How to we feel about press on nails?

Okey dokey....

So it's getting a tad late here in Nashvegas but I am still awake pondering the deepest concepts in the universe...

And by that I mean that I am thinking long and hard about press on nails.

Ok.

So 1994 (or so) brought the huuuge trend of Lee Press on Nails.... Example:

Loooovely right?

And I am not going to pretend that I didn't try them out at some point in my angsty preteen years.

Well, fast forward a bit to a converstion I had with a fabulous and - might I add - stylish lady...

I was admiring her fabulous FLORESCENT nail color when she dropped a bomb on me.

The nails were fake - FAKE!

And by "fake" I don't mean glue on but good old fashioned press on nails.

I was speechless - which never happens!

So, I did a little research and it seems like the press on nail trend has rebounded and caught up to 2013
=)

Let me introduce you to our new found friend:

Impress Press On Manicure

They seem SO fabulous and are most definitely not the cheapy plastic of yesteryear!

I haven't PERSONALLY tried them YET but a dear real life AND bloggy friend (Hellllloooo Elly!) did and they were a HIT!!  She is seriously the most style savvy person I know in real life so I trust her opinion without question...She used the super bright pink ones and they were A-MAZING!
I think I stared at her hands (in a non-creepy way? Is that's possible...) most of the day...

A couple fun facts that she shared with moi:

* Buy the short ones... Even the short ones are long and need filing down.

* They were able to come off pretty easily  - which was the part I was worried about! Apparently, the package tells you to put a little nail polish remover around the edges of the nails and let it sit for a few minutes, then peel them off.... She was able to get the off suuuper easily!

So lovelies - have any of you tried them?? Thoughts??

March Birchbox Review

March Birchbox has arrived!  

Woot woot!

I seriously can not explain how much I adore seeing that little hot pink box in my mailbox =)  Makes the bills it usually sits on top of easier to handle!

Here are the goodies I got to play with this month...

This little wonder seems to get very mixed reviews... Some people find it to me way to sticky and others rave about its awesomeness.  Here is my two cents : I liked it okay.  The smell was great and it for sure pumped up the volume!  I tend to only products like this when I am just wanting a little help with 2nd day hair that's about to be tossed up into some sort of bun situation.  Honestly though, I don't use dry shampoo enough to rationalize ever paying $25 for it BUT dry shampoo seems to be one of those products that 'you get what you pay for' with cheaper products giving slightly less awesome results.... Soooo. I think I just talked in a circle =)

I received 3 packets of this lotion and really liked them all!! They smell WONDERFUL and were not greasy in any way!  My fav was the Tea Olive Lime =) While I wouldn't normally spend $22 on lotion, the temptation with this lovely would be high... it's that awesome!

I wasn't familiar with this brand before now but loooved this eye makeup remover! It was gentle but effective AND the company itself is charity driven! For every "Make" product you buy, 1/3 of all sales go a fund that helps develop women led, worker owned small businesses! Love it!

I also received a super teeny lipstick sample from Make. The color is pretty neutral and matte... It's the perfect size for the makeup bag I keep in my work bag!

Um. Its a pretty nail file ... Into the purse it went =)

So. I also recently decided to give Glossy Box a whirl and am eagerly anticipating its arrival.  I'll be sure to over share on that too... I'd love to hear if any of you do beauty monthly subscriptions =)

Current Cosmetic Obsessions - February

About a month ago I shared some of my current cosmetic obsessions and thought, since the word 'current' implies 'up to date', now might be a good time to share some NEW make up obsessions =)  

I am still completely enamored by the goodies I jabbered about a few weeks ago but have added a couple new lovelies to my stash!

Now. 

Before I begin...

 ( I know.... longest. lead in. to a blog post. EVER.)

It is important to note that my move to Nashville has left a void in my life called - Ulta.  Granted, there are Sephora's and Cosmetic Market's abound but no Ulta's.  The only one is about an hour away...

Well, because Jesus loves me a whoooole lot my route to Monteagle took me right by said Ulta =)

Cue the Hallelujah chorus =)

I was very focused though and was in an out in a timely manner... I sort of had an idea of the things I needed wanted and knew better than to let myself get sucked into the aisles and aisles and AISLES of fabulous cosmestic goodies.  So, without further adieu, here are the things that followed me home:

*  Ulta Fabulous Face Pressed Powder in Light - Medium

I LOVE this product... the coverage is fabulous and rivals the Pur Minerals products I used to be obsessed with!

* Ulta Baked Bronzer *

Not to sound dramatic (cause that would be sooo out of character) but this may be the most perfect bronzer I have ever found.  I felt like I looked like I just wandered in off the beach....minus the fabulous wind swept hair and bag of gossip magazines.

* Ulta Mineral Blush in Peony *

I'm not usually a big blush wearer and, honestly, before I discovered the wonder that is Hot Mama by The Balm, I was always really uninterested.  Well.  This is a close rival to Hot Mama... I. LOOOVE. IT. Gives the perfect flushed appearance that I was looking for without making me look like I just got popped on the cheeks by someone hostile =)

* Ulta Nail Polish in Boogie Nights *

I can't even express how much I adore this product.... It is a glittery nail polish with a super fun name... that is about all I require =) Seriously though, the coverage is super and it dries uber fast!

*  Sally Hansen Lip Inflation in Sheer Buff *

Ok... I was obsessed with trying this product because a) I love lip plumper and b) I think that Sally Hansen can do no wrong =)  Weeeeeelllllllll..... I am glad I tried it but not sure I can buy it again until they change the brush =) I LOVE the color and the plumping action but the little application brush makes me batty.  Can someone explain to me why they thought that teeny tiny brush was a good idea?

Ok... your turn... what can you not live without?? Don't hold out on me people... I need the info =)

Friday Favs

Happy Friday friends!!  

We made it through the week and oh my what a week it was!! Kate's little public appreance was my highlight  because, obviously, I have a problem.  

In honor of Friday, here are a few of my favorite things that I think you should know about =)

*  I recently discovered this amazing jewel of a website - Temptalia...

Ohmygoodness. This site has more information than my brain could even BEGIN to handle.  There are make-up reviews, tutorials and countless other amounts of amazing-ness.  Seriously. This is by far the most amazing website of its kind I've found.

Best part?

I hope you're sitting down.

There is a whole section that is make-up dupes! You can put in brands, colors, or even TYPES of pretties and they are cross referenced for you.  Super useful for finding affordable versions of high end products! 

*  Please. Watch this video... Shout out to a spirit of fearlessness and courage that I hope I can one day embody just a smidge of...Dance like no ones watching people cause this girl.... THIS girl gets her boogie on.

*  This.
Gives me chills.

* And this.
Makes me giggle....
and feel slightly better about the fact that I am often sliiiightly behind schedule - which is a nice way of saying I'm late a lot.

Excuse me while I go and plan out a dance number for the Walmart.

What are some favs that you should share? Don't leave me out of the loop =)

February Birchbox Review

I can't even begin to express how much I LOVE Birchbox - A monthly delivery of cosmetics?? Yes please! Getting that pink box in the mail is like Christmas!  If you are unfamiliar with Birchbox, let me fill you in on this wonder of the cosmetic world =)  If you know what I'm jabbering about, feel free to skip on to the review of this months products.

 For $10 , you receive a set of samples in the mail every month!  Usually I get between 4 - 6 moderately sized samples and they are almost always product lines I've never tried.  You can even go on and review the products you've received and earn points that can be spent like cash on full sized products. Recently, I know Birchbox has caught a little flack for always sending "perfumes" and "measly sizes"and, to that, I have to say, while I do tend to get lots of perfume and moisturizer samples, I find the products they send to be great!  Not to mention that their customer service is stellar and I think that counts for alot =)  They products even come in the most fabulous brown boxes that are super reusable!

Okey dokey... this month's box was RIIIIGHT up my alley as it was themed on - drum roll please - 

preparing for your own personal red carpet =) Perfect huh? Ok, here we go....

Color Club Fiesta Collection in Wild Cactus

We all know that I have an obsession with nail polish so I am pumped for this little beauty! It is a gorgeous bright green and I actually don't have anything like it!  I sampled it on my thumb just to see how many coats it needed and found that I got a great, opaque color after two solid coats.  I've used Color Club before and found it to be a great line overall!

Dr. Jart Black Label Detox BB Beauty Balm

This little wonder is a multi functional Beauty Balm that uses its SPF 25 to protect skin and, at the same time, covers blemishes and corrects uneven skin tone.  It contains all sorts of magical wonder chemicals that are supposed to improve your skin with use!  Beauty Balms are becoming alllll the rage so I'm stoked for this one!

Beauty Protector Protect & Detangle

First, let's give a shout out to the pretty black & red bottle shall we? Pretty packaging goes far with me =) This little wonder may be my favorite thing in the package this month! It is a leave in mist that conditions, protects hair from heat and sun, AND detangles.  AND the bottle is pretty. What else do ya need?

Juicy Couture La La Fragrance

Okey dokey....In the spirit of full disclosure, I should share that I am not usually a huge fan of anything Juicy Couture - especially not their clothes.  They are a little flashy for my taste BUT this was ok.  I love that it comes in its own little atomizer!  I don't think I'd buy this particular fragrance (its a smidge too floral) but I'll use the sample =)

Bonus!  This month included a yummy treat....

Ghirardelli Milk & Caramel Squares!

Do you get Birchbox or do you use another monthly beauty sample club? I'd love to hear from you!

Look what I spotted!

ooooohhhhh...... I popped over to Haute Look today - as I do everyday cause I'm OBSESSED - to see what fabulous lovelies I could wish for  they had today and looky looky looky....

IT'S LIKE THEY READ MY BLOG =) I was just sharing yesterday the wonderment that is The Balm 'Hot Mama!' blush/shadow combo and now it can be yours for a steal of a price!

(I sound like a used car salesman...)

(Not that there is anything wrong with being a used car salesman.. I just mean that I sound like I'm hawking this stuff to you - which I'm not.... I just love it =)  )

(You didn't think that at all and now I've made this mow awkward... Let's move on shall we?) 

The deals that Hautelook has on the whole line of The Balm goodies is A-MAZING!! I've never tried any of the nail polishes but for five smackers it might be worth it! The double sided brushes also look like a blasty blast!

If you are unfamiliar with Haute Look, you should totally check it out!! It is a members only that does limited time sales event (sorta like flash sales) on all sorts of wonders!  If you need an invite, let me know by either leaving a comment or emailing ( lifeontheredcarpet@gmail.com ) and I'll shoot you one =)

Happy shopping!!
Kristi

Current Cosmetic Obsessions - January

I looove me some cosmetics.  Unleash me in an Ulta, Sephora, or really anywhere with more than a couple bottles of nail polish for sale and I am going to be a happy (and possibly broke ) girl.  While I tend to have a more casual day to day look, I like to keep my make-up arsenal well stocked and majorly enjoy this perk of being a girl =)  (Keep this fact in mind because if we ever meet in person the chance of me being in a hat or with possibly with chipped nails is high....)  Here are a few of my current favorite obsessions...

* Bobbi Brown Concealer & Corrector *

Oh sweet Bobbi Brown... If I ever find myself in the same room with her I will hug her neck and thank her for this little miracle in compact form! Thanks to the genius of Ms. Brown, I can convince the world around me that I am well rested and take my make-up off every night due to my faaaabulous complexion =) Seriously. This corrector and concealer combo is A-MAZING and worth every penny.

* Hot Mama! by The Balm *

So, I have seen this brand around before but never jumped in. Then a small sample appeared in last months Birchbox (more on that wonder of the world later) and I. Was. HOOKED. I was the kind of hooked where you repent for every day you didn't know this amazing gem existed.  This is a highlighter/ eye shadow/ blush super cosmetic with the most perfect shimmery hue ever! 

* Too Faced Natural Eye Palate *

Please join me in a moment of silence for the most perfect eye palate I have ever discovered.  I LOOOVE these eye shadows!  I was a little late to the party on this one and finally bought my own after mooching off of a friend's forever =) I tend to mainly use the "Everyday" trio and was recently uber sad to discover you can't buy any of those shades solo.... You have to replace the whole thing! Way to go Too Faced.... that's quiet a little gimmick you have goin'. I mean -  I'll do it but I still think it's shady.

Ok... your turn... what are some of your current favs?? Don't hold out on me - I NEED to know =)