Sally hansen salon insta gel strips starter kit

Hello everyone!

I was at Walgreens a few days ago, and I saw this kit on clearance.  Im terrible with the nail polish strip things, but I figured id try it with regular polish. I read some reviews,  and it was 50/50 on good and bad, but with the clearance price why not. 

Heres my review of sally hansen insta gel strip starter kit.

I painted my left hand last night and let it dry overnight,  my right hand I painted this morning, that way we can see how it would work if your trying to do a quickie mani versus taking your time. I'm a take my time person btw, I feel quickie mani's don't turn out well in the end.

I painted my nails with wet and wild disturbia, I did a base coat as I always do when painting my nails,  did one coat of polish and waited for it to completely dry, then the second coat. I had to do a third coat on 3 of my fingers because my first one was so light on those fingers, it required an extra coat, as well as banging one on the counter required a fix. I waited about 10 minutes for the 3rd coat to dry before doing the gel topcoat and curng it with the uv light

I did my left hand first and it came out quite well, however,  I feel like if you dont put enough gel on the brush it will create air bubbles/dents. I had a slight air bubble on the middle finger of my left hand,  so I did another coat to try to fill it in,  and it worked to a degree. I have a little tiny dent now. After you cure all the nails,  you are to wipe your nails with an alcohol pad that they include in the kit, they give you 2 along with a file and cuticle stick. The alcohol wipes help take the tackiness away and give it a nice shine. I'll be honest and say that I didnt like how they looked after wiping with the wipe, and decided to do another gel coat. I decided they looked a tad better, waited 10 minutes ,and went on to the right hand.

On my right hand I did the same as my left. I only did a second coat of gel on the nails that had air bubbles/dents really bad. I feel that doing my nails quickly in the morning caused alot more issues, I had more air bubbles and I dented them easily even after waiting 10 minutes.

I tryed this with a less expensive polish, i plan on trying it with a variety of polishes to see if it will cause any issues. I also went and grabbed a cotton ball put some rubbing alcohol on it and wiped all of my nails down.  I honestly think  wiping them down this way was better, the shine was better and took tackiness away better; one of my nails on my right hand stil had a bit of tacky reside on it till I wiped it with the cotton ball.

My verdict?  So far so good. I do alot of typing at work and typically after one day of work my nails are chipped. After one day of work this time my polish was intact. I plan on seeing what happens by weeks end, then changing my polish for my trip next week. Overall i like it alot, i think with time I can minimize the air bubble thing. I do believe doing my nails the night before worked better, and some reviews I saw said even after wiping with the alchol pad their nails were still tacky, they didn't have the full circumstances of their polish adventures on their review so I had to take it into my own hands. I definitely recommend this to try at the clearance price, if it were full price I wouldn't have. I say if you dont rush your polish, try it. Hopefully next time I do better, I think ill use one of my julep holos to see if it puts a damper on the color. i do have a few photos they arent very good but they will do for now, the side nail pic is of some air bubbles I tryed to take better photos but my tablet was not cooperating. Ill do an update in about a week.

Until next post!

*ill try to get my September ipsy bag in before October's bag comes*

Waffle blanket update.

This update is long over due, this I do know.  I've been so busy with work and blogging about my subscription boxes, that I just didn't make any progress for some time.  My new goal was to do at least one row on it everyday, which I have, and I have made some progress. I unconsciously made a few mistakes that made themselves known when I decided to look at how my work was comming along, I would have fixed them if I hadn't knitted a few rows after them.  I'll include pictures in the post of how the work is going on the blanket and a link to the pattern I've been using so you can try it to. I'm determined to finish this blanket it will be my first one that I have not unraveled because it wasn't comming along fast enough or I terribly messed up.

Until next post!

*Upcoming blog posts will be on the September ipsy bag and lootcrate galactic box*

Loot Crate August: Heros!

Hello yet again, for another loot crate unboxing.

I figured I would dive right in sense this box was still fresh in my mind.  I do have to say that im totally digging loot crate. This being my second box,  im absolutely impressed. I highly recommend this to any nerd,  geek,  or gamer. Lets dig into my box, shall we

Groot glow in the dark loot crate exclusive.
This funko pop figure is absolutely adorable.  I have not seen the Guardians of the galaxy yet, but I am in love with this figure. I was thinking aoust saving this and giving it to my boyfriends 8 year old son for Christmas because he wanted to see this movie and was digging raccoon rocket,  so I thought hey he might like it, but the more and more I look at it the harder it is for me to part with.

Schwings accessories for your shoes.
I'm liking these little lightening bolt accessories.  Your supposed to lace them up threw your shoe laces, to add a little pizazz to your shoes. Cant wait to try them.

Mega man apple cinnamon scented air freshener
I guess its really proto man my bad. Cant wait t hang this stylish air freshener in my car.

TMNT Michaelangelo sunglasses
These are pretty cool.  My friends know me well and know I would totally rock these and not care, however I decided my boyfriends 8 year old son could probably rock these without all the weird stares, so I gave them to him.

TMNT ooze action donatello
This cute little bugger glows in the dark, comes with his signature weapon.  This cute guy is what I think ill end up gifting to my boyfriends 8 year old, even tough I dont want to part with him either,  because he is adorable,  but I think he would like it and he'd totally play with him.  If he ends up not liking TMNT by his birthday or Christmas,  ill keep him lol.

Chimichangos magnet
Loot crate labs came up with this magnet, if deadpool had a favorite cereal apparently this would be it

Lastly we have the loot crate heroes magazine the details everything that came in the box, the commerative button, and some codes for 3 games I dont know about, which idk if ill even use em

Again super impressed with this box, I cant wait for the next one.  I hope loot crate keeps up the great work. I included a picture of the box once it was empty,  i thought the design was pretty cool.

Until next post!

Loot Crate July: Villains!

Hello Everyone,

this is my first post about my loot crate box.  The number one reason I started to get loot crate was because there theme for the July box was villain's, and I thought to myself, there has to be some batman related stuff in that box I need to get it.  I'm sure none of you know of my love for batman...now you will find out.  Today I got my loot crate august box which the theme of this months box was hero's so I figured I better get to posting about last month.


There was a shirt the came with the villains box and I absolutely loved it.  It was a cross between Joker and loki, which scrawled across the top in red was Joki. I will of course have a picture of said shirt so everyone can see it.

There was Another Clothing type item in the box which was the dead pool socks, I thought those were totally cool.  The only bad thing I have to say about them, is they are a little tight on my calves, which I have big calves so sometimes stuff just doesn't fit me.  I do wear them, and quite frequently I might add.

Another Item from the loot crate box was a DVD called Necessary Evil Super-Villains of DC Comic. I have not yet watched this DVD , so I can not tell you how it is, but I am looking forward to it.

Two posters came in the loot crate box. this was the second item of the box I was super stoked for. Poster number 1 was the joker! Poster number 2 was Harley Quinn! I was super super excited about these posters.  I'm looking for some frames to put them in before I hang them on the wall. I kind of want to try to change the downstairs of the house into a game room, but id have to get my boyfriend to go along with it, it is his house haha. But lets save that for another post lol.

Lastly there was a few odds and ends items in the box. there was a bowser magnet that said, I want you,  a raccoon rocket comic,  a darth vader keychain that I'm going to gift to a friends mom because she loves the vader, and a loot crate button that commemorates the box.


Sorry this post seems kinda thrown together, because it is. This is my first loot crate review so I expected it to be a little blah, but im hoping I do better with the Hero box.

Until Next Post!

July's Julep Box

Hello again everyone, today I'm going to post what I got in my July julep box.  I decided to go with the product box for July, which came with the body milk lotion and the mint condition pedi crème. I added on the julep ta-da quick dry drops and the vanish cuticle softener and remover, they came as a pair and I got the for free with some of my julep points. I took some time to try the products as I did for my influenster box so I could really tell you what I think.

so here goes!

Julep Body Milk Lotion.

I really like this lotion. I was put off at first by the smell, I wasn't a big fan but it didn't deter me from continuing to use it, after using it for some time the smell grew on me and now I kind of like it as odd as that may sound. the lotion absorbs pretty quickly, so I can put the lotion on and by the time I grab my clothes to put them on it has pretty much been absorbed. I recommend the lotion to any julep product fan, I loved it and will definitely order more when I run out. Julep also had a body milk body scrub I believe and I kind of want to try that to, if anyone has let me know what you think.


Mint Condition Pedi Crème.

I'm going to be completely honest on this one, in saying I have only used the pedi crème a few times. I had misplaced it when I had cleaned up my room, so there fore I forgot about it. I did love this pedi crème the few times I have used it and it made my feet nice and soft and moisturized. Would I recommend this product? why yes, yes I would. even though I only used it a few times I have confidence that this product will be fantastic in the long run. I do really like how you extract the product from the tube, the bottom twists open and you squeeze out how much you need, then close it up. Fantastic!


Ta-Da Quick Dry Drops.

I've used this product before when I did my nails at a friends house whom also subscribes to julep. the drops smell awesome and do help dry your polish quickly, so I jumped at the chance to get it for free with the cuticle drops. I feel that they make the skin around my nails so much softer and keeps me from biting the area around my nails, which I tend to have a problem doing when i'm stressed. I recommend these to anyone who gets julep who hasn't tried them yet. what's wrong with you! Get these drops!

Cuticle Softener & Remover Drops.

The first time I used these, I had just removed my polish and decided to get my cuticles in order. when i got my cuticle pusher ready and started pushing them back it was very easy. I also ran it over the tops of my nails I read on the box that it helps remove the nail stains, which I don't have I use a basecoat always! But, when I did that, a lot of gunk came off my nails!, and after i washed them with warm soapy water, my nails looked fantastic! My nails haven't looked so good bare in a very long time. I say this is a must try, if you can only try one product from my list here i would recommend this hands down.

well that is all I have from the Julep July Box.  Comming up soon, my july lootcrate villian box. Until next post!

Vow vox box

I took some time from blogging to use the items in this box to be able to give a proper review. I recieved these products complimentary from influenster for testing purposes.

In this box I recieved 5 products : sally hansen complete salon manicure in the color barracuda, olay regenerist luminous tone perfecting cream, pure silk raspberry mist shave cream, a tide to go pen, and an ecotools pure complexion facial sponge. There was also a card for a free trial of a wedding website, as I am not getting married anytime soon, I didn't use it.

Product 1: Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Barracuda ($7.99)

This is a pastel cream color polish, it is a pretty color, however I am not fond of cream polishes.  I like a few but not many. I painted my toes with the color, I just hate the many coats I need for it to give complete coverage. I may just be terrible at painting my nails with cream polish, I dont know, but dont let what I think determine whether you try it or not because it is a beautiful color.

Product 2: Olay regenerist luminous tone perfecting cream ($30.99)

I absolutely hands down love this product. It has made my skin look better and feel softer. You dont have to use a lot of the product on your face,  little goes a long way. The smell of it isnt to bad either, I use it morning and night and still have a whole lot left, and iv had it for about 3 weeks.

Product 3: Pure silk raspberry mist shave cream ($1.49) for the 5oz ($2.19) for 8oz

Im going to say right off the bat, I didn't like it at first. It smelled awesome, but my skin is sensitive and I get razor burn easily during the summer months.  the shave cream dryed my skin out the first time I used it, so I didnt use it the next few times and started it again. It still drys out my skin but I have a great lotion I use after each shave and I havent had problems with razor burn after I started using it. I would say everyone should try it.

Product 4: Tide to go pen ($7.99) 3ct

Im going to be honest I haven't used this tide to go pen, I have used one a while ago an it was pretty decent. Once I actually try it ill update you.

Product 5: Ecotools pure complexion facial sponge ($5.99)

Love love love this sponge! After one use my skin felt smooth and refreshed. I use it at least once a day, usually at night before bed. Its made with 100 percent natural ingredients for a better clean. If I could suggest only one product for you to try, it would be this one.

Well that is it for the vow vox box. I have one for julep and one for ghis month lootcrate which had a villian them!

Until next post!

Update on knitting

Hello everyone,

Asmof right now I dont have any knitting updates.  I havent gotten much farther on the waffle blanket but i do have the weekend off, and I can hopefully get some rows going on that. In about a week and a half I will be going up to the cabin with my boyfriend and I will hopefully get some knitting up there on our down time. Other then that I got nothing else.

Until next post!