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 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 2/10 & 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.

Nail of the Week 1/27 & 2/3

Hi guys!

These past two weeks I went a little more natural/chic in my polish colors. The first one is Zoya Shay.

I've had this one for a while, but I am SO glad I finally got around to it. It's the perfect nude shade for me. Plus, it goes back and forth between brownish, beige, and pinkish depending on the light. I think everyone should have at least one really excellent nude shade in their collection, and this one is definitely mine.

This week I was wearing Julep Olivia.

I really like this polish, but it was a bad week for my nails. The dry weather is really taking a toll on them, so I broke 3 in a day and a half and two more between Wednesday and today. I ended up taking my polish off today to give my nails some time to rest and (hopefully) get stronger before I paint on Sunday. Regardless, I liked this color more than I thought I would. I've always thought dark nail polish looks really chic, and I like that this has that feeling without being as harsh as black. 

Do you guys have any tips and tricks to keep your nails from becoming dry and brittle? Combine the cold weather with the fact that my nails are already prone to peeling, and I am one unhappy nail polish lover!

Nail of the Week 12/22 & 12/29

Hi guys!

I'm really loving occasion nails lately, and Christmas and New Years are the perfect occasion for sparkly and beautiful polishes!

For Christmas I wore this festive combination. The red is Zoya Liz (whee!), the green is Butter London British Racing Green, and the gold is Julep Zelda. Both the BL and the Julep applied beautifully and covered in two coats. Because it's a red, the Zoya was finicky. It ended up patchy on certain nails, even after two coats.

For New Years, I took a little detour from my polish path and got a gel manicure with my sister and her best friend Jess. This is an OPI gel color that I don't know the name of, but I am obsessed with it. It's a blue/green/purple galaxy-esque holographic polish, and it's SO beautiful. There's apparently a really similar non-gel polish from Sally Hansen. It's part of the Gem Crush line and it's called Glitz Gal. It's textured, which I'm not a fan of, but just as beautiful!

Did you guys do any festive manis for the holidays?

October 2013 Ipsy Bag

It's my favorite time of the month! Ipsy time! I'm actually really excited about my bag this month, so let's check out what I got!

The theme is month is "The Art of Beauty" and I think the bag is really cute!  Let's dive into the products!

Zoya in Giovanna

I probably need more nail polish like I need another hole in my head, but I think this is gorgeous! Kind of green, kind of blue, and shimmery! I'm very excited to try this out!


Big Sexy Hair Blow Dry Volumizing Gel

This one I'm not too excited about. I'd love to try out more hair products, and I could use more volume, but I don't even remember the last time I touched a blowdryer. Natural and curly is my go-to. I'm working on swapping this away.

Nourish Organic Coconut & Argan Body Lotion

I recently rediscovered using lotion before bed, so I'm excited about this! I have a travel sized one I'm using (and loving!) right now, but this will definitely be second in line!

La Fresh Oil-Free Cleansing Wipes

I love cleansing wipes, and I'm about out of my beloved Forever 21 ones, so I'm looking forward to trying these out. It's cool that they're 100% biodegradable and they're not /that/ expensive. Though, the closest store that carries them to me is in Connecticut, so I probably won't be purchasing these, even if I love them.

Buxom Lip Polish in Dolly

This seems to be the item that everyone is most excited about this month, but I'm actually trading mine away. I already own this polish (I have no idea where it came from) and I'm not a huge fan. My mom might have it now, actually. It's has that whole "lip plumping" thing going on which I don't like, and I'm just not big on lip glosses in the first place. Hopefully I'll be able to trade it for another Ipsy item which I really want.

So that's everything! I think my bag is pretty kickass this month, even with the two products I want to swap. Look for my September-October Ipsy reviews coming soon!

Hope everyone's had a great weekend!

Five Products I Love

Since I've been so busy lately, I'd like to give a little shout out to five products that have just been working for me. Things that make my life easier (in the beauty realm anyway) and one that has really saved me. Here we go:

1. Suave Daily Clarifying Shampoo

This stuff has seriously been a lifesaver recently. If you read my Suave Moroccan Infusion review then you'll know that I haven't been using it as much lately because I was no longer feeling that products were building up in my hair. However, Toad runs on well water, and my hair is (in the words of my roommate) not about that life. It's been very tangly and rough feeling lately, despite my use of a nourishing masque, and eventually I researched and found out it's because the minerals from the water are building up. So, I used this, and it's tons better. My hair still doesn't love the water, but as long as I use this a couple of times a week, I think I can manage.

2. Elf Eyelid Primer

Before I started using an eyelid primer, powder eyeshadow was a no-go for me. But a primer really makes all the difference! My eyelids aren't super oily, but my eyes are fairly hooded, and powder would just disappear into the crease immediately. This stuff keeps my eyeshadow looking great throughout the day, and it's only $1! Who can beat that?

3. Elf Makeup Mist & Set

Before I found this product, I'd basically resigned myself to the fact that my makeup would be gone as soon as I started sweating. I've tried the Urban Decay All Nighter Spray, and it didn't really do anything for me. I assumed that if Urban Decay couldn't help me, no one could. But I was incredibly surprised when this helped and a lot! I could go outside, sweat a ton, be sure my makeup was gone, and look in the mirror to a face almost as fresh as when I applied it. It's a fantastic product, and I wouldn't apply makeup without it.

4. Elf Beauty Book in Warm

Yes, another Elf product. I can't help it that their makeup is awesome and super cheap! I picked this gem up when I visited their flagship store in NYC at the end of May, and I've been using it every day since. The pigmentation is great, and there's a ton of neutral shades, but also some darker shades, and even a few fun colors! I generally go more natural for my eyeshadow, but today I had an orangey/pink thing going on, and I loved it. And, it's 48 shades for $6. Literally can't be beat.

5. Zoya Nail Polish in Neely

Not my swatch! Click the picture for the source!

 I have two major reasons why this is on this list. The first one is because I'm obsessed with mint green lately. I love it; I own three nail polishes in the color and a pair of pants. The second is because I got a manicure and pedicure with my mom the day before I left for Maine. That was Saturday, June 1st. The first time I noticed any sort of chip in my nails was Sunday, June 9th (this is not including one of my nails breaking and me having to cut it down - that was my nail's fault, not the polish). That means that this single manicure lasted for over a week. And it's not like I was easy on my hands. I was moving in, climbing around the theater, and moving equipment. And that polish did not budge. I don't know if it was the base coat or the polish or what, but I was amazed. When I paint my own nails, I'm lucky if I get two days wear without chipping. So not only is this polish beautiful and my favorite color, but it's formula is amazing, and I'm super excited to try the others I bought from Zoya.

So those are the products I'm loving right now! I don't incorporate a whole bunch of new products into my routines all that often, but if I find new things I love that I'm not planning to review, there will be more of these in the future!