NoTD and JustFab Review!

So since I missed Monday Mani, I decided I would post my nail of the day instead!

The nails you see before you are brought to you by OPI in 'I think in Pink' and 'You Glitter Be Good To Me". I love the glitter polish so much. It has a fine silvery pink glitter mixed with larger pieces of hot pink. It takes about two good coats for a complete coverage. As far at the 'I think in Pink', I used it as an undercoat just in case I couldn't get a good coverage with the glitter. I don't like it very well. It has a chalky pink look to it on the nail, and it doesn't spread evenly no matter how hard I try.

It's too bad I suck at taking pictures because they came out pretty good. They definitely put me in a festive mood.

NOW! Onto the JustFab bag, shall we?

When JustFab had their Thanksgiving sale, my husband was such a sweetie and bought me a bag that I had been eyeing for a while. (Lacey Days is the name of it. With two little ones now, it honestly kills me to spend $40 on a bag. Diapers and formula tend to come first, ya know?) But at the steal of $20, hubby couldn't pass that up. Also, for the record, he bought it even though he insists I have enough purses. Seriously. Cheap, expensive, bright, clunky, or huge... I have at least one of each.

I don't know about you ladies, but there is nothing better to perk up my day than a brand new gorgeous purse/tote/suitcase/bodybag to carry all of your stuff in. (Note: I am just being sarcastic here. It's not like my mom used to have purses so heavy, I thought she was smuggling bodies....really...I also blame her for my purse obsession.) It took almost a week for the bag to get to me, and believe me, I'm terribly impatient when waiting for something to come in the mail. The box was huge! Far bigger than necessary for the tote. I would have taken a picture of it, but I was way to excited and ripped it open pretty quick.

It is gorgeous. As you can see above, it has this delicate lace pattern on it,  but if you look closely, the butterfly heads are skulls, hehehe. The bow on the front has a little skull charm hanging from itIt is extremely roomy, and I have room for everything I need and then some. The interior of the bag is almost as cute as the outside.

(Sorry about the zigzag pattern of the pictures. I didn't just want them hanging in open space.)

I think I am hooked. I may not be able to get something every month, but JustFab has my vote. The purse is well made --  the actual tote part is made up of a material similar, if not actually, denim -- the straps are probably a faux leather, and the interior is just too cute to pass up. I'm an oddball. I actually like my purses decorated on the inside and outside.

I definitely give JustFab an A+ for fabulous choices, and usually they have some kind of sale going on. For $20, I would totally get another purse, but it's really fabulous quality for the normal price of $39.95, too.

Definitely check them out!

Grade: A+
Mom friendly? Price wise, definitely!

Collaboration, maybe?

I was doing some research about makeup blogs (yes, I'm a nerd. I like to research and find out how to do things), and I came across Dawn's Brain Storm, and I absolutely love some of her ideas. My two favorites were the collaboration and the significant other doing your makeup. I can't even tell you how hilarious it would be to see my husband's version of a 'smokey eye'. He'd probably draw squiggles on my face.

It would be epic, and if I can convince him to do it, it will be posted here for all to see its glory.

Now, as for the collaboration, this is something I would LOVE to do. Pick a theme and both of us do a makeup with our own interpretations on how it would look. This is probably old news for most of you, but for me it's exciting! The topics could be anything! Superheroes, fantasy, animals... The possibilities are endless!

So would any of you be interested?

The About Me Tag

I stumbled across Storybook Apothecary's About me Blog while reading some of her posts (definitely check her out, she's awesome!), and I thought I would participate in the fun!

 

Oh, and if you're wondering why this is  underlined, I have no idea. Blogger is broken for some reason. I can't get it to stop x.x

 

 

 

 

Are you named after anyone?

I am! When my Dad was four, he had a huge crush on his babysitter named Melissa. He told my gradmother that one day he was going to "marry Melissa" and they were going to live happily ever after. Alas, they didn't, but my dad did name me Mary Melissa in honor of his first love.

When was the last time you cried?

Uhm, a couple of days ago? Crazy hormones from postpartum tend to make me cry at little things. Thankgiving commercials, the baby spitting up on my shirt, the toddler sticking noodles up her nose. Pretty much anything.

Do you have children?

Yes, I have two beautiful baby girls. One is 15 months and the other is 7 weeks. Yes, they are a handful, and yes I know what causes them ;)

If you were another person, would you be a friend of yourself?

Totally would! Then I would have another mommy my age to talk to! No, but seriously, I'm a pretty easy going person when I'm not hormonally challenged.

Do you use sarcasm a lot?

Not at all. <---See what I did there?

What’s your favourite cereal?

Lucky Charms! I love the little marshmallows, but I have found that since I have become a Mommy, I tend to give the sugary beasts to my little beastie. She loves them. Oh, well, mommy doesn't need that on her hips anyway.
Whats the first thing you notice about people?

It may sound weird, but I always notice how people carry themselves. If a person is confident and sure of themselves, they stand up straight and look you in the eye. They curl in on themselves if they aren't.

What’s your eye colour?

Green

Scary movie or happy endings?
Happy endings! Have I ever mentioned I'm a HUGE fairytale fan? I mean, I run around in the woods once a month playing a disney princess-type character, for goodness sakes! (If you don't know what I'm talking about, do feel free to ask)

Favourite smells?

Vanilla, lavender, baby

Summer or Winter?

Fall. It's the most beautiful time of the year. Summer is far too hot here in the armpit of the U.S., and if we do have a true snowy winter, people don't know what to think so they panic. I like fall.

Computer or television?

Computer!

What’s the furthest you’ve been away from home?

Kentucky. Yeah, pretty sad. I'd love to go overseas one day, though.

Do you have any special talents?

I'm a master at fixing things, oddly enough, unless it's something of my own.

Where were you born?

Atlanta, GA.

What are your hobbies?

LARPing, sewing, crafting, building, blogging, mommy-ing (that SHOULD count as a hobby, job, etc)

Favourite movies?

Taken, Enchanted, Ever After, The Princess Bride, Beauty and the Beast, Independence Day, Jane Eyre, The Notebook, Finding Nemo, 50 First Dates. There are so many more, but it would take too long to type them.

Manicure Monday! Plus, a little giveaway.

Hi, ladies! I decided I would start showing the different designs I paint on my nails. I'm pretty new to this, so I'm sure the picture quality will get better as the weeks go by. Anywho! This is a simple look I was playing around with. The red is from Spoiled by Wet 'n Wild, and the glittery gold on the thumb is Millionare by Nailtini.

The picture really doesn't do the glittery thumb justice. I did a review on Millionaire earlier this month, so make sure to check it out! As for the red, it's a rich and beautiful color. It goes on smooth and dries pretty fast. The only problem I have with it is that even after two coats and a top coat, it still chipped off within the day.

Ah, well, such is life. I actually ended up painting all of my nails with the glittery gradient. I got tired of seeing the red chip, and I definitely do not have the time to go back and reapply it everytime it's damaged.

So there we go! It's my Mani Monday =D



~~~~~~

Now, for what you guys have really been waiting for (*drumroll please*) A giveaway!

Unfortunately there is no makeup in this giveaway, but there is Hello Kitty, so I think that it's a fair trade. I've been dabbling with a crochet pattern for a little while on how to make the perfect Hello Kitty coffee cozy. You know the ones: they hug the coffee cup and make them extra cute while you drink them? No? Well, then let me show you!

(Ignore the terrible background. I was in a bit of a hurry x.x )So this is what they look like. Cute, no?

Here's how it is going to work. IF I get a few people interested in this, all I ask is that you take the time to comment on this page and follow me on twitter. I'll give it about a week from now to see if I get any bites; if I do, the tentative cutoff date will be mid-December.

I think that's easy enough. Let me know what you think!

Sugary Sweet: A Sugar Scrub DIY

My sanity came into question this morning as I was whipping up the sugar scrub I'm planning to talk about. My poor husband (who puts up with all of my craziness with a grace that I will never be able to emulate) walked into the room and looked at the counter with a confused and slightly worried expression.

"I thought you weren't supposed to be baking anything for a couple of days."
"I'm not. I'm making a sugar scrub for my face. I'm even going to try it on my legs cause they are so dry."

Ladies, the look he gave me was a mix of horror and pity. Like I had lost my mind and he knew it wasn't coming back. He was so sweet, though, as he asked questions like "won't the olive oil clog your pores? You work so hard to keep your face clear."

I love this man.

But... I seem to have gotten off topic.

Sugar scrubs! A wonderful way to get that soft skin and beautiful complexion without spending (for me) anything. Also, a wonderful gift for a girlfriend! All of the ingradients were sitting in my kitchen oddly enough. When trying to do something like a DIY, I'm ALWAYS missing something.

Here are the measurements I used. I say experiment to figure out the right consistency for your skin.

• A container
• 3/4c Sugar (granulated or raw). I used raw for mine.
• 1/2c extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1/2 cap full of vanilla

I don't have picures because my toddler was playing with my phone at the time, but all you do it mix it all together and voila! Instant scrub.

I think I watched about 45 thousand youtube videos on the subject because I am always looking for something new to try that is cheap but won't kill my skin. There are a million different variations. Some say to use baby oil, others put citrus in it. Yogurt is another favorite. But, again, I had all of these ingredients already, so it was free for me to try. I love a good bargain!

If you're sitting here wondering "why would I put this on my face? It sounds like the start of some kind of pastry!", fear not! Everything in the scrub is wonderful for your face. The olive oil will not clog your pores (should not, I say. Though there are probably some that cannot use it. So far, with my extremely terrible oily skin, I haven't had any problems). The honey is an antibacterial, and the vanilla....well, the vanilla was to make is smell less like a bad chapstick. Extra virgin olive oil has a distinct smell. Ew.

After I finished it, I went straight into the bathroom to try it out. For those of you that have never used a sugar scrub before, it's kind of messy. At least mine was. I'm also terribly clutzy and tend to be awkward, so it could just be me. All I did was.... dipped my hand in and rubbed it on my face. After that, I washed and moisturized as normal.

Did it work? Oh, I can't even express how wonderful it is. My skin is so soft and clean feeling. I am hooked. I'll try this two or three times a week to start because I don't want to ruin my skin, but I'm excited about it. A fabulous free facial (say that three times fast) that is completely mom friendly.

Heatless Headband Curls!

I'm sure most of you have run across the heatless headband curls on youtube at one time or another. I know some of the time, the tutorials and hair styles don't work in the real world OR they take about teen hours more than I'm willing to spend on my hair. I'm hairstyle unsavvy unfortunately. Ponytails are about as fancy as I get most days. I don't have crazy fancy equipment or hair products to keep my hair fabulous everyday. I'm a mom, and I have about ten minutes of time to myself a day. Makeup and hair included, and I NEED my makeup most days. Staying up all night with an infant leads to baggy eyes and poor skin.

Anyway, I came across this insanely simple tutorial by TheBasicsonBeauty:

And I had everything I needed to try it! (Another amazing feat for me). It took me less than five minutes to twirl my hair around the headband, and then I let it sit overnight. Once I woke up, I pulled the band off my head and BAM! Instant beautiful curls. It was like magic. I've never had a hairstyle turn out so well on the first try. You don't have to believe me. I have photographic evidence to prove my point!

AHH! No makeup me. Shield your eyes!

Forgive the lack of makeup. This is me before doing anything to my hair or face. So this is what my hair looks like without any effort. Terrible mess.

This is my hair up in the headband. I think it's actually a cute look on its own. With a better headband than the $1 cheapy, I could probably rock it.

This is a really horrible picture, but hopefully you can see the cute curls without too much trouble. I love it. It's a really easy way to get spiral and giant curls. The only thing that changes is how big of a piece of hair you wrap around the headband.  5 minute prep time, and you sleep on it. Can't really beat that.

Very mommy friendly.

Grade: A+!
Mommy friendly? Definitlely so!

Review: Nailtini in Millionare

First of all, this is my first posting, so welcome! The fact that you have decided to visit my little piece of the internet is extremely flattering. In case you were not aware, this blog is dedicated to reviews, comments, tutorials, etc. of the hair, makeup, and nail variety. As stated in the title, this will be a review of the nailpolish from Nailtini. So, to quit wasting all of your time, let's get started, shall we?

Yes, this is my hand. Stubby fingers!

 

 

This is Nailtini's Millionare nailpolish. I was super excited to get this in my glambag this month because I am a sucker for all things nailpolish. The fact that it was described as pink and gold together made me squeal with delight. I waited patiently for that little pink envelope, and as soon as it came in the mail, I tossed the babies to my husband and ran off into my room to try it out.

First off, let me say that the picture does not do it justice. The sparkle factor of this polish is amazing. Though it is incredibly hard to see the pink with the gold unless you are outside in the sunlight, and what you don't see is that not only are pink and gold in the polish, but it has little green glitter strips in it, too. So A+ on that, Nailtini! Gorgeous work!

There are usually four tests I do with nailpolish that decides if I will ever use it again.

• How easy is it to apply?

It was very easy to apply. The brush itself is long and smooth. No jagged-ness or cheap feel at all. The glitter did not flake off the brush and I could get a good coat with one fell swoop.

• How long does it takes to dry?

On the dry time, it took a little longer than I like. About 20 minutes of not touching anything for complete dryness for two coats and a top coat. Still, not too bad considering I have waited a lot longer.

• How many coats I need to get the coverage I want?

 I know I have a winner of a polish if it takes less than three coats to get all-over glitter coverage. It only took two. A third would have made it terribly thick and flaky.

• Is it "baby safe"?

By "baby safe", I mean how long does it last before the daily grind of motherhood strips it off into that ugly, half-gone look that so many are familiar with. Well, after two day of wear, three showers (Don't ask. If you're a mom, you'll understand without needing the gruesome details, and if you are not a mom, I don't want to scar you.), two loads of dishes, shopping, and chasing around a toddler and an infant....

It stayed on. No joke, this stuff has not chipped, worn, or lost that gorgeous sparkle that I started with. I think I'm in love.


In conclusion, this stuff is amazing. 'Nuff said.

Grade: A+
Mom Approved: Yes!


So I mentioned I got my polish from a glambag. For those of you who do not know what that it, for a monthly subscription fee of $10, ipsy.com will send you a goody bag full of makeup samples to try. It's wonderful, and I am absolutely in love with it. (No, ipsy did not pay me to say this.)