Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure - Red Zin


If it wasn't already obvious enough already after the last few holiday mani designs I have done, I want to say Red Zin has really become my favorite polish color of the 2012 (and favorite polish line too). It wasn't even because the dark red color has been really popular. I have wanted a red polish for quite some time now. But let's face it, red is a more mature nail color and it can be intimidating. Now that I have found one that (I think) looks good on me, I can't seem to stop myself from wearing it all the time.

Left side: 1 layer ... Right side: 2 layers
Pinky & Ring: 1 layer ... Middle & Index: 2 layers
Notice the difference a second coat of the polish makes!



I am not very good at describing colors. To the best of my ability, I would say Red Zin is a blood red shade. I love that it is a jelly formula because it allows a little room for mistakes. If you can apply polish well, I'd say even one layer is doable. If you are looking for a darker red just go ahead with layer number 2. This polish dries fairly quickly and can last for a good week if I apply a generous layer of top coat on. Be careful when you take this color off though! The red polish can stain your skin a bit. But don't worry! It's nothing a shower and couple of hand washes can't fix. I'm not sure if the newly formulated Complete Salon Manicure line still has this particular shade. If you can find it in a store, I do recommend grabbing one if you're looking for a red polish!

Do you have a favorite red polish shade? What is it?

Learning My Camera: Flashing

After I shared a photo of my everyday face routine, many people complimented on my skin and the coverage of the product I was wearing. It's been bothering me a lot. But please don't be mad at me. I'm really am ashamed of what I've done so I wanted to confess my secret. Besides just fixing the colors of the photo, I did also erase a few dots here and there in Photoshop. It's just an itch that always gets to me...However! I promise I am trying my hardest to not use that tool anymore, especially for the blog. I am slowly learning to accept my not perfect complexion and trying my best to not be over self-conscious about posting photos for everyone to see. So be ready for some blemish filled photos in the future.

I was wearing a foundation here, no external pimple erasing here.
& Excuse the messy eye makeup! I was just playing around :P

But that is not the main point of this post! Camera flash also played a big part in washing out some of the blemishes I had and added more dimension/shadows to my face before I even went in to do any photo editing.  It's really amazing the difference flash can make (sometimes). I don't have any professional flash equipment or anything (if I get serious enough about photography I'll think about investing in them later on). I just use the flash that's from my camera. I assume if you have proper lighting and flash it could enhance contours and highlights even better.

For the most part, all the photos on the blog are taken with flash. Personally, I like the end result more when there is flash involved. For one, I find that without flash the photo comes out a lot grainier or noisier than with. Secondly, my room is lit with yellow toned "daylight" bulbs. If I take photos without flash, the photos come out way too yellow to even try to fix in any photo editing program. But as always there are negatives of flash as well. Usually, for me, parts of the face can get over highlighted/exposed or there is a flash mark/washout on the packaging. However, when I take photos outside on a sunny day I find that I usually don't need to use flash at all. There isn't the same graininess because of all the natural lighting.

What do you prefer when taking photos? Are there any camera tips you'd like to share with a photography newbie/enthusiast like me?

Review: Goody Quikstyle

Haircare is definitely not one of my top priorities. My hair is not amazing, but honestly, I am just too lazy to do much of anything with it. The usual haircare routine is literally just shampoo, wrap in towel, let it soak up some water, and then leave my hair down to air dry. I only comb through my hair when I feel it is very knotted (usually after I wake up).

Air drying hair takes forever. But a girl's gotta do what she's gotta do for healthier hair! (Especially after years of Japanese perming that I did in my middle school & early high school years.) For reference, I have mid to long length and relatively straight, yet sometimes poofy, hair. If I am just at home it can take a good 5+ hours for my hair to completely dry. When I go outside with wet hair, of course, it dries much quicker because of the wind.
Goody Quikstyle is a paddle brush with anti-bacterial microfiber bristles in between the standard knobbed plastic bristles. The product is supposed to help speed up the drying of hair and detangling of knots.
I was not expecting anything from this brush but it never hurts to try something out right? I used the Good Quikstyle exclusively after I washed my hair.

It did help take out tangles a lot easier and quicker than when I was using a comb. However, I really do think that any type of hairbrush in general would probably detangle well. (I haven't used a brush in years so there may be some terrible brushes out there.)

As with the quicker drying time? Ehh...I personally did not experience my hair drying any faster than it normally does. The microfiber bristles did absorb some water though because when I laid it on a paper towel it did leave a wet spot on the paper towel. It's just that compared to the amount of water my hair holds, even after having wrapped my head in a towel for half an hour or more, the Quikstyle's absorption just cannot compare.

This is definitely something I would never have even considered getting because I really didn't have a need for a new comb or brush. After having the opportunity to try this out, it is still a product I probably would not repurchase if for whatever reason the one I have is broken or lost. I will continue to use it interchangeably with my comb but I don't think this product is anything to rave about.

What are your haircare routines like? Did anyone else try this brush out? How did you like/not like it?


Disclaimer: I received this product through the Influenster VoxBox program to try. I do not receive any extra compensation for posting about this product (other than getting to keep the product). I am not obligated at all to write positive reviews either.
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