Monday, August 11, 2014

Pretty & Polished Polishes - Swatches & Review

Hi loves! Today I have some swatches from Pretty & Polished on the blog! P&P and I go way back and I actually remember when it first started (Jawbreaker anyone!?!) and the insanity that was cart-jacking. If you're just getting into indies now, you've started at a fab time because getting your hands on a popular indie was hardcore, guys. Anywho, I was excited to try some new Pretty & Polished beauties and Chelsea was sweet enough to send me four from various collections. Let's check them out!

Boys Will Be Boys is a thermal polish. When warm, it's a light blue with various hexes but when cold, it turns a slightly darker version of that blue.
Unfortunately, I couldn't catch it on camera! My tips were definitely darker and it looked awesome but it wouldn't show up. Application was a little chunky but Chelsea has said that thermal polishes are thicker due to the pigments used. The hexes were plentiful but were somewhat of a pain to spread out evenly on the nail. This is three coats and there was still a light VNL.

Draximum Security is a blue-tinted polish with blue and red hexes and shards. Inspired by the Guardians of the Galaxy movie.
UGH. So gorgeous! I recommend layering this over something because at three coats, this still showed VNL. I absolutely love, love, love the red shards mixed into this. Super easy to apply and the formula was perfection!

The Gamourous Life is an acid green with red shimmer. Inspired by Guardians of the Galaxy movie.
Another total drool-worthy polish! I'm dying over how neon this is in real life. This is three smooth coats. Again, there's VNL so I recommend applying this over something (maybe even white?) for a nice, opaque look. 

Hootin' and Holoin' is a cranberry holo from the Summer Fun FX Collection.
Ohhhhh baby! I think it's safe to say everyone needs a cranberry holo polish in their life. This is perfect for fall coming up. Super smooth application, amazing formula and this was opaque in like, two coats. AH-MAZING. 

Overall: I'm super impressed with Pretty & Polished's newer polishes. My faves would definitely have to be The Gamorous Life and Hootin' and Holoin'. Both are just so gorgeous! Which ones are your fave?

Pretty & Polished - Buy | Price: $9
* Press Sample
Friday, August 08, 2014

Baby Update | 34/35 Weeks!

I know that I'm SO behind on this but I wanted to catch up. Any other mamas-to-be like, "Wait. I'm having a baby in a few weeks?" It's insane to think about. I'm just copy-and-pasting notes from the past few weeks:

The baby is definitely moving more but they're more rolls and waves instead of kicks. It feels like he's running out of room in there, for sure. He's super low and sometimes I feel pressure but nothing insane. My back sometimes hurts just walking around and I have this weird burning sensation under one of my ribs. I asked the midwife (more on that in a sec) what it was and apparently there's a nerve there that he could be pressing on. Fun stuff!

So about the midwife. I'm not sure if I shared here but a month ago, we went on a hospital tour and I found myself leaning towards midwifery views than of a doctors. I scheduled a meet-and-greet with one, we talked but she didn't really get into their values or anything and asked me if I was serious to schedule another meet-and-greet with one of the other midwives in their group. Did that and met with her the next day. To make a long story short, it was different. September is really busy for them and they weren't sure they'd be able to make since I'm coming in late (at the time I was 34 weeks - totally understandable!). They like to be there from the beginning to establish a trusting bond. Again, so understandable! She than told me that the dealbreaker to let me in was that I'd have to be on a Paleo diet, get lots of exercise and that I'd have to take a birthing class. I didn't want to do that so I passed and decided to stick with my doctor this time.


How far along? 34/35 weeks
Total weight gain: 28 pounds
Maternity clothes? Anything stretchy is my best friend right now.
Stretch marks? Lots!
Sleep: Pretty well! I get up once or twice to pee at night.
Miss Anything? Not having crazy stretch marks and a nice, full night's sleep. Also, sleeping on my tummy.
Movement: Lots of rolling and waves. Barely any kicks any more!
Food cravings: Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, iced coffee and pretzels.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Not much.
Gender: It's a boy! 
Labor Signs: Pressure in my lower half, movement in the lower half.
Symptoms: Back pain, pressure, leaking boobs. All the fun stuff! ;)
Belly Button in or out? In.
Wedding rings on or off? On.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Anxious! Ha. I just want to meet him already!
Looking Forward To: Meeting our baby :)
Friday, August 08, 2014

Nail Art | Chevron & Outlining with Bonita Colors

Hey love muffins! Happy 400th post to me! :) Only took me two years to get here. No biggie. This mani celebrates a few things: 
- From where I started. This blog was initially a nails-only blog and has turned into SO much more. I love going "back to my roots" and doing nail art.
- A new polish line I've never heard of! They were in my Rite Aid Network box and you can find these babies at your local Rite Aid.
- A tutorial I saw on Pinterest where I was like, "I NEED TO DO THIS." and now, months later, I'm finally trying it out. The tutorial is from the ah-mazing Chelsea King here (PS. Follow me on Pinterest!).

 (Hello most awkward position EVER!)

I used: Julie G. Golden Sunset, Bonita You Mint A Lot To Me, This Beach is Bombay, Tag You're It! and Flaming Juan + a nail art brush
 
I would explain the tutorial but you're better off clicking the link to the picture of the tutorial because Chelsea explains it wayyyyy better than I do how to do the chevron effect. Instead of white, I used gold and instead of black, I used the Bonita polishes. For the outlined nails, I started off with a nice opaque base. I let it dry as much as I could and then took the Julie G. Gold Sunset with a thin nail art brush and traced around my nail. Pretty easy-peasy and makes it look like you've put way more effort into your nails than you actually did.

As for the Bonita Colors: I've actually never heard of this brand before I found them in my July Rite Aid Network box. They sent a total of eight so be on the look out for another post featuring the other four - they're gorgeous! Bonita You Mint A Lot To Me (a neon turquoise), This Beach is Bombay (a neon blue), Tag You're It! (a neon hot pink) and Flaming Juan (a neon orange) all have great formulas. They each require about three coats although you can layer it over a crisp white polish to cut that in half and make them really pop. My absolute favorite is Tag, You're It! 

                                          Where to buy: Your local Rite Aid! | Price: $3.99
* Press sample