My Zoya collection!

I decided to do a polish collection video exclusively dedicated to Zoya since it is my favorite nail polish brand!

Zoya colors shown:

Neutrals: Anne, Lulu, Felicity, Pandora, Barbie, Uma, Lyric, Cassi

Grays/Lt. Purples: Dove, Marley, Harley, Brizia, Caitlin, Adina, Lotus, Dannii

Dark Purples: Casey, Jem, Julianne, Stacy, Rhiana, Roxy, Hope, Mata Hari

Reds/Dark Pinks: Divincia, Kierra, Burke, Brooke, Nova, Anaka, Brie, Kimber

Bright/Lt. Pinks: Charisma, Dana, Gilda, Lillith, Areej, Reece, Rory, Chloe

      Others:  Maya, Deidre, Tao, Gemma, Zuza, Tallulah, Shelby, Lara, Reagan, Wednesday, Carly

I do feel like my nails have improved since I started using exclusively Zoya on my finger nails. (I do occasionally use other brands on my toes.) In conjunction with using Zoya's Remove+ polish remover, I feel like my nails have been stronger, have been more apt to grow longer, and have had less peeling problems!

You Tube Video: My top three handbag choices for a busy Mom on the go

I finally chose my favorite three handbags in my closet to use as a busy Mom on the go. I think they would work great for a stay-at-home mom or working mom as well! These three bags specifically were chosen because they all have a zippered closure, can be carried on the shoulder, and are a great size for every day use.

2011 Beauty Purchases... My personal hits & misses

The end of the year is a time of reflection for a lot of people, so I got down to thinking about what 2011 was about for me and it all came down to... BEAUTY. (Well, you know - besides all that mushy, gushy stuff of family, new baby, loving my kids, etc. - it came down to beauty. Ha!) And by beauty, I mean that 2011 was the year of getting my beauty regimen in order.

I tried new products, found some favorites in hair care, skin care, perfumes, nail polish, and makeup - and also had a few misses along the way as well.

I can say that I'm coming out the other side of 2011 with a much better understanding of the types of beauty products that work best for me, some new favorite products, and a developed passion for all things in the "beauty" segment. The year started with a bang, with the Zoya "3 free" promotion and it got me to thinking... what if I took a different area of beauty and focused on it each month. Really honing in on the products and techniques that work best for me, and trying to find my signature pieces.

In the middle of the year, my sensitive skin on my face flared up (because of pregnancy hormones), so one month was focused on my skincare routine, another month I focused on finding great hair products that improved the look of my hair, other months were devoted to nails, eye makeup, lips, etc. I found that I started to gravitate towards the brands Mario Badescu, NARS, MAC, Alterna, and Make Up For Ever - just to name a few. And although it was tough to narrow it down... I came up with a list of beauty purchases that I made throughout the year, that were a definite "don't regret buying it - HIT" or "regret buying this - MISS"...

*~*~* 2011 Beauty Purchases Hits & Misses *~*~*

Top 5 Purchases that "I could have skipped buying this" - Total MISSES!

5) Bare Escentuals Flawless Definition Mascara - It was really hard for me to think of a fifth item that I could totally put in the "regret" category... so this one only gets an honorable mention. In my pursuit to find the perfect mascara (Diorshow won) I tried BE's Flawless Definition mascara - it wasn't horrible. Just nothing great. Nothing to write home about. I found it to to be a perfectly "adequate" mascara... meaning it didn't flake and drive me nuts, but it didn't really do anything for my lashes either. After the first few uses, even its magical lash separating powers didn't really seem to work quite as well, so it just became a regular mascara - with a really annoying applicator.

4) Sephora's Hello Kitty Perfume with atomizer - Sigh. I wanted to love it. I really did. The adorable bottle, the great smell, the fantastic atomizer (of which you can read about my obsession with HERE)... it was the total package. I ordered it online after we moved to our new house in an area that does NOT have a Sephora conveniently located near by, opened the box... only to find - the stupid atomizer didn't WORK! Not cool. 


I realize this isn't exactly "designer" perfume, but for the price - you expect at least working parts. I didn't want to go through the hassle of either driving to a store to return, or having to return by mail (it was right around the time I was due with the new baby)... so the adorable bottle sits on my dresser and when I want to wear it, I unscrew the bottle top and put it on. Lame.

3) Maybelline Falsies Mascara - This mascara gets hype that it works great, even from people that have tried higher grade mascaras... so I fell for it and decided to give it a try, even though I KNOW that drugstore brands mascaras just don't work for me. (I wear contacts and have really sensitive eyes... I can't have any sort of flakage with a mascara, otherwise it just kills just my eyes & contacts.) This was clumpy, thick, and flakey for me... Nothing positive to say about this one. Well... I guess other than at least it wasn't more than $6 or $7...

2) MAC Evolution Revolution lip glass - The color doesn't really do anything for me and I found the colors Prrr, Cultured, and Nymphette after buying this - that are much more suited to my skin tone and lifestyle. ER stays in my makeup drawers, but I could have probably taken a pass here...

MAC lipstick in Blankety & MAC lip glass in Evolution Revolution

1) Urban Decay's 15th Anniversary Eyeshadow Palette - I wanted to love it... I really, really did. This one fell flat on me or just couldn't live up to the hype that the Naked palette fulfilled. The colors were long-lasting, but I found them to be totally unwearable. I'm much more of a neutral gal for every day makeup and don't ever particularly have a need for makeup that is "out of the ordinary"... this was the biggest purchase regret of 2011.

Top 5 Purchases that "I Love!" - Were total HITS! 

5) Marc Jacobs Oh, Lola perfume - I ended up buying the largest size of this when my Sephora was out of all other sizes except the large size during a beauty event, even though I typically always get the medium sized perfumes. I was skeptical I could use it all at first, but now I'm so glad I ended up with the larger size! It's a beautiful scent that works for everyday as a stay at home mom, or is nice enough for a night out with hubby. Plus the bottle isn't too shabby to look at either.

4) MAC Fix+ - Took a gamble on trying this product and I'm glad that I did... I find that it does work to help "set" my makeup and gives me a soft finished look. I don't use it everyday, but I do feel like it gives me a little boost on the days that I do use it.

3) NARS Douceur Blush - A beautiful brown with pink undertone blush that looks great against my fair skin. This is my every day blush right now. 

NARS Douceur blush is pictured in the bottom right corner, with some of my other favorite beauty items.

2) NARS Crusing Lipstick - Another hit from NARS... This IS the perfect nude lipstick on me. Practically the same color as my natural lips, works with almost any makeup color scheme... This one is going into permanent rotation!

MAC Blankety on left, NARS Cruising on right

1) Urban Decay's Naked Palette - This is my go to eye shadow palette that I use practically every day! This was such a great investment for me and I'm actually one year later getting ready to purchase my second replacement one. I started off the year trying out this palette, and it quickly became a favorite. Wearable colors, travel friendly, and long-lasting formula... what's not to love?!?

Beauty: Things I'm loving right now!

Well, while I've been away moving and stuff - my focus has stayed on beauty items as my main source of enjoyment while shopping. I think I get fixated on beauty items when I'm pregnant because it helps me to retain some sense of self - having the time to put on my makeup and do my hair every day - as well as just generally helping you feel like a human being again on those days when you feel like your body has been taken over by someone else! (Oh yeah, it has.)

I've been really into pinks & neutrals, and have kept my makeup palette fairly tame these past few months. This has actually allowed me to try some new products that I believe will become mainstays in my makeup collection!

Here are some products that I'm loving right now:

Philosophy 3 in 1 in Pink Layered Cake; MAC  Lip glasses in Cultured,  Nymphette, & Prrr;  Diorshow  Waterproof Mascara; MAC Blankety lip stick; NARS Cruising lip stick, Urban Decay shadow in Sin; and NARS blush in Douceur

I'd been using Too Faced lipstick in Free Love forever, so I decided it was time to branch out and find some other neutral lip colors that worked well... I tried MAC Blankety and NARS Cruising - these two lipsticks are absolutely going into my permanent rotation! I love them! Especially NARS Cruising, it is the perfect pink nude lip color and matches my natural lips perfectly.

MAC Blankety lip stick & NARS Crusing lip stick

Keeping with my pink & neutral theme... I also tried a few new MAC Lip Glass colors - Cultured, Nymphette, and Prrrr. They all look fantastic on and are forgiving colors that you can just swipe on in the car on-the-go if needed. (Which is important in my life!) I've been wearing Cultured layered over the NARS Cruising lipstick, and Prrr was actually a color that I hadn't anticipated purchasing until I was in the store looking at colors - but when paired with Blankety lipstick, it gives a beautiful nude lip.

NARS Douceur blush is also a hit for me, the perfect neutral cheek look for Fall & Winter. It is subtle when on and you can build it up for a bigger effect. The color is a pink-ish neutral brown tone and I wear it with Too Faced's leopard bronzer underneath to add a bit of punch.

NARS Orgasm Blush compared to NARS Douceur Blush

Here's a horrible swatch on my arm of NARS Orgasm blush compared to NARS Douceur. I have a hard time getting swatches to show up on my arm...

So I haven't forgotten to take a bit of time to focus on myself while all of this move stuff has been going on. I'm looking forward to getting back into a predictable life routine though, and that includes not having to carry all of my makeup around in travel makeup bags!

Finishing off the summer by trying out some new perfumes...

I've been kind of finding myself in beauty related "themes", trying out new eye products, then new lip products, then going onto things related to hair. (Really loving some products by Alterna and Ojon, which I'll do a review on in the future.) My most recent interest though has been changing up my perfumes, trying to rotate some new choices into my typical "go-to" choices.

The perfumes that I keep on hand and that I wear year round are light, playful fragrances - that can be worn daily and adapt to a number of situations. I've worn Vera Wang Princess for years and it's one of my go-to perfumes that I don't hesitate to use for daily wear. It's flirty and has a slight floral undertone, but isn't overpowering because I hate feeling like I'm walking around in a perfume wall.

www.sephora.com, 1.7 oz. size, $60

Juicy Couture Viva La Juicy is another one of my favorites that I keep on hand, also light and not overpowering. It's a sweet smelling perfume with slight floral undertones and has staying power that really only lasts for a few hours, so it's better for short trips out of the house to run errands or something to that effect.

www.sephora.com, 1.7 oz. size, $69

One of the heavier perfumes that I rotate in to my routine occasionally, but don't use on a daily basis is Chanel's Chance. It has more of a musky undertone that my other more daily use perfumes - but is nice when I want to be a bit dressier or I'm going to dinner.

www.sephora.com, 1.7 oz, $68

Onto the perfumes that I'm planning on trying to rotate into my usual choices. I received a small sample of Dolce & Gabbana's Light Blue from Sephora and then read reviews on it that said it was universally flattering. I have a deluxe sample on the way to me from Sephora to try out and if all goes well it might be brought into the rotation. It has a light scent that is nice enough for every day, but is different enough from my other staple perfumes that it should be a nice  option for something different to wear.

www.sephora.com, 1.6 oz. size, $64

Okay, this next one... I admit, I just want because of the pretty, pretty packaging. Ha! I've been eyeing the Hello Kitty perfume sold exclusively at Sephora ever since it was first released, and I think it might be time to try it. From the reviews and also a deluxe sample that I've been using at home - it does smell a lot like a watered down version of Juicy Couture's Viva La Juicy. However, I think it *might* be just different enough to justify the purchase of the adorable Hello Kitty atomizer perfume bottle... because after all, that's an investment too, right?

www.sephora.com, 1.7 oz size, $55

One last perfume that I've been thinking of trying, for I admit - reasons of marketing more than anything - is Escada's Taj Sunset. Sephora has a deal going on right now when you spend $25 online, you can receive a free deluxe sample of this perfume. It's supposed to have a fruity scent and sounds like it would be the perfect perfume to round out the summer on...

www.sephora.com, 1.6 oz. size, $55

So what perfumes will I end up choosing to add into the collection to end summer with? It's anyone's guess, but I'm planning on heading over to Sephora this week to compare some of the previously mentioned perfumes and to also test a few perfumes, like Marc Jacobs' Oh, Lola. I'll be sure to do a review on the ones I choose!

Comme des Garcons

If you remember from my St. Patrick's Day accessories post, I have a fondness for the Commes des Garcons clover print accessories collection. I actually like the turquoise color the best, a bright robin's egg blue that would make you smile every time you open up your bag.

The large wallet is my absolute favorite, it seems so organized and functional on the inside, perfect for a vacation to keep everything in order.

www.tobi.com, Comme des Garcons Large Wallet in Turquoise, $368

The large pouch is my second favorite, as it's probably one of the most functional styles and would be great to carry bits in your handbag or even used to toss down inside of a diaper bag.

www.tobi.com, Comme des Garcons Large Pouch in Turquoise, $138

And of course this little mini wallet is probably one of the cutest items of all (albeit maybe not that functional) - the wallet has a little pouch in the interior that tips out and is perfect to keep coins in.

www.tobi,com, Comme des Garcons Side Zip Wallet in Turquoise, $101

All Comme des Garcons items are available at www.tobi.com.

Louis Vuitton Vernis Color Comparison: Rouge Fauviste vs. Violette

I received this request via Facebook, so I figured... why not just go ahead and do a blog post on it!

Rouge Fauviste and Violette are two similar (yet strikingly different) Vernis colors released by Louis Vuitton in recent years. Violette was released around the 2007 time frame and is now discontinued (no longer available in stores), while Rouge Fauviste was released in 2010 and is still available in your local boutique and online at www.louisvuitton.com.

Violette Sarah wallet (left) vs. Rouge Fauviste Business Card holder (right):

Purple and pink are my two favorite colors, with maroon being my favorite "grown up" color. So of course, Vuitton Vernis is a big hit with me, because it is available in so many gorgeous colors - especially those in my favorite color groups. I've had Violette pieces for a few years and they've held up extraordinarily well. I've used my Sarah wallet daily for two years and just recently had my first issue with the edge chipping (on my trip to Florida actually) in a very minor spot. So although I've now finally experienced what people mean when they say by the "edges chipping" on Vernis, I still wouldn't hesitate to buy more pieces of Vernis in the future - because all in all, with daily wear it still looks great.

Violette is a shimmery true purple color, that looks darker indoors and is a brighter purple in natural or outdoor light. The flash helps to bring out it's true color:

Louis Vuitton Zippy Coin Purse, Sarah Wallet, & Cles - all in Violette Vernis

Rouge Fauviste is a shimmery burgundy color - that has red and purple undertones. When in darker, indoor light, these two colors look more alike - but when they are in natural light (or under flash) their differences really shine.

Louis Vuitton Brea MM, Zippy Coin Purse, & Business Card Holder - all in Rouge Fauviste Vernis

So which should you get, if you're deciding between these two colors?

Well, really it comes down to personal preference of course - and I do love them both... I have to say though, that Rouge Fauviste is currently pulling ahead as my favorite Vernis color. It is pretty to look at and a light enough Vernis color that it can easily be found in bags with a dark lined interior. However, it's dark enough that you don't have to worry about wear issues like color transfer or yellowing. I like that Rouge Fauviste is a more subtle and sophisticated shade than Violette, which is a playful color but you probably really have to love purple for it to appeal to you.

Exterior: Rouge Fauviste vs. Violette

Interior: Violette vs. Rouge Fauviste

So the bottom line is, they are both great colors and have a number of beautiful items available in each color. It really comes down to which is most appealing to you, and if you like both equally - then whether you want to have to search on the second hand market to find a Violette item (which is no longer in stores) or if you would prefer to be able to buy something new directly from LV. I recommend getting something in each color!

For the Birds... Favorite Etsy Cosmetic Bag Finds

Searching through Etsy is great fun, because you never know what you're going to find. It's a great place to find whimsical things for kids (especially girls) and their rooms. I occasionally like to just do a random searches on there sometimes, where I just put in a string of words together and see what comes up.

One combination that I've found is particularly fun to search for is "bird" items, because there are all sorts of cute things that come up! Specifically, "bird cosmetic" has become a favorite to just search and see what is available.

This adorable cosmetic case would be adorable to carry odd and ends inside of a diaper bag:

Etsy.com, $16 - Seller: Linascorner

This cosmetic is a bit more grown up and would look cute for Mommy to grab out of the diaper bag to run into Starbucks or where ever she needed to go:

Etsy.com, $24 - Seller: vonicadesigns

I also love this little flat one to stash extra lip glosses or store loyalty cards...

Etsy.com, $6 - Seller: JPATPURSES

And this little frame pouch is unique, seems easy to use, and just makes me think Spring!

Etsy.com, $28 - Seller: fieldofroses

So if birds make you think Spring as well... head over to Etsy and check out the huge selection of adorable bird cosmetic bags!

Why I heart Zoya nail polish!

You've probably seen me post about Zoya a time or two (and two Zoya polishes are also included in the first giveaway!), so I figured it was worth a post to tell you why I love this nail polish so much!

I stumbled upon Zoya by chance and ordered my first Zoya polishes during the "Three Free" promotion. It was instant love! The packaging design is pretty, there are colors galore to choose from, and the polishes are named after females, with rockin' names like Rihanna, Lola, and Uma! The company has great promotions that usually happen every few months, and the best part is, all of their polishes are five FREE! (Formaldehyde, Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP), and Camphor free. Also vegan friendly.) So they are better to use to paint your own nails and safer than a regular nail polish for children to use.

I used to be exclusively an OPI wearer, but Zoya has helped to open up my nail polish collection to new things. Zoya is touted as being the "longest wearing natural nail polish", and I've found for most colors this is true. Miraculously, with the majority of the colors I've purchased, they do have a longer wear time than my OPI or other brand polishes. And I am pretty hard on my nails, with a baby that you're constantly using your hands to make bottles, change diapers, and pick up - along with a decent amount of typing on the computer keyboard during the day - my fingernails get a workout.

And let me just go ahead and put it out there, that I do NOT have an exclusively all about nail polish blog, because I have short (let's just be honest, kind of ugly) fingernails that refuse to grow no matter what I try on them and some short little fingers to go along with the tiny nails. (I did not win the genetic pool on this one, my sister definitely took the genetic prize for best nails.) I actually had a girl that worked in a nail salon giggle at my nails after giving me a manicure, and say, "looks like little girl's hands" one time. Which I had no snappy retort for, because, well... they DID.

In any case, I still really like playing around with nail polish and having a vast array of colors on hand. I also feel good about using Zoya polishes, knowing that they have fewer chemicals than the other brands I had been using. Now I just need to sort out a better polish remover, because the cheap stuff from Target I have been using is wrecking my nails...

So here are some of my favorite Zoya colors so far, but please - no giggling at my "little girl nails".

Zoya Mata Hari - My favorite color so far!

Zoya Deidra - my second favorite!

Zoya Brooke (Honorable Mention)

Zoya Divincia (Honorable Mention)

I'll have to share my FULL Zoya wishlist in a future blog, because it's quite comical. It takes up about one entire sheet of large sized agenda paper.

So to give me more ideas of what should end up on my own wishlist...What are YOUR favorite Zoya colors?

Vanity Restyle

I'm in that age range where you transition from your young adult years, when it is still moderately acceptable to a bit whimsical in your daily life - to a full fledged adult - when you are expected to be all responsible, organized, and put together. (And stuff.) I actually really enjoy organization (I'm sure my husband would declare otherwise), but I just get so caught up in the routine of day-to-day living, that sometimes I have to step back and look at things from a different perspective in order to see the disarray.

Case in point, was my vanity area. I bought this vanity because the house we lived in just prior to our current one didn't have a built-in vanity (which I had been used to having from the house previous), and just had a small open room with bare walls to use for a vanity and dressing area. So I found this vanity to solve the problem of having a place to do my makeup.

When we moved to our new house that we live in currently, it didn't have a separate dressing OR vanity area either - so I had to take up a corner of our bedroom with my vanity. (I sacrificed having a separate vanity area when we narrowed it down to this house from the other ones we were looking at, to give my husband a space to have his "man cave" area - just want that on record. Ha ha!) With a new baby and just getting settled into the new house, it was too easy to walk past my vanity on a daily basis and just ignore it. I used my makeup out of separate makeup cases and could never find anything!

The before:

Not really a pretty sight to look at, was it?

So one day, I was inspired and realized that I needed to do some re-organization... desperately.

I purchased two clear drawer acrylic containers from Space Savers (which I've also since purchased one to organize my daughter's changing table), two glass vases, and some vase filler from Michael's. I started sorting through things and found things I had forgotten I even had! I sorted the items I used the most into categories like face, eyes, and lips. And for brands like Nars, I had enough to have one drawer dedicated to holding it.

This was the result:

Everything was out in the open and easy to spot! I was amazed that this actually help cut down on the time it took me to get ready too!

In the vanity drawer, I organized all of my Bare Escentuals shadows, Benefit powders, and extra brushes:

And inside the acrylic drawers ended up looking like this:

Overall, it was a relatively inexpensive project that made a big impact! I happily can now find all of the makeup items I own quickly, and also have been using different products in my makeup routine, since I can find more than just my go-to items!

My first reader request! *~My 8 Most Worn Things~*

So this is my first reader request post! (Thanks Brea Amour!) Inspired by these lovely bloggers Ella Pretty & BeautyGirl24, it was requested that I show you my eight most worn things from different wardrobe & accessory categories!

1. Most Worn Hair Product - Matrix Essentials Vital Control Hair Spray, holds everything in place but feels like you're not wearing any hairspray at all! This is pretty much the one hair product that I use everyday. (I rotate between shampoos/conditioners & other hair products.)

2. Most Worn Lip Product - Too Faced Lip of Luxury Lipstick in Free Love & Too Faced Glamour Gloss in Peek-a-Boo, they look great layered over each other! I just love the shimmery pink packaging too!

On a side note, I've now realized taking a picture of JUST your lips is the hardest thing ever to do! I have taken pictures of my eyes & entire face for Face of the Day pictures... but never just my lips! Wow, you won't believe how many bad pictures I went through to just get one "okay" one! Yikes!

3. Most Worn Earrings - I'm a bit boring on this one... I tend not to wear expensive earrings because I'm really bad about losing them. My most worn earrings are actually a Celtic knot earring from the Forever21 Accessories store - For Love21!

4. Most Worn Shirt - My favorite & most worn shirt is actually pretty boring too. The words "favorite" & "most worn" as far as clothing goes in my life right now are pretty relative... my criteria after having little Cupcake has drastically changed from my "before kids self", since my body has also changed. Now I focus my attention on what fits in my closet (which sadly rules out alot), then narrow it down to what conceals, and then from there I start getting into actually figuring out what I like the most. I'm hoping to spice my wardrobe up in the next few months and have my style evolve with my new position as "Mommy". Let's face it, I didn't get this new shape over night (it took about 9+ months actually, LOL!)... so I'm not going to be able to re-sculpt it over night either.

So my most worn shirt right now is a black, mock wrap shirt from Banana Republic. I love throwing a cardigan over it and wear it with a camisole underneath.

5. Most Worn Nail Polish- OPI Diva of Geneva & Zoya MataHari, it's a toss up between these two colors because they are both just gorgeous on! Diva of Geneva is a near perfect match for the Louis Vuitton Vernis color Rouge Fauviste - and MataHari is a striking, shimmery fuchsia-purple that is almost distracting when you're driving in the sunlight!

OPI Diva of Geneva:

 

Zoya MataHari:

6. Most Worn Shoes - Dior Ballerina Flats, love these! I happened to stumble across these on a sale at Saks. They are ultra comfortable and I love the buckle detail on them. Plus I secretly love Dior items, because a lot of them just have a "D" accent on them - and that's also the first initial of my name.

7. Most Worn Perfume - Vera Wang Princess, I've worn Princess for years... and even though I have a number of other perfumes, I always seem to go back to this pleasant & not-too-overwhelming scent. (Yes, that is a cupcake having a cameo to the left there...)

8. Most Worn Bag - The Louis Vuitton Monogram Palermo PM, this has been my go-to bag lately! I love that it can be carried as a handbag by the handles, but also has the longer shoulder strap for when you just need to toss it up on your shoulder. The pleats add some feminine detail to it and it's the perfect size.

It also holds a TON, without looking too big - which is perfect for me!