I was away this weekend and had a grand time being away from work, home, and even the computer.  I didn't take any pictures until I was home again, but I can show you what I had on my nails.  Considering these pictures were taken under indoor lighting with a point-and-shoot, they do a mighty good job of showing off one of my favorite polishes:

   Nfu-Oh Aqua Base coat, Nfu-Oh 63 (3 coats), and a top coat on all my nails except for the index finger, which was layered with something.. consider this a teaser!!  You can see the difference more in this shot - anyone have a guess about what is over #63?  You can click my photos to see larger versions.

   There was one mishap while getting ready to leave for the weekend - eyeshadow explosion!  The worst I've ever had.  I was using my Nyx Chrome Eyeshadow and went to put the plastic seal back onto the pot before recapping it, and it slipped sideways into the White pigment.  Poof! it showed in my room.  I had to leave so I just left it to clean up when I got back.  Since it spilled mainly on my dresser I could not easily see how bad it was.  Out of curiosity I wiped my hand over the dresser...

   Wow, sparkling skeletal hand make-up!  There was still more on the dresser, it just wasn't sticking to my skin anymore...  While it was pretty and pearly I feel bad about the huge waste.  ...Wait no, what am I thinking!  This is a swatch - an epic hand swatch!  So there, now you know what Nyx CES White looks like, if you had any doubts of it being anything besides the color white.  Anything for you, my lovely readers.

   In other news this is basically the last day to enter my giveaway!  Make sure that you double-check all the entry options on the Rafflecopter widget - I added a bonus entry option two weeks ago and not every has used it!  Here's a direct link to the original giveaway post.  I don't know about my followers but I know I'm in suspense over who will win!  Hopefully my next blog post will be of announcing the winner~

   After swatching L.A. Girl Pink Steel I decided I wanted to jazz it up somehow.  The first thing to jump to mind was a glittery top coat, but none of my glitters were saying "pick me, pick me!".  Then I thought crackle, of course!  I knew black would look good but I just did black nails, and wanted something more colorful.  So I poked through my China Glaze and settled on Oxidized Aqua.  It's a perfect match!

   The China Glaze Crackle Metals collection are foil finish crackles, and Pink Steel is a super pigmented foil itself.  So, seeing these two get together on my nails made my day!  I did China Glaze Crushed Candy on my ring fingers because it's close to the color of Oxidized Aqua, and I do like the contrast with the pink foil underneath that, as well.  Sadly my lighting wasn't too good when I snapped these pictures, the look is much more eye catching in person.

   But let's focus on the foily goodness for now, shall we?  This makes me think of cotton candy at the State Fair of Supersaturated Colors.  I personally haven't found anyone layer their crackles with foil + foil finishes, and all I can say is that is is awesome.  You must try it!  The above photo was without a topcoat.  I finished this mani off with a topcoat which has brought it into the land of glossy foil shine wonderfulness.

   Anyone loving this as much as I do?

   Several months ago (in June?) I did a 30-day free trial for ShopRunner, and used it for a few Drugstore.com orders.  I decided against keeping (and thus having to pay for) the service, and filled out their questionnaire as to why I was leaving them.  I was recently contacted again by the company with an offer to try it again, this time for a year.  Figuring I had nothing to lose, I've signed up again.

What is ShopRunner, and what good does it do?

   It is a service that offers free 2-day shipping and unlimited free return shipping for participating webstores.  Not all items from these stores will be eligible, and generally what isn't available for ShopRunner is one of the three H's: huge, heavy or hazardous.  The 2-day shipping means business days, and you do have to have your order in by a certain time in the afternoon to get it in exactly 2 days.  Any orders that you place using ShopRunner can be tracked in detail right from your account there.  There are some coupons and discounts offered by the participating stores exclusively to ShopRunner members.  It's not free, and you can choose to pay either by the month or by the year.

What do you like about it?
   Free 2-day shipping is a rare thing.  I'm all for free shipping, and quite often going with ShopRunner means no order minimums to worry about.  It's convenient!  Also, that fact that I'll be able to easily return items is a big plus.  Some stores don't offer free returns, or will even penalize you for making too many returns.  They include a few of my favorite stores, and I'm very intrigued by the fact that Domino's Pizza even partners with them - no home delivery charge if you use ShopRunner!

What could be better?
   More stores to choose from!  ShopRunner is fairly new, so there aren't tons of participating stores yet.  I'm not interested in every single one that they offer free shipping for, either.  Otherwise, it does what is advertised.

Would you recommend it?
   Yes and no.  If you find yourself shopping at even just a few of their stores often and paying for shipping, or despairing over the slow free shipping given, ShopRunner is a good investment for you.  If the items you plan to buy aren't able to be shipped by ShopRunner anyway, though... it does you no good.  I would suggest trying one of their free 30-day memberships to start with, especially when you're coming up on a month when you'll need to buy things Online!  If you do choose to sign up for this please click the image above~
   I will continue to mention when I use (or attempt to use) ShopRunner in the future and review how it performs and whether I feel like it's something valuable to me or not.  Let the Great ShopRunner Trial begin!!


My experience with ShopRunner yesterday:

   I placed an order through Beauty.com - I needed another can of my favorite dry shampoo.  Once I got to checkout I found out that said aerosol product was not eligible for ShopRunner shipping.  I could remove it from my order (along with the free sample of perfume that was not eligible) , and have the other items sent for free.  I opted for the free ground shipping from Beauty.com instead - because I really need more dry shampoo!  ShopRunner was a fail this time, but it tried.

   Wow, this polish is amazing in the sunlight!  I wish I had been able to get better pictures of it than just these with flash, but I have the feeling that this color would be impossible to capture in it's full glory.  Here is L.A. Girl Metal / Metallic Nail Polish in Pink Steel:

   This pink foil polish is amazing - As you can see in the bottle it's silver foil pigment swimming in pink, and it translates wonderfully on the nail.  "Pink Steel" is a very apt name for it, and this is one of the most metallic nail polishes I own.  My pictures here are with two coats, but it is very opaque even at 1 coat.  (My toes are enjoying 1 coat right now and they look fabulous!)  Also, I did not put a top coat over this.

   By way of review I can say that the formula is easy to work with.  Starts to dry quickly but if you nick it while tacky there is no hope of it self-leveling.  Super pigmented and very metallic - in a word it is vibrant.  It is not glossy when dry, but has a high-sparkle shine that is appealing.  Retailing for about $2.50 I say it's totally worth owning!  I also have Chromium Green from this collection on my toes, it is just as good - just a nice green instead!   The LA Girl Metal collection has other shades available in this foil finish as well, I picked out a few of my favorites and I'll be sure to wear & share!

   So I was on the hunt for a nail polish thinner that wouldn't break the budget, and most reviews Online were pointing to Beauty Secrets brand - carried at Sally's.  The closest Sally's to me is a couple towns away and with how inconsistent my work schedule is it is a rare thing for me to go over that way anymore.  So I turned to the Online storefront where I found not only my nail polish thinner but other goodies, as well.  Here is most of what I ordered:

   I picked up a set of nail wheels, China Glaze Tinsel, Tough Coat top coat, Beauty Secrets Cuticle Oil, and some nail art glitter flakes and silver bullion, and a Picker Upper tool.

   I doubt I'll ever swatch all the colors in my collection that I know and love, but I will definitely use them for testing new colors and different polish layering combos.  China Glaze Tinsel was on my wishlist, and they happened to have in on sale for $1.99!  Tough Coat seems to be a good, thick and protective top coat for nail art, and I needed one of those.  All the other accessories were things I was interested in trying and bought up so I'd reach the free shipping mark!  I did order a few more things, dupes of what I own, and one item that was not in stock so they did not charge me for it or send it to me.

   Everything was shipped out pretty quickly and arrived safely, as you can see they taped over the top of the bottle of thinner.  Everything else was in bubble wrap.  I'm happy with what I got and think it's awesome that I managed to use a coupon from their site, got free shipping, and earned cashback.  Plus a few items were on sale!

   The best part of buying Online rather than in the store?  I found out SallyBeauty.com does cash back!  They have it through a few sites but the highest rate is from BigCrumbs.com, a whopping 9.6% cashback on ever dollar you spend.  So if it's not an "emergency" that requires running to the physical store to buy something I will definitely just keep a wishlist there Online and place an order through the webstore now and then.

   Do you shop in their physical store or Online?  If you ever use their Online site make sure your sign up for Big Crumbs to get some of your money back on what you buy! 

   On October 13th I was selected as the winner of a giveaway - I was so surprised!  It was from a fellow blogger - Maria at The Girl With Rainbow Hands (cute name, right?).  One week later my prize showed up~  It is the complete wet n wild On the Prowl collection, plus a gorgeous bottle of Fantasy Makers silver holo glitter.  Now, I have a policy of only entering giveaways that I would truly like to own, and there were indeed a few of these polishes on my wishlist (Tangled in My Wehhhb... ♥), but I was even more impressed with the collection once I had it in my hands.

   From left to right: Fantasy Makers glitter, Ink Well, Ready to Pounce, Buy Me A Drink, Jungle Fever, Tangled in My Web, Cougar Attack, Correction Tape, Behind Closed Doors

   The bottle of glitter has a linear holo effect going on in the bottle - anyone have examples of what they do with this?  I'm curious about what kind of effects I might be able to get...  I love holo glitter so obviously I love this!  =D

   I'm always happy about black polish, so Ink Well was a *want* for me.  I know I'll use this for layering and what-not.  Ready To Pounce and Buy Me A Drink are especially luxurious colors - they remind me of velvet with their rich color and shimmer.  Jungle Fever was a surprise, I really thought it would be too drab and olive and "fall" looking for me, but instead it turns out to be an awesome foil-y green!  Yes, it has silver running through it!  A nice sort of leaf green, definitely wearable year-round.  Then there's Tangled In My Web.  Black hex glitter in a clear (not murky like my photo shows it) base.  Definitely one of these unique things that I can't wait to use!  Also, despite the glitter being black it still has nice sparkle.  Courgar Attack I had written off as too warm for my skintone, but this (small, round) bronze glitter in brown jelly base is really pretty.  I'm going to try it!  Correction Tape is cool because it also has black glitter in it (square this time), but the gold in the mix just kills it for me; the only color that I'm not drawn to out of all these!  Behind Closed Doors is a dupe to numerable polishes, none of which I own.  I'm happy to have this beauty of black jelly and red glitter in my stash.

   Overall I am really impressed and happy with this collection, and very thankful that I was privileged to receive it.  Thank-you again, Maria.  =)  To all my readers, please go check out her blog!  She has really nice nail designs, so make sure you check through her older posts!

   And remember that my own giveaway is still going on here...  be sure to take advantage of the bonus entrie(s) that you can now gain using Rafflecopter!  Thank-you all!

   I'm currently rocking this totally awesome manicure that appeals to my love of black nail polish and cutesy, girly things.  I used my new L.A Girl polish from their Rock Star Nail Lacquer collection.  The color?  Rockstar.  It is a black polish with a jelly-ish quality that is loaded with purple micro-flake shimmer that flashes green in the bottle.  I have only seen purple show on my nails, but it's gorgeous and I love it anyway.

   In fact I love it so much that I took a ton of pictures of it, which you can click to see larger.  =)

  I saw a video on making your own "nail polish strip" decals and though it was a clever idea.  My idea for nail art was "bubble bath".  They turned out just fine on the wax paper I painted on, I gave them a day to dry, and then I tried to put them on my nails...  The photos speak for themselves.

A review of the fragrances by LAVANILA from their Mini Roller-Ball Set

Vanilla Grapefruit
   Notes: Sparkling Grapefruit, Cedarwood, Lime, Madagascar Vanilla

   Citrus and vanilla are not things that I would normally think of pairing together, but with the mix of cedarwood added and my personal liking of grapefruit, I was game for this scent.  Upon application it blossoms into a tangy, citrus-and-woods filled bouquet with the base of vanilla in the background.  The juxtaposition of scents is intriguing and I find myself sniffing it repeatedly as it changes and settles on my skin.  Each note is distinct and genuine.  This is a long-lasting scent and by the end of the day I smell the vanilla base note holding out.

   I feel that this scent is a great way to shake things up in my routine of fragrances.  I also believe that this is a unisex scent and feel that it smells the most mature out of the four in the set.  I picture old estate libraries with polished wordwork when I smell this.  Wearable at any time of year, especially good in a professional setting or the great outdoors.  Can be worn by man or woman, probably not as appealing to the younger set.  LAVANILA's Vanilla Grapefruit in a word: interesting.


Pure Vanilla
   Notes: Madagascar Vanilla, Tonka Bean, Rich Heliotrope

   First off I do want to know why there is more than just vanilla in "Pure Vanilla".  Aside from that, it does live up to it's name and smells just like real vanilla.  I adore this scent and most other people do to.  There is a faint floral note from the heliotrope when you first apply it, but throughout the day what you will continue to smell is the vanilla.  It is comfortingly foody without being too gourmand.  Yes, this perfume captures the note of vanilla perfectly.  It is never too strong but is warm and delicious treat when you get close to it.

   I want to keep this fragrance in my collection for layering, as I find it to be long-lasting on my skin and very complimentary.  Just like vanilla in baking it's one of those yummy key ingredients that you'll want to keep on hand.  I think of baked goods and high-end scented candles when I sniff this.  Especially nice for cool weather and appropriate at all times.  Can be worn and enjoyed by people of all ages.  LAVANILA's Pure Vanilla in a word: basic.

   Hey everyone, I just wanted to pipe up and say that it's great to see the responses of people entering my little giveaway.
    To mark the fact that there are just 2 weeks left to go on my giveaway I'm adding a bonus entry - an additional tweet!  Take advantage of it for 2 more entries towards your chance to win~

   Today my nails are done royally in purple!  After a dreary grey week the sun is out again so I thought it would be a good time for nail pictures.  Instead the sun immediately went behind a cloud when I pulled the camera out.  These few shots turned out the best.

↑ With flash | Without flash ↓

   I did one coat of China Glaze Grape Pop and one coat of Milani 3D Holographic Hi-Res on all nails except my ring fingers, which got 2 coats of Hi-Res.  The pictures of course do not capture how they are all fantastically sparkly.  Here is a shot of when my nails were at the one-coat stage:

   So I was sorting through my photos to upload and I found these sitting around from August!  Yes, August!  I was planning to post this up but never did - shame on me!  Shame on me because now I don't remember 100% of what I used to create this look.  =(  But I will share the pictures with you, at least.  I will always remember taking these pictures because it is the day that huge earthquake happened in Virginia.  As I was taking them I felt the house swaying from the shockwaves reaching all the way up to NE Pennsylvania.  =O

  This picture was taken without flash, just indirect sunlight.  The colors came out really well.  A couple more pictures (using flash) and what I think I used after the jump!

   When it was time to paint my nails again I asked the boyfriend what he'd like to see.  Another magnetic polish!  He had me list off the other colors I have (since we already did blue) and requested red.  I'm not really a red nail polish girl, and I was in fact really wanting to try one of my new Nyx glitters, but relationships are about compromises, so I came up with this:

   I decided to try two "accent nails" - both the ring fingers and thumbs.  I like it!  Feels more tied in somehow.  Also I used the star magnet to keep with the intergalactic feel of Frizz Spots.  Because I took several pictures I'll share more after the jump!  (Click pictures to see them larger.)

   These are the polishes I was sporting on Sunday.  Really wish I had snapped pictures of them out in the sun, but I did at least get these on my cell phone... the next day after my nail polish had been scraped and was showing tip wear.  I'm sharing them anyway because I really enjoyed this mani.  It might seem a little random but it perfectly matched my outfit(s) for Sunday.  =)

   I was totally loving it!  Got to bring out the good old Colorama polishes, which I wish were still in stores.  I missed so many good colors from them!  And I'm really happy with the new Milanis I bought.  I think I'll have to do a review on them and continue to show the 3D Holographic line layered like this.  I really like how the silver turned out over black, and the other 3 fingers had a fantastic depth to them over the shimmer colors.  If anyone has requests on what you'd like to see me to with them speak up!  =)

   Besides grabbing a totally awesome nail polish to give away here, I did buy myself some goodies which I have been tearing into over the past few days.  You can click this picture to see it larger:

   Milani 3D Holographic polishes in HD, Hi-Tech, Hi-Res, Digital, and Cyberspace.  Nyx Girls polishes in Frizz Spots, Dynamic Glitter, and Dreamy Glitter.  La Girl polishes in Rockstar, Chromium Green, and Pink Steel.  And Nyx Single Eyeshadows in Dark Gray, Jazzy Pink, Dark Brown, and Black.

   I could not resist the Milani polishes.  This is a brand that I have not found in stores locally yet.  After missing out on them in a giveaway (which reminded me of their existence) I just went ahead and bought them - totally worth it!  The Nyx polishes have more expensive dupes right within the same brand.  I have no clue if it's worth springing for the Salon Formula...  I just went with these little cuties.  LA Girl Rockstar is an awesome black polish with tiny purple-to-green flakies in it. The other two La Girls are foil colors!  The single eyeshadows are all matte.  Jazzy Pink is constantly sold out and I was so happy to finally snag it.  I grabbed the neutrals to use as eyeliner for the most part.

   Besides sharing these pretties with all of you, I share their use with my family.  My grandmother is in constant benefit of my stash of nail polish, and when my Mom saw these she tried on a few colors.  Really, I prefer it that way!  A bottle of polish lasts me quite awhile and I feel better knowing they will all get used...  So long as no one has nail rot I'm cool with sharing.  Anyone else have the same policy?

   A picture is worth 1,000 words!  You can even click this one to see the flake-glitter goodness up close.  That would be Nyx Girls nail polish in Gilded Glitter.  Now that you're drooling, here are the details.

   First off, wait, a giveaway already?  Yes, already.  For one, I was invited to join Rafflecopter, which is the bestest way to run a giveaway on a blog EVER.  (Prepare to be blown away if you have not used it before.)   For another, I was searching for a silver glitter nail polish *just like Nyx Girls Gilded Glitter* in silver.  It is my dream polish, but I can't find one!  So I'm hoping someone will notice what I have in gold, and point out a silver version to me.  =D

  This might not be the biggest giveaway ever but I hope you all enjoy it because I am psyched about it!  More details, a swatch of the polish, and the amazing Rafflecopter Giveaway Entry System after the jump!

   I snapped a few shots of the 9 Glamour Glosses that I have in my possession - this means more swatches to be done!  I did a review on my first 6 colors earlier.  Too Faced only sells 12 different colors now, since they are discontinuing 2 (which would be Champagne Room and Dare Me - snag them now from TooFaced.com if you want them).  Look at all the pretty bottles:

   With flash.  That's Chihuahua Bite, This is Pretty!, Flirt, First Time, Barely Legal, Sex Pot, Strip Tease, Erotic, Pillow Talk.  This came out very true-to-life!  Got a couple shots without flash as well:

A review of the fragrances by LAVANILA from their Mini Roller-Ball Set

Vanilla Coconut

   Notes: Young coconut, Tahitian Tiare Flower, Madagascar Vanilla

   This promises to be a yummy tropical scent.  In the bottle it smells mostly like coconut, though you can tell vanilla is in there too.  I was immediately reminded of a coconut-scented My Little Pony I once had, but LAVANILA is much more authentic.  I was the least excited about this fragrance out of the collection as I often feel coconut is too overpowering.  When I applied it I was pleasantly surprised.  The coconut settled down into a warm, subdued but recognizable scent, and the vanilla came through beautifully to balance it out.  I could smell this hours later when I was looking for it but it never hit me in the face.  Eventually I mostly smelled the vanilla base note.

   I'm not sure if I will repurchase this, but I can see it being a dream come true for anyone who likes coconut.  I will use the mini roller that I have, at least.  It's a very real scent that is unique in my collection and not off-putting to wear.  It brings to mind beaches and tasty little deserts.  Works for any time of year, especially summer, and would fit in with casual settings nicely, yet not be out of place anywhere else.  LAVANILA's Vanilla Coconut in a word: pleasant.

Vanilla Lavender

   Notes: Spanish lavender, Violet Leaf, Rose, Madagascar vanilla

   Lavender is a calming scent, yet this is no boring sleepy perfume.  On the whole this perfume comes across as having a soft floral sweetness.  The lavender is mixed in with the other floral notes to create something very springy and bright.  I'm picky about flowery perfumes; they can sound so good but smell cloying on my skin, or turn powdery.  I never had that issue with this fragrance, as it truly smells like fresh flowers.  The vanilla comes through after the floral notes have faded, which takes a few hours.  It is a very pretty, feminine perfume.

   After a full day at work I couldn't tell it was on my skin any more.  It might not be the longest-lasting perfume, but it's enjoyable from top notes to dry-down, so I'll definitely wear it and reapply if needed.  I'm happy to have found a floral perfume that I truly like.  I picture old-fashioned garden parties when I smell this.  Perfect for spring and any formal occasion.  Anyone could wear it.  LAVANILA's Vanilla Lavender in a word: lovely

   I felt healthy enough today to use a bit of make-up in the morning.  Ahh, concealer, my old friend.  You make me look healthier than I sound!  I'm still congested, but doing much better.  Drinking tons of tea because the weather is cold, and it is good for me.  And I love tea.

   Anyway!  I stayed in bed as long as possible so nothing fancy here...

   Since I had no time for eyeshadow I went for bright lip gloss.  African Queen is a gorgeous purple-pink with blue flash in it.  I love it so much!  I wore a fairly thin coat of it today, it stands out more when you apply more~

   I'd have had this post up earlier but my computer had the weirdest error going on every time I'd insert my SD card.  When I tried to get to the files it said "Please do NOT access this disk", and then disappeared like it wasn't connected to my computer.  Restarted and it worked fine this time.  Computers are odd...

   Last night after work my nails were in sad shape.  The lacquer on them was chipping, I had broken a nail at work, and I needed to correct that.  Finally I'm feeling well enough to paint my nails again!  At first I was thinking of doing OPI Mermaid's Tears as a simple mani... but...  I've been looking at colors like that come out of my nose for the past few days, so...  (Sorry.)  Instead I wanted something lovely and vibrant!

   Inspired by the tutorials of doing a design (crackle, stripes, animal print) over a rainbow of horizontal stripes, I wanted to make it my own.  I've never tried doing horizontal stripes, as far as I can remember.  I'm usually not that ambitious....  So, I grabbed China Glaze in 108 Degrees, Senorita Bonita, and Blue Iguana.  These are gorgeous glass-fleck shimmer polishes.

   I stayed up way too late painting these stripes on my nails.  I did it freehand just with the regular brush in the bottle.  I'm actually super pleased with how it turned out!  So pleased, in fact, that I'm leaving my "base" bare for the day!  Maybe I'll add something on top later.  =)  So, it's not perfect and they are a couple spots where my lines are sloppy, but that's a-okay with me...  I was planning to just smother it all anyway!  See: