Montagne Jeunesse Skin Care Masks

Today is the first official day of winter, and I'm already ready for it to be spring!  Winter never waits for December 21st here in Wisconsin; it usually starts around Halloween. And we've already had a few decent snow storms this year. 

Let's not even mention what it does to my skin!  Im so dry and itchy from the hot showers and dry air. And my face is flaky from a lack of moisture. Lucky for me, my Influenster Violet Vox box arrived with an answer to my problems!  

Along with the other goodies, I received a Montagne Jeunesse Red Earth Clay Spa mud infused cloth mask. 

It's no mess!  It's a piece of cloth that fits to your face with the clay and pomegranate built in!  All you have to do is take the mask out of the package, place it on your face and relax for 10 minutes. Take it off, and massage the left over product into your face. 

Unfortunately I used my mask in the bath, so I don't have any pictures of it. But my skin felt amazing afterwards!

On the booklet that my mask came in was an email address to contact the company regarding their VIP blogger club. Of course I emailed them that night, and within the week I had three more samples in my mailbox. Talk about quick!

My samples included a Creamy Coconut mud mask (actual mud, not the fancy cloth), a Manuka Honey Peel Off (and I reminisced about middle school sleepovers!), and Super Fruit mud mask (again, actual mud). I have two more reviews for you!

The first I used was the honey peel off mask. 

And husbands really just don't understand. The look I got from mine when I emerged from the bathroom was priceless. 

This one is easy, but not AS easy as the cloth. Just apply to a clean face (avoid your eyebrow area and hair line!) and wait for it to dry, like 10 minutes. And then the fun begins...peel it off!

My friends and I used to do these at sleepovers ALL. THE. TIME. and man did they hurt to peel off!  The first thing I noticed as I did this was how much it didn't hurt (until I got a little too close to my hair line). And the way my skin felt afterwards was amazing. So soft and clean!  I don't have after pictures because I hate my uneven skin tone. Sorry!!

Last night before bed I used the super fruit mud mask. Did I mention they use mostly natural ingredients and don't test on animals?  Or how amazing these products smell?  They smell fabulous!

This one works the same as the honey mask, only you wash it off in the end. Again, leave it on for about 15 minutes, let it dry a little.

I left mine on for about 10, as it started to feel a little warm on my face. The after effects were the same though. Holy soft and supple skin!  My flakey nose is a thing of the past right now!

 Next week I will be using the coconut, so look for that review coming soon!  I also have a new (to me) line of indie polishes I will be reviewing by the end of the weekend!!  

If you're curious about Montagne Jeunesse, look for them on Facebook!!

~Kat 

Thanksgiving Mani. Featuring Liquid Sky Lacquer

First and foremost, Happy Thanksgiving!! When I was planning a manicure for the holiday, I went back and forth with whether or not I would do nail art. With visions of cute turkey accent nails dancing in my head, I decided to skip the frustration and just stay simple. 

But when I say simple, I don't mean your run of the mill, everyday color. I'm talking about some of the best holos I've seen in indie polish lines. Please let me introduce you to Liquid Sky Lacquer (www.liquidskylacquer.bigcartel.com)!! This is a polish line you will definitely want to check out, soon!!

I received my first Liquid Sky Lacquer from my Halloween polish swap, thanks to Instagram. I got four minis, three glitter toppers and one of her gorgeous holos in Pumpkin Pie.

So when I was thinking about my mani yesterday I thought, Pumpkin Pie is obviously the color I should use for Thanksgiving! 

       Quick shot of my mani essentials

   Shoot, my cleanup brush got cropped!

I start every mani with a base coat or treatment of some sort. Lately I've been using Nail Defense strengthing treatment by Orly (love!). Then I used 3 thin coats of Pumpkin Pie and quickly topped it with Seche Vite. I use an E.L.F concealer brush to clean up around my nails and cuticles. How awesome does that Pumpkin Spice scented acetone remover look!?  More on that later!

 How amazing is this holo effect!?  This is in regular everyday, in my house, lighting! I don't think I've ever seen such a pronounced holo without flash or the sun!   And when you're done drooling over this one, take a look at this shot I grabbed in the sun this morning!

I'm in love. As if I wasn't completely obsessed with holos already, I'm now obsessed with all things Liquid Sky Lacquer!

I'll leave you with this parting shot, an extreme close up of te beauty!! 

If you're interested in more Liquid Sky Lacquer, follow it's creator Carolyn, @whimsicalcolor on Instagram!

Enjoy your holiday tomorrow!!  

~Kat 

Some Faves with Essie Polish

I have been obsessed with my fall and winter Essie's lately. I wanted to share a few of my manis I've done with them lately. I have Sable Collar and Mind Your Mittens from the winter collection, and Cashmere Bathrobe from the fall collection. 

First up a solo shot of Cashmere Bathrobe. The perfect fall grey with a subtle silver shimmer to it. I love dark pedicure colors in the winter. I like the dark polish against the bright white snow. 

 Next is a mani with both Mind Your Mittens, a creamy navy blue, and Cashmere Bathrobe. The accent nail is Cashmere bathrobe with all other nails being Mind Your Mittens. And stamped with a Bundle Monster snowflake stamp. Stamped with Essie's Good as Gold. duh a cute early winter mani. 

And I saved the best for last. I'm straight up obsessed with this manicure. It's probably my favorite out of all that I've done. I wish I would have taken pics during, but it was a really simple process so I'll just explain. 

I painted my nails with one coat of Essie Good as Gold. And when that was dry, I placed a piece of striping tape across the bottom of my nail. After I painted above the tape with, you guessed it, Mind Your Mittens. All topped off with a coat of Seche on top. Gorgeous, if I do say so myself. 

Enjoy your night lovelies!

~Kat

Another year...

Why does time go by so quickly?!  Last weekend we celebrated Honey's FOURTH birthday. 

FOURTH!?

How is this possible. Why don't they stay baby's for longer than they do?  I still remember the day she no longer let me hold her for her bedtime bottle.  And now she runs into her classroom when we get to school, barely looking back. 

I know this is a nail, well more so beauty, blog. But I've been MIA lately as I've been spending time with my rapidly growing up baby girl. And while I don't have any planned out nail posts for you, I wanted to share a few photos from her party. 

    Who needs a fancy-schmancy cake?

This was the first time she had friends at a birthday party and she couldn't wait for them to arrive!  And I couldn't believe she sat still while I curled her hair. 

       Family shot with the birthday girl

And can I brag about another thing quickly?  

We don't have much room in our house, and most of Honey's room was taken up by her unnecessary full size bed. So I had the brilliant idea to get her a loft bed. 

Only loft beds (well the cute ones) are really expensive. Like $500 expensive. So off to Pinterest I went. And I found this:

           Photo taken from Pinterest 

Has ever a more perfect bed been made for a princess?!  

Luckily for me a very close friend of the family is an engineer and loves building things. So for the cost of lumbar, he built Honey her own version:

          Painting done by yours truly

Ignore the pieces that clearly aren't painted. I didn't follow directions and thought they were support pieces to attach the bed to the wall. 

It's been two weeks since the bed went up, and she spends 90 percent of her time in there. 

And the worlds largest Barbie princess castle has been moved out of my living room!!  

Hallelujah!

Nail stuff next time, pinky swear!!

~Kat 

Review of LA Fresh Acetone-Free nail polish removing pads

Tonight I got an INSANE nail mail package. I signed up for the Instagram trick or treat nail polish swap, and got my swap package today. I've been slacking and haven't even sent mine out yet. Tomorrow!!

One thing (among many) that I got in the package was LA Fresh non acetone nail polish remover pads. 

 

I was really anxious to use them and see how well they worked. I had a subtle rose gold shimmer nail polish on tonight, sorry there are no pictures!  

 

First thing I noticed, it smells amazing!!  It's a "fresh Tuscan orange scent" according to the package. It certainly doesn't smell like polish remover. Unfortunately it doesn't work like polish remover either. 

Well I swiped and swiped and rubbed, and pressed it on the nail, with no real results. But I did notice how it made my cuticles and nails look. Much better than they do after using 100% acetone remover on them!  So I had a genius idea! 💡💡

I removed my polish with my acetone remover, and then followed it up with the LA Fresh wipe. And voila, conditioned nails and cuticles that don't reek of chemicals!!

Those don't look like nails attacked by acetone!

The cuticles feel nice too, and not dried out. 

Verdict: not so great on the removing aspect, but they do condition the nails and cuticles and it does smell 1000 times better than normal polish remover!  Don't buy them for their removing powers, but then for their conditioning powers!!

~Kat 

Breaking Polish News! New OPI Collaboration

I just saw this on Facebook and HAD to come here and let you all know!  Because I would be doing my job if I didn't!  

OPI's next polish collaboration will be with rock goddess Gwen Steffani!!!  I really really really hope this isn't someone messing with my emotions, because this is going to be a great collection!  

These are all screenshot that I took, so I don't have any more information than the pictures I'm currently sharing. I am on the OPI press release list, so when I get more information I will share with you. I promise. 

~Kat

Love, Angeline Polishes

Everyone knows how much I love the na community on Instagram, and how many new polish lines I've found thanks to them. And tonight, I have another one for you!!  I found this indie maker thanks to @lusterlacquer and her swatch of "Anchors Away". 

So of course, I purchased "Anchors Away, Abracadabra, Hypnotise, and Ta-Da!"  They are all glitters, heavy on the glitter!  And beautiful. 

I have swatches of all today, except for Hyponotise. I'll start with the color that started it all! 

Anchors Away is a gorgeous sheer white based polish, filled with large navy blue hexes and smaller yellow hexes. Very nautical and summery. I did wear this over a basic white polish so I didn't have to build up the white base since it's so sheer. And an FYI: I wore this polish for 3 whole days(I was busy painting a princess bed for a little girl) and had no chipping; I only lost one blue glitter!!  

Second I have a swatch of Abracadabra! 

This color is a sheer grey jelly, again absolutely packed with glitters. This one has purple and gold hex glitters that appear to be about the same size. I wore this one with no undies and it's three coats to make it opaque. This is so packed with glitter that no fishing is necessary, and each swipe will leave your nail covered in glitters. This is a *slight* downside, only because it can leave the polish looking a little chunky and uneven before using a top coat. But is too much glitter a real thing?  No, so don't worry if it looks slightly chunky, top coat evens it out!

And last we have Ta-Da! 

This color is another sheer white, like Anchors Away. And again I used a basic white underneath.  Along with the white, this color has silver/grey large hexes, and two different shades and sizes of pink squares.  One is a darker, reddish color and the other is softer pink. I love this for spring. It's a very cherry blossom like feel to it, that always makes me think of spring and blooming flowers.  

Love, Angeline polishes are so soft and feminine. From the labels that look almost handwritten and delicate, to the soft grays and pinks that dominant some of her collections. Her labels are some of my favorites among the indie community. 

She currently is getting ready to release two new fall collections. And you can either get the colors just solid colors, or as holo colors. And I can't wait for them to be released so I can spend all my money on them. 

If you're interested in Love,Angeline polish, check her out on Instagram @loveangeline and her website www.loveangline.com. Happy shopping!!

~Kat 

Cheetah Mani with a Twist.

Disclaimer: This product was sent to me by the manufacturer, free of charge, in exchange for my honest opinion. 

A while back I was contacted by KKCenterHK for a sponsorship. They would send me two products in exchange for my opinion and a feature on my blog. I happily accepted!  Still being a small blog I was thrilled they has found me and were interested in me!!

So I chose two products, and have my first  choice up for review. 

                 How cute is this?!

I was so excited for these!! I had seen 3D bows on Instagram forever and I couldn't wait to get the ones I chose from KKCenterHK!  I picked pink and black cheetah print, figuring I could easily make the cutest matching mani!! 

There were actually two in the bag, but in my excitement I did my mani and then took pictures of everything! Go figure. 

Anyways, I used China Glaze White on White for the base, and Sinful Cotton Candy from their spring Sugar Rush collection. And Orly's Liquid Vinyl. I did the cheetah mani like all the others I have done (you can find cheetah mani tutorials on the blog) only I left the ring finger on my left hand solid pink. Using a drop of Out The Door topcoat as glue, I placed the bow in the location I wanted it and pressed firmly for a minute or so. 

                            Love!

I did not do the same thing on my right hand. I painted all those nails the same, with the Cotton Candy accent nail, and did black and white cheetah on that nail. Unfortunately I don't have a picture of my right hand. 

I do of course have one of my left!!  

                     Ta-da! How fun

And now the real question, how long did it last?  Well!  I actually removed it the night before bed so I wouldn't lose it. And it stayed on all through the day!  Granted I was very conscientious of the bow all day, I was pleasantly surprised that it didn't just pop off within an hour or so. 

My only complaint, and this is Sinful's fault, not the bow company, is that I still have a polish stain where the bow was almost a week later. 

I did save the bow, and the second one, so I could continue to reuse them. I can't wait, because I love the look, and got a ton of compliments on my nails that day. And who doesn't love that!?

If you're interested in purchasing these bows, or any other items from KKCenterHK, you can find them at: http://www.kkcenterhk.com

~Kat

Disclaimer: This product was sent to me by the manufacturer, free of charge, in exchange for my honest opinion. 

Serious Polish Addict

We all know that if I was to name my favorite indie polish lines, Polish Addict would be at the top of my list!  I own more PA than any other indie line. I even belong to Laura's Polish Addict Facebook group!

And that's what this is all about. Laura and her business partner Crystal decided to gift all the members of the group during the month of their birthday. How you ask?

By creating a limited edition polish for each month of the year and sending the members who have birthdays that month a free polish!!!  

July was the first month they did this, since they started the group at the end of June. They mentioned they would be sending gifts for birthdays, but I thought it would be a mini, or a cuticle oil or something else. But being the amazing company that they are, they went above and beyond and created a completely new color and sent full sized polish to every one with July birthdays!!  

                   July birthday polish

 

It's a pale pink crelly GLITTER BOMB. Holy glitter batman!  This is jam packed, no fishing required. My nails were covered in two coats. 

I started with a white based, because I really wanted everything to pop, and didn't have a lot of time for multiple coats, to get the pink vibrant enough. 

                  Look at all that glitter!

There's too many glitters to list, so check out the macro for more info on the glitters. 

I love this polish, and will be using it very sparingly, as it is a true limited edition, and only a select handful of girls received this!!  And I'm lucky and proud to be one!!  

Don't forget to show Laura some love with a purchase or two www.shoppolishaddict.bigcartel.com

~Kat

Michael Todd Jojoba Charcoal Exfoliating Scrub

It's Ipsy bag time again!  I wasn't terribly impressed with my bag this month; it seemed like everything I wanted was not in my bag

But for $10/month I can't expect perfection every time. 

One product I received that I LOVE is my Michael Todd Jojoba Charcoal Facial Scrub. I have been using Lush Cosmetics Ocean Salt scrub for a few months now, and literally just ran out. So I was actually glad I got the Michael Todd scrub. 

I used it for the first time last night while hubs took Bebe to go get some Chinese takeout. And boy was I surprised!!  Obviously the word charcoal is right in the name, but I was not expecting it to be so dark!! 

So why charcoal you ask? Activated charcoal in skin care products has the ability to draw out dirt, oil and all the other grossness that gets clogged in your face and pores. And it's known to make your skin radiant, like you've just gotten 8 glorious hours of beauty rest. 

Well, I definitely need the beauty rest part. So I couldn't wait to try it. 

I would advise not using this with a white washcloth or towel, since it can stain. But it doesn't not stain your skin or fingers. 

I have only used this once, but it's definitely love at first use. I can't wait to see what kind of long term results I can get with this product! 

~Kat 

Oh what a week!

I'm the worst blogger ever. I have been neglecting the blog for so long and for that I apologize. 

I've had a lot lot lot going on lately, starting with happy things!  Hubs and I went on our first baby free vacation since Bebe was born three and a half years ago!  His cousin was getting married, and that side of the family lives in New York City. How could we pass up that opportunity!?  Neither of us had been to the city since we were each 5 years old (which in hubs case means I wasn't even born yet!). So we went from Friday-Tuesday, saw tons of awesome sights (the World Trade Center memorial is a must for everyone; a truly serene yet somber sight), and had a great time with family we had never met. 

Once we got home was where it turned terrible. A few weeks before going to New York we found out we were expecting again. And even though I was the one dragging my feet with baby number 2, I was so excited!  I had my first prenatal appointment the Tuesday before we left for New York, and had an ultrasound scheduled for the Friday after we got back. 

That's where it gets ugly. Unfortunately the ultrasound tech and radiologist were unable to detect a heartbeat and the baby was only 9 weeks big, and by that time I was close to 11 or 12 weeks along. So two weeks prior the baby had stopped growing and died. 

We were heartbroken, and I thought my world was collapsing. I had no idea how badly I wanted that baby until I no longer had it. 

Yesterday we went ahead with the d&c which is the surgical removal of what was left of the fetus and tissues in the uterus, and I'm at home recovering (both physically and mentally) right now. Hoping to get back into the swing of things with polish, and blogging. I've been doing quite a bit of shopping, retail therapy and all, and I have lots and lots and lots to show you. So please, stick around, there's lots coming up!  Tomorrow we will return with the regularly scheduled programming, and nail polish swatching!  I hope you're ready for me!

~Kat

Ps- I'm sharing a few of the pictures from our trip! Enjoy!

View from Turtle Pond in Central Park

Broadway!!

We saw our first Broadway show, Pippin. And it was fantastic. I can't wait to see another!

One of many shots from the World Trade Center memorial. I can only guess the roses are from visiting friends and family members. I cried the whole time. 

My favorite part of all. The lovely lady liberty. A breathtaking sight. Isn't she gorgeous?

Co-Hosting a Giveaway!

OI have some really exciting news!  One of my fellow beauty bloggers is having an awesome giveaway, and I'm one of the co-hosts!!
Amber over at daydreaming beauty is giving away a Stila In the Moment eyeshadow palette.

How gorg, right!?  And all these colors will complement any skin tone,eye color, anything!  It's so verstile; use the colors for day, night, office, out for cocktails!

To enter, head to daydreaming beauty

Kat

Sunkissed VoxBox: Dr Scholls High Heel Inserts

 The next item up for review from my Influenster Sunkissed VoxBox  are my Dr. Scholl's high heel inserts. 

These have been absolute lifesaver for my feet at work! I wear heels on an almost daily basis and my feet feel much better at the end of the day with these. I've used them in open-toed shoes, close-toed shoes, sandals, flats, heels, wedges; it works with everything. 

The unique gel arch works by taking the pressure off of the ball of your foot therefore making heels more comfortable. They have a sticky back so they stay in place well but not so much that they can't be removed and placed in to other shoes.  And they are nice and thin so they don't crowd your foot in your shoes. 

I think my favorite part is that they're clear so they blend in with the bottom of any shoe and no one can tell that you're wearing them

Probably my second favorite item from my Sunkissed VoxBox and I will definitely be purchasing more in the future!

~Kat

Disclaimer: this item was sent to me for free by Influenster for review

Sunkissed Vox Box: Goody Ouchless Ribbon Elastics

Second review from my Influenster Sunkissed Vox Box (obviously a given from the name of this post) is the Goody Ouchless Ribbon Elastics. 

      Photo courtesy of Google Images

I've been waiting to try these for awhile now, and never got around to it. They just look so much prettier than a regular hair tie. They are really silky, and slide right out of the hair when they need to be removed. No pulling, tugging, pieces of hair ripping out. They really mean ouchless!  And they aren't glued together at the ends so they won't rip apart when stretched too much!  I'll admit that happens entirely too much with my hair ties. 

I got 5 in my package (standard packaging), and my three year old immediately ripped it open because she wanted the pink one!  I couldn't wait for her to have hair so I could braid it and put it up and make it all pretty, but of course as soon as she grew hair (at age 2) she wanted nothing to do with "ponies, piggies" anything of the sort!!  How frustrating. 

But all it took was one pink ribbon elastic and all that changed. She's worn her hair up everyday since I got my Vox box!   

However, they don't work as well in my hair. I have really really thick hair, and these will only go around my hair twice, three if I reaaaalllllllyyyyy pull at it. However they look much prettier around my wrist than a typical hair elastic 

Even though I can't use them as much as I'd like, I'm all for anything that makes my daughter excited to pull her hair up!!

~Kat

Sunkissed VoxBox: Olay Fresh Effects BB Cream

In early May I was picked to participate in my first Influenster VoxBox!! I have gotten campaigns and activities to participate in with Influenster, but never a full VoxBox. 

The survey I filled out made me realize a few possibilities of items I would be getting, since most of the questions were about BB cream and nail polish!!

I was most excited about BB cream because I've been anxious to use it. But I wasn't about to pay $15 for a tinted moisturizer I wasn't sure I would like very much; this was the perfect way to try it. 

I got the whole box towards the end of June. And as predicted, BB Cream and nail polish were in the box. Along with more high heel inserts, and Goody Ribbon hair elastics. 

Today I am going to focus on just the BB Cream, which is hands down my favorite part of the box. It's the Olay Fresh Effects and for those who don't know, BB cream  is a huge trend in Japan right now and BB stands for Beauty Balm. It's basically a tinted moisturizer with SPF (15 in this case), and they help brighten and slightly even out skin tone.

My usual makeup routine has always been full foundation and concealer, set with powder. Followed with bronzed/blush and eye and lip makeup. It can take quite a long time, and it's really hot and melty in the summer!!  I was worried about coverage when I started using BB Cream, and really self conscious. But I was surprised by the amount of coverage I actually got!  I did still cover up a problem spot with concealer and I always still set with powder. 

But back to the cream itself. I got the lighter color, because I took the survey for the box prior to starting to tan. So I was worried about having the wrong color. 

It looks much lighter and actually blends pretty well. 

I didn't fully rub this in but you can see around some edges the ability it has to match well, even though it looks lighter than my skin tone right now. 

As I said earlier my typical routine was a lot of heavy makeup to correct imperfections. Using just a tinted moisturizer was a big step for me and I'm so glad I did it!!  It feels amazingly light and fresh especially in the hot humid summers. And it's got sunscreen right in it, so no need to apply separately. Oh! And it smells fantastic!!

Another thing that is difficult for me, Influenster wanted me to post a before and after picture!  So I took one as I woke up, and one after I got to work and collaged them. So here goes! 

You can see I have redness in my cheeks, and how well the BB Cream helps cover it up. Ps I'm concealer free today too because I ran out this weekend!

I will absolutely be purchasing this from now on!!  Thanks Influenster (and Olay!) for such a great product!!

~Kat

All products in the VoxBox were sent to me free of charge to review.