February Wish List

Quick post...here is a small collection of things that I have been really, really lusting after lately, very spring-themed...pastel colors, fresh, healthy, and sophisticated.

1. Pastel Nailpolishes
Some sample lemming colors are Essie's Mint Candy Apple, Nubar's Lemon Sorbet, and American Apparel's Summer Peach. ToDieFor.

2. Tangle Teezer
After reading Nouveau Cheap's review of this product and realizing that we have practically identical hair types, I decided that I need this IMMEDIATELY!

3. Wildfox Brigitte Baggy Beach Jumper
Currently sold out on Karmaloop, what beauty junkie doesn't want this?! Also available in a bright coral if that's more your speed...

4. MAC Lazy Day Lipstick
This came out most recently in the To The Beach collection to the best of my knowledge, so why is it that I want it now??? Such a goregous coral take on the "your lips but better" shade!

5. Aquolina Pink Sugar
I've owned (and used up) this sugary-sweet scent in the past, and am dying to repurchase...especially since the scent is literally an aphrodisiac for my boyfriend! I recently saw the huge 3.4 oz. size on Overstock.com for a measley $26! I can vouch that the hair perfume is awesome, too!

6. EZ Pass
When you live in the tri-state area (where NY/NJ/CT meet, for those of you who don't know), you feel the pain of paying tolls to take major highways, cross state lines, and especially commute into/out of NYC. I recently moved back to the Westchester area (a born-and-raised Jersey girl at heart) after a five-year stint in south Florida and owning EZ Pass makes paying tolls super-duper convenient without having to dig around your purse or car for spare change multiple times a week!

7. Dry Scalp Remedy
Either I was living in blissful ignorance before, or my first real "winter" in many years has taken a serious toll on my poor skull! Gross as it sounds, my scalp has been suffering from tiny scabs, flakes, and some serious itchies. I don't want to go down the line trying every dandruff product on the market in sight, so if you have a good recommendation for a worthwhile remedy, please let me know below!!!

8. Tea Bag Organizer
Ever since my big health kickoff for 2012, I have acquired a great deal of teas to wholistically address different problems--sleeplessness, bowel movements, skin detox, and lots of other "good" stuff. This little acrylic guy would make it super easy to keep the various teabags visible and organized!

9. Cleansing Conditioner
I recently heard about Wen's stellar cleansing conditioners on various YouTube gurus' channels but don't love the fact that I can't go pick it up in a store...I guess I'm a bigger fan of instant gratification than I realized. I'd love to try it though, or maybe go for some newer drugstore alternatives, such as options by L'Oreal or Salon Grafix.

10. Best Glue Ever
Apparently, the name doesn't lie. This is renowned for making amateur nail artists look like Asian masters of the craft.

11. Contemporary Bold Graphic Bedding
My boyfriend and I recently bought a 1 bedroom co-op and are in the process of furnishing it before we officially move out of our rental apartment. We both love modern-yet-cozy interior styles and are in search of fun, bold graphics to dress our beautiful new soon-to-be-delivered white sleigh bed.

Updates and Apologies

Hey there!

First off, thanks for staying interested in my blog despite my extremely extended hiatus. The truth is the summer and fall were quite a hectic time in my life.

While I love all of you and sharing my tips, tricks, loves, and hates, the bottom line is that blogging is about fun and having an outlet for my beauty obsession. So, if I don't have the time or the inspiration to blog, I don't let the pressure get to me. I just do it when I can and when I want to.

That said, I have made a lot of changes recently--for the better--and relaunching my blog in a more updated format is definitely in the works, along with some other fun surprises I would prefer to build suspense around for now. Stay tuned for more on that!!! For the record, Swatch Party will still exist, along with some other great stuff for you all!

So...I'm sorry, and I do promise to write more. Please stay tuned and keep your ears (eyes?) perked for upcoming exciting announcements!

Sally Hansen & N.Y.C. Nailpolish Dupes

As I have been swatching away for Swatch Party and scooping up drugstore beauty steals, I came across a surprising conclusion: I basically bought the same nailpolish twice.

Well, not exactly the same nailpolish, but literally the colors are so identical, I would think they were created in the same lab!

Below are photos of my new .49 cent nailpolish, N.Y.C. In a New York Minute Nailpolish in Greenwich Village along with an older friend, Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Nail Color in Fuchsia Power. They are literally the exact same shade of fuchsia pink!



Here are my natural light swatches of both polishes. Please excuse my messy application and embarrassing cuticles, but I have had very little "me" time lately with all of this portfolio work for school!


What I also find very interesting is that both nailpolishes are of the "quick dry" variety. The only real difference I find is that the Sally Hansen polish is a bit thicker, but both dry evenly, within about two minutes, and to the same semi-matte finish. You can get full opacity with two coats of either polish.

Another interesting fact is that both polishes retail for $1.99 (at my local CVS anyway). However, since CVS is having their semi-annual clearance event, you can score N.Y.C.'s Greenwich Village for just .49 cents!

If you are interested in this shade of bright fuchsia pink, I would try to hunt down Greenwich Village before everyone else gets it first! For two quarters, ho can you go wrong?!

Mini Drugstore Haul

I just wanted to share with you a tiny haul I did recently from CVS and Walgreens combined. I try to keep up with weekly drugstore sales so that I do okay, and try to also use store and manufacturers' coupons. I am not a drugstore makeup addict, but at least if I am gunna buy it anyway, I'd rather get it at a better price.

Anyways, here is what I have purchased recently for practically free:

Left to Right: St. Ives Blemish & Blackhead Control Apricot Scrub (Bonus Size), Revlon Illuminance Creme Eyeshadow in Electric Pop, Essie Nailpolish in Sand Tropez, Sally Hansen Crackle Nailpolish in Ink Splatter (black), backups of my beloved Revlon ColorStay Normal to Oily/Combination Skin Foundations in Ivory & Sand Beige, and Scunci hair elastics

Here are swatches of the Revlon Illuminance Creme Eyeshadows:


I just browsed my latest Ulta circular today and saw that O.P.I. has released a full-scale Shatter collection, including a re-run of the black one that sold out in a hot second with the Katy Perry collection. So now I kind of regret getting the Sally Hansen one, but seeing as how I haven't used it yet, hopefully it will work just as well. I'll definitely let you know!

Also, please follow the new blog: Swatch Party

Update & NEW BLOG! ♥

Hey everyone!

I know I have been so absent lately. I am FINALLY graduating college in September, after seven grueling years of roughing it, both academically and in life in general. My graduate portfolio is due in about six weeks and it has been taking up a lot of my time, in addition to my regular homework and life necessities, such as food shopping, errands, etc. Anyways, I promise to be back in full swing as soon as school fires me from being its bitch.

Anyways, I also wanted to let you all know that I did start a new blog recently, Swatch Party. You might be thinking what would possess me to start a new blog when I have been neglecting this one so much, but there's a good reason. Swatch Party is dedicated solely to swatches and mini-reviews of products I already own and eventually purchase. This takes a lot less time than coming up with regular blog topics, creating looks or compiling hauls, and taking the time to photograph and upload everything. Those posts usually take me 3+ hours to create, while swatching takes only about 1 hour. Right now, my time is precious, but I still enjoy blogging, so I saw this as a solution to the best of both worlds.

Please follow Swatch Party, tell your blogging buddies about it, and let me know what you would like to see swatched in the future!

Thanks for your support, for sticking with me, and being awesome!

Xoxo