by Joey | Mar 28, 2014 | beauty, Loves
Essie: Muchi, Muchi
Sinful Colors: glass pink over ring finger
I can’t lie, I don’t love it.
I’ve tried this polish a few times. And every single time I end up taking it off almost immediately. The formula just isn’t right. When you’re working with light colors, the formula has to be spot on. But most light colors end up just being streaky. And that’s what I’ve found with this one. This is two coats. I should probably have done three. But like some other Essie polishes I have, the formula is both streaky and goopy–so 3 coats would have been a disaster. It’s a shame, too. Because I really like the color.
After last week’s post,
Jayda requested I share some tips on making a manicure last longer. Now, I may not be
the best person to ask this because I have polish ADD and often change it every couple of days. But I have learned a thing or two about making polish last–especially if I don’t feel like packing up my supplies when we take trips!
- Buff your nails. You know those fancy little cube things? You can snatch one up at Sally’s for practically nothing. Buff your nail out just slightly. This will prep your nail as well as get rid of any imperfections.
- CLEAN YOUR NAILS. What? Yes. Whether you have polish on already or not, always use nail polish remover over your nails just before you paint them. This will remove the natural oils from your nails and allow the polish to really “stick”
- Base coat base coat base coat. I know it is tempting to skip this step completely, but don’t. Not only will it protect your nails from staining, it gives a nice base for your color to stick to. Orly Bonder is the best (I’ve found) for long lasting manis. I don’t use it regularly because it’s pricey, and I’m not usually going for long lasting. My day-to-day base coat is Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Hardener.
- Cap your nails. Basically, drag the nail polish brush over the free edge of your nail (think: the part that you would “tap” on a desk). Do this with both the color AND your top coat. It’ll help prevent chipping.
- TOP COAT. Now, I think this one is kind of a no brainer. And there are hundreds out there. I like Seche Vite. But many others work just as well.
- Moisturize. Keep your hands moisturized. I’m talking, slather those babies up multiple times a day. Luckily for me, I have almost an addiction to hand lotion–but it really saves the life of your manicure.
A lot of times, the length of your manicure will simply depend on the brand. And don’t be fooled–just because you spent a lot of money on a polish doesn’t mean it’s long lasting.
- Essie polish, while it’ll cost you a pretty penny, almost always chips on me within a day or so.
- Old OPI polishes will stay on forever and ever (pre 2011).
- Newer formula OPI (2011 on) doesn’t last as long for some reason.
- W&W Mega Last polishes will only cost you about $2. And those suckers will stay put for up to a week.
- Sinful Shine with Gel Tech will also only run you about $2 or $3 but will last for a good 7 days or longer.
by Joey | Mar 27, 2014 | Throwback
>>When I wrote this book (4 years ago), I didn’t know the town I live in now existed. It’s only an hour away from Raleigh (where I lived at the time), but whatever. It’s funny to me, because the fictional town where my novel is set is practically geographically where I live now. #mindblown
>> My cat scoops up water with his paw and then licks it. That’s how he drinks. I think it is equally stupid and adorable. Okay, who am I kidding. It’s just adorable.
>>Not to mention my cat again oh, gosh. it’s a good thing i’m married of i’d be that crazy cat lady, but I think I’ve mentioned here before how we call Campbell the Sour Patch Kid. First he’s sour. Then he’s really really sweet. Well, one of Campbell’s favorite activities is to sit on his litter box and stare behind the washer/dryer (I have no idea what he thinks he sees–unlike the bed situation, I’ve actually looked–I see nothing). Well, homie fell in yesterday. Apparently the homie needs to layoff the meow mix (no, I don’t actually feed him meowmix). The little jerk. Litter boxes are expensive!
>> There has to be candy/cookies/cake/sweets of any kind in this house at all times.
>> We had such an awesome visit with our friends last week. Somehow, we forgot to take any pictures until the next morning. Of course, they were all dressed for the day and I look like a homeless begger in my pajamas (aaaaaaand now I’m busted. I stole my sister’s sweatshirt ages ago. eff). Also? Their kid is like the coolest kid on the planet. He was just so chill. I won’t get into their whole story, but they struggled really hard to get (and stay) pregnant. We’re talking too many losses for anyone’s heart to handle. This baby is such a huge blessing. And he really couldn’t have better parents. Okay, I’m getting all gushy and it needs to stop.
>> Since I just posted a picture of my bare face, I think now would be a good time to tell you about my skin care. I suffer from acne pretty badly. I also suffer from cystic acne–but those suckers thankfully only pop up now and again (and in my experience, nothing topical will touch ’em). The only thing I’ve ever found to work for me is the Clinique Acne Solutions. I’ve mentioned that before. But since we gave up my income, I’ve cut way back on my spending. Now, I totally believe the Clinique stuff is a necessity, not a luxury, but I wanted to test out if I could go without it. Kristin made a point last week about not using moisturizer. So I ditched it. I wash my face as normal (Morning: Aveeno Clear Complexion Foaming Cleanser Evening: Clean & Clear Continuous Control cleanser), but only moisturize afterwards with a dab of coconut oil. It’s working pretty darn well.
by Joey | Mar 26, 2014 | Throwback
Oh, Usher…
It’s Wednesday.
And I have some confessions for you.
Buckle up.
1. When my hair falls out in the shower, I stick it to the wall. I always intend to collect it at the end and throw it away. I almost never do. At least not until it scares me to death when I get in thinking it’s a spider.
2. I don’t understand hardcore obsessions/crushes on celebrities. Don’t get me wrong, I notice attractive actors, but I can’t imagine obsessing over any of them.
3. Like Kristin, I rarely wash fruit/veggies before eating them. Who wants soggy lettuce anyway? note to self: I need a salad spinner. also: what is a salad spinner?
4. Along those same lines, unless I am washing my hands–I don’t like for my hands to get wet.
5. I bite the inside of my lips when I’m thinking/annoyed/upset/younameit. Yes, it hurts. No, I won’t stop.
6. If I put something in the toaster oven, I will burn it.
7. I know my dog kicks an obscene number of things under our bed. I know it as fact. When things go missing, I can pretty much assure you they are under our bed. I won’t look. I’m that afraid of bugs. side note: my house is very clean. there probably aren’t any bugs. but i’m not risking it.
8. I can’t drink cold water. Room temperature please or not at all.
9. I’ve worn the same necklace almost every single day for the last 10 years.
10. I can paint my fingernails like a champion. My toenails on the other hand always look like a toddler painted them. I think it’s the angle. Also? Its my toenails. Who cares?
11. When I got sick last year, I never knew if something was going to go down (i.e. if I’d be rushed to an ER, have surgery, whatever). So I kept my legs shaved everyday. Yes. I could hardly stand up or keep food down, but I shaved my legs every day. #commitment
12. The inside of our microwave is disgusting. Every time I use it (which is rarely), I tell myself I’m going to clean it. And then I forget.
13. Since I’m practically in the midst of re-writing the ending to my novel, my brain is fried. Which means: you’ll see more link ups around these parts for the next little while.
linked with: wednesdayconfessions
by Joey | Mar 25, 2014 | Throwback
Oh, hi!
I’m not going to lie, I’ve been kind of killing myself behind the scenes lately. I mentioned last week that I’ve been waking up and diving straight into work at 6AM. I’m so thankful that I even have this opportunity to throw myself completely into my dreams (thanks, husband). But it’s totally and completely exhausting! By the end of the day, my brain is complete mush.
I’m enjoying this so much. I’m enjoying it because it’s so out of my comfort zone, and I can feel myself growing. Writing is where I’m comfortable. Revising makes me quake in a corner. And yet every day, I do it. Same thing with the running thing. I never want to, but I never regret it once it’s done. I can feel myself getting stronger. I can practically see the walls crumbling down.
I was always the kind of person who lived so comfortably inside my box. I could see outside of it, but I could never bring myself to bust out. I’m out of my box. And it’s exciting and terrifying and so much fun. I put so many limitations on myself, and basically told myself that things I wanted only happened to other people.
But why?
Why can’t it be me?
So I’m killing myself behind the scenes. And someday, it’ll be totally and completely worth it!
by Joey | Mar 21, 2014 | beauty, Loves
I get asked a lot how I paint my nails so neatly. While I wish I could say
I’m just good like that, that’s not true. I shared one of my tricks
before–you know, the pick it off in the shower method. It’s a very technical thing. While I have had a lot of practice over the years–it is rare that I don’t have anything to clean up. Here are some things to help you keep your manicure neat:
- Rest the pinky edge of the hand you’re painting with on a table to keep it steady. Keep it on the table as you drag the polish out.
- Don’t start painting right at the cuticle. Put a small drop of polish in the center of your nail and push that up to just about your cuticle and drag down. Use that as a base line for each side.
- Use long, even strokes.
- Don’t load your brush with polish. Skim one side of the brush clean. I also skim the top half of the polish side so I have a little polish ball at the base of the brush.
Pre-clean up using those tricks:
I clean up before I do a top coat. Top coat should be the very last thing you do.
Clean up tricks:
- Drag a clean dotting tool around the edge of your nail (tracing your cuticles). Warning: this can be tricky and result in messing up your mani or a bigger mess.
- Wash your hands with very warm water (or take a hot shower) long after your nails have dried. Bring an orange stick and push off the unwanted polish. Or you can be super classy and use your nails.
- The method I use: I dip a small synthetic brush in pure acetone (think eyeliner brush). That acts as an eraser and will remove all unwanted polish.
Sally Hansen: Pacific Blue
Finger Paints: Paper Mache’
