Lingerie For Nails

Remember that great Zoya polish that came in my Glossybox? Well, I decided to jazz it up a bit.

How cool is that? The holographic glitter top coat is White Noise by Warpaint Beauty. I found it on clearance at Hot Topic for $1.99, and figured, "what the hey? It'll be fun!" Now, I'm in love with it, and it's been discontinued...of course. So, now I'm on a mission to find a replacement for it. But look at how pretty it is over nude nails!

Seriously, this makes me think of that mesh material designers use on red carpet gowns. It's like lingerie for your nails, and it's so easy to do. Swipe a thin coat on the top third of your nail (you may have to "set" the glitter where you want it), then add a thicker coat on the white tip only--like a French manicure. Add a clear top coat to seal. I used Finger Paints in Natural Talent for the nude base. It's very sheer, so what you're seeing is around five coats. Feel free to find something more opaque to save time.

Moving on, let's dip into the ol' Magic Glossybox o' Samples to check out the Burberry Lip Mist in Copper. One word: Gorgeous. This is less a lipstick and more a butter. It's sheer, but pigmented, a beautiful Summery bronze, and oh, so moisturizing. My only complaints are the flavor, which is far too perfume-y for my taste, and the thirty dollar price tag. It's very similar to the Revlon lip butters you can get at the drugstore for less than a third of the cost. In this case, you're really just paying for the Burberry name and packaging. I'm definitely enjoying my sample, but I won't buy a full-sized one.

How Glossy Is Your Box, Part II: May Glossybox Reveal

My Glossybox arrived!! Happy early birthday to me!! In case you missed the post announcing the launch of Glossybox, this is a subscription sampling program. For $21 a month (or less if you sign up for several months at a time) Glossybox will send you five deluxe mini, travel, and/or full-sized products. There may be other surprises tossed in, too, but not necessarily. I signed up for what turned out to be the second US Glossybox (they've been around in the UK and elsewhere, but just turned up here). I thought I was getting the first, but the first boxes were actually raffled off before the official launch. Those were the boxes with the Kryolan and C.O. Bigelow. Instead, I got what I believe to be a better box. Let me take you on a little tour:

Here's the Glossybox, directly out of the mailing package. It's a pretty shade of pale pink, and sturdy enough to repurpose as a photo box, hair accessory holder, etc. It's about the size and weight of a good shoebox.

When you lift the lid, you're greeted by a sweetly wrapped package, topped off with a bow and a neat little list of everything enclosed.

Taking off the ribbon (*cue stripper music*) and checking out the pretty packaging a little more.

And here's what I found...

Minus the shredded paper. Clockwise, from top: Marvis Whitening Mint Toothpaste (full-sized), Phyto Phytojoba Intense Hydrating Mask for Dry Hair, Burberry Lip Mist Natural Sheer Lipstick Copper No.202, Amorepacific Moisture Bound Refreshing Hydra-Gel, Zoya Beach and Surf Collection Nail Polish in Wednesday (medium faded turquoise cream, full-sized), and a Glossybox brand blush brush.

Not bad! I'll definitely be signing up for the next box. This was outstanding. Out of five products, two were full-sized, and the other three were generously portioned travel sizes in beautiful packaging. The Burberry sample even came in the exact same packaging as the full-sized, right down to the Burberry plaid embossing on the lipstick itself! The blush brush isn't the greatest quality, but considering it was an added bonus, it was a very sweet gesture on behalf of Glossybox. I have been most impressed.

Now, I've only gotten to try two of the products: the toothpaste and the nail polish. The first time I used the toothpaste, I hated it. However, it's grown on me with each use. The mint flavor is very natural and refreshing. I don't think I'll trade in my Optic White for it, though, since there hasn't been a discernable change in the cleanliness of my teeth.

The nail polish is stunning. It's the perfect non-traditional color for Summer. I don't know about you, but I'm a little sick of hot pink toes. Orange has been a welcome change, but this sea green has stolen my heart. I can't tell you how many compliments I've gotten on it, either. It's absolutely lovely, and not terribly expensive. The MSRP is $8, and I highly recommend foregoing a couple of lattes to snag a bottle.



Fuzzy, but you get the idea.