Sunday, June 8, 2014

Pink Ivy- Stamping with Milani


I got the chance to do a really fun manicure recently, and I loved it so much I kept it for a full week! It was hard to photograph, but I think I got a pretty decent representation of it. You'll have to let me know what you think, and if you'd wear this!

Since summer is here, I was feeling the urge for some bright colors. I also wanted to dig into some of my older polishes, so without much hesitation I pulled out Wicked Style from the China Glaze Electropop collection. I know, I wish I had multiple backups of these polishes, they're definite staples in my collection!

Then, to add a bit of whimsy and to use one of my semi-new stamping plates, I stamped a pretty floral pattern from the Pueen plate #33 using White Milani polish. This worked beautifully, as you can tell! And of course, since I'm me, I had to add a bit of sparkle to things. A single coat of Essence Colour and Go in Space Queen finished things off beautifully!



All in all, this was a fun, bright manicure that made me smile lots. There's something about having my nails done that just makes my day seem a bit brighter!

What colors are you finding yourself drawn to this summer? Are you feeling hot in pastels, or are neons singing your name? Leave me a comment and let me know what you're loving this summer!

Some polishes were provided by the brands for consideration.
See my disclosure statement for more information.

Monday, June 2, 2014

SpringFling VoxBox!

It's that time again- the great folks at Influenster have put together another great box jam packed with goodies for me to evaluate! While some of the past boxes have been somewhat less exciting for me, this one was almost perfect!

When I saw the box, I got excited. See, I have this weakness for cute packaging, and this box did not fail. The Influenster box this time was a pale spring green, and it got me excited before I even opened it! I know, it's sad, but I can't help it. Cute stuff makes me happy!

Once I got it open, I was even more excited! Except for the tampons, this could have been picked for me specifically. Kiss nails? Yes please! Lip balm? Sure! Mascara? Definitely! Lotion? Don't mind if I do!!

I don't do menstrual products because I had a hysterectomy years ago, so I really can't do that good a review of the tampons. I can say they're scented, and they smell... well, strong? Unpleasant? I don't think I'd want to use these even if I did need them, but I'm picky about that sort of thing. As always, your mileage may vary, and you might absolutely love these.

Moving right along, let me tell you about the Softlips Cube! Now, I don't know why they call it 5 in 1 lip care, but I DO know that this is fabulous! It's lightly scented and flavored, which is nice because I don't like things that are heavily scented or flavored. I got the blueberry pomegranate kind, which worried me a bit. I don't usually like blueberry things, but this is actually really nice.

It's also WONDERFUL on my lips. It isn't overly greasy, and it's made my lips super soft. It does seem to either wear off or be absorbed a bit faster than my usual lip balm, but that's not a problem for me. I'm kind of iffy on the way it's packaged- it's very similar to the EOS balms, except it's in a clear cube. The ball shape is odd, but it's also nice- I can apply it to both lips with a single swipe. And getting back to the "I'm a sucker for cute packaging" bit, I love the actual package. This little clear cube is just so pretty! Add in the pretty card it's packaged on and I'm totally sold. This balm is an all-around winner in my books.

How gorgeous is this?? I know, I'm a sucker for a pretty package.

In keeping with the moisturizing theme, let's look at the Nivea Skin Firming Hydration body lotion. Again, I'm really picky about smell, and many harsh-smelling body lotions can trigger a migraine headache in me, or aggravate my asthma. If a product makes me sick, I clearly won't be using it, and unfortunately many skin products have really strong scents.

This lotion does not, thankfully. It does smell wonderful, but it's a light clean scent that I find really pleasant. It's also very soothing, and absorbs into the skin very nicely. I'm not so sure about the "skin firming" claim, but I tend to think that most of the claims of this sort are purely marketing with no real effect.

That doesn't stop me from loving this lotion, and it has now earned a place in my purse. My skin has become very dry in recent years, so I'm absolutely loving this! Another plus- my husband likes this scent, which makes me willing to use it more often!
I have yet to test the remaining products. I can share my initial impressions, though. First, let me address the Labor Day air freshener. I don't know how you are, but I don't tend to get excited over air fresheners, and I honestly have zero interest in this peach pie air freshener. It comes back to the artificial scents issue for me. I don't get the logic behind this sort of marketing, really. But that's me...


I'm really looking forward to using the Rimmel Scandaleyes. I like mascara, since my eyes are deep-set and tend to sort of disappear into my round face. Anything that makes them more visible is a plus!

Finally, I'm really looking forward to wearing the Kiss Everlasting French nails. For whatever reason, I don't seem to be able to really give myself a decent french manicure. I can do all sorts of things, but not that! I'll be trying these using temporary adhesives, and I'll gladly share my results soon.

So keep an eye on this space, and hopefully I'll have some more experiences with these products soon!


SpringFlingVoxBox  was provided by Influenster for consideration.
See my disclosure statement for more information.