Zoya Blogger Collection by Birchbox

This nail collection is a collaboration of Birchbox and Zoya. They teamed up with top beauty bloggers to create these custom polishes. Each blogger designed a mood board based on her favorite spring/summer color, and then they asked their Facebook fans to pick the top three boards to complete the Zoya blogger collection. You'll wear these on-trend shades all season. Apply one coat of this buildable jelly formula for a wash of color or layer for a pop of color!

The winners were...... Coraline by Eleventh Gorgeous, Kate by The Small Things, and Belle by Capitol Hill Style.

Here are the colors from left to right. Coraline which is a beautiful tangerine jelly. The next color is Kate which is a rosey grapefruit jelly. Which is very pretty. The last color is Belle which is a sheer jelly base shade with copper, gold, and fuchsia flakes. This is a great color that is meant to layer on top of the other colors or wear on its own. I really like this color. The colors above are very sheer and can be easily built up. In this picture this was three thin coats of each color without a top coat.

This is a limited edition set that retails for $22 for all three colors and is available on www.birchbox.com. I did use my Birchbox points to purchase this set. So essentially it was free. This does not in any way effect my review. If you want to try Birchbox so you can earn points towards free products then use this referral link. http://www.birchbox.com?raf=4h5l0. Thanks.

How to organize and store you nail polishes

So as a person who currently has 380 polishes. You do need a way to store them. Well thanks to a tip I discovered from MakeupByTiffanyD. I decided to try this out. While it did work out great and really held a lot of polishes and made life a little easier. I found out it wasn't for me. The reason being is that I suffer from Carpal Tunnel syndrome in both hands and now that same pain has spread into my arms. Not to mention a Rotator Cuff injury resulting in a reoccurring problem in my right arm as well. So I'm essentialy falling apart. Well not to worry nothing a few hot/cold remedies can't fix.

So back to the nail storage solution. While browsing videos on YouTube on how others store their polishes. I stumbled across a video by MakeupByTiffanyD. She was showing how she stores her polish collection. While she does mention it works well for all polish bottles. She does say it's heavy to carry and move around but, it does the job. So I decided to go to my local Target to get one to try out. The company that makes it is Snapware. I like their containers as I do already own several to keep my other items housed. Well it cost me $13.99 for this container. The size is 7.5"Hx14.1"Wx10.5"L. So this is a two-tiered storage container. You can purchase another one to make it a larger by stacking the other unit together. I wouldn't recommend this unless your really strong or will only use one section at a time. It was already really heavy with just the polishes I had in there and it wasn't even full.

Here is the Container with the two layers together.

Here is the one layer with the lid if you just want to use that or you don't have that many polishes. 

Here is another view from the front of the container without the lid this will fit all sizes of polish.

Here is another angle of the container. I didn't fill it all the way so that you could see that there is lots of space. So quite a lot of polishes will fit in this.

So I really like this way of storage better than the way I was already storing my polishes previously. Which was in plastic shoe boxes from Target. A set of 5 are $5.99 and they had different colored lids you could choose from grey, turquoise, and red. Well any way since this tried and true method worked for me great but, I liked the fact that I could have more space to keep all my polishes in one unit. Instead of several shoe boxes. It wasn't for me.

So this method didn't quite work out as I had originally planned. I decided to go back to the shoe box storage method. So I have all my polishes stored in the individual boxes by color family instead of brand which I was doing in the past. If you want me to show you the shoe box method then please let me know in the comments down below. Other wise it is a simple and easy way to store polishes if you have the space and want to have them categorized in a different manner. I hope that this helps.

Beauty Box Five May 2012

I have been subscribing to this box for the last 3 months. So of course the first month I was with them was great then every box after this has been ehhhh. I may not be staying with this service for very much longer. This months box was not any better than last months.

For starters I got my box really fast this time. Which is a plus. I guess.

I wasn't really happy to be receiving sample packets again with not more than probably two uses. I was thrilled to see a decent sized body butter and deluxe sample of a face mask by evie evan whom I've never heard of. Then 3 small packets of Moonlight Radiance Night cream from a company named Merlot. Which makes natural grape seed skin care. They claim this cream promotes thicker skin and better skin tone. Helps to reduce and reverse deep lines and wrinkles. It is made in the USA and doesn't test on animals. So I guess I should be happy to get three packets instead of one to try.

Then I received from It's a 10 a sample one time use of their Miracle hair mask. Which claims to do ten things. Detangle, restore moisture balance, restores elasticity, softens, smoothes, imparts luminous shine, enhances natural body, nourishes, de frizzes, and finally improves color vibrancy. So after shampooing work in to hair and leave on for 1-3 minutes. For a deep conditioner use for up to 5-15 minutes, then rinse. Their Miracle styling serum which is alcohol free claims to do ten things as well. I won't get in to that again. The ten things are somewhat different than that of the hair mask. As for the serum you just apply after washing and before styling.

The last packaged item was from Comodynes it a Beauty Flash Lifting effect- Instant Beauty Spray. This spray claims that a concentrate of plant extracts will tighten skin and reduce wrinkles and pore size. In one minute the skin will be smoother, brighter, and toned. 8-Hour lifting effect. Apply on clean, dry skin prior to make-up. For all skin types. 1 spray=2 applications in sample. So OK a spray that makes those claims seems crazy. I'll try this out later then let you know what happens if anything.

In this really weighty glass jar was a Mini Purity Masque. This masque had the traditional spa smell. It wasn't overpowering or harsh. Just a nice clean scent. It says on the card to Apply masque to a clean, dry face. Let sit for 10-20 mins. Rinse with warm water. I too will try this and give a report later.

The next item was a Shea body butter in Hawaiian Kukui by Tree Hut. I too have never heard of this brand as well. It says it's certified organic Shea butter. Not tested on animals. This was a 2 oz size which will be enough to tell if I will like it. It does have a heavy coconut smell which I'm not a fan of. The cream is very thick and smooth and makes the skin feel soft. It does absorb quickly which is a plus. This does make you feel like your in the tropics just from the scent alone. So that's great for scent to suddenly whisk you away to an island paradise. All while still sitting at your desk.

I'm still on the fence about this box. I'm not sure on overall value of this box. I do know it was not worth the $12 it costs. Have you tried this box before? Or have you thought about it? If you have any questions or comments please leave them below.

May My Glam Bag 2012

I really was happy to have received my My Glam bag for this month. This months bag was themed Love is in the air. Which is nice but, it did make me think of Valentine's Day instead. This bag was a  soft light blue color with a hot pink lip pattern on it. I was very happy to see what was in my bag. I really liked all the items for this month.

A sample perfume size of Philosophy's Love Sweet Love Spray fragrance. As I've said, time and time again I really don't like perfume samples period. Well any away the only two brands of perfume I can wear without a reaction is any by Coach or Philosophy. So I was happy to get this sample to try out. It was a soft sweet floral smell with a hint of fruit.

Now we did get a full sized lipstick from Studio Gear. This was the complete color lipstick. As for the lipstick I did love the feel and the way it applied it was rich and creamy. The one thing I didn't like was the color. This lipstick says it plumps and hydrates the lips. Now while I didn't get any plumping of my lips it did hydrate and soothe them. The color was from their luxury line it was in Cinnabar which to me was a vampy dark blood red color with gold shimmer. It is not a color I would wear.  But, I'll make it work some how. It retails for $15.

Now I have never tried the latest craze nail stickers. I always tend to paint and design my own nails. Well we were given from Miss Beauty a Nail Bling set of 20 nail art stickers. These stickers are simulated silver rhinestones with pink bling hearts on the nail. These claim to last up to 10 days. I may use them for a accent nail to try them out. I won't dare to put them on all my nails. Not sure on retail value b/c I couldn't find them any where online.

Lastly the only other items in the bag were the My Glam concealer and defining eyeliner brush. This was the last two of the signature pink brushes to complete the myglam collection of brushes from the other bags. What can I say the brushes are alright they are nice and soft and will do for traveling. I personally would have not purchased these if I had seen them in the store. I like my brushes to be of good quality so I stick to brand names and/or ones that have been proven to hold up and do their job.

So this bag was alright and the lipstick and the brushes saved it but, not by much. Now not to get me wrong I did like the bag. I'm really hoping that they step it up and get better products soon. If not I just may have to move on.

Orly Dark Shadows Nail Collection

So obviously this posting is a little late. As the movie Dark Shadows hit the theatres on May 11th. I had went to my local Sally's beauty last month in April to partake in the buy 2 get 1 free deal. I was so happy to see the Dark Shadows collection already in the store. So I got all 4 colors. These retail for $8 almost everywhere and $6.99 at my Sally's or $6.49 with a Sally's Card.

The colors are as follows Decades of Dysfunction, Mysterious Curse, Grave Mistake, and Buried Alive. I'm sorry that the color swatches are a little messy around the cuticles. I painted these in a hurry and was meaning to get this post out earlier in the month. As you can see this didn't happen. So here is a my take on this polish.

The polish went on very streaky and that went for all of the colors. I did apply two coats to each nail get a better finish. I think that you will need three coats if you want it to be more opaque than sheer. 

Buried Alive is the one on the pointer finger and this color is a warm toned coppery brown with gold. Grave Mistake on the middle finger is a red cream color with a slight burgundy tone in it. Mysterious Curse on the ring finger is a beautiful blue with a purplish shimmer to it. This by far my fave of the bunch. Lastly on the pinkie finger is Decades of Dysfunction which is a creamy pinkish nude color. It looks almost white in the bottle this color is nice. My least favorite of the colors was Grave Mistake I really don't like red polishes that much at all. So this was a miss for me.

Here are the colors applied on a color wheel you can see them a lot better. These were swatched without a top coat applied on them. If you like any of these colors you can still pick them up at your local Ulta or Sally's Beauty Supply. As a reminder this is a limited edition color collection.

May Gossip Girl Birchbox 2012

So where do I begin. I got my May Birchbox really fast this month. I just got an email saying it was shipped on Monday. Then when I went to get my mail yesterday it was there. Wow!

Well this months box was another themed box. Like March's Teen Vogue box. This one was from Gossip Girl. Well that's fine and dandy. I don't watch Gossip Girl no care to and I thought that this box would be awesome. Especially since it was themed and supposedly the items were picked out by the hair and makeup people on the show. Well nonetheless I was very disappointed in the box. I was expecting a lot more from them.

This box was themed Black Tie Ball. There were also other themed styles like Chic Sunday Brunch & Hampton's Beach Party. I'm not sure if there were others. Upon seeing many youtube videos almost 95% I saw got the Chic Sunday Brunch box. It was alright. I'll take the one I got any day to that one. The best one I thought was the Hampton's one.Well anyway lets get started.

First of all I got yet another perfume sample which I don't need. This stuff is so expensive a Full-sized bottle is $165 wow. It's by Arquiste the name is L'Etrog warm notes of citron, palm leaves, and myrtle combine in this transporting scent, inspired by the aromas of a medieval harvest festival in Calabria, Italy. Ok so unless you were there how would you know what a medieval harvest smells like. EWWW. The tiny sample size is worth about $???? I tried to figure it out but, oh well.

The next item is the Miracle Skin Transformer Body SPF 20 in Glow which I'm not thrilled with either. I'm familar with the one for the face HSN sells it. It have yet to try that one. I may try this on my face instead. It says, don't settle for anything but flawless skin- all over your body. This tinted treatment erases blemishes and scars on arms, legs, and decollete. Full-sized is $34. This deluxe sized sample is $6.76 give or take.

I was happy though to see that I got an Ojon product a nice deluxe size of their Volume advance Volumizing Shampoo. This is made with ultra nourishing Central American ojon oil, this weightless shampoo helps hair look and feel thicker. Full-sized is $22. This sample is $2.75 give or take.

I saved the best item in the box for last. Which was from Stila. A Full-sized Sparkle Waterproof liquid eye liner in Rock Candy which is a rich chocolate brown. Pearly shimmer meets intense pigment in this lasting liner. Better yet, the pen-like wand makes wiggle-free application a breeze. This retails for $22. 

For the lifestyle extra I got a notecard wow. These Birchbox notecards come in a set of 12 for $10. So this card is worth $1.20. Like I needed a card. They could have put in another awful perfume sample and I would I like that much better. What's weird is as of this posting it's sold out on there site. All in all the box was alright it was valued at about $32.71.

What was your thoughts on this box? If you have any questions or comments please leave them below. I will try to review the liner, shampoo, and Miracle skin transformer. Later when I have had time to test them out.

Teacher Appreciation Week 2012

 I found out that this week is Teacher Appreciation week May 7th-May 11th. This is something that I'm not so familiar with. Simply Sweets By Honeybee did teacher appreciation cookies in honor of our hard working teachers. Her cookie designs are spectacular. Especially her 3D cookie tree & chalkboards. Her cookies are so beautifully done and awe inspiring that I was inspired to try a design of my own on my nails instead of cookies. So here is my nail art creation for all those hard working teachers. Past, present, and future. Over the years while growing up I had several teachers who inspired me and other who sorry to say down right tormented me. I won't go further into that. I want to remember the ones who helped me to grow as an individual and helped shape me into the person I'm today.

My kindergarten teacher Mrs. Stewart was one of those people. I still remember her to this day. Somehow I made an impact on her like she had on me. Whenever my father went grocery shopping and she happened to be there. She would always inquire about me and my well being long after I graduated and left home. I feel that kindergarten is a very important time this is where your molded into being your own person. You get to learn about all kinds different things and start to make new friends and learn valuable life lessons. Of course singing, dancing, and napping weren't that bad either.

Then as I got older several other teachers also made a huge impact on my growing up. I won't get into that or this will become a novel. So any who I just want to say thanks to all the teachers out there who come to work everyday and give there 110% to making sure we get the best education out there. So here's to you and all you do. Thanks.

If you have any questions about the items used in this design please let me know. Also if you have any requests for future nail art designs please let me know as well.

Mother's Day Nail Design 2012

So another Mother's Day is almost upon us. I may not have any children of my own & that's OK. I have been a pet parent for almost 2 years now to my wonderful "children" a girl and a boy cat. They are in a way like children they fight, won't eat what you give them, don't listen to you and get into all sorts of messes. So with that I present to you my simple and cute nail design for Mother's Day. So if you are a mother or a mother to be or even a mother to a pet or pets. Then I hope you appreciate this as much as I do. PS- Happy Mother's Day to all and to my mom as well.

Here is a close up of my nails. The pattern was inspired by Betsy Johnson's iconic floral print. If you want to know what colors or products I used. Please leave me a comment below and I will be happy to let you know. Like I said, this is a quick simple to the point nail design. So cute to wear any day not just on Mom's special day. Also if you have any requests or ideas for any future nail designs please let me know as well.

Lemonade Day is May 6th 2012

While going through some emails I spotted one from a local restaurant here Pappasito's Cantina. The restaurant is one of many local sponsors of Lemonade Day which benefit kids in Houston. So during April 30th thru May 6th when you purchase a lemonade at any of their restaurants. A portion of the proceeds go to Houston's Lemonade Day. Many other businesses throughout the greater Houston area are also participating.

Lemonade Day is a free, fun, experimental learning program that teaches children how to start, own and operate their own business using a lemonade stand as well as fundamental lessons about life, success and themselves. You get to make your own stand and signs you even get to make a free website to advertise your stand. Plus you get to share with the world in minutes at the lemonadeday.org site. You can also add your stand to the Houston map so everyone can find your business. I feel that this is a great teaching tool. Which kid hasn't had their own lemonade stand while growing up or purchased a cup of that refreshing beverage? I know I did.

I'm pretty sure this is a national effort as well. So if your want more information or want to donate or volunteer then just log on to www.lemonadeday.org or www.Houston.LemonadeDay.org.

So in the spirit of Lemonade Day 2012 I decided to do something fun and different.

So here is a lemonade drink, with two lemon slices and some clouds. Perfect weather for an ice-cold drink.

Here is a close up of my thumb nail. I just decided to make a whimsical lemon character. Since this is a program geared for children. I made the look of the nails to be cute and childlike.

 So if you are interested in what colors I used or have any questions please let me know. Or if you have any ideas or requests for future nail art creations. Please comment below. Thanks.

Cinco de Mayo Nails 2012

This year I decided to take the plunge and create Cinco de Mayo nails. I have always loved the holiday. I think it's because of all the partying and eating and not to mention drinking. I love me a nice cold frozen margarita every once and a while. Well while brainstorming on what colors to choose and what to design on my nails. I was getting excited as well because Cinco de Mayo is not only a fun day. It is my anniversary as well. That is when I got married 11 years ago. So it has some significance to me. It is not only a day for fiestas and good times. It is also a day to reflect on one of the most happiest days of my life. So without further ado. Here are my nails. I hope you like them as much as I do. I tried. This is my first year doing my nails with something other than bright fun colors without any designs.

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

If you want to know in depth what colors I used or how I created this design or have requests or ideas for other nail art creations. Just leave me a comment below. Thanks. 

April Favorites 2012

 Wow, another month has flown by. So I'm once again having to find my April faves. These are the items that I used the most last month. This was a hard choice because I had been loving a lot of different products.

The face moisturizer that I've been using this month was from Pangea Organics it is their facial cream. Which contains Nigerian ginger with lavender & thyme. This is for normal to combination skin. The ginger is stimulating, restorative, and nutritive to the skin. The lavender is purifying, balancing, and soothing. This moisturizer balances and defends. Using select plant based ingredients to provide anti-aging and hydrating benefits to the skin. I will be doing a mini review on this later to let you know how this works out. This 1Fl oz is $16 and can be purchased at www.pangeaorganics.com

 I have been trying many different Pre-moistened facial wipes to see which ones I really like. So this month I was at Target and found these Giovanni Eco Chic Skin Care D:tox System wipes. These wipes are purifying & exfoliating. Even though the wipes have no texture to them at all. These towelettes contain Volcanic Ash & Super-Antioxidants Acai & Goji Berry. These wipes draw out toxins to revitalize tired-looking skin. Volcanic Ash gently exfoliates. Antioxidants help combat damaging free radicals. Ultra-soft to comfortably remove makeup and mascara. Won't clog pores or leave an oily residue. Ideal for all skin types.

• Hypoallergenic
• Dermatologist tested
• Clinically tested
• Ophthalmologist tested
• Non-Comedogenic (won't clog pores)
• Alcohol-free
• Oil-free

On the packaging it says out with the bad, in with the good. Prepare to put your refreshed face forward. With these wipes you don't need to rinse your face. I really liked these the only draw back is that I didn't see a bigger package for sale only the 10 count travel/trial size. They smell very good and do take off makeup very well even mascara. I didn't try it with waterproof because I don't have any. The only drawback was they did leave a sticky kind of feel to the face. Which went away after a while. Plus you have to clean quite quickly as they tend to dry out fast. Overall I like these and will repurchase if I can find a larger pack. The pack of 10 towelettes was around $3 at Target.

This next product combines my two favorites sugar & bubble gum. The Lush Bubblegum Lip Scrub is great. I really love the way it makes my lips feel afterwards. This was a fluke buy. I was told by a friend about Lush products. I have seen them at Macy's but, the really loud smell turned me away. I'm very cautious about heavy scents since they make me ill. I tend to have bad allergic reactions to heavily scented products or perfumes. So I stay away. Well I braved the smell to get this great scrub. I tend to have very dry to sometimes severe cracked and peeling lips. Chap stick works but, not too well. I got this scrub to help keep my lips soft and flake free. I was really happy to find out that they had this in a bubblegum flavor which is my all time favorite. This scrub contains natural ingredients and oils. All you do is gently rub a pea sized amount of this flavored sugar onto your lips to scrub them soft and smooth. You can either eat this off your lips or rinse off. It does come in other flavors. This jar is 0.8 oz. and was $8.95 at Macy's or www.lushusa.com

I have pretty large pores and several fine lines on my forehead. So when Benefit came out with the Porefessional PRO balm to minimize the appearance of pores I was skeptical. I was given a trial-sized one with my Birchbox several months ago. Well I'm so loving it I went out and purchased the full-sized one. I still haven't finished the trial sized one. I really love the smooth texture it leaves on your skin. It says what it does it minimizes pores and it actually does fill in fine lines well at least mine. What I really love it for is that it makes my 2 small forehead lines disappear if only for the deration of the day but, hey it's better than nothing. You can apply this silky, lightweight balm alone, under or over makeup. Translucent, oil-free formula complements all skin tones and helps makeup stay put. Contains a Vitamin E derivative, known to protect skin from free radicals. I'm a believer and will never be without this product again. It's my HG skin filler. It also keeps me shine free. A full sized is 0.75 fl.oz for $29 it is so totally worth it. You can get this at where ever Benefit is sold or at www.benefitcosmetics.com.

Now on to the greatest lash primer well at least in my opinion. Diorshow Maximizer Lash Plumping Serum. This Serum instantly primes, plumps, and lengthens lashes with an ultra-light and quick-drying formula. The first "active serum" mascara primer also contains a unique cell-conditioning complex made up of hydrolyzed soy proteins that promote long-term lash growth, strength, and vitality. It also contains Hyluaronic spheres which helps to plump lashes. Well I have been using this since December and boy it does really work. At first I used to use this just as a mascara primer. Then I decided to try it at night as well like recommended. Well it really does work it has kept my lashes more supple and stronger. I have naturally long lashes which are somewhat full. I have been told all my life by MA and strangers that I have nice pretty lashes. Well this serum has made them less brittle and more softer. They hold a curl better and keep my non-waterproof mascara on all day without flaking or racooning. You do need to put your mascara on pretty quick since I find it goes on better if you don't let the primer dry then apply it. Either way it still works but, I find when it dries and you put the mascara it won't glide and coat as well. This mascara primer serum is .033 fl.oz. for $28. Which I think it's a steal for Dior. It can be found where ever Dior is sold or at www.dior.com.

So when I was deciding on what to pick as my April faves I was going to wait until next month to talk about this. Well I decided to include this as an extra fave as well. It is the Sonia Kashuk Duo-Fibre Fan Brush. This brush is new to her brush line at Target. It can be used for bronzer, highlighter, blush or face powder. Well I use it for face powder. It works like no other brush I own. I have so many powder brushes small and large and in between. All have made my face look cakey even with the smallest amount of product. This brush does the job and more. It makes my face look flawless using pressed powder or loose powder either way I'm in love. I have yet to try it with bronzer, blush, or highlighter. It can also be used to sweep off any shadow fall-out. I will have to get backups of this one. It is very well made hasn't shedded at all. The bristles are All Natural 100% cruelty-free goat hair and a synthetic nylon blend. It would be nice for all the Vegans out there to have a 100% synthetic brush like Urban Decay or Sigma Bunny Line. Maybe in the future she will make one. This brush is $7.99. It can be found at Target stores or www.target.com  or www.soniakashuk.com.