Ciate Sequined Manicure

This was another awesome Christmas gift that I received. I love this because it's something I never would have bought for myself. I'm a pretty practical person so, while I may have seen this and wanted it, I would probably never actually purchase it. But that's the fun in gifts - sometimes you just get really cool, whimsical things!

 

This is a sequined manicure kit by Ciate. I've never purchased anything from this company but I was familiar with the name because their caviar manicures have recently become very popular and are all over the Sephora website.

It really was as simple to apply as the instructions on the back of the box indicate. I've only used it this one time so far, but I would suggest doing it over a table so that you can easily wipe away any stray glitter. Luckily, the glitter is pretty large so you don't have the problem of trying to clean up that vey fine glitter dust that never seems to really go away. I, however, did this while sitting on the couch...I definitely do not recommend that.

The kit comes with a pot of multi-color glitter, sequin glitter grip polish and a mini brush. All you have to do is:

- Remove any nail polish, including base coat, from your nails

- Apply one coat of the glitter grip polish and let dry

- Working on one nail at a time, apply a second coat of glitter grip and gently roll into the glitter pot

- Gently press down the glitter on your nail and use the mini brush to sweep away any excess

- Apply a final top coat of glitter grip over the nail and allow dry for 15-20 minutes

- Done!

 

 

I just did it on one nail to try it out. I can't yet speak to how easy or hard it will be to remove but the instructions claim that it will be easy. We'll see. I like glitter polish but my only hang-ups are that sometimes it can take forever and lots of work to remove. Because these are bigger pieces of glitter and they are applied on top of polish and not mixed in with polish, I'm optimistic that it won't be a treacherous task.

Urban Decay Naked Basics palette

The Basics Palette

How crazy is it that I almost bought this for myself, decided not to, and instead received it for Christmas - and I didn't even drop hints or anything! I only wear neutral shades so when I saw this awhile back, of course, I immediately wanted it. Trying to save money, I put it down and stepped away. It stayed in the back of my mind because I knew it would be a good, practical buy for me. I must have had some good karma points to cash in because come Christmas day, this palette made its way back to me.



This palette contains both matte and satin colors, along with a high quality mirror. I point this out because I find that so many quads, palettes, etc often skimp on a good mirror which can make it very difficult to apply while on the go; which is, after all,  one of the selling features of palettes.




In the box, all fresh and new :)
 

Samples of the colors on the back of the box. Very accurate.

 

The actual case looks just like the box.



Six very wearable shades.

OPI If You Moust You Moust review



Here is another random discounted polish I picked up the other week. This one is from OPI and is called If You Moust You Moust and is one of four of the Minnie Mouse Collection. I would describe this as a bright pink; not quite a neon but no where near a baby pink. For these pictures I applied one base coat and two coats of color. I found it to be a little thinner in consistency than I normally like and it could probably do with three coats to even out the streaks.

 

 

 

Don't mind my cat in the background lol

 

 

 

 

Outfit of the day 12-22-12

Yesterday I needed to venture out and run some last minute errands so I wanted to wear something comfortable but, because it got super windy and cold, I figured it would probably be a good idea to dress somewhat warm. Good thing because I'm pretty sure that the end of the Target parking lot where I parked was in a different zip code than the actual store. 'Tis the season.

 

 

 

 

 

1 - Wool-blend coat from Old Navy. Every year I am able to pick up some really nice coats from ON. I purchased this one about a month ago and at the time it was 50% off so only about $25. Can't beat that! I saw the other week that they still had it in stores but they were 60% and then an extra 30% off so I'm not sure if they would still have any left. For me, I like having good quality and good looking coats but I don't want them too nice because then I just worry non-stop about getting them dirty. This one has a really interesting tulip collar and is a neutral beige so no need to worry about coordinating; I just throw it on and know that it looks timeless yet unique.

 

2 - Blue/white stripe long sleeve tunic from Old Navy. This bad boy was only $17 and then 30% off. Once again, I sized way up because I really wanted it to be long enough for leggings and account for any shrinking. I love that this is long sleeve because so often I find tunics that are only 3/4 sleeve which drive me crazy.

 

3 - Grey leggings from Wal-Mart. I really can't ever see myself paying more than $10 at the most for just plain leggings which is why I get them at places like Wal-Mart or Target. These ones only cost $5 and have lasted me years.

 

4 - Gold knotted necklace from Express. I don't always love all of the jewelry at Express but they normally have at least one piece every time I go in that is unique that I just have to have.

 

5 - Boots from Bass Outlet. Okay, I know, another kind of odd place you might not have thought of to shop. I was shopping in the outlets home in NY with my mom last year and she wanted to go in this store. I was initially just tagging along but then I noticed all the boots that they had. Of course since it is geared towards an older customer, not all of them were my taste but I did walk away with about three pairs. It's so hard for me to find comfortable boots with heels which is why when I found these I bought them in two colors. I'm not the kind of girl who can just grab up a pair of cheap shoes from places like Forever21 because I have very thin, yet also flat feet, so I have to really spend time searching. Plus, who really wants to be that person whose feet hurt so bad that they are hobbling around. You must know that people are secretly making fun of you in their head. Personally, if my feet hurt, I am a miserable person so I really don't mind taking more time and spending more money.

 

 

Christmas Town!

So, a totally random post - we went to Christmas Town yesterday and it was just so gorgeous that I wanted to post some pictures. If you're not familiar, Christmas Town is something that Busch Gardens does every year where they turn most of the amusement park into a Christmas wonderland. They keep a handful of rides open, mostly kid-friendly ones, but honestly, I go to binge drink hot cocoa and be dazzled by the lights.





Look how adorable it is there!

 

 

Snowflake shaped lights hanging from the trees.



 

It's a forest of decorated trees!

 



I actually got talked into going on the spinning tea cup ride. So horrible!

 



Vivid blue trees. Maybe something I'll try this year with my own.
 

They decorated one of the rides to look like water.
 

Too cute!

 

Branches of tree that was completely wrapped in lights.

 

I just love the way this looks.

China Glaze Sweet Hook review

In natural light - clear base coat, two coats of color and clear topcoat.


 

I found this in a discount bin in the beauty store at the mall (you know, that time I attempted Christmas shopping but mostly bought things for myself.) and for $3.50 I couldn't resist. The color is Sweet Hook and is a gorgeous  light lilac color. The consistency of this is very nice - full color, thick formula, and fairly quick drying. If you are in a hurry, you could get away with just one coat but I always apply two just to ensure even coverage. I've read previous reviews where people have complained about streaks or thin consistency but I did not find this to be the case.

This color is part of their Spring 2012 Electropop collection which contains 12 colors in total. I didn't know this when I purchased them since, by that point, they were just thrown into a bargain bin but, unbeknownst to me, I also picked up another color from the collection that I will post later. 


Pastels are pretty hard to accurately photograph so I apologize in advance!

Taken under a flash - clear base coat and two coats of color.

 



Outfit of the day 12-17-12

 

 

 

 

1 - Collared shirt from Old Navy. This shirt has such a great color combination that I couldn't resist. Its main color is cool grey with stripes of mint green and thin yellow stripes. It's cut in a loose style that can either be worn with long sleeves or rolled up. I sized way up for this (XXL) so I could wear it with leggings. Most things I get from Old Navy also shrink a bit so I wanted to account for that so that it would still be oversized after washing (this shirt is 100% rayon, though, so honestly it shouldn't shrink). This was already on sale for $15 and then another 30% off on top of that.

 

2 - Black denim shorts from Forever21. I bought these awhile ago on clearance for probably less than $7. I like them because they are pretty high waisted, have a distressed look to them, and are longer length-wise.

 

3 - UGG boots from Zappos. These are my first UGG boots and they are amazing. I purchased these during the off season so they were only around $100! Plus, Zappos does free shipping and returns which is great because I initially ordered them in two different sizes. I tried reading all of the reviews online but some people said they ran big while others said they ran small. It was enough to drive me crazy. I normally wear about 9-10 in boots and those were the sizes I ordered these boots in. I ended up keeping the 10 because I didn't want to have to wait or depend on the leather conforming to my feet. Thy are a little loose but I just wear thick boot socks with them and it makes them super comfy.

 

4 - Bangles from C Wonder. This is a new store that opened in a mall near me; I had never heard of it before then.  They have a ton of stuff in the store but these caught my eye because they kind of look like gears and I just thought they were different from other bracelets I've seen.

 

Outfit of the day 12-16-12

 

 

 

 

 

 

1 - Top from MNG by Mango purchased at JCPenney. JCP is making a comeback in big ways and I am loving a lot of things that they now carry. I feel like it's my secret shopping spot because a lot of people my age still consider it a store for older people and don't shop there. This top was a bit more expensive than most of their things at $35 because it is by one of their designer contributors. They have nixed all the coupons and sales and now offer everything at prices you would get after messing around with coupons and sales ads.  It's cut in a hi-lo fashion with loose grey material along the front while the arms and back are grey sweater material with hints of gold.

 

2 - Pleather skinny pants from Target. I bought these just a few months ago but unfortunately now I think they are on clearance since the summer merchandise is creeping into stores but I truly adore these pants. I've been looking for good pleather pants for about two years now but I had high standards: I wanted them to look as much like real leather pants as possible and to have pockets and these fulfill both of these. So many pleather pants I've seen have been more like leggings. I don't care how great of shape you are in, leggings are not pants and you should keep your butt covered! lol 

 

3 - Ankle wedge booties from Target. I fail miserably at wearing heels since I have flat feet (sexy, right?) so I gravitate towards wedges instinctively. These at regular price were $35, making them cute, comfortable and affordable.

 

4 - Black and gold clutch from JCPenney. Again with the cute things from JCP! This is edgy and glamorous at the same time. I love how the gold sections are reflective and in a cool pattern. Original price this is only $25 which is good but even better because I bought it at 40% off!

 

5 - Gold necklace from Forever21. Love my jewelry from F21! They are just always on trend and usually for under $15.

 

 

H + M buys

Yesterday I ventured out to the mall (a Saturday just two weeks before Christmas, what was I thinking) and came back with about three gifts for others and probably ten things for myself. This is why I need adult supervision while shopping. I wish I would have had more patience to shop in H&M because it seemed like they had some cute things. But, alas, I was frustrated with shoppers and Mrs. Fields cookies were calling my name from the food court. So, here are the three deals I was able to snag before physically harming another shopper.

1 - Grey tshirt on sale for $7
2 - White skull tank $12.95
3 - Blue skull/Native American tshirt on sale for $7




Love the collar on this. Can be worn on or off the shoulder.


 

Basic, easy to wear tank that I can see wearing under all sorts of cute jackets.



I wish the graphic was a little darker but for $7 I can't complain too much.





Polish obsession - GREEN

I've really been liking all shades of green recently and have been trying out a few ranging all the way from pale to dark and everywhere in between. Emerald has recently been named the color of the season so I must be onto something :)

1 - L'Oreal in Safari Chic
2 - Essie in Absolutely Shore
3 - Zoya in Bevin
4 - Essie in Going Incognito
5 - Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Mint Sorbet

I applied two coats of each on top of one base coat. The Essie Absolutely Shore would probably need three coats.



L'Oreal Safari Chic



Essie Absolutely Shore, Zoya Bevin, Essie Goin Incognito, Sally Hansen Mint Sorbet

Outfit of the day 12-15-12

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1 - Yellow sweater from Forever21

2 - Brown leather belt from Old Navy

3 - Grey skinny colored jean legging from Express 

4 - Boots from Rack Room Shoes

5 - Bracelet from Armani Exchange

6 - Navy leather handbag from Michael Kors