Showing posts with label Beauty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Beauty. Show all posts

Friday, January 20, 2012

The Nail Files – Week 3

I’m a little late to the party on this one, but glad to be playing along! Nail polish is one of my favorite things and it’s always fun to share what shades I’m loving and to also see what everyone else is wearing.

Tara and Vicki are hosting this. Please visit their blogs and join in on the fun!



We’re expecting snow and it’s been freezing, so I decided to brighten my mood with a light polish. This shade is called Crinoline and comes from the Tracy Reese Fall 2011 Collection for the Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure line.


Crinoline

It’s a creamy, opaque whitish pink that covers well with two coats. The first one is a bit streaky, but everything smoothes out with the 2nd. I have to say that I really love this color. It reminds me of a bit of Mod About You from OPI, but it’s lighter. Colors like this always look classy and fit just about any occasion.

As a base, I used Sally Hansen Advanced Hard As Nails and for a top coat, I used INM – Out The Door Super Fast Drying Top Coat. This is my first time using the INM and I have to say that I’m impressed. My nails didn’t dry quite as fast as they do with Seche Vite, but INM doesn’t have the horrible smell and dangerous chemicals that Seche Vite has. They’re just as shiny as when I use Seche Vite and the extra minute or two of drying time was not a problem.


Base, Polish and Top Coat

I hope you all have a great weekend!

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Here and gone

All traces of the holidays have left the building (literally and figuratively). We took down the decorations Monday night and it was back to the grind yesterday. I really can’t complain though, since our time off was well spent with friends, family and a healthy dose of date nights!

Here are some highlights:

Had my first red cup of the season.


Saw Young Adult and loved it. Charlize Theron was perfect for the role.


Discovered a new Pinot Noir that I like.

Went on a beautiful birthday celebration/double date night with Kristen and Sean at Longwood Gardens and Dilworthtown Inn.

Kristen and I at Longwood Gardens. Here is a full recap of the night.

Got 1 mani and painted my nails 2 more times.

Zoya Shay w/Sally Hansen Gem Crush in Big Money as an accent nail
Venique in B-Ceen-B-Gorgeous w/Venique in Twinkling Glitter as an accent nail


Revlon Scene Stealer

Had a fun shopping day in Delaware with my mom and got Red Robin…yum!

Went to WWE Raw with Geof (since he's taken me to see Britney and Lady Gaga). I’d be lying if I said I wasn't a little interested in the storylines. We went to Denny’s afterwards and some of the wrestlers showed up.

Geof and I at the Wells Fargo Center, me with The Miz and Zack Ryder, Geof with Nikki Bella and me with Dolph Ziggler

Watched Elf for the first time ever.


Drove around and looked at pretty Christmas lights.

Saw The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Besides a few differences from the book, I thought the movie was done really well.


Finally saw Love and Other Drugs (first half – good, second half – depressing).


Went down to the city to have lunch at Reading Terminal Market and then went to Macy’s to see the light show. It’s also where the movie Mannequin was filmed!




Baked lots of Christmas goodies.

Spent Christmas Eve at home with my mom and Geof.


Spent Christmas Day at my cousin Bill & Lara’s house with the entire family. I had such a blast with all of my cousins.

Me with two out of the three triplets on Christmas

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday and are gearing up for the new year!

Monday, December 5, 2011

Fun With Our Phones Monday



I’m linking up with Savanah for Fun With Our Phones Monday!

I give you Santa in a Snuggie

I saw this is CVS and it completely cracked me up!

Cake Pops

I made these for a girls night a few weeks ago and they were a hit

Me with bangs

At said girls night, my friend brought band extensions and let me have them. I would never get my hair cut with bangs because it’s not thick enough. This is the perfect alternative.

An outtake from our Christmas Card photo session

It was a challenge getting the dogs to behave.

My Wal-Mart Scenty-ish Warmer

I’ve been loving this thing

Chase & Mandy

I had to include some of their cuteness

One of my fun watches with bracelets

Stacking watching or other bracelets together is my new favorite thing

Christmas at the mall

Pretty!

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Julep Nail Polish Review & Giveaway!

Being the nail polish lover that I am, I was thrilled to be contacted by Julep. The company started out as a boutique nail parlor in the Seattle area and later expanded into offering their own line of nail color, very similar to Rescue Beauty Lounge. The difference with Julep is that they offer a monthly subscription service called Julep Maven where you take a style quiz (I’m Classic with a Twist btw) and for $19.99 a month, you’re sent new nail colors and nail care products fitted to your style type. If you don’t want to subscribe, you can purchase as you wish from their website.

One of the most impressive things about Julep is that they believe in women celebrating other women, which is so important in today’s competitive world. Their mission statement reminds you to take a step back and support one another. They also donate $1 from each bottle of nail polish sold to various women’s charities.


The Girlfriend's Essential Nail Vernis Gift Set


It came packaged neat and sleek!

Julep sent me The Girlfriend's Essential Nail Vernis Gift Set, which includes two nail polishes in the colors Catherine and Jennifer as well as their Essential Cuticle Oil.

Here are my thoughts on each product:

First and foremost, I wanted to mention that all of their polish formulas are 3 Free, which means they do not contain any DBP, toluene, formaldehyde. Hooray for that!

Catherine


I’m not someone that wears red nail polish very often, but after seeing how gorgeous this looked on my nails, I might need to rethink that. Catherine is a warm-toned, classic red that applied like a dream. I’m not exaggerating. I’m always skeptical with any new polish and this made me a believer. It went on smooth, with no pooling at the cuticles or streakiness. The coverage was great and pretty opaque with one coat. I used two for good measure and topped it off with Seche Vite (I also used Sally Hansen as a base). The color is vibrant, shiny and classy looking.


I put this polish to the test and it lasted 5 days with only minor wear at the tips from typing. There were no large chips and the color stayed true.

Jennifer


When I saw this pretty pink in the bottle, it made me smile. Soft, neutral pinks like this are something you can never go wrong with and fitting for any occasion. This is a sheer pink that could easily be worn alone or used to do a French Manicure.

The wear on Jennifer was just as good as Catherine and overall I’m very impressed with the quality of these polishes.

Essential Cuticle Oil
The convenience of this cannot be beat. It rolls on and it’s completely travel friendly. The oil also smells so nice which can be attributed to the lavender, rosewood and ylang-ylang essential oils. It also contains jojoba oil, sweet almond oil and castor oil for moisturizing and vitamin E as an antioxidant. This is also paraben-free.

This does work and made my dry, cracked cuticles smooth and soft, which is so important especially in the dry months of fall and winter.

Onto the fun part…the GIVEAWAY!

One of you lucky ladies has the chance to win The Girlfriend's Essential Nail Vernis Gift Set! This set is the same one that was sent to me for review and is very much Chic & Pink approved. The red shade will be perfect for the upcoming holidays and the pink will work anytime of the year. I also know you’ll love the cuticle oil.

To enter:
Simply leave a comment on this post. Easy as that!

Extra entries:
Follow my blog or let me know you’re already a follower +1
Follow me on Twitter or let me know you’re already one of my Tweeps +1
Tweet about this giveaway – you can use this: Enter to win a Julep Nail Polish Set from @ChicnPink here: http://tinyurl.com/7ne8uge +1
Blog about this giveaway +1

You can leave all your entries in one comment or separate comments. I'll ensure they're all counted.

The giveaway will close on 12/07/11 and the winner will be announced 12/08/11
Due to shipping restrictions, this giveaway is open to US Residents only.
Winner will be chosen via Radom.org.

Good luck!

FTC: This nail polish sent was sent to me by Julep in return for an honest review.

Monday, November 28, 2011

Thanksgiving recap & blog swap reveal!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday! Mine was great. I got to spend time with Geof, my family and even did some Christmas shopping.

Wednesday, Geof and I went out on a date night to see Breaking Dawn and then went to dinner at a newish Mexican place called Dos Gringos. It was perfection!


Ready for date night!


Movie + Mexican = Perfection

Thanksgiving was spent at my aunt & uncle’s with the family and Friday we did some Black Friday shopping in Delaware. We scored some great deals! The rest of the weekend consisted of skating, relaxing, more shopping and a little work.


Thanksgiving at my aunt & uncle's

To keep with the theme of the Plenty To Be THANKful For Challenge, here is Day 9: I’m THANKful For Thanksgiving! (Post a picture of your table… if you have time!)


3 large tables for Thanksgiving this year

Day 10 I’m THANKful for Black Friday and Leftovers!


Doing Black Friday shopping in Delaware was definitely something to be THANKful for since we not only got some things on sale, we didn’t have to pay sales tax!

Last but not least is the Plenty To Be THANKful For Blog Swap Reveal!


Look how pretty she wrapped everything!


Love all my new swap goodies!

I was partnered with Stephanie from Life’s Lyrics and to say she spoiled me would be an understatement. She sensed my love for nail polish right away and even got me a shade that was on my Christmas wish list (Rainbow Connection from OPI). She also sent me some other beauty goodies and a gorgeous Christmas ornament along with a gift card for Starbucks!

We connected right away and it turns out, we have a ton in common from our favorite color to our taste in music. That’s why I love swaps, because it’s always nice to meet other great bloggers. Please pay her blog a visit. She’s wonderful!


Manic Mother

Thank you to all the ladies that took the time to organize this challenge and swap. Putting the posts together has been a blast and also given me the opportunity to reflect on the things that I’m most thankful for this season. I’ve also “met” some really nice ladies. I’m thankful for you all!

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

I’m THANKful for YouTube (and other internet fun)!

It’s Day 2 of the Plenty To Be Thankful For Blog Challenge & Swap!



Manic Mother


Today’s topic is YouTube (and other internet fun)!

SafetySuit - Let Go

The best thing about YouTube is being able to find any song or music video at any time. It reminds me of what MTV used to be when I was a kid. With that said, I can watch SafetySuit’s new video for the song “Let Go” whenever I feel like it. For that, I am very THANKful!

Sophia Grace & Rosie on Ellen

The next best thing about YouTube is viral videos. There are so many that guarantee a laugh even when you’re in the worst mood. Sophia Grace and Rosie stole my heart when I saw them on Ellen.

Beauty Gurus

Another great thing about YouTube is the endless amounts of reviews and tutorials to learn to do your hair like this or your makeup like that. One of my favorite girls on YouTube is Michele1218. She’s classy and knows her stuff. I trust her reviews and love her style.

Pinterest

As far as other internet fun goes, I have to say that I’ve been very THANKful for Pinterest. The website has a ton of inspiration and lots of fun. It’s like getting a new virtual magazine every time you log on.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

2 on Tuesday: Christmas Wish List

Today, I’m linking up with Andrea over at My Chihuahua Bites for 2 on Tuesday. Please pay her blog a visit (if you haven’t already). She’s been one of my blog friends for over 3 years and pretty much rocks.

2 on Tuesday


The question today is…

What’s your Christmas wish list? What do you hope to receive from Santa?

Questions like this are easy to answer. I have a wish list ready and waiting when Geof asks me what I want. Easy for him and easy for me. I usually keep track of things I like either on Pinterest or on Amazon.

If money were no object I’d love to have this


Apple iPad 2

Or this...


Canon EOS Rebel T3i

Since these are extravagant items, I’ll bring it back down to reality with some things I’d love to have that are a little more realistic.


Tarte Limited Edition LipSurgence Collection


Marley Lilly Monogrammed Pashmina in Leopard


Michael Kors Watch MK5263


Witches of East End


Case Mate iPhone 4 Bling Case


OPI Rainbow Connection from The Muppets Collection

What's on your list?