NOTD- Santee's Metallic Red

Since this is one of the few times I painted my nails, I decided to make a post on one of my favorite (cheap) nail polishes that last over a week!

Santee nail polishes retail for about $1.00 and I think they have super great quality at the end of the day.

I painted my nails with both Metallic Red and NYC's Long Wearing Nail Enamel Top Coat. At first, I didn't like the top coat because every polish I put it with always chipped off both the polish and the top coat which really frustrated me (I don't play with my polishes!). But, I realized that I was spreading just  a little too much over my polish and decided to try out only a thin layer.

I guess a little goes a long way, right?

Look out for a review on NYC nail polishes soon.


Much love,

xoxo Dalia

♥

 

I've Been Nominated!

(ducks from the tomatoes and crowd weilding pitchforks)

Hello, loves! I know it's been so long since I've updated or even made a post and I know you guys think I'm irresponsible or lazy or...whatever bad thing you may think I am!

But I swear I have a legitimate reason. (School)

On another note, since I absolutely cannot contain my excitement anymore and absolutely positively need to get this post out (while ignoring my homework, might I add), I would love to thank my wonderful, beautiful, inspiring friend (who inspired the layout for this blog!), Miss Camila Alvarez! Or better known through her blog, Miss Cami! for nominating me, little ol' me, for a Liebster Award!

Round of applause ladies (and whoever gents are here)!

A Liebster Award is a bit of a tag that is sent around to different beauty bloggers who are nominated by fellow bloggers that is directed at helping blogs with 200 followers or less (like me!) in order to bring us a little bit more hype and pizzazz (aka followers).

So let's get this show on the road!

The Rules - ( I had to borrow those heart, too cute (Cami had that one right..) )

♥ List 11 random facts about yourself.

♥ Answer the 11 questions which are given to you by your nominator.

♥ Ask 11 new questions for all the bloggers that you nominate to win the award.

♥ Nominate 9 bloggers with less than 200 followers to win the award.

♥ Go to each of the blogger's pages to let them know about their nomination.

♥ Thank the blogger who nominated you by mentioning them and link it back to their blog on your post.

11 Random Facts About Dalia ♥:

1. I am a nonconformist  I love being unique and although I accept my individuality and support being different, the consequences can be being repulsed by "mainstream" things and hate terms that suggest I can be close minded. (However, I do think that "mainstream" things are ridiculously hilarious and positively entertaining!)
2. I am very, very open minded and can accept almost anyone or anything (aside cockroaches and beets).
3. I. Love. Chocolate.
4. I study Creative Writing and hope to become an activist one day.
5. I am of Arab heritage and Sudanese nationality, despite not looking like I'm from there sometimes.
6. I am a Cancer.
7. I am a Muslim, wear outrageous head scarves, and have an unhealthy obsession with the Middle East.
8. Coral and Raw Umber are my favorite colors, although I wear black a lot.
9. My best friend is two weeks younger than me (10 years strong now!)
10. I would love to travel the world one day, no, I will travel the world one day.
11. I speak three different languages and don't know how to take no for an answer. Ever.

11 Questions from Cami ♥:

1. What's your favorite color?

My favorite color is Coral and Raw Umber.

2. Where is your dream place to either visit or live in?

LONDON. And NYC. Ugh, the world!

3. How would you describe your style?

Different. Classy. Elegant but loud.

4.Are you a neutral eyes or colorful eyes girl?

I'm a little bit of both I'd say. :]

5. Do you speak a language other than English?

I speak Arabic and Spanish.

6. Who is your celebrity crush? 

Ed Sheeran, much?

7. What is your favorite candy? 

Chocolate, all day, erryday.

8. What is your staple lip color?

Either a shade or tone of red or Peach Parfait by L'Oreal.

9. What is your favorite movie?

Hmm..I'm not really sure, but the most recent movie I saw was Hairspray!

10. Why did you start blogging?

I've been blogging for so long now, ever since I was ten, I decided this time I'm going to take it seriously.

11. What is your favorite book?

Again, so HARD! The most recent book I read was Delicate Edible Birds by Lauren Groff (go check her out, fabulous writing.)

The Five Bloggers I Nominate:

http://vickyhoang.blogspot.com/

http://funsizebeauty.blogspot.ca/

http://drunkenbeauty.blogspot.com/

http://galaxyofdreamsxo.tumblr.com

http://kimberley77.blogspot.com/

(Couldn't come up with nine, so sorry guys!)

The Questions for the Bloggers:

1. What is one thing you ate today?

2. Coke or Pepsi?

3. What got you started on blogging?

4. What is one beauty staple you cannot leave the house without?

5. Waterproof or normal? (Any product)

6. MAC vs PC?

7. Who is your favorite music artist?

8. What is one resolution you made for this year?

9. Have you kept it?

10. Write the first thing that comes to mind.

11. What do you see yourself doing in five years?

Right, there we go guys!

I have to send another shoutout to the lovely Cami, everyone go on and giver her some love!

xoxo

Dalia ♥

Welcome to 2013!

Hello, my beauties! I know this is the first post that has gone up in a while, but I promise you I have a good reason for the hold up.

I had so many different things planned for the end of 2012 that I'd written, and wanted to go up but now it seems like such a huge waste because of the complete bombardment on the last day of 2012. It was so bad that I seemed to have dropped into 2013 without even batting my eyes!

Bad jokes aside, this is going to be a quick post to give you guys some updates.

1) I will be trying to post regularly. When I say trying, I mean absolutely doing my hardest to get some really good posts up. I'll figure out a schedule soon enough for what days posts will go up, etc. (This is going to be difficult a little bit because we're turning right into what I call "the rush hour zone" in school and right about now things will start to get a little...hectic.)

2) I am going to broaden my blog out to different horizons, branching out from not just beauty, but to fashion and lifestyle! (cue the confetti) Since there will be some new editions, I figured I might as well have a new....guest blogger! Yes, that's right! There will not only be me, but one other person. Check back for updates on that soon. (wink)

I'm going to save the rest for a surprise and the other posts I have planned will be revealed soon enough. Check out my regular blog for some more insight and depth into what 2013 will be like for me.

I'm sorry I'm so late on the welcome but..

Welcome to 2013!! May you all stay healthy, happy, and positive. We survived 2012, the year no one thought we'd make it through, so let's celebrate it by improving our life, body, mind, and soul.

(hint for future surprises can be found in the last sentence above)

Love you all,

xoxo

Dalia

DIY: Decor Vase! ♥

Since Winter Break has started up here for me, I've decided to restart my home decor kick that I've let simmer on the back burner for the past few weeks.

First and foremost, I would like to credit Anne at anneorshine on YouTube for inspiring me to do necklace/jewelery stand that I recreated and Lisa Pullano at BeautySplurge for the design ideas.

The Vase ♥

Here is one of the two decor items I've been completely obsessed with little vases lately and found that every single one I tried to buy was anywhere from 8-12 dollars in the design I wanted. 

So, in bargain fashion, I thought, "Hey! Why the hell not make my own with my own style?" I snooped around Walmart and local dollar stores and lucked out on the cheapest items that no one thought I could put together and create something as classy (if I do say so myself) as this.

And that was the birth of this little baby. Yes, I know, two pictures up here with the same little vase is a bit excessive but...sue me, I'm in love.

Materials:

What you're going to need to recreate your own little brush holder, or vase, or pencil/pens/writing utensils holder is only a few things.

#1: A Glass Vase

The glass vase I ended up buying was a simple round one that I call my crystal ball that I purchased from Walmart for (are you ready?) a whopping $0.97 cents. 

Now, I wanted a glass one because I felt like it would hold better and just look nicer and more (let's face it) expensive and valuable, but I'm sure plastic or aluminum would work as well.

#2: Spray Paint in any Color of Your Choice

While my sister calls me plain, I call it classy when it comes to my color schemes. I chose two signature, classic colors for this one (even though I only painted with the black for this first project) black and white. 

The spray paints I bought at handy-dandy Walmart retailed at exactly $1.00 each so I wasn't breaking the bank. They each carried enough paint to spray paint a cabinet, a vanity jewelry holder, and my vases and much more.

#3: Glue Gun, Glue Sticks, and Little Accessories

Super glue is a good alternative but I just love the power of holding a glue gun, to be honest.

The glue gun & glue sticks I have listed here are the AdTech Hi-Temp Project Pro Glue Gun and the Multi-Temp 100 Glue Stick pack that each retailed for $6.47 at Wal-Mart, my second home ya'll!

Step #1: Spray that Vase

Now, this first step is to make sure you lay down enough newspaper wherever your doing it at. If indoors, make sure to do it near an open window.I would reccomend doing it outside simply because:

a) The fumes are disgusting and toxic and take forever to air out of your room

b) It's a lot less messy. :]

Once you've spray painted your little guy, leave it to air dry for about 10-15 minutes between coats and then spray paint a few more layers for optimum shine and coverage.

I didn't do this, but I highly recommend letting it dry for a few hours to be smooth to the touch and wearing gloves to protect your hands from getting coated in color. Don't end up spending two days trying to rub it out like I did!

For this next part I forgot to photograph it, but what I ended up doing was scrounging around my house for old accessories and clips to give it a classier flare and some style. I found some old pearls lying around from an old hair tie and rhinestones, gathered them up, and hot glued them onto the "waist" of the vase, and the bottom "waist" of it as well and stuck on a white rose. Now I use it as a stand for my makeup brushes and nail file, but you guys can use it for whatever you'd like.

And that's how to make your DIY Vase! After I finished, I ended up making a vanity display to match (picture below).

To learn how to make this vanity, please visit the two gurus I listed above. They will show you a step by step video on how to make it and you can give it your own spin from there.

Thanks so much for reading! ♥

Stay Poetic

xoxo Dalia

Review: Maybelline Line Stiletto Liquid Liner!

 I have a confession to make.

I am an eyeliner junkie. And I'm a picky one at that. I tend to be the kind of person who doesn't like spending money (my cheap behind) on something I haven't tried out, or at least researched to the millisecond of purchasing it. I  have just got to know whether or not I'll be disappointed, how a product works with my skin type, and most importantly, is it worth it?

Which led me to ask Momo, my good friend Monique (Hey, Mo'!) which eyeliner she was using that fateful day on Skype. At the time, I was looking for an eyeliner that fit the exact criteria of what I wanted. Before buying the Maybelline Line Stiletto, I always went back and forth between the Maybelline Eye Studio Gel Liner and the NYC Liquid Liner, which, I won't lie, were both good but I quickly got tired of constantly wearing gel liner and the eyeliner was at the point where it's been past 18 months, the labels been rubbed off completely, and it just "ain't gonna work!" It was time to get a new one.

Not only did I have a very slim selection of lining products, but I also didn't have, as I call it, "my ideal liner". I wanted one that, unlike the NYC one, had a shorter applicator and a felt tip that wasn't too flexible but at the same time wasn't a brush attached to a wand that could potentially stab my eyes out.

And then, I thought...

"Maybe it's Maybelline?!"

Jokes aside, I really do enjoy this liner. The Maybelline Line Stiletto Liquid Liner retails for a bout $5.97 at Walmart where I ended up purchasing it, and as a cheapy, I have to say it is well worth it. In fact, I'd rate it as a little bit more, and that right there says a lot.

First off, when I bought it (after enough research to bring NASA to it's knees), I noticed it claimed to have "ultimate precision" powers and I for one will have to admit the hypothesis is valid and it is almost perfect. I got it in the color "501 Blackest Black" and I've noticed quite a few things about it.

Pros:

• Color Payoff is Great: When I first tried it out, I thought it would leave an unbearable shine and gleamed to a point where it almost looked like a fake sticker I could peel off. But, after it dried, I found myself very happy with how well the color applied and stayed true to being the blackest black. 
• Small Bottle, Lots of Product: At first, I was like, "what, come on? Is this all I'm getting?" And yes, it was all I was getting and I realized it was all I needed. Two-Three months now and still going strong with almost everyday of application, and it still hasn't come close to running out. That, ladies (and gentlemen) is what I call quality product.
• The Packaging: Small, versatile, and decent palm space on an applicator is all I could ever ask. 
• The Felt Tip: Okay, this is the most important part of eyeliner, to me at least. This is a nice, pointed, flexible felt tip attached to a decently length-ed wand that manages to get into the inner eye corner without smudging everywhere.
• Formula: I am not a fan of eyeliner that does not come right off. This eyeliner is so easy to take off, I don't have anymore to say about it except: score.

Cons:

• Formula: I've noticed that I have really oily eyelids so at the end of the day the staying power isn't to die for. Now, don't get me wrong, it is great for a few hours and to be honest it's not so bad to the point that I wouldn't repurchase this. It's more like I wish that there was an improvement on the formula for us oilier lidded girls that don't want to go for water proof. All I want is a little bit of wing that won't smudge, is that so hard to ask?
• The Tip: I don't hate the tip, but at the same time I could only wish it wasn't so flexible when it came to  winging it out. It tends to get a little lopsided and all over the place when it isn't completely precise.

So, the verdict?

This is a great product, I would repurchase it, and it's my favorite and only liquid liner I use currently. 

Thanks for reading!

xoxo 

Dalia

Review: Revlon Lip Butter!

 So, recently I've purchased the Revlon Lip Butters after watching countless reviews on YouTube about them. I, personally, have been searching for a lip product that had enough pigmentation to pull off as a lipstick but at the same time leave my lips hydrated like I'd swiped on some lip balm.

Being the adventurer I am, I decided to look up these amazing new lip butters everyone has been raving about and to say the least....I am very, very pleased.

The Revlon Lip Butters come in twenty different colors and the color I ended up purchasing here is #35 Candy Apple. Now, I did a lot of research prior to purchasing this product because being more olive toned, I know that cooler colors do not work for me at all. Not only was I looking for a deeper color, but I'd been really into reds lately what with fall coming in. I'd always loved the look of a dark, neutral outfit with a nice pop of color on the lips for a larger statement. 

After all the crazy research I went into, I was caught between two colors: Candy Apple and Cherry Tart. Now, the reason I went with Candy Apple rather than Cherry Tart was because of the difference in undertones between them both. Candy Apple had a more orange undertone rather than the pinkish one that Cherry Tart had and I do love a bright red lip, so Candy Apple was the winner.

Once I knew which color I wanted, I just had to get it. I don't know if it was the raving reviews I heard about them but at the time I knew I just had to have it.

I ended up going to Walmart the first trip but what ended up happening was that all the Lip Butters, every single one, was completely wiped out. Set back, but not willing to give up, I headed over to the local Walgreens and picked up it up for $6.39-which, I'll admit, for a girl who likes a bargain is pretty expensive-and it was well worth it.

I love the color, I love the pigmentation and I personally feel that it is the perfect cross between a gloss, lipstick, and balm. I originally wanted to include swatches for the color but since this is pretty out of the blue and last minute, I can only link you to the review I watched by the beauty guru missglamorazzi.

Well, I think that's it for this review. Would I purchase this product again? Yes. Despite the price that I think should be lowered to atleast 4 or 5 dollars, but hey, I'm still willing to rebuy.

Please leave any questions or comments in the comment box below!

Thanks so much for reading. ♥

Stay Beautiful

I've opened up this page on the site because over the years I've absolutely fallen for the beauty world on YouTube. And through the countless beauty videos I've watched, I've grown to live in the lifestyle of an amateur beauty guru and I'm doing this because it's always been a secret passion of mine, sort of a guilty pleasure.

In honor of my previous blog post on my main page (Be Brave), I thought this would be a fun project to try out and just...test out.

Let's see what happens then!

xoxo Dalia