Manicure of the Week - Let it Glow

I've been on a single-color manicure kick lately, but I wanted to mix it up ever so slightly today.  Sometimes simple is better, right?

I used Serum No 5 Pure Glow Getter and dry brushed on a little Sally Hansen Disco Ball.  For some reason, it reminds me of a snow globe.

Honestly though, this manicure is best viewed with the lights off.

I think Pure Glow Getter is the priciest polish I've purchased to date but it was absolutely worth it.  I'm officially obsessed with Serum No 5!

Manicure of the Week - For the Horde!

I've been dying to experiment with DIY nail decals and I thought that the release of Warlords of Draenor was a perfect excuse!  After a couple hours of trial and error, I made some decent looking Horde logos.

I still need to work on the decal application - if you look at it closely, you can see that it's a little bubbly.  Overall I'm stoked with how well they turned out, though!

Colors used: Wet n Wild Black Creme, Wet n Wild Everybody Loves Redmond, and China Glaze Ruby Pumps.

Manicure of the Week - Angels in the Jungle

Holographic polish is one of my favorite things, ever, but for some reason I've found my collection to be severely lacking in that category.  I really need to get on that.  Anyway, I decided to make use of one of the holos that I do have and play around with my striping tape.  I tried several different patterns before finally settling on this almost-but-not-quite plaid look.

It's been so dreary here lately that getting a good shot of the holo has been pretty much impossible.

The base color is Sally Hansen Jungle Gem and the holo is Color Club Angel Kiss

Manicure of the Week - Water[color] you thinking?

The past week or two has been all about water for me and J.  Either the weather has either been hot and we've been in the pool or it's been awesome and rainy.  Obviously, this inspired me to have a go at a watercolor manicure.

It didn't turn out quite how I wanted it to, but my dad (!) complimented it, so that says something.  I used all Sally Hansen colors - White On as a base and Ice Tint, Vitamin D-Light, Sea Through, Water Melon, and Grape Jelly as the "watercolors."

Manicure of the Week: All That Glitters Is...Fairy Dust

The weather here has been really rainy and gloomy - which I love.  For some reason, gray skies make me want to use ALL the glitter in the world.  So...

I snapped a cell phone picture because my camera battery died.  I shouldn't have settled - this totally doesn't do it justice.

I used OPI Love.Angel.Music.Baby. and topped it with China Glaze Fairy Dust.  Super basic and SUPER sparkly.

Manicure of the Week - Poptastic Moons

Everyone I know seems to be mourning the end of summer.  Personally, I can't WAIT for fall, but there's still a lot of sweaty days left here in Texas so I thought I'd do a summery neon manicure.

I debated putting glitter over it all, but it's so ridiculously bright in person that I decided glitter would be a bit too much.  I used Sally Hansen White On and Color Club Poptastic.

Manicure of the Week - Masked Disco

I've had a super bad case of the blahs lately and I have a tendency to channel my feelings into my manicures.  The obvious choice was black nail polish, but I added a sort of "light at the end of the tunnel" to it as well.

I love how glitter placement manicures look, but I've always been too lazy to try one myself.  I went with the "shove your nail in a pile of glitter and see what sticks" method instead.  It's so sparkly, I can't stop looking at my nails.  It makes me think of a disco ball.

The black is Orly Masked Ceremony.  For my ring finger, I used China Glaze Platinum Silver and then dipped my finger in loose chunky glitter.

Manicure of the [Shark] Week - Dun dun...dun dun....

I've always liked sharks, but after diving with them I've become a bit more obsessed.  Obviously, I love shark week. (Even though this year a lot of Discovery's programming is a little...silly.)

I didn't really have a game plan when I sat down to do my nails, so I just kind of experimented with different things.  I used Zoya Godiva for the beach base LA Colors Wired for the water base. The fin is Sephora by OPI Metro Chic. I used a combination of Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Pool Boy and Zoya Purity for the waves. The water on the "beach" is Pool Boy with several layers of Sally Hansen Ice Tint.  

Here There Be Dragon (Thumb Tack Eggs, That Is!)

Using Accio Lacquer's tutorial, I made dragon eggs!  Mine are larger than hers, though, and required about a million more thumbtacks.

The egg on the left is made with Color Club Haute Couture topped with Essie As Gold As It Gets.

The egg on the right is Sinful Colors Black on Black topped with Essie Shine of the Times.

I'm going to be giving a lot of dragon eggs away for Christmas this year. ;)

Manicure of the Week - Subtly Nude

I'm usually of the "bolder = better" midset when it comes to nail polish and nail art.

Since my recent hair makeover was so bold, I was in the mood to try something very subtle when I sat down to do my nails.  I hadn't used my stamping plates in a while, so I thought this would be a good opportunity to bust them out as well.

This is a terrible picture.  They don't look janky in real life.  Promise.

I used I used Zoya Jacqueline for the base and Sally Hansen White On for the stamping.  The plate is #23 from the 2010 Bundle Monster set.

July Ipsy Glam Bag Review - Sensationally Sunkissed

The Box: Ipsy

The Price: $10/month

The Goods: 4-5 full and deluxe-sample sized beauty products chosen based on your beauty profile.

bareMinerals 5 in 1 BB Advanced Performance Cream Eyeshadow - Barely Nude: ($6)  This isn't the best shade for me to wear alone.  I'll have to try it as a primer.

If it were a bit darker, it would look like eyeshadow; if it were a bit lighter, it would probably brighten wonderfully.  As it is, it looks like I need to get a bit more sleep.

Pixi Tinted Brilliance Balm - Unique Pink: ($8.40)  This shade is supposed to adjust based on your individual pH balance in your lips.  The shade it turned on my lips is a sheer, sort of rosy color.  It also has a subtle minty tingle.

Clear Clinic Labs Vanished: ($9.33) My vial cracked in transit, but luckily Ipsy had put it in its own little ziplock bag so it didn't leak on anything.  I like that Clear Clinic's products are available individually, but I don't know that they are cruelty-free, so I'll stick with my Relogy treatment.

Yes, that white blur is Stella.

Pur~lisse Pur~Protect: ($16.18)  This is the second month in a row that Ipsy has sent me a Purlisse item.  Since I received a full size Pur~Protect in my FabFitFun box, I'll probably try to trade this one.

Models Own Polish - Red Sea: ($8.57)  This is my first Models Own polish!  I've always wanted to try this brand.  It is a really pretty sheer red with flaky glitter.  

This is two coats.  I think it would be pretty both layered over other colors, or by itself in multiple coats.

Total Value:  $48.48

Honestly, I was happy with this bag as soon as I saw that I was going to receive a Models Own polish.  I really like the bag this month, too.  The pink is much more neon in person and it's probably one of my top 3 favorites.

Disclaimer: This post contains a referral link.

Manicure of the Week - Camo'n Over

I *adore* camo.  I've got camo leggings, pants, shirts, shoes...and so I decided to give camo nails a shot.  I've never drawn or painted camo before, so it was a bit of an experiment.  I wouldn't call it a total fail, but I'll need a bit more practice before being fully happy with it.

I used Zoya Jacqueline for the nude fingers and the base of the camo.  The camo colors are Sally Hansen Grass Slipper, Zoya Gemma, and China Glaze Jolly Holly.

Manicure of the Week - 'Murica Marbles

It's been a loooooooooooong time since I've done a water marble manicure.  I was lacking in July 4th design inspiration, so I thought it'd be the perfect opportunity to give it a go again.

I used Sally Hansen White On, Color Club Love Links, and Essie Avenue Maintain.

Manicure of the Week - Interlocking Is the New Black

I loved All Lacquered Up's neon interlocking dots manicure as soon as I saw it and it's been on my "to-try" list since.  I spent a good part of the weekend on a binge with the new season of Orange is the New Black.  Obviously, the two were fated to mix.

I decided to only do the interlocking part and not any of the other dots.  It was a lot of trial-and-error, but I'm happy with it.  I used Pure Ice Black Rage and Orly Orange Punch.

Manicure of the Week - Jackie Stripes After School

My life has been crazy hectic so I haven't had much time for doing my nails lately.  I kept breaking my nails, but they've finally grown into a more reasonable length so I decided to give some simple nail art a go. 

I used one coat of Zoya Jacqueline, then put striping tape down on my nails and painted over it with Essie After School Boy Blazer.  It's far from perfect, but I'm pretty happy with it overall.

Polka Dot (Egg?) Nails

I was shooting for nails that were Easter Egg inspired, but what I wound up with remind me more of Dino Eggs for some reason.  (Not that that's a bad thing!)

Base coat is Zoya Purity.  I used a dotting tool for the polka dots.  Colors used, top to bottom: Orly Lemonade, Orly Cotton Candy, Orly Gumdrop, Orly Lollipop and Orly Snowcone.

Happy Easter!

Inzuri I.N.N. Box Review (Buyer Beware)

My first two Inzuri I.N.N. boxes were great.  I thought I had found my OTP nail box.  Then...December came around.

For the most part, I'm fairly forgiving when it comes to shipping delays.  I understand that things happen, however...well...here's the timeline of everything that has happened with Inzuri.  Inzuri's FAQ states that they charge on the first of the month and ship on the second Tuesday.

12/3 - Charged for December shipment.
12/18  - Shipment notification for December box.
12/26  - Received an email stating "We are happy to announce that all I.N.N Box shipments are out. You should start seeing activity on your tracking numbers no later than tomorrow." and offering free shipping for January.
12/31 - My tracking had still not changed from "Order Processed: Ready for UPS."  Sent an email to Customer Service
12/31 - Customer Service said they'd look into it.
1/2  - Charged for January.
1/6 - December tracking still hadn't changed, I'd received no further updates from CS.
1/6 - Received reply "Yes we have located your package and there should be activity on it shortly."
1/10 - Still no change on December tracking, sent another email.
1/14 - Second Tuesday of Jan.
1/18 - No reply to previous email, sent another (less kind) email and requested cancellation and refund for December.
1/21 - CS replied and said they had refunded December, offered two months free as an apology.
1/27 - Still hadn't received any refund, sent ANOTHER email, requesting cancellation and refund for December and  now January since I also hadn't received shipping information for that one.
1/28 - Cancellation processed, received confirmation email.
1/29 - Refund confirmation email received.
1/30 - January refund deposited.
1/31 - Sent email inquiring about December refund.
2/6 - No response to previous email, so sent another email inquiring about December refund.
2/7 - Posted on the Inzuri Facebook page.  Received a response within 20 minutes asking me to send a message to their facebook.
2/11 - Received response from their Facebook saying that they'd take care of the issue immediately.
2/12 - Received email confirmation of refund for December.
2/13 - Received refund for December.

Based on what I've heard, I'm not alone in my issues.  Granted, there are also a few people who have had no issues.  Maybe I've overreacted. I generally hate bashing companies and even writing this post makes me feel very uncomfortable, but I feel like it's important to me to put my experience out there for interested people to judge for themselves.

November I.N.N. Box by iNZURi - Back to the Future

The Box: The I.N.N. Box by iNZURi

The Cost: $24.50

The Goods: A curated collection of three nail polishes, plus bonus items.

iNZURi gives you the option of selecting from three different collections or letting them surprise you.  The collection I chose for November was "Back to the Future."

China Glaze Bizarre Blurple: ($4.89)  I love this shimmery blueish purple, but it was impossible to get a good photo of.  This is from the Halloween 2012 Wicked collection.

Orly Masked Ceremony: ($8.50)  Dark polishes are my absolute favorite (though neons are a close second) and this one is actually unlike any I already own.  It's a black polish with a mix of purple and silver glitters.  It's from the Holiday 2013 Secret Society collection.

China Glaze Blue Bells Ring: ($4.61) From the Holiday 2012 Holiday Joy collection.  It's a super shimmery icy blue that's just begging to be used in a snowflake manicure.

OC8 Professional Mattifying Gel: ($41)  I don't have extremely oily skin in general, but this will probably come in handy on a humid summer day.

I came up with a total value of just under $60.  The "extra" item this month isn't my favorite, but I'll use it eventually and I still love that iNZURi gives you some control over which polishes you get every month.

October Inzuri I.N.N. Box - From Harvard to Oxford

The Box: The I.N.N. Box by iNZURi

The Cost: $24.50

The Goods: One of three curated nail polish collections.

Every month, iNZURi gives you three collection options to choose from or you can let a stylist choose for you.  You'll know three polishes you're getting, but they also include other gifts.  I selected the "From Harvard to Oxford" option for October.

Essie After School Boy Blazer: ($8.50)  This is from the Fall '13 collection and I LOVE it.  It's a creamy, super dark navy blue.  I adore almost-black-but-still-a-color polishes.  This totally fits the bill.  The application was perfect and smooth, too.

China Glaze Merry Berry: ($4.20)  From the Holiday '12 collection, this is a pretty, creamy berry red.  It's not totally unique, but I've been lacking in reds, so I'm happy to have it.

CND Vinylux Bicycle Yellow: ($10)  This is actually my first CND polish.  It's supposed to last 7 days, but when I was testing this, the application was a nightmare.  Why are yellow polishes always so difficult?

Sprout Raindrop Clear: ($7.49)  This is their "Indie Spotlight Surprise."  The Sprout brand is all Non-Toxic, and who can't use more clear polish?

Broo Volumizing Pale Ale Shampoo and Conditioner: ($6.48)  These are vegan, cruelty-free, sulfate-free, paraben-free, pH balance, and color safe.  The main ingredient is beer (hence the brand name) but the smell is DELICIOUS.  It kind of smells like lemon squares.  I'm so excited to try these out.

Shibue Strapless Panty: ($14 each)  These are a little bit intimidating, but a cool idea. They're self-adhesive strapless undies, so you get no panty lines, plus they're reusable.  Perfect for thin dresses and skirts.

I'm really impressed with my first I.N.N. Box.  I like having the ability to choose which collection I want, and the value is pretty fantastic.

September Cult Cosmetics Blackbox Review

The box: Cult Cosmetics Blackbox

The cost: $24.95 

The goods: 3 bottles of nail polish plus nail art tools and other surprises.

Mash Nail Art Rhinestones: ($4.99)  I can't wait to attempt to use these, then accidentally spill half the container on the floor and still find them in the carpet 8 months later.

OPI Pure Lacquer Nail Apps - Blue and Gray Rattlesnake: ($11.95) I've never used the OPI brand nail strips, but I heard good things about them when they first came out.

OPI Jinx: ($9)  I think of all the texture polish, the sand-y trend has been my favorite.  It seems like it lasts a lot longer than normal polish.  I love this color, but I wish I'd had it to wear for the summer.

Color Club Haute Couture: ($4.37)  This is a fairly old color (2007 or 2008 I think) but it's unlike any colors I already owned.  It's a dark, plum-brown color that's perfect for fall.

Color Club Angel Kiss: ($10) The only reason I stuck around for September is because they said there'd be a holo polish.  I can't even describe how obsessed I am with good, linear holographic polishes.  I just want to paint my nails with this and stand in the sun and stare at it for hours.

Starting in October, Blackboxes are going to contain Cult Cosmetics' own custom line of polishes.  I've already cancelled my subscription, but I am interested to see how their new brand stacks up to the name brands they've been sending out.