February 29th: Doomfire Day!

Ah, February 29th! It always seems strange to me as I write down the date given that it only happens once every four years. This year, February 29th has been declared to be Doomfire Day!

Doomfire /duːm, fiYA/ - sunsets having the appearance of the apocalypse; a Baroness X group custom made of elusive unicorn pee pigment

Yes, dear readers, today is all about that gorgeous polish made by Baroness X! Doomfire made my list of most loved indie shades of 2015, and for perfectly good reason. This polish is pure magic, and it looks amazing alone or layered over other polishes. It was created as a group custom for the Baroness X Facebook fan group, The X Army, and as long as you are willing to play nice, you are more than welcome to come join the group. Let's get a closer look at this amazing polish.

Doomfire is absolutely gorgeous on its own. It is sheer, and I have it shown wearing three coats here. Not only is the colour fantastic, the formula is so smooth that it perfectly lays across your nails will a swoop of the brush. If you want opacity while conserving The Precious, you can easily layer it over a similar base shade. 

Why stop there? You can layer Doomfire over other shades for a completely different look. I have done just that to give you an idea of just some of the gorgeous looks that can be created with this beauty. Be forewarned, I am now rocking nubbins as I had two breaks while opening nail mail. While  not appreciated, the irony of the situation did not go lost on me. They may be shorter now, but at least I have pretty polish on them to help ease the pain.

Doomfire over

NailNation3000 #captaincamo

This is such a fun combination! Green polishes don't get enough love, but if you are wanting a little green on your nails for St. Patrick's Day next month without being so in your face, this is a good way to do it.

Doomfire over

NailNation3000 Basic Black

Given that I pretty much never layer anything over black, hell must have frozen over. As far as I know that hasn't happened, but I did want to share the combination since I know a lot of you like to see this option. It's not quite me, but it is still rather pretty. 

Speaking of pretty, up next is probably my favorite combination!

Doomfire over

NailNation3000 Mack Attack

I wasn't sure this combination was going to work at first, but it was love at first sight as soon as it went on my nails. I definitely don't mind having shorties as long as I can stare at this!

As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, this polish is a custom for the Baroness X Facebook fan group. If you are already a member, this polish will be available for purchase today at 7pm EST. If you are not already a member, you can request membership to the group. Please note that admittance of new members is temporarily on hold for a few days so current members of the fan group can have first access to this beauty. There are other gorgeous polishes on the Baroness X website here that you can pick up and drool over until the gates open.

There are other bloggers that are celebrating Doomfire Day with me, and you should check out their blog posts too!

An InLinkz Link-up

Until next time, have a wonderful day!

XO!

Be Red Carpet Ready with Borghese

Press Sample

Good morning, dear readers, and happy Sunday! I know I don't post often on the weekends, but I had to make an exception for this post. The red carpet is rolling out tonight for the 88th Academy Awards ceremony. I certainly look forward to watching this event, not only to see who will win an Oscar, but to also see the clothing, makeup and nails! In preparation for the event, Borghese kindly sent me some makeup samples so I could be red carpet ready myself!

Now I won't be at the Academy Awards any time soon, but that doesn't mean I cannot enjoy creating a fabulous look! I created my look for a lunch outing with my husband.

I've been loving more neutral looks overall lately, so I kept my look a little more toned down. Let's look at each of the products I used and I'll share my thoughts on them. Let's do this!

Artista Exact Match Concealer

A soft-focus sensation, this kit contains three shades which allow you to custom-blend for a professional finish.  This eye-brightening formula applies evenly, easily.  Diminishes dark circles, blemishes, and perfects. Squalane and Vitamin E help moisturize and protect.  Concealer brush included.

Retail $30

This concealer is so smooth and creamy, and I love that it came with its own brush! A little dab here and a little dab there, and my main flaws are, well, concealed! I liked the colour selection although I would have liked for there to be a green option to better cover up my red blemishes.

Eclissare Color Eclipse

5 Shades of Desire

5 Shades of Desire – Seductive and sensual. An assortment of shades in hues of mahogany and wood in shimmer, matte , satin and metallic finish.

Whim- pale soft yellow satin

Yen- warm beige matte

Yearn- warm cocoa satin

Seek- dark chocolate brown with multi-dimensional shimmer

Crave- bright, chestnut shimmer

Retail $29

This is a fabulous palette because it includes several finishes. Sure, I have palettes of just shimmers and just mattes, but I never wear one finish exclusively on my eyes at a time. I don't always have a lot of time in my beauty routine to be digging through my makeup to find the finish I need, and I like having it all in one place. I'm also going to be doing a little bit of traveling soon, and since I have to haul kid stuff as well, I love that I can bring this one eye palette for me and know that my needs will be met. The shadows also applied really nicely with no fallout, and I need to add the other Eclissare Color Eclipse palettes to my stash!

Eclissare ColorEdge Eye Pencil

Brownout

Pure, intense and true to color

Long-wearing, zero smudge

Rich and creamy formula for a ultra smooth, easy application

Perfect for subtle definition and bold smoky look

Retail $21.50

I don't wear a lot of pencil eye liners because they are either too hard to apply on my soft eye area or they smudge like crazy. I was really impressed at just how smoothly this eye liner went on my eyes! I admittedly was expecting to have smudging in no time, but I was pleasantly surprised that this eye liner stayed in place all day long. I'm going be using this eye pencil regularly from now on!

Superiore State-of-the-Art Mascara

Black

Looking for lashes that go to great lengths? We found the perfect brush that lifts and separates, coats and curls. We combined it with the perfect formula; a silk powder and panthenol-fueled mascara that creates full, almost endless and intense coverage. Provides superior volume, definition and extension.

Retail $19.50

Does any one else have a drawer full of mascara? I have so many tubes with different formulas and brushes that I have tested out, and it is so difficult trying to explain to my husband that not all mascaras are created the same. The Borghese Superiore State-of-the-Art mascara is certainly a nice mascara! Just one coat and my eyes really popped! I use an eye lash curler, so I didn't notice any extra lifting or curling, but I did like the brush and the formula. I'm also happy to report that I didn't have any flaking by the time I took this off at night.

Eclissare ColorRise Blush

Thrill

Wearable, neutral shades perfect for any skin tone

Exceptionally pure pigments for an even distribution and a more natural glow

Color glides on smoothly, perfectly providing a flawless finish

Sculpts, contours and defines cheekbone

Retail $30

This photo is making this blush look a little tan, but it is more of a soft peach. It is a gorgeous shade and perfect for a hint of colour on your cheeks. It wasn't very noticeable on me because of my skin tone and naturally semi-flushed cheeks, but it should be more obvious on paler skin tones.

Eclissare ColorStruck Lipstick

Dare and Edge

Vibrant, color-saturated lip crème. Multi-dimensional infusion of pigment and pearl for a fuller lip illusion. Shine, smooth, creamy, radiant and available in 12 tantalizing, color-rich shades.

Retail $25

While both these shades are beautiful, I wanted something a little between the two. Dare is packed with sparkle, and I feel a little silly with that much sparkle on my lips during the day. Edge is a little too nude for my taste. In the end, I decided to wear Edge with a little bit of Dare blended in to give a hint of colour and sparkle. The combination was fantastic! Both of these are so creamy, and I did have to touch up a little throughout the day. I really liked the way these felt on my lips and have added several of the other shades on my wish list.

I may not be walking on the red carpet, but Borghese made me feel beautiful for my lunch date! I was impressed with the quality of the products, and I see more Borghese in my future!

You can pick up your own Borghese makeup products from the Borghese website here. You can also use their website to find the brand in stores near you!

Be sure to be following me on Instagram this evening when I share some Borghese products I have to give away to a lucky follower! Rest assured, the ones I have for the winner are new and still in their boxes!

Have you tried makeup by Borghese? What are your favorites? I'd love to hear from you!

Until next time, dear readers, have a fabulous day!

XO! 

Born Pretty Store: Floral Stamping Plate Nail Art and Review

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Greetings, dear readers! I had planned to get this post up yesterday, but it was a crazy day for me and the words just weren't flowing. I'm think I'm coming down with something, but I have a few minutes to myself and I wanted to get this post finalized and live. Let's do this!

I'm starting off a little differently than my normal post, but I just had to share this photo! I used Fair Maiden Polish in Fire Frost for the base of my nail art. If you don't already have this shade, you need to pick it up asap! This was a Christmas gift to me from the hubby, and it's gorgeous!

I wanted to create a soft and feminine look with this polish, and I had the perfect solution thanks to Born Pretty Store.

One of the items they sent me to review was this beautiful stamping plate, and I immediately fell in love with the delicate flowers. Ready to see what I did with it? Check it out below!

This is not exactly what I intended to do when I planned this manicure, but I had such difficult time with the stamping plate. No matter what polish I used, I could not get the image to pick up at all with my squishy stampers. I finally had success when I switched over to my hated Salon Express stamper. Yes, my feelings on that stamper are that strong. I always have to worst time transferring images, and the stamping head is too small to fully transfer the images onto my curved, long nails. I had to modify the design and add a french tip to cover the nail that did not stamp over. The final look is lovely and I am happy with it, but I am not happy that this plate would not work with one of my preferred stampers. If you like stamping with a firmer stamp head, the pickup was flawless.

The Qgirl-057 stamping plate is available for purchase from Born Pretty Store here.

Other products used:

Celestial Cosmetics for Color4Nails stamping polish: Camellia

Bundle Monster: flower studs

Check our Born Pretty Store for your nail art needs. You can also save 10% off your full price order with discount code QWL91.

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

XO!

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.

Ellagee: The Petal Pushers Collection

Press Sample

Happy Monday, dear readers! Yeah, I'm not exactly happy about it either, but it is what it is. At least it is one day closer to warmer weather, right? It already feels like spring here in Northern California; can I trade some sunshine for much needed rain? If only it worked that way!

Today's blog post should get you in the mood for spring if you're not already of that mindset. Ellagee is launching a beautiful trio of shimmery pastel crelly nail polishes with flakes that you do not want to miss! They certainly scream "Hello, spring!"

Let's get a closer look at each of the polishes, shall we? Let's do this!

As You Lilac It

Two coats plus top coat

A shimmery pastel lilac crelly with blue/emerald color shifting ultrachrome flakies

Mint Tulip

Two coats plus top coat

A shimmery pastel mint crelly with coppery pink color shifting ultrachrome flakies

A Peony For Your Thoughts

Two coats plus top coat

A shimmery pastel peach crelly with blue/purple color shifting ultrachrome flakies

I am loving this trio! Even with the additional flakies, these applied very nicely for me with very minimal patchiness with the first coat. Obviously you want to be mindful that you don't leave the flakies partially coming off your nails; I gently push those that are at the end of my fingertips back up onto my nails. The colour combinations are so well thought out from the base shades to the shimmers to the flakes, and I'm having a difficult time choosing a favorite. You really can't go wrong with any of them!

The Petal Pushers Collection will be launching on the Ellagee website here this Friday, February 26th at 6pm CST. Friday also happens to be Laura's, the creative genius behind Ellagee, birthday, so be sure to leave a happy birthday when you check out!

Each polish will retail for $10.50, or you can buy the trio at the discounted price of $28.

What do you think of these beauties? Do you have a favorite or will you be picking up the set? I'd love to hear from you!

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

XO!

Influenster Cheers to You VoxBox

Provided for Review by Influenster

Happy Saturday, dear readers! I hope you're having a wonderful weekend so far! It's been a busy one around here, and I am finally able to sneak away to get this post written for you. I am a member of the Influenster community, and I am occasionally emailed questionnaires to determine whether or not I am eligible for specific VoxBoxes. If you are not familiar with the VoxBox, let me fill you in! Each box has a specific theme, and they contain products that Influenster chooses to fit the theme. Recipients receive the box of products in exchange for spreading the word about the products and giving an honest review. The VoxBox program has introduced me to several new products, and I encourage you to check it out on Influenster if you use social media regularly. For this post, I am sharing the Cheers to You VoxBox I was selected to review. Let's do this!

We're definitely starting off on the right foot! Thanks for making my day!

The Cheers to You VoxBox came with an assortment of goodies to make you feel beautiful from the inside out.

Suave Professionals Coconut Milk Infusion Shampoo and Conditioner

Suave Professionals salon-inspired range of hair care products work as well as premium salon brands so that women can live beautifully every day.

I was sent the Coconut Milk Infusion line which is supposed to help moisturize dry hair. My hair is actually on the normal to oily side, and I wash it every 2-3 days. I was on day 3 when I tested these products, and I was surprised at how dry my hair felt when I rinsed the shampoo from my hair. For a line that is designed to moisturize hair, the shampoo really strips away the natural oils a little too well. I then applied the conditioner and let it sit for 3 minutes as suggested on the bottle. My hair certainly felt much better after this treatment! That being said, my hair always feels nicely moisturized after a conditioner soak of any kind. I'm not really convinced this duo really helps more than other brands of shampoo and conditioners, but it works and is affordable. It also smells like coconut due to added fragrance. I love the smell of coconut so that was a plus for me!

MSRP $2.99 - 3.99

Dr. Teal's Pure Epson Salt Soaking Solution

Take good care of your body and mind by regularly soaking in Dr. Teal's Pure Epsom Salt Soaking Solution. Dr. Teal's Soothe & Sleep with Lavender is made of wholesome ingredients: Epsom salts and herbal oils to naturally relieve sore muscles, ease your aches and pains & relax your whole body for a deeper sleep.

I am always holding my 19 pound infant, and my 37 pound toddler often likes to be picked up. Needless to say, I have sore muscles on a regular basis! Add to that the limited sleep, this is the perfect product for me! I've had to lock myself in the bathroom so I could have a good soak in peace while being serenaded with the most unusual pounding and wailing noises on the bathroom door. The soak definitely helped to soothe my aching muscles, and the scent of lavender helped to relax my mind so I could easily go to sleep. While lavender isn't my favorite scent, I don't mind it on occasion, and I didn't find it to be too overpowering. Now if Dr. Teal's can make this in a coconut or Pina Colada scent so I can imagine I'm on some tropical getaway, I'd be buying it in bulk!

MSRP $5.97 (3 lb bag) / $2.50 (1 lb bag) 

Coupon for a package of HORMEL Taco Meat

Can taco night actually get easier and yummier? YES! Introducing 100% natural, fully cooked fresh Taco Meats from Hormel. Perfectly seasoned Chicken, Pork and Beef that go from the fridge to taco in just minutes. So all you have to focus on is the fun...and your favorite toppings!

When I first saw this coupon, I thought is was for a seasoning pack, not a package of meat. Oops! I blame mama brain! We're big fans of Mexican and Tex Mex foods in the Jedi household, but surprisingly, we've not yet tried this yet! I'm now sure how that has happened since we normally eat it every week; perhaps this next week is the week for us! I'm afraid I can't give any specific feedback on this yet, but let me know if you want to hear more when I do try one of these!

MSRP $5 - 6 (varies from chicken/pork/ground beef to shredded beef)

Way Better Snacks

Sweet Chili Corn Tortilla Chips

Way Better Snacks Sweet Chili tortilla chips are made with love and just enough spice. Our craveably tasty chips are made with sprouted flax seeds, chia seeds and quinoa so you can feel even better about all that deliciousness.

I love to snack! I'm not a potato chip fan overall, but I do enjoy tortilla chips. I've not tried this brand or variety before, and I was very happy with my first experience. Thankfully I was in the house by myself when I snapped this photo because I got to eat some of these! They do have a touch of spice to them, so if you are very sensitive to spicy foods, you may want to avoid these. I liked the level of spiciness, and I'm pretty sure my toddler did too considering he devoured the rest of them when he came inside. These were a win for us, and I'll be adding these to my grocery list!

MSRP $3.59

What do you think of the products from the Cheers to You VoxBox? Are there any you're wanting to try? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Until next time, have a great weekend!

XO!

Dotticure with China Glaze House of Colour

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Good afternoon, dear readers! If you read my previous post, I shared a nail art look using most of the polishes from the China Glaze House of Colours collection. I had mentioned I had more nail art ideas; today's blog post is featuring one of those looks. I've been wanting to do a fun dotticure lately, and there were some great colours to work with in the collection. Check it out!

Come Rain or Shine Bold blue shimmer

About Layin’ Out Salmon pink crème

Shut The Front Door! Medium violet creme with shimmer

Because none of these shades are densely pigmented, I started off by stamping with the dot and bubble pattern on my LeaLac LLC-B plate with a simple white polish. It really helped the other shades pop against the background colour, and I like the touches of white from the bubbles added to the mix.

I hope you've enjoyed today's colourful nail art look!

Let me know what you think! I always love to read your comments!

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

XO!

Nail Art featuring China Glaze House of Colour for Spring 2016

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Good afternoon, dear readers! I have a quick nail art post to share with you while my littlest one is finally napping! I received the new China Glaze House of Colour Collection, and my head was swimming with nail art ideas as soon as I had pulled the bottles out of their box. What do you do when you have so many ideas? You do them ALL! It makes for a rather colourful manicure, but I am digging it! Check it out!

Too much? I can't really decide. It's certainly outside my normal comfort zone, but it makes me happy. At the end of the day, that's what matters most, right? I ended up using 10 of the 12 shades from this collection in this manicure alone. Let's check out each nail and I can fill you in on what I used. Ready? Let's do this!

Glitter Me This... Gold, pink and white multi glitter

Chrome Is Where The Heart Is Blush chrome

Girls Just Wanna Have Sun Light yellow crème

Sorry I'm Latte Nude crème

Pink Or Swim Warm bubblegum pink crème

To complete the look on this nail, I added crystal iridescent rhinestones from Firecracker Lacquer.

Don't Be Shallow Sky blue crème

Moonlight The Night Translucent blue and purple color-reflective glitter

Let's Chalk About It Ultra soft pink crème

In The Near Fuchsia Fuchsia crème

Shut The Front Door! Violet (Shimmer)

This collection is now available for purchase at Ulta and Sally Beauty Supply. MSRP for each shade is $7.50.

I have a few more ideas in mind with this collection, so you'll likely be seeing another nail art look using the House of Colour Collection soon!

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

XO!

Channeling the 80s for Valentine's Day

Good morning, dear readers! It's the weekend! I know I don't post often on the weekends, but I've got a rad nail art look I created for Valentine's Day that I just HAD to share with you! Before I share my final look with you, let's look at what I started with.

Siren Channels the 80s

Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer

Neon/fluorescent green crelly with gold holo, silver holo, lime holo, and rainbow iridescent microglitters

Wowza, now this is a bright green! I'm a child of the 80's, and I remember wearing a lot of clothing in this shade of green! I know it has been a long winter for many of my readers, and this shade certainly will brighten your day as you imagine yourself basking in the sun on the beach while you dig your toes in the warm sand. Oh, is that just me? Either way, you're going to want this vibrant hue on your nails! This was a little thinner than other Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer polishes I've used, and the formula was fantastic! I used three coats here in preparation for my nail art look.

Together Dead and Lonely

Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer

Black jelly with silver and red holographic microglitters

What goes better with bright green when you're an eighty's child? Black of course! I love this sparkled version by Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer because everything is better with sparkle! The formula of Together Dead and Lonely is on the thicker side, as generally seen with the brand. In spite of the thickness, I found it still very easy to work with, and I did not need to add any thinner. While one coat probably would have been enough for opacity, I added a second coat with working under bright lights.

Both of these shades are available for purchase at the Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer shop here, and I definitely recommend snagging them! Siren Channels the 80s is a limited edition Siren, so you do want to grab one before it's gone!

I hope you are ready for some pretty epic nail art! I'm just not one for lots of hearts, so I wanted something a little different for my Valentine's Day manicure this year. I decided to channel my inner 80s girl with a manicure inspired by the name of an iconic 80s hard rock band. Presenting: Studs N' Roses!

Ahhhh!!!! I'm crazy excited about these nails (and probably a little crazy as well, but that's not up for debate this morning, haha)!!!

I wanted to continue with the bright colours on my dark nails and add black to my green nails. I used Melina (yellow), Cordelia (pink), and Onyx (black) from the Celestial Cosmetics & Color4Nails stamping line. The rose image is from the LeaLac stamping plate LLC-B. I completed the look by adding neon round studs from Firecracker Lacquer.

I LOVE these not-so-traditional Valentine's Day nails, and I hope you enjoy them as well! They are perfect for those that aren't quite into the sappy aspect of the holiday.

Until next time, dear readers, have a great weekend!

XO!