Nail Polish Change - Nail Treatment Week

I decided that this week I'd keep polish free and just treat my finger nails this week. I clipped them down, removing split and jagged ends, and then gave them a little treatment each night (and during the day Friday, Saturday and Sunday). But, don't fret. I did use polish on the toesies!!

So let's start with my finger nail treatment. I've been raving about my Sephora Formula X nail treatment. I did use it but then I picked up 2 new Revlon nail treatment products during my Super Spectacular CVS Spring Clearance Haul (I know. I'm so dramatic!). I picked up the Revlon Cuticle Softener and the Revlon Treat & Boost Nail Treatment. I only used each one twice so I can't really give a full review but so far I'm happy with my purchases. I'll check back in, in a few weeks and let you know.

And to seal the deal, as always, I used my Sally Hansen Insta-Dry Top Coat. Did you not drink the Kool-Aid yet? Are you not onboard the Sally Hansen Insta-Dry train? Then folks, my work here is not done! This is the most amazing discovery in nail polish history. I dare you to tell me anything better. Go ahead, I'll wait. That's what I thought. This stuff is amaze-balls. You need this in your life.

Oh! And on nights that I remember, I use my Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream. I love this stuff. The smell is great and it really does moisturize my cuticles. I just keep forgetting to use it. And, yes it is right next to my bed! Maybe I should make my bed and put this tin on the pillow. Yeahhhhh, no. That's not going to happen. Oh well!

As far as the toesies, I decided to keep it all springy pink and use The Balm Cosmetics Hot Ticket nail polish in Don't Pink and Drive. Don't you love that color? I do. I think it looks darling with my little pink flippy flops. Now, full price for this polish is $10. I got mine during the 50% off sale so I only paid $5. Is it worth it? Let's see, shall we.

The formula is not the best. 1 coat was streaky and 2 coats only helped slightly. I can't tell you about the wear because it's on my toes (and I don't type or do housework with my toes) but I know that it isn't $10 lasting. I'd give it $3.99 lasting. So that means the other color that I purchased from The Bam will be a toes color too, unless I use an overlay of some sort on it.

So now that my fingernails are nice, hydrated and treated, I'll go back to polish this week. What color will I use? Since I'm running low on polish (HA! Had to laugh at my own self!!) I'll have to work really hard to figure something out. Maybe I'll go springy but maybe I'll go spicy because it's starting to get hot outside (just the way I like it).

You'll have to wait until next Monday to find out!!

Or you can cheat and check out Instagram. 

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)