The Monday Blues Blog Hop

Welcome to the second Monday Blues Blog Hop hosted by myself, Traci from Drinkcitra and Christa from ChrissyAi. I would also like to welcome our two wonderful co-hosts for the week, Samara from The Secret Life of Samara and Ashley from Blush Bug! Thank you to all of you who joined us for last week’s blog hop! You guys all made it a true success and we welcome everyone who joins us this week! Happy Monday!
 
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Join us every Monday and take those blues away! If you are interested in becoming a co-host for the The Monday Blues Blog Hop feel free to email us at mondaybluesbloghop(at)gmail(dot)com

September 2012 Glymm Bag

I cannot believe that I have been subscribed to Glymm for a full year! I can still remember getting a TeamBuy coupon to get 50% off my first month of Glymm which was $10 at the time. For $5, how could I NOT try this service out! Now, beauty boxes are everywhere competing and we are all literally living off of the probably hundreds of samples we have accumulated! And now here is my Glymm Bag done in the white version of the black quilted makeup bag which we received last month. I actually quite like the bag and have been using them for nail supply storage.

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200 GFC and 100 Facebook Follower Giveaway WINNER!

Hi Everyone!

Just a quick announcement that the winner of my giveaway is Gen of Beautiful Onyx and Mick! If you want to feed your beauty box addiction or live vicariously through someone else, check out her blog! She also has the cutest kitties that I cannot get enough of! Thank you, thank you to everyone for entering! You all gave wonderful answers to my blog question which was much appreciated and I can’t wait until the next giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Day 15–Delicate Print Paramecia

A little paramecium can be delicate and cute too right? These guys look a little like bugs too don’t they? I had a very hard time deciding what to do for today’s delicate print, so I started thinking about things that were small and fragile which led me to our microscopic buddies!

I started out with two coats of Essie – Mojito Madness and then made some tubular-like shapes with Essie – Navigate Her. I then painstakingly outlined each paramecium with black acrylic paint and drew on the cilia, or little legs. This was probably the hardest part to do and my back was so sore when I was done!

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Be sure to check out the other fabulous ladies who are also taking on the 31 Day Nail Challenge!

Naomi @ Bellezza

Traci @ drinkcitra

Day 14–Just Some Regular Joe Flowers

For today’s design, I used this tutorial from Chalkboard Nails but skipped a few steps because it was so late and I was too sleepy. I was also a little scared as I was watching continuous episodes of “Walking Dead” and wanted to go to sleep quickly. I’m such a chicken! I’ve never done a flower print before so again I can think the 31 Day Challenge for allowing me to try new things!

I started off with Zoya – Shay as a base and then used OPI – You’re a Pisa Work for the flowers and then OPI – Black Onyx for the centers. The leaves were done with green acrylic paint. They’re actually kind of fun! I feel like I’m wearing curtains on my nails!

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Be sure to check out the other fabulous ladies who are also taking on the 31 Day Nail Challenge!

Naomi @ Bellezza

Traci @ drinkcitra

September 2012 Topbox

Time must be flying by because it feels like I just shared with you all what was in my last Topbox! I think we were pretty spoiled with last month’s Topbox, but this month’s box had some great products in it as well, one in particular that I was quite excited about!

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Day 13–Sea Slug Animal Print

Aren’t these little guys just the cutest? Nudibranchs or sea slugs have always both grossed me out and intrigued me with their colourful exteriors. This particular sea slug is known as Phyllidia varicosa and I just loved the bursts of yellow throughout its body. 

I started with two coats of OPI – Black Onyx and then dotted linearly with China Glaze – Kinetic Candy. I finished by dotting with Barielle – Lemondrops.

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Be sure to check out the other fabulous ladies who are also taking on the 31 Day Nail Challenge!

Naomi @ Bellezza

Traci @ drinkcitra

Lush UK Sinnage (Said with British Accent)

I had mentioned in my August Luvs post that I was very close to being done my tub of Rub Rub Rub so when I realized I had a VISA gift card from work, I knew it was time to place my order with Lush UK! It only took 7 business days to get to me and I saved about $20 going through Lush UK (including shipping)! I had two baskets going simultaneously and then I did the conversion at the end. It’s pretty crazy how much more expensive it is in Canada! The only thing I didn’t want to buy online was the Fresh Face Masks because I thought they had to be refrigerated…so that means that for 7 business days, they won’t be if I were to order them online…and I believe they are only good for a week anyway so I don’t know why Lush UK sells them online.

I didn’t go too crazy because let’s face it, at this point, we all have more than enough bath stuff to clean an entire country, so I just went with what I knew I’d use.

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Announcing The First Ever Monday Blues Blog Hop!

*SIGH* Another Monday…studies show that for those of us who work Monday to Friday, the saddest point in the week is around 5pm on Sunday. It’s so true, right? Well, I am delighted to announce that now Mondays can be something to look forward to thanks to the first ever Monday Blues Blog Hop! This will be hosted by myself, Traci from Drinkcitra and Christa from ChrissyAi with the idea being that while sipping (or chugging!) your morning coffee you will discover some new blogs, meet other wonderful bloggers, grow your own readership and get your coffee and blog buzz on!
 
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Join us every Monday and take those blues away! If you are interested in becoming a co-host for the The Monday Blues Blog Hop feel free to email us at mondaybluesbloghop(at)gmail(dot)com

Day 12–Ugly Sweater Stripes

This was an exercise in futility for me as I was originally going to do a tape mani, but because I’ve been using the Elmer’s Glue method for the last few manis in order to save my hands from acetone, the tape actually lifted the nail polish from my finger! I only have scotch tape in the house so I had to try something else. I really loved Gini’s striped manicure so I thought maybe I could try that as an alternative. Hers turned out WAY better than mine! I just used a striper brush which I find doesn’t give the same effect as an actual bottle of striper polish. I can never get the polish distribution to be correct on the brush…so I figured I would try to emulate the ugliness of one of those sweaters with the random streaks of glittery thread in them!

I started off with Julep – Gayle last night thinking I would pair it with a massive bomb of glitter. Then, I just started painting on pastel colours and hoped for the best. I realized after I was finished that this reminded me a lot of my sugar spun nails! I was almost too embarrassed to post this, but the 31 Day Challenge is about trying new things and sharing the results!

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Be sure to check out the other fabulous ladies who are also taking on the 31 Day Nail Challenge!

Naomi @ Bellezza

Traci @ drinkcitra

Day 11–Polka Dot Winterberries

Sorry, I’m late! I just got home from work! I wanted to do cherries for this day of the challenge as my polka dots because dots are dots right? The final result ended up looking more like winterberries in snow which I liked as it sort of coincides with the first day of Fall! I started with two coats of Sally Hansen XTremeWear – Blue Me Away! and then sponged on Sally Hansen XTremeWear – White On. I dotted on the cherries with Zoya – America and did the berry stems with green acrylic paint. I finished off with more white dots which gave it the snowy look. I am having a fantastic time wearing this manicure because it’s so whimsical and fun!

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Be sure to check out the other fabulous ladies who are also taking on the 31 Day Nail Challenge!

Naomi @ Bellezza

Traci @ drinkcitra

Recent Beauty Sinnage

I think that’s going to be my new word for “hauls” from now on. “Sinnage” feels much more appropriate! I have been keeping tabs on myself regarding my beauty product spending since May and it has been quite the eye opener. I’m almost ashamed to say the actual number, but as of last month I was around the $400 mark which is insane! Even though this includes everything from makeup to soap to shampoo, it doesn’t feel like that much as the weeks go by, but when you add it all up it’s staggering! For the month of September I’ve really really tried to be good, but I know myself well enough to know that I can’t go cold turkey. My goal is to stay around the $200 mark which I have managed to so far. This number also includes my subscription boxes. Most of the items that I have purchased below are from last month with a must have slip-up at the end!

MUA recently had a 25% off sale to celebrate 25000 Facebook likes and then the lovely Nadine from Bunny and Spice alerted me to a free shipping code as well so I figured now was the time to finally get myself the infamous Heaven and Earth Palette! I also picked up the more colourful Glitter Ball Palette and two 3 in 1 Extreme Contour Eye Pens in brown and black. All together, I paid about $12 with the exchange which I thought was VERY reasonable!

Heaven and Earth Palette

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Julep Create Your Color Contest!

Imagine a nail colour you can truly call your own! All you have to do is pin images that represent which colour inspires you and Julep could very well bottle it up and bring it to life on the nails of Mavens everywhere! Good luck to everyone involved as there is going to be just one lucky girl who will have the opportunity to name and have her very own colour made! What colour would you make?

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Day 10–Holla to the Holo Gradient!

I have to admit that today’s manicure is a somewhat of a saved failure. I started out with Glitter Gal – Lizard Belly 3D which is a GORGEOUS dark green holo! This is just two easy breezy coats.

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Here is where the trouble starts…I tried to sponge on Glitter Gal – Silver 3D, but for some reason makeup sponges just absorb Glitter Gal polishes and virtually leave no polish to transfer to the nail! Instead, I used Butter London – Dodgy Barnett which worked much better and I was able to get a slight gradient. It still wasn’t looking quite how I wanted so I threw on some black polka dots, which seemed to make this manicure less of a visual disaster.

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Be sure to check out the other fabulous ladies who are also taking on the 31 Day Nail Challenge!

Naomi @ Bellezza

Traci @ drinkcitra

August 2012 Glossybox

I was very excited to get my hands on the August Glossybox after peeking at what other people had received. Is it just me, or was it seeing that colourful Befine box that really made me that much more excited?!  August’s Glossybox was also a special one as it marked the 6 month anniversary of Glossybox in Canada! For those of us who have been with Glossybox since the beginning, we received a little bonus in our boxes!

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Day 9–Soft Pastel Rainbow

I decided to finally try a rainbow sponge gradient and as messy as it was, I love the softness of design. I wish my red/pink had shown up a little more, but I guess I need to have some longer nails or make the orange and yellow sections a little bit smaller. I then smoothed out the bumpiness of the gradient with a China Glaze – Fairy Dust and OTD Topcoat. There you have it! My rainbow gradient!

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Be sure to check out the other fabulous ladies who are also taking on the 31 Day Nail Challenge!

Naomi @ Bellezza

Traci @ drinkcitra

Kracie Happy Kitchen–Doughnut Kit

This is a little bit off topic, but blogs are about weird interests too right? Although someone please let me know if my interests get a little too weird…so, ever since my rediscovery of Japanese candy, I have been nothing short of obsessed with discovering the more rare types of Japanese candy, namely the kind where you have to “cook'” and practically earn your meal! I found the Kracie Happy Kitchen Doughnut Kit at a local Asian supermarket for $4.99 which is a lot cheaper than what I was going to buy it for on ebay!

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Day 8–Pink Metallic Nails

I am literally rushing out the door to go to a wedding and had to do my nails this morning, so I went with something simple for the sake of time so I went with Color Club – Foil Me Once and Color Club – Hot Like Lava on the accent nail.

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These are the shoes I am wearing and I thought the rhinestones matched!

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Be sure to check out the other fabulous ladies who are also taking on the 31 Day Nail Challenge!

Naomi @ Bellezza

Traci @ drinkcitra

Review–Get the Lips of THE Material Girl with Make Up Forever Aqua Rouge #8!

Make Up For Ever now has another weapon against the elements to add to its Aqua range arsenal – Aqua Rouge Liquid Lip Color! This is a new collection of smudge-proof, high intensity lip colour that promises the long-lasting quality of a lip stain with the shine of a gloss.

Available in 12 shades from soft beiges to bold berries, Aqua Rouge provides 100% waterproof, kiss-proof color that will not transfer. A combination of high molecular weight polymers and oils lock color on the lips and provide full coverage. The formula also boasts mica for intense color payoff and a gelling agent for comfortable and effortless wear.

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Day 7–Black and White with Music

I have always wanted to do music note nails so this challenge has again allowed me to cross off another design from the nail art bucket list! I started off with two coats of Sally Hansen Xtremewear in White On. I found this polish really thick and not too easy to work with, but it seemed to smooth itself out once I put a topcoat on.

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Then, I drew on the notes with black acrylic paint. For those of you who are musician’s, notice how the bass clef is on the thumb of my left hand ;-)

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Here is an “action shot” with my violin putting the nails in a slightly better context!

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I also promised a little recap of how the Elmer’s glue method worked out for me and honestly, it worked a little too well. I used the glue instead of my normal base coat and used a topcoat as well, but by the middle of work the next day, two of my purple nails had slid right off my nail! I actually managed to find the nails and adhere them back on to my nail using clear nail polish so that my manicure wouldn’t look funny while I was at work! I think the reason why the nail polish slid right off is because Elmer’s glue is water-soluble so every time I washed my hands, the water dissolved the glue. I am not giving up on this method because it has worked for other people so maybe I will try reapplying my topcoat first thing in the morning to give my nails a fresh start. The great thing about this method is that glitter removal is VERY easy and left my nails completely undamaged.

Be sure to check out the other fabulous ladies who are also taking on the 31 Day Nail Challenge!

Naomi @ Bellezza

Traci @ drinkcitra

I Swear, I Don’t Know How These Got Here…

Last month, Cult Nails was having a sale on quite a few of their polishes making them $7 each. Free shipping happens at $75 so I did “beauty math” in my head and came up with 11 polishes to purchase. Hehe, now that’s my kind of arithmetic!

L-R: Untamed, Scandalous, Captivated, Spontaneous and Seduction

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L-R: Deal with It, Let Me Fly, Time Traveler, I Got Distracted, Cruisin’ Nude and Power Thief

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I’ve barely made it through my last Cult Nails haul and now with the 31 Day Nail Challenge I will have to be creative and try to find a way to work these guys in!

Day 6- Violet Nails with Pink Flair

Sorry, I’ve been at work all day and haven’t had a chance to post until now! I am so in love with this manicure, but alas I will have to remove it soon! I should add that I decided to use the easy glitter removal method with Elmer’s glue so we shall see how that goes. The purple polish I used is from Color Club and unfortunately I don’t know the name of it. The pink glitter is Hungry Asian – I Hate Pink. I love this combination so much!

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Be sure to check out the other fabulous ladies who are also taking on the 31 Day Nail Challenge!

Naomi @ Bellezza

Traci @ drinkcitra

Candy Japan Unboxing Part 2

Welcome to the second half of the Candy Japan unboxing as this monthly subscription is sent out in two parts to minimize on shipping costs. I received the first set of candy a few weeks ago followed by the second set about a week and half ago. I should mention that I have since cancelled my subscription with Candy Japan as I managed to find most of the candy I received for much cheaper. Living in Vancouver gives me access to a lot of Asian candy and it seems I just wasn’t looking hard enough! I still think this is a great service for those who do not have easy access to Asian foodstuffs as it gives you the opportunity to try some unique candy!

I have no idea what the names of the following candies are as there was no email sent this time. I took a risk, popped them in my mouth and hoped for the best!

Seika’s Narutokintoki Soft Caramels

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Day 5–Blue Chevron Nails

I had no real ideas for what to do, but I knew it had to include A-England’s Order of the Garter which is a beautiful slightly glass-flecked blue. I started with two coats of Order of the Garter, SH Xtremewear in Celeb City for the silver and finished off with another round of Order of the Garter for the tips. I added silver dots because the design reminded me of a jacket with silver buttons. No idea why…

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Be sure to check out the other fabulous ladies who are also taking on the 31 Day Nail Challenge!

Naomi @ Bellezza

Traci @ drinkcitra

The Fall 2012 Loose Button Luxe Box Has Arrived!

After deciding to make a sudden change to their beauty box subscription service back in May, the time has finally arrived for the very first of the now quarterly Luxe Boxes. The Loose Button website has also changed so that we each now have a “Personal Product Dashboard” showcasing the products we have received in our Luxe Boxes and tips on how best to use them. I am really impressed with the user interface and how elegant it feels to use.

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The box is now fairly large and rectangular allowing for larger/more products and has the Loose Button logo emblazoned in gold on the top of the lid. The build of the box is quite similar in thickness to the Glossybox. The first thing I noticed was just how “luxe'” the unboxing felt!

Day 3-Green Nails: Hello My Froggy Friends!

I have always wanted to do Keroppi-style nails and it suddenly hit it me last night that Keroppi is very green and totally on theme with Day 3 of the 31 Day Nail Challenge! For the base, I used Love & Beauty – Turquoise from the Forever 21 beauty line which dries matte and used this cutepolish tutorial as a guide. Hers look better, but I think I managed to make my Keroppies look somewhat loveable…

I have also just realized that because the girls and I are doing this challenge every other day, the very last day of our challenge will be November 2nd. NOVEMBER! Crazy!

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Be sure to check out the other fabulous ladies who are also taking on the 31 Day Nail Challenge!

Naomi @ Bellezza

Traci @ drinkcitra

Review - Firmoo Sunglasses

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Day 3-Yellow Nails with a Back to School Twist!

I know, I know, I’m cheating a little bit when it comes to this particular day, but I hate yellow on me. I know it’s not the most flattering shade to wear (unless you are Traci or Naomi!) for most people, but I really didn’t want to wear it! I also saw the cutest “back to school” design on cutepolish for pencil nails and I knew I had to work it into today’s challenge! The yellow I chose for this design is Barielle – Lemondrops.

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Be sure to check out the other fabulous ladies who are also taking on the 31 Day Nail Challenge!

Naomi @ Bellezza

Traci @ drinkcitra

Secretly Collecting…?

In addition to collecting nail polish and beauty products, I also have another passion…collecting stuffties…specifically microbial stuffties! I started collecting them in university, but you can also get them at Giant Microbes. These guys really make infection and disease seem so cute! I cannot get enough of them! Here are the ones I have so far:

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200 GFC and 100 Facebook Follower Giveaway!

As if there isn’t enough going on in September, I think it’s time for another giveaway! I never thought 200 people would ever be interested in my nerdy little blog when I first started Cosmetic Proof last October as a way to have some fun and relieve some stress when it came to school and work. I have so much fun writing and reading all the other amazing blogs out there and I never dreamed that I would “meet” such wonderfully witty and beautiful women along the way. I speak of your names in everyday conversation which just goes to show how much of an impact you have all had in my life!

Alright, so enough with the feelings! Here is what one lucky winner will take home with them:

From L-R: Revlon – Tantalize, China Glaze – Blue Sparrow, China Glaze – Encouragement and Revlon – Whimsical!

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Day 2-Orange Nails in Phoenix, Arizona!

No, no, I’m not really in Phoenix, Arizona, but for today’s challenge I inadvertently chose the colours Phoenix by Pretty & Polished and Arizona by Zoya! I started by painting two coats of Arizona, a creamy orange that looks much brighter in person.

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Here is Arizona with Phoenix layered on top which I have to say is one of the coolest glitters ever! Phoenix is composed of matte yellow and red glitter and makes this orange manicure just so stunning! Application of both polishes was great and I didn’t have to go fishing for glitter at all!

Be sure to check out the other fabulous ladies who are also taking on the 31 Day Nail Challenge!

Naomi @ Bellezza

Traci @ drinkcitra

August Empties!

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Day 1–Red Nails: Nerd Lacquer - Warrior Ethos

Today marks the first day of the 31 day nail challenge and I still cannot believe I am doing it. I just hope I am disciplined enough to keep at it! What better way to start than with a powerful and motivational polish called Warrior Ethos by Nerd Lacquer. I always feel a little sad when I wear one of Amanda’s creations…this was one of the first indie brands of nail polish that were available through Etsy and was my first indie polish purchase. I figured I’d start off slow for Day 1 and not do any nail art just yet. Warrior Ethos is also just so gorgeous that I couldn’t possibly combine it with anything else! This is a marvellous red jelly with black and silver micro and hex glitter. The black hex glitter was the hardest to get and the few pieces that you see are from fishing. This is just two coats for full opacity.

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Be sure to check out the other fantabulous bloggers who are also taking on the challenge!

Naomi @ Bellezza

Traci @ drinkcitra