Barielle September Sweepstakes!

 Hey guys! Did you know that Barielle is having another amazing sweepstakes?!

Check out the prizes below!

 The September Sweepstakes started on September 12^th and end on September 26^th.   

There will be 10 prizes given out and one Grand Prize of a Cole Haan Silver Satchel, RSP of $175.00.
The Barielle kit will consist of:

• 1.  Two of the Fall Collections 5 Packs (Sophisticated Lady and Nude & Naughty) - $50
• 2.   One Nail Rebuilding Protein Base Coat - $17.50
• 3.   One No Chip Speed Dry Top Coat - $12.50
• 4.   One Nail Strengthener Cream - $17.00

The value of the total Grand Prize is more than $200.00!

The Grand Prize will include the fashion accessory plus the Barielle Kit.

The ten prizes are the Barielle products only.

Go enter on the Barielle Facebook Page now!

Happy Hands Springfield, USA Collection - Swatches & Review!

Hey guys! Sorry it's been slower with posting, for good reason though!
We have been looking at even more houses lately! Tomorrow we are putting in a offer on one that we love! (I hope we get it!!!) We have looked at 8 houses.. in the past three days alone /whew!
Cross your fingers for us please!

Anywho! Today's post is the fun cartoon-y Springfield, USA! Collection from Happy Hands!
This collection was inspired by the Simpsons!

*Products in this post were sent to me for the purpose of a 100% honest unbiased review.*

Everything's Coming Up Milhouse - Three coats.

"If you don't already have a nerdy best friend to back up all of your mischievous pranks, maybe this polish will help! A bright medium-blue jelly filled with yellow, orange-red, plum, and blue glitters."


Everything's Coming Up Milhouse 2x coats over Zoya Breezi.


Krustofsky - Three coats.

"Hey hey hey! An ode to the disfunctional TV clown, this is a white jelly filled with yellow, blue, purple, orange, red, and green glitters."


Sector 7G - Three coats.

"A medium gray jelly with (not-quite glowing) neon green hexes, squares, and iridescent lime glitters. Even for the simplest safety inspector from Sector 7-G, this polish is nucular!"


Stupid Flanders - Two coats.

"An evergreen polish with brown, bright yellow, gray, and plum glitters inspired by everyone's favorite neighborino! (Feels like you're wearing nothing at all.. nothing at all.. nothing at all...)"


Worst. Polish. Ever. - One coat over Barielle Dinner at 8.

"Worst. Polish. Ever.: Why you little...! This is whirlwind of yellow, blue, brown, red, orange, and green in a glitter topcoat to bring your favorite cartoon family to your nails!"

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I absolutely love the colors and glitter combinations in this collection!
My favorite is Everything's Coming Up Milhouse, The blue, so perfect! <3
Sector 7G is another favorite! I love the base color mixed with the lime green glitters.

In Augusta where I grew up me,  my husband (then boyfriend) and friends would go see local bands play shows at a place called Sector 7G downtown, so I might be biased!
We had a lot of good times there, I had no idea the name was from the Simpsons!

Krustofsky was a little thick for three coats for me personally so I'm going to try it layered
over a white base next time,but other than that they all went on with ease.
 Especially Everything's Coming Up Milhouse, Sector 7G & and Stupid Flanders.
Kristi is amazing at making glitter toppers so Worst Polish Ever is far from what the name depicts!
It's amazing over so many different colors! I had tons of fun with it and a nail wheel :)
I have no idea how she makes them all so awesome without being repetitive!


You can purchase Happy Hands Nail Polish for $10.00 at Bigcartel.
You can also purchase HH polishes from the following sites & etailers

Etsy
Edgy Polish*
Femme Fatale*
Harlow & Co.
Mei Mei's Signatures*

*The starred sites are the ones that have this collection (along with the HH's website!)


Be sure to follow Happy Hands Nail Polish on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!



What do you guys think of this Simpsons themed collection?
Also keep an eye out for Kristi's new Halloween collection! Are You Afraid of the Dark? 

*Products in this post were sent to me for the purpose of a 100% honest unbiased review.*

Pahlish Summer Soda Fountain Collection - Swatches & Review!

Hi guys! Here is a incredibly late post from me :(
Today's post is the Pahlish Summer Soda Fountain Collection!


*Products in this post were sent to me for the purpose of a 100% honest unbiased review.*

Bubbly Blue Raspberry - Top - Three coats. Bottom - One coat over Zoya Sailor.

"Bright blue jelly base with two sizes of green-blue color-shifting hex and blue duochrome glassfleck shimmer"

Mattified with Butter London Matte Finish.

I wanted to try Bubbly Blue Raspberry over a green too since it shirts to green a bit,
And I'm so glad I did! Here is it over Zoya Hunter and Zoya Sailor.
I LOVE that it is versatile! It looks so different over green!

Italian Cream Soda - One coat over A England Lancelot.

"Clear based glitter topper packed with color-shifting translucent glitter in a mix of sizes and shapes, accented by a mix of soft gold and silver holographic glitters in multiple sizes and shapes, finished off with a scattered gold metallic shimmer"

Legra; 1956 - Top - Two coats over Zoya Hunter. Bottom - One coat over Takko Lacquer Schiaparelli.

"Neon green glitter topper with three sizes of neon green hex, scattered iridescent green hex, and melon green metallic dots all in a sparkling just barely neon green base"

Root Beer Barrel - Top - Three coats. Bottom - One coat over Zoya Louise.

"Rich root beer brown jelly base with orange-green color-shifting hex in two sizes accented by metallic gold microflake shimmer"

Who Loves Orange Soda?! - Three coats.

"Vibrant orange jelly base packed with two sizes of blue-violet color-shifting hex and gold metallic microflake shimmer"

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I really love this collection, it has a really fun variety!
I prefer to layer Root Beer Barrel. Louise and RBB go together perfectly.
But I like Bubbly Blue Raspberry more on it's own, it;s more shifty in person and really pretty!

They are all stunning! Legra; 1956 and Italian Cream Soda have SO many possibilities and I just love that!
I didn't have formula issues with any of these except for Italian Cream Soda and it was minimal, the glitters just tried to stick together a little during application. So I think Dabbing would be best for that polish.


You can purchase these and other Pahlishes from Bigcartel for $9.00 each!

To keep up with Pahlish follow on Facebook!

Pahlish will be restocking tomorrow at 7pm CST!



What do you guys think of these?
Also be sure to check out her fall collection! It looks amazing!

*Products in this post were sent to me for the purpose of a 100% honest unbiased review.*

Zoya Fall 2013 Cashmere Collection - Swatches & Review!

Hello :) Today I have the Zoya Cashmere Collection to show you!
This collection is made of six savory and rich creme shades.

*Products in this post were sent to me for the purpose of a 100% honest unbiased review.*

Livingston - Two coats.

"Zoya Nail Polish Livingston can be best described as lush autumn red. This is one "haute" red!"


Pepper - Two coats.

"Zoya Nail Polish in Pepper can be best described as a brick red cream (Originally designed for Peter Som/AW13)."


Sailor - Two coats.

"Zoya Nail Polish in Sailor can be best described as a classic dark navy cream.
This is a color that can easily be worn as a go with everything neutral."


Hunter - Two coats.

"Zoya Nail Polish in Hunter can be best described as a dark sea green cream."


Louise - Two coats.

"Zoya Nail Polish in Louise can be best described as rich chocolate brown cream - color you can just dive into."


Flynn - Two coats.

"Zoya Nail Polish in Flynn can be best described as a lush camel brown nude cream.
This is a real go to color for the season!"
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I know there are quite a few people bored or let down with this collection, as they are with many of the other fall collections from other brands...but I still really love these.
I love Zoya, and I had zero issues with application on any of these - They went on smoothly!
The formulas were very consistent and apply with ease. Livingston is a little thinner than the rest.
Louise and Hunter were a tiny bit streaky on the first coat but they evened it out beautifully with the second coat.

I was very shocked that Flynn doesn't look bad on me, I thought the color would look wretched with my skin tone but I'm very happy that it doesn't!
I love all of these shades, so picking a favorite is hard...but Hunter is probably my favorite!
Livingston and Pepper are SO beautiful in a gradient, my pictures of it ended up crappy and I had red stained cuticles from not using tape so I didn't post it but seriously they look flawless together.
Very subtle but gorgeous.
So be careful with the reds on your cuticles, if you floor them red is SO hard to get out at least for me!

These are all beautiful classic rich colors, the only way that I think this collection could be even better would be with a slightly deep pumpkin orange creme! Make one Zoya! Please?


Follow Zoya on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

You can purchase this collection and other Zoya nail polishes from http://www.zoya.com/

This collection retails for $48 as a whole or you can purchase them individually for $8 each!





What do you think of this collection? Any plans on purchasing it?

*Products in this post were sent to me for the purpose of a 100% honest unbiased review.*

Tweezerman Neon Filemates and Fresh & Fruity Mini Slant Tweezer - Review + Matching Mani!

Hi all! Yay - a post!  Today's post is featuring a super cute nail file and pair of tweezers from Tweezerman!
The second I opened this package I just couldn't believe how adorable these are!


*Products in this post were sent to me for the purpose of a 100% honest unbiased review.*



Fresh & Fruity Mini Slant Tweezer
"These berry good looking minis will brighten your beauty routine with colorful prints inspired by the latest fashion collections. Fresh hints of vibrant citrus in upbeat orange, strawberries in ravishing red, and pomegranates in passionate pink are bright and fun eye-catchers. These miniature versions of the award winning Slant Tweezer feature perfectly aligned, hand filed precision tips that grab hair every time. The ideal on-the-go tool, designed for every makeup bag, purse and travel."

I received these in upbeat orange! This is my second pair of Tweezerman Mini Slant tweezers and I LOVE them!
Thought I have tried tweezers similar quality none quite compare to Tweezerman!
The mini tweezers are more affordable than the full size ones at $15.00.Which may seem pricey but trust me it is worth it!
They also come in a little tube protective case for travel!

As someone who has always done my own brows I really wish I had splurged on these sooner!
Tweezerman does free sharpening for their Tweezers, Nippers and Scissor products (see more here)
I love that they do that but I honestly haven't needed it yet! My older pair of mini slant tweezers are 14 months old (I purchased them myself form Sephora) and they are still very sharp! Not to mention they are so cute!


Tweezerman Neon Hot Filemates
"Ignite your nail grooming routine with these new Neon Hot Filemates in three sizzling neon color combos. These files will match the stylish color of your nails and brighten up your purse or beauty arsenal in a flash. The new and improved professional quality files feature 100/180 grits for filing natural nails and medium sanding of acrylic nails.  All 3 files included. Perfect for nail shaping on-the-go, the neon hot nail files come in a pack of three in these sizzling colors. Convenient carry case included to keep files clean and protected. Perfect for purse and travel."

This adorable file trio with a case is priced at $7.00, which is a good value.
You may be able to purchase similar files elsewhere for cheaper but they are probably not the same quality.They do seem to lose the grit a little faster than the others I have tried of theirs.
But I think these are adorable and love them, though I don't need adorable files the fact that they are is a plus :)
Below I've included before & after filing pictures, but since I am a nail blogger they don't really get that "bad" or out of shape. So the difference is very slight, really just a little bit of shaping.
Plus I included a manicure inspired by the nail file! If you have weak nails I would recommend a higher grit though!

Before:

After:


After 2.0:

(This was my second use of this file!)


For this gradient I used a white base - Zoya Purity, a wedge makeup sponge,
Color Club Warhol or Poptastic (the polishcame in a unlabeled set!) and Illamasqua Gamma.
Also sorry about the odd hue of my skin, it's pinker than usual and my camera was freaking from the neons!
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Stay up to date with Tweezerman on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram!

I love Tweezerman and highly recommend their products! They are top notch!!
What do you think of Tweezerman products? What is your go to pair of tweezers and nail file?

*Products in this post were sent to me for the purpose of a 100% honest unbiased review.*

Real Talk..Lets get Personal!

​

Hi guys! Sorry I got to this later than I expected! If you saw my blog post earlier I stated that I was going to let you guys know why I have been posting more sporadically lately - so here it is!

I've been having a tough time lately and it's been very difficult to get myself to do much of anything let alone blogging.
Well...especially blogging if I'm being really honest.
I've considered posting about this for a while now, just to let you guys know what is up with me.
I wasn't sure if anybody would care or really be interested at all in my struggles with depression.

I mean you are all here just to see nails, right?

But depression is something that I have been dealing with for many, many years now.
 I'm not going to get into it too much, at least for now. 
But my depression does affect my life and blogging at times.
I have tried different medications in the past with little to no improvement but currently I'm not talking anything.
Mostly due to lack of insurance right now but that is a whole other discussion! lol.
I also have pretty severe general anxiety and social anxiety so those don't help either.
I believe people should talk more about depression and other struggles in life candidly.
I really hate that depression along with many other mental illnesses and disorders have such a stigma around them.

Sometimes I just get in a exceptionally​​ bad "funk" and the past month or two have been the worst one in a very long time.

I just genuinely wanted to say that I'm sorry that I have been posting less often, and I am very sorry if you feel the quality isn't always up to par in all my blog posts. I do try my best but some days it can be hard for me to pay the equal attention to detail as other days. I have felt incredibly guilty lately like I am letting you guys down in some way, and even more guilty that my reviewing TAT has been much slower.
I put a lot of stress on myself for blogging and I often worry about it starting to be less fun.
It is sometimes when I'm in these funks and I don't like to force myself so I try not to but then the guilt can rack back up.

So I just wanted to clear the air a little.
I hope that those who read this understand that sometimes I don't post often because I struggle sometimes and give me a little slack. I thought maybe sharing this would ease some guilt that I feel.

If you made it through this than well, you are awesome!​

And if anybody else had similar struggles and ever want to talk you can always shoot me an email.
I know it's not always a easy subject to be open about. There were years of my life that I didn't tell anyone.
But you will feel so much better if you do!

China Glaze Don't Make Me Wine, Gossip Over Gimlets & Public Relations - From the Autumn Nights Collection

Hi all! Today's post is featuring three polishes from the 2013 Fall China Glaze Autumn Nights Collection!
Enjoy! :)

Also I'm planning to write up another post tonight about why my posting has been more sparse recently.
It will be a more personal than most and non polish related so sorry if you aren't interested in that sort of thing!
I feel like I should talk about it on here though!

*Products in this post were sent to me for the purpose of a 100% honest unbiased review.*
Don't Make Me Wine - Two coats.Two coats.

Don't Make Me Wine has a much better formula than Public Relations, but you still have to (well, you should) apply slowly.
Since this polish is slightly brushstroke-y if you apply it too quickly it just won't look as neat or good.
*My picture makes it look slightly more purple than it does in person, it's a little bit more red than purple in person.*


Gossip Over Gimlets - Two coats.

This polish reminds me of Zoya Ziv, this is a silver and Ziv is a gold but they are similar types of polish!
I love this and I didn't expect to, I'm not a huge fan of metallics or foils, but this polish is beautiful.


Public Relations - Two coats.

The formula on Public Relations was pretty thick, could be used as a one coater.
I applied a second coat slower than the first so the brush strokes looked a bit better.

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I really love Don't Make Me Wine and Gossip Over Gimlets!
Don't Make Me Wine is a very pretty, rich shade and the formula is nice and smooth. Not too thick or too thin.
Gossip Over Gimlets goes on very smoothly also, and it's just so pretty and festive!
They all seemed to dry very fast for me!

I don't love Public Relations as much however, the formula is slightly problematic.
It is thicker than the others and you can really see the brushstrokes in it.
If you like it though the formula isn't horrible and it's definitely manageable if you apply carefully.
It dries quickly and it's pretty shiny on it's own. Just not my cup of tea personally though!


Stay up-to-date with China Glaze on the following social media sites!

Facebook
Instagram
Twitter



What do you guys think of these or the other polishes in the Autumn Nights Collection?

*Products in this post were sent to me for the purpose of a 100% honest unbiased review.*

Ninja Polish Color Changing Garnet

Hi guys! Today's post is a quickie but a goodie!
I bought Ninja Polish Color Changing Garnet a few months ago and finally got around to trying it!

It is SO pretty! I was swatching the Zoya Cashmere Collection (It will be up shortly!)
and I decided to layer this beauty over Zoya Pepper!

It's not as color shifty over red like it would be over a black or another dark color, but it was still stunning!

"Color changing garnet does not have a flashy exciting name but it can not be discounted as it is gorgeous. This gemstone shifts magnificently from a green to gold to red -- the shifting in this gemstone will keep you captivated! This polish starts off in a rich copper red and shifts to a rich emerald green. The accent of glitters that shift with it is stunning. Ideal over black for its truest color however placing it over a dark vampy red is truly outstanding! "

I used over coat over Zoya Pepper!
What do you think of this polish? I can't wait to try it over black!

You can purchase Ninja Polish Color Changing Garnet HERE for $11.00

Also fun fact: Garnet is my birthstone! lol