Spring Favorites

Hey everyone :) I hope you had a lovely weekend! I want to start doing "Favorites" posts every few months so I can let you know the things I'm diggen' lately, there are so many things I love that come and go that I really am remiss in letting everyone know about. This will just be a round up of things, mostly nail related, beauty related, maybe a few miscellaneous things thrown in, I don't know I haven't quite figured it out yet.

Favorite Moisturizer as of now -  True Blue Spa Super Softening Hand Lotion Paraffin, Look Ma, New Hands. This stuff is awesome, I have it in the trial/travel size, 2.5 fl. oz and I definitely need to go back and stock up because it's amazing. I love it after I finish a manicure or just when my hands need a good drink. It smells like orange blossom. You can get it at Bath & Body Works.

Image via Bath & Body Works

Favorite Polish Remover as of now - Beauty Secrets Non-Acetone. This stuff isn't bothering my nose as much right now, it smells a little like blueberry candy maybe? And it's very cheap. I am dryer than usual and my regular acetone/glycerin cocktail remover was exacerbating the effects of the sun. This one is more moisturizing and the non-acetone isn't as bad at removing as most of the others that I've tried. You can get this at Sally Beauty. An honorable mention goes out to Butter London Powder Room Non-Acetone remover.

Image via Sally Beauty

Favorite Polish as of right now - I'm obsessed with getting all the China Glaze Kicks collection polishes. Idk why now, because they came out in Spring 2009, but I feel the need to have them immediately haha. I think I still need: B-Girlz, Breakin', Fly, It's Poppin', and How Street It Is. Also, my friend Kae has made some beautiful frankens I've shown you here and here. I still have one very SEXY special one to show you soon that will blow you away, hehe.

Image via China Glaze

Favorite Top Coat as of right now - I am back in love with my old standby Poshe. It really is superior to Seche Vite in my book. Applies better, lasts longer without getting thick, and doesn't shrink my polish.

Image via Amazon.com

Favorite Base Coat as of right now - To stop my nails from getting stains, the best base coat I've found is Lumos Instant Impact Bottom coat. I'll be doing a full review on this soon, so stay tuned.

Image via Famous Names Products

Favorite Nail Treatment - To get my tips longer and stronger than they've been in a LONG time, my secret is Nail Magic--a formaldehyde based strengthener. This won't work for everyone but it has gotten rid of my peels and give me healthy, hard tips. I've stopped using it for now to give my nails a break so they won't get too hard and brittle. You can get Nail Magic at Sally Beauty.

Image via Sally Beauty

That's all I have for this installment :) What are some of your current favorites? I'd love to hear them in the comments!!

swatch-a-palooza

here's a big ol' mass of swatches for your enjoyment.*caution: lots of pictures ahead!*

revlon rose zing is a polish i borrowed from my sister. i believe this one is discontinued, but you still might be able to find it in some drugstores. it's a gorgeous peach gold shade with a rose tinge. i absolutely fell in love with this color when i put it on. the formula was amazing and the shine was just as good as a higher-end brand. i like revlon's bottle and brush design too, very simple and easy to use.

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sunlight

this shade is a weird one.  it's purpleish-brownish taupe with a blue sheen.  kinda crazy.  also the bottle is positively lethal!  city lights is an old victoria's secret nail polish i borrowed from my sister that has the weirdest packaging design ever.  the handle is like 5 inches long, pointy and thin.  the brush is pretty good but it's hard to get over the novelty of the weird bottle.  the base is very "opi" style but it has squared off edges on the top. i really like this color though, it reminds me of the MAC shadow blue-brown over a base of black.  this is three coats.  (i apologize PROFUSELY for the nasty hair in these photos,damn thing snuck in there!)

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sunlight

this is another victoria's secret (crazy bottle) polish that i borrowed from my sissy. it's called golden mauve and i'm totally enamored with it!  i doubt these are big 3 free, haha, but i loved the formula.  they went on seamlessly and despite their sparkle/metallic look, the brush strokes were pretty minimal.  this is three coats.

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this pretty sky blue polish is a limited edition maybelline called pie in the sky.  not the best formula, a tad thick and gloopy, but the color is really nice.  it reminds me a lot of essie lapis of luxury.  it wasn't that hard to work with, definitely not the worst i've ever dealt with.  this is two coats plus a few bubbles sprinkled in there (ew).

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i am huuuuuugely addicted to mint greens, so i knew, absolutely knew i had to have this guy.  maybelline's limited edition minty is a nice green pastel creme that was unfortunately a bit on the thick side.  it is different than the other mint greens i own, it has a bit more yellow in it i think, so i like it a lot.  this is two coats and a LOT of bubbles :(  will have to thin both of these maybellines before i wear them again i think.

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this ulta polish is in the old style bottle, i even think i got it on sale when they were liquidating all their older polishes.  mango reminds me slightly of bb couture's tequila sunrise but i think this is a bit more intensely pigmented and is slightly darker.  the application is amazing too.  *sigh*  i love orangey coral colors :)

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this is another polish my girl lipglossiping sent me from the UK, george superstar.  gorgeous olive shimmer polish :D  and any derivative of olive green makes me happy.  these bottles are so no-fuss, very dip and paint style haha.  this is two coats of london prettieness :)

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this polish is from the gap.  i'm pretty sure they don't make nail polish anymore, although they should, because the ones i have (inherited from my sister) from them are pretty fun.  this varnish is called pink spritz, it's a milky pink creme with chunky white (?) pieces of glitter and tiny sparse holographic glitter.  it's definitely not what i would call "modern" but it's certainly cute.  this is three coats.

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and last but not least, this is devious by ulta, in the new style of packaging.  i'm a sucker for cool bottles.  this isn't my favorite packaging, but i do like the tallish rectangular bottles.  the brush handle is what makes it lose favor in my opinion, if it had a round handle (i.e. barry m, which i love!) i would like it more.  devious is a rich purple, with a tad bit of blue in it.  nihrida did a comparison post between this and zoya's pinta and they're super close.

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ick, i got bubbles in that one too.  oh wells, it happens to everyone huh!  hope you enjoyed these pics and we'll see ya tomorra lovelies!  i have many reviews to do, so be prepared :D

July Giveaway! - CLOSED

i've got a hankerin' to be generous right now or somethin' so let's do another giveaway shall we?? this one is a tad smaller than that last one, and there will be only one winner this time but that's alright isn't it? :)

prizes

Victoria's Secret Dream Angels Divine lotion

Victoria's Secret Angel makeup bag

Urban Decay jumbo bronzer brush

Sephora by OPI nail lacquer in Can You Keep a Secret? 

Essie mini lacquers in Knockout Pout* and Haute as Hello*

*i've swatched both of these once, so if that bothers you, please do not enter

and i might throw in a surprise or two :D

rules & guidelines

• you must be a public follower through Google Friend Connect, Blog Lovin', or subscribed by email
• you must enter only thru the link below and only once,  i have turned off comments on this post for convenience. if you have problems with the link, please email me.
• open internationally!
• open officially from now until noon on August 1st, 2010 (mountain time, USA, i will have a timer up when it gets closer to the deadline).
• optional +1 entry - follow me on twitter @kelliegonzo and tweet about the giveaway.
• optional +1 entry - add me to your blogroll, if i'm on yours already please remind me.
• optional +1 entry - blog about the giveaway/add it to your sidebar, please use one of the photos above (which is why i put up a square and a rectangular one, for your convenience).

CLICK HERE TO ENTER

good luck my friends! i hope you have fun entering, yay!

favorite perfumes

hey pals n' gals :D i've been a busy girl these last few days, it's finals week, so unfortunately i haven't gotten as many posts up as i would've liked. the next part of the bb couture cantina nights collection will be up soon and i've got the opi summer flutter collection to show you too, along with some ciate polishes and the new china glaze vintage vixen collection! so i'm a busy kitty for sure. but today real quick i wanted to share with you what my favorite fragrances are right now. i've gotten some new ones recently and it just seemed apprapo to do a post on them

if i had to pick my "signature" scent it would probably be marc jacobs daisy. simple, clean, and fresh. the top note of this fragrance is violet which is vintage and edgy but still innocent and slightly warm. i adore this and wear it most everyday! my sister just got me a huge box set of it for my birthday :D

my next favorite lately has got to be saint by kat von d. this is a very...hmm, unexpected perfume. it's very unique smelling, something i've never quite encountered before. i wasn't sure if i loved it at first, but i kept going back to the store to smell it. so i finally bought the rollerball of it after i realized i was spraying it on me every time i went by sephora! i am head over heels with this stuff now, it's so intoxicating! the description says it's a mixture of mirabelle plum, mandarin, tiare flower, caramel, jasmine, vanilla, musk, and sandalwood. that may sound like a lot but it's something that will intrigue and devour your senses. j'adore!

now, i HATED aquolina pink sugar orignal. like with a passion. so when i got a sample of pink sugar sensual, i was expecting to gag when i smelled it. however, the opposite happened. i inhaled deeply then sprayed it all over myself immediately! i can't get enough of this stuff! black current and tangerine are the top notes and i think that's what makes me melt when i smell this baby. mmm ahhh...

i really wanted to like the burberry colognes. i really did! the bottles are so cute and i just adore the style and sophistication of the brand. but the scents did nothing to impress me. however, when my sister smelled particularly good and different one day, and i asked her what she was wearing, imagine my surprise when she told me it was a burberry cologne! burberry brit sheer is the lighter and fruitier version of brit, this scent carries the notes of pineapple leaves and peach blossom. i don't actually own this yet, but you can bet i will soon!

and the last one that i have to tell you about today is by victoria's secret. i am a big fan of a lot of their stuff and totally disgusted with the rest of it haha. so i smell with caution when i go in to one of their stores. for example, i love pink and body by victoria, but hate heavenly and very sexy. they come out with different editions of heavenly every so often and for spring this year it was heavenly flowers. well this stuff just knocked me on my knickers! it smells sooooo damn good! unfortunately, they just discontinued it. BUT their semi-annual sale may still be going on so you might be able to snag a bottle for up to 75% off! hurry, hurry, hurry! the floral notes are peony, apricot flower, and sparkling pear. i burn, i pine, i perish! yeah...i take perfume pretty seriously ;)

but honestly, i am allergic to a lot of fragrances and heavy musky stuff does not sit right with me at all. but these are all great for summer and light and lovely. hope you liked this! talk to you soon sweeties!