Confessions of a Nail Polish Junkie

Sigh. I've hit an all time low. I went to Walgreen's to get a replacement foundation, and ended up with 5 new nail polishes! You might be saying what's the big deal, its only 5, well if you knew I already had 92 (not including the 15 I gave my sister) you might have a different answer.

So this obsession started with a navy blue polish from N.Y.C for $0.99. I thought I was the shiz nitz rocking blue nails! Shoot I flashed my hands whenever I could. Eventually, I got tired of the blues and thought, hmmm let me try this color then that color and oh that looks nice then.....argghh shake my head in shame.

But ladies it doesn't just stop there. GLITTER! GLITTER is my downfall. If it sparkles and I can paint it on my nails, then trust when I say I got it. Shoot, my  glitter obsession got so bad last summer that I binged on eBay and bought a 24 pack of glitter dust from China just so I can just dunk my nails in them.

Yup...I'm obsessed.

This week I will be sharing with you guys some of my favorite brands, colors and designs :) I hope you all enjoy.

Beauty Rush Glossy Shinestick

Ohhhhh Victoria's Secret how you did me wrong!!!! You suckered me in with your yummy  smells and frilly undies and blinded me into buying a lip thingy I didn't even waaaaaannnt.

Alright I'm a typical chick. I like all sorts of pretty frilly things and when I saw these colorful glossy lip shine thingy's I was all over them. Not only did they come in an assortment of colors but FLAVORS as well. Pina colada, cherry, berry, strawberry, yum yum yum!

But that's where the fun stops (READ IN EPIC DOOM VOICE)

Packaging: Typical lipstick style wind up design with clear cap. Very slim and compact making them easy to travel with.

Product: The texture is almost that of a thin lip balm. It slides on fairly easily,  but some of the shinesticks have glitter which makes the texture a little rough when applying. 

Payoff: The colors are fairly pigmented. They give a tinted balm affect which is really nice because it looks very  natural.

Overall: Don't do it ladies, don't get suckered in by the heavenly feminine store. This product SUCKS! For the first few days I fooled myself into thinking that these shinesticks were awesome and that I looked like Miranda Kerr in the ads. Yeah, FAIL! The product exaggerated the lines and cracks in my lips and after a period of time they dried up my once hydrated lips. They had weak lasting power and overall were just blah. However, I still love the smells and they don't taste half bad.

If you own these and have found a way to make them work for you, please share! I'd hate to waste the four that I bought.

:)

Wet N Wild Color Icon Palettes...Discontinued????

Ladies.....ladies.......ladies. My heart is a little broken today. Not only did I wake up to rainy, gloomy morning, but yes its true, Wet N' Wild is discontinuing their color icon palettes!......Maybe.

Alright,  so if you live under a rock or possibly in a remote jungle in Asia, you probably have not heard of the Wet N" Wild color Icon Palettes. However, for the remainder of the world, these palettes have been accessible for the past two years. Once deemed the worst drugstore line, Wet N' wild not only reinvented their image but their products as well and invented one my "holy grail" products.

Product: Over the past few years, there have been about six different palettes that have been released to the public. While some of them were specifically for holiday promotions, the Vanity (pictured above), Lust (purple hues), Pride (combination of blues and greens) have always been available year round. Included in each palette are six shadows, ranging from matte, frost and shimmer. The shadows themselves are SOOOOOO  pigmented and soft making them very blendable and wearable. Mix and match as you choose from any palette because  the colors complement each other so well

Packaging: There is no gimic. Simple plastic casing with six shadows and two applicator brushes, which compared to other brands, are not half bad if you use a light hand with them.

Pricing: $3-$6 USD depending on location and availability.

Overall: Seriously if you do not own at least one of the color icon palettes, go and get one! The product is phenomenal and the product is unbeatable! Plus if you are a fan of MAC cosmetics, the palettes have some great dupes for neutral colors! 

As far as Wet N' Wild discontinuing their most successful line  EVER......eeehhhh, not sure. But just as a precaution, you can bet I'm going to be stocking up on backups :)

:) :) :) :) :)

Minnie Mouse Inspired Nails

Okay, so I must confess I'm a huge Disney whore. I love all things Disney, so here's my Minnie Mouse inspired nails.Hope you enjoy :)

1) Paint a diagonal black strip

2) Fill in remainder of nail with  red polish

3) Add a silver glitter strip to cover the seam

4) Add the polka dots :)

5) All done :)

Drugstore Liquid Liners Comparison

I looooove me some liner! Not only does it  help my hooded eyes pop, but it gives an overall more put together look. Now I would be  lying if I said I'm  not curious about higher end liners, but why spend so much when drugstore liquid liners do the exact same thing :)

Below is a comparison of three very popular drugstore liquid liners : Loreal Linear Intense, Maybelline Stiletto, and N.Y.C Liner

Brushes: While both the Loreal Linear Intense and the Stiletto have felt tips,  the NYC liner has a really thin brush

Color Payoff:

Comparison: For overall intenseness of color, the Maybelline Stiletto is the BEST! Not only is it the darkest of the three, it also has the longest staying power. I found  that with the Linear Intense (which is also the most advertised and over hyped on YouTube), I had to go over the line multiple times and even then it wasn't very black and it had a tendency to turn grey and flake on my oily  lids. The NYC liner was great in color, but the flimsy brush and liquidy formula made it more difficult to work with.

Overall: I've been using the Maybelline Stiletto Liner for years, and even when I experiment with other brands and styles, I always find myself going back. Most definitely worth a try :)

Side Note: the images are recycled from my once YouTube channel

An oldie, but a goodie : Tresseme Heat Tamer

So, today I woke up and decided I wanted to look "fancy" (say it in a snobby French accent). So off I went on a mission to straighten my hair. Having avoided my straighter for the past two months, it wasn't a total surprise that I burnt my arm, scalded my ear and almost fried my eyelashes....Yup.

Half way through my mission, I smelled burning hair and I thought "Damn! I  forget the heat protector thingy!" Hence my reason for writing this blog today.

For those of that don't already know, some sort of heat protection is essential when working with hot  tools on the hair. Not only does it help your hair from totally frying and becoming a burnt mess, but it also makes the tool work more effectively because the tool can glide more smoothly.

The product I choose to use is the Tresseme heat Tamer Protective Spray.

Packaging: The product comes in a spray bottle form. This not only makes it easier to use but also more efficient  since the nozzle allows for a huge burst of spray that covers a greater  area. As a bonus there is small latch that you can push which prevents the spray bottle from spraying itself (excellent for when traveling)

Product: Typical heat tamer spray, but it smells awesome! Comparing it to other heat protectant sprays the reason I love this one is because it doesn't leave residue or heavy feeling. All I do is section my hair into four parts, spray once on each section and comb through  to distribute the product. Not only does it leave my hair feeling soft, but I've noticed less split ends when I continuously use heat on my hair over long periods of time.

Pricing: Usually around $5 USD

Overall: By now, most people either have this product or at least heard of it, hence my title. It's simple, easy, and gets the job done. The only complaint I have ever heard is that it leaves the hair feeling greasy, but that's only when too much product is used. Therefore ladies, don't get over zealous with the pretty smell, spray spray, done!

:) :) :) :) :)

Ugly Zit...BE GONE I SAY!!!

So like most people, I have battled ugly blemishes (i.e zits, pimples, acne etc..) my whole life. Even now, in my mid-20's I'm still prone to the occasional breakout that has me running to the mirror every twenty minutes to check if the monster has grown bigger :) However, through the years, after much money spent and hundreds of products tested, I think I have finally found the best PREVENTATIVE medicine I can buy from the drugstore that works for me.

DISCLAIMER: I am NOT a health  professional. This review is solely based on MY experience. Everyone is different, so what works for me, may not work for you, therefore if you have a serious skin condition, it is best you consult a physician/dermatologist, who can advise you on the proper procedures  and medicines to take that will work the most effectively for u :)

As teenager had these big  ole' honking pimples all over my forehead. As I got older, these little suckers started to travel down my face! I mean really! Its bad enough that I was a chubby teenager, then add to that these meandering pimples and yup, the perfect cocktail for low self-esteem. Don't worry I'm good now, but these pimples really motivated me to explore  products that would help me zap them away.

Proactiv, Clean & Clear, Neutrogena, Burt's Bees, Noxzema, Acne Free, Biore, Oxy, I mean if it can be bought at a drugstore store or mall, then I've tried it. While some helped ease the problem, most just irritated my face and exasperated the problem. However, eventually, I learned  better, fixed my diet, came up with a face routine that worked for me, and finally "conquered" my battle with the pimple :)

Now in my mid-20's, my biggest battle is with the darn zits! Alright, alright I will be the first to admit that I don't always wash off my makeup before I go to sleep. Oh hush, you know you have your lazy days as well :) Sadly though, the next day is when I pay, when I see the evil creatures sprouting on my chin. So my cure....Persa Gel! 

This product is awesome! With 10% Benzoyl Peroxide concentration, this product  not only helps reduse the redness, but makes my zits vanish quickly without  leaving any discoloration behind. So if I feel a zit/pimple/cystic acne attack coming on, I just dab this sucker on, and BOOYAH! gone!

I used to think I was deformed because the salicylic products never seemed to work for me. While they worked miracles for my friends, all they ever did for me was give me dry skin, which is pretty epic considering the oiliness  of  my skin!

Why does Persa-Gel work? Because it kills the bacteria!!! It gets down to the root of the problem rather then just getting rid of the zit cosmetically. So while it may take two days for the zit  to die forever, thats excatly what its going to do, DIE FOREVER! The product gets deep down kills the germs and PREVENTS  new zits from popin up in that place again for a while.

So  if your  tired of bumpy zits and salicylic products just aren't working, give this a try :) It's cheap, effective and well-worth the hype.