Essie's Peach Daquiri Polish

I was trying to decide what color to paint my nails last week so I was going through my box of polish when I found this color. I purchased it during my last trip to visit my family in Utah and I guess I just forgot about it. Oopsies!






Anyway, I'm glad I rediscovered this color because it's now one of my current faves! The color is so bright and cheerful--perfect for spring and summer! I left it on my nails for nearly a week, which is sort of a long time for me these days!

Now the only question is, what polish should I try use next?




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Beauty Review: Glee Chic Prints for Nails

I've become a big fan of nail strips since trying out the Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nail Polish Strips. I snagged a set of polka dot print strips from Sephora a while back and I finally got around to trying them out this week.

The Application Process
The process of putting them on is very similar to other strips I've tried in the past. With any brand, it's crucial that your nails are bare and clean of any natural oils. Picking a proper size strip for each nail is very easy because of the clear backing they are on; you can hold it over your fingernail and judge the size. Once you've picked a size, you rub the strip with your finger to heat it up, peel the strip off of the backing, then place on your nail. Rubbing out air bubbles is super easy and then you just use a nail file to remove the excess length.

 

The Verdict
As I write this post, it is now day three of wearing the strips. I was disappointed with how quickly they tips started to wear off and the edge peeling up--it was the very next day! The print is constantly being complimented when I'm out and about. It's hard not to compare these strips to Sally Hansen's, but I've just got to. These are much thicker than the SH strips; a lot more like a sticker as opposed to actual polish. I put a top coat on today to try and get another extra day or two out of them, but the cost is just not worth how long they last. Final thought: Proceed with caution and try at your own risk!

Beauty Review: OPI San Tan-Tonio

I snatched a bottle of OPI's San Tan-Tonio from their spring 2011 Texas collection while shopping with my sister in Utah this past weekend. I was so eager to try it out, I started painting my nails in in the car (no, I wasn't driving). After the first coat, I sort of had mannequin hands, but after a second coat, I had a perfectly creme-y light-brown finish. I think this color would probably compliment a variety of skin tones so I recommend you try it out even if you don't love the color the way it appears in the bottle--it looks way better on, right?

Have you tried any colors from this collection? Let me know which one is your fave!

Get Slushied and Gleek Out

I've tried a couple of the polish colors from the Glee for Sephora by OPI mini kit I bought a little while back.

Slushied is a creamy, opaque blue that goes on pretty well, but I did have to apply two coats to even it out.






Gleek Out is a semi-sheer shimmering green that took three coats to get it to an opacity that I liked. The good thing is that it is pretty thin so three coats didn't become too thick.





I also put Miss Bossy Pants on my toes, but who wants to see a picture of feet? ;) This semi-shimmery hot pink color is definitely my favorite of the three I've tried so far. I'll have to put it on my fingers soon so I can show you.

Have you tried any of the colors from this collection yet? Which is your fave?

And how did you feel about last night's episode? I was sort of uncomfortable with all the teenagers drinking!

Satin Spitfire

I got my hands on a couple products from the M∙A∙C Wonder Woman Colour line and I have been sort of obsessed with them! I really like the lipglass in Secret Identity, but my absolute favorite is the lipstick in Satin Spitfire! I love it so much, I want to wear it to sleep. Ahhhmazing!

Military Anorak - Gap | Grey peter pan collar dress - ASOS
Black opaque tights - HUE | Patent black brogues - Steve Madden
Lipstick | M∙A∙C Wonder Woman Colour lipstick in Satin Spitfire

What lip color are you in love with right now? Share!

Beauty Review: Sally Hansen Nail Strips

The minute my coworker mentioned these babies, I knew I had to have them. I mean, one of the styles is houndstooth (obsessed)! I couldn't find them anywhere online so I decided to shop for them the old fashioned way, by going into the store and looking.

I had heard that Walgreens had them in stock so the first stop was a location close to my work. After a quick inspection of the Sally Hansen section, I determined they were sold out and left.







Determined, I went to another Walgreens not too far away. I saw a few styles left--mostly the solid colors or the glittered--but their stock was pretty picked-through. I did scope out a set of lace-style wraps and I purchased those, only semi-disappointed that I didn't find the houndstooth ones.







On the way home, I passed a CVS and decided to stop just in case. It was a total jackpot! They had pretty much every style and color! Not sure if I'd like them or not, I only snatched up the one I had been lusting after--the houndstooth!







So what did I think about them?
The application of these strips is extremely quick and easy, especially when compared to nail wraps I've used in the past. The wraps aren't overly sticky and easy enough to lift back up at the beginning of the application process if you're a bit off on the placement.They are also thin enough that I was able to cut off any excess from the sides with my own fingernail. I adore that the strips are double-ended; it makes it a lot easier to find a good fit for your own nails. I also love that these $10 kits come with everything you need to apply the wraps, including a cuticle stick and a nail file. It's amazing how as soon as the process is complete, it really becomes like paint on your nails--it doesn't peel like other wraps I've tried.







I'm going to call these a "must-try" for anyone who likes to do their own nails!

Beauty Review: Marquee Moon

I've been sort of obsessed with Deborah Lippman's Marquee Moon ever since I purchased it at the beginning of January--I just keep applying. I adore the silver and the hexagon-shaped glitter is perfection.

There is a tiny con to this polish...
The glitter doesn't come out on the brush very well.

However, I've found a workaround! Simply close the bottle and shake well before painting each nail. Shaking it pulls the glitter pieces into the brush and makes it really easy spread the glitter evenly. Not too much of a pain, right?

To really thicken the glitter this time around, I applied a lot (probably too many) coats. You can probably see just how thick it is.

Bottom line: I like it lots!

Shopping I Love: Miya

My mother has been trying to take me to what she calls "her boutique" during my last few trips to visit my family in Utah. However it didn't happen... until my trip this past weekend. I finally made it to Miya. And wow. I'm super bummed that it's taken so long for me to get there because this place is awesome!

The clothing is adorable and the selection is great! The prices are very reasonable as-is, but during this particular visit, they had quite a bit on sale--up to 75% off! I also loved the unique jewelry selection here. Lots of chunky necklaces, chains with pendants, and beaded or metal goodness. And let's not forget the scarves and handbags! There was also a lot of adorable home decor and furniture; I guess they do a lot of custom interior design as well. Honestly, I felt like the buyer for this store had a very similar taste to my own--I wanted to buy up the entire inventory! However, since I'm trying to shop less, I only left with two lovely tops for me and one for my sister--all for about $60.

I honestly never would have expected a little gem like this to exist in little ol' Syracuse, Utah. I drive by Miya every time I go to my mother's house, but the standalone brick building never really caught my eye. I've got to say, even if you don't live in the area, this place is worth the trip.

Miya Design on Facebook

Miya Design on Yelp

Beauty Review: Dark Side of the Moon

My love affair with Deborah Lippman's polishes continues...
This time it's Dark Side of the Moon!

I've had several compliments on this color in the three days that I've been wearing it. It goes on so smooth--I love it! It's looks slightly different under light so I've included a photos both with and without flash.

I'm wearing two coats of the color with one coat of Seche Vite on top which helps the glossy finish hold up well.

Now I've just got to figure out how to stop myself from buying more colors. I'm obsessed with this stuff!

Beauty Review: Waking Up In Vegas

While I was visiting family in Utah over the holidays, I visited a store I had never been to in the Gateway Mall in downtown SLC. The store was Apothica and I sort of became obsessed with it. While I was there, I purchased my first two bottles of Deborah Lippman Polish--Marquee Moon and Dark Side of the Moon (I just love how they're all named after songs, don't you?).

After trying out Marquee Moon, I simply fell in love with not only the color, but the smooth, not-too-thick-not-too-thin formula and brush as well. I'm not obsessed with Lippmann Collection polishes. A co-worker saw me looking at the color Waking Up in Vegas (among others), told me she owned that color, and would be willing to bring it in for me to try. This was music to my ears because I already own quite a few polishes in very similar shades--I can't quite justify buying another one.

The verdict? I love this color just as much as Marquee moon. I also love that all I need is one coat for a smooth, shiny finish. I didn't even apply a topcoat over it. I would recommend this for anyone looking for a mushroomy-grey-type color. It's fab!

What is your favorite Deborah Lippman polish?

Things I Love: TeuxDeux.com

I seriously don't think I would survive without TeuxDuex.com--it's sort of awesomesauce. I've been using this site to manage my tasks since December 2009 and it's been true love ever since.

Why I love TeuxDeux

1. The super clean and user-friendly interface
2. The ability to edit tasks as needed
3. I can drag tasks around on the same day or move to a different day when I want to re-prioritize
4. The "someday" list. I'm a super busy gal and I may have something come up that is super low-priority... this is where I put these tasks
5. I get to cross off the tasks when I'm done
6. There is an entire backlog of my completed tasks so if I want to know what I was doing 3 months ago, I can find out
7. "Scheduling" tasks for a certain day is as easy as jumping to that date on the calendar and typing it in.
8. Unfinished tasks automatically roll over to the next day
9. Their FAQs are hysterical

Not So Great, but No Deal-Breakers!

• They don't offer recurring tasks...but this is totally something I can live with. Once I cross off what I considered to be a recurring task, I simply type it onto the next day that it needs to be completed. Easy peasy.
• No Android app--yet! They currently have a iPhone app (I'd totally pay the $3 for it if I had an iPhone...), but they are apparently working on the Android version. Yay!

Other Things to Note...

• Another Yay factor is that they're currently working on optimizing for the iPad. Hooray!
•  They don't offer a reminder/alert for due or overdue tasks, so if you're the sort of person who needs that, you won't find it here. Personally, my Teux Deux list is always open in my browser so I don't need reminders. Just get in the habit of looking every day
• Completed tasks don't automatically drop to the bottom. This doesn't bother me one bit (I either drag it to the bottom myself or refresh the page), but the OCD types might be a little troubled by that. But then again, maybe you won't be... ;)

Bottom line, if you're looking for a task manager, give this one a try. I think it's pretty rad!

Do you use Teux Duex? Let me know what you think!

Dreams.Dreamer.Dreaming - 020110

Nothing like a new dress to make up for a not-so-great weekend! Thanks to Kristen and Kristi for helping me pick decide to purchase it!

Ivory cardigan - Target
Floral dress - Therapy in North Beach, SF
Black bandeau - American Apparel
Grey belt - Target
Grey tights - Target
Black OTK boots - Chinese Laundry
Wishing well necklace - Urban Outfitters

By the way...
I purchased these Chinese Laundry boots back in October. I don't know what the average life span is of a pair of shoes, but I have many pairs that are 5+ years old and some that are probably closing in on 10. So needless to say, I expected these to last more than just a few months. I haven't worn these much since December because the stitching has started to come undone on several places on both boots. So, based on this experience, I wouldn't recommend buying Chinese Laundry brand shoes if you're hoping to wear them for more than just a couple of months... ;)

Highlights of my 2008

The year 2008 is coming to an end. A lot has changed in my life. I've been taking the time to review the past year and I thought that I would share some of the highlights and my favorite moments with you.

Early in 2008, the opportunity to move in with a good friend presented itself, so I took it. I'm thankful for this opportunity, I've since become even closer with Traci and several other people. It was a big change for me, but it has been great living there.

2008 brought a change to my relationship status as well, after nearly two years, I am again single. Break-ups are never fun for anyone involved, but I learned a lot from both my time with him as well as without. I am thankful for every minute of that relationship, but there is also a reason why it's past. Time to move on.

My father got married last spring to a lovely woman. She and her family have been great additions to my life and I'm so happy that my dad found someone that makes him so happy.
friends getting engaged, married and having babies congrats!

Speaking of weddings, I've had the opportunity to attend many friend and family weddings and baby showers. Congrats to all of my loved ones that got engaged, tied the knot or brought a child in to the world. I'm happy for all of you!

2008 awoke some of my dormant hobbies. I spent a lot of this year taking photos, blogging, sewing, making jewelry, playing model, teaching myself about Photoshop and learning about web-design.

A new challenge was presented to me this year in the form of coaching high school cheerleading. Growing up I always thought it would be fun to be a dance teacher or a cheer coach, but as an adult, I just did not see it happening. After judging tryouts for one of my best friends, Wendy, she presented me the offer of assisting her as a coach. Wendy and I are so much alike, I knew that it would be a blast to tackle this challenge alongside her. Oh what a challenge it has been! There may be occasional trials when it comes to coaching 17 teen aged girls, but I wouldn't trade this experience for anything.

During summer 2008, I had the opportunity to go boating and wakeboarding many times. These boating trips included another awesome trip to Lake Powell. I also got a chance to learn how to back up a boat trailer. That was super fun!

Another big part of 2008 for me was saying goodbye to my awesome brother Randall. It's been almost three months since I've seen him and I miss him a lot. He's doing so great though! I love to hear him talk about his mission and I love to see the positive change this has had on him. He's going to be such an awesome man we he gets back!

Not necessarily a highlight, but something worth mentioning is the fact that I was layed-off my job due to the closure of the branch this year. At the time, I didn't really go into much detail and I still don't feel like I can. Marrdy's post on that sad day is a great reflection of my feelings as well. I definitely miss most of the people, but there are some people that I am so glad I do not have to interact with their low-life scum-bag selves ever again. Though it was a jarring thing to lose a job that I had for so long, I'm grateful for the opportunities that this has brought me.
layed-off

Despite negative things happening around the time of my birthday, I managed to have one of the best birthdays of my life so far. Thanks to all the people involved that made it so great for me. I loved having so many people share my day with me.

All that being said, probably the best highlight of this year for me has to be the recent birth of my brand-new niece. I don't even have the words to say how much I love her! I'm so glad she's a part of my life now.

Thank you to all the people that were a part of my 2008, friends and family alike. I love my people!

Hope you all had a great 2008! Looking forward to making 2009 the best one yet!

The Lash Stash - Review

I've now had a chance to try out every mascara in The Lash Stash I got last week. Each day, these are the notes I took on what I liked and didn't like.

Benefit A Little Bit BADgal - I didn't love the brush. It clumped up my lashes so I had to put my Tweezerman lash comb to use. Once I combed it out and applied a few layers, it looked satisfactory to me. Late into the night, I noticed a bit of smudging under my eyes. This is something I've gotten used to not having when using the Imju Fiberwig mascara.

Blinc Kiss Me Mascara - It went on fairly easily with little combing to get the desired look. I thought it was a cool concept to not have to use eye makeup remover to take it off. I was satisfied.

LORAC Publicity Stunt Lashes - Went on easy, but my lashes seem shorter than I'm used to.

Smashbox Bionic Mascara - It went on pretty well, no complaints. Again, shorter looking lashes than I'm used to.

Stila Multi-Effect Mascara - I loved the curved brush on this one, but the end of it was kind of goopy. It made it difficult to coat the outer lashes without making them clump. The clumps are easily removed though.

Sephora Brand Lash Plumper - I quite liked the brush for this mascara. I think it worked very well, no clumps and it coated the lashes nicely. I didn't even pull out my comb. The look didn't last however, by midday the mascara had mostly come off and I had black under my eyes.

Too Faced Lash Injection in Black - This is easily my favorite of the 7. I love the brush and it went on well, no clumps.
All in all I think this kit was good. I may not have fallen in love with them all, but I still think that they are all decent products. Like I said, the Too Faced was my favorite and I loved the way the Blinc mascara worked.

I would recommend this kit to anyone that wears mascara. I think there is something for everyone in it. Anyone that has tried it, I'd love to hear what you thought about it.

(Image: Sephora.com)

The Host - my review

I finished reading The Host this weekend and Apple Joos requested hearing what I thought about it. I don't want to say too much because I don't want to spoil it for anyone that is planning to read it. Here is my review of the book on goodreads.com.

The Host: A Novel by Stephenie Meyer

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
I liked that I was able to feel for both sides of the story. I couldn't decide who I wanted to "win". The entire time that I was reading I was wondering how this book could possibly end in a satisfactory manner. I couldn't come up with anything that was going to make me happy. Luckily, Stephenie was able to.


View all my reviews.

Product Review - Indelible Gel Eyeliner

I've been wearing gel eyeliner for a couple years now. In my opinion, pencil liner can't even compare to gel. I will never go back.

As I was running out of the last brand of liner that I used, I decided to see what other brands were out there. I discovered that Loose Lips NY had a waterproof gel eyeliner. I've tried products from Loose Lips in the past, such as the brow quad and the mineral foundation. I was quite pleased with those products so I decided to give their gel liner a try.

The Indelible Gel Eyeliner arrived on Monday and after two days of wearing it, I love it! It goes on super easy with the use of the mini deluxe fluff brush. It stays on really well and it doesn't come off till I want it to. I decided to try my regular makeup remover before my waterproof makeup remover and the regular worked perfect. I love the color I chose, magnetism. Its a black color with some very faint gold specks.

I would highly recommend gel liner to all that wear eye liner, and at $20, the Indelible Gel Eyeliner is a perfect way to get started. Right now they are offering free shipping with the code juneship through 6/20 on orders over $15. Order here, and don't forget the brush!

New shoes!

I've been slow coming around to the gladiator sandal trend. At first I detested it, but then it slowly started to grow on me. Then I saw these shoes:
I'm not sure what it is about them, but I love them! For $23 I figured this was a perfect chance to try a trend that I've been on the fence about. It comes in black, white, tan and camel, but I really wanted to camel color. The only had one size left in that color, lucky for me it was half a size smaller than what I normally wear. After thinking for it about for like 15 minutes, I decided that I would take the chance and hope that they'd fit. Its a good thing I didn't wait too long because now they only have three colors left in very limited size selection.

They were a little difficult to actually get on, but once they were on, the fit great.



Now I just need to figure out what to wear them with.

Product Review - My Sephora Order

I finally got my Sephora.com order last friday. I had a chance to try the stuff out over the weekend.
That big box for this small product...

I love the Smashbox products, O-glow and O-gloss. The color is a prefect, natural color for spring and summer.

The Fiberwig Mascara is outstanding. It was definitely worth the splurge, my lashes looked fantastic. One delightful discovery about the mascara is the way it comes off. Instead of blackening the area around the eye, it comes off in clumps.

The eyebrow trimmer brush is a great invention. Now I can have perfectly groomed brows without leaving it up to the hand of other people.

I will most likely purchase these products again and I would definitely recommend all four of them.

Continuing my backless bra review

As promised on friday, I wore the new backless bra when I went out on Friday so I'll share my thoughts with you here.

When I wear the bra, it does not sit close to my body like a normal bra should, but both Nicole and Traci assured me that you couldn't tell and that it looked great. So despite the fact that I wasn't entirely comfortable, I wore it out to dinner. I was slightly uncomfortable with having to adjust it so much, but not unbearably so. Nicole got some pictures on her camera, so hopefully I can get those from her and get some shots up here for you all to see.

When we got back to Chaz's apartment and decided we were going dancing, I knew there was no way that I could dance freely and keep that bra on at the same time, so I slipped on the back-up camisole.

I'm stubborn though, I really want to make this bra work because I love the backless look so much. I'm determined to find a way.

*See my original thoughts on the Maidenform Backless Bra*

No wardrobe malfunctions please.

Ever since I bought the new backless bra from Maidenform, I've been obsessed with open-back, backless, and keyhole tops and dresses. When a friend on Kaboodle found this particular top, I had to buy it. I'm obsessed with yellow this season, along with pink and gray.

I still haven't figured out how to make the backless bra stay on properly other than having perfect posture and not leaning forward. I'm going to chance it and wear the combo when I go out tonight. To be safe, I'm going to slip my cami with the built in bra into my purse in case I find myself in a sticky situation. I hope it works out, because I've always loved the open back look.

If you've figured out a way to keep the bra on, please let me know. If you've also purchased this bra, I'd love to hear what your thoughts are on it.