OMG NailStrips real polish strips review

As promised, here is my review on the OMG NailStrips real polish strips. The difference between these and the strips I reviewed recently is that these strips are real nail polish and the previous ones were nail foils (think nail sticker family).

For these polish strips I followed the directions on the packaging of the strips themselves. Therefore, I did not do any of the tricks that I know of to make them last longer. Please keep reading so that I can explain what I mean later on in the post.

These are the two designs that I received. I chose to use the Tiger stripe design first, because I wanted to save the Kiss design for closer to Valentine's Day!

Once I opened the packaging I noticed that the polish strips were double wrapped--meaning when applying them, I peeled off a protective backing from the front and back of the strip. I thought it was really nice that they were protected like that.

Here is how they looked after I applied them.

I thought they looked so cute, of course, I'm a sucker for anything animal print!

I wore these strips for a good 12 hours and saw no sign of the strips coming off until I woke up in the morning. See below:

During the night, all of the strips had pulled up on the tips.

Now to explain what I was talking about above: No where on the packaging did it suggest using a base or top coat with the strips to make them last longer. I know that with other brands of nail strips, using this technique sometimes works in really bonding the strip to the nail...just like base and top coat do with real nail polish.

When I wear the Kiss design strips I am going to use a base and top coat and see if it helps keep the strips on for longer. I will make sure and do a post about my findings!


My final thoughts:

-I love the different designs that OMG NailStrips offers
-The price point is very reasonable!
-Without base and top coat they didn't last that long
-They lasted long enough to be able to wear them to an event or special occasion


OMG NailStrips real polish strips can be purchased from their website. They retail for about $4.29 each!

Stay tuned for my post on the Kiss design strips!

*This product was sent to me for review by OMG NailStrips. All opinions are my own.

Lilly Brush review

Through my beauty blogging group I had the opportunity to review this awesome product! The Lilly Brush is "first aid" for your sweaters. What that means is, it removes the pills from sweaters. It even removes lint, pet fur, dust, static cling, and even muddy paw prints.

When I heard the claim about removing pet fur, I was sold.

Here is some info. straight from Lilly Brush:

"Lilly Brush quickly and easily removes 100% of pills on all natural fiber sweaters including cashmere, cotton, wool, angora, and many blends."

This is what the Lilly Brush looks like. I really love its convenient packaging. It can easily fit into your purse or in your suitcase if you needed to travel with it.

Here are some pics of clothes that I tried the Lilly Brush on:

Before: This is a Hollister sweater I have. It's really hard to see the pills in this picture because they're small.

After

Before: This is the pant leg of my boyfriend's scrubs. They were filled with lint so I wanted to give Lilly Brush a test run on something other than a sweater!

After: Lilly Brush passed the test!

I realize that in the before and after pictures above it's kind of hard to tell what the Lilly Brush can do. So this is a picture I took after using it on both the pants and the sweater and you can see how much the Lilly Brush took off both garments.

I really like this product because as the owner of a cat, I have to remove cat hair from quite a bit of clothing and the Lilly Brush really comes in handy!

From the information card pictured above, I read that The Lilly Brush can be easily cleaned with light soap and water. I really like knowing that if I wanted to or need to clean it then it wouldn't be a problem.

The Lilly Brush is available in two colors: Red, which I have here, and a Graphite Grey. It can be purchased from their website and it costs $12.95.

*This product was sent to me for review by Lilly Brush. All opinions are my own.

Cult Nails 2nd Anniversary polishes

Today I have swatches of the new collection by Cult Nails! It is their 2nd Anniversary special release collection and it consists of three colors. For each color I used two coats.

Tempest. A plain white cream that does not streak! It's ALMOST a one coater, but not quite. It also works fabulous for stamping, which you can see below.

Blaze. A stunning glitter. It's a gold, but more leaning towards copper. The fine glitter in Blaze consists of gold, lots of copper, and just a hint of silver.

Fetish. A black that dries to a waxy matte finish. This polish is bad ass--that's really the only way I know how to describe it.

Here is some nail art that I did with the entire collection. I wanted to show how well Tempest works with stamping! The plate that I used for the image on my middle finger is Bundle Monster plate BM-305. I happened to put a top coat over Fetish for this mani, so that is why Fetish is looking so shiny here.

This collection can be ordered online from Cult Nails' website and costs $36. The polishes can also be purchased separately for $12 each.

EDITED TO ADD: Preview pricing for this collection has been extended to Saturday, February 2, 2013! Preview pricing is $30 for the entire set. Polishes will still be available for individual purchase for $12 each.

*These polishes were sent to me for review by Cult Nails. All opinions are my own.

Relogy Acne Treatment review

At the beginning of December I had the opportunity, through my beauty blogging group, to review some skincare products. The name of the company was Relogy and I had never heard of them before. I was also hesitant to accept the offer because I had been seriously struggling with acne and I didn't know if trying new products would be a bad idea. Boy, am I glad I tried them!

Let me go back in time a little bit before we get into the review. Since about June 2012 I was battling constant breakouts. Some weeks, the breakouts were more severe than others, but the acne would not clear up. I was so confused as to what brought it on because even in High school I did not have bad acne. Anyways, everything I tried either made it worse or had no effect at all. The Clinique skincare systems, using over the counter spot treatments high in benzoyl peroxide, and even prescription strength Differin didn't help. So, as I mentioned above, I was a little skeptical to try something new, but I thought, "why not."

Relogy was different from the start. It was gentle, it didn't make my face tingle or in some cases, make my face hurt, like the other acne treatments. The Relogy skincare package comes with the foam face wash and the skin balancing lotion, but comes with the target spot treatment for free! After using it for about 4 weeks, my acne had completely cleared only leaving behind the yucky dark marks from the previous acne (see pictures below).

The products came nicely and neatly wrapped

A Relogy "Guide to Clean Skin" was included in the package. This pamphlet was very informational about how to prevent acne and how to maintain healthy skin. I really enjoyed reading it and found it very helpful. One really important thing that I got from the guide is that acne can sometimes be forming under your skin for weeks, that's why getting rid of acne can sometimes take up to 8 weeks!

Here is the face wash, face lotion, and spot treatment. The package also included a cute drawstring canvas bag.

Let's start with the face wash. First of all, it can be used as a rinse free acne treatment foam OR you can use it as a normal foaming face wash that you rinse off in the shower or at the sink. It can also be used twice a day to clear up acne or just once a day for acne prevention. When I first received the package, I used the foam twice a day, I'd use the rinse off method when I showered and then at night I would use the rinse free method. The foam is very gentle and does not have a harsh scent at all. It's not overly drying when rinsed off, but using the lotion afterward was still necessary.

When I was using the foam as a rinse free option it absorbed fairly quickly with only leaving a slight residue feeling on my skin.

The face lotion is wonderful! It absorbs so nicely and I love that you only need a pea sized amount  The smell is also very nice! It doesn't leave my skin feeling oily at all. It's really hydrating and I really only have great things to say about it.

The on the spot treatment is a convenient roll on. Now that my acne has cleared up I use it for the one or two spots I get about once a month. It helps diminish inflammation and redness.

Next up I have my "after" pictures! I have to admit, I did not take "before" pictures because I, one, was embarrassed, and two, I just didn't think people would want to see my acne all up close and personal. The dark marks you see will be proof enough of the severity of the acne that I previously had.

(right cheek)

(left cheek)

These are my "after" photos. As you can see, all of my acne is gone! All that remains are the dark marks from my old acne. Luckily, the dark marks have dramatically faded over these past few months, but I'm still hoping they'll go away all together. They are practically non-existent when I wear makeup, luckily. I realize that the pictures make it seem like my acne is still there, but trust me, it's just the left over dark marks that you see (they just appear slightly reddish, which is strange). When the acne was present, it always formed on my cheeks, it rarely formed on my forehead or chin. That is why I have only included pictures of my cheeks. Please know, though, that I am acne free all over!

I really feel that I have finally found an awesome skincare regiment. I have been using it now for almost two months and I'd say I'm about half way to three quarters through the bottles. That is because I'm able to use it sparingly and it's still so effective. Relogy is DEFINITELY something I would order again once I run out. The price point is something I would be willing to pay seeing that the results are so great.

Relogy can be ordered directly through their website. It is $49.95 for a 60 day supply of the face wash, lotion, and free spot treatment. Plus, they have an option where you pay $49.95 every 60 days (per shipment) and they will conveniently send you a new supply every 60 days while including a free gift (website explains it may be a candle, headband, lipbalm, etc)

Please visit www.relogynow.com for any information I may have missed!

I hope this review has helped any of you out there struggling with acne! THANK YOU to Relogy for your amazing products, my skin loves you!

*These products were sent to me by Relogy for review. All opinions are my own.

BFTE eyeshadows

While I was at the Makeup Show Orlando I had the honor of meeting Crystal, the owner of BFTE (Beauty From The Earth) Cosmetics. She was an awesome lady and a very hard worker.

If you've never heard of BFTE cosmetics, it's an indie makeup brand that has hundreds of colors of mineral makeup to choose from. Here is a small excerpt from their website:
"We celebrate diversity one face at a time with our large selection of multi-use minerals in over 400 unique and modern colors of the rainbow. Please check back as we add new colors and products to our collection of eye shadows, blushes, foundations, collections and more."

At dinner after the blogger preview before the Makeup Show Orlando, Crystal was kind enough to give me four of her mineral eyeshadows.

L to R: Isis, Lavish, Caribbean, Autumn

This picture was taken under my OTT light and for some reason it makes my skin look grey and zombie like. Just know that the colors of the eyeshadow are accurate.

This picture is taken with flash and it washes the colors of the eyeshadow out a little bit, but it makes my skin look normal. I just wanted to show both pictures so you could have two different takes on the colors.

All of the eyeshadows were very pigmented and felt silky on my skin. For ideas and eye looks using BFTE eyeshadows go visit Phyrra at www.phyrra.net. She does amazing things with eyeshadow that I could never do!

These four shadows, plus hundreds more are available at www.bftecosmetics.com
The prices are very affordable and you even have the option of purchasing samples sizes, which I think is great!

*These products were a gift from the owner. All opinions are my own.

OMG NailStrips nail foil strips review

Back in December I was contacted by someone at OMG NailStrips to ask if I'd review some of their products. I had never heard of the company before so I did some searching online and decided I'd give them a try! OMG NailStrips offers a wide variety of nail foil strips and real nail polish strips.  Today I am going to review one of their nail foil strips.

On the website this nail foil strip pack is the "zig zag silver and black" design.

I apologize for the quality of these photos. I had to take them without the flash because the flash was causing a glare and then you weren't able to see the design in the pictures.

These strips were easy to apply. After I stuck them in the position that I wanted them on my nail I cut the excess off and then filed the rest off in a downward motion to get it exactly at my nail's end. The directions for application state to apply heat and then smooth out the nail foils once they're on. I couldn't tell a difference in the application after I applied the heat, so I personally would skip this step next time I used the nail foils.

I planned on wearing these strips for as long as I could to test their wear, unfortunately only after a few hours they started to peel up. In those few hours I went about house work as I normally would (cooking, dish washing, etc). These strips did not hold up during those chores. Here's some photos to show how they looked:

Once they were peeled up like that I had to remove them because they were driving me crazy.
All in all, I loved the design of these nail foil strips, but I would not use them again unless I had a special occasion where I'd only be wearing them for a night. I just feel like they aren't for everyday use.

OMG NailStrips retail for about $4.29 per pack and they are available for purchase at www.omgnailstrips.com

Here's a short summary of what I found using the OMG NailStrips nail foil strips:

Pros:

-Strips come big enough for toenails

-cute design choices for all occasions

-removes easily with nail polish remover

-very affordable price point

Cons:

-not enough small size strips for my nails

-it's slightly inconvenient to use heat

-only lasted a few hours

I still have the real nail polish strips to review and I'm hoping to have that review up by next week at the latest...I'm excited to see how they compare to these nail foil strips!


*These products were sent to me for review by OMG NailStrips. All opinions are my own.

Pure Ice Diamond Couture Glitters

Today I have five of the Pure Ice Diamond Couture glitters to show you!

For each picture I did one coat over black on my index and middle finger and two coats by itself on my ring finger and pinky. Each polish was the normal thickness that you would expect from a glitter polish and they went on smoothly.

Tinsel Town. A fine cobalt blue glitter with diamond shaped holographic glitter mixed throughout.

Material Girl. A fine rosy pink glitter with diamond shaped holographic glitter mixed throughout.

Sea-quin. A fine green-ish gold glitter with diamond shaped holographic glitter mixed throughout.

Party of Five. A fine turquoise glitter with diamond shaped holographic and turquoise glitter mixed throughout.

Hot Rocks. A fine silver glitter with diamond shaped holographic glitter mixed throughout.

These glitters can definitely be worn as full coverage or as top coats. I love that they come in a wide variety of colors and I feel that the diamond shaped "shard" glitter really adds some fun to these polishes! Pure Ice nail polish is available at Walmart for around $2 a bottle!

I've always loved Pure Ice because they offer such a wide variety of polishes and you can't beat their price point.

*These polishes were sent to me for review by Pure Ice. All opinions are my own.

I'm still here!

Hi Everyone!

Well, this is awkward...

I've been MIA from blogging for a little over a month now and so it feels strange to try and get into it again. I'm sure you were all wondering where I ran off to (maybe). Well, let's go back to December and start there.
The first week of December I was studying and getting ready to take my very last exams before graduating, then right after that my boyfriend and I moved into an apartment together! The excitement didn't end there. The following Friday (the 14th) was my college graduation and then five days later (the 19th) was my 23rd birthday! Then came all of the Xmas festivities and to top it off the 25th is also my boyfriend's birthday (he turned 23 also!).

Me after the commencement was over

After all of that hoopla I honestly just didn't feel like blogging and I just wanted to settle into my apartment and spend time decorating and organizing. I even had a three week period where I didn't even do my nails at all! Part of it was because all my nail stuff was a mess, some of it was still at my Mom's house...I don't have my own little nail area anymore at the new apartment...so I just felt a little out of my element. Not to mention job hunting has been weighing on my mind a lot.  I started to get a little stressed about not blogging for so long because I've had things to review and post about since the beginning of December and I've felt so awful for putting it off. But, I didn't want to force myself to write posts if I just didn't have my heart in it.

Good news is I've got the blogging bug again and I've got some reviews lined up to show you (finally) and I'm excited to get back into the swing of things here on Pretty Little Bottles!

Thanks for not giving up on me! <3 <3 <3