Reddit IMAM Winter Exchange Package

I received this package almost a month ago and I'm finally getting around to posting what I received. Normally I wouldn't take so long to post but with post holiday chaos, my children being on winter break to go back for a day only to have another week off because of serverly cold temps and running Native War Paints, it got put on the back burner.

My exchange partner, /u/penguin_gunner, put together a lovely package for me. I'm going to warn you now that I'm not great at eye shadow swatches and I can't describe scents to save my life but here is what I received.

A full size HoG Parkin Pumpkin Butter and a sample of Peach Mama both smell amazing. I ordered a sample of the Parkin perfume oil which I love so I'm thrilled to have the Pumpkin Butter in my stash.

Glamour Doll Eyes eye shadows in Exposed, Feline Fatale, Spider-Sense, Baking Season and Mannequin. Also a blush sample in Risky Business.

Coco Pink Coco Mango Body Butter in Cotton Candy Cane. I really like this scent. It's super sweet and minty. Glamour Doll Eyes sample in Nice Kicks and Graves in May.

This giant pile of delicious candy and cute buttons. 

Chocolate chip cookies...

which I promptly devoured.

And here are my terrible swatches.

Top to Bottom: GDE Mannequin, Spider-Sense, Feline Fatale, and Exposed.

Left side is over bare skin and the right is over GDE Glitter Fix

Top to Bottom: GDE Exposed, Graves in May, Nice Kicks and Baking Season

Left side is over bare skin and the right is over GDE Glitter Fix

Glamour Doll Eyes Risky Business Blush

Thank you so much /u/penguin_gunner. I really love everything and your cookies were delicious too!

All Mixed Up Lacquers Characters of Tim Burton

I've had the privilege of reviewing some of the polishes from All Mixed Up Lacquers new collection inspired by the Characters of Tim Burton. The collection consists of 15 glitter toppers and I have 6 of them to share with you today. 

First up is Red Queen. The glitter in this one was just a tad sparse for me but I like tons of glitter. This one has holographic gold hexes, matte red hexes,  larger matte black hexes, matte red hearts and tiny holographic gold.

I used two coats plus top coat over Creative Cuticles Nail Polish "Pumpkin Everything."

Next is Beetlejuice. This was one of my favorite movies growing up and my kids like it now. Anyway, this one has purple, teal, lime green, white and black matte hexes in a clear base. A fun color combo!

I used two coats plus top coat over Creative Cuticles Nail Polish Evergreen.

Next I have Mad as a Hatter. This was one of my favorites of those that I reviewed. The glitter was more dense in this one compared to the previous two. This polish has a rainbow of small, matte hexes and squares in a slightly shimmery base. 

I used two coats plus top coat over Creative Cuticles Nail Polish Autumn Nights.

This one is called The Barber. This is a densely packed glitter topper filled with matte white and red hexes, black and white rectangles and metallic silver shreds. This glitter mix is very unique to my massive collection, I have nothing else like it. 

I used two coats plus top coat over Native War Paints Crisp Red Apples.

Next is Bat Signal. This was another favorite of mine. This is a glitter topper containing yellow and black hexes in a slightly shimmery base. The glitter dispersed evenly over my nail and was easy to work with.

I used two coats plus top coat over Native War Paints Sameness.

And my favorite of the six was Land of the Dead. This one has a super fun mix of small matte neon glitters with a sprinkling of black skulls. The hex glitters dispersed nicely and I dabbed the skulls onto my nails which is the norm with larger glitters. 

I used two coats plus top coat over Native War Paints Raspberry Vinaigrette.  

These will be available with the rest of the Characters of Tim Burton collection on October 1st at http://www.allmixeduplacquers.com

Creative Cuticles Nail Polish Fall Down Like Autumn Leaves Trio

I have yet to swatch my way through the whole Boyfriend Approved Collection but so far, these are my favorite CCNPs. 

The trio consists of three cream polishes and comes in a corresponding Polish Packs made by Homemademomsnails. Sadly, I totally forgot to take pictures of these but I will add them at a later date.

First up is Pumpkin Everything. This is a yummy, creamy orange that's not overboard, bright orangey but exactly the shade I picture for pumpkins. This applied easily. It was just slightly sheer with the first coat and opaque with the second.

I used two coats for my swatch plus top coat. Oh and don't you just love the new lables? 

Next up is Evergreen. This one is a mossy, mid-tone green. This one also applied nicely, very much the same as Pumpkin Everything. These just flow so nicely onto the nail. 

I used two coats plus top coat.

And finally, my favorite of the trio and my favorite CCNP so far, Autumn Nights. This blue is AMAZING!!!!!!!! It's a one coater and absolutly fabulous! It's a deep blue and I'm pretty sure I have nothing close to this in my massive collection. 

This is one coat plus top coat.

You can find these at ccnp.storenvy.com. The full collection is $24 plus shipping or you get can them individually for $9.25 plus shipping. I highly recommend getting the full collection so you aren't kicking yourself later. 

Creative Cuticles Nail Polish - Nebula

Hi all!

Thought I would do a quick review of Nebula by Creative Cuticles Nail Polish. I purchased this about a month ago and I'm just finally getting to wear it. 

Nebula has small pink and silver glitters floating in a sheer black holographic jelly base. The polish is pretty sheer but applies nicely. Knowing this would be sheer, I layered two coats over two coats of a black jelly plus top coat. 

Personally I would prefer it to be slightly more opaque but that won't prevent me from using it again. Its very pretty and I plan to use it for some galaxy nails in the near future. 

This can be purchased at ccnp.storenvy.com for $8.75. 

Sally Hansen Summer 2014 Electric Summer Xtreme Wear Pastel Collection

Hello! I know it's been a while. Sorry about that. My step-daughters were home for 4 weeks before going to their mom's and with 6 kids in the house and 1 computer, I didn't get many chances to use it. 

Anyway, I have the Sally Hansen Summer 2014 Electric Summer Xtreme Wear Pastel Collection for you today. I am NOT a pastel wearer but I wish I were. Either way, I knew I needed these the moment I saw them. There are 8 colors in the collection, 7 creams and 1 jelly. 

Let's start with the jelly, well it's really a crelly. Pearl Up is an off white crelly that dries shiny and with a squishy finish. I really love the color but it was a little streaky at first. I plan on getting a back up of this color very soon.

I used three coats of Pearl Up for my pictures, plus Native War Paints Hurry, Hurry! top coat.

Next up is the yellow cream, Teeny Bikini. I HATE yellow pastels against my skin tone. This one was no exception but if I didn't get it, I wouldn't have a full collection. Now I'm sure others would like this because it IS a pretty yellow. I had a little trouble applying this one. It was patchy and streaky at first. 

I used three coats of Teeny Bikini plus Native War Paints Hurry, Hurry! top coat. 

Floaties is a pretty creamy peachy orange. It reminds me of orange creamsicles. This one was easier to apply. I found that thicker coats is the way to go with these. This dries to a pretty shiny finish.

I used two thicker coats of Floaties plus Native War Paints Hurry, Hurry! top coat.

Next up is Peach Babe. This one really isn't peach at all. It's actually a light rosy pink. This one was a little difficult to apply as well, even using thicker coats. 

I used two thick coats and one thinner coat of Peach Babe plus Native War Paints Hurry, Hurry! top coat. 

You're Crabby is the second pink in the collection. This one was my favorite in terms of application. It applied easily and dried to a shiny finish. The color itself is really pretty as well. It's a few shades darker than Peach Babe.

I used two coats of You're Crabby plus Native War Paints Hurry, Hurry! top coat. 

Water Orchid is a creamy pale purple. I really love the color of this one but I'm not sure it compliments my skin tone. This one was a little earlier to apply. The first coat was a little streaky and it evened out with the second coat. 

I used two coats of Water Orchid plus Native War Paints Hurry, Hurry! top coat.

My favorite color in the collection is Wet Suit. I LOVE blue polishes. I have more blues in my collection than any other color. This one is a beauty! It apples nicely as well. I used thinker coats and it dried to a shiny finish.

I used two coats of Wet Suit plus Native War Paints Hurry, Hurry! top coat.

Lastly is the green cream, Kelp Yourself. It's a darker mint green. I also really liked the color is this one but application was difficult. Each coat I applied was patchy. 

I used three coats plus Native War Paints Hurry, Hurry! top coat.

Overall, it's a pretty collection for pastel lovers. My top picks are Pearl Up, You're Crabby and Wet Suit. 

I purchased mine at Walgreens and Jewel Osco. They are typically about $3.00 a piece but Walgreens has a lot of 2 for $4.00 sales, which was when I got mine. 

The Glitter Box - May Box

Today I have my swatches of the four polishes that were part of The Glitter Box's May theme, Rainbows. The Glitter Box is a monthly offering consisting of 4 polishes from indie polish makers, Fat Lacquers, Kawaii Nail Lacquer, The Juice Box Lacquer and a guest indie maker. For the month of May, the guest maker was Pipe Dream Polish. I'm not sure what is going to happen to The Juice Box Lacquer's spot in the monthly box since she is no longer making polish.

 First up I have The Anti-Rainbow from The Juice Box Lacquer. This is a grey crelly with mostly black and white glitters in it. There are also glitters of other various colors but they are few and far between. If you look closely at my middle and ring fingers, you can see some blue glitter. Application was nice but I would have liked to see just a few more of the colored glitters.

I used three coat plus top coat for my swatch.

Next I have the polish from guest indie maker, Pipe Dream Polish. This polish is called Only Illusions. It has teeny tiny rainbow flakies in a cool grey base. This one reminds me of those hints of rainbows that sometimes peek out in a cloudy grey sky. Application was great on this one too. 

I used two coats plus top coat.

Kawaii Nail Lacquer's contribution to The Glitter Box was Rainbow Superstar. This one is my favorite of the four. I can't wait to use it again, I'm actually thinking about applying a coat while I'm typing this. This polish has holographic glitter in all different colors, shapes and sizes. I didn't have to fish to get any of the larger ones out either, in fact the dots on my middle finger just came out like that. 

I used two coats for my swatch and applied it over Pipe Dream Polish Only Illusions plus top coat. I really only needed one coat of Rainbow Superstar but I like tons of glitter. 

 Lastly is Black Jumped Over the Rainbow from Fat Lacquers. This glitter topper is so fun. I really liked how the black didn't over power the rainbow colors on the nail. In the bottles it looks mostly black. This one applied nicely too and I didn't have to fish for any glitter. 

I used two coats of Black Jumped Over the Rainbow over two coats of Rebel Alliance by Liquid Sky Lacquer, plus top coat.

 

This Glitter Box can no longer be purchased but stay tuned for the next box at http://theglitterbox.storenvy.com.

Weigh In Wednesday - June 18th 2014

Its another week... Sorry I missed last week. I didn't forget, I just got really busy and didn't have time to post. Last week I gained a little bit but I wasn't surprised. We had family visiting which means we ate out and almost nothing in Chicago is healthy.

When I weighed last week, June 11th, I gained .6 lbs putting me at 192.8.

After last weeks weigh in, we went to see the Detroit Tigers (my favorite team) play the Chicago White Sox. US Cellular Field has some really great food! They have these giant nachos that are unlike regular ballpark nachos. They have pork, chicken or ground beef, covered in a ton of toppings. Delicious and a great deal, get them if you are ever there for a game. Obviously not the best choice for someone watching their weight but I don't go to games that often...except that week we ended up going to the Thursday game also, and I had those nachos at that game too. Don't worry, I always end up sharing them with my husband and brother-in-law so I'm not eating the whole thing myself.

Sunday was Father's Day and my husband wanted to go to brunch. We checked out a new restaurant called Whisk. It was AMAZING! We had the hardest time deciding what to get. Everything on that menu looked great. My husband got a burger since those are his favorite. I had crab cakes benedict and a side of potatoes. It was really good but the best thing was the Snickers French Toast that my brother-in-law had. I would have ten of those right now if I could. I ended up having half my my benedict, a quarter of my husband's burger and a little bit of that amazing french toast and a couple of pops. Doesn't sound that bad but I'm sure I used up all of my PointsPlus for the day on just that meal.

Anyway, so when I weighed in today I was 190.2lbs. I was shocked by the weight loss. I thought for sure I would have gained again. That puts me at a total for 5.8 lost.

And on to next week, we have family visiting again this weekend so that will be more eating out and more going over my PointPlus. We'll see, I would love to get this weight off by fall so I can get into my favorite jeans again.