Wordless Wednesday: Happiness Is...

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Small Make Up Haul

I've been watching a TON of nail videos on YouTube lately, and I had no idea there were such cool trends out there. Big trends right now are stamping (also called Konad, which I'm pretty sure is the brand that started the trend), crackle, and the ombre mani.

I am so adventurous that the only manicure I've had for the last 10 years is a French mani! I spend WAY too much money every few weeks to have my nails done at the salon. Granted, sometimes they do different colors on the tips, but nothing so bold as what I've found online.

Since I had planned to stop by Sally Beauty the other day, I thought I'd check out the nail polish aisle. Lucky for me, they were having a sale on nail polish - buy 2, get 1 free. I chose 3 colors by Finger Paints, a favorite of some of the gurus. They have really fun colors, and the names of each go along with the "finger paint" title. The colors I got are "Art You Blue?" "Tapestry in Taupe" and "Easel Come, Easel Go!"

I also bought the obligatory bottle of Seche Vite, a quick dry/top coat. It's the one that's recommended by all the gurus. It's not cheap, but hopefully worth the splurge. My bottle was $5.99, on sale from $7.99. While I was there, I picked up a new set of toe separators, a 4-way buffer (I couldn't find a regular size, so hopefully the mini will work), and a huge cuticle stick.

Non-nail supplies I bought were the mineral eye shadow and the makeup sponges. The eye shadow shade is called "downtown brown" and it's by femme couture, which I think is the Sally brand. I don't actually use the red sponges as makeup sponges. They are slightly rough-textured on one side, so I use them to wash my face. I replace them at the first of each month, so I was due for a new pack. They're less expensive than at Wal-Mart even, at $2.99 for a 5 pack of sponges.

I'm excited to try out my new nail colors. I'm hoping I'll be able to save some money by doing my manicures/pedicures myself instead of paying someone to do them every few weeks. What makeup and nail trends are you seeing now?

*SJ*

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Free Stuff!

I just love to get stuff in the mail that isn't bills. I don't do a lot of shopping online, so I was pleasantly surprised a few days ago when this sample set arrived in my mailbox. I had taken a survey online a while back on target.com in order to have this sent to me. Here's what's in the kit:

• Revlon Colorburst Lip Gloss in "Hot Pink"


• Fekkai Shea Butter Moisturizing Shampoo and Conditioner


• Pantene Color Preserve Shine Shampoo


• Nivea Express Hydration Daily Lotion


• Neutrogena naturals Lip Balm


• a really cute Sonia Kashuk makeup bag

So far, the only thing I've tried is the Neutrogena lip balm and the Nivea lotion. The lip balm is a little greasy, but I actually like it a lot. It is somewhat reminiscent of Burt's Bees, without the minty flavor. Burt's Bees, by the way, is my Holy Grail lip balm. I have a couple of tubes in use at all times. I like that it's a natural product, plus I really do love the flavor.

The Nivea Express Hydration Daily Lotion is probably fine, as far as lotions go. I have extremely dry skin, and have patches of eczema on my hands and legs. It takes a lot for a lotion to really "WOW" me, and this one is just average to me.

One other thing that came in the beauty kit was a huge pack of coupons. According to the label, there are $25 worth of savings included. Everything from hair color to shampoo to cosmetics is included. I'm looking forward to trying some new products with the coupons inside.

What new cosmetics have you tried recently? Do you have any old favorites I should try? I'm always open to suggestions - please share!

*SJ*

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