Impressionistic Nails - Inspired by Claude Monet

I am a huge fan of Monet's work - the most influential impressionist painter of all time. After spending hours upon hours just awing over his masterpieces, I was inspired to create an impressionistic form of nail art. What I've come up with could never be compared to the nuance of Monet's brilliant work and hence this is more of an inspired tutorial. In all honesty, I'm quite horrible at applying nail polish so I tried to make this process as simple as possible. I guarantee that anyone, no matter your skill level, will be able to re-create this nail look with ease.


STEP 1:
Start off with a dark colour as a base.

I used Revlon's Midnight Affair (791)

Revlon - Midnight Affair (791)

STEP 2:
Choose a variety of bright colours that you will then stipple onto the dark base with a sponge.

These are the 3 colours that I used (all by Sally Hansen) - Pacific Blue (420), Mint Sorbet (340) & Coral Reef (405).

SALLY HANSEN Hard As Nails Xtreme Wear - Pacific Blue

SALLY HANSEN Hard As Nails Xtreme Wear - Mint Sorbet

SALLY HANSEN Hard As Nails Xtreme Wear - Coral Reef

Here, I applied some nail polish onto the sponge and began stippling the colour onto the nail. Do the same for all of the colours you have selected, layering one upon the other, until you get your desired look. 

After stippling on all 3 colours, layer after layer, I came up with this final look. Again, not even close to the brilliance of Monet's paintings however, I think the inspiration can most certainly be seen.

I think there is something very fun and whimsical about this nail look. The pastels colours make this ideal for spring/summer however the darker base really grounds the whole look. 

I just want to give a quick shout-out to my elementary school art teacher Mrs. Brady! She exposed her students to so many different artists from Monet to Picasso to Dali. It was from her class that I able to experience all of these different forms of art. I don't think it's required for educators to teach their students the history of art at such a young age, however she made it a priority. I remember she even had a special session where she invited an individual who drew the scenes for one of the Star Wars movie to come in and talk to the students. I didn't appreciate it much at the time (because I was so young) but I now realize that opportunities like this don't come everyday. She went above and beyond to give her students the best education possible and I'm glad that I have this knowledge of art that many students tend to lack (unless they've chosen to pursue some form of visual art).

Are you a fan of Monet? Would you ever sport this Monet inspired look on your nails? Let me know in the comments below!

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FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Small Makeup & Skincare Haul - August 2nd, 2013

I picked up a few random makeup and skincare products over the past week and I thought I'd share my first initial impressions of these products. I thought it would be more beneficial to share a small blurb on how these products perform (in the short-term obv) along-side my haul. Please keep in mind that these are first impressions and therefore, my opinions may change in the future. It's difficult to review certain products (esp. skincare) in terms of long-term benefits after a single-use. If I find it imperative, I will provide a more detailed review of certain products in future posts. If you would like me to provide a full review on any of the products mentioned below, please leave your requests in the comments below or the requests page. 

1) Nicole by O.P.I (Kardashian Kollection) – Smile for the Glam-era: A dark aubergine colour with fuchsia micro-shimmer. This is a beautiful fall colour that could easily be mistaken for black however under light, you can truly see the subtle shimmer and purple base. Nicole by O.P.I has to be my favourite nail polish brand – it has yet to disappoint me. This polish applies like a dream; opaque finish after 2 coats, dries relatively fast and no chips for about 3 days. It’s also one of those foolproof colours that a nail polish newbie such as myself could apply with ease. The only words of caution I would provide are to use a base coat. A lot of these darker colours stain your nails horribly. This colour is part of a previous collection so I was able to buy it on clearance for only $3 @ (get ready for it….) DOLLARAMA! I didn’t even know they sold Nicole by O.P.I but they had quite a few colours (most of them being the crackle/texture polishes which I’m not a fan of). I don’t go to the Dollarama too often but I think I might make a trip once a month to see if any discontinued colours are in. For the record, I have purchased colours from Nicole by O.P.I at full price from SDM and I think they’re worth every single penny! 

Pictures taken after 3 days of wear

2) Pai Comfrey & Calendula Calming Body Cream: This is an ultra light yet hydrating cream. Although this is marketed as a body cream, I've been using it on my face since it's been quite dehydrated and sensitive these past few days. I need a pea sized amount to cover my whole face and neck and it sinks in super fast. This cream works great under makeup as well which is always a plus. The only cons would be the ridiculously high price tag, the odd smell, no SPF and poor accessibility to the product itself (I've only been able to find it online). Although I am enjoying this product, I would not repurchase due to the price. 

3) Revlon Colorstay Eyeshadow Quad – Moonlit: This quartette by the Revlon Colorstay line provides a white colour, a cream, a lighter taupe and a dark olive green – all shimmery. I find that I get a lot more use out of my smaller eyeshadow palettes rather than the larger bulkier ones. Being a neutrals girl, I picked up this product with high hopes. The colours are right up my alley so I thought I would get my money’s worth. Unfortunately, the colour pay-off of these shadows are quite poor. The white colour is more of just shimmer; the cream is better than the white in terms of pigmentation however it still leaves a lot to be desired. The taupe and the olive are by far the better of the 4 shades. Also, be aware that there is quite a bit of shimmer fall-down. I also find that these colours definitely do not stay on the lids too long – so much for Colorstay. If you already have a hard time having shadows stay on your lids, I would recommend skipping over this product. Overall, I would not repurchase this product, as I don’t enjoy ½ of the colours provided.

Please note that these eyeshadows were heavily swatched.

If you own any of the products mentioned above or you plan on picking some of them up, let me know in the comment below!

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"HUGE Makeup Mark Downs @ RCSS" Haul - ACT QUICK!

I'm posting this ASAP so you guys get these amazing deals as well. I randomly went into The Real Canadian Superstore (RCSS) and they had a TON of makeup that was significantly marked down. This is what I picked up:

Click on the picture to enlarge.

L'oreal Voluminous Power Volume, Black Brown, 0.33 fl oz ($2.74 @ RCSS)

Maybelline New York Lash Stiletto Voluptuous Washable Mascara, Very Black, 0.22 fl oz ($2.44 @ RCSS)

Maybelline Master Drama Cream Pencil Liners, Moonlight & Vibrant Violet, 0.01 Ounce ($2.44 @ RCSS)

They also had a LOT of other products marked down such as the Maybelline Fit Me foundations and setting powder (select colours) for only $2.44. The L'oreal One-Swipe eyeshadows were marked down to $2.73. Covergirl also had some mark-downs although not as significant.

If you're in the market for some new drugstore makeup, I would suggest hitting up RCSS!

PS - If you're in Canada, here is a link to some Maybelline coupons that will score you some even better deals at RCSS: http://www.maybelline.ca/Special-Offers.aspx

Happy shopping,

MaquillaGINA

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Shopper's Drug Mart Lipstick Haul

Hello Everyone!

I just recently paid a visit to SDM and I've been meaning to post a mini-haul on my lipstick purchases. SDM was having a huge sale on their Revlon lipsticks; they were selling them for only $3.99! I picked up 3 lipsticks from
their Superlustrous line:

I went back about a week later and the SDM had a lot of the Elizabeth Arden products on clearance. The facial masks and certain creams were marked down from around $50-$75 to only $16. Of course, they were all sold out! I managed to pick up 2 lipsticks however for only $6.50 each (reg. price $24.50):

The Wine Cream (07) is a part of the Elizabeth Arden Color Intrigue Effects line whereas Breathless (17) is part of the Exceptional line.

Don't you just love it when you score some awesome deals on makeup!?! We all know I don't need any more lipsticks but it's hard for me to pass up such amazing prices. 

Have a great day and happy shopping,
MaquillaGINA

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Hard Candy Glamoflague Concealer in Tan

After hearing rave reviews about the Hard Candy Glamoflague Concealer, I decided to finally pick it up from my local Walmart. I bought it for around $7 and with Walmart's easy return policy, you can bring this product back if you don't end up enjoying it. 

I bought the colour Tan which ended up being the best match for my skin however this colour was far too yellow (and I have a yellow-based skin tone). Long-story short, I kind of hate this concealer and these are the reasons why:

1) There are only 4 available shades available
2) The undertones of the concealer are far too yellow
3) Caused major breakouts when used on the face (I used this as a spot concealer and I tried mixing it in with a moisturizer to make my own foundation, both leading to serious breakouts!)
4) Tends to settle into fine lines 
5) Extremely oily/emollient product 
6) Takes a long to set (and even when it does set, it tends to leave a greasy film on my skin)
7) Product separates horribly and because it is in a tube, you cannot mix the product without cutting open the packaging and removing the product (clearly a case of poor design)
8) Very off-putting mouldy vegetable mixed with herbal smell (hard to describe but it smells awful - trust me!) 

Now it seems as though I've totally bashed this product however, I think think it would be excellent for someone given they fit both of these criteria: (1) dry under-eye and (2) skin colour/tone match concealer shade (good luck finding a match with their extensive range of 4 colours) and (3) do not have acne prone skin. Also, it would be important to mention that this concealer provides medium to buildable full coverage however, I thought that the finish was quite heavy and cakey regardless of how much I applied. 

The only redeeming quality of this concealer, for myself, was that it came with a small concealer pencil which was convenient for facial touch-ups (the pencil didn't make me break out) however, nothing to write home about - it was very average. To be honest, I haven't reached for it since the first week of purchasing when I was testing out this product. 

OVERALL RATING: 4/10

Let me know if you've tried this concealer and how you liked it in the comments below!

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Real Techniques Expert Face Brush

Meet my new HG foundation brush - the RT Expert Face Brush. I am very skeptical when it comes to celebrity endorsed products. Since the RT line was created by Youtube celebrity/MUA Samantha Chapman, I didn't have high expectations for her brushes (I thought it was simply another gig to make more money). Fortunately, I was terribly wrong. I can't speak for the other brushes, however the RT Expert Face Brush is incredible. 

Pros: 

• Synthetic fibres
• Easy to clean & dries quickly
• Densely packed bristles allow for medium-full coverage
• Small brush head
• No shedding
• Soft to the touch
• Multi-purpose
• Easy to manoeuvre
• Relatively inexpensive price (US $8.99 @ Ulta) 
• Sleek design

Cons: At this point in time, I cannot think of any cons for this product. If I were to fault the RT line in general, it would be that it is not easily found in stores across the globe. Although these brushes can be found online and shipped internationally, I think it would be more convenient if they were available at more physical retail vendors. 

OVERALL RATING: 10/10

Let me know if you love the RT Expert Face Brush as much as I do!

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