EPIC July Nail Polish Haul

Hey guys! Today's post is my July nail polish haul, and this month was pretty epic thanks to the generosity of a former co-worker of mine. I got a DM asking if I'd like to take some nail polish off of her hands and OF COURSE I (excitedly) said yes, but I had no idea just how many bottles I would be inheriting. Turns out that there were about 60 bottles of nail polish and nail care items in the bin she gave me. Can you imagine how shocked I was? It was like Christmas in July. So, if you want to find out what nail polish I added to my collection in the month of July just keep on reading...

May haul and musings

Hello again! 

I've decided that at the end of each month I will try to do a monthly haul post of all of the new nail polish I've accumulated. I am TRYING, however, to behave myself and not buy something nail or beauty related every time I go into Target or a drugstore. It's hard though, because I like to think of myself as going through what I call my "rubber band" phase. For the longest time I spent money strictly based on need. I literally almost never bought anything for myself, except a quarterly Bath & Body Works splurge to get my favorite lotions and body wash (which are Moonlight Path and Warm Vanilla Sugar---for the record). I just didn't care about buying things for myself, I cared more about saving money. But now I realize spending some money here and there isn't gonna break the bank... hence the rubber band theory. I think that since I have held back for SO LONG I'm like a rubber band that has been pulled tight and released---now I want to buy SO many things! It's really not good....

Birthday Haul

My birthday week (haha) is off to a great start! I have a really funny story to share... I have a co-worker, who is the most amazing co-worker in the history of co-workers. And this fabulous person has an equally fabulous 5-year old granddaughter. This little girl is the type of kid who is 5-going on-25. She is a smart little lady who knows exactly what she wants, and apparently what she wanted this week was to pick out some nail polish for me for my birthday. How adorable, right? But the super exciting part is that somehow this tiny little person, who hasn't even made it to grade school yet, somehow managed to pick out the absolute PERFECT polishes for me, including three specific shades I have been wanting, and two bottles from a brand that I have been wanting to try. I have no explanation for this, other than that she just might be my soul sister. 

So, with the exception of these first 3 polishes (which I bought), everything else was a birthday gift from my co-worker's darling granddaughter. 

Lust For Lilac, Dust Rose, and Sail La Vie

Review: Base and Top Coats

Probably two of the most important steps in making my manicures last as long as possible (and chip-free!) is the use of a good base and top coat. And I can't say enough about the absolute necessity of having a fast-drying top coat! We all know how annoying and debilitating it can be waiting for nail polish to dry on its own... It takes FOREVER, and then you have to be on high alert making sure you don't accidentally smudge it. It's awful. Fast forward to my discovery of fast-drying top coats *insert the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel's Messiah here* (Here it is, for the full effect). How did I ever paint my nails without one? Anyway, these are the base and top coats I've used, and what I think of them...

Sally Hansen's Double Duty Base & Top Coat and CND's Stickey Base Coat

Manicure Essentials

These are my current nail care go-to items that I use weekly/daily. From removing old nail polish, to making sure my cuticles stay hydrated and polish-free, these items have all become staples in my nail care routine, which (in my opinion) makes all the difference in having your hands and nails look beautiful.