July Ipsy Bag

Hi guys!

My July Ipsy Bag is here! Let’s see what I got!

Pixi Tinted Brilliance Balm in Unique Pink

Balm? Yes. Tinted? Not really. If the color doesn’t show up on my paler-than-pale hands, there’s no way it’s doing anything to my lips. A major disappointment and not something I’ll use, especially because it smells minty.

Pur-Lisse Essential Daily Moisturizer

I’m so unadventurous with moisturizers. I’ve been using the Daily Grace Bar from Lush since I got it back in March, and I don’t want to go anywhere else. I’ll either throw this in my swap bin or save it for some day when I’m in need of a moisturizer and have no other choice.

Clear Clinic Vanished Clear Spot Treatment

I’m actually really intrigued by this product. It has a doe-foot applicator, which is not something I’ve seen before in a spot treatment. My current dermatology treatment has been working pretty well, but every so often it would be nice to have a little help. It’s a small sample, but I actually think, with the way my skin has been behaving lately, it’ll last me a long time.

Models Own Nail Polish in Red Sea

Of course I’m really excited about this. Sparkly and red. My only regret is that I didn’t have it in time for the Fourth of July.

Bare Minerals 5 in 1 BB Advanced Performance Cream Eyeshadow in Barely Nude

Even though I love my Julep Cream Eyeshadow as a base, I’m interested in this. I wish I had gotten literally any other of the 10 colors that exist, but that’s okay.  It’s a pretty nude color with just the tiniest bit of shimmer, and it’ll most likely work excellently on the days that I want coverage but not a lot of makeup.

So that’s my July Ipsy Bag! I’m kind of half and half on it. It’s definitely an improvement over my past couple of bags. I hope the trend continues on this path!

July Julep Box

Hi guys!

Today I have my newest Julep Box to show you. This one I got for free because I had racked up enough Jules. I decided to switch up my normal Boho Glam box and go with the Bombshell box instead.

In my box I received:

Bare Body Milk

Lissa

Beverly

I’m most excited about Lissa. I’ve been lusting after Sally Hansen’s Triple Shine Dive In color, but I’ve been holding myself back from buying it because of this color. I hope it lives up to the hype and beauty of the Sally Hansen one.

I really like Beverly as well, though. I think it’s just the most beautiful shade and unlike anything I have in my collection so far.

I’ve already used the Body Milk, and I’m really impressed with it. It’s perfect for summer – really moisturizing, but light and it smells so fresh. I used it right after shaving with a new product, and I’m definitely into this combination.

This will probably be my last Julep box for a while. I have some things I’m saving up for in the future, and everyone knows I have more than enough nail polish. I have enough new, unused polish stock piled that I’ll still be wearing new polish for a while. I’m looking forward to visiting some favorites after that, though.

Nail of the Week 7/7 & 7/14

Hi guys!

Two more polishes for you this week!

Last week I was wearing Julep's Jeanne. I really liked this sky blue but brighter color a lot. And, thanks to my newfound base coat/top coat routine, it lasted for a really long time!

This week I was wearing Sinful Color's Anemone which I got free from PinchMe. I wasn't a huge fan of this color. I've kind of worn myself out of corally oranges. I also did a terrible job painting my nails this week because of back pain that started Saturday. 

Sorry for the weird color differences in pictures. The second was taken in natural light, and the first was not. Sometimes I'm really bad at forgetting to take pictures of my polishes!

Nail of the Week 6/23 & 6/30

Hi guys!

Happy July 4th! I'm working today, so no exciting plans for me, though I may watch fireworks later if it doesn't rain.

Anyway, I finally got back to painting my nails after a lot of time off. I missed all my colors and my weekly ritual, so I'm glad to have it back!

Last week I was wearing Sally Hansen's XTreme Wear Marine Scene. I liked the frosted finish more than I thought I would.

This week I'm wearing Julep's Paulette which I got in my May Maven Box. I'm loving this orchid-y color so much this year. 

Both of these lasted FANTASTICALLY. Seriously. The Paulette picture was taken on Thursday after painting my nails on Sunday. Nail polish never lasts like that on me. I don't know if it's my new base coat, my new top coat, or a combination of both, but I'm loving it. Definitely a new favorite.

Nail of the Week 5/19 & 6/2

Hi guys!

I've been doing just terribly with painting my nails. I've had such a crazy past couple of weeks at work and going home that I just didn't have the time I needed to devote to myself. Thankfully, I got back on track recently.

The week I went home, I was sporting this crazy color. This is Sally Hansen's Back to the Fuschia which I got in my Sally Hansen Gift Bag from Influenster. It's funny, I never considered myself a pink girl, but after wearing this color, I kind of like it. I tend to go toward cooler colors for the most part, but I liked being sassy and girly with this one.

Last week I was wearing Zoya's Odette which I was really excited about. It's such a pretty dusty purple color (the photo really doesn't do it justice), and I loved looking at it on my nails. This came in the February ipsy bag, but I got the other color, Dot. I saw so many posts about it, though, that I had to buy it myself. Thank you Ulta gift cards!

In the next two weeks (barring everything goes as planned) I'll get to try my new LED gel light! I'm super excited about that!

Nail of the Week 4/21 & 4/28

Hi guys!

So sorry this was late. It's been a ridiculous couple of weeks. I've been so busy at work, I felt like I was going to explode!

Let's jump right in!

Last week I was wearing Nicole by OPI's Sweet Daisy from the Carrie Underwood collection with a Covergirl Seared Bronze from the Hunger Games collection accent nail. I'm all about the pinky/salmony color right now. 

This week was the long awaited arrival of my radiant orchid polish! This is the Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Punch Drunk. It comes off a little more pink in this picture than it actually is. I'm totally in love with this color AND it's lasted fantastically. I took this picture yesterday evening after painting my nails on Monday. All I have is some tip wear and a little bit of corner issues on my right pointer and middle fingers. But, no major chips, and that makes me stupidly happy. I'll definitely be wearing this color again soon.

Hope you guys have an excellent weekend!

Nail of the Week 4/7 & 4/14

Hi guys!

I am LOVING jumping into more spring-y colors. Unfortunately, the weather here hasn't quite decided that it's time yet. We had snow on Wednesday!

Last week I finally got around to wearing the Nicka K Classic Taupe I got in my December ipsy bag. I paired it with Julep's Love as an accent nail, and I really liked the combination. Neutral, but with a little bit of sparkle!

This week I, in celebration of Easter (since I knew that I wouldn't be able to paint my nails on Sunday this week) I went for Nicole by OPI's Roughles Collection in On What Grounds? I am so not a fan of textured nail polish, but I'm totally digging this color. The only thing about this polish is that I figured that because it was textured, it would act like the others I've worn and last really well. Unfortunately, I was wrong, and my right hand chipped almost immediately. Definitely not worth the texture in my opinion.

These next two weeks are very exciting in terms of polish colors. Pulling out my radiant orchid color and all my spring colors! Hooray!

Two Radiant Orchid Products

Hi guys!

Today I just wanted to share with you a quick look at two of my favorite Radiant Orchid products.

Both of these came from emilynoel83 on Youtube's suggestions, and I'm loving them both! I'm kind of falling in love with both orchid flowers and the color.

The first is the L'Oreal Infallible Eyeshadow in Burst into Bloom

I'm not usually a colorful eyeshadow person because the colors that look good on me (blue and green) are not necessarily the ones you want to use on your eyes. I love this color, though. The shadow is ridiculously creamy and fairly pigmented. It's the perfect amount of beautiful color without it being over the top and hard to work with. 

As a base, I generally use my Tini Beauty cream eyeshadow in Violette which I got in my February ipsy. I've been looking for a shadow to use with it, and I'm happy to say that I finally found a great one!

The other product is Sally Hansen's Complete Salon Manicure Nail Polish in Punch Drunk

I haven't actually worn this yet, but I will be in the next few weeks. It is such an awesome, bright, in-your-face color. I'm totally digging getting out of winter colors and into spring and summer ones!

That's all I have today! If I find any more awesome Radiant Orchid products, I'll be sure to let you guys know! I'm feeling and Ulta/Sally Beauty trip in my future!

Sally Hansen Gift Bag

Hi guys! Sorry this is a little late. This weekend was crazy, and today was too. But I have something cool to talk about!

About a month ago, I received an email that I was a brand challenge winner from one of my Influenster boxes. It was a Sally Hansen challenge! They said I'd be receiving a gift bag worth $150. I was super excited because I thought it meant I would be getting a TON of nail polish.

What it ended up being was even more exciting.

Yes, I did receive a few nail polishes. I got one each from four of the lines:

XTreme Wear in Marine Scene

Insta-Dri in Racey Rouge

Complete Salon Manicure in Back to the Fuchsia

Salon Effects French Manicure Nail Polish Strips in Steel the Night

But the best part?

I got a Sally Hansen at Home Gel Polish Starter Kit!

These babies retail for upwards of $50! 

I love gel manicures, but they're too expensive to do a lot. I've been looking at the at-home gel kits, but they're fairly expensive too, so I was thrilled to find I got one for free!

Mine is in "Red my Lips" which is not the color I would've picked for myself, but I'm definitely not complaining! The kit comes with the LED light, the gel base coat, the gel top coat, the gel color an all the other accessories you'd need for a gel manicure.

In addition, I also received another gel polish in Commander in Chic.

I am seriously so excited to try this kit out. Plus, now that I have an LED light, I have even MORE nail polish I can buy because I can expand to gel polish. 

Clearly this is going to be terrible for my wallet.

But awesome for my obsession!

Nail of the Week 3/24 & 3/31

Hi guys! Sorry about Wednesday. It's been a crazy week for me, but I'm being very productive. And my nails are looking great, so that's a plus!

Last week I was wearing Essie's For the Twill of It, and, once again, it chipped before I could get a decent bottle shot. Still, this picture shows off the color better than I thought it might. Such a beautiful duochrome grey/purple - green.

This week I have Essie's Sable Collar which in the bottle looks reddish, while I was painting looked brownish, and in certain lights looks purplish. It switches colors so often, I'm not even sure what to call it! It's lasted amazingly well, though, given the previous two weeks. 

I'm super excited to be getting into spring colors soon! I've got a radiant orchid coming up that I've been dying to wear!

Nail of the Week 3/10 & 3/17

Hi guys!

I have had awesome colors on my nails for the past two weeks!

Last week I was rocking Julep's Reece which is THE MOST GORGEOUS COLOR EVER. I seriously couldn't get enough. Unfortunately, this is the only picture I got before it chipped. Which is not to say it's not long wearing, but I had one nail break which I blame for most of it.

This week, serendipitously enough, I'm wearing Zoya's Giovanna which is a lot more green than it photographs. It's the perfect St. Patrick's Day color! I got this one back in my October Ipsy bag, and I've seen some stuff about it staining really badly. Hopefully that doesn't happen to me!

It's a little crazy, but I'm quickly coming to the end of what I thought was going to be a never ending list of new polishes to wear. I'll have to find some new polishes to lust over soon!

Nail of the Week 2/24 & 3/3

I'm quickly coming to the end of my dark, wintry colors, but I'm still loving how chic they make me feel.

Last week I paired Butter London's Marrow a beautiful, rich purple with Julep's Cameron, which I received in my February Maven Box. Cameron is labeled as a "Stardust Finish" polish which should mean that I shied away and didn't even try it, but it looked so beautiful! And it was. It's a lilac shimmer matte glitter and even though I covered it with three layers of topcoat, the textured aspect never fully went away. As an accent color, though, I completely loved it. And the one thing I will say for textured polish is that it lasts forever!

This week I'm wearing Julep's Kendra which is a frosty army green. I think I've mentioned this before, but I love polishes that feel as dark and chic as black but don't have the same harshness. This is definitely one of those polishes. 

Nail of the Week 2/10 & 2/17

Hi guys!

My nails for the past two weeks haven't really stuck to any kind of trend. Other than accent nails. I do what I want!

The week of Valentine's Day I finally got around to wearing my Nailtini Mai Tai, and I chose Nailtini Champagne for an accent nail. I wish Mai Tai had leaned a little more pink instead of orange, but both the polishes had excellent wear time. I liked Champagne a lot. It will definitely show up as a future accent nail color!

This week I decided to step out of my comfort zone and try some free-handed nail art, and I'm loving the results! I'm wearing Sally Hansen Grey Area and Zoya Dot as an accent color. Then I free-handed a little heart in Grey Area on the pink. And I'm seriously obsessed with it. These little hearts may start showing up in a lot of future manicures!

I'm really loving accent nails lately, so I think they may sticking around. As my best friend said, "It's kind of like the grown up version of painting all your nails different colors!"

February 2014 Ipsy Bag

It's my favorite time of the month again! Ipsy time!

This month's theme was: The Look of Love!

In my bag, I got:

Zoya Nail Polish in Dot

This is the third Zoya polish I got from ipsy, and I'm totally okay with that! I actually wanted the other color that people were getting in bags (Odette), but I decided to wear this as an accent nail this week (you'll see on Friday!), and I'm kind of loving it. It's a good basic neutral. Pretty and girly, but not in your face so.

POP Beauty Plump Pout Mini in Fuschia Freesia

This has kind of a weird smell in the tube (and for a little bit on your lips) but it gets better. It, too, is pink and girly, and it's a really nice color. I'm not a huge lip gloss girl, but I like having a variety for when I do decide I want to wear one.

Tini Beauty Eyetini Cordial Cream Shadow + Base-in-one

When I swatched this on my hand, I had high hopes. Unfortunately, I experimented with it just a little on my eyes, and it sheers out really badly. It's a beautiful color, but I don't think it's going to be good for anything but a base for a purple powder shadow which I am now on the lookout for!

skyn ICELAND Fresh Start Mask with Ice Age Mud

I'm not a big fan of foil packets, but I do love a good face mask. I ended up trading my last ones away because I was worried about my skin handling it poorly, but I think I'll give this one a try!

J.Cat Eyelashes & Eyelash Glue

This is the second pair of J.Cat fake eyelashes I've received from ipsy, and I'm not the least bit excited about them. I don't wear fake eyelashes!

I'm kind of 'meh' about this bag. It's not bad, and I'm looking forward to using four out of the five products, but there's nothing I'm crazily excited about. I would've liked some of the other products that were options this month like the blush, the First Aid Beauty face wash, or the Pacifica Lotion.