Just Call Me Easy

For me Sunday is bum day. That means I dress in sweats and do housework, read, watch tv, etc. I also tried to cleaned up a really wack nail job from the other day. Lately I've not much been into my tips, but for lack of anything better to do, I painted my nails. This was the result...

In my mind this looked all kinds of awesome but it came out really less than spectacular. I had no intention of taking it off and starting over however, so I just left it as is. This was done late Saturday night. By today, I was still less than thrilled with the look so I edited it. This was the result...

 

I'm still not all that thrilled with how it looks but it looks less wack than it originally did...I guess, lol.

Products used:

Orly Nail Armor (1 coat)

Sally Hansen Wet Cement (2 coats)

Sally Hansen Lightning (2 coats)

Sally Hansen Blue Me Away (2 coats)

Seche Vite Fast Drying Top Coat (1 coat)

Barry M. Instant Nail Effects Black Magic (1 coat)

I love the way Wet Cement and Blue Me Away go on, both of these polishes are smooth and dry pretty quickly. Though I didn't have to, I used two coats of BMA. It was opaque in one coat but I went with two. WC needed two coats because it was thinner and lighter colored. Neither of those colors streaked nor was there drag. Love them! Lightning is an Insta Dri color and thus, has a harder to work with brush. It went on a little streaky with a tiny bit of drag and required two coats (three would be better, but I refused). Though I'm no longer a fan of the Insta Dri's, I love Lightning, it's a very nice yellow. The Barry M. nail effects crackle polish was a tad bit difficult to work with for me. It's kind of thick, dries very quickly and doesn't spread well. If you go over the same spot twice you get streaks and drag. This will also affect how the crackle looks (shape and size of the crackle). I more than likely will not but the Barry M. again. I'm waiting for the OPI crackle polish to come out. Cannot wait! And that my dears, was a mini review for you ;-)

Sadly, this was the highlight of my weekend. I did little else other than housework, read books and watch shows I recorded on my DVR. What'd you do this weekend? Are you ready for Monday? I hope you remembered to set your clocks back an hour!

XOXO

August Faves :-)

Dearest fair maidens, dashing divas and glamorous gals,

How are you? Feeling fab I hope :-)

Just in time for the end of August, I thought I'd share the products I reached for the most. I paid for all these products with my own money and I am NOT being paid to promote these products. The views expressed herein are my own and are not endorsed/shared by Google/Blogger/anyone else. Just a little legal disclosure...now on to the faves :-)

First up is this Arm&Hammer Naturals Deodorant. I have a hard time with deodorants because most make my armpits crack, bleed, peel, burn and itch. I have extremely sensitive skin and finding a deodorant that's effective and gentle was almost impossible...until I found this stuff! I love it! It smells nice, it has no aluminum or parabens and it keeps me fresh. I also like it because it isn't an antiperspirant. It's a natural function for our bodies to produce sweat, it's how we cool off and release toxins. Antiperspirants are not safe for the body as they inhibit a natural process and clog sebum producing pores resulting in ingrown hairs and cysts. If you're concerned about sweat stains, try disposable sweat shields for your clothes.

Next up is this awesome Jergens Naturals Ultra Hydrating Moisturizing Lotion. I love Love LOVE this stuff! It works wonders for my children's eczema and it keeps my skin silky smooth and hydrated. JNUHL is cruelty free, paraben free, dermatologist tested and purports to be made with 95% natural ingredients. Though the ingredients list includes such gems as Jojoba Oil, Agave Leaf Extract, Shea Butter and Calendula Flower Extract, some of the ingredients are obviously no as natural. All in all, I still love this thick creamy lotion. It has a nice smell and it does what it's supposed to.

My all time fave shampoo is Giovanni's Triple Treat Tea Tree Shampoo. This stuff gets my locs squeaky and tingly clean and smells oh so good. For a little extra kick, I add more peppermint essential oil (another of my all time faves). Giovanni products are cruelty free and for the most part vegan friendly. The shampoos contain no Sodium Sulfate (SLS),  Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES) or Phthalates. The Triple Treat Shampoo and many of Giovanni's other hair and body products are certified organic and gentle for most product sensitive consumers. You should always conduct a patch test on an inconspicuous area when trying new products though.

This oily skin combatant that I recently found is DHC's Water base Moisture. I've been using this stuff all August long and I have to say that I am liking it. It looks and feels like water but it moisturizes with the best of them. My skin feels silky smooth, it appears less oily and it feels refreshed and hydrated all day long. DHC WBM is non drying, has no harsh perfumes, contains no oil and is cruelty free. Thus far, I've had no allergic reactions, very few break outs and have had fewer needs to blot. The only ingredients that prevent this from being the perfect moisturizer are Methylparaben and Phenoxyethanol. I'm not sure if I'll repurchase DHC WBM yet, I'd like to try and find something without the two aforementioned ingredients.

My new fave lip balm is Carmex's Moisture Plus. This stuff has all the greatness of the original Carmex without the awful taste and smell. My lips are soft, supple and ready for kisses every time. One of the best things about CMP is the SPF15. Since harmful UVA/UVB rays can zap moisture and prematurely age sensitive skin, a little SPF goes a long way...even for the deeply melanated beautiful black woman :-)

Degree's Sexy Intrigue Body Spray was my most gone to scent this August. I like this little spray because the fragrance is sexy (per the name), light and unassuming (kinda like me, lol). I also like that it can be stored in the fridge and provide a nice cool mist on super hot Chicago days. Other bonuses include the price point and fragrance strength. Most drugstore sell this spray (and the other Degree sprays) for $3.99 and because the fragrance is long lasting (though not obnoxious) you get lots of bang for your buck. Try it, you might like it :-)

My fave August polishes were the above beauties. I'm in love with the entire China Glaze OMG Collection (I bought all of them late last year). They're a fun bunch of holographic goodness and make me want to flash my nails constantly. Application isn't great and to achieve an opaque finish, I needed three coats. Still, I love my OMG Holo's. Sally Hansen's Blue Me Away is just all kinds of AWESOME! I can't articulate how much I love this color, lol. It's the prettiest most vibrant blue I own and it go owns on wonderfully opaque in two coats. Application is smooth and it dries pretty quickly with no bubbles or streaks.

 

Although I could post more faves, I think I'll stop there, lol. This post is long enough and if my readers are anything me, too much text makes me click next blog, lol. That's terrible isn't it? It;s the truth though. At any rate, I also suggest that anyone interested in the components that comprise their cosmetics check out The Cosmetics Database. This awesome site contains info on thousands of ingredients used in commercial cosmetics. It pays to be an informed consumer ladies and gents. And with that, I bid you adieu...

XOXO 

 

 

It's like a jungle sometimes...

While going through my picture and video folders, I came across some pictures I snapped for a LOTD blog post that I forgot to write/post (fancy that). Just because I can, I'm going to post it now to give you lovely readers a good look at the things I normally wear. This is a very safe look (again) and I'm hoping you readers can give me some ideas on how to trick this dress out...so to speak, lol. Feel free to leave a comment with some tips :-)

Front and back view of dress

Khaki shirt dress & wooden bracelet (worn here) from Alloy
Gladiator sandals from Target (posted about here and worn here)
Brass earrings from Kohl's
Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Yellow Kitty on the fingers (heads up: this nail polish will be a part of an upcoming give away)
Sally Hansen Insta-Dri in Blue Streak on the toes


So what do you think? What can I do to make this dress more exciting the next time I wear it? I'm open to suggestion!

Ciao for now bellas!

XOXO