Sally Hansen Salon Effects - Real Nail Polish Strips...

So - this was my first time purchasing these strips and using them.  I have to say that I really do like them, they are easy to use... and so far they are quite durable and lasting through my normal day duties... including washing dishes several times a day.   Though they were sold out at my local Walgreens in all the cool colors and designs... I was able to get a few awesome ones.

The box claims that they will last up to 10 days, No Dry Time and you just need to Peel & Apply.  They fit all Nails and come with 16 Nail Polish Strips, a Cuticle Stick and Mini Nail File.


Day 1 (pictured below)- You can see the little mistakes I did on my middle finger from over filing... but for the most part - they look really nice. :)

When you first open the box... the smell is quite strong in my opinion... like Gorilla Glue or some kind of really strong adhesive.  At first glance, they look really weird and you have to really work with it to get the sizes just right... but they are fairly simple to apply to your nails.  I was able to place them and take it off... if I placed it in the wrong area... so that definitely was a plus. It seems to set fairly quickly and I was able to remove the excess without difficulty... utilizing the mini nail file they include.

I do have a few cons on this item however... as I cannot believe that it costs $9.99 plus tax.  This isn't that bad... considering you pay a lot more for a professional manicure in a salon or even for a high quality nail polish for that matter... but you really only get 1 application with this product.  It comes with 16 nail strips (instead of 20) so you can really do another full set with the extras you have left over.  I think I will use them to do tips instead... because I can cut them down to shape... maybe.

I am on day 3 of this nail polish strips... and so far - they have really held up.  Besides the normal wear and tear any nail polish will have and normal nail growth... they still look really nice.  The color has faded some bit, but that is normal with any nail polish you use... and considering I didn't use a top coat - it looks pretty darn good.

Day 3 (pictured below) - normal nail growth and a little bit of fading... as well as some removal of the paint from my nail edges have come off - but for the most part, they still look good.

All in all, I think it is a pretty good product.  It saved me a lot of time, which is awesome considering I never have any time to begin with. :)

The products discussed and photographed were purchased by me with my own money.  I was not paid or compensated in any way by the companies or others to do this video or blog post.  

My First E.L.F. (Eyes Lips Face) Cosmetic Haul

Yes, as the title states... this is my first E.L.F. Haul.  Living on Maui, there really isn't anywhere to purchase E.L.F. products unless you order them online... so I totally lucked out when I came across a bunch of products while doing my normal shopping. Most of the products I found at my local Ross store.  I swear - this place is a goldmine...  though I must admit, I don't often enjoy shopping there, everything is always unorganized.  (Maybe I just shop there during all the wrong times)  The Beauty Encyclopedia's were found at my local Walgreens.  I wasn't really interested in shopping there when it first opened last year... but since I have gone there just about a month ago, it is turning out to be one of my favorite stores. :)  Below are photos of my E.L.F. purchases.  I have my thoughts on the items listed below and the cost I bought each one for.  I cannot wait to do tutorials on looks with these items...  so excited. :)

So - I am excited on my special finds... and the prices I got them for are pretty comparable for what you can get them online for.  Don't forget that when you go to places like Ross, Walgreens, etc - to check their cosmetic or gift section for awesome finds like these.

E.L.F. Liquid Eyeliner 3pk.  Liners are in black, silver & plum $2.99 at Ross

I haven't had the chance to really use these yet...  I did do swatches on them, which are pictured below.  Here is my opinion of them from swatching and testing out the swatches. 

Thoughts...  The black & plum eyeliners have great pigmentation and glide on quite easily.  The silver one took at least 4 strokes to get the color payoff pictured on the swatch.  The liners have a felt tip applicator, instead of the regular skinny brush applicator you get with other liquid liners... and the product is pretty much filled to the top of the bottle.  I rubbed at the liner after it dried to see if it smugged... and it did stay on pretty well... but it is not waterproof - I dripped water on it and it ran so fast I thought it was running a race.  

All in all - for the price, I think it is pretty great.  I would definitely set the liners with an eyeshadow... and make sure you have a good primer to help its staying power a little bit more. :)

Black, Silver & Plum eyeliner swatches - Left to Right.

E.L.F. Flirty Eyelash Palettes in Diamond Lash & Dramatic Lash $2.99 at Ross

I haven't had the chance to try these on yet.  They come with adhesive to apply it.  Once I do - I will be sure to post pictures of the look as well as a review. :)

E.L.F. Duo Shadow Kit - Color 101

A total of 8 shadow colors and one E.L.F. Professional Eye Shadow Brush

$4.99 at Ross

I am so excited to use these... I swiped a few of them with my fingers to test it out... and absolutely enjoy the pigmentation so far.  I will be doing looks on them soon. :)  One downfall thought... the Professional Eyeshadow Brush was a bad make.  When I took it out of the packaging... it seems really soft - until I felt the back of the brush... it had glue stuck all over it and it was dried and hard.  I simply wouldn't be able to use it - especially on my eyes.  Maybe I can find another use for it.

Unfortunately I could not find the name of the colors anywhere on the shadow pots / pans or on the box.  If I find out what they are - I will update this blog and list the names at a later time.

E.L.F. Bright Eyes Quad Collection - $4.99 at Ross

4 Shadows & one Professional Eyeshadow Brush with Brightening Eyeliner in Black 

These colors look absolutely beautiful in person as they do in the photograph.  I cannot wait to try them out.  I haven't swatched any of them yet... but I will post pictures once I do. :)

E.L.F. Color 101 Smoky Eye Kit - $4.99 at Ross

Includes 1 Smoky Shadow Quad, 1 Brightening Eyeliner, 1 Professional Eyelash Curler, 1 Lengthening & Defining Mascara and 1 Professional Eyeshadow Brush.

I haven't used the eyeshadow quad or eyeliner yet... though I did swatch the eyeliner... it glided on very smoothly... so far I am impressed.  The brush in this set is very soft... I can't wait to try it.  I have been using the eyelash curler and absolutely love it... it is my favorite eyelash curler to date - I think I will be ordering more online.  I also tried out the mascara.  At first application, I was not impressed and in fact - quite frustrated with it... because the brushes bristles were so far apart I wasn't getting the look I wanted.  I stopped using it and then went back to it a few days later.  I like how short the brush is because I was able to get in to my inner corners and grab those little lashes and I took the time to try and apply it so it would work for me.  All in all, I would give it a thumbs up - because my eyelashes have a nice length to them without adding a heavy helping of clumpiness.  There are a few downfalls, it easily smudges off of my lashes.  My eyes watered just a little and normal mascara would not run as much as this one did.  Also - when I close my eyes... sometimes I feel like my eyelashes are sticking together.  I do like that this mascara is beyond affordable and does pretty well.  Since my lashes are growing with the Rimmel mascara, the ELF one did give my eyelashes pretty good length and grabbed onto the little lashes that other brushes can miss.  I could overlook the negatives and would buy this mascara again. :)

Beauty  Encyclopedia's - Neutrals Edition and  Smoky Edition - $5.00 at Walgreens

I haven't tried any of these yet.  But as soon as I do - I will be sure to do a tutorial or post pictures. :)

 Disclaimer:  The following products were purchased by me with my own money.  I received no compensationfrom the company and/or companies mentioned.  All of my reviews are my own, honest opinion and I am not influenced in any way by the company or its subsidiaries to provide a positive or negative review. ~Honey~

Raspberry Red Hair...

So - I posted on Tumblr.com a few days ago that I was coloring my hair to a bright red color.  I contemplated going really bright like Rihanna is currently sporting right now - but decided to tone it down a bit because I still have a bunch of photoshoots to do before the end of the year and didn't want to freak out my clients. :)  I settled on the color Luscious Raspberries by Splat.  I have never used Splat haircolor before, but let me tell you... I LOVE IT.  I picked up this box of hair color from Walgreens (I think I said CVS in my tumblr post - if so, sorry - I totally made a mistake)  It cost just over $10 and in my opinion it was a great deal.  The contents of the box includes everything you need for that all over, drastic color - including bleach to get that pale yellow color that will absorb all of the pink to have a very bright and vibrant look.  The color does stain more than any other color I have used before.  I got a slashed mark on my right forearm and have been scrubbing since and it is still there - so you must be very careful when using this product... vaseline is a must around the hairline, ears, etc.  I didn't use any and luckily I was able to remove the color before it stained. :) yikes.

So here is a picture of my final hair color.  I LOVE IT and will recommend this color to anyone.  I have been a big fan of RAW color that you can find at any Hot Topic Store, but you have to buy the bleach separately and it cost more for just the RAW color then the Splat color with bleach.  I didn't use the bleach on my hair this time because I still had highlights in my hair from my last salon trip.

So - what do you think?