I tried it ... China Glaze Crackle

Sugar High from China Glaze's Up & Away Collection

Fault Line Crackle Glaze
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I am going to start this review by saying I am a bit biased when it comes to nail colors. The one brand that stands tall above the others, in my book, is China Glaze. I have always thought highly of this color line ... the pigments are striking, the enamel goes on smooth and rich and the wear life seems to be longer than most others. The shine and luster of these products are amazing, and the durability is outstanding! My nails always seem a bit stronger when I wear China Glaze. Plus, all China Glaze colors are free from DBP, Toulene and added Formaldehydes.
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I was so excited when the fabulous people at China Glaze sent me these two colors for review. To be honest, I have not liked the look of the crackle trend. I had never tried it on before this review, but was excited to try it out, especially since these colors were bright and girly! I applied a base coat to my nails first (Essie's Fill The Gap) and then applied 2 coats of the bright pink shade of Sugar High. This color alone is gorgeous! I then gave about 5 minutes for the coats to fully dry, then applied one layer of the purple crackle Fault Line.
For those who have never applied a crackle glaze before, it is kinda cool to watch. You gotta be quick, paint a layer on, then within seconds, watch it separate! If you go too slow, or add too much, it can get goopy.
I waited a few minutes for dry time, then added a top coat (Essie's Good To Go) for extra shine. My overall review ... I kinda like it! Would I do this color combo again? Probably not. Only because the bright pink base with grape purple reminds me of the 80's. However, I am excited to try this crackle over some of my other favorite colors!
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What do you think? Are you a fan of this nail design? What are your favorite colors and brands that you adore?

Fashion Friday ... Vegas Edition!!

Hey there!! Long time, I know! Vegas was awesome, as usual, although the weather was COLD in the desert! Most days were in the 70's, which is chilly in my book! Hubby and I had a great time though ... we met up with some friends while we were there, went to see Tony and Tina's Wedding (HILARIOUS!!), O by Cirque du Soleil, and Criss Angel's BeLIEve. We also hit up my favorite nightclub, Pure, so I could get my groove on, and on our last day in Sin City, we laid out at the Rehab pool at the Hard Rock (thanked the weather gods for the 90 degree heat that day)! I left the diet in Portland and ate tons of amazing food!! My feet survived walking the strip in wedges, but blistered the 2 nights I went with the strappy heels.
I came home to a new work schedule with added hours, so I have been trying to re-adjust. I promise to have lots of fun new posts coming up ... in fact, you will definitely wanna be here on June 1st (next week!!) for a HUGE event that will be launching!! Have a safe and wonderful holiday weekend ... see you on Tuesday!!

Dress borrowed from my friend, Rachelle ... hot, right?

Thank goodness for safety pins!
Night one with the strappy heels ... ouch! Worth the pain though - wedges could not hang with this dress!
Simple black skinnies with a top I got at the Hurley outlet, paired with the comfy wedge sandals I brought from DSW.
Chained neckline with open back ... loved this top! Hair in a pony with a sequined headband and clips from H&M and added a silver bracelet.

One-shoulder sequined dress from Nordstrom ... $58!

Basic black shorts from Forever 21 ($7) and a cute top from Nordstrom Rack (b-day gift from my hubby), paired with my wedges. These shoes were awesome for all the walking we did!!

Spacing issues = frustrating! Ugh!!

Click on the pics to see them bigger.

Waking Up In Vegas ...

Are you singing Katy Perry in your head courtesy of my post title? Good, cuz that song has been swirling in my head all week! I am so very excited to be heading to Las Vegas on Sunday!! Hubby and I will be staying for a week to celebrate our birthdays and 10-year anniversary. Normally 3 to 4 days is more than enough time to party it up - especially since by day 3 you are usually broke and dehydrated from being hungover the entire trip - but we are going to take it easy, lounge by the pools, shop, see a couple shows, and enjoy the desert heat!!

This week has been full of laundry and setting aside stuff to pack, running last minute errands and putting together all the essentials the kids will need next week for their stay with Nana and Papa. I originally intended to bring a couple books from the Sookie Stackhouse series (which I may still do), but with all the rave reviews of Something Borrowed, I picked up a copy to take on our trip. I haven't seen the movie yet, but the previews look great!

And in between all the pre-vacation chaos and normal every day life, I am now hooked on Words With Friends on my iPhone. Scrabble with my peeps - fabulous! Wanna play? My player id is 'aprilbaker23'.

I was thinking of going through the archives and re-posting some oldies but goodies here on dot...dot...dot... while I am away all next week. I will not be taking my laptop (gasp!) with me, and I don't wanna leave y'all hanging. Any favorites come to mind that you would like to see again??

Champagne taste on a beer budget ... wedges!

Steve Madden at Nordstrom ... $90 Mossimo at Target ... $22
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Me Too ... $90

Xhilaration at Target ... $25

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Madden Girl ... $50

Xhilaration at Target ... $25 ___________________________________

Mia ... $70

Mossimo at Target ... $20

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Stuart Weitzman at Nordstrom ... $365

Xhilaration at Target ... $25

I snagged these little hotties during my last trip to Target and they are soooo comfortable, plus they look so sexy with a tan!!

Rants & Raves & A Giveaway Winner

Rave ... Breaking Dawn (Part I) is only 195 days away! That may seem long to many, but to those of us who are obsessed with The Twilight Saga, this is a very exciting sight to see on our countdown clocks!
Rant ... I have read several posts here in blog land of the lack of comments on blogs. I am feeling this and have for some time now. This saddens me. There is nothing like taking time out to blog about a topic of interest, and get no feedback in return. And I find it annoying when I comment on other blogs and instead of getting return comments on my own blog, I get an email with a short reply to my original comment. {Sigh.} I do appreciate the time that was taken to reply to my comments (THANK YOU!!), however, it is common courtesy to return the comment favor.
I cannot tell you how many times I have debated on the future of my blog - what direction I want it to go in, how much longer I want to do this, etc ... I know several bloggers are feeling this way, too. I know I am not the only one. I hope this slump ends quickly.

Rave ... I traded my Blackberry for an iPhone 4. Let's just say that it is WAY COOL!! I am having fun playing around with it and learning all there is to know about these smart little gadgets.
And the winner (picked by good ol' random.org) of the Too Faced Lip Injection Giveaway is ...
Summer!! Congrats girly ... it was actually your vlog review where I first learned of this plumper! Send me your address (aprilbaker23@yahoo.com) and I will get this right off to you!




♥

Happy Friday!!

I use it ... Pureology Hair Care

Pureology SuperSmooth Hair Care System ... I use this formula to maintain my hair color and because it has a thermal anti-fade complex to help protect my hair from the heating tools I use. I dye my hair (all over color) black every 5-6 weeks. It is not my natural hair color, but I prefer the richer color with my skin tones. Grow-out can be annoying, but because I get my color at a local beauty supply shop, the cost is low to maintain. When I had my purple extensions put in, the stylist recommended Pureology products to keep my color from fading and to better nourish my hair. I had used this line in the past, but quit using it due to the cost - the shampoo and conditioner runs $20 - $30 for standard size bottles. Being I am doing so much to my hair right now, and because my extensions require a flat iron daily, I opted to go back to Pureology for a while.
I do not use any styling products after I wash and condition, so I am not sure how this brand's other products line up, but I do like the Pureology formulas. Antioxidents and natural ingredients make this line stand out above the rest. The SuperSmooth formula I currently use is made up of Camellia and Sesame Oils, organic Shea Butter and Geranium, all aiding in keeping my hair frizz-free and shiny while maintaining the moisture.

I am loving my new extensions! The purple ones are bonded to my own hair with a glue and my 2 feathers (white and teal) are attached with a bead. When my hair is down, the purple is very subtle and peeks through. Pulling my hair half up reveals more color and allows the feathers to be seen. The extensions should last about 5 months, or until they grow out enough for me to want to remove them.

...What are your favorite hair care products?...

Celebrating 30 on 30!!

Not sure why turning thirty is supposed to be dirty, but one thing I do know is how to celebrate it!! My big 3-0h! was on April 25th, but hubby and I partied it up this weekend with a group of our besties! The night started with a little house partay then we headed downtown to tear the club up! So much fun!!

(If we are friends on Facebook, the rest of the pics are posted there.)

Ain't no shame!
Top ... Frederick's of Hollywood
Shorts ... Forever 21
Wedges ... DSW

My ♥
Here's to my fun and flirty, fabulous thirties!!

Muah!

xoxo