CND Shellac Giveaway by Nail Polish Canada

I really love letting you guys know about awesome giveaways. This one is especially awesome- you could win an entire lifetime's worth of CND Shellac!

Ok, it's actually only 25 years' worth, but still, I'm not complaining. The winner of this giveaway will receive 33 bottles of CND Shellac, 5 bottles of basecoat, 5 bottles of topcoat, a 36 watt UV lamp, and scrubfresh!

I don't know about you, but I am definitely entering. I would go nuts trying to decide which color to wear first...

Want to know what this looks like? (I know I did...) Thankfully, the kind folks at NailPolishCanada included a photo to let you see what you'll be getting if you win!

So what are you waiting for? Scoot on over to NailPolishCanada and enter! This giveaway is only open to residents of the US and Canada.

Iinformation was provided by NailPolishCanada.com.

See my disclosure statement for more information.

Nail Art by Donna Michelle Salon Basics

This pack was $1!

You know, I have to say it... I really love Dollar Tree! I find wandering through the store lots of fun, and sometimes I find amazing goodies I can actually afford! A couple of days ago my husband and I went to Dollar Tree to pick up some sunglasses. (I tend to break or lose sunglasses often, so I don't want to spend more than $1 on them. It hurts losing a pair or Ray Bans!)

Of course, while I was there I had to check the cosmetics section. I'm so glad I did, because I found the most adorable little nail goodies. They're Nail Art by Donna Michelle Salon Basics, and there were several choices- tiny mylar chunks like the So Easy Cracked Ice, string glitter, micro glitter, micro beads, and tiny shapes. Each pack came with 8 different colors, and was only $1.

I chose the small shapes, and am so glad I did. They're awfully cute, and the variety of shapes really appeals to me. I spread them out on a sheet of scrapbook paper so you could see what they all are. There are tiny flowers in purple and lavender, hexes in gold holo and peach, pink hearts, green hollow hearts with tiny hearts, blue hollow hexes with tiny hexes, and silver holo stars with tiny stars. The holo shapes are very shiny and refractive, while the rest of the shapes have an iridescent coating on them. They really are beautiful!

Also, I can't help but love the teeny little bottles these come in. I'm thinking once I use the pieces I may have to make them into necklaces or something. They're just too cute!

Ok, enough babble. Til next time!

I love Dollar Tree!

See my disclosure statement for more information.

Sally Hansen #GetMagnetic contest!

Who here loves contests? I know I do, and this one has me bouncing!

Sally Hansen is giving away $1,000!

You probably know by now that Sally Hansen is one of my favorite brands. Treatments, polishes, tools... they do it all with quality and style. However, this contest just makes me love them all over again!

As you can see from the infographic I made, it's super easy to enter. Just register on the Sally Hansen Facebook App, visit the Instagram app and snap a photo of your gorgeous nail art and add #GetMagnetic in the caption, then show the love for your favorite nail art photos on the Sally Hansen facebook app!

This contest runs until September 17, 2012, so you've got plenty of time to enter. But don't put it off... you don't want to miss this opportunity!

Since this is showcasing their magnetic polish, why not learn a bit more about it? Did you know Sally Hansen now has eight gorgeous shades of magnetic polish in stores now? It's true- they retail for $9.99 each, and come in luscious shades: Ionic Indigo, Red-y Response, Kinetic Copper, Silver Elements, Golden Conduct, Electric Emerald, Graphite Gravity, and Polar Purple. I don't know about you, but I'm dying to try these!

Which color interests you most? Are you over the magnetic trend, or are you still itching to find your favorite? Leave me a comment and let me know what's on your mind!

Here's a baby monkey!

As I am on day 3 of the worst migraine I've had in at least 6 years, I have no fun posts for today. I do, however, have a baby monkey video to brighten your day with. Enjoy!



Also, the imPRESS nails lasted close to four days for me. I had one nail that was squidgy and then came off. If not for that, the rest felt super-solid. I may try them again and see what happens.

Now, if you'll excuse me I'm going to go lie down in the dark and try not to have my head explode.

Migraines suck.

See my disclosure statement for more information.

What would YOU do over, given the chance?

Front cover of my current art journal.

If you were given the chance to go back in time and do something over again, what would it be? Would you go? I've thought a lot about this idea in the past, and overall I think I wouldn't change anything. The life I've lived has shaped me into the person I am today, and I like the person I am. I love my husband and my son dearly, I have amazing family and friends. I'd be afraid that any changes I made would end up with different people in my life, and I wouldn't want to change that.

However, there is one thing that I regret deeply. Given the option, I would love to go back in time and finish my degree.I try not to mention this very often, but the truth is that even though I was in college for 8 years, I still don't have a degree.

I was a year from graduation when we had to move the first time. My husband had graduated and was moving on to graduate school. I had no idea that transferring would set me back so far! When we settled in at our new university I lost 2 years of credits which was not cool!

At that point, I switched my major from mass communication to art. I was beginning to believe I might have some sort of artistic talent, and I wanted to explore it. Besides, I was only really losing a year of basic courses that still applied to my new major. It was a perfect plan, or so I thought.

Back cover of my art journal.

Then I got sick a couple of years in and lost a year due to it. After that year, I had a hysterectomy and my husband graduated, and we moved less than 2 weeks after my surgery. Oh yea, that's helpful! We ended up moving back home and spending 6 months job hunting.

After that, we needed money, so I went to work. I figured I could go back at any point and finish my degree, but as many of you know it's just not that easy. And now, here I am 12 years later, disabled with no degree.

Fact is, I regret it deeply. I don't know how I could have done things much differently, but I feel like I gave up. I know there were options preventing us from staying to finish my degree at the original college, but man I still regret it.

But, that's the past. I've also learned you don't have to go to college to educate yourself, and I'm still learning things even now.  Besides, it's kind of silly focusing on things you wish you'd done differently. That just makes you lose sight of today and what you could be doing now!

Ah well. Here... enjoy the photos of projects I've been working on in my art journal. :D

 

I was compensated for this post as a member of Clever Girls Collective. All the opinions expressed here are my own..
See my disclosure statement for more information.

Holy cow, I LOVE imPRESS press-on manicure!!

OMG, y'all. I am so late to this party but I'm absolutely in love with these! I got a voxbox in the mail yesterday that contained all sorts of goodies (expect more info coming soon!), but the thing I had to try first was the imPRESS Press-On Manicure. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I wasn't terribly hopeful.

And yes, that bottle is missing the 10 nails I'm wearing because I'm a goober. I got started fooling with the nails and before I realized it I had applied all 10 without taking any photos!! I'm telling you, some days I'm slow.

That being said, holy cow... these things are awesome! They apply so easily! It really is simple. You scrub down your nails with the enclosed (and mostly hidden) prep wipe, then pick out the nails that fit your natural nails the most closely. Then, you go one by one, peeling back the clear tab to expose the adhesive, line the tab-end up with your cuticle, then press it into place.

I've worn false nails with adhesive tabs before, and wasn't all that impressed. They lasted around a day for me, and by the end of the day they were wiggly and needed to come off. So basically, while they were pretty they were also sort of a bust.

These nails? Holy cow. They've been on for around 24 hours now, and I haven't been delicate with my nails at all. I've been typing, crafting, going about my business like usual. These things aren't budging! They're secure, and honestly they feel almost like my own nails! They're short enough for me to feel very comfortable in them, and honestly I can see these being on for multiple days.

The best part to me isn't their convenience, though. Honestly, I'll put up with some inconvenience if something looks good. But these are not only convenient, they look like my nails! I'm blown away, because these actually look like they're growing from me, instead of being all "My nales are pastede on YEY!" (10 points if you know where that phrase came from!)

Now, I do have a couple of complaints. Even though these were free to me and I'm in love with them, they aren't perfect. However, my issues are with the packaging, not the nails themselves.

My first issue is with the prep wipe that comes with the nails. It's a very thin packet, and it's inside the box behind the paper insert, so that I didn't find it at first. After watching the imPRESS video on how to apply the nails I realized there was supposed to be a wipe, so I dug around until I found it. Had I not seen the video, I wouldn't have used it and my nails might not have worked as well.

My other problem is with the packaging itself. I love the little polish-bottle-shaped container, but I could not figure out how to get the black top off to save my life! I pulled, I twisted, I pushed, and nothing worked. I actually went online to find out if anyone else had had problems! Finally I found a video explaining that someone else had the issues I did, and she explained how to open the package.

Basically, you have to twist and pull at the same time. It's awkward, but it gets easier each time. Once it's open, you've got a great little container for your nails!

So overall, this is definitely a win-win! The packaging says these will stay on for up to a week. I'll continue to update you on how well they stay on. But considering my nails are nubbins, I'm absolutely LOVING these!!

imPRESS nails can be found whereever Broadway nail products are sold. The solid colors are a bit less expensive than the patterns, and oh are there patterns! Animal print, water marble, glitter and dots... There are 36 styles in all, so I'm pretty sure you can find something you'll love!

So what do you think? Would you wear these? Do you think they look real? Leave me a comment, I want to hear what you think!

imPRESS nails were provided by voxbox for consideration.

See my disclosure statement for more information.

I've finally learned to draw faces!!

Thank you to P&G and Kroger stores for celebrating “Team Mom’s Everyday Victories”! Please visit the P&G's event page to play games, win money off your next Kroger trip and more fun!

Being a mom is a never-ending job, even when your kid is older. It seems like you never stop worrying, even once they're grown! Thankfully, I'm learning ways to turn off that worry line of thought for a little while using art. (Yes, it's another art post... :D)

Take the piece on the right. I started out with a blank page one night when I was feeling really down. I wrote a journal entry that filled up the entire page, writing about how sad I was, how overwhelmed I felt. Then I turned on my music and began to work.

Although I was really sad when I started this page, the process helped me feel so much better. I feel like I was able to confront those feelings and convert them to more positive ones, and eventually the journal page reflected my new mood- strong, creative, and happy.

I'm especially excited because I've finally learned to do something I've been working on for years- I finally figured out how to draw a pretty female face! I can't even begin to tell you how excited this makes me. I've been drawing for years, and although I could once in a while make the eyes look like they matched, or make pretty lips, I had lots of problems making the whole face work together.

I drew lots of faces with a big swoop of hair covering half the face, so I didn't have to attempt an eye. Still, I was never satisfied. I knew they weren't the faces I wanted to draw, and I just wasn't satisfied.

Thankfully, something clicked for me in the last couple of weeks, and I've been drawing lots and lots of pretty girls since! I've also been having lots of fun coloring their faces in with my new Prismacolor pencils. They're so buttery that I can easily blend the colors into gorgeous smooth tones. So much fun!!

So that's my personal victory of the moment. I'm having a ball art journaling and drawing, managing my pain with big sweeping gestures instead of tiny little motions for nail art. I'm not finished with nail art by any stretch of the imagination. I just love having multiple outlets for my creative expression.

Til next time! xoxo
 

Hurry in to Kroger and Kroger Banner Stores for P&G’s big sale event, June 10–23!

At Kroger and its banner stores, more than 30 of your favorite P&G brands are at HOT sale prices through June 23, including Tide, Charmin, Cascade, Pampers, Crest and Olay. Look for tags with special prices throughout the household needs and health and beauty aisles, and be on the lookout for even bigger offers – like getting serious dollars off when you buy a bundle of products.

Before hitting the store, visit P&G’s event page on Kroger.com: http://bit.ly/KG6dw5

You can play games like basketball, track and gymnastics to win money off your next Kroger trip, download digital coupons, print a shopping list, and learn more about P&G products!

And as part of this event, consider trying one of these fab products from P&G: Vicks Nature Fusion, Charmin Basic, Downy Unstopables, and Swiffer Duster Extenders!

I was selected for participation in this campaign as a member of Clever Girls Collective.