Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nail Strips Review

Happy February!! If you eat Subway, for the whole month of February all footlongs (excluding the Philly) are $5! ^_^ Just wanted to let you all know.. lol. Onto what this post is really about. I've recently purchased some nail enamel strips from my local Walmart! These babies cost me $8.50, from Walmart so I'd expect it to be more expensive elsewhere.

Actually, I was drunk at a New Years Eve party and this girl and I were taking shots of Jack Daniels. After the shot, I noticed her nails! I was like OMG, where did you get those done?! (She was wearing the lace ones I purchased.) She's like, I did them myself so of course I was like HUHH... Then she told me about the nail enamel strips and she got them at Walmart. Of course she was super intoxicated so it wasn't super easy to follow as I put it but since I've seen something similar to these on blogs I kinda figured out what she meant, lol.

Then when I was working the next week, this Walmart chick came in and she had a houndstooth design on her nails! I complimented her and she actually explained where she got it and what aisle they were in. I didn't know they were Sally Hansen brand and I didn't realize how small the packaging was (literally, it's a tiny little rectangular box) so when I went to go look I was like "oh no, they don't have them here!" Then Jon looks too, and he's like "ARE THESE IT?"... Then of course I got super excited because he found them for me LOL..

I forgot to take a picture of the stuff inside the box that I missed, but here they are just laid out.

You get:

• 2 packs of nail enamel stickers which includes 8 pieces in each one. (one pack for each hand)
• wood stick
• nail buffer
• instruction pamphlet

When you open the packages of the stickers, you get this overwhelming smell of nail polish. It disappears pretty quickly after opening though. The largest size was too big and the smallest size was too small but overall they all fit pretty well onto my nail bed. The curvatures and stuff where my nails start growing don't exactly line up 100% but they don't look bad either.

Here is an image of what they looked like at the end of day 1:

Left Hand (No Flash)

Left Hand (With Flash)

I didn't take pictures of both hands for the initial picture because I thought that would be redundant since obviously they're not going to be chipping just yet.

I did apply the nail enamel stickers to a 'just cleaned with nail polish remover' finger. I felt that the stickers would just lift up off my nails so I sealed it off with Seche Vite top coat and it definitely helped make it feel more secure.

I do use my nails/hands/fingers aggressively when I work. I spent two days washing sinkloads of dishes, and at my other job my nails are almost constantly wet and being bent. My jobs definitely help make my nails chip madd crazy and sometimes I end up biting on a nail or something.

Here's how they looked after a week and a half with vigorous work and school:

Right Hand (No Flash)

Right Hand (With Flash)

Left Hand (No Flash)

Left Hand (With Flash)

I don't think there was too much chipping besides the right middle finger but that's because I was biting it, lol. I did notice that I ended up applying it on my nail bed crooked on my left thumb once my nail started to grow out.

I'd definitely repurchase the Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nail Strips again because they're an instant perk me up for your nails without waiting for the dry time and blah, blah, blah! ^_^ Plus these last longer on my nails versus regular nail polish.

Hope you enjoyed my little review, I'll see you gals in the next post!

<3

FOTD: Burning Sunset

I put this look together after class on Friday while I was waiting to go to work. It's something I haven't worn in a while; COLOR! :) I was inspired by the new Benefit blush "bella bamba". The box is composed of orange and purple and it just dances in the light! I'll make a post about the blush another day, but tonight is just this!

Without further ado, here's the face I wore on Friday night (which I ended up coming home and staying on the phone all night with Linda). Gah, I'm still frustrated!

Face

• Nars Sheer Glow foundation in Stromboli
  
• Benefit Blush in Bella Bamba (bright watermelon pink)
  

Lip

• Mac Dazzleglass Creme in Sublime Shine (nude orange with golden shimmer)
  

Eye

• Benefit F.Y...eye! primer (nude eyeshadow base)
• Rock&Republic Eyeshadow in Veil (matte off white - brow bone)
  
• MAC Eyeshadow in Solar White (duo chrome yellow highlight - tear duct)
  
• MAC Mineralized Eyeshadow in Engaging (shimmery golden orange - inner third)
• MAC Pigment in Follow Your Fancy (shimmery bright orange - middle third)
• MAC Eyeshadow in Creme de Violet (soft violet - crease)
• Make Up For Ever Blush in 92 (matte rich violet - outer corner)
• Revlon Colorstay Liquid Liner in Blackest Black
• Anastasia Brow Powder in Medium Ash
  
• Laura Mercier Long Lash Mascara in Black
  

Yes, I used a shit load of eye products in this look! Usually I go for the 3-eyeshadow combo but I guess this was a special occasion since I was inspired :)

Sorry it looks a little harsh/unblended. I couldn't figure out what color to put in between the orange and purple and I didn't want to over-blend because it might get muddy. It looks really pretty far away and I got tons of compliments on it at work from customers. I'm glad I put on some color and hopefully this 'inspiration' will stay! ^_^

Goodnight y'all. I got to wake up super early to get to class. *SIGH*...

<3

2010 Beauty Favorites Tag + Photo of Me & Andrew

I got tagged by Linda to do this and I told her I will so now I shall ~~ hope you're happy woman!

1-Which lipstick/ lip gloss did you use most often in 2010?
MAC Cutester Lipstick! I've been trying to finish this tube of lipstick all year but I've found that I'm super lazy to re-apply lipstick so none of my lipsticks have gone down all year -__-"... but this one has a little bit! Plus I really hate how the lipstick squishes so easily and I just wanna get rid of it, although it really is a pretty shade :) Other than lipstick, I've been really getting into lip balms this year! My favorite is the Jack Black in the Natural Mint flavor.

2-What was your favorite eyeshadow this year?
I used mainly neutral eyeshadows this year. I haven't really fell back in love with colors yet.. or maybe there's not enough inspiration.. or I'm just short on time?!?! Lol, but the palette I turned to most was the Urban Decay Naked palette and the Too Faced Naked Eye palette that I purchase a few months ago during their sale!

3-What product for the complexion (foundation, blush, etc.,) did you use the most?
I LOVE the NARS Sheer Glow Foundation! (I really need to make a review soon.) I also enjoy using the Make Up For Ever HD Foundation. Blush wise, I really love the MAC Stereo Rose Mineralized Skinfinish or Benefit Coralista Blush and I always set my makeup everyday with the Make Up For Ever HD Powder. I swear one small jar lasts a little over a year for me! SOOOO worth the investment.

NARS Sheer Glow in Stromboli & Make Up For Ever in 128

4-Your favorite nail polish color of 2010?
Didn't have a specific shade as a favorite, but this year I really enjoyed the taupe-type of colors! Either that, or anything from Essie. I think they're slowly becoming my favorite nail polish brand. They would be my favorite if only I could find them online for cheap (like China Glaze).

5-Which skin care product would you not give up under any circumstances?
I can never skip a day of eyecream (no favorites at the moment) or a day without putting SkinMD on my face! The current eyecream I'm trying out is the Caudalie Pulpe Vitaminée Eye and Lip Cream. Body wise, I can't go a day without putting lotion on because I have super dry skin I inherited from my father's side unfortunately!

I also can't bear to go a day without washing my face with Philosophy Purity Made Simple. It just keeps my face nice and clear :)

6-What is your favorite personal care product?
I can't live without my emjoi epilator! No picture of that because I always misplace this thing. I use it to epilate my underarms because I can't afford to wax and shaving doesn't last long enough for me! I've tried it on my legs and I use it there from time to time and then shave off the super small baby hairs. It also works wonders for my arms but I noticed I haven't been epilating that area for a while now.

7- Your usually worn fragrance in 2010?
I'm not big on scents so I don't really own any perfumes, but with my recent "sniffings" I found that I really like Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue and I've always been fond of Diesel Fuel For Life for Women but I've never purchased it.

8-What was your personal favorite jewelry piece?
I'm also not a big jewelery person either -- lol, I'm just boring I guess -- but when I do wear jewelery it's from Julu Jewelry or eki love! (Mainly earrings.) I do enjoy to wear my Forever 21 connector ring. It's just a solid gold bar and I feel it's very simple yet edgey :)

9-What have you discovered in 2010 that is new for you (new products, inspirations, blogs, hobbies, etc.,)?
I didn't really venture out much in 2010. I tried new products but none really stood out to me. There were no inspirations (unfortunately) and I haven't read any new blogs lately because I just don't really click away, lol. I guess a new "hobby" I do now is drinking tea! I've never drank tea before so it's really new to me but I don't think you'd consider it a hobby :P

10- Do you have resolutions for 2011? If so, what are they?
My resolution for 2011 is to not spend money on useless makeup I won't be using. It's hard to say no to my MAC makeup ladies but I really think I'm cured of impulsion! I guess it's okay once in a blue moon, but not everytime I see new stuff.

My other resolution is more school related -- stop/cut down on procrastination! I'm the queen of procrastination and since it's my first year at a university and taking full time SERIOUS classes, I've really got to buckle down and concentrate. Plus I need to get my priorities straight!

11-Tag other people:
I don't know who to tag because I've basically seen everyone on my blogroll do this tag already! I think I am the last (or near last) to do this so if you haven't done it, do it! :D

I did this post with self taken pictures! WOOO, I am damn proud of myself.

***

My mother asked me to take care of the nephew today while she started on some dinner since my sister was going to be late picking him up. I'm a lazy aunt. I sat there and watched youtube with him sitting in my lap... and I didn't even have to hold him!!! *SCORE*... lol, he's such a joy to watch. Never fussy and doesn't need attention! Who could've asked for anything more :)

He started screaming and I picked him up. Next thing I knew he fell asleep on my shoulder-ish area! I didn't even notice until I realized he wasn't wiggling anymore LOL... drooled all over my shoulder too but it's okay, it dried up in no time!

***

The next post I'm going to try to do is a skin care post since someone (Vanilla) asked me to :)

Stay happy, be healthy!

<3

STYLISHLY YOURS - EYE LOOK

Hello! A quick post tonight... By the way, I updated my blogsale! The link is above this post on my blog ^_^

I was playing around with my pigments I got from Stylishly Yours (click for the post) and this is the look I came up with :)

No full face shots because my face is super oily. I like this combo, but I wish I would've put a white base underneath so that the pink was more vibrant.

I used the hot pink pigment all over the lid, the orange pigment in the crease, and the red pigment on the outer corner with just a matte off-white highlight. I think bright colors look great with a sharply winged liner so of course I went with it but no lashes since I was just messing around and I'm not going anywhere :P

Alright ladies, have a great night! I'll see you all in the next post.

<3

BENEFIT FEMME METALE REVIEW & SWATCHES

Two posts in one week?!?! Yes, I feel motivated! It's partially due to the fact that I can't sleep right now because my back is killing me since it's that time of the month. I swear it just crept up on me this month, so unexpected!

If you're a long reader of my blog, you'll know I love to buy sets that are a good value! I recently purchased the Benefit Femme Metale set from Sephora a couple of weeks ago for $28. Benefit really likes to price things at $28 whether it's one blush, a liquid highlighter, or even a gift set but it says it's original price was $38. Either way that's a good value too with what you're getting in the set! You can find it here at sephora. Online it says it's not in stock anymore but when I went to purchase it in store they had more than enough so I'd probably check there if you're interested in purchasing.

Here's what to look for when purchasing in-store. It's a small box so it might be easy to overlook.

When you take off the clear plastic... I guess box cover???... all the items are held inside with some spongey material. At first try it was a challenge to remove but luckily I had to the help of my co-worker! (Yes I opened this at work lol.. and I tried out the products there too.)

This set contains:

• 3 x 0.16oz Creaseless Cream Eyeshadows
• 3 x 0.04oz Eyeliners

You're getting 3 full sized cream eyeshadows (which normally retails for $19 each) and 3 mini pencils to try out! I'd say that's a great deal. Plus the liners really won't budge for anything! Well, maybe if you're attacking it with makeup remover but that's a given.

However, these cream eyeshadows differs from their original ones when it comes to packaging. The name of the shade is actually on the top of the lid versus being on the bottom on a clear label. Either way it doesn't matter to me because I keep them stored sideways so I don't see either side when I'm choosing a shade to use.

• Platinum is a metallic white
• Plum-ing for Gold is a metallic plum
• Taupe-aztic is a metallic golden-beige (On my skin and in the pot it appears to be a simple gold shade instead of 'taupe' like the name says.)
  
• Gem-n-Eye is a golden olive with shimmer
• Steel Her Date is a steel blue
• Blinged is a silver

Also if you've been a long reader of this blog, you know I'll hardly (more like never) post swatches of products! Reason being is because it always looks too washed out or I'll write up a review at night so there's no natural light to take a non-flash photo in... or usually I'm too lazy. Today I am writing this up in the morning and last night I discovered a setting on my camera that really doesn't wash out the colors so I give you... SWATCHES!

Platinum, Plum-ing for Gold, Taupe-aztic, Gem-n-Eye, Steel Her Date, and Blinged with flash.

Platinum, Plum-ing for Gold, Taupe-aztic, Gem-n-Eye, Steel Her Date, and Blinged without flash.

This is such a great kit and if you're a fan of colored bases and liners, you'll love this set just as much as I do! I'll try to post more hauls/reviews with swatches now that I've figured out a setting that works well :)

Thanks all for stopping by!

<3