I ran out of my old deodorant awhile ago, and was wondering what to do about it. I had been hearing a lot about “natural” deodorants, and wondered if they worked any better than store-bought. With all-natural ingredients and no aluminum, they are undoubtedly better for you. I found some links to various recipes here, changed some ingredients to create a stick-type product, and decided to try my hand at making my own DIY version. Here’s how:
Recipe:… Read More—>
I recently received a sample Caress® Passionate Spell® Fine Fragrance Elixir Body Wash, and it’s become my newest bath-time indulgence.
I’ve had really dry, itchy legs for the first time ever this Winter (maybe I’m allergic to my socks?? I’ve been wondering), and nothing has given me any relief. By night-time in the bath I am scrabbling away at my ankles, trying to calm the itchiness, slathering on lotion and moisturizers to no avail once I’m out. I’ve been using regular Dove bar soap in the bath, and haven’t had much of a problem with it…until now.
So I was really surprised that within a couple days of switching over to Caress Body Wash instead of soap, the itchiness had gone down tremendously. The wash is silky smooth and super-moisturizing, and even Lil Tot likes the fragrance of it.
It has a complex scent, of spicy orange rose and passionfruit: fruity, flowery, and Wintery all in one. I’ve never smelled anything like it before – and it makes my whole bathroom smell like a warm Winter punch (with orange slices floating in it), and lush gardenias and rose blossoms. Plus the scent lingers long after my bath, and I smell delicious for hours afterwards!
Courtesy of Caress® Passionate Spell®, they are giving away a $25 gift card to one lucky reader! With it you can purchase Caress® Passionate Spell® Fine Fragrance Elixir Body Wash to try out yourself, and snag yourself a pretty accessory to go with your gleaming, scented skin. Or use it wherever – on whatever - you want! Here are the details:
GIVEAWAY: ONE $25 Gift Card
How to EnterREQUIRED:
Giveaway open to U.S.-based readers ONLY.
And check out Caress on Facebook and on Twitter, with the hashtag #Caress, for more discounts, coupons, giveaways, and all the latest news on the brand!
xoxox
Carly
FTC Disclosure: I was provided with Caress® product, a $25 gift card and information about the product by Caress®. All opinions are 100% my own. Read more about my Disclosure Policy here.
Even with Halloween over (and the subsequent letdown I always feel come the month of November), I still am hankering for something decorative and over-the-top, even in a small way.
Revlon’s Nail Polish Duos in their Moon Candy Collection (launched a few months ago, I know I’m late to the bandwagon) supply that perfect blend of decorative nail art with ease-of-use. (I have some loose holographic flakies to add to nail art designs in my nail art kit…but having a vial of tinted sparkly chips attached to a perfectly-coordinating basecoat color is a such a time-saver. I just love the blues of Orbit and Galactic – and the gold flakes in the Universe shade is so reminiscent of the beautiful falling Autimnal leaves.
The perfect, chic, and affordable way to do some easy nail art – and bling out your tips for the holidays!
They’ve sold out at my local Fred Meyer and Target, but you can still buy a few colors on Amazon.com
P.S.: You can also see a review + swatch photos on nails here.
xoxox
Carly
Happy New Year!!
As I do every New Year’s Eve, I planned to stay up late last night, watching old Law & Order reruns, and combing back through my blog archives to list out all the DIYs I’ve shared in the past year. But it didn’t happen this year; what with the dog howling continuously at the noise from the neighbor’s fireworks, and my husband sleeping downstairs in hopes that his presence would calm the dog, it was not an environment conducive to getting anything done except throwing the covers over my head, plugging my ears, and trying to go to sleep. So here I am posting all this today instead!
Clothing
Peter Som Fabric-Embellished Cardigan
3 Men’s Shirts to Convertible Skirt
1 and 2/3 yd. Easy Summer Lace Dress
Accessories
Bead-and-Ribbon Fishnet Necklace
Jewelry
Woven Chain-and-Ribbon Earrings
Pamela Love Crystal Crescent Necklace
Handbags
Shoes
Miu Miu Rhinestone-Embellished Flats
Beauty
Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nail Polish Strips Manicure
Minx Manicure with Nail Rocks Nail Wraps
Recipes
(46 in total!!)
If you’d like to see the full yearly compilation of my DIY’s from other years, you can also check out:
(some of them may be missing photos b/c of my move to WordPress last year – if you see any posts missing photos, please let me know! {Leave a comment on the post} Thanks so much!)
So, as I raise my glass of sparkling grape juice this morning, I wish all of you a very Happy New Year! May 2012 bring even more wonderful things for everyone~
xoxox
Carly
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I love hitting up the drugstore whenever I’m in Japan to browse all the new and uniquely Japanese products available. Some never even make it to the U.S., so it’s a treat to scoop up the latest. Above are some of my recent finds:
1. Pukkuri Faux Gel Nail Topcoat With CalGel nails being the norm amongst the nail-art-loving Japanese, some girls want to give their natural nails a break, but still have the plumped-up, glossy, smooth look to their nails. This topcoat promises to create a similar look to gel nails, and yet is removable with regular nail polish remover.
I admit I don’t notice much of a difference between this and a regular topcoat, but it certainly is thick and seals in glittery polishes well.
2. BYS Color Change Nail Enamel I had to sneak this one in, but I think it’s actually an Australian brand. (Aussie readers, correct me if I’m wrong!!) I remember color change nail polishes being popular back in the early 90′s (I think TOMA made a good one), but I haven’t seen one for ages. This went on rather pink to my dismay, but I found that exposure to cold turned it purple. It didn’t quite produce the “gradient” color that the bottle advertised, even though my nails are med-long.
3. KOSE Concentrated Whitening Mask I believe one component in the average Japanese girl’s skincare routine that is essential to their beautiful complexions is the frequent usage of facial masks. Collagen-Infused; Vitamin-Enriched; Whitening; Smoothing; Softening; Brightening; Hyaluronic-Acid-Filled; Packed with Minerals – there are so many different types available I couldn’t ever detail all of them. This one makes my skin feel like Lil Tot’s bottom (which is a good thing!!;-)
4. Odango Cushion Though it reminds me of a tawashi scrubber (usually used for cleaning toilets in Japan!!), this is a base for a nice, fluffy bun.
I don’t yet have a good picture of me wearing it, but it takes my sad little topknot into puffy, fluffy mayhem. Lovely!
5. Cooling Gel In the unbearably hot Tokyo summer, cooling products are rocketing off the shelves of the stores. Hub has a cooling body spray with menthol in it that he’s partial to, and this cooling gel works similarly. I spread it on the back of my neck and on the insides of my elbows for ultimate relief. (Of course, they only provide cool relief for about 10-20 minutes until you start to feel the sticky, oppressive heat again.)
6. “Glamorous” gum A gum created as a collaboration between fashion designer KEITA MARUYAMA and Lotte (I think). It’s apricot-flavored. Imagine if Marc Jacobs or Michael Kors collaborated with Hubba Bubba!!
7. Cooling Neck-Wrap It’s so true that your body temperature is affected by what you wear on your neck!! I never really thought about it but once I experienced this wrap it’s like a difference of night and day. Inside the cloth is water-absorbing cooling particles (similar to gel ice-packs), and they plump up when soaked in water. I’ve been wearing it whenever I’m out and about, and though not exactly fashionable per se, it definitely keeps me cool!
8. Gradation Eye Pencil Creates the smoky eye perfectly; one end is a wedge-shaped kohl pencil; the other end is a large wedge-shaped hard rubber tip (not a sponge, that tends to soak up the color you just laid down) that you rub over the line to create a smudgy smoky eye. Why have I never seen this before in the US??!
And in addition, here are a couple more products I’ve seen:
Stick-on Body Jewels with Dangling Chain and Charms: Perfect for when Carnivale comes through your town.
Stick-on Faux Mustaches and Goatees: For when you just can’t seem to grow facial hair.
xoxxo
Carly
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I’ve never thought of my underarms as particularly attractive. Though I have major and minor quibbles with many of my bodyparts, I’ve always felt a little bit embarrassed about my underarms. Stubbly, sticky, bumpy, red…definitely not my best feature.:-/
So I was thrilled to hear about Dove Go Sleeveless deodorant, that softens and smooths this hard-to-beautify area of the body. I’ve been an avid Degree clear user for years, since I hate white mess on my clothing and tend to have very damp underarms year-round. (ew) Many deodorants just aren’t strong enough to combat this problem for me.
But the problem with Degree is that it’s so strong, it leaves a thick residue on me that numerous washings just can’t seem to remove completely. My underarms always feel like they’re coated with something, even after scrubbing in the bath at night – and all that scrubbing makes my skin rough, red, and tortured.
When I received Dove deodorant in Nourished Beauty, I couldn’t wait to try it. Upon application, the smell is a bit strong – kind of like baby powder with some added perfumes. But the smell fades fairly quickly, and I was surprised how even after 2 days of applications, my underarms felt…well, smoother. This may be TMI, but you know how those little bumps form in horizontal lines across your underarms the day after you shave? Strangely, this time around they were much smaller/flatter for me, and were not red at all. My underarms are looking better than they ever have…and though I never really thought about making them “pretty,” so to speak – whatever’s in this deodorant (extra moisturizers and Vitamin E and Vitamin F, according to the label – wait, there’s a Vitamin F?? Essential Fatty Acids, apparently), have really smoothed this area out! Plus it keeps underarm dampness at bay, even when I’m working out, and leaves no powdery residue when I wash off in the bath. I can raise my arm now that I’m SURE! (LOL) – that Dove has done its job.;-) (I know you’ll all be checking out my underarms in the top photo – I did no Photoshopping precisely because of that! The photo below looks…well…a little airbrushed IMHO…)
So anyway to get the word out about this new deodorant Dove has teamed up with the stylish Jessica Szohr (of Gossip Girl-fame), to inspire women to get more beautiful underarms and Go Sleeveless with Dove. As part of this campaign, you are invited to design your own sleeveless top with the Go Sleeveless Fashion Challenge app on Dove’s Facebook page, where you can also view the sleeveless top gallery and vote on your favorite designs. By submitting a unique design, each participant will automatically be entered for a chance to win a New York City shopping trip with Jessica Szohr worth $5,000!
(Entries accepted until May 27, 2011 – so get them in now!!)
According to a recent study, nearly 100% of women surveyed think their underarms are unattractive, and more than half of
these women say the condition of their underarms affects their wardrobe choices.
The above statistic had me amused, because I’d be willing to bet that most women’s first reaction when being asked if they thought their underarms were beautiful was probably “Um, I never really thought about it.”;-) Regardless of whether you’ve ever considered the question of Pretty or No? when it comes to your underarms, now you can have a chance to try this deodorant and see if it really, truly makes a difference. (It improved my skin and deodorant build-up issue for me…now if it could only do something about visible stubble!;-)
The PR company who is working with Dove is generously offering full-sized samples of Dove’s new Go Sleeveless deodorant to U.S.-based Chic Steals readers – just leave a comment with your email address on this post and I’ll pick 4 comments at random after next Tuesday (May 31, 11:59 PM PST).
FTC Disclosure: I received a full size of Dove Go Sleeveless deodorant, and am being provided with 4 samples for my readers. I have not received any cash or compensation for this post; the above is my honest opinion and review of the deodorant. To read my full Disclosure Policy, see here.
xoxo
Carly
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One day I was browsing in my usual drugstore in Hawaii, Lil Tot in tow, when I spied something in the Sally Hansen nail products aisle
that stopped me in my tracks. Ardell Duralash Eyelash Extension Kit. DIY eyelash extensions???!
It was mid-2007, Talika Lipocils
I was so intrigued by the concept of the eyelash extension kit, I just had to try them. They were pretty affordable, too – at around $11 for a pack. So I took them home, and after my son was asleep for the night I spent about an hour and a half grappling with them and applying them.
The next day, it was amazing. I got so many compliments wherever I went – from the women in my Mom’s Club asking: “Did you do something different?” to the lady at the grocery checkout line telling me I had beautiful eyes. Amazing!! And even more amazing, the lashes I had applied so painstakingly over that hour-and-a-half lasted….3 and a half WEEKS. Absolutely incredible.
So since then, I’ve been hooked on 
Now, eyelash extensions are not something that should be worn continuously. As your natural eyelashes grow, the extensions start to twist in different directions and poke you in the eye, or get matted in the corners of your eyes. The glue is annoying and crusty, and visible in closeups (unless you get them done by an expert). You don’t ever want to get the glue in your eyes or on your eyelids, since it will burn and possibly cause damage. You can’t rub your eyes or else you run the risk of pulling the extensions off. You can’t wear mascara or eyelash conditioner on your lashes at the glueline since both will dissolve the glue. And with extended weight on your eyelashes for long periods of time, your natural eyelashes can become brittle and prone to breaking off. You will want to give your eyelashes a “rest” in-between wearing the extensions, so they can get healthy and flourish during their natural growing cycle, and you may have to regularly use an eyelash conditioner to undo the damage. Plus, I’m not an expert and am not dispensing medical advice – if you choose to follow, please do so at your own risk!!
So, if you do want to try out Ardell Durlash, they are available online where I’ve linked above, and in the Sally Hansen/false eyelash section of your drugstore (at least here in the States, I’m not sure about internationally). The only version I’ve seen for years includes eyelashes that are wide, fanning clumps – not the kind they used to have (the slimline, bundled clump which I used in the below tutorial). But the application method is the same: (WARNING: There’s a lot of close-up photos of my eye in the tute below, so if you find close-up photos of [my] eyes gross, skip it!)
You Need:
*Ardell Duralash Eyelash Extension Kit (my old kit is on the left; currently sold kit is on the right)
*magnifying stand mirror (it’s sooooo much easier when your mirror is on a stand!!)
*small pieces of foil
*tiny scissors (optional), not pictured
*tissue (optional), not pictured
*lampstand if you need more light, not pictured
[The tweezers, LashTite adhesive, and set of lashes are all included in the kit.]
The Before photo. I was startled by how much I look like Steve Buscemi in the above photo. :-/How To:
1. Open up the kit, pull out the tweezers and Eyelash Adhesive. Fold the piece of foil so it’s doubled-over.
2. Pour a small amount of the adhesive onto the foil (about the size of a pea).
Grasp one of the shorter eyelashes near the end (just beyond the curve in the center) with the tweezers, and dip the knotted end into the adhesive. Allow a tiny bead of adhesive to form on the underside of the knot before you apply.
3. Close one eye and use your other hand to hold the eyelid taut while you are applying. (I like to start in the middle of my eye and fan out from there, but it’s up to you.) Carefully place the lash ON TOP of your top lashes.
Use the tweezers to squeeze the lash onto your natural lashes, and open your eye and squeeze the lashes together (being careful not to touch the gluey end). Wait for a few seconds, and the glue should dry and adhere to your natural lashes. DON’T touch or try to shift the extension lashes at all after a few seconds, or else you could pull them off.
4. Repeat with the shorter lashes, applying in towards your nose, and then outwards towards the outer corner of your eye.
Change to the medium- or even the longer-length lashes near and at the outer corners of your eyes for a natural look.
5. If you find the application doesn’t look as “full” as you like, go back in and apply the shorter lashes in-between what you’ve already applied. If you drop the lashes or the glue dries too fast before you can place them on your natural lashes, you can wait a few seconds, and use your fingers to “ball up” the glue and pull it off the lashes, and then re-apply glue and start over. If you get glue on your natural lashes where you aren’t applying the extensions, pull off the glue as quickly as you can before it dries using your fingers (you can also use Adhesive Remover, included in the kit, on a tissue to remove extra gobs of glue). I also find that as I’m going back in and filling in the lashes, I can use my fingers to grasp the lashes and then “squeeze” them onto my lashline since I have all the applied lashes to grip and press against.
6. Once you’re happy with one eye, count the number of lashes you end up applying. Then apply the same amount and sizes to the other eye so they match. For me (since I’ve done this many, many times), the whole process takes about 30 minutes, and I usually do it while watching some bad late-night TV.
7. (Optional) I find that straight out of the kit the lashes are a little long for me for daily wear, so I like to trim them with nail scissors. DON’T simply cut the ends straight up or else they’ll look weird; you want to half-close the scissors and pull the blades down the length of each clump of the lashes so they snip the ends at different lengths (kind of like how you would “feather” your bangs or hair if you were cutting it). Always snip just a little – you can go back and cut more if you want. And DON’T cut your natural lashes!!
Once all dry, take care of them – no scrubbing or pulling; avoid contact with soaps/makeup/makeup remover; and be extra careful when you wake up in the morning and want to rub the “grit” out of your eyes – because a lot of it is GLUE that needs to be there!! Your natural lashes will shed as time goes on, and the glue will weaken and the extensions fall off, so you can choose to re-apply more, or use the Remover that was in the kit to remove them all.
No more Steve Buscemi! And the best thing is, I wake up in the morning, look in the mirror, and feel pretty immediately…without makeup, without washing my face or doing my hair…it’s truly amazing what a different a pair of lashes make!But they’re still long-lasting lash extensions for a fraction of the cost!
I know, I know – here I am advocating poking at your eye with sharp instruments and a pair of scissors, not to mention toxic, smelly glue and bristly clumps of eyelashes. FOLLOW AT YOUR OWN RISK!!
Happy DIY’ing!
xoxox
Carly
I just got back from Hawaii and noticed how flawless most Japanese women’s skin is. What make-up are they using?!
Gosh, I wish I knew for sure! The lovely skin of all the Japanese women and girls around me was always a complex for me growing up – since I moved to Japan just as I hit those ohsofun years of puberty, and experienced all the skin problems that entailed.;-) I always wanted to stop people on the street and ask them what their secrets were…
I’m by no means a dermatologist but as far as what I understand from reading Japanese mags, talking to Japanese friends, and watching Japanese TV – in general the “naked face” or “no make-up look” is not what younger Japanese women go for. It’s interesting – in the US that’s sort of the gold standard when it comes to foundation…that you look like you’re wearing nothing! (I think that’s why Bare Minerals is so successful here, as well as the almost constant advice that you look best when you just “dot concealer on your flaws and leave the rest of your face without foundation and natural-looking.”)
In Japan, the standard is TONS of makeup – so much so that they have shows on tv where girls are forced to wash off their makeup and everyone laughs at them to see that their faces are completely different (and missing eyebrows is a favorite taunt). Many young Japanese women go the whole shebang: primer, foundation, concealer, dark contour, highlight, setting powder, and oil-blotting sheets throughout the day. Their skin-care regimen is in general much more involved than that of many Americans: responding to polls many girls admit that they spend 1-2 hours in the morning on their skincare/makeup, and another 1-2 hours in the evening! (Among women under the age of 30, or at least the ones that reply to said polls for magazines and TV shows.) When it comes to makeup brands, it seems that the Japanese will buy the most expensive brand of foundation – they definitely don’t skimp there. Dior, Chanel, Lancome, Shiseido, SK-II, Kate, RMK – all mainstays in the foundation market. They use specific concealers for their pores and specific concealers for their undereye area. Even in the heat (like Hawaii, or during summer), they will still layer on the makeup, and use blotting sheets meticulously to soak up the oil and impart a layer of powder on their faces (I’m a big fan of the Biore brand of blotting sheets – why the heck don’t they make them here??). Many Japanese girls also cover up from the sun and use sunscreen religiously (though there is the contingent that uses tanning beds, though they’re not a majority by any means).
Also, I suspect a large component of their beautiful skin is diet: taking a daily vitamin is still quite a new concept since the accepted practice in Japan is to get one’s vitamins from FOOD. Even young Japanese women “on a diet”will still eat a wide variety of vegetables (prepared in a number of different ways) at every meal, a large amount of fish weekly, and use condiments that are soy-based, miso-based, and vinegar-based. The amount and variety of vegetables, seafood, and skin-healthy condiments that we use in the US pales in comparison. Plus, living in Japan in the major metropolitan areas, everyone gets tons of exercise walking around or riding their bikes or commuting – so they’re getting above and beyond that 30 minutes of recommended exercise a day, which I’m sure has something to do with their skin quality. Plus add in long, hot baths, soaking salts, and trips to the esthetician (for some), and that might just be a good picture of why the skin of Japanese women looks so fabulous. (The main dermatological complaint in Japan? Dry, flaky skin!!)
I’ve scanned a couple recent features from Vivi Magazine and S-Cawaii Magazine on how to apply foundation [click to enlarge], so you can see the method that they suggest for applying makeup. (I’d venture to guess that this method is pretty indicative of – if not a little more involved than – the average Japanese girl’s makeup routine. Imagine if they listed this step-by-step in Marie Claire or Lucky! Who would follow it here in the US??)
Japanese women or those who have more knowledge of this subject, please feel free to weigh in!
Thanks for your question!
xoxox
Carly
How do you keep yourself looking so good, young and skinny?
It’s probably a combination of genes and habits (and maybe Photoshop??? hehe;-).
I’ve used the highest SPF I possibly can (that’s still affordable) since I was 16 when I realized I am just physically unable to tan. I’ve been using SPF 110 for the last year or so – I always buy the Neutrogena brand that has Helioplex in it
I’ve also never smoked or done any drugs – and was never a “partier” during my school years.
I only drink water (I hate alcohol, and cut coffee, soda, and juice out of my diet about 10 years ago or so). Sure, I might have the tiniest sip now and then of Hub’s diet Coke or Lil Tot’s apple juice, but on the whole most sweet drinks just taste too sweet to me, and soda too fizzy. I guess I’ve just lost the palate for it! (I do drink some green tea or peppermint tea once in awhile for the health benefits, but 98% of the time I’m drinking water.)
I also eat lots of fruit and raw vegetables, stopped using salad dressing like 13 years ago, eat a handful of nuts and 1T – 2T of ground flaxseed every day, and try to choose things that have more health benefits than health risks to put in my body. About 2-3 days a week I’ll only eat and cook vegetarian or vegan meals; I eat red meat rarely, though I do love chicken. (I always joke that I was a vegetarian for 6 years until KFC did me in…because I do have a terrible weakness for the stuff. But I might eat KFC like once every 6 months?? Colonel’s Extra Crispy!)
I only recently started learning a lot about nutrition and how the body works through my subscription to Health Magazine (they are the best – seriously!!) and Parents Magazine, and doing Tony Horton’s diet and exercise programs [Power 90 and P90X] through the years. There was so much I didn’t know about health and nutrition and food until I was in my late 20′s!! What a waste high school Health Class was. (Is anybody with me on this??)
So yes, I LOVE Ruffles potato chips and chocolate cake and fruit pies and peanut butter cookies and butterscotch candies and licorice and Twizzlers and shortbreads and chocolate but I do try to eat those things rarely and barter them for other things in my diet that may have very little health benefits as well.
Like I will eat only a small amount of white rice (this makes me popular with my Japanese in-laws!!) in exchange for eating a small slice of cake for dessert. I may eat an ounce of potato chips but then will forgo my serving of carbs or make my serving of meat smaller at dinner. Though I like fat free milk better, I eat my cereal with soymilk because it’s the same amount of calories with higher protein from a non-animal source, no HGH or other preservatives etc. Stuff like that adds up in the long run, I guess.
I am still trying to get back into my usual workout routine which I had to take time off from while I was sick during the Spring. Until then I was jogging or speed-walking intervals 3x a week, and did another day or two of weight-training and/or yoga or stretching. But after hitting 30 , moving to suburbia, and sitting about the house all day [in front of the computer], the pounds have definitely crept on so I’m no role model in that respect.:-)
I also take a multi-vitamin, extra Vitamin D, and a calcium supplement daily, as well as use a retinol-based serum mixed in with my night cream that has really produced visible results. Plus Oil of Olay products have also really helped the quality and texture of my skin.
Hope that answers your question!
xoxo
Carly
After a fairly uneventful flight (no passing out in the aisle this time; the only thing that happened was the entire left side of the plane from row 35 back had no armrest power – so no light, no attendant call button, no radio, and no sound to the overhead movies, which made passing the 10 hours on the plane pretty much like pulling teeth)…I have finally arrived in Japan. It’s like wall-to-wall humidity that plasters your hair to your face and has mosquitoes swarming on you the moment you step out the door. Lil Tot has, amazingly, suddenly become incredibly talkative and can actually carry on an intelligent, logical conversation in the 2 weeks he’s been here. His comprehension, vocabulary, and maturity skyrockets whenever he spends time here.
Anyway, I wanted to share with you what I made before I left Oregon.
I was playing around on the computer the other day and made these.
, $9.99, Amazon.com.I’ve had a pack (a measly 3 sheets for $10!!) of printable inkjet tattoo paper for awhile and had been undecided on what to make. (I’m not really a tattoo person – I’ve always felt that since I have freckles I really don’t need any more marks on my body;-) …But once in awhile I’ve liked wearing a stick-on tattoo, just to change things up.) 
Collage from Fashiontribes.com
Since the Fall ’09 Chanel Couture Runway show, I’ve been coveting those pearl necklace and chain bracelet tattoos…but there’s no way I’m going to blow $75 on the set now available at retail.So… (surprise, surprise) I decided to make my own with the printable tattoo paper. I found some tattoo images online here at Inkwear Tattoos, and collaged them together with other images from the Inkwear catalog.
I was sooooo psyched since the final printed product looked pretty awesome. But my good mood ended when I cut out the tattoos and tried to apply them.
They’re stickers. No matter how closely you trim the tattoo, it’s made up of this clear film that’s extremely obvious and tacky. (Also visible in any gaps in the image.) White spaces will of course, not print. You do not apply with water – you just peel and stick – which means that they will come of the next time you take a shower. Oh, and you can’t get any water or moisture on the image because, since it’s inkjet ink, it will just smudge.
What a junky product! As I wore throughout the day, the stickers just got increasingly wrinkled and lifted up at the edges, snagging in my clothing and hair.
What a disappointment. By the end of the day, I peeled some of them off before I took a bath, but the wrist tattoos I decided to remove as per the instructions: soap and water. BIG MISTAKE. They dry tattoos peeled off fine, but once I used soap and water, the tattoos when wet became a gluey, sticky, smudgy, runny mess, and my skin got really red where I had to rub to abrade them off.
Utterly sad. I would definitely NOT recommend these Cre8 Ink Jet Tattoo Sheets at all.
I did find online there are some e-stores that will print temporary tattoos for you – though I wonder if they’re the same, single-use stickers? (From the online description is appears they are not.) Does anyone have any experience with this?
(And if you are wanting to purchase from Inkwear Tattoos to get the original images I used, they deliver worldwide, so you could potentially buy some sets from them and get them delivered to you instead of going the DIY route!)
xoxox
Carly
