Clinique Bonus at Dillard's Spring 2017

Hello my lovely Society Sisters! It's been some time since I've posted anything makeup related on my blog. I've been neck deep in nail polish for so long that I don't make as much time for it. Well I'm trying to find ways to incorporate it more since my love for cosmetics was a big part of my life for so long. I also have to mention that I often feel like I'm not making much progress on my blog, regarding my skills and otherwise. Well check out the last time I did a post about a Clinique Bonus. Quite a difference! That really made my day. :)

ABC Challenge: C is for Clinique

Happy Friday everyone! So far I am three for three in doing my Challenge manis late Thursday night. Next week will likely be the same, but I'm hoping I'll get ahead of the game eventually!

Limited Edition Cinnamon Swirl from Clinique Party Pretty Makeup Gift Set

Every year Clinique comes out with a makeup gift set for the holiday season that is an AMAZING deal. This year's set is extra special because it includes a gorgeous limited edition nail polish, Cinnamon Swirl. I bought the Clinique Party Pretty Makeup Gift Set because of the full sized eye cream, one that I use every day. But honestly, the polishaholic in me almost could have justified the purchase because of the tiny 4ml nail polish alone. 

Glitter Tropical Fruit Smoothie

Happy Monday everyone! How is the start of your week going? The sun is shining bright here, and that always puts me in a good mood!

This weekend I did a gradient with the two colors that I swatched in my Clinique Bonus post. I knew I wanted to do something else with it but couldn't make up my mind. I enlisted some help from ya'll on facebook where it was suggested to do glitter tips. So thank you Shawna! You can't really go wrong with glitter, can you? And thank you Melanie for the idea for the title. You guys are the best! :)

When I do a manicure, I always do my right hand first. I practice my technique and design ideas on that hand so I can fine tune everything before I do my left hand (the one I photograph). My left hand usually looks much better as a result. For some reason though, my right hand ended up looking much better. My gradient looked much more "gradient" like, with the colors blending together more smoothly. How annoying.
In those cases I still photograph my left hand for a few reasons. First, it's just awkward trying to handle my camera in my non-dominant hand. Second, I don't take as good of care of my right hand so my cuticles and nail shape are always a little wonky. What can I say? I'm lazy. Lastly, even though the gradient looked better, I still wanted to use that as my test hand for how I wanted the glitter to look.

What I used:
Clinique Hi Sweetie- hot pink
Clinique Really Rio- coral
Nicole by OPI Stars at Night- bar holo glitter
piCture pOlish Glitter Ball- round holo glitter

Thanks for stopping by! If you don't follow my blog yet, there are a plethora of ways you can! Find me on facebook, twitter, pinterest, bloglovin', google+ (follow by email and Google Friend Connect on the sidesbars). I love to get feedback and ideas from everyone. It really makes my day :). Ya'll come back now!

Clinique Spring 2014 BONUS at Dillard's Nail Polish Swatches

Really Rio and Hi Sweetie

*Disclaimer: I am employed by Clinique, but these are my own opinions. All product was purchased by me.*

It's Clinique Bonus time at Dillard's (for another week, or until supplies last) and because it includes nail polish, two choices even, I had to get both options! Of course, since the polish is a mini size, it's only worth qualifying for the gift if you actually are going to use the products you're buying. Since my skincare is almost exclusively Clinique, it's usually worth it for me.

Clinique A Different Nail Enamel For Sensitive Skins polishes were released June 2013. I am so glad Clinique finally came out with a quality polish! The formula they had a few years ago was in my opinion, low quality. The new formula has many benefits. They have been specially formulated and allergy tested to be gentle and non-irritating to the skin and eyes. Most important to me is how opaque most of them are even in one coat. All the ones I've tried have a lot of shine to them too. So now for the swatches! 

Hi Sweetie is a hot pink creme. This is two coats, plus top coat.

Really Rio is a muted coral creme. This is two coats, plus top coat.

Bonus also includes-

• cosmetics bag
• Take The Day Off eye makeup remover- really good for waterproof eye and lip makeup. For all skin types.
• Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion + - the famous yellow lotion got an upgrade last year, now with 50% more hydration (hence the "+"). For dry to dry/combination skins
• Lash Doubling mascara- black, thickening mascara, that has a tapered brush
• A Different Lipstick in Raspberry Glace (shown below) or Sugared Grapefruit- a lipstick that's more sheer than creamy. Both shades have a gold shimmer in them. Full size.
• Even Better Makeup SPF 15 foundation- For all skin types, though not recommended for very oily skin. Provides moderate coverage with a natural finish. There are four shade options for the gift, Ivory, Neutral, Beige, and Amber. (I am very fair, so there wasn't a matching shade available for the gift. This is actually the foundation formula I use, but I wear the lightest shade, Linen.)
• A Different Nail Enamel For Sensitive Skin and Eyes in Hi Sweetie or Really Rio- Both are permanent shades. .14 oz/4 ml

Raspberry Glace and Sugared Grapefruit

If this Bonus is a must have for you, make sure to get it while it's still available. Let me know if you have any questions about this post. Tell me if you want to see more like it in the future. I hope you enjoyed it!

Sochi Olympics Fever

USA! USA! I look forward to the Olympics months before they start. I love the anticipation for all the drama and excitement. The Sochi Olympics has not disappointed so far. I've been eating it up every night since it started. The figure skating and ice dancing has been amazing. The snowboard cross is so much fun to watch because at least half the athletes wipe out every run. My new favorite is the debut of slope style, it is seriously insane. If someday I magically changed and enjoyed being out in the snow, I think I would try my hand at it.

Of course it's always more fun to watch the athletes when you know their back story. You get so much more invested when you know what they've been through. Or when there is an athlete competing from a country who has never won a single medal. You kind of want them to be that country's national hero. It's emotional stuff, achieving lifelong dreams, and I cry with them every time.

I used to always think that if I ever competed in the Olympics that I would prefer to win a silver or bronze medal over a gold one. Out of the three I felt the gold was the least attractive. Or having one of each might be more cool than three gold ones. Is that weird?

What I used:
Sephora by OPI White Hot- thumb and ring finger
OPI Liquid Sand Honey Ryder- textured gold on my index
Clinique Strappy Sandals- silver on my middle finger and thumb
China Glaze Goldie But Goodie- bronze on my pinky and thumb
Jenna Hipp Awards Season-gold stripes on my thumb
American Apparel Downtown LA- red
OPI..Eurso Euro- blue
Sephora by OPI The Golden Age- gold and silver glitter on thumb
DRK_A Large Stamping Plate, purchased from Ninja Polish


What are your favorite winter Olympic events? Have there been any memorable moments for you so far? I'm a little partial to Ashley Wagner of team USA figure skating to a Pink Floyd song. It was pretty rock n' roll. :)

Bubble Gum Zebra

I finally got my nail art brushes in the mail!! Oh happy day! So now.. what to do, what to do? I was already wearing Clinique Different Nail Enamel Pinkini, and I thought I could just add to it. I decided to christen my brushes with a zebra print. I was surprised by how easy it was! At least,  it started easy. For some reason by the time I got to my ring and pinky fingers, I started to struggle a little more. Regardless, I was so excited by the result! Obviously there is room for improvement (isn't there always?), but you can still tell it's zebra print, right?

The next day I tried it with a matte top coat. It smeared it a little and shrunk it too, but I liked the finish. I used China Glaze Matte Magic.

I was still in the mood for experimenting, so I added a glitter coat. I struggled with the hex glitter, getting it both on the nail and then in the right place. It ended up pretty goopy. Still, I liked the contrast and the color of the glitter. I wish I was able to photograph it better because it looked better than this. This is Jenna Hipp After Party.

What colors should I use for my next zebra print?