Celebrate 31 with Baskin Robbins Nail Art

Thursday, March 30, 2017

LynB Designs: The Land Before Time Collection

Press Sample

Greetings, dear readers! I hope you have been having a wonderful week and this post finds you well! For today's post, I have the reformulated LynB Designs The Land Before Time Collection to share with you!

As you have already seen with my 5th blogiversary celebration earlier this year, I've been following the indie polish community for quite some time now. I actually remember when the original Land Before Time Collection was released about four years ago, and I am really excited to see this collection making a comeback! The colours and feel of the collection are very similar to the original shades, but there are subtle differences due to the reformulation. Seeing these new versions has shown how LynB Designs has grown, and these shades feel more "complete" than they did previously. Let's check them out!

Littlefoot

Two coats plus top coat

A purple toned grey crelly base with silver, white, and iridescent purple glitters

Littlefoot is certainly one of the stars in this collection! I adore muted purple shades, and this purple-kissed grey crelly is simply perfection. The glitters lay nicely against the background, and I really like the subtle pops of pale light purple from the iridescent glitters catching the light. This applied really nicely for me without any troubles although you do need to take care in layering so you can have the iridescent glitters showing. They can get a little lost against the background so thinner coats are the best way to showcase all the aspects of the polish.

Cera

Two coats plus top coat

A peachy orange crelly base with gold micro holo, orange micro holo, and pink micro glitters

I'm sure it comes as no surprise to anyone to discover that Cera is my personal favorite from the collection. This light orange polish is fabulous, and I adore the touches of pink dancing among all the orange! The formula is sublime as this polish just about applies itself!

Ducky

Three coats plus top coat

A bright green crelly base with golden micro shimmer and green micro glitter

This is such a fun and bright, but not TOO bright, shade of green, especially for the spring! Green and gold are a match made in heaven, and Ducky showcases these colours perfectly! This is the most sheer polish from this collection, and I did find that I needed a third coat for opacity. That's not a deal breaker for me, especially since the formula is on point, but you can easily layer it over a similar shade if you prefer to use fewer coats. As for myself, I love the depth from three coats so I'd recommend sticking with just this on its own.

Petrie

Two coats plus top coat

A white crelly base with golden glass flecks, black glitters in various shapes, and a hint of green micro glitter

Petrie was one of my favorite characters from the movie, and this is such a fun interpretation of the character. This polish applied nicely for me, and I was a little surprised I only needed two coats for opacity. It applied easily enough for me although you do need to take care with the bar glitters to keep them from hanging over the nail. I am admittedly not a fan of bar glitters, although they are thankfully far and few in between with this polish. Should you not be a fan of bar glitters either, they can easily be removed during application.

Spike

One coat dabbed over black cream plus top coat
Sponged on without base colour plus top coat

Holo hexes with green squares and iridescent squares blended together to make a glitter topper or can be sponged on for more coverage

Glitters don't get as much love as they used to, and it's such a shame since they are so much fun! I'm happy to see a glitter topper/glitter bomb in this collection. The glitter assortment in Spike is beautiful! I can't quite decide if I prefer it as a topper or sponged on as a glitter bomb; it looks fantastic either way! This applied nicely for me with no digging necessary and no glitter clumping: the glitters spread out so perfectly over my nails!

The Land Before Time Collection launches April 7th at 7pm EST on the LynB Designs store located here. Each polish retails for $10 a piece, and if you pick up the full collection, the cost is $50 and free shipping within the US. In true LynB Designs fashion, this collection will be launching with a coupon code! Use the code LITTLE and save 50% off any purchase in the store for a limited time!

Do you have a favorite shade from the collection? Do you have any of the original polishes from when it was first released? I'd love to hear from you!

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

XO!

Helpful Links

Store: lynbdesigns.store
Facebook: www.facebook.com/LynBDesigns

Facebook Group: www.facebook.com/groups/LynBLoves

Instagram: www.instagram.com/LynBDesigns

Twitter: twitter.com/LynBdesigns

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/LynBDesigns

Connect with me on Social Media!

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Look of the Day with Kiss New York Pro

Greetings, dear readers! For today's blog post, I wanted to share with you some of the products I picked up at the International Salon and Spa Expo from Kiss New York Pro.

Kiss New York Pro is a new to me brand, and I picked out a variety of items to test.

Fennec - Spell - Spicy

While I usually grab for palettes, I just couldn't resist picking up these single eyeshadows! These colours are beautiful, and I was really impressed with the quality of these. Richly pigmented and incredibly smooth, I am loving these, and the low price point is an added bonus!

These eyeshadows blend so beautifully! Only a little on my eye brushes went a long way to create this look, and I am happy to report I didn't have trouble with fallout either. Kiss New York Pro eyeshadows are definitely on my radar, and I will most certainly be picking up more! I'm hoping to see the same great quality in other shades!

In addition to the eyeshadows, I also the Top Brow Brow Highlighter Pencil Duo. On one side is a thick highlighting pencil and the other is a thinner pencil in the shade brunette. The highlighting end applies very easily and has a velvety texture. With just the softest pressure, this pencil imparted colour just below my eyebrows around the inner arch, and it gently blended with a touch of my finger for a softer look. The brow pencil side, on the other hand, requires a firmer hand to apply. It still applies quite easily, but it doesn't have quite the same soft and velvety texture. Instead, it stays firmly in place, a feature I know I want from my brow products! I used it to outline and fill in some thinner areas of my brows. The final look is darker but still fairly natural, a look that I prefer from my eyebrows.

To complete my look, I added Kiss New York Pro Egoism Matte Velvet Lipstick in New York City. The teardrop shaped lipstick bullet applies to the lips with a little pressure. While it isn't an issue by any means, this lipstick is a little firmer than I personally prefer. This isn't to say I won't use it again, but I may be less inclined to grab for this lipstick over other reds with a softer formula.

The final look is smooth and even, and while it does come off while eating and drinking, I was pretty impressed with its overall staying power. I only needed to add a few little touchups to keep this beautiful red shade on my lips throughout the day.

Here is my final look for the day. It's been a while since I've sported a red lip, and now that I'm wearing it, I have no idea why I've not been wearing red more lately! As for Kiss New York Pro, I'm really happy I have discovered the brand! The products I have tried thus far apply nicely and are richly pigmented. I also can appreciate the affordability of these products! I look forward to seeing where the brand goes from here and hope to test out a few more items in the near future!

Have you tried any products from Kiss New York Pro? If so, what were your favorites? I'd love to hear from you!

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

XO!

Helpful Links

Store: kissnypro.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/kissnypro

Instagram: www.instagram.com/kissnypro

Connect with me on Social Media!

Monday, March 27, 2017

Northern Star for Polish Pickup: Scream of Nature

Press Sample

Happy Monday, dear readers! I hope you had a wonderful weekend and your week is off to a great start thus far! For today's blog post, I have the pleasure of sharing another polish created for the inaugural Polish Pickup. But first, let me fill you in about Polish Pickup.

Polish Pickup was created and run by Adrienne and Sarah of Fair Maiden Polish and was designed to replace the traditional polish collaboration box. In brief, it starts with a fun and interactive group on Facebook. Each month, members submit theme suggestions, and the organizers chose the top 10 submissions. From there, these theme suggestions are presented to the group and the theme selected by popular vote. Makers then design their polishes to fit the chosen theme and are then sold at Polish Pickup during a designated time frame. While all polishes are based upon the theme, there is no box commitment with these beauties. You can buy as many or as few as you wish, creating your own personal box! No more having to decide if you should or should not buy a box of four polishes when you only want two shades! Only one polish speaking to you? That's ok too! You buy only the shades you want; as result, you can save money and not have the hassle of trying to sell off what you don't want. Sounds easy, right? I know I'm excited about it!

Now that I've filled you in on hoe Polish Pickup works, we can check out today's featured polish! The theme for April's Polish Pickup is Famous Works of Art, and I was thrilled to discover that Kristin, the designer behind Northern Star Polish, selected "The Scream" by Edvard Munch as her inspiration. The iconic image of an androgynous skull-shaped head with open mouth is a widely recognized form of art, but what many don't realize is "The Scream" is actually the name of four versions of similar composition. The first is a painting of oil, tempera, and pastels; the second and third were created in pastels; the final composition is a painting created with tempera. I know, I know, this is a beauty blog, but I thought it was interesting and had to share. Now let's look at some polish photos!

Scream of Nature

Two coats plus top coat

Inspired by the bold colors of the painting, the polish has a navy leaving teal base with red/gold/orange shifting flakes and pink/copper chrome pigment flash in the background like bursts of color against a dark sky.

This is such a pretty interpretation of The Scream! My orange-loving heart was initially hoping it would be, well, orange, but I'm really feeling this one! Scream of Nature beautifully captures the dark and moody feeling of the composition, and I suspect the blue base will appeal to a larger audience than an orange would. I also really like the volume of flakes used: there is plenty to add beautiful pops of colour on your nails without overpowering the polish. The pink and copper chrome pigment flash adds the perfect sparkle to the nails as well and one of my favorite things about this polish. As for application, the formula is so perfect is just about applies itself to the nail! Smooth and creamy, the only effort you may have to put into apply this polish is pushing the occasional flake back onto your nail as they may hand over the free edge during application.

Not only is the polish pretty, the inspiration behind the name, Scream of Nature, is really interesting. Much was also quite a writer and kept a diary. He wrote about his inspiration for The Scream, and it is from this quote that Scream of Nature was born.

"I was walking down the road with two friends when the sun set; suddenly, the sky turned red and blood. I stopped and leaned against the fence, feeling unspeakable tired. Tongues of fire and blood stretched over the bluish black fjord. My friends went on walking, while I lagged behind, shivering with fear. Then I head the enormous infinite scream of nature."

Scream of Nature will retail for $9, and it is limited to 50 bottles. Please note that Northern Star will have an updated logo label and bottom label that differ from what is shown here.

Scream of Nature and other polishes created for the Famous Works of Art theme from the Polish Pickup website located here. Shop is live Friday, April 7th 11 AM EST through the following Monday, April 11th at Midnight EST. This is the ONLY time frame in which the monthly polishes will be available for purchase, so if you want this or any of the other polishes, be sure to mark the dates on the calendar! Please note that this is a preorder and shipping will commence approximately two to three weeks after the end of the store opening. At this time, Polish Pickup has made the decision to ship only within the US and Canada; however, special arrangements can be made for international group orders.

List of makers participating in April's Famous Works of Art Polish Pickup:
Alter Ego Body Care Products
Anchor & Heart Lacquer
Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer
Chirality
Darling Diva Polish
Ellagee
Fair Maiden
Girly Bits Cosmetics
Leesha's Lacquer
le polish
Lollipop Posse Lacquer
Northern Star
Sassy Pants Polish
Seventy Seven Nail Lacquer
Smokey Mountain Lacquers
Turtle Tootsie Polishes

Helpful Links

Store: www.polishpickup.com

Facebook Group (Polish Pickup Pack): www.facebook.com/groups/polishpickuppack

Connect with me on Social Media!

Friday, March 24, 2017

Martinni Beauty Chocolate Rejuvenating Collagen Mask

Happy Friday, dear readers! I don't know about you, but I'm looking forward to a little rest and relaxation this weekend! It's been a busy week here with two sick kids including multiple doctor visits. After the week I've had, I figured what could be better to share than the Chocolate Rejuvenating Collagen Mask by Martinni Beauty! I picked this up when I attended the International Salon & Spa Expo at the end of January, and I only tried it out recently. Let's check it out!

This mask revitalizes pallid, dull complexions while reducing the appearance of large pores; smoothes roughness and infuses skin with moisture; and compacts the skin and promotes circulation, removing aged epidermic cells helping skin maintain flexibility and vitality. It also removes any accumulated debris from hair follicles while the antioxidant-rich formula rejuvenates skin while normalizing skin functions to revive and invigorate the skin.

The mask comes in two parts inside a foil package. Once each section of packaging is opened, the mask is unfolded and then placed on the face.The first thing I noticed was the amount of fluid inside this package! Even being careful, I still ended up with a small mess in my bathroom. The mask has the texture of jello, and each piece was very difficult to unfold. Applying this mask was no quick process- it took several minutes for me to locate anything resembling a seam and then trying to unfold it gently without tearing the pieces. It's manageable, but I was surprised at how long it look me to get these masks ready for use! Once I had each piece unfolded, I placed the mask on my face. Check me out!

This mask is interesting. Both pieces are quite heavy, and while you only wear this mask for 15 to 20 minutes, you really can't do it standing up. I managed to snap a quick photo of me wearing the treatment before I had to lay down and readjust the mask as it was already starting to fall downwards off my face. After my 20 minutes were up, I removed the mask and discarded the pieces. I then massaged a portion of the remaining essence into my skin as directed. My face was wet and just not absorbing much up the fluid after several minutes of rubbing, so I then followed up with toner and moisturizer, also as directed on the packaging.

I naturally had to take a model pose while wearing this mask!

After using this mask, I didn't notice any difference in my skin. It didn't seem any less dull nor do I feel like it lived up to any of the hype. My skin felt the same as it does with my normal skincare routine, and to be honest, I wish I had my half hour or so I spent using this back. While it is called a "chocolate" mask, the chocolate aspect is misleading. This mask contains cocoa butter, and while that is part of the cocoa bean and chocolate, the delicious aspect of chocolate comes from cocoa powder which was not part of this mask. The smell of this mask is a little odd, and while not entirely unpleasant, I really wanted this mask to smell like chocolate. As a busy mom, I also would have liked this mask more if it could have stayed on my face while standing and doing chores around the house. I didn't expect it to be ultra light given that it is a gel-type mask, but I had hoped it could adhere better to my skin on its own. I don't have the luxury of lounging on the couch often, and while the pampering is nice, having to lay down means I wouldn't be able to use a mask like this again for a long time. Add to that the mess it made in my bathroom after opening it and the time it took me to actually get the darn thing on my face, I'm going to have to give this mask and similar ones from the brand a hard pass in the future.

Have you tried this or any of the other Martinni Beauty masks? How was your experience with it? What is your favorite go-to mask? I'd love to hear from you!

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

XO!

Helpful Links
Store: www.martinnibeauty.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/martinnibeauty

Twitter: twitter.com/martinnibeauty

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/martinnibeauty

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Thursday, March 23, 2017

Ellagee for Polish Pickup: Dancing With the Wind

Press Sample

Greetings, dear readers! I hope you are having a wonderful week! It's been a little crazy here, but it looks like things are thankfully slowing down. I'd eager to get to today's post, so I'm going to keep the chit chat short and jump on in.

For today's post, I have Ellagee's polish, Dancing With the Wind, created for the April Polish Pickup to share with you. Before I show you photos, let me fill you in about Polish Pickup!

Polish Pickup starts with a fun and interactive group on Facebook. Each month, members submit theme suggestions, and the organizers chose the top 10 submissions. From there, these theme suggestions are presented to the group and the theme selected by popular vote. Makers then design their polishes to fit the chosen theme and are then sold at Polish Pickup during a designated time frame. While all polishes are based upon the theme, there is no box commitment with these beauties. You can buy as many or as few as you wish! No more having to decide if you should or should not buy a box of four polishes when you only want two shades! Now that I've filled you in on how Polish Pickup works, let's check out Ellagee's contribution!

The theme for April's Polish Pickup is Famous Works of Art. Laura, the creative mastermind behind Ellagee, selected Vincent van Gogh's Wheat Field With Cypresses as her inspiration.

Dancing With the Wind

Two coats plus top coat

Dancing With the Wind is a lavender scattered holographic polish with chameleon shimmer and flakes. While formula preference is very personal, I love this formula! It isn't too thick or thin for taste taste and applies flawlessly with minimal effort required. The flakes sit nicely on the nails, and the only issue I encountered was the occasional flake hanging off the nail. The overhanging flakes easily push back onto the nail or can be pulled off as you prefer. Dancing With the Wind is densely pigmented, and while I needed two coats for opacity, it was almost a one coater for me. Those that paint with thicker coats may find they only need a single coat to cover visible nail line.

Dancing With the Wind and other polishes created for the Famous Works of Art theme from the Polish Pickup website located here. Shop is live Friday, April 7th 11 AM EST through the following Monday, April 11th at Midnight EST. This is the ONLY time frame in which the monthly polishes will be available for purchase, so if you want this or any of the other polishes, be sure to mark the dates on the calendar! Please note that this is a preorder and shipping will commence approximately two to three weeks after the end of the store opening. At this time, Polish Pickup has made the decision to ship only within the US and Canada; however, special arrangements can be made for international group orders.

List of makers participating in April's Famous Works of Art Polish Pickup:
Alter Ego Body Care Products
Anchor & Heart Lacquer
Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer
Chirality
Darling Diva Polish
Ellagee
Fair Maiden
Girly Bits Cosmetics
Leesha's Lacquer
le polish
Lollipop Posse Lacquer
Northern Star
Sassy Pants Polish
Seventy Seven Nail Lacquer
Smokey Mountain Lacquers
Turtle Tootsie Polishes

Helpful Links

Store: www.polishpickup.com

Facebook Group (Polish Pickup Pack): www.facebook.com/groups/polishpickuppack

Connect with me on Social Media!

Tuesday, March 21, 2017

Dotticure Featuring Zoya Charming Collection

Good evening, dear readers! I hope your week has been off to a wonderful start! I've been missing doing nail art lately, so when I finally had a little extra time, I had to take advantage of it! Using the new Zoya Charming Collection, I created a simple, but cute, dotticure. Check it out!

I used Tina for my base and then dotted on Abby and Jordan. On my larger (Jordan) dots, I then dotted on the micro-sparkles: Lacey, Millie, and Amira. I then topped my nail art design with Clearly on Top top coat by KBShimmer.

I'm pretty happy with the final result. Dotticures have become my go-to look when I want a nail art design that I know I can create quickly, and they just make me happy overall.

Do you have a favorite easy go-to nail art design? I'd love to hear what you like to do!

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

XO!

Helpful Links

Store: www.zoya.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ZoyaNailPolish

Instagram: www.instagram.com/zoyanailpolish

Twitter: twitter.com/zoyanailpolish

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/zoyanailpolish

Connect with me on Social Media!