For the ladies

I mentioned in a previous blog that I would comparing more expensive nail polish to those that are more affordable. I tried brands from O.P.I sold at Regis Hair Salon at a whopping $8.50 a bottle to N.Y.C. sold at Target for under $2. Do you always get what you pay for?

 

 

 

The pros of spending more on nail polish:

 

 The quality does seem to be better and when I say better I mean the color is usually more rich. The paint seems a little more thick. I didn't need to put on as many coats. I did notice less chipping which is a huge plus. I found most brands from Sally Beauty Supply and Nail Polish sold in salons such as O.P.I. to over all work better than less expensive brands.

 

The cons:

 

They are expensive =(

The color selection is limited depending on where you shop

 

The pros of spending less on nail polish:

 

If you are shopping in a department store, you will find that the color selection of cheaper nail polish is much greater than the smaller selection of more expensive brands. I usually get sucked into the bright or sparkling colors made by cheaper brands such as Sinful Colors. You can also afford to buy more when you are only spending a couple bucks on each.

 

The cons:

 

The quality is usually a little disappointing.

Also, most do start to chip within the first 24 hours of applying the paint.

 

I have personally been most disappointed with Wet n Wild and Sinful Colors. Both chip fast and Sinful Colors had a few that went on really thin, needed multiple coats, and turned a funny looking color that didn't match the bottle. I cant say that I wont ever buy another color from them again, but I will be more careful. That is just my personal take though. So which would I buy? Well, I sure as heck wont spend $8.50 every time I want a new color, but I did find a way to make the inexpensive colors last a little bit longer...

 

 

I found this at a local store and I have been putting one coat on top of all of my nail colors for past few weeks and it has noticeably slowed down the chipping process. I recommend it. The reviews were good. Plus it adds a little extra shine.

Click here to check it out at Ulta Beauty.

 I also have thin nails so I bought the Revlon Calcium Gel Nail Hardener. Its in a bottle just like the one shown above. I also recommend that.

Decorate your own candle holders!

This is actually an extremely easy project! I was able to finished decorating all of our candle holders in the matter of an hour. When I was done, we had 20 beautiful sparkling candle holders for our wedding! Feel free to decorate them for a gift or around your home! Here is how you can decorate them:

 

You will need the following:

 

Candle holders

I recommend fabric glue and a small foam sponge

Glitter of your choice (I used very fine glitter)

A container to hold your candle holder over and catch any extra glitter

A rag or paper towels to wipe your hands off

 

 

Lets begin!

Lay down newspaper so you can clean up the mess easier.

Get a container to hold your candle holders over. This is so that you can use the glitter in the container and either pinch more back on using your fingers or pour it back into the glitter container to pour it again. Use a funnel for pouring, even if you have to make your own from a piece of paper. As you can see in the photo above, I ended up using the lid. Hey, whatever works! Put about a pea size amount of glue near the tip of the sponge and start to rub the glue onto the glass.

 

 

 

For this particular design, I started from the bottom of the candle holder and went about half way up. I gave the top a jagged look by moving the sponge upward all around the glass.

 

 

The hardest part is already over! Now you just take the container of glitter and lightly sprinkle the glitter evenly all around the cup. Shake off any extra glitter. Feel free to give it a second round of glitter to make sure you covered all of the glue. Once again, shake off any remaining glitter and you are finished! Wasn't that easy?!

 

 

I wish I had a small white candle to light in here and show you how great it looks but you will just have to create one and find out for yourself ;)

 

 

*All supplies can be found at your local craft stores such as Michaels or Joann Fabrics!

 

WEDDING DRESS!!!

Hey everyone! Unfortunately I wont be sharing a picture of my dress before the big day, haha. Sorry! I will tell you about my experience today however!

My best friend and I went to David's Bridal. It was my first time out looking and trying on a dress. I went with the plan of just buying it today and getting it over with! The wedding is in May and I'm starting to feel like time is going by faster and faster so I don't want to be too picky at this point. I knew I would find one that I loved... and I did =)

I'm usually not a big complainer... I think I'm doing a pretty good job of not being a bridezilla ;) but unfortunately my consultant was a little hard to connect with. She showed little personality and very little sense of humor. She was trying to sell me dresses over my budget which was getting annoying. It was painfully obvious that she was paid on commission. I had a decent budget to work with though, so I got to try on a lot of different styles from the A-frame, the mermaid, the princess, etc. When I would come out of the dressing room wearing a gown, the other consultants would walk over and strike up conversation with me and my bridesmaid so that helped. They were very kind! All of us brides-to-be were stealing glances at each other to see what the other one was wearing, haha. It was kind of funny. The girl next to me was trying on dresses for a few thousand dollars! Mine was a little spendy at first, but after the sale price I came out with extra cash in my pocket so that felt great! I felt pretty accomplished after that =) Both my best friend and I agreed that the dress I ended up picking out was not the style we both thought I would of liked. I can't say much more than that but I will say it's gorgeous and I'm going to feel very much like... like a princess in a fairytale, haha =)

When I said "This is the one!" the consultant gave me a bell, told me to make a wish about the wedding day, keep the wish a secret, and ring the bell!! Once I did that everyone stopped to clap! I had no idea they did that. Our next trip I'm getting my accessories and sending the bridesmaids in to get their dresses! I'm very excited for that! I've said too much so I'm done for now! Have a good night everyone =)

 

By the way, I do recommend David's Bridal despite my own consultant being a little hard to connect with. Everyone helping around the store was amazing and the other consultants were very genuine! Great selections too! Click here and feel free to check out their website!