Mariah Carey OPI liquid sand nailpolish review

Ola beauty lovers! I know the holidays are around the corner so I have been trying to give you all some gift ideas with palettes and makeup products. Today I am going to talk about the latest nail polish gift set from Mariah Carey OPI liquid sand line of nail polish.

This will be a quick review. First off if you know me, I am a nail polish fanatic. I have pretty much every color under the sun. I always do my own nails so I use all my polishes. I change my polish about once every 3 to 4 days. Yes I know excessive but that's what beauty lovers do :)

So this little gift set comes with three mini OPI glitter nail polish shades. There is a champagne nude, a Rosy gold and a taupe purple.

I have only tried out two out of the three colors, but I love these little guys. No one needs a full bottle of polish. I do not see any beauty guru on YouTube showing empty bottles of nail polish in any of their beauty empty videos. You can probably get away with wearing one mini bottle 3 or 4 times, possible 5 times depending how thick you make your coats and really thats all you need to use one nail polish because we always get caught up with new colors all the time.

These shades are gorgeous for this holiday time of year. With a good base coat they do last a good few days on the nails. Now you may ask, well it's glitter so it must be hard to remove afterward....and the response to that is nope, it is not hard to remove at all. Compared to other glitters this line is very easy to remove.

To remove this polish this is what you do:
1. soak your cotton pad in acetone nail polish remover
2. wrap it around your nail and press on the top of the nail with the cotton pad so the remover soaks into the polish.
3. count to 15 seconds and rub the pad around to remove the loosened glitter.
4. wipe your nail clean and move on to the next nail.

This gift set of 3 costs $9.99 at the local beauty supply store. It's a great gift for women and girls who love to paint their nails or who enjoy beauty products period. The colors are very pigmented and you only need a max of 2 coats of polish on your nails with this line. You can get away with one coat but I am a two coat kinda girl :) The finish of the polish is a sand texture hence the name "liquid sand" but it is not a rough texture, it does not scratch the skin if you were to rub the top of your nails on your skin.

Below I have a couple of swatches and images of the product itself.

Until next time beauty lovers!
MacGirl25

This color is the gorgeous purple taupe

This color is the beautiful nude champagne 

How to paint your nails...a beauty trick Diagram.

Ola beauty lovers! How is everyone doing? Hope you all had a good weekend. So I want to talk a little bit about nail polish. Well not really the polishes but how to apply the polishes. This is going to be a quick tip for all you ladies out there who want to know tricks to avoid getting that polish in the cracks of your cuticles. Don't you hate it when you do your own nails and it looks like a 2 year old did them?

Well, let me tell you, I have mastered painting my nails because I have been doing my own nails for years now. The odd time I will go get a manicure or polish change if I am desperate but on the up and up I usually do my own nails.

Sometimes it gets hard to apply nail polish if you apply too much of it on the brush then swipe it across your nail beds.

Here is a diagram I found a long time ago, and I was meaning to post something like this up for months now. But the diagram explains it all. Take a look below and try to follow the steps next time you paint your nails and leave a comment below if this diagram actually helped you out. I would love to know your thoughts.

Also for those of you who have a nailpolish problem like me, then you will find yourself with billions of polishes and not enough days to wear them all. My favorite brands are OPI, Essie, China Glaze, and the Covergirl polishes as well.

Don't forget to leave a comment down below if this diagram helps you out. :)

Until next time beauty lovers ❤️
MacGirl25

Current Nail Care Routine

Ola Beauty Lovers! I know its been a week since I last posted but what can I tell you, my daytime job is at a busy period at the moment so by the time I get home I am pooped to go back onto the computer to post. But I figured its Friday and here in Canada it is the long weekend, so I should get you readers something to read for the long weekend we have here in Canada. Right before school starts for the kids (I don't have any, I just mean in general) we have Labor Day Monday September 2nd 2013, a national holiday of which is great!

Today I am here to talk to you about my current nail care routine. I have always a lot of people telling me how healthy and amazing my nails look. Well sweet heart, it takes work. You think I was born with these nails looking so groomed? Honey let me tell you, once upon a time, I used to bite my nails to the nubs and they would bleed! Yes those were my childhood years. Then once I got into high school I discovered the acrylic nails. Boy are those horrible for your nails! By the time I graduated high school, out in the working world/college world I discovered I can get my natural nails looking as if they were fake but they are in fact all N A T U R A L.

I change my nail polish every 2 to 4 days. Depending on how much I like the color/formula and if I am not busy, but I always find the time to paint my nails :) that is just me. My ultimate favorite nail polish companies are OPI (#1), China Glaze (#2), and Essie (#3). I still use other brands like L'oreal, Sally Hansen, Sephora by OPI, but those 3 are my top 3 brands of which I own the most nail polish from. You can get OPI, China Glaze, and Essie at any Beauty Supply outlet or drug store.

Now in order for your polish to look utterly fantastic, you must take care of your natural nails. Every time I remove my polish I use this process religiously.

1. Buff my nails slightly (not a lot, do not get carried away) to to ensure that there are no lumps or bumps on the nail bed surface so that your polish applies smoothly.

2. File my nails to the length I am comfortable having them. ( I don't do this step every time because there are times I like the length of my nails so I don't touch the length. Only if I get a split nail or they are as long as claws is usually when I take out the file)

3. If required I will use the Sally Hansen Instant Cuticle Remover to take away dead skin (Try really hard never to snip at your cuticles because that will make them mad!)

4. Wash my hands with my bath and body works hand soap. Yum.

5. Apply 2 coats of the "Growth Spurt" Nail polish base. This stuff is my holy grail. Any time I use this, my nails grow like weeds.

6. Let dry then apply 2 coats of my favorite color nail polish I am feeling at the moment. (Yes my colors change all the time, that's the fun in doing your nails girls!)

7. Let that dry then apply your top coat. My top coat at the moment is the Seche Vite. Love it! It dries instantly. Just what ever you do make sure when you use it that you have the window open so that you don't ingest those fumes. This one has a bit of a strong smell.

8. Lastly I apply 2 different kinds of cuticle oil. Sometimes I only apply one or the other and sometimes I apply both. The cuticle oil in the skinny tall bottle is suppose to promote strong, long healthy nails, and the cuticle oil in the small chubby bottle is just a mix of mango/jojoba/avocado oils. I mixed that small bottle myself with my own oils I have. ( Yes I am an oil freak. Comment below if you want me to post an article on beauty benefits of using natural oils).

Now you are thinking, my gosh woman that's a lot of steps. But for those true beauty lovers out there, you will understand that these steps are like a relaxing process. Once my manicure is done, I always apply the nail cream and cuticle oils every night before bed to help maximize my nails to their fullest potential.

Below is a photo of all the products I use except the nail polish. Its up to you which creams and oils you prefer to use, as everyone is different and also has their own preference. I usually switch up my cuticle creams after I finish one because I love to try out new things. But this is what I am currently using now. Also I will post here some photos of my nails after my manicures are done so you can see how well they are coming along. If you want to follow me on instagram, I post all kinds of nail swatches there on a regular basis. You can find me @Antoniettanacc

Please feel free to leave a comment and share with me your favorite colors you like to wear.

Until next time Beauty Lovers ❤
MacGirl25

June 2013 Beauty Favorites

I didn't want to wait too long so here is my June beauty favorites hope you enjoy these monthly favorites as much as I do! This month I did not have as many as I did in May but they are still the products I have been enjoying last month.

1.  Vaseline Spray & Go Body Moisturizer in Cocoa Radiant
    - This spray and go moisturizer has been my go to "lotion" for after showering and before bed. This sprays out of a aerosol can and feels so light on the skin. My skin soaks up all the moisture right away so I do not feel greasy or slick after application. Great product. You can find this at any drug store/Wal Mart at an affordable cost.

2. The Body Shop Peppermint Cooling Foot lotion
    - Loving this foot lotion this time of year. Where I live, in the summer time its hot and humid so the cooling sensation of this lotion on the feet is very relaxing. I usually use this every night before bed so I am not walking on the floor since it is a thicker lotion you can slip and slide if you are not careful. This lotion does contain coco butter which is why is can be a little slippery at first. Night time treatment is the best time for this product. Love it! You can get this at the Body Shop for around $16 and bottle last you a long time.

3. OPI Original Nail Envy
    - I was skeptical about this product at first, but given time in using it I have noticed a huge difference in my finger nail health. After using half a bottle I am noticing now that my nails are not spliting as much as they used to. I use this as a base coat (normally 2 coats before nail polish). Honestly this product surprised me in a good way! Now my nails are at a state where they don't break easily like they used to since I have been using this. Magic in a bottle :)

4. Burt's Bees Honey lip balm
    - Pretty straight forward here. It is an all natural company so their lip balm is one of the best on the market. Love it in the tube form so that you don't need to stick your finger inside a tub. You can find these at any drug store or local health food store. They are about $5 sometimes you can find the packages where you get 2 lip balms for $5 which is great!

5. Rimmel Scandeleyes Kohl Kajal Waterproof eyeliner in Nude
   - This is my go to everyday eyeliner for my waterline during the day. Its a perfect nude color for the waterline and it makes your daytime eye look so much more natural rather than using a white waterline eyeliner. This product you can buy at any drug store for less than $7.

6. MAC Select Cover up in NW25
   - I am loving this cover up this time of year (not just the month) because it is a light weight concealer that will mask those dark circles under the eyes. This is a build able concealer as well, so for those days where you did not sleep that much the night before then you can use a second layer if needed. I would have to say this is my favorite concealer for the summer months in the heat and humidity.

7. Maybelines Dream Bouncy Blush in Peach Satin
   - When I first bought this blush I was skeptical about it. The texture of a cream blush sort of freaked me out. But once I began to wear it and play with it a bit I literally fell in love with the color. This shade is the perfect spring/summer coral shade to use on your cheeks. You can go very light or apply it darker in a gradual way with your blush brush. (But I personally love applying this blush with my contour brush on the apples of my cheeks). It is very affordable at your local drug store for around $5- $7 depending on where you go to buy it.

Until Next time Beauty Lovers!❤
MacGirl25