Nail Trend: Sheer/Nude Nails

Hello, fellow regular girls!
There has been a trend floating around this spring for nails and I have been thoroughly enjoying it. This trend is sheer/nude high-shine nails. People have been wearing this trend especially with long nails with rounded tips.

Having the fair skin that I do, I struggled finding a sheer/nude that worked for me without making me look like a dead person (I will not use the word 'zombie' because of reasons). After some research and trial and error, I came up with some tips for pulling off this trend:

• If you have fair skin, find a color that is pink-toned - I made the mistake of trying out a color that was kind of a muted eggshell white and that was a definite no. If you decide on a white shade, choose one with slight sparkle. (Please note that I did not say glittery. This is the only time that I will tell you that you don't want your polish to have glitter in it.) My favorite color at the moment is Essie's Vanity Fairest, which is a pale pink sheer color (that is almost opaque after 3 coats) with slight shimmer in. It's very hard to tell that there is shimmer; it just gives the color a bit of dimension. 
• Go for a high-gloss top coat - High gloss top coat is important to as not to completely wash out your hands. My favorite is Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat. This stuff is Holy Grail material for me. It dries your polish super quickly and leaves your color unbelievably shiny. I have actually had several people ask me if my polish was gel polish when it was just plain ol' nail polish. That's really saying something. This top coat is also great at preventing chips. 
• If you're going for tips at the salon, let them know exactly what you want - If you want the rounded look, it looks best filed down thin so they don't appear chunky and overly artificial. In order for them to be able to file them down thin and for them to last without breaking, get gel nails instead of acryllic; they are stronger and will last longer. (Just don't get into any cat fights or anything like that. Yes, I'm talking to you.)

So, what do you guys think? Are you taking advantage of this spring trend? What colors work best for you and your skin tone?

The Regular Girl: Blog/YouTube Channel Trailer

How To: Conceal Under Eye Dark Circles [with video]

Dark circles are a struggle for many women. Especially women with fair skin. Super especially for women with fair skin and red hair.
After deciding that I was unhappy with the products that I had been using, I did some research about what kinds of products would be best for concealing dark circles. I tried a couple things before coming up with my holy grail products and procedure that worked well with my skin.

Step 1: Prep your skin. Moisturize your skin and apply a primer. I've been using The Body Shop's Seaweed Pore Perfector as a serum under my moisturizer, The Body Shop's Aloe Vera Eye Defense as my eye cream, Aveeno's Positively Radiant Daily Moisturizer, and Maybelline's Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser Primer as my foundation primer.
Step 2: Apply foundation. Apply your choice of foundation. Lately, I've been using Tarte Amazonian Clay Full Coverage Airbrush Foundation with the Tarte Airbuki Bamboo Powder Foundation Brush. This foundation is a mineral powder buildable formula. I've been using it for a few weeks and I've been enjoying it so far. Look out for a blog post all about it soon.
Step 3: Apply a color corrector over dark circles. My dark circles are primarily a purple-ish blue-ish color. To counteract this discoloration, find a color corrector that is orange-toned. I use Nyx Dark Circle Concealer. You don't need a whole lot; just enough to counteract the discoloration. You will be using a light concealer to blend it all together and even out the color in the next step. (Note: If your discoloration is mainly red toned, use a green color corrector.)
Step 4: Apply concealer. Apply your concealer over your whole under eye area to even out your skin tone. I've been using Maybelline's Fit Me Concealer. I initially apply concealer using my ring finger in a patting motion and then blend it out with my Real Techniques Expert Face Brush.
Step 5: Set concealer with powder. Apply powder using a fluffy brush to your under eye area to set the makeup. I use Rimmel London Stay Matte Pressed Powder in Translucent along with my Sonia Kashuk Large Powder Brush No. 1. Finish your look with your usual blush and bronzer.



Did you try any of the products I mentioned in the tutorial? Do you have any better suggestions for products you use to cover dark circles? Please share them in the comments below.

Brand Rave: Birchbox

I have been subscribed to Birchbox for about 6 months now and I've recently moved. I was nervous about my monthly box being sent to the wrong address since I recently changed the shipping address when I moved. Sure enough, after a couple of days, my tracking number for my box sent be back with an error. I sent an email to their customer service center yesterday afternoon asking about what happened. Less than 2 hours later, I had a very friendly response from Sarah, who is a customer service representative at Birchbox. By this morning, she recorded my correct address and had a replacement box on its way to me.
I am very happy with the way Sarah fixed my problem and with the friendliness she went about it. I will definitely continue my subscription to Birchbox and spread the word about what a happy customer they have made me.
Look out for more Birchbox reviews and possibly and unboxing video.
Do you subscribe to a monthly box? Which one(s)?