Friday, June 29, 2012

And the new WEN Summer Scent is....

MANGO COCONUT!!
And it is WONDERFUL!

I got my new WEN scent from qvc.com yesterday and could not wait to use it!
Much to my surprise; the stronger note in the bottle is the MANGO and not the coconut! I thought for sure I would smell like suntan lotion/the beach experience upon using the shiny new concoction, but no! The scent is strongly fruity, but not super sweet. Unlike other WEN scents, this one lingers long after. The smell is sweet but not overly so. Completely lovely!

photo courtesy of qvc.com community picture
My recommendation? If you're already a WEN fan, give it a shot! I'll be ordering another bottle soon.

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Stained your nails? EASY fix!

Have you ever used a dark or colorful nail polish, then after taking it off eventually you discover *GASP* your nails are stained BIG TIME?

Me too! My best friend (HI SCHMOOPS!!) gave me a terrific tip on how to remove the stain with minimal effort but maximum results:

Lemon juice and baking soda! That's it!
Spoon or dump some baking soda into a bowl, then add lemon juice and mix until you make a liquidy paste. It should feel very gritty, but not dry. You need it to stay liquid for ease of use. Then, dip your fingertips into the grit and massage your finger tops with opposing hands. Just like you would wash your hands normally.

It takes about 3 minutes, then wash your hands! Repeat if necessary, but I only needed to do it once and my darkly stained nails were pristine! (Naturally I didn't take a before or after picture of my nails. Frankly because I didn't think it would work as well as it did!)

The clean-up is as easy as every other step. And it's cheap! You probably have the elements in your kitchen already. Give it a shot! You won't be disappointed!


Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Don't forget your Top Coat!

If I hadn't purchased and tried this product for myself, I wouldn't have believed it.

Enter in Seche Vite fast dry top coat!
When it says fast, it means FAST! After applying two coats of nail color on each nail, starting at my pinky I applied one coat of the Seche Vite to each nail and by the time I was finished with my second hand, THE FIRST HAND WAS DRY TO THE TOUCH!! I'm not even kidding! Not "sticky" or "tacky". Slick and dry! (Granted, if you stab the polish, you're going to nick it still)

I first tried the top coat ten minutes before leaving for a night out; by the time I'd reached for my car keys I was marveling at my freshly painted fingertips and picking my jaw up off the floor that they were DRY!

I can paint my nails with regular polish, use the top coat and go straight to bed! Anyone who's learned the hard way that wet polish and bedtime equals ruined manicure by morning knows what I'm talking about.

Not with this little beauty!

Pricing varies, I suggest shopping around. I relied on my trusty amazon.com and was not disappointed.

The only downsides were the smell being very chemical and if I have a small cut it burns burns burns! Honestly, any polish burns when that happens.

To maintain my finger paint, I alternate days of application. Putting some OPI Nail Envy on first then the quick coat.

I highly recommend this top coat!


Wednesday, June 13, 2012

UGH!! Yuck!

Normally I only like to write up stuff I can recommend.

But I gotta tell ya, this base coat is HORRIBLE!

Sally Hansen's Tough as Wraps basecoat. I wish I could say anything positive but I just can't.

Even the thinnest coat of it bubbles and yellows almost immediately. Who wants their nails all bumpy??? (look at that picture! Yuck!!!) Not me!
If you're considering purchasing a new product for nail strength, I suggest OPI Nail Envy instead.


Sunday, June 10, 2012

Matte about my nails!

Ok, admittedly I'm not the greatest at painting my own nails. And the picture below only confirms it, however I have meant to write up the Essie Matte About You top coat.for awhile and showcase it over a dark enough polish to show it off.
The solid blue is a non-shimmer blue creme from MAC, specifically the Wonder Woman collection that was limited. The matte top coat makes the polish look like paper, and gives it a papery texture too. One coat is all you need to turn the tables on your regular nail color. The drying time is minimal, when it looks matte, it's basically dry. It's like having a brand new drawer of polish options! Plus, because it's a top coat, you can change up your polish on a whim and change back to shiny and glossy really quickly and easily!
Ordering from Amazon.com is the best way I've found, the prices are competitive so you can get a fantastic deal!