A Mermaid Worthy Manicure

Happy Manicure Monday ladies!

I absolutely love how this manicure came out! I painted my nails last Tuesday and it didn’t start to chip noticeably until about Friday. That is a long time with traditional polish. I got so many compliments and the nails went really well with my new hair color.

I put down one coat of the Julep Nail Color in 2282 American Beauty Amy and then I put down one coat of the L’Oreal Glitter Polish in 605 Sparklicious. It catches the light beautifully and it is such an icy Winter combination. I realize that it isn’t Spring appropriate, but it complimented my hair, so I don’t care. I think this week I might so the light lavender Julep nail polish again for a more Spring manicure.

With Love,

Advertisement

Manicure Monday

I love this color blue by Julep. This is two coats of Julep’s American Beauty in Amy. It is a muted gray blue that is very flattering with my skin tone. I did notice that it is the same color as the stalls in my work’s bathroom though. lol. I can see getting a lot of use out of this color, because it applied very smoothly and dried down fast. I look forward to trying out that orange one now, which I think will be perfect for Summer. I honestly do think that I will finish most of these nail polishes by the end of the year. I am motivated!

With Love,

Project Polish February Update

I made good progress on these two polishes in February. I used the dark pink sugar crush polish on my fingers and my toes once each and I used the lilac Julep polish one of my fingers. I am halfway through the dark pink polish, so I need to pick up some nail polish thinner. I’m going to try to see if Walmart has any. I don’t have a Sally’s near me, so that isn’t an option. I need to move my butt into gear in painting my nails more often. I always love the way my nails look painted. I also need some drying drops because my nails always smudge. I only have time to do them at night and even though they are dry, I still get sheet imprints on them.

With Love,

January Empties

Remember when I said that I would be doing a new format for my empty series? Well, here it is, the moment you all have been waiting for. I decided to show my empties in group photos and flat lays to be able to store more pictures of my products rather than have everything in a single photo. It makes more sens to me this way, since I am a reviewing channel and have been deleting a ton of photos to make room for more photos. I hope you all like this new format. Give me a like if you do!

Drinks:

1. International Delight Coffee Creamer

2. Boston’s Best Jamacian Me Crazy

3. Swiss Miss Milk Chocolate Hot Chocolate

4. Nestle Mini Marshmallows Hot Chocolate

Food:

5. Act II

6. 7. 8. Gerber Lil’ Beanies

Body Care:

9. Nivea Shower Sample

10. Aveeno Daily Nourishment Body Lotion

11. Equate Moisture Care Cocoa Divine Body Lotion

12. 13. Softsoap Body Scrub Coconut Butter

14. Nickelodeon 3 in 1

Skin Care:

15. Garnier SkinActive Micellar Cleansing Water

16. Clarisonic Mia

17. Makeup Forever HD Serum

18. Drunk Elephant Serum Sample

19. Olay Face Cream Sample

Hair Care:

20. Wen Sweet Almond Mint Volumizing Treatment Spray

21. Rusk Texture Dry Finish Spray

22. Wen Sweet Almond Mint Defining Paste

Makeup:

23. OPI Nicole Selena Gomez Mi Fantisma Nail Polish

24. B&BW Strawberry Lip Gloss

25. Vincent Longo Eye Shadow Trio

26. Mica Loose Eye Shadow

27. Dangerous Cologne

28. Laneige Cushion Foundation Sample

Toiletry Items:

29. Tom’s Simply White Toothpaste

30. Hello Toothpaste

31. Power Stick Deodorant

32. Eco Tools Mask Remover Sponges

33. Lofa

34. Equate Kids Toothbrushes

35. Equate Ultra Thin Pads

36. Hair Comb

37. Dial Hand Soap in Raspberry Limeaide

38. Equate Cotton Rounds

Household Items:

39. Zesty Paws Probiotic Bites

40. B&BW Balsam Candle

41. Little Remedies Honey Cough Syrup

42. Sharpie Highlighter

43. 44. 45. Papermate Ink Joy Pens

WOW! That was a ton of stuff that I used up in January. I don’t think I have ever used that much up before. I will be posting my update post on my Project 200 Pan soon after this one, which will show you how many out of this 45 I will be counting towards my 2018 challenge. I might be adjusting the challenge and make it harder. I guess, it all depends upon how much of this stuff I am using up.

With Love,

Project Polish Intro

I have decided to do a project polish this year in the attempt to use up my huge nail polish collection, which I will have updated photos of that coming soon. I have 5 polishes in my project and this will be a rolling project. So, as I use up a polish, I will replace it with something similar in the color family or what makes sense seasonally. If anyone else is doing this project, please leave a link to your blog below. I’d love to follow!

These are my polishes in my project pan. I have a L’Oreal glitter, three Julep ones, and a Sally Hansen. The baby lavender is good for the Winter and Spring. The bright texture pink polish is good for Spring and Summer. The orange and navy are great Fall colors and who doesn’t love a good glitter?! I have been loving the pampering Monday nights of painting my nails, which I have done three times now. If I can remember to take pics, I will show you on Mondays. 🙂

L’Oreal Glitter Polish in 605 Sparklicious

My plans for this polish is to use it up. It will probably take me to the end of the year to do so, but I want to see how it looks as a polish on its own. Maybe, this won’t take too long to finish that way. It is 0.39 fl oz, which is 0.11 fl oz less than a standard bottle. Maybe, I can finish it off!

Julep Nail Color in 2086 Bombshell Gloria

These have almost half the amount of a full size at 0.27 fl oz. I feel like that this going to be a favorite summer color. I don’t own too many oranges, but it is a color that I want to wear more off. I like it better than red and gives me a break from pink.

Julep Nail Color in 2282 American Beauty Amy

I’m going to be putting this on all of my fingers Monday with maybe a coat of glitter. This cool navy blue is a good Winter color. I’m gonna prep the nails tonight with some cuticle oil for polish tomorrow night. I had a week off this past week from polish. My nails need to breathe every two to three weeks of constant polish.

Julep Nail Color in 4328 IT Girl Carla

Carla had never been worn before this project. I absolutely love this color now. It is super pretty! I think this will be the first polish to go out of the group. It is very versatile and I am sure that I will be painting them this color soon again for Valentine’s Day. It is an unexpected color. I just wish it pulled more lavender.

Sally Hansen Sugar Coat in 700 Cotton Candies

I love a good texture polish and this one does not disappoint. I will be buying thinner, because this was SO THICK when I used it the other week. I want to try to use up every last drop of my gooey nail polishes this year or as much as I can. Sometimes, when you throw thinner in, it still doesn’t work or you ruin the texture part of it.

I will see you all real soon for the February update. This intro post got up SUPER late.

With Love,

#ManicureMonday

I actually got to paint my nails and toe nails this past Monday! I am going to be painting my nails every Monday or hopefully every Monday. I might miss some just to give my nails a break. They get a bit brittle if I paint them too many weeks in a row. I think every three or four weeks, I will do a bare week and cuticle cream every night. That usually keeps them in tip top shape.

In different lighting, my nails can look more lavender or more pink. They are mostly pink, but look lavender in natural lighting. I am using Julep’s IT GIRL nail polish in Carly. It is also a nail strengthener, which I appreciate. At least, it isn’t making my nails as brittle as other polishes. I really enjoy this nude color for the winter and spring time. I will be getting most of my use of it during that time. It might look good with a tan, but it is way too light for Fall. Danielle bought me this for my birthday one year and I just tried it now and I am in love. I wish it was a bit more lavender though.

With Love,

$200 Before 2018: Update #7

I did not finish as much as I would have liked in October. I’m really cutting it close with this project. I’m starting to think that I won’t be able to use up $200 worth of makeup before the New Year. But I am getting away from myself again.

Let’s recap: I have used 15 out of 20 products to the tune of $133.20 out of $200.

I’m really not sure if I am going to make it. To “win” this challenge, I need to have used up at least 2 products to the tune of 22.27 for the next three months to pull this off. I am not sure about the dollar amount, but I did use up at least 2 products. At least, I think I won half the challenge this past month. It just means that I need to hustle in November!

By glancing at this, I can see that I finished up 4 products bringing my total to 19 out of 20 products used up. I will easily hit my goal of 20 by the November update no problem there. Now, let’s take a look at the price of everything. I paid $7 for the Sephora powder. The Cover FX was in a $10 kit, so I’ll take it as $5 worth. Okay, so far it’s $12, let’s keep going. These nail polishes retailed for $7.99. Now, I’m up to $19.99. Let’s give $1 for the sample. That’s $20.99. I’m looking up the perfume now to see if I can find it. I found the roller ball selling for $3.50, so I’ll say the same for this one. My total used this month is $24.49 and totally NOT what I was expecting. I might actually have a chance!

My total used up is 19 out of 20 totaling $157.69 out of $200. I need to use up $21.15 the next two months in order to “win” this panning challenge. It feels so good to use up what you have and not see SO MUCH clutter. I mean, I still see clutter, but it feels good to use up your stash. This challenge has really opened up my eyes to what I have and how long it takes to use up items. I’m going to be more strict with myself and makeup next year. I’m going to go on a year low buy. I’m only allowing myself to splurge twice a year, otherwise than that, only when I NEED something like replacing my daily face powder.

With Love,

October Empties

Another month, another empties post. I went through surprising a lot this month. I wasn’t expecting to use up so much, but it seems like a lot of my products are on their last legs. I expect November and December to be heavy months as well. I am grateful that I never lost power in the storm that terrorized New England this week and I pray for the lives lost in the terrorist attack in New York City. That city has gone through way too much. My car was damaged in the storm, but at least, no one got hurt. I hope everyone is having a nice weekend. I’ll be outside playing with my son today.

1. Soo AE Nature Vitamin Collagen Essence Mask

2. EOS Shave Cream Pomegranate Raspberry

3. International Delight Coffee Creamer

4. Nickelodeon Paw Patrol Bubble Bath Raspberry Rescue

5. Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water

6. Zesty Paws Omega Bites

7. Dr. Fresh Kids’ Toothbrushes

8. Yankee Candle Tropical Island Breeze Candle

9. Glade Cozy Autumn Cuddle Candle

10. Mr Bubbles Magic Bath Crackles

11. Gerber Lil’ Beanies

12. Dial Winter Frost Hand Soap

13. Equate Beauty Cotton Rounds

14. Lush Rose Jam Shower Gel

15. WEN Sweet Almond Mint Texture Balm

16. WEN Cucumber Almond Texture Balm

17. Precious Perfume

18. Cover FX Custom Infusion Drops Radiance

19. Nicole by OPI Roughles

20. Lush Penguin Bubble Bar

21. Avon Advance Techniques Anti-Dandruff Treatment

22. Equate Medicine

23. Sephora Bright Set Loose Finishing Banana Powder

24. Goody Hair Tie

25. Briogeo Rosarco Milk Leave- In Conditioning Spray

26. Olehenriksen Pure Truth Youth Activating Oil

27. It Cosmetics CC Sample

 

I am super impressed with what I was able to move out this month. I’m running low on product reviews, so I might disappear during the week with no new posts once in a while. On those weeks, I will be writing product reviews for my blog. I like to hand write them first before typing them up on my blog. Next week will probably be an empty week. I’m going to try to write as many reviews as I can. Maybe I can empty out my review basket. I’m hoping to write ten reviews, because lets face it, there are like 50 products in my review basket right now. lol. If I do 5 reviews a day this weekend, I’ll be happy.

With Love,

On What Grounds?

For Nicole By OPI Roughles Nail Polish in On What Grounds?

I loved this Breakfast at Tiffany’s robin egg blue nail color so much. I’m sad that it got too thick to work with anymore. There wasn’t that much left of this texture polish though. I love texture polishes, because they dry really fast and I need my polish to dry fast with a toddler running around. It is a very pretty color and I’m working on the pink one right now, which is not nearly as nice in color as this one. I just love this shade of blue and the dimension that it gave my nails.

With Love,

❤ Selena Hannah ❤

$200 Before 2018 Update #4

I feel like I used up quite a bit in July and so far, I feel like August hasn’t been as successful. We shall see next month. But this update is a big deal for me. I finished a ton of perfume samples and I am still steadily going through them. I’m using up all of my sprayer samples first and then going onto the dabbing ones. I finished up 4 deluxe sized makeup products as well. It’s very hard to go through a lot of makeup, so I’m very happy with the results that I see here. So at the end of June, I used up 7 out of 20 products with the total adding up to $78.74 out of $200. Let’s see what I can add to that.

Perfume samples: 5 = $5

I enjoyed how sweet the Brittany Spears Midnight Fantasy is. I would pick that one up if I came across it as Marshalls, but I’m on a no perfume buy. It is so crisp and fresh and sweet like candy. I just love it. If I see a bottle at Walmart, I might just have to buy it. The rest of the samples were okay, but nothing that I would purchase for myself. There were no scents that I couldn’t wear. I just didn’t care for them.

Jouer Essential Lip Enhancer Conditioning Lip Treatment = $8

I liked using this as a night time treatment, but I would not purchase it. It felt grainy if I got it on my teeth and I don’t like that sensation. This lasted me forever! I already found my dream night time lip balm, so I’m just trying to use up my balms.

Model Co Lip Lacquer in Viva = $6

I really enjoyed using this and the peachy color pay off. I took out the stopper and used up every last drop. I would not purchase this, but I am glad to have moved it out of my collection. I’d much rather buy a lip oil. I thought that I wouldn’t like this though and I did. It had a lot of pigment for a gloss and I used this up at work so very appropriate.

Josie Maran Surreal Skin Argan Finishing Balm = $7.20

I am considering buying this in the full size. I want to use up the rest of my primers first, but when I get down to 1, I really want to buy this. It was very moisturizing and gave my skin a nice glow. I used this mostly on its own and my skin looked flawless with this on. I got a lot of compliments on my skin when wearing this. I need to use up what I have first though. I’ll revisit this next year.

DERMAdoctor DD Cream = $8.76

This was WAY too dark to use on my face, so I used this on my legs when I wore a skirt to work. My legs looked tanned and toned. It was too dark for my face, but not only that, it was too greasy as well. I’m glad that I used it up and it’s gone. I need to do this with the rest of the creams that I bought/received that are way too dark for my face. It also didn’t moisturize my legs very well. I cut it with some body lotion to help with that.

Okay, I am pretty impressed with the monetary value that I used up in July. I have used up 11 out of 20 makeup items with the total being $113.70 out of $200. I am over halfway there now! I really think that I have a chance at completing this project. Next year, instead of project pans and this series, I will be doing a Finish 100 by 2019 and monthly makeup bags. This series is going so well that I want to pull in all of my other categories like hair and skin care for next year. The makeup bags will be fun, too. Every month, I’ll focus on different items to use up.

With Love,