First Holiday and Finger Paints Swatch of 2013 & The Holiday Manicure That Never Was. Plus I meet the creepiest man yet!

Creepy man story!  I haven't had a good one in a while eh?  So a couple days ago I was looking for an external hard drive for my laptop.  I was going to get one that was made for just Mac.  Instead I got one that was made for Mac and Pc, but it had to be reformatted to use with Macs.  In case reformatting it was too hard, or a pain due to my poopy laptop I knew I had to keep the receipt, just in case I had to go back and exchange it for the Mac specific hard drive.  I'm out of the store 30 second when I realized I dropped the receipt.  Since I wasn't far I decided to retrace my steps.  While looking for it I thought I saw a guy looking at me, but I was paying more attention to finding the receipt.  When I was directly in front of the store, I feel someone behind me, directly behind me.  I turn around and the guy I thought may have been looking at me was.  "Hi" he said.  He was close enough that I could feel, and smell his breath.  At that point I went into the store to try and shake him off.  As I walked into the store I turned around to see if he was still there.  He was.  And he said "Don't walk away pretty lady".  It's safe to say I walked away as fast as I could.

Now let's talk about something else!  Polish!  So this year I wasn't really crazy about any holiday polishes.  But when I got a coupon from Sally's I decided to try some of Finger Paints Polish.  This is from their LE Enchanted Winter Holiday collection.  Not only is this my first Finger Paints of the year, but it is one of my first Finger Paints of EVER!  

This is called Snow Crystals.  It's a textured sparkly, silver polish, with fine glitter and small pieces of silver hex glitter. Went on in 2 easy coat.  Unlike a lot of textured polishes it doesn't look that different when you add top coat.  I think it's because it's already so sparkly to begin with. It really does remind me of sparkling snow.  I can honestly say that I wasn't really into textured polish, but Finger Paints has for sure made me change my mind! Get it now from Sally's before it's gone!  Finger Paints retails for $5.29 USD.

Outdoor - No topcoat

 Indoor - Topcoat

Finally after wearing these for 4 days I decided to add a little Holiday Cheer to them.  I wanted to try Candy Cane nails again.  So I got out some striping tape and red polish and did my thumb.  And when I looked at it the first thing that jumped into my head was... "Eh."  I felt nothing.  It wasn't horrible or anything I just wasn't loving it.  So I decided just to take the whole thing off. 

Is there any one else out there who was on the fence about textured polish? Or are you someone who wont finish a mani, if you're not feeling it?  And I don't think I need to ask about creepy men.  I think we can all wish they didn't exist.

Rose Wholesale Purse: This post sort of contains Harry Potter

So here is my final item from Rose Wholesale.  It's this cute messenger, cross body, bag, in Red Wine.  First of all this cost $11.05 USD, and measures 26.5x8x18cm.  So it's not a large bag, but isn't not small.  It's made from Polyurethane, and is in a red wine colour.  I'll probably post better photos at a later date. I wanted to go outside with it take some photos, but it's too cold :(

Please take the comic book button away from me

 Front

  Now when I got this bag it smelt horrible, like chemicals.  But I've had it for about 2 weeks and the smell has pretty much disappeared unless you put it right up to your nose and take a deep sniff.  The other thing I noticed was the front wasn't really the front.  When you open it, it's just a side pocket.  When you open the other side, it's an identical side pocket, and the flap opens all the way to reveal the inside of the bag.  This is a bit inconvenient because when you want to open the bag you have to pull it away from your body.  I also noticed that the stitching in places was a bit inconsistent and the gold parts scratch easily.  Another aesthetics thing is while I like how it has a zipper, I don't like how it pokes out at the end.  I can honestly say the bag itself didn't feel cheap, the shoulder strap  seemed flimsy.

 Back

 When you open up the front there's a side pocket

 Inside pocket for cell phone.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix fits snugly in this bag.

Unless you are American.

Over all though I do like the bag.  It's cute, and it feels sturdy.  I don't expect to have this bag for decades.  If I end up wearing it a lot, it will be a miracle if it last 2 years.  But you know what?  Even though it's a bit flawed, I'm fine with that because was just over $10 USD.  You get what you pay for.  I can safely say, I'm excited to wear it with a dress.

If you would like this you can find this bag on their site, in Red Wine and a multitude of other colours. 

Now my final thoughts on Rose Wholesale.  I was looking at their Facebook page and they seem to get a lot of complaints about shipping, customer service and the quality of the stuff they send. 1)Especially when it comes to the clothing.  These are clearly cheap, knock offs, so don't plan on getting a winter jacket from here if you live actually want something warm.  Again, you get what you pay for. 2) It's in China, so it does take a while.  But I will say reading some of those comments showed that some of their stuff takes a super long time to get to people.  Way longer than I think it should.  Honestly I'm still weary of this site.  When I go online and see reviews it's almost always from bloggers who were sent stuff for review.  I would like to see some more positive reviews from people who have actually shopped there.  If you do want to order, I would suggest you stay away from clothing.  Most of the time when I see someone satisfied about their stuff, it's normally jewelry.  At this point I personally don't think I could order anything on my own from them.  Not unless they become consistent, and reliable.  

*Product sent for honest review.

A Very Cuccio Christmas

Sorry, I wish I could have kept that title non-denominational…but I love some good alliteration.

Today I have some wonderful polishes and simple holiday looks to show you from a brand that just isn't getting enough love on the blog circuit - Cuccio Naturale. I own two Cuccio polishes, both of which I received through Topbox. The colours are gorgeous and the wear time is great.

First up: Moscow Red Square, a cool red shimmer perfect for the holidays. Red is my favourite colour (that is a lie, my favourite colour is all of them) and this is the red I have longed for. The formula is a little bit runny, but very manageable with 3 thin coats. You could easily get away with 2, but I bumped my nails and scuffed them :P oops! No topcoat here.

I topped it with OPI Pirouette My Whistle for a pretty snowy effect. Instant holiday cheer!

Tel-Aviv About It! is my perfect neutral. When I first saw this polish, I wasn't too excited. After putting it on, however, it was true love. It's a perfect medium tan. In some lights, I swear I see a lilac undertone. 2 coats plus Seche Vite.

For a simple holiday mani, I stamped with Maybelline Bold Gold and Winstonia plate W120, and matted the finished look. I prefer nail art that is isn't too BAM-in-your-face-CHRISTMAS, so this is a nice, subdued look for me. Without direct light for photographing, the stamping is very subtle. I love it!

Are you as enamoured with these colours as I am? If you would like to purchase some Cuccio polishes for yourself, you can get them through Cuccio Naturale's website or Transdesign.

Have a warm and happy holiday!

Vintage Valkyrie: Christmas Edition

This is sort of a cop out for my lack of Holiday manis.  It's not that I'm not feeling the Holiday spirit, it's just I'm not feeling the Holiday mani spirit.  Apart from wearing some holiday collection colours(which I will show soon) I haven't had in your face, Holiday nails.

These nails are actually the first nail post I ever did on this blog.  In other words a post that maybe 3 people saw.  It's from two years ago, and it's one of the first times I attempted nail art.

Ps.  Guess who got her first MoYou plate, thanks to Robyn.  This girl.  *points to self*.

Snazzy new pocket watch that you don't put in your pocket from Rose Wholesale

So a couple days ago I showed you guys that fab, snake killing, warrior ring from Rose Wholesale.  Today I have something else from there.

When I saw that they had pocket watches, I really wanted one just so I could say I had a pocket watch, and be dapper.  Then the more I though about it the more I though I probably wouldn't wear this all that often.  Not only that but I also couldn't help but think it would make me look like some hipster, which I do not want.  So I was pleasantly surprised when I saw these pocket watch necklaces.  The best of both world.  I would wear it more often AND not look like a massive hipster!

I chose this pocket watch necklace.  I just fell in love with how the cut out front looked, and the back with the beautiful, detailed floral design.  On the top of the watch there is that knob that use use to change the time, it's called the crown.  There was a piece of plastic in the crown when you get it.  Once you remove that the watch will start to work.  I should also point out that you need to pull up the crown and then turn it to change the time.  If you don't lift it before you twist it wont do anything.  On top of the crown is a button that opens the watch.  My only thing with this is the paint job.  It was clearly painted to get that antique gold look but some spots near the top are missing some paint and you can see the watches true silver colour.  That being said I don't consider it a big problem as it's not something you can see unless you take a closer look.  Also the watch is less than $6.00 USD, the fact that it came to me in one piece is already a win.

 Editing fun.

This watch retails for 5.47 USD and the shipping for this item is free.

I have one more item from Rose Wholesale that I will show in a couple days, along with my thoughts on the company. (It's a mixed bag of cats my opinion)

Do you think Beyoncé has a watch like this?  I do.

*Product sent for honest review

Adventures In Stamping: The Second Attempt

My first attempt wasn't that bad.  Since then I can honestly say I haven't tried it again, until now.  Today I have for you the MLS301 Born Pretty stamping plate from the Born Pretty Store.  As you can see it's pretty much a big plate o' fun.  Lightning, candy, Robbie Williams tattoos(if you know anything about his tattoos you'll get this).  I decided I wanted to use the starts and put it on top of some textured polish.

I'm learning that stamping itself isn't that hard. I just need to work a bit on placement and such.  But I will say one thing I noticed after using a more expensive plate vs. this was the sharpness of the image.  You can tell with this plate that the sharp crisp edges were a a bit lacking.  But nothing to make a fuss over.  I made sure I used an old plastic card rather than a metal scraper that would scratch up the plate.  Clean up was easy as pi.

Overall I'm excited about this plate and can't wait to use it again for some nail art.  My next idea involves rainbows.  Maybe.

If you want a plate like this head on over to the Born Pretty Store.  You can find it there for $1.99 USD.  And you can use our 10% discount code 'EAL91' for an even bigger discount.  AND shipping is FREE!!!

How was my second attempt at stamping?

*Product sent for honest review

It’s a Christmas Miracurl! - NailPolishCanada.com is giving away 3 Babyliss Miracurl’s ($600 value)

Now you may ask yourselves "How does Kas get her hair so curly?".  Well I'm here to drop a truth bomb on you.  I was born this way.  But if you weren't born with a mane that rivals a majestic lion after a fight, while trying to assert his dominance I have the next best thing:

Every holiday season millions experience a sense of sadness at the flatness in their life. In an effort to cope some find themselves straining important relationships. 

“I know my husband loves me, but another day where I’m running late trying to curl my hair in a mad dash is just a fight waiting to happen”  - Katie B

Could people go without curled hair? They could, but experts agree such a lack of regard and care is sure to result in a coal filled stocking.

“After the economic downturn Santa has had limited resources and he too has to make cuts, it’s not only naughty or nice anymore, but how you present yourself.” noted Mrs. Claus

Today Nail Polish Canada has announced their plans to take a stand and solve this important issue with the Babyliss Miracurl. In just seconds the Miracurl literally sucks your hair right in, curls it, then beeps letting you know it's done.  

In order to raise awareness Nail Polish Canada is giving away 3 Babyliss Miracurls, to whoever can convince us they are the most “in need” of one.

“This will impact people’s lives. Together we can make a Christmas Miracurl”
- Nikki Smith, VP Glitter *This is our favorite pun ever and we’ve been using it around the office for weeks

Simply describe why you or a loved one is in need of a Christmas Miracurl at: http://www.nailpolishcanada.com/products/miracurl-by-babyliss.html

In the spirit of a true Christmas Miracurl the winners will be announced Christmas Day!

Notes about nominations: Feel free to stretch the truth a bit and most importantly have fun.

For further info please contact tiffany@nailpolishcanada.com

Thanks to Rose Wholesale I can now be more like Beyoncé...Minus Jay-Z.

So what you are about to see is our first non polish, but still beauty related post(We've had loads of random nothing to do with beauty posts).  When we started this blog our intent was to be a mostly nail blog, with other beauty stuff too...we just never got around to that...Until now.

A company called Rose Wholesale contacted us to review some of their products.  After having a look at their website, and looking them up online(since this was my first encounter with them) I decided to say yes.  The Best way to describe Rose Wholesale to you guys is it's the Born Pretty of fashion.  Clothing, shoes, jewelry, you name it, they have it for next to nothing.  I will admit the site is a bit overwhelming as they have thousands of items.  Here is the first of three Items I have to show you.

First is this "Chic Style Solid Color Embellished Nail Wrap Shape Alloy Ring For Women", in bronze(also comes in gold and silver).  It was one of those things, you look at it and think "You're so weird...I need you". It reminded me of some crazy claw finger, that someone like Beyoncé would wear.  I was on the fence about getting this because it was one size.  Eventually I figured if it didn't fit I would figure out a way to Macgyver it.  To my excitement whenI tried it on it fit PERFECTLY on my middle finger. You should know 2 things about my fingers.  1)They are skinny 2) They are long.  My middle finger is almost 13cm from knuckle to tip. The ring is 11cm long and did not fit too tight or too loose around my finger.  Even though the ring covered my whole finger I was still able to use and bend it normally and I was in no way worried about breaking it.  I didn't take a photo of it, but I can easily make a fist while wearing it.

 It looks like I killed a snake in battle, and I am now wearing his snake armor as a warning to others.

I kind of love this ring.  No, it may not be an everyday ring, or for everyone, but I can't wait to wear this on a night out *cough*newyears*cough*.  It's bold and fun, and perfect for the skinny, long fingered people out there.  And I can still hold my beer comfortably.  This ring retails for $3.38 USD.  Shipping costs depend on what you are getting and weight.  BUT small items like this generally ship for free :D.  Also shipping usually take a few weeks, but when shipped from far away(China), with normal shipping, a few weeks is normal.

Could you get away with wearing something like this?  Beyoncé could.

*Product sent for honest review

Nail Polish Canada Holiday Challenge Week 3 - Holiday Memories: Children *facepalm*

So this is going to be VERY quick.  It's my week 3 entry for NPC's Holiday Challenge.  The theme was Holiday memories.  I did these in maybe 20 minutes.  I incorporated 2 memories.

1) All that holiday candy.  When I was really young I took a holiday candy and swallowed it whole.  It ended up getting stuck in my throat and I was too scared to tell anyone, because I thought I would get in trouble.  I remember every time I swallowed I could feel it sitting there.  I eventually told my mother and we waited to see if it would move.  Luckily it did and there was no hospital trip.

2) My index finger is the night sky.  Growing up my mother was a nurse, and she had a choice to work Christmas Eve night or New Years.  She would always work Christmas, so we would wait and open our gifts at night!

And if you like this mani, please head over here and vote for Varnished Valkyrie.

3D Lego Nails Tutorial: First Tutorial EVER!!!

Minus the infamous 53 coats of polish my Lego nails would have to be my second most popular manicure.  I always wanted to do a tutorial but I never did...until now!  So I'm going to try and make this as quick and painless as possible.  If you would like the quick but painful version, I suggest you get some nipple clamps and wear them while doing this.

So let's start with what you will need:

 - A bottle of polish of whatever colour you want your lego to be.  Along with a corresponding acrylic paint colour.  If you don't have paint just keep using the same polish.
- Circular glitter(any colour).  The ones I used are 2.5mm.
- Nail glue or clear polish.
- A thin topcoat(my SV is watered down).

First paint your nail whatever colour you want your lego to be using nail polish.  This will help anchor down the first piece of glitter and protect your nails from the paint (They STAIN).

Now while the polish is still wet/tacky place between 2 and 6 pieces of glitter, depending on how many bumps you want your Lego to have.

Once those are in place add a TINY bit of nail glue or clear polish on top of each piece of glitter, then carefully stack another piece of glitter on top.  When those are in place repeat this step.  You should have 3 pieces of glitter stacked on top of each other now.

Next, take your paint and using thin coats go over everything.  5a is one sloppy coat, and 5b is after two more.  The second coat for me in the most important.  I focus on around the bumps.  If you don't have paint, go over the glitter in polish, but be careful.  Polish is thicker so your bumps may not be as crisp, so it is very important to use thin coats.  Also it also doesn't give you as much time to play with it as it gets goopy quickly.

Finish off with a couple coats of your thinnest top coat to even everything out, and make it all pretty.  I say thin again so you can keep the bumps crisp.   NOTE: My SV has been watered down with thinner. I do this with old bottles and use them when I want to use SV but don't want the extra weight.  I find it works just as well but isn't thick.

And there you have it 3D Lego nails!!!

 

NOTE: You can actually tell in this pic that the pinky was done in all polish.  As it's a bit less crisp.

Hope my first tutorial wasn't a huge fail :D

Cutest Water Decals Ever: I think this manicure would make Miley proud.

Have you ever fallen asleep in the clothing you were wearing that day?  I went out this weekend and ended up falling asleep in my clothing.  For some reason sleeping in jeans is really off putting.  You wake up feeling extra gross when you wake up in jeans.  Anyways today is my fathers birthday, so I have to make this quick.

Today I have these super cute animal decals from Born Pretty Store.  They are kitties, ducks, teddies and flowers.  They come with the instructions on the back.  I can honestly say I didn't follow most of them.  I painted my nails the base colour, I removed the film and cut the design I wanted, then dunked it in water for around 20 seconds.  For there I was able to peel the design of the paper and stick it to my non moist nail.  Also you don't need to blow dry it.  It will air dry on it's own in under a minute.  Finally I topped with topcoat and just let that dry.  My one complaint is that it says it comes in a 4 piece sheet.  The one I got as you can see is only 1 piece.

 Note: My cuticle on my index finger looks gross.  That's actually Seche Vite doing silly things.

If you would like some of these for some simple nail art/showing respect to Miley Cyrus's AMA performance head on over to the Born Pretty Store where these retail for $3.99 USD.  AND shipping is free.  AND they are having end of the year sales! AND you can use our 10% discount code 'EAL91'!

*Some products sent for honest review