Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend

Hello, Fireflies!

Ready for some Sunday Stamping?  Today, I incorporate some bling into my nailart, because today's theme is, "Bling it up!"

Vault-sala Marsala

Hello, Fireflies!

Happy Saturday!  Today, I'm spending the day at The Makeup Show Orlando! It's the highlight of my year.  So many talented MUAs, so much sharing and giving of makeup education, and the shopping! I hope to be sharing with you some of the things I see and buy in upcoming posts.  For today, though, I've pulled one of my favorite nailarts from The Vault to share with you.

Refreshing Vitamin C! #refreshvitaminc

Press Sample. All opinions are my own.

Hello, Fireflies!

I took a lot of vitamins growing up, but Vitamin C has always been my favorite.  I loved drinking orange juice (and sometimes, we got to mix it with Tang, for more Vitamin C!) and it was the only vitamin that came in yummy chewables.  I have good associations with Vitamin C, and even more now that I know how good it is for my skin.  I've reviewed a lot of Vitamin C serums - how does this one from Refresh stand up?

In The (Via)Buff #ViaBuff

Press Samples.  All opinions are my own.

Hello, Fireflies!

Do you ever wish we could just shed our skin, like snakes do?  Ok, ew, no.  But, I do sometimes wish it were easier to get smooth, healthy skin and get rid of all that dull, pore-clogging dead skin.  Have I found the solution in ViaBuff?

Purple Patchwork

Hello, Fireflies!

It's the last purple nailart for this month's purply NCC theme!  I reach back in the vault to mix it up with a little red and a lot of shine.

My Curls Are Ready To Party! #royallockshaircare

Press Sample.  All opinions are my own.

Hello, Fireflies!

Today's post is for the curlygirls like me!  Whenever I wear my hair in it's naturally curly state, I may only get one or MAYBE two days of it looking smooth before the curls break apart too much.  Sometimes, a little spritz of water can help put them back together, but then you're introducing humidity which can induce frizz.  I've tried different products over the years to bring life back to 2nd or 3rd day curls, but I think I've found the best one yet, and it's time for a party!

Natural Spa Scrubbing and Masking at Home with Valentia #skindetoxifyingclaymask

Press Samples.  All opinions are my own.

Hello, Fireflies!

Have you got the dull skin blues?  Ready for a little spa experience at home, with an emollient scrub that turns over dead skin cells while nourishing the skin, and a clay mask that smells amazing, clears up excess oil and makes the skin feel so soft?

Enchanted ZigZags

Hello, Fireflies!

This Sunday's AIS challenge is zig-zags or chevrons.  I decided to pull this cute pattern from the vault.  Lots of people are dealing with cold temperatures and maybe even snow, but the colors here are promises of Spring!

Roller Balls! #OilsRollerBottles

Press Sample.  All opinions are my own.

Hello, Fireflies!

Welcome to another edition of Something Strange Saturday, where I go a little bit of the beaten path of beauty.  I've talked about oils a lot here on the blog - for aromatherapy, and cuticle and nail health, as well as hair and other uses.  Today, I want to share with you a vehicle for those oils - roller balls!

Rise to the Occasion with Exuviance SkinRise Bionic Tonic

Press Sample.  All opinions are my own.

Hello, Fireflies!

As I get older, I'm finding that my skin is showing age not so much in wrinkles, but in dull skin.  Older skin doesn't hydrate as well, or create as much collagen, or turn over new cells as quickly as younger skin.  One of my new favorite ways to wake up my skin is with a pad of Exuviance SkinRise Bionic Tonic!

Bliss Every Which Way

Hello, Fireflies!

I can't make up my mind how I feel about Bliss.  I'm not a fan of their "FatGirlSlim" line because of the name, but they make other products that I do like, especially their hand cream.  So when Kohls had a bunch of Bliss on sale at half-off or more, I picked up their Every Which Way palette on a whim.  Does it go my way? or the highway?

Purple Roses

Hello, Fireflies!

Time for another purple nailart!  Today's look has a purple to purple gradient, with stamping in purple! I think it fits the challenge...

Old Urban Decay with New It Cosmetics

Hello, Fireflies!

I didn't even know that Urban Decay was coming out with their XX Vice Ltd Reloaded palette, but when I saw it, I knew I needed it!  I came kinda late to the UD game, so I was pretty excited to try some of these older colors.  The day I put my eye look together, I happened to receive my It Cosmetics New Year, Most Beautiful You set in the mail from QVC, and couldn't wait to try some of those, so I paired them together for a FOTD.

Orange, but not orange-y Vitamin C #NaturelCommodity

Press Sample.  All opinions are my own.

Hello, Fireflies!

Growing up, I had orange juice with every breakfast.  It was a treat - a little pricy, but delicious, and healthy.  It instilled in me the importance of Vitamin C in my life.  It used to be only something I only thought about drinking, but now I know it's something that's also good to put on my skin!

Golden and Delicious

Hello, Fireflies!

Happy Stamping Sunday! Today's theme is, "Feeling Fruity" and I was certainly feeling that when I created this nailart!

Evian Facial Spray #evianwater

Hello, Fireflies!

It's another Something Strange Saturday, where I write about something I discovered that's a little off the regular beaten beauty path.  Not that water is off the path at all - we've been reading for years about how water is crucial to healthy and glowing skin.  Well, drinking it.  Today, I'm going to tell you about spraying it on your face.

Keeva - Oil Cleansing in a Shampoo #teatreeoilshampoo

Press Sample.  All opinions are my own.

Hello, Fireflies!

I am a conditioner-aholic.  I love hair masks, and deep conditioners.  I might have even thought that shampoo type is a non-issue.  As long as I have a great conditioner, any shampoo will do.  I may have met the shampoo to change my mind!

Winter Skin Favorites

Nail Butter is a Press Sample.  All others purchased by me or won in a giveaway.  All opinions are my own.

Hello, Fireflies!

Even in Florida, things are a bit nippy at the moment!  I actually love this time of year here - I get out my cozy blanket (we love it so much, we nicknamed it, "The Awesome."  As in, "I love cuddling on the couch with my dog and The Awesome."  I can burn candles without the A/C having to work to compensate for the added heat.  And, I get to wear my favorite fuzzy socks with monkey faces on them.

Even with my naturally oily skin, this time of year dries me out a bit, so I decided to share with you some of my favorites for keeping my skin looking and feeling its best when it gets dry!

On Purple Clouds

Hello, Fireflies!

Time for another week of this month's NCC Challenge - Purple.  I should be on tenterhooks waiting for your reaction, but I can't help it.. I'm on clouds.  Cloud nailart, that is.

Why Look Like a Million Bucks when you can Look Like A Billion? #bdbrows

Press Samples.  All opinions are my own.

Hello, Fireflies!

The Internet has proclaimed that in 2016, the "Instagram Brow" trend will be a thing of the past.  Though I could appreciate the artistry of the brow 'on fleek' (I am a long-time fan of RuPaul's Drag Race, after all..) it was never a trend I picked up.  It did, however, clue me in to the importance of the eyebrow - something I pretty much ignored up until that point.  Sure, I tweezed my husband's unibrow from time to time, but I pretty much left mine alone.

Seeing all the different styles and shapes of brows has given me an appreciation for the way they can frame the face, and even how they work with my eyeglasses.  I have two kits to show you today from Billion Dollar Brows - and I think that with these, you can create any kind of brow you want.

Applejack Life Retinol Serum #ApplejackLife

Press Sample.  All opinions are my own.

Hello, Fireflies!

It's serum time again on the blog.  I love serums all through the year, but they can be especially helpful in the winter months when my oily skin could use more nutrition, but not necessarily a heavy duty cream.  This serum from Applejack Life has lots of great things for the skin - Retinol, Hyaluronic Acid, Vitamin E, and Green Tea, to name a few!

Checker-Stamp Board

Hello, Fireflies!

While the Admin of the AIS group gets over a nasty holiday sickness, it's open season for Stamping Sundays!  I decided to go back in the vault and pick a stamping nailart that I love, but never got to show you on the blog.

Not My Regular Cuppa #lemonherospa

Press Sample.  All opinions are my own.

Hello, Fireflies!

Welcome to another edition of "Something Strange Saturday," where we go off the beaten beauty path!  Today, I have a new-to-me discovery for relaxation - cupping!

Hollywood Hair with Mitch Stone Essentials #MitchStone

Press Sample.  All opinions are my own.

Hello, Fireflies!

If there's anything that I'm vain about when it comes to my looks, it's my hair (ok - and my lips.)  It took me awhile to appreciate both of them - especially given that growing up, there weren't really any products designed for my kind of curly hair.

These days, I'm doing a little more heat styling, and only washing my hair about once every 5-7 days, so I need products that protect my hair without being too heavy or greasy.  Now I can have "Hollywood" hair with Mitch Stone!

Wine All About It

Hello, Fireflies!

I love masks, and I love booze, so the Purminerals Wine Exfoliating Mask seems like a match made in heaven to me!  When I saw it for a steal on Hautelook, I knew it had to be mine.

Royal Purple Swirls

Hello, Fireflies!

It's a new year, and a new banner for the NCC! Pretty foil rainbows.  Seems appropriate that the first monthly theme be a rainbow color, too - purple!

Vanilla Glam

Forlan BB Cream is a Press Sample.  All opinions are my own.

Hello, Fireflies!

Why does 'vanilla' have to mean boring?  I love vanilla! I have a makeup and nails look today that I wore to a party, and made that vanilla look as glam as I could.

Fresh and Natural Face with Youngblood #YBCosmetics

Press Samples. All opinions are my own.

Hello, Fireflies!

When I hear the words, "mineral cosmetics," my first association is usually, "messy."  I avoided them for a long time because I didn't know how to use them, I didn't want to deal with the packaging. And, I was missing out.  There is so much more to Youngblood Mineral Cosmetics!

Sparkly Stamped Spirals

Hello, Fireflies!

There's no designated theme this week for the AIS stamping group, so I thought I'd bring you a spiral-y pattern I stamped with two different sparkly color schemes.

Ruffians From The Vault

Hello, Fireflies!

It's a new year, so what better way to start it than by digging into the vault for some nailart that just never made it to the blog?  Today, I have two different Ruffian nailart to show you!

The Eye Cream That Became a Face Serum #ValentiaTrueEyeGlowCream

Press Sample.  All opinions are my own.

Hello, Fireflies!

Happy New Year!  I don't know about you, but I'm kinda glad all the hoopla of the holidays is over.  Don't get me wrong - I love seeing all the holiday lights, and getting and giving presents, and seeing my family and friends.  But, it's also a stressful time.  Traveling takes a toll on me, all the rich holiday foods mean I'll have a breakout or two, and I don't sleep as well or as much, so my eyes are carrying around as much baggage as I am. Well, they would have been, if I hadn't been using my new Valentia True Glow Eye Cream!