Sally Hansen - Rockstar Pink

I have not painted my fingernails in almost two years. The last time I did, I thought you were just supposed to slap it on. I'd get it all over my fingers and it would look like I let a four year old paint them until I jumped in the shower and the paint came off of my skin. This was my first attempt to paint my nails without making a gigantic mess. I think it turned out pretty well!


This is how it looks in natural light on a beautiful day!

I love this polish. It was really easy to put on and only needed two coats to be totally opaque. This was the fastest drying polish I've ever used. I don't know all the descriptions for polish types yet, but I know this one has a TON of glitter. There's blue, red, purple, and some teeny tiny gold flecks in here. It's pretty in the sun and inside.


See how pretty this glitter is?

I'm not sure how the wear is because I just put it on last night. A lot of the reviews I read online say that some girls' bottles of Rockstar Pink were goopy and thick. Mine was this way right when I opened it, but after rolling it between my hands for a little bit (read: maybe a minute) it was fine. I did have to roll it a few times during application, but I don't mind doing that when the end result it shiny glittery goodness. Another common complaint was removal, but I think all glitters are a pain to remove.

ETA (11/14): This is a first. I have used glitter polishes many times throughout my 23 years, and I HAVE NEVER HAD A POLISH JUST REFUSE TO COME OFF BEFORE. I spent over 30 minutes trying to get this stuff off after I got a big chip on my thumb, and it wouldn't remove. It took almost an hour of constant rubbing with a cotton ball and remover to get my nails clean, and I'm still covered in glitter 12 hours later.

Pretty color, not worth the removal time. :(

New Polishes!

Since I've gotten into nail blogs I've realized that my collection is AMAZINGLY SMALL. Every time I go out now I make a point to go to any store I can find that sells polish to see if they have anything interesting.



I've picked these two up over the past couple of days. The one on the left is CQ brand Mystical, and the right is Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Rockstar Pink (I have this one on now). I only have access to WalMart and drugstores in the podunk town that I live in, so most of the polishes I have are less than fancy. I'm going to have to get out to Sally's more often to see what kind of stuff I can pick up there.

ANYWAY! I filed my nails the other night and noticed that they were kind of grossly uneven. They're now even, but a lot shorter. I don't mind, though, since now I can grow them and out just try to maintain the evenness I have going on.

The plan is to get some pictures of Rockstar Pink up tomorrow. I've got a few things to say about this polish, so stay tuned!

Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Creme

I have had this cream for over a year and a half. I used it religiously for quite a while, but lost it after my husband and I moved to our current apartment. I went on a hunt for it yesterday and found it in my daughter's diaper bag. I love the smell of this stuff. The texture of my tin is a little weird. I'm not sure if it's supposed to be this way, but it's sort of gritty when I rub it into my cuticles. When the tin was new it was a bit hard to get product out, but it's not an issue now.



The cuticle remover I tried the other night helped my cuticles a little bit, but starting to use this stuff again has made an even bigger difference. I've only been using it again for a day, but see how much better my cuticles look already? They still need work (and my nails need a good filing), but I see an improvement.

Sally Hansen Instant Cuticle Remover

I spent some time today doing a bit of research on the best way to try to tame my cuticles. It seems that most people believe clipping them is not the answer, but to use a cuticle remover and hydrate everything with some sort of product (oil, cream, etc.) I own a cuticle cutter that I bought to use before my wedding, but no remover. When my husband and I ran out to the store tonight I figured I would pick up a remover that had decent reviews.



I didn't exactly follow the directions perfectly. The bottle says to leave the product on for 15 seconds, gently push back cuticles and wash your hands with warm water and soap. When I read up on this product I found many people leave it on much longer than directed (some up to 5 minutes). My cuticles were in really rough shape, so I decided to leave it on around 2 minutes. I've had chemical burn incidents in the past with Sally Hansen products and was unsure of how my skin might react to prolonged exposure, but long ago and far away I tried this product and I remember 15 seconds doing nothing for me.

I pushed back my cuticles with a cuticle pusher while keeping an eye on the clock to make sure I didn't leave the product on any longer than I felt comfortable. When I washed my hands and pushed the cuticles back again, they were a bit better. The really rough bits that were cemented to my nail actually pushed away. It softened the rest of the cuticle. This product didn't work any miracles, unfortunately. It didn't remove anything. Soften? Sure. Remove? Nope. I had such huge flappy cuticles that I had to clip a few of them. I know this is frowned upon, but seriously, it was pretty gross.

My hands look a little better after this, but not as good as I was expecting. I'm pretty bummed out that this wasn't some magic potion that would fix everything in one go. I guess I'll have to keep looking for a HG cuticle remover.

This is a disastuh.

These are my nails. They are among the hottest of messes. I used to try to keep up with the health and look of my hands, but when I got pregnant and had my daughter I stopped spending time on myself. I think I'd forgotten what a cuticle was, but now I'm well aware that mine are a disgrace. I'm sure there are countless other horrible things going on here, but I really just don't know a lot about nail care.

I've recently stumbled upon nail blogs via MUA while trying to find reviews for an old polish I found in one of my unpacked moving boxes. I spend a ridiculous amount of time looking at pictures of new polishes and swatches. The jealousy I have towards these ladies with immaculate looking hands astounds me.

I am on a mission to get (and keep) my nails looking good.