ThightRope and RingMaster, my first tape mani!

Tonight I want to show you a mani I did a couple days ago. I bought some nail tape from eBay and had been dying to try it out :) I used two fabulous polishes I got in my beauty subscription bag MyGlam (now called ipsy and you can see my post on the latest bag here), the polishes are ThightRope and RingMaster, the brand is called Circus by Andrea's Choice. There are currently 5 colors in the collection and they will be available for sale in the Fall.

The colors are awesome, bright, just how I like them! They dry pretty fast to an almost matte finish. 

Left: TightRope (purple), Middle: butter LONDON Matte Finish Top Coat, Right: RingMaster (Pink)

So, here is what I did, I used my CND Stickey base coat, then I applied 2 coats of Pink (RingMaster), once dry I applied the nail tape in random patterns.

Note: I did not wait long enough because I was just too excited, it still turned out ok for my first time but I definitely recommend waiting until fully dry, you will get cleaner results :)

As far as the tape, I don't know about you girls, but I thought the adhesive was a bit to aggressive, tested on one nail and it was pulling the polish off when I peeled it (again this might have been because I didn't wait long enough). Anywho, what I did was cut a big tape piece, like enough for the 3 strips I put on each nail and stick it to the back of my hand a couple of times to get rid of some of the adhesive, then I cut it into the smaller pieces and placed them on the nails as shown. I made sure it was secure at the edges.

 Then I used ThightRope, the purple color, 2 coats over the taped nails.

I waited about 5 minutes and then I pulled the tape off and applied the butter LONDON Matte Finish Top Coat. It looks more matte in real life, this picture was after applying cuticle oil (ooops!)

Oh yeah, this is the awesome container the polish comes packaged in! I love it!

Conclusion:

This is my very first attempt at using nail tape, definitely will try it again because I'm still scared of actual nail art and this is a simple enough method to spice up your mani! I have learned a thing or two! I am a bit impatient and next time I will wait longer so the polish is completely dry before applying the tape.

What do you think? Have you played with nail tape yet? 

Thank you for stopping by,

Fiorella :)

MyGlam is now ipsy ...beauty by you! September 2012 bag!

The September 2012 MyGlam bag is here, and apparently MyGlam is now "ipsy...beauty by you!"

I haven't had a ton of time to play around with the new site to fully figure out if there are any changes or meaningful differences coming with the new name. When I logged in a screen came up saying "Discover new Looks, Videos, Stylists and Products.", "Click the  button on your favorite items.", "Create your own Looks, and add Videos from YouTube." and more... Hopefully I will have time to play on the site a bit more soon :)

So... the bag! Yes, the bag:

It all came in the pretty hot pink bubble mailer and the bag this month is a simple plain black wristlet. This might be the first one I actually use. I love the bags for the most part and I love colorful stuff but a nice black wristlet feels just right this time :)

London SOHO New York Smudge Brush, OMG it's huge and it looks awesome!!!

Carol's Daughter Monoi Repairing Split End Sealer, looks interesting... we will see...

Jane Sparkle Gloss in Sparkle Pink, it smells delicious and I can't wait to try it. I haven't bought lip gloss in months now that I get beauty subscriptions :) And I love them all!!!!!!!!!!

Mirabella Eyeshadow in Semiformal

Circus By Andrea's Choice Nail Polish in TIGHTROPE

It's a beautiful purple, it's a lot brighter in person and it dries to a satin/almost matte finish. The swatch is 2 coats with no top coat and the application was smooth. Definitely keeping this polish and wearing it soon!

Do you get MyGlam/ipsy? What do you think of this month's bag?

Thank you for stopping by,

Fiorella :)

Birchbox September 2012!

Hola! Hello! I wanted to do a quick post to show you my September 2012 Birchbox! This is one of the Beauty Sampling Subscriptions I get, $10 a month and always a nice surprise :) If you haven't signed up yet you can be awesome and do so by using my link, you get awesome stuff, I get points for more pretty things to show you later on :) https://www.birchbox.com?raf=knp4h

The goodies:

Of course the first thing I grabbed was the nail polish! Oh pretty blue :) - This is probably my favorite item from this month's box... but I might be biased, I'm a nail polish addict!

I had to swatch it right away, 2 coats gave me full opacity, went on smooth and evenly! Color Club Nail Polish - #5786 Insta-This

Just a reference so you can see what size the bottle is.

The second product I grabbed was Jouer Matte Moisture Tint SPF 15 - Oil Free. While it looks tiny I have learned you don't need to use a lot when it comes to this type of product, definitely excited to try it. Full size is $38 for 1.7 oz

I know some people don't like getting Fragrance samples and I have gotten some gross ones before hahaha but I do like trying them out. I am cheap and rarely will I buy real perfume (but I will gladly take it as a gift), so having different little samples is awesome because I can wear different scents without having to buy full size bottles.

Next up, this fabulous "Soy Body Whip" 

It smells delicious, I stink at explaining scents and stuff like that, but to me it's flowery without being old lady-ish with a hint of Gardenia scent maybe? I am pretty impressed with the size of the sample, I had to put some on my elbow and it sure feels nice :)

Here is the description :)

I got a "Birchbox Custom Lace Hair Tie" by Twistband. I know some people dislike getting these hair ties but I love them! I got my first one (skinny headband) from Birchbox back in May and then had to buy a bunch more, I have them now in every color, hair ties and headbands! :) 

Even got my mom into them! She found some awesome ones at Dollar Tree, they work just as well and they are a killer deal, you get 6 headbands for $1.00 in different colors. This one is pretty, I don't have any lace ones :) and the color is one that I definitely wear often so I will be using this soon :)

This was one of the "Extra" items, Hollywood Fashion Secrets - Fashion Tape. 

Here is what's inside the little envelope, 4 tape pieces. I'm intrigued, this is something I wouldn't mind trying but I would probably never buy myself so I'm glad I got it. Ultimately that's what services like Birchbox are all about, introduce you to products and/or brands you would not have purchased on your own.

Overall I am satisfied with this box and feel like I will use EVERYTHING I got this time :)

Do you subscribe to Birchbox? What did you get?

Thank you for stopping by,

Fiorella :)

OPI + Revlon Whimsical!

I have Midterms this weekend but I had to share this with you in a short post :)

Finally! I got my hands on a bottle of Revlon Whimsical! It was almost brand new and I got it from Copious using a credit so I paid less than $2! Total score as I couldn't find it in store and I've been looking for it for a few months now! 

I knew I needed a base and decided to go with the colors I saw in the sparkles (or as close as I could). I used 3 OPI colors as my base: "Mermaid's Tears" (Pirates Of The Caribbean Collection), "French Quarter For Your Thoughts" (Touring America Collection) and "If You Moust You Moust" (Vintage Minnie Collection).  

Two coats of each base color!

I did 2 coats of Whimsical and 1 coat of OPI's Top Coat. It might have bubbled a bit :(

Overall I am pretty happy with Whimsical and the combination altogether! I think it has the right amount of glitter and color without being extremely summery... it's starting to get cold here in the Midwest but I'm not quite ready for fall yet.

I did this right before I went to bed and I think I could have waited longer before putting the top coat on and avoid the bubbling, but oh well, lesson learned! My favorite base is the gray color, what do you think?

Thank you for stopping by!

Fiorella :)

August 2012 Beauty boxes (super late post) Birchbox and MyGlam

So yeah, on an effort to get caught up, and probably by now you all have seen posts like this one, so I’m just going to quickly share what I got in my boxes and my thoughts on them. 

I was out of the country for almost 2 weeks and it was crazy awesome to find so many packages waiting for me when I got home. Beauty subscriptions, swaps, mini hauls, etc, etc 

Here is what I got in my Birchbox:

Curls, curls, curls! Oh I have tons of them!!! I have seen this brand at Target and have been tempted to pick up some products but I hate spending “full price” money on stuff unless I know it works. 

I was extremely happy to get CURLY MERINGUE :) I have used it a couple of times and I like it so far. I do feel it leaves a bit of a residue on your hair but it does seem to control frizz and shape up the curls and it smells delicious! I would rather have a tube than a jar, just because I hate sticking my hands in jars of stuff and get product under my nails but that might be part of my OCD. Once I am close to finishing the sample jar I might have to use some of my Birchbox points and get the full size product! I have not used the conditioner yet but I am guessing I will like it as well.

The perfume sample smells pretty good, but they are so tiny that in my mind I have to consider them extras. I haven’t used the foot cream yet so I really have no opinion on it, but the size is definitely good for a sample. 

Now the Talika Lipocils expert seemed promising... but I was oh so confused with how the wand was supposed to look, based on the picture printed on the box and the pictures online I was expecting it to have the dual wand. I emailed them to clarify and they responded this is the way the sample was meant to be… ok… haven’t tried it yet, I guess the confusion kinda turned me off, oh well.

The razor was an “extra” and I am still in search of the “perfect” razor so I used it this weekend and it was pretty good but no better than other ones I have tried. With how expensive razors are, it was definitely a nice bonus.

And this was the MyGlam bag:

Dragon Fruit!!!! Fresh, sweet, delicious smell, I actually brought this with me on my weekend trip to MN and it worked great, only thing is that mine at least, feels a bit oily when you roll it on, no big deal but unexpected.

I have not used the skin care items yet, I kinda want to give my face a break and some consistency, because trying all these different skin care samples keeps upsetting my face and I am breaking out way too often lately. The shadow has not been used yet either but looks promising.

Oh the lipgloss!!!!!!!! I looooove the color, the consistency, the packaging, the size, the smell!!!!!! I also brought it with me on my trip this weekend and it did not disappoint. It is not sticky and the color does not go on scary neon as you would think; it’s just a pretty pink gloss that smells like watermelon :)

Oh, don't let me forget! Nail polish! I just might have to keep this one! It’s so bright and I don’t have that shade or anything close to it on any other brand. I only swatched it on the nail wheel and haven’t had time to wear it so I can’t speak about the wear or quality. Will try to use it soon and let you know!

See? Similar but not the same...

I have been thinking about a low buy month (I can’t lie to myself and commit to a no buy month haha) and possibly giving up one of these 2 subscriptions, not so much because of the money but because I don’t know what to do with all the stuff I get. I took a bunch to my friends and family in Peru on my last trip but somehow my goodies basket keeps growing!

I dropped GlossyBox because they had too many issues and I did not feel I was getting much value out of it. I do not regret dropping them, at least not right now. Do you subscribe to MyGlam, Birchbox or any others? Is the fad over? Love to get your feedback!

Thank you for stopping by,

Fiorella :)

Nail Mail (August Edition)

I just wanted to show you the latest additions to my “collection” :) 

I heard about Hautelook and signed up a while back but was turned off by the fact they charge for shipping… just charge me more and make me believe shipping is free! I much rather do that than come to terms with how much shipping costs compared to what I am buying… rant over, haha.

So, a few weeks ago, Orly was on Hautelook, minis for $2.50. I was looking at trying out some Orly polishes, I had only tried 3 of their Glam FX glitters… and then it happened, as I was telling myself I would not buy any because of the $5+ shipping charge, they emailed me a $15.00 code!!! No minimums, just $15.00 to spend! So, shipping charges and all I got 4 mini Orly polishes for $0.95, now that my friends, is what I call a deal!

Here are the 4 shades I got, excited to use them soon!

(L to R) Nite Owl, Snowcone, Meet Me Under the Mistletoe and Fowl Play

If you want to try Hautelook and don't have an account yet, you can use my referral link http://www.hautelook.com/short/3FJ7z

I also got some more nail polish from Copious with a credit I got from a link that another blogger posted. HITS is a brand I had not heard about before, but the glitters looked pretty good. Here are the swatches, the smell is kinda strong but I love the way they look and for $0.01 (now you have to spend at least $0.50 even when using a credit), these were also a great deal!

Grrr hard to picture all these glitter! Prettier in person!

Another great idea I had recently was to look online for nail polish trading and nail mail pals groups. I joined Adopt A Friend, which is basically a group where you are paired up with one (or more) pals, you send them a letter telling them about yourself and a little gift with it. Most people send nail polish or nail polish related stuff; unfortunately the group is on recess this month while the admins sort out some issues like swaplifters (people who receive but don’t send anything), and such. I am looking forward to October’s exchange already.

Here is what I got from my pen pal:

My first Essence polish! And I learned not to underestimate the beauty of a color and try it on before deciding whether you like it or not :) I actually used this pretty color on my first “fimo mani” (will do a post on it soon). 

And this Sally Hansen is one I had never seen before, what a cool combination!!! White and gold glitter! I feel it could go over ANY color and look fantabulous! See?

Look at the middle one, China Glaze Stone Cold! OMG! It dries so nicely!!! Can’t explain it with words, just look again!!!! 

Last but not least, I started a beautiful friendship with Sam from Shenailigans a few weeks back! I was following her blog and not only did she have awesome posts, she also seem really cool. I emailed her asking her for some advice and help with my blog and she was so helpful and nice! We were having the Sinful Colors sale at Walgreens and I offered to pick some up for her (she is in Canada), I sent her the colors below and some other cute little things (she blogged about it here)

Since I saw she was “frankening” I asked her to make me some polishes! I wanted her Floam dupe so bad!!! But the rest I left open to her imagination! How awesome are these colors???

My package was incredible!!! She also sent me a bunch of other awesome goodies!!! Happy girl over here < -----

I wore this colorful mani this weekend on my trip to MN, we were going to the State Fair and I thought these nails would definitely be fair appropriate :)

Thank you Sam! I look forward to many more exchanges and a long friendship!

Thank you for stopping by,

 Fiorella :)

Oh bar glitter!

I can’t believe it’s already September! I have to catch you guys up on my posts! August was a busy busy month for me, school, work and a trip to Peru! I wanted to share a mani I did a few weeks back, if you follow me on FB you probably saw pictures but here it goes, enjoy!

I had a wedding to go to in August and was going on vacation right after that. I wanted something nice and versatile and since I was going to cold weather I wanted to stay away from bright colors. I was also dying to try my first 2 bar glitter polishes.

For this mani I used:

• ·         CND – Stickey Base Coat
• ·         Sinful Colors – Secret Admirer #933
• ·         OPI – Save Me
• ·         Orly – Be Brave
• ·         OPI – Top Coat

Here is what I wore to the wedding... yes my shoes sparkle :)

Base color :  Sinful Colors – Secret Admirer #933

Here I am wearing OPI - Save Me & Orly - Be Brave over it. (one coat of each)

Completely off topic but I must tell you I am writing this post in the car as my dear boyfriend is driving us back from MN to KC and he is so silly, he just turned on the Spanish music station (mind you he is from MN and does not speak Spanish). I think he is just trying to get my attention but any who, back to this post.

I love how this combo turned out, I am still kinda new to all the different glitter kinds out there and what not, and have read that some people do not like bar glitter as it can be rebellious and refuse to lay flat. Both of the ones I used were perfect and easy to work with. I was hesitant to use Sinful Colors as the base color as I really wanted my nails to last for a while, I don’t know about you but I don’t feel like re-doing my nails while I’m on vacation.

Natural light

One more pic :)

I had this combo on for 2 full weeks, which included luggage pulling at multiple airports and I experienced no chips or peeling whatsoever! Obviously my nails grew and you could see that towards the end of the 2 weeks but I am truly impressed at how long the polishes stayed on.

What do you think? Any other bar glitter polishes you recommend?

Thank you for stopping by,

Fiorella :)