Happy 1 Year IG Birthday to Me (facts and realities learned)

"Hey Kass, It's Friday, you're late!" yea yea yea! I know! But its better than not doing it at all!

Ok so,Hey everyone! Happy Friday! TGIF and all that good stuff!

So, Yesterday was my 1 year Instagram Birthday, or anniversary, whatever you wanna call it. I'm going with birthday, cause I like that better! lol.

Well, this made me think a lot about the last year. The good, the bad, the ugly. The things I've accomplished and things I maybe could have done without. The last year was crazy! That's all I can say! Over all, there was way too much drama, and not enough good. Even tho I fought like hell to TRY to do good things for people, some of those things just didn't work out.

I did however, make some awesome friends through the nail community, who I couldn't imagine life without now.

@Kaylascreativecuticles
@mscupcake05
@misslynnae

If you didn't know, now you know! lol.

These three girls have been my shoulders to lean on through ALL the drama, and I love them for that! They understand me, my goals, my beliefs and my struggles, and they still love me! Yay for besties! haha!

Over the last year, I even got to meet one of those amazing ladies, Lynnae, and shes just simply amazing!  She gets me. That's all there is to it. Shes my amazing Purple haired model friend, who's going to be around for a long time, cause I'm not letting her go anywhere! haha! You're stuck with me babe! lol!

I also graduated from Cosmo school and got my license. I will hopefully be starting my first job as a manicurist in the next week or so. I'm so excited to start this journey!

Hmmm...lets see.....other than that I cant think of anything else exciting that happened. But overall the last year taught me a lot about who I am. Through random interactions, unnecessary fights and drama with people I don't even know, and through trying to learn new things and creating things on my own with the help from no one. I've learned that I'm my biggest critic, and that's one of my biggest down falls in this nail business. But with the help of my girls, I'm slowly starting to love and appreciate my own work, whether its "liked" on instagram or not.

The fact of the matter is, that only a handful of us "NAIL GIRLS" will be likely to make it big based on our Instagram feed. The rest of us will have to work hard, building a client base to make money. Not all of us have the funding to buy new indies, or entire collections of colors (which leads to free stuff for being loyal customers).Some of us are working with very little, and were the ones who will  have to deal with broken nails and having messed up polish or no polish on at all in order to properly work on a client. But those clients will be happy, and well have more than just people looking at our work and copying it online. We'll have people sporting our work, showing it off to their friends and booking months in advanced to get an appointment with us. And to me, that is a greater accomplishment than simply doing my own nails everyday for others to look at.

So, don't wonder why I'm not on IG as much, just know that I'm out there bustin my ass, workin hard, making clients happy and getting things done, in a real way (not a virtual way)!

2014 is a year for change, a year for success, a year for ME!

How to Clean Makeup Brushes (Learned from Michelle Phan)

So, before I start this post, I want to start by saying that I learned this technique from Michelle Phan (Owner of Ipsy and EM Cosmetics). She posted the video on Youtube (click link to view) almost 4 years ago, and this has been a successful method for me.

As she states in the video, it is really important to clean your makeup brushes because they harbor bacteria! EWW! and no one wants extra bacteria all over their face.

If you aren't aware of some of the things that bacteria can cause on your skin?face here's a short list:

Oily residue (causing a shiny complexion)
Acne
Irritated Eyes
Pink Eye
MrSa (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus)

So next time you go to use your brushes, think about the last time you washed them and if its about that time.

Besides keeping your skin clean and healthy, cleaning your brushes regularly also helps to keep them in good condition and ensure that you have long lasting, quality brushes.

Things you will need:
Anti-Bacterial Soap (Such as Dawn dish soap)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
A flat surface such as a plate (I used a Tupperware)
Paper towels
Parchment paper
Glass Cup or Jar
Sink

Why Anti-Bacterial Soap and EVOO you ask?

Well, the soap is easy, to get rid of the bacteria of course! That's our number one goal here! I use Dawn Ultra Original Scent (the blue one). I like the original scent because its more mild than some of the others, and I don't like a strong scent on my brushes. The bad thing about using a soap like this is that it gets rid of grease and oils. While this may be great when your washing dishes, there are some oils in the bristles of your brushes that are needed to keep them soft and in good quality, which is where our EVOO comes in. While the soap would normally cause your brushes to become dry and brittle, the EVOO will keep the necessary moisture needed.

Step 1:  Prepare Work area, Brushes and Soap Mixture

Before I start anything, I lay out some parchment paper to cover my work space. Parchment paper is great because you can set your brushes right on it and the soap wont seep through.

Then I dust off all my brushes to remove any loose particles.

Here are my personal brushes, I will also be cleaning my client brushes as well.


In the video Michelle uses a plate to combine her soap and EVOO, but I used this tupper wear instead cause I had it handy, and I wanted to avoid spillage. 

So on your surface, combine a 3:1 mixture of your Soap and EVOO

Step 2: Cleaning your brushes

 

You can do this one of two ways, combine the mixture before you start, or just combine as you go.

 

I like to just dab my brush between the two, making sure to pick up a little more soap than oil. I like doing it this way to control the amount of oil each brush gets.

(Smaller brushes need less than big brushes)

 

Once you have your cleanser on your brush, rub it around on your hand to work the good stuff in, and work the old colors and nasty bacteria out. then set them on your parchment paper while you finish the rest.

Some brushes may be dirtier than others (like my dark eye shadow brush) and may need some extra attention.

 tip: use paper towels to clean your hands as you go.

Step 3: Rinse with WARM water

COLD water makes it harder to get the soap out, and HOT water can loosen the glue, and ruin your bristles. So use warm water, and rinse until water runs clear and free of soap. This may take a while so be patient and make sure you have the time to focus on your brushes, any delays could cause chemicals or water to sit in your brushes, causing damage.

Step 4: Drying and Storage

This is where your paper towels and your glass cup or jars come in handy.
I don't have the brush guards that Michelle uses in her video, but this method works for me.

I take one paper towel and fold it into a square and place it at the bottom of my jar.
As I rinse, I ring out the brush and place them gently brush side down.
To prevent moisture from getting trapped, I do change the paper towel out as needed.

When I'm done, I normally place my brushes back in the carrying cases they came in, but for my personal brushes, I will be decorating and making  a storage jar with one of these.

I love this method, its the quickest and most efficient way that I have found.

While a lot of people say that Johnson's baby soap is the best way, I found that it does not clean as well, as it doesn't have the anti- bacterial properties.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my blog! Please, leave me your thoughts and feed back below! I love to hear from you!

Happy New Year to you and yours! <3

P.S. Please leave suggestions for Next Thursdays post!

 

Empowerment and Ipsy Glam Bag November

Good Evening beautiful, whoever you are! I want to start this post with this,

"Girls" Compete with each other. "Women" Empower one another!

I heard this quote a few days ago, and it really had me doing a lot of thinking. I realized after reading this, that it is so true. As I've gotten older I now notice that things are no longer a competition. I do things for me. Now that may sound selfish to some, but I don't mean it in that way.

I just mean that I am no longer doing things to be better, or out do someone else. I do things based on my goals and ambitions, and what will help me achieve them in the end. Without worrying about if I am doing better than someone else or not. One important thing I can say I have learned is that, other peoples success does not determine my own. Only my choices and decisions will get me where I want to be, so why would I worry about competing with someone else. I am my own competition.

So instead of competing, as I continue to grow and learn, I have noticed myself reaching out to help and uplift others along my journey. Sure, there have been some hiccups and upsets, but every well traveled road gets bumpy. Its all part of the learning experience of life.

So, the next time you find your self in a position of competition, step back and try to empower the other person instead. You may find yourself in the company of great support, instead of competition.

How do you feel about this quote? Let me know in the comments!

(P.S. Michelle Phan's motto is Empowerment, so it was a fitting topic!)

Now, with that said....

Here is my November Glam Bag Review:

Personally, I abso-freakin-loutly love this bag! I am so glad I got my ipsy back in time for this month! It came with 6 full size products and their all wonderful!

I received:
Nailtini in Champagne , Pixi Bronzer in Subtly Suntouched, Be a Bombshell Lip Crayon in Shameless, BH Cosmetics Basked Eye Shadow in Sun, EM by Michelle Phan Mascara in Black and Starlooks Gem Liner in Amethyst.

I have yet to fully try everything but it all seems like great products. The bronzer is the perfect color for me, as is the nail polish.

Be a Bombshell Lip Crayon in Shameless:

Ipsy knows me and my love for a good red lip color apparently! This is the third red ive gotten in my bag, but that's ok! I love a good red! haha and this one is a good one. It goes on smooth, Its long lasting and the color is brilliant! Its a nice deep red with a subtle, shameless, shimmer. Perfect paired with a winged liner.

Starlooks Gem Liner in Amethyst

 Im not the biggest fan of colored liners, but I've been using them a lot more lately, as trends start to change and this one will be a fun one to play with. Its a light grey-purple with an incredible shine! and its super creamy! It glides on like a dream! I will be sure to look for some more colors from Starlooks.

BH Cosmetics Baked Eyeshadow

Another repeat in my Ipsy bags is always gold eyeshadows. Now, I like gold eyeshadows, but I have enough already. Hopefully next month I'll get a different color. Although, I'm not complaining about this one! Its gorgeous and has great pigmentation. Plus, it has a little bit of purple and what looks like pink mixed in so its not just a yellow gold. Which is a nice change from the normal golds I have.

EM by Michelle Phan Black Mascara

Another first time for me is this EM by Michelle Phan mascara. This is from her new line and I am excited to try it! The brush is a little different from other brushes that I have seen or used, but it looks interesting, the bottom is shorter bristles, so it does from round, to almost flat on one side. I'm excited to use this and see how well her products work. I am definitely all about Michelle Phan and all her motivational energy.

Well Lovelies, that is it for now. I will be sure to bring you make up looks and reviews of the bronzer and polish. Please be sure to leave me a comment below and let me know how I'm doing.

Comments, questions of suggestions? Let me know below! I look forward to your feedback!

Until next week dolls!

My first Zoya order reviewed

So I saved up some funds and along with some other ladies, I made a group Zoya order and we all got FANTASTIC deals!

The following are my reviews of the polishes I ordered.

Up first are the Pixie Dust polishes! Oh my gosh! Let me just startby saying, I'm obsessed! These are my most favorite polishes ever, and I can't wait to buy the rest. I ordered the Team Spirit trio that comes with Dhara, Sunshine and Tomoko, and I also ordered Stevie. They all applied smooth, and dry great with no top coat. Some people don't like the textured polishes, but personally, I love it. For some reason, textured polishes seem to last longer. Plus, they shine bright like a diamond.... Sorry....I had to! Hahha. Here are my swatches of these awesome polishes.

Up first: Stevie (purple) and Tomoko

Next: Dhara (orange), Sunshine (blue) and Tomoko

Aside from the Pixie Dusts I also ordered another trio set (they were buy one get one free! I also ordered some to give away to my lovely followers!) and a few other individual polishes.

First up is the Team Spirit Trio, it included Purity, Sailor and Delilah. All three are gorgeous, smooth colors. Delilah is a deep red with a beautiful red shimmer, perfect for the holidays. Sailor is a nice navy blue that is also perfect for holidays and winter, and purity is a perfect white for all purposes.

If you know me at all, you know I cant resist a good pink, so I had to order Zoya Kennedy and Ali.
All I can say is WOW! They apply like a dream, and the colors are brilliant. Although Ali is a bright neon summery color, ill be using this one all the time. I'm just a sucker for pink!

The next two are two that I cant take my eyes off of! Dream, from the 2013 winter collection, and Alegra. Dream is a dreamy deep blue with a beautiful holo-shimmer! It applies perfectly.
Alegra is a vixen with deep Magenta color and sassy shimmer! This will also be a go to fall/winter color for me .

I also received Zoya Polish Remover+ , Qtica Extending Top Coat and Qtica Tangerine Scrub as freebies and so far I can tell you that the polish remover is fabulous! a little bit goes a long way, it smells great and works like a charm! I also topped all these swatches (besides pixie dust) with the extender top coat and it is amazing as well! I cant wait to use the tangerine scrub! I'll be sure to review that as well!

With my first Zoya purchase down, I can tell you that I give zoya 5 stars without a doubt!

I hope this review has been helpful. If you have any question, comments or suggestions please feel free to comment below!

Until next week dolls! *muah*

Life

I was hoping to have some more fun Halloween makeup and nail looks for the blog this week but sometimes life just gets in the way.

Hopefully this next week will be smoother and I can get some fun stuff up for you all.

I did start something fun called Influenster. You earn points through surveys and stuff and then get packages of products to try! I can't wait to earn my first box! Kik me if you would like an invite! :) kassandravictoria

Until next week dolls! 

My very first blog post!

Good Morning everyone!

I'm so excited to finally be starting my very own blog, and thank you to my good friend Kayla (kaylascreativecuticles) for encouraging me to take this journey!
 I'm completely new to this so please bear with me as I learn the ways of blogging!

Halloween is this month, so I will be trying to post weekly Halloween makeup looks for you to enjoy and get ideas from. If you have any suggestions, please don't hesitate to share!

Thank you for taking the time to read my first blog post, I know its not much, but I'm just starting out! If you would like to see anything on the blog please feel free to comment below!

I wish you all a great day!