Hiatus-Breaker

Hello! My apologies for the long hiatus. I really do want to come back to the blog, but there are a few contributing factors making it difficult. First of all, my nails have been pretty bad post-baby. I'm not sure if it's just hormones or if it's permanent, but I'm not liking it. Admittedly, I've been a bit neglectful of my cuticles, so it's possible that's playing into it, as well. Secondly, time has been a major issue. With a toddler, it's been difficult to find time to do a proper mani with adequate dry time, let alone take and edit photos and do write-ups. Lastly, our desktop bit the dust a while back. Like, for good this time. It had been randomly crashing, but now it won't power up at all. And since that's where I was doing all of my photo work, that obviously puts a kink in things for me as far as the blog is concerned. I really apologize if this sounds like a list of excuses, because that's not my intent. I just don't want to leave you guys hanging without an explanation. I do have a few polishes I'm really excited about (the newest Rainbow Honey mystery bag looks amazing, and I was recently able to snag a re-release of Black Lace and Elderberry - one of my DISOs! - from Pahlish), so I hope to have at least one of those up on my Instagram within the next few days. If you aren't already following me there, you can follow thatlacquergirl to see what I've got going on, nail-related and otherwise! I really, really do plan on getting the blog back up soon, so keep your eyes peeled! I just need to make some me-time and get the desktop situation sorted... Thanks for reading, and feel free to drop any post-partim nail tips you may have in the comments!

Not Nail-Related

Hello, everybody!  I know it's been a long time since I posted.  I do have a bunch of stuff to try that I just haven't gotten around to yet, but my pregnancy and now having a newborn has put blogging on the back burner.  Today, though, I have a bit of a sore throat because the weather has been shifting from hot and humid to cool and dry.  We do have a humidifier, which helps quite a bit, but we don't always remember to run it.  So, in light of my ailment (and the fact that I just finished a lat night feeding), I thought I would pass along one of my favorite things to soothe a sore throat.  It's super simple, and you likely already have everything you need!  I thought for a long time that everybody knew about this, but I've recently seen several people surprised at the suggestion, so I thought I'd share.

Formula X For Sephora Hypnotize Swatches

Hello, everybody!  Today I am going to show you some swatches of Formula X For Sephora Hypnotize.  Click through to see the rest of the swatches!

Zoya Binx Swatches

Hello, everybody!  Today I've got another polish to show you from last year's Zoya Bubbly collection.  Click through for more swatches.

A Quick Update

Hey, everybody!  Long time no write, I know...  On the up side, though, I do plan on coming back with new swatches very soon!  I placed two orders yesterday, and I just put undies down for what should be a fun dotticure.  I just wanted to let you all know that everything is fine with me, and now that the nausea of the first trimester has (mostly) subsided, I do plan on getting back into the swing of regular manis and posts.  Thanks again for bearing with me!

First Impressions - The Body Shop Sweet Almond Oil Nail Varnish Remover

Hey, guys!  Sorry about my little hiatus there.  The nausea and fatigue does seem to be improving little by little, so I am hoping to get back into the swing of things very soon!  Today I picked up The Body Shop's Sweet Almond Oil Nail Varnish Remover, which I've heard some pretty good stuff about!  I emptied it into my flip-top pump before taking a photo, but at least you can see how it's packaged.

I will say right off the bat that it's pretty pricey for the size ($10 for 3.3 ounces).  It does not have a strong or unpleasant odor, which is a fantastic change of pace after finishing off the Nailtiques remover I wrote about in my remover comparison post last month.  It actually has a sweet fragrance that strikes me as vanilla-ish.  You can definitely still smell the alcohol in it, but overall it's a nice scent.  I'm using it on my nails as I type, so you're pretty much getting a play-by-play here.  Isn't that exciting?  I'm noticing now that the smell is actually pretty nice once you've got it on a cotton ball and the alcohol vapors dissipate.  The three nails I've done so far have come off nice and easy.  There is a bit of oily residue left behind, but it really feels like it's hydrating my nails and cuticles.  Working on my accent nail is proving a bit difficult, but that's to be expected since I used a glitter topper.  I'm not totally sold on the ten dollar price tag for such a small amount of product, but my first impression is that the product itself is really nice.  I might really love it after a few uses!

Here's a Little Update

Hey, guys.  I'm really sorry for not getting my posts up on time very often the past few weeks.  It does make me feel awful when I miss my updates, but there is a good reason for that (in my opinion, anyway)...  It's because I'm pregnant!

I haven't had much energy lately, and the smell of the remover and polish has not been fun to deal with.  A lot of effort goes into my swatches, and it's just been really difficult for me to get them done lately between the fatigue and the nausea.  I'm hoping over the next few weeks that my early symptoms will level off and it'll be easier for me to do my nails more frequently and get back to doing swatches more regularly.  In the meantime, I appreciate your patience and understanding.

Zoya Aurora Swatches

Hey, guys!  I am so sorry I have been late posting recently!  Unfortunately, I suffered two breaks on my swatching hand over the last last week, and today was the first day I've seen the sun in a while.  I struggled trying to decide whether or not to trim my other nails, but the weather wouldn't have been cooperative for swatches, anyway.  Now that I finally got some swatching weather, I went ahead and trimmed my nails and put on a new color, which you'll see below.  Click through to see the rest of the swatches.

Pacifica Super Hydrating Hand Cream Review

The winters here in Iowa are cold, dry, and windy, and that is a terrible combo for your skin.  So when regular lotion wasn't cutting it, and I started developing severely dry patches of skin on my wrists, I went to Ulta in search of something with more intense moisturizing capabilities.  I had been considering The Body Shop, because the reviews for their hand cream are great.  I opened the Ulta app to see if there was another highly-rated had cream, and I noticed Pacifica.

I had never tried anything from this brand before, but I did see it on the shelves in store, so I picked up a tube.  It's a bit pricey, but Ulta puts out coupons frequently, and you can get an even better deal if you use the coupons in conjunction with rewards redemption.  The lid screws off and the product comes out of a small hole, which is good because you don't need to use a lot to get the job done.  Since I am a lover of fruity scents - particularly citrus - I opted for the Tuscan Blood Orange scent.  It smells so good, you guys.  It's sweet and citrusy, but not a way that's cloying, and it doesn't fade quickly (which is great with a fragrance this nice).  I've actually had guests at work comment on how nice it smells!  this hand cream does leave some residual oils on the skin after you've got it rubbed in, but that can be a good thing when the air around you is dry and/or you're doing a lot of hand washing.  I may not use this during the Summer, but it was a great find for the colder, drier months!  Pacifica has a lot of great things going on within their company, such as ethically-sourced ingredients, vegan and cruelty-free formulations, and charitable work within their community.  And I just saw that they also make a 7-free nail polish line!  I'll definitely have to check that out when my no-buy is over.

Deborah Lippmann Xanadu Swatches

Hello, everybody!  Today I have a great polish to show you from Deborah Lippman, and the post is going to be a bit on the picture-heavy side.  So, you know, fair warning.  This is my first Deborah Lippmann, and I think I did a good job narrowing it down.  I actually won a DL twitter contest and got a $30 credit for the website.  The kicker, though, was that it was right in the middle of my no-buy and the credit was only good for a week.  I found myself considering breaking my no-buy and getting a second bottle, but I ended up reaching out to my fellow nail bloggers to see if anybody would be willing to help me out.  As luck would have it, Jessica from Trial & Acetone was willing to use the rest of the credit and send me my polish.  I felt so much better knowing that half of that credit wouldn't be wasted!  Click through to see the rest of the swatches!

Mint Slumber Party and Moonlit Stroll Swatches

*Press sample*

Hey, guys!  Today I'm going to give you guys a two-fer since I missed Monday's post.  I've got two more Mint shades to show you,  Moonlit Stroll and Slumber Party.  The first shade I'm going to show you is Slumber Party, which is a bright pink creme.  Click through to see the rest of the swatches!

Let's Talk Nail Polish Removers!

Hey, guys!  Today I thought I would share with you my thoughts on the remover I am currently using, which is the Nailtiques Non-Acetone remover.  I picked this up at Ulta while looking for something gentle since we're coming out of winter here, and it's cold and dry and an all-around terrible time of year for my hands.  It includes aloe and conditioners!  I also picked up a Flowery pump, so I ditched the bottle, but it also said something about the remover having a pleasant scent!  I was sure that this remover would be the be-all-end-all of removers, but I was sadly mistaken.  To me, I feel it's quite drying (moreso than other acetone-based removers Ive tried), and it has a strong scent that is nowhere near as pleasant as OPI Expert Touch, Essie Naturally Clean, or Zoya Remove +.  I know that others seem to love this remover (the Ulta rating is currently the same as OPI Expert Touch), but it was a total dud for me.  I've recently had a hard time with some glitters I've tried, but to be fair, they may have just been stubborn glitters and it's possible that wasn't the fault of the remover.  So overall, I wouldn't recommend it.  There are other removers in around the same price range that leave my cuticles much happier and smell better, to boot!

Here's a breakdown of the price per volume of all the removers I've mentioned:
• Zoya Remove + // $9.99 for 8 ounce, or $1.25 per ounce
• Essie Naturally Clean // $6.00 for 4 ounces, or $1.50 per ounce

• OPI Expert Touch // 5.95 for 4 ounces, or $1.49 per ounce

• Nailtiques // $8.00 for 6 ounces, or $1.33 per ounce

So clearly Nailtiques is a little cheaper by volume than OPI Expert Touch or Essie Naturally Clean, but I would still put it at the bottom of the list were I to rank these four.  I found Essie Naturally Clean to be drying, too, but the scent is much nicer.  OPI Expert Touch has a citrusy scent, which I love, and leaves my cuticles looking and feeling nice.  Zoya Remove + is my favorite of the bunch, and I was surprised to see that it's actually the least expensive per volume!  It's definitely worth mentioning that Nailtiques is the only non-acetone remover on this list; however, OPI Expert Touch and Zoya Remove + both contain additives to counteract the drying properties of acetone and condition nails and cuticles.

Mint Fancy Swatches

*Press Sample*

Hello, everybody!  I finally had a decent day to take a few pictures.  Yay!  So today I've got some swatches from a new-to-me brand that's 5-free: Mint!  I reached out to Mint in the hopes of finding some great non-toxic brands to share with you guys, and Greta was kind enough to send me some samples!  The first color I tried, Fancy, was my least favorite in the bottle, but I actually ended up really liking it!  Click through to see the rest of the swatches.

Rainbow Honey Crystal Sword Swatches

Hello!  My apologies for not getting this up on time.  The weather here was pretty gloomy yesterday and it's even worse today, so I'll have to update this post later with outdoor lighting.  :(  Without further ado, the remaining color from the Rainbow Honey March Mystery Bag, Crystal Sword!

Blogiversary Giveaway Winners!

Congratulations, Cindy Aiton and Joyce Chatman!  Check your E-mail and respond within 48 hours to claim your prize.

Rainbow Honey Lemon Honey Swatches

Okay, guys.  Remember in my last post where I said time had been getting away from me?  Well, nothing's changed on that front.  Luckily, the reason for that will probably become more clear soon.  Anywhoodle, I've got another shade from the Rainbow Honey March Mystery Bag to share with you today!  Click through to see the rest of the swatches!

Rainbow Honey Kozmic Blues Swatches

Hello, all!  Today I've got just one color fro the Rainbow Honey March 2015 Mystery Bag to show you.  In the past, I've been able to do a full review of the mystery bag all on one fell swoop, but time has been getting away from the past couple of weeks.  The remaining Mystery Bag items will probably go up on Friday.  Click through to see the rest of the swatches!

Zoya Maria Luisa Swatches

Hey, guys!  I totally forgot I had taken these pictures and started freaking out a little bit about what other greens I had to show you...  And then I finally remembered that I had these and all was well with the world!  Click through to see the rest of the swatches...

Blogiversary Giveaway!

It's hard to believe, but today is my four year blogiversary!  My, how time flies...  I made my first blog post on this date in 2011, and a lot has changed since then.  I went from working in retail to working in hospitality, a switch I'm glad I made.  I went from posting sporadically to a regular update schedule.  I went from mostly swatching eyeshadow to almost exclusively featuring nail polish.  I went from not owning any nail polish to having a ginormous stash and feeling naked if I don't have something on my nails.  Thank you for reading my silly little blog and coming along for the ride.  I really appreciate it.  And I'm holding a blogiversary giveaway to show you, my readers, some much-deserved appreciation!  There are two prizes, and eight ways to enter.  The giveaway is open to all readers ages 18+, and ends at 12:00 a.m. 3/23/15.  Winners will be posted next Monday, 3/23, and required to provide contact info within 48 hours or forfeit their prize.  Good luck!

Prizes:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

First Impressions - FingerPaints Gel-Like Base and Top Coats + Hard As Steel Strengthener

*Press Sample*

Today is going to be a rare day in that I will not have any nail photos in my post!  I want to talk to you guys about some products that FingerPaints graciously sent for my review.  Last week I told you about their new Grab It! Base Coat and Smooth Over Ridge Filler, which I really liked.  This week, I have a product that I was pretty neutral about and two that just didn't work for me.  Click through to read more.