Nailed It: A Mini Review of imPRESS Press-On Manicure

Hello, dear readers,

I am taking you back in time once again to my post on the spring Influenster VoxBox from last June. In case you're unfamiliar with Influenster, you can click here to find out more. One of the products sent to me in that VoxBox was the imPRESS Press-On Manicure from Broadway Nails. The pattern I received was called "Over the Moon."

 

You can see in the image above that the kit contains 24 stick-on nails in 12 different sizes, cutely packaged in a fake plastic nail polish bottle. It claims to be "fast and easy" and to last up to a week.

The first thing I noticed about these nails was the cool pattern. If you're anything like me, you love nail art but have very little patience to sit down and create said nail art yourself. I tend to only paint fancy or funky designs for special occasions [See: New Year's Eve 2011, Harry Potter opening night]. As you may imagine, I was pretty excited to have the lazy girl's version of quality nail art. The pattern here is made up of abstract deep red and gold swirls, for lack of a better word.

It's safe to say that I checked "excellent pattern" off the list. After that, I was slightly dismayed to take a closer look at the size of the nails. For reference, I have baby hands. I kid you not; I will never be a hand model with digits this diminutive and childlike. With hands like mine come short, wide nails. Naturally, I found that hardly any of the press-on nails completely covered the width of my own nails. Now this was only visible to me, because they did come close, but it was still a disappointment. The length was, quite frankly, laughable. Here is a view of my hand with the nails at their full length:

Baby hands + Talons = Not on my watch

Some people may like the look of talons, but I like to be able to use my hands. I took a pair of nail scissors to these straightaway after the initial application, hacking them down to a more appropriate size. The application itself was simple: I took the nails I wanted; laid them out in the desired order; and one at a time, I pressed the nails on.

Cutting them, however, was a pain. I had to cut into the adhesive that makes these products stick, and that left me with little balled up gluey bits between the fake nails and my real fingers. I peeled these off, but red glue kept coming through. Not enough to be noticeable to anyone else, but slightly irritating nonetheless. This is what they looked like after I cut them:

Baby hands with baby sized nails.

Much more to my taste. Aside from the sizing issues and the bits of glue reappearing throughout the 6 days I wore them, these nails didn't budge. They would have lasted one more day, but I had no patience for them anymore. The reason? They felt heavy to me, and I was eager for a change. I will say that I got several compliments on them, and my summer internship boss thought I painted them myself. Now that's what I call a success. Another bonus: No nasty chemical smell.

These nails retail from somewhere between $5 and $9 on average. I personally wouldn't purchase them, because I prefer painting my own nails. With this price point, I think it's more economical to buy a bottle of polish that will allow for numerous applications rather than the two applications this provides. I don't have the patience to painstakingly re-size all the nails either, nor do I adore the heavy feeling.

What I can say is that this product lives up to its claims. It is indeed easy to use, and it will last up to a week. There are other patterns available, and the convenience factor of pretty nail art with no effort is appealing. If you want a super simple, quick way to get professional looking nails and can't stand the smell of regular polish, I'd say checking these out would be worth your time.

As for me, I'll stick with the noxious fumes DIY approach.

How do you like to do your nails?

xEsther

Springing for Influenster

Hello, dear readers,

In my previous post, I mentioned that I had received a bunch of free products through a program called Influenster. For whatever reason, the boxes of paraphernalia are called VoxBoxes. This particular box was the Spring Fever VoxBox, aptly named because it was sent about a month ago. I would try explaining the program, but I would fail, so instead I'm linking you to the website itself. And here's this handy-dandy icon from Influenster, disclosing that everything was sent free. You can sign up for an invite to the program no matter who you are; it's not some exclusive club.

In any case, I'm going to show you photographs and short descriptions of the items I found in the VoxBox. I promise they'll be short, because I will be doing separate posts on a couple of the products. Here are all the contents at once:

Pretty exciting, huh? I thought so. 

The first thing I saw when I opened up the package was chocolate. If you're looking for a healthy snack, this wouldn't be it, but it is a delicious treat. As you may be able to read on the package, it says that it's a "marshmallow flavored creme filled cake." I believe some people received the peanut butter flavor, but I was quite satisfied with this. Do I plan to run out and buy more? No. If I'm ever offered one, however, it would be bad form to refuse. ;)

Um, hello there. If you hadn't noticed, the title of my blog is called "When Life Hands You Lipstick," but you can bet that when life handed me this NYC New York Color Applelicious Glossy lip balm, I was beyond thrilled. This is not an exaggeration. Mine is called Big Apple Red, which is appropriate for multiple reasons. In person, it shows up redder than in these photographs, but the photos give a fairly decent depiction of the product. Even when I go out with no face makeup on, I must [repeat: must] have some color on my lips. With my fair skin, dark hair, and not the most pigmented lips, I'm convinced I look dead without it. What's more, it's become my "look" over the years. Tinted balms are perfect for on-the-go and a no-brainer for summer. 

Next came my second love, a nail product. I've already tried these out, and I will be doing a review on them. This is the imPRESS Press-On Manicure from Broadway Nails. The pattern I have is called Over the Moon. The design really is beautiful on, and, to my delight, the nails didn't look fake. I did have to cut them quite a bit, but more on that to come.

This next product is Schwarzkopf Professional OSIS+ Gelastic. It's marketed as an "ultra strong flex gel" that gives you a short time window in which to style your hair before it's set for the day. Some people received a product called Dust It, a mattifying powder, and others discovered Rough Rubber, a texturizing paste. Considering I have no use for mattifying powder and no desire for texturizing paste, I think I got off with the best of the bunch. That's not to say that I love this. They're not kidding when they say this lasts all day. I barely had time to play with my hair before it was stuck in place. I think I'll post a review on this as well.

This is Secret Outlast Clear Gel, an antiperspirant/deodorant that claims to leave no white marks on clothes. I'm very pleased to say that it lives up to the marketing hype. I used to have a huge problem with white marks on my clothes, even when I used gel deodorants. I've used other versions of Secret in the past, but I never had any luck with it. Currently, I use an extremely inexpensive antiperspirant/deodorant from Avon, and I'm happy enough with it. It's the only thing prior to this Secret Outlast that hasn't left white marks on my shirts. 

Alas, we have reached the end. Not a bad haul from a box full of surprises. As I've said repeatedly [and you're probably ready to close this window by now], I will be doing a couple of separate reviews on individual products. Even if I'd hated everything, I couldn't have complained because it's all complimentary. I only have to complete a mandatory product survey in exchange for the goods.

I'm getting excited for a July 4th trip to see some of my best friends, but for now I'm relishing the weekend. 

Hope you're loving it, too.

xEsther

Now on my Nails: Estee Lauder's Purple Passion

Hello, dear readers,

On Wednesday this week, I decided to change my nail color from Avon's Ballerina to Estee Lauder's Purple Passion. This came as part of a set of four miniatures that I received as a gift from my mom for Valentine's Day. I've noticed that even though I don't particularly enjoy wearing purple clothing, I like purple accents such as nail polish or shoes. 

I love that this color isn't a traditional, true purple, but rather a vibrant shade with some pink tones to it. That's the best way I can [poorly] describe it. It's been on for four days so far, and I have yet to see any chipping. It doesn't go on 100 percent evenly, but any unevenness is unnoticeable. It's fairly bright and opaque in one coat, but I believe this was two coats. I hardly ever leave nail polish with one layer of color; it seems wrong.

I used to wear nail polish for two weeks straight before changing colors, but I find myself with so many nail polishes that I want to switch up the color often. How else will I get to use all these beautiful hues? The photograph is true to color but somewhat duller and less shiny than the actual shade. I'd say it's a fairly accurate representation, though.

I hope your weekend is off to a great start!

Now on my Nails: Avon's On the Go Pink

Hello, dear readers,

I'm doing a very quick post today. I have my mom to thank for this, because she asked me to email her a picture of my nails after I painted them. I thought, Hey, now I have a decent shot of nail polish on my computer; why not show it on my blog? Because I don't paint my nails daily, I can't call this my "Nails of the Day," so "Now on my Nails" it is.

UPDATE: This is actually called On the Go Pink. I don't know where I got Ballerina from!

Here is Avon Speed Dry Nail Enamel in Ballerina:

Please excuse my gross veins. I can't really get rid of them. And I
promise my pinky nail isn't chipped; I accidentally got polish on the cuticle.

This is the pastel perfect polish for an understated but chic look. I once tried a Sinful Colors polish in a similar shade, but found it showed up chalky and almost white on me for some reason. I gave it to one of my friends, and I don't believe she had that problem. This polish, however, stands out enough from my super pale skin to give some contrast. My fingers are for some reason the darkest part of my hands [yes, I know. You're thinking, That's dark?], and this polish makes my hands look slightly tanned. That is a feat all on its own. This is one of those colors you can wear year round: sophisticated, pale pink that can masquerade as a neutral. I think I'm definitely going to love wearing it as the weather gets warmer.

What's on your nails now?

xEsther 

Happy New Year 2013!

Happy New Year!! Welcome, 2013!

L-R: Beth and I on New Year's Eve

Hello, dear readers,

Happy New Year to you all! It has been exactly two years and one day since I started this blog, and I don't intend to stop it now. Being the intelligent person that I am, I forgot to bring my camera home and didn't think to use my brother's camera. I'll have to do that, but in the meantime I thought I'd give you at least one photo to look at. 

After having my New Year's Eve nearly ruined by a poorly-timed delivery of bad news, I went to a party with my friend, Beth, and another friend whose name I'm not sure she wants posted all over the internet. It was pretty much the first time we'd actually gone anywhere besides someone's house for New Year's Eve, and it served to take my mind off anything negative. 

The actual transition from 11:59 p.m. in 2012 to 12 a.m. of January 1, 2013, was rather anticlimactic; it's still hard for me to process that the year went by so incredibly fast. Overall, 2012 was a good year for me, world's apart from 2011. Without going into detail, I can safely say that 2011 has been my worst year so far, and 2012 saw me enter a much better place in my life.

I don't set resolutions for the new year, but I did find a quote earlier in this year, when I sincerely needed inspiration and motivation to keep going, that I'd like to keep in mind: "Decide that you want it more than you are afraid of it." - Bill Cosby

I'll end this post with a little bit of beauty-related information: On my nails, I wore OPI Skyfall Collection nail polish in Goldeneye on my ring finger and The Spy Who Loved Me on the rest. On my lips, I wore Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick in In Vogue, a bright, matte, pink.

I hope you all had a fun, exciting, and/or relaxing New Year's Eve, and I look forward to starting off 2013 with you.

xEsther

Top Five Faves: Spring/Summer Trends 2012

Hello, dear readers,

Since beginning my internship with CHAOS Magazine, I've been getting more into keeping up with seasonal trends. [Note: I no longer write beauty posts for CHAOS, since they got rid of that section. I write about female models and nightlife in big cities] I've never been one to intentionally follow trends, and that hasn't changed. I just don't have the energy for it, nor do I enjoy clothes shopping.

I love to know what's going on in the beauty and fashion world, so this year I'm much more likely to come up with an adequate answer if someone asks, "What's trendy this year?" In the past, despite being an avid magazine reader, I would have answered with a blank stare.

In honor of this new knowledge, I'm sharing with you my five favorite spring/summer trends, whether I'll be rocking them or not.

1. Bright lipstick. 

         This one's a given. A clean face with brighter lips is one of my most flattering looks, in my opinion. I don't feel the need to bother with eye makeup, blush or bronzer, especially because I'm so fair and already have redness in my cheeks, so bright lipstick gives just the right dose of color to my face. 

     2.  Bright nails

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        These are just so fun, and they always look great this time of year.

     3.  Pastel nails

        I never used to like pastel nails on me, because the very light ones tend to wash me out. However, pastels with more color to them suit my skin tone better. Besides, there's no denying that they are very pretty and feminine. They're so perfect for spring.

    4.  Mint Green

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       I'm having a bit of a mint green moment. I'm getting my room painted a truly pale mint green this week, actually. To be honest, my mint green moment started last summer, so I guess I'm a bit ahead of the trend for once! Ever since I bought China Glaze "For Audrey," I have been craving light blue-greens and minty colors. I have three or four nail polishes in that shade range, and I keep wanting more! It's gorgeous, and there's a shade of mint to flatter everyone. It's so summery,  fresh, and breezy. I would love to get a mint top or dress.

    5.  Lace

      

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        What could possibly be more delicate and sweet than lace? It can make an outfit look totally innocent or a bit more demure and mysterious. I absolutely adore lace dresses and tops with lace overlay, and I hope to incorporate some lace into my wardrobe this season. 

Those are my top picks. Tell me: What spring/summer trends are your favorites? What about your least favorites?

I hope you're weekend is going well.

xEsther

A Tag Consisting of 11 Questions

Hello, dear readers,

I have to admit that I'm cheating a bit on this tag. You're supposed to be tagged by another blogger; answer the questions; and create 11 of your own. Then you're meant to tag 11 other bloggers. I don't plan on coming up with 11 questions, nor tagging 11 bloggers. If you want me to create my own, let me know. Otherwise, on to the questions [randomly found on Sunnie's Obsessions]:

1. What nail polish are you wearing now? 

NYC Long Wearing Nail Enamel in Fuschia Shock

2. What’s your favorite blush?

 I don't wear blush, so I can't answer.

3. What’s the most expensive beauty product you have?

 I believe Clinique Perfectly Real Makeup is the priciest. 

4. What’s your favorite mask? 

I don't purchase masks, but I do make my own honey mask once in a great while. It consists of, [would you believe it?] honey.

5. A random fact about yourself. 

I am often the only one laughing out loud at the movie theater. Yes, I am that person. Remember me? The one you always want to smack?

6. Sephora or MAC? 

I've mentioned in a previous tag that I don't shop at either of these stores. I prefer Ulta. Between these two, I would choose Sephora for the wider range of brands and products.

7. What magazine(s) do you read? 

If you read yesterday's post, you'll know that I have too many magazines. Here's the roundup: 

• Magazines I subscribe to and/or were gifts: Marie Claire, Allure, Seventeen [though I'm starting to feel too old for it], Elle
• Magazines I get for free due to some sort of promotion/giveaway:  Shape, More [I realize this one is meant for middle-aged women.]
• My mom's magazines: Family Circle, Woman's Day
• My friend's magazines: Teen Vogue and whatever random magazines she buys for fun

8. What’s your favorite perfume?

Probably Strawberries and Champagne from Victoria's Secret. I also really like the VS Romantic Wish.

9. What’s the best base coat you have ever used?

I don't know that I have a best base coat, but I quite enjoy the Wet n Wild Shine Clear Nail Protector as a base and top coat.

10. What’s your favorite foundation?

Since I own just one, I have to say Clinique Perfectly Real Makeup.

11. Where do you want to travel the most?

I can't pick just one for this. I'm going to generalize and say Europe.

Feel free to do this tag, whether it's the proper format or not. 

Have a great weekend!

xEsther

7 Deadly Sins of Beauty Tag

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Hello, dear readers,

Remember when I constantly posted tags? Well, I can't remember the last time I did one, so I thought it was about time I filled another one out! The name of this tag, if you perhaps missed the title of this post, is the "7 Deadly Sins of Beauty Tag."

Here we are:


1. Greed: What is your most inexpensive beauty item? What is your most expensive?
My least expensive beauty item, aside from free gifts with purchases, would probably be my Avon Flavor Savers Lip Gloss, which I believe was about $0.69 on sale. I believe the most expensive item I own is the Clinique Moisture Surge Tinted Moisturizer SPF 15. I pretty much go for drugstore makeup all the time, with the exception of the odd Clinique item.

2. Wrath: What beauty products do you have a love/hate relationship with? What product has been the hardest to get?
Both of these answers involve nail polish. I definitely have a love/hate relationship with China Glaze nail polishes, and Revlon nail polish in Minted. I love the colors, but the polish goes on unevenly and streaky in both cases, and it often takes 3-4 coats for me to get them looking even and pretty. I don't know if it's just me, but I have a hard time with those specific polishes. As for the product that has been the hardest to get, I would say Sally Hansen Insta Dri nail polish in Blue Away. The funny thing is that my mom was actually the one looking to buy it for me, ever since we saw it at the beginning of last summer. She and my dad looked for it at every drugstore they went to, even on their vacation. We finally found it in November at one of our local Ulta stores.

3. Gluttony: What are your most delicious beauty products?
You should ask my friends. They have a penchant for sniffing my lip products, despite my warnings that the majority of them have no scent or may carry an unpleasant chemically cosmetic scent. However, I think my Liplicious lip glosses from Bath and Body Works are the best smelling. I have them in Mango Mousse, Black Cherry, Raspberry Jam, and Fruit Punch. They smell exactly as the names would imply. Yum.


4. Sloth: What beauty product do you neglect, due to laziness?
I don't use many cosmetic items regularly as it is, so I have to answer with a skincare product. That would be lotion. I know; it's a horrible thing to neglect. I regularly moisturize my face and neck, but my hands [and the rest of me] are quite often ignored. I suppose it's ironic, considering I spend so much time and effort painting my nails. You'd think I'd want to keep my hands looking nice and smooth.

5. Pride: What beauty product gives you the most self confidence?
Lipstick, without a doubt. Despite my skin deciding that now is a good time to get the kind of acne I should have already gone through during puberty, I have actually gone out the past several days with very little to no face makeup. A swipe of lipstick brings color to my very pale complexion and balances out the contrast between my fair skin and dark hair. And lipstick is just fun!


6. Lust: What attributes do you find most attractive in the opposite sex?
I really don't see how this is relevant to a beauty tag, but alrighty then. There's really no specific trend or pattern for me as far as physical attributes. Nice eyes and short hair are always initial attractions, but that's very vague. Honestly, it's got way more to do with personality, and that's completely individual.

7. Envy: What makeup item would you most like to receive as a gift?
I would say a foundation, but since that's really a personal product to choose, and I've never tried any before, I'm going with a Lancome Rouge in Love lipstick. The Emma Watson ads are certainly doing their job, because I'm quite enticed by that product, despite the fact that lipsticks really shouldn't be so expensive, but that's irrelevant to the question. 


Those are my answers to the tag. I limited the requisite extra ramblings as much as possible, though I realize some of my answers aren't super specific.

I'd love to see your tag if you've done this one, or feel free to do it if you haven't. I think it's fun!

Happy Tuesday! [Random, I know. I couldn't think of anything.]

xEsther

New Year's Nails

Hello, dear readers,

I think this is post number 3 for the day! Perhaps on catching up on the lack of posts during several months this year. I just thought I would share with you my attempt at fun, plaid nails for the New Year! Not that these are particularly New Year's Eve-related, but they took me long enough. I think they came out pretty well for a first try, without any special nail art polishes. Instead, I used a nail art brush that has seen better days and regular polish. More specifically, I used NYC Uptown, Milani Bijou Bronze, China Glaze For Audrey, and Wet 'n Wild Black Creme. Some nails came out better than others, as was to be expected. 

That's it for this post.

Are you doing any fun nail or makeup looks for New Year's Eve?

xEsther

No Way This Could Be a Tag...

The Nail Polish Tag!

Yes, dear readers,

I found this tag on the Fowler sisters' website and absolutely couldn't resist. Free idea for a blog post? Sign me up! This one's very short; I don't think even I could make this too long!

Here we are, my friends:

1. What’s your favorite nail polish company? Probably OPI and NYC.
2. Glitter or no glitter? No glitter, generally. Though, ironically, one of my favorites is a glitter top coat.
3. OPI or china glaze or Essie? OPI
4. When do you start to take off your nail polish? Depends on the week, my level of boredom, etc. Sometimes I leave them on for over a week, sometimes two weeks, sometimes only a few days. If it's chipping horrendously or gets dents in it, I take it off right away!
5. What’s your favorite color on your nails? For a while, I just used pinks or reds, but now I also really like Tiffany blue and minty colors. 
6. Darks or brights? Honestly, it just depends on my mood and the season. I tend to prefer brighter colors, but I also love deep red. Overall, I'd probably say brights.
7. What are you wearing on your nails right this moment? I literally just took off my nail polish before writing this, but I had painted them black and then over that I painted bronze, red, and gold. Here are some pictures:

Please excuse the weird angles; I was actually doing this for fun and didn't expect to post it on here!

Yes, I did do these by myself. I just did some squiggles starting from the bottom,
and I continued with fall colors. It reminds me of fire. I quite like it!

  8. Matte nails—in or out? Out. I really don't like matte nails.
  9. French manicures? In, but not on me. I think they look really polished, but I prefer to keep my nails short and colorful. No french mani for me!
 10. Favorite fall color? Berry red, bronze, emerald green.

Well, that was really fun! I hope you like my little nail design as well. Please feel free to do this tag; I'd love to read it. Even if I don't officially follow everyone's blog, chances are good that I periodically read it! I just don't want to have a ginormous blog roll. I hope you understand.

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend where you are. 

Here's to a good week!

xEsther

Spellbound: Practical Magic

If you don't know why the title of this post has magical connotations, you either don't live in the U.S. or you've had your head in a toilet for the past ten years.

Indeed, I am referring to the LAST HARRY POTTER FILM. I'm so excited and upset at the same time. This marks the end of an era [please excuse the cliché] for thousands of teens and twenty-somethings that grew up with the books and movies. Granted, I'm still reading the series in Spanish, but the movie journey will be over, and that's devastating as much as it is overwhelmingly fantastic.

Naturally, as a lover of all things beauty, I've become accustomed to painting my nails Harry Potter-themed for each movie. It's been all variations on red and gold, complete with half-and-half red and gold, half-and-half red and gold in a lightning bolt form, red with a gold lightning bold, red with gold glitter. I think you get the picture.

I wanted to go all out for this one, so I actually bought a black and a bronze polish so that I could do a different house on each finger [my brother's idea; he thought he was joking, but little did he know...] and the Hogwarts crest on my thumbs. My friends came over last night and we all painted our nails, though I had done half the work before they came in order to prevent disasters later on.

With some pictures better than the others, here is the result:

For those of you who are completely bonkers and don't know the house colors, it's [L-R] Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Slytherin, and Gryffindor. You can see half the house crest on my thumb and half the "H."

My right hand view! A bit harder to see.

I think you can see the "H" most clearly here. It was the only aspect created with a nail brush.

A somewhat failed attempt to capture my Hogwarts-crest inspired thumbnail. 

Left hand!

Right hand!

Call me crazy, but I adore this nail look! If you'd like to know which [nine] polishes I used, let me know and I can do that in a separate post. 

It is now midnight! Exactly 24 hours until I get to see the final installment in the series. Approximately 21.5 hours until I'm standing in line!

Has anyone in the UK seen this film? I'm guessing it came out first there. Then again, don't tell me anything!

UPDATE: According to the lovely Lyuba, this actually comes out in the U.S. first.

Who's seeing this in the U.S. tomorrow?

To magical whimsies and fanciful nails, and, obviously, Harry Potter!

xEsther

Mini Review: Wet n Wild Wild Shine Clear Nail Protector

Phew!

That's an awfully long product name. If you read my shopping post a couple months or so ago, you'll know that I bought the [here we go again] Wet n Wild Wild Shine Clear Nail Protector because I needed a clear nail polish that could serve as a top coat and bottom coat. This little darlin' was only $1, as many Wet n Wild products are.

Image from http://www.google.com/products/catalog?client=safari&rls=en&q=wet+n+wild+wild+shine+clear+nail+protector&oe=UTF-8&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=3205744626813247825&sa=X&ei=TGmCTY6ONdSWtwfvteHKBA&ved=0CDwQ8gIwAg#

The only description I could find of this product was not actually from the website, so I can't say for sure that the brand makes any of these claims, but here we go anyway. The following description is from this site.

Product Description:
Having beautiful painted nails can be harmful to your nails if you don't give protection! Never forget to use Wet n Wild Clear Nail Protector before applying nail polish to protect from nail damage and discoloration while preventing chips, peels and splits. Seal in color and shine with Wet n Wild No Chip Top Coat to get maximum wear. Wet n Wild Shine Nail Color is essential to get beautiful long-lasting nail colors on the outside and healthy strong nails on the inside.



As far as the claims go, I haven't found this to prevent from discoloration. Apparently it's also supposed to just be used as a base coat, but I use it as a top coat as well. This does dry extremely quickly and I find that it does actually prevent "chips, peels and splits" and helps "seal in color and shine." My manicure lasts up to two weeks with minimal to no chipping at all. 


Over the past year I've had problems with my nail polish getting dents and smashing in a bit, sort of creasing, really, when I go to bed. With this as a top coat, I've had none of these concerns. It dries so quickly, adds a lot of shine, and prevents chips. I have to add that my nails rarely chip anyway. Throughout the eight or so years that I've worn nail polish, most years a different nail polish every week or two, I seriously always had perfectly groomed nails all the time.


In all, I can't say that this actually protects against nail damage, and it doesn't protect much against discoloration [but then again my nails get more discolored than most of my friends from any amount of nail polish], but it is a decent base coat and an excellent top coat to cut down on drying time and reduce chipping. All for only a dollar!


If you're in need of a cheap and great top coat, I say go for it!


To perfect, chip-free manicures!


xEsther

Since I Should be Sleeping...

...I naturally decided to look for a survey to fill out. I think they're tons of fun to read, and they give you a bit more knowledge about the person whose blog you're reading, Facebook you're stalking, etc. Before we get to that,  I want to apologize for the weird inconsistencies in font size and color. I'm a bit technologically impaired, so I think it's best to warn you all that it will take me a while to figure out the format.

But on to the survey

I found this "This or That??" survey here.

Here goes:

This or That?? - Beauty Survey

MAKEUP:
blush or bronzer:  I'd choose blush, simply because I'm so pale that I think any bronzer would look ridiculously out of place.
lip gloss or lipstick Lipstick. I use formulas with a bit of natural shine/shimmer in them anyway, so it's easy to swipe and go.
eye liner or mascara Mascara
foundation or concealer Concealer
neutral or color eye shadow Neutral
pressed or loose eye shadows Pressed
brushes or spon ges Brushes

NAILS:
OPI or china glaze OPI
Long or short Short, but not ridiculously so
Acrylic or natural Natural
Brights or darks I like both, and I often use bright darks!
Flo wer or no fl ower no flower

BODY:
perfume or bo dy splash body splash
lotion or bo dy butter body cream, which is probably closer to body butter
bo dy wash or soap body wash
lush or other bath company I've actually never bought from lush. SHOCK! HORROR! So, other bath company.

FASHION:
jeans or sweat pants Jeans, but I've just recently bought sweat pants and they are wonderful for lounging around in my room when I've nowhere to go.
long sleeve of short Short
dresses or skirts Dresses
stripes or plaid I love both. I don't think I can choose. 
flip flops or sandals Sandals, but I really don't wear either. I'm sort of a ballet-flats-year-round type person.
scarves or hats Again, I don't wear either of these but I do love scarves.
studs or dangly earrings Dangly
necklaces or bracelets Necklaces
heels or flats Flats, simply because that's what I live in in the warmer months, and I've yet to buy heels I really like.
cowboy boots or riding boots Riding boots
jacket or hoodie Those serve entirely different purposes to me, so I can't really answer this.
forever 21 or charlotte russe I love both of these, but I think I've had slightly more success at Forever 21.
abercombie or Hollister I don't shop at these stores.
saks 5th or nordstrom Nordstrom

HAIR:
curly or straight Well, personally I like to keep mine natural, so curly. But both are pretty.
bun or ponytail A bun is what I wear most often when my hair's not down.
bobby pins or butterfly clips hahahahaha. If you had asked me this 12 years ago, my answer would have been butterfly clips. As of now, it's bobby pins without a doubt.
hair spray or gel cream gel because it's less crunchy than either but provides light hold
long or short Long
light or dark I prefer my hair dark. I've never colored it.
side sweep bangs or full bangs Side-swept
up or down Since I don't know any fancy or exciting updos, I'll have to go with down.

RANDOM:
Rain or shine shine
Summer or winter SUMMER! Is anyone else ready for winter to end? I am!
Fall or spring I do like both of these season, but I'd have to say spring because the weather is generally warmer
Chocolate or vanilla Chocolate for everything except ice cream
East coast or west coast I've only ever been to the East Coast. I'd rather live on the East Coast, despite the weather though. If I had to move out of the Midwest, that's where I'd go.








So there you have it. If anyone wants to do this tag, and I know it's been on YouTube as well, I'd be thrilled to read it! Have a lovely evening/morning/afternoon wherever you are!


xEsther