Hey guys! I just got my package from Sally Beauty (I ordered online from here) and I'm so excited to try out all my new stuff! I'm so glad I decided to order when I did, because they were having a special on almost everything I bought! I ended up getting 6 (yes, six!) new polishes, some new tools, and a cute little wristlet! My order before all the discounts and coupons came to $38.75, and after all the deals, it was only $20.53 ! So without further ado, here's my haul!
For those you who would rather not read a long post, check out my haul video on my YouTube page:
First up: The Polishes!!
From left to right: Orly 'Bailamos', Finger Paints 'Sketch N Etch', Finger Paints 'Go Van Gogh', China Glaze 'Cha Cha Cha', China Glaze 'Hook and Line', China Glaze 'Mahogany Magic'
I really lucked out on the sales on polish! The Orly was on sale for $4.50, The Finger Paints were buy one get one free (the one was $4.49), and the last two China Glaze were both on clearance for $1.50--and there was a special 50% off red tag clearance sale so there were only 75 cents each!!
Now, the Finger Paints deal was not listed on the site. I went to RetailMeNot, my favorite place to find coupon codes, and I saw the deal they were running with a special coupon code. I had to take advantage of that! If you don't already, I would suggest searching for coupon codes for any purchase you make online, because you never know if you can save money! You'll be much more satisfied with your purchase if you got a great deal.
So I decided that the picture above doesn't really capture the true colors of the polishes, and I took one with flash that I feel definitely looks truer to the actual colors.
Much better. You can see the shimmer now.
Some close-ups of the colors:
Left: Orly's 'Bailamos', a turquoise with a greenish shimmer, right: Finger Paints 'Sketch N Etch', a forest green with an almost multicolored shimmer. It looks golden at first but if you look closely it almost looks holographic.
Left: Finger Paints 'Go Van Gogh', a bluish-teal cream finish, right: China Glaze's 'Cha Cha Cha', a medium green with a golden shimmer.
Left: China Glaze's 'Hook And Line', a silvery shimmery grey, right: China Glaze's 'Mahogany Magic', a beautiful brown (mahogany, honestly) cream finish. These two are from The Hunger Games Collection which has been out for quite a while and that's probably why they were so cheap!
On to the rest!
My first dotting tool! It's double sided with the other end being a detailing brush. The brand is "It's So Easy" Double Up Nail Art Brushes. I picked this up for $3.99 which I think is pretty cheap for a double sided tool. I'm excited to try this out and see what I can do with it!
Beauty Secrets Cuticle Remover/Pusher. I have really terrible cuticles and I've been looking for something to take care of them. I'm curious to see if this will work for me. It was only $2.29 so I figured, why not try it out?
I'm so excited to use these pointed cotton swabs to remove my excess polish when I do my next manicure. I hope they work better for me than regular cotton swabs do, because I always end up getting overzealous with the regular swab and either smudge the side of my polish or can't get close enough to get it all off. I'm hoping the point will help me out. These are Nail Tees, and the pack of 120 swabs was only $2.99. I also got a new bottle of pure acetone because I was running low. $1.79 on that one.
The cutest wristlet! It's black, blue, and pink snake print. Inside it has a zipper compartment and it's just big enough to hold my phone, a small cigarette case that I use to hold my cash and license when I go out, and some lip gloss and gum! Perfect for just the essentials. This was originally $16.99, on clearance for $7.99, and with the red tag 50% off, I got it for only $3.99! Super cute and affordable and I'll get a lot of use out of it!
On top of the Finger Paints BOGO and the red tag clearance, I also used a $5 off any purchase coupon I had, and just to see if I could, I tried to use another coupon code I found at RetailMeNot for $5 off $25 or more--and it worked! I wasn't sure if they would honor that because I'd already used a $5 off coupon, but they accepted it so there's some knowledge for ya!
They also sent me two more coupons for $5 off any purchase of $25 or more. They're always trying to get you to buy more, and it always works! I am so pleased with my purchases and I can't wait to try everything out...stay tuned for videos and photos of my experimenting!
Thanks for reading/watching! I'll see you guys soon!
Hey guys! Since I started my YouTube channel before I started the blog, I thought I'd just share a link to my other YouTube videos so you can check out my first haul video and product reviews.
First haul video:
Product review: Hoofer's Choice Nail & Cuticle Cream
Product review: Nutra-Nail's Bullet-proof Strengthening Formula
Thanks for watching! I just received my most recent package from Sally Beauty Supply, so expect a haul video coming up soon! See you all then!
Hey guys! I decided to finally start a blog about my new journey into the world of nail art. So here we go!
I recently tried the galaxy nails I've been seeing everywhere--all over Pinterest and YouTube. This tutorial video gave me the most inspiration so I decided to try it out. I tested out two designs and made a little photo tutorial of the swatching process. Sorry I don't have a video tutorial but I'm limited in video capabilities - I only have my crappy webcam and my iPhone for right now but I'm hoping to get a real video camera soon. Anyways, here we go with the photo tutorial. I hope you guys enjoy this design and give it a try!
Step 1: Gather your materials. For this look, you will need a few colors of polish - try to go for colors you see when you look at pictures of the various galaxies we are aware of. For my look, I chose these colors:
From left to right: Orly 'Goth', Sinful Colors 'Snow Me White', Orly 'Wild Wisteria', Avon 'Lagoon', Avon 'Strawberry', Orly 'Shine On Crazy Diamond'. I also used a base coat (Seche Clear) and top coat (Seche Vite).
You will also need your tools. I used a torn up makeup sponge stuck onto a toothpick so I could have some room to see what my design looked like. I also used a soft plastic card to drop my polish on (I used a discount coupon for a clothing store, but you could use an old used-up gift card or any other plastic item you don't mind getting polish all over)
You should also have cotton swabs and some polish remover at the ready. Because you'll be using a dark base color, you should clean up as you go so you don't get any stained skin around your nails. Once you've got your materials gathered up, you're ready to move on to step 2!
Step 2: Paint your nails with your basecoat. Allow to dry and then paint your base color. I used Orly's 'Goth', a glittery black, but you could use any black or dark blue you like.
Allow this base color to dry COMPLETELY. If it isn't completely dry, you take the risk of lifting some of the base color when you sponge on your next color, and that won't look very nice on the final design. I find that applying two thin coats instead of one thick coat will allow the polish to dry much faster.
Step 3: Sponge on your galaxy design's basic shape with white polish. I used Sinful Color's 'Snow Me White'. (p.s. I am SUCH a big fan of Sinful Colors - they're available at most drugstores and they're only $1.99! They feed my polish obsession on the cheap so I love them!)
To sponge on the design, drop some white polish onto your plastic card and gently dip your torn makeup sponge into the polish, dabbing on the card to take off the excess. Then simply dab the sponge onto your nails in the shape you'd like. I'm fairly uncoordinated so my galaxies came out bigger, but you can certainly make them smaller if you like that look. Allow the design to dry for a few seconds while you prepare your next step--it won't be as wet as a normal coat of polish since it was sponged on.
Step 4: Sponge on your dark blue or purple. I used a mixture of Orly's 'Wild Wisteria' and Avon's 'Lagoon'.
I chose to mix the two colors because the purple alone was too dark and the blue was too light. To mix the two colors, I just dropped the darker color (Wild Wisteria) onto my plastic card, then dropped the lighter color (Lagoon) right on top of it, and mixed them together by dabbing the sponge into them. I covered my white design with this purple-blue mixture and allowed to dry for a few seconds while I prepared my next step.
Step 5: Sponge on a layer of a lighter color. I used Avon's 'Lagoon', a shimmery light blue.
Sponge this lighter color over your design. Don't worry if your design is a little rough around the edges or imperfect. When you add your top coat everything will come together, trust me. Allow this color to dry while you prepare your next polish.
Step 6: Sponge on a pink color in the center of your galaxy. I used Avon's 'Strawberry'.
Concentrate on sponging the pink into the center of your galaxy design. At this point, my pink polish decided to clump up a little bit and I had a few spots that I was concerned about. If this happens to you, don't worry, because again, the top coat make everything come together. Allow this to dry COMPLETELY before you more on to the next step. Step 7: Add your glitter coat! I used Orly's 'Shine On Crazy Diamond', a clear polish with some holographic glitter in it.
You could even do two coats of the glitter if you'd like. I got enough glitter onto mine with just the one coat but you could certainly add more if you want it more sparkly. Allow your glitter coat to dry completely, then proceed to the final step. Step 8: Add your top coat and allow to dry completely. If you've been cleaning up with polish remover in between steps, you shouldn't have much cleanup to do...but if you do, wait until your nails are completely dry and then wash with warm water and soap, then rinse with cold water. Dry with a soft towel and any polish left over on your cuticles and around your nails should just peel right off. There you have it! The finished product:
If you'd like to see these nails in motion (which you totally should, the pictures don't really capture just how gorgeous this design is), please check out my video on YouTube:
I hope you guys will all give this design a try! I'd love to see your results! Thanks for reading/watching and I hope you enjoyed!
