Sally Hansen Miracle Gel⎪Truffle Shuffle

Every brand is coming out with their own version of "gel" nails, aren't they? I had my heart set on the Revlon GelEnvy nail polishes, but Sally Hansen makes pretty good ones too. But first off, before I compare the two brands - I want to take about this shade. "Truffle Shuffle" is a beautiful caramel brown. It's elegant and perfect for the fall and winter. 

What I love about this nail polish: easy to apply, shiny

Downfall: they recommend that you use their miracle gel topcoat. I don't know if it's necessary so I'm testing it out right now. Also, it's not as shiny as the Revlon gel envy nail polishes. I'm going to have to test out the duration of how long they remain shiny and intact. I'll keep you notified!

1 comment brown, caramel, drugstore, gel, gel nails, nail polishes, NOTD, nude, sally hansen

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MINTY PASTELS!

If you can't choose between two shades, why not just keep them both? Well, normally I won't do that but I really couldn't choose between Essie's "Mint Candy Apple" and Sally Hansen's "Mint Sorbet". Because they are quite similar colors in terms of being in the blue/green minty shade of things, I decided to go one for one.

Left: Essie Mint Candy Apple, Right: Sally Hansen Mint Sorbet

 Mint Candy Apple is a more blue-toned mint. The Mint Sorbet is more of a greeny-mint. I like to call it a pistachio green. I love them both and I find people look down at my nails and go about choosing what they like best :) Oftentimes, they end up saying they can't choose because I mean come now, who doesn't love both these minty pastel colors?!

Leave a Comment blue, essie, green, mint, NOTD, pastel, pistachio, sally hansen, seche vite

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NOTD: ButterLondon "Kerfuffle" & CND Top Coat!

Butter London is addicting... and so is this color. It's a color called "Kerfuffle". I love this so much. It's pink but not just pink. It's pink with a bit of peach. I've realized that I look good with shades that have a bit of peach in it. I like it that it's not just baby pink. It's this soft pink with that hint of something that makes it softer and more milder. Love it!

Remember I bought the Sally Hansen "MegaShine" topcoat? Oh, I was very disappointed indeed. If ever considering a top coat, stay clear of that. The shine isn't that great and oh dear... my nails were chipping so much! So, I decided to try CND's SuperShiney topcoat. CND is known for their Shellac nails (which I so want to try!) and since they are very recognized and a professional brand, I thought I could trust them.

I really wanted that super shiny effect. Also, this top coat promises hardening so that the nail polishes don't chip too fast. So far, I love it! It really is SUPER SHINY! :)

The next picture is one I took with flash.

Oh and please excuse how horrendously I've applied this! The brush was actually deformed, which is unlike Butter at all! I might go back to Ulta and exchange it. 

Take note! My rings from Catbird :))))

Leave a Comment baby pink, butter, butter london, catbird, catbirdnyc, cnd, kerfuffle, NOTD, pink, sally hansen

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NOTD: Attempting a French Manicure

I've always had a thing for french manicures. They look ever so chic and reposed. Nowadays, there are all sort of variations to the classic French Manicure. Some people get black tips or red tips with patterns and different colors other than the pink nudes. However, what makes something classic is that it never goes out of trend! So, finally I got myself to try it.

For starters, I got ready one really sheer pink/nude nail polish, a base coat, a french tip marker, and a shiny top coat. For the nail polish, I decided to go for Essie's limo-scene. For the main part, the tips, I got Sally Hansen's "French Manicure White Tip Pen". I know for sure that I am not skilled enough to simply use a white nail polish to paint my tips! Then for base coat, I used the usual Sally Hansen Double Duty Strengthening Coat. Then for a top coat, I decided to try Sally Hansen "Mega Shine" top coat. It's supposed to get your nail polish really shiny and have them last that way for up to 10 days!

First, I applied the base coat. I let it dry for a minute.

Then I applied the French Manicure White tip pen along the tip. I didn't make it too thin or too thick. It is a bit tricky and because I had never tried it, my line isn't all that straight unfortunately. But hey, not too bad I think!

Then after you let your tips dry for a minute, then you apply one or two shades of the nail polish. I think it's prettier with one coat but I found that the tips looked TOO white. When I applied two coats, I felt the nail polish wasn't sheer enough. Now I know to buy a nail polish from the actual SHEER range from Essie to get the perfect shade. I also want a shade a bit more "neutral". It was a bit too white for my like, but still, not bad!

Then I finalized with the Mega Shine top coat. It definitely is shiner than the usual top coat I use from their brand called "Insta-Dry". However, I'll have to see if it really does last up to 10 days! It also dries in 60 seconds and that's alright with me.

A part of me just wants to go to the nail salon and get my nails done professionally! But, even to this age, I've never made the step to spend that much money on my nails when you can technically do it at home. It of course doesn't look the same but still, I'm not sure I'm ready to use $15-30 for one time manicure!

What are some nail polishes you use to achieve the perfect french manicures?

Leave a Comment essie, french, french manicure, french tips, mega-shine, NOTD, sally hansen

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2012 Beauty Favorites!

2013 is in full-swing, supposedly. I, however, lose all grasp of time between the end of one year and the start of another. It's one party after another, and endless holiday eating that an understanding of time is broken down. Still, 2013 is here and I took some time to think about what I loved most in 2012. It was actually quite easy to pick and choose. Although I absolutely LOVE all that's in my makeup collection, if I had to choose something that stood out most to me the past year, it would have to be these. Some are new discoveries and some are old classic favorites!

I have featured...

• Bioderma Crealine H20
• Diptyque Eau Duelle
• This Works Perfect Look Skin Miracle
• Origins Rescue Mask
• Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation
• Nars Sheer Glow
• Stila Perfecting Concealer
• Urban Decay Naked Palette
• Estee Lauder Bronze Sands Palette
• NuMe Arganic Oil
• Benefit Coralista
• Tarte Exposed
• Mario Badescu Bee Pollen Night Cream
• Mario Badescu Seaweed Night Cream
• Giorgio Armani Mascara
• Butter La Moss
• Butter British Racing Green
• Sally Hansen InstaDry
• Burberry Copper Lip Mist
• Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-on Eye pencil

Sorry that the video was cut off short. I guess my camera decided I was talking a bit too much and just shut down :( Anyway, thankfully I got to my final product so that was good. I hope you enjoyed it and tell me what some of your top 2012 beauty products were down below :)

2 comments benefit, bioderma, burberry, butter, diptyque, estee lauder, giogio armani, laura mercier, mario badescu, Nars, NuMe, origins, sally hansen, stila, taste, this works, Urban Decay

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NYE NOTD! #GOBSMACKED

Happy NYE everyone! I don't know what part of the world you're all in, but here in NY we still have four hours left before the clock strikes 12 midnight and the year goes from 2012 to 2013. Crazy crazy. Anyway, I wanted something special and sparkly for NYE and I choose "Gobsmacked" from Butter London. It's a really dark gray with small glitters. It was actually quite hard to apply but once I applied about 3 coats, I used the Sally Hansen Insta-dry Top Coat and voila, beautiful!

I hope you all have a GOBSMACKED NYE and an equally and even better 2013! Happy New Years :)

Leave a Comment butter, butter london, gobsmacked, holiday, lifestyle, new years, NOTD, sally hansen

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NOTD: Dior Vernis "Safari Beige" 219

If you've watched or read my Sephora Haul post, you'll know I raved on about Dior's "Safari Beige" nail polish-- that it's simply the nude of all nudes, the truest to a "nude" you'll ever find. I wasn't joking about it. Nope.

I had forgotten how gorgeous Dior's Vernis' are. The applicator is AMAZING, and I know I say that for a lot of things but hear me out. The brush is pointed and thick so that literally for most of your nails, you can just press it down and it'll cover the entire nail. How easy! It is so easy to apply!

The next amazing thing besides color, applicator, is the texture itself. Holy Moly! Thick, creamy, luxurious, and terribly terribly chic! The gloss is gorgeous and no matter how damaged your nails are, this thing will cover it up and make it smooth as a baby's bottom.

Price is a con, but I'm thinking... you sure get what you pay for.

Applied this with a 30second dry Sally Hansen top coat. First I thought it was dry completely in 30 seconds, but it meant dry to touch. Eh, I guess I was expecting too much. But this top coat also guarantees ZERO chipping, so yay for that! It definitely is dry to touch in 30 seconds but as my rule goes, I won't risk it until I can tap my nails together and hear that nice plastic-y sound! (You know what I mean)

Looking chic and classic :)

Leave a Comment dior, dior vernis, nail polishes, nails, NOTD, nude, safari beige, sally hansen, vernis

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"Cute As A Button"⎪Essie

You're as Cute as a Button I say!

This Essie nail polish is the prettiest cutest color for the summer. It's a hot pink with just no other way to describe it but fresh, pretty in pink :)

Applied it on my friend's nails today. She's in love! I also added the Sally Hansen Double Duty top coat for that extra shine. I'm posting pictures in different lights so you can get a just of how pretty this is.

Be cute as a button this summer everyone!! xx

Leave a Comment essie, essie nails, hot pink, nail polishes, product review, sally hansen, summer

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