Peel-n-Stick Nailpolish

I recently discovered peel-n-stick nail polish, and I have to say, I'm in love. These manicures average $10/box with enough pieces for at least 2 applications if you use each piece twice (1 piece does matching fingers on both hands, except the thumb.) They come in both solid colors and patterns- I'm of the opinion that $10 for solid color nail polish isn't worth it, but the patterns look like they were done at a salon and are well worth it.

I'm going to compare a couple of mainstream brands: Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nail Strips and Incoco Dry Nail Applique. Both sets come with the same amount of strips (2 sets of 8- a total of 16 pieces) and apply the same way- peel, stick, trim, and file. I use a base coat and top coat with both. Unused strips can dry out (kind of like a contact), so how you store them is important.

Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nail Polish

Thickness: These are pretty thick, like several layers of real nail polish, and can be peeled off in a sheet.

Chipping: Both products are marked for up to 10 days chip-free. I'm a waitress so I use my hands a lot and I chipped this set the first day, but the Laced Up pattern is pretty forgiving on chips. I managed to stretch this manicure out for about 5 days.

Availability: Available in pretty much every drugstore that carries nail products, including my grocery store, riteaid, and walmart.

Variety: The vast majority of these patterns are geared toward teens.

Storage: Each set of 8 strips is sealed separately with the box containing 2 sealed sets. Once they're open, they're not particularly resealable, but you can choose to open only 1 at a time.

Packaging: A nail polish sized vellum box, containing instructions, a cuticle stick and nail buffer/file, and 2 sealed packages of nail strips.

Incoco Dry Nail Applique

Thickness: These are much thinner than the Sally Hansen ones and somewhat transparent, like a single coat of nail polish.

Chipping: I've only had mine on for a day and haven't worked with them yet. My theory is that, being thinner, they're going to be more difficult to chip.

Availability: These are a little harder to get. They used to be sold by Walgreens, but with the Sally Hansen craze were discontinued from the walgreens line. They have nail bars in about 4-5 states across the country (not mine) and an online store. The online store is currently out of stock for a lot of patterns, though customer service told me those patterns should be back in stock this weekend. Amazon carries a limited amount of these- mostly solid color and french tip kits, and I found some special sellers on ebay.

Patterns: Incoco has a lot more patterns than Sally Hansen, ranging from teen to sophisticated, and french tip.

Storage: Both sets of 8 come in one vacuum sealed foil package, with a tape strip for resealing. I haven't reopened mine, but am told they can still dry out in the resealed package.

Packaging: A thin vellum pillow box containing instructions, 1 vacuum sealed package of nail strips, resealing tape, cuticle stick and nail buffer/file, and 2 packs of nail polish remover.



Dayna's Minerals

Dayna's Minerals is one of those great little secrets in indie companies. Dayna is a SAHM and one woman show and her products are fantastic. Dayna's Minerals Her overall label look is a kind of retro bewitched vibe and there are many cute play-on-words names for things.

The Glows
Dayna's glows in particular have a "buzz all their own". Rather than looking glittery or shimmery, they really do just make skin glow in a very youthful and healthy way. I LOVE bronzed goddess.

The Shadows
Dayna makes makeup the way she likes to wear makeup and most of her shadows are especially lovely foiled. Her website includes wet swatches of colors to help you see what they really look like.

The Blush
I honestly haven't tried a whole lot of her blushes, but i do own one sunset that i love

The Lippies
I love lippies and Dayna's are pretty awesome. First off, several of them are coffee scented- c'mon- COFFEE. I don't drink coffee, but love the smell. The mint flavor is great too. The lippies are pigmented and moisturizing with some great colors. I especially love the peach.

The Red Sponge
The red sponge is a movement in mineral makeup where you use a red sponge to apply mineral makeup damp/wet using a hydrosol. As far as i can tell it was popularized by Dayna. I was given my first red sponge by Lisa at MMBB, but she got hers from Dayna (who buys hydrosols from Lisa lol) and I've bought them from Dayna ever since. Applying makeup with the red sponge allows heavier coverage and instant setting (no waiting for color change or worrying about fallout).

Products I Can't Live Without

If you've known me for awhile, you know that I like to sample and I love to try new things, but there are some things that sit on the shelf til you decide to throw them away and others that you buy over and over again and are quite sad to see the bottom of. This is a list of my Cant-Live-Without products.

Burt's Bees Naturally Nourishing Milk & Honey Lotion-$10/bottle

In general, I'm a big fan of burt's bees, but this lotion has been among my fav. products of all time for years and is actually one of DH's favorites too. It has ingredients that have always been amazing for my skin- especially the honey and aloe. Being burt's bees, it is of course natural, moisturizing, and gentle. It absorbs nicely, doesn't leave a residue, doesn't irritate sensitive or harshed skin (example: razor burn), and smells absolutely divine. It's an indulged scent without being overpowering- sweet and relaxing. When I have a kid, I'm sure this is what they will smell like on a regular basis because it's how I'll want them to smell. lol. This is probably the longest running product in my collection starting sometime in highschool (7 years?). Safe for face too. *They have a separate longer-lasting formula in a tube that i haven't tried, but reviews say is not the same thing.

Burt's Bees Lip Balm-Original/Peppermint- $3/tube

Lip balms are a touch and go thing for people in that everyone wants something different from their lipbalm. I have other lipbalms that i really like and use, but again- can't live without my burt's bees lip balm. I love the peppermint flavor and higher wax content. Other lipbalms often leave my lips chapped or cause lipline breakouts if overused and almost all need reapplied often- I don't have those problems with Burt's Bees. It's not going to melt in my pocket either.

100% Pure Skin Brightening Scrub/Mask- $21/tube

This product is relatively new to my collection, but one that i use pretty much everyday. The jojoba beads exfoliate gently without fear of getting overzealous and harshing my skin (like with a microdermabrasion gel) and the great nourishing oils leave my skin really soft as well as brighter. It smells like citrus which is something I really love about it.

Silk Naturals French Lavender Lotion-$2.99/flat bottle

I love lavender, but too often lavender products are fakey smelling with a hint of baby powder. This is an amazing, true lavender scent and a great moisturizer to boot. It's heavy enough to moisturize dry hands, but light enough to be used on my face which is especially nice at bedtime. I go through probably a dozen tubes a year and also gift it to my mom frequently (who also loves lavender)

Terra Firma Cosmetics Longevity Lip Stain in Bloom-$14.99/Tube

This isn't really skincare, but it is my most used cosmetic. Lips change color with hydration, sun, etc- but this is the color my lips were meant to be. Pinky peach and perfect for me.

Silk Naturals Sheer Blush in Sassy-$6.50/jar

Peach is my color and sassy's got me covered. This color isn't actually for sale anymore, but it's my color and i'm stocked up.

Avon Supershock Mascara-$9/tube

I've tried a lot of mascaras and this one beats them all. It coats, lengthens, curls, and separates and gives overall wow lashes without much effort. I'm in love. I uy it on sale at BOGO or 44% off.


Items of note:

Argan Oil & Manoi de Tahiti (coconut oil)
I've used both of these oils as hair treatments and argan oil on skin and hands too. Both oils are great at penetrating the hair shaft and are super healing. Coconut oil is a little heavier than argan oil, but the tahitian gardenia infusion is a lovely scent and is amazing for hair. Argan oil is light enough to make a great moisturizer. I switched to using oils instead of conditioner one summer and it completely restructured my hair texture overall from dry and damaged to soft shiny and healthy.

Water
I know everyone says you need to stay hydrated, and it's true!!! I drink an obscene amount of fluid everyday from tapwater to hot herbal teas to 100% juices, but my body can really tell when i haven't gotten adequate hydration.

The Mineral Makeup Company Run Down

Some things you should know when reading my reviews:

• I started using mineral makeup in 2007. I've sampled more companies than you even knew existed. Many of them have closed in the 3+ years I've been wearing minerals and many failed to leave an impression. If they couldn't leave and impression, I'm not reviewing them.
• I know that quality makeup can be had at a very budget friendly price point, so expensive companies aren't worth my time.
• I like makeup with either a creamy/soft & silky texture or a youthful finish, and a company needs a variety of finishes in their shadows to be worth my time
• Customer Service can be a very big deal

Archetype Cosmetics:
Fun gothic theme, very unique and pretty super shimmer shadows, bad customer service. Shipping times were insane.

Cory Cosmetics:
This company offers some of the heaviest coverage foundation on the market, with enough color options to make a match. They're affordable too, with great sampling options. Shadows were hit or miss for me, but some are truly amazing. Some downfalls: occassionally foundations come not quite mixed thoroughly (color streaking) and occassionally packages come with a smoky smell to them (though i've never received makeup that smelled, just the outside packaging)

Dreamworld Minerals
This is a company with truly quality makeup that bit off more than it could chew. It's a one woman show with an obscene amount of custom foundation colors and huge collections of new colors all the time-Ellie is a doll and she wants to please everybody- shipping times are long. The foundations and finishers are some of my absolute favorites and it's easy to find shadows you'll fall in love with at dreamworld. The lippies are unique. If you don't mind the wait, the product is trully quality and customer service is still pretty good, but I really feel that the entire company needs streamlining so both the owner and the customers can be really happy- Fewer products (still of amazing quality) and smaller samples(they're rather large) would go a long way with this company. I believe in Ellie and her product, but feel that she's in just a little over her head.

Everyday Minerals
EDM is a budget friendly line of good minerals- good but not great. I found the foundations never looked quite right on me (rather dull and dry), and the lippies moisturizing but lackluster. A lot of their blushes turn orange, but I found several to love- apple is a favorite among many.  I did fall in love with their sunlight undereye concealer powder though and still rank it among the best powder concealers i've ever used. They offer really wonderfully priced sample kits, and professional packaging. Their bamboo line of brushes is nice (and really pretty), though the density is lacking and I still prefer the silver handled line popular among most companies. If you're just discovering mineral makeup and want to shop around for what fits for you, EDM is a good company to try- i don't think you'll be disappointed. There have been customer service blowouts that left some of their customers feeling offended and alienated- i wasn't a diehard customer, so i didn't really experience it.

Foxy Minerals
I did my sampling from this company when it was still called ethereal minerals. I love that their lipbalm comes in a flat tube. They used to have a pineapple one which i fell in love with and stocked up on. The formula was a nice balance of moisture and wax. Kim, the owner, is very sweet and has great customer service.

Fusion of Color
Their foundations are nice, their samples small. In general, they cost a bit more than other companies and don't really have a wow factor. I never bought a full size of anything from them.

JW Cosmetics
Another resaler with great prices. Especially good site for indelibles, and cream concealers

Lumiere
Lumiere was one of my first likes. The foundation is creamy but light with easy color matches. Their brushes are wonderful quality and when they do their large brush orders each year, they usually allow customers to pre-order brushes nearly at cost (which is a helluvalot cheaper than most synthetics). I was never particularly in love with the site layout, but the customer service is good and the product is quality

M*A*D*
Mad is pretty much a resaler of mostly natural (and very popular) items such as indelibles. What is really great is their diva page of looks.

Meow
I love meow. The foundations are creamy(with a plethora of color options), sampling affordable, packaging convenient (the jumbo jars and munchkins are fantastic, more companies should have them), the service thoughtful (there is a usually a cloth bag involved). I'm not a cat person, so I'm not crazy about the theme, but really, there's worse things than a cute pair of cat eyes on a label and some leopard print tissue paper in the packing. Tammy, the owner, is also known for running contests often (almost every single holiday-not just major holidays either)- so while meow might be an ever-so-slightly higher price point than ideal, there's usually a coupon around the corner, and their forum is full of helpful gals.

My Minerals Bath & Body
reseller of classy minerals. The makeup is creamy, the shadows divine, and Lisa- the owner- is an absolute peach. It also has a really budget friendly price point. This was my first real mineral makeup company, the one i bought lots of stuff from. The skincare is nice, but it's the mists that have a true following.

Pink Quartz Minerals
For some reason, I didn't try this company for a long time. When I did, it was for their custom lipbalms in interesting flavors i just had to have (black licorice, black walnut, butter rum, teaberry, etc). When I ordered the lipbalms, shadows were included in my order, and i fell in love. They resell ecotools brushes which are a beautiful and quality eco-friendly line, and you can also find sales for PQM on etsy. When I had an issue with an item, customer service was top-notch.

Sheer Cover
Sheer cover was my intro to mineral makeup. It was on tv, i loved the celebrities that represented it, and i got roped in. The makeup is quality- though it does contain bismuth- and i still love some of their stuff, but the price point? FORGET IT. I also hate the memberships associated with the big companies. I probably tried around 50 indie mineral makeup companies looking for one that i loved that could replace sheer cover in everyway. I really liked their mascara and lip palettes.

Silk Naturals
All hail the holy grail. Silk Naturals really packs a mineral punch with a budget friendly price point, amazing customer service, a warm and welcoming forum, and quality makeup, skincare, and haircare. The foundation is one you mix your own which in all fairness is not my favorite thing (though the creamy feel and finish are fantastic), but women who can't find a color match anywhere can get one here. SN lippies are hands down my favorite of all time with a huge selection- they won an award for best lippies this year. The blushes are lovely, and the shadows are super wearable with something for everyone (sheers, neutrals, metals, mattes, neons, and shimmers) and there's always a GWP. The conditioner is my favorite- i no longer need a separate detangler, and the french lavender lotion is a true lavender scent- the best i've ever found. If you're looking around- you NEED to start here.

Taylormade Minerals
At the time of this posting, taylormade minerals is closing its doors and it's liquidating its inventory at 40% off. Most of their shadows are amazing and the bag samples were always generous if you want to grab a few before they're gone. I believe their foundation was a resale of monave, but the shadows were their own. tragic really- one of my favs.

Terra Firma Cosmetics
I will preface by saying that terra firma has a high price point (which we know from my opening statement is something i hate). However, for their price point, i will give them that they have a few of my favorite products. Terra firma sells a natural lipstain- and bloom is quite simply the perfect color for my face. I don't ever want to be without it. While their foundation is one of my favorites, i didn't have a straight color match with them and had to mix a bunch of samples together to get one. Their lipbalm is okay- the chai flavor is unique.

Zosimos Botanicals
I have some hit or miss feelings with zosimos. Their samples are affordable enough to try before you buy, but i frequently find their skincare has smells I'd just rather not endure (a common problem with natural skincare but not one i care to deal with). They do sell manuka honey and honeybush acne treatment though which are great products. The cream concealer sticks don't really offer enough coverage for my liking and are kind of greasy. LOVE their lipglosses- they have a really nice coverage for a liquid-peachfuzz is my fav. I wasn't impressed with their mineral makeup line.

Chagrin Valley Soap & Craft

Chagrin Valley Soap and Craft is a much talked about company in the natural skincare world. They've got a wide selection of products and are one of the number 1 suppliers of shampoo bars in the smaller circles.

Shampoo Bars:
For the most part, I'm not a shampoo bar convert. They do leave a build up and I am NOT into the ACV rinse thing- I'm just not. The only one I tried that seemed to lather well without buildup was the honey, beer, and egg bar. I liked it, but I'm not a convert

Lip Balms:
These seem to change seasonally, and are a bit on the extra soft side. Pro: They use some of the best butters for lipbalms which i love. Con: They're not solid enough to come in sticks and i don't love using potted lip balms.

Soaps:
In general, I always feel disappointed in these. Don't get me wrong- the soaps are quality and nourishing, but the scents always seem to be very different from what i was expecting. i do love their shaving soap (for my legs) and DH likes the loofah and sea salt soaps.

Bath Melts:
These are a lovely little indulgence chalk full of goodness. They take awhile to melt and make the tub slippery, but full of great butters and oils.

For the Dogs:
For me, this is where CV really shines. I have a dog with sensitive skin who reacts especially badly to fleas. Commercial big name flea preventatives weren't working and her bouts with fleas left her with raw patches of skin and missing fur. They offer two types of shampooch- one for healing which works really well, and one for prevention which for my dog works better than chemical flea deterrents and doesn't pose a hazard to the dog or our family. Our dog uses sentinel (which has a heartworm preventive and actives that break the flea lifecycle to keep one flea from becoming many) and CV shampooch. Bonus is that our dog really seems to prefer the shampoo bar over liquid dog shampoos. We have also used the paw salve, but she doesn't love the smell and there's no helping her calluses.

A Series of Makeup Looks (using mostly Silk Naturals)

*Almost all of the heabands in these pictures were handmade by me and can be purchased at http://xarata.etsy.com/

Non-SN Products of note

• Avon Supershock Mascara in Brown
• Terra Firma Cosmetics Longevity Lipstain in Bloom
• Dayna's Minerals Glow in Bronzed Goddess
• A Trusty White Eyeliner Pencil- i think mine is Rimmel...

An Experiment in Orange:
Whipped Cream, Canary, Safety, Flames




Copper Look




Cafe Collection




Green Shimmers




Pretty in Pink




Watermelons




Nearly Nude




Striking




I do believe in fairies...




Golden Age




Summer Greens
Bling, Gator Gold, Grassroots Green




Misty Greens




Just Peachy




Bombshell Lipgloss and Cider Blush




Young and Fabulous




For those that don't do purples




The Naked Palette (or what I like to call the Cowboy Collection)




Fun in the Sun



Silk Naturals Lip Swatches

As you can see, these were organized once upon a time. However, after several computer crashes, a lot of the individual photos required to organize these have been lost and not retaken and while new colors are in fact swatched, they haven't been put into any order. For now, you'll just have to search through the haphazard organization available. There is a photo just for reds. Of all SN lipcolors released since October 2007, I believe I am only missing 3- Impulsive, Happiness, and Sublime in my collection. There are a few swatches missing of newer shades; if you can't find it, rest assured that i own it and can swatch it.

Kisser Slickers

Kisser Slickers- summer 2010 including discontinued shades



Early Liquid Glosses circa 2009/2010-most no longer available



Reds Comparison 2010

OCC Liptars mixed with SN multi-purpose colors

Valentine's Lippies 2011



Early blacklabels- more throughout this post




Demi-Glosses circa 2009- discontinued




Susan G Komen for the Cure fundraiser lippies- Special Release/Limited Edition




Lavish Lip Creams circa 2008- discontinued



My Pretty

 

Shrieking Violet




Zinnia



Eye Creams- Depuffing and Dark Circles

I have dark circles- it's a sad fact of life. I have tried a lot of eye creams, and have yet to find "The One" that keeps me from searching, but here's a comparison of a few I've tried:

Avon ANEW Clinical Eye Lift- $28/oz

In general, my sisters and myself had good result with this, but i'm not crazy about the residue left by the gel. It does lighten circles and lift a heavy brow-instantly which is something of note- but it's pricey and doesn't always absorb so great.

Burt's Bees Beeswax and Royal Jelly Eyecream- $15/oz

This one is waxy and will leave a slightly greasy texture to your skin- i recommend using it at night. This one basically works on the premise of thickening the skin and keeping it moisturized. It works well on bags and does help with circles over time.

100% Pure Organic Coffee Bean Caffeine Eye Cream- $19/oz

The image won't cooperate

It comes in a glass bottle with pump



This one works fairly well- the caffeine is great for undereye bags, but it does a mediocre job on circles. It absorbs nicely, but smells like a popcorn-flavored dum dum, a scent i can't stand. DH uses and likes this cream for his eyebags.

Progress in Health-Erzulie Soothe Depuffer Eye Balm- $5/tube

This is another that works on the premise of moisturizing and thickening undereye skin. It's very herbal and takes awhile to absorb. I have worn in under makeup with a problem, but prefer to apply it at night. It's not going to do anything instant, but if you use it regularly- especially before bed- you'll notice smoother more nourished undereye skin in the mornings pretty quickly. It's not too fancy, but I like it.

Silk Naturals Holy Crow Instant Wrinkle Remover-$5.99/10grams

no photo of packaging



This is meant for wrinkles, so when you have really bad bags with deep lines, this will improve the look of them. Unfortunately, it doesn't really do anything for circles (nor is it meant to)

Garden of Wisdom

• Pack Your Bags & Say Goodbye Eye Gel-$14.35/.5oz

This is a newly released product and a new favorite of mine. It shrinks bags within seconds- instant visible results. love. I placed an order for the eye products below before this product was released, and a 5g jar was included in my package. I'm so happy it was.

• Waxless Eye Magic-$8.10/3g jar

I use this in conjunction with the other 2 GOW eye products reviewed here as a moisturizer overtop of everything. I'm not entirely sure it does anything, because the other two are so potent, but it's eye safe with ingredients that target eye area issues and i like to put a moisturizer over serums and gels to keep the tightening from causing skin irritation.

• GoAway Circles Serum-$13.95/.25oz

This is light serum that absorbs quickly and does seem to be impacting my circles. I've only been using it for a week, in conjunction with the other 2 GOW eye products reviewed, and I do feel that my overall eye appearance has improved.