Nail Polish Change - Rimmel Lasting Finish Pro Bare Naked & China Glaze Glitz'n Pieces

I picked up some really pretty polishes in my hauls this week. The colors were so pretty that I knew that I was going to have some fun with my nails.

Now, I've mentioned that I have a nail quirk. I like funky colors on my feet and demure colors on my hands. I think it's because I work with my hands a lot and so they chip quickly. It's easy to touch up demure colors (nudes, pales, etc). My toe nail polish lasts 3 or 4 weeks sometimes so I can go crazy with color on them. This week I picked up 6 polishes. I got 4 for my hands, 1 for my toes and 1 fancy overcoat color.

The nail colors resemble many polishes that I have in my collection already. These colors are basic pales and mauves that are totally me. Maybelline Bold Gold is probably the exception to the rule. It is a touch outside of normal for nails but not crazy or anything.

   

   
    Rimmel Lasting Finish Pro - 200 Bare Naked

     L'Oreal Nail Color - 320 Marvelous

     Maybelline Color Show - 70 Bold Gold

     Sally Hansen Instra-Dry Fast Dry Nail Color - 180 Rose Rum

I've chosen the Rimmel Bare Naked to go under the China Glaze Glitz'n Pieces. I only Glitzed my ring fingers on both hands. Looks cute I think.

Side note - Folks, I had gel nails for about 6 months. They looked so pretty. I got complements everywhere I went. Once I decided to take them off and let my nails breathe, I discovered that my natural nails looked horrible! They were soft and a tad discolored. I've been letting them heal and 4 months later, they are better, but not the best. I've added biotin to my vitamins so they are making a slow recovery. My nails photographed so beautifully a year ago. Now, well, this is what I have. I working on it though.

 The Revlon polish that I got for my toesies is in 330 Naughty. That is a normal toe nail color, jazzy, funky, shows off my toesies perfectly. I have something on right now so I'll probably wait until next weekend to do them.

The China Glaze in 1181 Glitz'n pieces is a bit new for me. I haven't done glittery overlay in many years but I'm very excited to show this off.

After I've had a bit of time to test run the different polishes, I'll be sure to do a review for you. Maybe I can do a nail review each month. What do you think? Do you have any colors that you've seen that you'd like to try?

My Top Products of 2013

 Happy New Year and happy new makeup products!

I love trying new products and January seems to have an onslaught of new goodies to try. But, before I try the new stuff (and oh trust me and my wallet, I will) let's take a second to sing the praises of the old stuff. You know, the holy grail stuff of 2013 that if stranded on an island...really, how does one get stranded on an island these days? And, shouldn't food and water be more important than makeup?

Anywho, my trusty 2013 products are as follows...

Philosophy Purity Made Simple - I've tried other things from Philosophy and I wasn't 100% impressed but everyone ranted and raved about the Purity Made Simple cleanser so I had to spend $10 for a trial size and see. Can you say in love? It is the best cleanser I've tried this far. It really does "melt" off eye makeup and it doesn't irritate my skin or eyes at all. I fell so hard for this product, I bought two 32oz containers from QVC when it went on sale (with flex pay).

Sigma F80 Flat Kabuki & e.l.f. Angled Blush Brush - Once you've washed your face, you need the right tools to apply your makeup. I have many, many brushes, some high end, lots of mid range, some low end but my two favorite brushes of all time are my Sigma F80 and my e.l.f. angled blush brush. Now, I don't always use my brushes for the intended purposes so in the past I just used the brushes that came with my BareMinerals foundation for everything and they worked fine. Then I purchased my Sigma F80. Shhh! Do you hear the angels singing? I did. That F80 made my foundation glide on like a dream. And the e.l.f. brush? It works perfectly for contouring bronzer.

NYX Eye shadow base, e.l.f. professional mechanical eyelash curler & Jordana Best Lash Extreme volumizing mascara - The eyes have it! I've tried a few eye shadow bases and so far NYX is my go to. I'm hesitant to try out others because my eyes are so delicate. My e.l.f. eyelash curler isn't anything special but it is the one that works best for me. Now, stand back when I talk about mascara. I have fought some battles with mascara this year and Jordana Best Lash Extreme has won the battle. I plan to try the other Jordana mascaras this year but I'm reluctant to try any other brands. I have several mascaras in my drawer now that I am complaining about!

Jordana Easyliner For Lips - I am a lip gloss girl. Lipstick is fine but I like to line my lips with a moisturizing liner and pop on some gloss. Jordana has sealed the deal for me. I only have 3 colors right now but I have several new colors in mind.

Sally Hansen Instra-dry Topcoat - Are those angels still singing? I have purchased 3 of the these for friends. I love nail color but I hated painting my nails before I got this insta-dry top coat. It's magic. You let your color dry for a few minutes, paint this on top and 5 minutes later you have nails that are 90% dry. I paint my nails at night so pulling up covers or turning off the bed lamp can be the kiss of death. Not any more! My nails look amazing the next day! I love this stuff!!

Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream - I have 3 containers of this; one in my purse, one next to my bed and one in my desk at work. It smells good and keeps my cuticles soft. Yes, I have tried the regular cuticle cream and that one went in the trash. It wasn't as soft, it didn't smell nearly as nice and it didn't do the job that my BB Lemon Cuticle Cream did. Stick with what you know.

And there you have it! The best of the best for 2013. Not much variety I know, but I'm a basics girl when it comes to make up. I'm sure 2014 will see me spread my wings a little and we can sit here and try new things together!

(Originally posted on 1/5/2014)