Product Review: Sinful Colors Nail Colors

Oh My Goodness it is Product Review Time!

So, I have not done a product review in quite a while.  Some of you have sent me messages asking me why.  Well, here is the answer:  I like to actually use the product for a bit before I review it.  I want to give it a fair shot.  That means that unless I have a really bad allergic reaction to the product, and I avoid things that contain things I am allergic to like nobody’s business, I will use an entire bottle/tube/box/whatever-it-is-packaged-in before I review it.  Today I will be reviewing Sinful Colors nail colour.

A question that you may be asking is what is Nail Enamel?  Nail Enamel is similar to Nail Polish and Nail Lacquer in that they are painted on the nails.  The difference comes in how they dry.  Enamel dries from the outside in, Lacquer from the inside out, and Polish dries like regular paint in a fairly sporadic way.  There are pros and cons to each and depending on what you are doing, depends on what you want to use.  If you have all the time in the world, go for just the regular Nail Polish.  If you want a good product and do not have a lot of time for drying go with the Nail Enamel.  However, if you have a couple hours to spend on your nails then go for a Nail Lacquer.

So, what exactly is Sinful Colors?  Sinful Colors is a Nail Enamel that is made in the United States.  You can buy it at numerous stores like Wal-Mart, Target, and Walgreens.  It comes in so many different colours it is sort of ridiculous.  I have a lot of different colours.  They are known more for their ridiculously bright colours, but they also have plenty of neutral colours as well.  They also have top coats and base coats.  They also have glittery colours, mattes, pearls, and the standard cream.  They also have a new gel type nail enamel that is available only at Walgreens.  Some places also sell the Magnetic nail polish as well.  Here are some of the colours that I own.

 

Besides the wide variety of colour there are some other great things about this Nail Enamel.  First thing is that it has a relatively quick drying time even for nail enamel.  I will paint my nails and I am pretty much good to do whatever I want to in about five minutes.  Also, because of the wide variety of colours and quick drying time it makes doing nail art an easy job.  I love doing nail art with this stuff.  The colour goes on very evenly and has a very smooth consistency.  I have not any problems with the enamel running when I do my nail art.  It is not runny and it is not so thick that you cannot brush it on easily.  It makes it very easy to work with.  I have never had any problems with the brush.  On other nail products I sometimes have problems with the brushes.  Either they are too big, too small, or they fall apart and I end up with parts of the brush in my nail polish.   It is also really easy to use toothpicks or smaller brushes to do details on nail art.  In terms of price, it is fairly inexpensive.  The store where I usually buy it has it for about $2.  Once applied, I have not had a problem with it chipping even without putting a top coat on.  I work with my hands a lot so that is pretty important to me when using a nail colour.

The negatives are few on this product.  The first thing that comes to mind is that sometimes I have problems getting the blue shades off, but most blue nail polish type products.  I also find that the reds make my fingers turn red. As I am removing the red nail colours.  While I do like the all different types of nail enamels that they have the pearl colours go on a little see through.  That is not as much of a problem since it dries quickly and you can paint several layers pretty quickly.  Also, if you really like a shade you might pick up a few bottles of it because they discontinue shades to release new ones.  However, since they are not very expensive it is really easy to pick up a few bottles. 

Overall, this is a great product and I would recommend it to anyone that asks.  I do not have any major complaints compared to other nail colours.  So, if you are looking for a wide selection of colours that is amazing quality with a low price this is the product for you.  I love it.

Well, I hope you found this review informative!  I had fun trying all the different colours.  Also, the different colours have pretty fun names.  I adore this product and hope that you will too!  Below is a link to their website.

Stay lovely and beautiful everyone!

Sinful Colors on the Web

Sick of Stress? Me Too! Let's Lern Some Tips on How to Deal With it!

Greetings and Salutations everyone!

Well, these past couple of weeks have been a bit stressful.  Yes, I have been happy and cheery when talking to others and when making my posts on here.  That being said, people that know about this stress know about it and that is good for me.  I do not particularly want to muddle up your happy thoughts with my stress.  Instead, what I am going to do is give you all some of the tips that I follow to help with stress!  I hope that you all find them helpful as well!

Tip One

 

 

Oh William James.  I was never overly fond of reading his work, but this quote of his has always struck with me.  The reason being is it is very true.  You can always choose to not think about the things that stress you out.  Nobody is forcing you to be stressed out.  So, if something is stressing you out.  Try not to think about it.  Take some time to calm your mind before you make a stupid choice made in stress.  Stupid choices can be dangerous.  Maybe not in the present moment, but possibly in the long run.  You might not think too much of it now, butt later you might regret it.

 

Tip Two

Go to the park and play on the swings and various other playground equipment.  Not only does that burn calories, but it has the tendency to make you happy.  Maybe it makes you happy because you remember happy times in your childhood, or maybe it makes you think about how goofy you must look as an adult on a tiny piece of playground equipment.  I do.  I do it every chance I get.  I love to go play at the park and I am a quarter of a century old! 

 

Tire swings are my favorite!  So, get out and go to the park!  It has so many good benefits for your health.  Also, some parks have outdoor plays or concerts.  There are so many things to do when you go.

Tip Three

Do you have younger siblings or nieces and nephews?  Go hang out with them.  Take them for ice cream or to the park.  Not only will they think that you are awesome, but it will give you a chance to act goofy and have an excuse.  Little kids are awesome!  They are true to themselves and do not try to impress everyone.  People can learn a lot from little kids.  So, go out there and have fun with your family.   For those of you who do not know a great deal about me, I come from a huge family and we’re all pretty close.  I mean we have parties just for the heck of it.  Sure, we may not get along all the time, but we still love each other and help each other out with our problems.  The old saying is true you know, friends may come and go, but family is forever.  Here are some goofy pictures of my family and I for your giggles.

Tip Four

Eat chocolate!  Apparently it can give you the feeling of being in love.  Love makes you happy!  It is a wonderful stress relief.  This looks amazing to me.  So, go out and get some chocolate!  These are some of my favorite chocolate products. 

 

I recommend the Mars Bars…the British ones not the American ones.

Tip Five

Go make something.  Cook something, sew something, do something crafty.  Plant a garden.  Do something productive and be proud of what you have done.  Remember everyone is good at different things and you just have to find what you are good at.  For example, I am really good at doing sewing.  Check out this skirt that I made.

 

I am not so great at playing the Great Highland Bag Pipes or wearing the colour white as a turtle neck.  I probably should have not done that.  Doing something that you are good at gives you something to be proud of.  I stress out whenever I have something to do that I am not very good at.  So, I try to intersperse it with things I’m good at if I can. 

 

Tip Six

Click on this little emoticon. *\(^_^)/*  You cannot help but laugh at his profile picture.  Really, well played. 

Tip Seven

You know how at office supply stores they have giant rolls of bubble wrap.  It is true!  They do!  Go buy one and roll around on it.  It is so much fun and relieves stress like nobody’s business.  It also feels like you are getting a massage.  Massages make you feel pretty dang okay with the world.

Tip Eight

Go listen to this song by clicking on this picture.

 There is great truth in that song.  Either that or type in “Epic Soundtracks” into the Pandora Radio station.  It sounds like you are saving the world.  Who doesn’t love saving the world?  Just go listen to your favorite songs.  You will feel pretty okay with the world.

 

Tip Nine

Just remember that you cannot change the past.  You should not even try.  Things happen, people make mistakes, and the world goes on.  Nobody is perfect and nobody expects you to be either.  If they do expect that of you then they probably are not worth your time.  Just be yourself and not worry about the past.  You cannot change it.  Sometimes it feels like you are weighed down by your past mistakes, but if you just let go of that worry you will feel a lot better.   

So, I hope that this helps you all out.  These tips might not work for you.  They work for me and some of them are pretty easy to do.  However, you have to do what is best for you.  Sometimes it will not be easy.  Everyone has been through some hard times.  Believe me, I have.  You should not try to live in the past.  Learn from your mistakes and use what you have learned to improve your life now and in the future.  If in doubt think about how lucky you are to be where you are to worry about what you are worried about right now.  There are people all over the world that are far worse off than you.  So smile, be happy to be alive and well! 

Stay beautiful and stress free my lovelies!

Speaking of people that are in far worse condition than a lot of people in the world; at the moment there are over 1million children and other people displaced from their homes because of crisis in Syria.  The number is rising every hour of every day.  If you would like to help by donating please click on one of the links below!

UNICEF USA

UNICEF UK

UNICEF Worldwide





The Lovely Ladies that I Adore! Part Two

Hello Again Everyone!

It is time for second part of my Lovely Ladies that I Adore post.  The first part can be found by scrolling down or by clicking here.  In my first post I talked about the wonderful Wanda Ventham.  Today’s post will be about Dame Vivienne Westwood.  Yep, she’s a Dame.  How fancy!  So, on with Part Two!

For those of you who have no idea who Vivienne Westwood is: where have you been?  Under a rock?!  How do you not know who Vivienne Westwood is?  Anyways,  enough of my short questioning rant.  Vivienne Westwood is one of the most widely known English designers.  She is mostly known for her influence on Punk fashion.  For those of you who are fans of the Sex Pistols, they wore her designs a lot of the time.  This was mainly in part because she and the band’s ex-manager, Malcolm McLaren, had a clothing boutique where they sold their designs.  Gwen Stefani has worn Westwood designs and even Princess Eugenie has worn a good deal of Westwood.  For those of you who watch Sherlock on BBC, Jim Moriarty wears Westwood suits. 

So, what about this lady makes me adore her?  Well, have you actually seen a picture of her?  Here are some that I found on Pinterest.  She is the one in the front in the middle of the first picture.

 
 

Yeah, the lady is in her 70’s and she still dresses like that.  Why?  Because she is Vivienne Westwood dang it and she does not care what you think!  Here are a couple of  fairly normal pictures of her.  I also found it on Pinterest. 

 

 

 

 

 

She really is a beautiful lady and boy has she aged well too.  She is like a fantastic wine.  Vivienne Westwood has all the courage in the world when it comes to fashion.  I mean seriously would you wear that?  I would if I was a braver soul.  She wears what she wants and wears it with such confidence that everyone just seems to go along with it.  I would love to have that sort of confidence.  As it is, I am still a fairly shy person in comparison to Dame Westwood.  I adore and respect her for what she does.  She has made a statement in the fashion world and she is not going to be going anywhere soon.  Wild as her fashion is, I love it!  It is just so out there that you cannot help but look.  It draws the eye’s attention.  You cannot help it.  There is just so much colour and varying patterns that you just want to look at all of it.  It is like a sensory feast for the eyes and my eyes want to stuff themselves until they explode.

Besides her work in the world of fashion, Vivienne Westwood is an inspiration to me because of her life story.  How so?  Did you know that Dame Westwood was a Primary School teacher before making big in the fashion world?  What?!  Yes, you heard that right.  Eccentric Vivienne Westwood taught little kids.  How much fun that must have been!  I would have loved to have been one of her students.  I can just imagine her being the best teacher in the world.  She went from being as she once called herself, “a working-class girl”, to one of the most well-known fashion designers in the world.  Personally, I think that is pretty awesome.  Sure, she had some rough spots along the way like anyone else.  Hell, I have had a few rough spots in my life.  I think everyone has.  It is part of life.  Dame Westwood rose above those and still walks down the runway with her models!

In short, Dame Vivienne Westwood is an eccentric lady that has overcome the odds and made it huge in the world of fashion.  She is not afraid to be herself.  She oozes confidence and likeability.  If you walked up to her and told her you did not like her she probably would not give a damn and tell you off.  She speaks her mind about things and does not really care what people think.  Also, she is quite the activist.  She is passionately involved in the causes she believes in. So, hurray for Dame Vivienne Westwood!  I hold a great deal of respect for this lady for many things and I always will.

Well, that is it.  I hope you learned a smidge more about me and you learned some more about Vivienne Westwood.  Below is a like to her website.  Enjoy the eye feast for both men and women.  Her designs can be a bit pricy, but they are well made and worth the money.  Also, not all of the pieces are out there.  There are some that I would absolutely love to own for wearing at work on a regular basis.  I might post more about some of the people of the world that I adore, but for now, you get these two lovely ladies.

Until next time!  Stay lovely and classy everyone!

Vivienne Westwood Website

The Lovely Ladies that I Adore! Part One

Ehrerbietige Grüsse an Alle!

Well, today I figured I would talk to you all about something that I have been asked about quite a bit as of recent when people come in to the place where I work.  That question is, who inspires you in terms of fashion?  Well, there are two people actually.  One of which I have adored since I was a little girl and the other since I was in high school.  These two lovely ladies are Dame Vivienne Westwood and Wanda Ventham.  So, what is this post going to be about today?  Today I am going to tell you a little bit about these ladies and why I love them and look up to them as much as I do.  I will be breaking this in to two parts as both are quite long descriptions.  So, on with the first part of my post! 

First off I will tell you about the amazing lady that I have adored since I was a little girl.  Now, the first time I saw this lady was when my parents, mostly my mother, sat me down in front of the telly to watch British sitcoms, sci-fi shows, and movies.  The show that I first saw her on was a little sci-fi show that I bet 90% of you have never heard of and if you have then I am seriously impressed with you and I feel like I should bake you cookies; UFO.  This show ran from 1970- 24 July 1971.  The only reason I know the date of the last show on the original run of the series is because my birthday is 24 July.  That is also the reason why I make it a point to watch the show on my birthday.  The lady in question, if you haven’t already gone to look it up because of my rambling,  is the lovely Wanda Ventham.  I know a great number of people know here as Benedict Cumberbatch’s mother, but I honestly had no idea who in the seven hells he was until quite recently.  On the show Miss Ventham played Colonel Virginia Lake.  Now, I actually have two reasons for thinking so highly of Wanda Ventham.  First, have you seen pictures of her?  She is freaking gorgeous!  I mean seriously, she is 78 years old and she has aged amazingly well.  I hope that I age as well as she does.  Below is a pictures that I found on Pinterest, the glorious site that I am slightly addicted to, of Wanda Ventham when she was on UFO and a from "The Sun" website more recent picture of her and Timothy Carlton.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Is she not beautiful!  Amazing!  She is a super classy lady too.  Just to top it all off and I read somewhere that she collects owls.  I adore her even more now.  The other reason that I look up to her is because of her character on UFO.  Colonel Virginia Lake was one of the first women that I ever saw placed in a position of authority on a show.  She was a Colonel for crying out loud!  She was also the specialist when it came to working with the computers and eventually became the Moonbase Commander.  Awesome!  She is the person that got me interested in working with computers and doing science.  I actually went off and studied physics and astronomy in part because of her.   So, while the majority of the world my only see the wonderful and beautiful Miss Wanda Ventham as Benedict Cumberbatch’s mother and the wife of Timothy Carlton, to me she will always be the first actress that I ever looked up to for anything at all.  In fact, I actually had no idea she was even married to Timothy Carlton.  It was not until one of my friends made me sit down and watch Sherlock that I even knew who the heck Benedict Cumberbatch was or that he even existed.  My first reaction to finding out, and this is recorded and quite possibly floating around in cyber space somewhere, went about like the following.

 

“Did you know that Wanda Ventham has a son?”- My friend when we were watching Sherlock and there was a commercial on.

“No.  What’s his name?  I bet he is friggin’ gorgeous!”-Me

“Umm…Benedict Cumberbatch.  He plays Sherlock.”- Friend

“You mean to tell me that the guy that looks like Timothy Carlton is Wanda Ventham’s son?” –Me

“Yeah, you didn’t know that?”-Friend

“No! Who is her husband?”-Me

“Timothy Carlton! Oh my God you really didn’t know?”-Friend, now laughing hysterically

“No!  I don’t pay attention to media crap like that!  She’s seriously married to Timothy Carlton?”- Me

“Yes! Go look it up!”-  Friend hands me laptop and I look it up.

“Well, strike me dumb and colour me stupid.  I guess she is.  Huh?  Well, I learned something new today.”- Me

So, yeah, I do adore Wanda Ventham.  Not only is she a wonderful actress, but she is also a classy lady.  Her character on a show that I have loved since I was young taught me that I could work with computers and rise to be a highly respected individual in the workforce.  She has and always will be the single most influential woman, outside of my family, to me.

Well, we have come to the end of part one of this topic!  I hope you learned a little bit more about me and about the amazing Wanda Ventham.  I will be posting the next half of this topic in the next couple of days! 

Until next time!  Stay lovely everyone!

Peridot: August Pretty Olive Green Birthstone

Hello everyone!

I have exciting news.  In addition to having my book published, I might be moving to London!  I have been super busy trying to get everything all situated.  I have been applying to jobs over there in management positions, some of them I was asked to apply for.  For those of you who do not know, some of my cousins live in England and some of my ancestors are from that area.  I would dearly love to be able to go visit family and see the places were my family once lived.  My family is a close knit family even though we live pretty much all over the globe.  I just got a package from my cousins in Canada the other day.  Where I live we cannot get the commemorative Royal Baby Carriage PANDORA charm.  My super amazing cousins were able to snag me one and shipped it to me.  I also went to visit my aunt last weekend and got my Miss Hedgehog charm.  This is another reason for my posts being delayed.  My aunt has not been in good health recently and we’ve been worried about her.  Also, I have had some dental work done and that has been a not so welcome treat.  I hope to be getting back on my posting schedule though.  Fingers crossed.

Anyways, today I will be talking about August’s birthstone: Peridot.  This word is mispronounced nine times out of the ten.  The “t” on the end is silent.  DON’T PRONOUNCE THE “T” AT THE END!!!  This is just one of those things that annoys the ever living daylights out of me and every jeweller that I have met.  It is pronounced like this: Pear-eh-doe.  See, it is really easy to say it correctly.  Please do so.  On with the post.

Peridot is a light green olivine mineral.  While most of the time it is a yellow-green or lime green in colour it can also be found in greenish brown and dark olive green.  However, to be a Peridot it must be an olive green.  The green colour is caused by iron in the crystal as it forms.  How much iron is in the crystal determines the colour of the stone.  The darker the olive green, the more expensive it will be since finding dark olive green Peridot is difficult.  The lighter shades of Peridot are fairly easy to find in terms of gemstones and as such it is deemed a semi-precious gem.

So, where dose Peridot come from?  Olivine stones are very abundant and can be found from the Earth all the way to far off asteroids.  Apollo 15 even brought back an Olivine stone from the moon!  On Earth though, it is fairly common and is usually found in Mafic and Igneous rocks.  This basically means that Olivine is found in volcanic areas.  In fact, Papakolea Beach in Hawai’i, Talofofo Beach in Guam, Punta Cormorant Beach in the Galapagos Islands, and Hornindalsvatnet in Norway are all green sand beaches.  The green sand is actually small olivine stones that have been eroded from nearby lava flows or Mafic rocks.

For some strange reason, many people do not find the colour of Peridot appealing.  This has always confused me as there are so many different shades of olive green it can come in.  Even though the dark green Peridot is the most desired, I find that the light almost lime green shade is very pretty.  Dark stones, if you are willing to pay for them, are sometimes mistaken for the more expensive Emerald.  As with the Emerald, it may be that many people prefer a white metal jewelry which does not suit the colour of the stone well.  Green gems look better in a yellow gold mounting as the yellow can enhance the colour.  Here is a picture of several different cuts and shades of Peridot for comparison.

 

So, now that you know about the Peridot what about buying them?  Since Peridot is not a horribly rare stone, it is not the most expensive of gems.  In fact, buying a Peridot ring in 14K gold can cost you as little as $100!  Most of that price is in the mounting itself and not the stone.  As such, the chances of getting a fake Peridot are not that high.  You can go to your local jeweller and buy loose Peridot stones starting at $6 for a small one.  If you have any questions a quick trip to your local jeweller will let you know.  However, I will tell you this much, if you are paying over $2,000 for a Peridot ring you might want to ask why.  If it has diamonds in it, that might bump the price up.  If it is in 18K gold, that can also bump the price up.  However, you can find Peridot rings with about a quarter of a carat of diamonds set in 14K gold for about $1,500 plus taxes.  So, if in doubt always ask.  You do not want to end up over paying for Peridot! 

I hope that this has been helpful to you all and that you learned something!  For those of you who would like to see it, below is a picture of the Royal Baby Carriage charm as well as the Miss Hedgehog charm!  Also is a link to my book if you all would like to purchase it.  For some reason when the book was formatted it caused some strange errors that were not there in the finished manuscript.  I apologize for that.  Hopefully when the second book in the series comes out and the new edition of this first one is released it will resolve itself.  You can also go purchase it at your local bookstore.  Anyways, enjoy!

 

Stay lovely everyone!

Fractured Bottles
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