Best Beauty Products of 2017

Since I wrote about my top 10 beauty products of 2016 last year, I decided to keep the party going with my favorite products of 2017.

I was like, "hmmm, I've barely tried enough stuff this year to even make a list of favorites" but then I started writing and realized, oh right - I'm kind of a product junkie. Even during a year where I felt like I'd tried nothing new, I still had 10 favorites. Oops.

Easy Halloween Nail Art Tutorial

As part of Blogtober, I'll be re-running some past posts that fit this month's theme. This post was originally published in October 2013.

It's no secret that I'm pretty into Halloween, and as with most holidays, I like to show that appreciation on my nails. The colors and themes of Halloween are just so much more fun than other holidays (sorry trees and eggs) and they really lend themselves to nail art. I was planning an eyeball manicure this year, but today I had second thoughts and was struck by indecision, resulting in a different design on every digit.

There are SO many other options that would be fun to add here, like candy corn, Dracula, witch, candy apple, werewolf...I ran out of fingernails way before I ran out of ideas. Here's my take on Halloween nail art and a step-by-step guide on how you can recreate the look:

What You Need

• White Nail Polish {White by Wet n Wild}
• Blue Nail Polish {Blue Me Away! by Sally Hansen}
• Red Nail Polish {223 by NYC}
• Lime Green Nail Polish {Innocent by Sinful Colors} 
• Gray Nail Polish {Light Grey by Forever 21}
• Orange Nail Polish {Orange Overload by Savvy}

• Seche Vite Top Coat

• Sharpie(s)

• Dotting Tools

• Nail Art Brush (optional)

Instructions

Paint a colored base for each nail. I applied white polish on my pinky and index finger, orange on my ring finger, green on my middle finger and gray on my thumb.

For the blood spatter design, first paint a red stripe at the tip of the nail. Using a nail art brush or small dotting tool, draw drips of red polish from the stripe toward the middle of the nail. Messy is fine here!

For the jack o'lantern design, use a Sharpie to draw the eyes and mouth. My orange polish reacted weirdly with the Sharpie for some reason, so I topped mine with black nail polish. Usually drawing with a Sharpie works wonders and is SO much easier than nail polish, but it can be unpredictable.

For Frankenstein, draw a zig zag line near the base of your nail [a] and fill in the empty space [b]. Next, use a dotting tool to make two white dots slightly above the zig zag [c]. Draw a black line above the dots with polish or a Sharpie [d] and add short perpendicular lines over it to look like stitches [e]. Add small black dots over the white dots to complete the eyes [f].

For the bloodshot eyeball, use a nail art brush or small dotting tool to draw squiggly red lines around the borders of your nail [a]. Next, draw a blue circle in the center of your nail with a dotting tool [b] and top it with a smaller black circle for a pupil [c]. Optionally, you can add a tiny white dot over the black and blue area as a highlight [d].

For the mummy, draw a thick-ish black stripe about a quarter of the way down your nail with polish or a Sharpie [a]. Use a thin brush or Sharpie to add random diagonal lines for the wrapping [b]. Use a dotting tool to make two white dots in the center of the black stripe [c] and top them with smaller black dots to finish [d].

Finish everything with top coat and ta-da! 
Your motley crew of Halloween nail art characters is complete. 

Here are some closeups of the designs:

Nail Art Hack: Sally Hansen Nail Art Pens

Nail art is the trend that keeps on trending. I'm totally cool with that, since I've been doodling all over my nails since, like, fourth grade, and have no plans to stop. All that practice has afforded me a certain skill level, but sometimes it still feels like too much time and effort for such a short-lived "work of art."

Sometimes you just want something easier. A nail art hack, perhaps?

Enter Sally Hansen Nail Art Pens. These pens come with either a round or fine tip, and allow you to more easily draw all kinds of designs on your nails. They feel almost like a paint marker, but the product inside is distinctly nail polish-esque. 

One major difference, though - these don't have that classic nail polish stink, which is a major plus. When I draw intricate designs with typical nail polish, I sometimes feel woozy by the end from all the time and polish it takes. 

This might be due to the pen's water-based formula, which is also what makes these so easy to use. Say you draw what was supposed to be a cute puppy face on your thumb nail, but it actually ends up looking more like a deceased raccoon - just wipe the design off (byyyye, poor lil raccoon!) with a wet cotton pad/ball/swab and start again! It won't interrupt the base nail polish, either. Nice!

To fully test these lil' guys out, I first painted each of my nails a different color, following a rainbow pattern. This way, you can see what the nail art pens look like over light colors and dark colors. To be honest, I kind of wanted to just stop here because I liked the plain rainbow look so much!

Alas, I bravely soldiered on. Before you begin, give the pen a good shake and push the tip onto some scrap paper or a paper towel a few times to get the polish flowing. Once you start drawing you'll see that enough product comes out to draw an opaque design, but generally not so much that it gets runny.

Some nails were just screaming for specific designs, like the pink nail becoming a watermelon, and the red nail becoming a ladybug. On others, I just chose the color I thought would work best functionally and aesthetically, then made up a design on the spot. That worked out mostly well, but please don't look too closely at either of my pinky nails ☺

Here's a simple idea: use a white nail art pen to draw a stripe near the free edge of your nail. Follow that stripe with a green nail art pen, drawing outside of the white stripe. Add some black dots for seeds and you've got super simple, yet adorable nail art!

Here's my final result! For just kinda messing around, I was really impressed with these. Some work better than others, but I love that some brighter colors, like pink, could draw over some darker colors and still be vibrant. 

The most important part: You MUST finish these with a top coat! This is not a drill, people! If you don't, the pen may wash or wear off very easily. Top coats: don't leave home without 'em.

Nothing is perfect, though (except you!) 

I found the pearlescent white to be too liquid, and difficult to use for that reason, though that may just be my tube.

The biggest flaw was unfortunately with the violet pen, which sucks because it's so damn pretty! I painted over orange and the violet later paled and bled a bit (seen below left) and over light blue, and the violet wore off in places (below right).

I'll definitely be reaching for these again. If you want to dip your toe (errr, fingertip?) into the nail art pen game, I suggest picking up a black one since it's so versatile, and just playing around with it. I honestly feel like you'll love it! PSA: If you buy at the drugstore remember to use a coupon! Always. ♥

p.s. these would be great for French manicures, too!

Have you ever tried these nail art pens? What's your biggest challenge with nail art? Have you seen any cool nail art designs lately? Share 'em!

BEAUTY: Hot Dog Nail Art Tutorial

I'm not going to say that summer is almost over because, besides being trite, you really don't need to hear that! Plus, it's not technically true - summer goes through most of September! Yeah, yeah, yeah - Labor Day is considered the unofficial death knell of your beach days and cookout nights, but instead of mourning the season that has not yet left us, let's celebrate the party-centric summer weekend that is currently upon us.

What says summer more than a plump little hot dog? You're correct; the answer is nothing. Full disclosure, I have no interest in actually eating a hot dog, though I encourage you to do whatever you want pretty much all the time. Wearing a hot dog manicure, however? Now, that's a different story. I'M INTO IT. Would you care to get into it, as well?

WHAT YOU NEED

+ Light Tan Nail Polish {Wet n Wild Yo Soy}

+ Bright Red Nail Polish {Revlon Fearless}

+ Yellow Nail Polish {Butter London Pimms}

+ Top Coat {Sally Hansen Insta-Dri}

+ Nail Art Brush {optional}

HOW TO DO IT

Start by painting 1-2 coats of the light tan nail polish, enough to make it opaque.

Paint a single stripe down the center of each nail with the red polish.

This is optional, but I find it easier to do detail work with a nail art brush. I like to put a big drop of nail polish on a surface like a plastic cup (it helps to cut the sides down short) or a paper plate. That way you can dip the brush easily as needed.

Add a yellow squiggle down the middle of the red stripe in a mustard-like fashion.

Try not to chomp on those fingers!

If you're interested in this pop art hot dog ring, it can be yours! Available in my Etsy shop here. :)

If you wanna get crazy (and I mean CRAY-ZEE) you could also add some green dots around the edges of the red stripe to look like relish, like I did here on my ring finger. Maybe add some white dots to look like onion? I don't know - they're your hot dogs!

This is some pretty easy nail art, yes? I know a lot of people back away slowly from nail art tutorials because they're convinced they can't do it. Sure, a lot of nail art takes some skill and/or practice, but this hot dog nail art is very approachable. Sometimes it's fun to go all out painting little details, and sometimes you just want to slap on some stripes and celebrate the summer. 

How are you celebrating this non-ending of summer? Have you ever worn any food themed nail art before? Do you kind of wish this was hamburger nail art instead? It almost was!

DIY: Minimal Nail Art

I've gotten back into doing my nails recently, after a stretch of only occasional (at home, duh) manicures and plenty of naked nail time. I started getting used to the look of bare fingernails on my hands for once. Also, it's nice to not have to do something you once found compulsory, especially when that thing makes your whole apartment stink like a science experiment gone wrong.

Even so...I'm back, baby! Screw the stinky fumes and time consuming nature of manicures! Screw the fact that I spend an hour minimum on something that is literally designed to start coming undone the second I'm finished with it! It looks fun, okay?

I like an intricately drawn wintery scene or a smattering of spring flowers as much as the next nail art enthusiast, but lately I've embraced the idea of minimal nail art.

Minimal nail art is an easy way to have some unique fun on your nails, but without the effort and commitment of a full scale design. I like to do simple, basic shapes and lines on bare nails for a decorated, but not overly fussy look. Let me just show you:

WHAT YOU NEED

Nail Polish Colors of Your Choice

Clear Tape

Scissors

Top Coat

Dotting Tool, Stickers & Nail Polish Pens (optional)

HOW TO DO IT

Start by applying a base coat. I like Beauty Secrets Moisturizing Base Coat, but any clear polish, or none at all, will do. It's good to shape them first too since we'll be showing a lot of naked nail.

I like to do a different design on each nail just to keep it extra loose. Some ideas are the diagonal stripe, seen here, or a basic triangle, below. I cut strips of clear tape and create a stencil of sorts right on my nail, then simply paint inside the borders of that tape. When it's dry, remove the tape quickly but carefully and you should have some nice designs.

It doesn't have to be perfect either! Minimal = easy, guys!

It's also totally fine to freehand some designs, like I did on the heart and eyelashes, or use a dotting tool to make polka dots. You can literally drop of splash on polish on the middle of each nail if you want - the point here is to be minimal and easy! Don't you love easy things?

Finish by adding a top coat and that's it! I like to mix up colors and designs, but again, do whatever feels fun to you. Sometimes I just doodle on my nails and call it a day.

I forgot: the absolute best part of this manicure is that it will last way longer than a regular paint job! You know how nail polish usually chips away around the edges first? There are no edges here, guys. Meaning your designs are safe in the center of your nail bed like a little, brightly colored island that only you have to power to remove when you're done with it. Look how powerful you are!

Are you into minimal nail art? How often do you paint your nails? How much do you love low-commitment beauty?

BEAUTY: (Mostly) Drugstore Bridesmaid & Wedding Makeup

Recently, I had the pleasure of being a maid of honor in my friend's wedding, and while there's a lot of lovely stuff to say about that (the dress! the love! the venue! the free drinks!), what I really want to talk about is makeup. I could've gone with a professional, but true to my DIY mindset, I challenged myself to put together a look that would be strong enough for wedding photos, long lasting and budget-friendly. My friend was super relaxed about our individual looks, but you should check with your bride if you're thinking of going in a different direction, beauty-wise. 

Relying on products I knew and trusted, and doing a lot of beauty research, here's what I put together for a (mostly) drugstore wedding look that stayed in place through the last dance:

+ Face +

1: CeraVe PM Moisturizing Facial Lotion

Start with a clean, moisturized base - this lotion is light and sinks in quickly, plus there's no SPF, which can flashback oddly in professional photos.

2: Revlon ColorStay Foundation

This is full coverage without a mask-like feel. Work in small sections because it tends to dry quickly. My foundation was still at least 85% perfect about 15 hours after application.

3: Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer

Great for under eye area. Gives a light, bright look which would work for contouring, as well. Brush tip is handy for application.

4: Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in Translucent

Top your foundation with this matte powder which seals everything in, but still lets your skin look alive. I had this in my clutch for touchups and never needed it.

5: NYC Bronzer in Sunny

This matte bronzer is perfect for warming up your face and contouring.

6: Maybelline Color Tattoo in Matte Brown

This is technically eyeshadow, but I used it for light cheekbone and jawline contouring, which is a good idea for professional photos. The cream formula blended into skin and stayed put.

7: Milani Baked Blush in Rose D'Oro

Best drugstore blush! These blushes are nicely pigmented, and also have a glowy highlight in them. I love peachy shades for my skin, but there are several warm and cool toned options.

8: NYX Full Coverage Concealer

Use with a brush for any redness or blemishes. Thick but blend-able.

9: Benefit Watt's Up Highlighter

Best highlighter ever. I still have my free sample from Sephora, but a good drugstore alternative is Sonia Kashuk's Highlighter Stick in Sparkling Sand. Perfect for cheekbones, eyebrow arches, inner corner of eyes and cupid's bow.

10: NYX Setting Spray in Matte Finish

Set your face with a few spritzes of this. I spray in the air above my face and then look up to the ceiling and let it fall down on me.

11: Makeup Sponge (Beauty Blender knockoff)

Cheap from Marshall's/T.J. Maxx. Works beautifully to give a soft finish to foundation and cream products. Blends contour cream perfectly!

12: Real Techniques Contour Brush

Good for bronzer or blush.

13: ELF Small Stipple Brush

Use to dab highlighter over cheekbones.

14: Real Techniques Expert Face Brush

Great for giving a finishing blend to foundation.

15: Real Techniques Buffing Brush

Use this for setting power, for face and lips (mentioned below).

16: ELF Blush Brush

Good size for applying blush on apples of the cheeks.

+ Eyes +

1: Urban Decay Eyeshadow in Sellout, Twice Baked and Perversion

Obviously, this isn't drugstore, but one area to splurge in if you're able is eyeshadow. I already had this (very old) Urban Decay palette, but some good long wear drugstore shadows are L'Oreal Infallible Shadow and Maybelline Color Tattoos (if you like cream formulas). I created a brown smokey eye with Sellout all over my lid, Twice Baked in the crease and a touch of Perversion in the outer corner to add a little drama. I also lined my bottom lash line with a little Twice Baked on the outer half and Sellout on the inner half. I'm pretty sure Sellout is the world's best eyeshadow.

2: Milani Eyeshadow Primer

I find this just as effective as Urban Decay's Primer Potion for so much cheaper.

3: Maybelline Gel Eyeliner in Black

I used this to line my bottom waterline because even my best pencil liners wear off there eventually. I topped it with Urban Decay shadow in Perversion to make it last even longer.

4: Small Eye Brush (came with gel liner)

I used this little brush to pat Perversion on top of my gel liner.

5: Sephora All Over Shadow Brush

Perfect for packing shadow all over the lid. For cheap alternatives, I like Target makeup brushes, and the ELF shadow brush is fine too.

6: Maybelline Ultra Liner Waterproof in Black

Drugstore waterproof liquid liner is RARE. I went with this one, and while not perfect, it lasted all night and survived tears. Get experience using this for a week or more before the big day because the brush and formula feel a little different.

7: Maybelline The Colossal Waterproof Mascara in Glam Black

Awesome drugstore mascara. You see an instant difference when it goes on, and it is seriously waterproof (wore it swimming before). Comes off easily with Pond's or oil-based removers.

8: NYX Eyebrow Gel in Blonde

I switch between pencils, powders and gel for my brows, but for all day wear I need this stuff. Use a tiny speck to brush on perfect color that also keeps hairs in place. I like to brush my brows down, draw on a line of gel with a brush where I'd like my top perimeter to be, and brush the brows back up into place to hide the harsh line. Fill in the bottom and tail as needed.

9: Real Techniques Detailer Brush

I use this for shadow along my lower lash line.

10: Target Crease Shadow Brush

Perfect for adding dimension in the crease and blending crease shades into highlights.

11: Slanted Brow Brush (from paint section at Michael's)

This is a paintbrush that I use to fill in my brows with the NYX gel.

12: ELF Angled Eyeliner Brush

Perfect to add gel eyeliner to the bottom waterline.

13: Spoolie

Needed to brush brows into place. Can also use an old (clean) mascara wand.

14: Japonesque Eyelash Curler

Awesome curler that comes with free replacement pads. To me, this is another worthy splurge. I've had this for years and it works better than cheaper ones I've used. I like it as much as the Shu Uemura curler.

15: Ardell Demi Wispies False Lashes

My go-to false lash for when I (rarely) need them. Dramatic, but not costume-y. Fits my eye perfectly.

16: Duo Eyelash Glue in Clear

Best, most reliable eyelash glue. Dries clear. Dab a bit on the back of your hand, drag lash band through it and give it 45-60 seconds (longer than it says) to get tacky before applying.

+ Lips +

1: ELF Lip Exfoliator

Before any color, you need a smooth base. This is cheap and works so well. Apply like a lipstick, scrubbing extra where needed. The sugar crystals smooth while the oils moisturize. Give yourself some time for this to work before you apply your color.

2: NYX Lip Liner in Red

Start with a lip liner around your lip line. I stick to my natural shape, but this is the step to over draw if that's what you're going for. Fill in your lips with the liner.

3: Revlon ColorStay Ultimate Liquid Lipstick in Top Tomato {reviewed here}

Cover lips in a thin, even layer and let it dry. Once set, tear a tissue in half so that it's one-ply and place it over your lips. Brush some translucent powder over the lips to seal in color.

4: ELF Retractable Lip Brush

You can use a lip brush to spread the color if you'd lip.

+ Hair +

1: Bed Head Rockaholic Flexible Hair Spray

Another area to splurge if you can is hairspray. I've always used cheap ones and I just learned that good ones make a huge difference! They stay better, and they don't make my hair feel so weighed down and crunchy. This one was on clearance at Marshall's for $8.00! I had this by my side at the hotel and the bridal suite and we all used it many, many times. My curls stayed in for days after the wedding (I wore them as long as I could before washing!).

2: Suave Dry Shampoo

Even on clean hair, this gives a little lift and thickness to the root.

3: Tangle Teezer

Awesome for brushing out long hair!

4: Rattail Comb (neon rattail, to be exact!)

My favorite tool (and blog namesake) for combing bangs, smoothing small hairs and combing out sections of hair right before curling them. Essential!

5: Hair Clips

For sectioning hair before curling. I like to start curling in the back and work my way up to the front.

6: Goody Wave Creator

My one true hair love. This thing is so easy to use and always gives me perfect waves-bordering-on-curls, which is my favorite. It gets super hot super fast and all I have to do is lightly spritz a section with hair spray (I used small sections for this look), wrap it around the bubbled iron and unravel to get perfect little spirals. I let them cool while doing my makeup and them carefully comb them out with my fingers. Spray and tousle until it's to your liking. I don't think this model is made by Goody anymore (why?!), but Bed Head makes one too.

+ Nails +

1: Tropical Shine Nail File

Any will do, but I love this one from Sally's Beauty Supply and it's less than a buck.

2: Beauty Secrets Moisturizing Base Coat

This is also from Sally's and it's made a huge difference in my nail strength.

3: Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Coral Reef

This shade is a perfect coral - not too pink and not too orange. I wanted something in the realm of "normal" that would compliment our teal dresses. Such a gorgeous shade in person!

4: Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Top Coat

A great long wearing top coat that dries pretty fast. For ultimate speed, I'd recommend Seche Vite.

Here's my final drugstore wedding makeup look:

I applied my makeup around 10:00 AM.

And here's my makeup around 9:00 PM, at which point I had stolen my boyfriend's bow tie.

I don't have many great photos of my handiwork because I was busy maid-of-honoring, and, you know, enjoying myself, but hopefully you can see that you DO NOT have to spend a ton on makeup to have it apply well and last all day. There are weak products at the drugstore, just like there are weak products at the department store counters. Knowing what works for you is what's important.

Have you ever done your own makeup for a wedding? What are your favorite high performance drugstore finds? Do you also have a lot of feelings and thoughts about makeup?

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