OPI Christmas Haul Review

As some of you may already know, I have an addiction...to nail polish. Of course it isn't just any nail polish. It's the insanely expensive but always beautiful OPI. The entire time I was growing up my mom never bough cheap nail polish and insisted on always using OPI, and I can't try to fight it now! If you're interested in seeing my entire collection (although it is about 6 months old now and it's changed a bit) I made a video here on my YouTube. Naturally then, I ask for new color for Christmas and these are the newest additions! I know Christmas was almost two months ago, but better late than never right?

(Left to Right)

Tickle My France-y, You Don't Know Jacques!, Malaga Wine, No Room for the Blues

I can't get enough of pale blush/nude colors, and after searching for over a year I think Tickle My France-y has finally filled the hole in my life (and collection). It's creamy, relatively easy to apply (minimal streaking), and lasts fairly well (2-4 days with minimal chipping) when applied with base and top coat.

You Don't Know Jacques! is more than an odd color. I wanted a brown in my collection on the off chance I needed one for an outfit, and this is an overall solid one. Not too dark, not too light, and with a hint of grey. I've only worn it once so far and nothing very exciting to report about it. It was mostly a basics purchase kinda like that extra white t-shirt.

Malaga Wine is a beautiful color for winter. A deep true creme burgundy that I love the color of against my pale skin. I use it mostly as a great pedicure color, as it's a little vampy for my personal manicure tastes. The formula is great, not streaky at all. It is similar to another polish I have (Vodka and Caviar) but has more of a purple-ish tone. Overall, I'd say that nail polish lovers will see the need for this, but a deep red for the casual user will suffice.

Lastly, No Room for the Blues brings a spring color into play. I am in love. It's a perfect spring/summer time light blue, and lasts quite a while without chipping. The formula goes on very smoothly, and I'm really just praying for the days it is warm enough to wear this without looking crazy. Although I must confess, I did throw it on a couple weeks ago for a mood brightener. Worked like a charm.

While basics aren't fun, they are necessary. I also received my favorite Seche Vite top coat and an OPI kit with base and top coat that came with two little glitters. Initially wary, it took me a while to try these, but I LOVED them. They're messy, so I would recommend applying them over a sink or bowl. Essentially I just applied a base coat and after 30 seconds or so dipped my finger into the glitter. Naturally I was covered, and it probably wasted a ton of glitter, but after two dips I was good to go. A top coat finished things off. Miraculously, it didn't take a jackhammer to remove. Two cotton pads of remover got 98% of it off and as far as glitter goes, I'm more than thrilled with that result.

I think I will do a review of Seche Vite vs OPI Top Coat because I have some very strong opinions about both of them, and I keep both in my arsenal for different purposes. Would that be of interest? Also, would swatches on those little plastic nails of the polish be helpful for the next color review? It didn't occur to me until just now that sometimes colors look quite different in the bottle. Let me know your thoughts of both of these questions in the comments! 

My Casual Valentine

Are you sick of seeing these boots yet? Because believe me, I'm sick of wearing them. The snow literally just doesn't stop. It'll snow sometimes two or three times in one day, and with the temp not rising above freezing more than twice in the ENTIRE MONTH OF FEBRUARY, our chances of seeing the ground any time soon are slim to none.

Sweater- H&M

Shorts- Thrifted

Socks/Tights- Kohl's

Boots- DSW

Valentine's Day was pretty low key, but still wonderful. The morning was all snuggles and cuteness before he headed off to train and I went to coffee with my gals. Dinner was homemade sesame noodles with chicken and veggies, and my school had a jazz concert so we hopped on over to that before getting the REAL reason for leaving the house: fro-yo. There's an adorable little place in town that Seth is just in love with, and now they've started a promotion called "free ounce Friday". That's definitely going to become a thing we do.

Also, I'm wearing a new lipstick that happened to be my gift from him :) It's "Modesty" by MAC, and I'm beyond thrilled that I seemed to snag a guy with great taste in makeup (and at least tolerates my love for high-end lip products). Hope you all had as wonderful a day as I did!

I-made-a-Youtube-video say whaaat?!

That's right folks. I've gotten over myself (mostly my laziness) and jumped back on the Youtube bandwagon. I mean, I have 308 subscribers. That's a waste of subscribers if I'm not uploading! (Even if it is quite a small amount in the Youtube world). So here it is. While this won't really be an "update" for those of you who just read my blog and didn't watch my Youtube, it's still a little glimpse into my life that I thought I'd update everyone on before making fashion/lifestyle/beauty videos again.

Having said all of that, if you'd still like to watch it I definitely won't stop you! The link is here or I've embedded it into the page for your convenience. Aren't I sweet



Since I'm really just getting back into everything, I'm a little short on ideas or what's been trendy to do lately. Are there any tags I should film? Any styling videos you guys are dying to see? Leave me a comment here or on the video and I'll get on that as soon as possible! Thanks!

The Blogger Made Me Buy It Tag

I've been in a bit of a blogger rut recently, and I can't seem to shake it. I think it's the snow and it's ability halt any and all outfit photos. The snow is currently UP TO MY KNEES and isn't scheduled to stop for several more hours. Send packages of canned goods and water because I'm pretty sure I won't be able to leave my house until spring.

Consequently, I've dug up a cute little tag about beauty blogging that was fun and different from any usual posts. Hope you enjoy :)

(I've also changed the size of post fonts and the alignment...yay? nay? Let me know in the comments)

Who are your most influential bloggers?

Who are the ones that you really rely on for reviews & swatches?

It's hard to really narrow it down, but if I follow you on Bloglovin' then I probably really really value your opinion. Those are the bloggers I look back at for inspiration and really aspire to grow toward. Having said that, I find myself getting most excited when I find that The Beauty Crush, Marionberry Style, and Ivory Lane have posted. Sammi has such a grasp on her style and I absolutely adore it. Marion is literally the funniest fashion blogger I know of. She makes me smile with every post and you can always look to her for a giggle along with outfit inspiration. Ivory Lane is essentially what I wish my wardrobe was. Everything is classy, high end, and so beyond my price limit. I live vicariously through her blog, haha. As for reviews and swatches, I most often read Sprinkle of Glitter.

Do you buy a product solely as a result from one review from your favourite bloggers, or do you look for more reviews from others?

There have been a couple of products that I've gone out and bought (or put in my online shopping cart and cried about the prices of), but mostly I just read the bloggers reviews for future reference if I ever need to go out and buy something. However, I do search online for reviews when I'm making a specific beauty purchase.

What is your most favourite item that you have ever bought as a consequence of blogs?

There are a couple of things I absolutely do not regret buying, but my top three are probably my Naked2 palette, the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain, and any MAC lipstick. The Naked2 palette really opened my eyes to wonders of eyeshadow, because before that I really didn't use any. The Just Bitten stains are just plain addicting and I'm embarrassed to try and count how many different colors I own. Lastly, the MAC lipsticks are beautiful. Plain and simple. I'm now spoiled on high end lipsticks, however.

What is your least favourite that you have ever bought as a consequence of blogs?

This is an easy one, because it's literally my most regretted purchase of all time. It wasn't expensive, but the Kate Moss lipsticks as a whole were a MASSIVE let down, especially the first one I tried (color 113). It's awful. I thought I would give them another chance in different colors after that, but that was a mistake. I have yet to find one I liked.

Name five products that you have bought recently as a result of blogs.

The Maybelline Colour Tattoo in On and On Bronze, Revlon Stay Matte translucent powder (re-purchase), Mary Kay Timewise skincare kit, and RealTechnique's Face and Eye brush set (Christmas gifts, but I asked for them based on a review!)

Have you ever given into blogger hype? if so, which hype?

Absolutely. The Revlon Balm Stains were a huge hype, as are all of the Naked palettes and RealTechnique brushes.

Have you ever avoided blogger hype? If so, which hype?

I held out on the RealTechniques brushes until I could get them as a Christmas gift, and I still don't own a single high end mascara.

Is everything you buy based on blogger reviews or are they some items you buy without checking out a review?

A lot of the drugstore items I will buy without checking out reviews because sometimes it's just fun to try things out. It really all depends. Most of the time when I am buying high end products I will spend the time to really do my research, or I will have already seen the reviews that spurred me to buy it in the first place. 

So that's that! If you'd like to do this tag, go ahead. I wasn't tagged by anyone, and I really thing that "tags" are hardly tags anymore. Everyone just picks up the ones they want to do and run with it, and I love that! It's much more fun when you don't have to worry about people thinking you're pretentious for doing a tag you weren't tagged in. 

Also, I've updated my eBay shop with items that I'm selling while I'm here at school. The last thing to be added will be my TUK creepers (box included!) and those will go up later today. For now, everything is uploaded. You can find the link here or there will be an eBay icon in the side bar. The "Shop" button in my header in a link to my ShopEnvy store, and those items are in home. I do have my sister who will mail those out if you would like to purchase any of those items, but it will take probably about a week to get them sent out. I don't mean to discourage you, just trying to give fair warning!

I'm selling these items for a very specific purpose, because in March I will be traveling to...CALIFORNIA! YES, that's right! The dream I've been thinking of for years is finally coming true. I'll be headed out with Elana over our spring break, and the excitement is uncontainable. I do have to fund this adventure, however, so I'll be updating items all through the next month and a half. Happy shopping!