July 29, 2013

NOTD: July 29, 2013

Today's NOTD is pretty different from my usual - it's a matte finish!


This is 2 coats of Julep Nora (but could easily have been 1 coat, I was tired and made some mistakes) over Orly Top 2 Bottom base coat. There is no top coat in order to keep the matte finish of the polish, but I think this would be lovely as well with a top coat. I love how fast this polish dried, and couldn't stop from staring at my nails in this colour! I bought this polish for $2 from the Julep Warehouse Sale

If you're interested in Julep, see this post, or my referral code is 9830128.

Have you tried matte polish? What's your fav?

Thanks for reading!

July 23, 2013

NOTD: July 23, 2013 Royal Baby Edition!

In honour of William and Kate's new baby boy here's a baby blue NOTD!


This is 4 coats of Sephora by OPI Havana Dreams (from this haul) over my Revlon Multi Care Base + Top Coat, and 1 coat of NYC 255A over top all except the accent nail.

This was a frustrating polish to work with, 4 coats is 2 coats more than I'm used to. However, I love this colour, so I guess I'll just have to save it for days when there's time for a longer mani.

I'll also admit that I was half way through painting my nails when the news was announced so I either jinxed the baby's gender with my nail colour choice or I just picked the right day for baby blue!

I wonder when we'll learn the baby's name, any guesses?

Thanks for reading!

July 21, 2013

NOTD: July 21, 2013

I had to try out my new Nails Inc polish (from this haul) and though it looked perfect with Julep Alice (for more on Julep see this post).


This is 2 coats of Nails Inc Mayfair over (and under) Revlon Multi Care Base + Top Coat and 2 coats of Julep Alice as the accent nail.

White polish is hard to work with, and this definitely finished streaky and needed the top coat to help it look better. Not sure if I'll buy another Nails Inc polish, definitely not worth the regular price of $11.50 at Sephora, maybe if it's less than $5?

Have you found a non-streaky white polish? What is it?

Thanks for reading!

July 18, 2013

Haul: Julep Warehouse Sale!

So a while back, Julep hosted its first online warehouse sale. I got sucked in by the $4 nail polish and also used my BEAUTYBIO code to get all single nail polish at 50% off.
Here's what I picked up:
From L to R: Carrie, Morgan, Barbara, Hilary, Amber, Nora

Aren't these pretty? And for only $2 each! Amber and Nora are the matte suede finish, something I didn't own.
For more information on the monthly Julep maven program click here

Did you buy anything from the warehouse sale?

Thanks for reading!

July 15, 2013

NOTD: July 15, 2013

Hope everyone had a great weekend! The weather was beautiful here! In light of the gorgeous hot weather, here's a summer-ready NOTD


This is 2 coats of Sephora by OPI It's All About Me (bought in this haul) over my Revlon Multi Care Base + Top Coat. This is a lovely bright medium pink!

What did you do this weekend?

Thanks for reading!

July 12, 2013

NOTD: July 12, 2013

Here's a bright and fun NOTD, perfect for a Friday!


This is Color Club Abyss (2 coats) over Revlon Multi Care Base + Top Coat, with OPI Austin-tatious Turquoise (2 coats) on the accent nail. Abyss was so shiny I didn't even use a top coat! I bought these polish from this haul

How is your summer going so far?

Thanks for reading!

July 11, 2013

July 11 Mini-Haul!

As some of you might already know, Sephora is selling Urban Decay's Vintage 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils for 50% off!
I was at my local Sephora recently and wanted to check them out, only to be unable to find the so called deal in either the sale section or in the Urban Decay section.  Luckily a lovely helpful Sephora associate offered to help me.  I explained the deal to her and told her that online it said they in stock at this location, extremely skeptically she told me she'd go talk to her manager and figure it out.  A few minutes later she came back with a handful of the colours available at that location, extremely surprised that I had somehow known the sales better than anyone working at Sephora (I'm a Sephora addict of it's actually not surprising, lol)
I picked Lucky and Crash and after trying them both I'm kicking myself for not picking up more!

 
 
Crash is a deep eggplant purple with silver micro-glitter
Lucky is a deep copper
 
These have turned me into an Urban Decay believer! Not only are these THE BEST eyeliners I've tried (and I have at least 20 eyeliners from various brands) they are super pigmented and definitely worth the $23 CAD price tag.
 
Since I'm being "good" and trying not to buy much more make up, I'm hoping that Urban Decay will have a Fall or Christmas set of eyeliners so I can try out a bunch more colours!
 
Have you seen any amazing deals lately? Share in the comments!
 
Thanks for reading!

July 08, 2013

NOTD: July 8, 2013

Here's one of my favourite polishes:


This is 2 coats of Essie Play Date over my Revlon Multi Care Base + Top Coat.  Play Date is a super shiny blueish tinged bright purple.  I love it!  I do however find Essie polish a bit more finicky to work with.  Purple is one of my fav colours and this is just so bright and springy!

Do you love Essie polish?

Thanks for reading!

July 06, 2013

NOTD: July 6, 2013

Another simple and classic NOTD


This is 2 coats of Sephora by OPI Nonfat Soy Half Caff over my Orly Top2Bottom base coat. As you can see, this polish I on the sheer side and my nail line is still visible after 2 coats.
This nail polish is a simple neutral, that would definitely be work appropriate (even in the most conservative workplaces).
Sephora is selling its Sephora by OPI nail polish at 50% off, so if you love this colour you can try to pick it up online or instore!  I got this from the Sephora Nailed It! set (haul here).

Are you restricted to neutral nail polish at work? What are your favourite neutrals?

Thanks for reading!

July 05, 2013

June Empties

Less empties this month, but I do find that posting is encouraging me to use up samples and products rather than alternating everything.

Back row L to R: Ole Henriksen Sheer Transformation, First Aid Beauty Face Cleanser
Front row L to R: Bioderma Sensibio H20, Sensodyne Pro-namel Gentle Whitening toothpaste, Citrus Body Mist, Maybelline Illegal Length mascara

Ole Henriksen Sheer Transformation oil-free, brightening moisturizer: I received this as a sample from Sephora during the VIB Chic Week (post here). I really wanted to like it, because I've heard awesome things about Ole Henriksen, and I thought an oil-free moisturizer would be perfect for my oily, combination, acne-prone skin.  I got about 4 or 5 uses out of this foil packet, since the moisturizer feels super creamy when you put it on.  However, this actually dried my skin out! I've never had that problem before, so this is not something I would purchase.  I guess I'll have to keep looking for my HG moisturizer

First Aid Beauty Face Cleanser: I received this sample as a purchaser from Sephora back in December and finally got around to using it. It's safe for sensitive skin and says it has an antioxidant booster, so I thought I'd give it a try. OMG. This smelled awful, and super strong. This foil had about 2 uses in it for me, but I had to force myself to use it the second time since the smell was that awful.  I also didn't notice any improvements, so I will not be purchasing this product.

Bioderma Sensibio for sensitive skin: This is a water-free cleanser (ie no rinsing required) that also boasts its makeup removing skills.  I received this as a free sample from Shoppers Drugmart (this haul). I know other beauty bloggers that swear by Bioderma, however I found this very ineffective at removing more eye makeups, and my skin didn't feel as clean as a normal rinse-off face cleanser.  Therefore, I will not be purchasing, I much prefer traditional face cleansers and LancĂ´me's Bi-Facil for makeup removal.

 Sensodyne Pro-namel Gentle Whitening toothpaste: This is my favourite toothpaste, as I do sometimes have teeth sensitivities when eating candy or drinking something cold.  This doesn't have an overwhelming mint taste, and I find it pretty effective at whitening.  I have already repurchased this product to replace the empty.  Definitely recommended for those with sensitive teeth.

Citrus Body Mist: This is super old. I'm pretty sure I got this in a loot bag from a birthday party (yes, that long ago!). I finally finished it up! I'm not a huge citrus scent person, but I did find the scent of this refreshing almost like orange, grapefruit, and strawberries? The scent was not long-lasting, it would fade within an hour of application. I'm guessing this was bought from a dollar store or the like, so I wouldn't repurchase, but I didn't hate it!

Maybelline Illegal Length mascara in very black: I bought this last year on the way to work after realizing I'd forgotten to apply mascara that morning.  I do prefer CoverGirl LashBlast to this, but this does do a nice job lengthening and volumizing lashes.  The brush is different from other mascaras with softer bristles. I would repurchase this product, but definitely won't be needing mascara anytime soon thanks to the Sephora Lash Stash and a multitude of VIB mascara codes!

Any suggestions for moisturizers to try out? What products did you use up in June?

Thanks for reading!

July 03, 2013

NOTD: July 3, 2013

Today's nail of the day is a fun bright spring/summer look inspired by watermelon!


This look used 2 coats of Julep McKenzie (from my April Julep Maven box, click here for more information on the Julep Maven program) over my Revlon Multi Care Base+Top and then 1 coat of Essie A Cut Above (from this haul) as the accent nail.
I was worried that Julep McKenzie and Leah would be too similar, but they definitely aren't.  Leah is more of a Kelly green with a bit of shimmer, and McKenzie is a frost-toned acid green.

Is your manicure ever inspired by food? If so what?

Thanks for reading!

July 02, 2013

NOTD: July 2, 2013

Today's NOTD, nail polish was bought in this haul


This is butter London Billy No Mates.  I used my Orly Top2Bottom as the base, and this nail polish was so shiny on its own I didn't use a top coat!
This nail polish was great to work with, 2 coats are pictured, but as you can see it definitely emphasised the ridges on my nails.  I really want the butter London Nail Foundation, so maybe that would've helped the ridges?
Definitely a spring colour and well worth the luxury price!

Do you own any luxury nail polish? Which brand is your fav?

Thanks for reading!