Girliest Girly nails ever!

Hello friends!

Have you missed me?  I've sure missed you, I hope you all are doing great!

I have just done a photo dump so expect a couple of quick drive-by posts within the next week or two.

So I've decided to share on of my favorite layered manicures of this past year!  I think I need to bust this one out again because it's so good!

I'll save the long post about how much I love Adventure Time for another day but suffice to say OH MY GLOB I LOVE IT.  Princess Bubblegum is a tough, smart, kind ruler of the Candy Kingdom.  Did I mention she's got fab style too?

So I was really pleased to have stumbled on the magical polish combo that perfectly evokes our saccharine sovereign.

The base is a slightly shimmery super hot pink from Nicole by OPI, "Still Into Pink" and it's BEAUTIFUL on its own.

But then I saw it.  Revlon Girly.  And it was love, at first sight.  Girl is a milky, cotton candy base with a fabulous mix of glitter: medium purple, magenta, and light pink hexes, small light pink holo hexes, and maybe some lilac small hexes?  I"m not even sure, all I know is I love it.  

I think this was one (dabbed) coat!

And it really does evoke P.B. doesn't it?

I believe Girly & Still into Pink are still readily available to purchase.  If I had to choose, of the two I would hands down recommend getting Girly because it's quite unique and so, so pretty.

Do you love Adventure Time?  Or really fabulous girly manicures?  Let's chat in the comments!

love and cupcakes,

Ms Meghan

Legal Disclaimers

So recently, the FTC updated their blogger guidelines.  UGH BUMMER.  I think it's good, because there are bloggers that are not as transparent as they should be; if only we could get photoshop guidelines, right?!  But I think on the other hand, there are online magazines and real magazines that are as opaque as can be because they don't have to follow these guidelines.  I do have a disclaimer on the right-hand side of my blog that says: "Unless explicitly stated otherwise, any products reviewed have been purchased by Ms. Meghan for review/enjoyment."  And this is still true, but I wanted to hash out the details a little bit more clearly.  So with all that being said let's get a few things out of the way.

1. Advertorials, sponsored posts, and straight up ads.  I have not done any previous to this post, and I also don't anticipate doing any.  I am a little fish in a big blogging pond but regardless if the opportunity comes my way I will comply with FTC guidelines and make it clear that this is a sponsored post (although TBH I feel like those are pretty obvious when people do them).
2. Affiliate links: I don't have any and I don't see myself using any in the near future. 
3. Products sent for promotional review: I don't get products sent to me but I am not adverse to the practice.  If a company were to send me a product for review,  I would obviously disclose it and also try to give a fair, balance, review.  I don't gifts with purchase, point-of-sale samples, or in-store requested samples under this umbrella.
4. Conflict of interest:  Okay, this one is tricky.  A few years ago I applied and was technically hired to work freelance for MAC which as an FYI is owned by Estee Lauder Companies.  And then maybe 6 months later (July 2010?) I re-submitted my paperwork so that I could correctly be input into the system and conceivably work for MAC.  However beyond my initial tryout interview I have not spent even a minute working behind the counter.  So technically while I am "employed" by MAC I've never worked for them nor have I received compensation from them.  
5. Any links in my sidebar or within posts are websites and/or blogs I go to on my own time and do not receive compensation for providing any links.  Any links posted on my Twitter/Tumblr fall under this with the exception of reblogs/retweets for giveaways.  While technically if I won I would be receiving compensation for promoting a blog, I haven't won yet.  Also I think that's pretty transparent in the reblog/retweet. 
6. All opinions expressed are my own and do not reflect those of my employer.  I work for a very large corporation and I have no intention of mentioning who my employer is and what they do, however I would like to make that abundantly clear.

All statements made in this post regarding the presence or lack thereof of specific types of content are true as of the date of this post but are subject to change.  Any changes in content will be reflected in clear disclosures in each post. 

A Triumphant and (somewhat) Fierce Return!

Hello friends!

I'm sure you all are wondering where on earth I went.  Let's make a list:

• I worked 2 jobs over the summer which took up more of my time than expected.
• Had to deal with a large grain weevil infestation; I shake my tiny fist at organic soba noodles which were definitely the cause!  As a result I had to throw out A LOT of food.  Ugh.  No food = no recipes.
• Went on my first week long vacation of the year and threw my back out, for reals!  I spent the week on muscle relaxants and asleep.
• Spilled some boiling water on myself resulting in 1st & 2nd degree burns on one arm and 1st degree burns on my chest.  I couldn't dress myself properly for at least 2-3 weeks, let alone cook or do beauty posts.  I mean I still painted my nails, because I'm pretty sure almost nothing could stop me from doing that.  ;)
• Dealing with mental health and developmental issues that I've pretty much always dealt with but they have been exacerbated significantly in the past 6 months or so.

 It's been a heck of a year, let me tell you!  I'm pretty pleased to see 2012 go, mostly because it kind of sucked. 

So even though I am spending New Year's at home with Mr. Core, I thought I would post my hypothetical New Year's Eve look.  I recommend this look for anyone who is fierce and single on New Year's Eve.  It's not for the timid, as black lipstick rarely is.  But it makes a statement about how badass you are, and you don't need no one to kiss, you are amazing all by yourself!

This look was initially inspired by MAC's Strength collection.  I was SO EXCITED that Pink Pigeon (bright pink) and Party Parrot (warm, bright pink) lipsticks were coming back plus Firm Form, a black and gold lipstick?!?!  And then MAC decided not to distribute it to counters, which meant it quickly sold out online. :(  So no new lipstick for me.  But I decided to give golden black lipstick a try.  Because anyone can do a shimmery black smoky eye and neutral lips but why not try something different?



YEAH BLACK LIPS!
Let's do a look breakdown:

Face:
-Smashbox Hydrating primer mixed with Benefit Girl Meets Pearl
-L'Oreal True Match Lumi Foundation
-Urban Decay 24/7 Concealer
-Sonia Kashuk face powder
-Too Faced Milk Chocolate Bronzer to contour cheeks
-MAC Peachykeen blush & Lightscapade MSF to highlight

Eyes:
-Tarte Clean Slate Eye Primer
-MAC Coquette eyeshadow for my brows (I've also used Mystery)
-a mix of MAC Bare Study Paint Pot and Buxom Stay There eyeshadow in Poodle on the lid & lower lash line
-Sephora Prisma Chrome eyeshadow in Moon Beam generously on crease (it looks like it's been DC, it's a lovely pale champagne with a pink flash)
-Wet n Wild Creme Brulee on browbone
-L'Oreal Telescopic Clean Definition Mascara in Very Black

Lips:
-Urban Decay Lip Primer
-Urban Decay 24/7 Liner in Zero
-NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Black Bean
-NARS Soft Touch Shadow Pencil in Aigle Noire (ultimately unnecessary but what else am I going to do with it?)
-L'Oreal Colour Riche Le Gloss in The Muse's Shine which was LE but any gloss with a strong gold shimmer will do.

Basic steps:
1. Prep your face as needed.  You don't want to go overboard with blush or shimmer, the goal is clean, slightly glowing skin.  As I get oily skin pretty quickly, I opt for luminizer in my primer and a matte powder to set, but you may need to switch it up.  A light cheek contour with blush/highlighter completes the look.

2. Luminous, glowing eyes: I wanted a clean, shimmery eye look, to brighten my eyes without making them the center of attention.  Mixing pale shimmers adds depth without too much extra work and a matte shadow on the brow bone nicely balances the shimmery lids.  The look is complete with precise but not overdone brows, curled lashes and mascara.


3.  THOSE LIPS THOUGH.  Okay prep the heck outta your lips.  Exfoliate and moisturize, but wipe off the excess moisturizer before applying the lip primer.  Give the primer a little time to set, and then outline and partially fill in your lips with black long-wear eyeliner.  Smudge it towards the center of  your lips, and then fill your lips in with the NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil.  You can top it with the NARS pencil but I ultimately felt this step was unnecessary, as it didn't make much of a difference.  I found the easiest way to apply the gloss was to put some on the back of my hand and apply it with a lip brush, making sure to add a little extra along the cupids bow and in the center of the bottom lip.


SRS BIZNESS FACE!

I assure you, I tried to style my hair, it's not just bedhead.  And yes, there is a slight pink tint because I like a little bit of pink hair on the weekends.

If I had to pick a New Year's Mani, instead of the shimmery purple I'm wearing right now, it would have to be a version of my opal manicure:


This is seven coats of nail polish, but I think the end result is SO FREAKING GORGEOUS so I don't care.  I'll do an upcoming post on this (promise!) but it is basically a white jelly sandwich with opalescent glitter & gold shimmer in between the white layers.  I think it's prettier and slightly unexpected compared to the the usual metallics.

And that's my New Year's post!  I'm definitely planning on blogging more in 2013, I've got recipes I've been working on and beauty to chat about!  Happy New Year everyone! 

love and cupcakes,
Ms. Meghan

Friday Jams: nerdyfuntimes edition!

Hey there!

Here's a quick friday jams post while it is still friday!  (ed. note: I wrote this last night, really, and must have been really tired because I didn't actually post it, sorry!!)

Jam:
Star Wars Radio Play from the 2012 ECCC

This video features some of the best voice actors in the biz, doing some of the voices that they're most known for in a live reading of Star Wars scenes.  This includes Kevin Conroy (Batman) and TARA FREAKING STRONG (Bubbles, Twilight Sparkle, Raven and SO MANY MORE).  I could've done without so many celebrity impressions but I was still dying with laughter and I bet you will too!

Jelly:

I LOVE THIS BOOK SO MUCH.  I've read it twice now, and this past week, I started reading it, after getting about halfway through and putting it aside months ago, and honestly it's like I never left.  The premise (as I understand it) is that instead of emigrating to Israel a large portion of European Jews were given a piece of Alaska to settle in.  The story itself is a really good police procedural built within this reality and it's just perfection. 

Marmalade:
Alkaline Trio!

I love that Alkaline Trio has gotten even more catchy than they already were but they still maintain a nice air of spookiness, they are one of my go to bands when I am in a rotten mood and need to sing in the car.

That's it for this week, have a great weekend!

love and cupcakes,
Ms Meghan

On vanity and drivers licenses

Hello friends!

So this past weekend I realized that I absolutely had to get my license renewed which also meant a new picture! I spent part of Saturday morning watching youtube tutorials and planning my makeup, which sounds silly but if this is a picture that will be around and scrutinized for the next 5 years, I want it to look as good as humanly possible. Are you in a similar situation?  If so, then read on for my tips for a super fine license picture!

I can narrow down my license photo makeup tips to two words: Clean Definition.  For me this meant the following:

• Bright eyes with sharp brows: Primer, a lighter than flesh-tone shadow (WnW Creme Brulee), a thin line of black eyeliner (UD Zero), and mascara.  I use a MAC shadow and brush #208 to fill in my brows.
• Lip tint and blush: I'm a big fan of Benetint and Stila's lip crushes, and any low-shimmer pink blush.
• Even skin: Primer (I'm really liking Tarte's primers right now), Smashbox BB Cream (or use the foundation of your choosing), concealer, and powder to set. 

I also needed the appropriate products for contouring but there was one problem, contouring was a complete mystery to me!  And maybe it's also a mystery for you?  Well mystery solved, thanks to the wonder that is the Pixiwoo youtube channel!

This video is a great guide to basic contouring and made a world of difference for me!  Now to show you what products I used:


Too Faced Milk Chocolate bronzer, Wet n Wild Creme Brulee eyeshadow (a perfect pale beige matte shadow, which is getting its own post soon!),  Sonia Kashuk Flushed blush, Tarte Amazonian Clay Shimmer Powder in Champagne (a pale gold/white shimmer) and a couple of Ecotools brushes.  And this is my look:


My goofy face.  So in case it wasn't super obvious, I only contoured the left side of my face (and was a little heavy handed with it) to give you an idea of what kind of difference contouring makes.

Since license pictures wash everything out, it's important to use a slightly heavier hand for the contour, brows and lips, while leaving your eyes and cheeks light so that they're still easily visible.  Especially your eyes, if you wear an overwhelming eye look they could be totally lost!

So in spite of all my time and effort, when I went to AAA on Saturday they told me their camera was broken and would just re-use my old picture.  Of course!  Nevertheless, I hope this helped you and here's to many lovely license pictures!

love and cupcakes,
Ms Meghan

Apologies and polish reviews!

Hello friends!

So a week went by without a peep on here, I'm so sorry!  I fell behind on blog posts and as soon as I would turn my thoughts to posting something, I caught an extreme case of writer's block!  But I'm back and I have a few new polishes to review plus one layered manicure that was so froofy I couldn't NOT post it!

The good:
Essie Mojito Madness!


How gorgeous is this?!!?




This is a part of the "Bikini So Teeny" collection, and I had been wanting a color like this for a while and I'm so glad this is the polish I picked up!  It applied like a dream and I barely needed 2 coats for it!  I did apply over a ridge filler, but I use that more to protect from staining.  Either way I bet it would still apply really well, this polish didn't get goopy or drag and it looks BEAUTIFUL.  Definitely recommend it.

The Bad:
Revlon Runway Pearl


4 coats!
I wanted to love this polish, it's a beautiful LE white/ivory with a red/orange/gold shimmer.  It's really stunning in the bottle.  BUT it goes on so thick, a little streaky, it took 4 coats to build opacity AND IT BUBBLED LIKE CRAZY.


THE BUBBLES! (editing note: I cropped and sharpened this using flickrs editing tools)

And you can see a little bit of the bottle in the above shot, the shimmer is really beautiful but the formula isn't worth the headache.

The Awesome:
Here are my "prom dress" nails!  Every time I looked at my nails I kept picture a puffy skirted sky blue dress with baby pink tulle that was covered in bits of silver glitter.  I have a major soft spot for froofy dresses, let me tell you.




This is OPI What's with the Cattitude topped with 2 coats of Pirouette My Whistle from the NYC Ballet Soft Shades collection that just came out and CND Raspberry Sparkle on top of all that.  I really like PMW, it's a mix of silver microglitter and white pearl hex glitter.  It's really beautiful and looks lovely over pastels.  It's the best picture I could get of my nails before I took this off but isn't it lovely?

And that's all I've got for today!  I've got another beauty post in the works for Wednesday and of course there's Friday Jams!  Thanks for stopping by!

love and cupcakes,
Ms. Meghan

Friday Jams: The Hoopy Frood Edition!

Happy Friday everyone!

I'm so sorry I missed my Wednesday post, I was just losing my mind this week and I got distracted and spooked watching a scary movie for 365 Days of Horror!  This is the 3rd guest post I've done, and I watched House on Haunted Hill!  Vincent Price sure is dreamy but it's a little disconcerting to watch the movie alone in your basement apartment.  You can read my review of HoHH here, and you can read my other two reviews if you're interested: Suck and Tucker and Dale vs. Evil.

But onto the jams!!!

Jam:
HAPPY TOWEL DAY EVERYONE!
If you are a hoopy frood then you know where your towel is, and you know that today is Towel Day!  Today is meant to celebrate the life and works of the late author Douglas Adams, who wrote The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and all but one of its sequels.  It's crazy funny sci fi and they also made a movie, starring Martin Freeman, Mos Def, Zooey Deschanel, and Sam Rockwell.  Even if it's not book accurate it's one of my favorite movies, here's the trailer:

I just love this movie!  It's so charming!

Jelly:
REGINA SPEKTOR
Speaking of people I love, this lady is amazing.  And she has a new album out this Tuesday!!  In the meantime you can listen to a stream of the whole amazing record on NPR here!  Or watch the video for the single "All the Rowboats" if you're so inclined:

Eeee I'm so excited!  I really love this album, and I think it's better (or maybe just brighter?) than her last one.

Marmalade:
EGGPLANT BACON!
No that is not a word salad and I am not having a stroke, eggplant bacon is the genius invention of IsaChandra Moskowitz, as seen in her cookbook "Appetite for Reduction"!  But if you really wanna try it, she's also posted the recipe here!  My 2 tweaks: I toasted some spices (whole peppercorns, cardamom, coriander, crushed red pepper flakes and chunks of garlic) in a tiny pan and added the soy sauce to that with a little water and let that mixture heat up.  It's like a spicy soy sauce tea, but this adds more flavor without extra fat/calories; I let that cool before adding the liquid smoke and eggplanting it up.  And when I put the eggplant slices back in the oven for the last time, I sprinkled a little paprika on top because paprika is wonderful.  And this was so delicious!  I had an eblt with garlic hummus and OH MAN IT WAS WONDERFUL.  Definitely give this recipe a try, I wasn't even sure I liked eggplant but this made me a believer!

And that's it!  Happy long weekend friends, I hope you have a good one!

Love and cupcakes,
Ms. Meghan

True Confession: I love accent manicures!

Hi everyone!

I was so busy cooking tonight that I almost forget to put up a post.  Good thing I have a backlog of nail polish swatches to show you!!

So let's talk about accent manicures.  Generally speaking, I consider an accent manicure one where the whole hand is the same except for one nail which is usually, but not always, fancier than the rest.  Or it's just painted in a different color.  There's a variation on this where the thumb is the accent nail and it's called "Blackberry Bling".

I've been doing accent manicures since 2007, I started with a black creme and Sally Hansen Glow on my ring finger.  I wish I could find photographic evidence, or maybe I'll just do it and take pictures, either way it looks awesome!  I also liked to do black + a shimmery fuchsia accent.  Nowadays everyone is doing accent manicures.  But I still think they're pretty sweet, so without further adieu, here are 2 recent versions that I was particularly fond of:


Essie "Armed and Ready" + SOPI "Don't Be Eggnog-ious" accent

Okay so I loved Armed and Ready in the bottle, it's a really interesting cool olive green with copper shimmer.  On the nails?  Less interesting, but it coordinates really well with the SOPI glitter, which is really nice and shiny.  I just wish it wasn't quite so dense. 


China Glaze Happy Go Lucky with a Pool Party accent.

OH MY GOD I LOVE THIS MANICURE.  It is one of my favorite manicures I've done this year.  Happy Go Lucky is a favorite polish of mine, I've worn it multiple times with no complaints from me, it's a nearly perfect yellow and it's so much fun!  And then there's Pool Party which is this eye searing neon reddish pink and these two colors just work so well together!  I did this manicure in January when I was bummed about winter and some personal drama and it cheered me up a little, which is pretty amazing because I'm kind of a grumpy person.

(Speaking of bright colors from CG, have you seen the summer collection?  TOTALLY SWOONING!)

And those are some of my favorite accent manicures, feel free to share yours in the comments!

love and cupcakes,
Ms. Meghan

Friday Jams: things that make you go YAY!

Happy Friday kids!!

As with previous Fridays, I've come to present things that are not only my jam, but also my jelly and marmalade!!

Jam:
NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast
You can download this free podcast via iTunes, it downloads in the "Culturtopia" feed.  This is my FAVORITE PODCAST IN THE WORLD.   It is hosted by Linda Holmes, the editrix of Monkey See NPR's excellent pop culture blog.  The regular panel includes Stephen Thomspon, Glen Wheldon, and Trey [with an 'e'] Graham [like the cracker] and they are all wonderful.  They discuss various relevant (and irrelevant) topics and always end each episode with what's making them happy.  The regular crew are a good mix of funny, smart, high/low brow, and even if I'm not always into what they're talking about I always ALWAY enjoy it.  Do yourself a favor and check out this podcast!

Jelly:
Kate or Die!
Kate Leth is my new favoritest comic lady.  Her comics/art are cute and saucy and generally excellent with a side of feminism that is super groovy.  FYI her comics are not always SFW so don't click on the link if you're in the office, JUST IN CASE.

See?  Isn't it just the best?

[pink grapefruit] Marmalade:
Pink hair!  A long time ago in a galaxy far, far, away your favorite blogger had pink hair!  And lo, it with the hottest of pinks!  Behold:

My friend Georgia just posted about having pink hair for the first time (oooh gurrrl it looks good!) and it makes me miss having pink hair SO BAD.  It's probably my favorite hair color in the entire universe to be honest.  Something about it is just completely perfect in every way.  It's bright, it's pink, it makes me happy, it looks good, what's not to love?!  One day I'll have the kind of job where I can have pink hair and not get looked at twice or reprimanded/fired.  And on that day I will be a happy girl.

So those are the things that are my jam this week, have a great weekend!!

love and cupcakes,
Ms. Meghan

Funky French manicures, are you my arch-nemesis?

Hello friends!

I'm here today with a confession: I have a love/hate relationship with french manicures.  While I do love the soft, clean look of a classic french manicure, I can't stand 75% of the french manis out there.  It has gone from "my nails but better" to "BIGGER BLINGIER TACKIER PINK AND WHITES OMG."  GROSS.

I really think a funky french can be quite chic if done well, black is the go-to choice for many women but really there's a whole rainbow of colors out there, experiment!!  I wish I could just get the hang of doing a french; I've used guides and even when I freehanded it, I just didn't feel like it looked as neat as I wanted.  So here is a brief history of my french manicures, in all their glory:

FF #1: Going green!

Zoya Rose with China Glaze Entourage tips.

Rose is a sheer pale pink-y beige shimmer with a green flash.  It's really nice by itself, but I thought that green tips would coordinate really well, and Entourage is a pretty spring green with green shimmer.  I like it a lot and it did look nice with Rose, but can you tell I had never done this before and I free-handed the tips?  Because I totally did.

FF #2: SPARKLE ALL THE TIME edition

Essie Vanity Fairest + OPI Your Royal Shine-ness + OPI Servin' Up Sparkle

I actually really love this look.  This was my first time using guides and I thought it came out really well, not perfect but still lovely.  Also it is SO FREAKING SPARKLY.   Vanity Fairest is a good go-to french base, it's not streaky, has a little bit of shimmer and it brightens up your nails overall.  And how can you go wrong with a silver foil and silver holo glitter?  I used 2 coats of Servin' Up Sparkle, and it applied really nicely.

FF #3: Black like my soulless heart

Vanity Fairest again + OPI Baby It's Coal Outside + China Glaze Fairy Dust
Again with the Vanity Fairest and the silver holo glitter!  I lovelovelove Fairy Dust, it's so pretty and goes with so many colors.  I really like Baby It's Coal Outside, it's a rich black that has a lot of shimmer and still manages to look black and not dark grey.  Oh man the edges here are super messy looking, even with guides being used.  I like the look and I may try this again but I took it off after a day, it was too messy for my tastes.

So there are my 3 attempts at french manicures.  What do you think of french manis?  Do they make your skin crawl, or are they still chic?  Do you have any tips for a french mani n00b such as myself?  Let me know in the comments!

love and cupcakes,
Ms. Meghan