Nail Art Tutorial: "Christmas Wreath" Inspired Nails

Hello Smiley Peeps!!! :)

I just want to say thanks so much for the additional comments and advises you have done! I love it when I post the questions from the readers and a lot of you would also give your answers! Many heads are definitely better than one!!! I love it when everyone share their 2 cents :) :) :) Again THANK YOU!

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It's nail art tutorial once again and I hope you gals appreciate my amateur-ish tutorial!!! Again, if I can do it, you definitely can! :)

I tried to do something Christmas related but it's not the usual Christmas trees, snowman or candles. I was a bit in a hurry to do my nail art as I have to meet up with my brother (who just came back for vacation by the way) and I got only an hour to do my toe nails and finger nails!

I got inspired with the "Christmas Wreath" but of course there's now way I can draw that! LOL So here's my version :) Hope you like it!

Step 1:

Always apply a base coat before you apply any polish color. Apply on 1 or 2 coats of your choice of polish color. I used Neon Blue from Aika.
Let Dry.

Step 2

Apply another coat of the polish

while polish is still wet, use a white nail art pen, drop 5 dots forming a circle. Applying the dots while the base polish is wet will make it blend with the polish color, dried polish will create an "embossed" dot.

Step 3

Using a needle, quickly draw a line between the circles as shown on photo below.

Step 4:

Drop a clear polish in the middle of the "circle" you've created.

Wipe the tool to the clear polish as well and grab a piece of gem and attach in the center of the nail art.

Step 5:

Top it with a glittery polish for Christmas glow.

Top is with a Top Coat. I've used the Face Shop's Top Coat :)

And I'm Done!!!

It looks hard but it really isn't that hard :)
Just a couple of days left before Christmas!
Share a smile to people you see today!
It'll make them feel a lot better!
Spread the love, spread the joy! :D

Readers' Corner

Hey everyone, here are some more questions from my readers :) Hope it'll be helpful to all of you! Again, feel free to add your own answers/advises !!!!

Question ---

What's the fastest way for a brush (specifically) Kabuki brush to dry?

Askmewhats Answers ---

I find my Kabuki brush to dry at least a day or 2. For others, it takes them more than 2 days. I think because after washing the Kabuki brush, I squeeze the brush gently to remove excess water, then I swirl my Kabuki brush to a dry towel for it to absorb the water. It does cut the drying time in half :)

Question ---

Which is the best blending brush? And is there a multi tasking brush for applying eyeshadow?


Askmewhats Answers ---

One good blending brush that I like is my Prestige Shadow Crease Brush, which doubles as a blending brush.

For a multi tasking brush for applying eyeshadow, you can use the Coastal Scents Pink Oval Fluff brush or something similar.


Question ---

Where can I get good make-up brushes, without putting a hole in my pocket? I am looking for powder brushes.

Askmewhats Answers ---

You can try G-lish brush sets for less than Php600 (approx $12.50)
You can try Suesh Brushes
and Charm brushes from Beauty & Minerals.

I've tried all of them and they are affordable and good. If you are set to buy only powder brushes, you can try the Body Shop, or test on some random brushes sold at Watsons, for powder brushes, all you need is a soft ones and picks on powders :)

Question ---

Where did you buy your traincase and do you have their contact number?

Askmewhats Answers ---

I bought my traincase locally at Quiapo. Exact address is ---

Stall S-26 2nd Floor Manila City Plaza, Carriedo St. Quiapo Manila. Tel no: 733.45.21

Do shop smart! And Bargain Bargain Bargain! :)

Question ---

How do you store your nail polishes? I'm having a hard time storing mine, and the collection is growing!

Askmewhats Answers ---

I store my nail polishes in my train case that I got from colleagues for my birthday last February. I also bought some plastic cases from Japan stores and store them nice and neat :)


Ciao pretties!!!

From Askmewhats and the Masala with Love (Contest Closed!)

**thanks to Toma for the photo! :)

Dear US and Philippines Readers:

My dear friend, the wonderful Masala and I have cooked up a contest for the readers from our respective countries. I have to apologize for readers outside the US and Philippines, Ms. Masala and I will do more contests in the future that would be open to everyone from Earth and outer space :D

What do you need to do to win?

If you are a US Reader (with US address) ---

• simply comment on my post that you would like to join and do not forget to include your name and email address.

If you are a Philippine Reader ---

• visit Makeup Masala and follow her rules!

US readers, what will you win?

Nail Art Pens (so you'll be able to try on nail art designs)
The Fanny Serrano Eyelash curler with 3 refills (this has won Cosmopolitan Philippines Award for 2 or 3 consecutive years)
PAC blush
Plus some freebies :)

Since we are from different time zones and it does confuse us, do comment at once because the contest will end on Dec 24th 11:59pm (Philippine Time). Winners will be drawn via random.org and names will be announced on Christmas day on both sites!

Goodluck!!!
Happy Holidays !!!!

Weekend Food Tripping at: John & Yoko

The post title should be "Last Weekend's Food Tripping". It took me some time to re-size these photos cause we ordered so much! LOL Me and my college friends make it a point to meet up every Holidays, and so far, we never fail. We were even joking about our topics of discussions...

It started as ---

1. crushes
2. boyfriends
3. getting married
4. kids

and you know what?
It'll go to

Health Issues
How to stay and look young

and I won't be surprised if we're going to talk about our

GRANDKIDS sooon!!!

OH NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL

We've decided to go to Greenbelt 5 Makati as the place is more quiet and not a lot of crowd (inside note: Cause everything's darn expensive there! shhhh)

John & Yoko restaurant is owned by actor Mr. Marvin Agustin, I'm not sure if the partners are the same though. And he also own our favorite restaurant at the Shangri-La Mall called Sumo Sam!

John & Yoko, the restaurant name, is obviously derived from the Beatles' singer John Lennon and wife Yoko Ono. I don't know why, but you wouldn't find their photo inside the restaurant (thank goodess). I love the restaurant ambience, great for meet-ups, for gatherings and family! :) No matter how crowded it is, it's not that noisy!

Here's how cute the restaurant look outside
And we are the 3 early birds!
We have to wait for our table
Yup, that's a lot of people inside!

The cute plate and menu



Note: This will be pics heavy coz there's a lot of us who ordered!

First stop ---
Salmon Shashimi
Php208.00 (approx $4.16)

I didn't have the chance to try this, I'm not a Sashimi Lover



Chicken Teriyaki and Mango Pizza
Php258.00 (approx $5.15)

My friends love this so much and they've been raving about this!
I had to take a piece myself, it is delicious!
I love the crunchiness of the pizza, as thin as a cracker
I love the taste of the Chicken Teriyaki
mixed with the sweetness and sourness of Mangoes!



Chicken Tempura
Php228.00 (approx 4.50)

The highlight of this dish is not the chicken, though the chicken tastes good but the frieds!
I love that they sprinkled "nori" flakes on top of the fries



Tofu Steak
Php248.00 (approx $5.00)

If you are a reader of my blog, you'll know that if a restaurant I go to serves Tofu, I'll definitely order it! I am a tofu lover! And I guess I'll have "Uric Acid" when I'm older! *knocks on wood* I love how different this tastes compared to other restaurants. You have the choice of Beef or Pork. This dish, we chose Beef. Iron dude! Iron for the body! lol



All Meat Fried Rice
Php178.00 (approx $3.50)

The name didn't live up to my expectation. The rice tastes wonderful though but I'm not showered with MEAT. It's a huge serving though great to be shared by 3-4 ladies! Great to be shared by 1-2 MEN lol



Beef Tepan
for Php358.00 (approx 7.20)

Juicy beef! Love the vegetables too! We had 2 orders ot his! 'nuff said!



Tonkatsu with Curry Sauce
Php238.00 (approx $5.20)

You have a choice of 2 sauce.
I can't remember the other one
But curry blocked my memory coz I love curry!




I forgot to take a shot of their Iced Tea
They have 3 choices. Sumo Sam has 2, not sure if they added the 3rd one already.

Red colored Tea - (has Calamansi - local Lime)
Green colored Tea (has Lime)
Blue colored Tea (Dalandan)

And here are the UST Goddesses lol All full!!!

Compared to Sumo-Sam,
John & Yoko is a bit more expensive and the food is cooked differently.
In my opinion, I love the taste of Sumo-sam better!
But John & Yoko isn't bad at all!

I've bombared everyone with all those food shots! LOL Sorry!
But this weekend, I also got a gift delivered straight to my doorstep from a reader and a nail art lover now a MMU addict, Ms. Nancy! She's the one who gave me my acetone dispenser!

Thank you Nancy! Now I have more MMU foundation choice to test on! And thanks for the cute cake!

ELF Light,
Revlon Medium Light
Blusche Columbian,
Philosophy Natural
and a cute cake

Thanks Nancy!
Have a great weekend everyone!

Askmewhats Reviews: Coastal Scents Brushes

Good day everyone! Today is a happy mood for me coz it's Saturay!!!!!!! Christmas is near and time flies super duper fast I can't seem to keep track!

My brother, whom I visited last October in Shanghai, will be coming home for Christmas! I'm so excited to see him again!

Anyways, let's get back to beauty related issues ! :D

After the post on my CS Hauls, a lot of my dear readers asked me about their brushes, so here we go! A review from yours truly!

First brush
the Pink Oval Fluff Shadow Brush

Coastal Scents says ----

This brush measures end to end 6", has a brushed nickel ferrule with pink pearl painted handle.
Hairs measure 1/2" x 1/2 " Sable Hair

Askmewhats says ---

Pros

• it's PINK! lol
• super affordable
• does not shed
• no bleeding
• packs on colors amazingly
• perfect for people with small lids
  

Cons

• if you're not a Pink lover, this is a CON
• the ferrule looks a bit cheap (but this brush is really cheap though lol can't complain)
• shipping is more expensive than the brush itself
• for people who are used to more expensive brushes, this could be a bit prickly (but very minimal, you wouldn't notice much)
  

Overall

I find this brush to be a very good brush especially for people starting up on make-up. It's super affordable and it does not shed! It doesn't lose it's shape no matter how rough I was in cleaning this the first week!

This is a very good brush to play eye make up with. If you can buy back ups, go ahead! :) worth it


Tips

• newly purchased brush should always be washed first before using.

Will I repurchase?

Yes, I'm waiting for the next sale from Coastal Scents

Where can you purchase and how much?

Coastal Scents website for $1.69 (approx Php90.00) + shipping (variable rate depending on how many your purchase)

Close up Shots

Hair is soft

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Next brush to review is the Black Deluxe Shadow Brush

Coastal Scents says ----

If you love the Pink Deluxe Shadow then you will be just as happy with this one. I use the deluxe when applying shadow on my lower lid, it packs in the powder and offers an even application.

Shiny black ferrule and wooden handle
Top of hairs to bottom handle - 6 inches
5/8 inch hair span, made of sable

Askmewhats says ---

Pros

• very dense
• picks up colors well
• no shedding
• perfect brush for highlighting the brows
• looks very pretty and professional
  

Cons

• if you plan to use this for eyeshadows: this is too huge!
• again, shipping is more expensive than the brush itself
  

Overall

Though I bought a couple of brush sets, I haven't seen such a big eye brush my whole life! This is perfect for brush collection. But if you are only starting up and needed some brush essentials, you can skip this as other brushes can do the same function as this brush.

Tips

• aside from highlighting the brows, I love to use this brush to contour my nose
• you can also use this brush to contour your cheeks then blend with a blush brush
  

Will I repurchase?

Maybe not anymore, as this brush isn't as versatile as the Pink Oval Fluff Shadow Brush. One in my collection is enough :) I am not greedy hehehe

Where can you purchase and how much?

Coastal Scents website for $2.49 (approx Php125.00) + shipping (variable rate depending on how many your purchase)

Close up Shot
As you can see, the brush hairs do not move much,
Very dense

I hope my review is helpful! I haven't had the chance to try on the Coastal Scents' bestselling brushes, The Badger Brushes. I think I will give brushes a skip. I will only purchase a new brush if I don't see it in my collection :)

Anyways, some of you are intrigued with the Coastal Scents' White Angled Liner Brush. I've just started to use this recently, as I have my own Eyeliner brush and I bought this for back up, but since this White Angled Liner brush causes a bit of a stir of interest to my readers, I washed this, and have been using this for 3 days straight! Reviews will be coming up soon!!! So please be patient.

And before I go, here's the close up shot of the White Angled Liner Brush for reference! Yes, the tip is not pointed but if you dip this brush on your gel liner, it sharpen a bit :)

Found my review helpful?
Give me a hug! :)
Have a great weekend everyone!
and stay safe with Christmas Shopping! :D