Nail Tek II~ Review

I know this looks about as boring as boring can be but this little bottle has done miracles! I received this as a gift recently from a wonderful woman named Jennie who included it in her package because I was moaning on the nail forum on MUA about my soft and peely nails. After putting polish on them pretty much straight for months at a strech my nails had been reduced to soft brittle beings from their former strong flexible glory. I had to keep cutting them all the time because the layers of the nail would separate from the tip down, sometimes becoming quite sore. Not to mention my polish often didn't look that great as the nail would break beneath it. To say this was frustrating would be an understatement.

Splitting Nail (Before Nail Tek II)

I've used this as a base coat for four manicures now and my nails are almost back to their full strength and glory. I noticed a difference right away after the first manicure and three polish changes later I'm astounded. I can't believe how much of a difference this treatment has made. I don't really have an after photo for you as they just look like normal nails though if you take a look-see at the Guns and Roses Nail of the Day you can see my most recent manicure. Before this I tried Gelous which can be purchased at Sally Beauty and though it helped a little in reducing the peeling I'd get on the surface of my nails when I'd remove polish it didn't help with the cracking separating nail tips. Plus I've had good wear with Nail Tek II as a base coat which is a bonus. (Gelous works well as a base coat too). The only thing to keep in mind with Nail Tek II as a base coat is that all the polish may come off at once which is startling the first couple times it happens as its often still in the shape of your nail. Now I just think its funny when this happens instead of weird when it first occurred.
I'm not going to swatch this for you as you can see that it's transparent. But it dries quickly and is super easy to apply. It's sort of expensive, averaging around $10 USD but you can get it for much less as I know Ross in the States was selling it for around $5 and transdesign online has it for around $5 USD as well.

Sprite Rating: 10/10 There is nothing bad about this product!
Would I buy it again? YES! I'm already on the look out here in Canada for another bottle because I don't want to worry about running out!

Final Tartan Tale Swatches!

Mac Tartan Tale

Despite the fact I'm sure most of you have already seen Mac Tartan Tale swatches here are mine from the items I purchased/received from the collection! And what an awesome collection it was!

The Faerie Glen Lipstick

The Faerie Glen lipstick (Top), Courting Lilac lipstick (Bottom)

The Faerie Glen, Courting Lilac

Both of these lipsticks are awesome! Courting Lilac is a Glaze but has quite a bit of pigment to it. It also has a lovely gold sparkle through out it that really adds some depth. It's quickly become my go to purple lipstick to finish off purple looks. The Faerie Glen is just as good in a completely different way. The best nude I've ever found for my complexion, and a Lustre finish. This is a brown based nude which doesn't look that nice swatched or on its own, but when it reacts with the red in my lips I get the most lovely nude. So happy as I truly thought I'd never find a nice subtle lipstick. 

The Faerie Glen Lipstick 

See how it doesn't make me look dead? I've still got some colour to my lips but just less. Yay!

Sir Teddy Mini (Key Fob)

I also caved and got the adorable mini Sir Teddy. He was just too cute to resist and all the money went to helping kids. 

Sir Teddy Mini

6 Beauties Play it Cool Palette

The one thing I wasn't expecting about this palette was how dark all the colours swatched. The only one that doesn't swatch dark is the silver-purple called Silverwear.

6 Beauties Play it Cool Swatches T-B: Silverwear, Hold My Gaze,  To The Ball,
Altered State, Magic Moor, Heather Belles

The two lighter coloured ones tend to look quite dark on the lid which was surprising (Hold My Gaze, To The Ball) but I do still like the palette, I just need other colour purples to work with it.

Look done with Courting Lilac Lipstick, 6 Beauties Play it Cool Palette and UD Asphyxia e/s

NOTD: Christmas Day and Guns & Roses

I've fallen behind guys and I'm sorry! Hopefully this will make up for it a bit! Two Nail of the Days in one! First up is my crazy christmas manicure, Sinful Colors San Fransico (Emerald Green) then on top I've got either Nicole OPI Spark my Mistletoe (red with silver holographic bits) or Sinful Colors (which I can't remember the name of- but it's gold fine glitter with a very small amount of red throughout).
 Next up I've got Color Club Revvvolution! With Konad stamp with a rose! (Please forgive my imperfect konad stamps, this is my first try!)

The ring finger has the slight holographic speckle

Revvolution is hailed as a holographic gunmetal grey/ Charcoal colour. It is gorgeous but mostly the holographic doesn't show up and it normally looks like an actual brushed metal with the silver bits in it. 

Really bad lighting

For the reviewer who asked for Revvvolution hope this helps! I found that this was an awesome polish. Shown above is only one coat and it applied really well. Its only the second day of course but no tip wear though I do have some subtle chips due to my nails beneath the polish rather than the polish itself. Plus it's very unique, not too expensive and completely vegan and non-animal testing. Love it!

Sprite Rating: 9/10 (Because the holo doesn't really show up!)
Would I buy it again? Yes!

Mac Peacocky swatches links

Image from Temptalia

I found some blogger sites that have some of the swatches for Mac Peacocky up! Most certainly worth a look!

Lip Colours at Vampy Varnish

Mega Metal Shadows at Vampy Varnish

Kissable lip Colours at Scandalous Beauty

Collection pictures at Temptalia (No swatches yet)

Musings of a Muse have a bit of both eyes and lips!

Temptalia has the whole collection up!

Hopefully I'll get some swatches soon to show you but I can't promise anything! Happy Christmas!

United States Winter Haul and Birthday gifts!

A really quick post just to show what I got while I was in the U.S. and the make-up items I recieved for my birthday! Eventually I plan to review most if not all of these so if you see something in particular you'd like to see a review of sooner rather than later leave a comment telling me so and I'll be sure to bump it up on the reviewing schedule!

Above is the things I got in the U.S. which not only have a wider selection of brands but are also significantly cheaper with more deals to boot. Included in the pic are:

1. Yes to Cucumbers Natural Glow Facial Towelettes- For gentle cleansing and makeup removal
2. Yes to Cucumbers Soothing Eye Gel
3. Sinful Colors Nail Polish in All About You 921(Gold and red sparkles)
4. Sinful Colors Nail Polish in San Francisco 283 (Dark Green Shimmer)
5. Sinful Colors Nail Polish in Let Me Go 322 (Light-Medium Purple with dark and light blue reflect)
6. Color Club Nail Polish in Revvvolution 852 (Charcoal holographic)
7. Color Club Nail Polish in Fashion Addict 859 (Lilac holographic)
8. Color Club Nail Polish in Snakeskin 901 (Gray-Green with olive green shimmer)
9. Borghese Nail Lacquer in Stellare Notte B355 (Charcoal-blue with teal and purple reflect- trying to find a Chanel Black Pearl dupe or something close to black pearls themselves!)
10. Physicians Formula Green Eyes Gel Liner Trio (So far these rock!)
11. Burt's Bees Lip Shimmer in Raisin (Super pigmented!)
12. Wet n' Wild Nail Color in Morbid 235 (Black and teal- Also to see how it compares to Chanel Black Pearl)
13. Konad Stamping Nail Art Starter Kit! (Can't wait to try this!)
14. Everyday Minerals Miss Me Lipstick in Dark Orchid (Really lovely plum shade! Got it free when I bought a pair of Miss Me Jeans! Yay for free makeup!)

Onto Birthday items!

The Play it Cool Palette from the Tartan Tale Mac Collection
(If you want swatches of my TT things leave a comment I didn't want to flood you all with my TT obsession)

Nicole OPI Kiss Me at Midnight

Nars lipgloss in Downtown (way way nicer in real life it's a stunning purple shimmer!)

Nicole OPI Spark My Mistletoe ( Again better in real life a red sparkle with silver holographic pieces)

Mac TT The Faerie Glen lipstick (the ONLY nude lipstick I've tried to date that looks good on me!)

Nars Penny Lane Cream Blush (Love the cream to powder formula!)

Make Up For Ever Star Powder eyeshadow in White/Mauve
It goes on a sheer whitened purple with awesome blue reflect! 

That's it for now! I'm off to paint my nails for christmas! Remember if anything strikes your interest I'd love to hear form you! (I should be updating later again today so see you then!)

NOTD: Sephora OPI Looks Like Rain, Dear

The short of it? I LOVE this polish, if you like golds and get the chance pick this up at your local Sephora! For those of you who would like a longer version of my review read on! :D

Look at the thumb and pointer finger to see the awesome silver holographic pieces reflect in different colours!

This polish not only looks awesome but it applied like a dream (shown is only 2 coats and 1 would have done the trick) but it also lasts too. I had no chipping and little tip wear on this for at least 5 days. So festive and perfect for New Years or really any time of the year this is most certainly one of my favourite SOPI polishes to date that I own. Unlike most glitters this is opaque and all glitter. Absolutely spectacular! I'm sure removal is going to be a pain in the butt though as it is glitter, and it is a shame that it's Limited Edition. P.S. Pictures do not do this justice!

Sprite Rating: 9/10 (would have been 10/10 if it was perm and easier to remove)

Would I buy it again? YES!

Mac Peacocky Update

Temptalia has the promotional photos and images of the Peacocky products up on her sight, hopefully I'll start to get some more swatches soon! (I can't wait this collection looks awesome!) Check it out here! Isn't the promo model photo goregeous?!

Where I am

I'm sure you're all wondering where I disappeared to, the answer is the Bahamas, my parents surprised me and decided to bring me on a cruise with them. We spent some time in Florida and then cruised for a day were in the Bahamas for a day (today) and are going back to Florida tonight to spend time with my Grandparents. The exciting information is I got a bunch of great Drugstore products from the states including some stunning nail polish colours, gel liners and more! So on top of the things I recieved for my birthday and the things I bought I've got reviews galore coming for you! Until then I apologize for disappearing. Hope everyone's holidays are going well! (Or exams if you're still studying/writing them as I know some of you poor souls are). Lots of Love from the Bahamas!

P.S. The Blinc mascara survived snorkling today and still looked good and came off so easy in the shower! Best mascara I've used to date!

Too Faced Spring

Personally, I don't like to think about spring until Christmas and New Years are over, I want to enjoy my holidays while they last! However, the Too Faced Spring releases are just to cute to pass up. I'm not sure if these include everything that Too Faced is releasing for spring but it's certainly a good start! Their theme for spring seems to be love, romance and weddings, after you have a look be sure to tell me what you think!

Above is the Look of Love Set, which according to Sephora has a $124 USD value. Sephora describes it as a seven piece collection of spring best sellers in fresh and feminine shades for the eyes, lips and cheeks. How they can be spring best sellers when it's not even spring yet I don't know but I do like the soft shades they chose. Included in the kit is a Lash Injection Mascara, A blush with two eyeshadows trio, a Glamour Gloss in Barely Legal, a full size Shadow Insurance, a Primed and Poreless face primer, a mini 'flatbuki' and a zip pouch to hold it all. The set costs $45 USD but I think you get quite a bit for your money. 

Too Faced has added a new foundation to their line for spring. With eight shades ranging from a fairly pale shade to a decently dark one, this oil-free foundation intrigues me. Officially named Amazing Face Oil Free Close-Up Coverage Foundation, this foundation in an adorable bottle costs $36 USD for 1 oz of product. They say it provides an airbrushed look in seconds in part due to light refraction technology. It also has vitamins A, C, and E to protect and maintain healthy skin, as well as Natural Bark extract to absorb excess oil while keeping skin hydrated and fresh. If I can find a shade match I may have to try a sample of this.

Image from Sephora Website

Romantic Eye Classic Beauty Shadow Collection, it's the soft but coloured version added to the rest of the line by Too Faced that included the Natural Eye, Smokey Eye, and Neutral Eye kits. Be sure to take a look the Sephora website image of this so you can zoom in on the shadows because they are really lovely looking up close! The eyeshadows are in Soul Mates (Pale Peach Shimmer), Kiss The Bride (Matte Pale Pink), Bouquet Toss (Matte Pale Yellow-Ivory), I Do (Matte Taupe), Un-Veil (Soft Matte Black), Cut The Cake (Lavender Mauve Shimmer), First Dance (Matte Deep Purple), Honeymoon (Burnished Gold Shimmer), Ever After (Bronze Shimmer). So pretty! Costs $35 USD.

With Urban Decay releasing yet another shade of their Primer Potion, Too Faced has finally jumped on the bandwagon and released a golden shimmer Shadow Insurance in Candlelight. It costs $18 USD.

They also have a version of the Pixie Epoxy out too to hold pigments and glitters to the eye. This is a colourless version and also costs $18 USD. 

So all in all I must say that that I quite like Too Faced spring release, what do you think?

Shopper's Drug Mart Holiday Special Gifts

I was just a Shopper's Drug Mart (SDM) the other day and they had a bunch of really neat holiday special items out on display. The Quo ones were great especially!

The two shadows by Quo on display

My favourite were the two Holiday palettes of eyeshadows. Though I'm betting they're overspray the detail work is so stunning in gold and of course the underlying colours are lovely looking too! These cost around $13 CND each if I remember correctly. 

Earth Quo Holiday

Mauve Quo Holiday

Top of the eyeshadow cases (with a light reflect from overhead lamp *hand forehead*)

Isn't this awesome!? Magnetic travel brushes you just pull off and switch without having to bring the entirety of your brushes with you on vacation! All a lovely royal blue colour. I'm fairly sure they're all synthetic bristles but I'm not positive so check yourself at the store if you're interested and that's important to you. Cute and practical for $35 CND. And from previous Quo brushes I can say they are decent quality for sure. 

Isn't this kit awesome!? Nail Dryer, Nail buffer/shaper, 9 nail polishes, hand and cuticle cream, and a couple nail brushes as well as a random white pencil. Overall for $20 CND an awesome deal if you're interested at all (though I know nothing about the company and their animal testing status- sorry!)

That's all the cosmetics for now but I saw a bunch of other cute holiday things so I felt I had to include them as well. Enjoy!

The Abominable Snowman and the Dentist Elf

Form the Classic Rudolph movie as a kid there was stuffed toys of a bunch of the characters so cute!

Rudolph and Clairice

Giant Rudolph and the Snowman Narrator

Adorable little Swarovski Crystal Reindeer (Not SDM)

Swarovski Crystal Stockings and Holly

More Swarovski Crystal only Snow people and a Poinsettia