A hello and swatches of my recent NOTDs (pic heavy)

Hey beauties,

Hope you're all well.
I've been swamped at work and haven't any had time to blog, hence the lack of posts.
However, I have had time to do my nails:)
Here's a sampling of what was on my tips and toes recently:

I did this design using the new nail art collection from Sephora:

I used Hard Candy's "Sky" as the base and Sephora nail art stickers. It's one of my fave nail looks ever!!!!

These were my birthday nails:

I used Sephora By OPI's "Teal We Meet Again" and Wet n wild's "Rustic."

One of my new fave polish colors is Revlon's "Windfall," seen here:

This is a truly a beauty!!

Here's Mary Kay's "Coral Stone"


Here is Ulta's "Smoke Screen," a purple-based gray:


And here is Ulta's "Blue Streak," a nice medium blue:


And now here's "Blue Streak" with a topcoat of N.Y.C.'s "Love Letters" over it:


This topcoat, Sally Hansen's "DVD," was birthday gift from a friend:


Love & Beauty's "Light Green" over OPI's "Don't Mess With OPI" is a pretty combo:


What's on your tips and toes?
Hope you have a positive, productive and prosperous week!!

FTC Disclosure: I was not paid by any beauty or cosmetic company for this post. I paid for the products with my own funds.

Another nail franken: "Amystichaze"

Made another polish franken using eye shadow.
I crushed up an old shadow called "Sage" by Almay (thought I had a picture pre-crush but I don't), mixed it with some clear wet n wild polish and voila!

And here's a Sally Hansen crackle over it:


What do you think?? What's on your tips and toes?

FTC Disclosure: I was not compensated for this review. I paid for the products mentioned with my own funds.

Ruby Kisses "Tangerine" review

I've been on this orange/coral nail trend this summer and thanks to the lovely Danielle of Project Danielle, I have another orange polish hue to add to my collection.
Danielle sent me Ruby Kisses' "Tangerine," a color that's very true to its name.
It's a bright orange that kind of reminds me of an orange sun.
This hue is fun. Bold. Happy. Spirited.
Perfect for the hot, hazy days of summer!!
The formula was a dreamy and creamy.
It went on smoothly and opaque in two coats.
Not balding, streaking or bubbling.
I'm going to look out for Ruby Kisses polishes.
I need more than "Tangerine" in my collection.

Toe separators

I only own three toe separators and the colorful Sally Hansen one is my fave.
I'm a sucker for a good toe separator, since I'm big on giving myself at-home pedicures.
My toe separators have to be soft and colorful.
I only own three in my collection and my fave is the Sally Hansen one I recently bought from Target for 90 cents.
It's soooo soft and pretty.
Sometimes I forget they're on my toes when I put this baby on.
What's your fave toe separator???

FTC Disclosure: I was not paid by any beauty or cosmetic company for this post. I paid for the products with my own funds.

I can't be the only one who cuts up lotion bottles...

...like this...


...to get the "rest" of the lotion out of the bottle...


...so I can get ALL of my money's worth of the product.

The economy is still bad and I don't have money to waste so don't judge me.

I'm sure you may have done it or thought about doing it at some time too:)

Album review: Adele's "21"

Musically, I've been really feeling Adele's latest album, "21."
It sounds like the British song bird basically poured her heart and soul into the album, which is filled with songs about love.
I see why the album quickly went platinum.
It's raw, emotional and just real.
And, Adele can clearly SANG.
I broke down and bought the album after falling in love with the lead single, "Rolling in the Deep."
The album, her second, is really making me wish I had a boyfriend.

Here are some other cuts I like:

"I'll Be Waiting"


"Lovesong"


"One and Only"


Have you listened to Adele's new album? If so, what songs do or don't you like?

FTC Disclosure: I was not compensated for this review. I paid for the album with my own funds.

Physicians Formula Jumbo Lash Mascara Review

I recently scooped up Physicians Formula's new Organic wear jumbo lash mascara because I've seen good reviews about it over the beauty blogosphere.
Plus, I got it for free with a company rebate.
I've used their products before and I think they are a good company with quality products at reasonable prices.
The jumbo mascara is made without parabens, synthetic preservatives and harsh chemicals, which I like. Score one for a green beauty product.

Here is the mascara in my hand:

I like the leafy shape of the bottle. That green would make a beautiful nail polish color.

Here are my lashes before using the mascara.


And here they are after:


Overall, this is a pretty good mascara. I didn't see any clumping or flakes, which was good. But I did wish that the brush was a little bit smaller.

Have you used Physicians Formula's jumbo lash mascara? If so, what was your experience??


FTC Disclosure: I was not compensated by Physicians Formula for this review. I paid for the products with my own funds.

Happy Fourth of July and Happy Cake Day to me!!

The Fourth of July is not only the nation's birthday, it's also my Cake Day!!!
w00t! w00t!
Happy Cake Day to me and happy Fourth of July to you!!
Growing up, my family usually had a cookout for me and I'd go somewhere to see fireworks.
Not much has changed since I've gotten older.

Musically, here are a couple of Fourth of July songs I like:

Mariah Carey's "Fourth of July"


Lenny Kravitz' version of "American Woman"


Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the USA"


What are some of your fave patriotic songs?
Hope you have a great holiday and holiday weekend!

My Fave Nail Polish Colors

I paint my nails at least 3-4 times a week.
That means I spend lots of time looking at lacquers and have fallen in love with several.
Here's a list of my Top Five Fave Polishes of all time:

1. Sephora By OPI's "Teal We Meet Again," a deep blue/green that I wear year-round:


2. Borghese' Stellare Notte, a black base with teeny green and pink/purple shimmers:


3. Deborah Lippman's "Glitter in the Air," a milky base with pink and blue glitter:


4. Revlon's "Not So Blueberry," a soft, shimmery periwinkle/blue/lilac:


5. wet n wild's "Inferno," a deep, shimmery orange with hints of gold in it.


And just for kicks, the honorable mention goes to Sinful Colors' "Happy Ending"


...and "Mint Apple"


What are your fave polishes of all time??

FTC Disclosure: I was not compensated by any cosmetic company for this review. I paid for the products with my own funds.

Making Nail Polish Frankens with Old Eye Shadows

I've been having lots of fun making nail polish out of old eye shadows that I'm not using anymore.
It's also super cheap and resourceful, since I use old nail polish bottles and buy wet n wild's $1 top coat.
Here's a picture of supplies you'll need to make your own polishes out of shadows:

Supplies include: old eye shadow pigments, a sample container, a stick and a bottle of nail polish.

All I do is break up the shadow, put the pigments in a sample container, mix in a little clear polish, stir, put the mixture in an empty polish bottle and voila!

Here are some colors that I made recently:
I used H.I.P's "Striving" here:


I used bareMinerals' "Nightowl" here:


I used bareMinerals' "Disco" here:


I'm going to make some more polishes out of old eye shadows and pigments that I'm not using.
Have you ever done this before? If so, what was your experience?
FTC Disclosure: I was not compensated by any cosmetic company for this review. I paid for the product with my own funds.