My Blog is 2 Years Old!

Hello Everyone!

Today my blog is two years old! It's crazy how fast the time flies! I started this blog at the end of my second year of college and on this Sunday I graduate from college. I have truly enjoyed being a part of the nail blogging community and I look forward to many more years to come!

The manicure that I want to show you all today is another one of the four essence polishes that I purchased back in February, which is my favorite shade of the lot. This shade is called Modern Romance and it is a pretty, pastel peach shade that I think would be flattering on a wide range of skin tones. It's soft and feminine, make the hands look more tan, and has pink micro-shimmer running through it. However, once on the nail, the shimmer practically disappears, but still gives this polish an element of dimension instead of just being a flat creme polish.

I used three coats for this manicure. Out of the four essence polishes that I have, this one had the thinnest formula and needed three coats for full opacity and to even out the color. However, it was still an easy formula to work with, just thin. I wore this polish when my nails were filed quite short because every now and again I get it in the mood for really short nails. However, because this polish required three coats, excluding the base and top coat, it looked a bit thick on such a short nail. The next time I wear this polish, I'll apply it to longer nails. I feel that it will be more flattering that way. Regardless, this is a very pretty color and I really like it! My camera washed this shade out a bit, unfortunately.

Isn't this such a great spring and summer shade?

A Quick Note:

Before I wrap this post up, I'd like to briefly talk about where I'm planning on taking my blog henceforth. Other than nail polish, I really enjoy cosmetics, skin care, DIY beauty/skin care, lifestyle posts, etc, and I'm planning on introducing those types of posts to my blog. I really want to share that hobby with you guys! Within the past 8 months or so I've really been getting into skin care and proper skin care regimens and I've really learned a lot and I'd love to share that with you all. Also, since I'm done with school I've got an entire cookbook sitting at home in my parents house that is begging for me to experiment with it and I'm even considering every now and then sharing some recipes with you all as well!  Let me know what you guys think! I'm really excited on sharing more with you guys!

That's all for now and thanks for stopping by and reading! Cheers for my blog being two years old and a MASSIVE THANK YOU to all my lovely followers. Blogging wouldn't be nearly as fun without you all! <3
-Alana

I'm Back!

Hello everyone!

I am completely done with my undergraduate career! Almost 60 pages of writing and a Music Theory exam later, I have emerged from the plethora of assignments and this semester has been my best academic semester! I can't wait to really devote more time to my blog!

Now on to one of the manicures I was not able to get around to posting while I was in the midst of exams.

I wore China Glaze Four Leaf Clover on my nails for the first time in almost two years, which is a shame because this is such a cool color! It's a vibrant green, that is almost a kelly green, but not quite. It's one of those shades that my camera had a really hard time capturing, and unfortunately, my photos are not true to the color. My photos make the polish appear more blue that it should. This is just one of those shades you have to see in person and if you are a green polish lover and don't already own this, you need to have this polish in your life!

The formula is really nice. It's creamy, smooth, dense, easy to control, and extremely opaque. If you are really careful while applying this polish, you could possibly get away with one coat, but I always apply at least two because two coats always give every polish more depth. I then layered one coat of Confetti Party Palace Blue over top.

I loved this mani. It was fun and vibrant and perfect for the sunny spring weather!

That's all for now and thanks for stopping by and reading!
-Alana

A Quick Update

Hello everyone!

I just wanted to give you guys a quick update. I haven't been posting on my blog as often as I would like, which is really a bummer because I have a lot of posts planned. However, I am right in the middle of finals. My classes actually ended today (my last day of class as an undergrad!), but I've been working on finals for sometime now because all except one of my finals are take home essays. I actually turned in a final today, but I still have about 45-50 pages of writing that still needs to get done between now and May 9th.

That being said, I decided that between now and May 10th, which is the date of my last final, I will not be posting anything because I really need to invest as much time as possible towards my final exercises. I will still be painting my nails and taking photos of them so I can post them after finals end. I just don't want to add any more on my plate than necessary.

That's all for now! To any students out there in the midst of finals, you can do it! I will emerge from underneath the plethora of essays (and a thesis!) in about a week and a half. Time to go out with a bang and graduate!
-Alana

It's my 22nd Birthday! :D

Hello Everyone!

Today is my 22nd birthday! Yay! Though I spent my day in class and doing homework assignments it's still been a great day and I've been sporting a super happy mani for the week of my birthday!

My accent nails had some major shrinkage going on because the design required quite a few layers of polish, not to mention that white usually takes about 3 coats to get smooth and opaque. I don't even mind the shrinkage of the ring finger that much because I really like how the design came out. I used nail art brushes and dotting tools to create this look.

Polishes used: 

• Pinky, Middle, Index Fingers - Color Club Clambake Coral (3 coats)
• Accent Nails: NYC 134A (3 Coats), Clambake Coral, Color Club With Abandon (dark, glass-flecked, brown), China Glaze Happy Go Lucky (Yellow dots)

Also I received two new polishes today from one of my roommates:

The blue is called 083 Party Palace Blue and the orange is called 101 All That Glitters. Thank you Tonyette! I can always use more glitter polishes in my collection! :)

That's all for now and thanks for stopping by and reading!
-Alana

Essence - Oh My Glitter!

Hello everyone!

I initially planned to have this posted a couple of days ago, but school work, as usual, took priority. Earlier today I had the full rough draft of my History Major thesis paper due, so that was where the majority of my time went. But alas! it has been turned in and I have a little less than a month to edit it before the final draft is due. The hardest part is out of the way.

So now, while I'm sitting here with a green clay mask sucking the death (yea the death, as in dirt, oil and other pore clogging beasts) from my face, I have time to post the manicure that I wore this week.

I wore another one of my Essence polishes, this time it was Oh My Glitter! This is a blue base, light purple with pink and blue flecks in it. I really like this polish, I don't have anything in my collection like it. Not that that is saying much, since I don't own many purple polishes to begin with, but regardless, I also have never seen another polish like this. (If there is one out there in the world, let me know!).

The formula is great! It's creamy, smooth,  and easy to control. I applied two coats for opacity. I had very little clean up to do with this one. Also, I decided not to wrap my tips with this polish to see if wrapping my tips actually makes a difference or not. I painted my nails with this last Saturday night. On Monday it was still going strong with not a single chip, but I still added a coat of my OPI Top Coat for extra durability. I didn't get my first chip in the polish until the middle of today, meaning almost six days without a single chip. Yea, it's that good.

Isn't this such a nice, spring shade? Also, do you guys noticed a difference when you wrap you tips? Or do you just not wrap them at all?

That's all for now and thanks for stopping by and reading!
-Alana

March Favorites!

Hello everyone!

It's so beautiful outside today! It's about 60 degrees, there is not a cloud in the sky, the butterflies are out, flowers are blooming, and the birds are chirping. I had to leave my apartment and do this blog post somewhere else because of the weather. So as I write this, I'm sitting in Starbucks sippin' an iced coffee! I love spring! :)

Okay, is it ironic that I went on and on about how beautiful it is outside, yet I only go outside to blog inside? The flowers drawn on the blackboard next to me count, right?

Now on to my March Favorites! Let's see what I've been really loving this past month!

Nail Favorites: 

My favorites manicure for the month of March is by far my Galaxy Nails! I actually wasn't that confident with the idea; I thought I wouldn't be able to pull it off, but I'm really pleased with how it came out!

Makeup Favorites: 

I've been lemming the Revlon Just Kissable Balm Stain in Honey for a while now because I've been wanting a lip color that was the perfect, "my lips but better" shade. I think this may be it! My lips actually have more coral undertones naturally, but I wanted something to neutralize this a bit. Plus after the balm part of this stain wears off, it leaves a slightly brighter stain, so it still really compliments my skin tone and natural lip color. This is going to be a staple product for sure, this spring and summer!

My second, and last makeup favorite for March has been this Model CO lip gloss in Showgirl Red. It's swatched beneath Revlon Honey. I got this in a Birchbox a while ago, initially really liked it, but  kind of just forgot about it. I rediscovered this product this month. It's not really a red, more like a magenta. It's sheer but does just a slight tint of color to the lips to make them look full and healthy. It's really glossy, but not too sticky and lasts on the lips for a while. It has microshimmer in it, but they don't translate on to the lips. I love layering this over Honey when the balm wears off and the stain is left on my lips. Such a great pair! And this lipgloss smells like candied strawberries! The only downside is that this lipgloss retails for $16. To be honest, I really like this product, but if I had to pay retail for it, I wouldn't have picked it up. Also, once it runs out, I don't think I'll miss it that much because there are comparable, if not better lipglosses at the drugstore for at least half the price!

Skin Care Favorites: 

Surprise, surprise, I switched my soap up... again! For the month of March I decided to try another Nubian Heritage Soap so I chose the Lemongrass and Tea Tree Oil soap. This soap gets my skin very clean and smells like citrus, which I really like and makes my face feel even more clean. I chose this soap because tea tree oil is supposed to be good for acne-prone skin. When I use this soap, I think I even feel a slight tingling sensation, but I can't tell if that's in my head or not. Regardless, I've really been enjoying this and I have seen an improvement in my skin as far as breakouts.

Guys! I've figured out what has been causing my breakouts! Since October I started using a new toner, the Neutrogena 2-in-1 Rapid Clear Toner. Oh the irony! That toner was just way to strong for my skin! When I thought back and realized that my breakouts started occurring when I started using that toner, it made sense! Then I looked up reviews for that product and read the minority of the reviews that said that product actually worsened their skin, I had the same symptoms they did. I switched back the the Neutrogena Clear Pore Oil Eliminating Astringent that I've used since at least the 8th grade. This might be holy-grail for me. I've been using this since March 16th and I've seen a dramatic difference in my skin! My breakouts have significantly decreased, I've had no cystic acne, even during that time of the month, and my skin just looks more even and balanced. Why did I ever stop using this!? LOVE! Even the color of this product looks refreshing!

I also added Tea Tree Oil to my skin care routine. Since I like my Tea Tree Oil soap so much, I decided to get a bottle of it. This combined with my Clear Pore Astringent, and shea utter have really done wonders for my skin! I completely stopped using benzoyl peroxide and now I only use this as a spot treatment. After I spot treat with this and let it dry for about 5-10 minutes, I take a dropper and apply one drop (yes just one drop, this stuff is potent!) into my shea butter that I use as my night moisturizer. For me, tea tree oil is just as effective, if not more so, than benzoyl peroxide, without the irritating side effects. I also like the earthy, medicinal smell, though many people don't. One of my roommates came into my room after I used this and said, "Oh! Your room smells so clean and fresh!" I think I finally found a combination of products that work for my skin, and I can't wait to see the long term benefits from it!

I've had the Burt's Bees Radiance Eye Cream with Royal Jelly since about September, I never really used it religiously until March. I originally got it because, there was a period from June to October that I was breaking out in hives about twice monthly around my eyes and I couldn't figure out why. Turns out I'm allergic to eyelid primers. What a bummer! I'm on the search for one that doesn't irritate my skin. Anyway, the irritations around my eyes that I had been experiencing really dried the skin out around my eyes and I wanted something that was gentle, but would effectively moisturize and revitalize my eye area. Since I've started using this regularly, the skin around my eyes looks even better than it did before the irritations happened. The skin is so unnaturally soft and supple looking, like baby soft skin! I'm not sure how effective this would be for more mature skin, but as an almost 22 year old, this is a great eye cream!

My last skin care favorite of the month (I know, I had quite a few, as usual...), has been this shower gel from Bath & Body Works in the scent Dancing Waters. I've owned this scent before and used it back in my high school days. My best friend smelled this recently and said, "I remember you smelling like this!" I've gotten in the habit of switching up my lotions, shower gels, and body sprays/perfumes with the seasons. This scent definitely reminds me of Spring time and spring showers and the smell of flowers. It's such a clean, fresh scent! It's also one of those scents, that if my brother were to visit me and he forgot his shower gel, he could use this because it's not extremely girly. It's just clean. It really reminds me of cool rain.

Random Favorites: 

I got a new tea mug in March, courtesy of one of my roommates, and very good friends, Tonyette! I love this mug! It's so cute and just my style! Thanks again Tonyette (if you ever end up reading this!).

I also tried a new herbal tea from Twinings, which is my favorite tea company. I picked up the flavor Honeybush, Mandarin & Orange in Whole Foods because I knew the weather was going to be warming up and I wanted a fruity herbal tea. This is really, really good! I'm also thinking this is going to taste really good as an iced tea, mixed with a black tea in the summer! 

I finally finished reading Jane Eyre in March and I really loved it! It's one of those books I look forward to reading again! It also has some really great quotes in it! Here is one of my favorites: "Life appears to me too short to be spent in nursing animosity and registering wrongs." If you are interested in classics or stories that have great character development or you're into character analysis, this is a great read! 

My last two March favorites are music related. 

I think this is self explanatory. Justin Timberlake. New Album. Enough said. 

Lastly, I've been really enjoying the artist Tyrone Wells. His soulful voice, acoustic, simplistic style really lifts the mood. If you're into relaxing, positive music, check him out! Here's my favorite song by him to get you started. It's perfect for this lovely Spring weather! The song is called "And The Birds Sing."

That's all and thanks for stopping by and reading! This was quite a lengthy post, but I really enjoy doing these every month. It gives me a chance to break out of my normal nail talk and share more with you guys. Plus I think it's a great way to learn more about people! What were your favorites for the month of March?

-Alana 

My (Belated) Easter Nails!

I know, I know, Easter Sunday was three days ago but the college struggle is real! My work load tends to lighten up on Wednesdays so I've finally found the time to post.

As a Christian, Easter is very important to me, so I really wanted a manicure, that when I looked down at my nails, it really represented what Easter means to me.

I started with a Skin Food mint green polish. I'm not sure if it has a color name because the majority of the bottle is written in Korean. I used two coats. Like most mint greens and pastels, this polish is streaky. The formula of this was a little thick and I had to use two thick coats to achieve even looking opacity, but the formula isn't horrible. I just wish the brush was more flexible and soft to make it easier to apply. Then, on my ring fingers I used China Glaze Passion to freehand a simple cross. That's it! Minimalist and meaningful! :)

 That's all for now and thanks for stopping by and reading! I hope you all had a wonderful Easter Sunday and cheers to another weekend that's coming up soon! I plan to have my March Favorites posted not later than Saturday!
-Alana