Small Sally Beauty Haul

My Sally Beauty club card renews in September...so of course I had to go renew it and use my 15% + free item coupon!!! I don't need anything there but I want so much...

• ORLY Bubbly Bombshell because who doesn't need more fabulous pink glitter?
• ORLY Sweet Peacock because some girl in one of my anthro classes has a metallic blue polish I've been eyeing for a bit. This looks nothing like it, as hers looks more like Essie's Blue Rhapsody, but this one is metallic...and blue...so good enough?
• ion inspired by nature Nourishing Oil Treatment because it was on clearance and I've been getting into hair products lately and this was a good way to try a hair oil.
• ion Moisture Solutions Miracle Leave-In Conditioner because it was free and I've been wanting a leave-in for a while now.

Less than $17 for these four items and the card renewal, plus I got a $5 off coupon for next time :) I'm thinking I "need" one of the new duochrome China Glaze polishes...

August Birchbox and NOTD

Two coats of OPI I'm an Aqua-holic on the tips, one coat of Orly Fifty Four all over, and one coat of Orly Sec'n Dry. I used the Nailene French tip guides and I'm really liking this combo.
My August Birchbox was a little disappointing. Other people got Smashbox Photofinish and facial masks...I got a hair mask, facial cleanser, blinc eyeliner and eye treatment pads. I'm now vowing to not look at what other people get in theirs until I get mine :) Still totally worth the $10, though, because in all honesty, I have been on a really big get-rid-of-dark-circles kick, and I almost bought a hair mask at Target the other day.

NOTDs (pic heavy)

Companion Cube-inspired nails with Zoya Kelly for the pinky, middle and pointer fingers and OPI Skull and Glossbones and Orly Cotton Candy (I think, anyways) for the accent finger.

Portal-themed toes with Sally Girl Hottie for the orange and China Glaze Frostbite for the blue.

China Glaze White on White for the base and Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Blue Away for the dots (foot picture again, sorry!)

Orly Halley's Comet

Finger Paints Go Van Gogh!

OPI Fiercely Fiona

Orly Razzle

China Glaze Flying Dragons (Neon) for the tips, topped with Orly Fifty Four

OPI Skull and Glossbones

OPI Sparkle-icious

Sorry about the lack of posts. I've been a lazy bum lately, plus I've been working 8 hour days :)

June Empties!

 I am trying to use up all of the mini/trial size things I have, so I have been using up quite a few products lately.  Left to right, top to bottom (ish):
-Sally Hansen Diamond Radiance Hand Scrub. Meh. It wasn't very moisturizing, but I have about 3 tubes left from those silly Sally Hansen party packs. I'll use what I have up, but I'm definitely not going to repurchase.
-Soap and Glory The Righteous Butter. This stuff smelled a bit like old lady, but I love the packaging and it did moisturize quite well. Will not repurchase because I am in love with The Body Shop's body butter.
-Suave Mango Mandarin Lotion. This smelled amazing and works pretty darn well for being a cheapie lotion. Might repurchase.
-Orly French Polynesian Hot Lava Hand Mask. This either warmed way too much or I couldn't feel the effect, even when I had stirred it well. Will not repurchase.
-Nivea Creme. I love the way this smells and it works quite well. Might repurchase if I can find it in a package that doesn't "lead" when it gets hot.
-Secret Fresh Effects Fresh Water Orchid body spray. This had little staying power, but was a nice, floral scent when first applied. Will not repurchase.
-Sally Girl Orange Blossom Cuticle Oil. Meh. Worked okay. Smelled okay. I can find better moisturizing lotions, though. Will not repurchase.
-B&BW Secret Wonderland lotion. The lotions from Bath and Body Works don't wow me, and do very little but keep already moisturized hands from drying out when applied frequently. This scent is one of my favorites, though.
-B&BW Carried Away lotion. I didn't like the scent of this. I couldn't use it up fast enough, really.

-Olay Age Defying Body wash. Smelled like old lady but moisturized as well as the normal Quench kind. Will consider repurchasing, as long as I don't find something new between now and when I buy body wash next.
-Herbal Essences Degunkify Shampoo. I am pretty sure they are now marketing this as "Drama Clean" shampoo. It claims it will "tingle" but I never felt anything tingly, and I wash my hair hard. Will not repurchase.
-Biore Blemish Fighting Ice Cleanser. I love, love, love this stuff. I will repurchase after I use up another bottle (that I am currently half way through) and the one other face wash I have still.
-Loreal go 360 Clean Face Scrub. This didn't do anything special for me, so I am going to try something new when I finish a travel size of a different scrub I bought for my vacation.

May Empties!

Hey guys. Work has been exhausting me and killing my nails, so no recent NOTDs. I started doing the two week Orly Nailtrition cycle, though, so hopefully that will make my nails strong enough to handle prying computers apart and blowing the dust out of them for 32 hours a week.

To make up for my lack of actual posts, here is an empties post. I got this idea from many other nail/beauty blogs who are doing "Project 10 Pan" and other similar things. I wish I could remember where I first saw it, but I can't, so thank you to the many bloggers who came up with this way before I did!

I honestly have no idea how to turn the picture once it is uploaded, so I'm sorry. But this is:
-Olay Quench Body Lotion Ultra Moisture (full size and travel size) I had this a long time ago, and I absolutely loved it. This time around, however, it stung really badly when I put it on after shaving, which I don't remember happening the last time. I loved the little sparkles, but I much rather have my legs not sting when I put on lotion at 6:30 AM.
-Nivea Creme Honestly, I bought this because it was in a little tin. I used it on my feet and it worked pretty well. I also love the smell.
-Beyond Belief Spiced Pomegranate Ew, ew, ew. It smelled ok at first but as soon as I put it on my legs/arms, it got this chemically smell to it, every single time. It worked ok, but I definitely won't be repurchasing.
-OPI AvoJuice Skin Quencher in Winter Huckleberry This is honestly my favorite lotion. It smelled amazing (as does every other AvoJuice scent I've smelled thus far) and it soaked in quickly and left my hands super soft. Once I use up all of the hand creams I currently have, I am definitely repurchasing AvoJuice.
-Heel to Toe Feels Like New Foot Softener This had a super thick, hard to deal with texture. Luckily I was just using it thickly on my feet with socks, so I just had to manage getting it out of the jar and somewhat onto my feet. It also stained some of my skin a nasty color after using it for a while, so I definitely won't be repurchasing. It did work pretty well as a softener, though.
-Dove Cream Oil This lotion was ok, and didn't have the characteristically "Dove" smell that I bought it for. Will not repurchase.
-Vaseline Aloe Cool and Fresh This was also only okay. It had an okay smell and worked okay as a body lotion. Will not repurchase.

-Herbal Essences Hello Hydration Moisturizing Shampoo and Conditioner I got this in a special holiday pack back in December. They smelled great and made my hair very soft and shiny. I would repurchase, but I know something new will catch my eye by the time I need shampoo and conditioner.
-Skintimate Strawberry Tangerine Shave Gel This smelled so good I couldn't wait to shave my legs in the morning. My legs were also very smooth and had way less nicks. Have already repurchased (but in a different scent)
-Biore Triple Action Astringent I love, love, love this stuff. I seriously bought three bottles of it when I saw it on clearance at Target once, and I'm sadly on my last bottle. It is a nice midday refresher if you aren't wearing makeup and it kept my skin clear through finals. Will repurchase.
-Olay Blackhead Clearing Scrub I loved the way this smelled, but I think it dried my skin out just a little bit too much, especially around my nose. Will consider repurchasing.

-Dove Damage Therapy Shine Boost Shampoo and Conditioner Yes, I finished two bottles of shampoo and two bottles of conditioner this month, but only because I had half-used ones at home and half-used ones at school. Also, I am so gross and dusty when I get home from work that I end up taking two showers four days a week. This also made my hair incredibly soft and shiny, but it also lacked that "Dove" smell that I love so much. I will not be repurchasing, as half the reason I buy Dove is for that scent.
-Orly French Polynesian Paradise Polish Renewing Hand Buff This stuff smelled alright and worked like any scrub would. I like it, but I didn't enjoy using it enough to repurchase a full size.
-St. Ives Oatmeal and Shea Butter Body Wash I used this when my skin was irritated because it seemed to calm it down. I will definitely repurchase a small size to keep on hand for those days where my skin is angry.
-Bare Foot Revitalizing Lemon and Sage Foot Scrub Meh. It didn't smell as good as I had hoped, and it didn't really work that amazingly, either. Will not repurchase.
-Nivea Touch of Sparkle Body Wash x2 This smelled really good and left my skin really soft. Will consider repurchase in the future.

Not pictured:
-The Body Shop Mini Cocoa Butter Scrub The packaging was annoying (I prefer shower products in tubes, not tubs), especially in a dorm shower. It smelled good and worked even better. Will consider repurchase.
-Nivea A Kiss of Smoothness This was actually the first lip balm I have ever finished. Ever. In my entire life. It was moisturizing without being waxy and great for every day use. It smells like Nivea and I really liked it. It can't stand up to the dry, dusty hell that is my job though, but I already have another for when I return to normal earthly conditions in the fall.

A pedi and some recent manis

This is two coats of OPI Sparkle-icious over one coat of OPI Plum Full of Cheer. I LOVE THIS! It wasn't too hard to take off, either.

Some of the amazing sparkle!

This is two coats of Orly Rock-On Red. A very classy, dusty red. One of my favorites. Not color accurate, but almost.

Zoya Ali. This is a very, very bright neon pink in real life. My camera can obviously not handle the greatness.

Sally Beauty mini-haul and NOTD

So. I printed out my New Year's 15% off coupon and went into Sally Beauty. I  have a gift card, so thankfully I am not spending "real" money.

China Glaze Atlantis
Beauty Secrets Nail Polish Thinner
Mini Orly Nailtrition
Seche Vite w/ free nail decals

I have been lemming Atlantis since I first saw it a few weeks ago. It is everything I love: Blue, green, glitter and holographic. I almost had a heart attack when I saw it on the Treasures (I think, I'm not exactly sure) display. THEN, I saw a mini Nailtrition, which I've been dying to try but could not bear to fork over ten dollars for something I may be able to live without. It was next to a super cute Orly Valentine's Day-themed display with four different (but not new) pinks. As I mosied over to the Seche Vite, which I needed to buy anyway, there was a little pad of tear-off coupons that were good for a FREE CHINA GLAZE POLISH WITH PURCHASE OF SECHE VITE! Best coupon ever, right? I wanted/needed both and there was a coupon for them! So I picked the Seche Vite with the free nail decals because I love free stuff and I really like nail decals, no matter how tacky they look.

Seche Vite package and decals

Close up of nail decals. Sorry about the flash reflection. I was trying to get rid of the shadows, but it didn't work out too well, haha

Needless to say, I was VERY happy on my way home because I got the PERFECT polish FOR FREE. Plus free decals. I seriously love Sally Beauty. *sigh*

Anyhoo, I did my nails a couple of days ago (maybe Sunday night? I'm not quite sure) and procrastinated taking pictures until this afternoon. There are a few chips/bits of tip wear, but I've worked eight hour days yesterday and today, and the job I have while I am at home usually completely destroys my nails within ten minutes of clocking in. I think this manicure has proven to be stronger than most.

This is two (perhaps three) coats of China Glaze Shower Together, a beautiful greenish-blue creme with an even better name. I then put on a coat or two, depending on the glitter distribution, of China Glaze Fairy Dust. I topped it off with a coat of For Rhinestones Only top coat. I think I was trying to channel the goodness of ChG Atlantis when I was doing this manicure, and I like the result a lot, but I have Atlantis now, so I don't think I'll be repeating this one. I am very impressed with the wear on this, though. I'm not sure if it was the top coat or the glue-like quality of glitters, such as ChG Fairy Dust, but this mani was lucky to survive two minutes at work, let alone 16 hours.

Ombre

I was extremely bored last night, so after I got home from a Walgreens run, I decided to test out the ombre nail trend. I had a hard time finding colors that worked, since I have no experience frankening. I realized I had a lot of the right shades of a color, but the different finishes were not cooperating. Wouldn't it be weird if some of the nails were glitter, some were shimmer and some were creme? I thought so, so I was stuck with a blue gradation, which turned out quite well.

I used one coat of Orly Nail Armor base coat on all of the nails. For the thumb, I used three coats of China Glaze White on White. For the index finger, I used three coats of China Glaze Secret Peri-Wink-Le. The middle finger is two coats of Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Pacific Blue. The ring finger, which looks more navy blue than black in real life, is two coats of Orly La Playa. The pinkie is two coats of Maybelline Onyx Rush, my favorite black creme. Then I topped everything with a coat of Seche Vite.

So far, I'm loving this mani and have had almost no chips, which is amazing since I have been "thrift storing" literally all day. It is definitely interesting, but I'm probably going to redo my nails tomorrow out of boredom.


A side note about Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Pacific Blue, which I finally found during the aforementioned Walgreens run. I had been searching for the perfect color to go under Confetti Party Palace Blue, which I cannot find a picture of on the internet but is basically is a dupe of Sinful Colors 831 Hottie. (stock photo from Sinful Colors website seen below) I tried for weeks to find the blue that Confetti PPB looks like in the bottle. Then I saw SHX PB on the Ulta website. And could not believe how perfect it was. And how unattainable. I refuse to pay six dollar shipping for a three dollar bottle of nail polish, so I searched every store I could find that stocks Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Polishes and had no luck. Then, last night, in fit of boredom I went to Walgreens with my mom just to pass the time and BOOM! I found it! I was so happy! It is the perfect polish, too. It is nearly perfect in one coat and is the most beautiful color.

Welcome plus the pictures I've taken so far...

Hi future readers/followers! My name is Amanda and I'm pretty much obsessed with nail polish and make up. I've bought way too many products in the last few months, so I figured I should do something with them. Hence, this blog.

When I post pictures of my manicures, I'll try to post links to the specific products I used (all of which were purchased by me with my own money) from the store from which I purchased them. For example, if I buy something from a brick-and-mortar Sally Beauty Supply or SallyBeauty.com, I will post a link to the product on the Sally Beauty site. Sometimes this won't be possible, or I won't remember where I got something, but I'll try my best. In the cases where I can't remember/find the link for the correct store/whatever, I'll try to at least find a link.

Let's start with the manicure I did to go with my Halloween costume, which was a DEVO girl. You know, like Whip It. Google it.

 I used Orly Goth on my index, middle and pinkie fingers. On my ring finger, I have a base of China Glaze Platinum Silver with a blue energy dome painted with China Glaze Frostbite, which stunk to high Heaven, using a nail art brush I bought in a multi-pack.

 I was quite proud of this manicure, as it was the first actual "nail art" I had ever attempted to do freehand. Plus, it was DEVO-themed and therefore awesome.

On an unrelated note, this was the view from the stairs right next to my room the night I did that manicure. Beautiful, huh?  Sorry about the slight blur, I'm really bad at taking pictures.

Next, I'll show you a almost-French that turned out pretty ugly, if you ask me. I was trying to do a sponge gradient, I think, but it did not work out the way I planned.

I used China Glaze Turned Up Turquoise (Neon) as the base with Orly La Playa (which I can't find a link to, but I saw it in Ulta yesterday on clearance for 2.99) sponged on the tips.  I really like these colors together, but I sponged on a little too much for it to be a French manicure. This was before I got nail guide stickers, haha.

For the next mani, I tried to use those metallic star stickers you can find in every school supply aisle in every store in America as a stencil. It turned out goopy and gross looking in real life. In my defense, however, it was two in the morning when I finished this, so I probably was not in my right mind. (Sorry about the blurry cell phone picture)

I used Orly Lunar Eclipse (which I bought at Sally Beauty, but is not listed on their site any longer) as the base, with too many coats of China Glaze White on White on top of the stickers. Yeah. It did not work and I believe I took this off the next morning.

Now, for one of my cleanest manis, I present my first successful French manicure. The normal nude and white combo is a little boring for my taste, as I tend to go for loud colors and wild glitters, but the combo of these two colors was good enough for me.

This was OPI Princesses Rule! (which I got at Ulta) with Rimmel Lasting Finish Pro in Burgundy Flirt for the tips. I used those nifty Nailene Perfect Tips French Polish Guides that I finally found at WalMart after searching for them for a few weeks. They are SO easy to use, even for me, and I can barely paint my nails without getting polish all over my fingers.

I'm going to end this post with a picture of some nail art I did on my toes. I've noticed that some people have a strong aversion to feet pictures, so I figured I should leave this one to the end. 

I used Orly Rock-On Red as the base, then sponged on China Glaze White on White, followed by Ulta Envy. I then "seeded" the watermelon with Maybelline Express Finish Onyx Rush, which is the best black pretty much ever. It applies like a dream and dries quickly. 

With that, I bid you adieu.