Back to the 70's...

Hello, Fireflies!

Today's Adventures in Stamping challenge is to do a color combination that we haven't done previously.  I mostly stamp with black, white, silver, and gold, so what color was I going to find?

I consider myself a child of the 80's, but I was born in the early 70's, so I have worn my share of polyester, and grew up in a kitchen adorned with gold and avocado green.

Browns and oranges also remind me of my childhood, and even though OPI Coral Reef is a coral, it's very orange-leaning.  And, it's a little holo. Yay!

I couldn't resist this stamping plate from MoYou London. So much 70's deliciousness.  This one is soooo 70's.

Sally Hansen Salon Cinnamon is a rich brown that I thought worked with the orange, and the 70's theme.  It actually stamped really easily, too!

If this post had a soundtrack, it might be the theme from Shaft. 

I loved it so much, I did it twice! Both hands.

Bottle shot:  OPI Coral Reef, and Sally Hansen Salon Cinnamon.

When you think of your childhood, what colors do you think of?

Glitter Before and After

Hello, Fireflies!

Yesterday, I had a HUGE post with all the goodies from four different subscription boxes in August.  Today, I want to focus on the two nail polishes I got from those boxes, and some before and after pix.

So, you saw this pix of the gorgeous Nailtini Mango-Rita:

 Gorgeous peach/creamsicle with a hint of gold shimmer.

Afterwards, I decided to pair it with this fun, pastel glitter in greens and oranges from Sally Hansen's Color Frenzy line called, Fruit Spritz....and apparently, I tried some of the Style Essentials on my ring finger, first.  Usually, iridescent glitters just show up better over a darker base, but you gotta experiment sometimes!

Don't these just compliment each other?

I also showed you Style Essentials iridescent glitter over Ulta Green And Wear It.

I love how iridescent glitters catch the light and show off different colors. My own private light show!

I thought you might like to see how gorgeous Ulta Green And Wear It is on it's own.  It's an emerald green crelly, opaque in two coats, but with a slightly squishy look to it.  Perfect for Fall.

I love that more subscription boxes are introducing nail polish, and you can still get some pretty interesting colors and finishes close to home, too.

So, what's your preference? Plain, or glittered?

August Subscription Boxes - Wantable, Ipsy, Beauty Box 5, and Birchbox

 Hello, Fireflies!

Lots of subscription box goodies to show you for August! Hang on....

GOT Black Shine?

Hello, Fireflies!

For today's Golden Oldie challenge, I take an older black and pair it with an older flakie.  And they are better together than they ever were apart.

When I first started getting back into nail polish, I thought OPI was the be-all, best polish.  Surely, they must have the best black polish, right?  OPI Black Onyx is probably the worst black polish I own.  Thin, streaky, and takes more coats than any other polish to get that nice, shiny, black finish.

Even Wet 'n Wild Black Creme is better.  Mind.Blown.

Essie Shine Of The Times is one of a dozen polishes that has this multi-chrome flakie finish.  Pretty on its own, but it takes a dark base to really ply all her secrets. 

Red, orange, gold, and green..

Oh, how it glows.  Lit-from-within, you might say.  Love these types of polishes.  They were my first polish loves, and helped inspire the name of this blog.

Bottle shot:  OPI Black Onyx, and Essie Shine Of The Times.

What's your favorite thing to pair with black?

An InLinkz Link-up

Zoya Flower Teacup

Hello, Fireflies!

Time for another tea party!  This time, I'm making floral abstract cups with the Peter Som trio of polishes from Zoya.

I wanted to love Zoya Cole.  It's the perfect orange creamsicle color.  But the formula.. ay, Zoya.  you rarely fail me, but this pastel is a mess.

Zoya Edie is a gorgeous blue.  Slightly dusty, maybe a little lighter than a traditional denim color.  I can't get enough of these blues.

This pretty dusty light green is Zoya Alexa.  I feel like this mani is looking like a disservice to Edie and Alexa at this point.  Cole is just ruining it for everyone.  She's such a beatch.

Oh, if I were a poet, I would write an ode to topcoat.  How she smooths away our wrinkles, and blurs our imperfections.

Forget foundation, I'm going to start wearing Seche Vite on my face.  Think it would work? 

Bottle shot:  Zoya Cole, Edie, and Alexa.

Despite her flaws, why does Cole have to be so pretty?  I'll probably wear her again, like I'll try a staining blue just *one* more time, to see if I can make it work. 

Do you have a makeup product that you should just throw away, but you can't for some reason?

An InLinkz Link-up

Red Keyhole

Hello, Fireflies!

Welcome to another TRI-Polish Tuesday, where I can't follow rules and only use two colors.  If it helps, I did use rhinestones, though.

I was inspired by a nail art from Sloteazzy, though hers is more structured.  I started with Sally Hansen Barracuda, a lovely baby blue creme.

I really like the uniqueness of Orly FX Milky Way.  I love milky glitters anyway, but the blue with the pops of red and accents of white is just so different.

Using tape, I made the 'keyhole' with OPI Over and Over A-Gwen, and then topped it with a red pearl rhinestone.

To make this more wearable, you could always just use a dotting tool for the red pearl.  I can't keep those things on very long, myself, but they're fun for a look.

Bottle shot:  Sally Hansen Barracuda, Orly FX Milky Way, OPI Over And Over A-Gwen.

Without the glitter, I doubt I would have thought to put that baby blue together with that tomato red.  What's your favorite unexpected color combination?

An InLinkz Link-up

I Know Why Superheroes Wear Masques

Hello, Fireflies!

My name is Nidia, and I am a masque-aholic.

I admit it.  I used to never see the point.  I started off with peeling masques - the gateway masques.  Then, it was the harder stuff, the clay masques.  I'm even experimenting with snail extract masques.  It's a problem.

But they feel SO GOOD!

After trying the original Glam Glow masque (see my initial review HERE), I knew I needed to find a budget-friendly alternative.  I didn't think I was ready for a DIY version, but after seeing Laura's recipe on My Newest Addiction, I did a little research and found another recipe on The Twisted Horn, and some more recommendations on the Amazon.com reviews for the clay.

Here's the recipe I came up with:

Lit From Within's DIY Clay Masque

1/4 cup Bentonite clay
2 Tbs water
2 Tbs Apple Cider Vinegar (organic, with mother)
8 capsules of activated charcoal
1 Tbs coconut oil
goo scraped from 1 leaf of fresh Aloe Vera (about 1 tsp)
3 drops of lavender essential oil
4 drops of clary sage essential oil

Mix it all together in a sandwich baggie, and it's no-mess.  You don't even have to open the charcoal capsules if you don't want to - they dissolve in the Apple Cider Vinegar!

Pro-tip:  Use a synthetic-bristle brush, like a foundation paddle brush, to apply the masques.  You'll get a nice, smooth, even application, and you won't be cleaning the mess out from underneath your fingernails.  

I do like the cooling sensation of the original peppermint and eucalyptus oils, but this version is more calming.  I may add in some peppermint oil next time.  I've applied two masques so far from this batch, and there's probably at least two more.  I'm keeping it in the fridge.

For comparison, I rehydrated my left-over Glam Glow masque and tried it again.  My version is definitely missing the pulsating, tingling feeling that I believe comes from the peppermint and eucalyptus essential oils.  Mine is also missing the leaves and grit, which I don't mind at all.

I mean, what is the deal with the leaves?  It makes me feel like this masque was scooped up from the forest floor, complete with leaves and twigs.

Another supposed dupe for this masque is the Queen Helene Mint Julep mud masque. I love this masque, and it's usually under $4.

I have also found some other fun masques.  This is the Gargamel masque, made from smushed Smurfs:

Ok, not really, but it could be.  It's the Freeman Feeling Beautiful Dead Sea Minerals Facial Anti-Stress Mask.  Say that five times fast.  I don't know if it actually did anything for my skin, but it is relaxing.  And, the hubby and I got a good laugh over my blue hue.

On another home-spa day, I did a hair masque and a face masque at the same time!

I'm wearing a self-heating conditioning cap on my hair, over my Kimble Beauty conditioning hair masque, and a Secret Key Snail Repairing sheet masque on my face.  Witness my first sheet masque.

My head was so warm, and my face was so cool.  Feel the sensation!

What are you favorite masques?  Do you DIY?