Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Crossing Off some of the Wishlist

Sally Beauty Supply had take 50% off clearance price sale this weekend online and in stores.  I had been lemming some of the China Glaze Hunger Games polishes, but they were always sold out at Sally's, and I didn't want to pay 7+ a bottle at Ulta.  Lucky for me, the Hunger Games polishes were all on clearance.  Making them $2.49 instead of $4.99 if you have a Sally's Card.  I spent much more than $25 at Sally's last month so I had 15% off as well, so I filled my cart with Agro and Riveting, two of my lemmings.  I also grabbed Electrify and Harvest Moon because at $2.49 why not?  I also picked up some China Glaze crackles (Crushed Candy, Fault Line and Latticed Lilac) which were all on clearance for $1.99, but since they were and additional 50% off I got them for .99 cents.  I happen to like the look of crackles and I've only bought them on clearance.  I know people either love them or hate them.  I think you have to have the right color combo.  I got free shipping and 15% off on top of the clearance and sale.  So I got 7 China Glazes for less than $11.  Not too bad.

I also picked up Zoya's Jem and Gemma from Bloom.com.  I got a coupon code for $20 of merchandise a Bloom.com through a Facebook promotion Bloom did with Pampered Chef  for Mother's Day.  I couldn't decide what I wanted and didn't want to pay for shipping then it dawned on me that I was paying $5.95 to get 2 Zoya's and an EOS lotion that I can't find anywhere locally.  I have the EOS hand lotion in Berry Blossom which I love, but I want to try the Cucumber.  I can't find it anywhere local so I used my $20 coupon to get it.

I also finally got a pack of dotting tools and striping brushes from Ebay.  I did some survey's online a while ago and got some paypal cash and forgot all about it.  Hopefully there's no issue with the transaction, but technically it didn't cost me any actual money so not a bad deal.

I also have a Zoya coupon code for signing up for a new account.  Buy one get one free and free shipping, maybe I'll get Kimber and Meg and finish my Surf Collection. 
I'm always on the hunt for a deal and a coupon.

Friday, May 18, 2012

Spoiled's Did I Dye it Too Blonde?

So I recently bought a bunch of Spoiled polishes when they were on sale for 99 cents at CVS.  The Spoiled line is produced by Wet n Wild and is excusive to CVS.  The periodically go on sale buy 2 get 1 free, and recently were on sale for 99 cents.  The line has about 70 colors and they all have quirky names.  The polishes retail full price for $1.99.  Not every CVS carries them though. 

Did I Dye It Too Blonde? is neon yellow.  There are several neons in the Spoiled line that I've picked up.  I'm going to try a neon water marble with them.  Neon everything is on trend this summer.

My first attempt at using this polish was with 2 coats.  It dries matte as most neons do and was very sheer.  To really make opaque and to make it pop I think I'll put it over white.

Please bear with me as I figure out my camera and the best settings for posting pitures.









First Attempt at Dotting

So I won a giveaway of the OPI Dutch Treat Mini's from Totally Lacquer Obsessed.  The colors included:  I have a Herring Problem, Red Lights Ahead...Where?, Kiss Me on My Tulips, and Pedal Faster Suzi!. 

I had just gotten a Dotting Tool/Nail Art brush at Sally's so I wanted to try a mani with all of the colors so I could post a picture on her facebook page thanking her for the giveaway and to showcase the mini's.

Let me say that the bottles are mini and the brushes are tiny.  I had a hard time painting my nails with them, but after a while I got used to them.  I had never used mini's before and it was a learning process.

I was very excited to get my hands on these and I love the colors.  I'm not a girl who likes pink, but I like these.  The mini's are a great way to try the colors in a set without spending $8-9 a bottle and finding out you hate the color.  You can usually find mini's at ULTA for $12-15, and they always have a $3.50 of of $10 coupon or online.

I painted my nails with Kiss Me on My Tulips, and proceeded to use my dotting tool.  It is more like a needling tool.  The dotting end is really tiny and not very good for making dots.  I kept trying and eventually got flowers on 4 fingers.  I think next time I'll try a bobby pin before I buy a set of dotting tools.  Hindsight being 20/20 I should have used Pedal Faster Suzi as the base so the dots would have shown up better, as the Red Lights barely showed on the pink background.  I wasn't unhappy with this mani since it was my first try, but I definetly need more practice


Dotting Attempt #1

Thursday, May 17, 2012

My Journey

This blog is about my attempt to reclaim some time for myself and how I do it.  I was in the Navy for 5 years before I had my 2 beautiful boys.  Before that I spent 5 years in college getting a degree in Engineering.  Like most girls, I put on some weight in college.  Because I was going to the Navy after graduation I had to exercise all the time, but an injury kept me from excercise my sophmore year and I gained about 10 pounds.  It wasn't a big deal because I still was tiny.  Then came the Navy and crappy shipboard food.  I was still able to workout frequently so I was still OK, and the food got better the longer I was around.  Then I got pregnant.  We walked alot while I was pregnant and after my son was born.  When I got pregnant with my second son, we walked alot as well and I didn't gain as much weight the second time.  After my second was born, we moved from Virginia back to my hometown of Pittsburgh, PA.  We lived with my parents until we found a house, which took 8 months.

I recently lost 15 pounds of college, Navy, and baby weight and I'm really proud of that achievement.  I've been trying to lose the weight for a long time.  I dropped 2 dress sizes and I feel really good.  My family has adopted a healthier eating style, but we still indulge on comfort foods occasionally and practice moderation.  I've decided that I'm going to take time for myself and lately that time is doing my nails and shopping for beauty products.  It is a relatively inexpensive and quick way to make yourself pretty and the options are endless.

First let me tell you about how I started my weightloss and fitness journey:

About a year ago my husband and I decided we needed to get healthy again after having kids and moving.  His New Year's Resulution for 2011 was to run the Pittsburgh Marathon.  So he started training in January while I stayed home with our 2 boys.  I tried to get up at 6am and use my elliptical machine while everyone was still sleeping, but that lasted about 2 weeks.  So there he was getting back in shape and I was still sitting on my butt at home moping about how I didn't feel or look good.  After the marathon in May of 2011 he wanted to run another marathon, this time near his hometown in up-state NY.  I joked and said I would train to run the half-marathon.  I shouldn't have joked.  He offered to train and run it with  me.  At the end of May we bought a double jogging stroller and started training as a family.  I hadn't run in a long time, and the beginning steps were painful.  We started out slowly and eventually after months of gradual training, I completed the First Annual Wineglass Marathon in Corning, NY.  My goal was to run in 3 hours.  I ran in 2 and a half.  Distance running isn't my thing, so I think I'll stick to 5Ks and 5 mile runs for cardio.  After that we decided to try P90X because we weren't losing any weight with the running and PA winters aren't really good for running.  We started P90X in October and by new years I needed a new wardrobe.  If you stick to the diet and do the workouts, the as seen on TV program really works. 

Now that I feel better about my body image and weight I want to feel more feminine.  I work full time at home, so I don't put alot of effort into make up unless I'm going out which isn't that often.  Nail polish is a good way to feel pretty and femine without a lot of effort.  My kids like to help me pick out colors too.  You can paint you nails and with a good top coat leave it for a few days and change it when the mood strikes you.  Over the last 3 months I've aquired over 100 bottles of polish.  Prior to that I had maybe 20.  I'm currently building a shelf to hold them all with the help of my husband.  I'll take some pictures and post them as we go.