Holographic nail polish is hard to come across at your local drugstore, and all the good stuff is pretty much exclusively sold online. And if you live in Canada like me, that means that coming across ballin' nail polish with low shipping costs is another challenge altogether.

I found this website called Nail Polish Canada which seemed almost too good to be true. Free shipping when you spend $19 or more, and it offers many holographic nail polishes! Poor web design aside, this website offers holographic polishes from brands such as A England, Picture Polish, Cirque, ILNP, and Color Club. One collection that I really had my eyes on was the Halo Hues collection by Color Club. I don't have all of them, but what I do have is so freaking gorgeous that I had to share my swatches! I own seven of the polishes in total, and I can't wait to show you how lovely they are.

If you're reading this, then chances are that you may be at a trade show. I bet you're at an event, looking up Ruby Cosmetics on your cellphone after seeing a booth for their products being advertised. Or perhaps you've already purchased some of their products and now you're facing buyer's remorse, and wondering, did I just get suckered into buying these?

"For only $50, you can have the brow powder, application brush, a quad of eyeshadow, and a lipgloss!"

The offer truly was alluring. And after the girl at the kiosk spins you around in the chair to look at your reflection, you can't help but think "wow, my brows look amazing!" Your before and after is a stark contrast, and the employee raves about how great the product is. She even says, "I use it myself!"

The website claims that the brow powder gives "up to 24 hour, long lasting applications that are water proof, smudge proof and sweat proof." (Ruby Cosmetics).  Plus, the product comes with stencils for your eyebrows to make application easy and foolproof. It all seems too good to be true, right?

The verdict:

So I purchased the set of goodies from the girl at the kiosk, enjoyed the rest of the trade show, went home, and took a shower. Let me tell you, that eyebrow powder is not waterproof in the slightest; it washes off with ease. The powder looks great on me and lasts all day, and don't get me wrong, I use it everyday because finding a product that matches my blonde brows is a struggle. However, it's not something I'd be willing to drop $50 on again, even if it did come with all of the other goodies.

Speaking of the other goodies, I should talk about how those worked out for me. The eyeshadow quad that I picked up was their Shades of Perfection Eyeshadow in Brown. The eyeshadows weren't very pigmented, and there is a lot of fallout with the product. I also got their Hollywood Shimmer Lip Gloss in Brown, which had zero pigmentation and was the equivalent of just putting sticky glitter on my lips.

And a random side note, the products on their sites are listed at such steep prices that the employees really make you think that you are getting a good deal. The lip gloss is priced at $20, the eye shadow quad is $30, and the brow powder set is set at a whopping $80 (all prices in CAD).

This brand isn't one that I would recommend. The prices are a ripoff and the quality of the eyeshadows and lipgloss just aren't that good. I do like the brow powder, but it's not something that I'd be willing to drop $50 on again.

This week I received a box of goodies to test and review from Covergirl and Influenster! I couldn't be more excited, as I've always loved Covergirl's mascaras (minus the Plumpify one, but that's another story!). I also wasn't even expecting to get this VoxBox, as it showed up in my mailbox a few days before I got VoxBox confirmation email. The VoxBox contained Covergirl's Total Tease mascara, and Katy Kat Eye eye liner. 

The mascara, like most of their brushes lately, seems gimicky with a different-than-the-norm brush that promises length and defined lashes. The brush is different from other mascaras because the brush has two sides. One side has short bristles which are very similar to the Covergirl Super Sizer Mascara's bristles. These allow the wearer to get close to the eyelash roots to create volume and defined lashes. The other end has a smaller addition, with two rows of slightly longer bristles. This smaller end is to help tease out the length of your lashes. I found the best method to tease them out while still getting definition is to use to larger end, smaller end, then larger end again. However, I don't think that the teasing portion of the brush makes a very noticeable difference. Instead, I found that it works best to define my lower lash line, especially near the corners of my eye. I don't think the teasing end is something necessary or very handy, as I find that the normal brush does a very satisfactory job at giving my lashes volume and definition on its own. In my opinion, the mascara was fun to try and a rather decent one at that, but The Super Sizer mascara is essentially the same brush, sans teasing end.

I was excited to try the Katy Kat Eye eye liner because I knew that I needed to replace my current pencil liner soon. The colour that I received was Kitty Kadabra, which is a grey-black liner with some shimmer in it. I have to say that the liner was unfortunately not very pigmented, but it looks very nice for a neutral look because it's not very bold. However, I was hoping for a bit more of a pigmented colour from this liner.

The liner also has a smudge stick on the other end to help soften the lines that you create. But because the eyeliner isn't very pigmented to begin with it may unlikely that you would ever have a need for it. Overall, I can't say that I was "wowed" by this eyeliner, and it's definitely not something that I would go out of my way to buy. The only wow factor I found with this eyeliner was how I broke down crying when I got a new job, and it was the only part of my makeup that didn't budge. The mascara didn't fare as well. It didn't run down down my face, but it all came off as soon as I had to blot my face with some tissue. 

The products were nice to try, but I unfortunately didn't think they were very special or unique enough for me to repurchase. 



A special thank you to @InfluensterCA and @Covergirl for sending me these products free to test and review (#TotalTeaseMascara #contest).

*I received these products free to test and review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are solely my own.

Cracks and rips on my nails are something that I've always been plagued with. My thumbnails are the worst culprits. I often get nasty cracks that start at the nub of my thumbnail that make their way across the nail. In the past, I used to just accept my fate. I figured the nail will just snag against various fabrics and my hair, so I may as well just cut it down to the nub, right?

Throughout my whole life, I've struggled with unhealthy nails. They've always been unable to grow very long without breaking, peeling, or cracking. At the beginning of 2016, I stumbled across Simply Nailogical's nail art videos on YouTube and was amazed to see how long and healthy Cristine's nails looked. Cristine often praises Bliss Kiss Simply Pure™ cuticle oil for her healthy nails. If you check out Bliss Kiss' Instagram page, they're regularly reposting pictures of successful improvements after using their cuticle oil.

I'm always looking for ways to help my nails grow and remain strong and healthy. So when I saw an article about how Khloe Kardashian keeps her nails long and strong I was tempted enough to click it. As disinterested as I am in the lives and exploits of the Kardashian clan, I'm not one to pass up on learning about new ways to help benefit nail growth.

The article (or ad, depending on how you look at it. The Kardashians get paid to advertise a lot of stuff through social media) went on to discuss how Khloe uses Barielle Nail Strengthening Cream to help keep her nails long and healthy. The product was originally designed to condition horse hooves to prevent splits and cracks when it was discovered to have the same effects on human nails. It sounded like a miracle cream, so I had to give it a try.

Of course, in addition to having nail art and nail care as hobbies, I also appreciate a good ol' bargain hunt. A quick look on Amazon told me that 1oz of Barielle cream was selling for $20.99 CAD with free shipping, and Nailpolishcanada has a .5oz squeeze-tube version of it for $10 + $4 shipping. After a bit of research, I scrapped Barielle's brand due to cost reasons, and went for European Secrets Hoofer's Choice Nail & Cuticle Cream. I easily found Hoofer's Choice in a shop near my residence, it was the same amount of product as the tub by Barielle, and was more inexpensive. I bought a 1oz container at Sally Beauty for under $5, but I've seen it at Trade Secrets as well (it's notable that Sally's had it a few dollars cheaper).

I'd have to say that it's a great moisturizer for my nails to use in addition to my cuticle oil. I like to keep it in my purse because it's great for when I'm on the go. I like to use cuticle oil pens when I'm out and about, but apparently oil pens aren't a very common device. I can't seem to use them in public without someone asking me what they are and what I'm doing with them! I wanted to be a bit more low-key, so I think that this cream is great because it looks like a normal tub of moisturizer... minus the horse logo and name. Be prepared to explain to friends what you're using on you nails, because whenever I use the product it seems to turn heads! I try to explain it to my friends as "Mane 'n Tail but for my nails."

The product itself is of a thick consistency, similar to Vaseline. I personally find that it doesn't make my skin feel very greasy which is great. However, the smell is really peculiar! It kind of reminds me of Vicks VapoRub. I hated the smell at first, but after awhile it grew on me. I also find that a little goes a long way. A tiny dollop can be spread across all ten fingers. It's recommended that this product is used once or twice a day, but depending on how dry my hands are, sometimes I'll use it more frequently. This means that one small and inexpensive tub can last me awhile. This product, in addition to cuticle oil, has helped me combat flaky nails and reoccurring splits on my thumbnails. Overall, I'd say that this product is great for anyone with dry and brittle nails in need of a little bit of TLC. That is, as long as you can handle the smell!