Nail Caviar Dupe

If you follow the trends, then you are probably well aware of the new Nail Caviar by Ciate`. It's a $25 kit at Sephora where you get a color, and some microbeads and top coat.

How about doing this same thing for PENNIES?

I was able to locate all kinds of colors of Microbeads at Michaels in the Scrapbooking section. I was only able to find the metals kit (6 colors), so that's the one I got, but hoping to find more colors in a kit form soon so I can get a true "Sprinkle" effect.

I also used a cheap $1 bottle of LA Looks topcoat. Really though, any clear coat will generally work.

Here is a very quick review/demo on how this is done! Have fun and if you do this yourself, send me a photo and Ill post it on here! 

Layla - Holographic Nail Polish

I've been on the hunt for a good Holographic Polish for a long time! Finally found it  (after a failed attempt to find it at the Lancome Counter) in an Ulta store, for half the price! 

It's absolutely gorgeous! I got the Flash Black (shown) and the Ultra Violet colors. Their Mercury Twilight and Mermaid Spell colors looked scrumptious too but alas, $60 for nail polish is out of the question in my household!

First Impressions: 

The polish went on smoothly and required 2-3 coats. It dries to a matte finish (which I found somewhat odd) but when topped with Sally Hansen Manicure in a Bottle, it sparkles beautifully!:) In the sun, it's absolutely insane!

As for durability, it's VERY durable, as long as you use a good base coat and top coat!:) I have been wearing it for 2 days (whilst wrapping gifts, washing dishes, etc), with no chips.

I'd also like to note that unlike other glittery polishes that are hard as heck to remove - this comes right off! I avoid glitter polishes strictly for the fact that I hate removing them - so it was a very pleasant surprise to see this doesn't take tons of effort!

This item is retailing at $15/bottle. They have a great color selection, and when found at Ulta - it wasn't near the other nail polishes. So if you want this for yourself-  you may need to ask someone on the floor for it! 

Benefit Cosmetics - Bathina Silky Shimmering Body Balm

This is probably one of my FAVORITE products by Benefit! Not only is the packaging just absolutely adorable, but the product is like no other I've found! It comes with a super soft pillow to apply the product and blend it, and it has the lightest floral scent to it.

I like to use this during the summer time,especially when Im in shorts, or tanks. I apply it around the collar bone, shoulders, and arms. And then also to the fronts of my legs. Because of the light shimmer, it not only gives you that beautiful glow that everyone is after - but it also appears to give you a bit more definition in your muscles!:) Especially on my arms where I could stand to tone up a bit, I find that this defines my muscle shape ever so lightly!:)

You may be looking at the swatch and wondering two things:

1. Why don't I see the product? - This is because it's a VERY light product but if you look carefully, it has highlighted ever so slightly, the bone there in  my hand!:)

2. What is up with the random nail color? - I not only color swatch polishes for you guys - but  I wear them around and keep track of how long it takes them to chip. This is a color I plan to review soon, and I want to be able to give you  an accurate review on it's stability!:)

And for your enjoyment - The Benefit Bathina Video!

Essie Nail Polish - Review

I've seen so many Beauty Broads on Youtube doing their review videos and tutorials, listing that they are wearing Essie nail colors and usually I just love the look of this polish! I finally spent the $8 to get my own bottle in Fiji.

I was super excited to try it out and decided to paint a nail in the car. Well.....I had me a case of the "Whomp Whomps." The color went on terribly streaky. I thought that perhaps it was a "two coater" polish so I let the first layer dry - and then coated my nail again....still incredibly streaky.

 I thought that maybe there is some kind of "trick" to this polish, so I came home and put my Google-Foo skills to work and found nothing.

While I will say my initial impression is pretty bad, I think that I may return the product I purchased and try one more color (BB TIP: Buy your new products from Walgreens - they take returns!) before I give my solid opinion. But here is the mess I ended up with the first time.

***UPDATE*** 6 coats later - this is what we have....I like it NOW, but not sure I have time to wait for 5 coats to dry in order to get this color. Ill give another a try but after that I will call it quitsies!

Sally Hansen Complete Manicure in a Bottle - Review

This is my ultimate favorite nail polish EVER! I have used tons of different brands in my life and all of them seem to chip within a few hours of applying. That is, until my husband brought home a bottle of this stuff for Mother's Day 2 years ago!:) 

This stuff goes on so smoothly, dries decently fast, and is pretty flawless!:) It's also fairly quick to apply as you get to skip the base coat and top coat! It can say that it usually remains "chip free" on my nails for about 7 days, but isn't bad enough to remove until around 10 days. Another great thing is that when it IS time to remove it's rather simple to do so! And there are so many great colors out there!

I will do several separate reviews of different colors, today's color is Greige Gardens. In the photo it appears to be fairly purple, but there is definitely more of a neutral gray/brown undertone. I absolutely love this color and have gotten a ton of questions/compliments on this color!:)

 

Retails $8

***As of today, 12/10/12, CVS in the Houston Areas has 50% off on many of the shades! The only ones I don't care for are the sparkly/sheer colors. Ill review them later but go in with clear nails and you can paint a swatch!