Pain is beauty? Check out my worst curling iron burn ever.

If you're a regular Prettied Up reader, you probably already know that I curl my hair every morning. In fact, I have been curling my hair every single day for approximately the past ten years! So, it's a wonder that I haven't really suffered too many burns over the years except for the occasional slip of hot the curling iron on my forehead or neck. (Side note: Have you ever suffered a curling iron burn on your neck that looks like a hickie? Embarrassing!)

Well, I'm sad to say that my lucky streak ended this week. While I was wrapping the cord around the handle of my still-hot curling iron, it somehow slipped out of my hand and the hot barrel landed directly on my arm. Check out the results:

Ow! Even though the hot curling iron only made contact with my skin for about a second, it was enough to leave me with a burn down the inside of my whole left forearm.

I immediately put my arm under cold running water and took some Tylenol. I have been putting burn relief gel on it for the past two days and I'm really hoping it doesn't scar! Luckily it was just a minor burn so I really don't think it's going to leave any lasting marks.

Anyway, the incident was a good reminder about the importance of being careful when using hot hair appliances.

Have you ever suffered a curling iron burn?

Wet n Wild Color Icon "Greed" eyeshadow palette swatches and look

Does everyone remember the brand Wet n Wild? It has occupied drugstore shelves for as long as I can remember and is insanely affordable - like, $1 for a lipstick. It's probably one of the first makeup brands I ever tried, but before this weekend I hadn't used it in ages. 

Lately, though, Wet n Wild eyeshadows have been the talk of the beauty blogosphere so I just had to find out what all the fuss was about. I headed over to the drugstore and discovered that the brand I used as a kid has totally matured! They now have tons of really pretty eyeshadow palettes to choose from in a range of colors.

I picked up this lovely 6-pan eyeshadow palette called "Greed" from the Color Icon collection for just $5. The colors are all pretty neutral, with three matte eyeshadows on the left and three sparkly ones on the right. Check out the swatches below.

As you can see from the swatches, the lightest color matches my skin tone almost identically. The matte shadows have a much greater color payoff than the sparkly shadows. 

Now check out a look I did using these shadows: 

To create this look, I applied the lightest shade along my browbone and the matte peach shade all over my lid. I then blended a small amount of the matte black shade into my crease and topped with the bluish/gray sparkly shade. I lined my upper eyelid with a black eyeliner pencil then blended the matte peach shade over the line to soften it. 

Overall, I think this palette is very versatile and can be used to create many different looks that would be suitable for both day and night. The shadows were a tad hard to blend, but with a little bit of work they eventually went on smoothly. I will definitely be using these shadows again and may even pick up some more Wet n Wild products. I actually had my eye on a few of the other Color Icon palettes as well. Plus, at just $5 for 6 shadows, the price really can't be beat.

What do you think of this palette? Have you ever tried any Wet n Wild products?

Review - the "Magic Mitt" makeup remover

Jane Iredale Magic Mitt - $15

I was lucky enough to receive an ingenious little product for Christmas called the Magic Mitt. It's literally a mitt that you put over your hand and is supposed to remove all traces of makeup with nothing but water. Needless to say, I was intrigued.

The mitt itself is made of specially knit micro-fibers, which are many times thinner than a human hair and able to penetrate and break down oil films, according to the product description.

"This hydro-mechanical process breaks the surface tension of the oils that bond makeup to the skin while the fibers gently exfoliate," the product description states. "The combination of warm water and micro-fibers turn the makeup into an emulsion that is easily swept away by the mitt. It will even remove mascara!"

Even better, the Magic Mitt is supposed to promote the health of skin. Since no soap is necessary, the Magic Mitt does not wash away the skin's natural acid, which acts as a barrier that protects the skin from "harmful and invasive" bacteria. 

So the real question -- does it work? After using the Magic Mitt for more than a month, I can say that yes, it does work. Check out all the makeup it has removed from my face:

I actually find the Mitt is most beneficial for removing eye makeup. With just a few passes, a wet Magic Mitt can completely remove all my eye makeup -- eyeshadow, eyeliner and mascara. It also does not have any problems removing face makeup -- foundation, concealer, bronzer, blush, etc.

To be thorough, I should mention that I tend to use regular face wash in combination with my Magic Mitt. Though the Mitt can remove makeup with just water, my face feels cleaner when washed with soap as well. I generally use a regular face cleanser first, then use my Magic Mitt to remove any eye makeup that has been left behind. Even just using it for eye makeup removal purposes it totally worth it for me, because I no longer have to worry about keeping eye makeup remover on hand.

Also, the Magic Mitt can easily be cleaned with soap and water. It comes with a cute mesh bag (shown in the first photo) that can be hung up and used to store the Magic Mitt while it dries and is not being used.

What do you think about the Magic Mitt? Have you tried this product or anything similar?

Hot or not: Natural eyebrows

Celebrities such as Leighton Meester and Mary Kate Olsen have been spotted with thick, natural eyebrows lately. To me, there is something very youthful and carefree about this look. And in my humble opinion, it's much better looking than over-plucked eyebrows.

If you're thinking about trying out this look, keep in mind that natural eyebrows must still be groomed! Just because you have bushy brows doesn't mean you can abandon your tweezers altogether! Think about it, have you ever seen Mary Kate or Leighton with a uni-brow? No! And you wont.

So, when rocking natural brows:

• Keep the middle free of hair
• Trim any extra-long hairs
• Brush your brows into place
• Play up your makeup to balance out the natural look of your brows

I am so curious to hear what others about this look. Do you love it or hate it? Would you ever consider letting your eyebrows grow a little bit wild?

What the heck is up with Heidi Klum's hairstyle?

Heidi Klum applying makeup to a contest winner on Jan. 26. How lucky is that girl?

Heidi Klum was spotted earlier this week at an Astor Cosmetics event in Stuttgart, Germany rocking an interesting look. I'm loving Heidi's cool, steel gray nail color and bright pink lipstick. I'm a little more confused about her hairstyle. I actually think it looks really pretty, but I've been sick all week and might just be delirious.

My educated guess is that she brushed her hair to one side and sectioned it off then twisted each section into a mini-bun and secured it with bobby pins.  It looks like a bed of little rosettes has bloomed on the side of her head.

What do you think of Heidi's wacky hairstyle? Would you have the confidence to wear it?

Sickie

Hey there, dear readers. I'm so sorry for my absence. I have been sick all week with the flu and bronchitis. I went home sick from work on Monday and have been stuck in bed ever since. Luckily, I'm on antibiotics now and finally starting to feel like myself again.

Now that I'm getting better I can't wait to resume the beauty conversation here on Prettied Up! With the SAG Awards this Sunday and the Academy Awards next month we'll have tons of celebrity beauty to discuss. Plus, Valentines Day will give everyone an excuse to doll up like a celebrity!

But before I get into the really good stuff, I must bring you up to date with my beauty situation for the past week since my absence. As could be expected, I haven't really been paying any attention to the way I look. My eyebrows are over-grown and my hair is a mess! But, during my endless hours in bed I did have one pretty thing to look at -- my nails.

This milky grayish/blue shade is OPI's "Moon Over Mumbai." It's been one of my favorite nail polish colors since the summer and is a great alternative to all the light pink shades that have been ultra popular for like five years now.

I applied it on Sunday before I got sick, and have been wearing it ever since. The photo above was taken yesterday -- five days after I applied the polish.

Normally my manicures look way ragged after five days. As soon as I see a little imperfection I start to chip it off. As I was laying in bed looking at my nails I had a minor epiphany -- It's amazing how much longer nail polish lasts when you just leave it alone. Sounds obvious, but it's true.

Anyway, I'm so excited to start feeling better and be able to do my hair and makeup again. What are you excited for beauty-wise?

Nail of the day - OPI Show It and Glow It

 Love. Love. Love this polish! If you're looking for something special that's going to make an impact and get attention, try "Show it and Glow it" from OPI's 2010 Burlesque Collection. With two coats, this polish leaves the nail fully covered with pink and silver glitter with a dash of multi-colored sparkles thrown into the mix. It's like a party on your nails!

The only downside about this polish, in my opinion, is it chips very easily because of all that glitter. Sparkly nail polish is a funny thing -- some polishes, like China Glaze's Ruby Pumps, have just the right amount of glitter so that the overall polish-to-glitter mixture is sparkly and has great staying power. On the other hand, polishes with an extremely high concentration of glitter, like Show It and Glow It, seem to chip very easily. Am I making any sense at all?

Anyway, despite the fact that it chips quickly (think -- within two days) this is the perfect polish for a special night out.

What do you think, pretties? Have you tried this or any of the other polishes from OPI's Burlesque Collection? There are some other great glittery ones in that collection as well.