Polish of the Week: 6/17/12

Right now I'm wearing Zoya in Kristen & Color Club in He Loves Me. I really wanted to try out both of these colors so decided to put a 'highlight' on my ring finger. I really LOVE these colors because they cover so well but they definitely fit Springtime a little better than Summer, but oh well. :)

What are you wearing these days?

Sircle Samples

Has anyone heard of Sircle Samples yet? It's a new concept where you fill out a beauty profile, answer small surveys, and ear 'Sircle Coins'. The Sircle Coins you ear can be redeemed in their shop for REAL samples. It's not one of those scam websites that you order a sample and never get it, they actually partner with real companies and you get REAL samples.

At the moment you can only get in by invite since they're in beta testing mode but here's a link for an invite: Sircle Samples Invite

So far I've 'bought' Simple Pleasures Lip Balm, RAW Color Brush Set, Apothederm Moisturizing Cream, Bring It Up "Reusable" Instant Breast Lifts, and E.L.F. Hypershine Lipgloss with my Sircle Coins but they have a number of other companies working with them as well like Napoleon Perdis, and Glamour Doll Eyes.

The usual cost for a sample is 300 or more Sircle Coins which you can easily earn back by reviewing the products you 'purchase' and adding more products you want to try to your 'makeup bag'. Seriously, the concept is great!

For the ...

• Simple Pleasures Lip Balm I received a full size lip balm
• RAW Color Brush Set I received 3 brushes
• Apothederm Moisturizing Cream I received a small sample size + a sample packette of their stretch mark cream
• Bring It Up "Reusable" Instant Breast Lifts I received a packet of 1 set of lifts
• E.L.F. Hypershine Lipgloss I have not received yet

I definitely recommend getting in on this amazing deal. Don't be shy, check it out!

Get your invite now!

*disclaimer: i was not paid to make this review/ad. all opinions are my own.

  

Dr. Scholl's For Her Ball of Foot Cushions Review

*disclaimer: this is not my image. i got it from google images.

This is one item I was very excited to receive from Influenster as a part of my Spring Beauty VoxBox. Surprisingly, it was the first item I tore into right away. I had never had the chance to use any form of insole or shoe cushion before so I was very excited to give these a try (after I played with them and squished them a little, shh!). 

These came in at the perfect timing. Just in time for my friends and I to go out for a night on the town! I figured out where I wanted to place them in my heels, tore the plastic backing off, and stuck those babies. You would not believe the difference they made in a night out where you're stuck in heels for hours on end (ladies, I know you're with me on this!). 

I'm the kind of girl that usually packs a pair of flip flops in my purse so when my feet start dying I can switch shoes but with these Ball of Foot inserts a pair of flip flops just wasn't necessary. We stayed out for hours dancing, talking, standing around and my feet just didn't hurt anywhere NEAR where they usually do. Typically about an hour and a half to two hours into the evening my feet start cramping but with these lovely things my feet didn't start to get tired until 4 am, granted I had been standing all day at work too!

If you go out a lot ladies, do yourself a favor a pick up a couple of these for your heels! You definitely won't regret it. Your feet will be thanking you.

Pick Up A Pair Here!

*disclaimer: influenster is a free box i received from taking surveys. i did this review to give my own honest opinion and receive a badge on influenster's website. all opinions are my own.

Sally Hansen Salon Effects Review

One of the products I received in my Spring Beauty VoxBox from Influenster was the Sally Hansen Salon Effects nail polish in Kitty, Kitty. The style isn't exactly what I would have picked for myself but it was fine for a trial.

   

The kit comes with a wooden cuticle stick, a 3 textured nail file, instructions, and two air-tight packettes of the nail polish 'stickers'.

   

The set up and application process is really simple once you get the hang of it. First you get your nails ready just like you would prior to any at home manicure. File and shape your nails, push back your cuticles with the provided wooden cuticle stick, then smooth out the top of your nail with the white side of the provided nail file. Lastly, wipe clean the tops of your nails with nail polish remover to remove any stray dirt or dust particles. That part is very important to make sure the polish sticks correctly!

Now, you're ready to adhere your nail polish. Go ahead and open one packette and size out all of the strips you'll need for each nail. When you have all of the correct sized lined up in front of you, peel the clear plastic backing off of one, place it on the appropriate spot on your nail (I like to start with the pinkie and work my way to my thumb) then smooth out the surface to make sure you get a custom fit. Be sure not to pull too much, though! You don't want too much stretching and warping. Once the polish is secured, use the orangey part of the nail file to bend the polish over the edge of your nail and file the excess off. Do this for the rest of your nails. Voila! You're done.

This product is pretty nifty if you're looking for a complex design and don't want to pay big bucks at a salon. Would I pay the $10 for a regular wear any old day of the week? No. Would I pay the $10 for a special event? Sure, why not. I was pretty impressed by the fact that I could use my hands immediately after putting these on. That was a mega bonus.

My nails grow pretty quickly as it is so in about 4 days time the polish had grown out a considerable amount and the part near my cuticles was catching on my hair/clothing so I had to go ahead and take it off. I was pretty impressed with the fact that it only had minor chips in it considering I work with my hands at a dry cleaners and am constantly tagging, typing, and using soaps. 

The tricky part to this product was the removal. If anything kept me from purchasing it again it would be the removal process. I tried using a cotton ball soaked in nail polish remover but it wasn't taking it all off no matter how long I left it on for. I even tried scraping parts off with the wooden cuticle stick. I eventually broke down and soaked my nails in a bowl of nail polish remover. After probably a minute or more of soaking each nail I was able to use a clean cotton ball and scrape most of it off but the texture was very gummy and sticky. It got ALL over my other fingers and didn't want to come off. It probably took me about an hours time to get it all off; way longer than it should have to remove nail polish.

If you want to give them a try (why not? it's a pretty good, lasting product!) then you can order them here :

Sally Hansen Salon Effects Website

I may end up buying a box of these again for a special occasion but I just don't have the financial means to spend $10 every time I want to change up my nail polish. (which is pretty frequently)

*disclaimer: i got this product for free as a part of influenster's voxbox program. i reviewed this product for a badge on their website. all opinions are my own. all pictures belong to me.

  

Sheer Cover Duo Concealer Review

Recently I received a mini Sheer Cover Duo Concealer in my Spring Beauty VoxBox from Influenster. Some of you may know of Sheer Cover from infomercials on late night TV or from MyGlam (they sent out a full size a few months back). I actually decided to give this one to my mom since I already had a full size but nonetheless, here's my review! :)

*disclaimer: this is not my image. i got it from google images.

At a first glance I absolutely LOVE the packaging. The clear case really gives it that sleek, elegant look at to me personally, it doesn't feel cheap at all. The concealer comes with two shades, a lighter and a darker shade so you can wear one, the other, or mix! Since I got the 'medium' toning I actually have to mix the light and dark together to get a color that works well with my skintone. That's not a big deal to me, that's why they give you two shades!

The concealer is actually very creamy. A tad bit too creamy for my taste. It works well enough on under eye circles but I had a pretty difficult time getting decent coverage on any blemishes. It's pretty hard to 'build up'. It more or less just blends into your skin rather onto it. It got a little frustrating at times when I would try to put my liquid foundation on top of it and then the two would just blend together. What's the point in a concealer then? Perhaps it would work better with a powder foundation. Also, I have one fine crease under each eye and the concealer took no time at all working itself into that crease making it very prominent and bright. I constantly had to blend my foundation and concealer together through to day to ensure I didn't have a bright line under each eye. (I wouldn't recommend wearing on a hot or humid day)

Another thing that kind of bothered me is the fact that this product is part of a subscription program. In order to buy this product you have to sign up for a monthly shipping program that automatically charges you and ships out your products like Pro-Activ.

A 30-Day Starter Kit is $30 for a full size Duo Concealer, Bronzing Tan Minerals, Mineral Foundation SPF-15, Studio Foundation Brush, Studio Concealing Brush, Extra Length Mineral Mascara, Base Perfector Primer, and an Ultimate Makeover Kit.

Buy Sheer Cover 30-Day Supply Kit Here

All in all, it's a pretty OK product to me. I have a few other favorites that top this product but it's a nice backup to carry along in my purse.

*disclaimer: influenster is a free program where i take surveys, earn badges, and am occasionally sent a box of free products to review for more online badges. all opinions are my own.