Friday, October 30, 2015

Halloween Nails with Colors by Llarowe

Happy Friday! The first several days this week seemed to drag on forever, and yet I am still surprised it is Friday already. Go figure! My baby is FINALLY down for his nap this morning, so I'm going to jump right in on today's blog post before he wakes up again. Let's do this!
I was inspired by the Halloween 2015 Colors by Llarowe duo especially after I took this photo with the spider background, and I just had to get a nail art look together! Check it out!
Products Used
Colors by Llarowe: All Jack'd Up, Ghouls Just Wanna Have Fun and Seahawks Lime
China Glaze: Liquid Leather
This is my final Halloween manicure for this year. I may repaint my nails tomorrow to go with my kids' costumes if I find the time, but they won't look like traditional Halloween nails. I've really enjoyed creating several Halloween manicures this year, and I'm already thinking up ideas for next year!

Have you decided on a Halloween manicure? What will you be wearing? I'd love to hear from you!

Until next time, dear readers, have a wonderful day and spooktacular weekend!
XO!

Thursday, October 29, 2015

Press Release: China Glaze Cheers Collection

SIP, SPARKLE & SHINE THIS HOLIDAY SEASON
Brighten the excitement of the New Year with China Glaze®
#ChinaGlazeCheers

After a year full of colourful adventures, China Glaze® ends 2015 with a bang and burst of glittering confetti. Pop the champagne and celebrate the New Year with the Cheers! Holiday 2015 collection. These twist-on-traditional shades create party-ready manicures while the gift sets and nail art kits make perfect party favors, stocking stuffers and gifts (shhh, we won’t tell if the gift is for yourself!).


Ring in the New Year with one or all of the China Glaze® Cheers! shades:  

·       Better Not Pout*: Merry berry pearl
·       Brand Sparkin’ New Year: Deep prismatic purple glitter
       ·     Coal Hands, Warm Heart: Midnight blue holographic glitter

·       Mix and Mingle: Vivid deep purple crème           
·       Peppermint to Be*: Glittering ruby shimmer
·       I Soiree I Didn’t Do It*: Bright and cheery green glitter
·       Bring on the Bubbly: Gleaming gold glitter
·       Ugly Sweater Party*: Multi-dimensional red glitter
·       Son of a Nutcracker: Fiery red-orange pearl
·       Break the Ice: Icy prismatic silver glitter
·       Wine Down for What?: Rich red crème
·       Don’t Get Elfed Up: Glistening deep emerald shimmer
(*Also available in Gelaze® Gel-n-Base in One™ formula)

The China Glaze® Cheers! collection also features three seasonally-inspired gift sets:


·       Ring in the New Year!: Bring on the Bubbly, Son of a Nutcracker and Better Not Pout with a gold-toned “Cheers” ring (MSRP $14.99)

·       Mini Mixers: Micro mini (0.125 fl oz) bottles of I Soiree I Didn’t Do It, Mix and Mingle, Better Not Pout, Son of a Nutcracker, Peppermint to Be and Don’t Get Elfed Up (MSRP $17.99)

·       Cheers! to Neons: Micro mini (0.125 fl oz) bottles of China Glaze® best selling neons including Flip Flop Fantasy, Orange Knockout, Shocking Pink, Purple Panic, Turned Up Turquoise and Frostbite (MSRP $17.99)


Toast the start of 2016 with festive nail art made easy with three new Cheers! Nail Art Kits including:


·       Have a Dapper Holiday: Create a simple yet chic design with Bring on the Bubbly, Liquid Leather (core shade), and bonus white Stripe Rite nail art liner (MSRP $14.99)

·       Mix and Mingle: Half-moons and French tips glisten using Mix and Mingle and Break the Ice with nail design guides (MSRP $14.99)

·       Wrap It Up: Gift wrap nails using Don’t Get Elfed Up and Better Not Pout with nail design striping tape (MSRP $14.99)


Spend this holiday season in colour with China Glaze® Cheers! collection, available in November 2015 at fine beauty supply stores including Ulta and Sally Beauty Supply.  MSRP $7.50 for individual shades.

For more information, please visit www.chinaglaze.com or follow China Glaze on Facebook (@ChinaGlazeOfficial), Instagram (@ChinaGlazeOfficial), Twitter (@ChinaGlaze) and Pinterest (pinterest.com/chinaglaze).



I know I'm excited about this gorgeous collection! I hope to have a review of them up on my blog soon!

Illyrian Polish: Living Dead Girl

Good morning, dear readers! Halloween is upon us, and I am rushing to get more Halloween related polishes up on my blog. I picked up my first Illyrian Polish recently with the October limited edition shade, Living Dead Girl. I used to go to the club on Goth Nights in the long, long ago, and I always loved dancing to this song! Just the name sends me back to a time of dark makeup, corsets, fishnet tights and combat boots.... How things have changed since then!

I definitely had to pick this up when I heard about it. Let's check it out!
Living Dead Girl is a beautiful dark blue holographic polish with added red glitters. I have mixed feelings about this polish. The colour is gorgeous, but the formula left a lot to be desired. It was oddly thick, and not in the usual thick, uncut base type of way. I'm definitely not a polish maker, but it seemed as if powdered pigments were used that were not suspended enough or properly. If you've ever mixed your own nail polish by adding eyeshadow thanks to a tip on pinterest, you'll know what I mean. It makes the formula thick and kind of sludgy, just like I experienced with this polish. I used two coats, but it didn't level out at all for me on its own. A coat of top coat drastically improved the look of this polish, and that is shown in the photos above.

I'm torn about my first experience with Illyrian Polish. The formula was just terrible for my first polish, but the colour is just so darn pretty. I have two other shades to wear yet, and I'm hoping my experience with Living Dead Girl is just a fluke.

Have you tried Illyrian Polish? I'd love to hear your thoughts on the brand!

Until next time, dear readers, have a wonderful day!
XO!

Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Mummy Nails!

Good morning, dear readers! I hope you are having a wonderful week thus far! I am still trying to get Halloween manicures created this week while I still can, and I created mummy nails! Check them out!
I first started off with Zoya Purity for a base, and I then added a water marble using Zoya shades in Purity, Jacqueline, Flynn and Emilia. I then added a darkened area with Zoya Willa and added Zoya Kym for glowing red eyes.

I am LOVING these! It's Halloween without the traditional orange and black.
Anubis is keeping my mummies safe and keeping them from causing too much trouble. Haha!

Have you planned your Halloween manicure yet? There's still time!

Until next time, dear readers, have a wonderful day!
XO!




Monday, October 26, 2015

Sweet Heart Polish: Oct 21, 2015

Happy Monday, dear readers! I'm running a little behind in posting today so let's get right to it! For today's blog post, I wanted to share the Limited Edition shade Oct 21, 2015 by Sweet Heart Polish. This particular polish was created in honor of Back to the Future Day, and I love it! Check it out!

Oct 21, 2015 is a silvery lilac holographic polish with blue to violet colour shifting flakes. This polish is gorgeous! I used three coats for opacity as shown in these photos, and I am eager to try layering it over base shades! The formula was really smooth, and the polish applied beautifully.

Oct 21, 2015 is a limited edition shade and was made as part of a small batch pour. At the time of this post, it is still available for purchase at the Sweet Heart Polish etsy shop here, but once it is gone, it is gone. Be sure to grab yours before it is too late!

I'm off for now, and I hope you have a wonderful evening!
XO!

Friday, October 23, 2015

Fortune Cookie Soap: Zombie Survival Kit

TGIF, dear readers! I am SO glad it is Friday! Can it be afternoon with my husband home now? I've not slept enough this week, and I am exhausted. My boys just don't appreciate a good nap, and I would love for them to nap at the same time so I could too! I can dream, right? Ha!

For today's blog post, I wanted to share the Fortune Cookie Soap (FCS) Zombie Survival Kit I received earlier this month. This was a Limited Edition box that is sadly no longer available for purchase, BUT many of the individual products from the box ARE available.
I have a weakness for all things Halloween so naturally I had to get this box!
The Zombie Survival Kit contains all eight items from the mini collection. Let's check out the details of each of them, shall we?

 Safe Zone and Blood Transfusion
Safe Zone- Fortune Cookie Soap
Nowhere is safe anymore, fences can only keep them out for so long.
Remember when life was "normal"? No zombies to worry about. No running for your life. Ahhh the good ol' days when you could wake up to a stack of mouth watering hotcakes, topped with berries and cream. Yeah, me too.

Hello, shimmer! This is the signature product for the company, hence the name, and this particular fortune cookie soap was dusted with shimmer. It's certainly a little messy, but at least you're already in the shower to get it cleaned off. Ha!

Blood Transfusion- Body Wash
With the horrors of death and decay all around, keep yourself clean and infection free with your own personal supply of blood transfusion body wash- if that's even possible.
Rock candy and bloated berries, with a smear of sticky bubble gum.

Can I point out just how awesome the packaging is?!? It's a cute little bag of "blood"! I'm personally not fond of the scent as it is a weird cross of cough syrup and candy, and neither is a scent I care for. If you normally like the smell of candy, you may love this!

Wound Repair and Zombie Repellent
Wound Repair- Salve
Yeeeah...good luck with that.
Lace-like films of cool, white ice, drizzled with melted chocolate.
To Use: Apply to wounds (or cracked, dry knuckles and elbows as needed)

Mint and chocolate? Sign me up! I'm sure I'll get weird looks when I inevitably try to gnaw off a delicious limb after smelling like this!

Zombie Repellent- Room Spray
It may not work, but it's worth a try!
Rotten apple flesh and mulled fruits decomposing on spicy cinnamon sticks, dusted with brown sugar, muted with black vanilla bean and warm oak.

Did you know that zombies were afraid of the smell of autumn? I know I certainly didn't! It's been warm here and not-fall-like, so I can at least get the reminder of the season with this room spray. I LOVE this combination of smells and it makes me want to hunker down for the quickly approaching cold winter. If it ever does get to winter here that is!

Airborn and Weapon of Choice
Airborn- Steam Me Up Scotty!
We're all infected- there's no escaping it.
Rich, dark coffee swirled with thick caramel and melted chocolate.

I love shower steamers, and I am saving this one! My showers are usually rushed right now because of the toddler and infant, and I can't bear the thought of not getting to full enjoy this!

Weapon of Choice- OCD Hand Sanitizer
Now's your chance to battle both germs AND zombies at the same time.
A splash of white wine distilled with rotting peaches and decayed citrus.

Mmmm, peachy citrus.... I love both these scents individually, but I never would have thought to put them together. I guess that's why I'm sitting here at home writing up this review rather than developing products. Haha! I quite like this smell, and I definitely appreciate having another bottle of hand sanitizer in my bag!

Liquid Courage and Rule #47
Liquid Courage- Perfume Oil
Desperate times call for desperate measures...bottoms up!
Puffy clouds of cotton candy dripping with sticky raspberries, pineapples and wild watermelon, all wrapped in the soft embrace of night blooming flowers.

Yum! This makes me think of fruity candy. I kinda just want to eat this.... LOL!

Rule #47- Whipped Cream
Rule #47- Always Stay Moisturized
Grotesque green apple flesh, oozing with blackened caramel.

Rule #47 completes the list of my favorite fall scents- caramel apples! Delicious! It is very moisturizing, and a little goes a long way!

As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, this box is no longer available for purchase, but many of the individual items are still available at the Fortune Cookie Soap shop here. I definitely recommend picking up these products as your own special "treat" for Halloween! While you're there, check out the 12 Days of Christmas box that launches for preorder today at 6pm CST. It is a Nightmare Before Christmas theme!

Until next time, dear readers, have a wonderful day and a fabulous weekend!
XO!






Thursday, October 22, 2015

Colors by Llarowe: Halloween Duo 2015

Good evening, dear readers! I hope you have been having a wonderful week! For today's blog post, I have the new Halloween duo made by Colors by Llarowe to share with you. I've been debating on cutting my nails short and going with a more rounded look, so I decided to test the look out on my non swatch hand. As much as I try, I just don't quite care for this shape on me, and I am jealous of those that can pull it off. Oh well, I'll just have hands with two different lengths and shapes until these grow out a little more. Ha! Now to the polish!
I am in two facebook groups that are dedicated to Colors by Llarowe polish, and in both groups, Leah Ann had a contest to name the shades in the duo. Those that had their names selected won the duo, and one of my name suggestions was picked! Let's start off with the one I named....

Ghouls Just Wanna Have Fun
Stunning, super bright blue toned purple intense linear holo with turquoise blue and hot pink flame

I apparently had Cyndi Lauper on the brain when I came up with this name, but it fits oh so well! This is such a pretty shade of purple, and I am happy to report that I had no staining issues whatsoever. The formula was a little thinner than I've grown to expect from CbL polishes, but I didn't have any cuticle flooding as long as I worked a little slowly and carefully. I used three coats for this photo.

All Jack'd Up
Gorgeous neon orange scattered holo with yellow flame

How awesome is this name, and YAY for orange! I'm so glad to see Leah Ann create another orange shade! This is a beautiful yellow-leaning orange, and I'm sure you already know I am a fan. I just can't get enough orange polish, and this name is fantastic! Like Ghouls Just Wanna Have Fun, the formula was a little on the thinner side, but it was easy to work with provided I worked a little slowly. I used three coats for this photo.


This particular duo was only available for purchase for a limited time, and unfortunately it is no longer available at Llarowe. You might be able to find them in a destash though, and there are other beautiful shades available to purchase.

Until next time, have a wonderful night!
XO!




Monday, October 19, 2015

Simple Halloween Nails: Stripes and Decals and a Flash IG Giveaway!

Happy Monday, dear readers! The weekends seem to be going by faster and faster lately, and I was not too happy to realize this morning that it wasn't Sunday. I was just so busy this weekend with lots of random craft projects I've been needing to get done. Thankfully I was able to cross some off my list, and the rest should hopefully get done this week as I find extra time. Let me just put a word out to the universe to make my baby take his naps this week! A lack of napping means less time for me to get things done AND a crabby little one, and I really would rather not have a repeat of last week! I was able to get a little time yesterday to paint my nails; let's check them out!
I wanted to keep my nails simple with just orange and black. I used the following products:

Scofflaw: Goldstone
Revlon: Black Lingerie
You Polish: Halloween Assortment Decals

I LOVE how they turned out! I know they aren't fancy by any means, but I can't seem to stop staring at my nails. I am also smitten with this orange, so I'm sure that is huge part of it.

I am also giving away a set of decals on Instagram! See my post here for the details!

I've got several more Halloween mani ideas floating in my head, and I hope to get at least a few of them done and on my blog in the next couple of weeks! I'm off to get some laundry done- don't be too jealous! HA!

Until next time, have a great day!
XO!

Friday, October 16, 2015

Haunted Graveyard Nails

Happy Friday! It is Friday, right? This week has been intense around the Jedi household so I sure hope it is! This mama needs a little break! I have a few minutes to get a post up this morning so I'm just jumping right in. I somehow found the time to do nail art this week (by staying up late of course, lol), and I wanted to share my haunted graveyard nails with you this morning. Check them out!
The little imperfections add to the spookiness of these nails- or at least that's what I'm telling myself! HAHAHA!

I used the Cross Pack 1 vinyls from Up Your Nail- Disturbed Vinyls to mark my graves. I freehanded the ghosts to give them character. That's my story anyway! Ha!

Polishes used:
China Glaze: Change Your Altitude and Immortal for the crosses
China Glaze: Out Like a Light and Liquid Leather for the dark sky
China Glaze: White Out and Liquid Leather for the ghosts

What are you doing for your Halloween nails? I have so many ideas floating in my head and not enough time to do them all!

I've gotta run, and I hope you have a wonderful Friday and weekend!
XO!



Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Trick or Treat with Sugarfina

Happy hump day, dear readers! I hope you are having a wonderful week so far! For today's blog post, I wanted to do something a little different. Halloween is quickly approaching, and who says it just has to be for kids? Lots of adults have parties to celebrate, so why not enjoy candy as well? This is where Sugarfina comes in.

My favorite type of candy is black licorice. It's definitely not for everyone, but I just love it! I didn't eat any while I was pregnant, and my sister-in-law knew how badly I missed it. She introduced me to Sugarfina by sending me this Black Sheep tasting box.
This particular box contains eight different licorice candies from around the world in 1 ounce size packages: licorice cubes from Holland, dark chocolate licorice from the US, licorice pastilles from the US, licorice buttons from the UK, licorice scotties from the US, licorice chalk from Holland, finnska black from Finland, and caramel licorice from Holland. It is a delicious assortment, and it introduced me to some new varieties I've never tried before. I also discovered that while I love dark chocolate and licorice, I really don't like them together. Ha!

If you want to give someone special a candy treat for Halloween, Sugarfina has a few different gift sets and tasting boxes to choose from. The packaging is beautiful, and you won't be disappointed!

I hope you've enjoyed today's blog post! Until next time, dear readers, have a wonderful evening!
XO!

Monday, October 12, 2015

Born Pretty Store: Open Square Frames

Press Sample

Happy Monday, dear readers! I hope you had a wonderful weekend and a great start to a new week! For today's blog post, I wanted to share some of the studs I received from Born Pretty Store. Let's check them out!
This wheel of studs comes with two sizes each of starfish, open square frames and shells in both silver and gold.
Starfish
Numbered scale is in centimeters
Shells
Numbered scale is in centimeters
Open Square Frames
Numbered scale is in centimeters

When I first chose to review these studs, I had an ocean-inspired look in mind. Oddly enough, I just wasn't feeling the ocean recently so I opted to showcase the open square frames instead. Check it out!
I had so much fun creating this manicure! The smaller squares fit my nails a little better as the larger ones do not bend to the curve of my nails. It isn't so obvious here as I tried to place them as frames on squares on flatter areas of my nails. The larger squares are still really cute, they just require careful placement.
This set of studs can be picked up from Born Pretty Store here.

Polishes and products used:
Colors by Llarowe: Oops
Julep: Julep
Julep: London
Pahlish: Cape Coast Castle
Zoya: Ziv
Zoya: Willa
LeaLac Stamping Plate: LLC-B

You can save 10% off your full price purchase of items from Born Pretty Store by using discount code QWL91. There are many items to choose from for all your nail art needs.



Disclaimer:  The products reviewed above were provided to me for my honest and unbiased opinion. All thoughts stated are entirely my own and are based on my use of said products.  I love receiving feedback from my readers, and any comments left here are the express opinions and/or property of the individual authors.  Therefore, I, the author of this site, cannot be held responsible for the opinions held by others.  I reserve the right to remove any comments that I find to be harmful, unnecessary, or not constructive for other readers.


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