My October Favorites

Bringing back my monthly favorites :-)  

So I found out that no matter how you dress up cooked apples, R does not like them.  It's so upsetting because I wanted to make an apple pie but I'm not going to go through the trouble if he's not going to help me eat it....but I have no problems buying a pie for myself.  The above photo is by Paula Deen from foodnetwork.com but my $4.99 pie looked just as tempting.

 Pumpkin carving with R.  I love that my witch hat looked so spooky on his pumpkin.  We bought a strobe light from Michaels that flickered like a real flame inside the pumpkin.

 Essie Wicked.  One coat is dark cranberry but 2 or more coats it can start to look very black.

Me modeling my "wicked" polish and my wedding band (smiles).  I've only tried it on once since R had it sized so I could make sure it fit correctly and I just happened to be wearing my favorite fall polish at the time.

 Yum.

 Lilly's favorite new snack!  I noticed she had a lot of dander the past couple of months. I thought her food wasn't providing enough essential oils for her coat.  I tried these and her fur has never been so soft and I've made an effort to brush her more often (she has short hair so I only ever had to brush her to remove loose fur).

 Murad face cleanser.  I'm using the AHA BHA exfoliating cleanser in the mornings and the refreshing cleanser at night.  The products are pricey but the generous size lasts quite a while and my skin has been smooth and blemish free.

 More apple pie goodness.  I love these Larabars...they make great afternoon snacks.  This one is the only flavor I care for.

 Pumpkin spice latte...deliciousness in a cup and the perfect pre-tailgate beverage.

I have this necklace in yellow and I love it!  I couldn't find a picture online of my exact necklace but I've been wearing it every chance I get.

 Champion C9 quarter zip, long sleeve top from Target.  This is a great workout shirt - it's long so it doesn't ride up, it has a pocket in the back, vents under the arms and on the back, and thumb holes.  I also love wearing it just to hang out because it's so cozy...I'm actually wearing it as I'm typing my fall favorites!

This is such an "out there" item for me.  I purchased the Mossimo colored denim "jeggings" from Target on a whim.  They are sized for juniors but I loved the teal color, and even though I had to size up, I think they fit well.  I didn't want to spend a lot of money on colored denim because I wanted to test it out first, and I really like these.  I usually wear them with a white shirt and colored scarf or with my yellow statement necklace.

New Ulta Finds

I've been in a funk lately and I was hoping some new products would give some "oomph" to my routine.

 Essie Luxe Effects in Shine of the Times is a really neat polish.  I should preface this by saying I dislike glitter polish.  I usually buy opaque creamy shades.  This gem layered over any nail polish will give it a totally different look without the chunky glitter feel.  The tiny thin flecks of foil give the polish a wet look - I'm wearing it now actually over Essie Big Spender on the ring fingers only to try it out.  I can't wait to layer this over Essie Mint Candy Apple on our upcoming beach weekend.

 Butter London Wallis.  This is not a pretty shade in the bottle.  In fact, when I picked it up at Ulta - R made a very unsure face. I dislike glitter (see above) and I also dislike iridescent shades of polish normally.  This polish is a little of both...a very olive polish with fine gold sparkle.  It is probably the most unusual polish in my collection and I love it!

 Xen Tan Mousse Intense Weekly Self Tan.  Sally Beauty Supply no longer sells my beloved Tanwise Mousse so I had to find a substitute.  This product retails for $29...quite a bit more than my previous self tanner.  I've used this a couple of times and it is fairly foolproof, I use a pair of reuseable latex gloves from Sally to apply it and the product has a green tint so you can see where you apply it.  The scent is faintly vanilla and it dries quickly.  I didn't notice any bronzer deposit on my sheets or pajamas and the resulting color is a nice medium tan that lasts about 4 days.

I've picked up this Goody Modern Updo hair pin several times in Target, Ulta, Walmart, etc but couldn't convince myself to buy it.  I just didn't see how it could possibly work.  Last Friday I finally bought it and I can't believe how secure my hair twist is without hundreds of bobbi pins.  There are instructions on the box but I highly suggest searching youtube for a good tutorial (there are several).  I can use this from the side and from underneath my hair twist to create 2 different looks.  I have medium-thick hair and the longest layer falls at the top of my bra strap...this works for me.  One word of caution, don't pull the hair too tight at the base of the head when you insert the pin and twist it - this prevents the hairstyle from hurting your scalp.  I had to play with it several times to figure out the best way to use it and now it will probably by my "go-to" for bad hair days - I can make this look cute and professional in less than 10 minutes.

Beauty Spree - Ulta Grand Opening

So we just had a new Ulta open in North Carolina and I went to the grand opening this weekend.  I needed hairspray and shampoo anyway so the timing couldn't have been more perfect.  Here were my finds:

 I picked up a liter of conditioner and a liter of shampoo for $14.99 each.  This is a great deal since I wash my hair every three days in the winter and every other day in the summer - this size should last for several months.  I've used the All Soft products before but on of the salon associates recommended this line as a color safe option for my dry hair.

 My HG hairspray.  This is the anti humidity spray that keeps my hair bouncy and frizz free.  I haven't had any for months and I've missed it so much.

 Since I haven't bought any nail color in so long I decided to splurge.  This is Essie Island Hopping which is a dusty purple that would work on hands and feet.

My favorite nail color, Essie Mademoiselle.  I've finished my other bottle and I've been out for several months;  this is my go to manicure color, especially for work.

This is Essie Angora Cardi and I've wanted this one for a while.  It looks like a maroon color but I have a feeling it's going to appear very dark and opaque.  I'll have to test it out but for now I'm only planning to use this as a pedicure color.

Since I was one of the first customers through the door I recieved a grab bag with some goodies - A SexyHair Soy hairspray mini, an Ulta lipgloss in Whisper, an Ulta Tangerine hand lotion, and an Ulta body wash mini.  I'll probably save these for travel but I think it's so sweet that they had gifts for their grand opening and I really can't wait to stop in when they start having events.

Challenge Day 30 - Favorite Nail Polishes

Essie Mademoiselle for manicure. OPI Dutch Tulips for pedicure.

Festive Feet

This is my go to polish during the holidays...it's my mainstay from Thanksgiving to Valentines Day.

OPI Not really a Waitress.

This is a beautiful color, and there is a reason it is one of OPI's top selling polishes. There are several beautiful dimensions of color in this polish. When it hits the light it just looks so, festive. During the winter our feet sometimes get neglected with all the stockings, boots, and cozy socks. It's fun to have a shiny red peek through when the snow shoes come off.

Weekend Shopping Spree

My Purchases: Essie Polishes - Mink Muffs, Damsel in a Dress, Neo Whimsical

Philosophy Lip Gloss in Cinnamon Buns and L'Oreal Voluminous in Carbon Black

Mink Muffs after 2 coats, please excuse the mess. I took this photo before bed when my nails were slightly wet still.

Charlotte Russe Basic Tanks for layering $7.50 ea and earrings $4.00 Victoria's Secret Panties 7 for $25 (1 is in the wash)

My boyfriend came for a 3 day weekend and we had so much fun. We tried out a brazillian resturant that there were so many reviews for. The experience was worth every penny and the food was delicious. For one price we had unlimited salad bar that had lots of grilled veggies, cheeses as well as typical salad ingredients and the waiters brought 8 types of meat to our table in rotation and you let them know if you'd like some or not. There were several cuts of steak, sausage, marinated pork, chicken, and my favorite cinnamon grilled pineapple. It was kind of an upscale, all you can eat joint with a brazillian twist. An extra plus - the sangria was fantastic!

We saw Alice in Wonderland 3D (my second time) and I'm definitely in love, this is a must own for me. We did a little shopping i.e the mall and Ulta for me and Dicks Sporting Goods and Best Buy for him. I went to walmart and purchased a few DVDs (New Moon of course was one of them). We took a morning trip to Ikea but left empty handed. I grabbed a catelog on the way out for some storage ideas, I LOVE their closet systems.

I probably won't see him again until my birthday so I'm glad we had such a fun few days.

Review: Essie Big Spender

Excuse any imperfections, I've been wearing this color for a few days and it's lasted through a brutal weekend. Note to self - paint nails after cleaning the apartment from now on. This is a great magenta color with beautiful shine. I love how rich the color is, it looks great on pale skin but honestly I think it would work just as well with deeper skin tones. The photo was taken with two coats of polish and one thin coat of Sally Hansen MegaShine top coat.

Review: Nailene So Natural Chip Proof Technology

I bought a pack of these for the heck of it, I've never tried press on or glue on nails before. At work I use so much handsanitizer that my polish tends to chip and my hands are ridiculously dry - not good for a manicure. I thought it might be nice to have "manicure" nails on my Christmas break. I applied mine on Monday night and took them off Saturday night, they probably would have lasted at least a few more days. I wasn't too rough on my hands but they felt amazingly sturdy, I had one break off midweek and reapplied it quickly with the glue provided.

I received two compliments, 1 from a cousin that does nails in a salon! She couldn't tell until I mentioned it that they were glued on. The color did not chip off the ends and the glue didn't pool around my cuticles (she mentioned that is sometimes common with store bought kits). I wouldn't hesitate to buy these again for a special occasion. I can't wear artificial nails in the hospital because they harbor germs and I wouldn't want to waste money at a salon to only get a few days out of it. I paid $5.97 at Walmart for the kit and $1.69 at Target for the Maximum Strength Acetone Polish Remover. The kit includes 24 nails of all different sizes, a file, glue, and a cuticle pusher. Directions and removal instructions are located on the back. It took nearly an hour with my fingers soaked in acetone to remove the nails but I'm left with no damage - just make sure you have a good show or movie on!

Review: China Glaze Nail Lacquer in Avalanche

I bought this hoping for a more gunmetal color, silly me, I can't get a gunmetal color on my nails if it isn't in the bottle. Oh well, there is one more shade of China Glaze at Sally Beauty Supply that is darker than this one. This is still a really nice shade of nail polish, a beautiful true silver. This is a color that can get you through the holiday parties, Christmas Day, and New Years...it just screams festive. Unfortunately I did a terrible polish job, it's too thick around my cuticles and there are several air bubbles but what you see is two coats of color and one coat of Sally Hansen Mega Shine.

Review: Sally Hansen Salon Nail Lacquer in Haute Chocolate

I get so many compliments when I wear this color, this brown has just enough copper and red reflects to keep it interesting and the depth of color makes a statement. It's long wearing too, this picture was taken on day 5 (never mind my messy cuticles please, I touched up a couple of spots after my finger was jammed in a drawer at work). The photo above is two coats of lacquer and a coat of Sally Hansen Mega Shine on top.

Tag: Top 5 Nail Polishes

I tried to rate my nail color based on the quality of formula, pigmentation, and how often I wear them. The picture shows the polishes in descending order (just my opinion!).

#5 Sally Hanson Salon Nailcolor in Haute Chocolate - The perfect shade for fall. I was a little timid to try brown on my nails afraid it would look muddy but this color has just enough red and gold reflects in the formula to make it a beautiful coppery brown. I usually wear this on my fingernails but it looks great on toes as well.

#4 OPI Don't Think Just Pink - This is a dirty pastel pink with blue undertones. The color looks great on my toes and hands. The color is a satin formula with no reflects. This is one of the few OPI colors looks great with 1 coat or 2 depending on how sheer you want it.

#3 OPI Done out in Deco - A dusty purple-gray that gives perfect coverage in two coats. The formula is super creamy without reflects. Gorgeous on hands and feet.

#2 OPI Dutch Tulips - No other nailcolor I have ever owned complimented my skintone (fair/light) the way this color does. It's the perfect shade of red that's "not quite red" - like that color in the crayon box that's red but not quite the reddest red. I usually wear this on toes only and it has been repurchased.

#1 Essie Mademoiselle - Hands down the one I reach for the most. This is the "my nails but better" color. I love one coat for a natural look and two if I want it a little more opaque. I have repurchased this color and it will not be long before I'll need to again. I like this one for the fingernails and something bright and opaque on the toes.

Sally Beauty Supply Product Recommendations

I have been buying products from Sally's for years. My little small town didn't have an Ulta, Target, or a posh Salon but we did have a Sally Beauty Supply! I have a Sally's card which I have to purchase every year for $5, the first receipt after getting the Sally's card will have a coupon for $5 off the next purchase so it more than pays for itself. I thought I'd share current products I own and love from Sally's. China Glaze and Finger Paints Polishes They're easy to find and often go on sale at Sally's. My local store has a nail swatch of every single color which makes it so easy to find the perfect shade. Tanwise Self Tanning Mousse Readily available and works very similar to the St. Tropez on my skin with slightly more lasting power. I have reviewed this before on my blog. Brushes and Combs I've owned several over the years but I wanted to give two recommendations: Mebco High Volume Comb, I've owned 3 of these in my lifetime and I've used this comb since I was 5 years old - I absolutely will not be without one. The other is the Jilbere Tourmaline Oval Cushion Brush which is an amazing quality brush for the price and a must have if you have frizzy hair. Alligator Clips Really all of their hair clips are great but it can be hard to find the packages of metal alligator clips in other stores. I love them and use them everytime I blowdry my hair. Beauty Secrets Ridge Filler This is a huge necessity for me especially if I'm going to have a dark or more matte color on my nails. Sallys also carries the infamous Seche Vite top coat that everyone loves. The Generic Value Product (GVP) Hair Care line You cannot beat the value for the money here and they often go on sale. Basically these are the generic products of popular salon brands - Paul Mitchell, Matrix, and Sebastion to name a few. The container lists the product ingredients against the salon name ingredients. Specific products I recommend: GVP - Matrix Biolage Color Care Conditioner GVP - Matrix Va Voom Fast Drying Hairspray GVP - Matrix Volumizing Fast Drying Hairspray GVP - Matrix Biolage Color Care Shampoo GVP - Joico K-Pak Hair Reconstructor GVP - Paul Mitchell Sculpting Foam GVP - CHI Silk Infusion I've debated for a while whether or not I wanted to try to color my hair at home. One day I might get brave and seek the advice of a Sally's saleswomen to find the perfect semipermanent dye for my hair. I think it might be easier than trying to search for a color myself in the drugstore and of course cheaper than getting all over color from a salon.

My Nail Polish Collection

I add a couple each season and I recently gave away A LOT of polish that was either old or didn't look very good on me. These are the ones that made the cut. Left to Right: OPI I'm Not Really A Waitress, OPI Flashbulb Fucshia, OPI Dutch Tulips, OPI Koala Beary, OPI Indi-A Mood For Love, OPI Don't Think Just Pink, Esse Mademoiselle, Ulta Enkore Pink, Ulta Golden Mauve. From Left to Right: Sally Hansen Salon Nail Laquer in Haute Chocolate, OPI Lincoln Park After Dark, OPI Done Out in Deco, Sally Hansen Diamond Strength in Royal Romance, OPI Venus di Violet, OPI Bubble Bath, OPI Your Villa or Mine? From Left to Right: Sally Hansen Mega Shine Extended Wear Top Coat, Beauty Secrets Ridge Filler from Sally Beauty Supply, OPI Rapid Dry Top Coat. My newest purchase. I just bought this yesterday at TJ Maxx for $3.99. Just as a side note they had a lot of Esse nail colors including whole sets from past seasons on sale for less than one polish normally costs.This is Esse Big Spender. This is the color I was hoping Koala Beary would be, just a gorgeous rasberry with two coats. Koala Berry is more of a dark wine color.

Tag: Best Drugstore Products

I think this was originally a tag for the 5 best or 10 best inexpensive products that can be purchased from any pharmacy. Since I'm not sure exactly how many I should list I'll just show the ones I use daily. 1. L'Oreal Voluminous Mascara - I have this in Carbon Black in the original formula and the waterproof version. I cheat on it sometimes but I always come back to it. Love the brush, love the formula, love the look. 2. Rimmel Kajal Kohl Liner in Black - this stays in my purse for touchups and it frequently tags along in my lab coat at work. I have it in brown too but I don't use it nearly as often. 3. Garnier Nutritioniste Skin Renew Daily Moisturizer with Vitamin C - I use this every day. It absorbs quickly, makes my skin super soft, and has an SPF of 28. 4. L'Oreal Sublime Glow Daily Moisturizer in Medium - I alternate this with a self tanner. I don't find the scent overwhelming and I also don't find it sparkly. I like the sheen it gives my legs especially when I'm wearing a skirt. I like that this is actually moisturizing as well, some of them aren't. 5. Sally Hansen Mega Shine Extended Wear Top Coat - Love this, it gives a perfect mirror shine to my nail color. I use this on top of my fresh polish and usually touch up mid week. 6. Avalon Organics Skin Nourishing Vitamin C Refreshing Cleansing Gel and Balancing Facial Toner - technically I have only seen this in one drugstore chain but it is available at Target and Walmart. I cleanse my face morning and night with the gel and use the toner at night. I love that it doesn't dry out my face.

Review: OPI Done Out in Deco

This is becoming one of my favorite polishes. Really this is one can be worn year round and looks great on toes and fingers. Its a soft gray-purple and the formula is so think you really only need1-2 coats. I personally don't find this formula streaky but on some nails the tips are too sheer for my liking so I apply two coats. I have received so many compliments at work, even a couple of the doctors noticed! The picture above was taken day 2 after painting but I've been wearing it now for 5 days and I only have one small chip on my middle fingernail. I did have to apply a thin topcoat on day 3 because it had lost a bit of shine. I love it, the color looks so good with my skintone. The photo was taken without flash because it shows the truest color - ugh and I never realized how wrinkly my hands are, I lotion 20x a day, honest!

Review: OPI Flashbulb Fuchsia

Normally I'd like to swatch a nail color and take a photo before I do a review but honestly I didn't want to paint my nails with this again after my last experience. Let me say this is a beautiful, bold iridescent dark pink and it looked gorgeous on my light skin. This would probably be a color that would look great on a variety of colors. I painted this on my nails the day I wore silver thong sandals and a turquoise dress and it really was striking. Now that I've put my pro's out there, it's time for the cons. I used my same base and top coat and this polish chipped like crazy. I painted my nails on a Sunday night and by Tuesday morning literally I didn't have a single nail that wasn't chipped. This polish came off in big amounts too, not just a little chipping on the tips. Now I might have considered this a fluke if I had a good experience on my toes. Even those chipped, which rarely ever happens in two days. It's such a shame but I've had problems with iridescent polishes chipping before (not necessarily OPI brand). I think this will probably be my last iridescent polish purchase, I have a much better experience with opaque cream polishes or sheer polishes. I might keep this one and use it for the toes (because I really like the color) and if it chips its okay because I usually wear closed toed shoes (for work). Or I might swap it, I haven't really decided.

Review: OPI Don't Think Just Pink

This is a beautiful muted lilac / pink color that is super wearable on the fingers or toes. I actually decided to wear this instead of the OPI Bubble Bath with my bridesmaid dress this weekend. The color is opaque but I definitely needed two coats and it's still a little sheer on my nail tips. This picture was taken about two days after I painted them with lots of typing and chores in between. It's been on my toes for a week without any chipping and the color still has some shine. It is really hard to take a picture of your own hand, there must be a trick to it because it took 7 attempts to get this photo.