Follow Up: China Glaze- Pelican Gray

Pelican Gray by China Glaze

I had some issues with this polish this week. I started noticing chipping by the beginning of the day, Day 3. The side of my right and thumb and a chip on my right hand middle finger bubbled underneath the polish. The polish from this point was easily able to peel off and leave a clean nail. Normally I would have left this for your viewing pleasure, but with a family funeral this week I didn't want my nails to look awful so I redid both fingers Tuesday morning. My Day 7 photo was of  my left hand which I didn't mess with all week.

As you can see I got quite a few chips through out the week. My pointer finger showed the most tip wear. That became noticeable around Day 4, starting by the beginning of Day 3. Chips occurred throughout the week. 

 Interestingly enough, the nails I repaired (with no base coat showed minimal to no wear after 3 1/2 days. I may try to find another base coat or try the next China Glaze without a base coat to see how it fares. 

Any suggestions on good base coats? I'd love to hear them. Please comment bellow.

China Glaze- Pelican Gray: Day 1

Wednesday my husband and I got some sad news when we found out his grandfather had passed away. Probably because of this I haven't felt like using my typical bright polishes for my manicure this week. 

Today I am opting to go with China Glaze's Pelican Gray. It is a light gray with  fine silver shimmer. I got this polish in an Ombre Collection from Sally Beauty Supply that I will show in a later post.

Application: This polish had a pretty smooth application. Was a little streaky on the first coat, but evened out completely after a second. Photos above are with two coats for complete coverage. 

Base coat: Beauty Secrets

Follow up will be next week. I also may add a gradient...

Follow Up: Bellatrix Nail Lacquer-Magenta

Okay, so I cheated a little. I got some new polish in and wanted to change up my mani. I did wear the Bellatrix polish for 6 days though and I was pleasantly surprised. Although the application was not my favorite, the polish did really good in terms of wear. This was what the polish looked like right before removal.

As you can see there were some chips on the side, but they were not huge and they came on gradually as the week progressed.

Minor tip wear started about day 2 with this polish and minor chip around day 4. Larger chips like the one on my index finger happened yesterday (day 5).

Overall I was impressed with this polish and if I came across it in Walgreens again on sale I would probably pick it up. I hope they do change the application brush though and make it less course, but other than that I was pretty happy with this manicure.

January Ipsy Glam Bag Unboxing and Reviews

Ipsy is a monthly beauty and makeup subscription box. Every month they send subscribers 4-5 beauty products (mainly with deluxe samples and full sized products) and a makeup bag for $10 a month. This is my 3rd bag and so far I have really enjoyed the service.

The theme for the bag/month is 19 Reasons 2014 will be Amazing. This month Ipsy seemed to focus more on skin care and hair care instead of make-up. This month also had all sample sizes, but I am still excited to try all the products.

Elizabeth Mott Smooth Shadow Creamy Eye Pencil in Pearl .7g (full size 1.5g, $14.99) Approx. Value $7.50

Review: I used this pencil as a highlight in the inner corners and on the waterline. It is a little too shimmery for the waterline, but I liked it as a highlighter. This pencil does go on creamy. Glad I got to try it.

Briogeo Don't Despair, Repair! Deep Conditioning Mask 1 oz. (full size 5.25 oz., $26) Approx. Value $5

Review: I have never used a deep conditioning mask, but I often use leave in conditioner in my hair so I was excited to give this a try. This mask has a pleasant smell and made my hair feel so soft. The sample wasn't huge but I should be able to get a few more uses out of it.  

MicaBeauty Tinted Lip Balm in 06-Fiesta 2.5g (full size 4g, $30) Approx. Value $18.75

Review: Holy Pigment BATMAN! When MicaBeauty says tinted they mean tinted. Even when applied lightly I got a lot of color. On the lips, it was a little brighter than I usually wear, but it was a nice change. This balm goes on pretty silky, but is more drying than I would expect from a balm. I ended up putting on Burt's Bees Balm before reapplying. Which I guess defeats the purpose of this also being a "balm".

Be sure to wash your hands right away if applied with your finger, otherwise you may have tinted fingers.

Nourish Organic Lightweight Moisturizing Face Lotion .5 oz (full size 1.7 oz, $21.99) Approx. Value $6.50

Review: I am glad I got to try this product. I liked quite a few of the ingredients (Moroccan Argan oil, shea butter) and the fact that it is organic. What I didn't like was the smell. I am guessing it is either from the rosewater or the combination of ingredients. The product does what it says it does though. It moisturizes, feels lightweight, and doesn't leave your skin feeling greasy. 

Proactiv+ Mark Fading Pads 4 count (full size 15 pads in a kit for $39.95/month) Was not able to determine approx. value because of this.

Honestly this was the only product I wasn't excited about trying. With my sensitive skin and eczema near my nose I am afraid this product would do more damage than good. I will probably try to swap this item or set it aside for someone who can use it. 

The bag itself is a little bigger than previous bags. For this reason it may be good for travel.

Total Approx. Value of the Bag (not including the Proactiv): $37.75

Definitely my lowest valued bag, but when I am only paying $10/month I find nothing to complain about.  

If you would like to join me on Ipsy and subscribe to the Glam Bag please use my link here. You get 4-5 beauty products every month delivered to your door, for just $10. 

Bellatrix Nail Lacquer-Magenta: Day 1

Found this set while wandering around Walgreen's today. It was tagged as $3, but since it was leftover from the holiday gift sets I was only charged $1. For that price I had to give it a try. The bottle reminds me a little of the Butter London polishes. I have not tried the lip gloss yet, but will let you know my thoughts when I post the follow up for the polish.

Bellatrix Lips and Tips gift set. Sticker on the box labels the set as "Magenta" but the color is definitely more of a dusty rose. 

Used: Beauty Secrets Base Coat, 2 coats of the Bellatrix Nail Lacquer, and Beauty Secrets Top Coat

Application: I feel like the nail polish was a little thicker than I am used to. The brush was a little coarse and made the polish appear streaky with the first coat. I was able to even it out pretty well with the second coat though. 

Will see how this polish holds up this week and will post a follow up. 

2014: The Beginning

I'm Farin and this is my nail blog. My addiction to polish has been building over the years and I can no longer ignore it. I feel that one thing I have been missing on other nail blogs is how long polish lasts. While I am a sucker for a good deal, I want my mani to last more than a few days, a week would be ideal. So here is my idea...I am going to blog my polish-capades and show you what the results are before and after a week of wear. Anything less than a week will be noted (I tend to pick at my nail polish if it really starts to chip, so I will photo before I go to town on it). Note: I am not a professional manicurist by any means, I just love relaxing and painting my nails on at least a weekly basis.