Nail of the Week: November 28, 2011

Oh, Julep, where have you been all my life?!?  From my knowledge of the brand, it was started in Seattle by former Starbucks Exec, Jane Park, who wanted a relaxing high quality nail salon where women could go, be pampered, have a glass of wine and socialize with their friends, all in a fume and toxin free oasis - a girl after my own heart!  All Julep Nail products are "4 Free" meaning they do not contain Formaldehyde, Dibutyl Phthalate, Toluene, or Formaldehyde Resin.  Jane then took her polishes online, offering a mail order subscription program called Julep Maven.  For $19.99 a month, Maven's receive a hand picked box of Julep manicure and pedicure products.  They offer lots of deals, and I actually got a Maven box some time ago for only $5.00!  My box had two nail colors and a tube of the glycolic hand scrub.  Potential Mavens take a style quiz to match the colors Julep thinks they'll enjoy - my style is Classic with a Twist in case you were wondering.

Julep Michelle - 2 coats, Seche Clear Basecoat and Orly Sec N'Dry Topcoat

This is one of the two colors I received.  It's called Michelle, which Julep describes as an inky, midnight blue.  Descriptors like this are absolutely necessary for polishes sold online and I think this one is dead on!  The formula goes on like butter and is super opaque, even after only one coat.  I won't lie, it's a little pricey at $14.00 a bottle (although in the Maven program you'll often get two polishes for $19.99.) Still it's a nice treat to have such a luxurious polish in my collection!

I hope everyone takes the time to primp a little this week!

Nail of the Day: November 23, 2011

I could wait no longer to take those Incoco Nail Polish Strips off and this is part of the reason.  Several YouTube Beauty Gurus have raved about this color and when I found a $1.00 mini bottle, I thought it was worth a shot.  Enter Orly Rage.  Described as the perfect Rose Gold, which is very in for fall, it does not make me enraged, but rather super happy I went for this color.

Orly Rage 2 coats with Seche Clear Base Coat and Orly Sec N' Dry Topcoat

I normally don't like metallics, but this might just be my gateway metallic.  I'm loving this color and am sure it will make frequent appearances throughout the Fall and Winter.

Happy Primping and may all your golds be rosy!

Erica

Project Pan Update!

I'm going to start posting here as I finish items.  The plan is to make a list with my impressions of these products, and then I'll update the post as I finish off stuff.  Remember, these are things I will not be repurchasing for whatever reason once they're gone, so expect no glowing reviews.

1. Maybelline Volum' Express One by One Mascara: I really did not like this mascara.  The claim was that it adds volume without clumping or flaking and washes off with soap and water.  The brush was nice, though the rubber stopper that removes the excess mascara came off all the time.  I found it gave moderate volume, flaked throughout the day like crazy and when I tried to wash it off, it just smeared all over my face.  I had to scrub with my makeup remover and still could never get it all off.  I have found that I'm not terribly fond of Maybelline mascaras in general, having been unimpressed with this and the Lash Stiletto as well.
2. Revlon Colorstay Eyeliner: I was so glad when I finished this stuff.  To be truly honest, I didn't so much finish it as it fell completely to pieces!  This liner, whether a formulation issue or a packaging issue, only gave me a couple good applications before it dried out too much.  As for the colorstay part, you ask.  Not so much, I say!  It smudged like none other, but not in a good smokey liner way.  So, what's better?  If you're looking for a smudge-able eyeliner that's also long wearing, I recommend the NYX Slide-on Pencil or the Milani Liquifeyes.  The Milani pencil goes on like butter, is smudge-able for a brief time and then sets, and once it sets, it isn't going anywhere!  The NYX is the same and has a lot larger color selection. 
3. Herbal Essences Set Me Up Spray Gel: I got this thinking it was just a regular spray gel, but it works more like a spray mouse.  You spray it on wet hair, then style as normal.  It's great for days when I wash and then curl my hair, which really isn't that often, so it's not worth a repurchase.
4. Revlon ColorStay Liquid Foundation: I really loved this stuff!  If you're looking for a long-wearing matte foundation, give this a try; however, it's too matte for my skin that gets super dry during the winter.  I may repurchase in the summer, but for now I'm going to stick with my Airbrush Foundation.

Subscription Review: November Birchbox

I just received my November Birchbox. I'm terrible about surprises, a terrible snoop, so I already knew what I would be getting. I was so excited! So here's what I got:

 

(Photo from Birchbox website:  www.birchbox.com)

Atelier Cologne, Vanille Insensee Cologne Absolue

Borghese, Fango Active Mud

LaROCCA Skincare, Champagne & Shimmer; Shimmer Supreme Creme

Zoya, Nail polish in Izzy

Birchbox treat: Two Paper Dolls, Ampersand Coasters

The card that explains about the items in the Birchbox also says at the bottom: Prize unlocked: Bauble Bar, Black Wood Pop Bracelet.

Past Favorites:
Hands down, the best product I've received in any box is this stuff! This is the best hair oil I've ever used and it smells fantastic! The worst thing is I cannot find my sample and it's $30 for a 3 oz bottle. An investment that would be worthwhile, but not exactly in the budget right now!

Orofluido Elixir

Next month, when I post my next Birchbox, I'll let you know how all these worked out.  I can't really say much about them now becauyse I have a cold and cannot smell ANYTHING, so I'm waiting to try everything!

Until next time, Happy Primping!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Project Pan 2011

I've decided that for the rest of the year I'll be on a project pan. For those of you who don't know, a project pan is when a beauty blogger stops buying beauty products. The goal is to "hit pan" or use up products in a current collection. Project Pans are usually for a specified amount of products. I am doing mine by time frame. My project pan will go from November 1 to February 1, in which time I will try and use up as many products as i can from my ridiculously large collection.

Wish me luck!
Happy Primping to all my beautiful friends!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Nail of the Day:November 14, 2011and UPDATE!

I gathered up all my Birchbox items that I hadn't used to find some favorites for my November Birchbox blog post and found these Incoco nail polish strips. I've tried some essence nail stickers, which were totally different and super crappy! So the plan is this. I put them on today and post a pic, and then leave then on for up to the 14 days the company says they they'll last so we can see.




Incoco nail polish strips in Diamond Break - black and pink glitter

Application: These apply like any other nail polish strip, but they have a narrower end and a wider end. I like these because, though the strips are the same length as others, you can still get the right fit, but with less waste.




Incoco says these strips are the base coat, color, and top coat all in one, so i just applied the strips with no top coat to really test wear.
Now we wait and see how they wear.

Happy Primping!

UPDATE! November 23, 2011

Ok, I went as long as I possibly could, but with the holiday and the regrowth, I cannot stand it any more and this polish is coming off.  Before I do that, as promised, I'll show you how it wore.  I had the Incoco Nail Polish strips on for almost 9 days.

 

You can see the wear at the free edge and the re-growth at the cuticle.  I'm kind of proud of how much re-growth there is, but cannot stand how it looks.  Overall, there's no huge chipping or peeling, which I honestly expected.  I will definitely be trying more nail polish strips in the future!

Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Primping!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

My very own blog!

Only through the continuous suggestion of my friends, did I think anyone would even read this. We'll see if they were just tired of seeing my Nail of the Day posts on Facebook or if they are really interested! I've been excited about starting this and have been brainstorming some fun blog posts!
Stay tuned for many more Nail of the Day (NOTD), Face of the Day (FOTD) and more!

Happy Primping!