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