Brain Mash and My Home :D

Hellllllllllo my lovelies. I am feeling like I am in a very random mood today so I thought I would just talk about some random things. Maybe a little update on my life. I'm apologizing ahead of time because this is going to be lots of words and not a lot of pics but you can skip this entry if you like. :)

I feel like I've been posting too many pics lately and some random people seem to think I'm narcissistic for it (if they just look at the pics and don't read the words I write). So I think I'll write more, or at least do a few more heart-to-heart entries since I feel like people really connect to those and that's what really means a lot to me.

I was talking with my friend Steph recently about how it's a little strange not knowing who is reading your blogs. I mean, there are so many people out there who might stumble upon your site and plenty of trolls who just go around posting negative comments here and there. It makes me wonder WHY. Is there any reason? Do these people think they will actually accomplish a change when they tell you cruel things or is there really no altruistic reason? It's completely taking for granted that the sliver of a life the blogger shows you is actually a real person underneath. I suppose I don't understand simply because I cannot empathize with these people. The thought has never crossed my mind to go to someone else's site and post something outright mean. I'm just not that type of person.

Maybe I am naive for wanting to simply spread love and knowledge of what minuscule information I know, to make people feel better about themselves. Isn't that what we all want? Just to feel better about ourselves? I was accused of "loving [my]self" when I post lots of pics under the guise of showing products. It's ironic, because in a way that's kind of my mantra. LOVE YOURSELF. Everyone should love themselves because it's not about the makeup or the clothes, it's how you FEEL when you put on the makeup and clothes. The twisted part is that narcissism itself comes from trying to make up for a self-loathing, which I don't honestly feel I fit the description of. I'm not saying I'm perfect, I'm simply saying that I try to accept myself as a flawed individual and I don't feel like I have to "make up" for that. It's human. It's beautiful.

And for that matter, I am still weirded out by seeing a lot of my own face. Isn't everyone? Doesn't everyone look at their own pics and see the flaws glaring out at them even if others don't see it? But I feel like I have to do products justice, especially if they are the products of my friends so in those cases I try to take the best pics I can (which may or may not work out ;). Of course I deal with self-consciousness and uncomfortability but I try not to let that get in the way of my joy of life and who I am as a person.

Okay, now that you had a little peek at what's been on my brain lately, I wanted to give you a look into my home. I live in a little apartment with my husband and since there is a strong possibility that we may be moving soon, I thought I would post some pics. Now this is a little warning: My apartment is rarely this clean. XD But she is mine (well, temporarily) and I love her. Hehe.

Here is our living area. Hubby's favorite tv which we got a ridiculous deal on and split the cost of even before we were married! And my leather couches that my mom found for a great deal on Craigslist. (anyone notice the 2 domokuns sitting in front of the tv? ;)


Next to that is our little dining area. I love that our table expands so we can have friends and family over for dinner. :D In the right corner is an engagement pic that I STILL haven't gotten framed. Lol, lazy.


To the right is our little kitchen. A bit cluttered since we were cooking when I took this pic, but it's cozy. In the middle are his and hers little plush ninja figures that my friend Hannah made for me and Hubs, hanging from our cabinet. ^^


Hubs is probably telling me not to take a pic. LOL. I love that blue shark oven mitt to the left of the stove! Hubs does a hilarious shark puppet show. I treat my kitchen like my clothes. The things in it should actively make you happy. :D


And here is a look from the front door. A few Korean-inspired decorative touches, but mostly young, classy, and cozy.



Since all the other rooms are crazy right now I will leave that for another day. But I hope you enjoyed this very informative tour of the From Head To Toe household. \o/

Have a great weekend everybody! I'm going to go put together some packages that I've been procrastinating on sending now. Dears who are expecting packages, I have not forgotten about you! <3

Love you guys and I'll be back with a real tutorial soon. ;)

xoxo

New Layout and DSK K-Drama Necklaces!

Hey hey everybody! As you can see, I've had a new layout up the last few days. I've mostly worked the kinks out and fixed some of the pesky problems with the old layout such as the crazy long page and comment problems. I know this looks very similar to the old one, but TRUST ME it is a completely different format than before. I've actually moved everything onto the blogger layout and off of my domain! This is why I was having so many loading issues the last couple of days. I still think Google is blocking my site from certain ISP addresses...Boo. I know I must sound like Charlie Brown's teacher right now though! *wah-wah wah wah* Hopefully, that will just resolve itself soon. ;)

I really like reflecting the mood of the layout to the seasons and how I'm feeling. Green and yellow for Spring and Summer, pink and purple for Fall and Winter... I'm sure I'll have to do a bigger layout change sometime in the near future (with help, hopefully!) but for now I think this'll work. I was actually going to wait and do a big change soon, but the site was acting up so while fixing it I just thought OH WELL why not just make a new layout now? I live such a dangerous and spontaneous life. Ha. :P

Anyway, today I have some super fun things to share with you. Jewelry!!! Everyone who loves jewelry raise your hand. Everyone did? Okay, good!

WARNING, SUPER PIC HEAVY!!!


I think one of the easiest ways to spice up a simple look is to add some nice bling like a sparkly necklace. It's SO simple but it does make a big difference. I recently got these DSK Jewelry necklaces from her K-Drama series and they are perfect for matching with everyday clothes.

Autumn Story Necklace



K-Drama Snowflake Necklace


Here's me being a thug with the Autumn Story necklace. It's just SO CUTE. I think it has more charm than most necklaces, don't you think?


I tried to be all artistic. This is with Maybelline Pink Please lipstick and Dior lipgloss in Clutch Pink 517. My nails (a friend's OPI, not sure on the color) match my lips!!! XD




You can really see the color and sparkle here. I don't own any other necklaces this color, and it looks so nice as a pop of Fall color!


Me and my silly hat. It was getting colder outside, DON'T JUDGE ME! (aka, bad hair day)


See how it pops even from far away? I love it! (the necklace, not the hat >.<)


This is my thug button.


And here is my gorgeous snowflake necklace on an 18" chain. This crystal is foiled in the back so it REALLY SPARKLES!


Wearing it with my Moonlight Heart necklace. The Snowflake reflects blue and gold while the Moonlight reflects blue-purple.


Looks fun together, I think! It matches my eye makeup. I love unintentional matching, can you tell? :D


And here is my eye look for the day. I used the Ben Nye Palette with the green, blue, and yellow colors. Lashes were from Sugar Cosmetics, really nice and natural-looking!


And here is everyone's favorite thing, BATHROOM PICS! Makeup, accessories, and clothes always look so different in the bathroom. :P


My outfit. Much more weekend-casual than my usual outfits. I'm all bundled up for the snowy weather. ^.^

Cobra Starship Hoodie - American Apparel printed hoodie bought (and signed! :D) at concert, Layering tanks - Old Navy, Waffle long-sleeve shirt - Forever 21, Acid-wash jeans - PacSun, Sweater boots - Stevies



Okay, that's all I have for you guys today. If you want, you can head on over to vote in The Body Shop's vlogger holiday look competition for one final day. Voting ends tomorrow and, well, I hadn't even considered the possibility of winning. I never want to jump the gun and try to hope for the best and expect the worst but I have been so blown away in shock and awe at the support that I've received through my first competition so far. I still can't even believe it. Not to say that I will win, but if that possibility occurs, I don't even know what I'd do with myself. Cry, probably. We'll see what the final results are in a couple days!

Now that I have rendered myself speechless, I think I will go join Hubs in a rousing game of Lego Rock Band. \o/

Are you guys in Thanksgiving thankful mode yet? I am!!!

Love you all! Thank you!

<3

Under Construction

Sorry guys, the website is temporarily going to be under construction for a bit. I appreciate your patience. :)

Kiss Acrylic Glitter Nails Kit Tutorial & Review

I've got to say, today has been just a lovely day. It's been pouring cats and dogs! Usually I'm strongly affected by the weather and rainy days get me down, but this morning was spent kicking back with my husband while watching UP on blu-ray including all of the extra features. We cuddled in our PJ's under some blankets, and it really felt like having a slumber party from junior high except everyday and with my best (hubby) friend. :D



It was sooo well made! Beautiful visually and all the background documentaries are very interesting so I recommend watching it if you get the chance.

On another random note, you may have noticed that I added a video feature on my side bar. I wanted to share my love of music with you all but don't like music that automatically starts when you load a blog since it always scares me when I don't expect it. Instead, I've made it an option that you can click to play to hear what I've been listening to lately. ;)

Ok, just thought I would fill you in on my day since it was really nice. ^^ Now onto business. Today I have a video review for you on the Kiss Acrylic Glitter Kit. This is an item that was sent to me from Kiss (including lots of other goodies I'll show you soon) and I believe it is a brand new product. I've had lots and lots of questions asking about my nails from my recent videos and this is what I used to achieve this look.



Here is the packaging. On the cover you can see two exemplified nail looks that are possible with this kit (this one is different than in the video).


I prepped my nails before the application. Trim your nails (I recommend trimming shorter than this!) and use the included emery board to rough up the nails so the acrylic has something to grip on to. You may want to also wash your hands so the powder from buffing your nails is removed. Oh, and make sure you are in a well-ventilated area as the chemical smell is enough to knock someone out.


Then, find the acrylic tips that best match your nails, numbered by size. I know, freakin' sexy right? You can file the sides of the tips to fit your nail perfectly. Then, use the included glue to glue on the tips starting from the tip of your nail and pressing down to the middle. Do not let ANY bubbles in, as this can trap water and bacteria.


Next, clip each nail tip and file to the desired shape. I like mine pretty short. Also file down the glued edge of the tips so it lays smoother with your natural nail.


This is the tricky part. I made two wells of acrylic powder: 1 plain and 1 mixed with pink glitter. Apply the plain acrylic powder using the included brush with the acrylic liquid to the base of the nail, then do the same to the tips with the glitter mix. Drag the glitter downward to create a gradient.


The surface should seem matte and semi-smooth, but you want it glassy so you need to buff for your life. I find those 4-sided buffer blocks to be very useful, and also a husband who is willing to help buff your dominant hand. ;)


Now, for the final super-gloss, add a clear topcoat. I used Seche Vite, my HG top coat.


I know you can't really tell in my photos, but the pink glitter in my set was also holographic, meaning it reflects in rainbow colors. o_0 Sooo mesmerizing! I wore these for over 4 weeks and did not get sick of them. I was honestly impressed. Not to mention it looks like expensive nails, right? ;)



I don't know if it's just me but I get so bored of everyone's plain white acrylic tips. This is a much more unique option that I got a lot of compliments on it not just because it's glittery but because it's so pretty without screaming in your face. The pink is demure enough to not look trashy (in my opinion) and the natural nail color still shows through which I think looks classy. Since I easily get bored of nail colors, I'm not even an artificial nail kind of gal but I would totally try this again.

Final look in perspective. :)


Oh, by the way, just wanted to also make abundantly clear that Kiss didn't pay me any cash monies for this review and didn't make a good review mandatory. Also, I have absolutely no nail tech training so I apologize if I did this wrong and I just tried my best. :)

Hope this helped anyone considering a DIY acrylic nail kit! Kind of a pain in the butt to apply and remove, but it can have nice results for a long time compared to polish.

I think that about wraps up this review but I just wanted to throw in a little reminder to please vote in The Body Shop's vlogger holiday look competition which features my Snowy Ice Princess tutorial. You can vote for whomever you want, but of course I always appreciate any votes! ^.^

Hope you guys had a great weekend and have a nice start of the upcoming week!