nailing it this Fall

It's getting to be Fall (depending on where you live)...but Summer is still holding strong in Southern California.  It's 6:30pm and we're still in the mid 80s here.  I'm not complaining, I'd like to hit the beach a couple more times before the weather changes.  That being said though, my nails have found their color for Fall (a special thanks to my co-worker for letting me borrow her polish): Peace Love and OPI, by OPI (duh/lol).

This is what I'm wearing on my nails right this moment.  Very pretty, if peacocks wore nail polish this would be their signature color for sure. Why is that I don't post pics of my own nails?  1. I'm super lazy when it comes to taking pics.  2. My hand is not always so steady, so it would just look messy in a pic. 3. I have low self esteem when it comes to my cuticles.  ((Mostly number 1))

I've got to say as far as nail polishes go this one is pretty great.  It went on super easy, it didn't bubble up (which I have troubles with) and I love the color...it's shiny not shimmery or glittery and changes colors at different angles.

It's from the San Francisco Collection from OPI for fall...and I think I will def hit this one up again when the temperature drops.  As much as I love love love summer I'll admit that I'm really getting ready for fall.  I didn't know how ready I was until I reviewed my "I should dress better" board on Pinterest.  Very fall ready that board.  I also added some Peace Love and OPI nail art ideas to my "nailed it" board...which I can totally take with me to this awesome girl at a local nail place (she does awesome nail art and loves pics with new ideas). I love Pinterest...and the people who thought of it.

What are you looking forward to for Fall?  Do you Pinterest?  I'd love to hear from you!

Cheers!!~Tam

don't be gel-ous

Went to Laughlin a couple of weeks ago...as a treat before we left my boss gave me a gift certificate to get my nails done.  I went with the gel manicure, knowing that the last time I tried it, it was awful to remove.  My boss swears by the ladies at her nail spa though, so I thought I'd give it another shot.  

The girl was sweet, and did that little leopard print above with the steadiest hand I've ever seen.  Seriously, this girl could be a surgeon...like if she studied really hard and all.  I loved my fingers for the first week and a half.  No chips, everything was lovely.  Then one nail began to peel just a bit.  I fought the urge to pick at it, instead telling myself to go to the salon for them to remove all of it.  The urge became too much though...and I began to peel the color off one nail.  It was an eyesore, and I said to myself Saturday morning you will go to the nail salon and have the rest of the gel removed...but then my friend called and I went to the beach instead on Saturday.  Somewhere between Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon I peeled off all the gel.  I know I shouldn't have.

My nails are a mess now.  I filed them and buffed them.  I cuticle oiled them.  I applied a clear coat of nail strengthener...time will tell.  As nice at it was to have no chips for over a week, I'm going to stick with the regular polish from now on.  

What's your preference for your nails?

St. Paddy's fun and little ol' skincare and nail haul

First things first, Happy St. Patrick's Day to you!  I do hope you got to wear some green, drink a beer (if that's your thing) and listen to some Flogging Molly.  I did all of the above and went to the mall today too. :)

While at the mall I took my friend to one of my favorite shops.  It's called Maneki Neko, and they've got all kinds of beauty products.  Masks, lashes, nail polish, and a pretty extensive NYX collection.  They are definitely aimed at a more Asian clientele (I can't read what's on 90% of the packaging).  I go mostly by the pictures, and have never been disappointed.  

Here's what I picked up today:

Nail Polish (because apparently you can never have enough?)
China Glaze in "Who's wearing what" and OPI in "I think in pink"

A pair of tweezers (remember you tweeze your hairs, and you pluck a chicken...my esti teacher used to say that).  These were made in Japan by Koji Moni, I picked them up because they were very affordable and are narrower than my Tweezerman ones.  I'm hoping that will help get the teeny tiny hairs that are so darned hard to get to.

A pineapple lip balm by Shiseido...simply because Shiseido is generally out of my price range and I thought it would be a little treat to have.  My choices were either pear, berries, or pineapple *based soley on the package.

Lastly I picked up some masks.  I love ready made masks.  I put them on right before bed about once a week and just let them set til I'm about to roll over on my side.  I love waking up and feeling how soft my skin is.  The ones I chose today were: White C by Naisture, a Hyaluronic Acid and Apple Polyphenol by I'm not sure who because that is the only English on the packaging.  They're fun to try out and I've never had any problems with them and my skin. 

a little Betsey Johnson love

There is something in Betsey that I will always love.  I remeber watching a fashion show of hers once, and she used Playboy Bunnies as models because they were curvier than the typical runway models.  They all had a lot of bounce and jiggle in their step and big smiles on their faces...then Betsey came out and finished the show by doing a cartwheel on stage.


She is all about fun and pink and hearts and bows. These are things I will never outgrow.  Some of her stuff is a bit outrageous for the day to day of running errands, going to work and stopping for coffee...but it's always super ultra mega girly.  I tend to stick with her picking up her jewelry.  I've got a pink leopard heart necklace and a little owl ring that I always get compliments on.  I also picked up her Sephora by OPI nail stickers with cherries/lightning bolts/bows.  These are currently one of my favorite things because it makes me and my fingers happy. (Sadly, these appear to have been discontinued).  Currently I'm wearing OPI's "La Paz-itively Hot" with some cherry and lightning bolt accents.

pretty and polished (Coral/Orange edition)

Looking around the cosmetics department I'm seeing a lot of Orange/Corals.  While I enjoy trying out the new shades, it can get pretty expensive in a department store.  What I prefer to do to save some cash, is try a few different shades out at the counters then head over to a beauty supply or drug store to get colors as close as possible.  Sometimes you can get an almost exact match.

For example: Chanel's Orange Fizz and China Glaze's Peachy Keen and Lancome's Tangerine Tint (Lancome's is a bit darker in this, but you see what I mean...You really don't have to spend $20+ on polish)

Right now, I'm really enjoying the crackle coats too. I've been using a gold crackle coat by China Glaze.  I'm hearing some great things in other blogs about Wet n Wild too (but sometime the color selection is lacking from the stores, so I haven't a lot to add there).

What colors are you loving on your fingers and toes right now?  

pretty with plastcizers? (a note on nail polish ingredients)

Looking at the title, I suppose this could be a post on a salt scrub...but it's not.  I recently took a class regarding the ingredients that go into cosmetics.  One of my classmates recommended "Not Just a Pretty Face" (2007; Malkan, Stacy) for further reading.  I'm only on the second chapter, and I keep going back to a main lesson we learned in class that day; take cosmetic ingredient info with a grain of salt.  As in, there are many shades of gray in this area.

The chapter I'm reading is talking about phthalates in cosmetics.  They are what is considered to be a plasticizers; meaning basically that they help to keep things from being brittle.  They are have been found in things like nail polish and hair spray.  After reading the chapter I went online to do a little recent research. I found this interesting from the environmental working group:

DBP as a plasticizer in nail enamel

The plasticizing and film-formation properties of DBP make the chemical particularly useful for nail polish. After nail polish is applied, some of the ingredients volatilize and leave behind a film that is the coating over the nail. DBP is one of the ingredients left behind, reducing brittleness and cracking in the polish.

If the DBP stayed intact in the polish, women might absorb negligible amounts of the chemical into their bodies. But a group of scientists in Hamburg, Germany showed that water-soluble components of the polish, like DBP, are dissolved out of the polish each time they contact water, a conclusion they reached after measuring the leaching of DBP from nail polish that had dried for three days. In fact, one of the reasons nail polish eventually chips is that it becomes brittle as DBP is leached out of the film. This means that every time a woman washes her hands, DBP is washed out of her nail polish and contacts her skin. The scientists conclude that "water-soluble components... attain the skin during extensive but transient contact." Therefore, a woman wearing nail polish not only can absorb DBP through her nail, but also has multiple opportunities to absorb DBP directly through her skin.

The book I'm reading has phthalates seeming way more harmful, which is why I suppose that all of this info needs to be taken with a grain of salt...and also why it's important to wash your hands. :)

pretty little saturday

Went for a little hike this morning, and even though I could hear the freeway the entire time it was still nice to be in nature.  It was chilly and still a bit foggy, but apparently that's a good time for the wildlife as I got to see multiple squirrels and bunnies...and even a skunk which I gave plenty of space to before it ducked back into it's bush.  It was an easy hike and even though it only took about an hour, it was still lovely to be out and I think it made my whole day better.

Then I came home and painted my nails orange and sparkly...which is also pretty fun and makes me smile. (Using: wet n wild shine nail colors in Sunny Side Up and Hallucinate)