Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nail Polish Strips

I have seen the Sally Hansen Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips countless times at Target and other drugstores but never actually tried them... until now!  I saw some strips from the new Summer collection and they were in flat packaging instead of the typical box, and they were only $5.49 each. This seemed to be a much more reasonable price than they usually sell for.  I picked up two packages and hoped for the best.

They were actually very easy to use.  I followed the perfect instructions as told by Leighannsays, and it was a very simple process.  I made sure that my nails were clean and wiped them down with nail polish remover immediately before beginning the process.  I found that the sizing of the strips was slightly off for my nails, but it really wasn't a huge issue for me.  I chose to use the Done to Scale pattern.  The stickers were super flexible and sticky, but still felt strong. They adhered nicely and were relatively easy to file down to fit my nail.  I obsessively pressed the edges down because I was nervous that they would lift.  Once I was finished I used a clear top coat all over, and made sure to thoroughly coat the edges of the strips.

I am AMAZED at how long these strips last!  It has now been a full seven days since I applied them and there are very minimal chips, although this particular pattern camouflages chips well.  The only chips that I see are tiny and are right on the edges of both middle fingers.

This photo is seven days after applying the strips.  Pretty great condition, you can see that they are growing out, but not really chipping.

Overall, I am very impressed with these nail polish strips and I can't wait to try the other pattern that I picked up.  If that one goes well too, then I will definitely pay more attention to these strips from now on.  They are so easy, especially for someone who hates waiting for nail polish coats to dry and lives in fear for 24 hours that they will smudge.  The strips are dry and ready to go very quickly, and as seen here, they last over a week.  Not to mention that it would take forever to attempt some of this nail art!  Give these a try if you haven't already!

Cosmetics Company Store Mini Haul!

I went to a Cosmetics Company Store for the first time ever and I was beyond excited.  I tried to keep it under control because I could have easily walked away with half of the store and an empty bank account...  I let myself buy three things and here they are!

The first think I picked up was the Estee Lauder Raisins eyeshadow duo.  I have been wanting this for a while now thanks to Tanya Burr and Zoella... Every time they used it I was so intrigued by it and I had to have it.  Luckily I came across it in the store because I have heard that it is difficult to find recently.  Anyway, I absolutely love it.  The lighter color is a shimmery light pink champagne color and the darker color is a slightly shimmery deep burgundy color.  Until the Naked 3 palette I would have been nervous to use these colors myself, but I am loving this palette so far.  Not to mention the packaging is amazing!

This is a light swatch of each color.  The shadows are very pigmented and blend nicely.

Next is also thanks to Tanya Burr... She has spoken about the Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation and when I saw it in the store at a discounted price, I had to have it.  They had quite a few shades so I was really able to play around with them to find my perfect match.  I chose 1W1 Bone 17.  I'm not sure what the numbers correspond to but I thought I would include them anyway just in case.  I am very happy with this foundation.  It is nice to apply, and of course I use my beloved beauty blender.  It does not look too cakey on my skin and it really does stay in place.  I have noticed that it can feel a bit tacky on the skin, but as it sets, most of the stickiness goes away.  The color works very well for me and I am very impressed with the formulation of the product.  If only I had tried this sooner!

It is more of a yellow based shade, and it blends nicely to match my skin.  It is not too think but it does have a consistency that goes along with a long wearing foundation.

The last item that I picked up was definitely an impulse buy.  It is a MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Centre of Attention.  I have never owned a MAC Mineralize Skinfinish and this one just caught my eye.  This product is highly pigmented and very shimmery.  I do use a very light hand with it, and for me there are no chunks of glitter or anything crazy, but there is a lot of shimmer.  I find myself straying away from the gold portion on its own because it is a very true gold.  However, the gold and the pink can be mixed for a nice highlight, and the gold can come in handy with certain looks.  The pink is much easier to wear, and it transfers onto the skin as a very light pearly pale pink.  When blended out I do not see the pink shade, but the shimmer does stay.

The top swatch is the pink on its own, the middle is the gold and pink together, and the bottom is the gold on its own.

I am very excited to have finally made it to a Cosmetics Company Store, and I know that I will need to visit one again in the near future...  It is definitely Disneyland for makeup addicts!