electric pineapples are peachy keen!!

three days ago i discovered a nail/nail art blog out of Turkey that absolutely tickled me.  i saw a mani there that i had to get on my own nails asap.  here's my version of emerald sparkled's pinkberry mani:

i used mostly china glaze products - my first time with this brand. ulta was having a deal: buy two polishes and get a base or top coat free.  yay!  free is my favorite price!!!  index and pinky fingers are peachy keen with splotches of electric pineapple and sally hansen xtreme white on.  middle finger is electric pineapple with white on dots made with a dotting tool.  ring finger is white on with a swirl of peachy keen painted on with a detail brush.my thumb, which didn't photograph well, is electric pineapple with a peachy keen swirl on a white out circle.  so fun!

it wasn't as hard as it looks! one of the things i love about nail polish as a medium is how the lacquer relaxes onto the nail after it's applied.  everything smooths out and softens and many oopses just disappear.  :)  i'm excited to wear this one to work today!!! 

on a side note...i've never eaten at pinkberry before.  one opened about two miles away but it's always jam packed. i mean absolutely jam packed.  we've got a big spoon about three blocks away so our frozen yogurt dollars go there.  maybe i should do a frozen yogurt mani based on what i always get there: tangy original with blueberries, blackberries and strawberries with chopped almonds.  yummmm!  stay tuned................

big trees and sparkly nails

we're back!!!

big tress was a big hit but i'll start with my review of the mani i had while we were gone...

opi crown me already! from the miss universe collection:

after purchasing this gorgeous, sparkly masterpiece i let it sit in the closet for the better part of the month before putting it on.  my job allows me to be creative with my nails but always with the expectation that they be classy, not flashy.  i suspected that this silver glitter explosion would look on the nail as it does in the bottle, like a heaping mound of shattered disco balls.

fortunately i was mistaken.

on the nail this looks more like a starry night in the woods.  in fact i think the next time i wear this it will be over a midnight blue background.  here's my snapshot of what this mani looked like on me.  please note the checkered tablecloth in the background.  :)

crown me already! is a multi-particle glitter in a crystal clear base.  the smallest particle is tiny, almost shimmer sized.  next up is a larger, glitter sized square. the largest is a chunky hexagon.  the application is fairly dense - the pic above is just two coats.  there are enough of the larger pieces that i didn't feel compelled to move any from where the brush placed them.  i used one layer of opi's standard topcoat over but probably should have used two to really smooth things out.  the feel on the nail is rough but not jagged. 

what i loved about this product: 1) the finish! regardless of how it looks in the bottle this had such a subtle, starry sparkle that i wore it to work after returning from our vacay. 2) the application - even and surprisingly smooth for such a glitter packed gem.

what i didn't love about this product: 1) the larger, hex shaped pieces have the tendency to peel/flake off.  i think i could have prevented this with the application of a second layer of topcoat. 2) as with all glitter heavy polishes it takes a LOT of effort to remove.  i spent about two hours cycling through polish remover, washing, applying moisturizer then polish remover again.  i've done two subsequent polish changes and i still have a few flecks of glitter on some of my nails!  :)

my next entry will cover the highlights of our trip but in the meantime i'll share a photo of the most awesome campsite ever:

 a wooden bridge, a flight of stairs and a glimpse of our fab tent perched on the top of a hill.  glorious!

tiffany imposter

last week while at sally beauty i was checking out fingerpaints polishes for the first time.  i went in looking for (and purchased) a very autumn-appropriate bronze.  as the week progressed i found my thoughts turning and returning to the very aptly named tiffany imposter.  i heart tiffany & co.  their simple, classic, elegant approach matches my style to a T (get it?!!?!?!!).

anyhow, here's what i came up with:

this is three coats over 3 in 1 base from essie.  two coats were still a bit streaky and see-thru espeically  considering how thick this brand is compared to my usuals.  the accent is color club white striper with art club silver bullion pressed into it.  i've topped the whole thing off with a thickish topcoat to smooth everything down and hold the bullion in place. the bullion was surprisingly easy to work with.  i'm interested to see how well it stays put.  what you can't see in the pic is the other accent, my thumb, which has an offset white + intended to represent the iconic blue box/white ribbon.


what i love about this product: the color, natch! tiffany? yes, please!

what i don't love about this product: the thick texture.  it's probably me.  maybe it's time to experiment with polish thinner.

just a few more days till big trees!!!  here's hoping the nice weather holds!

love you!!
--L

p.s. what happened to the 9/15 release date for the zoya 2011 holiday collection??  i had a live-chat with one of their cust svs gals and she said they were trying to get the collection up asap.  i want my rina!  :)

my opi miss universe picks

i heart opi.  love their colors, love the texture, love the finish, love the wear time.  

picked up it's my year and crown me already! a couple of weeks ago from not-my-usual-ulta and finally got around to trying it's my year tonight.

this color has a rich grape jelly base with a lush gold flash/shimmer. wait, purple and gold... why does that sound familiar??

  

oh yeah, that's right.  :)  i'd like to dedicate this mani to the fighting tigers of louisiana state university. GEAUX TIGERS!!!

wait, did i just blog about nail polish and college football in the same post???  heck yeah i did!  :)

love you,
--L

Pure Fiji Coconut

are premium bath and body products worth the price??

i worked for bath & body works for a long time.  i think they do a great job of offering an upgraded product line at a moderate price.  the formulas are usually solid and occasionally elegant.  i still believe they offer more value-for-cost than most mass market brands, particularly in the quality of their fragrances.

as my bbw backstock has been depleted following my departure in 2010 i have traded up and down in the bath and body market looking for something i like.  i found something i love.

as i've mentioned in previous posts i am a huge fan of the Spa Toscana at the peppermill in reno, nv.  my fave treatment there is the blissful sugar glow (50 mins/$115).  this treatment features the coconut sugar rub and coconut hydrating body lotion from pure fiji.

 after loving, and frequently jonesing for, this treatment for almost two years i finally caved in last month and purchased the products to use at home.

the reason it took me so long to pull the trigger was, quite honestly, the price.  justifying $45 for a tub of sugar scrub and $35 for a 12oz bottle of lotion was extra tough after years of perfectly nice bbw products at $20 and $12 respectively.

after having the products at home for two weeks i am thoroughly satisfied.  they are, indeed, worth the 2-3X difference in price.

what i love about these products: the high quality ingredients (including none of the cosmetic industry's current darling - shea butter - which i despise), the integrity of the fragrance (it doesn't degrade or "dry down" during wear), the fragrance itself (which is not what i think of when i think of coconut - it's softer, creamier and more real than the usual hawaiian tropic coconut i usually love), the long lasting moisturizing (humectant) and skin softening (emollient) effects.

what i don't love about these products: the price (which i'm obviously willing to pay and am convinced is justified), the fact that the only brick and mortar place i can find to purchase is a two hour drive away (i can't imagine online-purchasing any products where color, fragrance or texture is a part of my decision).  i'm seriously intrigued by some of the other fragrances in the line (frangipani, passionflower and island bliss) but regardless of any satisfaction guarantee i won't purchase until i've smelled!!

btw, i'm getting fairly excited about heading up to big trees next week.  i wonder how cool it would be to bring my pure fiji stuff with me and give myself a spa-in-the-woods experience.  :)  i'm pretty sure the bears would like it!!

maybe i'll skip it this time...

love you!!!
--L

red carpet manicure

i picked up the red carpet manicure system at ulta just a few days after it was launched.  i haven't seen anyone posting about it on the nail blogs i follow so i thought i'd be the first! :)

there is definitely a bit of a learning curve with this product.  i had some user-error opportunities with my first application (some of which were surely caused by my hubs who was sitting on the sofa next to me watching college football and screaming GOLDEN GOPHERS!!!  GO GOLDEN GOPHERS!!!! the entire time, a memory i will truly treasure for the rest of my life) but overall i'm very happy to have made the investment in the product line and see myself using it most often just before leaving on vacay.

what i love about this line - ease of application, the super-duper high gloss shine, durability and resistance to chipping, dinging, dulling and scratching, the gorge colors (i chose plum up the volume, which i used, and giltterazzi, which i haven't yet), and that the company has someone who is responding promptly to questions posted on their facebook page.  props to you all for that!!

what I don't love about this line - the lack of complete instructions on the packaging/website/facebook page (the instructions on the product are in super fine print owing to the tiny bottles).  the instructions were complete enough to prevent me from making any fatal errors BUT i would have liked a step-by-step on a single sheet of paper/web page to walk me through the process. also the awkward removal process.  attempting to apply remover soaked cotton pads to my fingertips and then securing them with aluminum foil was 1) hilarious and 2) not entirely successful. next time i am going to try holding the cotton in place with bandaids.  i will let you know if that works.

i do have two tips: re: curing under the lamp - if i sit back and hold the lamp with both hands i can fit the four fingers of one hand and the thumb of the other hand under the lamp at one time.  this is significantly less awkward and time consuming than trying to cure my thumbs separately.  also, check the brushes at ulta before you purchase as several bottles had splayed bristles which would make the brushes impossible to use.

planning round two just prior to leaving for big trees.  i will post pics of the finished mani then!!! 

love you!!!
--L

beginnings and all that

welcome to day one!!!

i am super excited to be blogging again!

three things i'm currently obsessed with (or, three things for short):

1- nails!!

after having a particularly awesome pedi on our last trip to Spa Toscana at the peppermill in reno I quite suddenly fell back in love with an old flame - nail polish!!!  for years i've been unable to wear it because of work.  now that i have just about the girliest job i can imagine i'm back in heels and polish and no ponytails and feeling pretty fab about it.

today's mani: fingerpaints bronze sculpture with art club gold foil flakes

hoping you'll bear with me as i figure out how to best photograph my hands!


i love this color - deep bronze with gold flashing.  i've not used fingerpaints before and have to admit i was a bit put off by the texture.  it's incredibly goopy. while it was dry to the touch in a reasonable amount of time it went on so thick that i put a pretty good ding in it prior to applying the metallic flakes.  these were fun to work with and well worth the somewhat steep $8 price tag.  i heart the colors that came in the little jar - gold, copper and a yellowy-green.  the foil bits covered up all the dings and i'm left with something that reminds me of autumn leaves tumbling down the street.  *bing*  <------- that's the sound that comes out of my mouth when i make a little heart with my hands to indicate that i love something.  :)  you'll be hearing that sound a LOT.

the two other things i'm obsessed with right now:

2- knitting.  i'm about 16 hours into my first-ever blanket.  i picked up this book on that same trip to reno:

which is called knitting at home by Leanne Prouse.  i'm doing the project on page 88 using serenity chunky weight in almond (which i got for $2.50/100 grams!!!) on clover bamboo size 10 needles with a 36in cable.  my heart longs for inexpensive natural fiber yarns.  it's good to have a dream.



3- our next trip.  this will be our second time camping in our fab new kingdom 6 tent from rei. we're going back to calaveras big trees state park but staying at oak hollow this time (we think...).

this tent is amazing.  absolutely amazing.

so that's it for today.  please pardon me while i work out the kinks of this blog.  i don't know what kind of readership my oddly diverse interests will attract but hopefully if you leave some comments here i can tailor what i'm posting to what you all would like to read.  :)

love you!
--L