Thursday, January 31, 2013

Nicole by OPI Sweet Dreams

I promised myself after Nicole by OPI's A Gold Winter's Night I would never by another NOPI polish ever again. I actually love their color selection and their polishes, but you all know why I said this.... I hate the bottles. I can never figure out the right angle to photograph these polishes holding the bottle where they look right. Oh well, I lied. When I saw the some of the glitters in the Selena Gomez collection I had to have some. This is one of them I picked up.

Sweet Dreams over L'Oreal Not a Cloud in Sight


Sweet Dreams is a mixture of aqua,lavender, and silver glitters in a clear base.

I love the combination of colors here, and that's why I picked it up. I think aqua and teal is one of my favorite color combinations too. It's really nice to see some mainstream brands coming out with fun glitters! I love my indies, but it's always nice to find some fun glitters in a store! I picked this one up at K-Mart. I know many people don't have K-Mart, but I also saw these at Ulta, and I think it's been spotted at other stores.  I believe I used 2 coats here, and the application was easy.

Happy Thursday!

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Badger Balms Review (Pic Heavy)

*I want to preface this with that all of the products I'm reviewing below were purchased by me.

Many of you have noticed that I've been posting a few photos of Badger Balm products on Instagram lately. I've also received many requests to review these. I want to say this is a detailed review. I feel with products like these I want to be as detailed as possible to help you determine if Badger Balm could be right for you.

I've been familiar with Badger Balm for awhile now, but I did not try the brand myself until about a year ago. I've really come to love brand. They are family owned company out of  New Hampshire, and everything from the product themselves, the packaging, the website, and the feel you get from this brand is great. Badger Balm exudes a very friendly, comforting, and approachable feel that I love in a company.



These are all the Badger Balm products I currently own. I have been using all of these at least a few times a week, and some of these I use everyday!

Before I get into a full review, I want to show how the product looks inside the tin.


These are basically what I'd consider a solid oil (mind you I'm not a skincare blogger!). The way to use these is to just rub your fingers against it to pick up product and then apply it where needed.


Cuticle Care (you can click to enlarge any of these photos)



I have been using Cuticle Care regularly for almost a year now. This is my favorite Cuticle Care product I've used. I find the texture of this to be very moisturizing without being greasy and it absorbs into the skin quickly. The scent of this is prominently lemongrass. If you're not familiar, I would best describe it as a lemon scent with some earthy and woody tones to it. I've had this for almost a year now, and I'm just now hitting the bottom of the tin with plenty left over!

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The next Badger Balms I'm going to review are part of their aromatherapy line. I want to preface this part of the review by saying these balms will not fix any medical or emotional problems you might have. These are not substitutes for medical advice or attention you may need. I find what these balms and aromatherapy in general do provide is a soothing or uplifting response depending on the particular balm's essential oils and how they smell. These balms for me personally, help clear my mind, ease some uncomfortable feelings, and help center me.

Stress Soother




Stress Soother's prominent essential oils are tangerine, rosemary, and lavender. I find this balm really helps sooth the nerves if you're anxious, uneasy, or overwhelmed. I apply this to my temples and forehead. I think this also great just to put the tin under your nose and breathe in the scent using slow deep breaths. Stress Soother I find really does give your mind that little mini break it needs from anxiety and stress. This balm is soothing, calming, and all around helps me to relax. I keep this one handy in my purse, so I always have in on hand!

Yoga & Meditation Balm


Yoga & Meditation Balm's prominent essential oils are cedarwood and mandarin. I do not do yoga, but I do listen to guided meditation a few times a week. I find that Stress Soother and Yoga & Meditation Balm are similar as far as their effects. They both are soothing, but I find Yoga & Meditation balm to have little bit of brightness to it as far as scent in comparison to Stress Soother. I find that this has a bit of a refreshing and focusing quality that makes sense when partaking in yoga or meditation. I apply this one to my forehead and temples. 

Cheerful Mind Balm


Cheerful Mind Balm's prominent essential oils are sweet orange and spearmint. I swear around 4pm-7pm I hit a funk in my day. I'm not necessarily tired, but my mood isn't so great. I kind of get a little bit of the blues. Cheerful Mind Balm is perfect for this type of feeling. This doesn't cure a bad day or make sad feelings disappear. I do find this just lifts my spirits. The scent of this is uplifting and invigorating. I apply this like the others to my temples and forehead. 

Focus Balm


Focus Balm's prominent essential oils are citrus and ginger. This is a spicy scent, that really perks me up. I like to use this first thing in the morning when I'm the farthest away from feeling productive! The scent in this one is invigorating and helps to center my mind. I apply this one to my temples and forehead like the others.

Sleep Balm



Sleep Balm's essential oils are lavender and bergamot. I will say I do not have problems initially falling asleep. I can fall asleep easily...sometimes too easily! I have problems staying asleep, and even more so getting a restful sleep. I'm the type of person who will wake up in the middle of the night and never get back to sleep. I've found since I've been using this or the Night-Night Balm for the past month I've had restful and pleasant sleeps. This is a HUGE difference for me, and the only thing I've changed is using these sleep related balms. I really attribute that 100% to this balm. I apply this to my temples and I dab a little under my nose. I also to elevate this more apply some to my finger tips and get an lavender scented body lotion mix them together and use at as body moisturizer at night. This is absolutely soothing and comforting. I cannot speak enough praises on this one!

Night-Night Balm



Night-Night Balm is designed for kids. I don't have kids, but I've used this on myself and had amazing results. I actually had this one before the regular Sleep Balm. The main difference between these is the Night-Night Balm has a lower percentage of and a different variety of essential oils than the Sleep Balm. The main essential oil in both of these is lavender. I apply these the same way I apply Sleep Balm. I put it on my temples, dab a bit under my nose, and mix some with some lavender scented lotion and apply it as a night time body moisturizer.

I want to cover a few more things you may have questions about in bullet points. I know you've read a lot so far, so I want to keep this simple!
  • These are not greasy! I have oily skin, and find these absorb quickly into my skin without making my skin feel greasy.
  • These are gentle. I have very sensitive skin, and these do no irritate my skin at all. The balms I reviewed today do not have any tingling or cooling sensations. 
  • These last a long time and you only need a little product. All these balms have best by dates 2-3 years out. These will last you a long time, and they will not expire on you quickly!
  • I find these all work well too like I described with Stress Soother by holding the tin under your nose and breathing in the aroma using slow deep breaths (Cuticle Care excluded hehe).
  • These all also work as general moisturizers for your hands, rough spots on skin, and cuticles. They are multi-taskers!
  • Badger Balms are affordable! The ones I reviewed today run between $6.00-$10.00, and some of them have size options.
I think this covers Badger Balms. Badger Balm makes tons more products than I showed you. I know they make balms for headaches, sore muscles, after sun care, and so much more. They also carry lotions, soaps, and lip balms, and etc. I want it all now! 

I purchased all of these products on my own. You can find a very small selection at Ulta, but I really recommend shopping on Badger Balm's website where I purchased a majority of these. They offer free shipping on domestic orders $25+ year round! 

Be sure follow Badger Balm on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and Instagram too! They're quick to respond to any comment and questions!

Happy Wednesday! 

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Talk it Out Tuesday: Nail Length

One of the things I've really experimented with throughout this blog is my nail length. I don't think there is a set nail length everyone should abide to. I really think it is what you are comfortable with, and what you feel looks best on you!

I think my nails were the longest in the Summer 2010:

(Revlon Star layered over ChG Grape Pop)

This picture I think was in in July or August of 2010.

I never realized how long my nails were then! I think this a nice length, but overtime I realized this wasn't really a length I was comfortable with. I'm terrible at shaping my nails, and having long nails that's something you need to be more conscientious of. I'm still in shock looking at this how long my nails were! I

In 2011 I downsized to this...

(Zoya Tamsen)

This was considerably shorter than the year before, and definitely more my speed. I think this is the length I've pretty much stuck with since. There are times I'd go teensy bit longer, and times I'd go shorter. 

My most recent nail length as of last week

(Sinful Colors Forget Now)

I think this my absolute favorite length. I wouldn't go any shorter than this, but I'd be comfortable going a just a hair longer (no longer than the Zoya Tamsen photo). I'd guess this would be just a touch passed the finger tip length. I just find my nails so much easier to manage, and look so much better on me short. My nails grow ridiculously fast though, so I'm having to file them down at least once a week or they grow like weeds. I know this is a problem many people wish they could have, but I'd rather not have it! 

All in all, shorties on me is how I like to roll! I'm not saying that's how everyone should be at all, because I follow blogs with so many varying nail lengths and shapes. This is just what works for me!

What nail length do you like best or find suits you best? 

Happy Tuesday! 

Monday, January 28, 2013

Jindie Nails Pretty Penny

Indie polish and mainstream polish is absolutely killing me now. I swear I'm liking everything I'm seeing! The most difficult thing with indie polish is those brands that just sell out instantly. Jindie Nails happens to be one of those, and I can totally see why. There have been some polishes I've seen by Jindie that I instantly needed. That's how I felt about Pretty Penny, and I got lucky snagging this one!

Pretty Penny over Zoya Kennedy


Pretty Penny has has light pink and light gold round glitters, wine metallic, bronze metallic, classic gold plus gold shimmer and color shifting shimmer that shifts from pink to gold.

I used Jindie Nails' description for that. There is no way I could describe that on my own. This is a really complex and unique polish. This has a lot going on, but in a good way! I love the mix of colors, glitters, and shimmers in this. I used two coats here, and it applied really well.

This is the type of polish I'm hesitant when sharing because I know it's one of those that is harder to get. I read that Jindie Nails will be having a restock on Feb 6th, so that gives you some time to plan ahead if you really want this one! I did read this color with soon be available on Ninja Polish, and is currently available on Mei Mei's Signatures.

Happy Monday!

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Share With You Sunday: 1/20/13-1/27/13

Posts I'm Loving:
hotpinkaurora shows us her Valentine's striping manicure.
TheNailasaurus shares with us her green and gold Sally Hansen nail art.
CANDY COATED TIPS shows us her acid wash manicure.
Miranda's Makeup & More swatches some NYX lipglosses.
Haute Lacquer shows us her tribal nails.

Posts You're Loving:
Smashley Sparkles shows us her nail look using the acid wash technique.

You can submit your links for Sunday posts here

Reader Manis of the Week:


Name: Nathalie Roy
Location: Quebec, Canada
Manicure Description: This is OPI Ink with a glitter gradient using Urban Outfitters Afterhours. UO have great nail polishes, you have to try them. They are pretty affordable too. Bought 2 for 8$.
Favorite Polishes: These days it's OPI Ink and Urban Outfitters Glitter polishes.


Name: Patty Greenberg
Location: Houston, Tx.
Manicure Description: Link to mani post
Favorite Polishes: I love butter London and of course OPI
Blog: My blog is Patty and Goldie's Day Off http://pattyandgoldiesdayoff.blogspot.com

I need manis for February!  You can find information on how to submit your manicures for Sunday posts here

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Sindie Pop! Sky Sparkle

I have an absolutely stunning polish to show you guys today. This is one of those polishes that makes you do a double take it is that gorgeous. This polish is made my Sindie Pop! Lacquer. I've been a fan of Sindie Pop! since her fall collection. Sindie Pop! makes some very impressive polishes. I can't get enough!

Sky Sparkle


Sky Sparkle is a sheer white base mixed with blue, purple, silver, and micro holo glitters.

This is jammed packed with glitter. I used 3 coats on its own. The best thing about this polish is it was a dream to work with. I've found glitters of this style in indie brands and mainstream brands really tricky to work with. This was absolutely not the case with Sky Sparkle. This applied smoothly, and I did not feel I had to put in any extra effort to apply this.

This is truly stunning. I honestly think the picture can speak for itself. I really don't have anything more I can add. Just look at it!!

Here is recent mani I did using Sinful Colors Morning Star and Sindie Pop! Sky Sparkle as an accent.


You need this. I'm calling it a must have! I think I may get myself a second bottle.

I purchased this polish on Sindie Pop! Lacquer's website for $8.00.

Happy Thursday! 

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Zoya Kelly

I'm usually late to jump on the bandwagon about many polishes. I'm already looking back at 2012 collections wondering why I didn't pick up a few colors that now look incredibly appealing to me. I think it's the nature of the game. My tastes are always changing with nail polish. The problem with that is I don't ever seem to fall out of love with many nail polishes, I just fall in love with more...which= more nail polish. Anyways, I've had Zoya Kelly for awhile, but never got around to wearing it. I felt kind of "meh" about it before, but I can see why it is so awesome now!

Kelly


Kelly is a rich gray creme with hints of cool undertones.

I really expected this just be a really boring gray. I do like gray nail polish, but a straight up gray doesn't really do much for me. I like something that has either some shimmer, sparkle, or hint of color to it. Kelly has just a touch of blue and purple to it that gives it depth. I also like how versatile this color is. I feel you could wear this with any season and for multiple occasions.

Happy Tuesday!

Monday, January 21, 2013

Nubar Vogue Vert

I saw during the holidays Nubar had a 20% of your entire purchase code, so I took the plunge a picked up a few. I really did not have much experience with the brand prior, and I had a few on my wishlist. I wanted to get a few to make it worth my while, so I searched online for swatches to help me add more to my cart. I came across Vogue Vert, a green shade I normally would stay far away from, but I was intrigued. I decided to go for it. I'm happy I did.

Vogue Vert



Vogue Vert is a light sage green creme.

I love this color. What I really love about it is it doesn't make my hands look super red or ruddy like some other shades of green. This is a unique color to me,and I cannot think of any polishes off hand that this shade. This is little more yellow-toned than other mint greens or sea foam greens I'm used to. The formula on this was amazing! I'm used to having a trickier formula with light, pale, or pastel colors. This was not in the least bit chalky or streaky. This was smooth, shiny, and so easy to apply!

Vogue Vert is the type of polish that really makes this blogger super happy. Why? This is an usual color choice for me, and the fact that is exceeded my expectations makes it special. It is always nice after being in this nail polish thing for a few years to really be surprised by a polish. I think I know what I like, but it takes a polish like this to make me re-think and want to expand my polish horizons!

This polish was part of the Nubar Polished Chic Fall 2011 collection. I purchased this on Nubar's website for $8.00.

Happy Monday!

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Share With You Sunday: 1/13/13-1/20/13

Posts I'm Loving:
little nails shows us her Dressed Up Stripey nails.
Lawless Lacquer swatches Jessica Cosmetics It's a Girl Thing spring 2012 collection.
Beauty Junkies Unite swatches China Glaze Glitz-Bitz n' Pieces collection.
All Things Beautiful swatches new Maybelline Color Sensational Vivid Lipsticks.
Polish All the Nails shows us her glitter rainbow zig-zags nails.

Posts You're Loving:
Amber Did It shows us her Pure Ice My City entry.
Polishy of Truth swatches Elevation Polish Urban Elevations collection.
XO, Noelle swatches Pure Ice Holiday polishes.
Lit from Within swatches some Enchanted Polish polishes.

You can submit your links for Sunday posts here

Reader Manis of the Week:


Name: Lenny
Location: Bombay, India
Manicure Description: Colours used-China Glaze Shower Together, China Glaze Sea Spray & Lotus Herbals Perfect Peach Used French manicure guides to create the stripes.


Name: Xana
Location: Sweden
Manicure Description: One of my first attempts at a cloud manicure and I'm quite pleased with the result :) Orly's Sapphire Silk, China Glaze's Snow and OPI's On Her Majesty’s Secret Service were used.
Favorite Polishes: Barry M's Blood Orange, China Glaze's Midtown Magic and Color Club's Revvvolution.
Blog: www.laqlust.wordpress.com

I need manis for February!  You can find information on how to submit your manicures for Sunday posts here

Happy Sunday!

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Sinful Colors Nova

The only reason I ever go to Walgreens is to look for nail polish. I'm a loyal CVSer (is that even term?). I get deals of the day in my email for products 30%-60% off. I get 20% coupons in the mail/email regularly. I get great coupons and and deals with the CVS ExtraCare Card. I definitely say as far as savings go CVS trumps Walgreens. 

That being said, Walgreens trumps CVS as far as the variety, selection and amount of cosmetics products they sell.  CVS doesn't have Sinful Colors, Wet n' Wild (at least the ones near me do not), and they never ever seem to get the new displays. I'm rambling. Lesson of the Day: Get a CVS ExtraCare Card and sign up for their emails. Walgreens has better nail polish though. 

Anyways, I went to Walgreens recently for the sole purpose of buying polish, and picked up this Sinful Colors. 

Nova

Nova is a deep inky blue jelly-like base with green/blue-green micro glitters.

This is a real beauty! This is deep and rich with just hint of a sparkly touch. I don't want to call this a full jelly because it is more opaque than most jellies, but it's certainly not a creme. I guess this is referred to as a crelly? This nail polish oldster is not familiar with the new polish slang! I believe this polish came in the Holiday Shimmers collection, but I found it abandoned mixed in with a bunch of random of misplaced polishes. Poor polish.

The application on this was fine, and I didn't have any real problems. The only thing I will say is make sure you're applying it in the same spot when you start to apply near your cuticle. You can see in my picture it does kind of fade lighter near my cuticle because I wasn't exact. I honestly think unless you're magical polisher with unicorn powers from land of rainbows and fluffy bunnies this issue is probably unavoidable. I don't think it looks too bad, but you could always clean up around it if it bothers you.

Happy Thursday!

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Revlon Brilliant Strength- Dazzle

I bought today's polish on a whim. I found this polish in the new Revlon Brilliant Strength line. I really liked it from first glance, but I couldn't find any swatches or information on this particular color. This is one of those polishes that looks promising in the bottle, but in all honestly I expected it to be a real failure. Dazzle well exceeded my expectations, and well...dazzled me! Let me show you why...

Dazzle


Dazzle is warm bubblegum pink jelly with iridescent glass fleck glitter( they could be micro flakes I don't know!) and teeny micro iridescent glitters. 

When I purchased this I thought it would be a sheer french manicure-style polish that would not be buildable in the least bit. I was wrong. I used 3 coats for this swatch. This is a gorgeous pink jelly, and the iridescent glass fleck glitter in here is absolutely beautiful. The little flecks seem to subtly flash violet, pink, and gold depending on the angle and light. The formula on this was also really great. I LOVE the brush! It's a flatter, shorter brush, with a medium width. This isn't a wide and thick brush like some other brands. I think this is my favorite type of brush to apply nail polish with!

I think this polish could easily go under the radar, because many people might assume it would be too sheer. This is really beautiful color with an amazing finish. I also think for the nail art gals out there, this would be a really pretty background for some Valentines nail art! 

I bought this one in 2012, but I didn't swatch it until 2013, that's too bad because it probably would of been in my Top 20 of 2012! That being said, I'm going to call it a must have! 

Happy Tuesday! 


Monday, January 14, 2013

New Maya Cosmetic Polishes!

I have some new Maya Cosmetics polishes to share with you today! I posted a review of some previous Maya Cosmetics polishes in November. If you'd like to see that post you can find them here. All the polishes I am showing you today are available in the shop now!

The following polishes are part of the Crescent City collection. All of these polishes will be limited edition with the exception of Treme which I reviewed in my November post.

Big Chief


Big Chief is a bright blue jelly base with silver micro glitter, hot pink, orange, and yellow glitter.

I really love the bright blue jelly base on this polish. The formula on this was so smooth and easy to work with.  I used 3 coats. A great application with a jelly glitter polish always makes me happy. I would recommend you let this bottle sit upside down for a minute or two to let the glitters disperse better in the polish. This is a very workable polish though, so you really do not need to let it sit upside down for more than a minute!

Let the Good Times Roll over Cult Nails Nevermore


Let the Good Times Roll is a mixture of gold holo, purple, green and black glitters in a clear base.

I used 2 coats with this one. This is a great combination of colors that is clearly perfect for Mardi Gras. I love the varied glitter sizes.

Cookin' Creole


Cookin' Creole is a mixture of pink shimmer, green, brown, pink, and white glitters in a light brown jelly base.

This is really a unique polish. I was really impressed with the jelly formula with this. I used 3 coats here that applied evenly and smoothly. The pink shimmer is a really nice unexpected addition to this polish. I will say, this is probably not the best color on my skin tone, but I bet it would look great on a many others!

These next two polishes will be permanent polishes with Maya Cosmetics.

Grayscale over Zoya Kelly


Grayscale is a mixture of gunmetal, white, and black small and micro glitters in a clear base.

Hello and welcome to amazing! This polish is awesome! I used 2 coats here, so it can really build up nicely.  I added top coat to this, but on its own it definitely resembles the "Liquid Sand" texture we are seeing that is on trend now. I really absolutely adore this so much that I cannot think of anything else I could add.

For Michelle



For Michelle is a muted rosy red with a subtle pink and silver shimmer.

This is not your standard red. This red has this slight muted quality that takes it away from the traditional reds you see. The pink shimmer throughout is a beautiful and unexpected touch. This applied really well, and this is nice transition from your typical glitter bomb indies. All the profits from the sales of For Michelle will be divided between the Wounded Warriors Project and the Fisher House Foundation. If you'd like to read the story behind For Michelle, you can find it here.

You can purchase these polishes for $8.00 on the Maya Cosmetics website (I will warn you prices will be raised to $9.50 for all polishes effective Feb 1st, so this would be good time to buy!).

I am again very impressed with Maya Cosmetics. What really stands out to me with these polishes is the formulation. They are well made and so easy to use. I'm not a fan of having to work with my polish to make it look right, but Maya Cosmetics polishes are effortless!

You can purchase Maya Cosmetics on their website.
Follow Maya Cosmetics on Facebook and Twitter.
Keep up to date with Maya Cosmetics on their news blog.

*I received these products for my honest review by Maya Cosmetics. 

Happy Monday!