Sally Hauls

Hi!


So as I was saying in my previous post, I went to the new Sally Beauty Supplies that opened last month in my town. Super exciting, the people working there are really nice and knowledgeable, a very enjoyable shopping experience.

Here's what I came home with:

Let's take a closer look, shall we?

.: Hemp with Argan Oil Body Moisturizer. I was a bit skeptical at first, wasn't sure if it was gonna smell like hemp a whole lot, but turns out to smell simply divine! It's not an overpowering smell, and the smell stays on for about 3 or 4 hours. Almost 24 hours later, my skin still feels hydrated. (best impulse buy I've done in a long time!)
.: Cotton Gloves. I wanted to try these for a while now, putting a thick coat of body butter or heavy hand cream before slipping these on for the night. I tried them last night, and it really works! I had rashes due to cold weather on top of both my hands, and it's gone. Also, not sure if this is related, but one of my nails had a white spot on it, and it's a lot less noticeable now.

.: Pure Acetone. I was almost running out of it anyway, and it was on sale for $1.99. 
.: Nail Polish Thinner. One of my polishes is.. I don't know.. Too thick? Not sure if it's the problem for sure, but I'm gonna try thinning it. It's my last hope.
.: Cuticle scissors. Not that I cut my cuticles, but I'm hoping it'll be easier to cut the little silk patches for repair.

.: Bubble White. This stuff really works!! I wear 2 coats of base coat, to prevent yellowing, and I'm super paranoid when it comes to this topic. I usually brush my nails with baking soda every time I change my manicure, but if it's getting out of hand, I use this Bubble White product. I leave it on for about 10 minutes, and the yellow hue is gone.

.: Orly Des Fleurs. I was curious to try a pink base for a French manicure. I think it'll be too pink, from the small swatch I did. But we'll see.
.: Orly White Tips. My white from Sally Hansen is getting just too thick, and this one seem good enough to replace it.
These are my very first Orly polishes!

.: China Glaze Broken Hearted. Originally, I wasn't a fan of crackle polish. Until I had it on my nails! I tried this one over my existing (chipping) mani, and it looked great. I did a few tests with the brush stroke, to find out which way it cracks better. This goes on my nails next, that's for sure.
.: China Glaze Crushed Candy. This looks amazing too, it's unbelievable. 
.: China Glaze Liquid Leather. My only other black (from Aldo) is a little on the thin side, and has a beautiful shimmer in it. I just thought I needed a simple black.


This was my second time going to Sally's. The first time, about a month ago, here's what I had bought:

.: Supernail Swiss Silk patches. Works wonders. As soon as you put on the gel, it's completely transparent. And it's tough too.
.: Finger Paint Hue Left Me A  Message? This is my very first FP polish! Though it's a subtle color, it looks really good on my nails. I did one mani with it, that should appear over the next few weeks.
.: China Glaze Grape Juice. My very first CG polish! The shimmers in it look so good! It's a bit on the sheer side, but build up very nicely. I also did a mani with it, to be seen within a few weeks.
.: Wonder Bond Brush-on Gel Glue. This works better than just regular brush-on glue or just any nail glue I've encountered. I pair it with the silk patches, and it stays on for at least 3 changes in manicures. It's very tough on its own too, and doesn't take much time to dry (1-2 min tops).
.: Missing from the picture: 2 individual packets of Bubble White. I wanted to try it first before buying the bigger container.

Also, soon to come on my nails:

So there you have it! My most recent haul. I was tempted to buy more, though, because I saw a new Finger Paint collection, with giant flower rings on some bottles, and a few other China Glaze and Orly polishes that I wanted, but it'll have to wait another time.


Thanks for coming by today! Feel free to leave comments, questions, reactions, etc!


GabZ ♥

Weekend Haul, Viva La Nail, Stamped Kisses

Hi!!


Since this will be pretty picture heavy, I want to apologize in advance. I have tons of new goodies I received/bought over the week, and I wanted to show you guys!


First, I want to say that Viva La Nail rocks, big time baby! Remember my last post about them? It was missing a water decal, and they kindly offered to send it to me. Well imagine my surprised when I got a whole new sample pack in the mail this week. I am so impressed with their customer service skills, and I will definitely buy from them again. Here are the stickers and decals I got this time:

Last weekend, I got to Rimouski, and while my sister-in-law was shopping for shoes, I went into the dollar store. Here's what I got:

 Ultra fine glitter!

 To store the glitter without a mess

 Different shape rhinestones

And when I came looking out for her in the Aldo, look what I found:

"Twilight Rendez-Vous Prune Givrée" & " Hit The Pavement Perfecto"

Now after that, we went to Winners. Have you ever been to one? Last time I went, I bought 5 Borghese polishes for $15.99, when the original price for just one of these babies is $13.99 at my local drug store. I think it's like the equivalent of Marden's in the US. Well this time, here's what I found:

Can you believe it?! Sèche Vite for $7.99! I thought I'd have to buy it online, as I don't have a beauty store in my area (the closest is like a 3hr drive..) So that's why I bought 2 bottles.


I also got these:

And this pack also came with 2 packs of stencils:

And then on Monday, I went to the mail box, and I picked up my stamper/scratcher combo:

So of course, with all these new toys, I had to try them on! Here's the mani I did 2 days ago:

This is 1 coat of Rimmel Base Coat Top Coat Pro, with 2 coats of Twilight Rendez-Vous Prune Givrée, 1 coat of Sèche Vite, stamped the kisses on BM02 plate using Hit The Pavement Perfecto, topped with another coat of Sèche Vite. I realize the stamping isn't that visible, but it's just because I thought that if I'd mess up the stamping, I wouldn't have to redo my mani. I have 4 nails with a little bandage, and I didn't want to spend time to redo them all again!

Twilight applied a little streaky for the first coat, but a second coat evened everything out. As for Sèche Vite, I have to say I now understand what all the fuss is about. Wow! By the time I was done my thumb, my pinky was already dry to the touch. The only downside to SV is the tip shrinkage.. It may just be a reaction to the Twilight polish, but I think I read another blogger having the same reaction. So.. If anyone has any tips to prevent the shrinkage, it'd be much appreciated!


So here's the giga post for tonight! Thanks for reading me, and for taking the time to come by!

Next, there will be the Holiday manicures I made last Friday, for the my Hun's and brother's Christmas party.


GabZ ♥

Tools Haul & BM Plates

Hi, people! :D


The more I read blogs, the more I discover tips and tricks about how to care for my hands and nails. So I've decided it was time I review my nail care routine, and I used the Shopper's Drug Mart gift card I received for my birthday and here's what I bought:

Let's take a closer look, shall we? ;)

Sally Hansen Instant Cuticle Remover & Quo Expert Cuticle Pusher/Scraper. Looking forward to try these! I'm hoping the cuticle remover will take care of my middle fingers. For some reason, the skin keeps on lifting on both sides of both middle fingers, and it might help a little. I did try the pusher/scraper on my thumb, and it seems to work pretty well.

Revlon Shape-n-Buff buffer file & Quo Ceramic Nail File. Haven't tried the buffer, but I'm pleased so far with the ceramic file. A bit harsh on the skin around the fingers, to I have to be careful not to press down on the skin. But it files neatly, and doesn't leave any "pieces" of nail hanging at the end of your nail once you're done.

Nailene Brush On Nail Glue. So much easier than drop glue! I can only find this thing at Shopper's. I tried at Jean Coutu, once, and they only had a cheap store brand that was all dried out. But this one works very well.

Vaseline Cocoa Butter Deep Conditioning hand cream. This cream smells so freakin' good, I almost wanna like my hands! :P And it leaves my hands so smooth and moisturized.

Cover Girl Lash Blast Fusion mascara. Now, I know this has absolutely nothing to do with hand/nail care, but I just wanted to put it out there that it's *THE* best mascara I've ever tried. My lashes get extended, extra curled, and I seem to have much more lashes than I do, without the incredible clumps and crumbles that I've experienced with other ones.

Also, look what came in the mail for me today:

Yep! My Bundle Monster Plates arrived today!! *Happy Dance* I don't have a stamp/scraper combo yet, as I've ordered them from eBay, so I can't try them on. It'd be so awesome if they could arrive this week, though!! I just can't wait to play with them!!

My Hun and my brother work at the same welding shop, and it's their party on Friday night. My sister-in-law asked me to do her nails too for the occasion!! :D I've never done this on another person before, so I wonder how it'll go! I'm so excited!! I've already posted my pictures on my Facebook, so she saw my "catalog" (if I can call it that, lol!) She isn't sure what she wants yet, but we'll take a look at that on Friday. So exciting, isn't it?

So, sorry for the long post, I was just really excited about all these things! But then again, I'm easily excited, so you can't go by me! :P 

Until next time, take care!

GabZ ♥

Mini-Haul!!

Excitement ahoy, I went on a small shopping spree! I had a crappy morning, and had to run some errands, and just couldn't resist buying these:

From left to right:
- Tone Body Wash, Mango Splash
- Revlon Top Speed, #320 Jaded
- Revlon Top Speed, #610 Lily
- Sally Hansen HD, Hue 
- Joe, Matte Top Coat
- Joe, Wine
- Joe, Fig


I threw in the body wash too, 'cause I bought it on an impulse. It smells divine, and can't wait to try it out!


I was happy to find the Joes polishes, because I had never seen them before. I was looking for them through the nail polish display, but they were on a separate rotating shelve. I'm a little surprise at the size of the bottles, as I never realized 6ml was so little. But for the price ($4 or 3/$10) it's not so bad. I've never tried a matte finish before, so I'll try that on my next mani!


Swatches to come over the next few days! Stay tuned! ;)