I'm back! + Monthly Favorites

I've been gone for quite awhile but I've come back into action!

Yes, it's been awhile, so I'll add in a new post with some of my monthly favorites (of all sorts).

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Elta MD sunscreen - goes on super smooth, does not make me break out, and has a high SPF!

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Dariya Hair Fringe Grip - super useful for holding onto hair (get those strands out of the way) when applying makeup

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 Coastal Scents 12 Piece Brush Set - Great for travel and super affordable ($18 for 12 brushes)!. The brush hair is extremely soft. The only downside is that there is some brush fallout (hairs coming out) when washing and that when first opened, the brushes smelled a bit funky (chemical scent). After a wash though, they were fine =D

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 Hario Chacha Kyusu Maru Tea Pot - Made of glass with a large net to brew tea!

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Avalon Organics Vitamin C Renewal Vitality Facial Serum - super awesome facial serum for prepping my face. Also sold at Whole Foods

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Etude House Dear My Blooming Lips - #OR204 Bashful Coral - Recently I've been getting into Korean cosmetics, and this is an interesting product I purchased. It's got a beautiful color and the packaging is sooo cute!

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Nature's Gate Daily Cleansing Herbal Shampoo - This shampoo is sulfate-free and contains all kinds of goodies to cleanse hair and make it smell good!

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Simple Protecting Light Moisturizer SPF 15 - this is an old favorite of mine. It is one of the best sunscreens that has minimal scent and does not give a cakey, thick feeling typical of the stereotypical sunscreen. I've recommended it to several friends and they've all enjoyed using it.

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Tree Hut Shea Sugar Scrub in Coconut Lime - This is also an old favorite of mine. It's a great body scrub for desquamating/exfoliating skin (especially areas that are shaved/epilated) and also has a fantastic smell!

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Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat - I've tried several top coats and so far this has been my favorite one! It helps dry nails super quickly and also gives them a nice glossy finish. I've noticed that my manicures have lasted 2-3 days longer than usual with this top coat.

So there you go! 10 monthly favorites. See ya around!

Review: Essie Apricot Cuticle Oil

Photo Source
FTC: I am not compensated for this review. I received a sample of this from Essie.

I received a sample of this product quite a long time ago from Essie. At the time, I was pretty skeptical about nail oils and their purported effects on the cuticle. Boy was I surprised.

Ingredients:

Cottonseed Oil, PPG 15 Stearyl Ether, Polysorbate 81, Soy Bean Oil, Vitamin A Palmitate (A269), Vitamin E Acetate, Butylparaben, Propylparaben, Fragrance, Isostearoyl Hydrolyzed Collagen, D&C Violet 2, D&C Red 17

A cursory glace shows that this product is basically just oils, preservatives and dyes. Seriously. There is hydrolyzed collagen but I doubt that it actually penetrates the skin since it violates the 500 Dalton rule (basically any molecule that is more than 500 Daltons in molecular weight cannot penetrate the skin's barriers, source). Thus I don't really count it as an efficacious ingredient.

Results?

Pros:

• Very nourishing, especially when put on at night, post-shower
• Very soothing on nails
• Moisturizing to skin around the nails
• Emollient effects

Cons:

• Felt icky and sticky if applied during the daytime
• Price - $8 at Ulta for 0.5 fl oz. I've used Palmer's Cocoa Butter Oil and received similar results, and that costs $10.99 for 5.1 fl oz at CVS.

Ultimately, I think this oil is a nice thing, but it's a bit overhyped.

My DIY Christian Louboutins

The time I will be able to truly buy Christian Louboutins is when I actually become a real doctor. But until then, I wanted to try a makeshift way to create a somewhat semblance of them...

Tools:
Acetone (100%)
Rubbing alcohol (70%)
Cotton rounds
1 pair of black shoes (or whatever high-heels you prefer)
Q-tips to clean up excess nail polish

Nail polishes:
Base coat and top coat: Revlon Multi Care Base+Top Coat
Base color: 1:1 mixture of ELF Essential Nail Polish in Fire Coral and Maybelline Express Finish #800 in Sultry Siren.

 
The setup



Step 1: Clean the shoes with rubbing alcohol and cotton rounds.



Step 2: Apply a layer of topcoat.


Step 3: Apply 2 layers of the 1:1 mixture.



Step 4: Apply 1 layer of top coat.

Step 5: Allow to dry for at least 3 hours (for good measure), preferably overnight.


Voila!



DIY Christian Louboutins

Summer Makeup Tag!

   

Most Worn Summer Tag!

1) Most worn nail polish: Revlon (various colors, esp. red)
2) Most worn scent: None (don't wear perfume)
3) Most worn hair product: Goodie hairbands (brown + black)
4) Most worn bag: Nine West Pink Handbag
5) Most worn shoes: Reebok sneakers, Dr Scholl's flats
6) Most worn accessory: Necklaces (various ones)
7) Most worn clothing item: Black skinny jeans from Forever 21
8) Most worn foundation: None (don't wear perfume)
9) Most worn blush/bronzer: None (don't wear blush/bronzer)
10) Most worn lip product: Estee Lauder Pop Lips gloss
11) Most worn mascara: Maybelline Colossal Cat Eyes, Waterproof, Classic Black
12) Most worn eyeshadow: Estee Lauder Neutral Chocolate Quad

Tag: Would you rather... (Beauty/lifestyle edition)

1.) Would you rather lose all of your mascaras, eyeliners, lipsticks, and lipglosses or lose all of your palettes and eyeshadows?

Palettes/eyeshadows. Eyeliner, mascara, lipstick, and lipgloss are the basics!

2.) Would you rather chop off all your hair or never be able to cut it again?

If I could regrow it back, probably chop off all my hair. After all, never hurts to try something new right?

3.) Would you rather have a coral cheek or a pink cheek?

Coral.

4.) If you had $1000 to spend, would you rather buy clothes or makeup?

Uh... neither? Spend on med school tuition? But if I had to pick, clothes.

5.) Would you rather apply lipstick as eyeliner, or eyeliner as lipstick?

Yikes... probably eyeliner as lipstick. Black lips for a Halloween costume?

6.) Would you rather only shop at MAC or Sephora?

Sephora. So many varieties of brands and good skincare stuffs!

7.) Would you rather only use one eyeshadow color or one lip color for the rest of your life?

Lip color. Don't really care much for that.

8.) Would you rather wear winter clothes in summer or summer clothes in winter?

Lolz, I live in the deep south; it gets to around 80 deg in December. It doesn't matter!

9.) Would you rather have dark nails or bright nails all year round?

Probably dark nails. Neon colors would be too distracting.

10.) Would you rather give up your favorite lip product or your favorite eye product?

Eye - if I had to. I'd rather not get lip cancer from not wearing chapstick.

11.) Would you rather only be able to wear your hair in a ponytail or a messy bun?

Ponytail.

12.) Would your rather never be able to paint your nails again or never use lipgloss?

Never paint nails again. Need some moisture for lips!

13.) Would you rather shave your eyebrows and have none at all or sharpie them in everyday?

For practical purposes, if I could grow my eyebrows back? Probably the shaving.

14.) Would you rather live without makeup or nail polish?

Nail polish, hands down.

The end.

NOTD... from Christmas Break

 



Yes, I know, it is late. I just wanted to post this beforehand.

Like I stated in a few posts before, I did not want to paint my nails until Gross Anatomy was done. Yes, I know.

But it was Christmas, and one of my friends and I went to the mall. Why not try it out?

Base: Sephora by OPI
Middle: Massai Red by Dior
Top: Sephora by OPI

I took this coat off about a week later. I'm not going to put on nail polish again till Gross is done!

NOTD, 9.16.2012

   

At the request of one of my friends and long-time followers, I decided to do a Nails of the Day photo. Lately I haven't really been painting my nails because we're in Gross Anatomy Lab all the time, and well, when you're dissecting and everything, it feels kind of.... "gross"!

Don't get me wrong - I actually really appreciate anatomy lab as a course and have learned a lot from it. I just don't feel that having manicured nails and everything is very helpful during lab. And also, because of lab, the nails chip a lot more.

Apologies for the nail chipping - I've been running around a lot and have to do a lot of random stuffs!

Anyway,

Bottom + top coat: Sephora by OPI Nail Treatment - 3 in 1 Base, Top, & Strengthener

Middle 2 coats: Julep Nail Vernis - Anne

<3

NOTD

With flash:

Without flash:

Base + top coat: Revlon Multi Care Base+Top Coat

2 coats: NYC "In a New York Color Minute" Quick Dry in Pier 17

Base color for stripe: Nail Savvy in White

Stripe top: Julep in Maya

Have a great day!

Simple NOTD + Current (ok) addiction

Top & bottom coats: Revlon Multi Care Base + Top Coat

Middle coats (2): Revlon Top Speed Hazy

Lately, I've been addicted to black iced tea. Just your average iced tea. I don't like drinking coffee because I usually have to add stuff just to make it drinkable, and even then it tastes bad. Diet coke is pretty bad for you in general, and regular coke/pepsi/dr pepper gets tiring after awhile. For some reason, though, iced tea seems okay. It works on your system more gently, is drinkable without any additives, and still somewhat hydrates me.

What do you guys and gals think? Do you have any addictions that are (at least somewhat) beneficial to your health? Leave a comment below!

<3

Source: 1

Happy Valentine's Day! NOTD (Toes) + Review on Essie Sexy Divide

Base + top Coat: Revlon Multi Care Base+Top Coat

Purple: Essie Sexy Divide

Stripe base: Essie One Day Without Blues

Stripe top: Julep Nail Polish, in Maya

Here is the Essie Sexy Divide individually (not my pic):

The Essie Sexy Divide is a really nice, creamy, purple-ish nail polish with a slight purple-pink glitter. It glides on really nicely and is really pretty.

Thank you to Hannah from hannahfyed for the Essie Sexy Divide nail polish!

Source: 1

Why I haven't been doing NOTD in awhile

Okay guys,

I'm here to fess up. I haven't been doing NOTD entries for awhile. In fact, not for a few months, perhaps. As my friends on this blog, one must know that I absolutely ADORE nail polish. Sure, it smells really bad during application, but afterwards, it looks so pretty. It also feels kinda cool, especially on my toes.

The reason why I haven't been doing them is because of my lab work.

As you guys might know (perhaps or perhaps not), I am a biology major in university right now. As part of my requirements for graduating with a B.S. (Bachelor of Science), I must produce a thesis on my research at the end of this semester. Thus, this means that I have to do a lot of lab work in the field. And this means, of course, that I CANNOT wear nail polish. Or rather, I could, but it would just end up getting chipped the next day in lab. During this past semester (August - December 2011) I have gotten a total of 13 split nails. And they were painful. This doesn't count chipped nails. There are wayyy too many of those to count. And what's worse is that sometimes, my split nails themselves have gotten split. This is where it really sucks.

Thus, guys, Even though you might see in some of my photos that I have taken that I have painted nails, that is because I took the pictures earlier on, and that I reviewed the products later or something. I just took the pictures earlier. I feel that after this semester is over, my nails will need A LOT of TLC, because they have definitely taken a giant beating.

During my Thanksgiving weekend, the bf (more about him later) and I went to the local mall. You know you see those nail shops along the aisles where people walk and stuff between stores? Well, the guys manning the shops came up to me and kept on showing me how crappy my nails were, and how they buffed them and made them all pretty and shiny and everything. Well, not surprisingly, due to lab work, two weeks later, they turned to crap again. Oh well.

So, therefore, it might be awhile until I do my next NOTD, because of the fact that my work simply does not allow me to do so. I guess those are the pains of trying to make a beauty blog and trying to lead a life as a bio student as well.

Anyways, this was just a truthful moment speaking. Let me know if you would like more of these truthful conversations. I feel that I revealed a bit more about myself today in this post than in previous ones where I post reviews and hauls and stuff like that. What do you guys think?

<3

Nail polish remover review

Hey guys,

I feel like people often do reviews of nail polish, but not actually of the remover. So here's one that I'm currently using:

It's the Target line of StudioTools nail polish remover, acetone-free. I'm really glad it doesn't have acetone but I'm pretty sure the ingredient that is replacing that has to be just as corrosive in order to get the job done.

I've got to say that it does the job well. It was a professional size, and was $2.50, relatively cheap. It does the job better than just about any other acetone-free nail polish remover I've used.

I want you guys to notice something:

I don't know if you can see, but there is actually an expiration date! Nail polish remover actually also has an expiration date, and expires, despite what people say.

Anyways, will this be a repo? Probably!

<3

NOTD

Top coat + Bottom coat: Revlon Multi Care Base+Top Coat

2 Coats: Revlon Top Speed in Hazy

NOTD

Nails of the Day

Bottom coat + top coat: Revlon MultiCare Base+Top Coat (965).

NYC's "In a New York Minute" Pier 17 (208).

My nail polish collection!

How I store them: In a simple tin that was originally meant for cookies! =D

Yeah I know, it looks like a lot. I've collected them over the years, and I really like them =D

Here's the whole collection for comparison. It doesn't look like that many now, right? (or at least as many)


Here are the latest ones I have:

I got these for $1.99 each at CVS. From left to right: Hazy 810, Golden 830, Pink Lingerie 110, Espresso 840, Peachy 405, Black Star 880. The original price was $6.29, but one week they lowered it to $4.99 each, with $3 ExtraBucks, so thus, ta-da!

These are my ELF nail polishes. L-R: Fire Coral, Rosy Raisin, Purple Dream, Golden Goddess. They were $1 each (the old ELF formula for nail polishes; they are now $2 each on the website).

Here are the Claire's nail polishes! Plus one Essie nail polish. From L-R: Mean Green, Diva, Secret Garden. I got these for $1 each, from Claire's (oops, that was obvious). The Essie one is "One Day Without Blues". It was for free from a TOMs promotion awhile back. I think it would probably be the most expensive nail polish in my collection, pending it was purchased actually (it would be worth $8).

Random nail polishes! Nail Savvy's French White White (this is a VERY old bottle of nail polish; this was the old formula; the new formula looks completely different), Milani's Baby Pink, Nail Swatches Nail Enamel in a red color (I don't think this product is sold anymore), Estee Lauder in Rosy Pink 62, Unbranded nail polish in "orange sh-orbit". I actually don't know the prices of any of these. They were all gifts from friends and family. I think the Estee Lauder one is worth around $20 though.

NYC + Wet N' Wild nail polishes. L-R: NYC "In a New York Minute" in Pier 17 (208), NYC Long Wearing in Big Money Frost (118), NYC Long Wearing in Pink Promenade Creme (109), NYC Long Wearing in Taxi Yellow Creme (114), Wet N' Wild in Bijou Blue, Wet N' Wild in Kaleidoscope 460C (the very old formula). The NYC "In A New York Minute" was $1.72 from Target. The other NYC's were about a buck each from Target. Wet N' Wild shine (Bijou Blue) was around $1 at Walgreens. I'm not sure about the Wet N' Wild old one in Kaleidoscope; it was given by my mom (I imagine it is worth around $1, if it were brand new).

I forgot to mention my last nail polish: the Revlon Base+Top Coat. I think I got it around $1.99 as well from CVS, although I'm not really sure because I got it awhile ago.

So yeah, that's my nail polish collection! Hope you enjoyed this =D

<3