her: December 2012

Sunday, 30 December 2012

Sweet Votives

Here’s what you’ll need:

1. Measure the height and circumference of your jar, and cut strips of fabric to roughly fit (approx. 1cm wide – doesn’t have to be perfect).
2. In your small cup, pour in some glue and dilute it with a bit of water (about 1:2), mix well. It should be the consistency of slightly thicker water.. yes, I know I’m being vague but it shouldn’t make much difference to the end result.

3. Submerge your first strip of fabric in the glue. Once soaked, lightly run your thumb and forefinger down the strip to get rid of any excess glue.
4. Place the strip into your jar (pattern side facing the jar) and position it. Use your paintbrush to push any air bubbles out from between the fabric and the jar.
5. Repeat with the rest of your fabric. Allow to dry overnight before using.

Note:
- It would be best to use battery operated tea lights instead of real candles
- I find that it’s ok to have fabric going above the top of your jar because it can be easily cut off after it’s dried.
- I don’t mind the look of the overlapping lines of fabric once the candle is lit, but if you do try not to overlap the strips in the gluing process.

Have Fun! ^.^

Xoxo,

♥ かわいいの物語 ♥

kawainomonogatari.wordpress.com

Saturday, 29 December 2012

July/August outfits recap

July and August for me were all about flowy maxi skirts and colourful legwear. I bought too many pairs of Jeffery Campbell shoes, got obsessed with weaving flower crowns, and fell back in love with charity store thrift shopping. August was also the month that I ticked the Alexander Wang Rocco bag off my wish list (my sights are on Givenchy Nightingale next!). Here are my favourite outfits from July and August!

www.closetvoyage.com

Manicure Monday: Snowman Nail Art

Merry Christmas and happy holidays! Today I wanted to share a very special Manicure Monday because it's actually a fun and easy-to-follow nail art. It's been a really long time since I've done character nail art but every once in a while I think it's a creative way to express yourself and give a little happy boost whenever you glance down at your fingers. I've gotten loads of compliments on this look so I wanted to share it with you as well! :)

Check out the step-by-step tutorial below!

PRODUCTS MENTIONED:

CND Sticky Base
China Glaze Secret Peri-winkle
Wet & Wild polish in white
Zoya Sienna (similar)
Nail Art Dotting Tool
ORLY Goth
CND Green Scene
China Glaze Fairy Dust
Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat

Originally I tried out this look on bare nails but I am such a fan of this China Glaze periwinkle blue which really brought out the shape of the snowmen. If you don't have these exact shades, no worries because it also looks great with loads of different background and scarf colors.

One of my favorite parts of this look is the holographic glitter snow made by China Glaze's Fairy Dust which is has gorgeous rainbow-reflecting microglitter in a clear base. You can't see too much of the rainbow effect in my photo here but in real life, the color really dances across the nail and gives more "life" to the snowmen.

Again, you don't have to use the exact colors I used but here's a lineup of the shades from my own collection that went into this nail art. From left to right: Wet & Wild polish in white, Zoya Sienna, ORLY Goth, CND Green Scene, China Glaze Fairy Dust, China Glaze Secret Peri-winkle

If you don't have orange for the nose try a yellow, pink, or even red. The scarf and background can literally be any shade too!

I hope you enjoyed this festive winter nail art and it brings a little happy into your life. Some lovely girls already tweeted me their versions (here, here, here) using different colors and I am SO impressed. To see something that gives me joy spreading to others is the best Christmas gift! If you try this out I'd love to see your version so feel free to post it on my Facebook page or send me a message on Twitter @frmheadtotoe and leave me a comment here on the blog as well!

I love you guys so much and I hope that you are having an amazing holiday! Merry Christmas!

www.frmheadtotoe.com

FACE OF AUSTRALIA Pastels Collection – Photos, Swatches & Nail Art

FOA Pastels Nail Polish Collection, Face Of Australia pastel nails swatches, pastel nails

FACE OF AUSTRALIA, possibly my favourite Australian drugstore brand, have come up with another gorgeous, limited edition nail polish collection of pretty Pastels. { previous collections include Luxe, Molten Metallics and Barbados } Pastel shades are PERFECT to welcome in the Spring / Summer seasons in the Southern Hemisphere. I have been dying to swatch them to show you all the 8 stunning shades so here I go. Get your bibs out and get ready to drool!

Instead of doing individual swatches of each colour, I thought I would make it more interesting by splitting the collection into half and swatching one shade on each finger and then finish it off with some Pastel Nail Art. You get to see how all the colours mesh well with each other.

In the first half, we have these 4 FOA Pastels Shades (awesome names btw!) :-

1. Once In A Blue Moon – eggshell blue pastel
2. After Dinner Mint – mint green pastel
3. Would You Like Some Orange Sherbet? – soft orange-peach pastel
4. Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy – pastel yellow

Face Of Australia pastel nails swatches, pastel nails, blue pastel nails, mint nails, peach pastel nails, yellow pastel nails

I told you they were to die for!!! (P.S. In the photo, I am holding the bottle of I’ll Take You To The Candy Shop which is coming up next!)

FACE OF AUSTRALIA Pastels nail polish swatches, blue pastel nail polish, pink pastel nail polish

In the second half, we have the other 4 FOA Pastel Shades :-

5. Castle On A Cloud – lilac-grey pastel
6. I’ll Take You To The Candy Shop - baby pink pastel
7. Have Your Cupcake & Eat It Too – lilac-pink pastel
8. Boys ‘n’ Berries – blue lavender pastel

FOA Pastel Nail Swatches, Face of Australia Pastels Swatches, pastel nails

More OMG-ness, right?

And then I got crafty with my dotting tools (best buy ever from ebay!) and did some Pastel Nail Art.

Pastel nails, pastel nail art, cute nail art, easy nail art

Pastel nails, pastel nail art, cute nail art, simple nail art

All colours in my Pastel Nail Art are from the FOA Pastels range except the white which is OPI Alpine Snow.

So…when can you get your hands and nails on the FACE OF AUSTRALIA Pastels Collection? They will be released from October (check Priceline, Big W & KMart) and I predict they will be flying off the shelves as they are cheap as chips at $4.95 each for such outstanding quality.

Which is your favourite pastel colour? I think I love them ALL! *swoon*

www.thebestbeautyblog.com

Friday, 14 December 2012

New Years Sparkle Makeup Tutorial

New Years Sparkle Makeup Tutorial

Hey guys! I hope you've all had a wonderful Christmas and restful break if you had one. It's time to gear up for 2012 so I wanted to start it off right with a fun makeup look.

Today's tutorial is another dramatic look that is perfect for the upcoming New Years celebrations. I've had tons of requests for a New Years party look and when I grabbed my NYX Glitterati Palette, the hot pink spoke to me. Who am I to refuse very compelling hot pink glitter?

Products mentioned:
L'Oreal Studio Secrets Primer
Neutrogena Healthy Skin Foundation in Natural Beige 60
Nars Concealer in Custard
Tarte Smooth Operator Powder
Urban Decay Primer Potion
Milani Liquif'eye Eyeliner Pencil
Urban Decay 15th Anniversary palette (Blackout, Junkshow, Midnight 15)
Urban Decay 24/7 Liquid Liner in Woodstock
NYX Glitter Cream Palette
Sugarpill Cosmetics loose shadow in Lumi
Eyeko Pen Eyeliner
Urban Decay Cannonball mascara
Darkness Wxos lashes
Urban Decay Urbanbrow Setting Gel
Urban Decay Urbanbrow Brow Tint in Brunette
NARS Danmari Palette (Desire) individual blush here
Urban Decay Stardust Sparkling Lipgloss in Andromeda

Here are some pics of my look:

I'm a fan of the yin-yang thing going on with the inner corner of my eyes and the outer corner wing at the end. With makeup, it's all about balance. Heavier smokey eyes need this balance to not look overwhelming on the face.

Here you can see the sharp angle of the crease and how the hot pink pops. I also want to note that the end of the wing is at the end of my eyebrow. If you want a wider wing, draw the eyebrows out further as well to match.

Here's a close-up of the eyes. Can I just say that I'm totally obsessed with the Sugarpill Lumi pigment? It's so glowy and iridescent, but not too shockingly teal that it clashes with other brights. I need to use this as a main part of a future tutorial!

Obligatory smile! :) I noticed a few perceptive Youtube commenters saying that my eyebrows are more arched than usual. I trimmed them and decided to go with a sleeker look, which works really well with these types of dramatic eyes! What do you guys think? Does it suit me?

I hope you guys enjoyed the tutorial and have an incredible last few days of 2011! I have so many new projects in store for 2012 including more Kpop looks, "basics" tutorials, and some HIGHLY requested tags that I know at least a few girls will be looking forward to. Until then you will just have to sit here and patiently wait, and ponder, and maybe also consider giving me suggestions for videos you'd like to see in the new year.

*cue mysterious music*