July Birchbox

Hey guys!  I'm going to show you my Birchbox that came in the mail today, I totally wasn't expecting it to come this soon!  I haven't tried any products, so I'll just be putting the descriptions up, but reviews will come!  This month, Birchbox teamed up with Glamour magazine.  I love Glamour=] The whole bit is the senses, but since my box is one of the few that only got four items plus one lifestyle extra
*Pausing to rant* what the fuck, Birchbox?  Have I not been loyal to you for over a year now?  Why must you vary the amount of samples per box? Needless to say almost every other box got 5-6 samples and one lifestyle extra. I however did not get anything to "taste" so...for future reference, Birchbox, you should probably not hang me out to dry during PMS.  I am quite happy with the rest of my box but I still feel like they're being bitches up at the BB HQ.  Whatever..

So every box got the same lifestyle extra this month, have a looksee:


The sweet little note they send everybody, which can be viewed fully along with everything here @ Birchbox.com


AHAVA Purifying Mud Mask
Thick with Dead sea mud and Kaolin white clay, this fast-acting mask detoxifies skin in the amount of time it takes to catch a commercial break. (full size, $30)

Laura Geller Doubled Dipped Lipstick in Caribbean Kiss
This double-sided lipstick makes it

easy to switch between (or layer) two 

golden pink pigments (full size, $17.50)

                                                                                                      Manna Kadar sheer glo shimmer lotion
This illuminating liquid gives your complexion a supermodel-like sheen.  Mix it with your foundation, or apply as a highlighter (full size, $29)

Oscar de la Renta live in love
This elegant floral layers notes of hyacinth and orchid over a rich base of sandalwood and cedar (full size, $25-78)

Lifestyle Extra Birchbox Exclusive earbuds
We designed these neon headphones just for you.  Pair them with your best playlist.

Here's everything, in all it's glory.

I have not tried these yet, but I do sincerely hope they fit into my ears.  My small ears are notorious for not wanting any sort of headphone to stay in them.  I know I'm not the only small eared girl out there, so a review will definitely be coming soon!

I've never heard of this brand before, but I will be trying it.  This would probably be perfect for my brow bone as a highlighter, but who's to say really... I doubt I'll use it all over with foundation since I'd rather go for a matte look than a dewy glow one. 

I'm really glad this was included, and look at the size of it!  this is .9 oz, with the full size being 4.3.

This is honestly the biggest sample of something that I have ever gotten from Birchbox, but I will still be extremely pissed if there is only a small amount of product in this bottle. I hope this is what my skin's been looking for, with all the makeup I wear I really need something to just make me feel clean.

Perfume sample.  really Birchbox?  I'll throw this in the pile with my other tons of perfume samples that I've acquired from around, but mostly from you.   I'm sure this smells fantastic, too.  This is the smallest perfume sample I've gotten, and I don't even give a shit.  I really wanna know why it's such a staple to have perfume in my box every month.  Why couldn't I get another product, or for fuck's sake, the yummy Lara Bars a lot of boxes got?  I'm just sayin, I get perfume samples for free from Ulta.com.  Why the fuck do I get them each month in my BB, when it's obviously the cheapest thing you could find to throw in there.

I've not tried this yet, but I love getting Laura Geller makeup in my BB, because it's normally full sized=]  From what I can tell, this is as close to a full sized lipstick as I've ever seen.  I will review this before I get my hopes up, buuuut I do love lipstick=]









So to sum it all up, I am pleased with this box, but I do feel a little bit gipped by Birchbox.  I pay the same $10 a month just like everyone else, but it's a roll of the dice each month as to whether I'll be getting 4, 5, 6, 7 products?  And to do a whole *Multi-sensory* theme, but not send EVERYONE something to snack on for the taste?  I love it when I get snacks in my BB, yeah it's a sample that goes almost immediately, but if they could send me something more useful than another goddamn perfume sample, I'd be super happy.

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?

Sakura and other lovely florals =]

Hello!  Today my post will be about a manicure that I have been wanting to try out for a while now, and now that I have the right tools I thought, "Why not?"

My inspiration comes from one of my oldest besties who loves anything and everything Japanese.  I took a semester of Japanese in college and uh..I remember the day someone in the class was all "You know, English is actually one of the hardest languages to learn.." I was like...uhh where are you getting your intel, buddy?  I'm pretty sure I read somewhere it's one of the easiest for a lot of reasons, and one of them being that normally all of our words just generally have one meaning, and we don't normally use the same word to mean a lot of different things.  Also the way our sentences are put together is easier to understand.  Someone stop me if I'm wrong!  Needless to say, that class was really hard..

I had been getting my ideas just from googling "cherry blossom nails" for a while now, and there are a lot of variations, so i just used the basics as my base, a nude (or minty blue) background, a branch here and there, and then little pink and white flowers all over the place =] and let my mani lead itself as I went along.

 inside

outside

inside

This is one coat of Gelous, two coats of Zoya Cho, topped with Seche Vite.

I used tape to help make my tips, and painted them in Revlon Minted.  I used my really fine brush with Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Flirt to make little branches on my thumb and ring fingers, starting at either top or bottom (I alternated the starting points on my right hand) and then for my cherry blossoms I used my brush again in OPI My Address Is Hollywood, and Sally Hansen French Tip White for the middles.  Topped off again with Seche Vite.

I loved loved loved this mani so much.  My friends seemed to like it, and my only problem with it is that I think I definitely should've used dotting tools to make the flowers, but I was on a roll with my brush lol I love that thing..

A little something else is another review.  I hope everyone likes reviews, because I think I'll start doing them a little more.  Not a lot, mostly things that I have received in past Birchboxes that I still have (mainly perfume samples)  I promise they won't all always be as long as my May Birchbox Review post lol I tend to get carried away...

Anyway, last month Birchbox sent me a sample of Taylor Swift's new perfume, Wonderstruck.  I love the way this smells! If you love floral and fruity scents, this is something you need to take a whiff of!  At Birchbox 3.4oz of the stuff is $59.50.  The bottle is so magical looking, purple with a gold top, and little golden charms all around the cap.  I don't know how much you guys like Taylor Swift, or country/pop in general, but I can't help myself.  Her songs are catchy, and her voice is great.  And she really seems like the type of girl who still has a good head on her shoulders in the world of celebrities, really girl-next-door-ish.  She brings out the "country girl" in me that I used to stifle and be embarrassed of, but where I'm from it's damn near impossible to not have a little backwoods coursing through your veins.  Also, this "country girl" (ha.) does not pay the high prices for perfumes and stuff..I'm the type of girl, if I don't get it for Christmas or buy it right before Christmas when VS has that lovely "Buy a million lotions and sprays for $this" then I'm not getting any perfume.  If I WERE the type of girl to have money to splurge on such things...then $60 wouldn't be so bad to pay for this lovely bit of goodness..I guess..

What's your favorite smell?

Busy post alert!

This is a very busy post!  An award, A looong review, and my newest creation!  Prepare yourself!

For the first thing, I have been given a blog award from the lovely Linzi Louisa from When It Rains It Pours

This makes me so happy!  I've only been doing this a short period of time, and already I've been communicating with some awesome people, and there are people in the world who appreciate the stuff I post.  I love doing this, and I'm beyond glad there are people out there who share this hobby/obsession with me =]

I know that I should share this love with other people, and I'm definitely going to do that soon, but right now I've got stuff planned to show you all!  If you've been keeping up, I posted about my May Birchbox
and I promised to review the items that came to me in said box.  Here we go!

First up, I don't have a picture of it aside from what came in the box, is my Twistband Headband!  The one that I got is a navy blue, which is actually sort of cool, because it matches my work uniform shirt, and since I spend 40ish hours there a week, I'm more likely to wear headbands there...
I love Twistband.  I received two of their smaller bands in one of my first Birchboxes last year, they were both black.  Basically they are just colored elastics for your hair, but they are a really comfortable elastic.  They have soooo much give in them, but they still hold your hair up without denting it.  I gave one of those to my best friend, and kept the other, but I've since lost it =[ which sucks, because they're so great to just wear on your wrist, they won't cut off circulation and they just look cooler than a regular elastic.  The headband is made of the same material, and it is thinner.  I am so glad they sent me this, because I have been on the fence about spending the 10-12 bucks it costs to get a pack of these types of headbands from Birchbox (Birchbox has another brand of headband/hair elastic similar to Twistband in their shop) because headband elastics have always been hell for me.  I don't know who's to blame for this, but I always ended up feeling my head must be huge and oddly shaped, because I see girls all the time wearing their hair up, and the elastic holding back bangs and loose hair, and they make it seem so easy.  Like the band doesn't slip off their head in five minutes.  No matter what I try, i can't keep these things on!  Twistband has saved me.  The headband is so versatile, it looks awesome even with your hair down, doesn't slip off my head.  I love this product, and if you have troubles like I do, I definitely recommend the Twistband headband. Here is a link to all of the Twistband products on Birchbox, apparently my headband comes from a pack of 6 skinny headbands, which is $20.  For me, that's a bit steep, but here is the direct website, find something that works for you!

Next up is Dr. Jart+ Water Fuse Beauty Balm SPF 25+

This is an awful photo!  I was trying to take photos of things I have received in my boxes, and the others turned out fine.  So I'm really sorry, and you're just better off viewing it in my original Birchbox post lol or here on the birchbox website. (Note: it is the squeeze bottle to the left of the Nuxe dry oil bottle that kind of looks like nail polish but is not)  I was excited to try this, I haven't tried beauty balms yet, and I wanted to know how different it could be than just a tinted moisturizer with some SPF.  Turns out, I won't get to find out unless I buy some.  I was getting ready for work the other night and opted to use this instead of my Neutrogena Healthy Skin Enhancer.  Now before I tell you what happened, let me just say that I KNOW that these products are just samples. I know that there is not much of them, although some of the things I am sent do last me a long time.  But it's been my experience with Birchbox that when a product comes in a squeeze bottle instead of say a disposable packet that you cut open and use once maybe twice, that the bottle is at the very least halfway full.  Not so with this product...I squeezed slightly, then built up the force with it after nothing happened, and after about five or six squeezes, a little squirt flies out onto my hand.  I was like really?  It was enough for my cheeks and blending my concealer under my eyes.  I made the comment in the box on the feedback page while I was reviewing the product to earn the ten points, so hopefully someone has read it at Birchbox.  All in all, I'm going to stick with my Neutrogena.  The Healthy Skin Enhancer has SPF 20, it's oil free, it has retinol treatment, and it's tinted the same as many other tinted moisturizers out there.

And now, onto the Color Club Disco Nap from their Foil Collection!

I think this is my first foil.  This is so pretty! Application is awesome, One coat was fine for almost all my fingers, but I used two coats and that made it perfection.  If you're looking closely, you can see streak marks a little, but I don't care =] for giggles I sponged China Glaze Luxe and Lush from the Hunger Games collection on my thumb and ring fingers, as well as added Seche Vite top coat to all of them:

It's hard to tell, but in person the flakies go really well with the gold  in my opinion.  Top coat helped in hiding the streak marks, and didn't change the foil-y finish much, I think this is another winner from Color Club =] This is $8 on the Birchbox website. I'm really thinking about getting the other polish in the collection, Foil Me Once, which is a really pretty fuschia color =] I really feel like this is going to help me through the Crumpet's summer challenge (there are some olympic-related challenge days!)

Onto the perfume! This is Arquiste L'Etrog

I haven't actually used this yet, but I opened the top and smelled it.  Smells wonderful =]
The description from the website:
"This transporting scent will take you to an exotic Mediterranean cabin built out of palm leaves and foraged branches. Beneath these opening woodsy notes hovers a bright base of Etrog citron, which is native to Calabria, plus lush date and fragrant myrtle. The overall composition is warm and citrusy without veering into overly sweet territory."
This description is great, and I love the reference to the Mediterranean, because when I sniffed this awesome perfume, it immediately reminded me of my awesome aunt, who is no longer with us.  Her husband was Greek, born and raised there, and she absolutely loved to visit Greece.  When she died, she split up her collections between her nieces, and I've added a little bit to them over time.  Of her collection, a large portion of it is perfume bottles, I have a lot of mini bottles and regular sized ones, some empty some not.  I don't know why this reminds me of her so much, it's been almost 11 years, but it does. I'll keep this in the collection, but there's no way I'll spend $165 on a full sized bottle..

Then there is the beautyblender blendercleanser.  Birchbox sent me a beautyblender a couple of months ago, and that makeup sponge is AWESOME!  You get it wet, squeeze out the excess water, and the sponge doubles in size.  It works so well at blending everything together, and you can use it all over! for anything! I do wish I had the blendercleanser because I resorted to using my Neutrogena Deep Clean facial cleanser..you know, the big bottle full of orange stuff?  Which worked pretty well.  But now I really wanna get another one!  This stuff is also great for cleaning your makeup brushes=]  I would definitely recommend it, but this is my first brush/sponge cleanser, so I'm sure if you've found something cheaper (this is $17.50 for 6 oz.) that works for you, I'd say go for that.  I'm so cheap lol  No, I haven't used it on my makeup brushes yet but I will =] 

So that's it for my May Birchbox review!  Be expecting these monthly=]

The last thing I want to leave you with today is my awesome upcycling of my old Birchboxes into a new nail shelf!  The idea just came to me, and I had asked my boyfriend to build me a shelf but then I thought, why go out and buy supplies for a shelf, why not utilize stuff I already own??  I have collected a lot of my Birchboxes.  For one, they're cute.  For a craft enthusiast like myself, throwing away this completely reusable box once a month is just crazy talk.  I also save the lovely tissue paper that comes in the boxes.  You never know when you're going to need a cute box and some tissue paper!  Seriously..

So here's what I did:

I used some masking tape to hold them together as well as tape down the paper I wrapped them in.  I used the little description cards that come in the boxes to sort of stabilize between the boxes:

The layers are not attached, so I can add more and move stuff around whenever I want!

I was hoping this would, but it like PERFECTLY holds my entire stash, including all my top coats and base coats and such.  You can tell from the top shot that there is just a little bit of room for more.  That shouldn't take very long to fill =]  I'm so pleased with this!

Any thoughts?  Do any of you have monthly beauty subscriptions?  I love reading about other Birchboxes and stuff like it, and I've often thought of adding on something else, but until I can save more money $10 is all I'm willing to shell out..

May 2012 Birchbox!

Just a little disclaimer:  I am in no way affiliated with Birchbox, I just recieve a beautiful box once a month, and I love it =]  I have been a subscriber since April of last year, and I haven't been disappointed since.

Now, I want you to know what normally happens when I receive my Birchbox. I Hulk out on that outer package.  For the very first time, I wanted to take pictures =] so I used some restraint.  This month they collaborated  with Gossip Girl or whatever they did, I have never watched the show.  I caught a clip of it last week, and it just looks like a bunch of girls I wouldn't be able to stand anyway looking super fabulously chic all day long.  No offense to any Gossip Girl lovers out there!  I really haven't taken the time to watch it, and I hate starting something late.  Also, I think the Birchbox Gossip Girl Tweets are annoying!  I still appreciate the cool stuff they do sometimes though, like collaborating with different people and stuff.

Anyway, on to the box!

Birchbox always encloses a little note every month about what influenced the box, from the website :

"May Box

Hi there,

Of all our guilty pleasures, our weekly “Gossip Girl” date ranks pretty high. As proud New Yorkers, we love seeing our favorite spots on screen—plus we’re addicted to the plot intrigues and killer fashion and beauty looks. Just in time for the season finale Monday, May 14, at 8/7c on The CW, we’ve teamed up with “Gossip Girl” to bring you samples inspired by the series and Manhattan’s chicest

 events.

This collection has exactly what a social butterfly needs to look her best on the weekends. After all, what is brunch but an opportunity to see and be seen? Invite your besties out with a handwritten note and go for a polished, feminine look that shows you’ve got the details down to a science.

Go online for a behind-the-scenes peek at the prettiest looks on “Gossip Girl," an exclusive interview with executive producer Stephanie Savage, and much more.

xoxo,
Katia, Hayley & the Birchbox Team

Get 30% off Gossip Girl by Romeo & Juliet Couture all month. Shop romeoandjulietcouture.com/shopand enter "RJCXOXOBIRCH" at checkout."

 One thing I love is the fun tissue paper!  I always save it, and it used to always be hot pink and a burgundy-ish color, but now they change it up depending on the season, month, whatever.  Something is ALWAYS wrapped in a different colored tissue paper, tied with a ribbon.  The ribbon is normally black, but those colors sometimes vary, too.

 What I received:

• Dr. Jart+ Water Fuse Beauty Balm with SPF 25+
• Color Club Foil Collection Disco Nap
• Beauty Blender Blendercleanser
• TwistBand Skinny Headband
• One red Birchbox notecard with a pink envelope
• Arquiste L'Etrog

 In case this photo is hard to read:

"Gossip Girl

Trivia Sweepstakes

Enter for a chance to win a $500 shopping spree by tuning in to the CW for the season finale of "Gossip Girl" on Monday, May 14, at 8/7c!  To enter, go to facebook.com/birchboxmonthly after the show and answer the trivia questions on the back of this card."

1.  Who does Blair call in for reinforcement after her diary pages are leaked?
2. What is Serena wearing when she says goodbye to Dan?
3. What is the significant piece of jewelry that Bart gives to Chuck?
4. Who is the unexpected benefactor of Lola's inheritance?  

 

There you have it!  I will definitely be reviewing most, if not all of these samples on here, but I only got it yesterday, so right now all I can say is Disco Nap looks freaking cool, and L'Etrog smells good =] I always love when Birchbox sends me nail polish (of course!) but I also love receiving perfumes and tinted moisturizers.  I didn't get the Sugar Rose Lip Treatment that I wanted, but overall I'm once again a very happy Birchbox customer!

Are any of you Birchbox customers?  Are you always happy with what you get?

Zoya True Spring Collection! (super teeny tiny haul)

The other day I realized I had accumulated about 240 Birchbox points and decided I would use them to grab some full-sized Zoyas!  I have two minis that have been sent to me in my Birchboxes over the past year, and recently I received Bevin, which is an opaque sort of teal color, it's not dark but it isn't very bright.  It's dusty!  It really is very pretty=] No pictures of Bevin yet, because to me it's a kind of color that I just haven't been in the mood for lately.. no offense, Bevin!

So I was super excited when the mail ran a couple days ago, and I got my lovelies!  

This is Tru, which is a grape-colored purple, but it's deeper than that.  Not only is it saturated, it has shimmer to it!  The website says the shimmer reflects gold, orange and red, and from what I can tell that's probably pretty accurate, though I see more red than anything. I tried blurring the pictures some, but really I guess you can only tell the shimmer from the bottle pic in that last shot, which actually shows all of the shimmer!  I just loved taking pictures with this one.

Then there's Cho.  Now, I seem to keep collecting nude polishes, but they're always pink toned.  Cho is an opaque nude.  I was shocked!  this is completely opaque in two coats, how cool is that?  Cho basically looks like my skin on my nails.  Now, let me just say that I don't tan.  Not like I haven't tried or that I won't or that I'm a freak about sunblock, (I am) but my whole lifetime of trying to tan has just left me sore and befreckled.  This color is my nude =] I love it so.  It has really fine silvery shimmer in it, I love that added bonus.  Not only is it a super awesome nude, it's got super awesome shimmer!  I have no idea why I love nudes soooo much, but after Cho, I am definitely diving deeper into the nudey pool on the nudey beach =] (kidding) But I will be grabbing up some more beige colors from now on, just to have the variety. =]

Of course I couldn't just leave those manis be!

for my Cho, I left it as is for the most part, only accenting my ring fingers with China Glaze Fast Track from the Hunger Games collection.  I love that color!  You can't really see all of the shimmery goodness that Fast Track has to offer in this photo, and for that I am sorry.. but it's packed with gold shimmers and looks very much like liquid sparkly shimmery gold when you lift the brush out of the bottle.  God, I love it.

For my Tru, I did the same thing, only changing up the ring fingers.  I sponged some CG Fast Track onto the tips, and then Maybelline Bold Gold (I think that's what it was..) on top of that.  Then I used my cheeky plate with a little star design, and stamped twice using the gold color, so that it would fill up the rest of the nail space.  

For my second Tru mani, I went over my ring finger with NYC Starry Silver Glitter with a sponge.  I don't remember but I think I did two layers of sponging on that.  I doubt I will ever use a polish brush to apply glitters ever again! This glitter is freaking awesome!  I did not realize the glitter was holographic until I saw the pics.  It just looks like a light lavender purple and the darker blue circular glitter pieces (as well as super full of fine silver glittery goodness!)  But here you can see more, a darker purple, a lighter blue, and a green.  I also found another picture that shows red and yellow. Again, i tried to blur that pic so that everything could get caught up in the light.  I fail.

All of these manis and swatches are done with a coat of Gelous as base coat, then Topped off with Poshe.

I love these colors! I think if I had to I would pick up Skylar also from this collection, but I would much rather explore other collections since I am still verrrry new to Zoya.  One thing I know for sure, I NEED Zoya Zuza.  soo pretty!

My Birchbox should be here soon!  A few days ago I got an e-mail saying it was shipped, which I thought was weird since they normally go out on the 10th of every month, and that was like the 6th or something when I got that...and there still isn't any tracking info up yet!  Yes, I track my packages, I track them ferociously. Gotta know when my babies are comin' home!


Have a great day =]