Gnarly Gnails: October 2017

Spider Gradient - Happy Halloween!

Monday, October 30, 2017
By Missy
1 Comments

Beloved Beauty - October 2017 Favorites

Saturday, October 28, 2017
By Missy
1 Comments

Disclosure - Personal Purchases

Really sorry about the lack of posts this week. Something about working, being a dog mom and the main cook in the house really can drain your free time. And as always I was asked to stay over a few days this week at work and since I like having money, I never say no. I'd spend my workdays contemplating the next blog post, the next manicure, etc...then I'd get home and walk and feed the dog and next thing I knew it was time to make dinner and indulge in some Supernatural. Needless to say, I soon realized it was the end of October and my easiest fallback was a monthly favorites post...but rest assured, once I post this I am spending the day doing some swatching and polishing and pre-scheduling!
Shall we get to the reason you're reading?
I think so.

I like to start off with skincare since that's first and foremost in life, to me anyway!

The Ordinary AHA 30% BHA 2% Peeling Solution

When The Ordinary dropped last year I was all about some sciencey cheap skincare options and I picked up several of their offerings. Some of their products were lackluster and some really stood out, like this one. Not for the faint of heart, I am far from sensitive and this stuff can sting for a minute even on my armadillo shell. But the results are really special. I was using this once a week at first and started to feel like it was losing its pizazz, so I pulled back to once a month and now everytime I use it I feel the burn and the amazing skin smoothing effects so much more. It's a scary blood red that looks like you peeled your face off, but trust me...it's far from ordinary.

Another staple in my skincare arsenal is Pixi Glow Tonic To-Go. The way I found out I loved this and couldn't live without it, was when I had to live without it. When I moved I had packed a bag of all my skincare essentials and must-have toiletries. Then I forgot to put it in my car. I wasn't working at the time and I couldn't indulge in things like 20 dollar toners, so I had to patiently wait until I had a job and disposable income and once I did, this was the first thing I ran to buy. This comes in a liquid form as well as these pre-moistened pads. I prefer these as they just seem to last longer and are perfect for my lazy ass. I've also used the glow peel pads but I didn't like them much and would just rather use a slightly simpler formula I could use every day. I've tried The Ordinary glycolic toner and saw nothing, but this one I always see changes in my skin for the better. It's a pricey drugstore brand but it is SO worth it, #youonlyhaveoneface

Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask. Yes.

I didn't see immediate results when I started using this but after about a month I could tell that my lips were much smoother and I could even go a day without lip balm and they wouldn't get chapped. I could never go back to not using this now, I just smear it on before bed and it will keep my lips hydrated well into the 24-48 hour zone.

Sally Hansen Big Primer Base Coat

I've struggled this month to polish, though I haven't struggled to BUY polish. Among the things I left behind when I moved was 3/4 of my nail stash, polishes, art supplies, basics. Definitely could not live without a ridge filler. In a pinch I was in Walgreens and looking for the Essie ridge filler as that is my favorite but it was nowhere to be seen so I stumbled upon this and figured I'd see. It works. It's not mind blowing but I'm not sure a ridge filler NEEDS to be. I was happy to find a cheaper alternative to the Essie that worked like it needed to and that I didn't hate.

I always hear people complain about brow products pulling too warm on them. I on the other hand, need something warm right now as my hair is pretty bright red. I was working with powders and my standard brown brow products and I wasn't happy. I had been truly happy with Benefit Kabrow but it dried up so quick I refuse to repurchase a product I can't get through before it needs replacing. So I remembered I had Mr. Bing Gel Liner from Colourpop, a warm red leaning brown. This stuff works wonders and doesn't budge. It's perfection.

My makeup gets very simplistic when I'm doing it for work. I may go bananas with my eye makeup but I keep my lips pretty basic because I just don't have time to keep tabs on whats happening there. So NYX Tres Leches has been a lifesaver. It's glossy but the "intense" part means it has great pigment and lasting power. I can easily go 4-6 hours without even having to babysit this.

How did I get this? I don't even know as I tend to hate mini products. But I have it and I love it. This is Lovecraft by Kat Von D and it has become one of the best MLBB shades I've ever owned. Definitely gonna need to pickup the full size of this baby. These lipsticks are so creamy and lightweight.

Brushes...I have a vast arsenal of brushes and yet I tend to rotate through the same ones for the same things. But sometimes it can be fun to use brushes for things other than their intended purpose. Granted, the Bare Minerals face brush is for foundation and it's what I use it for and it's AMAZING. I don't know what makes this brush different than any other when it comes to a brush for foundation but somehow, some way, it just blows my other foundation brushes away.

The other is a Tom Ford brush dupe I picked up on ebay awhile ago, Jessup No 2. I believe its a blush brush but I have become enamored of using this as a contour brush...it really blows out the powder and blends it perfect.

Kat Von D Blotting Powder. I love using this to pack into my cheek and nose pores as well as setting my concealer. It is really fantastic at blurring.

IBY Contour Palette...a Boxycharm acquisition that I didn't use for quite some time. I messed with other products that were never quite designed for contouring and I realized I was looking a bit corpse-like with those. One day this month I cracked this open and it's been a daily go to ever since.

The highlight shades aren't something I use but all three of the contour shades are pretty fantastic for my NC20 skintone.

Oh baby. The Saint and Sinner Palette. I saved a small fortune away each week waiting for the release date of this. Once I had it, I socked away the money and waited as patiently as I could. It released, I purchased it, and the day it arrived I just stared in awe. And then I didn't touch it for 3 weeks. It sat, in all of its glory, on my vanity, taunting me with its beauty.

Then one day I broke down and I opened it up. There has been no going back ever since. I have used this palette every single day since that first time. I'm obsessed. It has to me, everything you could need. Occasionally I will pull in a neutral palette to pair with it, but I don't always need to. Martyr, Vestment and Heaven are my favorites so far. Honestly, I think I was afraid that the quality would not live up to the packaging. I was sooooo sooooo wrong. This is one of the best KVD palettes I own.

And lastly...we need that finishing spray. I own quite a few but the Milani Make It Last is the one I can actually see doing what it claims when bedtime comes and I go to remove my makeup. It does wonders keeping my base from transferring and keeping any oils at bay. I have about 3 uses left, I need more asap!

Any of my favorite yours, too?

What did you fall in love with this month? Tell us, I need lemmings!

*this post contains affiliate links

Fall Favorite Polishes - Nudes/Browns/Golds

Tuesday, October 24, 2017
By Missy
7 Comments

Disclosure - Personal Purchases and PR Samples

And we're back with the last installment of my favorite fall polishes. Originally I was going to make this two separate posts of nudes and then browns and golds, but some nudes are so dark they qualify as brown and then it was just a slippery slope from there and I figured...one and done.

Nudes seem to get more and more popular every year whether its in polish, makeup or fashion...so this will be a heavy post - let's get in!

OPI - Did You Ear About Van Gogh? This is a light dirty nude and I swear..OPI knows how to do nude polish, there are quite a few in this category!

Elevation Limestone, a gorgeous off white cream full of coppery glitters.

Triple 7 A Dustland Fairytale. This is a really unique shade of nudish brown with holo shimmers that almost reflect slightly green.

Cult Nails Let's Get Dirty - I've been gone awhile but I guess Cult Nails is no more? That's a shame, she made some fantastic polishes, and I'm certainly happy I still have a few to hang on to. Let's Get Dirty is a stunning beige with silvery shimmer.

OPI - I Sao Paulo Over There. These purple toned nudes are my favorites, I have about 10 of this color in varying levels of light to dark but this one is my fave for sure.

Catrice Oh My Goldness, such an in your face almost neon gold shimmer/foil.

Manglaze Santorum - a matte brown that is pretty unassuming on its own but you slip a little top coat in there and wow...such personality.

OPI Icebergers & Fries, that super popular caramel shade we all seem to crave right now, I want this shade in everything...makeup, clothing, furniture!

Emily de Molly Hardware (over OPI Icebergers & Fries) - Round holo gold glitters and smaller gold glitters in a clear base. This is so rich looking over just about any color polish.

OPI What Wizardry Is This?
Still my favorite textured polish. I left this in its natural state but she is a KNOCKOUT with top coat. Trust me.

CrowsToes Heartshaped Box of Horse S*#t (over OPI What Wizardry is This?) - It might be becoming obvious I have an obsession with gold glitter toppers...this one is full of all the autumn shades of glitter you could crave...gold, brown, copper, red, it flashes all of that warmth!

Ninja Polish 100% Colombian - a shimmery chromatic that flashes brown to red to green and was impossible for me to capture in all of its glory.

I'm hoping to get some actual nail ART posts up soon, sadly when I moved I accidentally left every single nail art thing I owned (including well over 150 stamping plates)...so I'm trying to slowly build my collection back up...I'm hoping to get a few Halloween posts up before Halloween but I think I might be reaching! We will see!