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5 Steps to Creating an Easy Floral Nail Art Design (Tutorial)

August 22, 2014 Katie Marie 9 Comments

Greetings! Today I’m really excited to bring to you a nail art tutorial. I was really nervous about presenting this — I don’t pretend to be good at doing manicures (…if you saw some of my designs, you would agree!) But I do enjoy trying out different designs on my nails. And I thought it’d be fun to share some of the recreations on here with you — my awesome followers!

Don’t worry about the difficulty of this tutorial — it’s a very easy to do nail art design that takes almost no time at all!

And just as a disclaimer, if I learned the particular design from anyone, I’ll be sure to let you all know so that you can also learn from the pro. 😉

I am not sure how frequently I will post these…maybe once a month, or every few months. I’m still not really sure. Let me know in the comments below if you’d like to see a nail art tutorial on a regular basis!

For my first tutorial, I thought it’d be best to start with something easy and simple (…yes, I like to play it safe). And my absolute favorite way to dress up any manicure is by adding a simple flower in the corner. It doesn’t take long, it doesn’t take a professional, and it just adds something special to your nails.

So let’s dive right in!

Easy Nail Art for Beginners

Step 1: Apply Basecoat

There are many reasons to use a basecoat each time you paint your nails — the two biggest being that it protects your nails from getting dyed by the polish color and it helps your manicure last longer. Here I am just using Orly’s Bonder Rubberized Basecoat. I’ve been enjoying this product, as it really does help my manicures to last longer before it starts to chip!

Step 2: Apply Nail Polish

If you’ve been following me for a while, than you know my style tends to stray to the darker or more neutral brown shades. So for my nail polish color I chose OPI’s Peace & Love & OPI. One coat is pretty decent and opaque…but I like my nail polish colors to be really rich, so….

Yep, I added another coat. If your polish is thicker or you like it kind of sheer, than skip this step. 🙂 But for me, I always do 2 coats. Using the same nail polish color as before, of course (….that was a no brainer, really Katie?! :-/)

A tip for when you paint your nails — allow at least 5 minutes (10 is great) between each coat (including basecoat and topcoat). This gives the layers time to dry so that the overall manicure doesn’t take as long to dry and you don’t run the chance of smudging it accidentally hours after you finish. 🙂

Okay, for this next part you’re going to need a white polish, such as Orly French Tips
(or whatever color you want your flowers to be) and a dotting tool. If you don’t have this type of tool, no worries — you can just use a bobby pin and toothpick. I will explain, in a moment, when to use them. 🙂

Step 3: Apply 5 Dots in a Circle

I use the large end of my dotting tool to apply these dots to the right corner of my nails. If you do not have a dotting tool, use a bobby pin and you will get the same results. 🙂 Allow to set for 5 seconds.

Step 4: Make a Dash in the Dots

Here is when I use the smaller side of my dotting tool (or toothpick, if I didn’t have this on hand). I lightly press the tool (or toothpick) into the center of one of the dots, and then gently drag it into the center of the circle.

BAM — you have your first petal!

Now you just repeat that process to all the petals.

And, *POOF*, you have a flower on your nail now! It looks so 2 dimensional when you just glance at your nails.

Depending on what you like, you can just have a flower on one nail or all your nails. Normally, I just do the flowers on the ring
finger of both hands. But for this tutorial, I decided to do it on all
my nails.

It’s up to you!

Step 5: Apply Topcoat

Do not forget to apply a topcoat over your manicure. After all that hard word (which, actually, was really easy…) you do NOT want your design to start chipping or peeling off the next day.

Here I am using Orly Won’t Chip Resistant Topcoat
(and I know I sound like I am sponsored by ORLY….but I’m not! I promise! I just like their stuff, and I have it on hand, and I want to use it ;-). Personally, I like a thicker, more gel-like topcoat, but this does do a decent job.

And You’re Done!

That’s all there is to this easy nail art! It’s a really fun way to spice up your nail color and takes almost no time!

If you give this a try, I’d love it if you’d tag me and hashtag #LadyKaty92_Nails on any of my social medias!

I hope you all enjoyed this nail tutorial. I know it isn’t rocket science, but I’ve frequently been asked how I create these flowers on my nails, so I thought to share. As you can see, it’s a really easy nail art designs that anyone can pull off.

Please be patient with me as I learn how to take pictures in order to post a tutorial. It was more tricky than I had expected, but I hope my next nail art tutorial will be better!

Until next time!

Celebrating with a Giveaway from LORAC

August 20, 2014 Katie Marie 15 Comments

In celebration of rebranding my blog, LORAC was kind enough to send me a few of their new lipsticks to try out and give away to one of my awesome subscribers!

The lipsticks they sent are from their newly-released PRO Matte Lip Color pencil line. I was really intrigued when I read about these lipsticks, as they have a matte finish (I prefer that over shimmery) and come in a twist-up tube as opposed to a typical lipstick bullet. This really goes well with their whole “Pro-To-Go” theme — twisting up this skinny tube of lipstick makes applying it a dream!

But I’m getting a bit ahead of myself. Let’s take a closer look at the product line before we go on.

About LORAC PRO Matte Lip Color:

Go PRO with LORAC PRO Matte Lip Color! This velvety-smooth, matte lip
color is infused with anti-aging antioxidants of Acai Berry,
Pomegranate, Grape Seed Extract and Vitamins C and E to help nourish and
protect your lips. The PRO tip hugs the curves of your lips with
precision and control while the weightless, PRO formula easily glides on
with a long-lasting, matte finish. PRO Matte Lip Color comes in an
array of highly-pigmented, buildable, rich colors from natural nudes to
vibrant hues for a modern, matte lip in any shade you desire.

So when I received these products, as per the usual, I popped them out of their boxes and swatched it. LORAC sent me the color Mauve — a really beautiful matte color!

Now, I’ve only had the opportunity to wear this lip color once, so this post will not be my review of the product. That will come later. 🙂 But so far, just from the swatch and wearing it once, I am really loving this product!

I think my favorite aspect is that it’s really thin and twists up, which makes applying this to my lips really easy. For me, easier than a regular lipstick bullet.

So, if you would like to win your own LORAC PRO Matte Lip Color…now is your chance! 🙂

Rules: Since this giveaway is a celebration of rebranding my blog from Legacy of a Writer to From My Vanity, it’s going to be all about connecting with my updated social media handles! This giveaway is exclusive to GFC followers of my blog — and if you aren’t a follower yet, you can do it right now at the top, right side of my blog. 🙂 USA entries, only. If you are younger than 18, please get your parents permission, as I will need to know your mailing address. This giveaway will run for 3 weeks and end at midnight on September 10th, 2014.

So, now that that’s all over, enter away!! 😀

UPDATE: To read my review on the LORAC Pro Matte Lip Color, click here.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I
received one or more of the products mentioned above for free from LORAC. Regardless, I only recommend
products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my
readers.

One Direction’s Up All Night is a hit for the Bold Fans! (First Impression Review)

August 14, 2014 Katie Marie Leave a Comment

The Looks Collection comprises three keepsake tins inspired by One
Direction’s globe-conquering albums, Up All Night, Take Me
Home and the latest chart topper, Midnight Memories.

Each tin
comes complete with everything you need to show off your personality.
Are you a rock n roll girl, a fun party girl or the girl next door?
We have just the right collection for you and illustrations to help show
you just how to get your perfect look.

All your beauty essentials are
housed in a LIMITED EDITION collectable keepsake tin with removable
sleeve, complete with ONE DIRECTION doodle stencils to decorate your
keepsake tin and make it uniquely your own!

* * I apologize, in advance, for the length of this post. But there are a lot of products in One Direction’s Limited Edition makeup collection and I wanted to remain true to my blog and be thorough with my initial thoughts on these products. * *

My First Impression Review:

4+1 Eye Shadow Palette:
Being an eyeshadow junkie myself, the One Direction Eyeshadow Palette was the first thing I took out and played around with. If you are a fan of One Direction, than the neatest thing about this palette is that each of the colors are named after one of their songs. So the pink shade is More Than This, the mint color is Save You Tonight, and the pretty taupe crease color is Gotta Be You. And the last two darker, sparkly colors in the palette are Another World and Up All Night.

None of the colors are matte. The pink and taupe aren’t exactly sparkly, but they do come off with a satin finish. Which isn’t bad, but personally I love my matte colors. The shade in the middle (darkest blue, Up All Night, is actually (surprisingly) a cream eyeshadow, and the chunky sparkly is only on the top layer. Once I swatched it a couple times, the chunky glitter was pretty much gone and all that was left was a shimmery creamy eyeshadow. Which I thought was better, as I didn’t like the chunky glitter at all. It was very patchy.

I always swatch the shadows on my arm to test them out before using them on my eyes. As you can see in the pictures below, the eyeshadows are actually pretty pigmented and came off fairly well on my arm.

The two blues, obviously, are the worst out of the lot — but the other three are really pretty! I love the taupe color and like using the mint as a pop of color. The colors don’t blend well, which is unfortunate, but they look well when placed with a shader brush or your finger. And if I use the pink very lightly, it works well to highlight my browbone and inner corner.

“Little Black Dress” Mascara:
For my personal needs, I am content with the length of my lashes, and typically just look for a mascara that will thicken and lengthen them even more. With One Direction’s Little Black Dress Volumizing Mascara, I felt it did a fantastic job at giving me longer, natural looking lashes.

So for me, personally, I didn’t see much volume happening. Maybe a little bit, but not at the extent that I like. 🙂 Thought it gave very nice length and it does have a dark, black formula. The consistency of the mascara is a very dry formula. I think I prefer more wet, but I didn’t mind this one being so dry.

All in all, while I don’t think it gave me the volume I like, it was lengthening and I like using the Little Black Dress Mascara on an every day basis for a natural look.

“Na Na Na” Nail Polish:
If you like glittery nail polish, than Na Na Na is going to be right up your alley! It’s a really pretty iridescence bluish/green.

The polish is rather thin, so it takes several coats in order to build up the color and coverage on your hails. But I rather like it. It dries quickly and lasts for several days without chipping. All in all a very nice nail polish to add to my collection.

“Taken” Lipgloss:
If you like bright colors, than pull up a chair — because One Direction’s lip products are exactly that!

Taken is a vibrant, neon pink that has plenty of sparkles. As you can see from my swatch below, it is rather pigmented for a sparkly lipgloss (in my experience, often all you can see is the sparkle, and no color).

It goes on a little bit shearer than what you can see in the swatch above. But it still has plenty of color in it on the lips. While I have never been the type to wear bright, bold colors…but I might wear this one on certain days. 🙂

“I Should Have Kissed You” Lipstick:
Now this lipstick is bright! When I first tried it, I kind of startled myself in the mirror.

I don’t think this color compliment my skin tone, personally, but that doesn’t mean you might not love it. 🙂 It is a very matte lipstick, and because of this it can be pretty drying. But I made sure to moisturize my lips very well before applying the lipstick.

The color is very pigmented and goes on great. Because it’s matte, it stays put really well. Even after I have eaten. While some of it does come off, of course, the color is still there and noticeable.

“Stand Up” Eye & Body Crayon:
Out of all the products in this collection, I think Stand Up was the one that I was the least impressed with. I suppose it would work well as a body crayon, to use with the Doodle Stencils that come in this collection. But I wasn’t really pleased when I used it on my eyes.

The color is not very vibrant and it doesn’t really set. I applied the swatch (below) to my arm, and after 30 minutes or so tried to see if it would hold up to being rubbed on lightly. And it all came right off. There was a hint of color on my arm — as if it stained the skin — but that was about it.

For me, personally, I constantly have a problem with colors creasing on my oily lids, so I didn’t even want to try out as I knew it wouldn’t last. But I did use it in my waterline the other day, and it held up rather well.

Doodle Stencils:
The final product that was included (as a bonus, I just discovered) in the Up All Night Limited Edition Makeup Collection. Personally, I haven’t used it — but for fans of One Direction I have no doubt they will be excited to try out these stencils on their personal items.

Apparently, from what I read about these stencils, you can use them with the body crayon on your own body or grab a marker and decorate your bags, purses, or paper.

Final Thoughts:

All in all, the makeup in Up All Night are really nice quality. The collection has it’s pros and cons, but for the better part of the collection they are pros. And if you would wear these colors, than this is a collection totally worth getting! Especially if you are a One Direction fans — that’s a no brainer, of course. 🙂

Question for My Readers: Are you a One Direction’s fan? What’s your favorite song by them?

I
received one or more of the products mentioned above from Markwins, through BrandBacker. Regardless, I only share information that I think will be useful for my readers and I only recommend
products I have personally used.

I only share information that I think will be useful for my
readers and I only recommend
products I have personally used. – See more at: https://frommyvanity.com/#sthash.V98n09u8.dpuf

Welcome to ‘From My Vanity’!

August 11, 2014 Katie Marie 4 Comments

I am so excited to announce to you the new face of my blog! It’s kind of sad to let go and say goodbye to “Legacy of a Writer”, but I am SO excited to continue the adventure with “From My Vanity”. 😀

Thank you all SO much for the title suggestions you gave me during the giveaway. There were so many good ones! If you could ask my family, they would confirm the fact that I wavered between so many of them for a long time!

But, From My Vanity finally won out.

I made the grand transition this morning and while there are still a few quirks I need to iron out (like make a blog button and get the sidebars in order), the blog facelift is pretty much complete.

I have updated my About Me and Policies & Disclosure page — and I’ve also added another page, Advertising/PR. Go check them all out and let me know what you think! Leave it in the comments below this post — for some reason I can’t get the comments to work on my pages. But I’ll be working on that!

I also had to update my Twitter and Facebook accounts. So if you are following me on Twitter, my handle is now @ladykaty92. And on Facebook, I will eventually be closing out the one you have ‘liked’, so please visit my new page and ‘like’ it at www.facebook.com/ladykaty92.

Those are the only two social media accounts that have been changed so far. Instagram and Pinterest will stay the same, and I am in the process of changing Bloglovin’. I will keep you posted on that. 🙂

I hope you all like the new look! Share it on your social media, if you do! Let’s get some more beauty and fashion lovers to join and keep the conversations on here lively. 😀

I’ll be back on Wednesday with a new post. See you then!

The Suggestions are In and Now the Work Begins (Blog Renaming)

August 4, 2014 Katie Marie Leave a Comment

Before I get into today’s post, let me first start off by saying how amazing you all are! On my “I’m Renaming the Blog! (Details Below)” post, the suggestions and recommendations were just pouring in the whole week! I received over 100 comments — thank you all so much for sharing your suggestions with me! They were so creative and gave me lots of ideas that I would never have thought of on my own.

A peak at my notepad filled with your suggestions!

Since there were SO many awesome suggestions, it’s going to take me a little while to think through them all and decide. But over the next few days I’ll start making changing on the blog! The first one being, of course, changing the url and name. It’ll probably take me a few days to get everything ironed out and looking well. During the process, though, I would love to hear what you all are thinking of the changes!

If you check out my blog and see some of the new changes over the next few days, feel free to leave me a comment on this post below, telling me what you think of it.

Whenever I am completely done with the facelift of my blog, I’ll be back with another post explaining all the changes — and also give you a sneak peak on what kind of posts to expect from me in the future. 😀

I’m so excited about this, you guys! Thank you all so much for your support! 😀

One Direction Is Coming Out with Their Own Makeup Line (Giveaway)

July 30, 2014 Katie Marie Leave a Comment

Do I have any One Direction fans on here??

Well, then get excited!

The Big News:

One Direction has teamed up with Markwins (who’s brands includes some lines that I love — such as Wet n Wild and Physicians Formula!) to come out with their own limited edition prestige makeup line!

This new range of makeup and cosmetic products celebrates youth, style, and
the uninhibited lifestyle of a new generation. Celebrating life with
bold shades, unique formulae and infused with limited edition
collectable packaging, Makeup from One Direction is fun, bold, often
irreverent, with a touch of cheeky mischievousness.

The best part? They’re going to be offered at prices
that every girl and woman can afford.

More About the Brand:

The irreverent attitude and colorful style of a new generation takes on a
glamorous form in Makeup by One Direction. The world’s biggest pop band
debuts a limited-edition cosmetics collection by Markwins
International, launching mid-August 2014 at Macy’s and select other
major retailers worldwide.

Much like the One Direction band members themselves, this prestige
makeup line is fun, bold and a tad mischievous, featuring vivid shades,
premium formulas and chic, collectible packaging and components.

About The Looks Collection:

“The Looks Collection” comprises three keepsake tins inspired by One
Direction’s globe-conquering albums, “Up All Night, “Take Me Home” and
the latest chart topper, ‘Midnight Memories.” Each tin comes complete
with everything you need to show off your personality. Are you a rock n’
roll girl, a fun party girl or the girl next door? We have just the
right collection for you and illustrations to help show you just how to
get your perfect look. All your beauty essentials are housed in a
LIMITED EDITION collectable keepsake tin with removable sleeve, complete
with ONE DIRECTION doodle stencils to decorate your keepsake tin and
make it uniquely your own!

Details on the 3 Looks Collection tins: http://bit.ly/1DMakeupLooksCollection

US Release Dates:

Macy’s – August 11th
Stage Stores – August 25th
Dillards – August 25th
Beauty Brands – August 25th
Lord and Taylor – August 25th

Follow them on Facebook to stay up to date on more release dates: http://www.facebook.com/MakeupbyOneDirection

The Giveaway:

I am really, really excited to be able to share this giveaway with you all, my awesome followers! The rules are simple, so just follow them below and I hope you win! 🙂

If for any reason, the giveaway form isn’t showing up in this post, you can go here to enter the giveaway.

More Exciting News:

I just received one of The Look Collections in the mail, and am so excited to start testing them out! So be on the lookout for my review of all of the products in the coming weeks!

I
received one or more of the products mentioned above for free from Markwins, sponsored through BrandBacker. Regardless, I only recommend
products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my
readers.

I’m Renaming the Blog! (Details Below :-)

July 28, 2014 Katie Marie 132 Comments

I feel like I haven’t posted in forever! But, while I haven’t been posting, I have been working behind the scenes! I’ve got some exciting posts planned for this blog, but first — as you already know from the title of this post — I have some big news to share.

I will be renaming — or rebranding — this blog! 🙂

I’m sure you are full of questions, so I will try my best to answer them thoroughly in this post. But if I have missed a question, please leave it in the comments below and I’ll answer it. 🙂

Why Am I Renaming the Blog?

There are several reasons for this. The biggest one, though, is that the niche for my blog has changed drastically in the past year. When I decided on the name Legacy of a Writer, I was exclusively devoted to reviewing books. About a year ago, however, my schedule started to prohibit my ability to read often. So I started blogging about other stuff — other products, games, makeup, and skincare. As I went through Cosmetology school, I really grew a passion and enthusiasm for makeup.

With my love for beauty and a desire to bring you guys more reviews and tutorials on makeup, I feel my blog title isn’t really accurate anymore. I don’t want to confuse my readers or the companies I work with by saying I blog about beauty and my title suggests reading.

Another big reason for changing my blog — and more specifically my URL — is because I recently got married and no longer have my maiden name. I am not really sure what I was thinking when I picked my maiden name as my blog URL — *palms forehead* — ah well, who knows! But since I am going to be changing my blog name, I thought it was a good time to change the URL as well. 🙂

Does that make sense? If you’ve become a recent beauty follower, let me know if you had similar thoughts when you subscribed to my blog. Did it confuse you? Make you wonder?

Will the Changes Effect My Followers?

No. I’ve been doing a lot of research and reading up on this (one of the reasons I’ve been absent for so long), and I believe I can change it without it effecting you at all. 🙂

Of course, I will have a new website URL, so you would need to update any bookmarks you have set up…or just remember the new URL. 🙂 But if you’re a follower of my blog, you should still remain a follower of this blog and get the email subscriptions (if you are signed up for that).

What Will the New Blog Name Be?

That is where you come in — my awesome followers! 🙂

I have a couple ideas in my head for a blog name, but none that stand out from the rest. So I want to make you all a part of this transition! Give me some ideas for a blog name. Tell me what you think my blog name should be!

My blog objective will be to bring you reviews, tutorials, and hauls of skincare, makeup, and other products. These will be things that I would personally use in my own skincare or makeup routine — so, reviews to you that are from my ‘vanity’ or ‘beauty room’, so to speak. 🙂

So please leave your comments! If you have just one suggestion for my blog name, or if you have a hundred suggestions, leave them below! 🙂

There’s a Giveaway Going On?

Yep! I thought this would be a fun way to celebrate my announcement! As usual, all you have to do is enter in the Rafflecopter form below. But don’t wait — this giveaway ends in one week! Rules for this giveaway are at the bottom of the form — in short, though, USA only, must be a follower, and must be 18 years or older. 🙂 The giveaway form will close on Sunday, August 3rd, at midnight.

What’s the prize? Well, it’s an assortment of makeup! They are all full size products (except for the fragrance) that are brand new. I originally swatched the NYX eyeshadow palette, but it’s in perfect condition and has been disinfected, so all good!

I’ve listed all the products in the form below, but the total value of this makeup bundle comes to around $70! (I don’t know the exact price, because two products are not sold in the US.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks for all your love and support! I’m really excited to be rebranding my blog and renaming it. I can’t wait to share my passion with you all! 🙂 Thanks for being such an awesome group of followers! I love reading your comments!