Happy Halloween Nails (and a surprise!:)

Well, it's the first of many fall holidays--Halloween. The first Halloween I really remember was when I was six. I went as Gumby! It was the one and only store bought costume I've ever worn (I'm not sure if that makes my family cheap or just makes me some loser child lol) Anyway, I loved that costume! It was a little plastic outfit and a plastic Gumby face mask. The next year I was a clown, then Laura Ingalls Wilder (hahaha, honestly, what kid goes as a pioneer girl from a book??), then Minnie Mouse (this was fabulous! My neighborhood friend and I both went as Minnie. She had a red polka dot dress and I had a blue polka dot dress. Come to think of it, this was probably when my obsession for polka dots started! Her mom sewed us these mouse ears and gigantic bows onto headbands. We were so cute!), then a cheerleader, then... well I don't remember some of them after that...

I wasn't anything this year, but in the holiday spirit, I did do Halloween nails. I've already done a review of OPI's spookettes, but I've gotta tell you--the decals that came with the set are absolutely fabulous! I was really nervous at first. The directions sound simple enough--moisten decal, moisten nail, slide decal onto nail, put in place, pat dry. But I was so afraid to screw it up! This was my first time doing decals, and I think they actually turned out really good. It's hard to even tell they were put on after the fact! My nails look like they just came this way! Also, I changed my toes from the Zom-body to Love with Black Shatter to He's My Boo with Black Shatter over it (thanks to a suggestion from Kiss My Acetone) I don't really feel like posting a picture of my toes here, but let me assure you, it looks pretty darn amazing;)

In other SUPER exciting news! Guess what showed up ALREADY today??? My Konad Stamper and Scraper and the Polish! Yes! I just ordered it on Saturday and it came all the way from California today! Like magic! My design plates should be here by Wednesday, then the fun begins:) I'll write more about the product when it's all here, just wanted to share the excitement!!

Review: O.P.I. Spookettes

Well Halloween is just right around the corner now, and before it was too late I wanted to share with you my thoughts on O.P.I's Spookettes--a mini collection of four polishes: He’s My Boo (orange), Mummy Knows Best (white), I Only Date Werewolves (black), and Zom-body To Love (glow in the dark green). It also comes with 10 nail art decals (which I have yet to use). 


Now this is an item that was not purchased with my own money. It seems the more people see that you're "into" nail polish, the more they want to share things with you (I am not opposed! Keep the ideas, pictures, products coming!!:) Anyway, these were sent to me about two weeks ago and I just couldn't wait to use them.

There's not a lot to review on the consistency/look/feel of the polish--it's typical O.P.I quality--very clean, smooth, easy to go on, etc. I used two coats of He's My Boo over the entire nail with French tips of I Only Date Werewolves. Both colors are very strong and I probably could've gotten by with just one coat of the orange. I love how bright it is--I have an orange Sinful Colors (Cloud 9) that is not as bright of an orange and has a light sparkle in it. (It was used for my candy corn nails earlier this month). He's My Boo just pops! I Only Date Werewolves is a very deep black, but it's hard to say much else about it--black is black. 


Now, O.P.I. also is selling a Halloween set this year--Pair 'em Scare 'em with the Zom-body to love and the Black Shatter. Well, I got the Zom-body to Love and still have my Black Shatter from the crackle-polish-phase-of-summer-2011 so I used that on my toes. The Zom-body to Love took about 4+ coats to actually look the shade of green I wanted. The first coat or two looked just like my toes were moldy of full of fungus. Ew. I was very impressed with the glow in the dark part--even with the Black Shatter and Top Coat over the glow was still very good! So fun! 


Both the polish on my fingers and toes has lasted really well all week with very minimal cracking. My one complaint with this polish is that while it is the smaller bottles and the smaller polish tops, the brush is still full size. Because of this, I felt like I didn't have as good of control over it as I would have liked. I was actually expecting a smaller brush, which I would have liked even better because I would've liked to draw Jack O' Lantern faces on the nails and if the black had come with a thinner brush, I probably could've done that very easily. Also, I was a little careless and just jammed the brush back into the bottle, I bent up some of the bristles because--big brush little bottle. 


But overall, I love the polish! The Zom-body to Love may come in handy more than just for Halloween--if I'm going out or doing something at night where I want a little glow to my nails. 


And thanks so much to Nancy for thinking of me and sending it!


P.S. While we're on the topic of O.P.I., let me just take a moment to say HOW EXCITED I AM about the Muppets collection!! Cannot wait to get my hands on those! (and if anyone wants to send them to me, I will supply you my address;)


xoxox,

Stamping Nail Art Step One: Purchasing the Product

Let me tell you about the time I tried to get into stamping. I went to a "Stampin' Up" party, and we made a couple Christmas cards. I was pretty darn horrible at it. My stamps were crooked... or there was more ink on one side of the stamp than the other.. or it smeared... I was a scrapbooker, though! Couldn't all scrappers stamp, too?? Was there something wrong with me? I pretty much gave up stamping then (I'm not one of those "if at first you don't succeed, try try again" people. I'm more of a "if I can't get it the first time, clearly I'm not supposed to be able to do this" kind of person.) Over the years, I have acquired some stamps. And I have done some stamping, but I'm not gonna lie... I'm still not very good at it. 


So, when my friend Laura posted on my Facebook and asked if I'd tried "stamping nail art" before... Um, wait, whaaat?? Stamping my nails?! I can't even stamp a card nevermind a small, vulnerable space such as my nail beds! It must be impossible! I could never!


But, never one to pass up a new nail trend, I decided to research it some. I read reviews, blogs, watched YouTube videos, and searched eBay and Amazon. Girls who could never do nail art said it was easy. Pictures of perfect nails done on the first try.


 I. Must. Do. This.


Now, anyone who has looked into stamping nail art before can tell you that the big company on the market is "Konad" (which I believe is a Korean company?) They are the ones that invented the metal plates that have the little designs cut out... you put the special polish over the design, scrape it off, roll it on to the stamper, roll the stamper on your nail--BLAM! Perfect nail art. (or so they say:) Since Konad is the top dog in the industry, their prices are a little... well, pricey. Thankfully, there have been several knock off companies ("fauxnad" fake Konad) to come out and make their own steel-plated designs. The most popular one seems to be Bundle Monster and you can get about 21 plates (6 or so designs per plate) for about $17.99. There are a lot of good reviews for them and they seem to be as good if not better than the Konad for the price. There's also a company called "Shany" that has a 25 plate set (6-10 designs per plate) and currently on sale at Amazon for $14.99!  I did not read as many reviews for theirs compared to Bundle Monster, but I figured it's more designs AND less money AND I could do my own review:) 


So, ladies and gentlemen, I am now embarking on a stamping nail art adventure. I ordered the Shany 2012 stamp set, the Konad double ended stamper and scraper (most reviews said the Konad one really was best. And having the double end gives the smaller side for smaller designs and the larger side for whole nail designs) $3.00, and the Konad Princess Special Polish in gold black $4.42 (apparently some polishes work for stamping and some don't. The consistency needs to be a little thicker and gloopier than regular polishes--kind of like polishes that are old and getting yucky So I'm starting with one Konad one; but I'll try a bunch of other cheaper polishes to see if I can get them to work). The grand total with shipping came up to $30.34. However, I had remaining money on an Amazon gift card, so the only money I had out of pocket was $.69! What a bargain! 


I got the standard shipping so it'll still be at least 3-5 business days before I see anything, so I'll write more about all this when it arrives!

Shopping is good for the soul!

I do believe in Heaven. And I do believe I'm going there. I know all the stories about the streets of gold and blah blah blah. But, in my heart, I know that my Heaven will be a lot like a DSW combined with ULTA. It will be bright and beautiful and full of shoes and beauty products! It will all be free!! There will also be donuts and endless supply of pumpkin spice lattes.... 


So I had a little piece of that Heaven since I went to ULTA tonight. There is just some feeling about walking in there... all the lights... the organization of it all... the products... It puts a smile on my face just thinking about it. I wasn't looking for anything specific, just kind of browsing, so I only picked up a few things.

The first thing was O.P.I. correct & clean up refillable corrector pen.  The front of the box says "The easy way to clean Nail Lacquer off cuticles for great-looking nails! Includes pen plus one replacement tip." I'm sure I will be using this product alllll the time since it seems I can't ever keep the polish just on my nail. I have not read any reviews yet, and I probably won't so my opinion won't be swayed when I try it. It seems a lot like a white-out pen. Looks like a spongey, brush type thing and the instructions to refill seem pretty easy. Put in new tip and refill with polish remover. So we'll see. I'm curious to see how long it lasts and how easy it is to use. ($6.95) note: Sally Hansen had a similar product. I may do a comparison of the two at a later point.

Next up was a new holographic polish by essence in 01 Gagalectric. Straight on it looks like a light lilac-y purple, but as you move it, the sparkle/holographic part changes to blue-ish, minty-green shades. I haven't done the color-changing-in-different-angles polish in years, and this one just caught my eye. This is my first polish by essence so I'm excited to try it. Plus, it was only $1.99 so even if it sucks, I'm not really out a whole lot. Obviously the picture just doesn't do it justice, but I'll get better ones when I use it.

Lastly, I can't leave ULTA without passing through the NYX lip color section. I love love love their soft matte lip cream--it's not a lip stick, it's not a gloss, it's just the right texture! I already own Addis Ababa and Milan so tonight I picked up London--a soft, light brown--almost like hot cocoa with melted marshmallows:) What I love most about these lip creams is that it goes on so smooth and the color really lasts! It feels good when it goes on--doesn't dry out my lips like a stick, but provides more coverage and not too drippy like some glosses. The Addis Ababa is hot pink, which with most of my makeup looks seems a bit much. But I really do love the color. The Milan is softer and prettier, but I'm not completely comfortable with how it blends (or rather, doesn't blend) with my skin tone. I have high hopes for London since it is almost getting cooler and fall colors are finally becoming more fashionably acceptable here in Florida. Will probably use it tomorrow and let you know what I think. ($5.99)


And that was all I got today! Total with tax $15.98! What a deal!! :)

xoxo,

Fashion Finds Friends

I'd say that overall, I'm a pretty likable person--I mean, I like myself (most of the time haha), and I like to think that most other people like me. Conversely, I like most other people... well, okay, I mostly like lots of other people... There are some people that I actually completely can't stand. But, I'm a firm believer that fashion can bond people. It's one of those things that isn't really controversial--it's not politics or religion--it's just good fashion fun:) 


Sometimes, there are girls I don't really care for when I first meet them (little sidenote, I'm actually reallllllyyyy bad with first impressions--especially when it comes to girl friends. Girls I like when I first meet, I often end up becoming annoyed with and not wanting to be their friend anymore; and girls I don't think I like when I first meet end up being my best friends. I'm not sure why this happens, but I figure it must be me. lol. Perhaps more on this at a later time).


Anyway, there has been on more than one occasion, a girl that I really just wasn't sure about. Maybe she seemed snotty to me. Maybe I thought we had nothing in common. Maybe I thought she was "better" than I was (ok, that's usually what it is... It makes me really self conscious). But! Then it happens!! She tells me she has the same sweater I do. Or we talk about shoes we both love. Or she compliments my nail polish. Or I tell her I like her new purse---and there it is. Suddenly we find out we like a whole bunch of the same things! It's a total bonding moment. At that point, it doesn't matter about politics or religion or education or status in life or anything else--we like the same thing. Or similar things. 


And that is a start to a beautiful friendship.


Of course, bonus points if she can sing the "Facts of Life" song, appreciates Punky Brewster, and had a crush on Zach Morris or Alex P. Keaton... lol. You know who you are;)


Completely off topic, anyone know much about the "stamping" nail art? More on that tomorrow...


xoxo,

I Heart Nail Polish!!

Wow! So I used to feel like I had allllll this time to blog--til I start one, then suddenly my life is crazy and I have no time to write about anything!! 


Anyway, today's topic is nails! Like lip gloss, it has been a fascination obsession of mine for quite some years now. I still remember the first polish I ever had--I was about seven, and my aunt got me this bottle of goldish-rosy-pink. My dad was all worried about me growing up too fast or something crazy, but my aunt was smart and got a kind that just peeled off! No remover needed! (thinking back about this, it's actually a genius idea; and I would totally use a polish like that if there were still such a product!) Anyway, I would paint my nails; peel it off, and paint them again. 


Then I had some from Claire's--a super hot pink one (some things never change;) In 7th grade, I had green, blue, and glitter--omg, how I loved sparkly polishes!! There was a girl in 8th grade named Sarah H. and she changed her polish so much that her nails were completely stained orange. I was kinda repulsed by them, but at the same time so jealous that she had so many different kinds to change them to almost every outfit she had! Little did I know, that I too would someday be on that road... 


Let's interrupt this part of the story with a public service announcement! Please take care of your nails. With the right base coat, you should never have orange nails. Buff them, shine them, protect them; and if you remember nothing else take this with you--base coat! base coat! base coat!!! Now back to your regularly scheduled blog post...


...anyway, the point of the matter is, I love polish. It's one of those things that you can use to express yourself without completely overpowering the rest of your appearance. You can project the kind of mood you're in, the type of person you are, and a whole host of other things. It doesn't matter if you're tall, fat, short, skinny--your nails are just there. They always fit and they are always in style. Like perfect little canvases just waiting to accept any art you give them:)

You'll see in the coming days, weeks, months all the fun, cute (and sometimes really not cute at all) ideas I try with my nails. I really stuck to a lot of just one color nails. But then... I found.... YouTube... omg, all the tutorials there are endless! And I started thinking, hey, I could do that. Or I'd come up with fun stuff on my own (so far, the 4th of July nails are some of my best work;) Then there was the first (and currently only) time I tried water marbling! (if you haven't done it, you need to try it at least once! I'll post all about that sometime, promise!)


Anyway, I have Halloween Nails Part 1 (thanks to O.P.I Spookettes), and I'm pretty sure I like them (they still need to be cleaned up around the edges!); but there's still a week 'til Halloween and I think I'll step it up a notch. Look for a review on them soon:) 




More to come!!


xoxo,

Soft as a baby's.... lips??

So everyone has heard (and probably used) the phrase "soft as a baby's bottom." I'm not sure how often we say, "soft as a baby's lips"; but I imagine baby lips are probably pretty soft! That's the plan behind Maybelline's recently released Baby Lips Moisturizing Lip Balm, which touts accomplishments such as "82% visibly less dry, 94% less rough lips, 77% more supple, and 77% better looking lips." Who wouldn't want to enjoy all those things??

Now, let's back up just for a moment for a little background on the lip issue. Lip gloss has been a part of my life for as far back as I can remember. My first glosses were Bonne Bell Lip Smackers in orange and watermelon--and maybe 'cause it was my first, but to this day, some 20+ years later, Lip Smackers are still my go to choice of a basic lip gloss. I claim that my lip gloss "addiction" started around 8th grade... it was again Bonne Bell, but it was a little jar of "Watermelon Falls." That went with me everywhere! I was using lipgloss first thing in the morning, throughout the day, and of course right before I went to bed. I had the softest, smoothest, most kissable lips around! When I was sixteen or so, my mom found this article in the newspaper that talked about lip gloss addiction. OMG! That is what I had! The article said it was all "psychological," but I knew better. I knew the burning sensation I had if I went too long without reapplying. I knew how fidgety I got if my lips felt dry. I'd never smoked, but I figured this is what it felt like to try to quit smoking. There was no quitting this addiction, I was hooked.

I've been through a variety of brands and flavors and at one point even had a "lip gloss inventory" which I documented every tube I had, how full it was, when I got it, and rated it on a 5 star system. (lip gloss dork alert!) 

The point is, I'm kind of a (self proclaimed) lip product connoisseur, and when I saw the advertisement in the November 2011 issue of Cosmo, I knew I was going to have to try "Baby Lips."

It comes in six different "flavors" and I chose "Pink Punch" which is a pretty, light hot pink color. It comes in a pink tube with yellow letters. All the packaging is really catchy which makes the product fun and girly! At Wal-mart, it's $2.97 so even if it were horrible, I wasn't going to be out a whole chunk of money. Reading all the claims, I was pretty impressed to start. However, my lips were already "less dry" and "less rough" to begin with, so I wasn't really sure what results I could expect from it. The smell and flavor is sweet and just like a tropical punch. It goes on smooth and is not too thick or heavy. It does have a hint of color, which I haven't decided if I like or not. As a balm, it is not shiny or glossy but does feel very nourishing. The 20 SPF sunscreen is a nice touch!

Since the claims are all based on a "clinical study after four weeks of use," I've decided to do my own "not-so-clinical study of four weeks of use" and document the status of my lips.  Today is day 3. I'm expecting at the end of these four weeks, I'll have lips much more supple--like those of Angelina Jolie. Will keep you posted and give a complete review of the product at the end:)

Once upon a time...

...there lived a pretty pink princess in a castle covered in glitter and sparkles in a land far far away.... isn't that how we all hope for our lives to turn out? But alas, we actually end up in little suburbs, working jobs we have love/hate relationships with, and end up removing a lot of the glitter and sparkle that once surrounded our lives. Why lose all the fun stuff?? 


I'm here to share with you, the world, all the things that really make me happy--nail polish, lip gloss, shoes, bags, eyeshadows, etc--anything that can be classified as a glitter, gloss, or glaze! :) I'll share some fun nail designs I do; reviews of products I try; beauty deals I find; and anything else that seems exciting at the time:) I'm also always up for new fun things, so feel free to share some of your favorite stuff!!


I'll try to update at least a couple times a week, so come back and find out what's new with me!:) Looking forward to sharing all my favorite things with you!!