Thursday, February 13, 2014

Bloggy Make-Over

*Update*
My personal computer has crashed and we've been grieving the loss of my mother as of last August. I apolgize for the delay in my plans to have us up and running again.

Hey Readers,

I'm attempting to make this blog lighter and brighter. Bear with me while I monkey around with the settings and try a few different things. Everything isn't *quite* how I want it yet, but I've been working on it day and night. I have tons of content waiting to be finished; Some reviews of some really great products, just for you! I apologize for having posted so little lately, but I have been drafting some content- I haven't forgotten you! It's been an incredibly difficult year, personally... I'm ready to heal up and put 110% into this blog. I'll have this place booming with product reviews, tutorials, and spotlights on top notch brands and blogs. I will be keeping you up to date with the most current trends and sneak peeks at the latest launches from our favorite brands and some really terrific up-and-coming's.

Anyway, I better get back to face-lifting this blog. I've got HTML to write and graphics to customize and create. Thus far, I've discovered some very cute elements from Shabby Blogs to pretty us up while I finish creating a totally original design. Just wanted to let you know what's going on with the look of the blog and to assure you that it'll be tidied up in no time. If you have any input/suggestions for the finished product, feel free to leave a comment.

Some themes I've pondered are red and white like candy stripe, retro seafoam-baby pink-baby blue, white-pink-black, shades of purple, white-chartreuse-navy (or teal), or a leopard print using any of those colour schemes. At first I was thinking of a really cute 1950's design using the second colour scheme mentioned. I drafted it up, and it was totally adorable; I'm sure most of you would have loved it... but it lacked that certain element of my personality. The twist of attitude; the spice; the the element that is uniquely mine. I can't think of a word to describe it, except maybe "soul." I want to incorporate my soul- the essence of me, into this blog. It's my pride and joy and I've got big plans for it.

See you soon!

PS: I wanted to show you this pretty cute hair idea. At first I thought it was dyed, but later I found this add, showing that it's a clip in. It looks awesome, and the clip in might be a bit more convenient, as you'd have to keep your hair perfectly straight if it were coloured in such a way, otherwise it may look a little strange. When I was in high school I wanted to shave a section of my hair and have my head tattoo'd leopard print. Nowadays girls are actually doing this- It's become mainstream! I recently shaved the left side of my head and coloured the hair leopard print, but since I've been doing some modeling (including walking the runway for hair shows) I decided to colour my hair closer to one colour and am currently growing out the shaved side.

IMG Address

While I was searching for a URL for the picture of the leopard print hair (and I didn't seem to find the original source, but that image is watermarked anyway) I stumbled across several photos of babies wearing headpieces. Headpieces that are so freaking ridiculous that they're the most adorable thing ever. Hope you love'em! I've linked'em in the captions. As a side note, I always have the worst time trying to position these pictures. It's not as simple as drag and drop, and I haven''t grasped it yet- not when there are so many images. I apologize if it's somewhat messy on your screen. I'll leave you now with these little rays of sunshine.

-H.Cat
Abby's Bowtique (Cute name!)
More from The Girly Baby
Ritzy Baby
Another from The Girly Baby
The Girly Baby rocks it again
QT-Patootie models another from The Girly Baby
The Girly Baby is the place to go, apparently!
The Girly Baby & my very favorite piece!
The Girly Baby
The Girly Baby's double trouble cuties
The Girly Baby does a look I'd rock. Duck lips & all.

The Girly Baby does sweetness perfectly!


Beautiful Bows Boutique
Etsy Berg's Beautiful Bows (I love this one!)
The Girly Baby's Heaven-sent, divine!

The Girly Baby - Elegant & Sweet., not over-the top!
That Smile! The Girly Baby knows how to pick a model!
The Girly Baby (Omg, the entire ensemble!!)
The Girly Baby (Love this one a lot!)
The Girly Boutique
 -

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Haul: NYX Products

Target's display was a little sparse, not like this! :(
I am excited let you know, Dear Readers, that I've finally had a chance to try NYX brand products. My city carries this brand at Rexall, but I don't live anywhere near a Rexall and ended up indulging in Kiss brand nail art supplies and passing up NYX last time I was there. They opened the first Target in London right near my house, so I decided to check it out while I was waiting to transfer buses. I saw a lot of old familiar brands, and then I noticed NYX! I spent the entire bus ride home talking incessantly to Chad about how I was just dying to try the Jumbo Eye Pencils, especially "Milk."

A few days pass, and NYX products have not slipped my mind. I'm still obsessing. Chad was on his way to my place and called me from the mall, "I have a surprise for you..." I didn't have to guess. I knew. I mean, I thought I knew, and I was kind of right. I expected him to present me with NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in "Milk," which he did... Along with the shade Purple Velvet; He said this would match the new purple tips I'd "dip dyed" into my hair. Keen observation, Chad ;) But that's not all... He had more! NYX Studio Liquid Liners in shades Extreme Green and Extreme purple, followed by Liquid Crystal Liner in Crystal Gun Metal. Last but not least, NYX Jumbo Lip Pencil in Plush Red- a beautiful blue based classic pinup red.


I need more time to test these products... Probably about a week. What I can tell you so far is that the lip pencil applied like a cream and could be worn alone as lip colour. In addition to that, "Milk" made for a beautiful base which helped to blend my eyeshadow like never before. I applied the Purple Velvet eye pencil  last night and ended up sleeping in it... All of the makeup around it was smudged or missing, but the pencil hadn't budged. It looked exactly as I did when I applied it! So far I'm quite happy with each product. I still need to see how Extreme Green and Crystal Gun Metal wear. I did try on the Plush Red lip pencil but needed to remove it for bed... So while it applied well and looked great, I'm not sure how it wears or what effect, if any, it may have on the lips. I think this was a good haul to begin with and I'm looking forward to trying more of the Jumbo Eye Pencils especially! Hopefully I'll get my hands on a camera so I can post some swatches and pictures of looks I've created.




-H.Cat

Review: Make Up For Ever - Smoky Lash Mascara


 Allow me to introduce to you, my favorite new mascara! Make Up For Ever never disappoints!

I opened my email a month or two ago to find that Sephora was offering a very cool 500 point reward to their VIBs. I recently cashed in 500 points for the Tarte mini kit that I reviewed right here. The products were hit or miss. Actually, the only thing I really couldn't stand was the eyeliner. Anyhoo, I would give serious consideration to purchasing every single item in this MUFE mini kit. The kit included a primer sample, a mini eyeliner, mini gloss, the mascara this review is based upon, and a finishing powder. The products are packaged in a simple but sophisticated clear zipper case with black piping.



This mascara is so sooo great! I'm kind of at loss for words that accurately describe why I love it so much. It does everything a mascara should do and my lashes have never looked better. They look flawless. Soon I'll have pictures to illustrate this point. It lasts, it "performs," it's not uncomfortable, nor does it have an unpleasant smell.

What does MUFE have to say?

"This ultra-pigmented mascara was specially designed to give the lashes an exceptional volume-enhancing effect with infinite lengthening and immediate curling."

First of all; This mascara is blackest black. We're talking, like, black like my soul before I had children! I don't have any issues with the length or thickness of my lashes (though it would never hurt to be longer!) but this mascara really seemed to fill them in and bring them out. I must admit that this may in part be because it's so freaking black. It lifted my lashes nice and high, where they stayed all day with no smudging or flaking. No raccoon eyes!

The formula applies well but it will start to clump a bit if you overwork it. That said, I was easily able to build it up with multiple coats and did remark to Chad that the mascara made it appear as though I was wearing a gorgeous and dramatic set of false lashes. Something about the formula seems somewhat "drier" than others, and I did notice that my mini-tube dried out pretty quickly, which was disappointing not just because I adored the product, but also because I no longer have the product on hand to finish this review (I began drafting this months ago) and so I'm unable to comment on some of the things I don't quite remember.

The photo above gives you an idea of what the brush looks like. I found it easy to use and comfortable to apply. Despite having a somewhat dry formula, the wand didn't catch or drag on my lashes. I definitely intend to repurchase this mascara just as soon as I can, and when I do I will repost an updated version of this review.

You can find Make Up For Ever Smoky Lash Mascara at your local Sephora for around $23.00 or order it online. I would certainly recommend it. It's hands down the first mascara I've used that I truly loved and was excited about.

-H.Cat

Review: Revlon Moon Candy in Orbit (280)


I have returned from my hiatus and I've got a ton of product reviews just waiting to be written. Apparently I have a half finished draft of a mascara review that's been waiting to be polished and published for a few months. Coming shortly! Next on the docket is a special haul. My first chance to try NYX products! Are you as excited as I am? Probably not... ;)




Orbit’s base coat is a cream finish which applies well and is opaque in just one coat. The formula is thin but not watery or runny, and it spreads well across the nail for a flawlessly smooth finish. The base coat has your typical polish smell, and slightly perfumed. The odor is relatively faint.

The brush pleased me.… I noted that it appeared somewhat small, without being too small, and was not at all tedious to work with. The bristles were laid in such a way that you could paint a thin line with the “edge” of the brush, or quickly coat your nails with the wider, flatter side. The bristles struck me as being somewhat shorter than those included in some other bottles, which allowed for good control. While there’s really nothing special about the brush itself, it performs well, and I appreciate that!

Immediately as I painted the first streak onto my nail, the words “richly pigmented” came to mind. This base coat seemed to be dry to the touch in a short amount of time. I did read that the top coat tends to “eat” or melt the base coat if not completely dry, leaving unsightly bald spots. I took this into consideration while electing to lay down only one coat of base colour. After the application, I attempted to let the base coat dry thoroughly. This is damn near impossible for me. I’m impatient with my nails and for that reason; I cannot live without Seche Vite.

The base colour itself is a blackened plumy purple. My crappy cell phone camera does this polish no justice so I've "borrowed" pictures from a blog I've linked below. Imagine! A beauty blogger without a digital camera… Call me a starving artist; I sold my camera for groceries months ago. I must make it a priority to purchase one soon. Anyway! The base colour is something I would consider wearing on its own without the flakie top coat. (Keep reading to understand why I may skip the top coat!) In store, the top coat is what caught my eye; It seemed to be glowing! It really stood out under those bright white lights. Well played, Target, well played…


I ended up distracting myself with The Following and Bates Motel (Monday night TV kind of rocks) so I managed to leave the base coat to dry on my nails for about an hour and twenty minutes; A record for me. As far as I could tell, it was completely dry… Then I attempted to apply the top coat. Like most glittery things, this flakie coat had a stronger odor than the base coat  It was thick and gloopy. I tried to apply thin layers with precision but it did indeed melt the base coat and cause some balding/streaking. To make the most of this polish (and it’s really the only option I can see that wouldn't destroy the base coat  I had to gather a thick bead of top coat onto the tip of the brush and quickly slick it across my nail in just one or two strokes. The flakie application was uneven and because the pieces are jagged, some of the edges stick up and are impossible to lay flat... Unruly little devils. It was definitely not a smooth application. Some gurus have used a product called “Gelous” over top of this and a coat or two of Seche Vite to make it smooth. This gives the look a beautiful glassy finish. I am not fortunate enough to have a bottle of Gelous, but if anyone knows where I might be able to purchase it, please leave a comment.


To get a stronger flakie effect I applied two coats of the top coat, which was thick and sticky, somewhat difficult to work with. I finished it off with a generous coat of Seche Vite. I think if I’d been prepared for an application that requires patience, I could have pulled this off a little better. It’s a bit tricky in the application, given the sticky-uppy flakie edges and unevenness that the top coat causes to the base coat. If you didn't have a product to accelerate drying time, I imagine it would take forever with the thickness required to get a good effect from the top coat. The two thick coats of top coat used in this one manicure left a noticeable dent in the bottle. By this, I mean, it used up a lot of the product. I’d guess that you could get about 7-8 decent manicures with this top coat, and then you’d have some of the base left over. Despite all of this, the end result is beautiful, if not a bit lumpy! I didn't have the skills or product required to get an application quite as striking as the picture below. For the most part it looks the same, but mine is nowhere close to smooth.

Narcissistic Nails has applied Orbit beautifully
The price was about $12 CAD when I purchased this at our new Target store. (I was so excited to see NYX in Target! I picked up a few things I hope to review.) I wish the top coat had performed a little better for the money I spent on it, but that’s a standard price where I live. I’m seriously jealous of American cosmetic prices. American ladies can pick up products for just a few dollars, which we Canadians often have to pay three times as much, at least! I definitely do intend to purchase most of the other colours in this line. I’m somewhat infatuated. I’m dying to get my hands on that brick red with gold flakies!

Because my cell phone camera pictures were virtually useless, I had to do a Google Image Search to find suitable pictures for this blog entry. I made sure to find pictures that were appropriately watermarked with the source and in no way take credit for these. Do yourself a favor and check out Narcissistic Nails. :D

(I will add an update about any troubles I may encounter while removing this polish, as it is a flakie and most glittery polishes tend to require foiling or some serious elbow grease.)

-H.Cat

Thursday, August 30, 2012

I Really Haven't Forgotten You... Promise!

I've been slacking. I've been slacking on everything. The other morning, I looked into my pot of MAC Blacktrack Fluidline and realized it was almost empty. The bottom was bare and I was scraping the sides. Never before have I run so low without having a replacement on hand. I also use Dark Diversion Fluidline...
It's less brown and more burgundy than the photo, or maybe it'a just my monitor. 
  It's limited edition, but it's been re-launched with at least 3 collections. It would look gorgeous with blue eyes. It looks pretty awesome with mine. I can't rely on it completely, though, as it matches most things but not everything. It's pretty similar to one of my favorite shadows, Sketch. Regardless, I need a black liner. Below is a picture of Sketch, BTW.

The photo doesn't really do it justice. I find it darker, plummier ... closer to the photo of Dark Diversion. Again, maybe my monitor. 
 The other thing that happened, that proves I've been slacking, is that I ran completely out of my MAC eyebrow pencil, in Stud. I looove these eyebrow pencils. I have no idea why... I just do! They always look perfect. When I had darker hair I used the MAC brow pencil is Spiked. I think those are the only two colours I've tried, but I loved them both. I'd been filling my brows in for a week with MAC eyeshadow in Mystery. It looks good, but I prefer the look of the pencils. I used to use Embark shadow to fill in my brows, but it pulls slightly too red (unless you have dark red hair) and Mystery is perfect.
Mystery, which is the cooler of the two. Not too cool for my warm complexion.
Embark, which is the perfect brow and liner colour for dark red hair.

Sooo needless to say I decided a trip to MAC was in order, and the empty brow pencil (it's mechanical) made for 7 empty MAC containers. You only need 6 to "Back2MAC" for a free lipstick, or if you go to the MAC store rather than counter, you can choose a lipstick or an eyeshadow. I ended up getting a lipstick anyway, but I went to the MAC store because I wasn't completely sure what I wanted.  I ended up getting Blacktrack Fluidline, Stud eyebrow pencil, and Girl About Town lipstick. I really, really love this lipstick. I'm actually psyched to wear it tomorrow and plan my face and outfit around it. I wore it tonight and it held up for an impressive 6 hours (I didn't eat, but earlier today I ate ice cream with Candy Yum-Yum + Morange to create a coral colour that matched my sweater. The lipstick survived the day and the ice cream. The miracle of the apply-blot-powder-apply-blot formula.) I will probably photograph this lipstick on myself tomorrow... but I hate my lips, so I can't say for sure that the pictures will make it to the blog.

MAC's Girl About Town

Rumor has it, Kim Kardashian is wearing Girl About Town in this picture.  The makeup look itself is actually pretty hot.  I think the fuchsia is a more fun look than the nudes she usually wears. Photograph is not my property.
The lipstick is so popular that when MAC recently launched matching lipglosses and nail polishes to match their bestselling lipsticks, Girl About Town was included. It's one of those products that makes me want to kick myself for not buying it sooner.

This post should have been called "Things I Love From MAC." heh heh. I need to go to bed.

-H. Cat

(As a side note, none of the pictures I used on this blog are my own property. As I get around to taking photos I will gradually phase out the ones I do not own.)



Monday, August 6, 2012

Bow Hair Tutorial, Sort Of.

I have a minor obsession with bows and most things cute and feminine. If you can twist it into something darker, even better. So of course I liked Lady Gaga's bow hair and all the variations circulating the internet after.

This works best with at least shoulder length hair, I'd assume. If your hair is super long you may have more work to do in hiding/tucking your ends in. I used unwashed hair, because believe it or not- that nappy brillo-esque hair I have is too silky to style after washing and ironing.

Of the 3 times I have attempted this, the 2nd time was my favorite. This is a picture of that attempt. 

I don't have a webcam and it's kind of dodgy trying to take pictures while styling your hair. I also wrote this with the assumption that everyone knows how to properly use bobbypins and backcomb, so if you don't- I'm sorry!

The first thing I did is not mandatory, but if you want to pop up the front of your hair like I did, it may make it easier.

My bangs had a weird kink in them because I had a stiff hairband in to keep my hair out of the way while I showered, etc. I sectioned off the front of my hair and put it into a ponytail, but farther down the hair. Basically you'll hold the hair tight and try to pop up the front to suit your taste and figure out how far down to place the elastic. 


Grab all of your hair and gather it into a ponytail. It should be placed really high at the top of your head... You could attempt a bow at the back of your head but you'd need some awesome mirror to mirror navigation skills. I'm too impatient for perfection, as you'll see. 


So this is the ponytail I ended up with. It also doubles as my imitation of a shrunken head. 


Next you'll need to pull a section from the very front of the ponytail. Nothing too small or too big. This will be the "knot" of your bow. Don't worry. You don't really have to tie your hair. 


Clip that section from the front of the ponytail aside. 


Divide the remaining ponytail into two sections. You'll only be working with one at a time, so pin the other aside for now. 



Using a brush for teasing or a comb, take the unpinned section and tease it from the base down. You want a lot of volume. 


It'll look all messy and crazy like this. But then you'll brush over it very lightly, smoothing it out, but not overworking it, as to ruin the volume. After, it should resemble the picture below. 


You'll fluff that part up and tuck the end under and hide it with a bobby pin. 



That's what it'll look like pinned in place. I didn't get a really clear shot, but here's another, this one from the back:


In this picture I've already repeated the steps with the second section. You have probably figured out that it's exactly the same for both sides. 


Now take the smaller section that you would have separated and clipped aside first

Wrap it around each end of the bow and across the middle if you can. You can experiment a bit with how you wrap it to make it look better. This is my 3rd attempt, and I much prefer the way I wrapped the center in my second attempt, which was the very first picture 


When you've got it all wrapped it, hide the ends and pin it securely. 

All done! 

Just a wee bit messy!






Whatevs!
-H.Cat<3>

Saturday, July 21, 2012

I'm Still Alive!

I'm around. Tough times, but I am hoping to direct more creative energy towards the blog. I just added a small section to my Eyeshadow Application 101 page about primers. My preferences, why we use them. etc. It's brief, but I thought I should put in some more work on the page. Feel free to leave anything I may have overlooked about basic eyeshadow application in the comments, or anything else you may want to see.
-H.Cat<3

Friday, June 15, 2012

Hellcat's Hiatus

Some of you know what's going on with my life, and some of you don't. Something horrible and gut wrenching tore my whole life apart and left me brokenhearted. I've been completely unmotivated and unable to function, but I'm coming around.

I promised a ton of new content and now that life is starting to calm down and I'm starting to feel a little less crazy, know that is it coming! I will probably work on finishing up my Eyeshadow Application page first. I just purchased Seche Vite and I am one of the many who LOVE it! My nails are like glass. It's almost orgasmic! Today I am wearing Seche Base, O.P.I. Red, and a generous coat is Seche Vite.

I am considering disclosing on my blog what has been going on but it's a really big decision. I'd be leaving myself open and exposed to a lot of stuff I'm maybe not ready for. So instead, while I decide, I'll leave you with some pictures.

Bye lovelies <3
-H.Cat

Looking lovely in my leopard "bag lady" attire. 

Finally was able to cram my ass into my size 27 Parasuco jeans! Now to NEVER EAT AGAIN! :P

Cloverbaby looking beautiful in a single ponytail with side-swept bangs and tendrils in front of her ears, just like mommy <3

Cailum! My peanut. His hair is finally growing out. Just look at those ears! <3

Rhettski looking absolutely gorgeous! He needs a haircut <3

This is as close as I'm getting to the lace trend. 

Nomnomnom. Ice Cap with a shot of Raspberry. So good <3

Always trashy, never classy. :D

My bestie and I!

*Air sucking noise*

Looks like Chad's wearing nail polish :D