Weekly Nail Art Challenge - DISNEYLAND EDITION =D!!!!! *picture heavy*

Hello lovelies!

I've been THRILLED to post this all week! Forgive me for it being a couple days late...it took me a lot of time to decide exactly -what- I wanted to do for this. I made my decisions though and I have quite a Weekly Nail Art Challenge for you guys =]! I'm going to get right on to the pictures because I have a big commentary today =P Sit back....relax....and enjoy the shooooow =]!

Yay =D!

I took my pictures in front of a cork board with Disney Pins on it...yeah, my mom and I collect them =P

L to R- Dream Suite D, Monorail, Club 33, Mickey balloons =P

Sleeping Beauty's Castle =]!

OMGOSH I love this mani soooo much! It made me so sad to take it off, but it really was fun while it lasted =] Now, time to explain what some things are. I know some of you aren't very familiar with Disneyland, so you might be wondering why I have a 33 on my ring finger....

I bet some of you didn't know what Disneyland has a secret restaurant/club! It's located in New Orleans Square at 33 Royal Street. Here's a picture of my standing by the barely-noticed entrance (it's from way long ago...my hair isn't that short anymore =P)...

Right behind me is the door to the lobby, which leads upstairs to the restaurant. This place is AWESOME because its completely filled with rare Disney memorabilia, such as items directly purchased from Walt and Lillian Disney, movie props, and vintage items. You guys interested in going here now? Yeah...me too...that's right folks, I've never been! This is a members-only club and you can only come if you're a member or you were invited by a member. Being a member is NOT easy....it costs a TON of money and the waiting list is ridiculous...their doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason behind their selection of new members so you can't really predict who will and won't get it. It seriously is my DREAM to be able to go inside and just soak in all the awesome Disney history! Even though you can't go in, if you hang out here around lunch or dinner time, you can watch diners enter and eve get a sneak peek of the lobby. I do this often =P

You also may have noticed a random looking D on my pointer finger. I've mentioned this when I first started this blog, but my super Disney obsession -really- started when my lovely mother was chosen (1 in 87,000 chance...no lie) for a night's stay in the Disneyland Dream Suite! HOLY MOLEY this was the happiest moment of my life so far...here's the story =]

Me, two friends, and my mom just got off of California Screamin' (a roller coaster in California Adventure) and we were bolting to the picture booth to see our photo from the ride. I noticed my mom wasn't there with us, turned around and saw my mom being approached by two Disney workers. At first I though "OH CRAP, I knew we weren't supposed to take pictures of the ride picture...", but then I noticed their white vests. This meant that they were a part of the Dream Team, the prize committee for the Year of a Million Dreams celebration at Disneyland! I walk up and they turn to my and my friends and say "Follow us...you may have won a prize."

I know my Disney WELL. So well, in fact, that I had already researched the Dream Team and knew that they only ask people to talk in private if they have one a top-level prize. I was in shock walking to the roped-off section of Wine Country Trattoria they had set up to talk. First, they asked if we worked for Disney or any affiliates...then they asked if we had any family that did...both to which we answered no. Then they told us, "CONGRATULATIONS! You've won a night's stay in the Disneyland Dream Suite!" I immediately burst out into tears and smiles, I WAS SOOOOO HAPPY! My friends still didn't know what was going on...but as they listened to the details, they became super excited too! 

Here's our group about to go in for the first time =]! We had a few friends from school that happened to be a Disneyland that day, so they tagged along for a few hours =]

Not only did we win a stay in the Dream Suite...but we also won dinner at the Blue Bayou (super yummy and expensive restaurant), we were Grand Marshals in the parade, VIP viewing of Fantasmic from our balcony, a bunch of cute little gifts and surprises throughout our night (like hot chocolate, robes and slippers, balloons), AND a VIP after hours tour of Disneyland....NOBODY WAS THERE EXCEPT US =D!!! With the exception of a few workers...but they hid really well =P

Us in the parade...yeah that's me waving =P

It's tradition in the after hours tour to wear robes and slippers, so we did! Notice the two newbies there on the left- my sister and brother in law came to join us =]! This picture was taken in pixie hollow =]

The coolest part of our tour was that we were able to take pictures however we wanted without worrying about crowds! Here's a good example...haha =P

A beautiful, empty, all to ourselves main street <3

Needless to say....best day of my life so far. This is where my love for Disney comes from =]!

Have a DISNEY day everyone =D!

♥,

Lindsey

*Some of these products were provided for previous consideration and review. The opinions within this post are COMPLETELY my own.*

Birchbox Incoco Nail Strip Review

Hello Polish Lovers =]!

A couple weeks ago when I received my Birchbox, I told you that I would review the Incoco Nail Strips that I received. I tried these out about a week ago and today I have my thoughts on them for you guys =]! I guess I'll start from the beginning...Initially, I saw these and fell in LOVE. I think the concept of these are so cool...I've never tried anything similar, even though I know there are a lot of nail sticker type things being produced. I love the design of the ones I got (I do wish I had gotten the blue ones though =P) and was really excited to see that they could last up to 2 weeks! Not that I would have left them that long...I get bored with my nails are 3 days =P

Once application started...happy feelings ended. These things were a pain in the keester for me! GEEZ! I thought it would be smart to look up some more detailed instructions on the Incoco website. They have both written instructions and also tutorial videos. If you'd like to take a looksie at the instructions I used, click here. So I cleaned and lightly buffed my nails then began applying the strips starting with my pinkies and working towards my thumbs, like they suggest. This is actually a great tip because you have to used you thumbs a lot to separate the strips from their backing. Anyway...so everything is going all well and good, and then I realize "Oh crap, this one is looking really bad! But the instructions say I can peel it off and try again, awesome!" Um. No. You can't...not unless you want to rip them to pieces. I was so sad! But alas, they probably knew this would happen and that's why there are a few extras in each package. I used remover, took it off, and tried again. No harm done I guess, it was probably my fault anyway. I keep going and I'm on my third nail or so, and I notice how the instructions say you can stretch them to cover your tips. I'm thinking, "I should stretch them a bit to try to cover the free edge of my nail!" Bad, bad idea. Each time I stretched one, it either broke or shrank back onto my nail in a really ugly way...you'll see in the pictures...

It looks like I had been wearing these for at least 3 days....and it was less than 24 hours when I took these pictures =[

At least the pattern was cute =/



Awwww =[

*Sigh*...whole mani...=/

I took these off after only 1 day of wearing them, I just couldn't stand how icky the tips looked! I was happy that they fit my nails' width pretty well and the pattern was fun, but I just can't see myself buying these. It was ok as a Birchbox goodie, but I don't see the value in single use strips that don't really apply easily or look good when you mess up =/ I admit, a lot of the ugliness was probably because it was my first time ever doing these, but I just feel like the instructions they gave weren't accurate...they were NOT all that flexible and I wouldn't suggest trying to peel them off or stretching them AT ALL. I know that these are quite popular and some people swear by them, but this product just isn't something for me =/ Maybe another -type- of nail strips would work better for me, I might have to give other brands a try. I love that you get really fun and detailed patterns with them, I just hope other brands are easier to apply!

I really don't like doing negative reviews like this, but I feel like you all have the right to know the quality of a product before you buy it! 



What was your opinion of these? I saw some of you applied them MUCH better than I did =P!

<3,

Lindsey

Uber Girly Mani with Zoya Bela and Pure Ice Black Rage

Well, Hello =]

I'm at that point in the semester where teachers think it perfectly ok to throw giant projects at me...how RUDE! How dare they try to keep me from blogging?!?! Ugh. I'm sorry for my short absence, everyone...but I'm back! I'm doing my best to keep on top of scheduling posts so that these long breaks don't happen anymore, it's not cool! Anyway...on a happier note...I have pictures of my mani from this weekend =]! I wanted to go super girly and kind of elegant, so I chose Zoya Bela (my current favorite light pink polish) and I stamped it with Pure Ice Black Rage and used tape to do some french tips =]! Take a looksie!

My hand looks oddly chunky in this picture...ew. =P



I loved how dainty and cute this turned out =] It lasted for quite a while without chipping, even with working with kiddos all weekend! It may have something to do with the fact that I've found the best. topcoat. EVER!!!! I've been using Nubar Diamont Seal N' Shine and I'm in love! I dries fast and seals really well...also its SUPER shiny! You guys should give it a try if you haven't before =]! Have a FABULOUS day =]!

<3,

Lindsey

PS- My WNAC mani is coming...don't you worry =] I just need a little extra time for this one since its the BEST THEME EVER =D!!!

OPI Mad As A Hatter!

Hello Ladies and Gents =]!

Today I have one of the most coveted polishes of all time to show you...OPI Mad As A Hatter =D! I did a mani with this one a while back, but I actually used it over another purple...this time, I wanted to see it's beauty all by itself =]! I randomly came across this polish in a small local salon (trust me...if they had more than one, I would have bought them ALL) and I was THRILLLLLLLLED! I found a brand new bottle, which was even better =]! Random polish fact about me...when I go dusty hunting, I only invest money in brand new bottles of polish. I've found quite a few half-full bottles of HTF polish, but I just don't see the point in spending money on something used...you know? I also can't get over the fact that many salons don't sanitize properly and I don't necessarily want a million other people's toe and finger germs all over me...haha =P Check out this sparkly goodness =]!

When I started taking pictures, the sun was hiding =[ But MAAH is still just as gorgeous as ever =]!

And then the sun came out to play =D! Yayyyy =]!

So pretty =]

Whole mani!

Final Verdict- This polish is seriously beautiful and is one of my new favorites =]! I can see why it's so coveted but polish lovers. However, it isn't as opaque as I would have hoped- this was 3 generous coats with a few extra touch up swipes on bald spots. It's beauty more than made up for the opaqueness problems it gave me, though =]!

Hey....go vote in the WNAC poll at the top right sidebar!

<3,

Lindsey

Weekly Nail Art Challege- Video Game Edition!

Hey lovelies =]!

I hope your week is going well =]! I have my Weekly Nail Art Challenge for you all today...we had a tie between aquarium and video games for the theme this week, wow! I haven't addressed what I would do in the event of a tie, but I think if this happens again I'll do what I did this time around- I submitted both topics to the Boyfriend-O-Meter 5000 =P I ended up with Video Games as this week's theme =]! I don't play video games very much, but I asked for some suggestions from Brandon and he suggested I focus on classic Atari games =] Check out the pictures =]!

From L to R- Pong, Centipede, Space Invaders, and Asteroids

I painted the Atari logo on my thumb =]

I'm not gonna lie... this one was a challenge for me because of my lack of video game knowledge. Google images was my best friend for this mani =P! I hope you all like it =]! The poll for the next WNAC is up at the top of the righthand sidebar, go vote =]!

<3 p="p">

Lindsey

*Some of these products were provided for previous consideration and review. The opinions within this post are COMPLETELY my own.* 

September Birchbox!

I have a riddle for you...

What's rectangular, and pink, and pretty all over?

...give up?




BIRCHBOX =D!!!

My September Birchbox has arrived =]! I love Birchbox day...I seriously love this service so much! To learn more about it, click here to read my very first Birchbox post. Are you ready to see what I got =]? Here we go!

When I opened my box, this is how it looked...a little sloppy for Birchbox standards! But no worries, although the packaging is normally organized and cute, it isn't THE reason I order Birchbox =P I do it for the products =]!

Heeeere is what I got! This month's theme was a celebration of the 1 year anniversary of Birchbox, pretty cool =]

First in my box was something VERY exciting, NAIL POLISH STRIPS =D! I was thrilled because I NEVER get nail polish things in my Birchbox. I swear I was the only one who didn't get a mini Zoya the last few months =/ But anyway, I received these Incoco Nail Polish Appliques in a really fun animal print pattern =]

This is the pattern I got =]! I was hoping for the blue ones...but this one is pretty too =] I haven't tried these just yet, but I've heard good things =] I will DEFINITELY blog about these soon =]!

Close up =]

Next, I got an itty bitty tube of Jouer Lip Enhancer. This thing is TINY! But it also packs quite a punch...a little goes a long way! It's basically a really thick and smooth lip treatment that seriously softens your lips. I've been using it before bed time, and I wake up with a super smooth kisser =P I will be using every last drop of this thing!

Next, I received LIV GRN Eath Eau de Parfum. No offense to Birchbox or anything...but I'm getting a little tired of getting so many perfume samples. I like to stick to 2 or 3 smells that I use...and with all my little samples I probably have 7 or 8 to choose from, too many! Also, I don't feel like perfumes are a Birchbox-worthy product...unless they give you a bigger size than a department store would. Anyway, this perfume is pretty cool because with every purchase, 10% of the sales go to Global Green, and environmental charity. Birchbox describes the scent as jasmine and sandalwood. I think it smells like a good mix between fruity and floral. It's not too intense either, so even though I have a MILLION perfumes, I will be using this one =]

The last beauty product I got was Pangea Organic Facial Cream. I haven't used it on my face yet, but the small amount I've used on the back of my hand felt great! It isn't too light or too greasy, it's juuuust right for my taste =] I absolutely LOVE the smell of it! It's a combination of ginger, lavender, and thyme...mmm =] It's so soothing! This seems like a great product!

This month's treat was a Birchbox Friendship Bracelet, how adorable =]!

This is what it looks like on my wrist =]

Well, there you have it! I've seen a few unhappy bloggers this month, but I actually like this box a lot! I'll definitely be using all the products I received =] This is my 5th month ordering Birchbox and I really am just as happy as day one =]!

So, what did YOU get in your box =]?

<3,

Lindsey

Random Pattern Mani!

Hey Howdy Hey!

I have a raaaaandom mani for you today! I chose Orly Gumdrop, OPI Do You Lilac It? , and OPI What's With The Cattitude? for the color scheme, but each nail has something different =] I really like how this came out, the patterns are fun but I also have this love for pastel colors =] I wear them year round even though they are meant for Spring, haha =P I was partially inspired for my thumb's pattern from a patchwork mani over at Adventures in Acetone (she used a tutorial from Beauty by Kayla Shevonne). It's isn't exactly the same look as a patchwork mani, but it's where I got the pattern idea from =] I'm sure I'll do a full blown patchwork mani really soon, they are ADORABLE! Now, check out my randomness =P!



What do you all think =]? I really like this one, it's probably my favorites in a while =P I always forget how much I love DYLI, it's definitely one of my all time favorites =]

Don't forget to vote in my Weekly Nail Art Challenge poll at the top right sidebar =]!

<3,

Lindsey

PS- Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Weekly Nail Art Challenge- Monster Edition!

Hi there =]!

It's that time of the week- the Weekly Nail Art Challenge is here! This time around, the winning theme was monsters. No no...I didn't attempt anything scary...I went for a more cutesy approach =P Now, I have to be completely honest...I had a major nail fail the first time I attempted this. I actually ended up taking it off and COMPLETELY redoing it. This is not an easy thing, guys, because the minimum amount of time my WNAC's take is about 2 hours. I probably spent about 5 hours total (since I did a redo) working on this silly monster mani, yikes! As much as I love doing nails, that's too long for one mani =P Anyways, here are the pictures!

This little guy was my favorite =P

Hope you guys like it =]! I liked the end product...just not all the nail fails, haha! I also wanted to share a few pictures of my Mom's birthday celebration that took place yesterday. It was her 25th anniversary of being 25 =P! Here's my mommy =]!

She's a super Disney freak, too, so I got her a princess birthday ribbon =P And yes, that's a Tiffany box =]

Brandon and I got her this cute little bracelet, she loves it!

Here's a picture of her super cute and delicious cake =]!

She had a great birthday and was super happy! My aunt surprised her and is taking her on a trip to Paris =] LUCKYYYY! I told her that I'll be sending her with a list of polishes to buy for me =P Do you guys know what polishes can be found in France? Also, to answer the question before it's asked...she IS going to Disneyland Paris....*le sigh*. If only I could go, too...but no. College constantly eats my time and money =P Maybe someday I'll get there =P!

Have a fabulous day, everyone =]!

♥,

Lindsey

*Some of these products were provided for previous consideration and review. The opinions within this post are COMPLETELY my own.*