Sunday Fun Day - It's A Haul!

Hey there!

Just FYI, this is a haul over a 2 week period. I've been picking up random things here and there and now, I'm finally ready to share them with you!

I've mentioned in an empties that I enjoying adding lavender Epsom salts to my bath. I normally pick up smaller packs from Dollar Tree but the Target Up and Up brand was a good deal. I'll try them out but I can't imagine that it's any different than the Dollar Tree one.

Yep! I picked up another pack of Pure & Gentle Make-up Remover Wipes from Walmart. I have really begun to like these! They are nice and wet and most days I can use 1 wipe and get off all of my makeup. They aren't better than my Wet n Wild makeup wipes but they are a verrrrrry close second. And, the price is right.

I found Honeymania shower gel from The Body Shop at my local Marshalls. I've mentioned that any time I see a shower gel from The Body Shop, I am going to grab it. They smell so good and they lather so well. They had a peach one but I've already sniffed that one so I wanted to try a new one.

Also at Marshalls I found an Essie nail polish in Using My Maiden Name. It appears to be a beautiful, slightly iridescent light purple. I also got a purple from NYC at Walmart. Purple Pizzazz Frost is a darker iridescent purple. I also picked up Strip Me Off by NYC. It's a base coat that you can peel off. I thought this would be great with any glitter polish that I use.

And, I lucked up during a Dollar Tree trip. I found 2 Milani Liquid Lip Colors. Neither of them have a name so I have to go with "the brown one" and "the fuchsia one". Perfect names in my opinion.

See, I didn't pickup much. I could have picked up quite a bit more but I really wanted to scale back my purchases. I went into Ulta and came out with nothing. NOTHING! I also went into the makeup section of Kohls and came away with .... NOTHING! See, I'm doing well.

But, why I scaled down my purchases, I'm not going to never purchase anything else. You know I'm not going to do that! What kind of blogger would I be if I didn't buy things to blog about??

Nail Polish - Essie - Using My Maiden Name & Pansy

Hey There!

Spring has sprung! That means I need to change up my polish. I try to go a bit springy and use fewer dark colors when warmer weather hits. While it's pretty easy to do that on my toes (cause I can rock almost ANY color on them), I have to be a bit more careful on my fingers. This time I went with Essie polishes all the way.

My finger nails got draped in Using My Maiden Name. It's a cute name for a polish for sure. It's from the 2013 Bridal Collection. I did not purchase it for $8.50 in 2013. I paid $3.99 this year. It's a pretty color but I had to use three very careful coats. Each coat was thin and very strategically placed. The end result was good and I must admit, it's been a very long time since I have colored inside the lines. I'm glad that I bought it.

My toes have been having fun! I picked up Pansy a few weeks ago and knew that it was going on my feet. I'm not sure which collection Pansy was in originally but it has been around for at least 4 years because in my research, that was the first blog post I found on it. I can't tell you the ease of it cause the lady at the pedicure place put it on my toes for me. But, they look good.

Side bar - you forget how great your toes look when the lady at the pedicure place cuts your toe nails for you! I won't go back for a month or six weeks (cause I can paint my own) but the nail cut is perfecto. I'm gonna milk it!

So those are my first color pops of spring. I'm so glad to be able to use all the pastels that I purchased on sale during the winter months. Just wait and see what I have on rotation!!

It's A Haul Y'all! - Charming Charlie & Marshalls

Hey There!

Let the Birthday hauls keep on rolling!

I've mentioned more than a few times that I'm moving and because I'm in the new neighborhood at least 2 - 3 times a week, I have begun exploring the shops and restaurants. One of the stores that is in the area is new to me -- Charming Charlie.

(I've added a link to a Yelp review of the store - it is obviously not one anywhere near me as a safety precaution. Whoever took these pictures did a great job capturing the essence of the store).

Can I explain how fantastic a Charming Charlie store is? I had not been in one until a month ago. I walked in for the first time and had to stop and take a deep breath. It's a large jumble jam of pretties and sparklies and shinies and I didn't know which way to turn first.

I just dove in and spent 20 minutes doing a first glance at a store that you need an hour to thoroughly peruse. I saw the jewelry and the shoes and purses and phone cases. Oh my gosh -- it really is Claire's or Icing for adults and I love it.

After a first run, I walked away with prom earrings for the kiddo/young adult that lives with me, and a purse for myself. If you remember from my previous wristlet haul (link here), I like smaller purses. I use to have serious shoulder problems and my doctor suggested I take the 30 pound pocket book (which was actually filled with books) off of my shoulder. I moved to wristlets and crossbody purses and my shoulders have been feeling just fine.

So I picked up this teal green beauty (originally $15 on sale for $9.99) because I have several shirts this color or with shades of this color and I don't have any purses to go with it. Now I have the perfect accessory. It's soft and it has enough compartments for everything that I need to carry. It can also be used as a wristlet or you can attach the gold and teal chain to it. Perfect, I tell you.

I also ran into Marshalls. You never know what you'll find there so it's always a good time. I mentioned the Essie spring polishes that I found (yesterday's post) but I also picked up a full sized H2O Targeted Care Mint Foot Rub and a bottle of e.l.f. Brush Shampoo.

I discovered the H2O Targeted Care Mint Foot Rub a while back and decided that it was a much more purse friendly product than the Aveda Foot Relief Moisturizing Creme. That stuff used to be my holy grail jam but at $9.50 for 1.4 fl. oz. and $24 for 4.2 fl. oz., I had to make some better life choices. So, in walks my new boo at $1.99 for 2 fl. oz. and $4.99 for this 4.2 fl. oz. size that you see here, and I fell in love! The products is thick and healing and I can slather that stuff on at night and wake up with magic feet the next morning.

Now the Kohls, regular price for the 1.4 fl. oz. is $5. That's more than the Marshalls price but if you can't find one at Marshalls, it's still better than the $9.50 Aveda price. But, if you shop at Kohls, you know how to use Kohls cash and you won't pay full price for it anyway.

The other little goodie that I picked up was the e.l.f. Brush Shampoo. I no longer have a Target in my current area (30 days and counting until the new place!!) and my Walmart never has this in stock. I was thrilled to see it so that I can test it out. I only saved .31 cents but I haven't had enough stuff for an online order lately so paying almost full price was ok. I still think it's a good deal, if it works.

So that part one (or two? I forget) of quite a few Birthday Hauls. I didn't go super crazy but I did do some damage. Birthday money isn't for saving!

Breaking Into Spring Nail Polish

Hey There!

The weather is being iffy. It's time for the April showers. I'm not mad though because the pollen count has been manageable because of all the rain. Because the weather has been iffy, I decided I needed to transition to the spring nail polish color.

Before I transitioned, I used my final 2 winter/fall polishes. The first one that I used was Milani Nail Lacquer in Heather. I have owned this color for a while. It was the first Milani polish that I ever purchased and I absolutely love it. The color comes off brown on camera but really it's a cream grape color. It's rich and pretty and is so easy to work with. It behaves better than some of my higher end nail polishes. I love it.

My last winter/fall polish was Zoya nail polish in Areej. Areej is the perfect berry color. You could totally get away with this year round but it's not quite as bright as you see in the picture. It's a creme polish and I love creme polishes better than all the rest. They are so rich and warm and Zoya does a great job with cremes.

About a month ago I lucked up on some Essie polishes at Marshalls. I love buying polish from Marshalls. Essie normally goes for $8.50 (I have no idea while the bottle says compare at $6.00) and I got these for $3.99. I picked up Sunday Funday (how aptly named!), Pansy and Spaghetti Strap.

I have Sunday Funday on my toes and I love it. It's a pretty coral shade and that was the perfect ice breaker (literally in some parts of the country). As a first polish of spring, I give it a high 5.

Pansy is this week's toe color. It's a bright, fun pink. A great weather transition color.

Now, Spaghetti Strap is going to be a problem. I only used 2 coats of the other 2 polishes but I used 3 coats of this one. It's super sheer. I don't normally go quite this sheer but I'll give it a try and see.

My only Essie complaint is that all 3 are hard to work with. They are a bit runny and you have to do that thin coat with a "pat pat pat" of another coat, trick. Maybe with some age they will perform better. I know that sometimes helps.

But other than that, these polishes are all nice colors that I will wear again (except, maybe Spaghetti Strap). The Essies will see a lot of play this summer!

What do you have on nail polish rotation now that it's getting warmer? Did you buy anything new? Did you know Marshals had discounted polish?

Nail Polish Change - Essie's Bahama Mama

Hey There!

This past week I wore another dark nail color. The weather is turning a bit chilly and I've turned my clock back so I've come to terms with the fact that winter really is on the way. Essie's Bahama Mama is a rich, grapey wine color that is very striking on your nails. I enjoyed wearing it, once I got over the fact that I couldn't do clean up on mistakes as well as I can with lighter colors. I think it was ok because I'm pretty sure no one looked at my nails and saw that the cuticles has traces of polish. No, everyone that commented loved the deep color, perfect for fall.

I used 2 coats but I probably could have done a third coat and gotten a richer look. It was chip free for 4 days (but you could see some typing wear by day 3) and the formula is fine but in my opinion, not $8.50 fine. No worries! I picked up this one in the Rite Aid discount bin for $2.12. It was definitely $2.12 fine!

When I initially picked up this color (mid-summer maybe?), I read some online reviews before using it. Most people really love the color but hate the streakiness if you only use 2 coats. I have to agree. I really loved the color but I wasn't in love with the fact that I should have used 3 coats. Had I paid the full $8.50 for this polish, I'd have been disappointed but I got it for a steal so I'm okay with it.

Keep reading folks because I think you are going to see lots more deep colors. I may throw some other shades in but you'll have to keep tuned in to see!

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.