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NOTD: Easter Inspired Manicure

28 Mar

I Bought ItAffiliate Links

Spring is in the air…

Wait.  No it’s not.  Anyone living in the Midwest knows what I’m talking about.  There’s still frickin’ snow on the ground here!  Temps below freezing!  Winter is still in full force here in Missouri, but that’s not stopping the month of April from sneaking up on us.  In order to get rid of my winter blues, I decided to do a lovely pastel manicure on myself.

While the color on my nails doesn’t change the weather conditions, it does slightly brighten my mood.  I haven’t done a multicolored nails in a long time, seeing the 5 different hues on each finger brings me endless joy *psychopath laugh*.   Are you guys doing any special manicure in honor of Easter this coming Sunday?

For additional pictures, (more…)

Gel Mani Using Regular Nail Polish

26 Mar

Nothing to Disclose

I have loved my gel manicure system ever since I purchased it (read here).  It’s easy enough and gives me a chip-free manicure for about 2 weeks, and since I work with my hands a lot that is a huge lifesaver.  The only downside?  Being limited to only using gel polishes, when I have a huge stash of regular polishes that I have collected over the years.  Being the Google-savy person that I am, I searched to see if it was possible to use regular polish with the gel system.  Low and behold, there is a way!  Hallelujah!

Step 1:

Prep nails as you usually would (file, trim cuticles, buff, clean), just like if you were doing a regular gel manicure.  Apply base coat then cure (just as you normally would do).

Step 2:

Apply regular polish, use as many coats as you desire (just as you would when regularly painting nails).  It does not matter what color or type of polish you are using.  The trick is:

You have to let the polish completely dry.

That means, you have to play the waiting game.  This part is crucial, I wait at least 30 minutes before moving on to the next step.  If you don’t wait until it dries, the gel system will not work.  You do not need to cure in this step. (more…)

Sephora by OPI Gelshine System, Review

8 Jan

Sephora says: This system delivers optimal results with salon technology. This Sephora exclusive is fully loaded with all the necessary tools for the perfect at-home gel manicure, featuring the highest quality gel formula on the market, and one of fastest LED cures with the smartest removal system. With invincible wear for up to two weeks, zero chipping, zero dry time, and the highest shine available, the patented, unique, professional grade formula is sure to leave your nails ultra-glossy and perfectly pretty.

I don’t know why I didn’t hop on the gel polish bandwagon sooner, because I absolutely love it!  As part of my new years beauty resolution, I vowed to never sport a chipped mani.  That’s why I finally splurged on the at-home gel system.  It takes me about 45 minutes to complete both hands, but the polish lasts for the 2 weeks (as promised!).   The process is simple:

1) Prep nails by trimming cuticles and buffing and cleaning the surface.

2) Apply base coat to 4 nails (all except thumb), cure under LED light for 30 seconds.  Repeat on the thumb.

3) Apply color coat to 4 nails.  Cure for 30 seconds.  Repeat on thumb.

4) Apply another color coat to 4 nails.  Cure for 30 seconds.  Repeat on thumb.  A third coat can been applied if necessary.

5)  Apply top coat to 4 nails.  Cure for 30 seconds.  Repeat on thumb.  Then, repeat entire process on other hand.

Overall
The system does what it promises, gives me a 2 week no-chip mani.  As far as application, you have to make sure to apply thin coats and shake each bottle really well.  The directions included walk you through every step, and there’s even a QR code that you can scan it will take you to a how-to video.  I like that this has and LED light (opposed to a UV) because it is safer.  LED lights also require less cure time.   My biggest complaint:  I want to change my polish color after about 2 days.  Oh, the agony.  I guess I’ll live.  Maybe.

Glitter Rating: 5 / 5

Where: Sephora, Amazon. Price: $159.00 (includes 1 gel color of your choice).
For additional pics and information, (more…)

2013 Beauty Resolutions

7 Jan

Well, hello there!  I’ve missed you, blogosphere!  This past holiday season kicked my butt, with school coming to an end (2 weeks left, eek!) and holiday hours at work, it unfortunately cut into my blogging time.  Now that things are calming down a bit, I’m ready to be back!

I’m going to kick off this years first blog post with my . . .

1) Regularly deep clean my makeup brushes.

 

{via}

This is such a hard one!  I’m pretty diligent with my daily cleaning, using the Sephora daily brush cleaner.  When it comes to a good deep cleaning (I like to use baby shampoo and a sponge), I should be doing it once a week.  In reality… it doesn’t happen near that often.  Which, I know, is gross.  Don’t judge me.

2) Never sport chipped nail polish.

 

{via}

A huge pet peeve, but I’m so guilty of rocking the chipped mani on many occasions.  It can usually be blamed on my laziness and not wanting to take a short 3 minutes out of my day to remove it.  What can I say, I enjoy my uninterrupted “me” time.  So much that I’ll let my nails suffer for it.  However, now that I’m becoming a “professional” in the beauty industry, I touch people’s faces a lot.  And no one wants to have a skuzzy hand on their money-maker.  I’m already off to a good start with this resolution though, I’ve started to do my own gel manicures.  More about that later.  (more…)

November Glam Bag, 2012

15 Nov

I have to say, I’ve been really happy with my past few Glam Bags.  I received some cute products that I will actually use this month!  Woo woo :)

For additional pics, (more…)

September Glam Bag, 2012

19 Sep

I am always happy to come home to this hot pink surprise in my mailbox.  This months bag is legit, I really like all of the product they sent me.  Check it out!

For additional pics, (more…)

September Birchbox, 2012

14 Sep

Finally got it in the mail yesterday!  Check it out!

What is Birchbox?  For $10 a month, Birchbox members will receive a curated box of luxe beauty samples.

(more…)

NOTD: L’Oreal VIP Status

13 Sep

I went to three drugstores hunting for this after reading about it on Temptalia.  A quality nail polish for under $10?  Sign me up!  The color is very unique, it’s a frosty blue-ish gray with a hint of teal.  The teal looks almost like threads of color with each brush stroke.  It’s absolutely gorgeous!

(more…)

August Glam Bag, 2012

14 Aug

It’s that time again!  My monthly gift from MyGlam is here!
So was this bag a hit or miss?  Let’s just find out!   (more…)

July Glam Bag, 2012

17 Jul

Happy Tuesday!

Check out what’s inside this month’s Glam Bag! (more…)

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