I Love Robin Moses!

Firstly, I apologize for not updating this. It's really just a hobby, and I'm horrible at updating blogs, so...I hope you'll forgive me and enjoy when I do post! The topic today is Robin Moses!

Robin Moses: an awesome nail artist dedicated to helping fledgling nail artists (or even just hobbyists, like me) look pretty awesome, too!

If you haven't seen her nail art, check it out on http://robinmosesnailart.blogspot.com/. She is also on Facebook, Pinterest, and I think Twitter. She has some amazing looks that are easy for beginners to do, she teaches you how she makes those amazing designs of hers (although actually acquiring the skill to duplicate these things is waaay beyond my level)...and it WORKS!

Over Christmas I did two nails looks from Robin:

Look 1: Stuffed Stockings! Cute stocking tops with presents and candy canes. This one was pretty time consuming, but I loved the way it looked on me. It's completely acrylic pain on a clear base with a clear top coat.

Look 2: Ribbon mistletoe! Can I just say I love, love, LOVE this look? Robin's version just had ribbon so it could be used just about any time of the year, but I added the mistletoe to be festive. This was super easy and I got so many compliments on it! Base: Generic red sparkle polish (I think it's by China Glaze), Orly Polishield top coat.

MyGlam?

One of the hard things about doing beauty reviews is finding things to review! Unless you get suggestions (which I'm open to, by the way) you have to decide which out of the many appealing makeups and treatments to buy and review.

I've been looking into monthly makeup services such as Birchbox, but the items I saw in reviews just didn't appeal to me. I don't use hair or face oils much, nor anti-aging treatments...So I was thrilled when Michelle Phan announced her new My Glam service! Her boxes seem to contain items more to my taste, although there might be fewer, and she uses closer to full-size items. Like Birchbox, her boxes only cost $10 and you can subscribe monthly or yearly. I've ordered a box for December, and I'll review it as soon as it gets here. I'm excited to have a monthly makeup surprise! She also periodically puts up instructional videos on how to use the makeup in the boxes, which is great. I don't think there's as much variety and surprise factor in Michelle's boxes, but I'll let you know once I get one.

Ad picture for Michelle Phan's MyGlam bag.

Yay for new stuff!

Beauty Review: Blinc Mascara

Disclaimer: I was not paid to do this review. I bought the product reviewed with my own money on my own time. Review is subject to my personal skin type, living climate, moods, preferences, PMS, etc.

If you're like me, you've been on a search for the "perfect" mascara for a while. My eyelids seem to get very oily, and I guess I rub my eyes because most mascaras that are good for staying power end up in dark circles under my eyes (even if I don't put any one my lower lashes). Blinc has been a favorite for a while, because it was the first mascara I found that didn't give me raccoon eyes!

From the Blinc website:

"Formerly known as Kiss Me, blinc is the original mascara invented to form tiny water-resistant "tubes" around your lashes rather than painting them like conventional mascaras. Once applied, these beauty tubes bind to your lashes and cannot run, smudge, clump, or flake, even if you cry or rub your eyes. Whether your daily activities take you from the office, to your sweaty workout and then out to dinner, your lashes will look as good in the evening as they did when you first applied blinc in the morning."


Packaging:

The mascara comes in a fairly simple silver tube. Nothing special here.

The wand is also fairly simple, almost straight with a slight helix shape.

Application:

The mascara is a little tricky; since it goes on very wet the wrong move can make your lashes clump together and look like you only have four of them! Other than that it is relatively straightforward. The mascara is great for my lashes length, and is buildable as long as it is wet so you can add several coats.

One eye (3-4 coats)

Left eye (your left): 3-4 coats. Right eye: 1-2 coats.

Results:

The mascara gives relatively good length but little volume. Additionally, although it does not give me circles around the eyes I've found it doesn't live up to Blinc's longevity claims. A few hours after applying I had some eye irritation that made my eyes water copiously, giving me a chance to test the Blinc mascara's "waterproof-ness." The results were not pretty:

Clumpy, running off my eyes, flakes underneath...oh joy.

Several hours later, my mascara was still there and no circles were under my eyes (that in itself is a rarity in a mascara) but my eyes definitely didn't look as nice as they did "when I first applied Blinc in the morning."

The slight smirk is at myself, because I forgot to take the picture before I put my nightgown on. XP

Pros: 

*Buildable formula

*No raccoon eyes!

*Removal is surprisingly easy for a mascara with staying power

Cons:

*Clumpy! Clumpy, clumpy!

*Little volume

*Eyes tearing makes it...ew.

*Doesn't live up to its claims

*Cost: $25-$31 per bottle

Overall:

As I said, I've been using this mascara for a while. Although it doesn't live up to Blinc's claims, it doesn't give me black eyes which counts for a lot. Every other mascara I've tried ends me up with black smudges. However, my search for my holy grail mascara continues.

Rating: ***** (3/5)

Beauty reviews...Yep, I'm doin' 'em!

I've decided to start a few beauty reviews on this blog. (Later note to those who are subscribed to my posts: I actually started reviewing on another blog a while ago, but now I'm consolidating, so you might read a few of these out of order. Hope that's okay!)
I'm relatively new to reviewing, but beauty reviews from others have helped me TREMENDOUSLY in deciding what to buy, and I thought I'd try to give a little too!

About me

I'm a 23 year old schoolteacher living in a desert in the US (not to be confused with a dessert, which would be yummy but a little sticky). I'm OBSESSED with beauty products, and love to try new things! Currently I'm searching for the perfect skin care regimen (who isn't). Also lipstick. And gloss. And nail polish. And purses....XD

About my skin, etc.

Climate: Dry

Skin Type: Combination (dry, but oily in the T zone)

Skin Pigmentation: Fair

Eye color: grey/blue/green

Hair color: Red (naturally a light brown w/ red highlights)

It's a pleasure to meet you all and I hope this blog helps you in some way! If you have questions about a product I've reviewed, feel free to ask!

Disclaimer: Unless otherwise noted, everything reviewed on this blog was bought at my own expense and used according to manufacturer's directions. I am sharing how the products work for me, which is not a guarantee that they will do the same for you. I am not a makeup guru, I put makeup on as best I can for a layman.