My Favorite Posts of 2012

Saturday, December 29, 2012


It's that time of year when bundles of favorites begin rolling out. I have a few myself, but right now I want to share with you all a few of the posts that I'm really proud of. Some of these seem like they were  posted so long ago! This year really too its time, and so much has happened.

The posts are mostly reviews, but that's because I love doing reviews. It's so easy for me to sum up my opinions, and I have no problem laying out the pros and cons to each product.










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What are your favorite types of posts? Is there anything you would like to see more of on this blog? I'm always open to suggestions =)



Favorites of December

Thursday, December 27, 2012




Nuetrogena Lip Gloss in Nutri Berry
I'm not a big lip product fan, but this lip gloss is quickly changing that. I bought it when Target was having a buy one Neutrogena product, get the second one half off. Totally worth it.

Nuetrogena Foundation in Natural Ivory
I originally wanted the Maybelline Fit Me foundation, but they were out of my color. I think I remember hearing that skin clearing makeup is a bit of a gimmick, but I don't know, I think this is actually helping a bit. I really like this foundation, it's light, the right shade for me, and it covers pretty well.

Pixi Eyeliner in Black Silk*
I have fallen in love with liquid eye liner because of this. I did a complete review on this product, so you can see my full thoughts on it there, but I use this more than my other eyeliner. I love the wear it has and the ease of application.




Boots Makeup remover wipes
I apparently have been using some crappy wipes before this. I usually use an astringent after removing my makeup, and it's pretty obvious at how much I missed. When I first tried these out (bought on a whim because I saw they were on sale), I wasn't expecting much due to my past experience. It takes off the majority of my makeup, eye and all, leaving just a small amount left over. I was so shocked, I fell in love immediately.

Boots Beautiful Skin Night Cream
Night creams are really important to me. Despite my extremely oily skin, I need some sort of moisture after I wash my face at night or it feels tight and dry. The smell has grown on me, and I really like how light this cream is. It feels like I don't have a lotion on when I go into bed, and when my face is glued to a pillow, that's a good thing.




Sally Hansen Wine Not
I used to be obsessed with reds. Over the past couple of years, that obsession fizzled out. When I reviewed the SH Insta Gel Strips I fell back into love, and have been wearing this color for the majority of the month. While I was reviewing that product, I went out and bought the bottle form of the color because I loved it so much. It's beautiful, and I really like the Complete Salon Manicures brushes, it's probably my favorite brush.

China Glaze Ruby Pumps
This has, no joke, been on my toes for the entire month. I think I took it off briefly to apply Wine Not, only to apply Ruby Pumps on top the next day (removal was horrific, I don't recommend doing that). I bought this color last year, but I didn't give it too much thought until now. Definitely a favorite for the holiday season.

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Those are my favorites of December! I don't usually have monthly favorites, but I was thoroughly pleased with the products I tried/used this month. What are some of your favorites?


*-PR Sample

Holiday VoxBox 2012

Wednesday, December 26, 2012



Another VoxBox! I got an e-mail saying I was pre-qualified so I decided to go ahead and fill out the little survey. I thought it was a hair themed one, and that's what the e-mail stated, but I like this one a lot! Over on my first VoxBox opening post I explained a little bit what it is: Clickey!

This is the Holiday box, and I received it on either Christmas Eve or the 23rd, I can't remember which. There's only one product that I'm iffy on, and that's the EBoost. I'm not much of an energy consuming type of person. Caffeine usually has no effect on me, other than making me an caffeine addict. Did you know that caffeine is the #1 drug? Seriously, it's literally addictive, and I had a caffeine addiction in high school. Complete with withdrawal headaches and everything. The things you learn in college, some of it you would rather not know.

Anywho, no more babbling! Onto the contents:


First thing that caught my eye when I opened it up was the hair brush; Goody Quikstyle. I first saw this on Essiebutton, and I was intrigued. I have tried it out, and it's hard to tell if it works just yet since I have so much hair. I love the idea, and anything that makes the drying time of my hair quicker is my friend.

Next I saw the leopard Kiss Nail Dress. I am going to enjoy these, even if I have absolutely no reason to wear them. Who really needs a reason to wear gaudy leopard nail stickers? I sure don't =)

NYC Liquid Lipshine in I honestly wish I could find the color. I think it may be #582, but I'm not very familiar with the brand, so don't count on that! It's a really nice nude color, I tried it out, and I like it.

I'm not an oatmeal person. I've given it numerous chances, but it's something my taste buds would rather not exist. I'm going to give it a shot, and I will probably mention something on the FB page, I don't think it's going to be so amazing it needs a whole blog post. What can I say, the blog is many things, but it's not a food blog. This is the Quaker Real Medleys Apple Walnut Oatmeal +.

Lastly is the Eboost Natural Energy pouch. It is pink lemonade flavored. Again, I will try this out and mention something on the FB page. Should be interesting, to say the least.



Ok, this little card has a discount code! Want to try out SoleSociety? Use this code to receive $25 off your first pair of shoes: INFLUENSTER25. www.solesociety.com. Let me know if you use it, or if you already shop at Sole Society.


The little card =)


Well, there you have it! That is the Holiday VoxBox. I will work on reviewing the products, and have those up in the new year.

How was your Christmas? Do any of you celebrate Hanukkah or Kwanza? If you do, how was it?




It's Winterlicious

Wednesday, December 19, 2012



This is such a fun little tag! Christmas is the favorite time of year for so many, and I love hearing about the various traditions.

Favorite Winer Nail Polish | At the moment I am in love with Sally Hansen Wine Not. I tried the color out when I reviewed the SH Gel Manicure set, and I immediately wanted a bottled version of this color.

Favorite Winter lip Color | It was a toss up between two different colors, but the Neutrogena Moisture Shine Gloss in Nutri Berry has stolen my heart. It's not too dark, and with the wishy washy Florida weather, it's great for when it's 50 degrees or 80 degrees.

Favorite Winter Clothing Piece | I wish I could say that I have this comfortable jacket, that makes me all warm, but I can't. I don't even own a winter jacket, I know that's tragic. I would have to say that my favorite piece would have to be my cardigans. I have 3 of them, and I look forward to this time of year so that I get to wear them.

Most Worn Winter Accessory | This is where it gets truly sad. I do not own any winter specific accessories. No scarves, no hats, no gloves, and certainly no ear muffs. I don't have a favorite, unfortunately.

Favorite Winter Scent/Candle | My favorite scent around this time of year is peppermint. I love peppermint anything. As far as candle goes, Apples is the way to go. At the moment I'm burning the B&BW Farmstand Apple, but really any apple scented candle works.




Favorite Winer Beverage | Peppermint hot chocolate ❤

All time favorite holiday movie | The Mickey Christmas movies. I can't remember the names, but they're the ones where they run through different stories featuring Mickey, Donald, Goofy, ect. I always have them playing on Christmas Eve.

Favorite Holiday Song | I don't usually listen to Christmas music, but I have always liked We Three Kings and Carol of the Bells.

Favorite Holiday Food or Treat | Cookies! There always seem to be a bunch of cookies around this time of year. That and Peppermint Ice cream. Eddy's, yeah. It's an addiction.

What is your favorite Christmas decoration? | Always ALWAYS a Christmas tree.

What's at the top of your Christmas list? | Nothing really, there isn't too much that I want. I'm pretty simple when it boils down to it. I do need a hair cut though, but that's not something you ask Santa for.

What are your plans for Christmas this year? | Same as it's been for the past 4 years; go to my families for lunch (I refuse to call Christmas "dinner" dinner when it's at 2pm), and then spend the rest of the night with my husbands family. We're thinking about spending Breakfast at my friend's house, but we're not 100% sure yet.


I think everyone should do this tag! If you do, leave me the link below. I would love to check it out =)

Happy Holidays everyone




Pixi Large Lash Mascara | Review

Tuesday, December 18, 2012


Pixi Large Lash Mascara Review

Pixi Large Lash Mascara Review



This picture is from my eyeliner review, but this is what my lashes look like without mascara.
Click picture to enlarge

Pixi Large Lash Mascara in No. 1 Bold Black
Pixibeauty.com | Target.com: No.1 and No.2

Pixi Large lash Mascara comes in No. 1Bold Black and No. 2 Best Brown.

The one thing I really like about this mascara is that it doesn't clump. A few times I have to run an eyelash groomer through it, but not very often. In the pictures above, I didn't have to use it. It's not a waterproof formula. I actually noticed that the mascara wasn't long lasting. It doesn't smudge, or at least it didn't on me, but when I went to look at my eye lashes at the end of the day, there wasn't much there. For some reason, I couldn't get the effect I wanted with my lower lashes. It wasn't adding much volume to the lower lashes, and I could see myself using a separate mascara.

It didn't lengthen my lashes as much as I expected, but it does darken them. It almost gives the effect that my brown mascara does. Not dramatic, but it adds something, and makes the lashes look fuller and better versions of themselves. It's subtle, and I like that in a mascara.

It's not my favorite mascara, but it is still a good one. Is it worth the price? I would personally expect more out of a product that costs $18, but for what it is, it's not bad. I wish it was longer lasting, and added a bit more volume to my lower lashes, but other than that it's a good product. If I do find a mascara that hits all the spots, I'll let you know ;-)


What's your go-to mascara? Do you use two different mascaras, or is your favorite perfect for all your lashes?




PR Sample

December Julep Box + A code for you!

Sunday, December 16, 2012





 Julep Julia. When I saw it online, I knew it was going to be similar to Orly Oui. I thought the gold shimmer would show up more than the purple, but when applied to the nails the purple seems to be more dominant. I'll do a comparison of both colors to be sure.


 Julep Barbara | A purple glitter with clear polish

Julep Patti | It reminds me of Orly Androgynie. I'll have a comparison up hopefully this week. 


These little things are really popular. The basic idea is that you take the little cabochon and coat it with a polish. Once it's dry, you put it in the ring and push the prongs down, and you have a little ring. I've also seen this done for earrings, and necklaces. Here is a post I found explaining the process, and showing some more examples: Click me!



Ready for the code?


Julep put this little diddy in my box, so I am going to share it all with you! With this code you get to pick two FREE colors. Remember, the polishes cost $14 each, so you'll be getting $56 worth of nail polish for $19.99 (I don't know if the penny code works along with this code), and a product. If you don't like any colors after that, you can always cancel.

Code: INTROTWO
To take a peak at at what could be included in your intro box, go here: Intro
If you do decide to sign up, I would appreciate it if you use my referral code: Link My unique code is 761299


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I actually really liked this box. I knew I really wanted Barbara, my stash of glitters is almost non-existent. I haven't tried the foot scrub yet, but it smells like a spa. I've been having issues with my account lately, and that's why it took so long for me to post it. I just received it yesterday.




Yet another weekly roundup!!






Sally Hansen Insta Gel Strips Review

Wednesday, December 12, 2012


I'm going to warn you all right now, this is a pretty in-depth review with lots of pictures. I received these from a PR company to, I assume, help hype up the unveiling of the Nail HQ. I hope you know me well enough by now to know that these types of things don't effect my reviews. I just wanted to address that before I dive into the huge heap of pictures that I took, and included in this mini novel.

So, this is the Sally Hansen Salon Insta Gel Stips. Basically you take the regular Sally Hansen strips, slap on some gel polish, cure it, and you're good to go for 2 weeks. Now, I have a few problems with this set, which I will go over shortly. My opinion/writings are going to be scattered throughout the pictures.

Sally Hanson Insta Gel Strips Review

Sally Hanson Insta Gel Strips Review

1. It's about $20 for the whole thing. Cool cool, it's a gel manicure, there's a lot that goes into it. I mean, look at all the stuff you get! It's like a nail party in a vox.
2. Well, let's look at what we have here: 2 packets of strips (with 8 in each pack, and we all know they are meant to be one strip per nail), nail file/pick, bottle of gel, 2 nail cleanser pads (used to remove the tackiness of the gel after curing), the curer, adapter thingy, and instructions. That's a lot! Right?
3. Yes, BUT take into account that those little packets are supposed to be one per hand, and the nail cleanser pads? Yeah, one per hand too. Which could only mean one thing: You're paying $20 for a one time use batch of products. Yikes!

Ok, it looks pretty bad now, but here is the method to my madness in making it work:
1. Use one packet per hand. Just size up the strips, and as long as your nails aren't too long, cut the ends. You should have plenty of room for another nail.
2. The strips are nothing special, they are plain boring nail strips.
3. There is a lot of gel in that tiny bottle, and the curer is reusable (go figure!). I can't imagine why you can't use this on more SH strips, or even actual polish (I have yet to test this out).
4. Use up all the pads? That's fine, hand sanitizer works just as good. Yes, I did try this out. The gel wreaks, and I still had some tackiness left over (I tried to only use one pad for both hands, it didn't quite work out), and I had a pocketbac. It works.

Sally Hanson Insta Gel Strips Review
Oh glorious horribly lit mess.

Sally Hanson Insta Gel Strips Review

Sally Hanson Insta Gel Strips Review

The steps are simple: 1) apply the strips on all your nails like normal, smooth smooth smooth, 2) then one at a time apply the gel top coat, 3) stick your finger under the light to cure it for 30 seconds (there is a timer built in), 4) Once that is done, use the cleansing pad (or hand sanitizer if you're feeling like a rebel) and you're done! Good to go =)


Sally Hanson Insta Gel Strips Review

Sally Hanson Insta Gel Strips Review

Sally Hanson Insta Gel Strips Review

Sally Hanson Insta Gel Strips Review

Sally Hanson Insta Gel Strips Review

Sally Hanson Insta Gel Strips Review

The color is Wine Not, which I went out and bought in bottle form shortly a few days later.


Kitty break! This is Kali, my cat Olivia's sister/littermate. She's my mother's cat.

Now, fast forward to two weeks later:

Sally Hanson Insta Gel Strips Review

This little booger fell off the Monday before my two weeks are over (which was today). My hair somehow managed to wedge itself under the strip. Like a bunch of strands, and it was quite painful. I was happy to see it go. I ended up applying the bottle version of Wine Not to my index finger.

Overall, the chips aren't too bad. Some tip wear, which is too be expected, and a few towards the bottom of the polish (not sure how that happened).

Sally Hanson Insta Gel Strips Review
Left hand, index finger is nail polish, not the strip (it fell off as stated above) 

Sally Hanson Insta Gel Strips Review

Sally Hanson Insta Gel Strips Review
On the ring finger you can see towards the base that I applied some nail polish to hid the chip. I did this several times throughout the past two weeks, especially on the thumb nail below.

Sally Hanson Insta Gel Strips Review
 These gashes were first caused by my husbands truck (a nail, bolt, something scraped the pain when I was getting something out, about 3 days in. The next gash happened as I was trying to pick off a label.

Sally Hanson Insta Gel Strips Review

Sally Hanson Insta Gel Strips Review

Sally Hanson Insta Gel Strips Review

Overall, I was pleased. I did begin to lose my mind about 5 days in. I wanted to change the color, but I stuck it out, even when I had to fight the urge to pick off the nail polish before the 2 weeks was up. Next time, I wont let it stay on for 2 weeks, maybe a week at most. My nails grow so quickly, as you can clearly see.

A two week manicure isn't for me, I'm someone who changes her nail polish as if her life depends on it. But I was pleased with the overall outcome. I wasn't expecting the quality to be quite as good. It is nothing but nail strips, so there's not a lot to bind the polish to the nail. You're not supposed to use base coat, for whatever reason. Not that it matters because mine has gone MIA. Plus, it's an at home gel manicure. How many of you would expect for it to look this good at 2 weeks? Minus the nail growth, to the untrained eye, and at first glance, it looks like a professionally done manicure. Which brings me to my next point: Is the $20 price point worth the hassle? If you plan on reusing the products, then yes I think so. It's a cheap way to do gel manicures. Is it worth it for one use? Unless you have some sort of phobia with going to a nail salon, no. I don't think it's worth it. For a similar price, maybe a bit more, you'll have more colors/brands to choose form, plus the added bonus of having a professional apply your gel manicure, making your money well worth it.

There are currently only three colors available: Shell We Dance, Red My Lips, and Wine Not.

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Ok, final part of this journey: Removal. Oh, and I thought the 2 weeks was brutal, wait till you get to the removal!

The PR rep was kind enough to send these along with the gel set.




You're supposed to use the pad while it's inside the packet, and yet the stick it in upside down. It baffles my mind. It dries out pretty quickly though, which doesn't seen logical since you're instructed to press your nails in/on the pad for 2 minutes.

I didn't like these. Only my pinky came clean, and it left the rest sticky, and hard to get off. I honestly got so frustrated that I began picking off the polish. I don't recommend this at all. Seriously, it did some serious damage to my nails. I couldn't even pick all the polish off, so I had to use the pad. Except the pad dried up before I could finish, so I had to open a second packet.





There was also this weird residue that stuck to my skin. It was difficult to remove.



Overall both products are hit or miss, I don't really recommend the remover pads. It really depends on what you're looking to get out if you're considering the gel strips. It's a great product, for what it is, but it's not suited for everyone. Likewise, it's perfect for others. I'm thinking about using this in the spring, i have some of this year's strips that I got on clearance. I'll probably post on facebook about how that works out.

What do you think? Would you try this out? Is it even worth it for you? What about salon gel manicures, have you ever had one done? I haven't, I'm too indecisive with my polish.

*PR sample