Back on Instagram

Hi Everyone! I know it's been a long time since I've posted anything, but it has just been super crazy at work.  I can't remember the last time I left on time (w/o having an appointment for something!).  But, in case you want to keep up w/ my nails, I did re-join Instagram, under the name: LilTeaBaby.  =)

I do plan to continue blogging, but it's just something hard to make time for at the moment.

Anyhoo, till next time!

Quick Update + New Tattoo!

Hi everyone! I know, I've totally been MIA, but I wanted to let y'all know I'm alive and kicking, lol.  I recently got a promotion at work and am now busier than ever! I just got back from LA where I got this kickass tattoo, lol.  Now that I have a ferocious tiger on my back, I'm totally OG! Lol. My lovely son was born in the year of the tiger, hence this cute little cub. If you are wondering who my artist is, look up BodyInk626 on fb or Instagram.  He does more azn style art, but was willing to hook me up with a more cartoony style.  I am super happy with the way this turned out!  I will update on this again when it is fully healed. ;). Anyhooz, I promise I will try to post more soon.

Till next time!

Stiletto Nails (And Mini Review on Diamond Nails in Temple City, CA)

 Hi Everyone!  So I had been stalking Pinterest and YouTube for some inspiration, and I came across the twin fads: Stiletto Nails and Duck Nails.  And by twin, I mean complete opposites! LOL  In case you aren't aware, Stiletto Nails are where your nails (usually acrylic) come to a point, and Duck Nails are where your nails (also usually acrylic) flare out at the tip.  I didn't actually get Duck Nails done (I'm already getting annoyed with Stiletto as it is!), but if you Google it or Pinterest it, you'll see what I'm talking about.  (For all you lazy people..let me google that for you...:http://lmgtfy.com/?q=duck+nails)

Anyhoo, so I was in dire need of a pedicure, so I decided to get that one on my last trip home.  I had seen that a new nail place opened up not too far from my mom's, so I decided to go take a peek (esp since they have a 20% off banner in front of the store! LOL).  I asked the lady doing my toes how much stiletto nails would cost.  She looked confused and asked me what stiletto nails were. LOL  At this point, I thought it was going to be a wash, but she said she could do it and with 20% off, it would only be $18.  Sounded good to me! I decided to go for and see how it turned out.

At first, I was very skeptical of the lady, but when I got my hand back and saw it shaped all pretty and pointy, I quickly relaxed and became confident that my nails would turn out awesome.  I was pleasantly surprised at how my nails turned out.  I think they are great and exactly what I was looking for!  My mom thinks that if I was going to do Stiletto Nails, I should've gone longer, but these are already annoying.  I couldn't imagine having nails an inch long!!  I already have issues typing....I can only foresee that I would've been locked out of my work computer/software because I kept mistyping my pw, hahaha.  So, what I'm trying to say is that these nails are as long as I can take, and they work.  Yes, I admit they probably would have looked better if they were a lot longer.  But...I'm good.  =)

My hubby seems to like these...here's the conversation we had:

Me: Let me scratch your back...I wanna test out how these nails feel.
Hubby: Uh...okay...?
Me:
Hubby: That feels pretty nice.
Me: Well, enjoy it while you can...I'm probably not going to upkeep these.
Hubby: Why not!!! I'm sure you can find a place in PHX.

Seriously, LOL.

I seriously doubt I can stand to have acrylics for too much longer...unless they were really short.  Maybe.  I dunno.  We'll see.   Hehehe

To finish my little review, I would have to say that Diamond Nails in Temple City is very big and nice.  The people there don't go for speed, they actually take the time to make your nails look right.  They aren't cheap, but they aren't too pricey either.  Take advantage of their 20% off just to see if you like their work.  I can say I'll definitely go back...I want to try their facial next time.  LOL  Anyhoo, that's pretty much all I have for the review...sorry there aren't really more details.  Let me know if you have any questions!

Till Next Time!

Disclaimer:
1. I paid for my own mani/pedi.
2. I am not affiliated with Diamond Nails.
3. No one paid me for this blog.
4. These are my honest opinions.

Ciate Chalkboard Nails Review

Hi Everyone!

Time for another review...does it seem like that's all I do these days?  Well...it's almost all I have time for.  I hardly have time to do my own nails, let alone come up with a design! LOL

Anyhoo, if you're following the scene, you'll know that Ciate came out with a Chalkboard Nail kit.  I got mine from Sephora, and it came with a Chalkboard polish and 4 Chalk Pens, along with a matte topcoat.  I tried it on one nail at the store and was super excited to buy it and try it at home.  Unfortunately, I was very disappointed.

So...what your'e supposed to do is put on 2 coats of the black Chalkboard polish and let it dry completely.  then, you can use the pens to decorate your nails however you want.  I drew hearts and mustaches (in case you couldn't tell what those were, lol).  I let that dry, and put on a layer of the matte topcoat to "seal in my design".  As pictured, it looks pretty cool, right?  I was pretty satisfied with my kit at this point.  However, the next day...I did the dishes (yes yes, again without gloves), and bam....all 10 of my nails were chipped.  I mean, i wasn't rough or anything...it was just dishes!!!  The Ciate Velvet nails did fine through multiple rounds of doing dishes!!!  But alas, this is what I ended up with:

Sooo sad and disappointed.  Looking at the way the nails chipped, I'm not sure how much gloves would have really helped.  So yes, to me the Chalkboard kit is a bummer.

Pros:

It's a cute idea

Easy to do lots of designs with the pens

Cons:

It's not cheap ($25ish)

It chips easily

At this point, I threw in the towel...but if anyone else has tried it with better results, please comment!  I'm sure my experience isn't shared by everyone...or this kit would have totally flopped.  I think I also had high expectations after my experience with the Velvet nails kit.  

Currently I took the plunge and am now sporting some stiletto nails!  Yes, I know I hardly ever do acrylics...but I couldn't resist.  And now, as I suffer through typing w/ these claws, I'm okay with it...only because I didn't get them as long as I should have.  I think proper stiletto nails should be at least an inch past the nailbed.  Mine are more like 1/2 an inch.  I'll have another post coming up soon, and I'll have pics and another review, lol. =)  And don't think I forgot about the Flash n Go.  I have an embarrassing before pic, and a good after pic. =)  So many reviews, so little time!

Anyhoo, till next time!!

Disclaimer:
1. I bought the Ciate Chalkboard Nail kit with my own money.
2. I am not affiliated with Ciate or Sephora.
3. I was not paid to write this blog.
4. These are my honest opinions.

New Haircut! - Salon 1219 (Phoenix, AZ)

I know...it's crazy that I actually grew hair to my butt.  I never really wanted my hair THAT long, but with all the stuff going on, I just didn't have a chance to cut my hair.

You can kinda see how I had ombre in my locks.  It had originally started around my ears, and just grew out a little longer.  I've always hated how your tips get so thin your hair is extra long.  I think it looks kinda gross...especially of the girls who have hair down to their knees, but it's like 10 strands that are that long, lol.

The main reason I wanted to cut it, is because I am now doing my own housekeeping.  People who have had to work my hair getting everywhere have often complained to me, but I've just ignored it.  But now that I have to clean it up myself, I have seen the error of my ways.  My hair was getting caught up in EVERYTHING, especially the vacuum.  I would only be able to vacuum for about 3 minutes before I would have to clean out the brushes from my hair.  And I'm only talking about a week's worth of hair!!  Jeez.  So I decided it was time to chop it off and make it easier on everyone (especially me).  When I look at this pic, I kinda miss my longer hair, hahaha.  I need to stop.

Sooooo, I asked my friend where she gets her hair cut, since I have no clue what is good out here in Phoenix.  She pointed me to Crista @ Salon 1219.  Since I had been referred, she gave me 50% off my first appointment with her. WIN! Lol  I decided to cut off about 8 inches.  I know that's not exactly dramatic or anything, but I wanted to keep my ombre!  I also wanted to go lighter, in case I could do a cool color.  Unfortunately, my work only allows for "natural" color hair.  I may do a red later on, but I kinda wanted Teal or Pink.  I wonder if I could get away w/ pink....It's a natural color, right? LOL

I haven't cleaned my condo up yet this week (it's a Sun/Mon kinda thing), but hopefully my hair won't keep messing with the vacuum.

Anyhoo, back to the actual haircut.  I think it turned out really nice!  And the ombre is also blended pretty smoothly.  Some people don't understand what ombre is...one girl, who works at one of those flat iron booths in the mall, asked me if I was growing out my color. WTF, she works in the hair industry!  She should be up to date on stuff like this!!!  Can you tell I'm bitter? LOL  I told her it was ombre and she asked what that was.  JEEZ, not buying anything from her, that's for sure!  (Sorry, moving back to my hair...) I also liked the way Crista curled my hair with a flat iron.  I tried to dupe this back home and it just didn't work right, lol.  Going to stick w/ a curling iron for now.  =)  The pics speak for themselves: long, old, thinning hair to medium, fresh, healthy hair. Hehehe

So yes, I am very happy with how my hair turned out.  I might even go back and get it dyed red in the near future. =)  If you are in the Phoenix area and want to give Crista a shot, just tell her that I referred you so you can get 50% off your first appointment.  Here's the Yelp link: http://www.yelp.com/biz/salon-1219-phoenix

Hmm...next plans hopefully include more nail designs and my Flash N Go review.

Till next time!!

Disclaimer:
1. I paid for my haircut & color myself.
2. I am not affiliated with Salon 1219.
3. I was not paid to write this blog.
4. These are my honest opinions.

Where did April Go? - Ciate Velvet Nails Review

No seriously, where did April go?  I guess with all the moving and travelling, time just flew.  I can't believe we're in May, and I'm ready to make a post about stuff I've been doing the last few weeks.

This pic on the left is just a random manicure I did.  I used Zoya's Evvie as a base, and just used striping polishes to make a weird plaid effect.  I didn't really have a plan, so it's not as cool as I'd like, but I did have fun.  What's that on my ring finger you ask?  A Totoro...no really, that's what it's supposed to be, lol.  So...what I did was striped two stripes across the nail in Black, and then one stripe in white down the nail and one stripe in silver glitter.  Now....if I had a plan, I would've alternated the black stripes with the ones going down, so that it had a cool layered effect.  Ahhh, hindsight.  LOL  I still like the Totoro though. Hahahha.  I'm sure I got it from someone's nail video, but I did these so long ago, I can't remember who's.  You know I'm usually pretty good about where I get my ideas from...so...yeah.  If you know where this came from, just leave it in the comments below. =)

NYC was so much fun!  I went there for a friend's wedding and decided to dress my nails up a little bit.  I didn't realize this pic was blurry, but it's the only one I have!!!  So here, I properly alternated the stripes so that it has a cool layered feel to it.  Here, I used Zoya's Reagan as the base.  I just used Reagan on the tips in a Chevron pattern, and then completely covered the ring finger.  Then I used a Silver Glitter Striper to make an X along the edge of the Chevron.  Then I used the White Striper to draw another X a little highter than my silver X.  I think it turned out pretty cool and fancy for a wedding. =)  YES, these stripers were new...that's why I wanted to use them for everything!!

And finally to the review!!  I'm not sure if you can see the velvet on the nails in the pic to the left.  They are really hard to take a picture of, but I can tell you that you can totally feel them on the nails.  Let's back up to the beginning.  So last month, Sephora had their 15% off coupon circulated.  Usually, this is the time I buy all sorts of stuff that I want, but didn't want to pay full price on (like tools and stuff).  I ended buying a cartridge for my Flash n Go (I know I promised a review on this too! It is coming, I swear!) and the Ciate Velvet Nails in the Berry Poncho color.  I know they look all magenta-ish in the pic, but it's the flash that makes the colors all wonky.  Anyhoo, I was very excited to get this, and I'm fairly happy with the results.

The kit costs $19 and comes with a bottle of polish, a container of crushed velvet, and a small brush.  After some trial and error, I was able to get the results show.  I think my next time trying it out, I will be able to have much better results.

Following the instructions, they don't mention a base coat, but I used one anyway. Then you are supposed to put on one coat of the polish on all the nails.  When you start applying the 2nd coat, you only want to do one nail at a time.  You apply the 2nd coat, sprinkle on some crushed velvet, and then tap it onto your nail, and use the brush to gently remove the excess.

Where I ran into problems was the "sprinkling" part.  I could not get a nice layer of crushed velvet on my nails before the polish started drying.  Instead, I took off the entire cap of the container and (more or less) poured the crushed velvet on.  This was SUPER messy...the velvet seriously got EVERYWHERE.  I don't have any recommendations at this point on how to keep this procedure neat (besides just trying to get the crushed velvet through the holes!).  I hate wasting product, but I ended up vacuuming most of the mess away.  I tried my best to recapture all the crushed velvet I could, but, like I said, it was EVERYWHERE.

And why is it that polishes dry faster when we need it to stay wetter longer?  LOL  Maybe I'm just slow.  Once I had done a few fingers, I kinda got the hang of it.  Try to gently pat the crushed velvet all over the nail.  I noticed I had less on the border of my nail bed.  And once you are done with all the nails, that's it.  You don't need to apply a top coat (that would defeat the purpose, lol).

Hmm, so the manicure lasted about 4 days pretty nicely.  Then the tips started wearing thin and the velvet didn't have the same furriness as the first day.  You can still feel that there is texture on the nail, but it definitely does not feel like velvet on the 7th day.  The fact that I can still sport this manicure on the 7th day is pretty cool.  Like I said, just some wear and tear at the tips, which is natural.  I'm actually surprised the texture lasted this long, with all the times I've washed my hands or showered or washed dishes (yes, I know...I should wear gloves!).  I remember being very skeptical the first time I washed my hands after the manicure.  I was very gentle about it, and wiped my hands dry gently as well.  I was happy to note that my nails felt exactly how they did before I washed my hands.  I think I was extra gentle only the first couple of days...and then it was normal handwashing from then on.  I would treat this manicure as any other manicure...regular handwashing, but maybe a little extra gentle when dishwashing.  And no angry typing, lol.

I absolutely loved the feel of the nails.  I showed it off to everyone I could, and they felt impressed (I think?) LOL.  At first I was thinking this would be a fun going-out manicure, but the fact that it lasted a few days makes me rethink that.  I think it's a fun every day sorta manicure. =)  And I'm sure your co-workers and classmates and friends will enjoy feeling it too.  Hahahha

So, onto the break down:
Pros: Feels awesome, stays on for a few days, and relativity easy to apply.
Cons: $19 may be a little pricey, it's messy to apply, and the colors are limited (2 atm).

If you've tried this, let me know what you think!  I plan to do a small post really soon about my new haircut. =)

Till next time!

Disclaimer:
1. I bought all the products mentioned in this blog with my own money.
2. I am not affiliated with any of the companies of products mentioned in this blog.
3. No one paid me to write this blog.
4. These are my honest opinions.

Glitter Tip + Cartoon Nails

Hi Everyone! I just wanted to show you my latest nail looks from the past couple of weeks.  I have been working hard emptying out the boxes/bags I moved, and am happy that I only have 5 boxes left.  I have a set a goal of one a day, and I should be done in 5 days.  Err, minus the days I'm out of town, so in theory...by next Wednesday! LOL  Yes, totally a procrastinator at heart.

This look to the left is a glitter ombre, with a shatter on my ring finger.  I used OPI"s Suzi's Hungary Again as the base color.  Then put a layer of OPI's The Impossible on just the tips (except my ring finger, which I covered the whole nail with OPI's Turquoise Shatter) and let that dry.  Then I added another layer of The Impossible starting at 1/2 way down my nail and dragging it to the tips, so the glitter was kinda blended.  I'm calling it an ombre effect, lol.  It's a very simple look, but I think next time I'll have more contrasting colors instead (for the glitter tips).  The Impossible is part of the OPI Sand collection, so I will have to play around with it to see how it looks solo.

Next, I decided to change it up because I saw cutepolish's video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpWrrZhluF0&feature=em-subs_digest).  This is a cartoon style nail, with fake shine and evyerthing.  I decided to reverse the colors on my ring finger, just to see how I liked it.  And I actually think it looks pretty cute! LOL  She mentions 2 methods in the video, and I used the one where you put on the base color (for me that's 2 coats of Essie's Where's My Chauffeur) the drawing on the black border with a striping polish.  Well, except my ring finger...that used the other method of putting on Where's My Chauffeur first, and then putting on the black (leaving the turquoise border) and then adding a turquoise tip.  So, now that I think about it...I used both of her methods, hahhaha.  She uses a matte top coat in her video, which looks pretty cool, but I opted to just use my standard top coat (Seche Vite) because my matte is in LA. LOL   I am liking this look a lot!!  I'm glad my new work is pretty chill about stuff like this. =)  I would hate to have to temper my nail art...

In other news, I baked these sugar cookies inspired by Wreck-It-Ralph.  If you haven't seen the movie, I won't spoil it for you, but this cookie does say "You're My Hero" (with proper grammar, no less).  The bottom right cookie actually says "Taylor" on it, which is my son's name, lol.  So yes, he's my hero. =)

I followedRosannaPansino's YT video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeZ0HLTz8k0 to help me with the design.

I am getting used to this oven, so I actually overcooked the cookies a little bit (hence why they're brown, and not all pale).  My brownie PB cups also were overcooked, but that's because I left them in the tins overnight, instead of cooling them on a cooling rack.  So, yeah...so far not so much luck with baking.  Except my owl cake...which turned out pretty bomb.  Unfortunately, I didn't take a picture of the inside, but I will tell you...I spent hours making this cake, because it's RAINBOW inside.  Yup...I split the batter into 6 bowls and colored each one a different color of the rainbow, and bam. Rainbow cake.

Speaking of rainbows...I happened to find out that this weekend was MLP weekend at Build-a-Bear.  So...of course I went down and got me a litte pony: Rainbow Tea.  I pumped her full of love, and then gave her a pretty skirt to wear.  Id din't bother with shoes (hello, horse already have shoes!), but I did get her a pretty garter (okay, it's really a bow, but I think it looks great on her leg, plus the sequins match her skirt!). LOL

Anyhoo, till next time!

Disclaimer: 

1. I bought everything that I mentioned in this blog.

2. I am not affiliated with any of the companies of products I mentioned.

3. I was not paid for this blog.

4. These are my honest opinions.