Something New...

Finally I'm posting again! I've started using Influenster and am hoping to get products to review, so I'm going to get going on this site again... hopefully regularly if I can get things to review! I'm also doing Popsugar's Sample Squad and have a sample on it's way of Olay's 4 in 1 Cleansing Towelettes! I also am getting my first box from Popsugar's Must Have this month as well. Should be here any day. Lots to be excited about! Anyway, I did actually try a new nail product last night... Sally Hansen had a new Salon Effects in a French Mani style. Looked super cute on the box so I was pretty excited to try it. Not excited about the price though... $11!! Ouch. So I tried putting these on last night... I didn't even finish. You first apply the tips which you have to make sure to get even or it will look ridiculous. Then you apply the clear over that. And the clear, to me, looked like a sticker. It just wasn't a look I was loving. And way too much work. Here's two fingers I did complete before I removed them ...

Eh. Not impressed. So I took them off and put on my Broadway Nails imPress mani! And in the shade that ALWAYS gets compliments. 

Much better! =) I'm loving the imPress manis!! They're so super easy and look great! They last a week at least... so great. Highly recommend them! 

Anyway, just wanted to do a little update for now. Also, just got an email from Butter London for free shipping and 30% off the entire order using promo code LASTCHANCE. Only valid for today, the 14th, though. As always, glam it up! =) 

Minx Review and Other Polishes

Hi Y'all! Ok, so I was going to just do a post on the things I've tried in the last couple of weeks... but I realized that there were more things that I forgot to post about! First, some polishes I've done recently!

 

This is a Nails Inc polish called Baker Street. I LOVE this shade. I'm not normally a fan of blues on my nails, but this one is so fun and is really flattering. Love it! 

OPI's Thanks a Windmillion from their Holland collection. I got this one because of Lauren Conrad posting her nails looking lovely in it! Very fun and different neutral shade! 

This is a Sally Hansen Salon Effects set from the Avril Lavigne collection called In the Spot-Light. I LOVED this one and got tons of compliments on them. It's one of my favorites from the Sally line.

This is one of my favorites. I bought a kit from Orly called Neon FX which had two polishes (white and this pink 'Oh Cabana Boy!') and a top coat along with guides for french and chevron tips. I wasn't as crazy about the white and pink as I thought I would be.. I do still need to try the chevron tips though. Anyway, this look is from Pinterest using that pink and the paper reinforcements as guides and just my top coat. Seriously one of the easiest looks you can do!

Ok, now to the things I've tried in the last few weeks. I finally did the gradient from Pinterest and I LOVED it! Got tons of compliments. It was much easier to do than I thought it would be. I'll definitely be doing this one again and in other shades as well! 

Ok, now for my Minx reviews...... I was really (really) excited about these. Minx was something that before you could only get done in salons. I think there's like one salon in town that does these and I didn't feel like trying to find this place to get them done. So I was pretty excited to hear they were coming out with stickers like Sally. I snatched up two sets when they came in at Ulta. They're $18 a package and come with a mani and pedi. First of all, they apply completely differently from Sally's... you have to rub them to heat them up before you peel them off. Then you have to cut the pedi set down to size. Then apply. Then cut off the excess. I have no problems with the toes.. those look great! Fingers are the same for applying except they tell you to gently file the excess off. That sort of worked... anyway.. my first set was the gold moons...

I love the look! The things I didn't like on this round: since it was my first set there were some messed up spots... it felt like the edges of my nails were a bit rough from the file (and maybe even a little sticky from the ends of the stickers)... and really those were the only two things. I did apply a top coat on these. I'm not sure if you're supposed to or not... it didn't say. But since I use it on my Sally's I went ahead and put it on these. I felt like it didn't quite look as good... but it was still ok. My next set was Wild Pink Cheetah..

This one applied much better since I knew what I was doing this time around... I decided to not put on a top coat, which I later regretted. This set almost had like plastic or something peeling off the edges the very next day. It still had the rough sticky edges as well. So I put on a top coat which helped with the plastic stuff for a few days. But today more was coming up so I just took them off. Left the pedi set on as those still look great and don't seem to have the peeling or rough/sticky problems as the mani sets. I wish they just sold a pedi set because I would continue to buy those. But overall, I wasn't impressed enough with these to continue to spend $18 on them. I'll keep buying Sally Hansen. I love the metal look... but it just isn't worth it. 

I had so much to update with this time! Can't believe I forgot some of those... I'm thinking I might try Jamberry next. Has anyone tried those? If I like those well enough I may try to sell them! (something I would actually LOVE selling!) Until then, glam it up! 

Ulta Mini Haul!

Hi y'all! Ok, so it's been FOR-STINKIN-EVER since I've posted anything.... I was kind of wondering if anyone has been reading this! But I got several new fun things today at Ulta, and thought I might as well make a new post on them!

So, I went to Ulta today with the intention of buying only a couple of Zoya polishes.... and of course ended up leaving with much more! haha I went in to get two polishes so I could try a gradient polish. Well they didn't have one of the shades, so I'll have to order it.... BUT I found much more! Here we go......

First, I got these fun nail stickers! OPI came out with their own stickers... they had some different designs, and I may have to try some other ones. They're pricey at $11.95... but they do apply well. I kept my file from the Sally Hansen Salon Effects and it worked exactly the same. Sally Hansen also came out with Salon Effects specifically for pedicures. Which doesn't completely make sense to me only because I am able to do a full mani/pedi with the regular Salon Effects. But they do have a few different designs for the toes that I haven't seen for manis. The one I got was Strike a Posie. They both look really nice and I love them! Not sure how often I'll get the pedi ones... probably only if there's a pattern I really love. I also just saw that Sally is coming out with (may already be out) Rock of Ages inspired Salon Effects as well! 

Ok, so first thing, the packaging is completely different in these Sally Hansen pedis! I actually was afraid someone had stolen one of the packs, especially since there were two instruction sheets inside! But no, they put both sets together. 

A little blurry I think... sorry! But anyway, here's the two strips.... you have to tear them apart at the bottom. But otherwise, they are exactly the same as the mani packaging. I'm not taking a pic of my feet... but trust me, they look nice. lol 

This is the OPI strip.... just like the pedis! I'm sure you can apply these with the smaller gold and some black on the ends... but I went with the other side... maybe next time I'll try it that way! 

This is the finished result! Very sparkly and gold! I love it. Very pretty!

These are all the shades I bought today!

Ok, I did try out the shades... this is Arizona from Zoya's new Beach and Surf collection. Looked pretty similar to OPI In My Back Pocket... but it might be a little more... burnished? It's slightly different. Anyway, this is one of the shades in the gradient and I wanted to be sure to get the exact shades! This is nice on it's own as well! 

It was hard to get this one photographed because of the glitters... but it's also from the Beach and Surf Collection. This one is called Kimber and is pretty much a bright pink with tiny gold glitters. It's really pretty on. This picture doesn't do it justice! 

Also from Beach and Surf... Shelby! To me it's a bubble gum pink. I don't have any pinks in this shade, so I'm excited to wear this one! I can't help but think of Steel Magnolias and Shelby with this shade... 'Pink is my signature color!' Mine too, Shelby. 

Finally, I also got a new OPI shade from their Brights collection. This is Bright Lights - Big Color! Very pretty shade that I'm super excited to wear! It's a pinkish orangish shade with gold flecks. (I LOVE gold flecks if you haven't noticed haha) 

Anyway, that's my haul for the day! Had to share! Hopefully I can keep up with this (and get more readers?!) from now on! 

By the way, want a coupon for FREE polish with Zoya?? Click this link ---> https://www.artofbeauty.com/rd/01184D05 It's part of their Share the Love program. I signed up with it, so when someone clicks this link for the first time and signs up as well, they get a free bottle of polish! After that, you earn points for discounts by sharing the love! Pretty awesome! 

Enjoy!! 

Sally Hansen Salon Effects - Love Letter

Hey y'all! Sorry it's been so long since I last posted! I didn't have much to post on really.... I couldn't decide on what I wanted to do with my nails! Such a problem. haha Last night I finally decided to apply some of my newest Sally Hansen prints... Love Letter.  And I have to say... I love it! I've gotten tons of compliments on them already! Several asked if I did them myself. (of course I did! ;-) haha ) Anyway, here they are!

These prints were another set that applied really easily. I'm not sure why their prints would apply differently... but they do. And these went on well! 

I also got a new phone cover! I don't know about you all that have iphones... but I've found it difficult to find cute cases! I finally found some from a company called Agent18. 

I love this pink and orange combo! So cute! Not only that, but their products are on tv shows... like How I Met Your Mother and Up All Night (Christina Applegate's phone) 

Finally, if you're a classic movie fan or basically just a fan of really good movies in general... you MUST go see The Artist! What an amazing movie. It really takes some great acting to be in a silent movie. And it really makes you focus more since you have to pay attention to their facial expressions and the words. I was expecting a good movie, but it was beyond what I thought it would be. GREAT movie. It deserves every award it's up for! It'll definitely be one that I buy when it's out. Great acting, great storyline, great music and a super cute dog (Uggie). GO SEE IT! http://weinsteinco.com/sites/the-artist/

I couldn't help it. I had to post a picture of Uggie. Seriously, a bow tie! I want that dog. 

Anywho.... I'll try not to stay away so long next time! Til then, glam it up!

Sweet Tart-an

Hey y'all! Ok, so I love the Zoya polish..... but I had one finger that chipped pretty badly a bit too fast for me. Who knows, maybe I was extra rough on them this week. I'll try again. Anyway, I was told I should put some pink on. Gladly! Pink is my signature color! So, I decided to finally use one of the Sally Hansen prints I bought awhile back. It's the pink argyle called Sweet Tart-an. I like it much more than the black and silver one I had before!

Today I also tried the braid trend! I put my hair up and figured, I have to use bobby pins on my layers anyway... why not try a braid?! So I did. And I love it! I really wish my hair would grow faster because there's so many things I want to try on my hair!! 

I also ordered two more brushes from Sigma... as soon as I get them I'll have more pics and another review. I've had a chance to really try out the brushes... let's just say, I was missing out before I got these!! I should be getting my Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette tomorrow!! Pretty excited about that one. =) Also started using a new foundation and concealer that I'm really loving so far... so I'll go over that another time too.  

Other things to discuss.... you know I love my man Tim Tebow. Well, his foundation just started Team Tebow! All you gotta do is donate $25 and you get a shirt, a car decal, newsletters and the first opportunity to volunteer at the foundation's events! Check it: http://timtebowfoundation.org/teamtebow

 I'm pretty pumped to be a part of this and am eagerly awaiting my membership pack! Go check it out... pretty awesome deal!

Finally, I started reading a really great book the other night. 'Kisses from Katie' which is about a young woman who gave up everything she had to move to Uganda and help the people there. On top of that, she adopted 14 girls there! Such a great book! http://amazima.org/katiesbook.html Thanks to my friend Kristin (whose blog is on the left in my favorite blogs list) for suggesting this read!

I think that about covers it for this post! I hope you all check out the things I talked about today! I'll hopefully be back soon with my new stuff!! Til then, glam it up!

Salon Effects Part 4: Plaid About You

As many of you know I'm sure, I can't seem to stay with one thing for long on my nails. I'm always excited to try something new! So I left my Snow Bunny on for maybe a week and a half... last night I applied Plaid About You... ok IT'S my new favorite! haha I love dark polish on my nails. It always looks good, in my opinion. One thing I did notice about this one... it seemed to tear easily so you can see some spots on my nails where the polish is off... but it isn't enough to make me dislike this polish! I love this one!!

I still have two new ones to try after this... and I still need to try water marbling. And this:

For the larger size go to http://thebeautydepartment.com/2011/09/blue-moon/ I'm super excited to try this one!!! I just need to find some of those ring things. Have you tried this look? Share with me your experience! Speaking of that website... you MUST go check it out if you haven't yet. It's www.thebeautydepartment.com It's partially run by Lauren Conrad, and as everyone knows, she is AMAZING when it comes to fashion, trends and makeup! Check it out! 

Something else I'm super excited about: I already know one of my Christmas gifts. A Sephora train case! In pink! Technically it's for makeup. But I'm planning on using it for my polish! I have so many now that I'm out of room in my cabinet for them all. I'll be sure to take a pic when it's here and ready to go! 

I'll probably do another video here soon. I got some good responses to the first one. Anything you want me to talk about? Let me know! In the meantime, glam it up! 

Salon Effects Part 3: Snow Bunny

Well ladies, I'm sure you could've guessed.... I got bored with Peppermint Twist and decided to put on Snow Bunny! I think this is one I'll be leaving on for awhile! So far it's my favorite! And it's been the easiest to apply as well! So this one I highly recommend!!

I don't have much to post on today.... have you all been entering Philosophy's Baking Spirits Bright every day?! Another thing to remember to enter everyday is Ellen's 12 Days of Giveaways! Anyway, like I said, I don't have much to post on! Just wanted to let you all see how awesome Snow Bunny is! I may have to get my friend Denae to guest blog as she bought some butter London prints! We'll see what I can do. ;-) Anything you lovely ladies want to know about? Send them this way! I think I'll be doing a video soon... gotta make sure I'm lookin' as good as possible for y'all! Til next time, glam it up!

Some Things....

Hey glamour gals! Sorry it's been a few days! Not much to post on today... I'm giving my nails a few days with the Peppermint Twist before I move on to Snow Bunny. I have gotten several compliments on Peppermint Twist! So, I recommend trying it! Also, if you haven't seen my numerous posts on it on Facebook and Twitter, I was at Target yesterday and they had their holiday prints on sale for $7! They're usually $8.50, so that's a great price! I'm not sure how long the sale lasts... I didn't look. But last I checked, on sale! Also, I bought some of their new prints at Walmart! They were out of some that I wanted!! (Love Letter and the pink zebra stripes) However, I did get:

Sweet Tart-an and Queen of the Jungle! I think I'll like this argyle better since it's pink and purple! My colors! Black and gray/silver are just too boring for me. I need color! 

So I've talked about makeup that I put ON, but what about taking it OFF? Recently I started using an awesome product that doesn't even require water! So simple!! It's Say Yes to Cucumbers! 

http://www.yestocarrots.com/

They have other Yes To products based on what you want to do... I've only used cucumbers so far. But my favorite product is their facial cleansing wipes!

What I love about it... it works great (and without water!) and it smells good! Also I love the little sticker inside that says Wipe that smile ON your face!... so fun to see every day! Great product and not too expensive. I get mine at Ulta! I also have the Calming Facial Mask...

It's a little more expensive so I don't use it every day. But it does make your skin super soft! So, a couple of things I definitely recommend. However if you're only going to try one, make it the wipes! Try it, I know you'll love it! 

Finally, I had a suggestion to do maybe videos.... what do you all think? Yay? Nay? I've never done them before so I have no idea really where to begin! But I'm willing to give it a go if y'all want 'em! Give me your feedback ladies! 

Salon Effects Part 2: Peppermint Twist (And Other Things)

I'm doing my part 2 on the Sally Hansen Salon Effects sooner than I thought I would. I found that I really got tired of the Prep pattern quickly, not to mention I was bored with the black and silver. So I decided to go ahead and apply my Peppermint Twist pattern. I can't decide how I feel on it. I think I'm liking it. lol Tell me what you all think of it!

I had a request to talk about the difference between liquid liner and pencil (or also what I call almost a crayon liner) I used to be a die hard user of the Cover Girl Perfect Point Plus. Liquid liner completely freaked me out. I had tried it before and it just went everywhere, including in my eyes! I kept wanting to try liquid because I really feel like it looks better. I went to Sephora and asked a sales associate what they thought. I told her my issues and she directed me to Kat Von D's Tattoo Liner. It truly is the best liner I've ever used. Super easy to apply, doesn't smudge or get everywhere... I love it! After having used both kinds, I feel like the biggest difference is the effect. Pencil or crayon in my opinion just isn't as dramatic I guess as liquid. I think the liquid tends to be a truer black (or whatever shade you choose) and it's easier to make different size lines and a cat eye. That's my opinion on the two. I would recommend liquid (particularly Kat Von D), however in the end you should use what you like best! And definitely talk with sales associates about advice on products! Sephora has always been soooo great about helping me find the right product for me. 

While I was putting on my makeup yesterday I realized I have something I haven't mentioned! Anyone heard of the brand TheBalm? I only have one product from them currently, but I love it for two reasons. 1. Their packaging is SUPER CUTE! I'm a total sucker for anything vintage, so they won me over immediately just for that. 2. This particular product can be used in a couple of different ways... as eyeshadow or as a luminizer. The shade is perfect to work with just about any combination of other shadows and is also great for lightening up your face (maybe if you happen to apply too much bronzer or have spots you wants to make lighter or if you just want to look a little more 'shimmery'!) Note: the actual shade is much lighter than pictured. 

I also noticed they just started carrying nail polish! Right up my alley! So I may try out a bottle. They want the same as OPI, so I expect them to live up to the same standards that OPI meets! Their polish is called Hot Ticket and looks like it has a fairly wide variety. The question is whether I not I already have something similar! I do like that they describe the shade underneath the fun names of the polishes!

https://www.thebalm.com/makeup/nailpolish.htm

Also, many places I mentioned yesterday in my Cyber Monday post have extended their sales! 

Finally I gotta share with you all that today is Dollar Day at the Tebow Foundation! If you know me at all, you know that my most favorite guy on the face of this planet is Tim Tebow. He truly is an amazing godly man whose beliefs and values are right in line with mine. I'm also happy he's our QB and he's helping make us awesome again, but he could quit football tomorrow and he would still be my most favorite guy on this planet and I'd still want to marry him. Yep I said it. ANYWAY. lol All you have to do on Dollar Day is donate one dollar towards his Cure Hospital in the Philippines! (of course you can always donate more if you feel led to!) It's a great cause and being generous is always glamourous and in style! 

http://www.timtebowfoundation.org/

Any other requests or questions?? Send them my way! In the meantime, glam it up ladies! ;-)

Sally Hansen Salon Effects Winter Collection Part 1

A couple of things to share today....... first, look what I've got in my hot little hands today! 

Sooo excited!! From left to right: Peppermint Twist, Snow Bunny, Prep's Cool, and Plaid About You. I'll post a picture later in this post of my first one. I'm doing Prep's Cool first! (I'm saving the others as they're more Christmasy!) 

Secondly, I wanted to share another eye makeup look! 

This look is just like the smokey eye, except it's from Too Faced's Natural Eye palette. This is also from the 'Fashion' instruction card for that palette. I have both pictures so it shows more of the eyeliner and the mascara. I just started doing the lower lash liner over only half of my eye. This trick I got from Jessie James' makeup video. (@TheJessicaJames on twitter) Here is the link to her great makeup tutorial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iYs-cCXDG4&feature=player_embedded

I swear I don't walk around with my eyes like that. Only wanted to show the liner AND the shadow in that pic. lol For everything else, please refer to the My Favorite Things post! 

Ok, Prep's Cool has been applied! 

Thoughts? I like the pattern! I thought this print stuck to my fingers more than the others... but that didn't seem to cause too much trouble really. Of course I did a full mani/pedi with these! HIGHLY recommend doing this so you get your full money's worth out of it. DO NOT keep the leftover strips (I try to make it so I only have one left over from each set) because they will dry out. If you haven't tried Sally Hansen's Salon Effects... do it! So easy and they look great! I promise you'll have people asking if you did them yourself. To which I always respond yes. ;-) I can't wait to try the other winter prints! Do you plan on trying any of them? If so, which ones? Share! =) 

Finally, I must recommend that everyone go see The Muppets! I saw it tonight and LOVED IT. It had adult humor, tons of celeb cameos and of course, nostalgia. I'm pretty sure I was smiling the entire movie. Sooo great. Go see it! =) 

Hope you all have a wonderful blessed Thanksgiving! And be sure to get some great polish and/or makeup deals on Black Friday!