Haul: ELF

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It has been a really long time since I placed an order with ELF, May of 2012! I had been seeing a lot of blog posts about the ELF Smudge Pots and I just had to give them a try myself! I also ordered couple of other things because they were having a 50% off sale on their best sellers and new items.

There are 9 different Smudge Pots, I only ordered 6 of them because I didn't really see myself wearing the other 3 colors. The ones I ordered were Ain't That Sweet a light pink, Gotta Glow a light gold, Back to Basics a bronzy color, Cruisin Chic a taupe type color, Brownie Points a coppery brown, and Hit the Town a dark grey. The ones I did not purchase are called Pearls of Wisdom a white, Poppin Party a plum, and Ocean Bound a darker blue.

L-R: Ain't That Sweet, Gotta Glow, Back to Basics, Cruisin Chic, Brownie Points, Hit the Town

I love the packaging on these, super convenient containers that feel very sturdy. I don't see them being cracked or busted easily. The opening is big enough so you can use your finger to apply them or use a brush. I have only played around with a few of these so I will give a more in-depth review at a later date, but for the most part I like them and once they set the are pretty much smudge proof!. Love the price on them too, only $2!

I also picked up some of the Jumbo Eyeshadow Sticks. I've not heard a lot about these, but I enjoy using shadow sticks, I think they are great for traveling, so I wanted to try these. I got Little Miss Thing, French Lace, Bali Bound, Feeling Lucky and Check me out. Also available are Rock out, Turkish Coffee, Forest Nymph, Like a Boss and Midnight Rendezvous.

L-R: Little Miss Thing, Bali Bound, French Lace, Feeling Lucky, Check Me Out

Unlike the Smudge Pots these shadow sticks are smudge-able. I'm not sure how I feel about the packaging on these yet, unlike other jumbo shadow sticks that I've used before, these you don't sharpen you twist them up.

L-R: Little Miss Thing, Bali Bound, French Lace, Feeling Lucky, Check Me Out

The last thing I got was a bottle of their Brush Shampoo. I've been wanting to try this for a while, just never picked it up. I've used this once and it seems to work pretty good. Not bad for $3, I usually use baby shampoo.

Have you purchased any ELF products recently? What were they?

I hope it is starting to feel more like spring in your area! After some really crazy weather this weekend in my area, this whole week we are supposed to have mid to upper 60 degree weather!

Who is up for a Giveaway?? Next month will be my 3 Year Blogiversary!!

Beauty Bits: Avon Color Creme Eyeshadow

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A few weeks ago I purchased a tube of the Avon Color Creme Eyeshadow in the shade Champagne and loved it so much that I ended up purchasing the other 3 shades, Fig, Hazelnut and Frosting.

Avon describes these little gems as: "Sheer & creamy shades in an ultra-convenient tube! Cream to powder shadow with a precise needle-nose applicator. Wear alone for a shimmery sheer color, or layer multiple shades for a dimensional effect"

These are a little sheer, but they are very buildable. The creamy part I would have to agree with, with the exception of Hazelnut. My tube of Hazelnut seems to be a little dry causing me to have to work with it a little bit more to get it to go on smoothly. I do love the packaging, very convenient, just toss it in your bag and go. You don't have to worrying about it breaking or anything like you would a powder eyeshadow, so it would be fantastic for travel.

Frosting, Champagne, Hazelnut, Fig

Frosting, Champagne, Hazelnut, Fig

The times that I have worn these I didn't even use a primer, and had no creasing issues! For application sometimes I'll squeeze a little bit on my eyelid then use a shadow brush to pat it on/around. Other times I'll squeeze a little on to my finger tip and swipe it across. In the photo below I am wearing Champagne, I used the shadow brush application method. This is two layers of shadow.

My only issue with these is there are not enough colors! The price is great on them, only $2.99!

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend! I'm off to a doctor's appointment then hopefully on over to Big Lots, I've heard they have the 2013 Spring limited edition 8-pan palettes for $1.50!! I'll be back Monday with an ELF Haul.

Review: Fing'rs Prints

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I love the Fing'rs brand and when their PR department offered to send me a couple of the Prints sets I was so excited. Then when the package arrived and I seen Cameo Appearance in there I was even more excited, Camo nails, Oh My Gosh! Yes!

If you've not seen or heard of the Fing'rs Prints they are press on nails very similar to Broadway imPress nails. Each kit of prints includes 24 nails in 12 sizes, making it super easy to find the right size to fit all your nails! The kit also includes 2 charms with 6 adhesive tabs. You are supposed to be able to wear them for up to a week, easily removed, and no glue needed so they won't damage your nails. The tag line on the packaging says: Press on! Go on! Fashion without the

Haul: TJ Maxx, Ross & Big Lots

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As of late I have been obsessed with Big Lots and TJ Maxx for finding beauty products, especially nail polishes, at discounted prices! Last week hubby and I ventured out on a little shopping trip and the town that we went to not only had those two stores, but they also had a Ross, I was able to find some pretty good deals.

From TJ Maxx I stumbled upon a duo of Orly polishes, Fabulous Flamingo and Ancient Jade, for $6.99! That's like paying $3.50 for each polish, not too bad considering they are priced at $8 for a full size bottle and $3.99 for a mini bottle at Ulta.

I also came across some mini OPI Sets

TIOT: Ruby Without a Cause & Ruby Rhinestones

For today's Try it on Tuesday I'm doing another combination look using Ruby Without a Cause from Sephora by OPI and Ruby Rhinestones from Maybelline Color Show.

Ruby Without a Cause had a fantastic formula, I only needed one coat for it to be fully opaque! Application was smooth and it had a fairly quick dry time. I wasn't sure what color was going to end up on my nails just by looking at the bottle, because you could see some green and silver. On my nails it all showed up as a nice burgundy color, but I felt that it needed a little something else so I added just a little bit of Ruby Rhinestones.

Ruby Rhinestones has a translucent

Haul: Ulta

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A few weeks ago hubby and I were planning a day trip to a city that also happened to have my nearest Ulta (which really is not near) so I went online to look at the weekly ad and made a list of items I wanted to get, well when I got there I could not find anything that I had on my list! Actually I was quite disappointed with my experience, a lot of the shelves were hardly even stocked with product and there was no one around to ask for help locating items. When I don't want to be bothered in a store there are all kinds of sales people coming up and asking if I need help, but the one time I really wanted some help there was no one.

Anywho, I just decided I would make an online purchase, I was able to find everything that I had on my list plus one extra item! A few of the items I ordered were on sale, plus I had a $3.50 off coupon! I will more than likely do a review on each of the products I purchased.

The first thing I got was the Eclos

Essence Let's Get Lost & Born Pretty Decals

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Today I am using another one of these fabulous polishes from Essence, Let's Get Lost, and pairing it with some Black and White Star Water Decals from Born Pretty.

Let's Get Lost is a fun cyan blue shade that my camera refused to get an accurate photo of, and just like Break Through, it's a cream with a jelly like texture/finish. Application was a breeze and the drying time is just amazing on these polishes, by the time I painted both my hands the first hand I painted was already dry and ready for the second coat.

After I applied Let's Get Lost I thought it would make the perfect base for the Born Pretty Decals. I found these decals fairly easy to work with. The directions say to remove film from the product and cut the patter out, to fit on your nail. Then you simply put it in water and wait for 10-20 seconds, I found that I had to wait a little while longer. Then you have to slide the decal off the paper, moisten your nail and place the decal where you want it. Take a paper towel and press it on the nail to soak up the water, then the decal will be stuck to your nail. Finish off with some top coat and you are good to go. The only real issue that I ran into while using these was trying to see the decal, since they are white and so is the paper it's on.

I really like the way this polish and these decals looked together, just a simple but pretty nail look. Please excuse my tip wear had this on for a few days before I got a photo.

Don't forget if you shop Born Pretty Store to use the coupon code: SMBW10 to save 10% off your entire purchase, plus shipping is always free!

Hope you all have a great Saturday! I'll be spending mine working on some fun posts for next week :) What are you doing with your Saturday?

Essence Break Through & China Glaze Fairy Dust

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Today I am showing Break Through from Essence that I received from Lizzy! Stop by and check out her blog, she has a different nail post everyday, I look forward to her posts each day!

I'm just going to start off by saying I love this Essence polish! Such a gorgeous mid-toned shade of purple. The application was wonderful, I think due partly to the brush. It's one of the wider ones that has a nice subtle curve to it that really fits nicely around the cuticle/nail bed. I also love that this polish dries super fast. I really like it because it has a jelly like texture/finish to it. Once I put it on I could not stop looking at it.

Here is a quick shot of the brush:

I thought I would add some glitter to it by applying China Glaze Fairy Dust. Indoors and in the shade Fairy Dust just looks like silver glitter, but once you get it under some light, especially out in the sun, you can see all the holographic glittery goodness. My pictures do not do the sparkle of Fairy Dust any justice.

The following photos I took with my iPhone, they are out of focus, but that really shows the sparkle better and makes the color look more accurate :)

I could just stare at it all day LOL, but I have a ton of other things that must get done.
Next week I'll have a couple reviews on some beauty products, a nail look, and possible my March favorites/empties. Hope you all have a fabulous weekend!

Nail Polish Storage

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With my obsession... urmm.... Love of nail polish I was running out of space to store my polishes. My hubby had built me some shelves in our bedroom to store them on, but it was getting to the point where I could not organize them the way I wanted to. I had seen on various places on the web where people were using Helmers from Ikea, but that there was an alternative at Michael's craft store. I thought that is exactly what I need, would work perfect.

So Hubby and I planned a trip to one of the bigger cities around us that had a Michael's. After searching the store I finally found where they were located and they only had two left so I grabbed them up! They were also having a 40% sale on them too! Of course there is some assembly required :/ I was a bit overwhelmed when I dumped everything out of the box and thought for sure I would be there for hours, but it only took me about and hour to get both of them put together.

So this is my set up now, all stored next to my blogging station. On top of my Melmers, as some people call them, I have my extra cotton balls and polish removers. I also have my little caddy that I use to store my most used nail things in so I can easily transport my manicure things with me to the living room to do my nails. After I took this photo I also added my basket that I keep my unworn polishes in.

Here is a better look at my caddy, just the necessities for doing nails: Removers, base and top coats, cotton balls, files, tweezers, clippers, Q-tips, hand cream and a few nail art things. When I do my nails in the living room I usually just toss the color or colors I'll be using in with the cotton balls.

In the first drawer I have my Avon, China Glaze, Duri, L.A. Colors, Maybelline Color Show, Essence and Salon Perfect polishes.

The second drawer contains my Pure Ice, Sinful Colors and Spoiled polishes.

In the third drawer I have Wet n Wild, Sally Hansen, OPI, KleanColors, Sephora by OPI, all my mini's and other random polishes where I only have one or two of that brand.

In the last drawer I have extra top and base coats, polish thinner, mini polish sets, stamping supplies nail wheels and a few other random supplies.

I kinda wish I would have got a third one because I don't have much room left in these two to put any new polishes. If I had of or if I do get a third one I don't know where I would put it because I don't think it would fit on top of the other two as there is a shelf above them. I do also like that they came with dividers that you can choose to use or not. They worked great in the bottom drawer to separate all the different stuff I store there. I also got some of that no-slip easy liner stuff to keep the polishes from sliding around when opening and closing the drawers.

How do you store your polishes?

Review: Eclos Moisture Therapy Regenerative Cream

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Last summer I received some Eclos products as a Perk from Klout and today I will be sharing my thoughts on the Moisture Therapy Regenerative Cream.

Eclos claims that the Regenerative Cream will:

• Hydrate: hydration replenishes dry, dulling skin suffering from signs of aging. Smooths away fine lines for a more even and brighter surface.
• Renew: Formulated with apple stem cells, powerful extracts and antioxidants, the technology awakens dormant skin cells, encouraging skin's self-renewal process to delay the signs of aging and promote a smooth and toned surface. 
• Strengthen: Phyto extracts and antioxidants boost collagen for noticeable tightening and firming.

Clinically proven to reduce wrinkles and improve skins texture in 2 weeks.

This cream is described on the box as a medium weight moisturizer, and I agree with that 100%, not light and not super heavy. With that being said I still found that this moisturizer was too heavy for me during the warmer months, but I absolutely love using it during the colder months. It has the same scent as the cleanser, a soapy, light fragrance, just very clean smelling.

I have been using the Regenerative cream all winter long and I really like the results that it has given me. A little bit of this cream goes a long way, in my opinion. This cream absorbs in to the skin fairly quickly and leaves my skin feeling smooth, fresh and hydrated, with out making my skin feel greasy afterwards.

Does Eclos Moisture Therapy Regenerative Cream live up to it's claims? I think it does, my face feels, as I mentioned above, smoother and more hydrated and it even looks brighter. I can not say if it does anything for wrinkles, but my skin does feel a bit firmer. 

The only things that I do not like about this cream is there is no SPF protection and the price. Although since this cream does seem to last for a while, I might be willing to buy it if it was on sale.

Overall I really like the Eclos products that I have tried thus far. To see my review on the Anti-Aging Facial Cleanser Skin Prep click here. 

To see the full line of Eclos products head over to Freeman Beauty. Eclos can also be found at Ulta both online and in-store. The Regenerative Cream retails for $24.99 at both places and you get 2 fl. oz of product.

Have you heard of Eclos products before? Have you or would you try them?

TIOT: Revlon Rain Forest

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Keeping with the St. Patrick's Day theme from yesterday's post, I have another green polish for today's Try it on Tuesday!

This is Rain Forest from Revlon Color Stay. This was another one of the polishes I found at Big Lot's. Only paid $1.50 for it and seen it at Walmart a few days later for $4.97

Application of this was very nice. First coat is sorta on the sheer side so I added a slightly thicker second coat. I should have just added 2 more thin coats, because the thicker on made it take much longer than it should have to dry. Hence the messed up tips and some dings.

I really like this color, deep green with lots of shimmer, which my camera did not do any justice to. Looks so stunning in the sun, so shimmery!

For next Tuesday I am planning on showing Ruby Without a Cause from Sephora by OPI

Do you like to use deep greens like Rain Forest on your nails?

St. Patrick's Day Nails

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I always tend to drag out my Green polishes during the month of March in an attempt to create a nice looking St. Patrick's Day manicure. This time around I ended up buying a new green polish, I was in Walmart and noticed a new display from Pure Ice called Luck of the Stylish. I picked up six shades from the display :/ I'll add a photo of the other four at the end of the post, I used 2 for this nail look.

I started out with 2 coats of Shore Bet, a nice nude cream polish, on all my fingers except for my ring finger.

For my ring finger I used 2 coats of Lucky Charming, a gorgeous green with lots of green and gold shimmer. One coat of this is fairly light and a little sheer, so I suggest using at least 2 if not 3 coats.

To finish this look off I used Blasted Gold, a crackle polish from Sephora by OPI that I picked up at Big Lots. When I got this I was not aware that it was a crackle polish, thought it

OPI Where Did Suzi's Man-Go? and Avon Red Lava

Today I have quick post on a fun nail look using some polishes with fun names! For my base color I used Where Did Suzi's Man-Go? from OPI's 2014 Brazil Collection. It is a gorgeous peachy orange creme, perfect for this summer! I needed two good coats of this to make it opaque, the first coat was a little streaky.

After I applied Where Did Suzi's Man-Go? I topped it off with Avon's Mosaic Effects in Red Lava, a red glitter crackle polish!

I really loved this manicure, I wore it for several days before I finally took it off :)