Getting to know me!

I normally do not like to post more personal things on this version of my blog, I put more personal things onto the tumblr version of this blog. I have written a post for anyone that would like to get to know me better, in case anyone that reads this version of the blog would like to read it you can read it here: http://lipstick--zombie.tumblr.com/post/44043028837/getting-to-know-me  .

My tumblr blog is almost exactly like this blog. I post all of the same reviews, tips and hauls but there are a few more little personal things thrown in. If you have a tumblr or would even just like to get to know me better, please follow my tumblr blog! 

Weekly Beauty Tip #32: Set your eyeliner

Try setting your eyeliner with an eyeshadow of the same color to help your eyeliner stay put longer.

Lush reviews

This post is going to be short reviews of some of the Lush products from my Lush haul (http://lipstickxzombie.blogspot.com/2013/02/lush-haul.html). I have already reviewed Lush Shower Jelly (http://lipstickxzombie.blogspot.com/2013/01/review-lush-shower-jelly.htmll). I will not be reviewing every item from my haul yet, I haven't tried everything yet but once I do I will post reviews.

My first review will be of the Toner Tabs.

I don't remember what the name of these Toner Tabs were, but I got them as part of Lush's after Christmas sale and they were buy 1 get 1 free. To use these you boil some water, pour it into a bowl and plop in one of these tabs. Then you stick your face over the bowl and cover your head with a towel. This will steam out your pores, cleaning out all of the dirt in them. Afterwards you wipe your face with the toner in the bowl. What I thing is even cooler about this product is that you can take that toner (cool it first) , put it in some sort of bottle and use it as a toner for about a week (make sure to keep it in the fridge). Even though $2-$3 may seem a bit much for one of these little tabs, they are effective and  you can get a pretty good bang for your buck. After using these my skin felt very clean and it felt soft.

Next up is the Cupcake Fresh Face Mask.

First off, I love this product so, so much! Lush Fresh Face Masks are only sold in stores, they are made with fresh ingredients and they will spoil within a few weeks. These also must be stored in the refrigerator. I keep mine in the freezer, which also helps it last longer. I have combination skin and I have been getting a lot of breakouts lately so I thought that this mask would help. It did! The very first time I used it I noticed a difference, it also minimized some of the redness in my face and made my skin very soft. Any time I wax my eyebrows I always get breakouts around my eyebrows. Twice I have used this mask right after waxing and I didn't get a single breakout. This mask is a life saver! It smells great and even though it doesn't look like a lot of product, I got many uses out of this pot. I am devastated that I'm out of it, I can't wait until I can buy more of this.

                                                           Popcorn Lip Scrub

 As mentioned in my previous post, this was part of Lush's after Christmas sale. My friend bought one and gave me the free one. I've been a little hesitant to buy one of their lip scrubs myself. When I first saw one in the store I thought, $10 for this little thing? I now kick myself for even thinking that! A little bit goes a very, very long way with Lush's lip scrubs. So $10 is actually a pretty good price. I've been using mine since early January 1-2 times a week and I haven't even put a dent into it. This is a really, really good lip scrub. It gets all of the dried skin off of my lips. It leaves them soft and flake free. It makes it so much better and easier for me to wear OCC Lip Tars and some of my more matte lipsticks. This lip scrub smells and tastes amazing, just like kettle corn. When this pot is dwindling I am most definitely going to buy the Bubble Gum scrub. I smelled it in the store and it smells heavenly.

                                                             Ocean Salt Facial Cleanser

The very first product from Lush's website that drew me in was the Ocean Salt cleanser. I really wanted to buy it to try it, but it is SO expensive! When I went to my local Lush, one of the sales girls gave me a sample of this. When I first used it I wasn't very impressed. I didn't think it cleansed my face well and it tasted (I accidentally got some in my mouth) and smelled like margarita salt. But, I tried it two more times using more product and now I absolutely love this cleanser. It is very refreshing and leaves my skin feeling great. It exfoliates and moisturizes well. I recommend only using this once or twice a week, if you use it ever day the exfoliation will be too much. That being said, I love this product and even though the price tag is very steep, I am planning on eventually buying this product.

The very last product I will be reviewing today is the Daddy - O shampoo.

I was looking at the shampoos at Lush and the sales girl asked me if I would like to try anything. I was overwhelmed by all of the different shampoos so I let her pick something for me. She picked Daddy - O because I have a lot of blonde in my hair since all of the different colors (the pink, blue and purple) have now faded away. The purple is meant to make blonde hair more blonde. After a few uses, it does work. I have one spot in my hair that is orangey from my faded pink hair (oh, how I can't wait to dye it again), this shampoo took away some of the orangeyness. My favorite thing about this shampoo is the smell. It smells so good! It has a lavender scent to it and the scent stays with my hair after shampooing.

Lush haul

Here it is, finally, my Lush haul post! This is all the result of 2 visits to a local Lush store with a friend. These were from my first few Lush visits ever, so I'm pretty new to all of these products and to Lush its self. Some of the samples I haven't gotten to try yet, but once I do I'll do a review on all of them. The picture backgrounds and quality are a bit different. I had taken pictures of everything at two different times with different cameras and different backgrounds.

One of the coolest things I got was the Toner Tabs.

I originally bought 2 of them, but I had used one by the time I had taken pictures for this post. I will be posting a review of this along with a few other products from this haul on Monday.

Next I bought 2 Whoosh Shower Jellies. I had used my first pot a few times and loved it so much that I had to buy another when I had the chance. I have already reviewed this, you can find the review at: http://lipstickxzombie.blogspot.com/2013/01/review-lush-shower-jelly.html .

Cupcake Fresh Face Mask. I had been dying to try one of these masks, my review will be in Monday's post.

 Popcorn lip scrub. I had wanted to try one of Lush's lip scrubs very badly, luckily they had the buy 1 get 1 free sale after Christmas. My friend bought one and didn't want 2 of them so she gave me one.

 And lastly, I got a bunch of samples to try out. The ladies at my local Lush were very nice and let me get a sample of everything that I had wanted to try out.

Here are all of the samples that I got, a few of these will be on Monday's post:

                                                    Love Lettuce Fresh Face Mask

                                                                Retread Conditioner

                                                              Imperialis Face Moisturizer

                                                              Lemony Flutter Cuticle Butter

                                                             Ocean Salt Facial Cleanser

                                                                     Rehab Shampoo

For some reason I do not have a picture of the top of my last sample, Daddy - O Shampoo.

That's it for this haul post! As I mentioned a few times, there will be a post on Monday of some mini reviews of some of these products. For anyone who is sick of my haul posts, I only have one left so please hang in there!

Weekly Beauty Tip # 31: Eyeshadow fallout

If you have eyeshadow fallout, don't wipe it away! Lightly dust it away with a fan brush or powder brush. It will get rid of the eyeshadow particles and not smear all over your face.

Nails by Vicky: Valentine's Day Nails-Tutorial

For this tutorial I will be describing how to paint polka-dot Valentine's Day nails!

What you will need:

• Whatever base coat you use
• A white nail polish
• At least three different nail polishes in red or pink
• A dotting tool (pictures shown later in tutorial)
• Whatever top coat that you prefer to use

1. First, you want to apply one coat of the base coat. This helps the nail polish adhere better to the nail as well as make a nice even surface so that the nail polish does not show any ridges or bumps.

I use Revlon Quick Dry Base Coat ($6 at drugstores) because it does not take forever to dry which allows me to get started on painting my nails earlier.

2. Once the base coat is dry, apply the first of two coats of white nail polish that you have. Wait until they dry completely.

I am using Hot Topic's Blackheart Beauty polish in white ($5 at Hot Topic).

(Sorry about how messy the nail polish is but I am kind of a messy painter when it comes to my nails. If you are too, don't worry, it comes off easily with nail polish remover, then it looks like a professional has done them!)

3. Now that the two coats of nail polish are dry, use a dotting tool that is of good size to make the dots. To do this, place a large amount of polish on a piece of paper or a paper plate. Then dip the end of the dotting tool that you would like to use and simply dot onto your nail. You can do this in a random pattern (like me) or you can plan exactly where you would like each color.

For the dotting tool, I am using a set from a beauty supply store for $8. If you cannot find them in a store or cannot go to a store, you can easily find this set on amazon.com.

The one I am using is the purple one, more specifically the larger side of the tool.

For this step I am also using the following red and pink nail polishes:

Red Hot ($2 from ELF)

Fab Fuchsia ($2 from ELF)

Light Red ($2 from ELF)

Once you are finished dotting your nails they should look somewhat like this:

4. The last step is to apply the top coat once the dots are dry.

The top coat that I am using is called Out the Door ($5 from beauty supply stores). It dries very fast and has a very nice shine. TIP: If you would like your nails to stay longer, the next day paint another coat of the top coat and paint the tip of your nail.

Below is a picture of the final outcome!

(Unfortunately, my dots ran a little bit when I put on the top coat and this was because I underestimated the drying time. So a lesson to be learned is: wait a while before applying your top coat!)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I really enjoyed making this tutorial for everyone and I hope you all like it! If you would like me to do a tutorial for a specific kind of nail or have a question about nails, please feel free to leave a comment.  I would be more than happy to answer any and all questions!

For the latest news on what nails I may be doing next or if you just want to see what I am up to as a crazy college student follow me on

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/apolloodair/nails/

My personal Tumblr: http://apolloodair.tumblr.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Vicky_Mellark94

Skin 79 Hot Pink BB Cream review

When the BB cream craze started in the U.S, I like everyone else was curious to see what all of the hype was about. I was a little hesitant though when I heard all of these horrible things about the BB creams that were being released by American companies. I'm pretty cautious with what I buy when it comes to makeup, I hate wasting my money or buying a product that I would later hate. I also admit that I can be pretty cheap, so if I'm going to splurge on something I need to make sure that I will like it.  So I did some research and stumbled upon the world of Korean BB creams. I then settled for a Skin 79 BB cream.

I bought this particular product from a seller on amazon. When buying Asian BB creams you need to be careful, there are some fakes out there. I did my research and chose a seller with a good rating that had been selling genuine, legit BB cream. Please ignore my writing on the packaging!! That is just so that I know that the product is opened and to use it (I store this in with some of my unopened backup stock of products).

The BB cream is stored in this pretty good sized cylinder shaped packaging with a very convenient pump. I really like the pump, but there isn't a cover for it can get messy if you store this in a train case or makeup bag. This is why I keep mine in the box.

There is a really cool label at the bottom that is clear when unopened but when opened it will show grey and black. This is also an authenticity label.

The product its self looks like this:

When blended out a bit:

Completely blended out after sitting on my skin for a few minutes:

It blends right into my skin and matches perfectly. When applying a BB cream I recommend patting it on and letting it sit for a minute or two before blending so that it can adjust to your skin. I usually stipple mine on then blend it in.

This BB cream has medium coverage, I have redness in my face which this didn't completely cover up so I have to put a little concealer on top. I don't use this product enough or on an every day basis so I don't really see a difference in my skin. I usually wear this on lazy days when I don't feel like putting on a lot of product. I do love how it feels and how it blends in. I don't even really need to set it with powder like I do with my foundation. Any time I have worn it, it has lasted all day.

If you are looking for a good BB cream to try out, this is a great one. The more I use it the more I love it and I am planning on ordering more of this soon. It is great for when you don't have the time for a lengthy makeup application or if you just don't feel like wearing a lot of product.

Nails By Vicky: Introduction post

Here is the link to the introduction/biography for Nails by Vicky:

http://lipstick--zombie.tumblr.com/post/42516942183/nails-by-vicky-a-little-introduction

I don't normally post more personal information to this version of the blog, but in case anyone wants to read it, I am posting the link.

Weekly Beauty Tip #30: Use a BB cream

Try using a BB cream. A BB cream is a product with many uses that is meant to replace your foundation, moisturizer, primer and sunscreen. They have many skin benefits, depending on which one you get. The most common benefits are UV protection, anti wrinkle properties, even skin tone and brightening.

There are so many BB creams out there to choose from that all of the choices are probably overwhelming. I recommend skipping the American drugstore versions completely. Most of them aren't that impressive. Try going for a Korean brand such as Skin 79 or Missha. You can buy them online, I buy mine from amazon for a lot cheaper than you would from the brand website. Just make sure that whoever you buy Asian BB creams from is legit! There are fakes out there, so be careful and do some research before buying.

Tomorrow I will be posting a review of the Skin 79 Hot Pink BB cream. So keep an eye out!

Sephora haul

Next in this series of hauls that I've been doing with my post-holiday makeup buys is my Sephora haul! This is a result of two different visits to the store and a purchase online.

Soap and Glory Face Soap and Clarity cleanser. I have two of these! The first one I bought at a Sephora store during one of my mall trips with a friend. I saw this for only $3 and had to grab it. Once I tried it out, I loved it. Then I saw this online for the same price and got another tube. This is a great value for only $3.

Philosophy Purity Made Simple. This is my all time favorite cleanser. This is the smallest bottle that Sephora sells of it.

Fresh Soy Face Cleanser. I got this as a 100 point bonus during a store purchase. I love trying out different cleansers and it is a pretty decent size for a deluxe sample.

This is everything from the Smashbox Try It Kit. I have only used the lip gloss so far, but once I try everything there will be a review on it. My only complaint is that I wish the primer sample was bigger. It is a very expensive primer though, so I really can't complain too much.

I got another OCC lip tar, this time I got Queen. I am hugely in love with these things. I really wish my local Sephora carried more colors. Right now they only carry about 3-4 different colors and they have them in the area where you wait to check out, not in an actual display.

This is the Sephora Face Complexion brush. It is a manual brush that you use with your cleanser to wash your face. I really like it so far, it's a tad bit rough. I wish the brush was a little bit softer but it overall is a good brush especially for the price.

This is a deluxe sample of Tarte Smooth Operator Micronized Clay Finishing powder. I got it was a 100 point bonus along with some samples of Tarte's new BB cream. By the time I took pictures of all of these products, I had already given away most of the BB cream samples.

Nars Orgasm blush. This is probably the most popular high end blush or at least the most raved about. I had been dying to get my hands on this.

Benefit High Beam, another product I had been wanting to get very badly.

This is a deluxe sample size that I bought of Urban Decay's All Nighter spray. I'm really excited to try this and see how it compares to E.L.F's Mist and Set.

Sephora Collection Double-Ended Waterproof Smudge liner. I got this on sale for only $3! There is a brown end and a black end, I had been wanting a brown liner so badly. There is a really cool design on this eyeliner when you hold it up into the might, it didn't photograph though.

The last two items I got were part of a promotion Sephora was having on their website. On orders over a certain amount you could choose 2 deluxe samples. I chose the Buxom Lash Mascara and Smashbox Luminizing primer. They did not photograph well at all between the lettering on the mascara tube and the shimmer in the Smashbox primer.