From the category archives:

Makeup

Star Trek Into Darkness Inspired Manicure

by Bionic Beauty on May 15, 2013 · 2 comments

I’m dedicating this manicure to all female Trekkies and their continuing voyages to boldly go… with awesome nails!…

Hopefully I’m not the only one who is super excited for the new Star Trek movie, Into Darkness, which opens tonight! (Insert geeky squeal here.)

To show my fandom, I decided on a simple but meaningful nail style. The main color is Bella’s Vampire by Gelish – a very dark purplish burgundy. I added tiny Star Trek “Command” emblems on my ring finger using a silver no-name nail art pen; then drew in the elongated 5-point star with a black Sharpie. I added a bit of extra starry bling with a holographic shimmer top coat – just on my ring fingers.

A quick top coat of Seche Vite and I was done!

Now I’ve just got to calm my excitement until I can see the movie! Any Bionic Beauties heading to the midnight premiere tonight? Or will you be waiting for the crowds to subside a bit?

Live long and prosper…
Jami

May 15, 2013 2 Comments

Pink, Yellow, Green Face Powders – Garish But Good!

by Bionic Beauty on April 15, 2013 · 2 comments

Why You Do Actually Need Green, Pink, and Yellow Face Powders

Brightly-colored face powders may look shocking but they’ll make your skin look amazing

This is a TotalBeauty.com Makeup article

There is a new generation of face powders on the market and they certainly look . . . unique. They’re not the usual oil-absorbing powders that never matched your skin tone. These are white, green, yellow, and pink face powders so bright they can give some eye shadow palettes a run for their money. But before you automatically pass them up in the beauty aisle, listen up: Professional makeup artists swear by these new powders — and the swear that they’re fool proof. Click ahead to see which new face powders will highlight your best features and give your skin an enviable glow.

See face powders

April 15, 2013 2 Comments

Bionic How-To: Parisian Map Nails

by Bionic Beauty on April 9, 2013 · 1 comment

Do you remember those strange pamphlets of folded paper covered in tiny type and bright lines that were a necessity before any car trip? Maps!

These analog accessories are now usually passed over for our GPS-laden smartphones, but some strange people (like me) hold a fondness for paper maps. And I’m saying this right now…

Nail Polish + Map of Paris = Super Awesomeness!

Parisian Map Nails ~ A tutorial by Bionic Beauty

Want to know how you can create your own radical map manicure? It’s actually pretty easy-peasy (Especially since I did a gazillion tests and worked out most of the kinks. Bonus to you!) with these steps:

Paint your nails as usual. I used a base coat; 2 coats of a very light pastel blue nail polish (“Havana Dreams” by OPI for Sephora); and a cheapy top coat. A note about color: I recommend using any light color for your polish ~ white, off white, cream, and pastels all work wonderfully!
Flip through your magazines or printed materials for a map, words, design, logo, or pattern you like! DIY if you have a laser printer at home, or have your map/other copied/printed at the local print shop ~ you basically need a laser or toner printed image. Inkjet won’t work. For the magazines ~ look for ones with pages that are *not* the super shiny. I used a Paris tourism ad page from the French version of Elle.
Cut little 1 inch by 1 inch squares from your chosen map.
Fill a shallow saucer a bit of rubbing alcohol. I used the 70% Isopropyl Alchohol from the drugstore. I tried the other concentrations and they didn’t work as well, but your mileage may vary. I also tried Vodka… and didn’t have much luck but you could drink it while doing your nails *wink*.
Dip a square into your alcohol until it is fully damp. Just a few seconds should do it.
Press the paper square, with the design side facing your nail, onto your finger nail.
Mush the paper against your entire nail. Be sure to press it down into the edges too!
Keep pressing for a good 30 seconds. Be careful not to move the paper! Otherwise your design will double print or you’ll get smudgies.
Slowly peel away the paper from your nail.
And there’s your design!
Finish your other nails. Let the final nail dry for 5 minutes after you finish.
Apply a nice thick top coat! I use Seche Vite.

If you mess up, just wipe the design off your nail with a alcohol soaked cotton ball. And then start with a new square of your map!

It might take a bit of practice, but the comments I got were SO totally worth it! I hoping to do a set with QR Codes soon to show off my geeky side. Can you imagine? “Lookie! Scan my nails to visit Bionic Beauty!”

Wishing you many long and happy car trips,

April 9, 2013 1 Comments

The Best Underground Beauty Products?

by Bionic Beauty on April 2, 2013 · 9 comments

Hipster beauty products? Oi vey. I sometimes wonder who comes up with article titles on some websites.

I know my titles probably aren’t the most creative but I’m writing them to be informative and not just key-worded-loaded.

And now I will stop ranting and turn you over to this list from Total Beauty. Read and enjoy… then let me know what are YOUR favorite underground/indie beauty products?

6 Underground, Hipster-Worthy Beauty Products

These products are so cool, you’ve probably never even heard of them

This is a TotalBeauty.com Makeup
article

At this point, the label “hipster” has so many changing definitions and technicalities that you will probably qualify as one in some form eventually. But one thing most can agree on is a hipster’s appreciation of underground things that aren’t tarnished (yet) by being “mainstream” and loved by the masses. No, we’d never disapprove of a CoverGirl concealer or Rimmel mascara, but every now and then it’s fun to embrace your inner hipster and get in on something others have yet to discover. Consider this one of those times.

See products

Come over to the anti-hipster side… We have cookies,

April 2, 2013 9 Comments

Makeup’s Leap Forward: Color Changeable Cosmetic Implants

by Bionic Beauty on April 1, 2013 · 3 comments

When I named Bionic Beauty, I never imagined there would be actual “bionic” makeup! Women have applied makeup in a similar fashion for hundreds of years using brushes, fingers, sponges, cotton, and natural fibers. Since 1930 women have had the option of permanent makeup – a tattoo that is applied to your face, eyes, or lips – but the process never grabbed mainstream attention until the 1980s. The drawback of tattoo makeup is the lack of changeability.

Makeup needs a game-changer! Turns out, it is here. Now.
Pax Color Change Cosmetic Implants - color changing permanent makeup

Blue Sun Research Group has developed Pax Cosmetic Implants. My best friend and research director at Blue Sun Research Group, Dr. Kate Jones, sent me an overview of their new permanent makeup cosmetic implants.

Pax implants are placed under the facial dermis during a quick, outpatient procedure and allow a woman to alter makeup colors on her cheeks, eyelids, and lips through a wireless interface. Basically you can change your makeup look from smokey eye with a nude lip to old Hollywood glamor in just a few minutes!

Pax, short for G-23 Paxilon Hydrochlorate, uses micro-dermal transduction of bio-luminescent liquid crystals to produce color visible on the skin’s surface. Currently there are 147 doctors in the United States authorized to perform Pax Cosmetic Implants; but the amount of doctors performing the procedure should be widespread by late October 2013.

To top it all off, this summer you’ll be able to change color on-the-go, with the Pax smart phone apps!

Will you be visiting your doctor to get the new Pax Cosmetic Implants? And how often do you think you’d change your makeup through the day?

And after this leap forward, what’s next in the world of makeup?

Stay bionic y’all,

Pax Cosmetic Implant side effects can include: redness, itching, swelling and discomfort at the implantation site(s); permanent or random color changes of the skin; personality changes such as aggression, akathesia, and insomnia; abnormal growth of the first bicuspids; excessive hunger; swelling of the pituitary gland, adrenal gland, and ears; and restless leg syndrome (RLS).