November Favs!

Tis the season to share what I have been loving for the month of November. Personally I cannot wait for December, I know of a few things that are heading my way shortly and it will be a stellar month!

Lets get on to the good stuff!

The most wonderful thing about the month of November was getting a little package containing delicious smelling goodies from the Black Phoenix Trading Post! This is the sister company to Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab that I have talked about briefly before, I know I owe them a full post...maybe after the yules get here. They do some perfume oils, but they also do hair gloss, atmosphere sprays, candles, bath oils, and other wonderful delights. Out of all the great things I picked out this month I am loving two of them the most. The first is the SILKYBAT Hair Gloss, the scent is 'Sentual Sugared Patchouli'. Oh man the amazing things that happened in my nose! I know my first thought when I hear patchouli is dirty hippy, but that is not the case. This is still has that patchouli body, but with a sweet twist to it. I do a couple sprays in my hair, tossel it around and I'm good to go. The scent has a great throw, and isn't too over powering. I wouldn't wear this with another scent, unless it really matched up well. This is something that I need to have year round, sadly this is a limited edition 'Weenie and they hair gloss does have a shelf life of 6 months. A full size is 4oz and this goes for $28.

Another smelly item that I picked up this month from BPTP was their perfume to commemorate All Hallow's Read 2013. If you would like to know more about what All Hallow's Read is, look HERE and let Neil Gaiman share with you. This scent is called All Hallow's Apple, this is fallen apples, grave moss, autumn leaves, and upturned earth. When I close my eyes and take a sniff, I can picture myself walking through an apple orchard, in october, fallen leaves and maybe a little mud from last nights rain. From the bottle to my skin there is not much change, it is so delicious and fresh and amazing! The apple isn't too sweet, and the leaves aren't too strong. This is definitely one of my top perfumes from BPTP or BPAL. Standard full size for all perfumes is 5ml in an amber apothicary bottle, and this scent will run you $23. Another thing to mention is that all proceeds of the sales for this perfume will benefit the CBLDF.

Dark N' Stormy Chocolate

Man I would love to see what that would taste like! Today I have two November Birchbox items to share.


I'm going to jump right into the samples. My favorite thing to get in any sort of box is of course, the nail polish! This time it was Dark N' Stormy from the Color Club's Cocktail Hour collection. It is a gunmetal gray, with a nice metallic finish to it. The formula with Color Club is pretty consistent, there is good coverage with one coat, two smooths it out and you're good to go. I recently have been purchasing a lot of grays and navy colors so this fits right into the gap that I had left for my fall colors.

The Cocktail Hour collection also includes On The Rocks, a bright and shiny silver, and Top Shelf, a shimmery peach-copper. All are perfect shades for the holiday season!

Full size for Color Club shades on Birchbox are, $8.00


Time for the CHOCOLATE! Running a close second to nail polish are delicious sweets. This time it was a FULL size Ghirardelli chocolate bar is the flavor, Mint Cookie. Now think about that....yup, that is exactly what it is. This is a bar of delicious chocolate wrapped around a mint cookie, yes like Thin Mint cookies dipped in chocolate! It has that rich milk chocolate that everyone is familiar with from the Ghirardelli brand, and then on top of the minty goodness inside there is a cookie crunch! It's a texture thing, and I like it. There was another flavor that they were sampling this month and it was Toffee Crunch, the roommate got it in her box and they ate it right up!

 I wanted to share at work so I kind of felt like a chocolate dealer with the foil package asking people if they wanted a hit of the mint cookie chocolate. Of course now they all want it, lol.

A full size will put you back between $3 and $5? I'm not actually sure what a chocolate bar goes for, but I'm sure that it depends on your area and availability and all that.


This is the Week of the Doctor! So I have been doing a set of Doctor Who inspired nails in honor of the 50th Anniversary of the show. I cannot wait to sit back and relax and watch on Saturday. I'll post a collective of what I came up with over the weekend. Keep and eye out for the rest of my November Birchbox goodies and ALLON-SY! ^_~

Birchbox Time!

This month as another amazing box, with a whopping six items to enjoy! The format that I used last month worked really well for me that I think I'm going to stick with it. So, on with the good stuff!

November 2013 holds:

• Ghirardelli Chocolate Bar - Mint Cookie
• Dr. Lipp - Original Nipple Balm for Lips
• Supergoop! - Daily Correct SPF 35 CC Cream
• It's a 10 - Miracle Leave-In-Product
• Juicy Couture - Viva La Juicy Noir
• Color Club - Cocktail Hour Dark N' Stormy

There isn't too much to the post but I did want to touch base and let you know what was coming!

I feel like I'm behind a bit, I was tied up for a week in court for jury duty selection so I was absent from a lot of media. Right now I'm fighting a chest cold, and fingers crossed relaxing this weekend will help shake that.

As you can see I am excited to jump into this month's box, and to be honest that chocolate bar was gone the other night when I opened it up ^_~ 

NOTD for the week of 9/9

If you could see the drafts I have in here you would think, 'Hey girl, I know you're busy but you type a lot and people want to read these. I'm not worried though, I know you want to make them the thorough and informative. I cannot wait to see what you show me.' I can see a cute Ryan Gossling photo to put that on, lol.

Here is my week in nails!

Monday

Sinful Color - Cream Pink, Color Club - Lava Lamp, Zoya - Phoebe & Zoya - Mitzi

I have been in an 80's mood lately and this takes the cake. Funky angles and fun colors, that is what it is all about!

Tuesday

China Glaze - Stone Cold, Zoya - Phoebe & Zoya - Mitzi

Not so 80's but just as funky, Stone Cold is one of my new loves!

Wednesday

Nails: Deborah Lippman - Footloose & Lips: OCC Lip Tar - NSFW

I snagged this OCC Lip Tar while getting some retail therapy this weekend and I am HOOKED! This really is the perfect shade of red for my skin tone, and it matches my hair too! I was in a red mood this day.

Thursday

Orly - Buried Alive

Did you know that Thursday was National Chocolate Day? Yum! I walk into work and there was Pocky and other chocolate goodies to munch on, it was a good day.

Friday

Zoya - Mitzi & Funky Fingers - Sand and Stilettos

I fought with myself on this one, I like it but I am not in love. Getting ready for work I was hoping for more sun to get the full effect of the holographic, but I was welcomed by clouds and rain for a few hours. Gotta love Florida weather. This was a great pick me up to the dreary day it turned out to be.

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This week I used the CRAP out of my Zoya Mitzi & Phoebe. I have had them for over a year now and I really enjoy them, but sometimes it is hard to work in a neon, and a matte neon at that. 

These are always posted to my twitter, instagram, and tumbr first. I think it is nice to see them all together like this though. Makes me feel somewhat accomplished about taking the time to get it all done and have something cute for work.

These weekly posts make the week go by fast, even if I am not getting reviews out. It makes me feel like I am getting something done, and giving you all something to check out. Hope to see you all soon and working on Doctor Who nails as we speak ^_~

Not quite a cheeseburger..

..but it is Almost Paradise. This is one of those colors I was raving about getting a great deal on back in June.
Here is a look.

This is Deborah Lippman's Almost Paradise. It has a great formula, two coats and I am out the door. While I am not a big fan of pastel colors, this is one that I will put in my Keepers drawer. It is like the perfect color of a yummy slice of key lime pie! Here is a picture with some more indirect light, you can see more of the green in it.

If you have been following me you know that I love my green polish, and this is no exception! Not exactly a fall color but any other season this would fit in nicely.

Hmmm, now I could go for some pie ^_~

Laquer and Libations

Back before my move I had one of my favorite failed attempts at a blog. It was called Laquer and Libations, fun right? It was beverages and polish, my two loves!

I took a lazy weekend and didn't post at all (but my I did my nails and have many a pictures, so I will catch up!). I really think that the blog was under appreciated, and I did not give it enough support. So let me share with you a top 5 color pick and the beer that was just delish!

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After a split day of work and school, I made my way to the Kroger down the road and made my own six-pack. The first one I tried was the Spring Woodchuck Hard Cider. YUM! I have had Woodchuck before, but this one...hmmm...I could taste something different in it.

The label reads: "This spring cider desplays notes of maple syrup and brown sugar blended with fresh apple character" Not exactly what I would consider a spring flavor, but awesome. As soon as I read maple syrup, I knew that it is exactly the 'odd' taste I could not put my finger on. A little tart, sweet, and maple-y. Delish right?

Inspires by the bottle, and the cute woodchuck, I decided to grab Zoya Shawn. I just got her in the mail, and it is a great olive green. I used 3 coats, the formula on this color seemed a little thin, but other than that I really have no complaints. After waiting so long to actually buy it, it was defiantly worth the wait.
 

  

 



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What made me think of even doing this flashback was that I had an AMAZING beer over the weekend that inspired some nail art and I will soon get that posted.


I know that some people may think that alcolhol has no place with nail polish, but look at it from my point of view. I am 27, and this is a hobby. I expect grown adults to make their own decisions and I do not promote under age drinking. The only thing to beware of if you are drinking and drying, is to remember to put the lids on properly or else you may spill, and that is laquer abuse ^_~

Poise in Purple

I was in a purple mood today. I rummaged through my nail drawers and came up with a smoky and holographic combo. The base color is Zoya Caitlin - a deep grey-purple from the Spring 2011 Intimates collection. For my accent nail I used Funky Fingers, Sand and Stilettos - a light purple/bright holo.

Caitlin is a color that I could wear almost every day. It is that perfect purple, not too bright, not too light. It is a solid cream, one thick coat/two thin and you are out the door. It is a great color for a date night, or just going out for drinks with the ladies. It is far from Lava Lamp that I showed you earlier this week, reasons why my nail polish drawer is continuously growing.

Funky Fingers is a (USA made, 3-free) brand that I came across when shopping at a new funky store, Five Below. While on one of my Sunday Funday beauty shop runs, I went into a new Five Below that had just opened back home. Think of a dollar store, and then forget about all of the horrible things that are inside of it, multiply it by five and BEHOLD THE AWESOME! Te price range is from $1.00 to $5.00 and there is everything from candy, to books, beauty supplies to dorm stuff, t-shirt to seasonal goodies. I am a little bummed that there is not one remotely close to Orlando, soon I hope! Just go check one out, or their site, it's really a good find.

I am off for the next three days and I will be spending some well deserved time in the pool! I'll keep up with the posts and fingers crossed the sun doesn't burn me ^_~

Birchbox May 2012

It's that time of month again, Birchbox time of course!


This month was inspired by the chic styles of Gossip Girl. I am not the biggest fan of the show, I admit I only watched one season and during that season I got super into it, but it didn't catch my attention to the point that I was sitting on the edge of my seat to see what Chuck was going to do next season. Although, Chuck is sneaky and super stylish. Okay, okay, the show is good but I cannot handle another show to keep track of right now, maybe I will watch the last two seasons on DVD.

Anyway...The box is Gossip Girl inspired, and I received the 'Chic Sunday Brunch' box, well one of the varieties. This is what was inside:

  

Samples (brand, item, value):

• Arquiste - L'etrog  -  $ 3.39
• beautyblender - blendercleanser  -  $ 2.92
• Color Club - Disco Nap  -  $ 4.00
• Dr. Jart + - Waterfuse BB Cream  -  $ 1.13
• twistband - Skinny Headband  -  $ 3.33
• Extra - Notecard  -  $ 0.83

Total Value  -  $ 15.60

The best part of the box, Dr. Jart+ BB cream. Worst part of the box, the beautyblender - beautycleanser. The main reason I name that as my least favorite in the box, I don't have a beautyblender, and I totally want one!

The nail polish is great, but I'm not the biggest fan of gold. The only exception in Zoya - Jules, it is the softest, nicest gold, and I really dislike that color, I'm a silver/white gold/platinum kind of girl. The white tones look better on my skin than yellow, it's just a personal preference.


Surprisingly I LOVE the headband, but have lost it just as soon as I got it out of the box. doh! I know I hear crap from vlogs/bloggers about their hate and discontent towards Birchbox for even putting the same hair ties in the boxes. I, for one, love them. I still have and regularly use the one I received in my August 2011 box. I have large wrists so these are great and don't cut off circulation to my hands. I got a small silver one a couple months back and that one goes in and out with my other one. They are not as bad as people make them out to be.

Overall I liked my box, it was not the best nor the worst. It is just a jumble of things kind of thrown together. I'm happy to try some new things, and other things I'll throw into my swap night pile for next time. I'll be back soon to post the swatch for the polish and BB cream. ^_~

Ladies Night!

Now this was a brilliant idea brought up by one of my girlfriends, Elan - the brilliant mind behind the Yay Laboritories! over there...to your right...just a little bit further...yup that cute blue thing, now click on it, yeah that's the spot. ^_^

She was cleaning out her makeup/nail polish drawer and weeded doubles and things that she hasn't worn in a while. With a short, two days, notice I was able to go through my drawers of nail polish, makeup, and Birchbox goodies to bring two full Birchboxes filled with stuff (the boxes are like 4x6x2ish). One had all nail polish, some I was a little hesitant to let go of, and others I was happy to give away. The other was a full collection of samples I had received in my boxes over the last nine months. 

Between the four of us ladies we had a pretty good haul. Check it out.

After some pizza, wine and putting the men down for a movie, we got going. With lots of girl talk over men, babies, work and stuff, we passed things around this is some of what I made out with.

Nails --->

From left to right/top to bottom:

Nubar - 2010 / NerdLacquer - I Think You Call Me...Sexy / ULTA - Deck The Halls / Sally Hansen Gem Crush - 01 Showgirl Chic / Nicole By OPI - A Million Sparkles / Zoya - Ivanka , Meg , Reece

AMAZING! Not only did I get my first Nubar, it is 2010! Always a fan of more Zoya, and I lovethe sparkle of everything else. A new holo, a Dr. Who inspired color, and fun glitters.

The makeup --->

sorry for the darkness, you'll get better pics soon ^_^

I want to swatch everything! But one thing at a time, first the mineral makeup and then I'll be on top of the nails. I'm currently recuperating from a nail chomping movie night, just a few more days and I will be back in full swing.

I promise I am not going anywhere for a while I have 2 or 3 more posts that I'm currently working on, and they will be up as soon as I load all of the pictures. I will see you all tomorrow, and don't be afraid to add me to your follow list. I don't bite, hard ^_~

Bevin

In my April Birchbox I received a sample of Zoya nail polish. One of the many things I love about getting Birchbox are these polish samples. I've gotten 6 or 7 over the last nine months or so, and it is just a little bump in my nail polish addiction. I'll post a pic once I get things unpacked and put up on shelves.

This color is Bevin, and it is from the 2012 Spring Collection - True. The sample is half the normal bottle, 0.25fl oz. and values for $4.00 us.

Onto the swatch!

Natural Light - daytime

Flash - nighttime

Full Size - Mitzi  /  Sample Size - Bevin

I like this color, it is a very soft teal color, almost like a grey teal, and will look good with most of my clothes. I cant wait to see what fun designs I can use this in ^_^ A direct link to the color - Bevin!

I love me some Zoya nail polish, it always seems to last a little longer and is additive free, so it is a little more friendly than some others.

Hope you like this and cannot wait to post more colors!