Review: Influenster Surf's Up VoxBox!

The products in this post were sent to me for review. All opinions are my own.

Hey there! I was really excited to get my first box of products to review from Influenster. The Surf's Up VoxBox is full of items that are perfect for a fun summer! Read on...

1. Sinful Colors Sage Rose

Sinful Colors Sage Rose. One coat with Out the Door topcoat.

Yep, I got a nail polish to review! It's like they read my mind! Sage Rose is a metallic fuchsia that was opaque in one coat. Buuuut...holy brushstrokes, Batman. My photo makes the brushstrokes look worse than they are, but this still isn't my favorite finish. The color is pretty though!

2. First Aid Shot Therapy Pain Relief

First Aid Shot Therapy would be great for the morning after a big party! The bottle contains one dose of choline salicylate (an NSAID) with caffeine in liquid form. It's berry-flavored, but it still tasted kind of medicinal to me. I took it when I had a headache. It definitely got rid of the pain, but it didn't seem to be any faster than taking a pill would be.

3. Hawaiian Tropic Silk Hydration

Hawaiian Tropic Silk Hydration after-sun lotion soothes and hydrates your skin and is also supposed to help preserve your tan. Although I feel I have to point out that tanning is NOT healthy (it's a sign your skin has been damaged) and you should always wear sunscreen outdoors! Maybe a better use for this lotion would be after you go swimming, since chlorine makes your skin feel icky.

The lotion is very light and non-greasy and definitely made my skin feel soft. It's sticky for a few minutes after you apply it, but that feeling goes away. The coconut-papaya scent isn't very strong, so it probably won't bother those with sensitive noses. This lotion contains some natural ingredients, like shea and mango butter, but they're waaay down the list of ingredients.

I think I'll take this stuff with me on vacation!

4. Not Your Mother's Beach Babe Texturizing Shampoo and Conditioner

I was disappointed to get these in my box, since I've tried a texturizing product before and it definitely didn't work. My hair is just too fine and straight for this kind of product--it does NOT want to be wavy! But of course I had to try these two anyway.

Not Your Mother's Beach Babe shampoo and conditioner are supposed to give your hair beach waves and volume. You use them like regular shampoo and conditioner, then towel-dry your hair. It seems to be a trend that you aren't supposed to blow-dry when using texturizing products...too bad, because my hair looks like crap unless I blow-dry it. Flat and frizzy, yuck! So I didn't look great when I tried this shampoo and conditioner. Plus I didn't really see any extra waves.

On the bright side, they worked perfectly well as a shampoo and conditioner; my hair felt clean and soft afterwards. They also make your hair smell like coconuts, if you like that sort of thing (I do!). And they're sulfate-free, which is great! So if you've had success with other texturizing products, you might have good luck here.

5. Jamba All-Natural Smoothies in Orange Dream Machine

I saved my favorite product for last! I got a coupon for a free package of Jamba All Natural Smoothies, which contains chunks of frozen fruit and yogurt. All you have to do is add a cup of apple juice and blend everything together. The Orange Dream Machine flavor has peaches, orange and vanilla yogurt.

One package makes about sixteen ounces of smoothie--enough for me and my husband! This flavor is reminiscent of creamsicles, but with extra peachy flavor. The smoothie was nice and thick, with a perfect amount of sweetness! We were both big fans! I'd like to see this sold in bigger packages that you can use more than once.


That's that! I loved the smoothies and the lotion best, although I'm always happy to get a new nail polish too! Have you tried any of these products? Which would you take on vacation with you?

The products in this post were sent to me for review. All opinions are my own.

The Neverending Pile Challenge: ILNP Washing Ashore

The product in this post was purchased by me. All opinions are my own.

Happy Friday! Today's Neverending Pile Challenge theme is a random untried. I took this prompt literally and told Excel to pick a random number in my stash list, then I wore the polish it picked. Luckily it picked a really gorgeous one for me!

I Love Nail Polish Washing Ashore is a multichrome metallic that shifts from steel blue to a sort of mermaid teal to blue/indigo and even a little to purple at extreme angles. It also has some tiny blue and gold sparks! Mr. ALIQUID proclaimed, "It looks like a fly's eye." Wall of pictures incoming!

ILNP Washing Ashore. Two coats with Out the Door topcoat.

Here are some sunlight pictures:

The formula was easy to use, as usual for this brand. I haven't tried a single ILNP yet that I haven't loved! Since this is a metallic, I did get some brushstrokes, but not enough to make me grumpy. (I was too busy staring at the color shift!) I would also make sure to use a ridge-filling basecoat if you have deep ridges like I do.

Washing Ashore is available at I Love Nail Polish's shop ($12.50 for 12 ml). I have to agree with some of the reviews there that the bottle shots and swatch on that page are misleading--the polish is darker in real life than it appears there.

The product in this post was purchased by me. All opinions are my own. 

Swatch: Pretty & Polished Life is a Bowl of Cranberries

The product in this post was purchased by me. All opinions are my own.

Happy Sunday! Last week I got my second Pretty & Polished subscription box! This box contained two exclusive polishes, a mini thermal polish, a mini nail file, samples of handmade soap and cuticle butter, and some little nail studs! I decided to try on one of the exclusive polishes, just to give you an idea of what you might receive if you buy a subscription box.

Life is a Bowl of Cranberries is a metallic polish that shifts from purple to burgundy to red and orange. It looks different in every light--love it!

Pretty & Polished Life is a Bowl of Cranberries. Three coats with Out the Door topcoat.

The formula on this polish was pretty typical for a metallic. I had to be careful not to use too many strokes for each coat to prevent dragging. I got some brushstrokes, but not too bad. Three coats were needed for opacity.

This last photo is in indirect sunlight, where you can see the polish looks way different than under my lamp! Reminds me of a sunset!

Since Life is a Bowl of Cranberries was exclusive to this month's beauty box, it's not available for sale, but you can sign up for the next beauty box and see what surprises you get!

The product in this post was purchased by me. All opinions are my own.

Swatch: Ellagee Fame

The product in this post was purchased with a blogger discount. All opinions are my own.

Today I have for you the second of three Ellagee polishes that I bought recently. Fame is a metallic multichrome that shifts from purple to copper to gold and even a little green. It also has lots of silver and copper sparks. You know I love my multichrome polishes, so let's jump in!

I started with two coats of Ellagee's Grip basecoat, since, as we discovered yesterday, one coat wasn't quite enough to fill all my ridges. This time I think my nails came out really smooth!

Now here's a shot of the "base" color of Fame, a silvery purple with hints of copper.

Ellagee Fame. Two coats with two coats Ellagee Grip basecoat. Out the Door topcoat.

Instead of fiddling with angles and lighting to capture the color shift, I decided to try the hand-in-water trick. It took me several shots to get it right, but I think I captured the shift pretty well! (And look how pale I am, geez...)

"Fame" is definitely a perfect name for this polish. It has a very high-fashion, rich look with a bit of a sinister side!

The formula was just about the right thickness for me, although it didn't want to self-level, so I had to manipulate it a bit. I did get slightly visible brushstrokes on some nails. Two coats was just barely opaque. (I wonder how this would look layered over black?) Dry time was good. [Update 1/30: We discovered that the polish I received came from a bad batch that was thickening up in the cold weather. The new batch is much easier to apply!]

Fame is available at ellagee.com ($11 for 15 ml). Grip basecoat is $6.50 for 15 ml. Check out the company's Facebook page too! Ellagee polishes are 5-free!

 The product in this post was purchased with a blogger discount. All opinions are my own.

31-Day Challenge #31: honor nails you love

Well, I made it...the final day of the 31-Day Challenge! I almost can't believe I managed to do 31 manis in a row. There were definitely some days when I really didn't feel like painting my nails, but in the end I'm glad I stuck it out. This month I tried several techniques for the first time and expanded my repertoire of nail art by quite a lot; I also discovered many great blogs to follow! I'm looking forward to doing the challenge again next year (but not before, heh!).

The final prompt is "honor nails you love". I think my favorite nail art blogger has to be Chalkboard Nails; she has impeccable technique, her nails always look fantastic, plus she takes perfect photos! I decided to reproduce her metallic mani from Day 8 of this challenge. When I saw her pictures, I thought, "whoa, how did she do that??" but it turned out to be very simple! (The best kind of nail art!)

Instead of a gradient, I randomly sponged on several metallic polishes for the base color. (I think it turned out a little too subtle.) I used China Glaze Swing Baby, Sephora by OPI I Only Shop Vintage, Revlon Enthrall, Hard Candy Crush on Tin, and OPI The World is Not Enough. For the "distressed" effect I applied Revlon Stiletto after wiping most of the polish off the brush.

I made another collage for the final third of the challenge. Click to see my previous manis!




I also thought I'd be slightly vain for a moment and pick the challenge manis I'm most proud of. I think my top three would have to be:

#21 Inspired by a Color--my version of a waterfall mani. I just think it turned out really pretty, and apparently it's my #1 challenge mani among visitors to the blog!

#23 Inspired by a Movie--probably my best freehand effort so far. It's not perfect, but it makes me smile!

#30 Inspired by a tutorial--one-stroke flowers. The one-stroke technique is one I've been interested in for a long time, but never managed to get right until this time.








OK, that's all, folks. Now I'm off to give my nails a break for a few days. :-D Don't forget to check out the final challenge posts from all these other lovely ladies! (And thanks again to More Nail Polish for organizing the linkup!)

31-Day Challenge #8: metallic

I couldn't come up with a cute name for today's mani, but I like it! I was playing around with my newfound ability to use striper brushes. (Please forgive the dog hair stuck to my finger; somehow I always miss those...)

The designs are kind of like abstract flowers, or at least that's what they remind me of. I used Maybelline Bold Gold for the base and Zoya Logan and OPI Sprung for the designs. (Sprung is really pretty--I wore it on my other hand!)


Look at all the other amazing metallic manis!