Product Review - Stila Brow Color

I love reading reviews on other blogs and websites to learn about products that I haven't tried or ones I have never even heard about.  As we all know, there are more cosmetic products than there are stars in the sky for us ladies to rummage through. It can be quite overwhelming.  So, I wanted to share with all of you a little goodie from my make-up bag. 

In case you didn't read the title of this post my product winner is...
STILA Stay All Day Waterproof Brow Color.

This pen is absolute perfection and you will truly see a difference in your eyes. When I swooped this onto my brows, it was love at first sight.  It was time to say adios to my brow pencils.   The small brush-like pen is thin, so you can easily create small, wispy hair-like lines on your brows to achieve a defined, natural effect without looking like it's been "drawn in".  Stila offers two colors, light and medium for $21. 

I snapped a few pictures to illustrate what my eye brows looked like before and after using the Stila Brow Color. 

You can clearly see a difference between my "naked" brows and my "dressed" brows.  It's not super drastic, but I think it helps to fill them in and give some shape and contour. The color stays put all day and is water/sweat proof. 

I don't have crazy, wild brows to tame, but I do finish them off with Ulta's Eye Brow Gel. It helps to keep them in place all-day, it dries quickly and isn't too goopy.  I know that Anastasia Beverly Hills makes a good brow gel too, but the Ulta one does the trick for me and it's only $7.

Cheers to giving our brows the love and attention they deserve!

How to Apply Flawless Foundation in 6 Minutes

Okay, I am totally taking one for the team on this post.  I am still wondering why in the heck I am showing the "World Wide Web" how horrible I look without makeup, but I reminded myself that this is why I am doing this blog...to help other ladies...whether it's fashion focused or beauty related.  You take the good, you take the bad...none of us are perfect.  I am definitely a million miles away from having perfect skin.  But, I DO know how to cover unwanted scars, pimples and uneven skin tone.  So, I did this video to show you my daily regimen of applying foundation that helps cover my unwanted, ever so dreadful zits and scars.  FYI - This was my very first YouTube video, so much love is appreciated!

My best makeup friends are the Beauty Blender, DermaBlend, Bare Minerals and Makeup Forever.

I hope that after you watch this, you will still want to be my friend and think that I am still sort of cool.  :)  But, most importantly, I hope that you can grab a few tips and tricks to help you with your makeup application.  Okay, here we go {sign of the cross}...click on the video below. 

 

BEFORE

AFTER

So, do you still want to be my friend?  I warned you, I look rather rough without my makeup.  But, I am confident in my own skin and that is what matters most. I am just thankful that I have some amazing products that make me feel oh so much better about myself!

Again, here are the products that I use EVERY SINGLE DAY!  Go out out there and get them...Because Shanna Said So!

Beauty Blender $26.00 - http://beautyblender.net/

Dermablend Cover Creme $34.00 - http://www.dermablend.com/

Bare Minerals Foundation $26.00- http://www.bareescentuals.com

Makeup Forever HD Powder $30.00- www.makeupforeverusa.com

What is your favorite foundation?  I would love to hear!  Also, please share this video or post with any lady you know that might find this helpful!

Cheers to conquering "Zelda the Zit"!  

Shanna Schneider

 

DIY - Shellac Gel Nails - Does It Work?

A good friend of mine showed me a picture on Pinterest demonstrating a DIY version of Shellac nail polish.  I thought, this would be great for my next blog, but does it really work?  So, I decided to give it a whirl.

The first step was finding the 5 Minute Gel Polish by Nutra Nails.  It's a Sally Hansen brand.  I was out looking for a little bottle and couldn't find it anywhere.  Come to find out, the bottle comes in a gel nail kit called Nutra Nails Gel Perfect (see photo).  I found the kit at Ulta and Walgreens.  I will say that this must be a hot commodity because there was only one left at each of the stores I went to.  

Then I bought the Essie 3-Way Glaze at Ulta.  I am pretty positive that you can get this at any retailer that sells Essie.  This one was much easier to find.

Next, I chose a nail polish...I picked one of  my most favorite colors, OPI "You Don't Know Jacques".

Shall we begin?

Here is what you will need: FYI - I forgot to put the OPI Rapid Nail Dry (Step #4) in the photo, sorry!

 

Step #1: Make sure you nails are dry, smoothed and buffed.  Apply a thin coat of the 5 Minute Nutra Nail Gel Polish.  The key is a THIN coat and don't forget to brush around the tips of you nails where polish typically starts chipping first.  Let this dry for a couple of minutes.  They key to this whole nail project is being patient; which is one thing I am typically not!

Step #2: This is very important.  The Pinterest directions say to now apply a coat of the Essie 3 Way Glaze. Don't do it!  This will make your nails way too "goopy" and will give you bumps in your polish.  Go ahead and apply your choice of nail polish after the 5 minute gel nail polish.  The first coat will appear streaky and uneven...don't fret.  You will get better coverage on the second coat. Don't go too thick!!

Here comes the patient part again...let you nail polish dry for a few minutes before moving onto Step #3.

 

Step #3: Apply a coat of the Essie 3 Way Glaze.  IMPORTANT: This stuff is super-duper thick.  You have to be very careful not to put too much onto your nail.  You can almost do an entire hand with one dip into the glaze. 

Step #4: This step was left out of the Pinterest directions, but I highly recommend it.  Spray on OPI Rapid Nail Dry.  There are several nail drying sprays on the market, but this one is by far the best one that I have found.  I talked about this product in a previous post.  It really does help nail polish dry quicker which "lends a hand" (pun intended) to my "no patience" issue.

And we are done...viola!  

*Note #1 - Make sure you have a time to let this nail polish sit.  Even with the OPI Rapid Nail Dry, it takes a good 20 minutes or so to fully dry.

**Note #2 - Even though I used a dark color, OPI You Don't Know Jacques, in the demonstration, I would recommend using a light color, maybe one with a glitter in it. May I suggest Sephora by OPI, "Already Famous"? This will help to hide any imperfections that might come along when trying this for the first time. 

***Note #3 - This polish will come off with regular nail polish remover.  

I will post the results on how long the nail polish lasted before chipping on my Facebook page, so be sure to "Like" it - www.facebook.com/BecauseShannaSaidSo

 

Cheers!

Shanna Schneider

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion

Do your eyeshadows always look lovelier in the case than when you actually sweep them across your lids?  Do you look in the mirror come 5 o'clock and say to yourself, "Did I remember to put eyeshadow on this morning?" because not a lick of it is left.

If you answered "yes" to either or both of these questions you must take "Because Shanna Said So" advice...stop what you are doing at this very moment, get in your car, drive to the nearest Sephora or Ulta and grab an Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion.

I started using this magical potion about 2 years ago and NEVER and I mean NEVER put eyeshadow on without it.  It is hands down, well besides my DermaBlend concealer and we will talk about that later, my most favorite, never go out of town without it, beauty product.  Here is a picture of what it looks likes. 

The Urban Decay Eyeshadow Potion is the #1 best selling product that they have.  It creates vibrant eyeshadow color that is crease-free and will, get this, stay on for 24 hours!  Yes, a whole entire day!  Believe me, I have gone to bed many nights without washing my face and the next morning my shadow (okay, not my mascara or eyeliner) is still perfectly intact.  Make-up artists, celebrities and Jane Does around the country are raving about this legendary primer potion.  It comes in 4 different shades, some are matte, some have a little highlighting shimmer.  They all do the same thing...take your eyeshadow hostage on your lids

Because I love each and every one of you for reading this, I decided to have art class on my arms.  I took my own Urban Decay eyeshadows and did color swatches on my arm.  One with the potion and one without.  Once you see the pictures you will be able to tell right away which swatch has the potion underneath and which one doesn't. Each color that is side-by-side is the SAME eyeshadow color.  Yes, I know that they look different, that's how much the primer potion increases the color and overall coverage.  The ones without the potion are much lighter and came out extremely "feathery" (is feathery a word?)  If not, I will add it to Webster's dictionary.  Here we go!

 

Now here's the true magic.  The next photos show the color after I washed my arms with a little soap and water.  Check it out.  The color + eyeshadow potion stayed on and the areas where I did not use it practically vanished.  I told you this stuff was magical!!

So, how much is this mystical concoction?  It's $19.00.  And you can get it at Sephora, Ulta, Amazon, UrbanDecay.com or you can try to ebay it for a cheaper price.  It will last you 6-9 months.  Remember, a little goes a long way!

I know this post is a tad bit lengthy, but I LOVE to talk about things I am obsessed with. So, I will leave you with one last tidbit...a video from the Urban Decay website.  Click on the photo and you can see this dream of a product with your own eyes.  Why? Because Shanna Said So!  Cheers!