Category Archives: Beauty

Bath & Body Works Wallflower Haul

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Bath & Body Works Wallflower Haul

Hi!! I had a fantastic haul from Bath & Body Works compliments of their Semi Annual Sale. For forty dollars, I got twenty products and it just doesn’t get better than that. Especially when you consider that the price of one full size product tends to be between fourteen and sixteen dollars. Score! The last of the haul we will discuss today is my new selection of Wallflowers. I have a love/hate relationship with them. I love how they look and the idea of them. However, I don’t think they work the best but I am too deep into the game to stop buying them lol. Let’s take a look and see what these scents are all about:

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Would I Use Again?

Sheer Peach: YES

Country Apple: YES

Aloha Kiwi Passionfruit: MAYBE

Fiji White Sands: YES

Gingham Unstoppable: YES

Spring Clothesline: NO

Why/Why Not?

Peach/Apple: Two of my most beloved scents are peach and apple. I am a fruity fragrance kind of gal and there is a ninety-nine percent chance that I will like anything with these two fruits in the name. If you love really pure fruit fragrances, the Sheer Peach and Country Apple are great ways to go. They are straight up, no chaser peach and apple with nothing else added in. These wallflowers are bright and refreshing and I would happily buy each again.

Aloha Kiwi Passionfruit: I have used this scent of wallflower a few times because my Johnny loves a tropical fragrance. It has notes of “Tropical passionfruit, radiant kiwi, and juicy pineapple”. The pineapple was what I could pick up on the most and although it’s nice, it is a bit too subtle for my liking. I’m glad that I got another wallflower of this fragrance on the cheap, but I don’t think I would get it again immediately for the sake of trying something new next time.

Fiji White Sands: Now, this scent is one I liked a lot! Fiji White Sands is crisp, clean, and smells like a day at the beach. The fragrance notes feature “Fresh cut sugarcane, white nectarine, and sandalwood”. I could smell the nectarine perfectly and loved that it added some fruitiness to such a fresh fragrance. I took a roll of the dice when I added this wallflower to my shopping cart because it’s something I wouldn’t normally go for. The risk paid off because this is actually my favorite one from the wallflower haul!

Gingham Unstoppable: A resounding YES for Gingham Unstoppable and you can read my review here. 🙂

Spring Clothesline: There was bound to be a dud or two in this haul and that just so happened to be Spring Clothesline. I assumed I was going to get a scent like freshly laundered clothes. What I got was really pungent and I felt like I was huffing laundry detergent when I did the smell test lol. The notes of Spring Clothesline offers “Lemon water, sun dried blossoms, and golden amber”. I can’t speak for any of that because I couldn’t smell any of it lol. All I got was a nose full of Tide!

I am really happy with my Wallflower Haul and am actually impressed with the success rate of it. You just never know what you’re going to get when you shop fragrances online!

Do you use any type of scent plugin at chez vous? What is your favorite one? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

New Watermelon Nails

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New Watermelon Nails

Hi! This past Tuesday I enjoyed an appointment for a fill at Elysian Nails. It couldn’t have come a moment too soon because my car needed some extensive repairs and, therefore, I needed a little pick me up. I was without the Little Red Love Machine for a day and a half and missed her so much! I truly felt incomplete without my beloved LRLM and a fresh fill was a perfect combatant to the loneliness lol. I wanted something bright and fun and, as always, my tech delivered with these watermelon nails:

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When I get my nails done, I either know exactly what colors I want or have no idea in the slightest. There is no in between! For this fill, the former was the case and I was in the mood for some watermelon nails. Other than being one of my favorite fruits, watermelon is a true summertime staple. While I try to avoid doing the same color combinations as I have before, I just had to break out the pink and green one time for the one time. I am so glad I did because they look phenomenal and I can’t help but smile every time I see my poppy acrylics clacking away on the computer. 🙂

Normally when I get a fill, it is in between shifts for work and I am more worried about getting to where I need to be on time rather than relaxing. This time around, I actually had the day off and it made the experience so much better. I got to sit and enjoy as opposed to staring at the clock willing the process to go by faster. The piece de resistance, however, had to be allowing the time for my nail polish to dry! Usually once the polish is on, I book it, hop in the car, and crank cool air to let them dry on the way to my next destination. Don’t get me wrong, I always feel pampered after a fill but this one definitely hit different! 😀

I am pleased to report that I was reunited with the Little Red Love Machine a few hours after my nail appointment. There was nothing better than getting back behind the wheel of my car with gorgeous nails to boot!

What is one of your summertime staples? What color of nail polish are you rocking? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Bath & Body Works Shower Gel Haul

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Bath & Body Works Shower Gel Haul

Hello!! I am not very particular when it comes to bath and body or skin care because I don’t use one specific brand or scent religiously. One thing that I am really picky about, however, is my shower gel. My morning shower is how I kick start my day so I always want it to be just right. This is why I simply refuse to use any other product outside of the shower gel from Bath & Body Works. They are just right! I love the invigorating scents, the bubbly lather, and the ritual of it all. So, of course, I had to stock up on a few more shower gels during the Semi Annual Sale. I got some scents for me and for Johnny too so we can both be our Bath & Body Works best:

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Would I Use Again?

Gingham Unstoppable: YES!

Calypso Clementine: YES

Cucumber Melon: MAYBE

Ridgeline and Bourbon: PROBS

Gingham: I am a HUGE fan of the Gingham line from B&BW. I have been since the collection launched and I suspect I always will. While nothing hits quite like the original Gingham scent, I really enjoy when they release new variations of it. I didn’t even know that Gingham Unstoppable was a thing until shopping the sale so I had to try it out. Unstoppable features notes of “Fresh neroli, sparkling water, and clean musk” and I am SO there for it. This combination offers a much more aquatic scent, but it is still crisp and fresh just like the original Gingham. I would definitely buy this again and it is easily one of my favorite variations from my go to collection.

Calypso Clementine: If I had to pick my go to scent, it would be something fruity. More specifically, it would be something citrusy and is why Calypso Clementine skyrocketed to one of my must haves. The fragrance notes include “Juicy clementine, neroli nectar, and coastal woods”. If you can pick out the neroli nectar and coastal woods, kudos lol because it smells like pure clementine to me. This scent is bright and vibrant with the slightest bit of zest to add some zip. It is truly a perfect summer scent and any citrus fan will love it!

Cucumber Melon: I purchased a Cucumber Melon shower gel strictly for the nostalgia. Does it smell good? Who’s to say? Does it smell like the locker room in middle school gym class? Absolutely! Cucumber Melon was one of those scents that I kind of liked, but I was always more of a Japanese Cherry Blossom kind of gal. This fragrance has literally not changed during its extensive tenure at B&BW so if you liked it back in the day, you’ll still like it now. Either way, you are definitely going to get some scent memories from it!

Ridgeline & Bourbon: Johnny has no problem using the shower gel that I use, but I like to get him a few things from the men’s line during the Semi Annual Sales. Men’s fragrances are hilarious to us because it all just smells like Old Spice. If you have caught a whiff of ANY variation of an Old Spice product before, then you will know exactly what Ridgeline and Bourbon smell like. Yes, these shower gels do smell nice and I like the more aquatic scent of Ridgeline. However, both of them fall under the “been there, done that” scent category and I don’t think myself or Johnny would seek them out if they weren’t marked down.

Overall, I am really pleased with this portion of my haul. I got two scents I love, a little something something for my main squeeze, and it was only eight dollars for the products discussed. SCORE!

What kind of fragrances does your partner like? What is your go to scent in one word? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

 

Bath & Body Works Hand Soap Haul

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Bath & Body Works Hand Soap Haul

Howdy!! Although I wasn’t able to get everything I wanted from the Bath & Body Works Semi Annual Sale, I still did pretty well for myself. Thanks to promotions and a birthday gift card, I only spent forty dollars for twenty products and you can’t beat that. I was keeping my fingers crossed that I could get a bunch of the foaming hand soaps as they are tried and true staples in my apartment. The selection was slim pickings by the time I shopped the sale, but I did manage to find a couple as well as an awesome deal on hand sanitizer. I got a five pack for two dollars which was a total score! Check it out:

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Would I Use Again?

Firecracker Pop: YES

Wild For You: YES

Bright Summer Days: MAYBE

Mahogany Teakwood Hand Sanitizer: MAYBE

Why/Why Not?

Firecracker Pop & Wild For You: One of the classic B&BW tricks is that they will recycle the same scent with a different name and packaging. Hence, why we are discussing Firecracker Pop and Wild For You together. As I took a whiff of each scent, I found them to be very similar. Then, I looked at the back and the scent description of “Red cherry, fresh citrus, and juicy berry” was almost a perfect match. The only difference being that Firecracker Pop offered juicy berry and Wild For You featured frozen berry. So, in other words, a perfect match lol.

I like this scent well enough so it’s a good thing I have two of them. However, I would have went for a different scent had I realized I was buying two of the same products. Both options smell exactly like a Bomb Pop and is delightfully reminiscent of summer. Something that I don’t love, though, is the slightly medicinal after scent from the cherries. It’s not terrible, but it does smell like straight up cough syrup if you are looking hard enough for it!

Bright Summer Days: Shopping for fragrances online is, of course, a difficult thing to do. When I am online shopping with B&BW, I never pay too much attention to the scent description because it could be hit or miss regardless of what I end up picking. Had I done my Semi Annual Sale haul in stores, I would have skipped over Bright Summer Days but it’s not the absolute worst. This scent features notes of “Coconut milk, sunny starfruit, and warm sands”. I can’t speak for the starfruit or sand, but the coconut is there!

I wouldn’t say coconut is one of my favorite scents but I am especially partial to the Coconut line from The Body Shop. It is such a pure fragrance without anything else mixed in. Knowing that the B&BW coconut isn’t nearly as good is enough to make me not like it too much. If the price is right, however, I would probably still buy it again.

Hand Sanitizer: I really like the hand sanitizers from B&BW. Yes, the scents are always nice. The best part, though, is how they don’t dry out my hands like other sanitizers have done before. The Mahogany Teakwood five pack of sani was the only option available online and I went for it. I knew Johnny would appreciate the manly scent and even if it’s one I normally wouldn’t use for myself, it was an excellent deal. As far as the scent goes, have you ever smelled Old Spice products? It is literally just that lol. I will keep one handy in my purse but I will be purchasing more hand sanitizer in a scent that I actually like the next time I go shopping!

This Hand Soap Haul wasn’t the best and that’s okay. Although the scents weren’t all slam dunks, I got what I needed and got it for a song. Not too shabby!

Did you shop the Semi Annual Sale? What is a scent that you can’t stand? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

 

Bath & Body Works Semi Annual Sale Haul

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Bath & Body Works Semi Annual Sale Haul

Hello!! Something that I always look forward to is the Semi Annual Sales at Bath & Body Works during the summer and winter. Countless products are marked down to seventy-five percent off and it is perfect for bulking up my stockpile and purchasing gifts. There is nothing better to me than a revamped bath and body care hoard that was bought at an amazing price! Unfortunately, I couldn’t get to the store to shop the sale so I did it online. And, unfortunately, by the time I got around to it everything was pretty picked over. However, I still did alright – actually better than alright. Thanks to a birthday gift card to B&BW from my sister, I got twenty items for… FORTY DOLLARS!! You simply can’t beat two bucks a pop for each product! Check it out:

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I have to admit that I was slightly disappointed with myself during this haul. I actually looked at the B&BW website shortly before going to bed and there were at least fifteen pages worth of marked down product. Fast forward to when I shopped it the following day and there was only five pages left. I was SO annoyed as I was hoping to rebuy several things that Johnny and I liked before. Their selection was very limited, especially for the men’s department and a majority of what was left online was candles, wallflowers, and a random assortment of lotion and shower gel.

Although I was wishing to score some cheap skin care and the gummy vitamins that Johnny loved, beggars can’t be choosers. And, at the end of the day, I still got lots of goodies for a song! I was able to get a great supply of wallflowers (Which I don’t think work all that well, but I like them anyways!), hand soap, and lotion and shower gel in my favorite scent of Calypso Clementine. I am also really eager to try the body butter, which is entirely new to me. I live for the body butter from The Body Shop and nothing will hold a candle to it. But, it doesn’t hurt to try! 😀

In the next few days, we’ll go over some of these different scents that haven’t been discussed on my page before. I am confident that there will be a few duds in the mix so we can all better learn what to skip on during our next B&BW shopping spree! The winter Semi Annual Sale, perhaps?!

Who else shopped the summer Semi Annual Sale? What was in your haul? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

June 2024 Finishes

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June 2024 Finishes

Hello everyone!! Just like that, my birthday month is close to drawing to a close. It was a wonderful, celebratory time but all good things must come to an end. So, there is no better time than the present to discuss my beauty empties for the month! I was able to use up a lot of new to me products and quite liked a majority of them. In fact, I would happily use everything again minus one thing so it was a highly successful month indeed. Let’s take a look and discuss further:

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Would I Use Again?

Evoluderm Micellar Water: YES

Bath & Body Works Calypso Clementine Body Wash: YES

Bath & Body Works At The Beach Body Cream: YES

Provence Beauty Vitamin C + Salicylic Acid Serum: YES

40 Carrots+ Brightening Eye Cream: NO

SOQU Moisturizing & Brightening Rice Cream: YES

Why/Why Not?

B&BW Products: I am a huge fan of the products from Bath & Body Works and use them on a daily basis. My morning showers would not be complete without their body wash and the body creams and lotion are a nighttime staple. I absolutely LOVED the scents of the Calypso Clementine shower gel and At The Beach body cream. The shower gel was bright, fruity, and had the perfect amount of citrusy zest. And, in case you couldn’t guess, At The Beach smells exactly how you think it would – like sunscreen lol. However, it was blended with a soft coconut scent and served pure summer vibes. It took me one month of daily use to finish the shower gel and a week of daily use to finish the travel size body cream.

Provence Beauty Serum: I find serums to be very hit or miss for me. Some are great, some do nothing for me, and some are somewhere right in the middle. The Provence Beauty Vitamin C + Salicylic Acid serum definitely fell under the “great” category! After one month of twice daily use, I can absolutely say that my skin looked brighter and better than it did before. One might even say: Radiant. Provence Beauty is a brand that is very average for me, but I would buy this serum again in a heartbeat. In fact, I would buy a few bottles!!

40 Carrots+ Eye Cream: It took me three months of twice daily use to finish the 40 Carrots+ Brightening Eye Cream and I couldn’t wait for it to be over lol. This product was a total dud and is one that can be skipped on. After ninety days of use, I did not notice one difference to the skin around my eyes. This is in stark comparison to the brightening eye cream that I used prior to starting the 40 Carrots+ because I saw a real difference with it. It’s a HARD no from me, dawg.

SOQU Rice Cream: I very much enjoyed the Moisturizing & Brightening Rice Cream by SOQU and was really sad when I finished it after a month of twice daily use. The texture of this cream was nice and light, making it ideal for the summertime. It absorbed quickly, was non greasy, and sat well under makeup. My skin felt softer and more hydrated with each use and it looked a lot brighter too. Most importantly, my skin felt genuinely healthy with each application and it doesn’t get better than that!

It’s bon voyage to my beauty empties and bonjour to brand new ones. I still have lots of new to me products in my stock pile and I can’t wait to keep testing them out! 😀

Which products did you use up this month? What are your thoughts on any of the above products if you have used them before? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Face Mask Festivities: Youth To The People Hydrate & Glow Dream Mask Edition

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Face Mask Festivities: Youth To The People Hydrate & Glow Dream Mask Edition

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new edition of Face Mask Festivities! Today we will be discussing the Superberry Hydrate & Glow Dream Mask from Youth To The People. This mask was compliments of my free birthday gift from Sephora and I was excited to try it out. While I love all kinds of face masks, I am quite partial to sleep masks because you just have to put it on and forget about it. Although it doesn’t give you the full experience of relaxing while your mask sits, it’s always nice to think that you are being pampered even as you catch some Zs! Without further ado, let’s get to this review:

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My first impressions of the Superberry Dream Mix was not really what I expected lol. I was surprised when I opened the package and saw the banana colored product! It also smelled exactly like bananas, which is great if you love the smell of bananas. Unfortunately, I don’t so this wasn’t ideal but thankfully the scent wasn’t too strong. The texture of this mask was really thick, which is also something that I didn’t care much for – especially in the summer heat. The Superberry mask took a considerable amount of time to absorb and it still hadn’t completely sunk in after an hour and a half. At that point, I was falling asleep so I can’t say for certain the full length of time for absorption, but I definitely prefer something more fast acting.

The Superberry Dream Mask features my favorite ingredients for skin care – Vitamin C and hyaluronic acid as well as other antioxidants to hydrate and brighten. After waking up, I did feel like my skin was softer and I also thought it didn’t look as tired considering I was up at three in the morning. Having said that, this mask costs fifty-two dollars for a full size jar and that is something that I can’t justify. Had this mask been an absolute miracle worker, I might reconsider. However, I have had similar results from other cheaper products so this will be the first and only time I use the Youth To The People mask.

It’s hard to gauge a product after just one use, but I am fine with not using it again. I will say that this mask would probably be really nice in the wintertime as opposed to the summer and could be worth a shot if you want to shell out for it!

What is your favorite face mask? What is your nighttime skin care routine? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Too Faced Lip Injection Swatch In Filler Up

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Too Faced Lip Injection Swatch In Filler Up

Hi!!! I am very unadventurous when it comes to makeup. Once I find a brand and shade that I like, I tend to stick with it for the long haul. This past month, I used up my go to lipstick by Bite Beauty in the most lovely mauve shade called Chai. It was no biggie because I needed new mascara from Sephora so I planned on restocking my lipstick too. It turned out to be a HUGE biggie because I learned online that the Chai shade has been discontinued. Just my luck. I spent some time browsing Sephora online for a comparable lipstick but didn’t want to take the plunge in case I didn’t like it. So, I went to shop in store and after a lot of trial and error, ended up with a gorgeous shade by Too Faced called Filler Up. Check it out:

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I very rarely shop for new makeup and opt to spend my extra cash on new clothes and shoes. I like to consider myself to be an excellent shopper, but I met my match at Sephora. Who knew something as simple as picking out a new lipstick would be so difficult? NOT ME lol. Shopping brings me inner peace – makeup shopping is a whole different ballgame. Every lipstick looked like it could be good and, then again, every lipstick looked like it might not work. This was so totally overwhelming considering the expansive lippie selection at Sephora!

After swatching, reswatching, and swatching again throughout the store, I was at a complete loss. Then, the tides turned in a major way when I took a closer look at the Lip Injection collection by Too Faced. There was no perfect match to my fallen friend by Bite Beauty, but it was closer than anything I had seen. I ended up choosing a shade called Filler Up which is described as a “muted mauve pink”. Although I still preferred the true mauve of Chai, I knew that Filler Up was the closest I could get and I’m happy with it. I have used matte Too Faced lip products before and love their saturated pigments. However, I find matte products to be a bit too drying now so this cream lippie is just right. Is it my new favorite shade? Who’s to say? But I’ll give it a try. 🙂

Did I have fun during my Sephora shopping trip? Not at all lol so I am so glad I found something “close enough” to my OG lippie so I don’t have to do it again anytime soon! 😀

What is your least favorite thing to shop for? What is your go to lipstick? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

 

Sephora Birthday Haul

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Sephora Birthday Haul

Hello!! I have been in dire need of my beloved Better Than Sex mascara by Too Faced for several months now. However, I refused to buy it until recently so that I could cash in my Sephora birthday gift. You all know I live for my freebies! Normally, I shop Sephora online because they run some great promotions like a freebie after spending X amount of money. This time around, though, I went in store because I needed some new lipstick too. Unfortunately, my go to lippie is no longer made so I spent some time browsing the store and swatching different shades as I went. We’ll check out a swatch from my new Too Faced lipstick tomorrow. But, for now, take a look at my birthday haul:

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The Haul:

Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara

Too Faced Lip Injection in Filler Up

Youth To The People skin care set with a Superfood Cleanser, Superberry Dream Mask, and Superfood Moisturizer

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it time and time again: The Better Than Sex mascara is, hands down, the best I have ever used. During my time without my favorite mascara, I tried out a few different brands and nothing even came close in comparison. Needless to say, I am very happy to have a new tube and back up one again! I missed my big, bold, look at me lashes so much and consider each twenty-six dollar tube to be worth every penny. I especially find this to be true now after using cheaper brands that did nothing for me. And, hey, sometimes you have to splurge for the good stuff!

During my Sephora shopping trip, I started at the Too Faced department and ended there too during my lipstick search. Although I am not a big makeup girl, I figured it would be pretty easy to find a lippie in a similar shade to the one I used up. WRONG. There were SO. Many. Options. to choose from and it was overwhelming lol. It felt like I totally forgot the color I was even looking for and everything I swatched wasn’t quite right. I was about to give up when I realized I didn’t pay too much attention to the Too Faced Lip Injection collection. This was much more like it and I cannot wait for all of you to see Filler Up. It’s sooo pretty. 🙂

The last order of business was checking out and selecting my free birthday gift. There are several options online for what you can pick out for your prezzie – skin care, hair care, fragrance, or makeup. In the store I went to, however, the choices were limited. But, as luck would have it, the Youth To The People skin care set that I wanted was up for grabs. It’s no secret that I am skin care obsessed so it is always fun to test out higher end products. I am particularly excited about the Air-Whip moisturizer, which promises to be nice and light and perfect for the summertime!

After this trip to Sephora, I came to the conclusion that I don’t know anything about makeup lol. I was definitely jonesing to go to TJMaxx afterwards to get reacquainted with simpler things like shoes and clothes! Either way, I’m happy to have gotten what I needed and next time I need new makeup, I am bringing my sister along for help. 😀

What is your favorite makeup brand? How often do you get new makeup? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

New Tangerine & Neon Blue Nails

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New Tangerine & Neon Blue Nails

Hello!! On Tuesday, I spent some time getting some much needed pre birthday pampering at Elysian Nails. I was in desperate need of a fill and I was even more eager to go because my nail tech just did a manicure for my mom last week. Tuesday has become my new go to fill day and I make my way to the salon during a break from work. It is the perfect treat to get me through the day because nothing is better than showing off some fresh new claws! I was ready for some bright, summery colors for this appointment and am loving what I picked out:

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Sometimes, I have absolutely no idea what colors I want my nails to be. Other times, inspiration strikes and that was the case for this fill. It has been heating up in Akron, Ohio and I had vivid orange hues on the mind. But paired with what? At the nail polish wall, I made a beeline to a neon tangerine shade and it was exactly what I wanted. I toyed with the idea of purple and neon pink, but an electric blue caught my eye and it was game over. Orange and blue is a combo that screams fun in the sun and we were in business for some poppy, so bright you need shades nails.

During my nail appointments, my tech and I normally catch up on the latest in each other’s lives. This time around, there wasn’t too much to discuss because I literally just saw her four days ago lol. This was totally fine by me because I could just sit back, relax, and go brain dead for a bit before it was back to work! While I zoned out, I swapped between watching HGTV and the magic that was unfolding at my tech’s station. Before this appointment, a few of my nails were definitely lifting and were feeling less than sturdy. In what felt like no time at all, I had a fill so good that it felt like I had a brand new set on. They are sharpened and shaped just the way I like them and just right for ringing in the summer vibes!

This was just Part One to my birthday pampering and I can’t wait for Part Two later this month for a brand new do at the Shear Shop. I am stepping into my thirties in maximum style!

How do you treat yourself for your birthday? What color of nail polish are you rocking? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah