MINI BEAUTY/FUN HAUL: Shopping Trip

I wanted to share this little mini haul with you all. I went to our town plaza where we have a Sally Beauty Supply, Bath and Body Works, Walmart and lots of other stores. I haven't shopped for myself much lately but I decided to splurge a little and get a few things. I'm only disappointed that I didn't come across any good polishes on my trip. That's typical in my town though, we are dead last to get ANYTHING! 

Here's what I got from the trip: 

These items are a necessity in my polish stash. These yellow block files are super gentle on natural nails and I use them to finish the edges of my nails before I polish them. I also love the large size birchwood sticks that Sally sells. I use them for just about everything from pushing back cuticles to cleaning under my nails. They are also soft and gentle on my natural nails. Both items are less than $1 each and are a nail care staple for me. 

Well folks, it's almost sandal weather around these parts and it's time to get my heels looking baby soft. These inexpensive, $2 foot files are awesome! This is a replacement for the one I currently have which is over a year old. I'm not even sure it needed replaced, but I bought one anyway. 

This file works great on feet. I use it in the shower after my feet have had a chance to soften up a bit. It has 4 different surfaces to buff your feet with. I start with the largest surface and work my way down to the fine grade file. I have used all sorts of pumice stones and files and this is the best one I have ever  used. Hands down. I follow this shower routine by putting foot balm all over my feet and putting on my socks. Wearing socks is a little trick I learned that helps the foot balm soak into the feet. 

I use cuticle remover during every mani. I am not picky, so far, about what brand I use. I try a different one just about every time I buy a new bottle. I did try this one last night and I REALLY LIKE IT! It's one of the better ones I've used, and although it's a small bottle, it's very reasonably priced at only $3 a bottle. Really though, they all do just about the same thing. I've heard of people using plain old dish soap as a cuticle softener/remover. 

Good ol' Pure Acetone. I don't waste my time with any other remover. I've tried lots of removers, from Zoya to blended remover. 100% Acetone is now all I use. I go through this stuff like water! It's sold everywhere, including Walmart. I get the best price on it at Sally's: this is a 16 oz. bottle for only $3. 

Argon Oil! One bottle and I was obsessed. I see it's in a lot of products now ranging from shampoos to nail care products (It's one of the main ingredients in my Cutie Balm! ). I love using it in my hair. I am Italian and I have thick, coarse hair and this stuff nourishes my dry ends without making my hair look greasy. I have always used the drops, so this will be my first time trying the spray. 

Ever had a bottle of clumpy or thick polish? Well this is the solution! In the past I used plain acetone to dilute my old polishes, but over the years I've learned that this is a MAJOR POLISH FAUX PAS! Acetone can break the polish down and ruin the glitters and colors inside of them. This is what you use. It's a huge bottle, lasts forever and only costs $3. After all, aren't your polishes worth it? 

As you can see I had a few great coupons. One that came in the mail for 15% off and the awesome $10 off coupon that The Traceface Philes posts every month on her blog. I love those coupons! 

Next up are a few things I picked up at Bath and Body Works. I love candles! They had all their new Spring scents out and I couldn't resist. Their 3-wick jar candles are on sale right now 2 for $22. I had a 20% off coupon and a coupon for a free bottle of hand sanitizer that came in the mail . My grand total was $18. Not bad! These scents are amazing! 

As for this candy, well, all the Easter goodies just hit the shelves at Walmart. I couldn't resist trying out a few things. YUMMEH! 

What do you guys think of my mini haul? Did I do okay?

Have you splurged on yourself lately? 

My $12 Sally Beauty Supply Birthday Haul

I go to Sally Beauty Supply pretty regularly. Their prices are reasonable since I don't have any trouble getting my hands on good coupons from them from Traci at The Traceface Philes and through my email. They also carry a lot of my "go-to" nail care supplies. 

I got a coupon in my email for a FREE bottle of Finger Paints Polish with a Beauty Club Renewal. So this lovely polish cost me nothing! 

A gorgeous reddish-pink polish with gold shimmer in it. 

I use these gentle buffers to finish the edges of my nails before painting. They work well but dull quickly. Good thing they are very inexpensive. 

I wanted to try this base coat. It's for special needs nails: peeling and chipping. I have battled peeling and chipping all my life and while I've been using Orly strengtheners for a while, I figured I'd throw a bottle of this treatment into my routine and see if it improves anything. I'll let you all know. 

I love these disposable towels. They make clean up after nail art a breeze. They are also lint and particle free, so you don't get crap stuck in your nails when you use them. I also use them in my nail polish lab. So I go through them rather quickly. 

This brand of cuticle remover is new to me. So far I like it and it's a reasonable price for the size. 

So my grand total with a few coupons was only $12. How did I do? 

Stash Additions: Amazon, Bundle Monster, Sally Beauty Supply Haul

Every month Traci from The Traceface Philes posts a really awesome $10 off coupon for Sally's Beauty Supply. Every month, I go in to the store with bells on my toes to use it. :) 

Check out my $11 Sally Beauty Haul:

Up next, is a bottle of "Hollywood Walk of Fame" from the Fergie WnW line. I've been on the hunt for this polish for a while. I came across it at Walmart. Finally! 

Next up, is a few items I ordered from Amazon.com.
Guess how much I paid? NOTHING!!!
That's right, the Konad polish and BM 2012 stamping plates were FREE. How you ask? I use a site called Swagbucks where you earn points for doing simple tasks like filling out surveys or using their search engines. I used all my points that I've earned over the last few months on  $25 worth of Amazon gift cards. I then used those cards to get these few items.
You can click this banner to check out more about Swagbucks and it also serves as a referral link if you'd like me to get credit if you sign up.
 

And finally, I have been on the hunt for one of the new Bundlemonster plate holders for a good while now. I checked the site just about everyday and they were never in stock. Finally I got one!!!! I used the code "THANKS" at checkout for 10% off and I got this great book for only $13! I have all three Bundlemonster stamping sets. They fit perfectly in this book, and I even have a few pages to spare. I highly recommend this to anyone who has stamping plates. It's the perfect storage system and it's inexpensive. I love it! 

So how did I do? For those of you who are good at math, the grand total spent on these items was less than $30. 

Mini Haul, My Latest Mani, and a Summer 2012 Polish Line Release Update

My second favorite prop: Vodka!!! Second only to a luscious bottle of polish. I don't get to enjoy these chilly beverages nearly often enough. 

Here was my mini haul from Sally Beauty. I had a coupon for $10 off a $20 purchase. So I spent a grand total of less than $11!!!! Wow!!!! 

I know, I know....no pretty polishes. I am banned from buying anything that's not on my WISHLIST. I have almost filled a Helmer in just a matter of months. And to be honest, it feels pretty extreme. I am trying to be very selective about what polishes I buy and I've solemnly swore I won't over-fill my Helmer. I won't call this a no-buy...just a selective-buying period. 

I pretty much just stocked up on the necessities: acetone, Gelous, polish thinner. I have been having a lot of friends over for mani/pedis and I go through certain supplies pretty quickly. I got these nifty toe separators which I LOVE! I never use the larger ones because they hurt my toes. These are perfect!!! I got a crystal file, which kind of sucks, so I wouldn't recommend it. I also got a cheapy bottle of liquid mascara. I usually use a pencil but thought I'd give liquid a try. It was not a fun experience at all. LOL! My friends say I just need more practice. I don't know about that though, I like my make-up to be simple and quick. I picked up a gigantic birchwood stick because...well...it was big. Plus I love those things. They are handy for all sorts of nail related endeavors. I like to use them to clean under my nails and to push my cuticles back. They also work great for a variety of nail art tasks. The cashier at Sally's threw a couple sample packs of a foot soak into my bag. SCORE! I love free stuff. 

As for my mani, I finally tried out one of my polishes from the China Glaze Magnetix Collection. I bought all but one. I've used them on other people, but I had not yet tried them on myself. I am now an even bigger fan! 

This is one coat of China Glaze "Cling On", variations of the 3  magnet designs, and 1 coat of Butter London P.D. Quick Topcoat. My only real problem, was I kept touching the magnet to my fingers like a nail-tard. 

This polish was super easy to use, it was a one coater, and voila...instant nail art!!! I love these polishes and I can't wait to get the new magnets and maybe a few new colors when China Glaze releases the Magnetix II collection later this summer. 

In case you missed that release, here's a promo photo:

Now, as for the release of my Summer Line, everything is ready to go except my swatches. I am releasing a total of 6 new colors as well as 3 of the old ones.

I ripped off a pinky nail over the weekend and maimed my nails. By maimed I don't mean nubbin nail, I mean that I am freakin injured! Swelling. Bleeding. Exposed nail bed. I am no baby, but it hurt so bad and was throbbing so horribly that it kept me awake all night after it happened. So much for taking all my pictures! Here's a pic, it's not nearly as bad now. It's been a couple days and lots of nurturing later.

So I found a "hand double" (my lovely niece) to fill in for me and I'm hoping to get in a power swatching session later today. I can't make any promises on time frames though. I'm so over-committed right now. I am taking summer classes at school. I am cramming for my graduation this December. My classes aren't hard, per say, but I am really bogged down with class work. I'm taking 3 online classes right now. That's a 9 week semester class crammed into 3 weeks. I am turning in 3 page case study papers 4 times a week!!! That is no exaggeration. I love to write and I'm pumping this homework out like a pro, but between the kids, the house, my job, blogging, polish.....and that's not even the half of it. I don't have any choice but to re-prioritize on a daily basis. I hate that! I want to throw myself into launching this polish because it's ready to go. I have no choice but to put other things first sometimes.

I already have an associate degree and I'll be graduating in just a few short months with my Bachelor of Business Administration degree from KSU. I am going to throw the biggest graduation party this town has ever seen. I'm more excited to plan my graduation party than I was to plan my wedding and that's real! This is a huge life long accomplishment and dream of mine. Anyone can get married....THIS is something I am truly proud of. :)



Anyway, there's my story of what's going on in my life right now. I don't usually like to do wordy personal posts, but I've had a lot of readers ask me to start opening up a little more, so hear it is folks...a life story! :) 

My Sally Beauty Supply Haul

Here's what I picked up:

• Disposable Table Towels: so I can quit messing up all my dishtowels with polish and acetone. 
• Ion Shine Spray: I was so envious of everyone who got the shine spray in their Julep Maven boxes last month that I had to try to find the stuff somewhere. I would have bought Julep's but it was $14. I don't even pay that much for my shampoo. So forget that!! 
• ABH Facial Scrub, Toner and Moisterizer: I am experimenting with new facial products because I had a realization that I'm 30 years old and I've probably outgrown my Johnson's Clean and Clear line of products. But they're great for you younger folks! I need to start working on keeping my skin youthful now, right? 
• Orly Nail Rescue: I actually had to exchange my previous kit because my bottle got stuck. BOO! The lady who was working at Sally's gave me a great tip for nail glue bottles, since she said it's common for them to get stuck. She told me to put a little cuticle oil around the threads inside the lid. So far it's worked. 
• A hand mirror: great for checking out the back of your head. :P
• A rat tooth comb: I like using these when I braid and part my hair
• I also picked up some polishes that are not pictured here but are on the receipt. They were sent away to a friend before I photographed for this post. 

I had a $10 off coupon. So not great, but not bad either.