My DIY Holographic Cell Phone Case

Hey y'all!  I'm a bit obsessed with cell phone cases.  Ever since I got my Samsung Galaxy S4, I've been buying phone cases like crazy.  Cheap ones though.  I have a few that I like, a few that I've discovered don't fit, and I wanted to personalize one or two.  Most of the ones I've purchased from Ebay. I will warn you to be careful.  At least 2 that I have are way too small for my phone and do not fit, thankfully they weren't more than a buck.  I found some clear ones for under $1 each and ordered 3 that do fit.

I'm giving away my age a bit here, but back in the day when I had a pager I envied all of my friends that had cute cases for them.  I personalized my own with nail polish, of course.  The clip was even glow in the dark.  

Outside cell phone shots

While one is still in progress I knew I wanted to do a holo one.  I started off with a base color, so I didn't use so much holo, of Finger Paints Minimalistic Mauve.  I did 2 coats, letting each dry a few hours in between, before applying China Glaze QT.  (I see people gasping that I used a HTF, but it's too pretty NOT to.)  After 2 coats of QT, I did a basic top coat.  I think I gave it a day or so between "polishes" to allow everything to dry. 

I couldn't leave it at just that, so I contacted Linda at Nail Vinyls to get more info about her small I <3 Nail Polish decal.   I didn't want the oval, though it would fit on the case, but I wanted to use the "insides" and rotate them to display vertically on the case.  She got back to me with the sizes and I ordered a black one to go with the pink.  I think the large would possibly fit too. 

Indoor and outdoor cell phone shots.

When I got my decal in the mail, I took an X-acto knife to cut the middle out and separated each piece.  Then using tweezers for placement, I applied and made sure they were stuck onto the case per the included directions before peeling the transfer tape off.  It was super easy & I love it.  I'm debating on adding a topcoat to seal in the vinyl because it's permanent. 

What do y'all think??

Listerine Foot Soak....yes it does work

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***Warning, for those of you who don't like feet, there are pics in here containing my feet.  For those of you with the strange foot fetish, do not message me or ask for pics.***

So, a while back I saw this thing on Pinterest, pinned it and never thought of it again.  Later on, a neighbor said when they to camping he'll sometimes take Listerine and pour it around the camp site to keep (um I forgot if it was mosquito's or animals) out.  That reminded me of the foot soak, so I decided to give it a go.

What you'll need:

• Vinegar - I used white, but if you google some people use apple cider vinegar.
• Listerine - any color, though I think most said they used blue....and I opted for the store brand.
• Water
• Measuring cup - for the above liquids.
• A container large enough for your feet.  I don't have a foot spa & at the time, this Pyrex dish was the only thing I could think of that would fit both of my feet in it.

Optional items: 

• Foot file - You can find my review on this HERE....you can also use a pumice stone, but I love my file.
• Lotion - Body Butter or foot cream.  Something that'll moisturize the new skin.  
• Socks - I used some moisture socks that I got at Christmas, but any would work.

You'll also need a towel unless you do this outside because it can get messy.

What I did was measure 1/4 cup of Listerine(I've used both green and the blue at diff times), 1/4 cup of Vinegar, and 1/2 cup of water(I used hot water so my feet would be warm).  You can double, triple, quadruple, whatever...the recipe as needed for your feet and/or the container.  As you'll see below, I used a different container both times I've done this.

The liquid is there, trust me.

Both times I did this at my desk.  I soaked my feet for 10 minutes.  Most of the posts I've found online state that you can just easily wipe the dead skin away.  I pulled out my file and went to town.  Let me just tell you it removed way more than using the file alone and way more than if I were to go get a pedicure.  I was amazed at how much it removed.  

I also kept a damp rag nearby to remove anything that stuck to my feet.  Apply lotion, socks, and you're done.  I find that I can do this once a week if needed or even once every two weeks. 

Give it a try, let me know how it works for you.  

Side note:  I think I remember some people saying the Listerine stained their feet, I had no issue as it came off when I removed the dead skin with the file.



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Depotting Urban Decay Primer Potion

I know Urban Decay has changed the packaging for their primer potions, but because this stuff lasts FOREVER....I still have 2 of the genie bottles with the doe foot applicator.  My bottle of Original UDPP was starting to become a pain to get anything out of, and I knew not to toss it because product likes to stay hidden in those....so I went on the hunt to figure out how to depot.

I looked at a TON of videos & really didn't want to have to cut into it.  If you want to see the video I used....I'll link it HERE.  If you don't want to watch it now....just check out below.

What you'll need:

~ Rubbing Alcohol. I used this to wipe down/clean everything I used.  I'm kinda OCD that way.

~ A smooth surface, you can use a cutting board, your counter, a plastic placemat, whatever.  Just make sure it's something that you can easily scrape the product off of and clean up later.

~ An air tight container.  I used a sample jar from a LUSH sample that I'd recently emptied.  I made sure to clean it out and sanitize it with alcohol as well.  You can also find small jars like this at Wal-Mart in the travel section.  I'm not sure how well any other recycled or new container would work, but please let me know if you try it out.

~ Your tube of UDPP.  (DUH! :D )

~ Tweezers.  To remove the little seal that takes excess product off the applicator.

~ Microwave (Not pictured)

~ A rubber spatula, also not pictured, or something flat to scoop the primer off and into the container.

The first large bit of product I emptied into the jar.

How I did it:

~ I cleaned everything with alcohol first.  And I mean everything.  I didn't want any germs getting into it.

~ I opened the UDPP bottle and set the applicator to the side.  Then using my tweezers, I removed the plastic stopper.

~ I placed the bottle in the microwave for about 20 seconds.  I did have to go back & forth between my office and kitchen, but it was worth it....and I was getting exercise.  I did also have to do this multiple times...so you may want to do it close to the kitchen.  I think I also used an oven mit so I didn't somehow burn myself even though it really didn't get that hot.

~ Once it was heated, I started tapping the bottle onto the plastic cutting board to get the product out.  Once it started coming out, I kinda had to do it in lines to keep from making a HUGE mess.  Once I got as much out as I could, back in the microwave it went & process repeated.

~ When I got a huge amount out, I used my rubber spatula to scrape the primer off my board and into my jar.

~ Repeat process until you can't get any more out.  This even helps get everything out of the very very bottom.

~ Close the jar & clean up.  :D

That's a lot of product that I normally would've wasted had I now known.

After I got everything out, I wanted to see just how much was left.  SOOOO then I cut into the tube, which was a total pain in the booty, just to see how much was left.  Practically nothing.  Not to mention that there were shards of plastic everywhere just from sawing into the tube with a knife & the tube was hard to hold still.  Even the bottom was empty.

I'm sure you want to know does it still work?

Yes, it does.  The other pics were taken May 2nd.  And this most recent one(above) was taken July 17th.  It works just the same & hasn't dried out one bit.  I just make sure to sanitize my hands/fingers every time I take a little out to put on my eyes.

So, if you still have some of the genie bottles....DON'T TOSS THEM!  Do this instead.  I think the entire process took about 30 minutes.  Which really isn't that bad because I was watching youtube videos the entire time.

Reviving my Gel Eyeliner

Ever find a great cream or gel eyeliner only to find out that the packaging is terrible and your pretty liner dries to a solid chunk?  Keep reading to see how you can fix that.

This is what I was surprised with when I went to open my ELF Cream Eyeliner in Plum Purple a few months ago.  I absolutely LOVE this color.  I looked through my others and noticed the same problem.  They were all shrunk up, dried up, and starting to crack.  In other words, they looked like crayons. 

Rather than toss them out, even though they retail for $3 and I paid $1.50 during a sale, I held onto them knowing I could figure something out or just reuse the container.  Shortly after, I found THIS video by EnKoreMakeup and put it in a playlist to remember to watch again later.  After I moved everything into my office I remembered these liners and went back to YouTube. 

This is just how I did it following his simple instructions.

What you'll need:

• Homemade (or purchased) mixing medium, I followed THIS video by EnKoreMakeup.
• Clear Primer.  I used my ELF Mineral Face Primer that I'm not fond of just to use it up.
• 1/4 tsp Measuring spoon.
• mixing tool.  I used a spare metal cuticle pusher cleaned off with alcohol.
• Microwave or hair dryer (not pictured)

AND of course you need your liner.

This is how it started out.  See the swirly crack in the middle and the shrinkage around the edge?  Yeah, not good.  But it's SOOOOOO pretty.

I took my metal cuticle pusher & broke up the product.  I forgot to get a picture of this process.  I then took the 1/4 teaspoon measuring spoon & filled it half with the mixing medium & half with primer.  I then mixed that into the crushed eyeliner as you'll see below.

Then I took this into the kitchen and microwaved it for about 2-3 times at 10 seconds each time, stirring in between.

Once I was somewhat satisfied, I brought it back into the office and let them sit for a bit. 

I did the purple one last & barely remembered to photograph everything. 

Now I'm sure y'all want to know how it worked.  Well, I haven't actually tested it on my lids, but I did swatch it and I'm totally impressed.  I "might" have to do the purple one again, but everything works fine. 

Left to Right: Plum Purple, Black, Midnight, and Olive.

I can't say this enough.  YouTube and Google are wondermus things.  I absolutely hate throwing things out, especially if I can recycle or fix them.  

Will y'all be trying this out?  Let me know how it works for you.