center of those two colors. That created the "nebula" shapes. I also took a dark shimmery blue and sponged it on around the edges of the nebulas. Taking a toothpick, I dotted some white "stars" in a random fashion. Lastly, I used a holo glitter topcoat to create the effect of more stars.

Sadly, I didn't get to wear this mani long, as it chipped the DAY I finished it. I blame it on the basecoat I was using. I tried a Sally Hansen one, the Double Duty one, I believe, and it was worse than the one I bought at Ulta. As the nail polish chipped, as stupid as this sounds, I got more and more depressed. I don't know why, I know it's not really because of the polish. I guess it's just one of those things, you know?

Well, I hope that you liked it! I'm going back to regular posting again; need to keep the mind occupied.

That's all for now. 

♥

...

I have to apologize for the fact that my internet presence has been very limited as of late. I've been dealing with a few issues over here on this end, and just have not had the emotional wherewithal.

Hopefully things will be back to normal soon so I can go back to regular posting.

Sorry!

Hey guys. Sorry I've not been posting in the last week. A lot of stuff is going on over here at this end and I've just not had the energy to post. But, on a happier note, this weekend the Hubs and    I are going to be in Atlanta, so I'll definitely have a post for you on Monday.

Sorry again!

Panda-monium

I've always loved pandas. That's never been a secret. The inspiration for today's mani actually came while I was eating some tasty potstickers yesterday. I use my chopsticks to eat almost anything, though, because I am a weird. These are my favorite ones, though, I have pink ones just like these with squee little bunnies on them. 

Cute little Pandas.

The nail design I did is a lot simpler. Also, the color yellow I had isn't quite the same shade, it's quite lighter and has a slight shimmer to it. I think this is the first time I've worn it since I've had it. It's Revlon's Sunshine Sparkle from last summer's collection. I do believe that you can still find it as I've still been seeing it places. It's quite sheer, so I had to layer it on top of two layers of very streaky, very old white polish I had. I used three layers, letting each one dry before adding the next one.

Derp derp.

Don't mind that white stuff on my cuticle on my middle finger; I've a cocktail of creams and oils I use on my hands. They're quite old looking for someone so young as I, I'm trying to mend that some way. I had some other pictures that I was going post, but, the lighting was ever so off and almost made the polish look green, so I decided against it. Plus, I don't want to spam you with pictures.  To do the panda I just painted a thick tip of white across the nail, then I made a dot just above the center of the tip and connected it to the sides. Then just plops of black nail polish for the ears and eyes. It was so simple. I'm probably going to do this again, maybe next time for my pedicure.

Are there any special kind of designs that you want to try but are scared to? Leave so in the comments and I'll be your guinea pig!

Well, that's all I've got for now, so, until next time. (:
♥

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Posh

What a lovely color for St. Patty's day, eh? I don't normally go for green nail polish, I do, however, adore green eye shadow, but this color stood out to me. I have two other green polishes, one is a neon pea green, almost like Nickelodeon slime; the other is a deep emerald green with lighter green shimmer. I think the reason this one stood out so much was because it's a cream, meaning that it doesn't have shimmer or glitter, which I like in a green.

I used three coats, though it was opaque in two; I just like that extra layer of security. On the ring finger I have one layer of Ulta's Piñata-Yada-Yada. Even without a top coat it dried very shiny, but, nevertheless I used one coat of Out The Door-which I am starting to loathe more and more.

I love how it turned out, so pretty.

Like I said, I don't normally go for green polishes, at least ones without a blue tinge to them, but, this really grew on me. I was going to paint a clover on my ring finger, but, I thought that was too conventional. I figured that Piñata-Yada-Yada would be perfect, kind of like the rainbow that's always featured with a pot of gold. Alas, I didn't have a gold polish, and probably wouldn't use again so I didn't spring for one, sorreh. 

Well, that's all I've got for now; but I have a really cute (well, I think it's really cute) mani to show you tomorrow. 

Until then, everyone have a great and safe Saint Patrick's.

♥

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Not all that glitters is gold

...Sometimes it's ROSE GOLD!!! I love, love, love, love LOVE this color for nails.  This is Revlon's Sparkling on top of one scant coat of Revlon's Stunning; I only wanted the large silver hex's as a base.

 I didn't want to paint the nail all over a color, so, I thought that I'd do something fun, like a gradient. Actually, to be honest, I thought that a gradient would make my nails look longer. It's harder for me to type or text with longer nails, so, I'm trying to keep them shorter, but, then they look so sad and stumpy. ): I'm not sure that it really worked out that way, but nevertheless, I loved how it turned out. Though, being glitter, it was a nightmare to take off.

Sooo sparkly!

I'm not going to tell you how much fun I had looking at the sparkle in the sunlight, because it was an embarrassing amount. I can't lie, I do love shiny things.

I was trying to move away from glitter for Spring, but, I love glitter, soooo, yeah. (:


What do you guys think of the new layout? I'm still playing around with it, so, I'm not sure how long it's going to be this way. I want it to be colorful, but not so much so. Gah. So indecisive.

Also, does anyone else's hands get really cold when removing polish/painting them? Maybe it's just me, but, I figured I'd ask.

That's all for now.

♥

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Violet Voltage and Silver

Well, I couldn't really think of a creative title, so, I chose one that is concise. After a long while I have a mani to show you!! Yay!!
At first I had just painted my nails with Violet Voltage, but, due to the crapiness of my latest bottle of Out The Door, the tips already started to chip. Very, very frustrating. So, I decided to add some nice tips. Since the violet is so light and Easter-y I didn't want to add another light color to it because I don't want Easter egg nails. I also didn't want to add a terribly dark color. Then I remembered that I had one of those little Bon Bons nail polishes that you can get almost anywhere for $1. At first I didn't like it, I thought it was too, too...bold? Not sure what adjective to use there. But, the more and more I looked at it, the more I liked it. Maybe I just got used to it.

The real-life color is a little lighter than this. 

The picture doesn't really do justice to the color. It's just a little lighter than the picture, more like the color of what is shown in the bottle. It's almost like a neon lavender, and, it has a nice magenta shimmer to it. I used two coats, though it's so opaque I'm sure you could have gotten away with only one if you were in a rush.

Don't mind the nick in the thumb...

I freehanded the tips, and, I don't think they look too bad! Now, the real challenge is going to be the right hand (I always make sure I blog post after completing the "show" hand. I'm know, I'm weird.) I can hear my Ted now "oooh, that's fancy," in that silly voice he does.

I think I'm going to try to match my eye shadow, some how, to this today. If successful I'll post the results. I'm still a little puffy and red from being sick, so, I'm not too sure I want to post of inflamed face all over the interent.

Oh, well.
That's all I've got for now, until next time! 

♥


P.S. Also thinking of a new layout; what do you think?

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Gah....

Well, I'm still a little sick, but, I am definitely feeling a lot better than I was yesterday. I hate that I'm always sick around this season, especially because I'm normally sick around my birthday.

I did have a nice polish color to show you today, but, I made some pancakes just now and, guess what? Chipped my polish. ): I'm really considering going back to Seche Vite top coat, despite it's inauspicious warning on the label. I've been using Out The Door top coat, but, the last bottle I bought is nothing at all like the first one. So, I'm not sure which one is the correct formula. The first bottle was a lot like Seche, though it didn't dry as fast, or provide the same kind of diamond hard shine. This last bottle was very runny, took almost 10 minutes to dry, and has a very dull finish. I've noticed with this last bottle that my polish does not last as long. For example, today I had polished my nails and a few hours later almost all my nails had chips on them. Which, I guess isn't too bad because I'm not too crazy about the color anyway. But, still it is frustrating.

I'm off to polish my nails again, and, hopefully this time I'll have a nice mani to show you.
That's all for now!
♥

Sick season

UGH. I'm always usually really, really sick. This year I'm only mildly sick. I'll be up and at 'em again tomorrow with regular postings.
Sorry guys!

March Photo Challenge Day 8: What I Ate.

Today was a tasty challenge. I decided to get in the kitchen and play around, something that I've not done in a long time.
First, for lunch I made some coconut honey granola, which was really tasty, but, a little on the sweet side for me. The Hubs loved it, though. I've been really craving asian food, as always, so I decided to make some for dinner tonight. We're a little low on groceries and by the time Hubs gets home from work he's really tired, or I'm still sick. But, I'm pretty crafty, so, I knew I could come up with something tasty with just the basics.
I really like Sweet and Sour chicken, but, I love the spiciness of General Tso's, so, I wanted to combine them. And that I did. First I fried up some chicken bits (naughty, I know). Then I made up the sauce, which was really fun to do. First, I had to break down each flavor in the sauces, then somehow combine them together seamlessly with the scant ingredients I had on hand. I was expecting it to suck, but, oh, my, it was soooooo good. I will definitely be making it again. The rice was just basic egg fried rice. It was ok, I wish I would've had some scallions or carrots, but, whatevs. I fried up some of those crispy wonton strips that normally come with order-out chinese food. They were a little thick, so, I'll have to roll them out a little thinner first. Other than that, they were also quite good.

I know, I'm bad; where are the veggies? 

Oh, and, don't mind the messy counter in the backgroud!

"It's my party and I cry if I want to."

But, I don't want to. (: I finally have a new mani to show you! My birthday is in two days, so, I thought that I would go ahead and do an birthday mani. I chose Revlon's Minted and Ulta's Piñata Yada Yada, which is a dupe for Deborah Lippmann's Happy Birthday. So, I thought it was fitting.

I love this combo, so so much. In the picture Minted comes out a little more on the blue side, but, it is actually more green. It's quite thin, so I did four coats on top of one coat of white polish.

Remember how I said that I was having problems with my nail polish just "sliding off?" Well, I stopped using my old base coat, a Sally Hansen one that the label fell off of, and started using the Ulta one that I purchased a while ago. Before applying my base coat, I filed the surface of my nails just a little bit, to help everything adhere. You know, like when you go to re-paint a table and you sand it a little first? Same premise here! And, after having this mani on over night, I can report to you that I've had no polish shrinkage or polish sliding off. Yay!! 

Well, that's all I've got for now, I've got dinner to make and some school stuff to do, so, until next time!
♥

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March Photo Challenge Day 7: Make it abstract

Uhm, I think this counts as "Abstract," but, not terribly sure. Pretty sure I failed on this one, too. Eh...but, I still like it.

...And yes, it is a picture of a nail polish. Can you guess which one it is? Post in the comments!

March Photo Challenge Day 6: Sunrise or Sunset

Sorry this is late, too. I've not been feeling very well lately, so, yeah. "Today's" challenge was to take a picture of wither the sunrise or sunset. I chose to take a picture of the sunset, but, because the complex that I live in is all tall buildings, I was unable to get one that wasn't obstructed by the other townhouses. I did the best I could! (-_-;)

I also thought the clouds in this picture are especially pretty, I love whispy, fluffy clouds. 

March Photo Challenge Day 3, 4, and 5, and weird polish mishap. :/

Sorry the first two are late; my camera has been wonky.

Day 3 was something colorful, so, I chose my Mac's keyboard.

Day 4 was an animal or pet, so, I chose my beloved Cosmo because he looked so nice with my bedspread.

Day 5 was something liquid, so I chose running water.

I also had a manicure to show you, but, the strangest thing happened. I painted my nails, did my nightly routine, and then retired to bed. When I awoke, my nail polish was gone! Well, save for my index finger which I had to repaint because it had fallen off earlier. Wanna see?

The color I was going to show you is SinfulColor's Nail Junkie. I really liked the color, kind of reminded me of the ocean. I only used three coats; it's glitter in a teal jelly base, so, it gets opaque fairly quick.

Well, I better get to fixing a new manicure. I think it might be the base coat that I'm using, so, I'm going to experiment tonight and see what my findings are.

That's all for now!
♥

March Photo Challenge Day 2: Close Up Photo

I wasn't really sure how close it was supposed to be, so,  I hope this is good enough! (:

If you guys are doing your own Photo Challenges, post the links in the comments and I'll check it out!

March Photo Challenge Day 1: Self Portrait

Traditionally a self portrait not only captures the physical self, but the emotional and mental self as well. I think I kind of failed with this photo, but, nevertheless, I still kind of like it. I did have to cheat a little with this one and use iPhoto because my camera was dead. Oops.

Stuuuuuuuning!

I FINALLY have a new mani to show you! It's been a while since I've painted my nails as I wanted them to become less...stained. I paint my nails so much that they were kind of icky looking. I should probably invest in a better base coat, but, I got the Ulta ones on sale, buy one get one. Once I'm done with those I'll look into another brand.

I'm using another SinfulColors polish that I got from my haul a while back. Now that it's warming up outside with the illusion of Spring, I figured that I could get away with a coral color. It's called "Island Coral" and I used a little of Revlon's "Stunning" on my ring fingers.

I think I'm getting a little better with the photos. 

I really like the coral on me, I love this color. I had to use about 4 coats, though, as the polish was a little thin. The Revlon polish is beautiful. It's small and large holo hex glitters suspended in a clear base. This polish is also quite thin. I don't mind using a lot of layers of this one, though, because of it's beauty.

I used to be a big fan of the Seche Vite quick dry top coat, until I discovered a rather scary warning on the side of the bottle that read "This product contains a chemical known to the state of California to cause birth defects and other reproductive harm." Also, it caused my nail polish to shrink at the tips which was really annoying. So, I decided to switch my loyalty to one called Out The Door. The first bottle I had worked really good. I recently bought another one, because I had ran out. Well, I don't know if the first bottle was defective, or if this one is, but, this formula in this bottle is almost too thin to work as a successful top coat. So...I made a possibly not so wise decision to continue to use the last of my Seche Vite. I mean, I'm not planning on having kids soon, so...eh. I know that makes me sound like not a very intelligent person, but, oh, well.

I also invested in two new hand products. The first one is called "Healthy Hoof," and it was originally formulated for horses. It's claims to be "an intensive protein treatment." It's to moisturize and nourish the nails and cuticles. It's a very creamy product. So far I really like this product. I got it from CVS for about $5, not bad for the size, 1 oz. It smells kind of like the medicated Chapstick. I'm a weirdo, so, I like the smell. Due to it's creaminess, I only use a little each time, but, it goes a long way and I can tell this is going to last me a while, which is good.

The next product I got was a Crabtree & Evelyn hand cream. I got the Rosewater Age Defying Hand Remedy. This is one I've had before, but in Lavender. It's got a very light rose scent, which is very nice and not overpowering. This one is quite a cream, but, a little thinner, more like a lotion. You only need about a pea sized amount for both hands with this one. It's 3.4 oz, and I got it on sale for $8. I love this product. 

Don't mind my awesome unicorn and rainbow blanket in the back. (:

That's really all I've got for now. Tomorrow I'm going to post something I made out of duct tape that's super awesome and cute. (:

Also, I'm going to be doing the March Photo Challenge. (: The link is here if you're interested.
♥
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Well, hello there!

To those of you that were brought here via Facebook by my beloved friends and fabulous husband, I'd like to say thank you for visiting!
If you'd like to know a little more about me....
Most of you know me through different channels, but, for those of you that don't my name is Jessica. I'm a little weird. And derpy. Just a lot. I love cosmetics, I worked as a beauty artist for a while when I lived in Madison, Wi. I now live in Georgia and am currently not looking for work. I started this blog as a means of motivation, or, rather to cultivate motivation in me. And to keep me occupied so I don't start having tea parties with my cats (again.) If you have any questions, want a review of  a certain product, or even a tutorial just leave them in the comments. I've allowed anonymous comments, so, don't feel embarrassed about your questions!

Once again, thank you for visiting, and I bid you, "adieu!"

Makeups! (The infuriating post that my photos keep getting deleted from for no good reason.)

So today is a post that has been a long time coming. My husband had staff duty this past weekend, so, while I was alone I thought that it would be prime time to have some girlie time. So, I popped in The Little Mermaid and whipped out some makeup and slapped a bunch on my face. The following pictures are the result!

For the first look I did I used some aqua shadows from this large shadow palette that I got a while back. It doesn't have any indication of who it's by, though, it does look like a BH Palette.

I really like the look of smokey eye shadow, but, with dark hair and eyes I don't like the idea of using immensely dark shadow. I used a little grey shadow in the corners for depth.

Don't mind my scary brows.

 I kept the rest of my face simple with the Twinkled Pink blush from my ELF review here, a nude MAC lipstick, and Revlon's 3D Photoready Volume Mascara (which I LOVE). Review it? Yes, I shall. I'll do a post this coming week with my favorite beauty products.

I love my derpy face. :3

 I love the combination of pink and red, due in part to the dress that Ariel wears later in the movie. And, yes, she can pull it off. I've work red and pink before, but, I did a slight variation on this look. I did it a quite...garishly. Lol.

Pink shadows AND cat eyeliner?

I used the same ELF blush, and Revlon's Candy Apple Lip Butter (which I am also in love with.)

Definitely not a look that I would wear out.

I also did a look with some purple shadows, which I have a lot hate relationship with. When I just wear purple to the crease I look sickly, so I also did a smokey look. I've yet to find a good, pigmented purple liner, though. SOON. Also, I put my hair up in a hair bow! I wanted to show off my new fringe I cut myself. 

I don't know why I always look so derpy. Eh. 

Not the best picture of myself I've ever taken, but, I wanted to show the colors.  

I also wanted to show off my hair bow. It didn't turn out perfect, but, I wanted it to be a little messy, it adds a little character.

If you guys want tutorials for any of these looks, or information on the colors that I used, leave them in the comments and I shall grant your wishes!

That's all the derpiness I've got for you for now.
Thankie thankie!
♥

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