bohemian summer.

Hello all! I feel like this weekend went by so fast, even though all I did was hang out with my friend on Saturday...and that's all. I did buy a few things, and I think I'll post my mini-haul, but I didn't go too crazy this month, mostly because I'm starting school soon and I don't have a job anymore. I am also going out of town in October and November with my friend, so I am saving money to do stuff with her. Every year in November me and my friend try and do something because our birthdays are 5 days apart, so it just makes sense to celebrate together!

Anyway, the beginning of this month I went to Santa Barbara and bought a few (a lot) of stuff, and this nail polish from Urban Outfitters is one of them. They're polishes are pretty fun colors, they usually have more colors every time I go there. They're also only $5, or 2/$8, so they're not too expensive like some other polishes I've seen sold at clothing stores (I think American Apparel is a little pricier). 

I have been wanting a polish like this for a while, and I recently saw at my Sephora in JC Penney they had the Illamasqua polishes like this were on clearance for $10..nice, but still pretty expensive for my taste. They had purple, green, pink, and blue. When I saw Bohemian Summer at Urban, I snatched it up! 

It is a gorgeous blue, and it almost looks like a robin's egg. These kinds of polishes with the black glitter in them all look like something, which I think is always fun. I saw a green version and a white version at the Icing store in the mall (which also aren't that cheap and I don't think of their brand to be anywhere near the quality of their fellow polishes, but whatever). The green kind of looks like mint chocolate chip ice cream and the white one looks like regular chocolate chip ice cream. 

I used three coats for this polish, but it was good at 2. I just always do an extra one on everything. I used the NYC Grand Central Station top coat, which if you haven't tried yet, I really recommend you do because it is so amazing. It is shiny and keeps my polish looking pretty for a long time. It is only $1.99 (or $1.79 at Target, I think) which is another plus.

And there is my poor thumb nail. I had to cut both my thumb nails, weirdly, for reasons I'm not sure. They both were about to rip a little too far down my nail bed for comfort, so I just cut them myself before I had to suffer the pain of a nail that is too far down.

I hope you enjoyed these! Do you have anything similar to this polish, and if so, what brand is it?

choreographed chaos.

Hello all! Today I have Choreographed Chaos from Orly Mash Up Collection. I absolutely love this color. I want it on my hands all the time. It also made my hands look very tan, which is always a plus. Online this is described as a bubblegum pink shimmer..exactly. I feel like there is blue shimmer in it too though.

After a couple days, I added a heard on my ring finger. I used a piece of tape, folded it in half, cut a heart, and then sponged on some white first. I then used LA Colors Confetti glitter on top of that. 

I hope everyone has a great weekend! I will be spending mine with my friend, and then finishing the five seasons of Daria on Amazon Instant Video (I loved that show..ahh the 90's).

watermelon/coral twist.

Helloooo again. Today was really windy, and yet still hot as hell (I think I read it was 108 degrees!). I'm really hoping this wind will bring cooler weather. I love cold weather..love it. 

I bought these when they first came out. I love these balms a lot. According to the website, they have mango and shea butter so they go on smooth. The packaging is like the balms from Revlon and Clinique. I have to say, the one thing I hate about them is that when you take off the plastic, they don't have their names anywhere on them. If I have both of these in my purse and I pick just one out, I can't tell which one it is because they are pretty similar unless they are next to each other. They do have numbers on the bottom, so if you can remember that way, I guess you're okay.  

TOP Watermelon Twist (215) BOTTOM Coral Twist (235)

Coral Twist

Watermelon Twist

 I love both of these colors. These do not have any shimmer or frost to them, and I'm not sure if any of the other colors do. They aren't stains like Revlon's balms are, but I like that about them. They have just enough shine, go on smooth, and have a nice amount of color. I'm sure if you wanted more color, you can really pack it on. Because they have shea and mango butter in them, they are nice and moisturizing. These would be great in the winter months when you need that moisture in your lips, and they add color! I'm not a huge fan of Cover Girl products, but I love these. I will most likely buy some more in the future. According to their website, there are 16 shades.

Do you have any of these colors? Which ones?

texture nails.

Hello all! I went out of town this week to the beautiful Santa Barbara, California (and Carpinteria, California). I always love going there, it is where I was born, and the Pacific Ocean is always beautiful. It is only 2 hours from where I live now, so me and my mother went over the Grapevine and enjoyed ourselves. We also met up with some family who was in town from SWEDEN (my Uncle)!

I wanted to do something fun on my nails for the trip, so I did these nails. I've heard them called spun sugar, texture nails..I don't know what else. They are a pain to do, and take up a lot of time. I did them from the tutorial here. The first two pictures are without a top coat. Every person I have seen do these has not used a top coat, so I didn't..at first (please ignore the purple in the corner of my pointer nail).

I took these the night I did my nails. I can already see the nail polish on the pointer finger coming off. That is why I decided to put a top coat on the nails. 

These next two have a top coat. They did flatten the "spun sugar" part of my nails, but you can still tell the polish is thick in most places.

TIPS: 

1. Make sure when you pour your polish onto the plastic and start to thicken it that you put enough down. When it starts to thicken, there is less polish. That might end up being a problem when you go to do your nail and you can't finish because there is no more polish to "string".

2. I compare the "spun sugar" polish to hot glue from a hot glue gun. It can become very stringy, like when the glue is drying. When you are taking off the excess strings around your nails, don't pull it because it might pull away from the nail. I pushed down with my clean-up brush around my nail and the polish remover broke up the polish so they came off nicely. 

3. It might be messy around your nails; if that is a problem, maybe use tape around your nail so clean-up is easier! I just used a Q-Tip and it was easy to clean. 

4. If you do end up using a top coat, go up and down with your brush and if you have some left over, go horizontally. 

5. Use two colors, or use many colors. Have fun!

COLORS I USED:

Yellow - Sinful Colors Unicorn

Blue - Sinful Colors Morning Song

Dark Purple - Sinful Colors Fig

Blue Glitter - Love & Beauty Baby Blue Shimmer (gotta love the no-name polishes at Forever21!)

I like to use inexpensive polish whenever I do nail art that is going to need a lot of polish. I don't feel bad for using a lot of the polish in the bottle because it was inexpensive (in Sinful Colors case, only $1.99 or on sale a lot for $.99 or 2/$3). 

And here is a beautiful picture of the beach in Carpinteria, California.

On my toes: Sinful Colors Daredevil

Have a great weekend.

where's my chauffeur?

Hello all! I am so happy Fall weather is coming. This week has been, surprisingly, in the low 90s with a cool breeze every now and then. I am also going out of town Monday to Santa Barbara with my mom, and we were told to "bring a jacket"..those words were the greatest thing we've heard in a long time!

I have been wanting to use my Sally Hansen Mermaid's Tale, but I just couldn't see myself using it on all my fingers and then trying to take it off when I wanted to change my nails again..glitter, ugh. So I used one of my favorite blue polishes, Essie Where's My Chauffeur?. It's similar to another polish I have from OPI, but  I like Essie's blue better. 

I added the polka dots on my glitter nails to tie the colors in together. I love Mermaid's Tale a lot. I don't have a lot of chunky polishes that, with enough coats, can cover the whole nail (if that makes sense). It is very chunky with gorgeous blue and green glitter, in a dark blue jelly. I hear it is a dupe for a Deborah Lippmann polish (which I don't have. There actually isn't anywhere in town that sells DL polishes, but I heard Sephora is going to start selling them? Ulta does, but not all stores from what I hear, which, of course, includes mine). 

What do you think? Do you own any of these polishes? Have a great weekend!

july 2013 online haul.

As promised, here is the rest of my haul. These are things I bought online, which I don't normally do unless it's from Amazon. But, I have been really wanting a lot of things that I can't get in stores here, so I thought I would just do it (buy things online, that is). 

LUSH.

I haven't used any of these things yet, so everything I have written are what the LUSH website said they are for. 

Butterball Bath Bomb: [link] This is for re-hydrating skin. It is vanilla musk and ylang ylang with cocoa butter. I cut this in half and wrapped in it cling wrap so I can use it more than once. Vegan.

Rose Queen Bath Bomb: [link] This has actual rose petals in it, which makes me super excited to try. I don't think this really does anything for you skin, just make your bath smell and look pretty awesome. I've been so obsessed with rose lately, I'm afraid one day I am going to end up smelling like those little old ladies who wear rose perfume. Vegan.

Karma Komba Solid Shampoo: [link] This has patchouli and citrus to "perfume and detangle". It also has pine and orange essential oils for detangling, and are good for clearing dandruff - good for my hair since winter is around the corner and skin is dry around that time of year. Vegan.

Jumping Juniper Solid Shampoo: [link] For oily hair. Contains lavender and rosemary to soothe scalps and balance oil production. I'm thinking it's a bit of a clarifying shampoo, but I could be wrong. Vegan.

Karma Soap: [link] This has a lot of different oils in it, and they all together smell amazing! I can see why this is such a popular scent at LUSH. I am really happy it was sent to me. I have recently been obsessed with bar soaps because I didn't used to have a place in my shower I could put them out of the water's spray, but I recently bought a shower caddie. I was really excited to buy soaps the last time I went to a LUSH, but I was so sick, I couldn't even smell any of them. Vegan.

Soaptopia.

Soaptopia.com

Hippie's Select Mini Slather Sampler: [link] I love the way all of these smell. I have been using the Bohemian Rose scent, which is rose and patchouli. Hippeee! is patchoui, rose, and cedarwood, and Lavender Schmavender is just lavender. These are 2oz at $7 each, but you can get them in a set on their gift page for $19. There are two sampler packs, the other one has citrus scents. I bought this one because it had all the rose scents. You can also buy them separately here, and also in bigger sizes with a pump on the bottle for $19. I want to try them all! You just rub them on your skin while you're still in the shower, after washing yourself. You then dab yourself dry with your towel. These just absorb into the skin and leave it soft. I also can smell them at the end of the day (so don't get a scent you don't like!). They pretty much make all the scents in every kind of product they make, so if you find one that you really end up liking, you can probably get a soap, Body Balm, oil slather, and more all in that scent! I think they sell these at Whole Foods, I don't have one near me so I don't know for sure. I know they sell the brand, but so does my Lassens, just not this product (really they only sell a few of their soaps and their 50/50 Body Balms). Or if you live by Venice Beach, California, they have a shop there (which I hope to one day visit, since it is only about an hour and half away from me).

Michael Todd True Organics.

Michaeltoddtrueorganics.com

Charcoal Detox Deep Pore Gel Cleanser: [link] I've used this only a couple times, so I can't say for sure how well it works, but I have heard nothing but good things about this cleanser and this brand. It works well with my Clarisonic, meaning it lathers well enough that my brush doesn't end up trying to clean my skin with no soap. Sometimes if I am using something that doesn't lather well, the brush ends up dragging across my skin, which isn't good for it at all! Charcoal is supposed to draw out impurities from your pores. The cleanser is also for blemish prone and oily skin. This is sulfate free, vegan, and 70% organic. I got this on the actual Michael Todd website, but I have seen it on Amazon. However, I say on retailmenot.com there was a 20% coupon, so that is why I bought it somewhere other than Amazon like I would usually do. 

Amazon.

Perfect Image Salicylic Gel Peel - Enhanced with Green Tea Extract and Tea Tree Oil: [link] I am planning on doing a review post in the future. I have only used it a couple times, because you are only supposed to use it a couple times a week, so the post might be a little farther in the future so I can form a better opinion. I bought this for dark spots, large pores, and acne.

DermOrganic Trio Kit: [link] This kit came with 12oz Daily Conditioning Shampoo ($16), 4oz Leave-In Treatment ($25), and 8oz Intensive Hair Repair Masque ($16) all for $25. I don't know how Amazon can sell it for so cheap, especially since when I went on DermOrganic's website, this exact kit was $50! I have seen this brand at Ulta, Target, and Amazon. According to the packaging, it is Vegan, cruelty-free, no artificial preservatives, sulfate, gluten, paraben, and propylene free, no sodium chloride, salt, MEA, DEA or dyes. It is safe for color treated hair. The shampoo says it is made with facial cleansers..I don't know what that means, but it is on the front of the bottle. I used this for the first time this morning, and it really made my hair soft. I don't like the smell of the shampoo and masque at all, it smells just like a Mill Creek Shampoo and Conditioner I had. The Leave-In Treatment smell really yummy though, so I guess that makes up for the shampoo and masque.

That is the last of my haul. I am very pleased with everything so far, and excited to keep using all of it! Have you tried anything/want to try anything? Let me know!

Have a wonderful Sunday all, and have a great week.

july 2013 haul.

Hello all! Thursday was my last day watching my friend's kids since she is now done with school. This for me means no more money coming my way! However, I start school in October, so all is good. I probably won't get to do these great hauls for a while either, which is okay with me because I die a little inside when I get home after shopping and see how much I bought. But I love everything! It's a Catch-22.

Anyway, I am splitting up my haul again, but this time it is because I bought things online, which I never do, so I thought I'd put them in a separate post.

nails. 

Sally Hansen Fuzzy Coat in All Yarned Up: I thought these looked fun, and these particular colors were different than the other ones they had in the line. I haven't seen this one anywhere but at Walgreens and Rite Aid. I actually haven't really looked, but I guess what I mean is, I notice Target doesn't have it. I thought the color combination was fun. I cannot wait for the new line from China Glaze to come out that is similar to this. HOWEVER, I haven't tried this yet, but I put a coat of it on one of my mom's nails and she said that it kept getting caught in her hair. I am sure if it were to have a top coat on it it wouldn't do that. I hope.. 

Wet n Wild Wild Shine Nail Polish in Who is Ultra Violet?: I saw this neon line when it came out and loved every color. I didn't buy them all, though, but I wish I did because they were on sale for $.69 at the time (not that $.99 will break the bank, but cheaper is cheaper!). I tried this with white underneath and also by itself and I didn't notice a difference. It is a pretty purple and I can't wait to wear it!

Sally Hansen Salon Insta Gel Strips Gel Manicure Kit in Red My Lips: I plan on posting a review of this SOON. I bought it at Rite Aid back when their Sally Hansen products were 40% off, with the $10 off coupon, and the buy a kit and get a free set of strips; it all came out to $7.99 with $5 on my Wellness card. I think if it didn't come to be so cheap in the end, I would never have bought any kind of gel anything. They haven't been on my wishlist at all. 

Sally Hansen Salon Insta Gel Strips in Deco-Great!: These were in a display up front at Rite Aid and I thought they were so cute. And FREE. 

L.A. Colors Color Craze in Confetti: $1, and pretty glitter? Sold. 

Charming Charlie Nail Lacquer in Glow Mix: I saw something like this online a while ago from Urban Outfitters, but when I actually got a chance to go to one, they didn't have them anymore. I am excited to try this. We just recently got a Charming Charlies (or whatever) in next door to out Ulta. I don't really care for the store, but they had pretty polish and yummy perfume. 

Nail Rock Nail Wraps in Tribal Gold: (review here) - I have already done a review on these, mentioning I didn't like them all that much. Check it out!

Sally Hansen All Yarned Up, LA Colors Confetti

makeup.

Bare Minerals High Shine Eye Color in Glisten: I bought this at a local spa that I had a gift card for. All of their BE products were on sale for 40% off because they won't be selling the brand anymore. I have always wanted this particular color, so I was super excited to see it still there! It is very pigmented, so if I were to use the sponge that comes with it, it would be really sparkley. Because I don't really want that on a daily basis, I tend to just swipe some on my lip with the sponge, and then I take an eye shadow brush and blend it all over the lid. Perfect.

Bare Minerals READY Luminizer in The Love Affair: I also got this for 40% off. This is just a highlighter with a pink tint to it. They also had one with yellow, but I have a lot of those, so I thought I'd try this kind. It works pretty well, but I haven't been using highlighters this summer because it just makes me look oily..but come winter I will love using this everyday! 

Urban Decay Eye Shadow Potion: I ordered from Urban Decay website a while ago when they had their XL De-Slicks sprays on clearance (with the old bottle) for super cheap, and they sent some samples of their products, this being one of them. I really liked it..so I bought a travel size one.

Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow in Birthday Suit: I bought this along with a few other things at Ulta with my 20% off coupon I got in the mail. I have to say, the color is really pretty, but it creases after wearing it for about 4 hours. For the longest time I hated cream eye shadows because I do have oily lids, but then Maybelline Color Tattoos came out and I loved them. They last forever on the lid! Benefits are a lot creamier than Maybelline. I also used to put my foundation on all over my face, including my eyelids, and then put my eye shadow on, etc. but I can't do that with the Benefit Cream Shadows. The first time I used this, it blended with my foundation and wasn't pretty at all. The next day I tried it again on my bare lid and it is a lot prettier. I think I will try it with primer underneath (which defeats the whole purpose, but I really want some other colors from this line!).

L'Oreal Power Volume Collagen in Blackest Black: I had $5 on my Rite Aid Wellness card, and since it was going to expire soon, I thought I'd just get a mascara. I kind of like this one I guess..I thought I had picked up the 24 HR one, which I had tried before and loved, but Rite Aid's L'Oreal mascara section was a mess so I guess I picked up the wrong one. I will definitely keep using it, but I like the 24 HR one a lot more!

MAC Eye Shadow in Naked Lunch: I have seen this on many different blogs, so I thought I'd finally get it! I really like to wear this on top of a lot of my cream shadows, but I also like to wear this alone. It is great for everyday.

Bobbi Brown Corrector in Light to Medium Bisque: I started using Maybelline's Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer in Radiance, which is a pinky color for under eyes, and I loved how it got rid of my circles. I have really dark circles under my eyes no matter what I do. I finished up my second tube of it and decided to try something new and I have heard nothing but good things about Bobbi Brown's Correctors. This works a lot better on bare skin (so I also stopped putting my foundation on under my eyes as well), right after putting on an eye cream. I use my BeautyBlender to put this on. When I went to the counter she put a regular concealer on top of  this so the color blends, but I never did that when I was using the Maybelline one, so I don't do it with this. I don't notice it being pink, so I don't see any reason to do it. 

Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in Brunette: I love this. I was worried about it being so skinny that it would break, or that it wouldn't last a long time, but that isn't really an issue. It isn't like a normal eye pencil, it is a lot heavier (I guess). I haven't been using it long, but I don't think I will be done with it soon. It is a perfect match for me. Before I had been using a matte powder that was also a perfect match...from an E.L.F. palette. I was running out, and I didn't want to go buy a new palette just for the one color, so I bought this with my coupon at Ulta as well. I hear nothing but good things about this brand for brows, so why not!?

random. 

Lavanila The Healthy Candle in Vanilla Lavender: I got this for $5 at TJ Maxx. It smells SO yummy. It reminds me of a conditioner I got from Lush, and one from Eva NYC that I bought a while ago (its probably the Vanilla). I notice it isn't on Sephora website, so that is probably why it was at TJ Maxx. I haven't burned it yet because I would much rather have my ceiling fan on, but come winter I will burn it! 

BioSil: I started taking these a month ago and saw them much cheaper on Amazon so I bought them. I have noticed some baby hairs along my hairline, so that has to be a good thing! A lot of reviewers said they noticed more about 6 months in, so I look forward to it. 

Clarisonic Sensitive Brush Head: I got this with my Ulta coupon. I just needed a new brush, and this is one I used when I had the Mia 2 (before I exchanged it for the Mia) and I liked it more than the normal brush. I have been using the Acne brush, and I hadn't noticed a difference with my acne so..yeah.

Baby Foot Peel in Lavender: I am doing a review on this. So amazing, but so gross! I probably won't subject you to pictures of my feet though..maybe.

Clarins Lotus Oil (Sample): I have heard nothing but good things about this oil for oily skin, so I got a sample of it from Macy's. I hope it works well! Maybe not, it IS $50..

That is it for this part of my haul! I realize that in the first picture I had a body wash in the picture, but I haven't used it at all, and wasn't planning on using it anytime soon. I like to buy things when they're on sale and keep them for future uses..it is also great to find something in your cabinet when you run out of something. It does smell so yummy (Vanilla Mint), like Sweet Mint gum by Orbit. I got it at Lassens on sale for $9.99.

Have you tried anything I've shown? Likes/dislikes? Let me know!

Stay tuned for the last part of my haul tomorrow!