Monday, July 14, 2014

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Makeup Monday: Glam Glow Steal

11 comments  
Just as I get ready to blog, Hubs rebooted the computer and I had no idea that Photoshop would be erased with it. So excuse the poor lighting but I just had to let you know what an awesome steal I just picked up at Marshall's the other day.




Yes you saw it right! $39.99 for a full size SuperMud Clearing Treatment and a deluxe sample of the YouthMud Tinglexfoliate Treatment. Originally, this for the full size product alone, it retails at Sephora for $69.00. So hurry up and check your local Marshalls as this was the last one I saw.

Happy shopping!
Anna 

Thursday, June 19, 2014

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Life Update

11 comments  
Hi again!

Oh it has definitely been quite sometime and I have truly missed blogging and commenting on your posts. Today, I only bring to you an update and why I have been gone for so long. Nothing special but I owe it to you, and if not to you, my loyalty to my blog!

So these past few months have been rough and things are finally settling down. This semester of school was the most challenging it has ever been for me. I took 16 credits and I probably will do it again just to get school out of the way. I am so tired of school and homework needless to say but hey, it's a good investment - or so they all say. But I digress. Fortunately with 5 classes, I managed to receive all A's and one B with a toddler running around.  I'm taking a Summer class and am truly regretting it. Three more semesters and hopefully I will have finished school for a long, long time.



Now, drum roll ---- little one arrived a month ago. I didn't share that here just because life got so busy. School, work, toddler, pregnancy. Somehow, and I don't know how but I managed. I guess that many of us can say that though right? I'm not sure about you but I work at life day by day! Otherwise, the future - or some parts of it just stress me out! But this is the reason why I didn't blog for so long because during the last trimester, my sense of smell had just gotten so bad that every polish stunk to heaven! I could not stand the smell of nail polish with this one. So, I stopped polishing my nails for while because it just got that bad. However, I am glad that things are rolling again and I cannot wait to start regularly blogging again. So, here is to a new chapter of blogging! OH! And she is officially one month today! How time flies!


Oh, and she's got a head full of hair!

Also, if you have any ideas of what you'd like to see on my blog, don't be shy and leave me a comment!

Much love,
Anna


Tuesday, April 1, 2014

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Twinsie Tuesday: Inspired By Your Purse/Bag/Backpack

23 comments  
Hello lovelies.

This week's challenge was sort of bland for me as my current purse and backpack are pretty boring looking. I have used the same backpack since I was a freshman in high school. That's about 8-9 years now. Yes, crazy, but I invested a lot of money into it, so it's lasted me a very long time. So, both my purse and backpack are just a boring black, but I decided to twist it up a bit.


Sorry for the quality of the picture but I just noticed now. However, with the plain boring black, I decided to mattify it using a floss, I added glossy lines. It didn't turn out how I imagined but it looked sort of cool, kind of. Maybe next time I'll perfect this little technique or use something else.

What's your bag/purse color?
Anna

Check out more Twinsie posts here!
Alaina at The Little Canvas
Amanda at Amandalandish
Chelsea at Nailed Blog
Elizabeth at Did My Nails
Kelly at Tuxarina
Lakeisha at Refined and Polished
Marisa at Polish Obsession
Rachel at Top Coat It
Róisín at Cuti-CLUE-les
Stephanie at A Little Polish
Traci at DrinkCitra

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

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Twinsie Tuesday: Spring Transitional Polish

24 comments  
Hello readers! This week's theme was fun! I love sharing these kind of things. For my Spring Transitional Polish, I choose a newer polish Hard Candy Crush On Hot Pink.




Excuse my dry cuticles, it's still really cold here in my neck of the woods. None the less, I adore this polish and am pretty impressed by Hard Candy. My photos do it no justice. HCOP has so much more depth than in my photos here but I couldn't really capture it. The formula was great and covered in 2 coats.

What are some of your favorite transitional polishes?
Anna

Check out more Twinsie Spring Transitional Polishes!
Alaina at The Little Canvas
Amanda at Amandalandish
Chelsea at Nailed Blog
Elizabeth at Did My Nails
Kelly at Tuxarina
Lakeisha at Refined and Polished
Marisa at Polish Obsession
Rachel at Top Coat It
Róisín at Cuti-CLUE-les
Stephanie at A Little Polish
Traci at DrinkCitra

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

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Twinsie Tuesday: Go To Polish

22 comments  
Hello there again! I finally have things up and running and blogger is finally being nice and cooperatively working with me! So here is today's post!

My go-to polish. I decided to put a little twist on this since I just couldn't bring myself to sharing one polish. That was just too hard, and I know you could share my pain. So, I wanted to share a recent go-to polish brand that I have been loving, and I'll tell you why!


Essence Waka Waka. I truly love and adore Essence so much and this color is just that perfect pop of color for Spring and Summer making their way. Essence polishes are lovely I tell you! They are $1.99 and at Ulta, you can usually find them buy one, get one half off. Plus, they have a pretty good and trendy color range. The amount that you get per polish is a little smaller than a regular bottle, but it's just the perfect amount! Personally, that's just fine with me, because seriously, I rarely ever use an entire bottle of polish.

Anyhow, I hope you enjoyed this post and want to hear some of your favorite go-to polishes or go-to polish brand!
Anna

Check out my Twinsies' Go-To Polish posts for this week! 
Alaina at The Little Canvas
Amanda at Amandalandish
Chelsea at Nailed Blog
Elizabeth at Did My Nails
Kelly at Tuxarina
Lakeisha at Refined and Polished
Marisa at Polish Obsession
Rachel at Top Coat It
Róisín at Cuti-CLUE-les
Stephanie at A Little Polish
Traci at DrinkCitra

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

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Twinsie Tuesday: Favorite Nail Polish Brand

21 comments  
This week's challenge was tough! As a nail blogger, I am sure that all of us have had many, many different brands to try, from main stream to indie. However, in this post, I think I'm going to stick with the main stream theme and if you already don't know me, I have to give it to OPI.



OPI Planks A Lot. Released in the Pirate of the Caribbean collection in 2011, this polish still doesn't fail me. OPI is a great brand. Steady flow of good polishes throughout the collections being released each time and the formula is always fabulous. I do wish they would explore more with jelly's and glitter - sort of indie I guess.

Planks A Lot is a gorgeous dusty purple creme. Perfect for the upcoming Spring and Summer. 2 smooth coats and I achieved this lovely mani here!

What are some of your favorite brands?
Anna

Maybe, I'll do a favorite indie polish brand post?! That would be fun! In the mean time...

Please check my Twinsies' post for their favorite brand!
Alaina at The Little Canvas
Amanda at Amandalandish
Chelsea at Nailed Blog
Elizabeth at Did My Nails
Kelly at Tuxarina
Lakeisha at Refined and Polished
Marisa at Polish Obsession
Rachel at Top Coat It
Róisín at Cuti-CLUE-les
Stephanie at A Little Polish
Traci at DrinkCitra

Monday, February 24, 2014

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MM (Makeup Monday): Ipsy VS BirchBox

5 comments  
Hello to another Makeup Monday post! Sorry for my absence. I feel horrible! None the less, I present to you my monthly subscription. Ipsy and BirchBox.

 As usual, it comes in a cute little zip baggy. 

City Color Blush in Fresh Melon 
The color is not accurate however, it's a gorgeous blush! It's a pinky melon color,
and a great size. It's about the size of your palm! Totally worth it.


 J. Cat Beauty Eyelash
Includes eyelash adhesive. You can never go wrong with lashes!


 Mally Beauty Evercolor Waterproof Eyeliner in Starlight
My first Mally Beauty product, however, in my Ipsy bags, I always get a silver liner
and I can't seem to understand why. Every eyeliner I've gotten so far is silver, but hey,
it's a full size liner, I can't complain!

Pop Beauty Lipgloss in Peony Petal
Gorgeous color and perfect for Spring! It's a pinky color and applies like butter! 
It's .14 oz but it will definitely last me a long time!

Lastly, a Zoya polish.
Source
Unfortunately, my battery conveniently died on me. However, this is a full size 
Zoya polish from the Naturel Collection. An Orchid Maroon color, and just
my cup of tea! This alone is $9. What do you think?

So onto Birch Box. 


I didn't even want to take photos but here is small decription. For the Smashbox Mascara, it was a deluxe mini. The OPI top coat was a mini as well. The Smashbox Palette was a piece of sample, on a paper. The Agave oil was a mini deluxe as well and barely enough to see if it made a difference with my hair. The Cleanser was a mini as well.

I have been really disappointed with Birch Box these past few months and finally decided to cancel. Hence the reason I didn't even waste my time taking pictures to show you.

So finally, Ipsy takes the cake. Like always. There have been some months that weren't so great but I am very happy over all. Both of these subscriptions are $10, but seriously, I'm really getting my money's worth with Ipsy, so gladly I cancalled Birch Box and will stay subscribed to Ipsy.

Are you ladies subscribed to these services at all? What do you think?
Anna 

If you interested in subscribing to Ipsy, click here for my referral link. Otherwise, check it out here!

*Both services are purchased with my own money.*

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Twinsie Tuesday: Late Valentine's Post

5 comments  
Hi all,
My post will be up later today. It's been a long and tiring weekend and I haven't yet recovered. This weekend was my birthday, my sister's birthday and my brother in law's birthday. On top of that, my son has been sick for the past two weeks and coughing up a storm, almost to the point where he's just about ready to eject what's in his little tummy. And a few times, he's already done so; like last night. None the less, I know what I'm doing for this post and it'll be up later this evening so please stay tuned! Again, sorry for my absence!

Anna

In the mean time, please check out my Twinsie's posts for today's challenge!
Alaina at The Little Canvas
Amanda at Amandalandish
Chelsea at Nailed Blog
Elizabeth at Did My Nails
Kelly at Tuxarina
Lakeisha at Refined and Polished
Marisa at Polish Obsession
Rachel at Top Coat It
Róisín at Cuti-CLUE-les
Stephanie at A Little Polish
Traci at DrinkCitra

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Saturday, February 1, 2014

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Polka-dotticure

9 comments  
Getting into the swing of nail art again and I just wanted to do something a little less challenging.


Simple and easy. I used acrylic paint for this a and a simple opaque white nail polish for base. Not too inspiration or aspiring but this was fun and I hope you enjoy it!

What are some of your favorite dotticures?
Anna 

Thursday, January 30, 2014

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Darling Diva Polish D.M.S.R

5 comments  
*Press Sample*

D.M.S.R stands for Dance, Music, Sex, Romance. What a gorgeous polish and befitting name right? D.M.S.R. is a very soft light lavender creme base with a lot of different type of glitters; large, medium, and small purple hexagonal, medium blue, holo and purple butterfly glitters. It was very hard to capture but in real life, you are able to see very tiny micro holo glitters throughout, which just puts the cherry on top with this polish.



D.M.S.R. is really my cup of tea. Light jelly base with gorgeous glitters, I could never get enough of these type of polishes! Above shown are 3 coats. With 2 coats, it reached opacity but I love the jelly sandwiched look so I added another coat. None the less, it is gorgeous and perfect for the upcoming Spring season!

If you are wanting to own any Darling Diva Polishes, click here. Carrie's polishes are incredibly affordable with extraordinary customer service and fast shipping!

Anna

*This product was provided for my unbiased review.
Please see the PR disclosure for any questions.*

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

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Twinsie Tuesday: Nail Care Routine

16 comments  
I'm excited about this post since it's a little different from what we usually do. I don't have a really intricate routine like others may, but this is what I do and it's what works for me!

Beware, there are no pictures. Sorry.


  • Removing an old man is always first right? I use the 100% Acetone Equatte Nail Polish Remover mixed with glycerin and water. And I absolutely love this because I dread and passionately dislike the little cotton threads leftover from cotton rounds and balls. And yes, this works wonders just like the Zoya+.
  • Then I wash my hands for about a 1-2 minutes with warm water and hand soap. While washing my hands, I push back my cuticles.
  • After drying I use a cuticle remover and use a tool like this to push away those little cuticles. 
  • While washing away the cuticles that were removed, I use a nail brush to brush away any excess cuticles hanging around.
  • After, I wash my hands and lotion them with the Suave Advanced Therapy Lotion. I like this one because it's a thinner consistency and I never want my nails to look oily when I photograph them.
  • Upon applying lotion, I use the Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream and apply then around my cuticles to prep for polishing!
  • After rubbing in the the cream, I use this cheap eyeshadow brush and dip it into the Beauty Secrets 100% acetone and quickly run it on my nails to remove the oils from the lotion or cuticle cream.
  • Then I get to the polishing! After polishing, I use the HK Girl Topcoat. Works just like Seche Vite but less harmful! 
  • After a good topcoat, I use the OPI Drip Dry to top it off.

And viola! My mani is ready to go! 

This is my ritual of prepping nails for a post and a mani. Not all of these items are apart of my Holy Grail must always have because I'm still trying out new hand products. In the mean time, this is how I do it and what I use.

What are some of your nail care products/steps that are different than mine?
Anna 

Check out my Twinsies' nail care routines!
Alaina at The Little Canvas
Amanda at Amandalandish
Amber at Nails Like Lace
Chelsea at Nailed Blog
Elizabeth at Did My Nails
Kelly at Tuxarina
Lakeisha at Refined and Polished
Marisa at Polish Obsession
Rachel at Top Coat It
Róisín at Cuti-CLUE-les
Stephanie at A Little Polish
Traci at DrinkCitra

Monday, January 27, 2014

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Makeup Monday (MM): Drugstore Haul

7 comments  
This is a new installment to my blog. I have always loved makeup and wanted to share my love for makeup on my blog here with you every Monday! So for my very first post and makeup haul of the year, I present to you a drugstore haul!

 Revlon Age Defying Foundation, NYX Stay Matte But Not Flat Foundation, 
Rimmel Stay Matte Mousse Foundation

Essence Silky Touch Blushes, Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush,
Revlon Cream Blush 

 Rimmel Match Perfection Concealer, Revlon Age Defying Concealer,
Loreal CC Eye Concealer

Maybelline Define-A-Brow, NYX Slide On Glide On Pencil, 
Jordana 12hr Eyeshadow Pencil 

 Loreal Sexy in Sequins, Revlon Autumn Spice

 Milani Statement Lipsticks

Essence Stay Matt Lip Cream, NYX Hypershine Lipgloss,
Flower Beauty Lipglosses 

 Loreal Extraordinaire Liquid Lipstick

NYX Eyeshadow Base, Maybelline Masterdup Liner,
Essence mascaras 

 NYX lipsticks

WnW Balm Stains, Revlon Matte Balms

If you haven't already noticed, I am a total lip junkie and am in search of a good drugstore foundation. If any of you are interested in reviews, impressions, swatches or questions about any of the products, please leave a comment!

Have you hauled lately?
Anna

*All products have been purchased with my own money.*

Saturday, January 25, 2014

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Clarisonic Deal

3 comments  
Attention Clarisonic users! Currently on Groupon there is an awesome Clarisonic deal, a 2 pack Clarisonic replacement brush heads for $24.99 plus free shipping!


Usually a 2 pack costs $40.00 so I suggest you pick these babies up! You get 3 options to choose from: acne, sensitive or deep pore. I think this is great deal so get it while you can! There are only 3 days left! So if you are interested click here to purchase. If you would like to use my friend referral please feel free to do so but clicking here!

Happy shopping!
Anna

PS - I love my Clarisonic! 
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KKCenterHK 3D Bow Shaped Nail Decor

10 comments  
*Press Sample*

I've been really feeling like getting back into the blogging nail game and I'm so excited and feeling refreshed after being in and out for so long. With that said, today, I bring to you the KKCenterHK 3D Bow Shaped Nail Decor with leopard print.





If you don't already know, KKCenterHK is an online based shop that provide many wonderful different cosmetic products that vary from false eyelashes, wigs, makeup products as well as nail polishes and nail decorations.

The bow is 9.9mm x 6mm x 2mm in size and comes in a pack of 2. These bows are a perfect size. Not too small or too big. Too apply the bow, took a little nail glue and pasted it on the desired location of my nail and applied the bow. It was very easy and functional.

You can find the nail art bows here for $3.60 USD. By using the code "totheShowing10" you will receive 10% off your entire order. The code is valid until the end of the month.

Anna

*This product was provided for my honest, unbiased review.
Please see the PR disclosure for any questions.*

Friday, January 24, 2014

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Swapportunity

5 comments  
I was contacted by a sweet reader about wanting to do a swap. And once I received this package, I was so excited I went forth with it

Left to right clockwise:
Catrice Shopping Day at Bluemindales, Mermaid My Day, Lilactric, Mint Me up,
Squeeze Me, Kiko 371


Top row:  The Boy Next Door, Waka Waka, Hello Marshmallow!
Bottom row: L.OL., Oh My Glitter!, If I Were a Boy



An extra goodie

She also sent me some candies which I didn't photograph but I had a lot of fun eating them! She added the extra Essence palette because there was a mix up with the swap. None the less, I am so happy about this package. I don't own man Catrice polishes so I am so stoked to try these! Let me know which polishes you would like to see first so I can get the swatching and the trying!

Anna

Thursday, January 23, 2014

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Darling Diva Persephone

6 comments  
*Press Sample*

Darling Diva Polish Persophone. This polish is gorgeous! Check out this gorgeous duochrome shift. From a burgundy purple to gorgeous blue in a purple-blue'ish base. 






Excuse the change of scenery (and my reflection) as I used natural light to capture the beauty of Persephone.

Hopefully you are able to see the shift in the pictures because this one is gorgeous! Above here are only 2 smooth coats topped with a topcoat and it's pretty opaque. I feel like you could definitely add more coats or use a base but I love the way this looks with just 2.

To purchase your own Darling Diva Polishes, click here. Carrie's polishes are incredibly affordable with extraordinary customer service and fast shipping!

Do you own any DDP's?
Anna
*This product was provided for my unbiased review.
Please see the PR disclosure for any questions.*

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

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Twinsie Tuesday: Seasonal Gradient

21 comments  
Instead of doing a "season"al gradient, I interpreted this a little different. As we know Valentine's Day is coming up soon! So here is what I have come up with.



I used Nubar Pink Creme with 3 coats. It applied a little uneven  and a little thin but knowing me, I was a little impatient, hence the reason you could see the pulling. None the less, I love me my Nubars! For the glitter, I used Esesie Beyond Cozy which is a gorgeous polish alone.

Inspired by Valentine's, I choose something a little elegant and sweet. Who doesn't love pinks, reds and all the wonderful hearts and love during this time?

Anna

Check out these seasonal gradients!
Alaina at The Little Canvas
Amanda at Amandalandish
Amber at Nails Like Lace
Chelsea at Nailed Blog
Elizabeth at Did My Nails
Kelly at Tuxarina
Lakeisha at Refined and Polished
Marisa at Polish Obsession
Rachel at Top Coat It
Róisín at Cuti-CLUE-les
Stephanie at A Little Polish
Traci at DrinkCitra