Nail Polish - July

Hey There!

I had the chance to dip my toes into Sinful Colors Southern Belle Polish. Influenster sent me a Sunshine Vox box and the lovely color that I ended up with inside my Vox Box was Southern Belle. It's a beautiful purple cream that I don't currently have in my collection (I mean, now I do!).

And, I love Sinful Colors polishes. They are a great price and the formula, 9 times out of 10, is pretty good. With Southern Belle, I only needed 1 coat but I did 2 just to be sure. It's a fall color but it's so pretty. I normally wouldn't use a fall color in July but I made an exception. My feet enjoyed it.

It has been a very neutral finger nail month. I've been enjoying wear pale colors for the summer. Pale polishes work well when you're doing a lot of things with your hands. Pale polishes don't show the chips and/or nicks. Pale polishes look better for a longer period of time.

Wet n Wild's Private Viewing is a peachy nude. The website says that it's a polish that has shimmer. I say not really. It's almost has some shimmer. I definitely needed 3 coats of this polish. It's a very sheer cream polish that goes on just a little bit streaky. This color is one of the WnW polishes that doesn't have the best formula. It's one of the ones I struggle with. Even so, the polish makes my nails look super professional.

Wet n Wild polishes do last quite a long time on my nails. I normally only wear them for about 4 or 5 days but you really can do a good 7 - 8 day run. You know that I love the bottle and handle. I don't have to talk about the tapered brush that makes polishing my nails easier. It's why I reach for WnW polishes so often.

I didn't have to change my toe nail polish (because SinfulColors lasts quite a while) and I didn't wear polish on my nails half of the month. But, both of the colors that I did wear are winners.

My Influenster Sunshine Box

Hey there!

It came in the mail! My Influenster Sunshine box is here! And can I just tell you that I peeked inside and fell in love? Yes I did. I fell head over heels in love with this box!

Let me start off with what Influenster is. Just to copy straight from the website (so that I get it right!) "Influenster.com is a product discovery platform and review site that helps members find new products to try and get advice so they can make informed purchases".  What it is to me, is a place that I can go and see what my peers think of products before I purchase them and where I can tell the masses what I think of a product.

What Influenster will do every now and then is send out special Vox Boxes of goodies for their Influenster folks to try. And the goodies are spectacular! Like I mentioned, I got my box and couldn't wait to peek inside! So, I didn't wait.

And the inside of this bright yellow box made me soooo happy! 

The first thing that caught my eye were the Dickinson's Refreshingly Clean Cleansing Cloths. They are supposed to gently cleanse, tone & refresh  while removing dirt, oil and makeup. It's soap and fragrance free so it should do this without over dying your skin. I am down to my last makeup removing cloths and was looking toward more organic, natural, "better for your skin in general" face cloths. I'm excited to try this out and if I like it, they included a $3 off coupon! No, I take that back. They gave me THREE coupons. I don't know if that was a mistake or not but how fantastic is that?!

The second thing was a SinfulColors nail polish! You know that I love my SinfulColors polishes! The shade is called Southern Belle and it's a gorgeous grape color. I think I'm going to dip my toes in it this weekend! I don't know why I'm using so many exclamation marks for a nail polish but I am!

There is also a full sized Vaseline Intensive Care Spray Moisturizer in aloe. Look, you good people know that I am lazy as all get out when it comes to lotion. This could be the answer to all of my questions! It could save my legs from ashy embarrassment. I'm glad that they put this in my Vox Box. And, a little scared that perhaps they've been monitoring me. Hmmmm....

I'm going to get to play with a bottle of Infusium23 Hair Leave In Conditioner Cream with Avocado & Olive Oil. I've been dealing with some hair things and this looks like something that might work out for me. My hair has some damage (some breakage and split ends) but other than that, it's pretty healthy (and is that healthy lady, I mean really?!). I've heard great things about this product so my fingers are crossed in the hopes that it can help me.

And last but not least I have a package of Blue Diamond Almonds in Bold Sriracha. I like roasted almonds but I'm not a hot food girl. I think I'll have a coworker taste test these for me.

And coupons!! One for a FREE bag of barkThins! I have wanted to try these for quite a while and now I can for free! Sweet!

And now you are sold on this Influenster thing, aren't you? You want your own free box o' goodies, huh? Yep. Go click on my link (I don't make any money off of it. I don't think I get anything other than a big ole' thank you and some Influenster street cred). And of course, I'll get back with you good people and let you know what I think of all of these things.

(My Link) <---- You don't have to use my link but I'd love it and appreciate it if you did!

And, of course, disclaimer, I don't get any money and extra anything for a positive review. I only give my honest review because I can't do anything other than that!

Nail Polish Change - Orange Nails

Hey there!

I love the fact that summer lets me splash bright colors on my fingers and toes. I am a girl that loves splashes of color and my toes are always a willing canvas for color!

The only thing I have to watch out for is tanning. Towards the middle of summer my hands and feet turn a darker golden shade and that doesn't always work with orange polish. 

But, I have still managed to pull together some of my favorite oranges that help me cool off in the summer!

Mardi Gras by SinfulColors is a melon creme. It's smooth and I can take it from spring into fall. It's almost a one coater. 

Orange Crush by SinfulColors is one of two colors that I use the word "juicy" to describe. I am not a big fan of textured polishes but I keep reaching for this one. I pop on a top coat and all is right with the world. 

Charismatic by Revlon is a shimmering creme polish that is perfect with a "just tanned foot". It doesn't work after the third or fourth tan so I wear it early in the summer. 

Poppy by SallyHansen is an orange almost a pink. It's one of those colors that could go either way. I've had this one for years and it makes an appearance two or more times each year. It's so versatile that you just want to play with it. 

Luck à l'orange by Wet n Wild is my other "juicy" color. It's a shimmer that looks nothing like orange the fruit, but man it's what a summer orange is all about to me. I wear the heck outta this one. It's beautiful no matter how tan your skin gets. It's just a great color on any skin tone. 

Love Me Some Muscles! by Wet n Wild is one I hesitated with. It's a midtone melon but it's kinda blah to me. There isn't any BAM! about this color by amazingly, I reach for this when I need a conservative orange. I can wear one coat and it's a bit sheerer and modest or I can go with two coats and still be pretty modest. 

Honestly, it doesn’t matter if the weather is hot where you are or just slightly warm. These oranges will change your life!

Or at least your nails!

St. Patrick's Day Nails

Hey There!

There are only a few times a year when I do green nails. St. Patrick's Day counts as one of those times.

I have had my St. Patrick's Day polish since before Valentine's Day. I've been waiting to get my paint on! I'm a pretty festive girl and painting your nails is a pretty harmless way to get your festivities on.

I picked all Sinful Colors polishes for this St. Patty's Day look. No, not sponsored (Is someone from Sinful Colors reading? They can sponsor me if they'd like) but they had the colors I needed for this look.

I go simple. Nothing too crazy for this girl. I wore Curry Up on all of my nails. 2 coats to get a good base. 1 coat would have been too streaky so I felt I needed 2 coats. I knew that I'd paint over all of the Curry Up'd nails except my thumbs.

I used 2 coats of Green Ocean on my pinky and middle fingers. Green Ocean has shades of green, iridescent glitter in a clear base. The sparkle was subtle which is desired since the other fingers were power fingers. I could have done 1 coat of Curry Up and then 3 thick coats of Green Ocean for more sparkle but that wasn't the look I was going for. Fun fact - I bought a second Green Ocean when I purchased polish for my St. Patty's Day look. I didn't even know I had one already!

For my ring finger and my pointer finger I used Shamrockin'. Shamrockin' has white and lime green confetti with larger white flowers throughout a clear base. I have to admit, I used 2 thick coats and then used a toothpick to fish out and place my large white flowers (are these supposed to be the shamrocks?). I was a bit disappointed. The white flowers are also stiff so they don't bend around the nail. What does that mean? I can feel them on my nails and eventually, the flowers are going to peel off. But, for the three days I'm going to wear this look, it's ok.

Over all though, I like this look. I think it's perfect for St. Patrick's Day. I like them because they aren't exclusive to just one holiday though. The green sparkles in Green Ocean can be used over white or cream for an everyday look. Shamrockin', while marketed as a St. Patrick's Day color can be used in the same way. I see Shamrockin' as a very cute toe nail polish for the beach...can't you see it?!

I knew when I painted my nails that I'd get 3 days out of these and then I'd be taking them off. Green isn't for me. But, this look is so cute that it's super easy to pull off. Any complexion can do it because it's a gimmicky look and it's supposed to be a bit different.

I like it! 

SinfulColors Spring 2015 Collection - Bloomblast and CitrusTwist

Hey there!

I'm not an early adopter. I don't buy the latest gadgets. I don't purchase subscription boxes right away. I let other people try things out first and then I join and purchase. But, Sinful Colors released a jelly line and a glitter in crelly line for spring and I had to pounce! I mean these polishes are $1.99 each. You can get all of them if you want to!

(Side note. I am new to the polish game. These may or may not be crellies and jellies. If they aren't and you are offended that I called them out of their name, sorry, not sorry. They are nail polish. I like them. So there).

I picked up 2 of the Bloomblast polishes. I got Petal Be The Day (a purple crelly with purple and blue glitter in it) and Flower Power (a pink crelly with white and pink glitter in it). There is also Standing Bloom Only (an orange crelly with orange glitter in it) but I wasn't feeling it. It you look at the swatches (2 coats) you can see that they aren't opaque so I'd definitely use them as a topper and not on their own (can you say party nail, cause I can!). The glitter was easy to get on the nail wheel. I didn't have to fish but I did pat on the second coat to get more glitter.

The CitrusTwist is to die for. You need to stop reading and go get it NOW! There are three of these and I got them all! Zest of Times is a jelly pink that is so pretty. Ring The Belini is a yellowish orange that is like "pow!". Horizon Shine is a berry red. All of these have a sparkle in them that is so awesome. I only used 2 coats on the nail wheel but I can see a third coat making all the difference.

There were some new Opalescent colors in the line. Sheer Flight is a dark green/emerald color. Prized Plume is a shiny blue. Flight To See is a purple. All of the Opalescents are jewel toned. I wasn't feeling them either so I left them alone.

There were other colors but I wasn't sure what was new and what wasn't. And, once I looked at them, nothing jumped out at me. I have way too many SinfulColors polishes to just get them for buyings sake. Besides, there are other polishes that I could purchase instead.

Have you seen the new SinfulColors spring line? Are you excited about any of them or do they just not do it for you?

Nail Polish Change - Lancôme Very In Love & Sinful Colors In Gilded

Hey There!

So you came back to see what my favorite nail polish of all time (or 2014) was. Well...I'm gonna make you wait...but just for a few paragraphs.

Instead, we are going to talk about what I wore on my toes for the past week. Tee hee. I know, I'm such a tease. On my toes this past week I wore my Lancôme polish in Very In Love. It's a pretty pinky red that compliments my complexion. I topped it off with my Sinful Colors polish in Gilded. Gilded really brought out the pink in the Lancôme polish. I spent a lot of time during the holidays, at folks homes where taking off your shoes was mandatory (or strongly advised). You definitely want your toes to look cute when you are visiting the fam.

The Lancôme polish wears well but again, it was on my tootsies so it usually does. The Sinful Colors polish sealed the deal. I know that I can get another 2 weeks or so of wear from this combo. It seems like it would be a weird combination but I like it. My feet will see this dynamic duo again.

And, for my favorite polishes of the year....

L'Oreal Collection Privée in doutzen's nude and China Glaze Nail Lacquer in Travel in Colour. The China Glaze top coat is NO surprise to anyone. I wore this sucker as a top coat, party nail, whatever I could get it on. I only have the mini size, but I have three of those bad boys. Running out is NOT an option.

The L'Oreal polish might be a surprise. The color is certainly not. I told you that warm light chocolate with a hint of strawberry is so delicious on my hands. I've worn this color many times and then I get ticked off about the chipping and take it off. Yes, the formula sucks moose balls but when the color is this pretty, you deal with it.

I did say that I wouldn't purchase another L'Oreal polish until the formula changes and I haven't. I just can't get with chipping after 24 hours. My plan this year is to find another polish formula with a similar color so that I can retire this one but still have that beautiful color.

And do you see what happens when you add the China Glaze as a tip color? Geeze La-weeze that's pretty! I stared at my own darned hands all day. I didn't need any compliments...I made my own!

So there you have it. My 2 favorite colors of 2014. So pretty and fun. AND, I did decide to do a monthly nail polish round up this year instead of each week. I tried the weekly thing and the pressure was too much! There were so many times when I wanted to wear a polish 2 or 3 times in a row but I didn't feel that I could. Now I can comment on what I wore and if I purchase any during the month, I can save them up for the one time mention. Hopefully that will work.

What I can tell you is that while I have my eye on some new polishes, I want to go back and re-wear some oldies but goodies. I have some Wet n Wild and Sinful Colors that I'd like to wear again and I might have to pull out a spring color on my toes, just to make me feel good. You know how I feel about winter!

Are there any colors that you'd like to try this year? Maybe some new brands that you will look at? I think I may give Zoya another try. They are bringing out some colors that are right up my alley. And, I'd like to try an Indie brand. I kept looking for cute colors last year but nothing made me jump.

Stay tuned. It is a new year!

Nail Polish Change - SinfulColors in Vacation Time

Hey There!

Don't you LOVE this color? It's like warm melted chocolate dripping all over my fingers (which is the case a lot of the time - I'm such a foodie). 

Sinful Colors does it right when it comes to polish! They do a fan-dang-tastic job I tell ya! This particular polish is proof. I have only had 1 polish so far that wasn’t great. Besides this color (Vacation Time) being fantastic, this polish itself is great. It lasts all week, had very minimal chipping and brilliant shine. I always use my Sally Hansen Insta-Dry instead of/as a top coat but this would have been gorgeous without it.

I hated removing this polish. HATED it. My plan was to change polish every 3 or 4 days to showcase my darker, richer colors. I didn't want to! I got soooo many compliments on this color that taking it off was really a shame. And, except for where I jammed my ringer on the side of the car door (no pain, just shame), there were no chips until day 5! Then it was just the tips (I type a lot).

I don't even put this color back in its polish container. I just leave it out and when I can't fingure out what to wear, this bad boy goes on.

I got this for either $.99 or $1.99 at Walgreens. If you haven't tried Sinful Colors nail polish, this is a GREAT one to start off with.

Sunday Funday - Fall Nail Colors (Chocolate)

Hey There!

A few weeks ago I showed you all my pumpkin/orange nail polishes. It really was a way to gently push me into Fall. Well, I've been watching videos and reading other folks blogs and they have thrown me into Fall (without a parachute). I won't belabor the point that I'm not a fan of cold weather (I've beat that imaginary horse to death) so I'll just show you my chocolate nail collection.

I love anything chocolate. Chocolate bars, ice cream, eyeliner, eye shadow, lipstick, nail polish...if it's chocolate, I like it! So, I was surprised when I had more pumpkin/orange nail polish that I did chocolate nail polish. Now, I do have plenty of brown polishes that don't exactly fit into the chocolate realm (too peachy or blackish or leaning toward other colors) but I did have 7 that came near chocolate bar standards.

L'Oreal isn't my favorite nail polish in the world. The brush is too narrow, the color selection isn't as vast as I'd like and the formula chips quicker than most. For the price tag ($4.27 - $5.99) I'd like the formula to be better. Let me get a good 5 days out of you before you chip. Now, these particular colors (doutzen's nude & julianne's nude) are so pretty but if they chip in 2 days, it's not worth it for me. I originally bought them because of International Envy and now I've learned my lesson.

Sinful Colors nail polish makes me all tingly inside. I can wear their polishes for 5 days before the tips begin to chip. The brush isn't tapered but it's wide enough that I'm able to paint my nail without dipping into the bottle twelve times. And this color (Vacation Time) is to die for. It's pretty much the same as the L'Oreal julianne's nude but because the formula is better, so I reach for Sinful Colors more often.

I have this Avon color (Golden Sand) as a hold out from when I had only a few colors (many years ago). I wore this one all the time and didn't care about chips or not. I'd go 2 weeks before I changed polish! I wouldn't dare do that now! But, this is a good polish. The color isn't as rich and chocolaty as some of my other colors but it's a good formula. I have tried some of the newer Avon polishes and didn't like their formula (even though it was from the same line). Companies have to remember that if you change one tiny thing, it could make your product not so great.

I resisted purchasing Essie polishes for a looooong time. I was gifted one many years ago and I didn't see the big deal. It lasted just as long as anything else and the color range, while good, wasn't anything amazing. Even now, I purchase certain colors at full price (normally about $8.50, $8.99) because I REALLY like them. Otherwise, I get them with some sort of discount at Ulta, T.J. Maxx, Marshalls or Target. I try my hardest not to pay full price for an Essie polish. I bought this one (Mink Muffs) because I thought it was a nice, deep chocolate polish but I have only worn it once.

China Glaze (Chocodisiac) and Sally Hansen (Branch Out) have each been worn once on my toes. They are nice colors against pale skin so they are going to be great on my fingers once my tan wears off. Until then, toes here they come. Both polish formulas are good and they last quite a while before chipping. China Glaze has a smaller brush so it's harder to do the toesies but Sally Hansen has that tapered brush that I love, so it's easier.

Again, these are just some of the Chocolatey goodness that goes on my nails during the Fall and Winter. I am now lighting pumpkin candles and drinking my winter teas and coffees so I'm reluctantly committed to Fall.

I'm still praying for a warm winter without any snow.

Nail Polish Change - Deborah Lippmann in Mermaid's Dream, SinfulColors in Soul Mate and Pinky Glitter

Hey There!

Can we start with the toe nail polish (that y'all are seeing swatched and not on my toes)? It's a Deborah Lippmann (Mermaid's Dream) mini color that was in my Sephora Favorites Summer Stash bag from early in the summer. The color isn't my favorite but the formula is amazeballs! The first swipe across my big toe nail made me gasp (no funny comments from the peanut gallery!). It went on smoothly, almost perfectly. The glitter that you see is fine and smooth and so many wonderful colors wrapped up in this blue/green nail polish base. You can just barely see each blue, green and silver sparkly specs as you move the nail around and then there are larger green and blue glitter chunks that you are supposed to see. This tiny bottle was supposed to make me want to try full sizes. It worked!  I really, really want to pick one up (when I save up some Sephora money -- these boogers are $18 - $20 each).

 

Please excuse the kray-krayness of my nailwork this week.
I was trying a new polishing technique that obviously failed.
I will be back to the normally scheduled bad polishing next week
because apparently it wasn't as bad as I thought.

My finger nails were just as beautiful this week. They were graced with SinfulColors Polish. I wore Soul Mate and Pinky Glitter. Yes, that is a party nail that you see. Welcome back PN! Soul Mate comes off as a coral with a splash of orange. Pink Glitter is the same color, with just the best silver and iridescent round sparkles. The formula is very nice. I love the fact that when you use Pink Glitter, you don't have to maneuver the brush to get enough glitter on your nails. You can swipe normally and get a good bit of sparkle. I have many glitter polishes that I had to actually place the flecks of glitter where I wanted them. Not this one sister. Both colors go on well and lasted for several days. I went three days before my much used pointer nails got chipped. I loved these colors, I really did. One of my co-workers really did shout, "The party nail is back!" I didn't even know she noticed my party nail!

So in case you didn't notice, yes, I'd wear my SinfulColors polishes over and over again. And yes, I see the Deborah Lippmann polish as a party nail until I get a new Deborah Lippmann polishes that I can wear on all my nails. I have my eye on quite a few colors.

Sunday Funday - Fall Nail Colors

Hey There!

I have to work a little bit at getting into Fall. I'm a Summer girl so when I see cold weather heading my way, I just want to hibernate. If it hits 66˚ in the morning, I feel like I need to pull out my parka and gloves! One of the saving graces is that Fall is so colorful. You just have to be happy with the warm, rich colors that Fall produces. The tops get longer sleeved and the colors get a muted, vivid tone. Jewel toned is what they say. Let me tell you, momma looks good in jewel toned colors.

Since we all know that I pretty much wear the exact same mauvey pink or brown hued lipstick/glosses, I have to branch out with color in clothing, eyeshadow (when I can get away with it) and nail polish. I love the fact that nail polish can really be transforming for a shy person (I didn't say that I was shy -- simmer down). You can paint your finger nails (or toe nails) in really "out there" colors and most people won't bat an eyelash. I find that the quietest people have so much fun with their nails.

I decided that for the month of October I'd pull out some of my Fall colors and show them off. I got as far as pumpkin colors, chocolate colors and cranberry colors. Then I got tired because I have A LOT of nail polish to go through. But I digress.  I pulled out Fall nail colors and decided to jump in a big pile of multicolor leaves (not really cause I have bad allergies and I can't be doin' stuff like that!) and show you what I currently have.

I started with pumpkin or orange colors. For some cray-cray reason,  I have a monkey load of orange nail polishes. These 9 are simply the oranges that looked the most pumpkinish to me. There were ten that I disqualified. TEN!!! Who needs nearly 20 orange nail polishes? I guess me. For some reason, orange polish looks good against my skin. Go figure.

Anywhosie, I have 2 creamy colors that I like to pull out...in the Fall. Yeah, yeah, I know. But, they are pumpkin colors! Revlon's Charismatic and SinfulShine's Mardi Gras are both very pretty colors that once my tan has gone away, I can get away with. Because they are cream colors, they are cool and shiny. The Revlon color is almost sheer but the SinfulShine color is totally opaque. Both colors are muted and soft and help me slip into cooler weather.

I've mentioned before that Kleencolor is a line that is totally overlooked. If you don't troll your local beauty supply stores like I do, you missed this brand and it's a shame. The formula is pretty dag-gone good and the color selection is crazy. They always have a new collection coming out. Anyway, I decided to temper my Kleencolor Sweet Orange (I love that name) with a more popular Rimmel London 60 Seconds in Golden Hour. These are lovely, perfect fall colors. The Kleencolor is an almost metallic orange and Rimmel is almost shimmery. Both are very opaque and give off great color. And, you can begin the Fall with them because even if you still have your summer tan, these colors are Fall rockable.

I often run away from textured nail polish but both SinfulColors and Zoya fooled me. I thought both of these colors were just glittery. Nope, they are textured BUT they are beautifully textured. SinfulColors in Orange Crush and Zoya in Dhara are party nails at their finest! If you are new round these parts (Welcome! Pull up a chair, pour some coffee [or wine, we don't judge] and enjoy), my ring finger is my party finger. I will decorate that finger, add sparkly, glittery, rock-filled polish colors on that nail. If I really like my party nail color, it sometimes get's promoted to all the nails. Orange Crush and Dhara are both party nail colors that I don't think will get promoted. They are pretty though. They scream Fall, don't you think?

My last three shimmers are heavy in Fall rotation people. They are so Fallish that they should stay on my desk in preparation for being worn. Wet n Wild's Luck a l'Orange, Maybelline Color Show's Orange Extreme and Revlon's Electrified Web are all such pretty colors. They really can be worn anytime of the year (as all nail polishes can) but they look so good when the weather is crisp, you have a warm pumpkin/mocha/white chocolate latte in your hand with the sleeve of your warm sweater just touching the cup. Ahhhh, one of the only good things about Winter -- cute sweaters. Back to the program. These are colors are delicious and should get worn often this season. Prepare to see them a lot.

Like I said in the beginning, orange polish just looks good on my little fingers. If you are like me and you have to be lulled or conned into welcoming the cooler weather, you need to go and pickup some Fall nail polish colors. Every brand of nail polish known to man puts out a Fall nail line. Once of those brands will have a collection that works for you. They will help you fall into that big pile of colorful leaves that is Fall.

Or go get a pumpkin latte and some new boots. That's going to help too.