It's A Haul Y'all! - Nail Polish

Hey there!

I'm not ready to talk about it yet! The weekend isn't over and I have a feeling I will end up BACK at a Sephora this weekend. Stop sucking in your teeth!

What I did do is use some of my CVS cash to pick up some nail polish over the past few weeks. I don't like to leave CVS bucks on the table so what better way to use them than with more beauty products. I decided to splurge on my Sally Hansen products and get 2 from the Salon Manicure line. Those are the ones that are always about $7.79. CVS had a buy $10 worth and get $2 off and I had to use my $6 CVS bucks that day or lose them. So, that made them $3.79 each. I picked up Ruby Do and So Much Fawn. So pretty, don't you think?

I took a trip to a different Wal-Mart and found some really cute NYC Long Wearing Nail Enamel colors. NYC has really good polish and I try make sure to look and verify that I have all the ones I like. They are always $.93 or less at Wal-Mart so you really can't go wrong trying a new color. I picked up Lexington Lilac and Wine Bar. I thought that Wine Bar would be my favorite of the two colors but just look at that lilac color! That's a warm color that I can wear this fall for sure! I'm so glad I bought that one.

I always keep my eyes peeled when walking through the Dollar Tree. You just don't know what you'll find in there. This time I found an old Wet n Wild, Wild Shine in Hallucinate. There are a lot of sparkles in it and it almost does as good a job as my China Glaze in Travel in Color, but not quite.

I don't think that I mentioned my Nicole by OPI find. What's the Mitch-uation was a color from their Modern Family Line. I found mine at Marshalls for $2.99. It's pretty but I can't say it's as pretty as I thought it would be. We'll see what I think when it's on my fingers.

And a super quick Sephora mention. Yesterday when I went in the store (don't you dare judge me! It's 20% off people!), I swung past the clearance section. I wanted to make sure that I had all of the $.99 cent nail polish that they had. I apparently had missed one so I spent $.79 on this bottle of polish in Mystic Gothic. Pretty huh? Worth $.79, so going into the store was a good idea, huh?! (Well, no, I spent waaaay more than $.79 but we aren't here to talk about that).

And that's what I've added to the polish collection over the last month (not including the colors from my Ipsy bag). Only 7 polishes in a month. That's pretty good for me! I'm proud of myself!

What have you been buying to wrap your fingernails and toe nails in? Have they been splurges or cheap goodies?

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.

September Faves

Hey there!

When you are product testing, you don't get to use your go-to faves very much. You are trying new things and your tried and trues go to the wayside. I tried not to do that (alot) this month, but of course, it happens. But, I did have some favorites this month! I didn’t have any last month. Sorry about that. Hopefully some of these goodies will make up for that!

I have been using the heck out of my Caress Aqua Sparkle Shower Gel ($2.99 @ Target). It is bubbly (sudsy) and smells so good. It’s like a fresh, clean scent and makes the bathroom smell really good. Isn’t that what bubble bath should do? Make the whole bathroom smell good? No? Oh, sorry. Anyway, I have several of the Caress shower gels and I prefer the creamy ones over the non-creamy. This one is an exception.

I also have been enjoying my Neutrogena Oil-Free Moisturizer for Sensitive Skin ($9.97 @ Wal-Mart). You know that I’ve been testing out as many as I could find that didn't have SPF or had a low SPF count. I know, I know, but SPF over about 18 breaks me out something terrible. I'm talking red face, itchy, swollen breakout. I have stuff from the dermatologist that I can use but it's not a daily moisturizer. Enter Neutrogena. This stuff has saved me. It's light and irritant free and feels so good on my skin. I think I'm in love...again.

Rimmel London lip liners (between $2.79 - $3.79 @ CVS, Rite-Aid or Walgreens) are some of the best liners in town. They are so creamy and highly pigmented that they can make even the worst lipstick/gloss work. I have been working these three colors all summer. Tiramisu, Rich & Wild Clover - They go so well with nude (for brown skin girls) lipsticks. They stay in my makeup bag at all times.

I have been using the heck out of this L'Oreal True Match Blush in Spiced Plum. It's a soft color that lets the rest of your makeup do it's job. It's a soft peach (even though it says plum) that stays in the background and lets your bronzer or highlighter shine. And, because it does it so well, it wins the award for best summer blush. I'm not sure how much I paid for this because I'm sure I picked it up at Big Lots but if I see a color that I might like from L'Oreal True Match, I won't hesitate to get it.

I have mentioned this China Glaze, Travel In Color, color so many times, I'm sick of hearing about it! But, I'm not sick of seeing it!! I love this color AND this formula. I normally put nail polish away once I've used it, taken a picture and then talked about it on my Monday NPR posts. Not this bad boy. It has a home right next to my desk (where I paint my nails). Every time I apply polish, I have to decide if I can add a touch of this to it. Ok, I'm done gloating about it. I won't mention it again (for the next 2 days).

I always try to have a non makeup item on my list. Lately it's been different coffees that I've loved. This month I discovered the Archer Farms Decafinated Caramel Macchiato coffee for the Keuring machine ($9.99 for a box of 18, but I bought 2, got a $5 gift card and got 5% off using Target Cartwheel making it $7 per box). This is a really good coffee. It isn't a strong coffee, so I have to brew it on the smallest setting, but with just a splash of creamer and a tap of sugar, you can sit back and relax with a cup of this in your hand. Target (seller of the Archer Farms brand) has been doin' the durn thing with their coffees. They always have a sale and a cartwheel discount to boot. Make sure you check them out if you are on the coffee isle.

So those are my loves for September. What are you loving this month? What did you absolutely despise this month? What have you had your eye on because you just know it's going to be your favorite? Let us know!

Nail Polish Change - China Glaze in Travel in Color and Sally Hansen Sugar Shimmer in Berried Under

Hey There!

I wore 2 polar opposite nail polishes this week. One of them was one of the best and the other was one of the worst. Like I said, opposites.

 

Sorry about the chippage. I didn't take this picture until
5 days in. Pretty good for 5 days, huh?!

I talked briefly about China Glaze's Travel in Color last week. I liked it so much that I wore it on all my nails this week. I am so in love with this nail polish color. I'm going to marry it. The iridescent sparkle and shimmer is amaze-balls. It gives off a slight green hue but that's ok. When you are this pretty you can do that. The staying power is good. My only complaint is that I bought this little itty bitty bottle instead of a full sized one. 

The color that I wore on my tootsies was Sally Hansen Sugar Shimmer in Berried Under. I cannot stand this formula. I am going to give this the award for WORST nail polish formula EVER! It looks like I painted my toes in a pretty, muted pink and then drug my feet through sugar or sand. 

I know, I know! That's the point of this polish but it's horrible. Does anyone really like this? I don't. I won't use this again. Good thing I got it on clearance. 

So just to recap -- Shimmery iridescent, yes. Feet tracked in sugar or sand, no.

Any questions?

Nail Polish Change - Zoya in Lulu and China Glaze in Travel in Color

Hey There!

I'm still wearing and liking my Nailene Nail Studio nails in medium. I added a pale polish on top and then added a bit of sparkle to the tip, just to change things up.

I used Zoya polish in Lulu as a base color. Again, I wasn't impressed. This is the 4th Zoya polish I've tried and for an $8 or more nail polish, this really should do more. The brush isn't my fave and I had to work harder to get polish everywhere. I paid under $3 for all of the color's that I've purchased and I kinda of want my money back. The pale peach color was decent but they could have done so much more with this color. It was sheer and washed out. I don't know that I'll wear it again.

Now, my teeny tiny China Glaze polish in Travel in Color was AMAZING!! I loved this color. It's like a non color of opulence. I tried to add this as a tip color but it didn't really show all the color that it could be. I hate that I only have a mini polish. I will certainly make a plan to go back and get another one if I can. This is worth paying full price! This color will certain get more play whenever I can wear it!

BTW, by the end of the week my "press on" nails looked very, very ragged. You can just barely get 3 weeks out of these. Just barely. But, come on, for the price they were well worth it. I'd purchase them again.

So the tally is Zoya, no; China Glaze, heck yes; Nailene Nail Studio nails, yes. Not a bad week!

Sally Beauty Supply Haul - China Glaze & Finger Paints

A few weekends ago Sally Beauty Supply had a deep discount on their already discounted nail polishes. Right near the front door, my Sally Beauty had a table of China Glaze colors and Finger Paints colors. I don't really need nail polish but who waits until they need makeup and polish to buy them, right? Oh, there are people like that? Sorry, not me.

If you have been sleeping on Sally Beauty Supply for polish and makeup, you need to wake up. They have some top shelf polish. They also have all the accoutrements that you need for nail care, hand care, feet care as well as hair care. I find myself in there at least twice a month and I come out with some great deals and some wonderful new finds. If you join their beauty club, you get discounts. If you aren't interested in their beauty club, just checkout their discount tables and you'll still get great deals.

Anywho, I picked up 8 polishes and only paid about $12 total. I have a fair amount of China Glaze in my collection and only a few Finger Paints but I can tell you that all of the China Glaze & Finger Paints that I have, were purchased when they were heavily discounted. I kinda do that with nail polish. It's very rare that I buy it without some sort of discount.

So I picked up Howl You Doing, Be Merry Be Bright, Bells Will Be Blinging, Glitz n Pieces, Elfin' Around & Vertical Rush from China Glaze and A Heart For Art and Be A Pal-ette from Finger Paints. I haven't had a chance to use them yet so I swatched them on my wheel for you.

The glitters all look exciting to me except Howl You Doing. I'm not sure about that one. It looks like a matte purple. It may take me a while to try that one. The others are ready to be party nails!

The other two China Glaze and the two Finger Paint colors are pearlescent colors and they all look so delightful! I cannot wait to wear these.

Do you catch the Sally Beauty sale? Do you have China Glaze and Finger Paints in your collection?

Monthly Nail Polish Review - January

Hey there.

I know that I've already given you a first impression (and a first look) of most of the nail (and toe) colors that I've worn this month. Now it's time to see how they did in the 6 day challenge. Well, not challenge but you know. I wore them for about 6 days to see if there were any significant chips or problems with the formula or if the color wasn't that great or if it took hours to remove or if it turned my nails black after use...you get the picture.

You are in luck! This month I've tried some really nice polishes and that means I have new brands to add to my collection. This month I wore Rimmel Lasting Finish Pro Nail Color in 200 Bare Naked, China Glaze in 1181 Glitz'n pieces, L'Oreal Nail Color in 320 Marvelous, Kleancolor Nail Lacquer in 310 3D duochrome, Wet n Wild Fastdry Nail Color in 237C Gray's Anatomy and Revlon Nail Enamel in 330 Naughty.

Rimmel Lasting Finish Pro Nail Color in 200 Bare Naked scared me at first. Not the color, the nice peach color was actually very pretty but you can't go wrong with a soft nude/peach color. The brush scared me. It's a thick, brush with a tapered end. Maybe that shows I've been buying cheap polish too long. I thought that the brush would give me waaaaay too much polish. It actually did the opposite. The tapered end meant I got a more precise stroke of color and probably used less polish. The staying power wasn't fantabulous but I'm not sure I was expecting more than I got. There were two chips within 4 days but I spend my days typing and using my hands a lot so that wasn't bad. Overall, I'd purchase another color from this line and give it a whirl.

I used China Glaze in 1181 Glitz'n pieces as an accent nail color over my Rimmel Bare Naked color. It was different for me but a nice different. It was really pretty over the Bare Naked but next time, I'll use a different color. The Bare Naked was a warm color and Glitz'n pieces probably needed to go over a cooler color. The staying power was terrific and I didn't have much trouble taking the color off. I had to do the 'cotton pad on the nail for 10 minutes' trick but I do that with normal polish anyway.

I loved L'Oreal Nail Color in 320 Marvelous. I've only been wearing it for 5 days but there don't appear to be any major chips. The color is a warm, rich cocoa brown that looks really good against my complexion. It also has the tapered brush that I'm getting use to. I plan on keeping this in the rotation. Of all the polishes I wore this month, this is the clear winner! Love it!!

I had a New Years Eve party that I went to and I need a metallic pale purple polish. I had two colors in my collection, Kleancolor Nail Lacquer in 310 3D duochrome and Wet n Wild Fastdry Nail Color in 237C Gray's Anatomy. I used the duochrome purple and then added a coat of the Wet n Wild Gray's Anatomy on top. So pretty. Really pretty. I'd have picture for you but...it was on my tootsies. Not sure that anyone wants to see that!

And last (and liked least) I used Revlon Nail Enamel in 330 Naughty on my tootsies. They aren't a stranger to darker colors; purples, browns, greens, etc. I've also used the Revlon Nail Enamel brand before and like it. I wasn't fond of this color though. Even thought it was a dark purple, it was a flat color that left much to be desired. Polish lasts on my toes for about 2 weeks so the wear is fine I just didn't like the color. I think I'll give it to the kiddo. She liked it.

So there you have it. The best dressed nails in town belonged to me! And the toes with the flattest purple every created belonged to me.

You can't win them all I guess.

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?