Keeping The Hair On My Head With Hiara #hiarahairtowel

Press Sample. All opinions are my own.

Hello, Fireflies!

My hair and I haven't always been friends.  When I was younger, I didn't know how to take care of my curly hair.  Now, I take every opportunity to pamper it - hair masks, oils, treatments - and my Hiara hair towel!

And I Said, "What About Breakfast At Tiffany's"

Hello, Fireflies!

Today's Sunday Stamping challenge is to reference a classic film.  I was stuck for an idea, when my husband asked if I had a Tiffany blue, and could do the movie, 'Breakfast at Tiffany's."  Brilliant!

Anti-Valentines' Day

 Hello, Fireflies!

Even though I think Valentines' Day is a Hallmark Holiday, I'm not really *against* it.  I don't celebrate it, but I'm not a hater if you do.  I've never sent anyone some Haterade Black Roses before, but I thought they might be fun for an anti-Valentines look

GOT Texture Gradient

Hello, Fireflies!

I lusted after Sally Hansen Sugar Coat in Royal Icing and finally found it in a blog sale.  And you know what? It's really, really sheer.  I love the pink shimmer, but it's fairly worthless on its own.

So, here, it's already under Sally Hansen Sugar Shimmer Work Of Tart, an aqua, glittery texture.

And on the tips, OPI Get Your Number, a medium blue sparkly Liquid Sand texture.

These are some of the earlier generations of texture polishes.  I love them best with a little sparkle.

They really take on a new life when they're topcoated, too.

Bottle shot:  Sally Hansen Sugar Coat in Royal Icing, Sally Hansen Sugar Shimmer Work Of Tart, and OPI Get Your Number.

Ok, so it's not sponged or blended out to a true gradient... it's good enough for me! I like these colors together. And, I still like texture, too.

I'm such a rebel.  What kind of makeup 'rules' do you like to break?

An InLinkz Link-up

Technicolor-Texture-TRI-Polish Abstract

Hello, Fireflies!

I was doing the Challenge Your Nail Art monthly challenge last week, and ignored my Crumpet Nail Tarts challenges! 30 lashes with a wet noodle for me!

But, I'm back, with a funky mani inspired by Finger Food's technicolor abstract nail art.

I started with Nails Inc Green Park, a dusty greyed-green.  It's not as far as Army green, but it's not a clear garden green.  These greyed-out colors are some of my very favorite polishes.  So sophisticated!

For the purple and red, I go crazy for the textures! I love the ones with some sparkle to them, and Sinful Colors Purple Gleam has a nice, soft shimmer.

Sally Hansen Sugar Shimmer Cinny Sweet brings even more sparkle, and it's thick enough to draw dots and lines and be opaque.  This is so fun.. but I knew I couldn't leave it all bumpy. I'd be too distracted by all the different levels of polish.

It's not as unique all topcoated, but it's still pretty. And, there's still some sparkle!

Bottle shot: Nails Inc Green Park, Sinful Colors Purple Gleam, and Sally Hansen Sugar Shimmer Cinny Sweet.

I really like the versatility of textures, though I know not everyone likes them.  With a bit of topcoat, they look like sparkly glitters or shimmer polishes, so I know I'll use them for years to come, even when the trend is done.

An InLinkz Link-up

GOT Brushed Metal Circle Gradient

Hello, Fireflies!

I 'GOT' a lot of textures in my collection - I really like them.  Some of them look even better with topcoat, some are great with stamping over them, and some, like the ones I have today, have a great metallic vibe.

Enter the Brushed Metals collection from Avon.  You can probably still get these in one of their clearance sales.  I'm always seeing past collections come back in their outlet - and for much cheaper prices!  I loved all of these; though the colors are very subtle, they are all very metallic.

This nail art was inspired by the "Circle Gradient" technique from Polish, Glitter, Rock, and Roll, only I didn't use a sponge because of the texture.  I just dabbed it on.  I started with Wet 'n Wild Black Creme, and Avon Textured Topaz, a champagne yellow texture.

Can you see the very subtle purple in Avon Lilac Quartz?  I told you, the colors are subtle.  I was hoping the black undies would amplify them, but they are very thick polishes, and opaque on their own.

Avon Platinum is a soft, baby blue...which is kind of a weird choice for me.  Isn't platinum typically white?  Are there no blue metals? Not like Quartz is a metal, either, but they were okay with that name.  Everyone wants to be OPI with their quirky names.

All together, the colors create a lovely mesh of metallic texture! The blue really stands out for me.

In retrospect, a silver or gold polish might have worked better as undies instead of black.  Next time!

Bottle shot:  Wet 'n Wild Black Creme, Avon Brushed Metals in Textured Topaz, Lilac Quartz, and Platinum.

All the other textures I'm familiar with either went with chunky cremes or glitters - these are the only metallics I'm aware of.  Pretty cool, huh?

An InLinkz Link-up

The Nail Files - Pinky Cherry Blossoms

http://www.jennieshaw.ca/

Hello, Fireflies!

What, a new nail linkup? I saw this cute pix on my friend Amber's blog, Daydreaming Beauty, and I threatened convinced  asked her to let me join.  I was all like, nails? Where?

Have you ever been to Washington, D.C. during the time the cherry blossoms are blooming?  It's utterly spectacular, and it smells amazing.  Inspired by that and many incarnations of cherry blossom nail art (including this one by the fabulous Kimiko7878 on Instagram) I came up with this.

I started with Cult Nails Angel Whispers, a textured pale, pale pink, and Darling Diva Polish Rose Opal, a pink jelly with flakies.

 I used a black striper for the branches and leaves.

I decided to do more abstract blossoms, with dots of polish.  I used Sheswai Lacquers in Babe and What, and also did some highlighting with Angel Whispers.

It almost looks like snow, instead of flowers!

One of the benefits of doing dots instead of something more precise - you can do both hands, and they look like you totally meant to do dots!

Bottle shot:   Cult Nails Angel Whispers, Darling Diva Polish Rose Opal. Sheswai Lacquers in Babe and What, and my black nail art striper.

I don't always do nail art on both hands, but if I do, I want everyone to see it! Look, Ma! Both hands!

Check out The Nail Files to see who all is linked up this week!

Textured Stripes and Flowers - #NailArtForNubs

Hello, Fireflies!

It's Nail Art For Nubs day!  Well, every day is for me, isn't it.  But today, I am joined by other nubbins! Wear what you like, regardless of nail length, I say.

Today's nail art was inspired by this Pin of Nailicious on Tumblr.  I loved the simple bold stripe with the delicate floral accent!  I started with Nabi Silver, a silver holo on the subtle end of the linear spectrum. 

Using my ruler, abacus, and level, I meticulously applied the striping tape.

Yeah, right.  I totally eyeballed it.

I painted L'Oreal Pop The Bubbles on the top half of each nail, and Hidden Gems on the bottom.  I actually wanted it to look like a gradient, so I purposely let the colors mix in the middle.  Which you may not actually believe, because that's the sort of thing I would tell you to cover a mistake, but in this case is actually true.  I'm the blogger who cried wolf!

Hidden Gems is the real star of the show for me.  I love how the light blue specks in it are actually the same color as Pop The Bubbles, so it looks like the shimmer carries all the way through the nail.  I totally planned that.  Now you'll never believe me.

Decals were the easy solution to getting the flowers to show up over the busy and textured background.

Bottle shot:  Nabi Silver, L'Oreal Pop The Bubbles, and Hidden Gems.

Do you like to mix patterns, like florals and stripes?

(Did you miss it? I reviewed my February Ipsy bag earlier today.  Click HERE for the post!)

An InLinkz Link-up

Nail Challenge Collaborative - Purple Funky Untrieds

Hello, Fireflies!

This month's NCC challenge is 'Untrieds'.  Well, that's the majority of what I do these days, so I'm happy with this theme!  I have a small, itty-bitty, teeny-tiny addiction to polish, and I always have a few hanging around that need some love.

Today's nail art was inspired from The Nail Boss Instagram. It's a simple look that I just fell in love with.  I started with Sinful Colors Who's The Gloss, a grey creme with a heavy purple shimmer, from the Sinful Shine line.  This polish immediately went into my top 10-ish list.  Love.

I free-handed a half-moon on top with Sheswai Totally, a red-violet creme.  I know it's completely superficial, but I really like the wood-grain caps.  Very au-naturel for a polish.

The Nail Boss did this art on an almond-shaped nail, and it looked even better... but I gotta work with what I got.  I applied Finger Paints Winter Chill, a black glitter texture on the tips.

I actually didn't realize it *was* a texture when I was doing this. It's hard to tell a texture from the bottle.  Well, I can't tell just by looking at the bottle.

I tried to keep the bow shape in the center by rounding the application of the glitter.  Isn't it cool with topcoat? I love the glitter tip.

Bottle shot:  Sinful Colors Who's The Gloss, Sheswai Totally, and Finger Paints Winter Chill

I love that it's so simple, but it's a little twist on the traditional half-moon, or even a traditional French tip! Do you have a favorite little twist you've done to change a more traditional nail art?

An InLinkz Link-up

A Rose By Any Other Name Would Still Be Hard To Paint

Hello, Fireflies!

Today's post is brought to you by my stubbornness and inability to paint a rose.  I have done stickers, and blobs, and other permutations, trying and trying again.  Today's version is inspired by a blog post from Kerruticles, who got the idea from Gemma Lambert.

It starts with this gorgeous plum holo, Northern Star Polish Yummy Plummy

I use Finger Paints Winter Chill, a blackish-purple textured glitter to make a pseudo-gradient on the tips.

I used my white striper to make these curved lines in roughly rose-like shapes. Squint your eyes and turn your head slightly to the right.  Do you see them?

I can never quite get the correct overlap of the lines to mimic the rose petals.  I look at the tutorial, I watch, re-watch, and pause the video.. I think I've got it, and then it just doesn't look the same when I do it.

Bottle shot:  Northern Star Polish Yummy Plummy, Finger Paints Winter Chill, and a white striper.

I will say, though, that these are probably the closest I've gotten!  Some of you will see commas, some of you will see white Skettios floating in a purple gravy.  A rare few of you with vision will see the roses, and will help keep the dream alive.

Beauty Box 5 Review - That Awkward Moment

(My #NailArtForNubs post goes live at 9am Eastern!) 

Hello, Fireflies!

It's an awkard moment.. um, I mean, that's the theme of this month's Beauty Box 5 - the movie, That Awkward Moment. 

I signed up for a subscription to Beauty Box 5 in February, and when they found out I was a blogger, they sent me January's box, too.  Of course, they sent January's box to a bunch of people as a promotion to sign up in February, so I'm not suffering under any delusions of grandeur.

It's a pretty cool box, and so far, I'm liking the subscription.  Let's take a look at the box:

I love oils, I'm completely obsessed with hair, skin, cuticle - any kind of oil.  This Nubar Vanilla cuticle oil smells nice, and absorbs relatively quickly.  I like it!

Another lotion sample, and not even an exotic one - just Jergens Daily Moisture lotion.  We all have a bottle of Jergens somewhere in the house, right?  Or in our parents' or grandparents' house.  Nothing special about this sample - no interesting fragrance, no special formulation, just good ol' lotion.  Works fine.

I really enjoyed this sample of  SPA H20+ Sea Lotus Body Wash! It smells incredible - like the sea, like a spa, like someplace relaxing with hammocks.  I want more.

Sub boxes love lip balm! At least it's not another chapstick.  I actually like this Epic Blend Hemp Coconut lip balm.  It's pretty slick, and feels moisturizing.  I wish it were a little more coconutty, and a little less hemp-y, though.

I was pretty excited about these Twistco Bath & Shower Exfoliating Gloves.  I have one from Sephora, which I like, so I was hoping these would be as good.

I should say, even the ones from Sephora, I don't like wearing it as a glove.  For some reason, it's just too much work to put a glove on in the shower.  The major pro of this glove is that it's washable.  I can't stand using the plastic loofahs because they harbor a million germs - and I'm no germaphobe.  I just think it's icky.  I feel like these are more sanitary.

The cons - too scratchy and rough.  The Sephora glove has a side that's smooth and one that's rough.  This one is alllll rough.  No escape.  Also, I wish they'd put a tab on the cuff for hanging it up to dry.

The box also included a branded Compact mirror with the movie logo.  It's cute, thin, and very lightweight.

I thought it would be fun to model a polish color that matched the box.  This did NOT come in the box - it's one I purchased myself.  This lovely polish is Sinful Colors Crystal Crush Treasure Chest, a turquoise texture with a gold shimmer.

So, not everything was a winner for me, but that's how sub boxes usually go.  For the price, though, it was absolutely worth it.  I really loved the shower gel - it's completely unique to anything I've tried.  The cuticle oil was nice, and the other products were at least useful.

If you're interested in learning more about Beauty Box 5, they can be found on Facebook, or their website.

(My #NailArtForNubs post goes live at 9am Eastern!)