My Nail Polish Collection {3}: The Palace Life by L'Oreal/Valentine's Day Nails

For Valentine's Day I decided to get somewhat festive with my nails!

For my fingernails I decided to go with The Palace Life from L'Oreal's Versailles Romance Collection from Spring 2013. Since they no longer sell this polish in stores, you can click here for a link- it's about $7.50 on Amazon. This color is a warm pastel pink cream. It's pretty pigmented and it's opaque in 2 coats; much nicer than similar Essie colors that take at least 3 coats to even show up ;) I thought the formula was quite streaky (I don't think it was the brush) and I noticed that it chips pretty easily, even with a good top coat. Overall, this polish is not my favorite, but I do think it's pretty for the spring.

On my toes (don't worry, I'm not going to post a picture!) I am wearing OPI's Lincoln Park After Dark, which is a very deep purple, with Ulta's Material Girl on top, which is a plum-colored glitter. To be honest, I don't think that Lincoln Park After Dark is worth the hype; it's easily one of OPI's most popular colors, but I honestly wasn't too impressed. I initially was going to just do Lincoln Park After Dark all by itself, but it was super streaky (which is probably because of the brush- I was using a mini bottle that came in a gift box), so I had to put a glitter on top so it wouldn't look horrendous! Ulta's Material Girl looks amazing on top of Lincoln Park After Dark and it seriously looks like professionally done glitter toes! I love this combination and definitely recommend it. If you're interested in purchasing Lincoln Park After Dark, I would definitely recommend purchasing the full size over the mini.

Lincoln Park After Dark is $9.00 at Ulta: http://www.ulta.com/ulta/browse/productDetail.jsp?productId=xlsImpprod5180201&_requestid=439857#

Material Girl is currently $2.00 (reg. $6.00) AND buy 1 get 1 free at Ulta: http://www.ulta.com/ulta/browse/productDetail.jsp?productId=xlsImpprod3570051#

Hope you all had a fabulous Valentine's Day!

12 Days of Christmas Gift Ideas: Day 6 {Pampering Kit}

Who doesn't love a little pampering? I think a spa kit is a great gift idea because it doesn't need to cost a lot of money, but it can if you want it to! Everything listed is just an idea of something you can put in a spa kit, so totally optional!

1. Face Mask: I don't know about you, but I love me a good face mask! My favorite face masks are the Freeman Feeling Beautiful face masks from Ulta. They're only $3.99! You can also get sample sizes at Walmart for a $1 or $2.
   
2. Soap: This is a pretty broad category. If you're trying to keep it cheap, I recommend running to the drugstore & picking up a cheap bubble bath. My favorite holiday soaps are from Philosophy. I love so many of their holiday products. It's a bit of an obsession.

   

   Sweet Fallen Snow shampoo, shower gel & bubble bath, and body lotion $26.00 at philosophy.com 

   

   Home for the Holidays holiday scented shampoo, shower gel & bubble baths, and lip shines $42.00 at philosophy.com

   
   

   

   Have a Cherry Christmas white cherry shampoo, shower gel, & bubble bath $16.50 at philosophy.com

   
   

   

   The Cookie Exchange gift set $24.00 at philosophy.com

   
   

   

   Peppermint Stick shampoo, shower gel, & bubble bath $16.50 at philosophy.com

   
   

   

   Spiced Gingerbread Cookie shampoo, shower gel, & bubble bath $16.50 at philosophy.com

   
   

   

   Old Fashioned Eggnog shampoo, shower gel, & bubble bath $16.50 at philosophy.com

3. Fuzzy Socks: Who doesn't love fuzzy socks? I've seen a lot of super cute holiday fuzzy socks at Walmart, but I chose a 2 pack from Target for $5.10.
   
4. Lotion: You can either get a non-scented lotion for sensitive skin (I recommend Vanicream, Cetaphil, or Vaselin), or you can get a scented lotion. For scented lotions, please refer to my previous post :)
5. Nail Polish: I think nail polish is a fun addition to a spa kit! My favorite holiday colors are in the Mariah Carey Holiday Collection by OPI! Here are a few of my favorites from the collection-

   

   My Favorite Ornament

   
   

   

   In My Santa Suit

   
   

   

   Cute Little Vixen

   
   

   

   Visions of Love

   
   

   

   All Sparkley & Gold

6. Hair Mask: I recommend either the L'Oreal Total Repair 5 mask (click here for my review) or the Macadamia mask. You can either get the full size Macadamia or the sample size. I personally would get the L'Oreal one because you get more for your money, but they are both terrific & would be great for a spa kit!

   

   $33.00 at Ulta

   

   $4.00 at Ulta

   
   

   

   $5.97 at Walmart

7. Candle: I love candles and think they are perfect for a spa kit! I highly recommend any of these candles:

   

   $10.00 (large) $5.00 (small) at Target. This has been my favorite candle for a really long time. I've purchased 3 or 4 this year alone!

   
   

   

   $10.00 (large) $5.00 (small) at Target

   
   

   

   $20.00 at Bath & Body Works

   
   

   

   $20.00 (3 wick) $4.50 (mini) at Bath & Body Works

   
   

   

   $20.00 (3 wick) $4.50 (mini) at Bath & Body Works

   
   

   

   $20.00 (3 wick) $4.50 (mini) $12.50 (mason jar) at Bath & Body Works

Make it your own! You can throw some pajamas in there, maybe a loofah, an eye mask, hot chocolate mix- anything you'd like!