Sun Worshiper by China Glaze--One of my Faves for the Summer

Greetings!

This week I decided to up the ante and showcase one of my favorite nail colors that I like to rock during the summer months because it is an eye catcher!  This neon orange/yellow color is borderline glow in the dark at night and eye straining during the day.  This is definitely one of those colors that you can wear while on vacation or on a night out on the town, or whenever if you're like me. :)  Enough of the small talk, let's get to the business.

China Glaze-Sun Worshiper

Cute, right?  Now this is a cream finish and goes on rather opaque when using a white nail polish as a base color.  I used two coats to get my preferred finish and I think it came out great.  I also decided to add some dazzle to my ring finger because I'm extra like that.  LOL  That color is Nicole by OPI, Brilliant Idea, and brilliant it is.  The brush was a dream to work with, not too thin and not too thick.  The brush delivers just the right amount of product in each stroke and I was able to reach full opacity with three coats, not bad considering it dries pretty quick.

Nicole by O.P.I. - Brilliant Idea

What do you think?  Do you have this shade?  Love it or hate it? 

Don't Get Caught in the Hype!

Greetings!

A few years ago when I first begun getting serious about cosmetics I can recall having this uncontrollable desire to have it all.  When I say all, I mean it, if there was a YouTube video on it, a blog post dedicated to it, an endorsement by it, or even a mention of it in everyday conversation I was already on the prowl to purchasing that specific item.  Little did I know that was the wrong way to go about it.  I figured if this and this person liked it then I would too but in reality it was costly habit and along the way I ended up making some huge mistakes.  When I first gained interest in it all I felt that this was a brand new arena that has oodles of things to try and if I didn't try everything then I was missing out on the next best thing.  WRONG!  In reality, not everything works for everyone and girl, you could NOT tell me otherwise.  Let me tell you a story.....

A few years back there was an up and coming independent cosmetic line that received rave reviews all over the internet from some of my favorite gurus on YouTube.  I took the plunge and purchased a mass ton of items from that company and let me tell you, the items were lackluster and lacked any type of pigmentation!  I was so dissatisfied and angry with myself because I let the hype get to my head and in the end I was short some cash with a whole lot of bad products.  I couldn't return them and rather than make due with it all I had to throw it all away.  I couldn't believe that for a line that had so much acclaim could be this bad. 

Fast forward 9 months and those same YouTube gurus backpeddled on their claims on how wonderful and life changing those products were and then dedicated a video to bashing the company AND the owner.  Crazy, right?  Free products will make people do crazy things for the recognition.  smh  Because of all this and other experiences that followed it has made me one of the most cautious cosmetic purchases ever!  LOL  I will research a product to the ground, ESPECIALLY from independent cosmetic companies.  Not to say that independent cosmetic companies are all terrible because there are a handful that I know of that I can trust and recommend to others but for the many that I know of and have actually tried, I chose to stay away from.

So I say all this to let you know to be aware of what it is you're purchasing.  If you don't like parabens in your products, don't buy an item that has it for the sake of it being in trend, don't agree with a companies' ideology, then it's a no go for you.  Do and buy what works for you instead of going in head first with products you don't care for.  Also, it doesn't hurt to have a friend with you that will be able to tell you the truth about that new lip shade you want to try, when you're at a counter alone, of course the salesperson is going to persuade you into buying that uber pale lip color but when you get home, people will talk about you.....including me.....lol

Take heed yall!  Any questions?  Leave them in the comment section. :)

Wine Not? Why Wouldn't You?

Greetings!

I hope all is well with you all and that your week is going by just as fast as the spring weather.  Is it just me or has summer just pushed spring aside to get ALL the attention?!  I'm saying, this heat is ridiculous!  So why not indulge in the richness of the weather and add a little nostalgic red to your nails?  That's why I did!

Today I bring you Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Wine Not, a deep red color that is typically more fall ready but can be worn year round because red nail polish NEVER goes out of style.  The Complete Salon Manicure line is supposed to mimic salon results without the salon hassle with Vita-Care Technology, intended to increase wear time with more shine and care.  Okay, okay, I dig it, but does it really?  Take a look see....

Do you like?  As for the claims of its increased longevity I would have to agree, I've been wearing this for a week and a half and I have experienced little to minimal chipping and I almost forgot to switch up my colors because I had thought that it was done a week ago.  Needless to say I'm going to hold on for a few more days to make it an even two weeks, how neat is that?!

I really wish I would have taken a picture of the brush because it is thicker and shorter than most nail polish brushes and this is usual for polish lines to include a thicker and shorter bristled brush when introducing a "salon-like" line.  The purpose of this is for the polish to apply more evenly in fewer brush strokes.

I think Sally Hansen did it right again and I look forward to getting more polishes from this line, like I need another.

So what do you think?  Yay or nay?  Tell me in the comments!

Tell Me How You Feel....Part 6

Greetings!

How many of you either begrudgingly or enthusiastically watch the Basketball Wives reality television show?  *raises hand*  As much as I hate to admit it you can on occasion catch me watching the shocking portrayal of minority women, *weeps* but it isn't the reason why many people are taking note of this portrayal and calling for action to cancel the show and perhaps any follow up series behind it, but instead I'd like to call it "artistic curiousity" is the reason why I chose to tune in.  I must admit that after the most recent episode I just may be calling it quits because of the constant schoolyard bullying demonstrated by a couple of key cast members.  I didn't like seeing it in grade school and I don't like seeing it now.

But back to my "artistic curiousity", every week I catch a rerun of the show to see the makeup of the cast members, vain, I know, but it's the truth.  Although, it isn't as glamorous as the backstage prep of a major fashion show it is what is feeding my satiated creativity levels.  We all can admit that we've taken a glance at a screen shot and mentioned whether someone's concealer was overdone or whether or not this person had too much blush on, the only difference is that we're mentioning this together while in the same room, but we have done this before.

So, what do you do when you look past the makeup of the women and start to actually be engaged in the subject matter of the show?  I must say, not that I was unaware of the petty cat fights and the loose language being fired on the show I was not concerned with the behaviors of the women because it was not my intent to be entertained by this show but rather take note on the makeup application.  This gets me to thinking on the old saying, "pretty is as pretty does".  Do you think a person can still be attractive despite being ready to throw around bottles at the tick of a timewatch or does having a potty mouth automatically make you an ugly person?

I'd like to think that the person's internal goodness is equated with their external appearance but that is in an ideal world and we are not living in an ideal world.  As for me I agree that the two go hand in hand but that is not to say that you can't blurb a few profanities every now and then and automatically be placed in a box of "ugly", I'd prefer that all that "extra" is kept to a minimum, simply because it is annoying and demeaning.

I'd love to hear your thoughts!  What do you think?  Tell me in the comments!

It's a Celebration for Blue Ivy!

Greetings!

Now that Blue Ivy is becoming more and more familiar with her surroundings I'm sure it is now time that she start to remember the color wheel, starting with the color blue of course.  If you've noticed her famous mother around town you'll also know that she's been wearing various shades of the color which I'm guessing is a homage to the newest addition to the family.  Well done, B!  There have been many assumptions on exactly what colors she's been sporting but around these parts I always make sure to deliver the goods at a reasonable cost....sometimes. ;)

Today I bring you, Outrageous....

Now tell me that isn't beautiful!  Such a royal blue that stands out among the other blues I have in my collection and trust me it's just as pretty in person. 

The company is called Jade based out of Richmond, CA.  Before my friend gifted this to me I had never heard of the company and as a matter of fact, I could only find them to be sold on eBay from sellers.  I'm not sure where she got it from but I'm glad she decided to get it for me!  :)  If you know where one can get these from please make sure to drop a line in the comments.

This is a cream formula and has no noticeable shimmer in it.  However, upon application I did notice that the polish got thicker with each stroke making it harder every time to pass a coat but I was committed to struggle through.  LOL  Would I buy this for myself?  Probably not, mainly because I'm not familiar with the company and I also can't find it anywhere else AND the thickness of the product turns me off.

Nonetheless, still pretty. 

What do you think?  Yay or Nay?  Are you now on a hunt for this polish?  Let me know in the comments!