Gelaze by China Glaze Review + Swatches

So today I'm going to be talking about something I've been trying out for a while now and that's Gelaze by China Glaze. China Glaze has decided to jump on the bandwagon and create a gel polish line. All of the polishes they have are already found in their regular polishes permanent line. These gel polishes do REQUIRE the lamp. It claims to be a 2in1 polish and doesn't require a base coat. Here are a few random NOTD swatches that I have for a few of the colors that I own.


Fairy Dust - Can't really tell from the picture but it is a clear polish with small holographic glitter.

Flip Flop Fantasy - This one looks definitely more orange than the original FFF.

Refresh Mint - This is probably my favorite of them all. It looks so lovely on.

Shocking Pink - Definitely a very bright pink, looks wonderful on.

Swing Baby - Not really that fond of this one. Looks prettier in the bottle than on my nails.

Sorry for the randomness of the photos, most of them were taken for the use on my Instagram so they are not the best. These are the only swatches I have of them right now and thought it would be better than bottle pictures. Anyways... I also own the topcoat, For Audrey, and Turned Up Turquoise which are not pictured above. Overall, I really do like these polishes but lets take a deeper look into them.

Dislikes:

• Peels easily - This doesn't last on your nails very long. After a couple days of wear it begins to peel up at the edges causing it to snag and completely come off.

• Shrinkage - While waiting for this to cure under the light it begins to shrink. You have to really work at this polish for it not to shrink.

• Pools at the cuticle - You have to be extremely careful to use thin coats with this polish. It pools extremely easily around the cuticle and makes the whole process a lot longer due to all the excess clean up (MAKE SURE TO DO CLEAN UP BEFORE CURING, WON'T COME OFF AFTER YOU CURE).

• Availability - So far, Sally's is the only place that carries this. Most of the time when I got to the Sally's around me they are all sold out of the colors I am interested in. So the availability kinda sucks.

Enough with the dislikes, now onto the likes:

• Peels easily - I know this is under the dislikes but it is also a like as well. I love gel polish because it doesn't chip but that doesn't really take away my want to change my polish constantly. It peels of easily and doesn't damage the nail (well it hasn't in my case) and allows me to change my polish often without it chipping easy.

• Glossy finish - It's extremely shiny and I just love that. The gloss doesn't fade away either so you can expect the gloss to last however long this polish lasts on you.

• Price - Gel polish can be extremely expensive but the price for this polish isn't that bad. It costs $11.99 with your Sally's card but I've seen these on sale a lot. I got all of these polishes on sale when Sally's was having the BOGO Free deal so watch out for the deals.

• No drying time - This really goes for all gel polish. It takes a little longer to apply BUT it has zero dry time. I hate waiting around on my nails to dry so I love using this polish when I want to do my nails but don't have the time to wait around for drying.

Like I said, I do really enjoy these polishes. I most likely will be picking up a few more whenever my Sally's restocks them. What colors have you tried and which is your favorite?

Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque Review

Before I had decided to purchase this product, I was super excited. I've heard many beauty gurus on Youtube rave about this product. So when I finally found it at Walgreens, I snatched it up. Now I'm hear to tell you today about what I think of this mask.

Likes:

• Smells good - It's very minty and is quite lovely.
• Dries quickly - Very important, don't want to wait around for a mask to dry.
• Affordable - I bought this bottle for less than $6 at Walgreens.
• Refreshing -  It makes your skin feel super clean, doesn't dry it out, and makes your face feel refreshed. 

Dislikes:

• Burns - This tingles on your face and even burns a little. Not painful but just uncomfortable.
• Benefits - I've used this several times now and haven't noticed any of it's claims. I haven't noticed it help clear pores, dry acne, or get rid of blackheads.

So have you tried this mask? What are your thoughts?

Sally Beauty Top Coat Reviews

When I first started painting my nails, I always told myself a top coat was useless. Once I broke down and bought one for the quick drying properties I quickly learned that you do indeed need a top coat. A top coat not only protects your polish from chipping or smudging but it also cuts down on the drying time significantly (depending on the type of top coat you use). So today I will be talking about 5 top coats that claim to be fast drying, long lasting, a shine increasing. I purchased these all from Sally's Beauty Supply and have used the images from their website. All image credit goes to Sally's Beauty Supply website which is linked here. I will also be linking to the top coat if you are interested in purchasing it. Since I have so many to get through, lets get started!

First up is China Glaze Fast Forward Top Coat. One of my favorite nail polish brands is China Glaze however, I'm not a fan of their top coat. I was looking forward to using this and had high expectations due to their wonderful nail polish. This top coat isn't terrible but I don't find it to dry that quickly, add that much shine, or extend the wear of my polish. It's an average top coat and isn't really anything all that special.

Next we have ProLinc Diamond Dry Air Dry Top Coat. I actually received this top coat free a while back when Sally's was having a promotion where you would get a free top coat when you bought a China Glaze nail polish. I was super pumped to try it since I was freshly on the hunt for good top coats. I really tried to like this top coat but I just couldn't. It didn't dry that quickly at all. While it did dry quicker than if there wasn't a top coat, it still took a long time. The biggest reason why I didn't like this top coat though was that it crinkled. Every time I would use it it would crinkle and look like crinkled up aluminum foil. It looked terrible and after 5-7 uses or so I gave up and tossed it.

Up next we have INM Out The Door Fast Drying Top Coat. I like and dislike this top coat all at once. It does dry you polish rather quickly but it doesn't extend the wear of your polish. When I use this polish I notice chipping within 1-2 days after applying. I only use this polish when I know that I will want to change my polish again rather soon otherwise, I won't use it.

Next we have Orly In A Snap Nail Dryer. I honestly just picked this up because it was one of the very first top coats that I had found. It's much like the China Glaze Fast Foward that I mentioned above. It's an average top coat that doesn't really have that amazing of drying time, additional shine, or additional nail polish wear. I wouldn't recommend this top coat unless average is what you are going for.

Lastly we have Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat. This top coat and I have had a very long love hate relationship. I first got this top coat when there was a deal at Sally's when you bought a China Glaze polish you would receive a free Seche Vite. It's honestly one of the best top coats I have tried. However, it does have it's downfalls. 1) It's made with chemicals that can cause birth defects. When I think about this, it really creeps me out and makes me not want to use it. 2) It gets goopy after using it about half way through. It can be really frustrating trying to use this top coat towards the half way mark. I may need to try the Seche Vite restore. Those are the only two complaints I have about this top coat. The quick drying time, high gloss finish, and extended nail polish wear does outweigh the negatives though. I would definitely give this top coat a shot if you haven't already.

So what top coats are your favorite? I'm always up for trying a new top coat and would love to hear recommendations.

My OPI Brazil Collection Picks!

I was actually really excited for the OPI Brazil Collection as I seen quite a few shades I actually found myself enjoying. Sally's had a sale where the Brazil Collection was BOGO free and I couldn't resist. Here are the polishes that I picked up/am going to pick up:

These are all going to be listed in order by the picture going left to right.

Where did Suzi's Man-go? - A pale orange. Usually I really hate orange colors but this color is absolutely perfect. It does require three thin coats to become opaque but is very easy to work with. It's a great polish!

Kiss Me I'm Brazilian - A very creamy and opaque bubblegum pink. It applies very smooth and has a wonderful application. It requires three thin coats to become 100% opaque.

Live.Love.Carnival - A coral red/orange that looks amazing on toes. I admit that I do love it on my fingers as well but something about it makes me love it on my toes more. It's completely opaque in two coats and again, this polish has an amazing formula.

I Just Can't Cope-acabana - A bright yellow. Again, I usually hate colors like this. It's extremely hard for me to find a yellow that isn't streaky, takes a million coats, and dries quickly. This yellow is absolutely perfect. It's bright, it dries quickly, and isn't streaky at all. It does require three coats but I don't mind!

Toucan Do It If You Try - I don't actually own this polish yet but I plan to purchase it very soon! I decided not to get it last time I was in Sally's and now I can't stop thinking about how much I need this polish! LOL. It will be mine.

UPDATED: Added a better picture.
What colors have you picked up? Which ones are your favorites?

Influenster Go Voxbox

So today I'm finally going to blog about my new voxbox that I've received from Influenster! It shipped really quickly and took less than a week from the day I received the email that I was going to receive it. Which was quite odd since it always seems to take forever but hey, I'm not complaining! I always love receiving these boxes and was excited to get this one! Lets hop into what I received:

I unfortunately don't have individual pictures of each item because I was to excited to dig right into my voxbox so here is the list form of what I got.

- Playtex Sport Fresh Balance
- Vitamin Shoppe Next Step Fit N Full Protein Shake
- Blue Diamond Blueberry Flavored Almonds
- Profoot Triad Orthodic AND Profoot Pedi Rock
- Aqua Spa Body Creme
- 1 Voucher for a FREE Muller Yogurt Product

So far, there is a few things I haven't had the chance to try. I haven't been able to try the tampons, protein shake, or shoe insoles. So I can't review those yet but I will review the rest.

Blue Diamond Blueberry Almonds - They are sweet, very blueberry, and are a nice treat. I usually like my almonds to be nice and salty so it was a nice change to try them with a sweeter coat on them. I can only eat these a few at a time or else I find them to be way to sweet for me. It would be interesting to try the other flavors they have. Might have to pick up a pack next time I go grocery shopping.

Profoot Pedi Rock - I have very naturally smooth feet so I didn't really notice much of a difference when using this product. I did like the shape of the pedi rock though. It was easy to hold and wasn't awkward at all. If you don't have very rough feet I think this is a great product. However, I'm not sure how well this would work for those with rougher feet.

Aqua Spa Body Creme - I received the Lavender & Chamomile scent (not sure if there were other scents) and felt only okay about it. I'm not really a lavender kind of gal so it didn't really smell all that amazing to me. It does however leave the skin feeling quite soft. Might have to pass this one along to someone who will appreciate its scent more than me!

Muller Yogurt - I've had this before the voucher was sent in my voxbox and loved it! It's nice and creamy and good to have for a small snack during the day. Excited to try out some more flavors in the future.

Excited to have received this voxbox. Everything was sent to me courtesy of Influnster for the purpose of reviewing. Did you receive the go voxbox? What did you like the best?