Polished Lifting

I picked up The Black Knight ages ago, and finally got around to wearing it the other day. I think I get what all the hype is about!

The Black Knight is a black cream with pink, blue, gold glitter. Shown above is two coats with no base color. The application of this was fairly smooth. I did have a few issues with the glitter building up on the tip of my nail, but it was easy to correct. I really love how sparkly the polish was overall. I can't say that I would spend this much money on a mainstream polish under normal circumstances, but the color combo was unique to anything else I had seen. 

Polishes used: Butter London- "The Black Knight", Revlon- "Quick Dry Top Coat"

Do you own any Butter London's? Are they worth the extra money?

Hey guys! Today I have three out of five colors from TreNique Nail Lacquer's winter collection. 

Midnight Rendezvous

Midnight Rendezvous is a deep blue jelly with holographic glitter and silver shimmer. Shown above is three coats with no base coat. This definitely needed three coats to achieve even coverage. The first two coats were too streaky to wear alone or as a top coat. Once a third coat is applied it has a really nice layered effect. 

Polishes used: TreNique- "Midnight Rendezvous", Revlon- "Quick Dry Top Coat"

Happy New Year

Happy New Year is a gray jelly with blue and holographic glitter. Shown above is three coats with no base color. As you might have noticed, I had issues with pigment not being properly mixed in the bottle. I shook it for a good 10 minutes but couldn't get the pigment to redistribute. Occasionally, when this happens you can smooth out the pigment on the nail, but unfortunately this wasn't the case. I like the color, but the stray bits of pigment were impossible to avoid. I emailed the maker and will keep you updated when I hear back. 

Polishes used: TreNique- "Happy New Year", Revlon- "Quick Dry Top Coat"

Snowflakes

 

Snowflakes is a sheer white jelly with holographic glitter and larger silver glitter. Shown above is three coats with no base coat. The consistency of Snowflakes was nice, but I found the opacity too sheer overall. It might look nice over a white, but I don't think I would wear it alone. 

Polishes used: TreNique- "Snowflakes", Revlon- "Quick Dry Top Coat"

Conclusion

I liked two out of three colors I reviewed, but I had issues with the pigmentation of Happy New Year. TreNique Nail Lacquers can only be purchased in a set. I'm such a picky person that I won't buy most nail lacquer sets. If these were available individually I would consider purchasing Midnight Rendezvous. 

| Shop | Facebook | 

*** All colors were generously provided for review

About a month ago, Sweet Heart Polish held a naming contest for her latest creation. I submitted the name "Cotton Candy Fluff" because it made me think of the fluffy sugar that spins around in the cotton candy machines. With a little luck and some help from my friends, my name was chosen! In addition to being able to name the color, Cassandra sent me a complimentary bottle. 

Cotton Candy Fluff

 

Cotton Candy Fluff is a bright pink shimmer polish with small blue flakies. The application was smooth and completely opaque with two coats. The blue flakies really pop against the pink polish. I have always loved the formula of Sweet Heart Polish, and this is no different. I highly recommend picking up a bottle of this stunning color! I can guarantee you don't have a pink like this.

Polishes used: Sweet Heart Polish- "Cotton Candy Fluff", Revlon- "Quick Dry Top Coat"

| Etsy | Facebook | Instagram |

 

Happy Friday everyone! I am back with some new pretties from Sue Me Lacquer. The Sweet Tarts Collection is inspired by Valentines Day, and includes something for everyone. 

I had some mixed feelings about some of the polishes, so I really encourage you to read the descriptions in addition to skimming the photos. 

Monkey Love

Monkey Love is a sheer yellow crelly with pink glitter hexagons and red hearts. Shown above is two coats with no base coat. Monkey Love was a bit too thick for me. I found that it was difficult to control the placement of the polish and hearts because of how much polish the brush held on to. That being said, I did enjoy the color and the amount of heart glitter included in the mix. 

Polishes used: Sue Me Lacquer- "Monkey Love", Revlon- "Quick Dry Top Coat"

Bloody Valentine

Bloody Valentine is a deep red jelly with red hearts, black hearts and pink glitter. Shown above is two coats with no base color. I found Bloody Valentine to be incredibly thick to the point where I couldn't manipulate the hearts or polish at all. It started to dry before I could even out the polish layer in general. I was also unable to retrieve any black hearts. I'm not sure if it was because of the thickness or if there weren't as many in the mixture. I do like the color, and would like to see more black hearts in the mix. 

Polishes used: Sue Me Lacquer- "Bloody Valentine", Revlon- "Quick Dry Top Coat"

Ruby Kisses

Ruby Kisses is a gorgeous pink jelly holo. Shown above is two coats with no base color. I absolutely love how squishy this looks in person. It's just the right shade of pink that it's not overwhelming. I think this would look great with white stamping in between the layers. I was really pleased with the consistency and pigmentation of this color.

Polishes used: Sue Me Lacquer- "Ruby Kisses", Revlon- "Quick Dry Top Coat"

Forever Alone

Forever Alone is a black crelly with holo micro glitter. Shown above is one coat with no base color. The consistency of Forever Alone is similar to Bloody Valentine in that it is way too thick. I had a really tough time painting my nails with this one. It started to dry while I was trying to even out the first coat. You can see the uneven consistency in the photos despite my attempt to even it out with topcoat. I also noticed that the sparkles weren't noticeable once my nails were painted. I wonder if this had anything to do with the consistency. The polish is gorgeous in the bottle, but it didn't translate well to the nail.

Polishes used: Sue Me Lacquer- "Forever Alone", Revlon- "Quick Dry Top Coat"

Pink Affair

Pink Affair is a stunning dark purple/black jelly thermal that shifts to bright pink when it warms up. Shown above is two coats with no base color. This drastic shift was stunning! I don't have much to say about this because I feel like the photos really speak for themselves. This was definitely my favorite color in the whole collection!

Polishes used: Sue Me Lacquer- "Pink Affair", Revlon- "Quick Dry Top Coat"

 

Conclusion

I liked all of the colors, but some of the formulas were too thick to be workable. I contacted Susan about this, and she said that she is going to reformulate them. My favorites out of the collection were Ruby Kisses and Pink Affair. Both colors were excellent consistency and had rich pigmentation. Sue Me Lacquer is currently running a deal in her Store Envy shop. Be sure to use the code at the bottom of the page!

| Etsy | Shop | Facebook | Instagram | Blog |

 

*** All colors were generously provided for review

I'm currently wrapping up the recovery week of my second round of Wendler 5/3/1. I'm kind of in disbelief with of how quickly each cycle seems to go by. Four weeks doesn't seem like a lot of time, but it feels as though I blinked once and ended up at the end. I'm not going to bore you with the details of my cycle, but if you want to hear more, my logs are up on Instagram. After running the second cycle with the same working numbers as I did for the previous cycle, I was able to greatly improve on all four lifts.

What did I do differently this cycle? I added an extra day of upper body accessory work, and did 30 minutes of cardio after each lifting session. Doing cardio immediately after lifting really helped me push my limits. I was really crabby about it at first, but I feel like I can't skip it anymore. In addition to improving my cardio & lifting pr's, I am sleeping like a baby. I can't think of a single negative thing that has come from the extra work I've put in. 

On a totally different topic, I decided to make granola from scratch the other day. It was so delicious that I think I have a new breakfast addiction. 

 

The original recipe can be found here, but I made my own tweaks because I don't like the taste of vegetable oil. 

Courtney's Delicious Granola

• 3 cups rolled oats (not instant)
• 3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter (melted)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans**

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

1. Mix oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together honey, melted butter and vanilla. Pour liquid mixture over the dry ingredients and mix until thoroughly coated.
2. Spread evenly over a cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes. After the first 15 minutes, stir the mixture and add an additional 5-15 minutes to the baking time. Bake until golden. 
3. Place cookie sheet on a wire rack to cool. Add in chopped nuts (or other stir in items) and stir to combine. Stir the granola every few minutes as it cools to keep it from sticking to your cookie sheet. 
4. Once the granola has completely cooled, store in an airtight container. It should keep for about 2 weeks.

** You can add 1/2 cup of whatever you want, and as many mix ins as you want. 

 

If you make this granola I would love to see how you customize it!

Today I have my first Hare Polish to share with you. I had the opportunity to pick my prize in a giveaway, and after many months of staring at different Hare Polish colors, I knew I need to give them a try. 

The packaging was so cute that I had to take a picture!

Bury the Hatchetfish is a mauve/brown crelly with purple iridescent glitter  and green glitter. This is a subtle nude stunner! I couldn't get over how well all of the colors fit together. It took a couple days of wearing this for me to realize that there were tiny green glitter flecks in this polish. It just meshes so well together that I only noticed it when the sun came out. Shown above is three coats of Bury the Hatchetfish topped with Poshe Top Coat. The application was smooth and didn't require anything special. I did notice that the wear time for this color was not as long as many other colors. It only lasted about three days before I had multiple chips. Despite the shorter wear time, I love the color and will definitely wear this again. 

Polishes used: Orly- "Bonder", Hare Polish- "Bury the Hatchetfish", Poshe- "Top Coat"

| Etsy | Facebook | Instagram |

I've always been torn on celebrating Valentine's Day because it is so retail focused. Since I had appropriate colors for a holiday mani, I figured why not!

This is two coats of Pretty & Polished- "First Kiss" topped with one coat of OPI- "Minnie Style." The application on First Kiss was smooth, but could have used a third coat. It dries matte, so using a topcoat is necessary to extend the wear time. I'm sure you've noticed by now that I suddenly have shorties. I had a gym accident that broke the nail on my index finger. I haven't had nails this short in almost six months, so relearning how to paint short nails was quite an experience. 

Polishes used: Orly- "Bonder", Pretty & Polished- "First Kiss", OPI - "Minnie Style", Poshe- "Top Coat"

Do you have any fun plans for Valentine's Day or are you running solo and celebrating Galentine's Day? 

 

| Shop | Facebook | Instagram |

I started to get kind of sick last week around Wednesday, so I don't have much to talk about workout wise. I put all of that on hold because of how awful I was feeling. On Thursday we had a rather unbelievable prediction of snow. It actually started when I decided I needed to stock up on groceries just in case. By Friday morning it looked like this:





On Saturday we decided to take a walk down to the Clackamas river.



After settling in at home I noticed that the snow had brought out a TON of birds. We probably had around 30-40 birds in our front tree at one time. This one reminded me of Angry Birds.

Did you get hit with surprise snow? I would love to see photos!

Good morning everyone! I have a lovely duo to share with you today from Scofflaw's Winter 2014 collection. I entered a giveaway a few weeks back to pick a color of my choice from the Scofflaw winter collection. I chose Love Letter to Bob Ross without realizing that it was part of a duo. Finch is such a dear that she did not point this out when I sent in my pick. Instead she sent me Love Letter to Bob Ross, and Happy Little Tree, "because you can't have Bob Ross without a happy little tree." 

Love Letter to Bob Ross

Love Letter to Bob Ross is a blue grey creme with subtle red, pink and teal glitter flecks. This color is simple, but has just the right amount of glitter contrast to make it pop. I've been drawn to grey and blue grey colors for a while now, so this was a lovely addition to the other two greys I own. Shown above is two coats of Love Letter to Bob Ross. The application was smooth and opaque. 

Polishes used: Scofflaw Nail Varnish- "Love Letter to Bob Ross"

 

Happy Little Tree

Happy Little Tree is a glitter topper packed with yellow, gunmetal, teal and light green glitter. Shown above is one coat of Happy Little Tree over Love Letter to Bob Ross. I have to say that I wasn't sure about wearing this duo together, but once it was on I fell in love. The application was surprisingly smooth and did not require me to shift any glitter around. Once I sealed this with Poshe the glitter did not stick up at all. 

Polishes used: Scofflaw Nail Varnish- "Love Letter to Bob Ross", Scofflaw Nail Varnish- "Happy Little Tree", Poshe- "Top Coat"

 

Conclusion

While these colors may sell out quickly, I definitely recommend picking up this duo if you get the chance. You can search the internet for colors like these, but you won't find anything remotely similar. 

 

| Shop | Facebook | Instagram |

Star Tar is a glitter topper made up of micro black glitter and slightly larger holographic silver glitter. Shown above is one coat of Star Tar over two coats of Color Club- "Pucci-Licious." Star Tar is a nice consistency for a glitter topper as it allows you to apply a decent amount of glitter with one coat. The distribution of glitter may vary depending on how well you wiped off your brush initially, and if you needed to dip into the bottle for more. This doesn't bother me personally, but if you are looking for a more consistent look, make sure you wipe the brush off the same way before applying.

Polishes used: Octopus Party Nail Lacquer-"Star Tar", Color Club- "Pucci-Licious", Poshe - "Top Coat"

| Etsy | Facebook |

*** This color was generously provided for review

This is one of several colors I got in my Christmas stocking this year, and I finally had time to put it on the blog. Mom, if you are reading this, I'm sure you are thinking "I didn't get you a brown." You would be right. We both know you love purples, and I ended up with a second bottle of Devious this year. It's totally cool, because I got to go through the colors and pick something completely unique.

 

Candy Coated is a metallic medium brown. Shown above is two coats with Poshe Top Coat. The application was smooth and did not leave streaks like many other metallic colors. I've always had a pleasant experience with Ulta colors. If you find them on sale I recommend picking up a few. 

I contacted Kendahl the other day at The Stepmom Chronicles to see if she would be up for a twin mani. This was the result: 

 

I had a lot of fun doing this mani. Making the hearts out of a thermal polish was one of the best ideas I've had recently. I'm going to be really sad with this mani chips, because I've become really attached to it. 

Polishes used: Essie- "School of Hard Rocks", Pretty and Polished- "Day Trippin'", Color Club- "Bizerk Turq"

Want to see the "twin" in this twin mani? Please go visit Kendahl at The Stepmom Chronicles. They aren't exactly the same, so it's definitely worth taking a look!