Color Club, NYX & Essence Haul

Last night we took the slight schlep out to Ulta (it's not super far, but it's far enough that we don't go all the time), I had heard that the NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils were easy to use and good and I remembered that Ulta carried them so I wanted to pick up a couple. Also I've been using eyeliner on my lower lash and water line that coordinates with my eyeshadow, so I thought these might be a good way to have a variety of colors to do that with. I was also looking for a cheap concealer stick that I could keep in my purse since I tend to touch my face a lot so even if I apply concealer in the morning by lunch it's pretty much gone.

There is a Ross next to Ulta, and I'd seen some Color Club nail polish sets there before but either one is stolen or broken, finally I got one that had all the polishes in tact so I picked it up. Not bad, you get 7 for $8! I haven't tried these yet, but I've heard a lot of good things about Color Club so I am looking forward to trying them. I think because of all these shades of pinks I am probably good on pink for a while unless there is something really amazing. Purple too. I pretty much collect blues, and there was only one in the set anyway so I don't see this stopping me from getting more blue :).

I just put on the gold NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil, it went on super buttery smooth but only time will tell how the staying power/creasing goes. Hopefully it's good because I really like these things in theory and I have 4 more colors and the sharpener on my Amazon cart to get if it goes well. As much as I like Ulta I am probably not going back out there for another week or 2 at least..

The concealer I got is by Essence, I haven't tried it yet other than quickly on my arm so I am not really sure how good it is but I like the creamy texture a lot. I just hope it works. Originally I had a $10 concealer stick in my basket, but then I saw this one for $2 and decided to just go with it since I had no idea how good the pricier one was and it was just going to end up in my purse anyway. I know I should probably invest in a good concealer, but maybe later on...

NOTD OPI DS Sapphire + Hard Candy Beetle

Oh man, this manicure has been a comedy of errors!! It looks ok here, but that's because I am covering the nick on my index finger with my thumb, and it's before dry erase board cleaning spray ruined the finish on my middle finger (there is also some red dry erase ink on it too...).

I can't wait to get home and fix everything >.<. These are such pretty polishes too, OPI DS Sapphire is such a pretty light blue holo and Hard Candy Beetle is such a neat duochrome glitter. I just want to be able to really enjoy it. The formula on both polishes was lovely, no issues there although I am going to get a bottle of Seche Restore ASAP as my Seche Vite is getting gloopy and is hard to apply without destroying the polish...it still works, I just have to be very careful and work very quickly.

In natural and fluorescent lighting.

I did the flash so you can see the holo effect better.

Mmm, Chipotle

Chipotle is so good, especially when it's buy one get one free thanks to Facebook!!


I think you can see here that my son loves it too. Particularly carnitas :).

NOTD: Orly Sapphire Silk + China Glaze Ingrid

Finally felt OK enough last night to do my nails...I figured after having something pretty loud on for a while I'd tone it down a notch with Orly Sapphire Silk from the Precious collection for Spring 2011 on most of my nails and China Glaze Ingrid from the Vintage Beauties collection on my accent finger. These colors are both beautiful!

I am glad I decided to get Ingrid for my brown (I was looking for a brown for a few weeks), since it has a really pretty gold shimmer to it that I had a terrible time getting to show up in pictures, since it's rather subdued. Which is what I like about it really, just shimmery enough to be interesting but not so much that it's "blinged out". I think I've found the brown I was looking for! I do want to try some more browns later on though. The formula for this one was a little on the runny side, and I ended up making a mess on my right hand since I had even less control, and had to do like 3 coats just to even out mistakes, but otherwise it's very nice and opaque. I actually painted over 1 coat of Sapphire Silk with it because I forgot I wanted to do the accent nails, and aside from tiny little bits on the sides and tips you can't tell at all. Even then you'd have to look really closely to tell at all.

Sapphire Silk is a very pretty jelly-ish green toned teal, it actually matches my new purse...well, nearly. It's actually a good deal darker, but it's along the same vein. My camera doesn't pick up the green so much, but this is pretty darn close. I really love this color, if I "have" to wear a creme then I'll probably gravitate towards this one. At least if I want something a little on the darker side. The formula was really nice too, I probably could have done with 1 coat but I did 2 just to be on the safe side and even out any mistakes.

Also does anybody know if Sapphire Silk is similar to OPI Ski Teal We Drop? It looks very similar in the bottle, and I want Ski Teal We Drop but if they are as similar as they seem then I don't need both.

All in all a rather "safe" manicure (well my right hand would disagree, I was so messy this time) but I wanted a bit of a change from all the crackles etc. for a little bit. Besides, I think next time I'll probably do OPI DS Signature with Hard Candy Beetle as the accent so I think it makes it more fun to have a bit of a break from "gimmick" polishes in between, to make it more special :)

Dollar Tree Haul

Last week I checked out the nicer (and huge!) Dollar Tree, while they didn't have a HUGE selection (this being my first time there I haven't seen it before, maybe it was a good selection) they had a few things I wanted to try out such as the LA Colors Art Deco nail art polishes. I still have to get used to using them, but they are a fun thing to have handy for when you have an idea for some nail art! I also got a little pedicure set, mostly for the toe spacers (my last pedicure was ruined by my toes touching) and the nail brush.

Again I forgot the name of the polish I got, it's in the same LA Colors Color Craze series as the other 2, and like them the name was only on the discarded packaging and all I can remember is that it was related to electricity. Anyway, it's a very pretty blue with green shimmer, like all the other popular mermaid-esque polishes right now. Very pretty and you can't go wrong with it at $1!!!

Back: Pedicure set

L-R: LA Colors Color Craze polish, LA Colors Art Deco polish in silver, blue, purple glitter and pink

The "mermaid" color from LA Colors

I hope to get back to documenting my NOTD soon, I've been sick this past week...first it started off as a mild cold which then morphed into pretty bad allergies (maybe my immune system took a hit from the cold) that is doing a number on my nose by making it super sensitive. I can barely stand the smell of nail polish for a small while, not to mention remover. The growth is starting to bother me at the cuticle too :'(. *sad burger*

My Tax Return Gift (to Myself)

I finally settled on my tax return gift! The very new Coach Kristin Leather Hobo in Aegean (which looks somewhat greener IRL, like the ocean/sea)!!!!

I was looking for a bag similar to my current every day bag (from Forever 21) but from Coach so that it would last a long time! I had a few things that it needed to be like, and this bag is pretty much on the spot!

1. Cute (this one is more sleek and retro than cute, but I like it)

2. Not too big, not too small.

3. Comfy/wide shoulder strap.

4. Perfect length/comfy cross body strap, that looks ok without removing it.

5. In a neutral color (so I totally messed up on this one, but I decided that at that price, and with it's simplicity I'd do well to get a fun color...I don't usually adhere to seasonal colors anyway).

So other than #5 this has all the things I was looking for, so basically all the essential things since although I always say I want a brown or black bag I am loathe to waste my splurge on something so boring...I don't get to get a Coach bag every day so I want to make it count!

The reason for #4 is that with a wild toddler I often need to have both hands free without having to worry about my bag falling down to the crook of my arm and as such I need the cross body strap to still look fine while still attached but not in use since I don't like to wear it cross body when I don't HAVE to (which also ruled out all cross body only bags) since it's not very cute, and definitely a stereotypical "mom look".

I was also impressed by how much room it has, considering it's not at all a huge bag. It's by no means small either though, just the right size! Fits all my stuff comfortably, with a little extra room and doesn't get all lumpy with everything in it.

All in all this bag is really lovely, and the kind of classic "won't go out of style" bag that I go for when I get something pricey. I love the somewhat retro look (the clasp is supposed to be Art Deco inspired) and just how sleek and sophisticated it is. I definitely like a bag that helps me look like an adult, but is still fun. Yes, I am only 25 but I want something that shows that I am a mature 25 haha!

The great thing is that I had the 25% off coupon for the VIP sale, which on such a big ticket item (for me) is essential. I definitely feel better paying for it when I have a good deal! Of course the only downside is California's stupid nearly 10% tax, but at least it was slightly less painful with the coupon. Tax always hurts the most when you are buying an expensive item...

Now all I have to do is save up to get the matching (medium) wallet!

NOTD: Nails Like An Egyptian~

I started out on this one just with Essie Shift Power and Hard Candy Frenzy topped with Nubar 2010 on the accent nails. I think if Shift Power was brighter it would have worked a lot better like that, but I thought it needed a little something to even out the focus a bit so I added China Glaze Crushed Candy on top of the nails with Shift Power.

Unlike my last effort to spice up a my nails a bit with a crackle this one turned out much prettier than I was expecting. I think it kind of looks a bit ancient Egyptian. Not so much the accent nails but it still works alright with it. Maybe the accent nails can represent the Nile or something like that.

I don't know what happened with the crackle on the pinky, maybe I just didn't do it all the way to the tip, or it shrunk more on that nail.

Nail Haul!

I got a few other nail polishes recently, of varying degrees of awsomeness.

First up are the 2 polishes I got from Forever 21. They are Aqua and Grey respectively. Aqua is the one I really wanted, and I probably should have just gotten that one as after looking at a beauty shop in the mall I found OPI Ski Teal We Drop from the Switzerland collection that I have on my want list. But I was on a bit of a budget at the time, and didn't want to spend $9 after I spent $6 on these too...boo. ANYWAY, I hear these aren't the greatest but I've only tried them on the nail wheel so far and can't make any real opinions about it. Aqua looks quite cute and squishy however Grey is a bit boring, which is why I am regretting it...it's a different color to have but if I want a gray polish I'd rather use something duochrome like $OPI Mash Up. Maybe I can use this to layer under a crackle though... it was only $2.50 though so no harm done really, other than having to wait a while to get Ski Teal We Drop.

Now on to my more anticipated polishes, that I'd ordered and weren't impulse buys like the F21 ones... first up is OPI DS Sapphire. A really pale bluish nearly silver holo that is quite strong indeed...it took a lot of willpower to not use it right away, but when I got it I still had my Milani holos on and wanted to do something other than a holo. Not a whole lot to say about this one, other than how lovely it is. I am addicted to holos! Some day I'd like to have all the OPI DS polishes, as well as China Glaze's OMG series and of course Gosh Holographic.

You can see how pretty and linear the rainbow is here, sorry it's a smidge blurry.

Last but not least, I got a couple of China Glaze's Crackle Glaze series in Cracked Concrete and Crushed Candy. As everybody has said already, Crushed Candy looks exactly like ChG For Tiffany which is awesome as I love that color, and I was aching for a pastel crackle since although I love OPI Black Shatter black is really rather bold for me usually. Same reason I got Cracked Concrete since it's a pretty light color. I may get some more colors in this series eventually, but these were my favorite and I am very pleased with them. I really hope even more colors come out in crackles, it's just such a simple way of spicing up a creme or an aging/messed up manicure.

As always with crackles make extra sure to give plenty of time for your base color to dry, even with Seche Vite. I made the mistake of doing it a bit too quickly before with my army manicure and the results weren't so hot. They weren't TERRIBLE but I was not pleased with it. Also as usual these crackles dry matte, in the picture below I have Seche Vite on top.

Here they are layered over a dark blue Maybelline shimmer. It's a little crummy because I did it quickly since I was anxious to see it...but you get the idea.

Hard Candy & LA Colors Nail Haul

The other day we took Noah (my son) to Happy Hollow since it was such a nice day after being cold and rainy lately. Afterwards I wanted to take a peek into the (HUGETASTIC) Walmart since I make a point to not go out of my way to Walmart in general (don't really like them, I prefer Target) but when I am near one I'll check it out to see if they have any interesting Hard Candy nail polishes (and maybe at some point other makeup, but right now just polish).

Most of the colors didn't really catch my eye although I want them at some point, they were nothing special. However when I saw Hard Candy Beetle I knew I had to get it, it's a very pretty duochrome glitter in a dark green jelly base that flashes either reddish or yellowish-green depending on how the light hits it. The bottom picture of it in the light in my bathroom most accurately represents the effect. It definitely looks like the wings of a Jewel Beetle so I can see where the name comes from! I might wear this next but I am unsure if I want to wear a hard to remove glitter polish twice in a row...

All 3 pictures taken in the light in my living room.

Taken under the light in my bathroom.

There also was a Dollar Tree adjacent to the Walmart so I also ran in there really quick but boy was it a MESS and just wiped out there was almost no selection, so I am going to see if there is one with actual stock and somewhat more organized...I did get a couple things there, just because they were $1 and I bothered to go in...

Anywho, I ended up getting a very bright reddish orange shimmer (the shimmer particles are gold/yellow/orangey) and a lovely bright blue jelly by LA Colors. I'll have to add the names of these later, when I look at the bottles again, but it was some sort of electricity theme. These aren't usually my types of colors at ALL but I thought with the warm months approaching, and both of these being $1/ea. I might as well add them to my "arsenal" of colors. If I find another Dollar Tree I'll definitely get more colors if they are better stocked than the other one, the formula seems really nice from what I could tell by applying it to the nail wheel. I really hope I can find more, especially in colors I'll use more often.

The blue was the only one that wasn't a warm color that they had left...although that's not saying much since they were low/out of most items...

In my bathroom light.

In the warmer light in the living room.

Zoya Crystal

Recently I received the much raved about Zoya Crystal in the mail, even though it's a foil with gold flake glitter I am braving it and wearing it...I might even wear it often!! I love foils and I love glitter, but I just hate hatehateHATE removing the stuff! Takes too much elbow grease!

However, after seeing swatches and hearing everybody Ooh and Aah over it I just couldn't help but try it, it just looks so regal and pretty!

The only weird thing is I got a weird dent in my middle finger (visible in both pics) that refused to go away with another coat of polish and multiple coats of Seche Vite, although it's now smooth. Kind of driving me bonkers but it's not so bad, since this stuff is so pretty and such a pain to remove I want to leave it on for a few days at least.

Indoor with a mix of artificial light and natural light (at my desk at work...).

Ps. Just put on some Burt's Bees cuticle cream before taking the pic...looks so much better doesn't it?

Under my bathroom light at home. Dunno why my thumb looks so uneven here, IRL it looks just fine.