I don't think I've mentioned it but, along with learning / doing nail art, this is my first attempt at growing out my natural nails. I've decided that I want to document this with pics and some comments through my blog. I do apologize if this does not interest you in the slightest, BUT... I also will be sharing nail polish hauls and some products that I absolutely love and use on a very regular basis. So, stick around :)
The following pics are of my left and right hands just after I removed the polish from yesterday's post...
The very first thing I noticed was that I take way better care of my left hand (the "modeling" hand) than my right hand... and that just seems a little unfair, so I shall be remedying that soon lol. They don't look too terrible but I do have some splitting at the tips that I'm dealing with. I bought some crystal nail files and I hope that they will correct this problem :\
I've had a couple of people ask me what happened to my left ring finger and I thought I should fill you all in. I'm a dumb. And a klutz. I was removing those purple fimo bows with M.A.S.H.'s super pointy nail art tweezers and I slipped... and gashed my finger pretty good. It's healing faster than I thought and I'm sure my hand will be picture perfect again soon lol. Now onto my polish hauls and favorite products!
I was out to lunch with my honey last Friday and we were near this beauty supply store that I adore. It is privately owned and I love it because they carry a TON of O.P.I polishes (they have a lot of retired collections which I'm going gaga over) and Essie polishes for $6.50 versus the $8-9 that I spend at other stores. And here is what I picked up...
Essie - Bazooka, O.P.I. - Care To Danse?, O.P.I. - Pirouette My Whistle
I used Bazooka on yesterday's mani and I attempted to use the O.P.I.'s for my church mani, but I went to bed not realizing that they were still wet. Needless to say, I didn't have a mani for church on Sunday because they were ruined in my sleep (hence no post!).
Then, on Saturday, I went shopping in LA with a girlfriend of mine (the Fashionista). We went all over the place (Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters, Made Well, we even stopped by Tiffany & Co for a bit!) and while we were out I picked up these bad boys (girls?)...
Jesse's Girl - Wild Thing, Color Club - Hydrangea Kiss, Urban Outfitters - Barstool, Urban Outfitters - Bandeau
I finally tracked down some Color Club polishes at a drug store and I was got a little too excited, the Fashoinista looked at me like I was a little kookookachu lol. Unfortunately this was the only color from the store's stock that I liked :( I bought the Wild Thing because I was hoping it would be brighter than the Sinful Colors - Dream On that I have. Dream On dries darker than it looks in the bottle and it's bummy :\ I'm thinking of doing a color comparison this week. Maybe you can help me decide which is the better neon purple?
The Urban Outfitters polishes don't have any labels on them, just a sticker on the bottom with the polishes name, which I find a little odd. I used the Bandeau on yesterday's post and it worked out well. Again, it dries darker than it looks in the bottle. Maybe it's a purple thing? Does anybody know?? *le sigh* Onto the products we go!
Last but not least... my faves! :D
My favorite acetone so far! I picked this up at a Sally Beauty Supply for $6. It is fortified with wheat protein and vitamin E which is awesome. It dries with a light, sweet, fruity scent that's very pleasant :)
I use this cuticle remover on my hands about every 2 days (every other day if I've done some extensive mani's). I try very hard not to flood my cuticles with polish but sometimes it's unavoidable. This product not only removes any dry flakies I have on my cuticles but left over polish as well. I also use this on my toes about every 2 weeks when I do my pedicures :)
I have forgotten to use a base coat one time and I sorely regretted it! SH's Hard as Nails base coat is awesome and I never go without it. I love Seche Vite as a top coat. It dries quickly and is very glossy. Occasionally it causes a polish to shrink from the tips of my nails and that can be irritating. I'm trying out a couple of other top coats to see how they compare but for right now, this one is still top dog in my collection.
I love love love love love this cuticle oil! The ones pictured are Orange Blossom and Tuberose. I oil my cuticles at least twice a day if not more and these beauties sit at my desk. I love their scent and how light bodied they are. I highly recommend buying some :)
I am crazy about my crystal files that I received in the mail last week! I ordered them 3 weeks ago and they didn't come in when they were supposed to (which was extremely aggravating), but I love them nonetheless :D I ordered them on Amazon, 4 for $5. I only have 2 pictured because the other 2 are in my purse which is in the living room... too far lol.
So, there you have it. A fairly long post but hopefully it was informative (and you got a sneak preview of tomorrow's mani... teehee)! If you have any questions feel free to ask :D
Until next time!
Stef <3
No comments:
Post a Comment