Pastel Ikat Nail Art

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Welcome to Samantha by the Sea! Today I wanted to share with you a pastel ikat nail art look that is perfect for summer!

To start off, I used the Revlon Colorstay Gel-Smooth Base Coat. I applied two coats of Pure Ice He Rocks My World as the base color. Once that was dry, I placed Wet N Wild French White Crème anywhere that I wanted an ikat design. I then placed Zoya Lillan in the center of the white and accented everything with the L.A. Colors Art Deco Nail Art Striper in Black. I sealed everything in with Sally Hansen Insta-Dry Top Coat.

I am really loving this look! Not only is it perfect for summer, but the colors can be switched up to match any occasion. 

What do you think? Let me know below!

Drugstore Favorites: Summer Edition

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Welcome to Samantha by the Sea! Today I wanted to share with you my favorite products from the drugstore that I use during my everyday summer makeup routine! 

Physician's Formula Butter Bronzer in Bronzer: This is the perfect bronzer for my skin tone! It leaves me perfectly bronzed and it is very blends very well. It has a coconut scent that reminds me of the beach, but once applied the scent fades quickly.

Rimmel London Stay Matte Pressed Powder in 004 Sandstorm (top) and 003 Natural (bottom): I use 003 Natural for underneath my eyes and 004 Sandstorm for the rest of my face. I love these powders, as they help control oils and leave me looking matte all day.

Wet n Wild Illuminating Palette in 320 Catwalk Pink: This was the first highlighter I ever used! On days when I'm wanting more of a pink-toned highlight I'll use this. When I wanting more of a gold-toned highlight I prefer to use Wet n Wild 321B Precious Petals. 

Maybelline Brow Drama in Deep Brown: I'm not a fan of my eyebrows when they are completely filled in, so this is the best option for me! Not only does it help to define my brows, but it deepens the color as well.

Wet n Wild Photo Focus Setting Spray: I apply this after I've applied all of my powder products and before I apply my mascara. This spray helps to lock in my makeup and helps it to last all day.

Maybelline Master Conceal Camouflaging Concealer in 30 Light/Medium: This concealer is one of my favorites! I use it to spot conceal any blemishes I may have. The coverage is full enough to cover problem areas, while feeling light weight. 

Maybelline Lash Sensational in Blackest Black: This is my holy grail mascara - if I could buy it in bulk I probably would! I usually apply three coats to my top lashes and one coat to my bottom lashes. I love this mascara because it helps to define each individual lash and makes my eyelashes look long and voluminous!

Overall, I love each one of these products! I don't anticipate them leaving my makeup rotation anytime soon. 

What are your favorite products from the drugstore? I'd love to hear about them in the comments below!

Marble Nail Art

 I bought this.

Welcome to Samantha by the Sea! Today we will be exploring a hobby from my past, nail art! Nail art was a hobby of mine for quite a few years (I even blogged about it!), but I sadly fell out of it. I'm starting to get back into nail art, so I thought I'd take you on that journey with me!

For this marble inspired look I started off with my holy grail base coat, Revlon Colorstay Gel-Smooth Base Coat, on all of my nails. For the marble nail art I loosely followed a tutorial by Nina Nailed It. I started off with two coats of Wet n Wild French White Cremé. For the marbled look I used a mixture of a black sharpie marker and rubbing alcohol on a nail art brush. I accented it with L.A. Colors Art Deco Nail Art Striper in Black. Once I completed my desired marble look, I added silver foil pieces to bring the look together.

 

As for the rest of my nails, I applied two coats of Sally Hansen Jam Sesh on my index finger, two coats of OPI In True Stefani Fashion on my middle finger, and two coats of Pure Ice Shining Knight on my pinky finger and thumb. I topped everything off with a thick coat of Sally Hansen Insta-Dry Top Coat.

I feel like this was the perfect look to ease myself back into nail art! While I know that there are some improvements to be made, I'm extremely happy with the overall look!

Have you ever tried sharpie nail art? Do you have any suggestions for what I should try next? Let me know in the comments below!