Rafflecopter Giveaway!

After all the information that came out in 2011 about bloggers and giveaways, I had partnered with the Beauty Blogger Coalition for my giveaways and that's where I learned about Rafflecopter.


They have gained a lot of popularity and to kick off 2012 & their new version of Rafflecopter, they are having their own giveaway!


The giveaway starts today, 9 January and lasts for one month.  To enter, simply say who referred you [Krystal Seidel]


Please note that this giveaway is open to legal residents of the US and to Canadians age 13+.


One winner will receive an iPad2 (Wifi, 16 gig)
One winner will receive an Amazon Kindle Fire


If you win, and listed that I referred you, I will also win a Kindle Fire.  (Sweet!)  Good luck!

Naked Nails

So I like to go at least once a month to have my nails shaped and my cuticles removed.  It's relaxing for me, and I know I'm in good hands (hah!)


I took these pictures before I went in December - I've been using Duri Rejuvacote every day and am shocked at how long my nails grew!  I don't notice any extra strength in them, but the length has been great!

You see my left hand all the time, but I also have my *dun dun dun!* right hand!

Boo awkward hand position.


I do hate how thin my nails are and yes I have loads of ridges, but keep your nails free of stains by always using a base coat before you polish your nails.  :]

How To Remove Glitter Nail Polish

Glitter nail polish: It's BEAUTIFUL but yes, it's a pain to remove!  I used to be one who would take pure acetone and stick my fingers in it, leaving me with cold wrinkled fingers that were very dried out.  I also would attempt to take a little cotton wipe and scrub*scrub*scrub my nails until I could scrape it all off.  I've even peeled glitter polish off before (do not do this.)  Then, one day, I read about the foil method.


Now many a blogger has their method, their tools, their tricks.  This is simply the way I've been doing it.  :]


Materials
-Zoya Remove+.  This is step "1" in the Zoya Color Lock system.  It's a mild acetone remover with a pleasant lavender scent.  I also adore the plunger top, which allows you to get the remover just where you want it.  You can also relock the bottle's lid for travel or storage.
-Felt.  I bought mine at Hobby Lobby - I'm using white as I'm not sure how acetone and dyed felt react.
-Aluminum foil.  Just a square will do - you'll be crumpling it up as you go.

I like to use 2 pumps of Remove+ straight on my square of felt and then wrap the felt around my finger tip.  This allows for all the remover to be on your nail, not your skin.

Next, wrap a square of aluminum foil around your finger.  Wrap as tightly as you can so there is some pressure on the felt.

Do the rest of your fingers on one hand.  After the last finger, wait a good 5 minutes before attempting to remove.  Yes I know this part is boring.  Do it anyway.


I like to unwrap the foil from my finger, and then pressing down on the felt, pull it off my finger.

Fold over the felt and remove any glitter that didn't come off in the initial slide of the felt.  Providing you covered your nail in felt, it will be easy to remove.


Finally, treat your nails to a cuticle oil of your choice.  I'm using Julep Essential Cuticle Oil from my September American Beauty Julep Maven box. [Julep referral link]

Ta da!  Hopefully this makes your glitter wearing a bit more bearable! 

Color Club Sugarplum Fairy

I'm so in love with Sugarplum Fairy from the 2011 Winter Color Club collection "Beyond the Mistletoe" that I've worn it twice already.  That's saying something.  I tried hard to snag a bottle when I was at Cosmoprof Las Vegas but they wouldn't let me take it.  But now you're MINE.


In the promo picture, the color looked lavender.  In person, the color looks much more silver but I assure you it's a lavender base with tons of holographic glitter.  I used a base coat of Duri Rejuvacote, 2 coats of polish and a top of CND Air Dry.  The polish formula was slightly thick and you'll see that application was a tiny bit patchy.  I don't care, I love this polish.

BOO CLOUDS.  Okay, so this color is pretty hard to photograph.  Because of all the crazy awesome glitter, it just looks better blurry.  I have some crazy blurry pictures here but I'm saving your eyes because they will just becoming obliterated.  

Here in the shade you can see the purple much better.  And you can also see some of the splotchy/patchy parts.  I'd like to thin my bottle out a bit at another date.

Indoors with the flash: Middle finger is a bad patchy offender, but overall I really love this color.  I was able to wear this for several days before the polish started to chip on me and then I HAAAATED taking it off because it's so pretty!  

Color Club is located on several etailers, including Head2Toe Beauty which has it for $3.00.  You can also Like them on Facebook and Follow them on Twitter.

Disclosure: The product[s] in this post was [were] provided to me by the company for consideration.  For more information, please read this post.

China Glaze Love Marilyn

More Eye Candy from China Glaze - this is Love Marilyn!  This is a clear base with red and silver glitter.  I really wish this had been a red base but since it's not, I just grabbed City Siren to layer under.


I used a base coat of Duri Rejuvacote, 2 coats of polish and a top of CND Air Dry.  This is a "thirsty" glitter and even after 2 coats of CND Air Dry (taken after the photos), my nails were still gritty to the touch.

So the glitter totally got messed up on my pinkie, but still you can see the range of the glitter.  On the bare nail (pinkie and ring) it's good because you have both small and medium red glitter but on the ring and middle finger where I have a coat of City Siren, you don't see the red glitter as much as you see the silver.  (Whoa that was a really long sentence.)

Kind of the same story in the shade?  It almost reminds me of Ruby Pumps with a kick of silver.  Why silver, I wonder.

Finally indoors with the flash and it just looks like a hot mess.  The glitter is way too much for my camera to handle.  Lovely glitter, must use foil to remove (post coming soon!).

China Glaze can be found online through several etailers, including my favorite Head2Toe Beauty, Sally's Beauty Supply as well as TransDesign.  You can like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.

Disclosure: The product[s] in this post was [were] provided to me by the company for consideration.  For more information, please read this post.