I absolutely LOVE this color for summer. The one problem however is that it chips quickly.
I’ve tried several different base coats and several different top coats. 2 layers of nail polish, 3 layers. Every time is seems to last maybe 3 days tops before starting to look really bad.
Most of the other Essie polishes I’ve tried last about 5 days and even then they don’t deteriorate so quickly. So if anyone knows of another color that looks the same but last longer I would love to know!
I bought the Pixi Beauty Lip & Line in Fresh Pink. It actually seems to look better in the photo than it does in real life (though I was tired and ready for sleep when I took the photo.)
It’s just a little too pink and a little too chalky looking in person somehow. I tried adding a lip gloss on top and that didn’t really help. Somehow it washes out my lips just a little too much and had that “teenager just starting to play with makeup” look to it.
I was impressed with the ingredients and would probably try something else from their line but I was not impressed with this lip & line product.
I received a sample of the Amika Obliphica Nourishing Mask in the April Birchbox.I LOVE what this does to my hair. The photos are actually all the second day after using this (gallery below)
My hair was still shiny but not oily. NO additional products. No hairspray, no gel, no shine serums, nada. Just shampoo then the amika Obliphica Nourishing Mask. My hair was straight with a little more volume on the first day. Second day I decided to curl it without rewashing and this is how it looked at the end of the day.
I also LOVE that the ingredient list is all natural.
The big downside for me (and also probably the ingredient that causes the shine) – even though I rinse it out in the shower after 5 minutes, the dimethicone still seems to break me out a bit. I will give it another shot again in another week but I’m fairly certain this was what caused the couple of little deeper below the surface zits that are painful and last longer. That has been the pattern with anything that has “cones” in the ingredient list for me so I wasn’t surprised.
IF dimethicone doesn’t bother you, I definitely would recommend picking up this product and trying it.
KlutchClub is an interesting new company: A fitness and health box similar to birchbox but instead of makeup, full of goodies like DVDs, food and organic items. I’ve done an unboxing video linked below:
Ignore my comment about what people got in their box, it looks like everyone gets the same box and the website has more details on what the April box contains now: http://www.klutchclub.com/womens-box-subscription/
There may be some variance on the flavor of the potato lentil chips or some of the other items but I expect overall they are fairly similar.
What they say their company does: “We know you already know the value of accessing the best products and services to help you live full and healthy lives. But here’s a reminder to help you fully explore KLUTCHclub. Each month, you’ll receive a selection of items that have inspired, motivated, nourished, comforted, and even pampered us. You’ll receive anything from nutritious snacks to brilliant skincare to cutting-edge fitness regimes, all from a range of partner companies that we know and trust. In addition, you’ll get exclusive discounts and offerings only available to KLUTCHclub subscribers.”
In my box:
“Kristin McGee’s Power Yoga” dvd
HyDrive Energy drink in Berry Blast
Zico natural coconut water
Tea Forte sample pack with cherry marzipan, honey yuzu, and cucumber mint flavors
Shea Terra Organics Rose Hips Black Soap Deep Pore Facial Cleanser. Micro-dermabrasion in a bottle. A cleansing organic deep-pore facial wash.
Barlean’s Organic Oils Mango Peach Organic Swirl. Organic omega 3, flax and fish oil supplement.
Plentils in Garlic & Parmesen flavor. Gluten Free, wheat free, soy free, egg free, dairy free, peanut free, fish free, tree nut free, shelfish free.
Enjoy Life “Not Nuts: Seed & Frut Mix” in Mountain Mambo
Kind Plus Bar in Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate + protein
gift code for $25 off of Hyde organic yoga clothing
It’s $18 per month if you do the month to month “subscription” and there is a 3 month or 12 month subscription option as well which will get you a bit of a discount. They have a page for next month’s preview but they don’t have anything up there just yet. http://www.klutchclub.com/next-months-preview/
I’m really happy I did this and I will probably continue to do this box on a month to month basis because these brands are brands that I know and already love plus I’m still getting to try enough that are new to me that it’s an excellent deal. At least so far. 😉
Are there other “box subscription” style programs you’re subscribed to? If so, which ones? Do you like this new subscription trend? I’ve been thinking about trying the Eco Emi subscription, are there any others I should be looking into?
Update: The yoga dvd was kinda disappointing but again still a good box.
I am however glad I’m doing this one month to month because the May box is a little less interesting to me personally.
May 2012 box
Hydroxatone’s Instant Effect 90 Second Wrinkle Reducer this would be the expensive sample item in this box. If you’re interested in this, purchase this box because the full size is $70! This is however something I wouldn’t use, not natural enough and I don’t really have any fine lines to worry about.
ONE coconut water I do like some coconut water but this doesn’t alone make this box worth it for me.
Moving Comfort sports bras $25 off. Use coupon code: MOM and get 20% off your klutch order this month. So $14.40 for $25 off would be a good deal if I wanted one of these sports bras. For me, meh. For someone having a hard time finding a good sports bra to hold everything in place, I have heard good things about this brand.
Yoga Download classes LOVE yoga downloads. They have a podcast that’s excellent and I’ve donated money to them to keep them going. Also bought the android app for the kindle fire. But not worth the box.
Think Thin bars they use too much soy protein for me
Tank: Talbot’s Outlet (one of my recent gold purchases) cream with gold foil streaks.
Wrap: Tabot’s Outlet (in the fall) it’s a heathered cream linen that’s a perfect weight for spring and fall. Very versatile.
Bracelet: thrifted.
Jeans: Walmart (shhhh … why do I end up with jeans from there?)
Shoes: Lauren Conrad leopard print ballet flat from Kohl’s. Loving these, they also go with a LOT.
Then there was the yoga capris I bought that had a foil leopard print pattern. This wasn’t actually on purpose. It was more because I didn’t like the pairs that had funky color tops and they didn’t have a plain black and I had a gift card burning a hole in my pocket:
Close up of the leopard AND the Talbot’s tank’s gold stripes.
Then there are the nails.
Three coats of Essie in “A Crewed Interest” which is a Spring 2012 color.
Topped with a single stripe of Sally Hansen Crackle polish in “Antique Gold”
It’s a nice subtle effect that reminds me of gold leaf. And the peachy pink is like a less sheer version of Zoya’s Lulu. That “point shoe pink / peach” I had been looking for for years and suddenly found. Repeatedly apparently.
The gold crackle is actually a little preview of something I’m going to do a giveaway on sometime in the next month. So if you don’t normally read my blog, you might want to stay tuned by either subscribing to the rss, the emails or my twitter or youtube channels!
Are you wearing more gold lately? Is this a trend or just a weird accident that I’ve recently purchased more than one item that was gold foiled?
Next thing you know I’ll own a gold sequin mini skirt…. uhhh probably not anytime soon (though they are CUTE on other people!)
Right to Left (reverse of what you’re probably used to): 1 coat of Essie “A Cut Above” then 3 generous coats, 1 coat of Wet N Wild “Sparked” then 3 generous coats, and the last one on the left is one coat of “A Cut Above” over 2 coats of Essie “A Crewed Interest.”
The color is almost identical but the application is totally different. I almost would say you shouldn’t compare the two and would not consider this a “dup.”
If you’re looking for a finer glitter I would go with the Wet N Wild but if you want a more confetti glitter look I would go with the Essie.
If I had to pick between the two and could only buy one, I would go with the Essie even though it’s more expensive because it just somehow looks a bit more upscale and classier. I did however get the Essie in the March “Teen Vogue” Birchbox.
There is also apparently a Revlon color that is, based on the swatches I see online, somewhere in between the two I’ve reviewed here. Revlon 261-Sparkling.
And Butter London also has a pink glittery color called “Rosie Lee.” B-you-tifullness via Pretty Project via High on Polish via Snappette (aka I saw it on Snappette and the source is B-you-tifullness) has a great example of a pink glitter and nude mani using the Butter London “Rosie Lee.”
I did a quick little video so you can see the two colors I reviewed just a little better.
