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Grab yourself a slice of cake, and enjoy Adore A Polish's third birthday! I know, I've been a bad blogger and haven't been updating this summer. Excuses are excuses, and I won't bother you with them. What's important is that I plan on getting back into blogging.

I want to post at least twice a month, with a goal of one a week. Consider this the blog's birthday gift to you. I have several posts lined up and scheduled, so hopefully I'll be able to stick with it. If not, you're more than welcome to yell at me =)

Like last year I went through my posts from the past year and picked my favorites:

- Zoya Pixi Dust in Tomoko may possibly be my favorite/weirdest nail polish of the year. There's a close second, but I love this shade so much.
- In my first "let's talk about brands" post, I went over Essie and my love for the brand with a bit of history added in.
- Runner up for my favorite nail polish of the year: Essie Resort Fling. Beautiful shade that I can't resist putting on my nails over and over again.
- I still have an obsession with my Kate Spade Small Leslie, or Kate Spade in general. I haven't been using it much lately, but it's still a favorite.
- I was also glad to expand my brush collection this year with the iFabbo sampled Crown brushes. I use the crease blender religiously.

Lastly, last year's birthday post.

 For me, blogging is a wonderful hobby. Having the ability to share my opinions openly with an array of people is therapeutic, in a way. It's a way of expression. I know I may not be the most organized, or up to date bloggers, but I'm glad that I have people like you, the reader, to share my thoughts with. So, thank you. To each and every one of you, I thank you all for sticking with me through these bursts of nothingness. It means the world to me. ❤︎

To think it all goes back to that first post...

Zoya Pixi Dust Tomoko | Talk and Swatch

This year I managed to pick up 6 nail polished during the Zoya Earth Day sale, and one of them is a Pixi Dust. This is the first time they were added to the sale, and it was half off like the rest of Zoya's polishes ($5). I figured, why not? I'm not normally a texture fan, the concept is a bit strange to me (I blame the furry nails trend from a while back), but I figured: why not?

The shade I picked was Tomoko, and seriously this has been on my nails for the better part of the past month (basically since I received it in the mail).

I was shocked while I was wearing it. I expected it to have the lasting power of a matte polish since you're not supposed to put on a top coat as it ruins the effect. I was wrong. There was hardly any wear and tear, and lasted two weeks before I decided to remove it.

Second thing I was wrong about: I expected removal to be on the level of glitter polish. It was fairly easy. The textured bits didn't pull and get caught on the cotton ball, and it came off easier than I expected. It was a bit harder than normal creams and shimmers, but so much easier than it's glittery cousin.

One thing I was right about: it dries fast, pretty much similar to how fast a matte polish dries (again with the comparisons). It does smooth out overtime, though.

Easy to apply, easy to wear, easy to move. I like it =) I can't speak for any of the other brands versions – I know Essie and China Glaze have one, and I think OPI does too – but for my first (yes, first) textured nail polish I am pleasantly surprised. Is it worth the $10 price when it's not on sale? It's a bit pricey, but if you want one I can say it's going to last. I plan on picking a few more during next year's Earth Day sale if I can.

What do you think about textured nail polish? I'm a little late to the game, mostly on purpose, but I'm curious what you all think.

Studio Gear CC Cream in Linen | Review

I received the Studio Gear CC Cream in the shade Linen for review purposes from Brandbacker (a full page worth of explanation soon to come). I did a survey a while ago to get a small sample (no review necessary), and when I saw that the full sized version was available I jumped at the chance since the sample size was a shade too dark for me.

There are three shades: Linen, (pictured) Natural, and Wheat. It has an SPF of 20 (yay!). It's said to be non-oily, prevents fine lines, and is supposed to restore skin elasticity (no idea how to test that).

I've been wearing this foundation for a while now, and first off I want to say at how impressed I am with how well it held up. I'd say it's light to medium coverage, and blends easily. My skin has been quite dry lately which has become a problem since almost all of my foundations are for oily/combination skin. I had heard that CC creams are usually for dryer skin types, and as someone who is used to oily skin this had me worried.

The dry patches were not made more noticeable when I had the foundation on, and my skin (usually I look at my forehead) was oil-free as far as I could tell. I did not use a powder over the foundation.

The wear, as I said earlier, was better than expected. I do a lot of running around/walking up and down steps at my part time job, and this foundation held up pretty well.

The above is a picture of how the foundation comes out of the bottle like some other products you've heard (think Almay Smart Shade) it starts off white and the color comes out when it's rubbed on the skin.

I use a typical amount. Not too much, but I can't use it sparingly or else there simply isn't enough. It's not too liquidity.

Overall: I really like the Studio Gear CC Cream. I feel as though it could be used by most skin types. The longevity, color, and overall quality is something that I like. My major gripe is that there is currently only three colors. If you are super super pale Linen may be too dark (it was riding that fine line for me), and if you have a dark skin tone Wheat may be too light.

Studio Gear CC Cream retails for $34 (1fl oz) and can be found online. You can get 10% off using the code bloggercc through their website.

Have you ever tried a CC cream? If so, which is your favorite?

Sample provided for review

Updates and Stuffs

Hello hello! Long time no see. It's been what, 3 weeks? I don't even remember why I didn't post anything in those first two weeks (probably lack of motivation and nothing to write). But last week I unexpectedly had to stay the week at a friend's house for work reasons and therefor all of my things were not with me (seriously. I had only planned to stay 2 days and it turned out to be the whole week).

You forgive me, right? I gave you a picture of a bunny as a peace offering. That's Emma. Don't let her cuteness fool you. She's evil.

I hope to have a few blog posts up soon; some spring related posts, reviews, and maybe some random bits.

I did want to mention that I will no longer be doing anymore book related posts, and eventually I will go through and delete the wrap ups. This is a "business" decision that I hope will be worth it in the end. <--Confused, huh? Sorry =( Super secret stuff that doesn't really have to be a secret. I'm just thinking ahead.

I think that's all the updates I have for today. See you guys soon!