New Years Eve Nails

Of course I had to go with some sparkle for New Years. I decided to go with some Sally Hansen strips that I had. These are a blue glitter but almost look like a steel gray color. I'm really loving the color. I hope everyone has a great night and be careful. 

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Manicure Monday

Julep:  Jillian

I really liked this color in the bottle but didn't translate well on my nails. They just looked dark most the time and you couldn't see all the colors and shimmer in the polish. It was pretty and I would probably wear it again but it wasn't my favorite. 

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Manicure Monday: Christmas Edition

I've received a few compliments on this manicure. It's very Christmasy:)

I'm so excited to spend some time with my family the next couple of days. 

What are your holiday plans?

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Manicure Monday (Birthday Edition)

Today is my birthday and I did a special birthday manicure. 

Zoya:  Raven

Deborah Lipman:  Happy Birthday

I love the multi colored confetti looking glitter. I did splurge on a small purchase today and I'll blog about it this week. 

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Stocking Stuffer Ideas

I've put together a list of very inexpensive items that any beauty lover would enjoy in their stocking. All items are under $10 each. 

Lips

NYX butter gloss:  You can find these at Ulta for around $5 each. These are pretty pigmented and feel amazing on your lips. 

Jordana twist and shine:  I found these at Walgreens. They are around $3 each and are great moisturizing lip colors. 

elf Matte Lip Color:  You can find elf products at Walmart and Target. Most of their items are around $1 and $3. This lipstick is $3 and a great matte formula. 

EOS lip balms:  You can find these at a lot of stores. These are around $3 depending on where you buy them. These are great lip balms and the packaging is fun. 

Maybelline Baby Lips:  These are awesome lip balms that are colored. You can find these at most stores and I can't remember the price but I'm pretty sure it's not over $5. 

Eyes

Wet N Wild eyeshadow:  Wet N Wild has great eye shadow at very affordable prices. You can find these at most drugstores. There are single eyeshadows as well as trios. These run around $2-$3. 

Rimmel Scandaleyes:  These are great liners and I love the nude for my waterline. I normally have coupons and can get a great deal on these. 

Jordana 12 hour made to last:  These eye pencils from Walgreens are so amazing. They come in many different colors and the formula is great. The best part is that they are cheap. I believe they are either $1.99 or $2.99. 

Maybelline color tattoos:  These are great creme eyeshadows. You can use them by themselves or as a base for other shadows. These run around $5 or $6 each. 

Eyelashes:  What's more fun than a pair of fake eyelashes?  There are lots of different brands. 

Face

elf brushes:  elf has a great line of brushes. The white brushes are $1 each and the black brushes are $3 each. 

Hair

Hair Ties:  I actually make these hair ties and sell them at my friend's shop called Vintage Crush in Bentonville. These hair ties are $2 each and come in many different colors. 

Nails

Nail Dotting Tools:  I found mine on eBay for dirt cheap (around $3 with shipping). You can find these in stores or online. These make a great addition to anyone's nail polish collection. 

Sally Hansen:  These polishes are amazing and are around $2.50 each. I love the colors and the formula is great. Very smooth and opaque. 

Essie:  These polishes run around $8 and can be found at Walmart, Target, Wakgreens and Ulta. They always have fun colors and last a while on my nails. 

Sinful Colors:  you can find these at Walmart or Walgreens for around $2. Walgreens often have sales so you can score them for around $1. They are great for such a cheap price. 

Fergie by Wet N Wild:  I've been loving these polishes from Fergie's line. I often find coupons so I can get great deals on these. 

So that's my list of stocking stuffers for under $10. Most of the items are actually under $5. What stocking stuffer ideas do you have?  

I hope you guys have a great Christmas!

Thanks for reading!

Manicure Monday

This polish is a huge favorite on YouTube and after trying it, now I know why. Sally Hansen's Pacific Blue is raved about for the color and it's formula. This is one of the best polishes I've ever used. In the picture I actually only used one coat and it was perfect. I have used other colors from this line and they are good but this one is amazing! The best part, it is very cheap. You can find it at Walgreens for less than $3. 

I took this manicure one step further and put glitter on top since I've been snowed in for a few days. It made me think of the glittering snow in my yard. This glitter is Carnival by Essie. 

I love the way this manicure turned out. What do you do during snow days?

Thanks for reading!

Manicure Monday

I scored a duo of Butter London at Ulta on Black Friday. I paid $10 for the duo. 

I tried the teal color today and love it. The color is very opaque and the formula was great. It went on very smooth. 

I have heard that these polishes are hit or miss with different colors. For $15 I would expect them all to be great formulas. I probably wouldn't pay full price for these but I would try out more from this line if I found great deals. 

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Manicure Monday

I know that this manicure isn't very fallish but I love pastel colors. This light pink is Essie's Fiji. 

I'm trying to decide what color to wear for Thanksgiving. Any ideas?

Thanks for reading!

Birchbox November 2013

Here is my latest Birchbox. I'd have to say I wasn't completely impressed this month. Especially about the tea. 

Sorry the next couple of pictures are sideways. 

Color Club nail polish: Top Shelf is a pretty champagne color. 

Vasanti Face Scrub:  This doesn't have your normal big scrubby particles in it. It doesn't feel too rough on my face. I like this face scrub but not sure I would purchase it. 

Pop Aqua Lacquer (colored lip gloss): Flowering Fuchsia

This will be in an upcoming giveaway!

Tiossan Body Cream:  this was a small sample so it was hard to use on the body. After the sample settled, the jar was only half full. I've been using it as a hand cream at night. The smell is not strong but not my favorite. It's somewhat rosey smelling. It feels pretty good on my hands. 

Overall the box was a little boring. You win some and you lose some. Good news is I have extra hand cream and face wash for the month. 

Thanks for reading!

Manicure Monday

I tried out another Julep nail polish and wasn't sure if I was going to like it. It's a satin finish which means it's in between matte and shiny. I used a base coat and two coats of the nail polish. I didn't use a top coat because then it wouldn't be satin anymore, it would be shiney. I love shiney nail polishes and I was nervous to not use a top coat. 

I was very surprised by how much I loved this polish. The formula was great and the satin finish was very nice. I also loved the navy blue color. It has lasted longer than I expected without a top coat. 

I'm thinking I want to try others with a satin finish. What type of finish do you like on nails?  Matte, satin, or shiney?

Thanks for reading!

Manicure Monday

Here's this week's manicure. 

This was my first time using this polish. Overall I enjoyed this manicure even though it was brown. I'm not the biggest fan of wearing brown. I think it looks great on others but have never liked that color on me. 

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Happy Veteran's Day and Thank You!

Lime Crime

Another indie nail polish brand is Lime Crime. I Love Them!!

They created the perfect neon pastel color. The formula is amazing and lasts a long time. 

I'm planning on buying a few more to complete the collection. 

Thanks for reading!

Julep

Julep is a brand of nail polish that also has a subscription service. The service is $19.99 a month. You can choose from 4-5 different profiles and you can also skip the month if you don't like the colors or are short on funds. 

I was somewhat on the fence with this brand of polish. Each polish retails for $14 so I had very high hopes for it. I also heard such great reviews on this brand.  I ordered my first month and added a few extras so I could try out some more. I wasn't completely happy with the quality of all the polishes. With most brands, you will always have a few colors that aren't great formulas. Since I wasn't to happy, I decided to skip the last couple if months and wait for a month that had some colors that wowed me. I decided to try them one more time before I wrote them off completely. 

I ordered the November box and received three polishes and a sample. 

The first one is a light gray color. The second one is a brown with a silver sheen. The last one is a dark, navy that actually dries matte. 

So far I've only tried the light gray one and was extremely pleased with the results. 

I think I will give this brand a few more tries before I make my final decision about whether it's worth the money. 

If you would like to try them, here is my referral link. I do receive bonus points if people sign up with this link but you do not have to use it. 

http://www.julep.com/rewards ref/index/refer/id/300170/

Thanks for reading!