31 Week Nail Art Challenge UPDATE!

Hey everyone! Just wanted to give an update on what I have been doing lately. I know I haven't posted in a while! A little while ago I started a nail art challenge and I keep forgetting to put them up here on the blog! I am making a mental note RIGHT NOW to start posting them here and not just on Instagram and Facebook lol 

So...there it is! You may notice it is the same challenge as the DAILY challenge...but I just do NOT have the time to do a daily one. lol Plus...I just hate spending so much time on my nails and having to take it off in just a day! lol 

So...here are the challenges so far!!! Hope you like! lol 

Week 1: Red

 Week 2: Orange

 Week 3: Yellow

 Week 4: Green

 Week 5: Blue (Did cupcakes for my birthday week! lol)

Week 6: Purple (bonus cat photobomb!)

Ill be sure to post the weekly nail arts EVERY week from now on lol Check back next week for Black and White!!

<3

AG

Herbal Essences

I got a little sample of Hello Hydration Herbal Essences body was from Crowdtap to test out the other day!

#TheHerbalistas

Whoo! Who doesn't love showering? Right?! lol 

So I did the sniff test....got nekkid and showered. lol 

And This. Stuff. Smells. AMAZING. 

If you have used the Hello Hydration Shampoo and Conditioner...then you know what I am talking about! The combo of the Hello Hydration Shampoo, Conditioner and Body Wash would be just amazing..but sadly...I had no Hello Hydration in my stockpile...so I went with what I did have. lol 

My skin feels soft and very hydrated. Which it NEEDS right now...I had a sunburn the other day (first one of the year...yay!) and my arms got very dry...Not anymore though! They are now back to their normal state...possibly better lol 

My only complaint...is the rate this body wash seems to disappear from the bottle in my shower. I do believe my boyfriend is getting into MY body wash!!! Which has been confirmed when I smelled suspiciously of Hello Hydration upon exiting the bathroom this morning. Glad to see that guys love it just as much...grrr. 

I truly love this body wash...so much so that I went out and purchased a full size bottle!!! Amazing showers...here I come!!! 

-AG

<3

John Freida Frizz Ease 3 Day Straight Flat Iron Spray

***NOTICE!!! I RECEIVED THIS PRODUCT FREE FROM INFLUENSTER FOR TESTING PURPOSES!!!***

I was overly excited about getting to test this!!! I have seen it in stores a few times but never got around to buying it...

Now...the name is long so say it with me...John Freida Frizz Ease 3 Day Straight Flat Iron Spray. lol

You are supposed to spray 7-15 sprays onto wet or damp hair. NOT dry. It is very insistent upon that. 

So I hopped in the shower and when I got out, I sprayed 17 sprays onto my hair. (It said to start with 7-15 and add more as needed...I felt I needed a few more) 

Then It said to blow dry...well. I forgot that part until my hair was almost dry. So I ran into the bathroom...sure that any and all results at this point would be out the window...that I had completely ruined my review.....but no. My normally slightly wavy hair had air dried PIN straight. One quick blast with my blow dryer to get the remaining damp areas revealed shiny, soft hair that I swear I had already straightened...

The only giveaway was the bangs...which still showed the waviness. I am in love already at this point...in case you can't tell. lol 

I turned my flat iron on and then turned the heat down...my hair was already mostly straight...no need to abuse it to the level I usually do...

After straightening...

Not too much of a different but omg is it ever shiny. And there are NO fly aways.....none of my usual frizz or static. I love it. I truly love it. I want...no...I NEED a bigger bottle of this stuff ASAP. 

Now...The bottle says that it lasts 3 days...OR until your next wash...which for me was 2 days total. ONLY because I got lazy and went to bed...and just slept an entire day away...curled up with my giant pink unicorn George...my stuffed frog Bob...and all my pillows, blankets and other furry pets....I was sick! Sue me! lol 

Anyways....at the end of that second day...before I crawled into the shower...my hair was frizz free and still straight. (Slight brushing was needed to get it back to the sleek straightness that it was prior to me crawling into bed...)

I feel the need to mention...that that second day...was this morning....yea...I slept the last two days....but I feel better...and my hair is washed now thank you very much....and you better believe I am sitting here again with perfectly straight, fizz free hair!!! And I am sure that tomorrow it is going to look just as fabulous...when I go to the store and buy myself a full size bottle! lol 

Grade....A+!!!!!! I HIGHLY suggest you go out immediately and buy yourself a bottle!!! 

<3 

-AG

Kiss Looks So Natural Lashes

**NOTICE!!! I RECEIVED THIS PRODUCT FREE FROM INFLUENSTER FOR TESTING PURPOSES!!!***

Ok. I am going to do my very very best to keep from being dismal and pessimistic in this entire post. But be warned...I do not like false lashes AT. ALL. So..needless to say...every opinion you see here is 110% my own, honest opinion of these things. Here we go...

I was the least excited about seeing these Kiss Looks So Natural Lashes in my J'Adore VoxBox...I don't wear fake lashes...ever. Not only because I find them WAY more trouble than they are ever worth...but because, in my opinion, once my eyes are all done up with mascara...I don't need falsies. My lashes happen to be somewhat thick and full all on their own after mascara...That and I have NEVER seen a pair of fake lashes that doesn't look absolutely ridiculous once on....they are always too noticeable and just...too fake for me. These claim to be "Looks so Natural" though...we'll see...

There they are...in all their fake lash glory. They have Revolutionary Tapered End Technology...Feels Like You Own Lashes! My first reaction was to roll my eyes. Just being honest. 

But they look pretty thin...and realistic...so I kept going. The lashes come with the basic lash glue with that annoying little plastic applicator and the lashes are stuck to the plastic back better than they will ever stick to your face...I ripped a few hairs out while trying to remove the lash from the back....wasn't really noticeable....

So I went ahead and took 15 minutes to attempt to apply one....and....finally. I got it on decently enough for a few pictures. Prepare yourself for the before and afters of my eye!!!

BEFORE

AFTER

Alright....so they made my lashes look a bit longer and somewhat fuller. But I just can't get over how they looked when I had my eye closed...Granted...the left side of the lashes wouldn't stick down right...but the rest of the lashes just look ridiculous. And I could FEEL them. I am not used to wearing fake lashes though...so maybe the heavy, something is messing with my real lashes feeling is normal...either way...I don't like the feeling. 

The lashes did appear to be slightly better than those other fake lashes though. The color matched my natural lashes perfectly and they weren't overly shiny...so they didn't give themselves away that way at all. 

Ease of applying was difficult as ever...but again...I don't wear falsies. Ever. 

I have seen other beauty bloggers claim these are the holy grail of lashes and that they are absolutely amazing. Which might be true. If you wear false lashes I would definitely say you should give these a try. They do seem to be natural feeling and looking. And even though they aren't my cup of tea...I think that a regular falsie wearer just might adore these. 

Thanks for reading! lol 

-AG

<3 

J'Adore VoxBox

Just wanted to post a quick pic of the entire J'Adore VoxBox!

I will be posting a review of everything but the Kisses either today or tomorrow at the latest! Check back to see those reviews! lol <3 

So far I have tried the Clay mask and found it to be pretty awesome. 

I am currently on day 2 of the John Frieda Frizz Ease and can already tell you there will be rave reviews. lol 

I have yet to try the Red Rose teas but plan on making myself up a cup tonight while I am writing out the other reviews...

I am currently munching on the Kisses...and honestly should stop because I have about 20 wrappers in front of me...

As for the Kiss Lashes....I am scared. I have had so many bad experiences with false lashes...they are either ridiculously hard to get on...or they look horribly fake once they are on that I end up ripping them right off. We shall see...These say they look "so natural"...lets hope they do! 

Boots Botanics Ionic Clay Mask

***NOTICE!!! I RECEIVED THIS PRODUCT FREE FROM INFLUENCER FOR TESTING PURPOSES!!!***

Alright, with that out of the way...here we go! 

I was a lucky recipient of the JaDore VoxBox from Influenster and was SO excited about all the awesome products that were in it! (The other products will each have their own posts)

Product number one was the Boots Botanics Ionic Clay Mask. Which is supposed to remove impurities and deeply cleanse skin with clarifying willowbark. #PowerofPlants!!! WHOO! 

So I got to work...The smell threw me off quite a bit at first...it says it clarifies with willowbark...and well. It really smells like bark. It has a wet, earthy smell to it that I was not thrilled about spreading all over my face. 

The mask had a fine grit to it and was very liquid-y. Make sure you shake this mask before you apply it...I made that mistake and ended up with a lot of green liquid...all over my hands and shirt. Oops. lol 

It doesn't take much to cover your entire face. I put a quarter sized amount in the palm of my hand and used my fingers on my other hand to spread the mask evenly over my face. 

 I was left looking quite a bit like Shrek....

The mask dried fairly quickly. And it dries like mud...or clay. Go figure right? 

It was hard to move my face, the mask cracked and it seemed to be doing its job. 

Ten minutes ticked by and it was time to wash it off. Which I dreaded...but the mask was very easy to wash off and wasn't nearly as messy as I thought it would be! 

My skin was a bit softer and the dead skin I had all over from my cold I am getting over was mostly gone. My skin also feels slightly cleaner and refreshed.
All in all I would say that this is a nice mask! It did what it said it would do and is unique. Very different from the fruity smelling masks I am used to! 

I will be using up the rest of this bottle and possibly buying another. 

I haven't been able to find this in any stores around me but it can be purchased from the Boots site HERE for $9.39

<3 

-AG

Valentine's Day!

WOW. Valentine's Day is tomorrow...I swear it sneaks up on me every year. Maybe because from the first moment I see all that pink and red overpriced candy in stores I completely tune it out lol Either way...I finally got around to doing a Valentine nail art. Enjoy! 

The pink I used is Bubblegum by L.A. Girl Color POP

<3 

-AG

Playing with my black light!

Hey everyone!
Last night I found my black light and decided to have some fun. I went through my house and started shining it on EVERYTHING. And got pretty scared...but then I went into my makeup room and my jaw hit the floor!! 

I have only ONE black light polish but was so surprised to see that it wasn't the only one lit up! I had quite a few neon glowing polishes on my racks!!! So I pulled them from the shelves and picked a few for painting! 

I used the five pictured below, as well as Hard Candy: Black Tie Optional...whose white glitter glowed quite nicely!

None of them are the glow in the dark ones but they glow in black light just fine!!! 

I got to painting and they looked awesome even without the black light. I got the edges cleaned up and flipped the black light on only to have my smile fall. The black light shows EVERY little bit of polish left on the skin...even if its not visible in the light...so I cleaned up again under the light as best as I could. 

Just look at that GLOW! lol Its just RADIATING off my nails! lol 

These are all the polishes I had that showed even the slightest bit of reaction to the black light. Brands and colors are listed below from left to right! 

Claires: Black Light Polish

Funky Fingers: (name unknown, its a neon green)

Snowman Nail: pastel green

Spoiled: Distant Memory

Art Deco: Bright Green

Pumpkin Nail: Lime Scented neon green

Bottom Pic

Pumpkin Nail: Neon Purple

Funky Fingers: Like Clockwork

Pumpkin Nail: Strawberry scented neon pink

Art Deco: Dee-Light

Color Pop: Bubblegum

Funky Fingers: Pop Artist

Pumpkin Nail: Orange neon

Take a black light to your polish collection and let me know if you find any surprising glow-ers!!! lol 

<3 

-AG

MY NAILS ARE BACK!

Yes. I am SCREAMING right now! I am so happy!!! 

I stopped biting my nails years ago and whenever they break off it always seems to take them MONTHS to finally grow back and for the sides to heal...I get horrible hang nails when my nails break...So I am thrilled they are finally (somewhat) back to normal! lol 

I took a few hours tonight and sat down with my old friends...and this is what I came up with. Just something simple to try to get myself back into the nail art practice. My hands don't seem to be as steady as they were before but Im sure that will get better in time! 

I will most definitely be posting more nail pics from now on and I hope I never break a nail again lol Its a long shot but I can hope!!! 

<3 

-AG

Montagne Jeunesse Mud Pac Mask

Hola Amigos! 

Yep...Im in a crazy mood today I must admit lol 

Alright so a few days ago I went to Krogers and saw they had some Montagne Jeunesse face masks on sale! I have never tried a face mask before in my life but decided to try it out on a whim. My skin was feeling a bit oily and this DID promise to clear up that oily skin! I ran home and got to work. 

I cleaned my face as it stated on the back of the package and attempted to tear into the pack. It has a little circle that said "pull out to open!" Seemed easy enough but I must have pulled and ripped on this package for a good five minutes before finally taking my teeth to it out of frustration and ripping the bag apart. 

Step one: Open package...CHECK! 

Then it said to spread in an even layer across face and neck....hmm. Ok, that should be easy. Not for me apparently. I had this stuff in my hair, on my arms, on the floor and it was sticky and messy and NOT BLUE! It was more of a minty green...like toothpaste. And it smelled like mens body wash. I know this because I compared smells with my boyfriends Right Guard that was in the shower lol 

I finally got it on in one layer and found out the hard way that I have too much FACE. I couldn't apply the mask to my neck at all lol 

I walked out of my bathroom to wait the 10-15 minutes until this mask dried looking like this: 

Oh yeah! 

My boyfriend made a rather strange face upon seeing me...then busted out laughing. So..this mask is not sexy in any way. Got it. 

I waited the 10-15 minutes while sitting there with my notepad to write down any feelings I had while the mask was on. It was cold. A menthol type effect that almost stung after a while. It made my face feeling like I was standing outside in the middle of an ice storm. And when it started drying it was very difficult to move anything on my face. 

Times up! I went to wash it out and that took about 10 minutes longer than I thought it would take. This stuff is like glue...you know? The white school glue stuff that dries hard...but if you get it wet it turns into a sticky, slippery mess? Yep...that was this mask. 

I finally got it all off and....

My skin is still on my face! lol The stinging feeling wasn't killing me as I had first thought! lol 

I did notice that my skin felt very refreshed and had less red splotches. I waited a week before writing this review to see if anything had improved. The oily skin seems to have gone away...but it has been replaced by a few dry patches around my face as well as a few breakouts. I haven't changed anything else in my routine so I am blaming them on the mask. 

I would say I would love to try out another mask from them to see if they are all the same...but I probably won't be buying this specific mask again. I would give it a C....+...because Im nice lol 

Let me know in the comments if there is anything you would like to see me review!
Thanks for reading!

<3

-AG

Shining Moment with #TripleShine Polish

As you guys know from the last blog post, I received a Sally Hansen #TripleShine polish to review from Influenster. I must say I love the polish. But I love what happened to me today while wearing the polish even more. Now. This didn't happen because I was wearing the polish...that fact is just coincidence. But it happened none the less and since I was wearing my awesome Reef Raf polish from Sally Hansen...it counts as my Shining Moment! 

Today started out as just my regular day....the same thing that happens everyday. I got up, brushed my teeth....watched some tv. Showered, watched more tv. Then did my hair and makeup and then sat down for some more tv. My boyfriend came walking in from work and changed his clothes. I was waiting in the car when he came out because we had to go get the mail and run a few errands. The first thing he said to me was "You look gorgeous babe!" Then he asked if I painted my nails the night before. I said yes. (May seem out of the ordinary...but if you read my last post, he is the one that drove me to three different stores looking for the polish I broke the other day so he wanted to know if I used the one we went to buy lol)  He said they were pretty and we talked about random stuff until he pulled into my favorite restaurant! 

LIKE....WHAT?!?  I was so happy! He actually surprised me with a date night!!! I didn't even see it coming! It made me feel very loved. We went in and sat down to eat and the meal was amazing!! and the best part?? HE paid! lol 

It may not seem like a amazing Shining moment to most...but you don't know my boyfriend. He is not romantic. Not in the least. He doesn't do romantic surprises, or candlelit dinners. And I am fine with that. I love him for him, not for how romantic he is. lol This completely blew me away and just made me feel amazing know that he went out of his way to do all of this for ME! Today was truly one of the best days of my life just because of that simply dinner that he took me to.  It may not be the best Shining moment but its MY Shining moment! 

Just as an added bonus...Heres what I ordered! lol 

Mmmm Polo Loco, Mexican Rice and beans!! lol So yum! 

Influenster Violet VoxBox

***NOTICE!!! I RECEIVED THESE PRODUCTS FREE FROM INFLUENSTER FOR REVIEW PURPOSES!***

Alrighty, Now that that is out of the way!!! lol 

I got my Violet VoxBox a little while ago and have been slacking MAJORLY on the posting and reviewing thing...I have had so much on my plate lately that it has just been close to impossible to find a little free time to devote to these awesome products! 

I was so super excited to find my VoxBox sitting on my doorstep! The box is so pretty and I must admit...I still have it...lol Yes, I am THAT person...the one with a stockpile of boxes from things I have gotten in the mail. Don't judge!! 

Anyways...This is all the glorious things that were inside!!! 

There was a Goody Quikstyle Brush

Cranberry SoyJoy

Althetique Reversible Headband

Sally Hansen Triple Shine Nail Polish

I LOVE 2 out of the 4 products I got! They are amazing, wonderful and just all around SWEET! Ill talk about those later...

I LIKE 1 of the 4 products. Its great. It really is...but I prefer using something else...Ill get to that product later as well. 

There is one product in this box though....that I despise. It made my taste buds shrivel up and caused me to drink an entire 20 oz of pop to get my poor tongue buddies (yep...just said that) to come out of hiding...That is of course: 

The Cranberry Soy Joy ladies and gents!!

Now, while I do believe that the SoyJoy MAY be the best thing next to sliced bread for some...this is my blog and my review so I must speak my mind...It just was not my cup o' tea. lol I found it dry and the taste was just...not good. After the first bite I put on a wicked smile and passed the SoyJoy to my boyfriend. Whose reaction was a bit overdone with the gagging and pretend vomiting...but I got the point nonetheless. All in all I would have to say that SoyJoy is a NOjoy in this house...Thats my honest opinion and Im sticking to it! 

Now! The next cool little thing I tried out was the Goody Althetique Headband! This is the LIKE product out of my Violet VoxBox!

hehe REVERSABILITY ACTIVATED!!! 

BOOM! lol 

This nifty little headband advertises itself as being reversible (proven) and quick drying (somewhat proven) I prefer the black and blue side myself but both sides are equally cute. The texture of the band reminds me a little of mens gym shorts...you know the ones. The jersey basketball type ones that are constantly going missing from my boyfriends dresser and can often be found being worn...by me...Oh? Thats not the case with everyone? hmm. Thought it might be...Anywho...This headband was quite comfortable despite my previous doubts when I pulled it out of the box. I don't care for headbands. I am not athletic in the least... so headbands are just a none necessary item in my house. I did find a use for this nifty little thing though! Washing my face of course!!! I throw my hair up in a pony tail EVERY night and wash my face...but those bangs of mine. Those short bangs that fall out into my face and always end up getting soaked....this headband held them back nicely! It got wet a few times and dried fairly quickly...I have nothing else to compare it to besides the front of my shirt after I wash my face though. lol (that water splashing thing never works as well as it does in the commercials does it?) The headband itself is not too loose..but its not too tight either. I guess I could have summed that up with "its the perfect fit!" ohwell. too late to backspace now! 

I also wore it while doing some cleaning around the house...while doing dishes...etc. It never fell out. Not once! It is soft and stretchy and despite my whole "NO headband: beliefs...I will be purchasing the other colors to add to my hair accessory collection! 

That about wraps up all I have to say about that..

NEXT! 

The Goody Quikstyle paddle brush! This thing...omg. I love it. I have been using it daily since I pulled it from that box and can honestly say...I am in LOVE! It has all these little Microfiber towel things between the bristles that are supposed to dry your hair faster! Absorb all that extra water while decreasing you drying time!!! WHOO Can we get a close up of those??? YES WE CAN!! 

Thats about as close as I can get before my camera blurs...Im not a professional picture taker folks...I know...shocking! lol 

I was seriously doubtful this brush would do ANYTHING other than make my hair frizzy and gross. Oh boy was I wrong. I hopped out of the shower and decided to to the test. I brushed one side with my normal paddle brush...the anti microfriber towel one. And then used the Goody Quikstyle on the other side and sat back to let the air drying commence. I can honestly say that the Goody Quikstyle side dried in about half the time. Idk if it was just me but the side I brushed with my Goody Quikstyle seemed not only more dry...but straighter, less frizzy and super soft. I was amazed. I blew dry  my hair the next day using the Quikstyle and what normally took me around 15 minutes to dry only took me about 8 minutes! I have been using this brush ever since and LOVE it. One warning I want to give though is that the directions on the back of the brush said that if the brush got dirty...to run it under a little water to clean it...I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND DOING THIS!! It literally took this brush a good WEEK to dry out after I did that...It got HEAVY with all the water the towels soaked up and the bristles prevented me from being able to wring the little towels between the bristles out...I couldn't even shake the water off the brush....I will not be washing this brush again...lol Ill just buy a new one if it gets dirty...
All in all...I give this brush an A+ I love it so much and use it everyday now! 

And now...the last product.

Sally Hansen Triple Shine polish in the color Reef Raf!

(Don't mind my gross looking fingers...Im having some major issues with them lately =[ Hence the lack of nail looks here the last couple of months)
NOW HOLD UP THERE WOMAN!!! THAT IS NOT THE COLOR THAT IS IN THE PICTURES UP THERE!!!
Yes...I know. I originally received the color Wavy Blue. Which was GORGEOUS! But before I could paint my nails with the amazing color...I dropped it. Yep. DROPPED IT. The bottle, sadly, broke and I literally started crying. Sitting there on my bathroom floor sobbing like a baby while mourning the loss of the polish I never got to use. It was unsalvageable. I almost tried scooping up the polish and painting my nails right there and then but I didn't...I should have. But I didn't...

So after I used an entire bottle of polish remover to clean my floor...I went to the store and bought another. My original plan was to get the same color...Hey! No one will know right? lol But I went to CVS and they didn't have it. Then I went to Meijers and they didn't have it...then I drove 30 minutes to Walmart...and they didn't have my beloved Wavy Blue in stock either! And judging by the displays at all three stores...these polishes are VERY popular right now...Out of the few colors Walmart had...I chose this lovely pink color. Please forgive me Influenster! I didn't mean to drop my polish! lol 

So...The bottle looks like this. It has a black top (that I found somewhat annoying) that you must take off in order to open the bottle of polish. It clicks on and off to prevent it from falling off...(ironically...it falling off is what caused me to drop the first bottle...)

After unscrewing the cap I found that the polish brush is one of those widened brushes. Which I happen to adore. I think they make painting my nails much easier and faster. I got to work painting my nails the minute I walked in the door. I didn't want any more mishaps! The first coat went on a bit streaky and dried to a almost matte finish. Which surprised me because...Umm. TRIPLE SHINE. lol I was expecting a mind blowing shine on my nails and got matte...alright. Not a big deal at all! I painted on a second layer and the streaks disappeared and the shine formed. All I can say is wow. This color is absolutely gorgeous and it is very shiny! It took about a minute to dry and three minutes before it was smudge proof. Which I would call a major A+++ in my book! lol I put on a quick drying top coat and voila! Amazing looking nails! 

I am most definitely going to be adding the rest of the Triple Shine line to my polish collection in the near future! You can see all the colors available by going HERE! Be warned though...they are GORGEOUS! lol  

If anyone would like an invite to Influenster I have 5 invites left to send out, all I need is your email which you can send in a message to my Facebook Page and I will send you an invite as soon as I see your message! You too can get in on the reviewing and testing fun with Influenster! lol 

Thanks for reading and putting up with my off track rambling!
<3 

AG