Julep

So lately, I've been searching high and low for the perfect beauty package. I've been pretty obsessed with Youtube lately (never ever thought I would actually use that website for things other than music videos..) and found a few really great beauty bloggers. 

One of my favorite channels and bloggers would be MissJenFABULOUS. She does great beauty and nail related vlogs that I cannot stop watching. I noticed on her channel something called Birchbox. This is something I've been dying to get my hands on. It's a box that is sent to you every month that costs only $10 bucks! It's filled with 4-5 deluxe beauty products from high end brands (eep). I love makeup, a lot, and when I heard this, I about gasped. Buuuut there is a wait list (I of course signed up for). Bummer, right? So then I searched again for something very similar, but in the world of nail polish instead of only beauty samples. Have you guys ever heard of the brand Julep? I just recently heard and seen samples of them and pretty much fell in love. They even have a nail polish with my name literally on it:

Now the prices for their special monthly box is ten dollars more than the Birchbox I mentioned. But here's the great thing about that, there is NO wait list, and you are saving a huge amount of money on products by purchasing it this way. I just bought my first box tonight for ONE DOLLAR. Hello! I was checking out some nail blogs and I seen that in the last couple months, Julep had a promotion going on to get your first Maven Box for a penny. I tried the code but it didn't work. So then I randomly (cause I'm weird like that) typed in "February" in their coupon area, and it literally took off the whole price of the box, and only charged me ONE DOLLAR. Holla! So I totally recommend you ladies checking this out! You take a style quiz and it will set you up with your perfect box. If you don't like it, you can always swap it out for something else. I swapped mine for something different...

I opted for the February "It Girl" box! I had to choose this one because I've been really wanting the first polish in the photo. What I love about this is that you get way more product for 20 bucks and get almost triple the items that you would pay for just one. Their polishes retail for $14 bucks, so I can't wait to see how their formula is and see if I will be purchasing any others in the future. They are a 4 Free company, which is pretty darn awesome, and I've heard nothing but great things! They do have some other beauty products you can get, in addition to polish, but hey, when I see a great deal for polish, I always get it! I'll most certainly will be doing a post on their product once I get it! 

xo. 

Just a side note. I was NOT contacted by anyone to do this post. This is something I wanted to share with you all because I think it's too good to keep to myself. All the views I shared in this post are all my own. 

Obsessions are never easy to admit to...

I tell you guys, I tend to get obsessed with certain things...cameras, crocheting, lip balms, yarn, vintage owls, purses, hats and now...nail polish. This is a SICK addiction that I won't be letting up anytime soon (hopefully). I tend to find something that I really want to be interested in and end up purchasing every possible thing you can get for that addiction. But the sickest part of this addiction is...once I have everything for that possible addiction, I tend to toss it to the side and let it collect dust. I've been trying my ever-so-hardest not to do this. This obsession I will be sharing with you is nail polish (not like it's a big surprise or anything, hehe). 

Say hello to my sick obsession. This is NOT my entire collection, let me add, these are just my newest editions (sadly, more have been added to this since I took these photos). If you want specific names, feel free to comment and I can let you know. :) 

The one thing I try do when buying polish is to only buy reduced price or sale items. There are a few instances where of course you can't & you have to end up paying the entire price, but most times you can wait until it goes on clearance (or there is an awesome sale). I've been scoping out the interwebs as of late for some good polishes and have found a few sites that sell brand name polishes (China Glaze anyone??) for a super low price. The only drawback is the shipping. Some offer lower prices and free shipping, which seems to be the best route to take. 

I just joined Sally Beauty Supply's rewards program. It's 5 bucks for a year, but they give you a $5 off coupon of a $5 dollar item or more, which makes it free. This can save you tons of money. I personally like to shop at Sally's because they always have reduced price polishes, plus an additional 50% off the reduced price, can we say savings?? I'm pretty impatient and hate waiting for stuff to come in the mail, so I'd personally rather do that then buy online. But as you can see, I've been getting a wee bit too into this nail thing. I'm even considering starting a nail blog. But that may take this addiction thing a wee bit too far...

I had tried the Sally Hansen nail strips in the past and had a real bad experience. They wouldn't stick and were dried out. Only for me to find out that you aren't supposed to open the package until you are ready to use them on your nails, oops! I tried the clearance holiday one's in the photo above to see if I would have better luck, and I did!! They are still a bit pricy, but now I'll certainly be getting my hands on them more often, especially when they clearance them out!! 

On a totally unrelated subject, don't you hate brain freezes?? I just got a Frappuccino from Starbucks and man, one sip and my brain is frozen and in the worst pain ever! I wonder why that happens!? 

Also, please make sure to enter the giveaway, tomorrow is your last chance!! 

xo.  

Wenailsday!

This, my friends, has to be one of my all time favorite manicures!! I've been dying to get my hands on the perfect Essie color. I have never used them in the past, but have been meaning to for the longest time. Finally I found the perfect color I've been searching for...Lady Like. It reminds me of a mauve type color. This manicure lasted me for DAYS without chipping. It did have very little tip wear, though, but I've never had a manicure last that long in my life. 

I then did my ring finger this pretty pink glitter from Ulta. 

I then topped it with Seche Vite Quick-Dry Top Coat! Love it! I highly recommend getting this top coat. I do love my Orly top coat, but I love this one just a little bit more! It works WONDERFULLY and forms a tough barrier over your nail & color. It adds the perfect amount of gloss to your color and seals it in for days! Tomorrow I'll share you guys my newest polishes! Yeah, I'm obsessed...

xo.

Nail Love

Ohmigosh. I think I may have an obsession. I real bad one...with nail polish. Holy smokes guys, I've been looking at nail blogs for days on end and having HUGE envy of these beautiful nails I've been seeing. There is a brand in particular that I've been yearning to buy, but I don't know how I feel about spending a larger amount of money on nail polish when I don't know how well it will last. Totally a good reason, right? I see this brand on a lot of nail bloggers (international bloggers mostly, seeing this brand is from Japan and not sold here in the US, boo) and it makes me so mad that I can't just run out and go buy it at the store. The brand is Nfu-Oh, and oh my word, it's b-e-a-utiful!!! Here are my favorite colors...

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This is Nfu-Oh 51 and my most desired. I'm in dire need of a polish with flakies. I searched and searched and found out that this site does ship this brand to the US. Yay! It's a bit expensive ($12.50) for me, but I at least need to get this bottle. But to hold me for awhile, I'll be making an emergency trip to Sally's tomorrow to seek a brand that has flakies! I'm also in dire need of a good nail polish remover. Mine is terrrrible and I'm tired of it taking so long for me to take my polish off. Anyway, here are some other colors I'm in need of...

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This color is Nfu-Oh 44. I love this color. I don't have any near this color and I can only imagine how beautiful it looks in person. Look at that color in the bottle, doesn't that make you melt??? Okay, maybe that's just me...

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And then this is Nfu-Oh 40. What I really love about this brand is that these flakies can go over any color. It can transform a polish and take it so much farther. I love that this nail blogger also matte-ify's her shimmery nails. I love the effect and never thought of applying a matte coat over a shimmer/glitter/flake. Certainly something I'm going to try in the near future!! 

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And not Nfu-Oh related, galaxy nails. This is something I've been dying to try for ages, but am too scared that I'll ruin them. But you won't know until you try, right? I love how much fun people can have with these and how gorgeous the result is! 

I bought some new polishes recently that I can't wait to share with you guys! Tomorrow I'm going to go to a new-to-me church. I'm really really excited and am glad I'm finally taking this step to find a church to join. It's something I've been meaning to do for years, and I'm glad I'm finally taking the initiative to go. 

xo.

Wenailsday!

I apologize that this is an extremely belated post. I've meant to do a nail post weeks ago, but I finally had time to do something fun that I thought was worth sharing with you all! 

I was inspired by this post by Nailside (this is a very awesome and inspiring nail blog that I love so so much)! I was ready to try something festive. I used the white dots as snow, drew a few snow flakes and had a very pretty glitter nail. I really wish I had a more steady hand to make better snowflakes with, but I do love the snow idea I came up with! 

I was a little bummed that most of my polish peeled off not even 24 hours after painting. I suppose moisturizing my hands prior to painting and using latex gloves at work today didn't treat my polished nails too well. More excuse to paint them again, right?? :) 

***

Oh, and for you Big Bang Theory fans out there, I am currently watching episode "The Wheaton Recurrence" where Sheldon and Wil Wheaton battle each other over a game of bowling. During this episode, Sheldon explains he created three websites... willwheatonstinks.com, willwheatonstinks.net and willwheatonstinks.org. I took the liberty to see if these actually exist, and indeed they do. I am excitedly in geekdom happiness right now. I just love when shows/movies/etc say things in their show that are viewable in real life. So fun!  

xo.

Wenailsday!

I had a lot of fun doing my nails this time around. At first, I tried water marbling, and that turned out...horrible. So then I just found a color I wanted to use and add some design to it. I opted for a pale pink base coat and white design.

For some reason, the colors I used do not photograph well at all! I assure you, they are really pretty in person! I did a feather design on my thumb nail as well as my middle nail. Then I did a glitter nail on my ring finger. The other two remaining nails I had done polkadots! 

I love the look of feather nails, I can't wait to try them out again with other colors!

xo.

ps. aren't my boys simply adorable??

Wenailsday

Wooo, it's been quite a while since I posted. Sorry for the small hiatus. Funerals will do that to you I suppose. Now I promised you all that I would do a nail post on my favorite polishes and colors. Here they are!

Here's a few of my favorite polishes and colors. Sally Hanson is the greatest. Every line they have lasts for quite a while. I love that! Beyond color, the longer the polish stays on w/o chipping, the better. Revlon is a close second when it comes to lasting. 

I can be pretty cheap when it comes to shopping for nail polishes. I'm not one to not buy a color if it's a 'cheaper' brand. You can always improvise and use that color for other things...such as polka dots, lines and nail designs. You don't always have to use a polish just for a solid color! 

I have stated before that Nicole products aren't my favorite. But I do adore so many of their colors. This glittery sparkle is one of my favorites. When I first purchased it, I wanted my nails to be as sparkly as the bottle. I did three coats to achieve that and it chipped not even ten minutes after it dried. Recently, I had a similar purple shade and applied one coat of this glitter, and it lasted for days. So don't be discouraged on a polish if it chips. There's always ways you can utilize that color or brand. 

I just found this glow in the dark polish at Walgreens. It was 1.99! I can't wait to try it. I have a great nail tutorial in the works for this baby! My favorite shades are pinks, purples and blues for my nails. Another great brand (if you have this store in your city or town) is the Ulta brand. Those colors lasts for DAYS. I couldn't be more impressed with them! 

What are your favorite polish brands or colors? 

xo.

ps. Do you like the new blog layout? I was getting bored with the old one! :)

Wennnnnailsdayyyy.

Ohhh I've been so excited to show you all this fun nail design I came up with over the weekend. I had gone to Sally Beauty Supply and snagged quite a few awesome shades of nail polish. I promised you last week that I would show you my nail routine. Here's the supplies I use to do my nails:

I remove any prior polish with nail polish remover. Then I clip my nails to my desired length. I file them so there aren't any sharp edges. I have to say, I think the cuticle clipper is the best invention, ever! This thing comes in handy for sooo many things. I'm not one to clip my cuticles. I use this primarily for hangnails and any little skin slivers I have hanging around. Then lastly, I buff my nail to take the ridges away. This really makes such a difference for me. My nails are so much stronger since I've been doing this. 

Next I pick out my polish of choice.

Now, to keep my nails and cuticles perfect, I keep up on them every day. I use my Cocoa Salve every time I wash my hands. I apply it to every nail, and then I put on lotion after that. Using that on my nails has done a world of difference.  My cuticles have no cuts anywhere on them. They've never been this healthy, I use my cuticle clipper as needed. 

Say hello to my fun Halloween inspired nails! I seen both these orange shades and knew exactly what I was going to do with them!! I wasn't able to draw the pumpkin face on my right hand (I'm not coordinated enough) so I just did dots on that hand. 

Revlon in Tangerine. 

I got this one on clearance at Sally's and it was 50% off of the reduced price. WIN! 

I looove this shade. 

Now I mentioned yesterday that I got my hair cut. I did get the bangs. I was pretty hesitant on doing those (flashbacks to my childhood - eek), but I wanted them to be a little different. I didn't want straight across bangs, I opted for a gradual angle.

I simply LOVE them! I can't believe I waited so long to do something semi-drastic to my hair. I always was so self conscious about a lot of things about my body, especially having short hair (since I gained a ton of weight). But now, I feel comfortable being me. I can really care less about other people and what they think. Hey, it's the 21st century, right?

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xo.

Wennnnnailsdayyyy.

Yeup, you read that right, WeNAILSday :) Every Wednesday I'll be posting fun photo's and tutorials on how I do my nails. Next week, I'm going to show you my "Nail Ritual" to show you how my nails stay healthy and beautiful.

So last night when I was figuring out what I should do with my nails, I decided to give the Sally Hansen pen another try. I bought this pen back in April. I used it on my toes to give them a fun look. I hated it. It was really light, it smeared when I put a top coat on, and it just looked cheap. It was a bit expensive for this pen, so I decided to give it another chance. 

I paired it with Nicole by O.P.I. The funny thing about this polish is that I'm not too fond of it. This isn't my most favorite shade of purple, but this is all I had that would work out pretty well with the pink. I'm so glad I used it! I don't actually recommend using Nicole nail polish. Why you ask...because it chips right away! I buff, polish, file and all that before I apply, and not even 12 hours into having it on, it chips. Maybe it's just the one I have, but it never lasts as long as I would like it to. I adore their colors though. 

Here is the shade I used.

These colors were very much the perfect match! I can't wait to get my hands on more Sally Hansen pens. I have some great Halloween ideas for my nails, and a few other things in the works :D

And not nail related...you know the caramel apple pops/suckers, ohemgee. I had the Golden Delicious one (shown above, mostly eaten hehe) instead of the Green Apple. Soooooo good! I didn't even know they had other flavors until the other day. Try it, it's yummo!!! I'm so excited about some fun posts that's to come. I will be doing a vlog about something pretty exciting really soon. Stay tuned <3