I wanted to share some of the products I use for hand & nail care. I took the photos with my Galaxy S3 and while they may not be perfect quality, they do the job. All items were purchased by myself.




My Mom gave me my original Revlon nail file years ago in my early teens and I didn't need to buy a new one until about 5 years ago. They pretty much last forever. I've tried all sorts of nail files and I always come back to this one. Plus I love the sharp tip for cleaning out underneath your nails. It looks like they've changed the handle and the name since I last bought one, but they are still selling them. Revlon 34510 File.

The Sally Hansen nail clippers, my husband just gave me this past December. They have a neat plastic guard on them that prevents your nail clippings from flying all over the place, lol! Plus they are super sharp. They are called the Sally Hansen Clip n' Catch.


What nail & hand care items do you use?

✯ Press Samples Mentioned ✯

I couldn't resist playing with my new Winstonia Store 2nd generation stamp plates tonight. When I saw plate W218, the windmills immediately reminded me of my Mom in Law. She loves collecting anything with windmills. So I decided to do Dutch windmill china nails.

I started with a base of Sally Hansen Insta-Dri in Whirlwind White. Then I stamped with Cult Nails in Wack Slacks, then 1 coat of Seche Vite topcoat before I used the NYC Matte About You topcoat (press sample). I smudged the one flower stamp a little, but I still love how they turned out.



P.S. I got an OttLite! There's a been a lot of discussion about them in the Hobby Polish Bloggers group I am a member of on Facebook. The Mercurial Magpie posted a coupon code for this OttLite at Jo-Ann's so I had to order one. Can't beat that sale price either?!

✯ PR Sample ✯

Happy 2014! Today I have some Sally Hansen Salon Effects to share. These were sent to me for review. When I first started getting into nail polish in 2010 I was addicted to the salon effect nail strips. Mainly because you get instant gratification with nail art without all the mess that comes with doing it yourself.


Sally Hansen salon effects are real nail polish strips that last up to 10 days. You can remove them with regular nail polish remover. They are available in 24 designs and you can find them at mass retailers and grocery/drug stores. They usually retail for around $7.99, but I've seen them for as low as $5.00 at Five Below.

Salon Effects are perfect if you don't like changing your polish often or if you have a special event to attend and want to have some nail art on your nails without all the work.


In each Salon Effects kit you get 16 nail polish strips in various sizes, plus a nail file, orange stick and directions. You pick out the nail strips that fit each finger best. You don't have to worry too much about messing up because if you align it wrong, just peel up the strip and try again.

Once you align the strip, press it down with a firm rolling motion on your nail until it's completely covered. You use the included file to file off the excess around your nail tip. Use the orange stick to press down the strip around your cuticle and nail sides (use the flat side), doing this step helps the strips last longer.

If you've never applied the strips before it will probably take you a good 30+ minutes to do both hands. Once you get the hang of it you can do both hands in 10-15 minutes.


Apply 1-2 coats of clear topcoat once you're done applying the strips. This step isn't necessary, but it will help the strips last much longer. It may be body chemistry, but I've gotten almost 2 weeks of wear out of the Salon Effects by using a clear coat. There will be some tip wear, chipping and growth after 1 week, but you can stretch out the wear time by using a topcoat.

✯ PR Samples Mentioned ✯

Happy New Year's Eve everyone! I wanted to share my New Year's Eve nails with everyone. I really like how they turned out. (This was after several idea fails, lol).

I started with a base of NYC Color: Prince Street (press sample). Then I did french tips with Sally Hansen Insta-Dri in Style Steel which is a new color I recently picked up. It's a silver/gold metallic color, I stamped with it too. Essie Set in Stones is on my nail tips. I did 1 coat of China Glaze Fairy Dust over everything and I used Winstonia Store plates: W117, W107, W110. I used 1 coat of HK Girl Fast Dry topcoat. I love how festive they turned out! Super sparkly in person!

This was the first time I got to try my new HK Girl Fast Dry topcoat (purchased myself). It is definitely equal to Seche Vite Dry Fast, but it takes a little longer to dry for me than I like. (Sorry... I'm a Seche Vite Whore). :-p



My husband and I are just hanging out at home for New Years Eve. We splurged on sushi from Wegman's and we also have Martinelli's sparkling apple cider to celebrate tonight. :-)

✯ PR Sample ✯

I was generously sent ten of the new Sally Hansen Triple Shine's for review and this is part three of the review. I'll be reviewing 4 colors and the topcoat today.


Dive In is a bright creamy aqua with a high shine finish. I did not use the Triple Shine topcoat with this, because it's quite shiny on it's own. Formula was easy to work with and evens out nicely. I used three coats for the photos, but you can do two and it's still opaque.


Oyster Bar, a silver metallic. This does show brush strokes, but the formula is nice. Just the right amount of thickness without being a goopy and you could get away with one coat, though I did two for the photos. (You will want to do thin coats with this color, because I had some bubbling the first time I tried to apply a thicker coat). I did one coat of the SH Triple Shine topcoat.


Pool Party is an iridescent pale blue shimmer. This is a very very sheer polish. It is probably best layered over another polish. I needed 5 coats to make it opaque.


Fanta-Sea is a pretty micro glitter with blue, green, silver. I layered 1 coat over Pool Party. I used one coat of the SH Triple Shine topcoat.



I was also sent the Triple Shine Topcoat. I did not use the topcoat on every color, because some of the polishes dried with a high shine finish on their own. When I did use the Triple Shine topcoat, the formula wasn't too runny and it applied nice and even. You do need to be careful to do a thin coat though, or else you will get little air bubbles. It dries with a nice glossy finish.

I wanted to do a test on the Triple Shine topcoat to see how it held up against no topcoat and other topcoats. For the test I painted my nails with Sally Hansen Triple Shine Vanity Flare which I purchased myself. My pinky has no topcoat, my ring finger has the Triple Shine topcoat, middle finger no topcoat, pointer finger has Seche Vite topcoat. I wore this for 24 hours, and as you can see there's really not a big difference! All are equally shiny.


The Triple Shine line is formulated with an ultimate shield complex which gives your nails daily protection from water and wear and non stop shine. There are 29 colors and 1 topcoat. They retail for $4.99. You can find them at chain drugstores, food stores and mass retailers like Walmart, Target, etc.

Related Blog Posts:

• Sally Hansen Triple Shine polishes (Part 1)
• Sally Hansen Triple Shine: Part 2

✯ PR Sample ✯
I was generously sent ten of the new Sally Hansen Triple Shine's for review. Since I already shared a post before with eight of the new colors that I purchased myself, I'm going to be breaking these next posts up into part two and three. Today I'll be reviewing 5 colors, plus the Triple Shine topcoat.


Flame On is a magenta iridescent color with a pearl like finish. It has some blue/purple shimmer in it. The formula is nice. Not too runny or thick and you can get it opaque in just 2-3 thin coats. I used 1 coat of Triple Shine topcoat. (In real life you couldn't see my nail line, but under the bright lighting in my light tent you can see it in the photos.)



Reef-Raf is a bright, almost neon hot pink cream polish. The formula is thick but not goopy. I only needed two coats to make it opaque, but because I'm a perfectionist I did 3 coats for the photos. It dried with a nice glossy finish so I did not use a topcoat.


Pixie Slicks is a bubble gum pink. The formula was thinner than I expected. It's much thinner than the other 'Pop' colors in the collection. I needed 4 coats to get it even & opaque. You could probably get away with 3 coats, but I still had streaks at 3 coats. Also, because it's runny you have to be careful when applying, so you don't flood your cuticles. I needed to use the Triple Shine topcoat with this, because it wasn't as glossy on it's own.


Twinkled Pink has pink, silver, copper, iridescent and micro glitters. It's really pretty glitter topper. The formula was a little bit thick, but not hard to apply. I used 2 coats over Vanity Flare which I purchased myself.


Red Snapper is a gorgeous bright fire engine red. Formula was perfect. Not too thick, not too runny. It applied nice and even and opaque in two coats, though I did three for pictures. It dried with a super glossy finish, so I did not need the topcoat. I love this color! Even my husband said, "Wow! That's bright."



I was also sent the Triple Shine Topcoat. I didn't need to use the topcoat on every color, because some of the polishes dried with a high shine finish on their own. When I did use the Triple Shine topcoat, the formula wasn't too runny and it applied nice and even. You do need to be careful to do a thin coat though, or else you will get little air bubbles. It dries with a nice glossy finish.


I've heard a lot of the people say they don't like the wider brush with the Triple Shine collection, but I find no issues using it. It's wide enough that you can cover your nail in one swipe once you're used to it. The Triple Shine line is formulated with an ultimate shield complex which gives your nails daily protection from water and wear and non stop shine. There are 29 colors and 1 topcoat and they retail for $4.99. You can find them at chain drugstores, food stores and mass retailers like Walmart, Target, etc.


Related Blog Posts:

• Sally Hansen Triple Shine polishes (Part 1)
• Sally Hansen Triple Shine: Part 3

✯ PR Sample ✯

I was recently sent the Zoya Naturel's collection. This is my first official press sample from a company and I'm super excited to share the collection with you today. The Zoya Naturel's collection is six neutral colors. They retail for $9 each. These also seem like they would be nice work appropriate colors, if your office has a dress code. My favorites from this collection are Rue, Bridgette & Odette. What do you think of the new collection?

 Taylor is just a shade darker than Chantal. More of a beige, I find it a little more flattering. It's described as a toffee cream color on Zoya.com. I also needed 3 coats for this shade.

Rue is a gorgeous blush pink. It reminds me of ballet slippers. I've actually never worn a pink this color, but it's become one of my favorites out of the collection. I needed two coats.

Bridgette is a pink mauve rose color. This is another of my favorites. I only needed two coats.

 Odette is my favorite out of the entire collection, but I have a thing for purple. This color is described as an orchid maroon. I needed two coats.

Normani is a sable mauve color. Sometimes it looks brown, and other times it has a hint of purple gray. I needed three coats for this polish.

I also did nail art with the entire collection. 

I used Bridgette as a base and stamped with Taylor.

I used the Chevron stamping plate from Messy Mansion, MM12.

I used Odette as the base and stamped with Taylor using Messy Mansion plate MM06. The rhinestones are from the new I Heart Nail Art collection from Sally Hansen.

Rue was the base for this and I used Normani to stamp using Messy Mansion plate MM18.

Normani is the base and I stamped with Chantal using Messy Mansion plate MM14.

I used Odette as the base and stamped with Taylor using MM12. The gold studs are from the new I Heart Nail Art collection from Sally Hansen.

And last but not least, I used Rue as a base and Normani to stamp with Messy Mansion plate MM20. The rhinestones are from the new I Heart Nail Art collection from Sally Hansen.