Part 1 of my June haul

I have already hauled enough this month that I'm pretty sure there needs to be a post made before the end of the month gets here.  Yeah, it's that bad!  Honestly though, half of this is from my mom, so it halfway doesn't count!

First up, not too long ago you may remember that it was Leah Ann from llarowe's birthday!  She made a coupon that was for 49% off, and I had never bought from her shop before, and I really shouldn't have been buying anything, but after shipping and everything this was like 7 bucks.  This is Hits No Olimpo in Apolo, and is described as deep royal blue linear holographic.  My first actual holo polish!  Blue is dominating my stash right now, and this one is sooo pretty.  It isn't blinding, but it gets the holographic job done, all while being my favorite blue.

Next up: Sally's!  This was actually a great deal, I went in there with a 15% off coupon as well as my Sally's card of course, and they were having a sale on buy two China Glaze polishes and get a bottle of Seche Retain free!  I'd never tried anything but Seche Vite, so I was really happy about this!  The polishes from the left: Finger Paints in Motley, China Glaze Gaga for Green, Kinetic Candy, Splish Splash and Naked, Seche Retain & Poshe top coat.  I also picked up an avocado and grapefruit face mask which I keep forgetting to try.. another set of nail wheels! I was in desperate need, I'm using one for my first project in school; The color wheel!  Also I picked up a nail block for filing/buffing and a three row teasing comb.  I love these things but I lost my old one so..

So mom and I went to the mall and were completely bad in there!  Here are photos of what I got from that amazing shopping experience and just a little taste of what will soon be reviewed by me as soon as I can use these products lol

Do any of you like Clinique?
Also, if there are any fake redheads out there like myself, what do you prefer to do to prolong your color? I have a load of products but I'm always on the lookout for more as well as techniques and lifestyle changes that can be learned and made lol

I'm not even done yet, stay tuned=]

blog influenza.

Hey y'all!

It has come to my attention that people may be experiencing a malware alert when viewing my blog, so I'm really trying to google my way through this.  I've looked through my html, but as far as my html skills are, I'm pretty good at knowing what each section is there for, but I have no idea what to put where in order to make it do what I want or anything.. I didn't see anything too fishy embedded anywhere, which as you can tell I don't have much extra junk going on in my sidebars or posts, so it would hopefully be easy to spot.  As you can tell, I changed the layout but it's still just another blogger simple little thing..I highly doubt that would make a difference if there were anything wrong, though..There aren't any "new" admins on here that I was not aware of, anyone have any advice out there?  Could you tell me what it's saying? If that would even help me..  I really have good things lined up this week but I don't want to put anyone at risk for viewing anything of mine, I just wanna make it go awaaaay.  Please tell me this is curable, and not blog-herpes.  I'm not even sure how this kind of thing happens, or how to protect my stuff from it happening again.  I feel violated.

-------------UPDATE!-----------------------

I just read on The Do it Yourself Lady's facebook page where she posted that this MIGHT be caused by a blog on my blog roll having a virus and that it might be causing my page to act up.  I have since deleted my blog roll on my blog, and hopefully I have no actually contracted anything onto my own blog (not that I'm wishing a virus or anything on someone else's blog!)  I just wish this nonsense would be done with and hopefully it is now.  Please, let me know if you see anything on my page that looks funny, or something pops up alerting you of something bad.  If something does, please don't waste your time sticking around catching bugs but if you could let me know on facebook or twitter that would be super awesome.

@nevernakednails and facebook.com/ambersnailblog

Please and thank you!

June Birchbox!

Hey y'all!  Today I'm reviewing my June Birchbox, which I received earlier this week. The theme this month is Jet Set so basically they're putting up products in the June shop all geared toward keeping your beauty routine fresh while you're on the go vacationing and whatnot during summer.  If you don't know what Birchbox is, they are a $10 a month beauty subscription, each month has a different theme, and usually have awesome products sent to you in deluxe (and sometimes full) sizes to try out.  Oh yeah, sometimes they send out polish=] Also, be sure to check out their new addition Birchbox Man, which is a $20 a month subscription filled with manly things (scents and shave cream?)  I have not started this yet, but I won't rule it out as a great birthday gift for my boyfriend=]

Look at the cute print inside the pink outer mailing box, which is normally plain.

 "June Box

Blame the school calendar, but every June we still get giddy about dusting off our suitcases and planning an itinerary. Even when we can't hop on a plane, train, or automobile, we get our fix in other ways—from transporting films to globe-trotting beauty products. This month's box is devoted to products that will indulge your inner jetsetter, starting with a flattering lip and cheek stain, that will

 outlast your next long-haul flight.

Check out this month's issue of the Birchbox Magazine, with a guide to fuss-free vacation nails, a cheat sheet on surprising SPF facts, and much more. Not sure where to start? Click over to our editor's letter, for a cheat sheet on this month's happenings."

I am still (as always) very pleased with my Birchbox, even though they basically sent me a cuter version of a ziploc bag, two lip tints that are just about the same color, I'm still pretty happy with it.  I like the lip colors that they sent me, this is TheBalm's Stainiac in Beauty Queen, which doubles as a lip and cheek stain.  I haven't tried it on my cheeks yet, but as far as lip stains go, I freakin' love 'em, and this one is pretty freakin' awesome.  It might look like it will be very deep and dark, but it isn't opaque, it just gives a touch of richness to your lips without being overpowering. This goes for $17.00 for .3 oz and I'm pretty sure this is a full size.  As always it's good to apply a balm before a stain, as lipstains and lipsticks can be very drying.

As for the Clark's Botanicals Ultra Rich Lip Tint in Madge Mauve named for Madonna, I'm a little on the fence.  While the stain and the gloss they sent me are both similar shades, this is just not normally a shade I want in a gloss.  I like my deeper reds to be matte or stained, maybe even shimmery, but this is just too dark to be glossy for me.  I think I'll probably use it over the stain, in a teeny tiny amount to maybe prolong the wear of it. This retails for $19.00 for .40 oz, and from what I can tell they have sent a full size =]

The LA FRESH Eco Beauty Acetone Free Nail Polish Remover packs are actually pretty darn awesome.  When I see "acetone-free" I think, well that just won't do!  Not so with this product, my polish was off in the same amount of time it takes to remove with pure acetone, and my fingers weren't left dried up.  This is a single pad, with just enough space/product to use on all ten nails.  The remover itself contains aloe, glycerin, Vitamin E, horsetail and rosemary extracts, and is also paraben, sulfate, and artificial fragrance free.  They smell like sweet citrus, but not overpowering.  I'm not sure if horsetail extracts involve animal cruelty or..what..really..anyway.. It's $9.99 for 18 single use wipes, and I definitely recommend it unless there's something better/the same for cheaper, that doesn't won't damage nails.

The Kelly Van Gogh Wonderlust Hair Colour Protecting and Illuminating Tonic, I haven't had the chance to use it yet but I'm pretty excited about it!  It's supposed to protect your hair from UV damage and other free radicals, while making it shiny and protecting your color.  Contains Vitamin C and keratin, and the microscopic mica particles are what gives your hair the shine.  I will definitely let you guys know how this goes, because all I am striving for right now are color care products.  I've just colored my hair a pretty bright red, and if you know hair color you know reds fade like no other.  I'm fully prepared for the upkeep, I don't wash my hair a lot and I'm only really out in the sun maybe once a week.  I don't have the time to go swimming, and I go to freaking hair school where the services are dirt cheap, and I get half off of that.  This goes for $30, but it doesn't say how many ounces of product you get, however for my sample it's 11 oz.  Which is pretty sweet for a deluxe sample!

As for the Tili Bag...It's cute, and they have a lot of other patterns besides the one that I got.  They are $8.49 for 12 quart sized bags.  I mean honestly, who the eff would buy this?  This is pretty crazy.  They are cute, don't get me wrong.  But the cheap girl inside who shops clearance racks and discount stores could never recommend buying overpriced baggies, no matter how cute.  I use this to keep my snacks for school and work in one place in my bag, so it's not entirely useless, but the only reason I didn't break down and buy a small cheap lunchbox is because I checked my account and saw that I would be receiving one of these, and figured it might do the job.  Yeah, I'm cheap.

Anyone else out there happy with their beauty subscriptions?

I'm back! and I've got goodies=]

Hi everyone!  I have missed this place so, and I have a lot of stuff lined up believe it or not!  I've actually been really under the weather lately, I didn't know if I was going to make it over to my parent's to upload and write today... I think I'm just working way too hard.

Alright! So this week I have done tons of shopping, you will see my hauls and reviews on here later=]

Also, I have a few goodies that came in the mail such as my Birchbox, and a couple of other things, one of which will be taking over this blog post very soon.

So if any of you are not aware of the awesome blog that is run by Lizzy O, otherwise known as the Do It Yourself Lady, well then you need to click on that and go right over there!  Her blog is pretty freakin cool, she's always swatchin', haulin', and spreading the word on freebies and coupons and giveaways!  Anyway, a couple of weeks back she held a surprise giveaway, using a widget that totaled up her top commenters, and I was one of them!  She contacted me, letting me know I would be receiving my surprise gift very soon=] It arrived earlier this week:

I am so pumped!  I have never won a giveaway, and this one is even better cause I wasn't even trying lol  She sent me Zoya Reagan, and Sally Hansen HD Resolution, soooo pretty! I have only swatched Reagan so far, and I didn't even get to take photos til the third day *yes I did wear a polish for about three days. bite me.*  So that accounts for the tipwear.  This polish is opaque in one coat (awesome) but I still feel naked unless I apply two.  When I saw the bottle at first I was like oooooh how did she know I've been looking for another pink?  But it isn't.  It's MAGENTA! Even better=]  Saturated to the max, magenta! I loooooove Zoya so much!  I'm sure that I will love Resolution as well, but my untried stash is now growing growing growing, because it seems I can still find the time to buy a shit ton of polish even if I don't have the time to change it everyday.

I have said it before, but Thank you soooo much, to the lovely Lizzy O, you are one of my must-reads and I'm ecstatic that I won these lovelies=]

On a different note, I will definitely still be trying to keep up with the Summer Challenge, as much as possible, but that might have to wait til next week since I was planning on getting a lot of manicuring and photos done today but I got caught up being super sick yesterday, and then I got my hair done today (woo!) I'm a redhead!

Keep your eyes peeled, ladies=]

my late guest post, because I'm lame

...and pretty freaking upset with the Zoya website right now.

Anyway, the amazing Debbie from the Crumpet put up my guest post days ago and I completely forgot to add it on here!  I'm so lame, and tired..  anyway, if you missed it, here it is!

Hi there, Crumpet's goddesses!

I hulked out and took over a posting spot on the lovely Crumpet's blog!  I'm kiddin' I just asked...I might've even said please..

Today, I'm gonna show you my very first sugar spun mani!  I know you know what I'm talkin' about.  What's that?  You don't?  Well you're lucky, I'm on a linking rampage today.  All you need to do is watch this video from XOXO Alexis Leigh, because that's all that I did, and this is a super simple and sweet mani =]

Here's how it turned out:

I found that this was actually more time consuming than I thought it would be, but again it was my first time, and half of it is spent dripping nail polish onto a surface (preferably something plastic-like...and disposable) and watching the polish dry.  I also put on top coat way too early, rookie mistake.. My right hand turned out much worse, as it always does.

This is Deborah Lippman Almost Paradise (two coats) with Ulta Pinata Yada-Yada accented on the ring fingers, and sugar spun with Ulta Plum Perfect, finished with Seche Vite.

Overall, I definitely think I will try this again in the future.  Sometime..

I wanna thank Debbie for letting me guest post today, This is blog is one of my must-reads, so it's pretty neat that I get to be apart of it!  Happy 500th postaversary, Debbie!

summer challenge! blue and pink

Oh dear, where does the time go?

I am sleepy, kind of stressed, and on top of that just not having the greatest month.  I'm definitely keeping positive, I have a full-time job with plenty (normally) of down time so that I can keep up with other things like this and studying, I'm on my way to fulfilling my education in cosmetology part-time, it gets closer everyday! It's still like two years away lol School's definitely not the greatest.  If you're looking to go to beauty school anywhere I can imagine this would be true: It's like high school, only worse.  I'm not there to make friends, so it's okay that there are really only a few people who seem like they could be potential friends.  The thing is that I'm in a class full of girls so it can sometimes be a huge whine-fest, which is super annoying.

On top of it all I have the sweetest boyfriend in the entire world=]  He really does fully support my cosmetic obsession by not judging all of the money that I spend on polish and makeup...he even gave me a $20 sally's gift card today just 'cause!

Anyway, I'm not even positive if today's a challenge day, but I've been seeing pink and blue, so I think it is.  I originally did this mani for the summer sunrise, but didn't have time to write a post about it, but luckily I did an interchangeable manicure=]

You can probably tell that I took the photos on day 2 of this one, and that I used Seche Vite for the top coat lol Anyway, this is two coats of Deborah Lippman Let's hear it for the boy, then a cloud in OPI Melon of troy, followed by Finger Paints Louvre This Pink (I think..) except on the ring where I switched the two clouds.

I wish I had pictures of day one, I actually used Poshe on top of DL LHIFTB, and then seche vite on the rest, so maybe that's why it shrunk to make the first coats visible..?  Also the lighting is so awful on this, I really should've gone outside..

Well, I do have more things planned, I just haven't had time to write lol stay tuned=]

Summer challenge, a couple days late! & review

God, I have been so MIA this past week!  Sorry y'all =/

It really would be easier if I had my own computer, that's definitely a goal for the nearish future, so for now I have to find some spare time between work, school and sleep to not only do my nails daily (which I have actually usually been keeping up with on most days) but uploading gets put on the backburner til I absolutely have no clothes to wear and my poor boyfriend just suffers and tries to find a cleanish t shirt to wear to work.

So anyway, onto the mani!  I did this one a few days ago for the Summer Challenge that I've been slacking on, for Friday's theme was: Swimming Pool!

First let me say that I did enjoy this ombre mani, and wanted it to definitely be more swimming poolish.  My first thought was to stamp over it with a lovely design in alternating colors.  My second idea was to do a marble.

What the eff do you know, I tried to marble and failed miserably..luckily I got these shots before I messed it all up!

Thumb: Pure Ice French Kiss
Index: Kleancolor Neon Aqua
Middle: Maurices no name aqua color
Ring: China Glaze For Audrey
Pinky: Revlon Blue Lagoon

I love it! All based with Sally Hansen Double Duty, and topped with Seche Vite (In case you couldn't tell by the shrinkage on the thumb..)

Onto more business:
My makeup haul for school!  I've got good news about everything=]
I researched the shit out of makeupalley.com before going shopping, I wanted to know what would most likely work for me, my fair freckled combination complexion.  I have an oily-ish T zone, visible pores on and around my nose (and chin)  I don't have a complete need for full coverage, but that really would help on the days I wanna go full on rockabilly, so I chose medium since this would also be my everyday makeup and any rockabilly critics out there can suck it. I do recommend trolling makeupalley.com as well as any other review sites you choose, but be smart about it.  For one girl's bad review there are five good ones, and vise verse.  You have to know and understand your own skin type before you go along with someone else's review of a product if you haven't tried it, as well as factoring in little details, like did this girl start with a fresh, clean face?  Did she use primer?  You don't know her life!

WARNING:  This is a makeup haul AND review.  You can see from the photo directly below that it is a pretty freakin sweet haul.  You already know I can get wordy with my reviews.  Stick around if you're up for it, but don't go crying saying I didn't warn you, sweetheart.

Anyway:

Woo, okay let's roll this off:
32 cosmetic sponges from I don't remember what brand but I bought ALL of this at Walmart.  I bought the kind that says Latex Free. Revlon Photoready 3D Volume Mascara, Colorstay 24hr Creme Gel Eyeliner, Colorstay 16 hr eyeshadow quad in Precocious, Lip Butter in Creme Brulee, Colorstay foundation with softplex SPF 15 in Buff, Photoready Color Correcting Primer, Cover Girl Classic Color Blush in Rose Silk, Coty Airspun loose face powder in translucent, the brushes I think are Paris Presents Limited Edition, but don't quote me on that I have since forgotten and can't really find anything to match it online...hmm..

Here we go!
 I bought the latex free makeup sponges, because I'm pretty sure I've read that the kind with latex are harder to clean I think?  Anyway, you can use these wet or dry (I prefer wet) and use em a few times, clean them with a makeup brush cleanser, and re-use them.  I do wish they sold Beauty Blenders at walmart, but we can't have everything.

Revlon Photoready Color Correcting Primer! I think. I can't remember if I got the Color Correcting or Perfecting.  Why the eff would you make two Revlon?? Such a hard decision.. Anyway, This stuff works awwwessoooome.  I actually have no idea if the foundation even lasts 24 hrs like it says, at least not without this stuff.  I haven't used anything without this stuff yet. It's verrrrry smooth. Goes on smooth, glides over your skin.  It doesn't pill up in little white gross looking bits all over your face like I've had some primers do (ahem, talkin' to you, Hard Candy!) I'm no expert, I've definitely never ventured outside of the drugstore world of brands for makeup.  I'm cheap!  This stuff works great though, and it's not gonna break your wallet to do the job of holding that makeup in place! My mom has the receipt for everything so I'm googling prices here (walmart sucks and doesn't have this on the website) $10.39 is the price for this baby.

Above that in the photo is the Revlon Colorstay foundation with Softplex SPF15.  The claim on the cap of the foundation is that this will last you 24hrs.  I have not tried that one out yet lol, but I have however gone about 16 hrs with this on top of the primer.  I use a wet sponge to apply and blend, and I love it!  There was a lighter shade than Buff, and normally I go for the ivoryest of ivories, but almost all of the fair skinned reviewers on makeupalley.com said that this was the one to go for, that the lighter shade was just way too weird looking.  This shade works perfectly on my light skin, so they were right!  I did get the normal/dry skin formula, as they have that and an oily/combo skin formula.  A lot of the reviews also said that the oily/combo kind had a weird smell to it, and was pretty gloopy to boot, and that the normal/dry was the one to go for and worked a lot better.  I must say, again, they were right.  This does not make my skin more oily, I think it actually does help with the oil a bit.  I think I touched this up with a compact powder after about 8 hours of wear?  And I literally just dabbed a little powder on my nose.  It wasn't a noticeable oiliness, like it normally is.  I did it purely out of the sake of habit.  This was $9.98.

Revlon Colorstay Gel eyeliner.  I thought this was so neat!  The packaging is really cool, and smart!  I hate buying gel eyeliners, and having to keep up with the tiny little brush that gets black gel everywhere in my makeup bag, also getting dirty in the process of storing it in my makeup bag.. Not so anymore!  The swatch is just a quick little swipe, not really trying for any precision or boldness. This can definitely be built up and made darker simply by applying it normally instead of swiping this on your arm...Overall, i do love this product, and it definitely does stay until you take it off! It won't fade or smear into your crease, or mess with your shadow. Note, I don't use the Revlon primer on my eyes, I do however use Mineralogie Natural Cream Concealer in N1 (from Birchbox $16.00) as a primer on my lids.  Works wonderfully with this! $7.99

I will say that I don't recommend this for the cat eye look, which I'm trying to perfect right now..I'm on the lookout for a liquid with a precision tip.  I'm terrible with regular liquid eyeliner, but I so want to perfect this look!  It really is a must.

Covergirl Classic Blush in Rose Silk.  I was looking for something natural, and they were out of the lighter shades =/ so I got this, and I don't mind that it isn't what I originally wanted =]  It looks nice against my skin tone, and though it is a powder (I wanted to try a cream) it does not fade on my cheeks!  This is the best makeup haul ever, seriously..no problems! $4.84

Revlon Lip butter in Creme Brulee.  This is the perfect nude!  I've never tried nude shades on my lips, I'm always the girl who has to wear bolder shades if I wear color on my lips.  But sometimes I do feel like I should play up my eyes more, and I don't want to seem overpowered by my makeup.  As I said before, I will definitely be buying more lip butters!

Coty Airspun loose powder.  If you have not tried this stuff, for fear it looks and smells like something your grandma wore years ago, seriously don't let that stop you!  This powder is AMAZING! Controls shine like a boss, and has been around since the 30s.  A lot of people on makeupalley.com couldn't stand the smell.  I happen to not mind it so much, it smells like flowers and sweet candy...like I'm covering my face in crushed smartees with a hint of old lady smell.  But not musky and gross like old lady smell can be. No offense to any old ladies, you smell like a freaking bed of roses!  The smell doesn't even linger, it's gone by the time you're out the door.  If you're more sensitive to smells than I am and you hate me for reviewing this in such a way, uhh don't care.  This product is freaking awesome. $6.99.

The Revlon Photoready 3D volume mascara is up next, I got this in blackened brown.  I'm gonna be honest, I do like mascara, and I do like this mascara.  Probably more than any other mascara I have tried.  My lashes don't necessarily NEED mascara, but it's part of beauty you know?  I definitely hate putting on fake lashes, I have yet to perfect doing that in a way that doesn't leave me a blinking teary eyed makeup everywhere mess.  I can say that I do recommend this for your lashes, it does seem to coat all of them uniformly, and lengthen and volumize the way it's supposed to.  $7.19

I forgot to swatch the eyeshadow!  Review on that later.

More on life and school and most importantly, nails here soon=]  Thanks for sticking around!