DERMAdoctor shippment arrived!

Last week someone on the Polish Exchange group posted that DERMAdoctor had Butter London and Deborah Lippmann polishes on clearance so I had to take a look at what I could find.  I tried my best to limit myself and only purchased 3 polishes (Yay me!)

These are Glamorous Life ($7.95) , Bluey ($7.95) and Bad Romance ($8.95).  There are a few more available, so if you are interested check out http://www.dermadoctor.com/category_Nail-Polish_126.html.    It was a great savings, and with how expensive they can be, it was hard to pass it up.  After this I am back on my NO NEW NAILPOLISH kick.....but that does not include my Julep box, lol. 

I thought I would do a few swatches since Bad Romance would work well over the Union Jack Black that I was already wearing.  The picture is not as clear as I would like but it looked beautiful as an accent nail!

My other nails were chipping since I did them matte so I didnt want to show those, haha.  But since they were chipping and I had nail polish remover in my drawer I wanted to see how Glamorous Life looks.  I LOVED it!  It looks perfect with my skin tone and would be even better once I get more of a tan.  Not to mention its work appropriate for the days when something important or a VIP is in town.

So what are the odds that I can make it thru the month of April without buying any new polish?  Im going on vacation next week, Gatlinburg, and only plan on making a trip to the Coach outlet so I may be safe there.  By the time I get back I should have my Julep box and that should ease my desire to shop for a bit.  In the meantime I can enjoy all the beautiful colors I have bought or recieved in my Bunny swaps in the last month.

Trip to Ulta, a way to cure a case of the Mondays!

I had been watching the 28 days of specials at Ulta and today was the one I had to catch.  Yes, I actually put this on my calendar in outlook so I got reminders on my blackberry and iphone!  haha  Today they had the tops and tails set from Butter London for $19.  Its only a $6 savings as its normally $25 but thats $6 I can use towards something else.....like a new polish perhaps.  ;-)

I have been using this since Butter London showed up at Ulta.  I love the matte finish the basecoat gives and the topcat is a nice shiny finish.  I have also seen how much better my polish goes on, and really holds up.  This is my go to with any nail brand.  My current set are a little under halfway gone so I thought I might as well get my backup.

So, Since I saved $6 I had to throw it towards a new polish!  I have been wanting to get knackered, but its always out of stock.  Today I had to stroll past the display and there it was!  There was no other option than to snatch it up.  I cant wait to use it!

In case anyone is wondering I have Union Jack Black (also Butter London) on my nails, and the Matte topcoat over most of them, I left my accent nail shiny.  I know I should probably have brighter colors on for spring but I felt like doing a nice matte black last night,  haha. 

Butter London sale!

Bunny swap round 2!

We had a second round of secret bunnies, and I was having to much fun with it I wanted to get in on a second round.  I recieved my package yesterday and I was floored by the products I recieved!  I was really spoiled but very appreciative!  I just want to share a few of the pictures here, as I did with my last one.

The packaging was amazing, and i LOVE Mermaids Dream!  I put it on my toes last night, but I have such baby toes that I will not be sharing that picture, haha!  The Butter London lotion is great too.  I put it on this morning when I got to work, its been 3 hours and my hands feel soft. 
As far as the Lippy's go, keep in mind they are VERY pigmented.  The shade I got, trout pout, works for my skintone, but something as light as Teddy girl would have washed me out.  They are much more of a glossy lipstick than a conventional lipgloss. 

Zoya Sale!

Last week I heard about a sale at zoya.com, buy 3 get 3 free.  I tried to resist.....ok, I know you are probably saying YEAH RIGHT....but I did consider passing it up.  But that lasted about 3 minutes, haha.  It was a great deal!  Zoya polish is $8 a bottle and great quality, not to mention healthy formula.  They arrived yesterday and I LOVE the ones I picked out. 

Top row is DOVIMA and PHOEBE.  Both are Matte finishes.  Bottom row is JULIEANNE, KARINA, SKYLAR and PANDORA.  These are a good mix of more natural, pastel and fun.  I really need to pick up a nail wheel so I can swatch these.  Too many different colors to put on my actual nails all at one sitting!  haha.  With shipping I paid right around $30 for all 6. 

My first nail mail!

I did my first nail polishing gifting event on a facebook group I am part of.  We all put our names in for a secret friend of sorts and did an easter exchange.  It was so much fun shopping but the best part was going into my office saturday and finding that a package had arrived for me!  I took it to the back, got my camera out and started to open my box.  I'll just share the main pictures here to give you an idea of what I recieved:

Such a big package!

So Much stuff in here!!!  AHHH!

All my little packages

My entire package

My new Hello Kitty Pez dispenser has a new home!

I had so much fun and cannot wait till the next one!

Beware of Gel Polish Manicures!

I just wanted to share this article with everyone.  I am very big on taking care of your skin and as I am dealing with sun damage on my face and have had pre cancer moles removed I do tend to preach.  Sorry in advance. 

Please read the whole article here:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-susan-taylor/gel-nail-polish_b_1333236.html

The basic points it makes are the following 5:

1. Some of the gel nail polishes contain a chemical called methyl acrylate which can cause an allergic skin reaction, called contact dermatitis. Wherever the chemical comes into contact with the skin, a rash may develop. Because we inadvertently touch our eyes throughout the day, the rash can also involve our eyelids. The rash from methyl acrylate is usually red, itchy, bumpy and uncomfortable. It may last a week or two. Removing the polish and treating the skin with a cortisone cream will clear the rash.
2. The chemical, butylated hydroxyanisol (BHA), which is considered a cancer-causing agent, is found in some gel nail polishes. Although we do not know exactly how much exposure you would need for cancer to develop, it's important to be aware of this connection. Not all polishes contain this chemical, so check the ingredient list.
3. Gel nail polish is set or cured with ultraviolet light. Think of the light as baking the polish into the nails. The problem is that ultraviolet light is essentially sunlight and sunlight causes skin cancer. If you are exposed to ultraviolet light for four to eight minutes every two weeks when you have a gel manicure, that can add up to significant exposure. To avoid potential skin cancers on your fingers or hands, I suggest that you apply an SPF 30 or higher sunscreen to directly your hands and fingers after you wash your hands midway through the manicure. Then wear tightly woven cotton gloves with the tips of the fingers cut off. Another alternative is to find a manicurist that uses LED (light emitting diode) light to set the gel polish. We don't think that this type of light will cause skin cancer.
4. To remove gel polish, your nails are soaked in or wrapped in acetone. Acetone is a very drying chemical and will cause your nail to become brittle and peel after repeated use. Massaging a moisturizer into you nails several times each day will help to combat the dryness.
5. As with acrylic nails, the surface of your nail is usually abraded or roughed with an emery board, before gel polish is applied. This will weaken your nail and lead to breakage and the possibility of infection.

I just want people to be informed of dangers, and besides, who wants to wear the same polish for 2 weeks!  I get bored after 2 days!

It may not be spring yet, but today feels like summer!

Its going to get to 80 degrees today so I needed to drop the dark polish for something a little brighter.  I went to Ulta monday during my lunch break and picked up 2 of the OPI DS polishes. 

This is DS Reserve, its the perfect pinky color for my skintone.  Any lighter and it would not look right.  I love this color.  After I had put this one on I decided might as well use the other color I purchased as the accent nail since its in the same family. 

The darker color is DS Extravagance.  The sparkles that are in all the DS polishes can really brighten what would otherwise be a pretty dark color.  While at Ulta I got the new China Glaze magnetic polishes.  Keep in mind with these you need to purchase the magnet seperatly, but you can always use it with others brands of magnetic polish.  The magnet was $10, so it wasnt too bad of a price.....hopefully I dont lose it though!  HAHA! 

I dont remember the names of these colors, but I used the star burst magnet to get the design that is pictured above.  I think the green may be my St. Patricks Day polish....unless I find a brighter green in my stash, haha!

Hope everyone has a great day!!!!

Nail Mail!

I had a few packages get delivered over the weekend and I wanted to share my new polishes with you!  I think these will be some of my last purchases of the month (I say "some" of my last purchases as I just ordered a few online, but I had a coupon!). 

So if you have read any of my previous posts you know of my mix up at Nordstorms over wicked games and Marquee Moon.  I loved the silver color so I had to order it, and it arrived saturday!  I didnt have any nail polish remover at my desk (the horror!) so I just had to paint over what I already had on.

The next color I saw on a group that I am on in Facebook, Polish Exchange.  I loved the color and on a total impulse buy I got on the Sephora site and ordered it.  I didnt want to swatch it just yet, no nail polish remover, so that will be coming soon.  This is Nars Purple Rain.

The last thing I ordered from Sephora was a new package of their Ribbon Hair ties.  I love these things as they do not put that annoying crimp in my hair a regular band does.  I tend to curl my hair at night and will either pull it unto a bun, or a pony tail so I dont have to take the time to fix it in the morning.  They dont break my hair but yet hold it all night.  I recommend these highly.  I think they are $8 a package, plus super cute!  ;-)

NAIL POLISH BARGINS!

I needed to pick up a new curling iorn today.....I am traveling for work, and got caught in the rain this morning and ended up looking like a wet rat, haha.  of course, i didnt pack a curling iorn/flat iorn/rolling brush.  I cant wash my hair every day because it dries out, and i will only be in the hotel tonight and back home tomorrow so I didnt pack any of the essentials for dealing with the mess on my head tonight.  I went to TJ maxx since I had seen better quality curling iorns there (bought one for $16) but I had to look around a little bit since I was there.  I found essie quads for $5!  If you normally buy those they are like $18 each, so $5 was a great deal.  I bought 4 different ones so I can put them into my gift closet.  I love finding a deal!

I left them in my trunk so I do not have a picture to post, but I strongly suggest checking out stores like that for some great polish buys.  They also have a great selection of perfumes, and of course, my biggest vice, PURSES!  I have only bought coach bags the last few years (i go to the outlet....never pay retail!) but I did pick up a super cute Jessica Simpson clutch for $19.99.  I thought it could be cute for going to the horse track for the spring meet, or just out on a date, paired with a black dress. 

On a different note, I hate that my iphone camera is so crappy, especially compared to the 2 phones I carry for work! 

Hope everyone has a great friday!!!  SPRING IS ALMOST HERE!  YAY!

MAC ATTACK!

Ok, Maybe not an ATTACK, but a pounce.  ;-)

I was looking for a new every day lipstick.....nothing too crazy, but something I can use for work and on the weekends.  I thought I would hit the MAC counter since truth be told, I have never checked it out before.  I always heard good things and their prices are very reasonable, so I  had to see what I could find. I also heard about a good dupe for my favorite lipstick ever, Timeless tawny by Loreal, which is discontinued.

 This is (L to R) Pro Longwear Lipcream in Sweet Ever After, Viva Glam VI and the lipglass also in Viva Glam VI.  I know they are very similar, but I did that so I could have one in my makeup bag and one in my purse.  I tend to rotate my purses a lot so they dont wear out too quickly, and it never fails that I dont have my lipstick!  This way I am happy with which ever I have since I couldnt decide, haha.  the Viva Glam VI is a little bit on the sheer side, its just hard to see on the picture.  But both just give a nice touch of color. 
As far as a dupe goes, Sweet ever after is close, but not as pink as timeless tawny.  That being said, I am happy with my purchases and will certainly try MAC again when I want some new eye shadown.

What a wicked game you played to make me feel this way.....

My jump into Deborah Lippmann polishes hasnt been as smooth as expected, but I cant complain because I am in love!!!

To explain, i ordered 2 polishes, Mermaids Dream and Wicked Games.  Mermaids Dream is backordered, and the expected delivery is 3/24.  According to the picture, wicked games was a beautiful gray/silver with big pieces of glitter.....yeah, it was not labled correctly.  What I got is an beautiful color though that at one angle is purple, but tilt you head and its green......this picture does no do it justice:

I do love this though!  Its bad to be addicted though when its $16 a bottle!  I need to pace myself, haha!  I did order Marquee Moon today though, the color I thought I was getting the first time. 

Other than that, I found Orly polish on sale at Sally's Beauty Supply for $5 each so I got 4 colors.  The picture below is only of 3, the 4th is at home and I dont remember the name, haha.  These are (L to R) Royal Navy, Hawaiian Punch and Bailamos.  Like the background?  haha!  I needed something to block my monitor from the picture.  Makeup bag did wonders!

And finally, the last color I got, FINALLY, DISCO BISCUIT!  I have been looking for it and its always sold out!  I originally thought it was a heavy glitter, like Rosie Lee, but its much more shimmer than anything.  One of my favorite bloggers, Tiffany D, showed it on her videos paired with primrose hill picnic, and I loved it.   I love bright colors like this, especially when I am in a hurry for spring to get here!  ;-)

I LOVE IT!  And I love all the recent additions to my collection.  I think I may need to cut myself off for at least a couple weeks from any new polishes, haha.  I recieved my julep maven box friday, but with the weather issues I didnt take any pictures.  I will try to do that this week so I can share them.