Manicure Monday: Chic Polka Dots

Happy Monday!

I'm feeling pretty chic over here at JessicaHeartsBeauty with these polka dot manicures that are fun, yet chic and oh so easy! I picked up a Sally Hansen I <3 Nail Art Pen in black (the fine tip one) this week and have been putting it to the test!

The first one I tested out started with a simple pale pink as the base (Essie's "Fiji") then I kept it simple by just making little dots randomly spaced apart using the nail art pen mentioned above.

The next manicure I tried was a beautiful champagne gold glitter polish (OPI My Favorite Ornament,) then painted a white accent nail (Essie Marshmallow) and added a few black polka dots using my nail art pen. 

Note: I attempted to do stripes the first time I tried this nail art pen but I could not master it. Therefore, I resorted to doing polka dots only. I would like to play with this pen more and see what else I could do besides just polka dots. 

What do you think of these nail looks?

xoxo

My Daily Essentials: Makeup Brushes

I shared my daily makeup essentials a little while back and as promised, here is my set of essential makeup brushes that have elevated my routine–without cleaning out my bank account. 

(Fair warning, these are all Real Technique brushes–

they are seriously amazing and the price can't be beat!)

(From right to left)

1. Real Techniques Expert Face Brush: Hands down the best liquid foundation brush ever, and I do mean ever. I have recommended this brush to at least two close friends and now it's the only foundation brush they use too. It blends liquid foundations seamlessly (say goodbye to brush strokes) and looks so natural while still giving full coverage. I also love using this brush with powders like my Bare Minerals foundation for a medium to full coverage look.

2. Real Techniques Blush Brush: I love my blush so if I can find something to make it look even better than count me in. This brush adds just a whisper of color to your cheeks and applies the color smoothly and evenly.

3. Real Techniques Multi-Purpose Brush: When I received this brush as a gift for my birthday last year I wasn't really sure what to do with it. It's too dense for a powder brush and not dense enough for liquid foundation. I've found it to be very good at contouring and highlighting and that is now it's official job.

4. Real Techniques Powder Brush: The newest addition to my collection, this powder brush may just already be one of my favorites. It's big, fluffy and so soft! It allows for a light dusting of powder to set makeup without looking cakey and also helps to blend out any too harsh contouring or blush. Sometimes I like to tap it into my [The] Body Shop Matte Bronzing Powder and dusting it all over my face for a nice tan glow.

5. Real Techniques Base Shadow Brush: My favorite way to use this one is for all-over lid color. It's a little more dense, which is good for packing on eye shadows making it ideal for lid colors.

6. Real Techniques Domed Shadow Brush: Best crease brush alert! The Domed Shadow Brush applies shadows into the crease with ease while still blending well.

7. Real Techniques Deluxe Crease Brush: Have you ever wondered how people apply darker shadows at the outer corner of the eyes? This brush is your ticket! It's pointed tip allows for precisely placing shadows in the outer corner and the flat sides help with blending it over the outer edge of the lid and up into the crease.

You can find Real Techniques online (www.realtechniques.com) or at Ulta stores.

What are your favorite makeup brushes?
Check out the rest of my daily makeup essentials here.