Christmas Nail Polish Party!

This year, my husband (aka Mr. Fab) and I decided to throw a Christmas nail polish party for our three amazing nieces.

On Christmas Eve day, Mr. Fab and I surprised the girls with one of their Christmas presents: a box filled with over 25 nail polishes, nail art tools and more. I had such a great time putting this gift together, and Mr. Fab was incredibly patient and thoughtful picking out items with me. The afternoon was a blast, with all of us joining in. By all of us, I mean: Mr. Fab, my mom-in-law and even my brother-in-law- who got roped/cajoled into having 2 nails done. 

Ta-dah! Check out Mr. Fab's thumb, he is very proud of it.

A huge, huge thank you to my brother-in-law for being such a great sport and okaying the event; to my wonderful mom-in-law for letting us take over her kitchen and for acting as Nail Polish Remover First Aid Attendant (NPRFAA); to Mr. Fab for his Leibovitz-esque camera work; and to my nieces, who I adore. Much love to you all!!

Beauty: Wantable Makeup Box November 2013

I have been subscribing to Wantable's makeup box for a few months now. It's a company that offers makeup, accessories and intimates boxes; you can subscribe for monthly shipments, with the option of skipping months, or you can purchase one-time.

If you subscribe to a makeup box, you're asked to fill out a beauty quiz, answering your likes and dislikes for eveything from makeup tools, highlighter preference to nail polish colour and texture. You then receive 4-5 full size makeup items, with a sample thrown in, each month. For the most part, I have been pretty happy with the makeup boxes, changing my beauty quiz answers depending on what I would most like.

Let's take a peek at November's beauty box:

Okay, my initial thought on opening the box: hm, that's it? I have been spoiled by the last three boxes which were amazing, e.g. Lise Watier lip stain, Beauty for Real mascara, Face Stockholm highlighters and glosses. To be totally fair, I did check that wanted beauty tools and checked no to lip or cheek products. The Michael Marcus foundation brush is okay but I feel like it's taking the place of more useful usable makeup products. The Manna Kadar lash conditioner is another 'okay' item for me, I don't think I will use it often and would much rather have another mascara. The polish, from Pomegranate Nail Lacquer is another 'okay'; it's pretty but nothing too special, in my opinion. The Peepers by Darla eyeshadow (cute packaging) is my favourite of the bunch; a really pretty golden taupe, perfect for everyday. There's also a sample size of an egg white facial soap- haven't used it and don't think I will to be honest.

I've been enjoying my Wantable subscription so this box feels like a letdown. Part and parcel of the fear/joy of a beauty box is that you never know what you're going to get. Wantable has been good in that the majority of items have been items I like and USE. I have high(er) hopes for the December beauty box, and hope to post about it when it arrives.

Nails: New KBShimmer Polishes are 'kind of a Baldwin'

KBShimmer recently released a line of new holographic nail polishes with their winter collection. I was curious to try out one of them out as I have read nothing but rave reviews. I've never been all that excited about holo nail polishes, to be honest, as they always struck me as novelty and kitsch, but the prettiness of this polish has changed my mind.

The picture & colours are a bit wonked here, not sure why...

Nail polishes, L to R:
KBShimmer Rollin' with the Chromies
KBShimmer Excuse Me, I Blurpled 

Rollin' with the Chromies is really quite beautiful. (I must admit that I picked Rollin' with the Chromies partially because of memories of Clueless). The formula is a bit thinner than I expected and it took three even layers to really make it pop; however, it applies perfectly- so, so smoothly. I've been wearing it for a few days now and the wear on it is really good- no chips yet after 48 hours! That's almost a record for me!

Excuse Me, I Blurpled started off a bit tricky to apply; a little goopy, quite patchy on the first two coats. But three coats evened this sucker out and the colour is regal and rich- navy with purple tones- with coordinating subtle glitters. (Though it looks a bit messy on my nails, I'm afraid. I was having cuticle issues).

 Polishes purchased: Harlow & Co.

Nails: Nudes & Army Greens, Sir.

Inspiration: Well, I had hoped to do a skittle type manicure from neutral to army greens...
 

Nail polishes used, L to R:
Color Club in Apollo Star- a bit too gritty and lumpy for my liking, but a good pick for the holiday season
Cult Nails in  Let's Get Dirty- wonderful, smooth, thick but workable texture, dried to a great matte finish
Gosh Special Edition in Lazy Green (616)- adore this one, great colour and shine! Nice surprise!
Maybelline Vintage Leather in Sage Staple (850)
Maybelling Vintage Leather in Ageless Olive (870)- see comment below

L-R: Sage Staple, Lazy Green, Let's Get Dirty

Apollo Star

Not shown in the pictures: My pinky nail was painted in the Maybelline Ageless Olive, and it came out horribly! It could have been my application, but the polish was goopy and hard to work with, I'm afraid to say! The Sage Staple was much smoother and easier to apply I am glad I bought these guys on sale at Shoppers Drug Mart let me tell you!

Polishes purchased: Shoppers Drug Mart, Nail Polish Canada. Color Club's Apollo Star was part of a winter collection beauty box I subscribed to through Wantable. 

Nails: Lac Attack in Hogwarts

On Fabbity Fab Book Reviews I tested another Lac Attack polish from the Magical Musings collection called Dementor's Kiss. Now, here I have one called Hogwarts, a brilliantly sparkly, shimmery polish that represents the colours of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. As a Harry Potter fan, I couldn't help but purchase some of these awesome polishes! Even better: the quality of the polish is fantastic; densely packed with glitter but not too thick, in a beautiful and unique combo of colours.

Here I have layered two coats of Hogwarts over a neutral L'Oreal polish called Greycian Goddess.

Polishes purchased: Shoppers Drug Mart, Harlow & Co.

Nails: Featuring Happy Hands Beachy Keen & polka dots

Inspiration:
Holiday cheer that went all spangly....then I added polka dots for good measure. So really, not so much inspired as 'one thing lead to another...'

Polishes: 
Happy Hands Beachy Keen
OPI Big Apple Red
OPI Russian Navy
OPI Don't Talk Bach to Me
Essie Naughty Nautical 

Two thin coats of the vibrant (and yummy looking) Big Apple Red; two coats of Beachy Keen- so, so pretty- on the middle and ring fingers. I used a dotting tool and gently applied the other three colours. A healthy coat of KBShimmer Clearly on Top to finish.

Polishes purchased: Shoppers Drug Mart, Nail Polish Canada, Harlow & Co. 

Favourites: Winter Skin Savers

Question: What do chapped lips, red and raw hands, gross cuticles and patchy skin have in common?

Answer: They are all skin ailments than can occur during the Canadian winter months- sometimes all at once, yahoo.

These are some of my all-time favourite products: ones I turn to again and again that soothe my skin over the colder months (though some are used year-round because they're that great!).

I have been using Blistex Lip Medex for over a decade; it soothes, tingles a bit and works so well. I first started using Carmex (book nerd alert!!) as soon as I finished Sloppy Firsts because Jessica Darling, the protagonist used it and I loved her. I use Burt's Bees Lip Shimmers at work; the menthol is refreshing without being cloying, and they provide a solid wash of shimmery colour. I'm showing (and currently using) the shade "Watermelon" shown above which is a pretty dusty-rose colour.

The Body Shop's Peppermint Intensive Foot Rescue is one I keep returning to. I don't why I try different foot cream out as I always come back to purchase this one! I think the minty freshness makes it extra appealing, and it feels so refreshing and soothing. The Aloe Eye Defence for sensitive eyes, also from The Body Shop, is a relatively new product for me, but I have grown to use it more than any other eye cream I own. The texture is light while being moisturizing, it smooths out well and doesn't make my eyes itch or water. I use the Vitamin E Intensive Moisture Cream on my face and I find it lovely. It feels luxurious, smells like a dream, and really sinks into the skin. I'm not sure if it's suitable for all skin types, but I have combination skin and I've had no problems, no breakouts. It just makes my skin feel so soft and niiiice!

The Body Shop's Hemp Hand Protector is wonderful- my absolute favourite hand cream, and my year-round night cream for hands. I use Curel Extreme Care during the day at the library as it's lighter, slightly quicker to absorb and fragrance free. Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream I use for cuticles and dry patches on my face. I also recently used it to soothe and treat my poor nose during a really horrible cold- it did not sting or burn whatsoever.

Hi...

Hi there!

Some of you may know me through my book review site Fabbity Fab Book Reviews. I've had an idea of starting up a beauty blog for a long while now and just decided to go for it. Why wait? I've been able to share my enthusiasm for great authors, illustrators, Canadian lit and other fabulous bookish things, and would love to be able to do the same with this site- for everything beauty related, with a bit of a Canadian focus.

If you're not into nail polish, cosmetics, or the thought of Sephora makes your blood boil, then this *may* not be the place for you!

I hope to have fun with this site, and I hope you have fun spending time here.