BEAUTY: Milani Everyday Eyes Palette Review

Milani Everyday Eyes Palette in Bare Necessities

Maybe this is just me, but I haven't heard much chatter around the internet about these new-ish eyeshadow palettes from Milani called Everyday Eyes Powder Eyeshadow Collection. That could be attributed to the less-than-catchy name, but it definitely can't be attributed to the quality of the product. This thing is amazing. 

I'm not one to get the vapors from a neutral palette, but sometimes a girl needs a basic collection in her stash. Looking for an affordable option, I found this guy, and what was supposed to be an occasional necessity became a daily workhorse.

The Basics: You get six shadows, a dual-ended brush and a handy set of instructions on the back of the palette, if you need a reference (see above). Each shadow serves a purpose and is labeled as such, like 'base' and 'crease' but you can, and should, use them in any combo you see fit.

Why I Love It

• The color payoff is great, and not just great for drugstore eyeshadow - legitimately great
• It's universal - most, if not all, of these shades will work on a variety of skin tones
• The texture is buttery and smooth
• Such an easy go-to eye look - goes with everything and simple to apply
• Great for traveling/throwing in a bag
• The brush is actually useable! 
• The base shade is worth the price alone - shimmery and beautiful as a highlight
• The packaging is mirrored gold, plus it snaps closed securely

Milani Everyday Eyes Eyeshadow Palette in natural lighting

Milani Everyday Eyes Eyeshadow in Bare Necessities Swatches L to R: Base, Contour, Lid, Crease, Specialty, Liner

Why You Need It

• It's about $10 at the drugstore and you know it'll be on sale (and if not, it will be soon)
• It'll make your life easier, at least in a quick-makeup-look kinda way
• Hey, maybe you don't! But if you need/want a neutral palette this one will satisfy you!
• It also comes in five other color schemes, including vivid brights
• You'll wear that shimmery base shade in one way or another every damn day

Have you ever tried the Everyday Eyes palette? What's your favorite drugstore eyeshadow? What shimmery eyeshadows are you loving?

BEAUTY: Hot Dog Nail Art Tutorial

I'm not going to say that summer is almost over because, besides being trite, you really don't need to hear that! Plus, it's not technically true - summer goes through most of September! Yeah, yeah, yeah - Labor Day is considered the unofficial death knell of your beach days and cookout nights, but instead of mourning the season that has not yet left us, let's celebrate the party-centric summer weekend that is currently upon us.

What says summer more than a plump little hot dog? You're correct; the answer is nothing. Full disclosure, I have no interest in actually eating a hot dog, though I encourage you to do whatever you want pretty much all the time. Wearing a hot dog manicure, however? Now, that's a different story. I'M INTO IT. Would you care to get into it, as well?

WHAT YOU NEED

+ Light Tan Nail Polish {Wet n Wild Yo Soy}

+ Bright Red Nail Polish {Revlon Fearless}

+ Yellow Nail Polish {Butter London Pimms}

+ Top Coat {Sally Hansen Insta-Dri}

+ Nail Art Brush {optional}

HOW TO DO IT

Start by painting 1-2 coats of the light tan nail polish, enough to make it opaque.

Paint a single stripe down the center of each nail with the red polish.

This is optional, but I find it easier to do detail work with a nail art brush. I like to put a big drop of nail polish on a surface like a plastic cup (it helps to cut the sides down short) or a paper plate. That way you can dip the brush easily as needed.

Add a yellow squiggle down the middle of the red stripe in a mustard-like fashion.

Try not to chomp on those fingers!

If you're interested in this pop art hot dog ring, it can be yours! Available in my Etsy shop here. :)

If you wanna get crazy (and I mean CRAY-ZEE) you could also add some green dots around the edges of the red stripe to look like relish, like I did here on my ring finger. Maybe add some white dots to look like onion? I don't know - they're your hot dogs!

This is some pretty easy nail art, yes? I know a lot of people back away slowly from nail art tutorials because they're convinced they can't do it. Sure, a lot of nail art takes some skill and/or practice, but this hot dog nail art is very approachable. Sometimes it's fun to go all out painting little details, and sometimes you just want to slap on some stripes and celebrate the summer. 

How are you celebrating this non-ending of summer? Have you ever worn any food themed nail art before? Do you kind of wish this was hamburger nail art instead? It almost was!