As many of you know, Google Reader is going away. I imagine a lot of you will jump ship with GFC from here on out - but the good news is you can follow on Bloglovin' a great tool! I read my blogs from there now :) While you're at it, how about following all these other places?

Two new LE collections coming from Milani!? With new black-n-white glitters? You betcha! :) Here's all the details...




Oooh Carnival looks like a dupe of the China Glaze glitter from the Cirque du Soleil collection!  Sprinkles looks like a dupe, or near dupe, for Sticks 'n Stones or Connect the dots, or one of the many others like it.


The Fantastical Plumage collection, featured above, looks amazing! I really like the bright colors. I'm especially looking foward to Scarlet Ibis and Peacock.


Retro Glam DOES totally remind me of ice cream...as some of the names would suggest :) Mint Chip looks amazing, as does Raspberry Delight.

Both collections will be available at select CVS and Meijer stores during the month of August. Please note that some stores might put up the collections before August. Both collections will also be available online.

It's Random Mani Thursday! Should that be a thing from now on? I'm not sure I have the time and resources (and good lighting) to make it a regular thing, but I can work on it :) Some of the polishes featured today are polishes I bought and some were provided to me by PR. I will be detailed in my description of each mani :)

Let's start with this fun mani! The base is an orange BK polish provided to me from Born Pretty Store. I used one of the Nail Candy pens sent to me by Nail Candy. They make nail art super simple!


Next I have a neon skittle featuring polishes from Color Club. I can't even tell you what polishes these are haha It's a way back mani, but I just remember it was a Color Club mini set that I used. I purchased this set with my own money at Burlington Coat Factory.


Now to to a GREAT orange - Sephora by OPI Hi-Def. I received this polish as a gift from my friend Krystal over at Polish Galore.


And last, but not least...a nice matte mani! The base is NYC Boat Basin, which I bought, then I topped with Rainbow Honey Magic Cake, which was set by PR. Then I topped that with the Butter London matte topcoat that I got when Coterie still sold cosmetics.


DISCLAIMER: Some products used in this post were provided to me for consideration. This blog is written and edited by me, and the opinions are not influenced in any way. Please read this post for more information.

I may have mentioned this before to you guys, but up until about 6 months ago, I never really paid attention to my skin. I mean, I washed it when appropriate and did what I could to clean my skin, but I didn't take any prevention for aging or anything like that. Why? Because I just never wore makeup. For many, many years, my only makeup was eyeliner and mascara - and that was it. I only put on anything else if I was going to have my picture taken. I have always been low maintenance where my skin was concerned. Until recently.

As I'm getting older, I'm finding that now I want to take the time to care for my skin. That's why I'm glad I found Bioelements - I have really enjoyed testing out the products I have been sent. Today's post will be about the Flash Foam Cleanser, the ONLY cleanser I've used on my face for the past 3 weeks.


"Gently exfoliates" are the best two words in the English language when it comes to skincare for me. I've used them all, I think - rough and tumble face wash that grates at your skin and smooth as silk soaps that don't have any grit to them. I prefer a combination - I want my skin cleaned, but not that the expense of 3 layers of skin.


This one small pump of cleanser cleans my entire face and neck. Amazingly well. My skin feels so super soft when I finish with it! I don't have skin that is prone to sensitivity, but I tend to buy facial cleansers that are for sensitive skin. Why risk irritation even if I'm not prone to it?

Ingredients listed for this product are:
Water (aqua) (Eau), Glycerin, Sodium Lauroamphaocetete, Decyl Glucoside, Polysorbate 80, Ananas Sativus (pineapple) Fruit Extract, Carica Papaya (papaya) Fruit Extract, Cucurbita Pepo (pumpkin) Seed Extract, Panthenol (vitamin B5), Camillia Sinensis (green tea) Leaf Extract, Allantoin, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (orange) Oil, Polyquaternium-10, Diazolidinyl Urea/Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, Sodium EDTA, Citric Acid

The thing I love most about this product is that it's for combination skin. My skin has always been combination, and I have had problems in the past with skin cleansers being perfect for my T-zone, but horrible for my cheeks or other parts of my face. This doesn't dry my skin out like other cleansers I've tried in the past. This is the happy medium I've been looking for. I follow up with my Own Anti-Aging Lifting Eye Cream and Own Skin Health Firming Silk Concentrate. My skin is so silky smooth all night long after I wash my face that it's amazing! I do still have a random breakout, but in the past 3 weeks I have only had one.

The Bioelements line is not currently available in brick-and-mortar stores, but is available in selects spas and online. You can purchase it here.

DISCLAIMER: Some products used in this post were provided to me for consideration. This blog is written and edited by me, and the opinions are not influenced in any way. Please read this post for more information.

Lately, I've put the blah in blogging. I've been very bored with it, and just not fired up like I used to be. I think I've spread myself too thin in other aspects of my life and it's taking a toll on my blogging life. I think I'll be taking some time to myself here soon, so my posts might start to show up less and less for a while. To those who will notice, I apologize. The majority won't even notice, tho.

Today's post is on the Jesse's Girl lipstick Penny-A-Thought, which is indeed like its name - the color of a penny.


I usually get 4-5 hours wear time with Jesse's Girl lipsticks, but this one only went 3 hours. I don't know why. I don't know if I was exceptionally hard on my lips when I wore it or what *shrug* The rich coppery color matched my skintone very well, and the formula was great.



So what do you think of this color? It's one of the gorgeous lip products from Jesse's Girl! The lipsticks retail for $3.99, and they are available on the Jesse's Girl website or at Rite Aid.

DISCLAIMER: Some products used in this post were provided to me for consideration. This blog is written and edited by me, and the opinions are not influenced in any way and are not compensated. Please read this post for more information.

For today (well, I'm thinking for this morning because I think I'll do another post later today), I've got the 8-piece travel set from Perlier, which I received from the iFabbo store. Four sets of products that I have really enjoyed trying out :)

Let's start first with Honey Meil, 100% certified Italian organic honey. I used this one the most - especially the body balm. The scent is light and clean, not entirely overpowering. That's a HUGE concern of mine with lotions and the like. If the scent is too strong, it hasta go away!


And now for Olivarium, 100% organic Italian olive oil. Despite the fact that I used the Honey Meil the most, I think this one is my favorite scent. Very light, very airy...almost non-existent unless you put a lot on. If I had to pick a favorite, this one would be it.


I didn't really care for the scent of this one, 100% certified organic shea butter and citrus. I think it's the citris. At any rate, it was smooth and soothing to the skin, so I do give credit for that. The scent just wasn't for me.


And last, but not least, White Almond, which also featured cold pressed and pure almond oil. The scent turned me off immediately, but I soon learned that using only the smallest amount proves beneficial to the skin and keeps the smell at bay. Using the absolute smallest amount possible still provided silky smoothness to my skin in need of hydrating, but I noticed I was less likely to be bothered by the smell :)


In all, these products are just a little bit perfume-y for my taste, but a few of them I can overlook that because they are so nourishing and smooth. You can purchase this set from HSN for $19.95 here.

DISCLAIMER: Some products used in this post were provided to me for consideration. This blog is written and edited by me, and the opinions are not influenced in any way and are not compensated. Please read this post for more information.

I'm always a fan of nail art made easy because I so suck at nail art. So I decided to try these foil metal pieces that I received from Born Pretty Store. They are super easy to use! My only issue with them is that they are hard to get a hold of and hold once you start to use them. I dropped the one I tried to put on my nails three or four times before I actually put it on the nail! haha The nail color I'm wearing is JulieG Umbrella Drink.


I'm not sure how everyone else applies these cute little decals, but I just used a dab of base coat, bent the little piece a tad to bend to the shape of my nail and held it in place for a few seconds. Then I topped with a top coat. It really was that simple! I'm actually still wearing the mani above, and I'm on my third day of wear :)



These are good for jazzing up a day-old mani, giving it new life! I think they are super cute. You get 80 pieces in this order, and there are all sort of cute designs like bows, stars, snowflakes, crowns. Here is one of the cupid hearts over a gorgeous coraly pink color, Zoya Kara.



You can purchase this set here, for only $1.99! Be aware that Born Pretty Store ships from Hong Kong and Singapore. You can purchase all sorts of nail art, polish, jewelry and more! Follow Born Pretty Store on Facebook, Twitter and Instragram.

DISCLAIMER: Some products used in this post were provided to me by the company for consideration. This blog is written and edited by me, and the opinions are not influenced in any way and are not compensated. Please read this post for more information.

Oh my, my. Time is getting away from me! I usually try to get stuff posted in the morning, but I've been sleeping in later since my son is out of school, and I'm finding my time is getting more and more limited! So today's post is a little later than I intended it to be! ...but I think you guys are going to like it!


This lovely blue from NYC is called Boat Basin. And I'm in love with it. It is quite literally the best blue I own. The perfect shade, the perfect formula. Pictured is two perfect coats. And these photos were taken on day 3 of wear. And it was only 69 cents at Rite Aid.


I caught it on sale, apparently, and I'm so glad I snatched it up! I wore this polish for several days, adding a glitter topper, and even a matte top coat to prolong the wear. I lost track of how many days I wore this polish after the fourth day.


Do you own this color? Or any NYC color? Based on the formula and wear time of this one, I'm thinking I need to get me some more!

**DISCLAIMER** I was not paid for this review by anyone. I either purchased these products myself or were given gifts from friend.

Ok, so you all know how much I love The Vampire Diaries, right? I made a set of frankens inspired by the show. I even went to a convention! I actually like all things vampire - well almost. In Vampire Diaries, most of the vampires have a daylight ring, made with Lapis Lazuli that helps them walk around in the daylight. I even made one of my frankens based around it. I was SO super stoked with Born Pretty Store started selling replicas of this ring!! ...and there's a D - so it MUST be Damon's ;)


It is a rather sizeable stone. The ring itself is made of silver alloy, and I'm not entirely sure what the stone is made out of. It is a large-size ring, and as you can see in the photos below, it takes up all the space from the base of my finger to my knuckle. But it's not at all uncomfortable.


You can purchase this ring here, for only $2.91! Be aware that Born Pretty Store ships from Hong Kong and Singapore. You can purchase all sorts of nail art, polish, jewelry and more! Follow Born Pretty Store on Facebook, Twitter and Instragram.

DISCLAIMER: Some products used in this post were provided to me by the company for consideration. This blog is written and edited by me, and the opinions are not influenced in any way and are not compensated. Please read this post for more information.

DISCLAIMER: Some products used in this post were provided to me by BzzAgent for consideration. This blog is written and edited by me, and the opinions are not influenced in any way and are not compensated. Please read this post for more information.

We took my husband out for Father's Day on Saturday, and I actually put makeup on! I gotta admit, lately, I haven't been putting a lot of makeup on. I watch kids and work, and it's really too hot! haha But I did my eyes all up in some loose pigments, and I sort of like how it blended.


I used Sweet Libertine Captain Tightpants over my whole lid, then highlighted around my upper lashline with Jesse's Girl Troublemaker. I also lined my lower lashline with Troublemaker.

What do you guys think? Am I getting any better at this? hahahahah

**DISCLAIMER** I was not paid for this review by anyone. I either purchased these products myself or were given gifts from friend.

I purchased Bluey a while back when Coterie sold makeup with credits I amassed by inviting people to Coterie. I'm not entirely sure how to disclose that type of purchase, so I'm just laying it all out here in this first paragraph for you guys. Wanted to make sure you knew how I got it :)

Anyway, I'm not so impressed with Bluey. I dunno. Doesn't seem so amazing to me. I took this photo a long time ago and just never got around to posting about it.


It's a pretty color. It's just boring. And not unique. I dunno, I guess I expected something spectacular on the nail, but it was kind of a letdown. The formula is okay, too.

Does anyone else have this polish and love it? I'm looking for other opinions!

WOW. So. June is half way over. Where is the time going? At any rate, I feel like I'm falling so behind when blogging. I'm going to try to do better as the summer goes on - starting today! I bring you three shades from the Summer of 199X collection from Rainbow Honey! I'm just going to jump right in with my favorite, favorite, favorite of this trio - MAGIC CAKE!


A while back in my quest for a neon glitter topper, I attempted to make one - Alien Blast. It looked great for a few days....then the glitter bled and it became a hot mess of grey grossness. So color me ecstatic when I saw Magic Cake in this collection! The green, pink and blue glitters are amazing!


I tried it out first over black and white polishes (pictured above), and while I liked the combos, I couldn't help but think there was a better one out there - enter NYC Boat Basin, a polish I picked up at Rite Aid on clearance for 69 cents!


That's the combo I was looking for! How lovely is that?? I am wearing this today. The glitters really bring out the gorgeous blue, and the blue is the perfect backdrop for the glitters! I can't say enough great things about this glitter (and this combo hehe). The formula isn't too thick, and I didn't have to dab my glitters on, which I love. I just swiped the brush across the nail. Great formula, great coverage.

Now on to Tessie, a periwinkle creme with a gorgeous blue shimmer running through it. I'm wearing two coats in these photos.


The shimmer isn't as apparent in the sun as it is in the shade. The formula on this one was a tad on the thick side, but not so much that it was hard to use. I just had to be careful with thickness of each coat (see my pointer finger - it looks kinda gummy). The color is beautiful!


You can REALLY see the blue shimmer in the shade :) That's what my husband liked about this one! hahah :)

And on to Mint Flavor. It looks WAY blue until you have it up against something blue, then it's the minty-est color ever! haha The formula wasn't as thick as Tessie, which made it easier to apply. It's such a rich, creamy color. I can see myself wearing this over and over :) I'm wearing two coats in these photos.


You can purchase these colors, and every other in this collection here, from $10 per bottle. You can purchase sets of colors, or you can buy individually. You can follow Rainbow Honey on Facebook, Twitter and Instragram.

DISCLAIMER: Some products used in this post were provided to me by the company for consideration. This blog is written and edited by me, and the opinions are not influenced in any way and are not compensated. Please read this post for more information.

Have you ever had a polish that you think was made specifically for you? Like the maker got inside your head or laid across your fingernails and created a masterpiece so wonderfully coordinated with you? Me, too! Ninja Polish Ambrosia - Nectar of the Gods, indeed.

Indoors with Ott Lite

I knew when I saw this for sale on Ninja Polish that I would have to have it. It SAYS the base is hot pink, but I see orange-y goodness. Fiery orange with a smattering of color-shifting shimmers. Gold? Pink? I see both types of shimmer.

Inside with Ott Lite

Isn't it just gorgeous? Definitely in my top 10 of the year. Totally in the top 5. Really gunning for that #1 spot. Now both the photos above were taken inside, in crappy weather, with my Ott Lite. We haven't had a lot of sun lately when I've been free to go outside to take photos, and I wore this mani for three days before changing it hehe below are two photos in the sun. I think the shimmer stands out WAY more with the Ott Lite shining down than with the sun!


This polish is available on the Ninja Polish website for $11.

**DISCLAIMER** I was not paid for this review by anyone. I either purchased these products myself or were given gifts from friend.