Product Review: Sally Hansen Nail Polish Strips

Question: Zebra nails...fashion forward or fashion faux pas?

Hopefully not a faux pas, because I was rocking 'em for about a week.


I tried out Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nail Polish Strips for the first time a couple weeks ago and thought I would write up my review of them.
If you haven't heard of them, they are pretty self-explanatory: stick-on nail polish. These are different from stick-on fake nails because they are super thin and don't add thickness or length to your nails.

What I Liked:

-The fun designs that they come in. You can't exactly paint zebra print on your nails (well, at least I can't) so it's a fun change to be able to have a print or design on the nails. I got a couple of compliments on the fun nails so that's always a good sign.


-The fact that they're supposed to last longer than regular polish (up to 10 days). However, mine only lasted about a week but I think that could be more my fault for not applying them correctly.

-No dry time. I hate hate hate waiting for nails to dry so that was a nice change.


What I Didn't Like:

-The price tag. At $8.50 per box, which is only enough for one application, they are definitely more pricey than buying nail polish for the same price and reusing it over and over. That being said, they still cost less than a manicure, so I guess it's worth it for a once in a blue moon treat.

-Application was trickier than I expected. I've never been good with tasks that require a steady hand and these definitely need that in order to make sure you're sticking it on in the correct place and/or lining it up with your cuticles. They looked far from perfect if you looked closely, but the zebra print kind of helped hide that fact. Also, it took me just about as long as it does to do my nails the old fashioned way (base coat, 2 coats polish, top coat) but that's probably just because I sucked at it.


So basically, I liked 'em but I didn't love 'em. I might buy them again but not anytime soon. It would be a good stocking stuffer for someone like me though (hint, hint!). :)

Have you tried the Salon Effects Nail Strips? What did you think?

Chopped - The Whole Story

I realized I never really explained my inspiration for the drastic haircut that I got recently.

First off, here's a pic of me taken moments before I got 8 inches chopped off.

Before: Long and shapeless.

I've never really been one to have issues with split ends or dry and damaged hair, but moving to Arizona apparently changed that. I used to go 6+ months between haircuts and have no issues. Here I went about 3 months between hair trims and my hair was in AWFUL shape!

Plus, I was just tired of having long hair and being too lazy to ever actually blow dry it. It was pretty much always in a ponytail.

I asked my husband if he thought I should chop it all off and, surprisingly, he said yes. Turns out, I guess he kind of likes me with short hair. Who knew?!

I've never been one to shy away from a drastic change of hairstyle. I just get bored easily with my hairstyles so I have always been one of those people who lets my hair grow out long, and then chops it all off the minute it gets to my desired length. And the cycle repeats.

So anyway, once I decided to go short I started searching online for images of short hairstyles that I liked as inspiration. I quickly found this one of Nicole Richie and decided that this was the look I wanted:

Nicole Richie's Short Bob (though some people may call this medium-length)

I printed out my inspiration photo and took it into my hairstylist in Tucson. I had never been to this stylist before so I was really hoping I wasn't making a huge mistake! (FYI I went to Panache in Tucson and my hairstylist was Emma)

About an hour later I came out looking like this:
And I was thrilled with the results!

Yes, it's slightly different than the inspiration but those were all adjustments that Emma discussed with me to make the look better fit my needs.

Here's another look of the haircut from the day it was done:

The real test though was whether I would be able to easily style it myself. I'm a low-maintenance kind of hair girl...I actually hate doing my hair so it has to be somewhat easy to do or else I'm doomed.

Here is a pic taken a few days later when I styled it myself:

Please ignore the Hubs' goofy face!

I think it looks pretty good, all things considered!

To style it this way I applied a light styling mousse and then blow dried it with a medium-size round brush. After blow drying I used my Chi straightener to just quickly smooth out the hair, not taking too much time on this step. Finally, I finished off with a light coat of flexible-hold hairspray.

I've also since figured out that it doesn't look terrible if I just wash it, scrunch it with some mousse or gel and let it air dry. It doesn't look as good as when I blow dry it, but it works in a pinch!

(FYI - I have very straight, fine and somewhat limp hair, but I have a lot of it.)

My only complaint with this hairstyle is that my hair tends to do it's own thing on the ends no matter how much styling I do. No matter how hard I try to get it to curl under, it's a futile effort on one side and in the back. I think it does this because the hair length skims my shoulders and therefore gets naturally flipped out instead of in. Oh well! I'm embracing it!

Phew...I never thought this would end up being such a wordy post! I guess I have a lot to say about my hair. :)

Question: Do you take in inspiration photos when you get your hair cut? I ALWAYS do because I find I usually have a hard time verbalizing what I want.

Chopped

We're spending the night at a hotel in Tucson for the night because of some doctor's appointments so I'll be back tomorrow with my YBBC Day 4 recap post.

In the meantime, here's a pic of my new haircut that I got today.

I chopped off 8 inches!!! It was skurry but in the end I'm really glad I got rid of the length. It was looking so scraggly these days so I needed a change.

See ya tomorrow!

March Favorites

First, let me preface this post by saying that I PROMISE there are some great food-related posts coming soon to Cupcakes and Combat Boots! I've been cooking as normal, but for some reason I've been procrastinating doing the posts. I've made it my goal to get three or four recipe posts done in the next few days so stay tuned!

Now, moving on, I thought I'd share some of the new things I've been loving lately. These posts always give me great ideas when other people do them, so hopefully they'll do the same for you!

1. Chia Seeds

(Source)

Chia Seeds are a great source of Omega-3's (even better than flax seeds), high in fiber, and have many other health benefits which you can read about here. I'd been wanting to try chia seeds for a while now but could never find them in stores (though I believe they do carry them in Whole Foods), so I bit the bullet and just ordered a package of them through Amazon. Since receiving them in the mail, I've been loving adding them to smoothies, oatmeal, yogurt, pancakes, etc.

2. Neutrogena Naturals Fresh Cleansing + Makeup Remover

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In this post back in January I wrote about loving Garnier Moisture Rescue face wash, but I started to change my mind about it after using it for a while. Yes, it did keep my face moisturized, but I couldn't stand the residue that it left behind on my face and the fact that it didn't do a very good job of getting my eye makeup off. I like cleaning my face and having it LOOK AND FEEL CLEAN, not have a layer of gunk leftover. I was on the lookout for a face wash that didn't leave a residue, but also didn't strip my natural oils too much. So I stumbled upon this new Neutrogena Naturals line of products and immediately plunked down the $6.99 to try the "Fresh Cleansing + Makeup Remover" face wash. And I LOVE IT!!! It's exactly what I was looking for (removes makeup, leaves me feeling fresh and clean but not dry), AND it smells fantastic!

3. Suave Professionals Dry Shampoo

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I love the idea of dry shampoo, but I hadn't been really impressed with the products I'd tried in the past. They left a gummy texture and usually a white residue in my hair that really didn't make my hair look or feel clean. Then I spotted this Suave Professionals version of dry shampoo and decided it was worth the $2.99 price tag to give it a shot. My verdict is: TWO THUMBS UP! I couldn't believe how good it smells (it reminds me of candy) and it doesn't leave any weird texture or white residue in my hair. Seriously, buy this stuff!

4. Intak by Thermos water bottle

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I've always been bad about drinking enough water, but as part of my new healthy living routine I decided to make drinking water a priority. In order to kick start my new priority, I bought an intak by Thermos water bottle (found it at Target). Turns out having a new water bottle DOES help me drink more water! I love this thing! It has a lid that snaps securely shut and locks so I can toss it in a bag and not worry about it leaking. It also has a "water intake gauge" on it where you can turn the dial each time you fill up the bottle so you can keep track of how much you're drinking throughout the day. Oh and the all-time best thing about it? It's dishwasher safe! :)

5. Tabbed Socks

(Source)

This is kind of a random one, but I swear by athletic socks with the little extra tabs on the back! Why? Because I've always had issues with my ankle socks falling down as I run or workout and then I end up with major blisters on the backs of my heels. Not fun! But these socks solve that problem because the tab causes the sock to stay put above your shoe and not work its way down your heel. I buy my tabbed socks from Target (the ones pictured above aren't the exact ones I wear, just the closest picture I could find) and they're pretty cheap!

There you have it! What are your March favorites??

Oh, and one thing I'm NOT loving lately? This potential "government shut down" that would mean our troops won't get paid for who knows how long (but still expected to report to work as usual). This is TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE to me. Our troops are putting their lives on the line everyday and they should be the LAST people to have their pay cut off. President Obama needs to get his act together and PREVENT this from happening, instead of continuing to reject solutions.

End of vent.

Things I'm Loving

It has been a while since my last "Things I'm Loving" post. And by "a while" I mean like 6+ months. I guess I haven't been very loving lately.

1. Nail Polish.

Check out my collection! And yes, I'm a nail polish snob. OPI (or China Glaze as a 2nd best option) all the way!

Going for the muted tones this week.

I just can't get enough of it. If you catch me with my nails unpainted, go buy yourself a freakin' lottery ticket immediately because it must be a sign! I seriously don't ever leave my nails unpainted anymore. It just makes me happy to look down and see a little splash of color on my fingertips. Plus, I think I have weirdly shaped fingers so this helps normalize things a bit. :)

2. Arizona Sunsets.

Beautiful. Enough said.

3. White Bean & Basil Hummus from Trader Joe's.

Sooooo freaking good! I love mixing it in with unexpected things too, like eggs.

4. Woohoo by Christina Aquilera (feat. Nicki Minaj)

Yes, it's inappropriate. No, it takes no actual talent to sing this song. But it's just so damn catchy! Great workout tune! "Licky licky, yum yum!"

5. Getting my ass kicked by my husband at the gym.

No pictures to document this (thankfully) but he put me through his Kettlebell workout at the gym 3 days ago and I'm STILL sore. Thanks, husband. (I think he secretly enjoyed seeing me suffer.)

6. Garnier Moisture Rescue Fresh Cleansing Foam face wash

Moving to AZ did a number on my skin....my face was flaky, dry, itchy, etc. and no amount of moisturizer seemed to help. Then I realized that it might be my face wash was too harsh and drying so I ponied up the money for a special "moisture rescue" face wash and prayed that it worked. Well, it did! I love this stuff! It washes without stripping the moisture.

7. Beckham Signature for Women

Love this perfume! I got it for Christmas from my sister-in-law and it's my new go-to scent.

8. So called "Three Buck Chuck" wine from Trader Joe's.

I'm no wine snob. The cheaper, the better (as long as it tastes good!) and this Sauvignon Blanc certainly fits the bill.

So there you have it! The things I'm loving. Do you love any of these things?

Turning my Frown Upside Down

Moving can be kind of a downer, especially if you're moving far away from all that you know. But there are some things that are helping to turn my frown upside down...

1. An excuse to drink Starbucks every morning, because the coffee maker is en route to Arizona.

Tall coffee with a pump of Cinnamon Dolce syrup, leave room for cream please! I'm becoming a Starbucks ordering pro!

2. The fact that I can still spend 30 minutes a day with my beloved Jillian DVD, even in a furniture-less house.

I purposely kept my 30 Day Shred DVD, hand weights, DVD player and yoga mat back from the movers for this very purpose. :)

3. My current nail color

Russian Navy by OPI...it makes me happy everytime I see my nails!

4. The fact that we can still have delicious home cooked dinners, even with the bare minimum of kitchen tools and food.

Last night's Beef & Veggie Spaghetti. It may not look pretty, but it was so satisfying.

5. The fact that our air mattress is SO MUCH more comfortable than I ever anticipated. I was DREADING the nights of sleeping on an air mattress, but it turns out it's not nearly as bad as I thought.

I highly recommend this brand of air mattress. It really is EXTRAORDINAIRE! :)

I love my...

...new cognac boots!

I've been searching for the perfect pair of cognac boots for a while now. My requirements were this:

1) Must be flat...I hate wearing boots with heels.

2) Must be big enough around the calf for my giant calves....seriously they are huge and I hate that it's so hard to find boots that allow wiggle room in the calf.

I stumbled upon these boots at Kohl's this past weekend and almost squealed with joy when I tried them on and realized there was plenty of room in the calf. SUCCESS!!!

I got them on sale for $45 plus an additional 15% coupon. Heck yeah!

Here's a link to their online listing, if you're interested.

Paired with a charcoal sweater dress and grey tights, I felt like quite the fashionista today!

(Please excuse the randomly placed computer chair in the background....we were doing some organizing in the study and needed to move it out for extra moving room.)

New Haircut + Workout Achievement

I got a haircut today!

Lately my hair had been really bugging me because it was looking frayed and unhealthy. Most days I had just been tossing it back in a ponytail or a bun, so I knew it was time for a cut.

I'm a bit of a weirdo when it comes to my hair. I actually like to change up my looks and I'm pretty laid back about it. Many times I'll just tell the stylist to "do whatever you think will look good". Also, I'm notorious for growing my hair out and then chopping it off short the moment it gets "long enough" and then repeating the cycle over and over again.

Lately though I've been enjoying having it longer because I can do so much more with it...curl it, braid it, put it in a bun, etc. So I decided I wanted to keep the length but just cut off the frayed ends and such.

I basically just told my stylist to "clean it up a bit" and let her have at it.

This is what I got:

I'm really happy with it! It's pretty similar to my last haircut except I didn't want the short bangs this time. She cut off 2-3 inches (she said 2 but I definitely think it was more like 3, which is fine), so it feels significantly shorter and lighter.

I also really like the way she styled it (she blow-dried it with a round brush), but I know it will never look like this again. :) I told the stylist that I don't understand how they always manage to make it looks so great. I don't have the hand and wrist dexterity to manage all that brush and hairdryer coordination!

With a snazzy new hairstyle, I felt like I should have gone out or something. But instead, I pranced around the house for about 5 minutes to let my husband get a good look at the new hairstyle and then I changed into workout attire and pulled my pretty new hairstyle back in a ponytail.

What can I say? My life is so glamorous!

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I have to tell you a little bit about my workout today because I finally, FINALLY moved up to Level 3 of the 30 Day Shred.

I've been on Level 2 for at LEAST 2 months now (if not more) but was too scared/intimidated to move up to Level 3 since Level 2 was still kicking my ass.

Well today was the day to conquer my fears.

And it was freaking hard...

but I made it.

(Apparently I was in the mood to mug for the camera tonight....red-faced and all!)

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend! We're headed back to College Station to watch another Texas A&M football game!

Are you the type who likes to stick with the same haircut for a long time or are you a changer-upper? I'm usually a changer-upper but apparently I was more in the mood to stick with the same this time.

P.S. No dinner post tonight because we had leftovers from last night.

Things I'm Loving

Here are some things I'm loving lately...

Dreyer's Fruit Bars in Creamy Coconut: I don't know what compelled me to put these in my cart the other day but I'm so glad I did! They are refreshing, creamy, sweet and delicious! Also these make a good substitute for the times when I'm craving self-serve {expensive} frozen yogurt and can't justify it {because I've already had my once-a-week quota}. And at 130 calories a pop, they are a nice light option for dessert.


Sabra Hummus: I used to be kind of indifferent to which store-bought hummus I ate. I thought they were all the same...until I tried Sabra hummus. SO FREAKING GOOD. It's wayyyyy creamier and smoother than all other store-bought hummus I have tried. And the flavors options are awesome too! {My favorite is greek olive flavor} I literally scolded my husband when he came home from the grocery store with a different brand of hummus recently. Sabra all the way, baby!



Making my dog wear my shirts: Because it's funny.



Laughing babies: This is my BFF's baby, Audrey. I spent last weekend at the Ranch with her and totally loved seeing her sweet smiles and giggles. Babies are good for the soul!



Fredricksburg Peaches: We drove through Fredricksburg, TX on our way to the Ranch and it just so happened to be peach season! Hellllz yeah! Fredricksburg peaches are the BEST! I've been eating at least one a day since we brought them home. Luckily, we bought a ton so we still have plenty! I might cry when they are all gone...



My Orange nail color: I bought this nail color on a whim the other day and I must say, I'm really liking it! I'm usually an average color kind of gal {various shades of pink mostly} but this little step out of the box is making me rethink that. I literally get happy every time I look at my nails. {Pathetic} I'm not going to share the actual name of the color because I decided to try and cheap out and bought Sally Hansen nail polish instead of my usual Opi or China Glaze. Yeahhhh...that was a mistake. The nail polish was soooo globby and sticky as it was going on. I hated it!

{Yes, that's my actual hand. Why do hands photograph so weird? Mine looks super wrinkly! Guess I need to go moisturize!}

Do you have any favorite things you'd like to share?

Haircut Reveal

I got a haircut today! It had been about 5 months since my last one so it was much needed. I decided I wanted to keep the length but I still needed a change. So I found this picture of the lovely Reese Witherspoon and decided it would be my inspiration:

The inspiration

And here's the finished product:

The haircut

The bangs look a little awkward to me but I think they'll look better when I style them myself. The stylist flat ironed them which I think makes them look a little too sharp. Overall though, I really like it.

What do you think?

Oscar Roundup 2010

Who watched the Oscars last night? I did, I did! And I thought there were lots of gorgeous dresses, but also more than the usual bad ones. Below I'll show my picks for the best and the worst. But first, let's have some MAN CANDY.

Ryan Reynolds

Yummm. Love him. So hot. Enough said.

Taylor Lautner

My favorite little werewolf was looking quite dapper in a tux. {Team Jacob}

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The Good:

Miley Cyrus

I am not usually a big Miley fan but I LOVE THIS LOOK. Love everthing about it: the color of the dress, the flowy skirt with the fitted bodice, the golden makeup, the swept-back hair, the jewels. I would totally wear this whole ensemble {you know, if I ever go to the Oscars someday...ha!}.

Sandra Bullock
Sandra looked beautiful and so fitting for her big win! I especially loved her hair and makeup {the red lips & the simple sleek hair}...so old Hollywood glamour!

Kristen Stewart

This is the best I've seen Kristin Stewart look in a long time. Thank goodness she finally did her hair and didn't wear sneakers! My only complaint is that this dress almost seemed too glam on her...it was a bit of a stretch. I think she could have found something that more met in the middle of her punk rock look and glamour. It was like she was trying to be someone she isn't.

Cameron Diaz

Cameron was totally channeling the old Hollywood glam look too and I loved it. Again, you see simple side-swept hair, red lips and a gorgeous muted gold dress. Love love LOVE! Another look I would definitely wear!

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The Bad:

Jennifer Lopez

Don't like the color, don't like the structure, don't like anything {except for maybe her makeup}. And who would think that putting a giant ruffle right smack dab on the hip of a girl who already has a badonkadonk would be a good idea?!?

Charlize Theron

Oh Charlize...I'm so disappointed in you. Usually you don't let me down but this was AWFUL. The colors didn't work for you at all. The dress looks like a cross between something I would have seen at my prom and something Madonna would have worn in 1985.

Zoe Saldana

This one I was torn on because I LOVE the bodice but I HATE the skirt. What the heck is up with this giant ruffle trend? This one kind of reminds me of Chiquita Banana lady. But in the end Zoe Saldana is just so beautiful that she could basically pull off anything.

Vera Farmiga

Like the color, hate the ruffles. Again with the accentuating the hips and not doing ANYTHING for her figure. NO MORE RUFFLES!!!

Paula Patton
The main mistake with this dress for me was the color. A more muted orange could have worked but this one was just too much of orangey-orange. Also not the greatest fit or fabric for a pregnant lady, in my opinion. The round belly + the orange color starts to remind you of the fruit...

All in all, I thought there were more misses than hits this year, which is surprising and disappointing. I had about 10 other photos marked for "The Bads" but I figured I would try to only highlight the worst of them.

There was a definite trend towards golden hues {yay!} and ruffles {nay!}. I think the ruffles COULD work if they were used in a more subtle way. Think a ruffle on the bottom of the skirt or on the shoulder...not giant ruffles wrapping all the way around the dress!

The hair and makeup was impressive this year, I thought. I didn't see any major "oh no!" type hair styles, with the exception of maybe Sarah Jessica Parker's signature Severe Up-Do {as I like to call it}, but we've seen that one out of her before so it was no surprise.

On a non-fashion note, I was also very disappointed in the Best Director and Best Picture win, The Hurt Locker. I haven't seen it, but from what I hear it's not sitting well with most military types because of the gross inacuracy of it's portrayal of an Army EOD team. I'm all for military movies that ACCURATELY and non-politically convey the message, like Taking Chance for example.

All photos from TMZ.com