January 2014 ipsy Glam Bag

i can't believe it's taken me til the last day of January to get up the January ipsy Glam Bag... but it's just been one of those months! it would have been up earlier today, but somehow both of my camera batteries were dead. luckily it only takes a couple hours to charge one up :)

i wasn't madly in love with the January ipsy Glam Bag... but i loved last months, and that's kind of the way it goes with stuff like this! i'm definitely looking forward to finding out what's in store for next month.

here's a look at the bag!

and a closeup of all the products! i've never heard of any of these brands before (except proactiv, but i can't use their stuff).  however, the eyeliner is beautiful and i love how the lip balm feels, although the scent isn't what i'd have picked myself... i prefer more vanilla-y scents!

how did you feel about your ipsy Glam Bag this month? were these your dream products?

not sure if i will have a post tomorrow as we're having a barn show... looking forward to it! Ria :)

Sally Hansen complete Salon Manicure Mousseline

had intended to go to the barn today, but after i got all ready to go, i realized i had tons of errands that i'd been putting off! since i definitely need to go tomorrow, and we are having a barn show on Saturday, i decided to get everything over with today. i'm riding a cute pinto named Chief in the show, i haven't ridden him before yesterday, but he's a nice boy :) i will try and post a picture from the show this weekend!

today's polish is Sally Hansen complete Salon Manicure Mousseline. i was in the mood for a nude, and this is a peach-toned beige creme. it reminds me a little bit of the color of the original Band-Aid! the formula is a bit tricky... it's sheer, but refuses to be even. i had to use three coats to even it out, and at that point it's opaque. i was kind of hoping to keep it semi-sheer, but the streaking was just too much. i definitely needed fast dry topcoat to dry it with all that polish on my nails!

three coats Mousseline, one coat Seche Vite.

i was more hoping for a mannequin hand look, but this color just doesn't match my skin tone. hope you are all having a great week! Ria :)

Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Xtreme Wear Pixel Perfect

can't believe this week will end January... time is just flying by. of course, January was a bit weird since i spent most of it in enforced inactivity due to my fall... i'm just so glad to be better. i'm really glad to be out of that sling, that was the absolute worst!

today's polish is Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Xtreme Wear Pixel Perfect. it's an adorable black and white matte glitter in a clear base that has different sizes of hex glitter and black bar glitter. i used it over Ciate Cha Cha Cha which made for an adorable manicure. one coat gave a nice amount of particles, i felt like two coats would make it too cluttered. i did have to dab and place some, and i didn't like that the big hex pieces didn't come out on every nail. however, overall, i do like this glitter! i added a coat of Seche Vite to seal everything in and make it shine.

Ciate Cha Cha Cha manicure, one coat Pixel Perfect, one coat Seche Vite.

hope that you all have fantastic weeks! Ria :)

NEW FingerPaints Professional Artistic Nail Collection Press!

i was really excited to get an email about the new FingerPaints Artistic Nail Collection exclusively launching at Sally Beauty Supply this month :) it will have over 90 shades and is formulated to provide exceptional wear and resist fading! there is even a brand new bottle design and brush technology.

here are swatch wheels of the new FingerPaints core line, and new collections within the line will be launching each month!

i'm super excited for these to come out... i was never in love with the old FingerPaints brush and bottle, so i can't wait to see what they've come up with. plus, these look absolutely gorgeous!

Happy Sunday! Ria :)

Ciate Cha Cha Cha

nothing exciting going on today, went to the mall with Mama Pawlish in the morning and now i'm just home watching tv and blogging! i need to start getting stuff together for the big move... but i'm still kind of in denial that we are leaving in  two months. *sigh* wish we weren't going!

today's polish is Ciate Cha Cha Cha... at least, i'm almost positive that's the name! because of the price label, the name ripped off... but i'm pretty certain that this one is Cha Cha Cha :) i bought it at Marshall's, i think it was split up from it's set. Cha Cha Cha usually comes in the Ciaté® Corrupted Neon Manicure Club Tropicana kit. it's a bright, red-toned orange creme. it dries down to a rubbery finish, so i recommend topcoat. i was satisfied with the coverage at two coats, but there is still a bit of visible nail line!

two coats Cha Cha Cha, one coat Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Top Coat.

one thing i noticed about this one is that it's super bubbly, not sure if i made an application error somehow, or that's just this polish! Ria :)

Julep Maven :: January 2014 It Girl Box

i'm trying a new time for blogging, since blogging in the evenings just hasn't been working as well lately! hopefully, afternoons will be the perfect time :) i've been having some computer troubles... when i use gmail in Internet Explorer, my computer crashes, like full-on blue screen of death. has anyone else experienced that?! it's so frustrating, for the moment i've just stopped using IE completely.

today i'd like to share my January Julep Maven It Girl box with you all! the polishes are part of their 'Boudoir Collection'. sorry it's so late, it's nearly time for February's to come, but January has been a crazy month :)

here's the box... the extra treatie this month is couple nail buffers!

and the polishes! i love that Julep is experimenting with different finishes.

i hope you are having great weeks! i was able to get on a horse for the first time in three weeks yesterday, which was awesome :) i missed riding so much! Ria :)

Essie Belugaria

nothing too exciting to report this weekend... yesterday we went to lunch at CPK and walked around a the mall a little bit. i was hoping to find Lancome's spring collection at Macy's, but sadly it's not in yet! i rarely buy limited edition items, but my interest is really piqued in one of the lipsticks :)

today's polish is Essie Belugaria. this is one i've been drooling over ever since seeing it on other people's blogs, but just hadn't bought. i had some CVS rewards to spend and this was the perfect purchase! it's a black creme that dries down to a textured, chunky finish... what makes this polish different is the holographic hex glitter that is shot throughout it. it's just awesome, i love the little flashes of rainbow from such an unexpected place... it's reminiscent of mica in asphalt... it doesn't sound pretty, but it is! i used two coats over Essence Black Is Back, just to ensure easy opacity without wasting so much polish. i felt it needed two coats to really bring out the texture. no topcoat with this one!

one coat Essence Black Is Back, two coats Essie Belugaria.

it doesn't stay quite so shiny, but it does wear pretty well! i did find it much easier to chip after showering, though. have you tried this one? Ria :)

China Glaze Crinkled Chrome... Don't Be Foiled

we got a nice surprise today... ended up heading to eat dinner at one of our fave restaurants and they were having live music! just a guy and a guitar... totally awesome. haven't been to any live shows in a long time, so it was a great treat :)

today is the last of the China Crinkled Chromes that i have to share... Don't Be Foiled! (all three Crinkled Chromes shared on the blog are press samples, kindly provided to me for review!) it's probably my favorite of the three, it's teal :) as with the others, it has a chrome finish and in addition to normal texturing, it also has bar glitter to add to the visual interest! only one coat needed for full opacity, you might need to add more for more texture, though (you can see some patches without texture that i didn't notice until my DSLR got involved)... and my fave part, no topcoat!

one coat Don't Be Foiled.

you can find China Glaze at many beauty supply stores like Ulta and Sally Beauty Supply!

i hope you all enjoyed seeing these Crinkled Chromes, i certainly enjoyed bringing them to you! will you be picking any up? a big thanks to the company for sending them to me!

Happy Friday! Ria :)

:: these products were provided to me for review. these are my honest opinions! ::

China Glaze Crinkled Chrome... Wrinkling The Sheets

did absolutely nothing today... i really can't wait until next week when i should be allowed to start riding again! i also have to get myself in gear and start getting rid of stuff... moving day is flying up fast, only a little over two months to go. i just found out one of my friends is getting married a few days after we leave California, so Mr. Pawlish and i will be hauling it across the country to make it all the way to Virginia Beach in time for wedding :D

today's China Glaze Crinkled Chrome polish is Wrinkling The Sheets (this is a press sample, kindly provided to me for review!). it's a light, minty green with a chrome finish with little texture particles, including what looks like bar glitter. you can't see any color of the glitter, it is completely covered with the polish... it simply adds visual interest. only one coat is needed for full opacity, but if you wanted more texture you could add more coats... and no topcoat needed!

two coats Wrinkling The Sheets.

you can find China Glaze at many beauty supply stores like Ulta and Sally Beauty Supply!

tomorrow will bring the last of the Crinkled Chromes i have to share! Ria :)

:: these products were provided to me for review. these are my honest opinions! ::

China Glaze Crinkled Chrome... Iron Out Details

i've finally gotten my sutures out! i'm not cleared to ride yet, but i'm allowed to use the arm :) i'm so excited to share with you all the three polishes i received from the China Glaze Crinkled Chrome collection, today is the first one!

Iron Out Details is the name of the first of the China Glaze Crinkled Chromes i have to share. (these are press samples, kindly provided to me for review!) it's a light blue with a chrome finish... the surprise with these polishes is the texture that shows up on drying. it's bumpy like many textured polishes, but also has bar glitter which makes different! it's really easy to apply, and only needs one coat for full opacity... if you want even more texture, you could add more coats :)

one coat Iron Out Details!

you can find China Glaze at many beauty supply stores like Ulta and Sally Beauty Supply!

check back tomorrow for another Crinkled Chrome! Ria :)

:: these products were provided to me for review. these are my honest opinions! ::

Ulta Friends & Family 20% Coupon!

my sutures in my arm got infected, so i've been forced by the doctor to keep my arm in a sling, which is why i haven't been posting... but this Ulta deal is just too good not to pass along, so i'll keep it quick!

i saw on Jerlyn's YouTube channel, makeupfreeek this video detailing how to get a 20% off coupon from Ulta that is valid on most things, including many prestige brands! (sadly, Lancome is not included).

simply go to ::

http://pages.exacttarget.com/page.aspx?QS=3935619f7de112ef28a77987a60bccffa16c0e7d81b8923a758208d0d97aa82b

and fill out the page... and they'll email you a coupon valid 1/12/14-1/18/14! i've already got mine :)

be sure to check out Jerlyn's vlog channel, jerlynTV! i don't know her personally, but i've been watching her original channel for years, she has great beauty content!

let me know if you take advantage of this awesome deal... and what you get! Ria :)

Zoya Color Your World Promo... 3 Free Bottles of Polish!

Zoya is having a fantastic promo... get three free bottles of polish from them and only pay $12 for shipping and processing! the code is :: COLOR2014 i wanted to share this awesome deal with you guys, it runs until January 13, 2014 so you have a few days to decide. i think i took advantage of this last year, haven't decided yet i'm going to this year! check out all the deets on their website... http://www.zoya.com/content/category/something_big_is_coming.html

i apologize for being completely AWOL, i took a tumble off a horse i was riding last Saturday. just to be dramatic, i got myself knocked out for over a minute and tore a big gash in my arm... which resulted in an ambulance ride to the hospital. it just shows exactly how out of it i was that i allowed myself to be put in the ambulance! everything checked out okay, so after getting my arm sewn up, i was released with a simple diagnosis of concussion. i probably won't be riding until after i get my stitches taken out, because i really don't want to tear them and have to start the process over! i've been taking it pretty easy, i'm doing much better but my head is still a bit sore and i still have a little dizziness... hopefully, all that will be done with soon.

i hope all of you had a less exciting start to their year than i have! coming up on the blog will be three of the polishes from the China Glaze Crinkled Chromes collection that i am thankful to have received for review :D

are you going to take advantage of the Zoya promo? Ria :)

Butter London Bluecoat

i'm so glad it's warmed up around here, i was so bummed to be having cold weather in California! i will be having plenty of that next year in Maryland... i think i'm still in a bit of denial that i'm moving in less than three months... yikes!

today's polish is Butter London Bluecoat, a gorgeous dark blue shot through with royal blue shimmer. like all Butter polishes i've tried, it almost applies itself and is perfectly opaque in two coats. a coat of topcoat really brings out the sparkle... using Butter London Patent-Gel Topcoat really made it look like gel polish!

one coat Butter London Patent-Gel Basecoat, two coats Bluecoat, one coat Butter London Patent-Gel Topcoat.

no big plans for this weekend... any of you have anything fun going on? Ria :)

Barielle Sailors Delight

Happy New Year! i know i'm echoing everyone today, but i just can't believe 2014 is already here. that means i'm officially three months out from the big move... and i've been out of high school for a decade. dang, the time does fly!

today's polish is Barielle Sailors Delight... i just had to buy it because of the name :) (if you're new around here, my husband is in the Navy!) it's a light pink creme that's a shade or two away from being Pepto Bismolish. the formula is awesome, two coats for full opacity... don't be scared by any streaking on coat one, coat two will even everything out. it's pretty shiny on its own, and absolute perfection with topcoat. i'm trying out the new base and topcoat from Butter London, so that's what i used!

one coat Butter London Patent-Gel Basecoat, two coats Sailors Delight, one coat Butter London Patent-Gel Topcoat.

my bottle has the name spelled Sailor's Delight on the top sticker, but Sailors Delight on the bottom sticker. i tend to find the bottom stickers more reliable, but you might find this polish under either spelling!

i hope everyone's new year has gotten off to a fantastic start, and that 2014 is your best year yet! Ria :)