Lip Gloss for a Cause

Hey, all!

I have something a bit different for you today. It's a lip gloss that you can feel great about buying (many, many tubes). Half of the money made from these gorgeous glosses goes to Mountaineer Autism Project. This helps MAP to cover the costs of education and safety products to address elopement and safety. 

They are $6 (US) each or you can have two for $10 (or four for $20). 

If you're local, I'm happy to meet up somewhere to deliver your order. If you're not local, I can ship these but will have to charge shipping.

Notoriously Morbid Cosmetics from Beckley, WV is the creator of this Everyday Heroes Cosmic Gloss and according to Notoriously Morbid's website they're vegan.

Now for the fun bits...

Everyday Heroes is a pearly gloss with a rainbow micro shimmer that leans a bit toward a blue shift. It basically looks like you're applying an opal or mother of pearl to your lips. It's sheer, not sticky at all, and the scent is Sugared Strawberry. The scent is not overly strong and after applied I can't smell it at all. 

My favorite way to use Everyday Heroes is as a topper over other lip products. It changes the base color into something a bit magical. Above I have it swatched over NudeStix in Mystic, NARS in Cruella, Rituel De Fille in Against Nature, and Lipstick Queen in Frog Prince.

It's a full sized lip gloss at 10 mL and comes with a doe foot applicator.

Ingredients: Hydrogenated Polyisobutene (and) Ethylene/Propylene/Styrene Copolymer (and) Butylene/Ethylene/Styrene Copolymer, Prunus armeniaca (Apricot) Kernel Oil, Mica, Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxide, Carmine, Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate, Silica, Tin Oxide, Synthetic Fluorophylogopite.

Above I have it applied over BelláPierre's lip liner in Nude and below I'm wearing Everyday Heroes by itself.

Let me know if you have any further questions. To order comment below or email me at tabbiecat77@gmail.com.

Love,

Google Translate app

Hi, all!

I recently discovered something I've been having a lot of fun with. No, it's not Hershey's Kisses (although I do love them!). It's the Google Translate app. 

Maybe I'm the last to know about this. I dunno. I've used the Google Translate on my computer often, but had no idea about the app until I saw a commercial for it. I thought it would be useful for traveling. It probably is. Mostly I've just been playing with it. 

Stefon is as excited as I am.

It can use your camera to translate signs, you can type in whatever you want translated, there's a voice feature, or you can write what you want translated in the app. I tried cursive and printed handwriting and they both worked perfectly, which is amazing because my handwriting is kind of the worst. I can't even read it sometimes.

There's many languages to choose from and a "Detect Language" feature. I think that's pretty sweet.

Also, this app is free! You know I love that because I'm cheap.

Get it here - Android::Apple

Have you discovered any new apps that's blown your mind? Let me know in the comments. I'm always looking for interesting new things.

Love,

Winterize your nails!

Poor freezing cardinal!

 Hi, all!
Winter is here! Ok, not really, but it feels like it. It's been snowy and freezing and so miserable here already. Where did Autumn go??? My hands are doing their best impression of the Sahara Desert. They are dry, dry, dry! My poor neglected cuticles are begging for attention. They're saying, "Please, please, please notice us...and oil us..." Well, maybe not because that would be weird if my cuticles started talking to me, but you know what I mean.

Julep's Winterizing Your Nails tutorial.
Click to enlarge.

Enter stage right Julep's How to Winterize Your Nails tutorial. I was recently contacted by Julep. They wanted me to share my tips on nail care. And, no lie, I squeeeed out loud like a fan-girl! They are my hands-down (pun intended) favorite nail company. The polish is usually one coat (the white takes two for full coverage), lasts so much longer than any other polish I've tried, is 5-free, vegan friendly, and has a special formulation making it healthier for your nails. That being said, I bought everything I use in my tutorial myself. (And have had some of the colors for ages.)

Improvising a bit (because I don't own all of the products listed), I followed their tips to beautiful, healthier nails.

Ingredients

Rough, right?

To start out, I shaped my nails using my crystal nail file.  I really love glass files because they last literally forever and are so easy to clean. This one is super gentle. I file going in one direction from one side and then the other. Never saw back and forth. It's too rough and will cause breakage and splits.

I then used a bit of coconut oil to soften up my cuticles and hands. I just rubbed it on and let it set a few minutes and then wiped the excess off. Then, I used an orange wood stick to push back my cuticles and buffed my nails with my three step buffer.

Julep's Crystal File

A bit better!

 After washing my hands thoroughly to get rid of the oil on my nails, I started the fun part - nail art!

Base color

After applying a clear base coat, I started out with one coat of Julep's Nicolette and painted four nails and did a crescent shape at the bottom of my thumb. Kind of a modified French manicure.

Tree branches

I then took Julep's Fiore and applied it with a toothpick to simulate patchy tree bark.

Cardinal

Using a combination of a crafting stylus and a toothpick, I applied Julep's Nan in a roughly cardinal shape. I Googled images of cardinals for an idea of how it should look. The little pointy bit at the top is too adorable.

Nearly finished

I then added details on the cardinal with Fiore and Gloria (my Mom's name). Gloria is no longer available on the Julep site, but I did find one bottle left on Amazon. Any orange should do. Julep has several still available on their site.

I also drew a snowflake on my thumb using the stylus and added dots with the toothpick in Nicolette.

Finished!

To finish up, I dotted Nan on the ends of the branches to look like Autumn leaves still stuck to the tree. Let it dry for a bit and then top it off with your favorite top coat.

Julep's Friendsgiving Collection. Gorgeous, right? Kiki reminds me of Frozen's Elsa.

Julep's limited edition Friendsgiving Collection looks amazing. I really thing I need Kiki and Joanne in my own collection.

A few tips:

1. Always keep your hands and cuticles moisturized. Check the ingredients of your hand creams to make sure it doesn't contain alcohol. Alcohol will dry your skin.
2. You don't need fancy tools to do nail art. Experiment with different things you already have. I pulled the stylus out of my craft hoard. Bobby pins make excellent dotting tools and so do toothpicks. 
3. A drop of cuticle oil on your nails each night before bed will make your nails look so much better for longer. Dry, cracked, bleeding cuticles are never cute.
4. Nail art is temporary. Have fun with it!

Love,

A Short Rant On Why I Hate Summers

Z hanging out on the river bank. Photo by Sean O'Donoghue.

Hey, all!

Did you ever have one of those days when you rush around, get the kid dressed and waiting by the door when all of a sudden, she has to go change her clothes (three times), you have to mop the floor, a then you have to measure out more allergy medicine because the previous tablespoon ended up all over your kid and the floor? Yeah...

Reasons I Hate Summer (the season, not the cat)

1. My morning schedule is shot. There's no way we're getting anywhere on time. Ever. Definitely not in a good mood.

2. Sweat.

3. Bugs. We've been fighting infected bug bites on the kiddo. She swears she's not scratching them. I beg to differ.

4. Heat. (see also: Sweat). I can't handle heat. I get dizzy. I can't breathe. I sweat. Sometimes it even messes with my tummy. I'm not going into details. You're welcome.

5. Humidity. My hair does its best impression of Ronald McDonald during the summer. It's even less cute on me than it is on a creep clown.

6. Pools/Swimsuits. No. Just no.

7. Fewer clothes in general. So much upkeep! Constant pedicures, nearly daily leg shaving, faux tanning...it never ends (until winter).

8. Breakouts. Even my skin hates summer. I can't find a sunscreen higher than SPF 15 that doesn't break me out, but 15 does nothing for the super pale. Nothing. It's fine if I'm just heading straight for the car, but if I have to spend any time at all outside...freckles and burning. Again, not cute. Or healthy. (Just to be clear, I wear sunscreen all year round, I just seem to spend more time outside in summer.) Also, my skin goes from dry/normal combo in the winter to oily/normal combo in the summer. That's fun.

Just to end this on a positive note, here's a few things I love about summer.

1. Food. Fried green tomatoes, ice cream, lemonade, grilled everything, all sorts of yumminess that for some reason tastes better in summer.

2. Longer days. The shorter days of winter makes me want to sleep constantly. I really do hibernate in the winter.

3. Sandals. They're just so cute and easy (even with the required pedicures).

4. Kids playing outside. Mine comes home after spending all day at her Mimi's exhausted, filthy, and happy. She loves running around the countryside barefoot.

What are some of your loves and hates for summer?

Have a fabulous day!

A Few Favorite Things

Loving my sparkly skull cup
& all things pumpkin!

Hey, all! I don't know about you, but I love it when people share what they're crushing on. Sometimes I even pick up whatever they're raving about. I thought I'd share a few things I'm loving right now. 

Cinnamon Bun Candle by Bakery Fresh

This candle is awesome. It's strong enough to fill my office with its yummy cinnamon bun scent. On top of that, it was only $1.50 at Dollar General. I'll definitely be picking up some more.

Gelous Advanced Nail Gel Coat

Maybelline Color Show Polka Dots Nail Polish

I have two nail products I love right now. The Gelous Gel Coat (Sally Beauty Supply, approx. $6) mimics a gel manicure without the hefty price and UV rays. It makes my manis last about a week, which is saying a lot. I'm tough on my nails. I use it for both base coat and top coat.

The Maybelline Polka Dots (Walmart, approx. $2.50) is just a novelty top coat. The cute part is that it looks like paint splatters. It needs a top coat over it to get the dots to stick around for a while, otherwise, according to reports, they pop off easily.

Sonia Kashuk Lash & Brow Comb

This Sonia Kashuk Lash and Brow Comb (Target, approx. $5) is seriously the best comb brush I have ever used. The metal bristles get inbetween lashes so much better than the traditional plastic ones do. It gets rid of clumps and separates lashes. The brow brush is okay. It's a bit stiffer than I like. I adore how it all folds down to around three inches and is perfect for traveling. I've broken so many of the traditional ones that I've lost count. One caveat - the metal bristles are sharp, so be careful!

McDonald's Pumpkin Spice Latte

What is Autumn without a pumpkin spice latte? Don't tell Starbucks or Sheetz, but McDonald's makes my favorite. It seems to have more flavor than the others. I'm in love!

What are some of the things you're into?