It’s no secret that I love bargains…and the 5 under $5 is tag going around online right now so I thought I’d join in the fun too! I don’t think I could really just narrow the list down to only 5 items under $5…so this may be a re-occurring series. But these 5 I currently use on a very regular basis so I think it’s a good place to start!

1. Nail Polish by Julie G: I absolutely LOVE these! You can find them at the drugstore for less than $3…they are very opaque (meaning lots of color!) An you can almost get away with one coat! They go on smooth and wear long. Go snag some, you’ll be happy you did!

2. Liner and brow brushes from the craft store: Yep. I’ve mentioned this tip numerous times before and I will keep shouting it from the rooftops! Those liner and brow brushes you’re paying so much for are the same things you find in the detail painting section of the craft store! They work just as well at a fraction of the price…I’ve paid as little as $0.50 but never more than a buck or two.

3. NYC Smooth Skin Bronzer in Sunny: less than $3 at Target and worth far more! This matte bronzer is great for daily basic contour and adds a lovely sun-kissed glow! It’s not packed with red, so you won’t look like an oompa-loompa! I’m on my 4th one at the moment and even keep this in my pro kit now.

4. Rimmel Scandaleyes liners: these guys are around $4 and are so smooth and creamy! They glide on easy and smudge out great, but once they set they’re there to stay! Waterproof creamy liners for under $5?! Yes please! The nude one I love for the water line for a wide-eyed look.

5. WetnWild Megalast lipsticks: Are you tired about hearing about this? Sorry (not sorry)…but these are just worth so much more than the $2 they charge! Pigment packed and super long wearing…and tons of amazing shades!

What about you? Any products you love that are under $5? Let me know, I want to try them! By the way, do you follow me on Instagram and Vine? Follow @polishandpout and see my magic trick that goes with this post 😉

Cheers to Deals, Steals, and 5 Dollar Bills,

 

It’s all about nail art right now and the caviar mani is top of the trend list! You can find “caviar” at the craft store (I’ve even seen it at the dollar store too). It looks so fancy but is super easy!

 

I think this is a perfect holiday mani don’t you?

 

Cheers to Nails, Christmas, and Caviar,

 

Remember my hair stylist friend Ashley? Well this past weekend was her birthday, and what better way to celebrate than with some girlie glam fun?!! 

Part of our girlie fun was sushi for lunch followed by a trip to the salon to get our nails done…now this is a huge treat for me. Weird, I know, considering how fanatical I am about nail polish. Truth be told, I usually just do my own. I picked out a pretty minty shade by OPI called Hey, Get In Lime! Absolutely in love with this shade right now!  

  On the docket for the evening was dinner and karaoke…so much fun! Ashley asked me to do her makeup for her day and night of birthday fun and naturally I recorded what we did so you all could follow along and learn how to do the dramatic smoky eye she wanted for yourselves!

You will need black, purple, green, and blue eyeshadows, I also used some basic shades from the Naked 2 palette, black gel eyeliner, mascara, and false lashes! This smoky eye is a personal fav of mine because when you layer the shades you get a peacock/oil slick effect on the eye that is so pretty! So here we go…

Cheers to Birthdays, Smoky Eyes, and Karaoke,

I’m sure you’ve all seen this trend…whether in hair or clothing it’s seems that ombré is everywhere!

Well tonight a little bit of boredom forced me to try the trend on my nails! I’ve definitely seen this done before and always thought it looked lovely but never sat down and tried it…as I was staring at my huge vase of nail polishes (that’s how I store mine…how do you store yours?) I realized I had a ton of yellow, coral, and orange polishes…

So I picked the 5 that seemed to show an ombré progression…

And voilá!

I’m quite happy with how it turned out and now wishing I had tried it sooner! It only took me a few minutes and I love that it’s a nail trend that takes no skill! Ha ha! As you know, nail polish is one of my biggest beauty loves and it seems new fancy ideas and trends with nails pop up daily! Love that!

So what do you think? Would you give this trend a try?

Cheers to Nail Polish, Ombré, and Boredom fixed by Beauty,

We’ve all been there…one more swipe of mascara, or a quick dab of blush, and you would be out the door but then the unthinkable happens: the uncontrollable urge to sneeze, a slip of the hand…Ugh!! No need to fear, take a deep breath…

 

 lydiaphotography.com

Here are a few fast fixes that have helped me!  I hope they help you too!

I got a little excited over my creme (or liquid) blush!

If it is still wet and has not set, then use a cotton ball to wipe off any excess.  Next grab your foundation brush and blend another layer of foundation on top.  Then set with translucent powder.  This will not only tone down your blush but create the illusion of that “lit from within” natural flush that we all want!

My lashes touched my eyes/face while my mascara was still wet! 

This blunder is SO common! Trying to clean it up can potentially ruin your look but it has a VERY simple solution…seriously folks, this changed my life…Wait and let it dry…Yup you heard me right.  It’s instinctual to wipe it off but that will onyl smudge and rub it in more, and using removers will break down your makeup beneath it and ruin your look!  After it dries use a clean eyebrow brush (or unused/clean mascara spool) and gently brush it off!  This is one time you will be thankful that mascara flakes! It will flake right off and your makeup underneath will still be intact!

I bumped my finger nail while it was still wet!

Ok, so this trick may not work for those HUGE smudges, like when you swipe off half of your polish.  But for those smaller smudges and marks this will do the trick…spit on one of your fingers (Um why are you grossed out? It’s your OWN saliva for crying out loud!)…so like I was saying, spit on a free finger (be generous!) and gently rub over the nail with the smudge, repeat as needed, all the while moving the polish back to it’s original place.  It’s very important that you do not press too hard or you’ll only make a bigger smudge! Finish by either an additional thin swipe of your color and/or a clear topcoat!

 

Any other Beauty Blunders you need solved?  Or do you have a Fast Fix that works great for you?  Let me know!

 

Cheers to imperfections…and being able to improve them,

 

My story with nails is a bit of a tragic one. I can still remember vividly the day that my mother, in an effort to encourage me not to grow up too fast, decided that it wasnt appropriate to have my nails painted. She told me I no longer could and that I’d have to wait until jr high to do it.  Needless to say, I was devastated! I could not understand why one day it was ok for me to paint my nails and the next it wasnt anymore…highly tragic…

on models nails: mint sorbet by sally hansen

 

So did my mom succeed in helping us not grow up to fast? I’m not sure…but what I will say is that the second I was in jr high and it was ok to paint my nails I ran to the store and spent all of my hard earned baby sitting money on nail polish…there were WAY too many shades to choose from though…pink, blue, purple, forest green (yes, that color was popular at the time!)…what is a girl to do?

So I made the most logical decision and bought as many shades as was humanly possible and changed my nail polish color just about every other day…I couldn’t get enough! I can even recall sneaking some polish into the bathroom at school to paint my nails in the stall! I mean I didnt have time to do it at home before I left…priorities people!

For those of you who have known me for any lengthy period of time know that I had my nails consistently painted black for about 7 years…as of late in an effort to change it up and not get stuck in a rut I have channeled my inner jr higher and resumed changing my nail polish color often!

 

clockwise from top left: Graphite by Chanel, my custom blend nude, Aloha by Dior, and Primrose Hill by Butter London

While I applaud my mother for encouraging me to stay young, I must say that if I become a mother and my child expresses an interest in painting their nails, I will be the first one to bust out my bottle of Chanel Vamp and paint their little paws!

 

So Cheers to jr high, recovering from childhood tragedies, and nail polish,