Makeup Geek Showtime Foiled Eyeshadow - Swatch and Review

I Purchased This Affiliate Link

Undoubtedly, the Makeup Geek Foiled Eyeshadows have been so long-awaited by the beauty community. Marlena shared swatches ages ago and damn near everyone was enticed by the incredible pigmentation of the eyeshadows. I got the shade Showtime as a Christmas present.

Where to Purchase: Makeup Geek

Price: $9.99 for 1.8 grams/.064 oz of product

Do they test on animals?: The company does not test on animals.

Packaging: The eyeshadows come in 26mm pan in a paper sleeve. The paper sleeve has accents of rose gold and black and the eyeshadows can be stored in any magnetic palette. Currently it's not available in a compact and since a few people have mentioned issues with them cracking during shipping, they might need a sturdier container.

Click thru to see my swatch and read my review!

Show Preview: ISSE Long Beach 2015

This weekend, January 26th-January 28th, the International Salon and Spa Expo will be returning to Long Beach. This event, catered to and open to exclusively beauty professionals, students, and educators will have over 350 hair, skincare, and nail brands with over 150 educational classes and live stage performances.

The show hours are:

Saturday, January 24th: 1pm-6pm
Sunday, January 25th: 9am-6pm
Monday, January 26th: 9am-5pm

Purchase tickets here: ISSE Long Beach

Remember, credentials must be shown prior to entering the show!

Here are highlights of what's available at the show:

Stage Presentations Featuring the Industry's Biggest Names: Some of the most popular features at ISSE Long Beach are the stage presentations featuring some of the biggest names in the industry. Attendees will see presentations from: Ted Gibson, Chrystofer Benson, Nicholas French, Charlie Price, Sam Biddle, Lydia Sarfatiand more. ISSE Long Beach features three main stages, including Center Stage and the NAHA Stage and the new Cut, Color & Style Stage - showcasing the latest techniques and creating the most sought after styles at any skill level.

NAHA Stage: The North American Hairstyling Awards (NAHA) continues to be the industry's premier photographic hairstyling competition. The ISSE Long Beach NAHA Stage features NAHA winners and finalists, showcasing their talents, reviewing what a NAHA win can do for a beauty professional's career and explaining how to create a successful entry. From learning how to select models to directing a successful photo shoot, the NAHA Stage is the perfect way to learn how to enter NAHA as well as learn the latest styling techniques and trends.

The Nail Spot: New for 2015! Dedicated to nail professionals, The Nail Spot is an area featuring creative and technical education, nail competitions and more. Nail professionals looking to enhance their knowledge, creativity and skills, will find it all at The Nail Spot.

The EstheticsAmerica & Wellness Pavilion featuring CIDESCO Section USA: Growing each year, the EstheticsAmerica & Wellness Pavilion provides exhibitors and attendees with a dedicated environment devoted to skincare, wellness and the latest in treatments and education for this rapidly expanding industry segment. Many of the largest esthetics brands will be on hand to offer advanced, hands-on training and certifications, including a line-up of CIDESCO Section USA skin education.

Hair, Barber & Nail Competitions: Students and licensed professionals are invited to show off their skills and earn career prestige at the ISSE Long Beach 2015 hair, nail and barber competitions.

PBA Beauty Bar: PBA is excited to bring the PBA Beauty Bar back to this year's show. ISSE attendees will have the opportunity to hand-select five deluxe product samples from select ISSE exhibitors in exchange for a donation to the PBA's CUT IT OUT®: Salons Against Domestic Abuse charitable program. The PBA Beauty Bar will be located at Booth #2834 and will remain open throughout the show. All proceeds from the PBA Beauty Bar will benefit CUT IT OUT®, a program dedicated to mobilizing salon professionals against domestic abuse by building awareness and training salon professionals to recognize warning signs and safely refer clients, colleagues, friends and family to local resources.

The First Annual Southern California Beauty Career Fair: PBA is proud to host the first annual Southern California Beauty Career Fair at ISSE Long Beach 2015. Show attendees and beauty professionals can speak one-on-one with representatives from beauty companies and salons/spas about available job opportunities on Monday, January 26, from 1:00pm - 3:00pm in the Long Beach Convention Center. The career fair is open to the public but qualified attendees must purchase a ticket to access the show floor.

I'll be attending the show Sunday for sure, and possibly Saturday and Monday. I'll be covering the event to get the news on upcoming trends for hair, skin, and nails!

Darling Girl Kerfluffle Pucker Paint - Swatch and Review

I Purchased This

Following along the liquid to matte trend, Darling Girl Cosmetics came out with their own rendition with their Pucker Paints. They took a brief hiatus from lip products for a few months but they came back and then some with the Pucker Paints. The Pucker Paints are in the process of being restocked but you can enjoy my swatch and review of one of the shades until they come back.

(It applies lighter than it appears in the tube, which you'll see in my swatch!)

Where to Purchase: Darling Girl Cosmetics 

Price: originally $8.00 for 3.5 mL of product, the new packaging holds 5 mL now but I'm not sure of the final price.

Do they test on animals?: The company does not test on animals.

Click thru to read my review and see my swatch and full face photo!

6 Tips for Recovering Nail Biters: Ways to Kick the Habit and Grow Your Nails Out

I Purchased This Affiliate Link

So I'll freely admit that I'm a recovering nail biter. After picking up the habit when I was a kid, I used to only be able to keep my nails long during the summer months (when I wasn't in school) since stress was usually a big trigger. I actually started out this blog as a nail blog but switched over more to makeup as my interests changed but also because I couldn't keep my nails looking nice consistently. 

I'm happy to say though that I'm slowly recovering from the habit. My right hand is still growing back (due to being right handed and having difficulty with peeling nails) but my left hand (pictured above wearing Zoya Rue) is looking long and fabulous. I know the change is being noticed because my dad actually asked me if I had gotten fake nails since he'd never seen me with such long nails before. I wanted to write this post today to give out my tips on how to control the habit and how to maintain your nails as they grow out.

Click thru to read my tips!