Influenster Holiday VoxBox 2012

Hey everyone! I was lucky enough to be chosen to receive a free Holiday VoxBox from Influenster. It came right before Christmas, so I didn't have time to really enjoy it right away.

 

In the box, there was a Goody Quik Style Microfiber Paddlebrush

This brush does cut down the drying time on my hair, but I don't love it. I think that if I had it in a normal brush, I would like it better. I am just not a fan of huge brushes. I do find that it is also hard to make fibers fluff back up after getting wet. If anyone has one and has tips to fixing this issue, let me know!

There was a set of nail sticker decals

 

I have her used these things or had the desire to try them. I just don't see spending the money for one manicure when I can do hundreds with one bottle of nail polish. I also prefer to do nail art that is one of a kind. But, since the ones I got we're gold and glitzy, I thought I would try them for New Years Eve. I actually was surprised with how easy they were. It was kind of nice to have a fancy manicure with no dry time :) One con was that they seemed to wrinkle over time. The photo i took was on day two of this manicure. those wrinkles weren't there on day one. This could be 100% due to user error, though. I followed the instructions and it went so much faster than expected! But I may have stretched them or something and it caused them to wrinkle. The other con was removal. It says to just peel them off. But it made some of my nails peel. Not bad, but enough to bother me. I wonder if a base coat would have prevented this, but the directions said to apply to nails cleaned with alcohol or remover, so I used nothing as a base. I can't say if they really would last for 10 days or not. I had them on for 3 and one did tear at the edge a bit. But I can't look at the same nails for 10 days :)

There was an NYC New York Color Liquid Lipshine in #582.

I couldn't find an actual name anywhere on it, but it is a shimmery nude color. Really pretty alone or over a lipstick. I really like it so far. It isn't sticky at all. I am not sure how long it lasts yet because I have only worn it once and didn't really test it.

There were also a couple of food items in my box:

This Eboost energy drink was quite honestly....awful. I hate to say that about anyting I was lucky enough to receive, but it was. I couldn't even get past one sip of it. I got the Pink Lemonade, which is a popular flavor in my house and not one person was willing to take more than a tiny taste of it. I can't say if it had any benefits or not. I understand that everything can't be super yummy, but this had the worst taste and an even worse after-taste. Wouldn't even consider paying $39 for 30 packets.

 

Now the Quaker Real Medleys Oatmeal was SUPER yummy. I love oatmeal anyways, but this was the best I have ever tried. I love that it is in a cup and you just need to add water. Works great for me to take to work. I can just add hot water and enjoy my breakfast right in my office :) Will definitely be buying more of these!

 

Finally, I received a coupon code for Sole Society for $25 off my first pair of shoes. I love shoes and they have some fantastic ones! I am for sure going to do some shopping with them! I originally thought that this was an exclusive code for those of us that received this box, but I just saw Influenster post it on FaceBook today. So, I will share with all of you! INFLUENSTER25 is good until January 31, 2013.

 

Again, I want to thank all of the companies and Influenster for letting me participate in the Holiday VoxBox!

**disclaimer: these items were all sent to me for free. The opinions are my own, I was not paid money to do this review. Some of the photos were borrowed from the company websites**

Suede Nails?

In light of Ciate doing the velvet manicure kits that are ridiculously expensive, I thought I would try the DIY version. I know this isn't new to nail artists, I have seen it. I just have never tried it. I went to Michaels yesterday to get some flocking and they were out. I went to Joann's and they don't carry it. I was so bummed! Then, I remembered that I might have a few bottles of it from my paper art days. I just didn't know where. So, I dug around in my stash and found them. Not bright pretty colors that I want to try, but two shades of brown and black. I thought I would give the lighter brown a try to see if I would even like doing it:

I definitely need to buy more colors! This was fun! It was so quick and easy too. I have no idea how it is going to wear, but it looks cool. I think it is going to be an awesome fall manicure cuz it just makes me feel warm and fuzzy ;)

I did a base of China Glaze Fast Track from the Hunger Games collection and then sprinkled on the flocking while it was still wet. I gently patted it down into the polish and let it sit for a few seconds. Then I used a fan brush to clean up the excess. It went so fast.

Tomorrow will be a test to see if it holds up. I don't see it lasting through a shower and handwashings all day, but many nail gurus say that it does. We'll see...

Thanks for stopping by!



Hit Polish Glitters

Hey everyone! Saturday, my order from Hit Polish came and I was so excited!

These looked so pretty and I couldn't wait to swatch them. Unfortunately, life gets in the way I had to wait.  I got home from work tonight and quickly got out my new glitters.

First, I want to say that I was very impressed with their fast shipping. I think I ordered from them on Wednesday and they came Saturday. When you live in the middle of nowhere like I do, that is lightening fast!! I got Patina - a gorgeous mix of greens, turqoise and copper with green microglitter in a clear base, Vintage Appeal - an awesome mix of retro colors in various shapes and sizes in a clear base, Punk'd Up Kicks - blue, pink and holo lime green glitters with blue microglitter in a clear base and finally Funfetti - every color, shape and size glitter in a clear base. These are absolutely beautiful! I bought the mini bottles because I wasn't sure how I would like them. Now, I wish I would have gotten the full size!

I painted all of my nails but my ring finger with Sinful Colors Black on Black. My ring finger got a coat of Finger Paints Avante Garde Green because I thought the Patina glitter would be pretty over a dark green. My index finger has Vintage Appeal, middle finger is Funfetti, ring finger is Patina and my pinkie is Punk'd Up Kicks. Each one is two coats. It looked awesome with just one, but I wanted to see what two would look like. Even yummier!!



This is a horrible picture :(

This one isn't much better. I really need picture advice. I thought I was getting better, but obviously I am not. I hope you can see the difference between these 4 pretty glitters!

Thanks for stopping by.

Simple Stamping

Nothing really exciting to share today. We have been putting new siding on our house and I haven't gotten nearly enough nail time. lol I just did a quick manicure for the weekend and thought I would share it with you before I change it. Please excuse the nail wear. I have been sporting this all weekend and doing manual labor. It isn't fresh...

I painted my nails with Wet 'n Wild Megalast Club Havana. This is a gorgeous orangey coral. It just makes me happy when I wear it. Then I stamped over using my favorite, go-to, always stamps great Konad m64 plate using Konad special polish in white. I swear that every image on this plate stamps perfect everytime. It is the one I reach for when I am in a hurry to get a fun manicure without a lot of work.

That's it for today. Thanks for stopping by!



Jelly Sandwich Success? I think so!

I was blog hopping the other day and discovered KBShimmer nail polish on someone's blog. I saw the Band Geek glitter and was so excited! My 16 year old daughter is a marching band geek and I knew she would love this polish! I loved it too, so it was a must buy! It is gorgeous gold, copper and silver glitters in a black jelly base. Two coats and it looks beautiful! Now, I can't ever just buy one polish...that won't justify paying shipping! lol So, I bought my 13 year old daughter Clown Puke. This is an AWESOME glitter!! Colorful, assorted shapes of glitter in a clear base. I just KNEW it would help me be successful in doing a Jelly Sandwich manicure...and I was right! At least I think it looks pretty fantastic:

I used one coat of Wet n Wild Megalast 205B Sugar Coat (can I just say that I LOVE the brush on these polishes?!?!), one coat of KBShimmer Clown Puke and then one more coat of Sugar Coat. I just love this look! I would NEVER wear Clown Puke as a top layer because it is so bright and young and I am so not young anymore. But, in a Jelly Sandwich, it is perfect! My husband said it reminds him of Robin Egg malted milk balls and I have to agree. lol

Well, almost perfect...after a day of wearing this manicure, I decided to add Northern Lights holographic top coat to it to add a little 'kick':

It is hard to see in pictures, but the Northern Lights added just enough sparkle and dimension to make me very happy!! I now am on a mission to find more awesome glitters and nail colors to do Jelly Sandwiches. I think I am addicted!

And also, take a minute to stop by KBShimmer and check out their gorgeous polishes! They are so worth buying and they ship FAST!

Thanks for stopping by!

Liebster Award!

The sweet and talented Painted Pony has given me the Liebster Award! Thank you!

The Liebster Award is passed along to up and coming blogs with less than 200 followers to help them promote themselves and congratulate them on coming this far!
Here's how it works:
1) The recipient must post 11 fun facts about themselves
2) The recipient must also answer 11 questions created by the award giver
3) The recipient must give the award to 11 new bloggers with less than 200 followers and post 11 questions for them to answer
4) These 11 bloggers must be told they have been given the award
5) They will in turn pass the award on to 11 new bloggers of their choice (no tagging back the award giver)

Eleven fun facts about me:

1) I am a reality show junkie...I am ashamed to admit how much I love all the Real Housewives, Teen Mom and all the other ridiculous shows on tv. I think it is because my life is so very boring! lol

2) When I was little, I was a huge nail biter. I bit my nails until they bled. Then as a teen, I went the other direction and would grow my nails ridiculously long. Now, I have a hard time keeping them an acceptable length....they get way too long before I cut them back a bit. If my nails are too short, I will start biting them again.

3) I have a shopping problem. I find a passion and can't stop buying. Great for my nail polish collection, bad on my checking account!

4) I have a husband and two teenage daughters...nailpolish is my escape!

5) I am a night owl. I love staying up late...until I have to get up at 5 am to get ready for work!

6) I wayyyyy overuse (...) in case you haven't figured that out yet!

7) I am scared to death of spiders, mice and bats. Like a frozen from panic kind of fear.

8) I have a tattoo of a lizard on my ankle that I got on a whim and now wish I wouldn't have gotten it.

9) I live in a very rural town in the middle of nowhere and wouldn't change it for anything in the world. I actually have lived on the same property for my entire life. Moved from my mom's house to a house next door that she rented to me and my husband and then back to this house when she passed away. So, I have lived in the same spot for 38 years!

10) I am very shy to the point that some people think I am snobby when they first meet me...but once I know you I am the life of the party!

11) I had a VERY hard time writing these facts because I don't like to talk about myself at all.

Now for the questions:

1) When and why did you start blogging? I just started blogging a few weeks ago. I have a paper arts blog that I wrote for many years and was popular in that community, but I haven't done any of that type of art in over a year. I decided that I wanted to have a place to share my passion for nail art. I realized that the nail art community was a big as the paper art one and jumped in!
2) How many bottles of polish do you own? I haven't counted recently and I did just go through my collection and give away a lot of the cheaper polishes that I will never wear. I have a rack that holds 140 polishes and I have to come up with a new solution because there are a TON that don't fit on that. I would guess over 200.
3) What color do you have the most of in your collection? I don't know that I have any more of one color than another.
4) What is your first memory of nail polish? I remember always wanting my nails painted and asking my older cousin to do them for me. She would spend the whole time yelling at me for biting my nails down so far! lol
5) What do your friends/family think of your hobby? My younger daughter loves it because she does her nails as much as I do. My older daughter thinks I am insane. My husband is just tired of me buying more! My friends and coworkers love it. They come to me for advice or recommendations and they always want to see what I have on my nails.
6) What are your hobbies other than blogging? I used to do alot of paper art. I have been an artist my whole life. I also love to read and spend time with my family.
7) What's your favorite nail polish color? Hmmmm...I don't know if I have a favorite. I have ones that I love, but one favorite would be hard to choose.
8) What would be your dream polish? A one coat, perfect application, dries instantly one. I would take one in every color, finish, etc. lol
9) What is something you love, but everyone else hates? Not sure what this means. Everyone I know or everyone in general? Either way, I can't think of anything that I love that others hate.
10) What trends do you love? stamping and magnetic polish
11) What trends do you hate? outlined nails & stiletto nails

As for the 11 bloggers I want to nominate, there is a problem. I am so new to this community and the only way I am finding blogs is by checking out the ones that have been given the Liebster Award or ones that have too many followers to qualify. I would love to give it to fellow bloggers, but I just don't know any that haven't already received it. So, I am going to ask for you all to help me out. If you know someone with less than 200 followers that hasn't already gotten this award, please tell me and I will visit them and share the love.

Thanks again to The Painted Pony for giving me this award!!

Adventures in Jelly Sandwiches

Okay, I am so new to the nail blogging world. I have been addicted to YouTube videos on nail everything, but didn't know there were so many amazing blogs out there to help feed my obsession!

After reading MANY blogs, I learned about jelly sandwich manicures. I had no clue about these before last week...I know...they are old news to most of you probably! But, bear with me as I share my mini adventure!

I discovered one very important thing tonight as I attempted two different jelly sandwich manicures...I don't have appropriate glitter polishes for this! I did order a couple of indy ones this past weekend that are flying my way as I type and they may work better than what I had.

My first attempt used Finger Paints Pop Rock Pink (which is way more coral than pink) as the base, Finger Paints Gourd or Bad? glitter & LA Colors hex silver glitter. Finally a layer of the Pop Rock Pink  over the top of it all:

I really don't like this manicure at all. I seems too thick and messy for me. I guess I just don't have the proper polishes for this technique.

Here is my other attempt on a nail wheel:

This one isn't THAT bad, but the heart shaped glitter I used totally disappeared! lol I used Nicole by OPI Respect the World as the base and then used Nicole by OPI Honeydew you Love me? and LA Colors hex silver glitter with another coat of the blue over it all. It is a little better, but like I said, no blue hearts are visible anymore.

Now, before anyone says anything, I know my photos are HORRIBLE! I wish I knew how all of you bloggers got such amazing pictures of your nail art!! When I did my paper art blog, I was a pro at photos, but this is a whole new ballgame. Any tips are greatly appreciated!!

Thanks so much for stopping by!