Want healthy looking nails?

Happy Monday lovelies!  Today I wanted to share with you how I took my nails from looking like this....

horribly short and terribly unattractive

To looking like this....

long (perfect length for me) and uniform and perfect for painting or going natural

I have always had pretty bad nails.  I was a big nail biter all growing up, it wasn't until I was a grown adult that I kicked that habit.  As an adult my habit became chewing on the edges of my nails, I wouldn't bite them off, just gnaw on them.  Gross, I know.  I started to realize that if I painted my nails I wouldn't be as tempted to put them in my mouth.  Painting my nails led me to the realization that my nails were SHORT!  I tried to grow them out but my nails were so thin and flaky from all those years in my mouth that they just didn't grow well at all. I asked around a lot as to how to remedy the situation and people recommended a few different things, but the product that helped my nails out the most was OPI's Nail Envy for Soft & Thin nails.  I swear by the stuff, absolutely can't live without it.

The Soft & Thin formula of Nail Envy is chuck full of Calcium to help strengthen your nails.  So not only are my nails much stronger and grow better when I have this on, they are just healthier and stronger all together!  The packaging recommends that you apply 2 coats of Nails Envy and then apply an extra coat every day after that.  I did that at first and then I backed off a little.  My routine now is to use it as my base coat before applying my polish.  If I'm not wearing polish then I just apply one coat and have beautiful glossy nails.  Oh, that another great thing about this, it dries so quickly.  There really is no wait time for it to be dry enough to paint over or dry enough to do things with your hands again.

I hope this helps you if you have been plagued by nails that are less than stellar in the strength department like me.  You can get OPI products at places like Ulta, Peerless Beauty Supply, or many salons carry them.  I think it is sold for about $15 give or take some.

<3 / Roo

Say Goodbye to Raccoon Eyes

We were asked by one of our lovely readers what they could do to not look like a raccoon by the end of the day. You know what I'm saying don't you?  When your mascara starts climbing around your face rather than staying on your eyelashes where it belongs. It is never a good look, unless of course you are this guy...

www.pinkferret.net

Well, I have been there!  It was a problem I was facing not long ago and it is a problem I now have the answer to.  Let me share the secret with you in 4 words...

Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara

www.sephora.com

I kid you not, this stuff is a miracle product!  It is not waterproof which means it comes off easily at night, but it DOES NOT move during the day.  What you do is apply your favorite mascara to your top lashes, then you just apply the Clinique bottom lash mascara to your bottom lashes, pretty self-explanatory right?  You should be amazed at the difference it makes.  You can say goodbye to those raccoon eyes.

Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara is $10.  It comes in a much smaller size then a regular mascara, but remember you are only applying it to those little bottom lashes.  You can purchase Clinique products from Sephora (online or at stand alone stores) or at Macy's.  

Hopefully this helps you avoid a very unsightly look.  Please let us know if you have any beauty questions we can help answer!!

<3 / Roo

August MyGlam Bag

This was a really good month for MyGlam. First off the bag itself was super cute, orange mesh with pink details, cute! Then there were 6 pretty good samples instead of the regular 5. I got:

- A full size bright pink Circus nail polish.
- A full size bright pink lip gloss made by MyGlam
- Dragon fruit roll on perfume. (can't decide if I like it)
- Eclos Face Serum
- Eclos Moisture Therapy Cream
- Salty Cosmetics pink irredecent mineral pigment.

Here's a picture where I'm wearing the lipgloss an eyeshadow pigment.

Can't complain about full size products, right? You can learn more about MyGlam at myglam.com

<3 / Roo

July MyGlam Bag

Good month for My Glam, I think. The bag this time was darling, a sheer mesh with some bright colors woven through. I like it. I was excited to see Yes to Cucumber face wipes, kind of a staple of mine. The nail polish (which I got in white) is from a brand new brand, so that is fun. I got a full size Josie Maran lip stain. I'm dying to try it, maybe tomorrow. I've used Juice Beauty's Green Apple Peel before and like it. I hope their moisturizer is just as good. The last thing I got was a conditioner, which I don't really care about. I have too many little shampoos and conditioners. It really was a pretty good bag. No complaints! If you were interested in a subscription to MyGlam you can follow this link https://www.myglam.com/

<3 / Roo

July Birchbox

This month's box was kind of a fun mix of makeup and random. I really like when the boxes are makeup heavy because sometimes it feels like they are all skincare or haircare and no makeup.

In this box I got a little Jouer lipgloss (which is actually in a cute color), Blinc mascara (which I'd wanted to try anyway), and some Manna Sheer Glow lotion (never heard of, but looks pretty). Not bad. I also got a Oscar de la Renta perfume in Live in Love (smells like a grandma). Then the random stuff, tea flavored mints (a little weird) and some Birchbox earbuds (cute, but I'm going to give them to Brittany).

All in all, not a bad box. I've had better, but I have no complaints about this one. If you'd like to check out Birchbox here is a link https://www.birchbox.com/?raf=v30s4

<3 / Roo

Roo's IMATS & LA Haul

Realized I still hadn't linked my LA Haul video to the blog. So here it is. LA and IMATS was so much fun. Britt, Kellyn, and I shopped til we dropped, ate til our tummies hurt, and just did what ever we pleased. It was great. If you'd like to see the makeup that has joined my collection as a result, then watch the video. <3 / Roo

Some Current Favorites of Roo's

My good friend Deborah tagged me on Instagram to take a picture of some of my fave beauty products. This was an oddly difficult task. I like using so many different things that picking favorites was challenging. I selected the things I reach for the most or things I will be repurchasing when they're gone.

My faves are:
1. Orgins VitaZing lotion. This may be the best product of all time. It is a light moisturizer with just the perfect amount of tint. I wear it under my makeup or alone when going boating or something.
2. Maybelline Age Rewind Concealer. Best under-eye concealer I've ever used. It's light, creamy, and soft. It has great coverage and it stays put. Can't live without it.
3. Fresh Sugar balm in Rose. This has been my go to lip color all summer. It is so moisturizing and is the most wearable color. It just enhances my lip color with out adding much color. I heart it. (Thanks Sephora! It is their birthday gift this year.)
4. MAC Mineralized Skin Finish in Soft and Gentle. This is my go to highlighter. So easy to wear and very pretty.
5. Laura Geller Balance and Brightwn. Miracle product here. This powder matches almost any skintone and does the greatest job of giving you some color and coverage without looking like you have makeup on. I've been usin it everyday lately. I know Brittany loves it too.
6. MAC Lipgloss in Viva Glam IV. The perfect pink lipgloss in my opinion.
7. Benefit Instant Brow Pencil. I uses to be obsessed with Benefit's Brow Zings but these days I've found myself reaching for their brow pencil instead. It is just so quick and easy to throw on and it is the perfect color for me. Love!
8. Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette. What can I say, this palette is perfection. If I'm in a hurry and don't want to think about what eyeshadow to wear, I reach for this. If I want a great dramatic eye look, I reach for this. If I'm traveling, I reach for this. I love every color in this and use it more than any other eyeshadows I own. Love, love, love it!

There you have it, some of my current faves. Leave a comment below and tell me what you are loving these days.... PLEASE! :)

<3 / Roo

NOTM: Wallis

I have a new favorite nail polish color and it is Butter London's Wallis. I have had this color for ages and finally used it for the first time the other day. It is gorgeous! Green is kind of my go-to polish color. I really gravitate towards them, I have a million, but this one is extra special. It is kin of a moldy green but it is awesome. It is a mix of light green, dark green, and gold. LOVE IT!!

<3 / Roo

My favorite summer toes!

I have a go-to polish for my toes this summer. It's Shocking Pink by China Glaze. I LOVE IT! It is a super neon girly pink. The formulation of this polish is awful. It is streaky, takes a million coats, and dries very matte. All that said, I still love it. Throw a shiny top coat on it and all is well! Another great thing about this polish is it helps you look more tan, that's a plus for me.

So of course this is the polish I chose to get my toes beach ready tonight. We are super excited to be leaving for Los Angeles and IMATS on Tuesday!!!

<3 / Roo

NOTM: I'm All Ears

OPI's newest collection is Minnie Mouse inspired. I believe there are 4 colors in the collection. This is the only one I picked up.

The quality of this polish is great. Opaque in 2 coats, super shiny, and very sparkly. That being said, I don't like it on my fingernails at all!! It is just too much and too childish. Maybe if I was 10 it would seem okay. However I think I'll be getting a lot of use out of it on my toesies. Perfect color for summer toes.

What colors are you guys wearing lately???

<3 / Roo

NOTM: Pinta and Chloe

Oh my goodness, I apologize for the serious nothingness that's been happening on the blog this month. I have been so incredibly sick all month, just recently starting to improve. Hopefully I can get back on track soon. Look for a giveaway on our YouTube channel soon.

Now on to the nails....

Today's color combination was brought to you by my five year old. He really wanted to pick my nail polish last night. Initially he picked Zoya's Chloe, the orange flake topcoat. Then I let him pick another color for a base. He went for Zoya's Pinta, dark purple. Interesting combination that I probably wouldn't have come up with, but I like it. The orange and green flakes are a fun contrast to the purple. I can tell you the flakes are a HUGE pain in the butt to get off, but they're fun once in a while. So there you have it, finally a new post.

<3 / Roo

NOTM: Pacific Blue

Okay, so this is a nail polish I want to RAVE about, oh my goodness. Sally Hansen's Pacific Blue nail polish rocked my world. I LOVE it! The color is fantastic. It is so bright and shiny and it is a really unique shade of blue. I got so many compliments on my nails when I wore this color. But not only is the color wonderful, the formulation is great too. It goes on thick but not too thick so it's easy to put on and seems to only need one coat (even though I did two, it's a force of habit). If all of the above weren't reason enough to run out now and buy it, how about one more reason? It costs all of $2.49 or something close to that. Holy crap, best deal on nail polish ever. Go get it NOW!

<3 / Roo

Oh and P.S. I have OPI's Last Friday Night on my ring finger.

Mascara Face-Off: They're Real vs. Bad Gal

Today I am comparing two different mascaras from Benefit, Bad Gal and They're Real.  If you want any other mascaras or products compared, be sure to leave a comment below.  I will happily take requests, really I would love some.

 The first mascara here is They're Real.  This is one of the best selling mascaras in the country right now.  People rave about this mascara, they just love it.  Benefit claims that They're Real volumizes, lengthens, curls, lifts and separates.  My experience is that it definitely volumizes and lengthens.  It is a very buildable mascara, you can apply coat after coat and your lashes will keep getting longer.  I also think it does a pretty good job curling.  I have put it on people who haven't curled their lashes and it does seem to give them a little bit of curl.  This mascara has a unique brush (though now there are a few copycat mascaras out there).  It is a plastic brush with a little ball of short bristles at the tip, this helps you get all your little lashes so no one is left out.  This isn't a waterproof formula but it STAYS ON! Stays on too well in my opinion.  I like my mascara to come off easily at night, this does not.  I rarely get it all off at night and wake up with some still on in the morning.  Some people would love that kind of longevity though.

This one is Bad Gal mascara.  Bad Gal is said to be volumizing and thickening.  It is also more matte where as They're Real is shiny and glossy.  This mascara has much drier formula than They're Real.  I find that this helps to give a much more natural appearance to my lashes.  This mascara gives each individual lash a coat of mascara which makes your lashes look fuller.  Bad Gal, like They're Real, is not waterproof.  But unlike They're Real it comes off with ease if you use a makeup removing wipe or eye makeup remover.  I prefer that.

 

 Top wand: They're Real

Bottom wand: Bad Gal

The verdict: I would have to say I prefer Bad Gal.  It is probably my favorite mascara right now.  I really prefer the more natural look and I like being able to get my makeup off easily at night.  I'd say Bad Gal is the daytime mascara and They're Real is the night time drama mascara.

So there you have it!  

<3 / Roo

What was in Roo's April boxes?

The last couple months I did a blog post for the MyGlam bags I got.  This month I decided to show you what was in my MyGlam bag, my Birchbox, and my Julep box in one video.  If you wanna know what April had to give, watch the video.  If you want more info about any of the companies or their services, I'll list their links at the bottom of the post.  I really enjoy getting Birchbox and MyGlam I think it's fun to be surprised by what you're going to see when you open them up.  I know Brittany used to be subscribed to Birchbox and she canceled it.  She decided she would rather spend her $10 a month on something she knows she's going to love.  But for me, so far they have been worth it.  Some months are big yawns, but when you have an awesome month it really makes up for the not-so-great ones.

Birchbox https://www.birchbox.com?raf=v30s4
MyGlam https://www.myglam.com/
Julep http://julep.com/?r=20422743 Use the promo code "penny" to get your first month for only $.01

If you haven't yet (Stacy this means you), please subscribe to our YouTube channel and to this lovely little blog.  We'll love you for it.

<3 / Roo

NOTM: Bitter Bitch

Tom Ford's Bitter Bitch, I really like this polish. It is such a unique color, a dark reddish brown. Tom Ford polish is about $30 a bottle. As I mentioned before I can't justify $14 on polish, so $30? No way. This was a gift from a very generous friend for Christmas. I doubt she'll ever read this blog, but if she does THANK YOU AGAIN M.

This polish is rather thick but it works. It applies beautifully, two coats makes it perfectly opaque and shiny. It was so shiny (in part to my topcoat) that it was hard to get a picture that didn't have such a glare on the nails. I have one other Tom Ford polish, a nude. Obviously I'll do a NOTM when I wear that one next.

Do I think anyone should spend $30 on a nail polish? Sure don't. But am I happy I have a couple? Very!

<3 / Roo

NOTM: Anne

Today I tried one of my newest polishes, Julep's Anne. I got an April Julep box, which is a monthly subscription service that focuses around nail polish. I got it for an awesome steal, $.01! You literally can't beat that. I filmed a video today and you can see what else came in my box when I post that. I believe anyone can get the same deal at julep.com with the promo code "penny". Their boxes are regularly $20, which I can't justify so I just canceled the service once I got the box.

Anyway, back to the polish. I liked this color in the bottle. A bright purple... soo up my alley. I really like it on my nails too. It is shiny, very opaque, and and the color is pretty. The bad news is I HATE the consistency of it. It is incredibly thick and rather hard to paint on my nails. I like the color now that it's on but I don't know how often I'd deal with its crappy consistency to wear it. I've heard good things about Julep polishes, so maybe the consistency of the other colors is better. Julep polishes retail for $14, which is a lot to spend on nail polish in my opinion.

I couldn't decide which picture I wanted to use. I don't feel that either picture shows the true color of the polish on my nails. The pictures look more blue than purple. The bottle of polish in the non-flash photo looks pretty accurate. The picture with flash shows just how opaque and shiny it is. Neither picture is perfect but they show different things.

<3 / Roo

NOTM: Gaga For Green

Today I let my five year old pick out my nail polish color. I was leaning towards a coral Essie color, but Hudson picked this green color and I went for it. I love green nail polish, seriously love it. The green OPI polish from the Pirates of the Caribbean collection (can't think of its name) is probably my favorite green polish. I like this China Glaze one too. The color is bright and perfect for Spring. The formulation is good. I'm happy with Hudson's choice. I put some OPI Rainbow Connection on my ring fingers. I'm really into having an accent nail these days.

Enjoy your weekend guys!

<3 / Roo

NOTM: Dannii

Again I decided to use one of my colors I hadn't tried yet. I thought this Zoya polish looked fun, pretty, and Springish. I loved it when I was applying it last night. The consistency was so nice that it was a breeze to paint on. It has gold shimmer in it which I like. But after looking at it on my nails all day, I'm not sure how I feel about it. I can't figure out what's bugging me about it, but something is. Tell me what you think.

And P.S. The semester is ending for Britt and me this week so expect a whole lot more action on the blog and our YouTube channel in the future. I have so many ideas ready to go and am excited to finally have time for this again.

<3 / Roo

Nail of the Moment: Cute as a Button

I had my eye on Butter London's Trout Pout since the day the Spring collection landed itself at Ulta. When I got my Dermstore promo code in MyGlam last month I knew I wanted to get that polish, but it was seriously back ordered. Since I'm impatient and didn't want to wait, I ordered other colors instead. I kept my eye on the polish and was close to just giving in and splurging on it until I heard Allison (aka. Amarixe) mention that Essie's Cute as a Button was almost an exact dupe. Well sign me up! $4 for a polish (since I'm licensed) instead of $14, yes please. So I searched for Cute as a Button and was quite happy when I finally got my hands on it.

Decided to give it a shot today. I like the formulation. It is the perfect consistency. Not too runny, not too thick. It is very opaque after two coats and it is very shiny. Great Spring/Summer color.

<3 / Roo

Nail of the Moment: My Pointe Exactly

I practiced self-control the other day when I checked out the new OPI New York Ballet collection. Of the six new colors I only picked up two. I got My Pointe Exactly (light gray) and Barre My Soul (an incredibly soft pink/beige). The colors in the bottle look like they could be quite sheer so I didn't have high hopes.

Tonight I decided to try My Pointe Exactly. The first coat went on so sheer that Hudson, my 5 year old, looked at it and said it was the dumbest nail polish ever. "I can't even see it," he said. The second coat made a surprising difference. It's late and I'm tired so I didn't do a third coat but it might be a good idea with this one.
I wanted to add just a little something extra so I did a coat of One Less Lonely Glitter from Nicole by OPI on my ring fingers. I like the combination.

<3 / Roo