Thursday, August 23, 2012

Color patterned!

I've been eyeing this pattern on Pinterest for months.
Working on my dotting has been painstaking. Which sounds ridiculous, but TRUE.
I purchased these China Glaze colors Traffic Jam and Elephant Walk from amazon.com and I'm really digging them.
Traffic Jam is a deep raspberry cream, no shimmer. Elephant Walk is a soft gray with the slightest hint of silvery dust.
I still need more practice, but I'M GETTING BETTER! :)


Thursday, August 16, 2012

Just call me Pinky-lee!!




Ok, don't really call me that. I just looove this Pink combination!

Both are China Glaze colours. Dress Me Up is the pink I reviewed earlier. The glitter is Material Girl, and lemme tell ya, it is GLI-TTER-Y!! Multiple sizes of glitter gives a terrific saturation of the sparkly stuff. I had to use it to cover the entire accent nail because I haven't mastered the gradient glitter application look...but I'm trying!!

Both were purchased via Amazon.com because of the free shipping (you have to shop around to find it sometimes) or low shipping costs. Both were under $5 and included free shipping.

What do you think? Do you like it??

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

No More Arm Bumps? Awesome!

Hi everyone! It's been a busy summer hasn't it? Have you been neglecting your skin? No no, not the skin on your face, but your body??? All those scrubs and lotions and the sunblock/sunscreen I know everyone has been slathering on: well, if you're like me, you can get little bumps on your arms or legs. It's annoying.

I was first turned on to this little potion by the lovely Cora of VintageOrTacky.com (HI CORA!!!) and at the very next opportunity I rushed to the store to get myself my own bottle.

Enter in CeraVe Renewing Lotion. A body lotion with salicylic acid, ceramides and vitamin D (as per the bottle). The Salicylic Acid helps break down and improve the "slough off" factor of your skin, improving the texture slowly. Which is the real key. If you scrub and scrub and scrub your skin raw, you are going to have softness for about an hour, but then the roughness comes right back because you've scratched the surface of your skin. Literally. Breaking down the cells slowly and evenly improves the texture overall and for a longer run.

I've only been using it for about 2 weeks, every other night because frankly, I forget. It's been hot and the thought of putting anything on my skin that wasn't icy-chilled was an abysmal thought. I have noticed a reduction in the bumpies on my arms and my elbows seem to be softer, score!!


Now, this stuff does not come cheap. The 8 oz bottle (above) cost me about $16 with taxes and that's at a regular box store (Wal-Mart). Ouch. Fortunately, a little goes further than you'd think. One short pump and I was able to saturate my entire arm and it absorbs fairly quickly. 

Because it's a chemical exfoliant, using the CeraVe before bedtime is optimal. There's very little scent, so there's no real risk of offending yourself or a loved one. I'm betting you could probably layer on a nighttime lotion (your Lavenders, your Chamomile scented lotions) but I would use them sparingly. You don't want to negate the good stuff in the CeraVe.

The following day, you can use your regular lotion (I recommend Alba Botanica Very Emollient Body Lotion) but it's my opinion that you should also be adding sunscreen to your regimen. You can knock both off by using Lubriderm Daily Moisture Lotion with SPF 15.

Whatever you do, treat your skin well, it's got to last you for your life!