Fall/Winter Nails

Greetings!

With the Fall season fast approaching, I thought that this would be a good time to let you guys in on what I gravitate towards when the cool weather emerges. It seems that deep, vampy reds and blue-toned plums are the epitome of Fall/Winter nails. I am no exception, because I too enjoy those dark shades in the cooler months. I figured I would come to you today with a list of the colors that I have already set aside for the upcoming season.

This is a rough list, mind you. I do keep track of quite a few indie polish makers and if they create something that I just have to have, I grab it. So, this list will probably grow as more collections start to emerge.

As such, just because the cold weather is approaching does not mean that the fun, warm colors of spring and summer have to vanish! I tend to keep at least one fun, bright color available. I also like to keep some lighter, sparkly options on hand too.

This is a treat because I have accompanied all of these pictures with swatches! I took these all outdoors in low-light so you get a true feel for these colors and what they will look like. I have also accompanied links to where you can purchase these (if available) so if you want to get in on some of these awesome colors, you can have at it!

All swatches are two coats with no topcoat.

wHet Polish in Facetious: Full-size: $15.00; available here.

Sparitual in Intuition: Full-size: ~$8.50; available here. I found this gem by chance at Marshall's for only $3.99. The website I have linked has them on sale as well, but there is only a limited supply. A google search will net you more buying options; however, they're a bit pricier.

Pretty Serious Cosmetics in Love Bite: Full-Size: $9.95; available here. This is part of their Pinup Perfection line. 

Nail Pattern Boldness in Magpie's Treasure: Full-size: $9.00; available here. I would use this as an accent to any of the dark, creme hues that I have listed here.

Salon Perfect in Midnight Stroll: Full-size: $5.00; available here.

Seche in Silly But Sensible: Full-size: $4.00; available here.

OPI in A Woman's Prague-ative: Full-size: $8.00; available here.

Lyn B Designs in Nightmare Revisited: Full-size: $10.00; this item is no longer available from her shop, which you can find here. However, if you search google, I was able to pull up a couple of individual people who were selling it. You may have some luck that way.

Essie in Mint Candy Apple: Full-size: $8.49; available here. I love this color. It is one that I fight myself to not put on every time I re-do my manicure. I haven't loved a color in so long that I vied to wear it constantly.

Sparitual in Imagination: Full-size: $12.00; available here. Once again, I found this gem at Marshall's for only $3.99. I'm sure there are cheaper alternatives, like the previous. Just have to do some more digging.

Orly FX in Intergalactic Space: Full-size: $10.00; available here. I would probably use this as accent polish to Midnight Stroll since they are both darker in hue.

KBShimmer in Witch Way?: Full-size: $8.75; available here. I was in love the moment I saw swatches of this polish. It reminded me of the night sky and it has such depth to it that I know this will be a favorite.

I am also purchasing the Robin Williams tribute trio from Liquid Sky Lacquer in about 11 minutes. Once I receive those in the mail I will have a new blog post about them and what their proceeds are going towards.

As always, thank you for tuning in and I will see you next time.


Until then,
Rebecca

Monthly Boxes

Hey Guys,

So I know I've posted one of these before saying that I have discontinued subs. Well, this is another one of those posts. I was depositing my monthly samples from Ipsy, Birchbox, and beautyboxfive into my stash, and I realized I had so many samples that I had yet to use. It's starting to get a little out of hand.

Do you ever get into one of those moods where you just want to erase your internet foot print and get rid of EVERYTHING that associates you with with the web? I had that feeling this past weekend. I shut off my Facebook for the day and canceled two of my subscriptions. However, after seeing the amount of samples I had I realized it wouldn't be such a bad thing. 

From here on out the only bag that I will be getting is Ipsy. Ipsy has been my tried and true since the beginning and the wait list is horrific to get back on it, so I didn't want to give up my coveted spot. With all things in life, there is always tomorrow. I am sure that I will miss my multiple sub boxes next month. I am sure that in a week when I start seeing sneak peeks I will run to my computer and re-sub. But, until then, this is the news.

I have been thinking of signing up for Rainbow Honey's monthly subscription. I bought the mini sub one month and absolutely LOVED the stuff I had received. It was a plethora of nail and body items that was worth well over what the cost of the box is. I may go ahead and do that here within the next few days to make sure I can get next months!

As always, stay tuned, and until next time,

Rebecca

P.S. Sorry about my horrible punctuation. Today is just not one of those days.

First Impression - Emerald & Ash

Afternoon Everyone!

So, today I wanted to do something a little different. I was browsing Facebook last week and one of the nail bloggers that I follow (wish I could remember which!) mentioned that one of their little-known indies was Emerald & Ash! She said that E&A's white was her go to white and she absolutely loved it. Since I have had a hard time finding a good white polish I figured I would check it out. I ended up ordering two polishes and a cuticle oil from her site. I received my package yesterday! That was a really quick turn around from when I ordered; only a few days! 

First off, I was so impressed by her packaging and attention to detail. Let me show you what I mean. 

Without Flash

This is the inside of the packaging. Notice their logo stamped/printed on the inside? Very nice. And those emerald worms!? Love!

Left: With Flash                 Right: Without Flash

This is not what it looks like right out of the box. I totally opened it up and crumpled up the wrapping before I decided that I was so impressed I would do a first impressions post! Any who, this is how the polishes came wrapped. I love how the wrapping matches the Emerald & Ash name!

Without flash

So, I have heard about see-thru business cards but I never actually received one. How awesome are they! I was totally impressed by the amount of planning and, obviously, care that went into building the packing/shipping materials and their business card. The package also came with a Nail Lacquer Use and Care card that included instructions on how to use all of the items in the box.

Speaking of, this is what I ordered!

With Flash

From left to right: Cuticle Oil in the scent Pumpkin Apple Butter; Mie Scattering, the favorite white of the blogger I saw on Facebook; and Sails Set to the Sky, a patriotic polish made to represent the U.S. Navy; and felt squares to remove the polish with!

Cuticle Oil: $4.25, 10ml; $3.25, 7ml

With Flash

As you see, this comes in two sizes. I went ahead and got the full-size; go big or go home, right? Any who, I decided to get this in one of their popular scents Pumpkin Apple Butter. This smells so amazing. Once applied and rubbed in, it has a very strong spice scent. That is the only downside to me. You can smell the Pumpkin and Apple when first applied, but rubbing it seems to release a strong spice scent. It's not bad, by any means! It is a great oil so far. And the best part? ...

With Flash

Rollerball! How cute is that!! The cuticle oil that I am currently finishing up from Bliss Kiss has a regular brush. This is so ingenious! I was totally taken away when I opened it up! Total A+ in my book!!

One of the other reasons that I decided to purchase nail oil from Emerald & Ash instead of ordering more Bliss Kiss was, besides the price point, the ingredients. The first oil listed, which is usually the oil that is the most abundant in products, is jojoba oil. If any of you have read my nail care post, Bliss Kiss boasts jojoba oil as their most abundant ingredient. I wanted to try a different brand to see how they compared!

Mie Scattering: $9.00, 15ml; $7.00, 10 ml

With Flash

This is the favorite white of the blogger that I got the recommendation from. I wish I could remember who it was but I just can't. If I ever run across her post about Emerald & Ash I will be sure to edit and put her name at the end!

This polish is described as a pure white crelly with white shimmer that is filled with micro flakes and slight touch of holo. Doesn't that sound beautiful? I sure think it does. I plan on wearing this one next. Definitely stay tuned for a mani post with it! I am thinking of getting acrylics so the post may be before or after I make my final decision. We shall see!

Sails Set to the Sky: Clearance Priced: $3.25, 11ml

With Flash

This is a glitter topper. She made one for each branch of the military. I got the one made for the U.S. Navy because my husband is a veteran of the Navy and I thought that this would be a good one to have for memories sake. I will probably top Mie Scattering with this on the accent. It sure looks pretty.

One thing I will mention is that their small size is actually 11ml, not 10ml. I ordered the small Mie Scattering polish, and the Navy one came in only the small size. So, you do get 1ml extra of product than what she is advertising!

Another great thing about her lacquers is that they are all 5-free. I know a lot of indie brands are working towards becoming 5-free so it's always nice to find one that is. I definitely suggest you go and give them a look! They are currently on vacation and won't be shipping again until July 21st. Doesn't mean you can't get your order in now!

You can visit their shop at emeraldandash.com.

Until Next Time,

Rebecca

Vacation Essentials - After Vacation Update

Howdy!

I've been home for about a week now and I just wanted to give you guys a quick over view of my vacation essentials and what I actually used.

First off, if you're going on a leisure vacation where you don't have much pre-planned, bring all you want since you'll have plenty of time for beauty. Myself, however, went with some plans in mind. My vacation essentials were far from what I even needed.

Makeup
I think I did my make up once in the 12 days that we were on vacation. I took all of the stuff that I did and ended up doing it once haha. How is that for hilarity. Could have saved myself a lot of room with that!

Hair
I let my hair dry naturally everyday since we didn't have a blow drier. I don't normally dry my hair with heat anyways so it wasn't that big of a deal. I used my ION Color Therapy daily to help protect my hair color with the heat that I experienced. I also used the Marc Anthony Beachy Spray a couple days. For the most part I had it up in twists and a braid that I pinned into a bun on the back of my head. I didn't go too crazy.

All-in-all, I hope I remember this for next year so that way I pack way lighter. Having a young one running around and trying to leave in a timely manner to go places, it wasn't even on my mind to do my makeup. Along with the tan I got, I always had a healthy glow and didn't feel the need for makeup, anyways!

Until Next Time,
Rebecca

KB Shimmer - Don't Pink Twice

*Personal*

Afternoon!

This is my first manicure that I have shared here in a while! However, this beauty was just too good to pass up sharing with all of you! This polish was being discontinued when I ordered it so run over to her website to see if it is still available. You can click here. 

So, this beauty is a neon pink polish that also has a blue shifting glitter. It is so gorgeous! Like with all neon colors, it dries to a matte finish. Shown below are two coats. I topped it off with Seche Vite to give it long lasting shine. I know a lot of individuals have issues with their polish shrinking when they use Seche Vite, but this polish did not shrink at all! Bonus!

Indoors with Flash

Indoors with Flash

Don't worry, I got a couple of shots of this beauty outside in the sun for you guys to! I apologize about the photos, it wasn't planned so I used my phone again.

Natural Light

Natural Light

This is my first KB Shimmer polish but I sure hope it isn't my last! 

Until Next Time,

Rebecca

Vacation Essentials - Part 2

Good Afternoon!

**So, same thing happened here after I realized that what I had planned out in my head wasn't at all realistic. So, this entire post has changed, essentially. I will do the same in this Part as I did in Part 1. If you didn't read Part 1, keep scrolling ;-).

I didn't have much that I wanted to do so I decided to go ahead and gather up what I plan on taking with me for my nail care. Now, I thought about this long and hard. I just recently purchased the new Baked from Orly mini collection so that would have been a wise choice. That, and I had the mini OPI sands in their spring/summer colors. Another choice that would be favorable. However, last year I was always changing my nail color. I felt like I was changing it daily. And, it was always a lengthy process between waiting for the dry time and clean up. It was a while. Especially when stuff wouldn't dry fast enough. So, this year, I decided to do a gel system! Despite the seemingly apparent issues of nail care and maintenance, I went ahead and decided to just bring a few colors.

From left to right:

• Fuse | Gelnamel starter kit with the color Sonic Blue-m
• Fuse | Gelnamel in Intens-so-fly
• Fuse | Gelnamel in Lights, Camera, Re-action!
• Fuse | Gelnamel in Elec-tric or Treat
• Sally Hansen | Instant Gel Strips in Walk the Catwalk
• Sally Hansen | Instant Gel Strips in Spot On
• Kiss | Nail Dress in Eyelet

From left to right:

• OPI | Natural Nail Base Coat
• Seche Vite | Fast Drying Top Coat
• KB Shimmer | Don't Pink Twice
• Julie G | Bikini
• 365 Days of Color | After All This Time?
• 365 Days of Color | Glow Old With Me

So, I basically re-wrote this entire nail post. I decided that while the concept of gel was favorable, I realized that I haven't had many issues with my nail polish staying on for a long time the regular way. Especially when I use Indie polish brands. I feel like they have a better formula than main stream and always tend to last longer for myself (That's just my personal opinion. I have no proof that they do last longer).

Anyways, I decided to just take a couple of colors that I could switch around. I am wearing the KB Shimmer right now and I love it. It is such a beautiful color. I will make a post about that polish so you guys can see it in all it's beauty. It is a sale item that is being discontinued so if you want it I would go check now because it might be gone. 

I also got a couple of 365 Days of Color mini's because she's closing down the polish half of her shop for now due to upcoming school. The two mini's I got are supposed to glow in the dark. That is always fun to have when you stay out late and don't come back until it's dark. :)

Anyways, I decided to just go ahead and stick with my tried and true. While the gel will last a while, my normal way is lasting just as long as well. And, it will be much easier to remove normal polish than it would be to remove gel. The time it would take, alone, to remove the gel could dissuade me from even wanting to start that whole endeavor if I am exhausted after a long day. At least this way I can take 20-30 minutes to sit down and immediately see results as I remove my polish and begin again. And the Seche Vite works so well to really seal in the polish that in 10 minutes I could go to sleep after doing a manicure with Seche Vite as my top coat.

As you can see, I am taking my fuse gelnamel system! I used this about a month back and I really enjoyed it. I am not sure if I did a review on it, let me check...

*intermission*

Negative, I did not do a review on it. I had pictures and everything. Hmm, maybe i'll do one on vacation! Anywho, I was impressed with this system. My polish did last at least five days without any chipping. I know some people had issues with that. However, I followed the directions to a T and I really had no issues. I believe I lightly buffed my nails as well before applying to help the color apply longer. I digress, I decided that I would go ahead and do this. I would rather sit down once, MAYBE twice, to do a full polish change than sit down every other day because it chipped like all get out from a hectic day. 

I do have a lot of color choices and some choices that are not part of the gelnamel system. The Sally Hansen Gel Strips require an LED light to cure. The fuse system just happens to be an LED light. I have tested this in the past, and you can use the fuse light with the Sally strips. Saves some money on having to purchase the entire Sally kit. If you feel like one cycle of the light didn't cure it enough, just push the button and do another cycle. I'd rather be safe than sorry on a gel manicure.

As well, I have the Nail Dress strips. I LOVE the pattern. If I do these (which I more than likely will) each Sally strip box comes with a topcoat for sealing the Sally strips. I'll simply use the Sally top coat with the Kiss strips to seal them in. Clever, huh.

On to Nail Care!

From Left to Right:

• Trim | Finger Nail Clippers
• Lush | Lemony Flutter
• Sally Hansen | Instant Cuticle Remover
• Trim | Toe Nail Clippers
• Buffer block
• 180 grit file
• 240/400 grit file
• Cuticle nippers
• Gel polish scraper
• Cuticle pusher
• Cuticle pusher

So, I have a few little do-dad's here to go with me. The toe nail clippers are for my husband (ha). I will be doing a fresh pedicure for myself on Saturday so that way I won't have to worry about it for the next two weeks. Some lotion and i'll be good to go for the day :-).

The buffer block is mainly to lightly buff before I apply polish.  the gelnamel. As such, all of this stuff is mainly to prep my nails. to apply the gel polish. You have to be careful that there are no cuticles on the nail bed or the polish won't apply and adhere properly.

Not pictured: Aluminum foil, Cotton Squares, Nail polish remover. The essentials to removing an old gel manicure in order to apply a new one. I just didn't have a mini nail polish remover bottle yet to put in the picture so I would just give these guys an honorable mention here!

That's it! That's what I plan on taking! I will definitely have to wait a couple days to do my final post on my body/hair care items that I plan on packing up to take with me. Stay tuned!

Until Next Time,

Rebecca

Vacation Essentials - Part 1

Good Morning!

**Update: Okay folks. So, after some reflection and some packing of other items, I realized I was a little overzealous in the packing department. Realistically, I knew I would haven't time to do half of what I said I was going to do so I went ahead and consolidated the items that I was going to take. The reasoning for taking the things that I still am is the same; however, I have cut some out and I will mention why below in the updated post.

So, if you haven't caught on in my beautyboxfive page or on my last post (I believe I mentioned it...hmmm), I am going on vacation with my family this Sunday! So, I figured I would go ahead and share my 'essentials.' Now, I use the term essentials lightly because I do not have a routine or set products that I use in my daily life. I probably should, because I have a lot of texture, but I don't. So, this post will encompass the beauty items I plan on taking as well as some face/skin/hair/lip care products. Most of them are samples from beauty boxes that I finally plan to get some use out of. It's always nice to finally get to use some of these products, so let's jump on in!

I've separated these pictures by area. So, I tried to keep the eye/lips/face/hair grouped together for ease of explaining and showing. First up, we have eyes!

From Left to Right:

• L'oreal | Voluminous Butterfly Mascara in Blackest Black (Waterproof)
• Sonia Kashuk | travel brush kit
• Flower by Drew Barrymore | Cream eyeshadow in Mum's the Word
• Flower by Drew Barrymore | Cream eyeshadow in Wild Geranium
• Flower by Drew Barrymore | Cream eyeshadow in Lilac You A Lot
• Maybelline Color Tattoo  | Cream eyeshadow in Tenacious Teal
• Maybelline Color Tattoo Metal | Cream eyeshadow in Barely Branded
• Maybelline Color Tattoo Metal | Cream eyeshadow in Inked In Pink
• Urban Decay | Eyeshadow Primer Potion in Original
• Pixi | Eye Bright Liner
• Tweezers
• L'oreal | Silkissime Eye Highlighter

So, if you couldn't tell already, I am planning for long wearing, neutral make up. I am very minimal so I do not use under eye concealers or the like. I use tinted moisturizers or tinted suntan lotion to apply to my face to act as concealer. I have chosen to only bring my color tattoo eyeshadows because they're designed for long wear. I didn't want to deal with the running that the flower cream eyeshadows tend to do since they're so soft. As such, I don't need to take my primer potion since I am not taking the flower eye shadows anymore. I have my primer potion to help the cream eyeshadows stay since those tend to crease a lot. However, they will last all day which is why I chose them. They are all in neutral colors, save for the Tenacious Teal. I'm bringing that for the day I feel like adding a hot pop of color to my eyes. However, what I lack in color in the eye area I make up for in the lips!

From Left to Right:

• Lansinoh | HPA Lanolin
• Revlon | Colorstay Ultimate Liquid Lipstick in Ultimate Orchid
• Nyx | Butter Gloss in Crème Brulee
• Nyx | Butter Gloss in Cherry Pie
• Nyx | Butter Gloss in Sugar Cookie
• Pixi | Shea Butter Lip Balm in Pixi Pink
• Benefit | benetint in Rose
• Julep | SPF 15 Daylight Defense Chap Stick
• Air Reapir | Rescue Balm
• *New* Nyx | Butter Gloss in Apple Strudel (not pictured - view Ipsy June 2014)

Now, don't get too crazy over the Lanolin. I am quite aware it is usually used for nursing moms, having to have used it myself when my son was born. However, I ran across a neat trick using this stuff from a beauty blogger. I cannot remember who it was at this time; however, if you apply this to your lips at night, when you wake up in the morning your lips will be very, very moisturized. You'll be able to take a warm washcloth and wipe away the excess product plus any dry skin that was on your lips. It's like an overnight moisturizing/scrub for your lips. It works miracles when I want my lips to look soft and smooth the next day! The smallest bit goes the longest way, so the $10 you spend on this will last you forever. 

However, as you can see I have quite a bit more colorful options! I stuck with glosses that could be reapplied easily and wiped away without leaving patchy coloring. The Revlon liquid lipstick dries to a matte finish and lasts an amazingly long time through eating and drinking so I knew I would be able to use this on a day when we are at a museum. I can just apply some lip balm over it to soften it once we are done eating or drinking since reapplying the lipstick leaves the lips looking caked. Not cute, trust me; been there, done that lol. I am taking the benetint for days where we are outside in the sun. This would give my lips a nice rosy glow and allow me to just keep applying chap stick to keep them looking soft and supple.

Speaking of soft and supple, I am also taking a slew of face products to help me keep my skin safe this year. I had a horrible habit of letting my face tan so much that it would become leathery. Worst thing in the world is trying to rub leathery skin off. It makes me squirm thinking about how rough I was with my skin. So, to help counter that, I am taking more precautions this year.

 From Left to Right:

• Juice Beauty | Hydrating Mist
• L'oreal | Ideal Moisture Day Lotion SPF 25
• épicé | Purifying Exfoliant
• Josie Maran | Argan Oil
• Pur-lisse | Pur-moist Hydra-balance moisturizer
• Coola | Mineral Sunscreen Matte Tint Natural BB Cream SPF 30 x 2
• Cotz Fact | Tinted Natural Skin Tone SPF 40

I thought back in the day that I had really oily skin. Through trial and error and by being observant of the products I was using, I realized I actually had dry skin. I was drying my skin out so much that I would over produce oil, thereby becoming oily. So, through the past year I have learned what I need to use in order to control my face oil. In the winter, I use a creamy face wash and in the summer, a gel one. I know this seems counterproductive to the dry stuff, but it's what works for me. I may be more combination since the gel helps in the summer but I haven't been to anyone to have it verified. I am just trying to self educate myself. SO, these little bad boys are my face SPF options for vacation. The tinted BB cream and face SPF will be used when we are planning on doing indoor activities. I don't need brown melted face. I will use the L'oreal SPF when we are outdoors. The Pur-lisse moisturizer will be used at night after my face wash routine to help rehydrate my face after being in the heat all day. I have the Argan Oil just in case I need some deep moisture. I have used it before and it does feel really good as a moisturizer. It might be a night-time only thing, but it still works very well.

And the heat doesn't affect only your skin; your hair can take a beating as well.

From Left to Right:

• Not Your Mothers | Beat the Head Thermal Shield Spray
• Balanced Guru | No Frizz Oil
• Briogeo | Don't Despair, Repair Deep Conditioning Hair Mask
• *New* Marc Anthony | Dream Waves Beach Spray (not pictured - view Ipsy June 2014)

Not too many on the hair front, but I don't do much on the hair front so this will be quick. I read from a beauty blogger (once again lol) that thermal hair spray works not only when using heating tools, but also when you're in the sun! I figured it was worth a shot and since your hair can dry out considerably in the sun, I wanted to give it a go. The Marc Anthony spray is not only a texture creator but also a UVA protectant. This will function as a 2-in-1 for my hair needs. The no frizz oil is self explanatory. I am usually a morning shower taker; however, I am going to try to take them at night while on vacation. I hate having wet hair outside in the heat. When it dries it just seems to frizz. So, if i wake up with dry, frizzy hair I can at least counter it with some hair oil. The deep conditioning mask will be used at least once a week while there. It will be needed lol.

And an honorable mention:

• Swisspers | Cotton Applicators

I got these for touch ups when I do my make up. If I get mascara somewhere I don't want it i'll need a way to clean it up. That's all these are there for :)

Well, this was part 1 of my 'essentials!' As you can see, I have quite a bit going on. However, most of it does fit into some particular area. I did have all of this packed up into one bag but I will probably move my more makeup items into its own bag for easy of access. I will do another two posts before I go. One will be on what I plan on doing for my nails while away and the other will be my travel body bag. That will be my face wash(es), shampoo, conditioner, etc. So, stay tuned! Once I get stuff figured out and packed up I will post it!

Until Next Time,

Rebecca