Okay, so I've decided to use top coat on all the glitters I swatch and on the colors I think needs it. Thanks for all the helpful suggestions in my previous post everyone. I have some pictures taken beforehand so I'm still planning to post those remaining swatches and to start trying out the new top coat method afterwards. I'm excited with this new decision too!

Barielle Do Unto Others is a muted medium mint green creme. For some strange reason, the polish I have looks totally different from other swatches I've seen of it online. The other ones are much brighter and more turquoise so this bottle I have might be the wrong polish. The formula and application was great though. This is two coats.

I love minty green shades so I'm enjoying this polish a lot. What do you think of this color?

Sephora by OPI Too Good for Him

Big question to ask you all! Would you prefer that I swatch my polishes with or without a top coat? I usually don't apply top coat to regular polish but sometimes for glitter I have to, just to smooth out the surface. Let me know your thoughts since I'm thinking of applying a top coat to at least the glitters I swatch. I like the look I got from applying top coat from the last glitter I showed.

Sephora by OPI Too Good for Him has small purple, blue, and gold glitters in a clear base. This glitter is packed so its pretty opaque that you could probably use it as full coverage glitter by itself. The formula and application was great on this. This is one coat over Nabi Angel Blue.

I didn't think I would like this glitter but surprisingly, I'm enjoying it much more than I thought I would. What do you think of this glitter?

Nabi Angel Blue

I got sick with the flu this weekend which was bad since I don't get sick very often. I feel like its an allergy or something since I've been sneezing a lot. I'm feeling much better now though but it was hard to do anything but sleep the last few days. Let's see today's polish.

Nabi Angel Blue is a periwinkle blue creme. Out of all the colors I own from the brand, this has to be one of my favorites. Nabi polishes do have a strong scent to it so that's something I don't like about it. The formula is on the thicker side but it was still very easy to apply. This is two coats.

I really enjoy this shade since I don't own a lot of periwinkles. What do you think of this color?

Easy Floral Nails

This was inspired by elleandish from her video tutorial on Easy Floral Nails. I've been wanting to do a floral manicure and after seeing her tutorial on this, I knew I had to recreate it. I went with a purple and blue color scheme for my version though, which I think works really well together. This is also for The Lacquer Legion's theme of "reinvention" this month too! #LLreinvention

I started with Barielle Welcome Ohm on my pinky and pointer nail. I dotted a black dot on each nail with Born Pretty Store Sweet Color black nail art liner. Use coupon code YCL91 for 10% off. For the rest of my nails, I have on Salon Perfect Sugar Cube. For the flowers, I dotted dots on each nail with Barielle Welcome Ohm and Barielle A Bouquet For Ava. I dotted and swirled white in each flower center with a toothpick. I added leaves using Barielle Do Unto Others with a toothpick and dotted black dots on the free white spaces. Finished with Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat.

I loved how this turned out but I'm a little bummed that I smudged the design a little when I applied the top coat. What do you think of this easy floral manicure?

*Post does contain affiliate links.*

Sasa Haul and First Impressions

Sasa was having a free shipping offer for orders over $29 and I just had to make a purchase with them. I've been browsing their site for ages but never made an order with them because of the fear of possibly getting hit with customs. I've read many reviews and experiences from other ladies in Canada on how they had to pay customs that costs even more than what they ordered.

I decided to take a chance and make a smaller order instead, in hopes that I wouldn't get charged with customs. It was a success too which made me extremely happy. I mainly made this order to try out some My Beauty Diary masks because there so popular.

Website
Sasa offers a wide range of brands on their site so it can be pretty overwhelming when you first shop on there. They sell a variety of beauty items and tools from Asian brands and more. I found the website easy to navigate and use. I suggest doing your research on what products you might be interested in getting because you could be spending a lot of time browsing their site.

Shipping
I ordered on January 9, it shipped on January 11, and I received the package on January 20. So, it took about 7 business days to get to me which is fast considering it was shipped from Hong Kong. It was shipped by Standard Shipping which was estimated to take 14-21 business days.



Packaging
It came in a medium sized white box. Everything inside was packaged together in a big bubble wrap packet along with a ton of packing peanuts inside. The cotton pads was the only thing not packaged. I love how they package their items. Very secure with the bubble wrap and the packing peanuts so it ensures that nothing gets damaged during shipping.

What I Ordered:

1. Suzuran Attirer Puff 240 pcs $3.50

2. BeautyMate Nano Eye Mask Bright Up Nano Eye Mask $7.70

3. My Beauty Diary 2 Step All-in-One Mast Set (5 piece) $7.30

4. My Beauty Diary 10th Anniversary Limited Intensive Brightening Mask (5 piece) $7.60

5. My Beauty Diary 10th Anniversary Limited Instant Soothing Mask (5 piece) $7.60

Overall Experience
I would definitely order from Sasa again whenever they have these free shipping offers to Canada. Their shipping is fast coming from an international country and there are so much brands for me to explore and try. I'll probably be only making small orders like this one so I won't get charged with customs. I'm very excited to try the masks I bought and if they work well for me, I'll probably be stocking up on them.

Glittery Autumn Leaf Nail Art

Here's my fourth manicure for this month's inspired by a tutorial theme that I've been participating in for The Nail Challenge Collaborative. This design was inspired by JauntyJuli from her video tutorial, 1MNT: Glittery Autumn Leaf Nail Art. I just love the mix of fall colors with the glittery gold base underneath when I first saw her tutorial, so I knew I had to recreate it.

I started with Sephora by OPI Worth My Weight. Taking stripping tape, I created a leaf design. I painted the leaf two colors on each nail alternating between OPI Uh-Oh Roll Down The Window, OPI From A to Z-urich, and OPI Jade is the New Black. Quickly, I peeled off the stripping tape to reveal the leaf design. Finished with a coat of Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat.

I love how this looks! I've been really liking the effect stripping tape can do for me in terms of what nail art designs I can create. What do you think of this glittery autumn leaf manicure?

Nostalgic As If!

Its been about two weeks into my semester and I'm liking both classes so far. Other than that, I've been getting a lot of free time to work on my blog too. My part time job has been cutting back the hours for the newer employees so my schedule has lessen. Let's see today's polish.

Nostalgic As If! has a mix of black, white, and pink hexagon and bar matte glitters in a clear base. I'm a fan of glitters with different sizes and colors so this one is nice. The formula was pretty thick so I had to use the dabbing method to get an good amount of glitter on the nails. This is one coat over OPI From A to Z-urich with a coat of Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat.

I usually don't apply a top coat in my swatches but since the clear base in this glitter was pretty thick, I had to add one to smooth out the surface. What do you think of this glitter?

OPI From A to Z-urich

I feel so productive this past weekend! I took a lot pictures and edited quite a bit. There was also an explosion of a share the love tag going on in the nail community. It was so awesome to see all the love going around and finding new blogs to follow. Let's see what polish I have today!

OPI From A to Z-urich is a burgundy red creme. I like that this red isn't too dark or bright, its just in the middle. Its a pretty nice shade to use in my nail art and as a full manicure. The formula and application on this was perfect. This is two coats.

Its a nice red to have so I'm glad this is in my collection. What do you think of this color?

Wishtrend Offering Free Worldwide Shipping & Up To 30% Off Best Beauty Items of 2013!

Wishtrend is offering free worldwide shipping on new arrival products until January 19 which is tomorrow! If your interested in trying out some Korean skincare or beauty items, this is the time to do it. All you have to do is purchase an item in their new arrival category and you will get free worldwide shipping with your entire order, no minimum purchase required.

Wishtrend has been adding a ton of new brands and products recently and I've been itching to make another order with them. Some of the items I'm interested in or intrigued by are the:

Eyecurl - Eyelash Iron (Heated Eyelash Curler) for $14.99

ElishaCoy - New Always Perfect CC Cream for $23.50

Rivecowe - Plenty Volume Mascara for $11.50

Pondang - Moisturizing Cream (for Combination, Dry or Oily Skin) for $16.99

Skinmiso - Rice Foam Cleansing for $12.99

Another sale Wishtrend is having right now is the Wish Awards 2013 where the top 20 best beauty items are discounted up to 30% off. This sale ends on January 26.

The Skin&Lab Red Serum I bought from them is actually on sale right now for $27.99 which is such a great deal! I'm loving that particular serum and would definitely repurchase when I'm out of it. Here's a list of some of the items that are on sale:

OST - Original Pure Vitamin C20 Serum for $19.99

Klairs - Rich Moist Smoothing Cream for $17.99

Klairs - Illuminating Supple Blemish Cream for $17.49

Skin&Lab - Dr. Color Effect: Red Serum for $27.99

I might place a little order with them just to take advantage of this great deal. The skincare items I've purchased from them before have been working really well for me. They've been making such a positive difference in my skin which makes me extremely happy to see. If you want more information on these offers, check out Wishtrend!

*Post does contain affiliate links.*

Geometric Nails

Here is my third manicure for The Nail Challenge Collaborative. The month's theme is inspired by a tutorial. This was inspired by elleandish from her tutorial, Geometric Nails. I haven't experimented with striping tape much so I thought why not give this a try.

I started with Nicole by OPI Diva Into The Pool on my pinky, ring, and pointer nail. I applied a glitter accent on my ring nail using China Glaze Pizzazz. I used Milani White On The Spot for my middle and thumb nail. Taking striping tape, I created a geometric design on the white nails. I sponged on Nicole by OPI Selena, Nicole by OPI Spring Break, and Nicole by OPI Pretty In Plum. I peeled off the striping tape and lastly applied Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat.

I chose to use different colors in my geometric design and I loved how it turned out. The striping tape made the lines so crisp and the effect is so cool. Makes it seem like it was a lot of work to do when it wasn't. What do you think of my geometric nails?

My Skincare Routine

I wanted to share with you my current skincare routine before I incorporate new skincare items I bought into it. I haven't really been taking good care of my skin throughout the years because my skin has not been the best it could be. For this year, I really wanted to take action and improve what products I was using. I had a skincare routine but it wasn't really helping to fight the problems I had which means I was treating my skin issues correctly.

My Skin Type
My skin is extremely dry and a little sensitive. I get really dry on my chin, cheek and nose area particularly in which my skin will be peeling off if its not moisturized properly. My skin is mostly dry throughout the year but I do get a little oily during the warmer weather. I get the occasional pimple when I'm stressed or when I'm eating unhealthy. I also have redness around my face.

Morning Routine
In the morning, I splash my face with warm water and pat dry with a face towel. The only item I use is a moisturizer in the morning. I'm using currently the Simple Replenishing Rich Moisturizer and a sample jar of the Juice Beauty Stem Cellular Repair Moisturizer. Lastly, I apply my EOS Smooth Sphere Lipbalm in Honeydew Melon to keep my lips moisturized for the day.

Night Routine
At night, I use my Simple Moisturizing Facial Wash as my facial cleaner. Then, I apply my night time moisturizer which is the Desert Essence 100% Pure Jojoba Oil by patting it on my skin. Lastly, I apply my EOS Smooth Sphere Lipbalm in Honeydew Melon on my lips.

Extra Treatments

I use the Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque at least once a week as a treatment mask to help take out any impurities in my skin as well as help fight any breakouts I might have.

The only tool I use is the Clarisonic Mia. I use this in conjunction with the what ever cleanser I'm currently using about every other day or whenever I feel like my skin needs it. The brush head I have on right now is the delicate brush head. The main brush head types I use are the normal, sensitive, or delicate ones.

As you can see, my skincare routine for day and night is very minimal. I'm really concentrating on improving my skincare routine and making my skin feel healthier and more hydrated this year. I did purchase some new skincare items from Wishtrend and I'm excited to see if they work and will make a difference to my skin. So far, I'm really liking how they feel and how they make my skin look. You can check out my Wishtrend haul HERE.

Cheerful Abstract Flowers

Here is my second manicure for The Nail Challenge Collaborative where this month's theme is inspired by a tutorial. This was inspired by Miss80Million on her tutorial, Abstract Mellow Flowers. I love dotting and I haven't done it for a while so I wanted to give this a try.

For my base color, I used Barielle Gotta Have Fate. Taking a small dotting tool, I dotted on clusters of various sized dots using Barielle Swizzle Stix, China Glaze Starboard, Revlon Rich Raspberry, and Sally Hansen White On. Finished with Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat.

Sorry for the blurry pictures I took. It was a rainy day and I was fiddling with my camera settings. Dotting is one of my favorite techniques so this was a super fun manicure to recreate. I like how it looks even though the flowers are kind of hard to tell. What do you think of this manicure?

Wishtrend Skincare Haul and First Impressions

Today's post is a little different from what I usually blog about. This year, I decided I wanted to take better care of my skin so I ordered some items off Wishtrend during their buy one get one free sale they had on over the holidays. If you don't know, Wishtrend is a Korean retailer that mainly sells Korean skincare and makeup items. They also offer a monthly box called a Wish Box that's like those subscription boxes out there but instead, you buy this box whenever you like or when it runs out of stock. They had some amazing boxes that I'm sad I missed out on.

I've heard of this site before but I've never purchased anything from them until now. I wanted to get some items from them because Koreans are pretty hardcore in their skincare regimes. I love watching K-dramas and all the actresses I've seen have such flawless skin. I know that Korea specializes in skincare so I thought why not try out some of their best sellers from Wishtrend.

How to Get a $5 Voucher
If you use my promo code: 241709612 as the invitation code when you sign up for an account on Wishtrend, you can get a $5 voucher added to your account that can be used towards your purchases. I get a $5 voucher in return too if you use my promo code.

Website
Their online website was easy to navigate and to browse on. I like that even though its a Korean retailer, each product had a thorough description in English as well as pictures to showcase the product as well as the effect on the skin after use.

Shipping
I placed my order on December 24, it shipped on December 30, and I received it by January 7. So, it took about a week to get to me in Canada which is good considering it was shipped from Korea and it was during the holiday season too. I received free EMS Shipping because my order was over $129. Shipping time was estimated to be 5-7 business days which was a pretty good estimate. Keep in mind that my package also had to go through a customs inspection too.



Packaging
It was packaged in a box which when I gave it a closer look, was actually two boxes combined into one. Everything was individually bubble wrapped so nothing got broken. I'm very satisfied with how they package their items. You can tell they put in the effort to prevent any breakage.

What I Ordered

1. Klairs Supple Preparation Facial Toner $21.99: This toner is suppose to help balance your PH level and boost the absorption of your skincare products to provide more effectiveness.

2. [SKIN&LAB] Dr. Color Effect: Red Serum $39.99: Very popular skincare serum in Korea that is suppose to help make your skin look younger and healthier.

3. Rojukiss Pore Deep Cleansing Oil $21.50: An oil that is suppose to be great in deep cleaning your pores and removing makeup.

4. Wish Box No.16 - [SKIN&LAB] Set $49.99 (no longer available): Includes five [SKIN&LAB] creams called A Plus Lifting, B Plus Trouble-X, C Plus Brightening, E Plus Moisturizing, and K Plus Red-X.

Also included was a bunch of free samples which is always a plus. I was missing ten Skin&Lab Red Serum samples that was suppose to be included with the Wish Box that I ordered. I did contact Wishtrend and they are sending out my missing items. So, A+ for their customer service.

Overall Experience
I would definitely purchase from Wishtrend again in the future. Their skincare products are priced on the higher end but its still pretty affordable and they offer such a wide range of brands to try. Wishtrend often have sales and promotions going on which makes shopping on their site such a fun experience. They offer free standard shipping worldwide on purchases over $69 which I love because not all companies offer that. I can't wait to place my next order with them!

*Post does contain affiliate links.*

Color Blend Nail Art

Its a new month which means a new challenge theme for The Nail Challenge Collaborative. This month's theme is inspired by a tutorial. I love watching video tutorials from Youtube for inspiration so I'm planning to do four recreations from four different channels. This first one was inspired by cutepolish from her video, Color of the Year: Radiant Orchid Nails.

For my base color, I started with Essie Splash Of Grenadine. While that's still wet, I applied a stripe down the side of the nail using Essie Mesmerize. Then I quickly added another stripe beside it with Essie Mint Candy Apple. Taking a toothpick, I drew a couple of horizontal lines across all three colors. I finished with a coat of Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat.

I loved how easy but so cool this nail art design turned out. There's so many different colors you can use to create your own unique combination. What do you think of this manicure?