Friday, December 20, 2019

Diamond Stamped Nails with Cuccio Colour Soirée Collection

Happy Friday, dear readers! I hope you've had a wonderful week and ready for the upcoming holidays! It's been a little crazy here with one kid getting really sick and down for the count for several days, and wouldn't you know it, I seem to have it as well. So far it isn't as bad as he had it, but I really could have gone without another round of illness to end out the year. As a result of being sick for three times within the past five to six weeks, I haven't done much by way of wearing and testing out makeup or doing my nails much. And to think I just bought some more stamping plates and nail art accessories that likely just won't be getting loved this year! That being said, I did manage to create a nail art look last weekend, and I wanted to get it posted before the holiday season has gone.

I had received Cuccio Colour's latest Soirée Collection in the middle of the madness, and I knew I had to create some fun nail art with it. The collection consists of eight shades in various red and silvery designs, making it a great collection not just for he holiday season, but to carry you through Valentine's Day as well! For today's post, I used three of the nail lacquers to create my diamond stamped nail art look. Check it out!

Press Sample

To create this look, I started off by painting my nails with 3, 2, 1, Kiss (red berry shimmer) and Just A Prosecco (silver with golden metallic flecks). Y'all! The formulas of these are incredible, and I'm wondering why I don't have a huge Cuccio stash yet! I found these to have a slightly thicker formula than the average mainstream polish, and I am living for it!


I loved the golden shimmers in 3, 2, 1, Kiss, so I opted to leave those nails alone. The gold flecks in Just A Prosecco are subtle but still present, so I opted to choose a stamped image that would let some of the gold shine through. To do this, I chose this fun diamond image from the Young Nail Caption Boho Bungalow stamping kit.
  

I used High Resolutions, a cherry red crème, also by Cuccio Colour to stamp onto my nails. While the colour is pretty pigmented, a single coat appears more of a berry shade than a red (although it is definitely a red-pink to begin with rather than a rich red hue).


I am really digging this combination. I was admittedly a little unsure about this collection as the colour options are so limited, but it's quite nice to have more options within a colour family to choose from to get just the exact one you have envisioned!


I may not be feeling so fabulous, but my nails sure have been cute this week! I just took this design off last night so I'm ready for another nail art look this holiday season; wish me luck!

Have you picked up any shades from Cuccio Colour's Soirée Collection? How do you like to pair red and silver together for holiday looks? I'd love to use some other shades from the collection and I'm still debating on how I want to pair them together.

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

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Thursday, December 12, 2019

Holiday 2019 Giveaway

Greetings, dear readers! December is quickly passing by, and I figured I better get up this giveaway post asap! I had originally planned to do an advent giveaway, but that time has come and gone. In truth, the holiday season is a difficult time for me, and I'm currently in survival mode. I've not been able to focus on the blog much; I'm really sorry about that! I'm not going to make any promises about the rest of the month because I don't think I'd be able to keep them. I just have to admit to myself that mentally I just cannot do it all right now and be ok with it. I still have a few posts I want to do this month. Here's hoping I can push through it! Until then, here's my holiday giveaway!


But what is it?

In the spirit of the holiday gifting season, it's just going to have to be a surprise! I will tell you there is a little bit of cosmetics, nail polish, and hair care items in this box. If you follow me on Instagram, I had hinted at one of the items a couple weeks ago, but the rest is a surprise. There are brands I enjoy and some handy items I use daily (the enclosed is new and unused, I promise!).

Please enter in the rafflecopter widget below. All the extra rules and details can be found there.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I wish I had the budget to buy gifts for every one of you; I truly appreciate all your support throughout the year!

Best of luck!

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

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Friday, December 6, 2019

Colourful Snowflake Nail Art with Zoya Sensual

Press Sample

Happy Friday, dear readers! This has been a painfully long week, but I suppose that is to be expected the week after a holiday. It's been business as usual for the most part, although I've been hard at work with assorted crafting gift projects. I finished off a few things yesterday and am on track to finish up a couple more this weekend. I'm excited to get several packages in the mail early next week and not have to worry about that part of the holidays the rest of the month!

While it doesn't get particularly cold around here, and it's rare to get snow in town, I do like the idea of sparkling snow. I wanted to go in a different direction from traditional snowflakes, at the time being anyway, and opted to pull in some colour for my snowflake design. Several shades from Zoya's Sensual Collection were exactly what I had in mind; I wanted to give it a little more love before I really focus on their winter shades. I also went with a star design rather than traditional snowflakes. Check it out!


I started by painting my nails with KBShimmer Under Pressure for the nails that contain my snowflakes. I used Zoya Ashton for a dark accent nail.


My snowflake/star image is from the Pueen Fairytale Lover Stamping Plate. Because I wasn't using a separate snowflake design, I opted to use three shades at once on the plate to create a colourful look.


My snowflake/star pattern was created using Zoya shades Ripley, Elliot and Michaela.



I finished off my nails by topping them off with KBShimmer's new 5-free Free & Clear Quick Dry Top Coat.

I really love how this look turned out! I'm still likely to create a more traditional snowflake design this season, but I had a lot of fun with this one!

Have you been sporting any holiday or seasonal nail art this month? Do you have holiday-related plans this weekend? We're hoping to go get our tree tomorrow!

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


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Monday, December 2, 2019

KBShimmer: Winter Is Coming to the December Polish Pickup

Press Sample

Greetings, dear readers, and happy Monday! I'm cutting it close with this post as the December Polish Pickup opens TODAY in just a few hours, but at least I didn't miss it! If you're eagerly anticipating the opening today, let me give you another look at two of the offerings available this month. KBShimmer is offering a nail polish and a sugar scrub; I'm not sure which one I enjoy the most! As I often start my manicures with a scrub, let's start off with that first. Let's do this!

Cocoa & Cookies Sugar Scrub

There's something special about heading outside to build a snowman, or to drag your sled to the top of a hill just to zoom back down on a crisp winter's day.  For me, making snow angels and getting into snowball fights made for the best outdoor fun.  But a day of winter play wouldn't be complete without heading inside for a warm cup of cocoa and a fresh cookie.


Cocoa & Cookies sugar scrub is inspired by the cold weather treats of the same name.  This scrub starts out with notes of warm steamed milk and rich chocolate.  A hint of vanilla and sugary sweetness along with the tan color of the scrub bring to mind fresh-baked sugar cookies. Like your favorite sprinkles, a hint of gold mica completes this yummy scrub.  For use all over your body, this scrub will help even the driest winter skin.


I've not kept it a secret that I love the KBShimmer sugar scrubs- they always smell so delicious and they leave my skin feeling oh-so-soft! I like to use them on my hands between manicures to slough off any dead skin that may be lingering around causing rough patches, and some make their way into my shower for full body exfoliation. I like to use these every 2 to three days in the shower. The scent selection is generally what determines if the scrub stays at my sink or  goes on the ledge in my shower stall.


I love baking cakes, cookies and brownies, but I'm not particularly fond of smelling like them. This is what intrigues me the most about this particular scent offering from KBShimmer. There is a slight sweetness to this fragrance, but it is far from too sweet. It's not too intense chocolate (although I wouldn't mind that!) for the cocoa aspect, and I agree with the description that the vanilla is subtle. It is a beautiful balance of warmth and sweetness, not leaning too far in either direction. While I originally thought this sugar scrub would end up staying on my sink for hand scrub use only, I adore the scent balance and will actually be enjoying this in the shower as well. While the scent is certainly there, it isn't too intense for my sensitive nose!


Retail: $10
No cap

Un-brrr-lievable Nail Polish

Growing up in Minnesota, we joked about having four seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter and road construction.  While it's not really that bad, Minnesotans have learned to embrace and even celebrate the cold.  One way we do that is with our annual Winter Carnival. Featured as its centerpiece is a giant ice castle constructed of ice blocks and ice walls, each colorfully lit for an amazing visual experience that can only be described as Un-brrr-lieveable!




Un-brrr-lieveable is a cool-toned polish that starts out as a rich purple hue.  When your hands are warm, the purple quickly shifts to a bold icy blue reminiscent of those majestic ice castles.  Iridescent flakes in tones of pink, purple, aqua, green and gold light up this wintery nail polish shade, while micro holo glitters add a hint of sparkle and shine.



I do NOT do cold weather, but I have to admit visiting an ice castle sounds pretty awesome and worth bundling up for one of these years! That said, I still love polishes inspired by cold weather, and this one is no exception. How gorgeous is this polish! I've a huge fan of flake-filled polishes with a matte finish, so since this is my blog, that's what you're gonna get the most of today!



The formula was really easy to work with, and I applied two coats to my nails for these photos. Under the bright light setup I can see a hint of visible nail line, but in normal lighting conditions, I didn't notice it at all. Those with longer nails or very white nail lines may want to use a third coat for opacity. Alternately, you can opt to layer it over a lighter shade. That leads to the question: do you layer over a light blue or a purple? I guess it depends on if you tend to lean more towards cooler or warmer temperatures naturally! I also added a layer of matte top coat for these photos.


I didn't want to leave you completely hanging, so here are a few photos where I added a glossy top coat (KBShimmer's new Free & Clear 5-free Quick Dry Top Coat). It's certainly pretty either way, although the shine fights with my light setup and glare some here. If you're a fan of blues and purples, this is a must have polish for your collection! My love of flakes has cooled off, no pun intended, but this one is fabulous! 


Retail: $10
No cap


KBShimmer has certainly contributed two fantastic options this month, and I'm not sure which one I enjoy more! Both of these will be available for purchase TODAY on the Polish Pickup website at 11am EST / 8am PST. They are using a different format regarding days this month, and it will remain open through Friday, December 6th.

Please keep in mind orders submitted through the Polish Pickup are submitted as a preorder; allow up to three weeks for shipping out to you. Unless your order contains exclusively domestic items that can be received by Polish Pickup headquarters quickly for earlier shipping, your packages likely will not make it in time to you for Christmas (for those of your celebrating). I've had my recent overnight and priority packages taking 5 days to get to me, and I'm not expecting it to improve with Black Friday weekend and Cyber Monday shopping items about to flood the postal service. I don't want to discourage anyone from shopping as there are incredible creations to choose from this month, but I want to make sure you're prepared in case you're shopping for a gift. Now if you're celebrating the 12 days of Christmas, which officially starts on Christmas day, you should be set!

Are you excited for the opening of the December Polish Pickup? What all are you planning to pic up this month? Are you a fan of sugar scrubs? Do you prefer Un-brrr-lievable with a matte or shiny finish? I'd love to hear from you!

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


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