My Favorite Manis of 2012 (pic heavy post)

Happy New Year!!!

Just wanted to stop by and show you some of my favorite manis from throughout the year...

My top 12 in 2012...

Galaxy Nails

Fruit

Pastel Leopard

Polka Dots with a Twist

Breast Cancer Awareness

Fish Net French Tip

Pink & Black Zebra Dots

Snowman/Snowflakes

Rainbow Shatter

Green Ombre Polka Dots

Interlocking Dots

Pink Friday Leopard Print

The last 2 are my "Honorable Mention Manis". I couldn't leave these off of my Favorites List!!

2 Chainz!!

 Rihanna Music Video Inspired

I had so much fun this year buying and swatching nail polish. Can't wait to break into some of the new 2013 collections that have been sneaking around all the blogs...See you next year!!

 Thanks for reading!!

Christmas Nail Art Challenge on Instagram

I just love doing these nail art challenges...thought I would share some of my entries...here is the challenge photo...

December 1: Snowmen/Snowflakes

December 2: GingerBread Man

December 5,9: Red, White & Green/Christmas Lights

December 5,12: Red, White & Green/Elves

December 14: Candy Canes

December 16: Reindeer

I don't know how I missed the Ugly Christmas Sweater nails day. Maybe I just misread the list. Oh well, one less ugly Christmas sweater never hurt anyone! Stayed tuned for the rest of the this nail art challenge!!

Thanks for reading!!

Mac Lipstick Samples

We all know how wonderful Mac beauty products are, but we also know how expensive they can be. MAC lipsticks are especially pricey at $15 each. Well, here is a way to sample some of their lipsticks without paying that high price tag.

I purchased these from TheBodyNeeds2.com. You can choose from 145 shades of real Mac lipstick. For $3.79 each you will receive a .5g sample in a slimline lipstick tube.The base of the tube is filled with clear lipstick base to prevent waste of MAC product in the twist mechanism. Tubes are labeled with product name and are guaranteed authentic. 

I bought these on Black Friday so I got them all for 30% off! I chose shades that I love and thought would be good for me, and also ones that seem to be pretty popular on my favorite beauty blogs and by YouTube beauty gurus. I chose:

New York Apple

Ruby Woo

On Hold

Craving

Russian Red

Up The Amp

First up is New York Apple. It is a muted red with pink shimmer. I expected it to be a lot darker on my lips than it was. I love the hint of frost in this one though, and it has a very creamy application. 

Next is Ruby Woo. Oh how I love this one! It is a bright coral, matte red and a MAC Best Seller. Very vivid, and seems to have some blue undertones. Some people shy away from Ruby Woo because the application is very dry & chalky. But owning this one previously, I've learned that your lips have to be very moisturized before you apply it, otherwise you will have a dry ugly mess on your lips!

This is On Hold. Its a creme sheen raspberry red. Nice formula but I expected it to be brighter than it was and a lot more pink since it supposed to be a raspberry shade of red. However, It was very creamy. I think this is and old MAC lipstick shade from maybe 2009? Correct me if I'm wrong. And I think it's a permanent shade in their Cremesheen collection. 

Craving was very crumbly before I ever even used it, which immediately gave me negative thoughts about it. It looks so dark in the tube. So I knew it would wear dark on me, being that my lips are naturally dark and not pink, like most of you. Craving is plum creme and that's exactly how it looks! I really like it!

Russian Red is a very intense red with some hints of blue undertones. Just like Ruby Woo, it is a MAC Best Seller and also has a matte finish, but it was much easier to apply than Ruby Woo. And ladies, let me tell you, if you want a really red-red, buy this one! Sorry for the lipstick on my teeth. I guess I was really excited about this one!!

And last, but certainly not least, is Up The Amp. I absolutely loooove this lipstick!!! I've seen it on every shade and skin tone imaginable and it is really pretty! My pictures do it NO JUSTICE at all. It is a lavender violet creme and it is so smooth and easy to apply. The perfect pastel for spring. 

I have to say, this is a great way to try out MAC lipsticks, without the fear that you will waste money on a color you don't like or that doesn't suit you. Thank you to The Body Needs for this ingenious idea. Of the 6 shades I purchased, I will definitely be buying Up The Amp and Russian Red. I already have Ruby Woo, it is a mainstay in my lipstick collection. I'm a red girl, if you didn't notice from the samples! I also noticed that Grey Friday, which is a Limited Edition MAC shade (I dare you to try it!), Pink Nouveau, Morange & Lady Danger, which are a few of MAC's best sellers, are samplers at The Body Needs. These are must-haves for me too!

Do you have a favorite MAC Lipstick? Let me know...

Thanks for reading!!

DIY Boot Shapers

Thank you to ...love Maegan for this ingenious idea!!

I bought these beauties from JustFab.com 

and this is how they stand up in my closet...

but after I made me a pair of Maegan's amazing boot shapers for myself, now they stand up like this!!

I love them! And I will be making several more for all of my other boots!

(sorry for the crappy iPhone pics)

See the full tutorial on Maegan's blog here. 

(photo from www.lovemaegan.com)

Thanks for reading!!

HomeMade Bathroom Spray

If you've never heard of poo-pourri spray...well, here it is. It is a natural "before-you-go" air freshener for your bathroom. Their web site says that "Poo-Pourri is not a chemical cover up! Based on aromatherapy principles, a squirt of two into the bowl forms a protective layer of essential oils that prevents nasty smells from showing up..."

Ok, so I first heard about this from one of my favorite bloggers Jill over at One Good Thing By Jillee. But just like her, and probably many of you, I believe in the power of essential oils, and I didn't want to pay $14.95 for a 4 oz. bottle of this spray, just in case it didn't work. So here is what I used:

15 drops Lemongrass Essential Oil

15 drops Spearmint Essential Oil

6 oz water

small spray bottle

(it's ironic that my spray bottle says "I Go")

Fill the spray bottle with water, add essential oil drops and shake.

As you can see, I've already used mine quite a bit!! 

Now to use, Jill's instructions were spot on...

BEFORE nature calls, shake bottle to mix well, spray your toilet 3 or 4 times, then "do your business". The oils will disperse over the water creating a vapor barrier and trap any offensive smells.

I had to try this and let me tell y'all, it works, and it works good! I can't believe I didn't know about this before now. Thanks Jill!! I've even mixed a teeny-tiny spray bottle to keep in my purse for those "away from home" bathroom visits! Okay, enough about this subject...Thanks for reading!!

Spiced Tea Recipe

When it comes to cold weather here in Texas, we have an on/off relationship. It's probably the reason why my family seems to always have the sniffles and sneezes. Our bodies don't know what to get used to.  

Anyway, my favorite cold weather, warm-me-up-drink is this Homemade Spiced Tea. I bet I've been making this since my ex-coworker Bill's wife gave me the recipe way back in 2001. If you're not a coffee drinker, which I am not, this tea is perfect for you. I've adjusted this recipe to my taste several times. I'm sure you will too. So here goes...

1 jar Tang

2 jars Country Time Half Lemonade & Half Iced Tea

1 1/2 cup sugar

2 6 oz bags red hot candies

1 tbsp ground cinnamon

1tbsp ground cloves

1 tbsp ground allspice

1 tbsp nutmeg (not pictured)

Mix all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight container. Beware, it is an all powder recipe, so this mixing stage will seem like a dust storm!!

Makes about 14 cups

Now just add 2-3 tbsps to one cup hot water and serve!

You will know its the fall/winter season when you hug your mug and breath in this sweet aroma. The Cloves and Allspice are perfect in this tea. Smells like Autumn potpourri! Enjoy!! 

(Side Note: not all spices will dissolve completely (notice some of the allspice & cloves pictured in the mug above. The more expensive brands of spices dissolve better, but I chose to use what I had on hand!)

Thanks for reading!!