Over spring break I tried this recipe for DIY pore strips, and I'd have to say it's way worth it. Excuse my brother's messy bathroom mirror in the picture below!

DIY Pore Strips (or whole-face strips if you're like me)

1 tablespoon of unflavored gelatin (Knox is the most common brand)
1- 1 1/2 tablespoons of milk
paper cup
disposable spoon or popsicle stick

Definitely use a disposable cup for this! Mix the two ingredients together in the cup, somewhat quickly, and the texture will become chunky. Then microwave the mixture for about 15 seconds and then apply to your face (whatever areas you want), making sure it's not too hot but don't wait too long so that it doesn't solidify. Leave on for about 10-15 minutes - you'll know when to peel it off, it will feel tight and start to crack when you move your face. It's quick and easy!

Two things:
1. It smells kind of weird. Probably because you're microwaving milk.
2. Be careful not to get it in your eyebrows or too close to the areas under your eyes and near your hairline. Let me tell you, it hurts BAD when you're trying to pull it out of your hairline, and similarly with the skin around your eyes because it's sensitive. If this does happen though, no worries, just get a hot wash cloth and it turns into sticky gelatin again!

     I've been seeing this all over the blogosphere, and from what I've read, its AWESOME. It's a top coat from Katy Perry's OPI collection that you apply over dried nail polish and it leaves your nails looking crackled. It's a little pricey (you can probably find it cheaper in stores rather than online), but considering you can wear it over any color polish, I'd say that's reasonable. 

    If you know me at all, you know that I'm constantly painting my nails. I don't just do a single color, I do stripes, rhinestones, decals - you name it, and two days later I'm back to work because my polish has already chipped. I've tried numerous top coats - extra shiny, matte, even "hard as wraps," and as much as I hate to admit it, I've wasted a lot of money because none of them really work for longer than a day. But it's looking like I've found the answer to all of my nail problems. I recently heard about Shellac manicures, costing about $30-45 (depending on where you get it done), and the selling point is a manicure that lasts two full weeks without chipping. And there is absolutely no drying time. This is the answer to all of my manicure problems.
      Nail technicians use special Shellac (a hybrid nail polish containing no formaldehyde, toluene or DBP!) that you put under a special UV lamp after each coat of polish. There are four coats total - a base, two color and a top coat, but how nice would it be to actually be able to reach into your purse for your keys without ruining your just-done manicure? For the amount of money that I've spent getting my nails done and buying a ridiculous number of top coats, it's about time that they last for more than 5 minutes when I accidentally bump them trying to get in the car.
     Although you can't take Shellac off with regular nail polish, it only takes 10 minutes at the salon. A sticker is placed over each nail (so you can do something else while waiting, an added bonus), and after ten minutes the polish slides off. Check out the Shellac polish website for more information about how it works, where you can find a salon that offers it, and the colors available. I will definitely be getting this done over Christmas so be looking for a review of it. If anyone tries this before then, let me know how you like it!

Criss-Cross Nails

     After spending probably too much money on nail polish (story of my life!), I redid my nails using Silver Mercedes by Pure Ice and white Stripe Rite polish. It was surprisingly easy to do my left hand (I'm right handed) so I definitely recommend Stripe Rite polish. Ahhhh, I love it. 

DIY Nails

     Since I've stopped paying tons of money every month to get my nails done at a salon, I've started being a little more creative doing them at home. I've been wearing a lot of really bright colors lately (I'm currently wearing Ogre-the-Top by OPI (part of Shrek collection). This is the next thing I'm going to try:

drips!

    I just got done trying out sparkle half-moons and this is what I got (sorry for the awful pictures, my camera refuses to focus):

One of these days I'm going to try a solid half moon so I'll post pictures after. I stumbled upon these nail designs that I'm in love with...How crazy are these nails done at WAH Nails in London?!

Andddd just for kicks:

Fake It Til You Make It

     Yesterday I took a trip to Ulta (they have nail polish on sale for $2! I picked up a kelly green one & a lipstick for $4)...While I was there, I spotted this:

     Jessica Simpson clip-in bangs! WHAT. This is just too odd for me to really comprehend, so I'm just wondering what everyone else thinks?I can't really see it looking natural (especially from behind), but I could be mistaken. Don't get me wrong - I love fake hair, but only if it looks natural. Last summer I splurged a bit and dropped one hundred bucks on this hair piece (at the time my hair was a little past my shoulders) because I was regretting cutting all of my hair off and was obsessed with long hair. It's a bit of a pain to get in and can get pretty tangly, but I have to admit, I love it. I apologize for the awful Macbook pictures (I haven't worn it lately so I don't have any recent pictures, these are all from last year) but what do you think? It makes me feel pretty saucy, haha. I'm thinking I'll brush it out and wear it this weekend... 

Just pretend you can't see the mess in my closet!

Crazy Long Lashes? Yes, Please.

via naag

     The other day I stumbled upon a review for what has turned out to be the best mascara I've ever used by far (and I consider myself to be an expert). Most days I just use a waterproof mascara (NYC waterproof mascara in a light blue tube, only $1.79, such a bargain) and then layer on a volumizing mascara afterward. Unfortunately I wasn't blessed with naturally curling lashes so I've found that by layering mascara, starting with waterproof, helps hold the curl longer throughout the day, especially in the summer heat. After reading Agyness Deyn's blog naag (awesome blog, by the way), I decided I'd try Rimmel London's Max Volume Flash mascara that promises 14x the volume. I was pretty skeptical, but for $5.49 at Target, it wasn't like it was going to be the worse purchase I've ever made. Turns out, it's FABULOUS. I've tried countless mascaras and this one is the winner of them all - it's not clumpy and makes my lashes look long and thick in just a few swipes. And the hot pink tube doesn't hurt. Can you tell I'm in love?

Wishlist Wednesday #3

Just a few things that I've been eyeing...
1. Marc by Marc Jacobs Bobbies, $28 - Perfect for pinning back your bangs to stay cool in the summer.
2. MAC Viva Glam GaGa Lipstick, $14 - The only lipstick I ever wear is a shade similar to this color by Sephora. I've read a few reviews (here and here) and I've decided I'm going to buy it when I go out this weekend. It came out a few months ago but I'm always hesitant to buy lipstick because I already have a few that I use and they last a long time, but all proceeds go towards HIV/AIDS so I can't pass that up!
3. Philosophy Senorita Margarita, $16 - This 3-in-1 body wash/shampoo/conditioner is great for taking on vacation, since we all hate hotel shampoo.
4. Queen of...Ooh La La! Shaving Gel, $4 at drugstores - This gel contains pure aloe vera, rarely found in less-expensive products.
5. Proclaim Olive Spray-On Glosser, $8.29 - My stylist used this the last time I highlighted my hair and it really helped with frizz and fly-aways.

DIY Nail Art

     A few weeks ago I went to the Women's International Show and bought the Konad C-3 nail stamping kit for $25. It comes with everyone in the picture below and basically all you do is paint over the image on the plate that you want, scrap the excess paint off, and then stamp it on your nail. All of the polish dries within 30 seconds so you have to move fast, but there's no down time waiting for it to dry once it's on your nail. Even though it's a $25 cost up front, I think it's worth it because nail art typically costs around $3 each time at the nail salon. 

     If you visit the Konad website you can pick between a TON of different products and image plates. You can also buy different color polishes for $6-7 each. Just email the company (info@konadusa.com) and they can place an order for you!

5 Favorites Under $5

Deep Conditioning at Home

VO5 Hot Oil Treatment Two-Pack, approx. $4

     Hot oil is the most effective and cheapest hair conditioner - you can either buy it at the store or use oil from your kitchen. For a quick treatment, I use VO5 that comes in a two-pack for about $4 that you can find in the shampoo aisle. All you have to do is run it under the hot water in the shower for about a minute and then put all over your hair before you shampoo - but SKIP YOUR ROOTS. Otherwise, you'll end up super-greasy on top, so just to be sure I always try to avoid putting oil past the top of my ears. Wait a few minutes while you shower, then rinse and shampoo. 

     If you'd rather just use oil in your kitchen, or for a longer, deeper conditioning you can use extra virgin olive oil or canola oil. Some people like one better than the other, but it differs for everyone. For medium-length hair, try putting a little more than 2 tablespoons in a bowl and microwave for about 10 seconds, but just enough so that it's warm. Then put it in your hair (this part can be pretty messy) and make sure so focus on the ends. I like to leave it in for 1-2 hours so I wrap my hair in a hot towel or saran wrap. Saran wrap isn't too attractive and can be pretty tricky so I'd stick with the hot towel! 

     Personally, I think that extra virgin olive oil/canola oil conditions a lot better and you don't need to condition after shampooing it out. Just make sure to skip your roots!

Matte About You

Photo Credit: http://headdress.tumblr.com/

     I have been DYING to try out the matte polish look, and I fell in love when I saw this manicure. If it wasn't the end of May right now, my nails would look like this 24/7. Not only is it super chic but it also mixes up the black polish look that's been so popular for the last few years. Your nails need to be short in order to keep it classy and definitely make sure that the glossy black tip isn't too thick. I would love to try it in red and in navy. Check out OPI's Matte Lincoln Park After Dark for black or Essie's Matte Finisher to instantly make any of your nail polishes matte! 

So Fresh & So Clean

Batiste Blush Dry Shampoo, $7.49

Salon Grafix Dry Shampoo $6.99

     Dry shampoo is one of the best beauty products I've bought in my life. I refuse to pay an arm and a leg for powder and after a while, I found Batiste Blush Dry Shampoo at Sally's Beauty Supply and it's cheap!  These two are great because other brands can run upwards of $25 at beauty stores like Sephora. Recently I found Salon Grafix Dry Shampoo at Target for about the same price. Salon Grafix sprays invisible which is great for darker hair because Batiste sprays powder. Personally, I prefer Batiste but that's just because I don't mind the powder and I like to see where I'm spraying.