Konad Stamping Nail Art Kit Arrived!

I am so excited about the package I just received in the mail! I plan to review it next week, so stay tuned!

Now THIS is Inward Beauty

Millions of people have heard of Zach Sobiech due to social media. In case you haven't heard about him, it was discovered at the tender age of 14 years old that he had a rare form of terminal cancer.

Did he give up?

Did he stop living?

Not at all.

He became a rock star, wrote and sang a gorgeous song entitled "Clouds" and millions of people got to see his music before he passed away on May 20, 2013 at the age of 18. This is his beautiful story and the definition of inward beauty and strength.........

 



What is a Maven?



Recently, I've been asked what maven means. It basically means an expert or connoisseur. At first I wanted to write about all things beauty such as nail polish, makeup, etc. I then thought that I didn't want just outward beauty...inward beauty is so much more important, so instead of calling it, "Not a Beauty Maven...yet"...I called it "Not a Maven...yet."

The goal of this blog is to review various beauty products as well as books, music or anything else I can think of that really assisted me in my life. It's all about the whole package...the ins and outs.

I hope you enjoy the ride. I am so far. :)

Review: OPI "I Theodora You" and essie luxeffects "a cut above"

As I've already stated, I'm not a maven...yet; therefore, at this point in the health/beauty blogging world, I am an infant in writing about the subject and taking pictures. Throughout the lifetime of this blog, please let me know how it can be improved. If you have any ideas on how something can be better, I would love to receive your feedback.

So, this is my first review....*NERVOUS*!! I've seen other great health/beauty bloggers out there who are amazing...just remember, I am a virgin to this sector of the blogging world.

I absolutely love Essie and OPI nail products (and my faves are indies!!). Recently, I purchased "I Theodora You" from the OPI "OZ - The Great and Powerful Collection" and essie luxeffects nail color, "a cut above" because I adore pink and even though I'm 41, am like a magpie and love shinies. A little bling never hurt anyone!

(the above is a great drawing created by rhiannonladd)

 

 

I used OPI's "I Theodora You" as a base coat and OF COURSE did not think to take a picture of it by itself. I used two coats and it appears to have a jelly quality to it. One day I would like to make a sandwich of glitter and the nail polish to see the effect.

 

 

 

OPI "I Theodora You"

 

 

I then used essie's luxeffects "a cut above" (does essie capitalize anything because this blogging editor is certainly trying to?). It was nice not to have to fish glitter out of the bottle. The glitter went on smoothly, which was a pleasant surprise.

 

 

essie luxeffects "a cut above"

 

 

The Type-A personality comes out in me when viewing these pictures. I will not use that background anymore (it is my husband's Coca-Cola bottle cooler). The top is a bit scratched and the reflection of the windows is glaring down in the pictures. Yay! My first lesson in what not to do here!

 

After applying Seche Vite top coat, the following are the results:

 

 

 

 



 

It is OBVIOUS that I am not a photographer in ANY sense of the word and I hope to improve upon that. Any tips would be helpful. Also, this pic makes my hands look HUGE. They aren't petite, but they aren't gargantuan, either. Oh well, I hear pictures put 10 pounds on a person, so my hands are now 10 pounds heavier up there. :)

 

I hope you enjoyed my first real post. I can't wait to post more as time permits.

 

Take care everyone and don't forget about using your Seche Vite top coat! It's the bomb! I will blog about this little beauty at a later date.

 



Genesis 1:1

This is the beginning of a mid-life crisis. I'm sure of it. I'm 41 years old and am all of a sudden smitten by all things beauty, especially nail polish. I have moisturized since I was 15 years old and have been addicted to eye shadows, lipsticks, perfumes and all things beauty for as long as I can remember.

Recently on Facebook, I have noticed an explosion of nail art/design pages and sites and have gone nuts in purchasing new nail polishes, textures, etc. It is quite truly ridiculous. I don't know what I'm doing, but whatever it is, it is FULL SPEED ahead.

I hope that you join me on the ride of transcending from a complete amateur to a beauty maven. Is this the kind of things we do when our daughters turn 20 because we have more time? I have no clue, but I want to enjoy the ride.

Please contact me if you have any beauty finds you'd like to share. I am addicted at this point. I guess it's better than crack*, heroin* or meth*...though if that were the case at least I would be skinny...hmmmm...maybe I shouldn't think about that too much.

Let's get started!

*And no, I have never been addicted to drugs, though sometimes I wish I could to relax but it's just not possible.