NoTS Noble Through Skin 28 Remedy Intensive Serum First Look!

Hello there!

Today I have a first look post at an item I received for free, to review, from www.08liter.com - check out the site and sign up, too!

I was sent the NoTS Noble Through Skin 28 Remedy Intensive Serum. It is a KBeauty product but came with plenty of English on the label, so no worries about improper usage.

I had not heard of NoTS before receiving this product. I love trying new stuff!

Here is the bottle itself. It is full size and comes with 1.2fl oz of product. It retails for $48 on Amazon.

I love the touch of a luxe serum! It is clear and applies so smoothly! There is no scent that I could discern, which is always a plus.

It applies like a typical serum, super smooth to the touch. It does try slightly tacky, but has no issues when you apply your moisturizer after.

That is it for now. I plan to revamp my skincare for the next month to incorporate this product and I will let you know how it goes!

Thank you to www.08liter.com for the chance to review this product!!

xoxo,
Lacey

Mani Round Up: August 29, 2017

Wow! It is the last Tuesday in August already. Do the months fly by the older you get? It really seems like it.

Let me show you what I wore on my nails last week.

Zoya Yvonne: Told you I love this one! After my Zoya swatch session, I decided to wear one for, you know, a day or so. I picked Yvonne, which is out of my usual wheelhouse, but I love it. This beauty is opaque in one coat, dry time is immediate, and the color is phenomenal. Win! 

J Nail Lacquer Rose Purple: I had not touched this polish in years, as evidenced by the gallon or so of thinner that I had to add to it! After making it usable, it was much better. This is two coats and topcoat.

Illamasqua Purity: You've seen it, you know I love it! Illamasqua Purity is my jam!

Glam Polish Tiny Dancer over Illamasqua Purity: Flakkies are perfect when you want a subtle and easy to removal sparkle to your nails! Tiny Dancer is fine by itself in 3 coats, but just one coat of Purity was perfect for that extra little somethinsomethin.

Party nails!! Salon Perfect Sugar Cube and SinfulColors Black on Black: My awesome Grandmother (Gogo, for those who know her) turns 80 on August 30th! We went out for dinner over the last weekend, so I felt I needed some epic celebration nails, including cameos, which Gogo loves. She def liked my nails!

China Glaze What's She Dune? I needed a palette cleanser after that party on my nails, so I went with What's She Dune? by China Glaze. Perfect in two coats and lovely with my skin tone.

Xoxo,
Lacey

Zoya Sophisticates

The Zoya Sophisticates collection is here! There are two "pearl" shades, two "metallic" shades, and 8 creme shades. Let me show you each one! I am going to lift the description from the site, LOL. #lazyblogger

But first, group shot:

Zoya McKenna: "refined pearl in a soft almond" is the description of this polish. It does have a "pearl" like finish to it, but it is very subtle. Watch those brush strokes though, they can show if you're not careful.

Zoya Tabitha: this is the other "pearl" polish but in a hunter green. I actually liked this shade more than I thought I would! The pearl finish makes it quite unique...but, oh boy, those brush strokes! Two coats shown here.

Zoya Gal: No doubt, this baby is named after Gal Gadot, aka Wonderwoman! I wish they had given her a more powerful color, because this one is lame-o. Zoya describes this as a "smokey, iridescent, peridot gold metallic." Ugly, LOL. My camera didn't like it and neither do I! It might look pretty cool over black, though. This is three thin coats.

Zoya Beth: Pretty color with a tricky finish! Beth is a "soft, sandy, champagne metallic" that is opaque in two coats but ohmygoodnessbrushstrokesaretakingovermylife!

Alright! Onto the creme polishes!! I get that Zoya needs to branch out in other finishes to keep competing in the market, but creme polishes, in my opinion, are where Zoya shines the brightest!!

Zoya Mona: We all know Zoya gets matchy matchy with collections, so there are two reds, two pinks, two purples, and two darker cremes. The reds are Mona and Yvonne. Mona is described as a "plum" red, and I think that is true with the richness of this color. One coat!

Zoya Yvonne: described as a "bordeaux" red creme, this is one of my favorites! Are you surprised!? I am! I love this color so much that I wore it to work after swatching, so you'll see this in a weekly Round Up post, too. One coat!

Zoya Padma: Onto the pinks! Padma is a "vermillion, red creme" but I see zero red. This baby is a bright and happy fuchsia! The formula is beyond perfect - one coat!

Zoya Hera: While Zoya calls this a "red mauve" I call it a dusty rose - the most perfect dusty rose shade EVER. I am sure this isnt the most unique polish ever, but I adore it. Two coats. PS: What the hell is a "red mauve"?

Zoya Joni: Purple time! Joni is so pretty, a "deep, dusty plum" creme that will look good on anyone. This is ONE coat! Perfect.

Zoya Presley: Also super pretty, Presley is "smokey, mauve taupe" creme polish with a faded finish. This is two coats. Can we talk about the name? When I think of Presley, I think of Elvis, and I either think of blue suede shoes, or his bright ensembles and costumes. This color? Not so much.

Zoya Hadley: This "smokey, midnight blue" creme is almost like a blackened teal to me. The green tones were apparent with my skin, but I actually really liked the color. Even better? One coater! Even better than that? I am passing this on to a childhood friend because her daughter has the same name. As a Lacey born in the 80's, there were no fun toys or touristy things that ever said my name, so I am more than happy to help out a girl in the same situation in 2017.

Zoya Elaine: Last but not least, Elaine is an "umber brown" creme polish that was delightfully opaque in one coat. This is such a lush, warm color! Perfect for fall temps.

There you have it! The Sophisticates are available now on www.zoya.com. My favorites are, surprisingly, Yvonne, and, not surprisingly Hera. Which will you be picking up?

xoxo,
Lacey

Mani Round Up: August 22, 2017

Hello! Tuesday is here and that means it is time for this week's mani round up, where I show you the polishes I wore over the past week. I will tell you a little about each one, too, varying from how much I like or dislike it to why I chose that color. I hope you enjoy each week's posts like I do!

This past week I was all over the place with colors and finishes.

Color Club Poetic Hues featuring Roman Reigns: Though I share quite a lot on FB and here on my blog, one thing that you might not know is that I am a HUGE WWE fan!! I have been since I was a little girl, LOL. Mondays and Tuesdays are specifically for watching wrestling and doing my nails. I forgot to take proper pics of PH, probably because I have worn it so many times (that I had to add some thinner to it), so I took some the next day and decided to throw in my Roman POP figurine. :) Isn't he cute!?

Nire's Desire American Muscle: I am such a huge Nire's Desire fan! I love every color I have from Erin, but American Muscle might be my favorite. This is two perfect coats and although it looks almost metallic in the bottle, it applies perfectly with no streaking or lines. In the shade it looks almost black but in the light it erupts into a beautiful deep oxblood red. Love!

China Glaze Shocking Pink (Neon): I had to post two photos because the camera was not catching how truly neon this polish is! It really matches neon pink sticky notes perfectly. This is two coats, over white, and it does dry matte so you need that glossy topcoat.

Zoya Storm: This is the only mainstream polish that I have ever purchased a back-up bottle of, just so I'll never be without it! Over the past weekend, I was a presenter - attendee - booth runner, whatever you want to call it, for the nonprofit that I work for, and the event was held by the Biker's Against Animal Cruelty. I wanted something hip and edgy but still polished (ha) looking. Storm it was! Perfect in two coats, even more sparkly with topcoat.

That's it for this week!

xoxo,
Lacey

Topcoat Review: CND Vinylux Weekly Topcoat

Today I have a slightly atypical post for you - a review on a topcoat! (PS: I received it in a Goodie Bag at a Nail Polish Convention that I attended. Not a review for the company, just my experience in this post.)

Here is the subject in question:

Admission: I have had this bottle, untouched, for at least a year. I am a polish blogger - when do I want a WEEK's worth of wear when I re-do my nails multiple times per week?

The answer is when I take the time to do an awesome, intricate mani that came out (almost) as well as I had hoped!

I did this mani for Mother's Day, but had to do it a few days before. I was shocked that I actually liked it and wanted it to stay intact, so I thought it was a perfect time to try out my CND Vinylux Weekly Topcoat.

Well. Not only did this not hold up for a week, it didn't make it for four HOURS before it chipped, massively, on my cinderella hand. Seriously! I waited plenty of time for it to dry and I was literally only doing normal things, like getting my makeup on for dinner. I wasn't washing dishes and I am not rough on my hands at all. Furthermore, my HK Girl stands up to chores, like washing dishes, and stays put and chip free for my entire mani.

In sum, the CND Vinylux Weekly Topcoat is a big old FLOP from me. I know that topcoats work differently on all of us, considering factors like body temp, oils in your skin, how rough you are with your hands, and more, but safe to say, this one is not for me!

Have you had a different experience with this topcoat?

Tell me about it in the comments!

xoxo,
Lacey

Mani Round Up: August 15, 2017

I was a bad blogger last week! I was so busy (doing what, I don't even know) that I kept the SAME color on my nails for like 3 days. I am shaking my head in shame.

Needless to say, this week's post is slightly lame.

OPI You're Such a Budapest: This is the polish that I kept on for eternity. I adore this color as  it is bright, punchy, cheerful, and has the most charming subtle shimmer. It also wears incredibly well, as you know one single chip would've made me immediately slam on the life brakes and re-do my mani. This is three coats - two would've been OK but I am an over-achiever - with HK Girl topcoat.

Glisten & Glow Ridge Relief: Coming soon to the Glisten & Glow website near you! I was one of the firs to be able to test this out (squee!) and I love it! I've said it before - a ridge filling polish is like the primer of your makeup, it smooths and perfects the surface before application. If you have ridges in your nails, this will be your new holy grail.

Glisten & Glow Ridge Relief, Fresh Paint Sugar Cube, Essie Petal Pink: I wanted to keep the au natural look of Ridge Relief, but I also wanted a little bling, so I added two coats of Fresh Paint Sugar Cube, a flakie with a slightly tinted base. I topped it with one coat of Essie Petal Pink to give it an almost jelly sandwich mani look, and topped with HK Girl.

Zoya Hera: Oooh, what is this?! The fall Zoya Sophisticates collected has landed! Hera is a gorgeous dusty rose, which is just the most perfect color on my skintone. This is another polish I wore for a few days! I did two coats although one is fine for this creamy, dreamy polish.

Sigh - that's all I got. The sneak peek at the new Zoya is worth it, though, right?!

xoxo,
Lacey

Etude House Tint My Brows Gel Review

This is a longer than usual review, but if you're looking for an inexpensive brow tint, as well as loads of funny faces and gross eyebrow hangy pieces, this should be a decent read!

I hate my quasimoda eyebrows. I am a 80's baby, which means I was a teen in the 90's era of overplucking the absolute life out of your brows. That trend, combined with an eyebrow ring scar on my left brow (again, I blame the 90's) and a childhood scar on my right brow that causes an exaggerated arch, I am constantly on the hunt for helpful, yet inexpensive, brow products.

As you may also know, I am way into the world of KBeauty skincare and loving it. My skin hasn't looked better in pretty much EVER. When I saw the ETude House Tint My Brows Gel for under $5 shipped, I decided to give it a try.

Here is the package. I didn't take pics of the instructions, but the English instructions were there, well written, extensive, and super helpful. Good start!

This is the stuff! It's goopy, it's gluey, it's honestly kind of scary looking!

I swatched it on paper to check the color and then I got nervous. Looks reddish, right!?

Here it is, in sum! Let me tell you more about each step and the experience itself.

Before:

This is legit the worst pic I have ever posted on the internet. You're welcome, world. ZERO makeup, wonky eyebrow in full effect. No, really, you're welcome.

During:

It is surprisingly easy to use:

Make sure your face is washed.

Trim your eyebrows to avoid excess hair pulling up upon removal (it's going to happen anyway, and a LOT).

I used a clean mascara wand to groom my sparse hairs in the same direction. Use the brush, with product applied liberally, to create the desired shape.  Apply MORE product than you think you need.

Removal:

The directions suggest leaving it on for two hours, OR, for more coloration, leave on overnight! I left mine on for three hours. You look goofy AF - a combo of Frida Kahlo and Groucho Marx, and it feels tight, like drying glue.

At about the two hour mark, as I moved my forehead and eyebrows, I could feel the drying and tightening begin. I left it on for an additional hour and then began to peel.

More Removal:

Directions suggest starting with the head of the brow, but I used my nail to gently pick and push down. Who knows it that caused the hairs to rip out, but they def. did.

After:

Not bad! This is really not my color, although it was the darkest one, and my hair is not even that dark. I probably would leave it on overnight if I wasn't a)afraid to do it again, and b)afraid to lose all of my eyebrows, considering how few I have anyway.

Aftermath:

Here's the scary part! Horror!

Oh, boy. See all those little hairs? Sorry if you think it's gross - cuz it is - but a review needs to be thorough, right!?

Conclusion: 

Well, as interesting as this was, I was pleasantly surprised with the outcome. As the directions stated, I didn't use any makeup or skincare products on my brows for 24 hours after.

However! About hour 25, I went to the gym. And I sweat - that's the point, amirite?

I used my regular old cloth to wipe my face as I hustled on the treadmill. Totally forgot about the brows. When I was finished with my workout, I stopped in the locker room and took a look.

Eyebrows GONE.

Gone. 110% gone, as if I hadn't done a thing to them. WAIT! I mean, my REAL brows were (still barely) there, LMAO, but the Etude House Gel was completely gone. Moot. Futile.

That was not the conclusion I was expecting to this experiment! I was hoping to use this over my upcoming vacation and therefore not have to schlep along multiple brow products, but that is not going to be the case.

I can't recommend this to you. I just can't. Have you tried it? What do you think? Would you try it after my review, or did I ruin it for you?

xoxo,
Lacey