New Header

Hi guys!  Sorry I haven't been posting often, but I'm working on a new header for this blog, which means there is a temporary one right now. It might take a while since my computer is very laggy, but it will be up soon I hope!

But now for a short product review:  Yes to Carrots C Me Shine Lip Gloss.  I got this gloss in pink after I lost (another) tube of lip balm.  This is 95% organic and goes on smooth, not sticky although your hair does catch on it.  The color, Flirty Pink, does not show up very well on my pigmented lips, but it is nice and moisturizing and pretty shiny.  It does have a mint tingle when you first apply it, but it's not a big issue in the summer.  As for performance, I find all lip glosses/balms wear off in a few hours, and this is the same.  But for about $6 at Target or your local drugstore, it's a good organic alternative to mainstream cosmetic brands.  They have a nice selection of colors, and I would personally recommend this product to others.


This was not a sample from the company, this was privately bought.

Spring is Here!( And an update)

For once, it's starting to feel like Spring here on the West Coast.  It's sunny outside and everything is turning green.  A few weeks ago, while testing out our new camera, I snapped a couple of pictures of these buds...

 

 

And not of nature, but of henna:

I've always wondered what getting henna would feel like.  Recently, at a school's diversity day, I got the chance to try it out.  When the henna is first applied, it is cool and in a paste-like consistency.  It smells kind of medicinal and herbal at first, but I gradually got used to it.  Over a period of a few hours to a day, it dries into a dark crust.  After the first hour, it felt itchy, but after leaving it on for a night, I barely noticed it.  I washed it off the next morning, and it left a medium red-brown stain left, which darkened over the next few days.  It lasted about 7 days for me, and started fading around the 4th or 5th day.  My artist was quite talented, and drew a lovely paisley leaf design on my hand.  Overall, I thought it was an interesting experience and a beautiful cultural tradition that I got to participate in.

And an update on the Sally Hansen Nail Polish Strips:  Well, they didn't quite last for the ten days they claim on the package.  I took it off the 6th night, because I am quite rough on my nails and it was beginning to chip, though it looked good from a distance.  However, I have been typing and painting all week, so someone who doesn't abuse their nails as much might have better results.  Also, I found that if you have leftover strips, even if you duct-tape the container, they will still dry out.  I found the dried out strips to be less flexible and not as adhesive, so I couldn't use them.  That would allow you only 2 manicure with one package of the nail polish strips.  $5 a manicure might be less of a deal for you, however, I found the product unique enough to make it worth it, especially as I can never have a nail polish look excellent for 6 days.

What do you think?  Is it worth the money, or is regular nail polish a better deal?

Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nail Polish Strips

Whole Foods has a pretty good return policy for cosmetics apparently.  I (well, my mom) ended up returning the nail polish because the changing color just "wasn't working for me" (Guess the British TV reference!).  So yesterday, at Target, I went looking for the perfect coral nail polish.  Unfortunately, the cosmetics aisle was filled!  The nail polish rack was crowded with people.  In all the hullabaloo, I decided it wasn't the best time to ponder different coral polishes.  Besides, I could hardly find a single one!  All I could see were yellows and blues and reds, but not a single coral that wasn't red based.  And then I the new nail polish strips on the top shelf, and decided I might as well try them out.

Application:  The directions are relatively easy to follow.  I have short nails, so I cut each strip into two and rounded the edges.  I found that the directions tell you to file the excess down, however, I would recommend sticking it to the free edge of your nail before you do so, and wait a while, otherwise it will tear.

Sorry for the weird picture, my camera wouldn't focus correctly.

It did take me a while to apply these, but after a day, they are still looking gorgeous, so I can't complain  (and I was watching Doctor Who).  Though I think they would look better on longer nails, they look professional either way.  Tips:

• Wait a while after you apply these before you shower/wash your nails, or it might peel off.  I put a coat of topcoat on, and it held on fine.
• Add a clear topcoat over the patterns for extra wear time.
•  To prevent the unused strips from drying out, I just put them back in the original container and duct-taped it.  Not the most efficient way, but hey.  It (might) work.

 Wear time:  They are supposed to last ten days.  I'll keep you posted!

Color:  The patterns look professional and don't stretch out, which is a plus.  The black areas of the hounds tooth have what look like air bubbles in them, but it could just be a manufacturing error.

Would I buy these again?  Definitely.  There are a lot of different patterns to choose from, like animal print, lace(which I'm leaning towards), and even solid neons.  Even though the price ($9.99, find at your local Target/drugstore) is pretty expensive, if you cut each strip into two, it can give you 3 manicures.  Pretty cool for something you can do at home!



Again:  not sponsored to review this product!
 

No Miss Nail Polish Review

My camera is out of batteries, and apparently we don't have any left!  So you get this review with no pictures, boo.

No Miss Nail Polish is touted as a less toxic nail polish with no toluene or formaldehyde, and says it has UV inhibitors, a glossy finish, and all that good stuff.  The ingredients is short and sweet, with only the few essential ingredients and colorings.  But does it live up to its word?

(Not the exact product, but I couldn't find a single picture!  Image from nomiss.com)

Application:  Almost a one-coater, which is good!  The color I got, Pinellas Peach (Which is really more of a vermilion) was too red for my tastes, so I tried to tone it down with (almost half a bottle of) Essie Limo-Scene.  Well, last time I try frankening with old polish.  Though the application before was great, after it became slightly thick, though still easy to apply.

Color:  Like I said, I tried adding a lighter pink (Essie) to tone down the almost-neon hue a bit.  Even though I added almost half a bottle, it didn't change the color a bit!  However, the polish, once I applied over a not-quite-dry basecoat, became darker.  Not evenly dark, but streaky dark, which is strange because it looks very light and even in the bottle.  It seemed to do this once it touched water, too.

Wear time:  Without a topcoat (which I don't want to add because of the streak issue), about a day before the edges show a bit of wear.  It's better than E.L.F., though, which lasted a day with topcoat until it drove me mad and I replaced it with No Miss.

Overall, I think it's better to use the No Miss base and top coat with this polish.  I don't know if it's the frankening or just the product, but it seemed to become darker sometimes when I applied it.  I like the range of colors, but the cost( about $7, and you can find it at your local Whole Foods) and the fact I can't find reliable swatches for the colors means that I'll only buy these if I'm looking for something more natural and if I don't mind a hit and miss.

What do you think?  It is worth a try?  And if you have any suggestions, I'm still on the lookout for a bright, summery coral nail polish!



If I was sponsored to write this post, I would not be broke.  I am (broke, that is).

Honeybee Gardens Watercolors Nail Enamel Review

...why such long names?  Regardless, here is the low down:

This nail polish is water based, and so has no chemically smell.  It does, however, have a faint whiff of acrylic paint, which comes from the acrylic, but this really doesn't bother me.

I got the color in Nude Beach, which is a cream warm-toned beige.  Now, onto the important facts:

1. Application:  This was...not bad, if you have a steady hand (I don't).  Even for a cream, it didn't streak too badly, though I would advise two to three coats.  I expect a shimmer would be less noticeably uneven.
2. Wear Time:  Meh.  Without a base or top coat, about a day or two.  I would advise to shower only one or two hours after applying this product, otherwise it will chip.  However, it dries in about ten minutes and doesn't smudge after, so that's a plus.
3. Finish:  It's not as shiny as a traditional polish, but this, I imagine, would be quickly remedied with a clear layer.  It is much shinier than a matte or satin finish though.
4. Removal:  It was easy to remove with 70% ethanol, and didn't  totally destroy my nails like normal nail polish does.

As a total?  Not bad!  They do have a limited range of colors, and buying options may be limited, but at least no body at home complains about the smell.  I got it for $6 off of Ebay, so it's definitely affordable for me.  Would I repurchase?  Yes, for something more natural, this is definitely an acceptable alternative to chemical nail polish.

I was not sponsored to review this product.

Harajuku Lovers Sunshine Cuties G Review

...Another long title, coming your way.  Anyway, I realize these were from summer, and it is now fall (feels like winter!) but summer scents are equally uplifting (if not more so) in cold weather. :)  Plus, I only spotted them today at Sears.

Image from fragrantica.com

Sunshine Cutie G comes in a cute bottle, with the doll on top wearing a "tuxedo" bikini top and blue-green swim shorts.  There is a picture of plumeria flowers on the package and in her hair.  This version of G sports new notes of (from Amazon) mandarin, coconut water, heliotrope, and vanilla bean.  Now, when I bought these, I had no idea.  I sniffed Love, and it smelled too floral, but their were no testers, so I took a chance with G.

At first sniff, G smells ridiculously of coconut.  With a weird floral note behind it.  And I was not pleased.  But after a while (or was it just the influence of other reviews I saw online?) it began to grow on me.  The coconut faded; yes, it still smelled like a beach, but now it was drier, will vanilla and more florals backing it up.  It's a warm scent, sweeter than I would have liked, but still quite lovely. 

But now I must warn you.  Scents don't really change on me, from the mid notes to the dry down.  After about 10 hours, it smells a little less of floral, but that's it.  Maybe it's because I have bad circulation or dry skin or whatever, but just saying, so other people know how scents work on me. 

Sunshine Cuties G actually reminds me of...Cool Water Woman, because of that last sandalwood/vanilla note.  But in a good way.  I've heard it compared to Creed's Virgin Island Water, but I wouldn't know.  Overall though, it's a good perfume.  Lasts only a few hours, but the packaging is as cute as heck.



I did not receive compensation from any company to write this review.  My mom bought this for me. XD

Just Squeezed

Bright, bright, and cheerful.

This is on my toes currently, Just Squeezed Nicole by OPI.  It's a bright, almost neon orange with fine pink an dgold shimmer.  Really pretty, but the color is so hard to capture on camera!  Also, excuse the weird nails, I've been too busy to grow out my nails and I only threw one coat of polish on to show you what it looks like on the nail.  Sometimes it looks darker, almost like vermilion.  You should probably wear a basecoat with this one, as it's pretty bright and the shimmer is annoying to remove from bare nail.  It's holding up okay, but I'll need to do a full wear test to be sure.

It reminds me of fresh orange juice and a tango!
Anyway, school has been stressful, and I haven't been getting a lot of sleep, so posting will be odd and uninspired.  I'll try and update though!  Thanks for sticking with it. :)

Product Review: Yes to Carrots C Me Blush Lip Tint

...Another long name.

Anyway, this will be short, because these braces really hurt.

This lip tint provides sheer color, with light shimmer.  Not in your face, but subtle and good for low-makeup days.  The wear time is a few hours at most, and it doesn't really dry out your lips despite the peppermint taste but if your lips are really dry, you might want to layer a lip balm underneath.  I got Coral Sunshine, and the color I thought was perfect.  If you have pigmented lips though, only the shimmer and the lightest tint will show up.  No SPF, so be careful!  Wear a lip balm with SPF under it.  That said, this this 95% organic and pretty inexpensive.

Recommended!(I'll admit, I take that from Susanna of Jewel Box Dreams)

School makes me dizzy...

Whee! Sorry I was completely gone. I am attempting to adjust to this year. I will try to post more often. It has also been strangely cool these past few days, and after running every day, my hands started to dry out. I have been attempting to remedy the problem by using Weleda Skin Food. This is a cream that smells pleasant, and if you use a reasonable amount, it gets the job done. Sweet almond oil, beeswax, and calendula officinalis extract all go into it to make it mostly natural. Unfortunately, I only have a trial size. It's pretty expensive, but good in cold and and windy weather! It's really starting to feel like fall around here. I hope you all had a good September!

Product Review: Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Creme

Such a nice product. First off: it's great, it moisturizes, my cuticles look(or used to look, before I forgot about this) better, and it smells like LEMONS. It contains sweet almond oil, cocoa butter, and sunflower oil, so it is very moisturizing, but slightly greasy, which I didn't really mind. My only catch with this is that it can be slightly hard, but my other extremities have a low temperature. Even though Spring has officially sprung, this is still a must-have. Go get one today!

Product Review: EO Nourishing Hand Cream

In the winter/fall/all year, I have dry skin. In the winter particularly, I have very dry hands. In fact, my hands are so dry that they cracked on my knuckles, and on the back of my hands. So now my hand is a scarred mess. It took so long to finally find a hand lotion that I liked, but this one from EO is pretty good. It moisturizes normal skin well, and the consistency is nice, but looks ... lumpy. When you rub it in, it isn't, but because it looks that way, it puts me off a little. The scent at first reminded me of patchouli, but it started smelling like lemon verbena (that was the scent) a second later. This cream is mostly natural, and has essential oils in it, so so can feel better about putting it on your skin. Beware, however, that it is not completely natural. Also, it doen't heal cracked and scarred skin that well, but overall, pretty good!

Product Review:Yes to Carrots C Me Smile Lip Butter

...Phew, what a long name!

Anyway, Yes to Carrots seems like a good brand. I saw it in Longs Drugs one day, and decided to do some research. C me smile Lip Butter is great, one of the best lip balms I've tried. With ingredients like coconut oil and Shea butter, it is nourishing to chapped skin, without being too heavy-perfect for winter. The flavors are awesome too. Pictured at right, I am currently using Berry. Plus, your conscience will approve, too. Made with 95% organic ingredients and USDA approved, you will know that what you are putting on your lips isn't petroleum or mineral oil gunk. Only $3.69, this is nice stocking stuffer to pair with other gifts. Recommended!

Veggies

I have something new...bear with me, a product rant is coming up!