Friday, September 30, 2011

Butter London No More Waity, Katie

Today, I have for you a fairly popular Butter London color. I love the name of this. I wasn't heavily into the Royal Wedding, but I admit I watched it. I loved the wedding, the dresses, and everything. I do like this polish color, but I don't think it lives up to the grandeur of it's namesake.

No More Waity, Katie

 
No More Waity, Katie is a gray-toned deep purple jelly with lavender glitter.

I really like the concept of this polish. The problem with this one is the formulation. The jelly-like base on this is thick and clumpy. The polish goes on goopy and streaky. Plus, the pigmentation in the base color isn't very strong so your nail can show through. This is like trying to spread molasses on your nails. This was after applying thinner to it. It still was a mess. This could of been a winner if the base of the polish wasn't so sheer and goopy.  On a positive note, the color and finish is clearly unique and beautiful.

Would I recommend it? I like having it, perhaps that is due partially to me being an Anglophile. It's really up to the person. If you like the color you it may be worth the fuss to you if not, don't bother. :P

Happy Friday!

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Cult Nails Cruisin' Nude

Sorry, I haven't been posting much this week. It's been one of those overwhelmingly stressful weeks. I just kind of want to go to sleep and wake up in next week. Blech. I don't do well with too much on my plate. I tend to go into shutdown mode, hence the lack of posts. I'll be get through it though. It's just stinky.

I have a great color for you today from Cult Nails. Cult Nails is a brand created by nail polish blogger Maria of R3 Daily. She has released a handful of great edgy and classy colors. I'm always impressed with the colors she creates and the polish formula.

Cruisin' Nude
Cruisin' Nude is a nude flesh-toned creme with a subtle hot pink shimmer.

I did not own any nudes until this one. I've never really cared for the look. This polish changed my mind. This gives off the same effect as those sheer pink polishes. It gives you a very clean, chic, and put together look. What I like about this is I could wear anything, and it would go with my nails. I'm not always looking to color coordinate my nails with my wardrobe, but sometimes I like to. I love it with weeks (like this one) that are more stressful or busy when I don't have a lot of time to change manicures. I can wear this all week and I'll be set. The lasting power on this is great. I love the shine in this polish too. Cult Nails have to be shiniest polishes ever. They're super shiny without top coat!

Happy Thursday!

Monday, September 26, 2011

Revlon Royal

I've put off posting this color because I could not get it to photograph accurately. This color is too awesome for me not to do it justice. I had to adjust the lighting for it to photograph right. Now that I think about it, I think Revlon has been hitting it out of the park lately with nail polish. They've been creating lots of great collections and colors that are up there with the current trends and the needs of nail polish lovers. I still don't care for their bottles, but in all other areas I'm impressed.

Revlon Top Speed Royal
Royal is cobalt blue jelly.

This is great. I love blue and I love a blue jelly even more. This is clearly blue too, it's dark, but it doesn't read black or anything. I don't have much else to say about this one. I'd call it a must have. I have 2 bottles of it. It will probably make my Top 20 list this year. Yes, I've started on that already!

Happy Monday!

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Share With You Sunday: 9/18/11-9/25/11

Today is the last day to enter my Facebook giveaway. Be sure to check out and like my page to enter!

Be sure to submit your links for this post.



Picture of the Day:
 I miss vacation. This was taken in Labadee, Haiti on the cruise I went on last May. I could use another vacation!

Nails:
Cupcake's Clothes teaches us how to do to Shooting Star Nails.
I'M FEELING NAIL-VENTUROUS shows us her Orly Pure Porcelain konad manicure.
Jens Painted Tips shares with us her Rock Star manicure.
Kitschy Suburbia shows us her Purple Flower Power manicure.
Let Them Have Polish reviews Color Club's Foiled collection.
MaD Manis shows us her Robotic Neon Polka Dots manicure. 
Nails and Noms reviews Rescue Beauty Lounge Piu Mosso.

Beauty:
Blushing Noir reviews L'Oreal Project Runway Watchful Owl's Gaze eyeshadow palette.

Miscellaneous:
Clumps of Mascara gives us the rundown on Lush's Toothy Tabs.
Cookie Cutter Lunch makes a really cute "Puppy Chow" themed lunch.
Nightly Nails features me on her weekly "With A Little Help From My Friends" post. (Thank you!)

What You're Loving:
Polished and Not Quite Put Together shows us Wet n' Wild Let's Celebrate display.
The Nail Network shares with us her Neon/Graident/Crack manicure.
ChitChat Nails shows us her Sea Spray Reflection manicure.
Haul of Fame shares with us her layered manicure using China Glaze and Nubar.
The Lacquered Lady shows us one of her Halloween nail looks.
Make-up/Music/Money/Me shares with us Rimmel Shimmering Coffee lipstick.
LadyLuck Beauty Blog shows us Sinful Colors Ciao Bella.
Pretty Digits shares with us her french manicure with a twist.

Happy Sunday!

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Bottle Spam Saturday: Milani Edition

Be sure to check out and like my Facebook page. I'm currently having a giveaway on there that lasts through tomorrow night.

It's Milani week. It wasn't voted on, but Milani kept falling into second or third place for months now, so I decided to give it a chance.

Milani was probably one of my favorite drugstore brands of polish when I first started collecting. I think even through Fall of last year they were one of my favorites. I feel like they've lost some steam. They used to release a few seasonal collections with unique colors, and I'm just not seeing that anymore. It seems as though after the "One-Coat Glitters" they lost their spark. They released some fast drying polishes this summer, but still it's not up to par with their previous releases. I'm not sure what the deal is, but I'm not pleased. As you'll see, I have a large Milani collection full of great colors. The problem is all but one of these colors are from almost year or more ago.

 Blue Flash, Red Sparkle, Gold Glitz, Purple Gleam, & Silver Dazzle

 Gems, Gold, Dude Blue, Pink Hottie, & Fresh Teal

 Techno Red, Hi-Res, Digital, Cyberspace, & 3D

 Purple Rush, Day Dreaming, Dress Maker, 2.0, & Dot Com

 Pink Pop, Juicy Glo, In a Flash, Hot Flash, & Molten Rock

 Melt Down, Hot Metal, Totally Cool, Disco Lights, & Garnet Gems

 Tip Toe Pink, Paint the Town Red, Black Cherry, & Ruby Jewels

Pink Out Loud, Orange Burst, & Bella Berry

Make sure to vote for next week's bottle spam!

Happy Saturday!

Friday, September 23, 2011

Deborah Lippmann Razzle Dazzle

Be sure to check out and  "like" my Facebook page. I'm currently having a small giveaway on there!

I think the past few months for me nail polish-wise have been full of wishlist crushing. I've accumulated a lot of polishes that have been on my wishlist for awhile, and it's very satisfying. The only problem, is it doesn't leave much left to be desired. Once you've cancelled out your #1-#10 top lemmings/wants you get a little bored. There is something fun about the hunt for your most wanted polishes! Here is one of my lemmings I recently crushed.

Deborah Lippmann Razzle Dazzle

Razzle Dazzle is a deep raspberry jelly with dense magenta glitter.

The balance of the glitter and jelly in this is perfection. It is a  stunning rich, and sexy polish. You definitely need top coat on this because it does dry dull/matte. This looks like jewelry on your nails!

Happy Friday!

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Zoya Yara

If you know me well, you know that I'm not a green gal. I understand I'm in the minority with this. A lot of polish addicts and bloggers love green polish. I have nothing against green, I just don't find it the most flattering polish color on me. I think green polishes make up the smallest portion of my stash with the exception of yellow. On occasion, I do find an unexpected green that sways me a bit more to the green side....

Zoya Yara
Yara is a olive green with a micro gold glitter.

I'm shocked how much I love this. I initially purchased a few of the Smoke & Mirrors collection from Zoya, but I did not get this one. I saw this a few weeks later at Ulta, and it looked so pretty in person I couldn't pass it up. I scared, since it was green, but I'm surprised how this doesn't look off-putting on me. It's a very flattering color, and plus I hear this is a trendy color for fall. I'm not "trendy", but I sometimes find some small joy in being a little bit trendy when it comes to polish. I approve!

Happy Wednesday!

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Maybelline Cool Couture & Ulta Haul

Maybelline has really disappointed me lately with their seasonal collections. I remember in past years they had some better collections that I'll always pick a few out of. The worst collection was their 2011 Spring collection with those nasty sheer duo-chromes. Gah. They redeemed themselves for me with this single Fall 2011 collection color. I didn't bother with the others, but this one almost made me forget the other pitfalls.

Cool Couture
Cool Couture is a deep blue toned gray with teal shimmer throughout.

I absolutely adore this color! This has all the attributes of a great polish. The color is great the shimmer is unique and unexpected. It's especially unexpected for it being such a run-of-the-mill drugstore brand polish. The formula was on point. This color is great for fall. Win win win! Please Maybelline make more polishes like this.

*********************************

Also, be sure if you're near an Ulta today to take advantage of their Butter London BOGO free sale. I heard all of these are sold out online, but I'm confident you'll find them in stores. I went today and the Butter London display was well stocked.

Here is what I picked up...plus I got other stuff.....


  •  Essence Holographic.com polishes- Gagalectric, Prism@tic White, & Blue Ray (They're not really holographic they're duochrome shimmers)
  •   Revlon Edgy Elegance- Girly (I now regret not getting Fierce)
  •  Pixel- Oh Goly Gee
  •  Butter London- Toff, Henley Regatta, Artful Dodger, & Marrow


If you took advantage of the BOGO Butter London sale, what did you get?

Happy Tuesday!

Monday, September 19, 2011

OPI DS Original

I think we should start the week off with a bang. Shall we? I'm feeling really groggy and out of it today, but I have so much work to do. I figured a great nail polish with a pop would help fuel my fire to get things done. It's either that, or it will completely distract me from accomplishing anything. Let's hope it won't be the latter!

Without further ado....

OPI DS Original

DS Original is a lavender scattered holo.

Pure polish perfection. Does this one really need a fancy response? I think the photos speak for themselves. I will say that with my little experience with holographic polishes these older (sadly discontinued) OPI DS polishes take the cake. I haven't tried Glitter Gal yet, but from photos those look just as spectacular, and perhaps even better? These are harder to find, but it's not impossible. I've snagged some of these on Amazon, eBay, and even blog sales. I'd be prepared to shell out a bit more for them. I think for all my DS polishes I've spent around $15 on each of them. I think they're worth it if you're trying to take care of your holo fix.

Happy Monday!

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Share With You Sunday: 9/11/11-9/18/11

I hope everyone had a good week!

Be sure to submit your links for this post!


Picture of the Day:
I saw this picture on some website this week, and I could totally relate to it. I hate making phone calls especially to non-friends/non-family. I always feel so awkward!

Nails:
All Lacquered Up creates a "mood ring" look with CND Effects.
Confessions of a Sarcastic Mom shares with us "Mystic Nights" her franken creation.
Ice Queen's Nail Parlour swatches the elusive Wet n' Wild On the Prowl collection.
Je T'aime Lacquer shares with us her delicate nails manicure.
MaD Manis shares with us her autumn leaves manicure.
Nailin' It shows us Lynderella The Glittering crowd.
Obsessive Cosmetic Hoarders Unite reviews CND Fall/Winter 2011 set.
Wacky Laki shows us her rainbow nails she created using striping tape.


Beauty:
CosmeticsAficionado swatches The Balm and the Beautiful palette.
Jeweled Thumb reviews Nuance walnut body scrub.


Miscellaneous:
Libby's Pink Vanity shares with us Bath & Body Works fall candles and winter candles previews.


What You're Loving:
MandysSecrets shares with us her Six Month Blogiversary giveaway.
ThatsSOFresh shows us her fall leaves manicure.
Make-up/Music/Money/Me shows us some of her red lippies.
The Lacquered Lady reviews some polishes from the Zoya Smoke & Mirrors collection.
Gotham Polish shares with us Nails Inc. Fashion's Night Out polish.
LimitedAddictionNails shows us her rainbow nails manicure.
Sad Etsy Dogs shares with us a cute sad puppy in a monster hat.
Swatch and Learn shows us OPI Rainbow Connection and how to remove glitter polishes.
The Lacquered Lady reviews China Glaze Haunting.

Saturday, September 17, 2011

Bottle Spam Saturday: Wet n' Wild Edition

 Be sure to check out my blog sale!

This week Wet n' Wild won the vote for bottle spam!

I'm not going to have a vote this week. I feel really bad for Milani. It keeps getting second place, and it's been a choice for months now. Next week will be Milani week. :)

 Candy Corn on the Cob, Flirty Rose, Wild Orchid, & Caribbean Frost

 Kaleidescope, Hallucinate, Night Prowl, & Black Creme

 No Name Red Glitter Jelly, Black Ice, Creepy Pumpkin, & Lilac Metal

 Quartz of Course, Gray's Anatomy, Party of Five Glitters, & Tagger

 Morbid, Shield, Blackmail, & Haze of Love

 Sugar Coat, Laughing Lilac, Bird Bath, & Garden Hose

 Sunburst, Collecting Pollen, Cherry Blossom, Dancer, & Prancer

Happy Saturday!

Friday, September 16, 2011

NYX Maroon

Is there such thing as a jelly shimmer? I'm sure there are, but I haven't really seen many, or really at all that I can think of of the top of my head. I'm used to seeing regular jellies and jelly glitters, but I don't think there are many jelly shimmers out there in the market. Well, I think there should be because I found a jelly shimmer from NYX and it rocks!

Maroon
Maroon is a maroon jelly base with gold/maroon micro-shimmer mixed in.


What is so cool about this polish is I'm not sure if it looks as much jelly-like as it does syrup-like. I know too many descriptions there. The base of this polish definitely has this translucence to it that makes it look like liquid rubies. It's so hard to describe, but I think it's evident it's not your standard shimmer. It's definitely not sheer either, so that must mean it's a jelly shimmer? It's truly a unique polish, and I don't own anything like it.

You can find this polish on Cherry Culture.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Deborah Lippmann Glitter in the Air

I first want to thank you all for your comments on Tuesday's post. I just finished replying to all of you. I appreciate all of your honesty, and it's nice to know that we share so many similar feelings. A majority of the comments focused on how negatively many of you were impacted by blog posts/comments from bloggers who negatively point out blogging imperfections. If any of those people are reading this, cut it out, and find something better to do. You're not fooling me, if you were so confident in your blogs, you would have no need to put down others. -Rant over-

Today, I have for you a Deborah Lippmann polish I got on my birthday a few months back. When I first saw swatches of this, I was conflicted. I really loved the glitter in this, but the sheerness of it was off putting. Well, glitter won over sheer, and I caved!

Glitter in the Air
 Glitter in the Air is a sheer white with large and small light pink and light blue glitters. This is 4-5 coats.

Glitter in the Air over Urban Outfitters Barstool


I'm on the fence if I'd wear this on its own. It looks ok, but not great. It is definitely better layered. I love the glitters in here. They're very pretty and feminine. It reminds me of those Funfetti cakes. If it wasn't my birthday, I don't know if I would of shelled out the $18 for it. $18 seems less painful when it's your birthday!

Happy Thursday!

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Talk it Out Tuesday: Blogging Insecurities

I think "Talk It Out Tuesday" will turn into a bi-weekly or monthly post, depending on what topics come to mine. If I do it weekly I run out of ideas! If you have an topic suggestions you can always email me

Today's topic is Blogging Insecurities. 


I can only assume not every blogger out there is 100% confident about what they do on their blogs 24/7. I think we all have some doubts and insecurities about our blogs, ourselves, and how we all fit into this blog-o-sphere. I think sometimes it's easier to brush off, while other times it can be overwhelming.


If you are a blogger, do you have insecurities about your blog? If you feel comfortable sharing, what are your insecurities? How do you combat them?


Also, feel free to comment on this if you're not a blogger. I'd love to see your thoughts and impressions too!

I really wanted to do this topic, as a means of support for other bloggers. We don't always have the avenue to able to express our insecurities and gain feedback from others. I hope this topic will be helpful and positive in that way.

My answer:

I think I have more insecurities with myself as a blogger vs. my blog itself. 

I think my main insecurity now is how I fit in with other bloggers. To be honest, I sometimes feel like an outsider. I see a lot of bloggers who have strong friendships and connections with others, and I don't feel I really have that. I feel like I keep to myself a lot, and maybe I come off snooty or unapproachable to other bloggers? I know my blog doesn't come off snooty, but maybe I do when I talk on Twitter or Facebook?

To be honest, I think my trust level with others is not strong. I do not easily open up to others, and sometimes I just feel awkward when talking to bloggers. I'm not really sure the etiquette when communicating with other bloggers. Other bloggers must email each other or have some form of communication outside of blogging and Twitter to become good friends? I guess I feel like I'd be imposing if I tried to reach out. I'm so insecure and negative about this, which is probably the problem.

I do not have 0 blogging friends. In fact, I've met some great people through blogging, but I feel myself holding back from having the stronger friendships I'd like. I really need blogger friends. There are bad days, bad blogging days, and frustrating things I go through with blogging that I need to have people I can vent to.

This is definitely something I need to work on with myself. It's not anyone's fault, nor is it mine. It's just definitely an insecurity that needs "me work". I think I see myself as beneath others and not good enough, when that only exists in my head?

I think besides that I feel pretty good about my blog. I resent posts from other bloggers ranting about what bloggers do wrong. I hate seeing people post about bloggers crappy pictures etc. That always make me insecure, because sometimes I notice my photos are not 100%. They can be blurry, my cuticles are not perfect, etc. It makes me feel like crap. I can deal with this issue fine, because obliviously people read my blog so it can't be that big of an issue. It still ticks me off when people feel a need to impose their ideas of what is a good blog is on others. I know it makes other people feel insecure too.

These are my insecurities I wanted to share with you.

What are yours?

Happy Tuesday!

Monday, September 12, 2011

Julep Maven Intro Box & My Very Long 2 Cents

 ****Loooooooooooong post ahead! This was after editing.****

I've been blogging for over a year now, and despite the many things I've learned I fall back into old ways. If you remember my "Blogging Revelations" #2 was about how blogging sometimes causes you to make impulsive buying decisions. This is what happened with me and the Julep Maven program.

The Julep Maven program sounds really great. I think what makes it extra enticing in the cool personality-like quiz you take before hand which basically predicts the types of products you are going to receive. The price of the monthly subscription is $20, that is really steep in my book, but since it's nail polish I was going to give it a try. I signed up for the Maven program in early August using a discount code making the introductory box $5. That's no big deal.

My box was mailed out August 15, the expected delivery date of August 24th came and went, and I didn't see my box. In the meantime, I received an email about my September box, and was really put off that I would only be receiving one bottle of nail polish and 2 hand treatments. This bothered me, so I paused my subscription. I contacted Julep about my missing intro box, was told excuses about Hurricane Irene may of caused delays when Irene didn't even come into play during the shipment of that box. After I received that email, I noticed the tracking status on my box suddenly updated again after almost 2 weeks of no movement. It was still in Seattle August 26th, no where near Hurricane Irene or the east coast. Sure it may of been USPS' fault, but around this time is when I found about the referral link drama, so I was starting to scratch my head.

Let me just say I had no intention of using referral links. It's fine if others do, but I don't feel comfortable posting stuff like that on my blog. I do definitely understand the frustration with the referral codes mix-up. I saw a few people benefiting from the referral program, while many others were left in the dark that there was even an issue. This was wrong in my book!

I eventually received my box September 2nd. Here is what I got. I was "American Beauty".

 Glycolic Hand Scrub, Cameron, Alfre, & Basecoat

 Cameron a warm pink creme.
 Alfre a silvery-purple frosty shimmer.

For $5 this is a steal! There is no doubt about that. I'm not impressed by fancy hand scrubs, so the hand scrub I didn't find anything spectacular. The polish Cameron I thought was beautiful. The formula on this was a dream. Aflre is really not my cup of tea for a color.


#1 Biggest issue with Julep/Julep Maven program is the price of their products.

Their bottles of polish are .27ml which is almost half of what you get in a standard bottle of polish. These are sold for $14 each. The hand scrub retails for $32. This is really exorbitant to me.

I'm sure you're asking me why I'm complaining about those prices when if I kept the program I'd only being paying $20 for $60 worth of product and I only paid $5 for the first box worth $74? The individual retail prices of these make me cringe. Why? As I nail addict and a nail blogger I know I don't have to spend that type of money for great nails. I have my $10 Lush Lemony Flutter, and I am happy. I have my $2 Sally Hansen dry hand cream I got at CVS beauty sale, and I'm happy. Even if I'm paying $20 for $60 worth of stuff, it doesn't feel right to me as a person and a blogger who preferably shops on a budget. If it was 3-5 bottles of polish, then I might re-consider. I know so much information on nail products, that I already have my favorites, so these high priced items for a steal are meaningless to me.

Honestly I think their prices are pretentious. Perhaps this is why they are giving them away for in their Julep Maven boxes? Is this Julep's fault? Not at all. It is my fault. My fault for being impulsive and not doing any research on this brand and their products. If I had taken the 10 seconds to look up the prices of their products individually I would of never signed up. Plus, I got the impression this was more nail polish vs. nail products.

#2 Their customer service is shaky

All you have to do is go to the Julep Nail Parlor Facebook page and about 40%-50% of the posts on there are complaints and issues. People have been double charged. People have had missing orders. These are not posts from 1 or 2 people, these are posts from handfuls of people. Though Julep I noticed is trying to remedy these situations, it's a little too late.

I understand this is a brand new program,  but they are in way over their heads. I honestly don't think they are intentionally trying to screw people over. I think this just blew up in their faces and they're left scrambling, and probably do not have enough people on their end to deal with it efficiently. In some ways I feel a bit bad, but in others I don't. It's very touchy when you're dealing with money, and when people are being charged for cancelled subscriptions it's a big deal. I also don't like that like myself, many people are having issues with missing orders.

These 2 major issues along with my own missing order leaves a very bad taste in my mouth. Oh, on top of that I had a hell of time trying to log on to their site. Passwords they sent never worked, and I eventually had to figure out how to sign up properly. This was a whole other issues, but this post is already long enough.


Would I recommend this program to people?

If you're like me, definitely not. You will not be satisfied, and paying $20 will tug at your heart strings. I do see how this program would be liked by others. It does offer some high end products for a reduced price. If was in dark on nail products and had interest in trying something higher end. I may like this program.

That being said, I wouldn't subscribe to it now. If you do have an interest in this program. I strongly recommend you wait it out. I'd keep an eye out on their Facebook page and blogs about this program. I think it's very shaky right now. I'd wait until you see some more stability in how they deal with issues and etc before you commit.

Needless to say, I cancelled my subscription. I'm sticking to my birchbox. I think why I like birchbox so much is introduces me to products I never would of tried or known about. I do not have a lot of insight into skincare and cosmetics, so I'm enjoying the products in my birchbox. Does this make sense? I don't think I'd ever be satisfied with nail polish style box, I know way too much, and have too many products!

Sorry for this SUPER long post. I just wanted to let others know my experience, and bring attention to Julep issues outside of the obvious referral link one.

Happy Monday!

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Share With You Sunday: 9/4/11-9/11/11

 I've added more items to my blog sale.

Be sure to submit your links for this post. This is an opportunity to promote your blog!

Picture of the Day:
 This is my new house. Don't be jealous!

Nails:
Lavender Parfait reviews Revlon Carbonite
loodie loodie loodie shares with us China Glaze Grape Juice. 
Oooh, Shinies! shares with us her soft blue butterflies manicure.
The Nail Buff shows us Nails Inc Chester Terrance.

Beauty:
Beauty Reflections shares with us her hair care empties. 
Blushing Noir reviews Bath and Body Works Paris Amour

Miceallenous: 
Check out these funny pet berets.

Shopping:
I received an email from Andrea the PR Manager at  Neiman Marcus Orlando. She wanted to let you know that it is Beauty Week at all Neiman Marcus through September 18th. If you spend $100+ on cosmetics or fragrances you'll get a chic tote with beauty samples. Also, many individual beauty lines are offering a gift when you spend a certain amount.  I found more information on this on Karla Sugar's blog.


What You're Loving:
A Polished Touch shares with us a great duochrome.
Une Ruxi a Paris shares with us Essie Your Hut or Mine.

Happy Sunday!

My Thoughts On 9/11

I'm going to be doing a separate post for "Share With You Sunday" late on. I wasn't sure if I wanted to address 9/11 or how I was even going to address it. I decided it didn't feel right to completely pass it by.


I wasn't sure what to post today in regards to 9/11.  I do not do tragedy well. In fact, I tend to shutdown from it all. It's not because I do not care, but because I care too much. I, of course, feel sympathy for all the people who lost family members on this day. I can not even imagine what that must feel like. I'm truly sorry for those of you who lost someone on 9/11.

I remember where I was that day. I a sophomore in high school. My immediate reaction to this was fear and disbelief. I remember thinking "What does this mean for America?" and "What does this mean for the future?". What I am most connected with in regards to 9/11 is the realization of the power of hatred and intolerance.

Throughout history, humanity has gone through countless instances where hate is in the forefront of our minds. Hate is what propels our actions, words, and thoughts. Hate has manifested itself in to violence and death numerous times, yet those painful lessons are never learned. We all are familiar with the saying "Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it".  Unfortunately, we continue to repeat this over and over again. It is not just on September 11, it is every day. All over our world every single day acts of hate are going on. People are continually dying and suffering under the grips of hate and intolerance. When does this end? When will the lesson ever be learned? I do not know. I do not think it will be in our lifetime, but I have hope in humanity that one day things will be different.

I know this post sounds depressing. It is definitely not all doom and gloom. If we look back on 9/11 at all the people who risked their lives to save others. There were so many people on that day that banded together fearlessly to lend a hand, save life, share a hug, and etc. As a country we united together powerfully and passionately for each other in the midst of tragedy.

Let this be the memory we hold on to of 9/11. Let us mourn for those who are lost, but remember the strength we had in each other. This is the message and this is lesson we must learn, not to seek out revenge.  The connection we all have as human beings on this small world in this vast universe is something precious and it should be cherished. We have the capability of making this a peaceful world if we choose to. This is not a message we should only remember on 9/11, but every single day. This is a message we should share with others through our compassion and tolerance. We all fall victim to hate whether it be something big or some drama on the internet. I'm guilty of it. Hate is hate no matter the size. We should all be aware of our hateful actions and recognize when and how to change them. It is all baby steps, and if we all make those little changes we will begin to see a difference all around.

This is what I wanted to share with you all on 9/11, and this is my hope for our future.

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Bottle Spam Saturday: China Glaze Glitters Edition & Giveaway Winner

You voted for China Glaze Glitters. Bascially, I just went through my stash and put any China Glaze with some type of glitter in it on this post. I think there are a few that maybe considered micro-shimmer rather than micro-glitter, but if you're going to be nit picky like that leave me alone! :P

Be sure to vote for next week's spam!


 Mrs. Claus, Riverter Rouge, Ruby Pumps, & Moulin Rouge

 Side Saddle, Golden Enchantment, Bad Kitty, & Ahoy

 Medallion, Emerald Sparkle, Party Hearty, & Atlantis

 Rain Storm, Blue Sparrow, Midnight Mission, & Electric Lilac

Senorita Bonita, Flying Dragon, White Cap, Cloud 9, & Nova


The winner of the "Back to the Grind Giveaway" is....

Megan B. !

Megan has already claimed her prize. Congrats Megan! 

Happy Saturday!