Let's Talk: Pop-Arazzi Nail Polish in Emerald Ice

Happy New Year, Y'all! I truly hope every one of you has a wonderful 2017!

Speaking of new year, Pantone has decided the color of the year is Greenery.

I'm sure many of you are saying, "Who is Pantone and why do they get to decide color of the year." Well, I like to call them the "Keeper of the Colors." They decide what's the standard for a certain color and all its relatives. If you'd like to know more of who they are and the color of the year, click here.

So, I love the color green and all its shades, and what better way to celebrate it than on your fingernails! I picked up this neat pearly green from CVS' Pop-Arazzi called Emerald Ice. Pop-Arazzi is exclusive to CVS stores, and replaced their original exclusive nail polish called Spoiled. It's pretty cheap, normally selling for $2.99, but you can almost always find a deal on them for much less at CVS. Click here to see some of the other colors online.

This isn't the same color that Pantone chose for Color of the Year, so I don't want you to be as confused as a cow on AstroTurf! But, it is green and pretty.

One Coat

Two Coats

While I do like this color and think it looks really pretty by itself, it started chipping almost immediately. I did used a base and a top coat, but that didn't seem to help much. I have a few other colors from Pop-Arazzi and will have to see if this brand chips easily or if it is just the color I chose.

I did do some nail art over this around Christmas time, and it lasted about 5 days. What I did here is had a base coat, two coats of Emerald Ice, and then put on a Matte Top Coat. After that, I dotted white and red all over the nails. I think it was pretty cute, don't you think?

Christmas-y Nails 😁

So, I have to say it's not the best, but it ain't the worst, either.

Y'all be safe and look forward to more posts in 2017!!!

Let's Talk: Smith's Rosebud Salve

You'll be swell, you'll be great

Gotta have the whole world on a plate

Starting here, starting now

Honey, everything's coming up roses!

(Music by Jule Styne; Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim)

Oh, my love for musicals and this salve has caused me to have an ear worm of "Everything's Coming Up Roses", sung by Ethel Merman in 1962's Gypsy...take a gander here: Everything's Coming Up Roses Sung by Ethel Merman

There's not a lot that surprises me, but this little can of salve BLEW ME AWAY!!! This is one of those little things I bought on a whim. It's a small little tin called Smith's Rosebud Salve. First of all, isn't the packaging cute and vintage-like? I love it when businesses keep (as much as possible) their original packaging. This was formulated in 1892 by Dr. G. F. Smith and has had a patent since March 10, 1908. It claims to be able to be used as "an all-purpose skin preparation." So, I guess it doesn't necessarily have to be for one thing only, but I bought it to use on my lips. 

Made in the U.S.A,!!!!!

The Trade Secret is MAGIC! :)

You're probably asking "so, Nancy, what's so special about it?" Well, I don't usually get chapped lips except in the winter if it's cold enough. So, one night, after my regular night routine, I put some of this on my non-chapped lips before going to sleep. It definitely smells like roses, so if you don't like that smell, I'd avoid it like Cooter Brown avoided the Civil War (he stayed drunk all the time so they couldn't draft him)! It's also very buttery, and, since I was used to a wax based balm at night, it felt a little strange. But, I went to sleep just the same. In the morning, my lips had actually changed! They were super smooth, moisturized, and I swear there was some plumping action. That's NOT one of their claims, but it felt like it plumped my lips a bit. Ever since then, this has been in my nightly routine, and I haven't regretted it one bit. And, it lasts a long time. I've had this salve for about 7 months now , and haven't even hit pan yet (as you can see from this photo).

I highly recommend you try this! It's not super expensive (it's $6 at Ulta) and lasts a long time. You won't regret it!

Let me know what you think of this if you already have it or decide to try it. I'd love to hear from you!!!

Let's Talk: Buxom Freezes Over Mini Lip Collection

Merry Christmas! Can you believe it's that time of the year again?!? It sure happened faster than a knife fight in a telephone booth!

Of course, besides the fact that Jesus Christ was born, Christmas and the holiday season brings some GREAT deals, especially in beauty. One deal that I picked up recently was the Buxom Freezes Over Mini Lip Collection. Buxom is one of those brands that I thought was BIG stuff the first time I went into a Sephora. And, it was! It was the first lip plumping gloss I can remember seeing, and I was enthralled but never bought any..I haven't a clue why. But, I was super pleased that they came out with this set this year for the holidays! 😁

It's a really cool layout, having a glittery background with the lip products in a somewhat snowflake organization. There are lip prints all over the sides of the front, which is totally cute. It includes 15 shades in three different formulas: Full-On Lip Polish, Full-On Lip Cream, and Wildly Whipped Lightweight Liquid Lipstick. The Full-On Lip Polish and the Full-On Lip Cream have the plumping effect (tingling) whereas the Wildly Whipped does not appear to have it. The Full-On Lip Polishes are separated into 4 finishes: Glitter Finish, High Shine Finish, Metallic Finish, and Shimmer Finish. The Full-On Lip Cream only has one finish of High Shine Finish. And, the Wildly Whipped Lightweight Liquid Lipsticks are matte.

So, let's get to the swatches! First of all, I need to tell you that I took all these photos with my iPhone. I have asked Santa for a better camera this Christmas.

Here I am without any lip color on at all.

The first type that I tried on were the Full-On Lip Polishes. These are plumping lip glosses. They are very tingling and sheer for the most part. I have to admit that I didn't leave these on long enough to see a pumping action because I was excited to see the next shade. I don't think pumping glosses work well on me anyway because I LOVE spicy food. I think my lips have become immune! 😆

First up is Emma. Emma is described as an "opulent opal" and is considered to be a "Shimmer Finish". Seems frosty to me, although not as frosty as the 1980's! I can see this as a nice topper to a dark shade that you want to light a bit or just wear it alone.

Next is Sandy. Sandy is described as "almost naked" (of course, in the South, you pronounce it NEKED) and is considered to be a "High Shine Finish". It is very sheer. I think this could be used as a topper or on it's own if you want a very natural lip.

Here's Sugar. Sugar is described as "pink Truffle" and considered a "Metallic". To be honest, I can't see much difference between Sugar and Sandy, although Sugar is a little more opaque.

The next one is named Nicole. Nicole is described as "shimmering strawberry" and is considered a "High Shine Finish". I like this one. It does have some color to it, although still sheer. (BTW, tried to smile a little and look like I'm scared instead!). 😊

The last Lip Polish in this set is named Jane. Jane is described as "huckleberry jam" (don't that beat all?) and is considered a "High Shine Finish", It, too, has more color to it. It's one of my favorites. Oh! And, just to be silly, I made a kissy lips photo...it's not the plumper making them that big! LOL!

Now on to Lip Creams! The Full-On Lip Creams are plumping lip glosses as well, but have no shimmer. I really like this formula, especially if you work in an office or something, and you want to wear a gloss but not be crazy about it!

The first Lip Cream is named White Russian and is described as "nude pink". Gosh, I remember the first time I had a White Russian cocktail with my friend, Kevin. There was no nudity or pinkness with that cocktail (double entendre meant) 😉, but this Lip Cream is a very light nude...great for when you want to use more makeup to emphasize your eyes.

The next Lip Cream is named Dolly and is described as a sultry mauve. This is the one I specifically remember wanting to buy those many years ago when Sephora came to Memphis. It does show more of a nude mauve. I really like this one.

Next is the Lip Cream named Berry Blast and is a limited edition color and is described as "Vivid Fushia". Oh, it's pretty! It has a somewhat stain LOOK of red lipstick (I haven't seen it actually stain lips). Definitely a great shade for lots of occasions, but in my opinion, not a very vivid shade.

The Lip Cream named Sangria is a limited edition color and is described as "Ripe Berry". This is one of my top favorites. It definitely shows up a bit more red, which I like, and is just beautiful. 

The last Lip Cream is named Berry Bramble and is described as "A Rich Boysenberry". It looks SO dark in the packaging, but as you can see, doesn't show that way on the lips. It's not a bad shade by any means, just thought it would be darker.

Now, on to the NEW Wildly Whipped Lightweight Liquid Lipstick. These are supposed to be like liquid lipstick that feel like gloss, and I really think they've achieved that! I REALLY like these. These are a nice and easy Matte finish that don't dry your lips out, 

The fist is named Centerfold (if you don't start singing that song, something is wrong with you! 😎). It is described as a Warm Nude, and it definitely is! Could be used as a soft '90's lip if you don't want to go whole hog on the 90's brown lip.

The second is called Devious Dolly and is described as "mauve". I agree it's mauve. Such a pretty color! Perfect for a date! 😏

The color Lover is my favorite out of all of these minis. It is described as a "raspberry pink". It's beautiful, and think it a bit more red for the description. But nonetheless, it's definitely my favorite. AND, if you don't know the Prince song named "Lover", I'll do you a solid and attach the video underneath here because every time I pick this up, I get an ear-worm!!!

Prince's Lover Video

This next one I posted on Instagram and got some CRAZY new friends! The name of it is Dominatrix, so you can imagine. Anyway, Dominatrix is described as "Firey Red", and that's exactly what it is. Very nice!

The last one is called Criminal and is described as "plum". I had a hard time evening this one out, so you'll need more than one coat on this one. It's a pretty color and probably one I'd wear again with a darker eye for sultry look. And, once again, that's me making kissy lips instead of the plumping action. 😆

So, all in all, I'm happy I got this set. It is a great variety of colors and finishes. This would make a GREAT gift, especially to those that are unsure of what kind to get or those (including me) who love lipstick more than anything! It costs $59 which is nothing to sneeze at, but I think it's worth it, They're regular sized lip colors and glosses usually run around $20, so even though these are minis, you're still getting a great value by trying different colors and finishes. 

I think that may have been the longest post I've ever written! This is my first lip swatch post, so sorry if something doesn't look right. And, yes, my lips were burning by the time I finished with the Lip Polish and Creams! LOL! This post took off like a herd of turtles, but hopefully in the future with more practice I can speed things up. I, for one, love lip swatches, and look forward to doing more!

So, what do you think? Do you think you'll buy one for a family member or friend? Or buy one for yourself? I'd love to hear what you think! And, if you already have this kit and want to share more information, I'd love to hear that, too!