Japanese Gel Manicure at Atlas Studio

Everything is better in Japan. Food, fashion, cosmetics, cartoons, music and nails. I love (mostly) everything that comes out of Japan (I draw the line at this, though). So a while ago, I went and got a Japanese Gel manicure from Atlas Salon in Costa Mesa. The Japanese Gel manicures can be a bit more expensive than your usual gel mani, but the quality of the products, technique and designs (I believe) are much more superior.

Atlas Studio is in a small shopping complex in Costa Mesa (Orange County CA), next to the Marukai Japanese grocery store. It is super clean, light and airy inside and although it isn't huge, it feels spacious.

Atlas Studio, interior

Atlas Studio, waiting area

Aaaaand, it just so happens that my BFF Mai of Rainy Nails works there! She was doing a trial period with them, where she showcased her skills using a model, so she asked me to come in. We decided to make a girl's day out of it and have dinner and a massage after she finished up for the day.

Mai and I! :)

Selection of gel colours

Japanese manicures are much gentler on your hands, as they don't cut your cuticles down or grind your nails down paper thin. They have a nice selection of shades to choose from at Atlas, and Mai can basically do any kind of pattern or nail art you can think of. Her designs are sooo varied and all really beautiful! I had a hard time deciding what I wanted, but eventually went with something simple and a little edgy, black and glitter half moons with rhinestone accents.

Freehand painting my half-moons

Half-moons with glitter and rhinestones.

I am in love with half moons, they look so cool. I do kind of wish I had gotten another colour instead of black, since it seemed a little dark for everyday wear. The gel lasted a SUPER, super long time. I actually started getting annoyed with how long it lasted, because I couldn't swatch the new nail polish that I bought, or try out any nail art. I'd say they lasted a good 3 weeks before I got them removed and there were no chips or peeling at all. As I said before, the quality of Japanese gel manicures are so good when done right!

Here are a few more designs that Mai has done at Atlas Studio:

Gotta promote my BFF a little! If you're around the SoCal area and want to get a Japanese gel manicure/pedicure, go and ask for Mai at Atlas Studio! ;)

Atlas Studio
2971 Harbor Blvd  Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(714) 429-1048

I love doing my own nails, but sometimes it's fun to get pampered a bit and I really love the Japanese style manicure; the designs are always so pretty and intricate. I only wish I could get my nails to be oval shaped, every time I try to file them oval, they end up breaking. I am doomed to have squoval tips forever. Anyone have any tips on maintaining an oval nail shape?

Easy 3 Step Covergirl Makeup Look + P&G Most Loved Giveaway!

Press Sample

P&G is a pretty well known company, but many of you may not know just how many of your favourite brands are a part of the P&G family. She Speaks and P&G were kind enough to send me a huge box full of their 'Most Loved' products to try out, including these three from Covergirl:

1. LashBlast Volume Mascara 2. Perfect Point Pencil Eyeliner 3. Outlast Double Lipshine

I used these three products to do a simple natural makeup look.

1. Line upper lashline with the Perfect Point Pencil Eyeliner in Espresso and use the sponge end to smudge and blend outwards.
2. Apply 2 coats of LashBlast Volume Mascara in Black to both upper and lower lashes.
3. Apply the Outlast Double Lipshine in Sheerly Nude, first the colour and once it's set, the gloss on top.

I really liked all three of these Covergirl products! Click here for a mini review and a chance to win a huge box of P&G Goodies!

CLICK HERE FOR THE REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY!

Disclosure: Products are press samples received from She Speaks for review.

Check out their nail art: Winners! RCM Gel System Mani Madness Contest.

The winners of the Mani Madness RCM Pro Gel Kit contest are as follows:

Sam M. - Chosen by me.

I love this idea! Sam did Basketball Net French Tips W/ Basketball Halfmoons & 3D Fimo Clay Basketballs on Index & Pinky. The little 3D basketballs are my favourite, they are super cute.

 Lisa F. - chosen by Mai.

Lisa did a cool manicure with logos of all the teams in the final four. Michigan has glequins because she was rooting for them! Mai liked her use of freehand painting and the gorgeous holos and glequins that really made it stand out.

Sammy T. - chosen by my husband, Mr. IXB (lolol like that hun?).

Sammy did a simple but flawless March Madness mani. Mr IXB loved the clean lines and the little Jordanesque jumpman on the pinky.

Congrats to the 3 of you, please check your emails!

Thank you to everyone who entered the contest, I have a couple more giveaways coming up soon and my big blogiversary giveaway coming in June, so stay tuned!

Winner! Geo Nudy Grey Circle Lens Giveaway.

What better way to start out a Monday than to announce my giveaway winner!

The winner of my Geo Nudy Grey Circle Lens giveaway is:

Thais M.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Congratulations Thais! Please check your email :)
 
The winners of the Mani Madness Contest will be announced later today, so stay tuned!

Blogazons Roundup 4/7

Spring has sprung, with lots of new collections, fragrances, beauty looks and more. An alternative to the $40 brush glove? A review on the Milani Grandissimo mascara? It's all here in the Blogazons Roundup.

• Mama Fashionista: Mama Fashionista shares the perfect fragrance to transport your senses to Provence and put you in a Spring state of mind!
• TheFabZilla: Get 'Yo Funk on with Eddie Funkhouser New York Makeup Line!
• Ishah x Beauty: One of the hottest Spring makeup trends made easy: Ishah shows you how to get Two Toned Lips 3 easy ways.
• Emily hudspeth, hair and makeup: Freshen up your look for Spring without Spending too much time or money!
• Lola's Secret Beauty Blog: How many facial cleansers does a girl with a penchant for skincare need? Find out here!
• Midnight Manicures: Are you looking for a great volumizing mascara at an even better price? Jayme has your answer, the new Milani Grandissimo Lashes Incredible Volume Mascara.
• Cosmetics Aficionado: April is Beauty Blogger Appreciation Month at Cosmetics Aficionado!
• Harajuku Girl FL Beauty: Lady Grenade Cosmetics has reopened, check out swatches and a special deal!
• Beauty Apocalypse: Beauty Apocalypse reviews a new clear skin regime.
• Beauty by Arielle: How to Volumize Fine Hair.
• MakeUpMom123: Light It Up Blue.
• Beauty by Miss L: This week Miss L showed her March favorites.
• Love At First Site!: Reviewing Lait des Bienfaits by Roger & Gallet.
• Rachel's Makeup and Skincare: Rachel weighs in on some of the products from Burberry's Spring 2013 Collection and it sure was a hit!
• Shades Of Beauty, Inc.: If $40 is outside of your budget, how about less than $4?
• Beauty Professor: Now that it's soon to be sandal weather, the Beauty Professor embraces a "do-it-yourself" springtime pedicure!
• Beauty Madness: Want to take care of those hideous pimples, quickly? You're gonna love this!

Wet n Wild MegaPlump Waterproof Mascara Review

I Bought This

So I had to rush out of the house the other day and had no time to put on any makeup. I usually carry a small arsenal of the basics: mascara, lipgloss, lip balm and creme blush, but due to switching purses for a wedding, I was without my trusty mini sized Urban Decay SuperCurl mascara! Since I was going to Target, I decided to pick up a new mascara to try (as well as 128792647 things that I don't really need... you know what Target is like).

I was at the Wet n Wild display and this bright pink tube attracted my eye, the Wet n Wild MegaPlump Waterproof Mascara:

What it claims:
5x Plumper!
Plump It!

• Very Black Mascara
• Up to 5x the Volume of Your Natural Lash
• Instantly Plumps for Maximizing Effect
• Cruelty Free

MegaPlump™ Mascara
Plump up the volume!  Get 5 times the volume with this mascara that amplifies and plumps for plush, dramatic lashes.  This volumizing formula delivers thicker lashes in an instant.  The voluminous brush wraps around the entire lash line for full impact without clumping.

My opinion:
It has a big brush which seem to catch all the lashes, but the formula is dry, dry, dry. I don't know if it was that I had an old dried out tube? Or this is just what the formula is like? It didn't coat my lashes very well. The picture above is 3 coats. Yep, three. It would probably work better for someone who prefers natural looking lashes, I like super dramatic, full lashes. I also noticed that my lashes seemed to drop after a couple of hours... not so Megaplump :( It doesn't flake though and I had no smudging. It leaves my lashes still feeling soft and removes easily with makeup remover. It just doesn't give me that plush, dramatic volume that I'm looking for.

I really like most of what Wet n Wild has to offer, but this mascara just didn't work for me.

Free Julep Nail Polish from Shoedazzle

Affiliate Links

Just received this email from Shoedazzle! You can get a free Julep nail polish in one of three pastel shades with their 'Daily Fix', which is a new style that's discounted today only.

I am SOOOOO tempted to get this! The sandal is gorgeous and I am all about pastel shades at the moment. I'll probably debate about it for a couple of hours and then end up buying it =_= I'm so weak when it comes to shoes, add free polish into the mix and it's pretty much a done deal.

Get your personalised Shoedazzle profile and check the deal out here.

How To Do Two Toned Lips! Runway Trend Made Easy

Two Toned lips are all over runways and fashion magazines at the moment. I think it's one of the hottest trends for Spring and Summer, so I wanted to show you a few super easy ways to do it using drugstore makeup!

No. 1 - Bright Coral and Orange:

Products Used - Maybelline Vivids Lipsticks in Electric Orange and Shocking Coral. Pink and orange is the one I most wanted to try, it looks so high fashion and edgy! I wanted to use a pink that was similarly toned, so I chose a bright, warm coral pink. I used two lipsticks from the same line so I knew they had a similar formula and finish. It was very simple, just applied Shocking Coral on the top and Electric Orange on the bottom. Viola!

No. 2 - Shades of Pink.

Products used: Wet n Wild Megalast Lipstick in Dollhouse Pink and Mauve Outta Here. For a more subtle two toned look, using two different but complementing shades of pink does the trick. This is Wet n Wild Dollhouse Pink on the top and Mauve Outta Here on the bottom. This is a good way to just dip your toe into a high fashion look that makes it more wearable for every day. You could also do this with two tones of red!

For something a little more elaborate, check out this post I did on an ombre lip look using lipstick and gold eyeshadow:

For more info and how I did it, click here!

All three looks are super easy to do, but the last one is probably the most wearable. You also don't have to worry about messing it up if you press your lips together, whereas the first two, you have to be careful not to smudge the colours.

I'm so excited about all the Spring Trends, there are so many vibrant, edgy looks to try!

What Spring Trend are you loving?