Because this was a big collection, I am breaking it up in two posts. Part II will pop up in just a few days.

Red Lights Ahead…Where? is a coral red and when I posted this on Pinterest, it got a whole lot of fanfare. Rightfully so. I tend to lean towards corals that have a lot of red in them and this one is definitely up my alley. Gorgeous, isn’t she?

Pedal Faster Suzi is a pink lavender shimmer that is just so girly and cute. My anti-pink sentiments go away when glitter and shimmer is involved. I am loving the subtle neon blue shimmer this polish has.

Kiss Me On My Tulips is a hot pink and of course it’s my favorite shade out of the bunch. What’s not to love about a hot pink? This one is a beautiful butter creme that really compliments my complexion. It was a bit on the watery side though. Hence the seeping in the cuticles.

Wooden Shoe Like To Know? wasn’t one of my favorites at a quick glance but once I got it on the nails, I was lovin’ this shimmery chocolate brown. Maybe just maybe chocolate brown polish on chocolate brown skin is growing on me. Maybe.

Thanks a Windmillion is a breezy sea green and the name made me crack up. So cheesy and so cute. This shade is awesome. It looks like it should have belonged in OPI’s On Stranger Tides (Pirates of the Caribbean collection) collection. It’s such a rich and beautiful green that applied beautifully.

Vampsterdam is a deep purple that actually looks purple. It’s hard to find vampy shades that don’t look black 80% of the time.

Must Haves:
-Red Lights Ahead…Where? Especially if you don’t already have a shade like this.
-Wooden Shoe Like To Know if you love brown polishes.
-Thanks A Windmillion. It is THEE perfect hot pink.

See any you like? And how amazing is Wooden Shoe Like To Know? You can grab these babies at Ulta stores and in JC Penny Salons. Stay tuned for part II of this collection!

Amor de Lacquer….the series all about nail polish and nail care! Send your requests,
suggestions and ideas to Brittany@ClumpsOfMascara.com.

 Ugh. Calories annoy me. Seriously. Why do they have to be in EVERYTHING? Calories should really only be in things  that I can’t stand. Like pickles and olives. Yes, I’m beginning a post complaining. My bad, y’all. But what can I say? Talking about my weight kinda makes me sad. Because here’s the truth….

I will always be “watching my weight.” Yep. I am a beauty blogger and I am not ashamed to admit that I have my share of insecurities. And most of them deal with my weight.

I’ve been watching my weight for as long as I can remember. It comes in spurts. I’ll go months with being obsessed with working out and eating. Something will happen and the next thing I know, I’ve gained all of the weight I lost. It’s a tiresome cycle. But it’s one that I will be dealing with for the rest of my life. And it’s not for the shallow reasons like wanting to fit into a bikini (pshht, never happening) or trying to look “good” for someone. My health will always be an issue for me because I’ve got to keep a close eyes on my reoccurring high blood pressure. It’s stressful, y’all.

Most of last year was my “down” year. I worked out a bit but not as much as I should have. I would go weeks between running or heading to the gym. I’d tell myself that I was too busy or too tired. And because of that, I gained a whooping 20 lbs. My size 12′s got tight and I was forced into a 14. I would see a developing double chin in the mirror and that alone prevented me from doing as many YouTube videos as I should have been doing. Self-loathing ensued; an emotion that I always deal with when I notice myself gaining weight.

In the Fall of last year, I got serious about my weight loss again and so I’ve been actively going to the gym (3-6 times a week) and doing what I have to do to get back in those 12′s. I’m getting there. And I have to remember that I am human. We all backslide from time to time and I can’t always fall into these depressive slumps when I realize that I’ve gained a pound here or there.

Keeping an eye on my weight is a lifestyle for me. I can’t just eat a breadstick without knowing that I’ll HAVE to work out the next day. Yes, I’ll eat my favorite ginger snaps, but never in peace. For I know that unless I work those cookies off, the pounds will pile up. This is my life. This is the way it has to be.

I’ll never be skinny. And I’m okay with that. I don’t mind that my thighs rub together or that my DD’s require my having to wear TWO bras when I work out. I don’t hate my body. But do I want to be in optimal health so that I can be around to keep bringin’ y’all mascara reviews in 2045? Hells yah.

I know weight is a sensitive topic for most of us women. Some of us want smaller boobs. Others want bigger boobs.  Some say they’re too skinny. Others long to be skinny. Mommas feel some kind of way about their post-pregnancy bodies and many of us fall victim to the lies society tells us. Is it important to be healthy? Absolutely.

But do you have to be a size 2, 4 or 6 to be healthy and beautiful. Absolutely not.

What say you? Are you happy with you weight? Or will it always be a struggle for you too?

And I am rarely friendly when I’m in the “zone”. Which is sad because the older lady who lives across from me always manages to venture outside when I’ve got my derrière aimed at the sky to snap shots of beauty stuffs.

She’ll ask what a blog is. She questions why beauty products have gone up in price since 1962. And bless her heart, but when I’m racing against daylight, I have very little time to answer these questions.

But I chit chat with her anyway. Because one day I’ll be a 70-somethin’ year old lady and I’ll want people to entertain my questions too. And I think I read somewhere that for every second you spend being nice to the elderly, another year gets added to your life. Or something like that. Anyway – photographing this bottle of NARS Removing Water was fun! Who knew a bottle of what looks to be water could look so cool?

Have y’all seen this in Sephora yet? It launched last month and it has become a staple in my makeup removing routine. This fragrance-free and oil-free makeup remover also doubles as a toner. With cooling cucumber and refreshing chamomile, this remover does a darn good job at keeping the skin hydrated.

Oh. And it cleans thoroughly too. Sometimes using a face cleanser isn’t enough so it’s good to know I’m removing everythiiiiing.

Pro’s
-It’s fragrance-free. A total win for me.
-Great for those with drier skin. It is hydrating and feels super refreshing.
-Non-irrittating. Yay for those of us with acne!
-I like that there’s a little hole in the packaging. This helps with distribution. That way you won’t end up using TOO much.

Con’s
-A bit pricey at $28. The good news is it’ll last last for quite some time.
-Doesn’t remove eye makeup. This is best for cleaning the skin.

Do you need this? If you’re like me and find that your cleanser doesn’t do the best job at removing your concealer, foundation and blush, you’ll love this. Plus it’s NARS. Don’t they do everything beautifully?

Whatcha think? Gonna stick with your ole’ trusty makeup remover or would you give this a whirl?

This is the first time I’ve reviewed such an amazing product. Y’all know I love mascara but let’s face it…mascara can get old. From the exaggerated claims to the same 3-4 brushes, there isn’t much originality in the mascara world these days. I know lash lacquers aren’t new either. But considering this is my first time trying one, I was through the roof yo.

Price: $28 at Sephora and Sephora.com
Packaging (brush wand): 3 out of 5
Overall: 3 out of 5

What It Claims: “Formulated for application on top of mascara, Film Noir Lash Lacquer transitions your eyes from work day to cocktail hour, or vamps up your look for an extra kick of drama any time you desire. It features a unique brush applicator and latex-like formula that fans lashes out to sensational proportions.” (source)

The Truth: Well. This is interesting…

What I Loved About It: If you’ve got some time to spare, it can really help lengthen lashes.

What I Didn’t Like: If you aren’t careful enough you can clump your lashes up somethin’ serious.

Overall: Okay, simply put: if you don’t have the time to invest in putting on this lacquer, don’t even think about getting it. And I don’t mean “time” as in a minute or so. Applying this takes precision and time; two things that a lot of us getting ready for work at 7am don’t have much of. I love mascara and consider it a staple in my makeup routine. I’ve managed to apply it within 2 minutes. I thought I could apply the lacquer within that 2 minute span and uh….no. It’s just not that simple.

Take a look see at the brush…

Looks like it belongs in a nail polish bottle, uh? It is shorter and stiffer than your average nail polish bottle. I can’t say if it’s “good” or “bad” since I’ve never used any other lash lacquer. Since I have nothing to compare it with, I can only go off what the claims say it should do. That said, I ran into some trouble applying this lacquer.

Formula-wise, the consistency is much reminiscent of a nail polish. It isn’t watery but isn’t thick like your average mascara either. The brush works well with the formula and you are able to pick up a liberal amount and apply to your lashes. Applying is the tricky part. You are supposed to apply to the tips of your already coated with mascara lashes. Sounds easy in theory, right? Welllll, it’s tough in this thing called real life.

If you apply too much lacquer, the lashes clump up immediately. If you don’t apply enough, you don’t see any results. It’s hard to get comfortably in the middle and it took me several runs to get a handle on things. But when I did, I noticed a good amount of added length. But to be honest, I’d rather save the trouble and just apply a fiber mascara if I’m in need of extra length.

Even so, I do love how this lacquer is without parabens, sulfates, synthetic dyes and synthetic fragrances. Now THAT I can appreciate. Is it a necessity? Only if you really like to push it to the limit when it comes to lengthening. The price point is up there but it’ll last you for quite some time. Removal is easy too. Simply wet your fingers and gently massage away and off it comes.

Bare Lashes

Lashes after 1 coat of mascara

Lash Lacquer added to lashes

Do I recommend it?: Only if you’re really in the mood to try something different. It’s a pricey mascara product and unless you can dedicate the time to learn how to use it, you’ll be wasting your money. But it does work. I just wish it didn’t clump so easily.

Have you ever seen anything like this? Whatcha think?

That’s riiiiight! Time for another Q-Tips giveaway! I’ve already shown you how to angle your eyeshadow and assist  in a pimple’s demise all using a Q-tip. This tip is allll about cleaning up manicures.

For my nail polish lovers out there who are still struggling with getting perfect application, using Q-tips Precision Tips are GREAT at helping you clean up mistakes. Because the tip has a nice little point, dipping it in nail polish remover and sweeping it along the edges of the nails instantly cleans up nail polish that landed on your cuticles and beyond.

Easy as pie, y’all! Thanks to Q-tips, I am giving away more Sephora.com gift cards. Yaaaaay!! Two lucky Clumps of Mascara readers will each score ONE $50 Sephora.com gift card. Answer the mandatory question in the Rafflecopter (you must submit a comment to do this) and increase your chances of winning by doing the other tasks.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you run into problems using the Rafflecopter don’t hesitate to email me at Brittany@ClumpsOfMascara. Good luuuuuck!

This is a sponsored post. Q-tips® product was  provided by Unilever, the makers of Q-tips®; my tips and usage suggestions are my own.

Yay for another post from the The Lipstick League! We are a group of beauty bloggers, bound together by the desire to save the world with beauty, one post at a time!

Vampy Varnish – checks out the newest MAC collection for spring called Vera

we heart this – checks out Covergirl Natureluxe gloss balm and shares 4 easy tips for retro lovers to lighten up their look for spring.

Beauty Junkies Unite – The eyes really have it with this new collection from bareMinerals, Frill Seeker!

Clumps of Mascara – made a list of 7 Things Beauty Bloggers Should Never Do. Think she was dead on?

Gouldylox Reviews – I care. This is why I am asking, no begging you, not to do this

Krasey Beauty – shows you the bright beauty look (and outfit!) that she wore to her friend’s bridal shower.

Lipglossiping – wonders how to make our fellas smell as good as they look and shares her husband’s favourite scents.

Nouveau Cheap – Are you a fan of colorful, sparkly shadows? If so, then you’ll definitely want to check out the new Coloricon eyeshadow singles from Wet n Wild.

Pink Sith – swoons over the Spring 2012 Chanel eyeshadow quad in Ecolosion, where being subtle is not necessary.

Phyrra – cures her lemming for the Urban Decay Naked 2 collection. See how!

Question of the Week:

B says, “I want the China Glaze Hunger Games nail polish collection sooooo badly. 

What about you? Got your eyes on any beauty products?

See you next week!

~The Lipstick League

Follow me on Instagram

Welllll, Google has decided to get rid of Google Friend Connect for bloggers who DON’T use Blogger. Since I proudly ride the WordPress train, that means my GFC widget will disappear soon. If you are following Clumps that way I soooo don’t want to loose you. The good news is, you can follow me other places on the web.

• Facebook – The Clumps Facebook page just reached 4,000 LIKES! Woot!

• Twitter – Follow my ramblings about beauty and other random bits.

• Pinterest – It’s my newest obsession. I’ve got the boards to prove it.

• YouTube – I’m back to making videos!

• Google + – Follow my personal page and Clumps’s page.

• Subscribe via RSS – This will put Clumps posts in your inbox.

I think that about covers it. A boring post for a Friday, I know but yours truly has been feeling mightyyyyy lazy.

Have a great weekend!

Who knew so many of y’all would find such great use out of the 10 Tips for Aspiring Bloggers post? I don’t claim to be some kind of professional when it comes to blogging but I’m glad that my post brought about so many “OMG, that was helpful.”-type comments. Fellow blogger gals and I were griping on Twitter not too long ago about some of the annoyances we’ve seen in the blogosphere. I know, I know. Sounds so whiny, doesn’t it? The fact is, a lot of bloggers may not know the rules of the game when they are first getting started. Granted there isn’t an official “Beauty Blogging Bible”. The fact is, we’ve all made mistakes. This post is to help give some insight on what may not be so good to do if you’re a beauty blogger. Of course, use your judgement and feel free to correct me if you think I’m wrong about something.

1. Fail to cite sources.

This is the worst thing any blogger, journalist, writer, college student, hell, ANYONE can do. Failing to cite where you received your information or photos is such a no no. It’s stealing. Period. If you grab a thought that didn’t come from your own dome, cite where you received that information. It’s just the nice thing to do. Besides, if the blogosphere finds out that you’re notorious for taking content and photos without citing them, no one will want to work with you. You’ll be considered an e-thief. And nobody likes thieves. Noooooobody.

2. Completely bash a brand.

This one is relative. Some beauty bloggers only feature products that they like. Others feature products they did and DID NOT like. The choice is yours but remember this….your completely bashing a product may omit you from future opportunities. I am soooooo not of fan of Revlon’s mascaras. In my opinion, most of them suck. However, I actually really like their new lip butters and nail polishes. If I totally wrote off Revlon as a brand, I may do myself a complete disservice if they had intentions on working with me somewhere down the line. Of course, it’s your blog and you can do whatever you’d like but if you plan to be in the beauty blogosphere for quite some time, it’s best not to publicly bash a brand.

3. Leave your blog link in another blog’s comment section.

Whenever I see this, it makes me want to scream. A blog’s comment section is for engagement. Not for you to spam your blog’s website. Many bloggers consider it rude and oftentimes they will delete those comments. I get it. You have a blog and you’d like the person whose blog you’re commenting on that to visit your blog. A better option would be to send them an email introducing yourself. Because I love showing love to other bloggerss, I installed the CommentLuv plugin (WordPress) on Clumps. That way, commenters can display their blogs in the comment section in a discrete manner.

4. Assume that by becoming a beauty blogger, you will get free products.

So you’ve started a blog and now you want free products to review. Newsflash: It won’t happen overnight. If at all. Becoming a beauty blogger is not a guarantee that you’ll get products. Starting a blog for the sake of getting free products can be considered….lame. And PR folx pick up on that quicker than you may think. Your best bet is to blog, blog and keep blogging. Get your Google page rank up. Increase your blog traffic, Facebook fans and Twitter followers. Give PR folx a reason to want to work with you. They will come to you. Trust me on this.

5. Solely post press releases.

Aside from being insanely boring, a blog that only posts press releases isn’t really a blog. It’s a beauty news source and there is no creativity behind it. Oh, MAC has a new collection? Okay cool. Laura Mercier’s primer comes in a larger size? Great. Copying and pasting a press release or article time and time again will not engage your readers.

6. Assume that if you don’t live in New York City, you won’t be a successful blogger.

This couldn’t be more false. I don’t care if you live in East Idaho or Northern Wyoming, you CAN be a successful and influential blogger. And that goes for any blogger. Yes, NYC is considered a beauty mecca but don’t let not being there discourage you. Trust me – it sucks to miss out on the opportunities that seem to prevalent in NYC but look around you. Why can’t you launch events in your own city? Next month a good 15 beauty bloggers and I will be getting together for a networking event and swap meet. And I live in Orlando. Home of Mickey Mouse and tourism. Put some feelers out there. If you are passionate about blogging and beauty, chances are you can find a few others who are too. And no shade to my NYC bloggers but being a beauty blogger who is not in NYC kinda makes you stand out a bit, ya know?

7. Consider other bloggers your competition.

There is no race. Blogging is not a spectator sport in which the person who has the most comments, likes, visits, subscribers and fans wins. Some bloggers interact more on Twitter than they do on their blogs. Others get hundreds of comments per posts while others have thousands of newsletter subscribers. Don’t beat yourself up trying to figure out how to be “better” than another blogger. Can you be inspired by them? Absolutely. But whatever you do – don’t waste your creative brain power but trying to find out how to be “better”. Be you. That’s the one thing that you can do flawlessly. And before you get to thinking “OMG, she’s got 40,000 Twitter followers. She must be really cool.” consider this – there are programs out there in which you can BUY followers, subscribers and likes. I don’t use them because I find them to be inorganic and I’m not insinuating that every blogger with a ton of numbers uses them, but…I’m sure some do.

What do you think? Am I off on some of these things? Got any to add to the list? Let me know!

*Special thanks to the bloggers that helped with the development of this post!

The expert spokesperson of The Look Bag just happens to be one of my favorite celebrity makeup artists, Damone Roberts. Here’s what you should know about TheLookBag:

• It costs $10/month, no contract and that includes shipping costs. Score!
• If you like a product that you received and want to purchase, you can save 20% off of the full size products.
• A great bunch of the products are preservative-free and organic. Up my alley!
• The sample sizes are large enough for you to get an idea if you like the product or not.
• Products aren’t popular well-known brands; which can be refreshing. It gives you the chance to fall in love with new brands.

Sooo, what came in my bag?

Lots of cool stuffs! First off, I love that the sample sizes are large enough that I get a “feel” for how the product works. Too many times I’ve come across sample sizes that offer half a dollop. So yay for at least a week’s worth of product-use. The standouts for me?

I’ve never heard of the brand Cherry Jack but after trying this butter, I couldn’t Google them fast enough.

It smells decadent. Probably TOO good. But in a good way, of course. Aaaand, I got a whole bar of soap too!

This is another brand I’ve heard of but considering it’s free from bad stuffs, I will definitely be checking them out. I also received some other smaller samples.

For $10, I think TheLookBag is definitely one of the better monthly beauty subscriptions. And you definitely get way more perks than some of the other ones. $10 won’t break the bank and I feel like I’d get my money worth if I really like 2-3 of the products. So it’s definitely a good value.

Who would TheLookBag be for?

• Beauty guys and girls who love discovering new brands.
• Those looking to play around with different products without spending a ton of money.
• Folx like me who have sensitive-skin and use preservative-free products.

For $10, I can dig it. Even if you find yourself only liking one of the products, you only spent $10. Aaaaand, if all else fails, you can cancel your subscription without any penalties.

Ready to sign up? Head on over to TheLookBag.com.

Whatcha think? Are you a fan of monthly beauty subscriptions?

Pink Friday is a bubblegum pink that ain’t my kind of pink but I love how opaque and rich it is. It is definitely a Pepto Bismol shade of pink. I don’t know what it is about me and pastel pinks but man, I just can’t get down with ‘em.

Metallic Life is a charcoal sparkle that I really really like. It is opaque at 2 coats but I pushed a third just for fun. It has hexagon and micro glitters and it’s definitely a unique black nail polish. I like!

Fly is some kind of aqua, baby. Gorgeous! Just gorgeous! But have you ever seen an aqua polish that you didn’t like? Fly is no different. It is just creamy and applies beautifully. My camera couldn’t capture just how bright it is but it is awesoooome.

Did It On ‘Em reminds me so much of OPI Fiercely Fiona from the Shrek collection only it is a little lighter and isn’t as opaque. It’s still a beautiful lime and a great addition to your collection if you don’t already have something similar.

Save Me is a silver rainbow glitter that is complete with something we don’t see a lot of…..bar glitters! I actually really like how this looks solo.

It doesn’t look half bad layered on Did It On ‘Em either.

Super Bass Shatter kinda surprised me. For several reasons. For one, it was a bit surprising to see a crackle polish in this collection considering crackle polishes are like so totally last season. Aaaand, it also surprised me because it’s a darn good purple crackle polish. I love how it looks over Fly!

Must Haves:
-Did It On ‘Em. Only if you don’t have a similar shade.
-Save Me is a really cool looking glitter. Definitely one that you want to add to your collection.

This collection was nice. Somehow I expected a little “more” since Nicki Minaj’s personality and fashion sense is waaaay over the top. Still. Not the worst celebrity collaboration I’ve ever seen but not the best either. I kinda dug OPI’s Katy Perry collection over this one. Formula-wise, I didn’t have a problem with any of ‘em.

Are you a Nicki Minaj fan? Love any of those colors?

Amor de Lacquer….the series all about nail polish and nail care! Send your requests,
suggestions and ideas to Brittany@ClumpsOfMascara.com.