Tiny Ulta Haul...

I couldn't resist! After my post yesterday, I HAD to feed my polish addiction... 

Strangely enough, I didn't buy any of the new polishes that I reported on -- see my picks below! (The following photos are not of my hands, I just wanted to show off how the polish will look!)

Essie in Splash of Grenadine- A bright pinky-lavender

Essie in Turquoise and Caicos- love this!!! A darker version of Mint Candy Apple

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Grey Area-- This was less than $3 and I Thought this would be a great color all year long!

Essie in Long Stem Roses-- It looks cherry red in the bottle, but see below-- it's actually has quite a bit of pink to it

I think these are great options for Spring/Summer-- Splash of Grenadine and Turquoise and Caicos are both from the 2010 Resort Collection-- timeless if you ask me!

New Spring Polish Collections!

Hi Everyone!

I thought I would do a post on new polish collections for spring--  Spring colors are so fun to work with because you don't have to feel limited in what you can experiment with.  Check 'em out!

OPI's Pirates of the Caribbean Collection-- I love these! I love the names even more... ie: Skull & Glossbones

Deborah Lippman, Spring 2011- These are really beautiful and tropical-- a little on the pricey side, but the quality is phenomenal

Orly's Precious Collection for Spring 2011-- You can find these at CVS stores

Essie's French Affair Collection- Gorgeous neutrals and a pop of blue shimmer

China Glaze's Anchors Away- Wide variety of color, China Glaze never disappoints

Zoya's Intimate Collection- I have "Jules"-- a soft golden shimmer

Finger Paint's Palette of Petals-- beautiful bright colors!  You can find these at Sally's Beauty Supply

Prabal Gurung for Sally Hansen Salon Manicure

Tracy Reese for Sally Hansen Salon Manicure

 I love these collections for spring because they include muted neutrals and bright pops of color-- something for everyone!  It will literally take everything within my soul not to splurge on every single one of these polishes...

Perfect Easter Gift!

With Easter upon us, I thought I would include a super cute idea for an Easter basket you could gift to the women in your life--  These baskets are so affordable and your family and friends will absolutely love these!

Start with a small easter basket, such as this yellow tin.
I found this one at Target for just $1!

This was only $1 at Target!

Yummy Summer Fruit

Pick up an EOS (Evolution of Smooth) lip balm.  You can find these at Ulta or Walgreens and these run about $4 each.  They come in lots of yummy flavors, and the ones featured in this post are Summer Fruit, Sweet Mint and Lemon Drop

Add some Easter grass and you have the perfect gift for all your friends and family! These are super inexpensive and so so cute!  You can open the packages and place the balm in the grass (so they look like Easter eggs!) or you can place the balm in its packaging directly in the basket-- love this!

Top budget-friendly polish picks for spring!

Spring has sprung!

I thought I would give a few polish recommendations to get your nails in tip top shape for springtime!

Essie in Mint Candy Apple- A GORGEOUS mint green-blue: $7.50

Ulta Professional in Uptown Girl- A muted purple: $7.50

Essie in Van D'Go- An opaque super peachy pink: $7.50

Love & Beauty for Forever 21 in Light Green- A true spearmint green: $2.80!!

Essie in Lilacism- My absolute FAVORITE shade of lavendar: $7.50

OPI in Significant Other Color- A translucent purple with green and gold: $8

Ulta Nail Lacquer in Peach Parfait- An opaque tangerine: $5

Ulta Professional in Strapless- A true shimmer "greige": $7.50

L.A. Colors in White- A nail art polish: $1 from Dollar Tree!

A lilac ribbon manicure! Essie Lilacism and L.A. Colors nail art polish (both pictured above)

 

 

 How fun is that? You can create so many different designs with the nail art polish, and for just $1?! SO CUTE! Pssh, Who needs a $20 dollar mani now, huh??

Rejoice Recessionistas!

Ulta News!

Heads up!

Ulta has now started selling Butter London nail polishes!

Butter London has recently gained some attention due to their shade "No More Waity Katie"-- a tribute polish for (future) Princess Kate Middleton.

These polishes are pretty pricey compared to other budget brand polishes, but up until now these were only available online.  Prices range from $14-30 and currently, with any Butter London purchase you will receive a FREE Powder Room polish remover!

Not too shabby...

Summer Lips! Muah!

Hi Everyone!

I'm SO happy with the positive feedback I got on my Birchbox post!  It's such a cool little idea and I hope you all love your new Birchbox subscriptions!

With summer approaching, I'm always curious to find what's new in lip color and while a bold matte lip is super hot, sometimes I like something a little lighter for casual days.

I've always enjoyed Revlon's Super Lustrous lip gloss so I decided to pick up a few of the new Color Burst lip glosses when they were on sale at Walgreen's for $4.99.  Revlon's Color Burst is pretty fantastic, I must say.  It's great because they're in gloss form, but they have so much pigmentation that they offer as much color pay off as a sheer lipstick.  They're light, non-sticky, and provide multi-dimensional color.  The staying power is average, and it's actually fun to re-apply!  The packaging is beautiful, true to form for Revlon, so it looks MUCH more expensive than it actually was...my little secret.

The applicator is a doe-foot applicator and almost pivots around the base of the wand for a perfect pout!

From left to right: Orchid, Peony, Crystal Lilac

I would highly suggest these-- Perfect for spring and summer, glossy, colorful-- a perfect addition to any makeup bag. 

Birchbox Bonanza!

Hi everyone!

I've been away for a bit, and I apologize for that, but I think this blog post is worthy of the wait... Birchbox!

Birchbox "delivers luxe beauty samples to your door each month. Find out what you love, and buy with confidence."  You can enroll in Birchbox for $10 a month, and each month a beautiful box of high-end goodies are delivered right to your door!  The samples are deluxe samples, so they are all larger than the samples you might get free online or as gifts with purchase.  I can't say enough good things about this company.  They have partnered with a number of high-end hair, makeup and skin companies to bring you the best of what's new in the beauty world without the hefty price tag.  For each Birchbox you receive, you acquire points to use on the site to buy your favorite full size products.  You can also acquire points by reviewing the samples on their site.  It's the perfect way to experiment with expensive brands while still only spending $10 a month!

I got my first Birchbox the other day and the first thing that instantly stands out is the packaging.  It is so beautifully put together!  This month, my products were themed around Earth Day and the samples were paraben free, and Earth-friendly!  Birchbox always includes a card inside describing the products they chose for you each month (When you sign up, you take a questionnaire that takes note of what your beauty preferences are!).  Below are my goodies for the month of April:

Gorgeous packaging! What could be inside...?

Yay! So many cool new products to try!

This card is included every month to provide information about each product

Zoya samples!

This makes me SO happy! Zoya polish in Jules!

LIV GRN perfume!

So excited to try this!

Paraben free body butter!- This alone costs $12-- the entire Birchbox cost me $10!

I can't wait to give all of these items a try! To sign up for Birchbox, go to www.birchbox.com

10 bucks for awesome new products every month? Yes please!