Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Pure Ice Crackle: Get it or Pass it

Hey Everyone, 
So today I stopped by my local Walgreens and saw a new brand that I had never heard of out with a crackle nail polish in many colors, roughly 10. So of course I was interested because at $3.99 could there actually be a cheaper crackle than Sally Hansen and OPI? I went ahead and got four colors: Flash (white), Hot Couture (bright pink), Strike A Pose (aqua with blue-green shimmer) and finally All Shooked Up (purple with purple-pink shimmer). 


I tried using them all the exact same way as I did with my Black OPI Shatter, and tested them out with a thick coat and a thin coat. They all dry shiny, not matte-esque as my Black OPI does, and they are extremely fast drying. Almost, I feel too fast, which leads to my next point: it's ability to crackle. 


What I noticed with all shatters, be they OPI, Sally Hansen and now Pure Ice...the shimmery or glittery shades don't crackle as well as the solid colors do. I really don't know why but the Strike a Pose and All Shooked Up crackled so little that it looks like I painted my nails this solid color and streaked it when I was painting them. Both applications (thick and thin) had no difference. 


For the White and Pink shades, they shattered alright. I definitely saw a better shatter with a thicker coat, but it still wasn't as impressive as my OPI.  I have to hand it to OPI, that black shatter is still my favorite one. 


SO  the final say? Pass on the shimmer shades and go with the solid colors. Good try, but if you must check out Walgreens for Sally Hansen crackle at 6.99 which is the lowest I have seen in 4 mainstream drugstores. 


Has anyone else tried these products? How have they turned out for you? 


Have fun shopping!
Xoxo Ema

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Rut Bucket

Hello Readers!
So today I was watching some of my favorite youtube gurus because it is nasty and rainy today and I came across Emily, from Beauty Broadcast, talking about ways to get out of the makeup rut. When she mentioned a segment on having a small container of products right at hand that we can try to use instead of our usual product it got me thinking about my own little bucket, which I now nicknamed my rut bucket haha. I hadn't switched out what I use in months and realized it became more of a "products I wear every single day" bucket instead of what I had originally wanted it to be. It got me interested in what others might have in their rut buckets too! So with my new furniture came the idea of looking through my makeup and redoing my rut bucket. What it means is not to use every single product in one go, but to use that product as a little different item. If I usually use one shade of shadow or blush, if I pop in the new blush I will use it more because it's right there. It's a great way to rotate products in collections! So in my rut bucket I am putting in:
1. Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips for blue eyes
2. Elf lipstick in seductive
3. L'Oreal Wear Infinite eye enhancer single eyeshadow in Desert Blush
4. L.A. Colors Pressed Powder in Nude
5. Elf All Over Color Stick in Pink Lemonade

I'm only starting with 5 so I can see which ones I reach for, I don't want to overwhelm myself! What would you put in your rut bucket?

Happy Shopping Ladies and for those on a No-Buy....GOOD LUCK!
xoxo
Ema