PURPLE SHORTIES :(

Well, as you can see, I had to cut my nails last night.  They just kept breaking.  Not sure what is the problem.  I even went back to using some Barielle treatments that I've used in the past that worked for me, but this time not so much.  As you can see from how short they are, I had one break pretty bad.  Thinking about taking Biotin to help with my nail situation.

I always feel less inspired when I have shorties to work with, but this turned out pretty good.  I used OPI - Push and Pur-Pull from the new summer neons collection.  Then I added 2 coats of Revlon Nail Art Moon Candy - Orbit (the flaky glitter side).  I then stamped using Konad Special Polish in white and Bundle Monster plate # 319.  Then to tone the white down a little bit I used OPI sheer tint in purple over the top (my new favorite trick I like to do), it always takes that stark whiteness away and leaves a more color flowing mani I think.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

UGLY AWESOME - YOU SURE SHOWED ME!

Well I asked for it and you all gave it to me! Thanks so much for all of you who took the time to pull out a truly ugly awesome polish, swatch it and email it to me! I enjoyed every ugly awesome moment, lol!

You can check out these wonderful ladies PRETTY AWESOME polish on their blogs by clicking their pictures. THANKS AGAIN GIRLS!!! I heart you all so much for doing this.



CLAIRES - DARING/INNOCENT
SUBMITTED BY: LACQUER LAINE


COLOR CLUB - CHARITY BALL
SUBMITTED BY: LACQUER LAINE


RBL - NO MORE WAR
SUBMITTED BY: LACQUER LAINE


SALLY HANSEN - FORSYTHIA
SUBMITTED BY: LACQUER LAINE



BARIELLE - MYRZA'S MEADOW
SUBMITTED BY: SHORT AND SWEET NAILS



RBL - NO MORE WAR
SUBMITTED BY: KEERTHAMINA PRETTY BALLERINA



AVON - HYPER
SUBMITTED BY: CRYSTAL POLISH



SALLY HANSEN - EDGY CREME
SUBMITTED BY: NAILS BEAUTIQUED



MAC - DRY MARTINI
SUBMITTED BY: MY LITTLE WORLD OF POLISH BY LILY NAIL

BARIELLE WEDNESDAYS - WEEK 3

It's that time again, for my weekly installment of my Barielle products. I do have a confession to make, I didn't use any of my products on Friday, Saturday or Sunday!! I had a busy weekend with having both boys and with Easter. I did have one of my nails break at a weak point in the nail on Sunday, and I don't know if it is related to my lack of using my products or not.



Please click on the links below to view my other Barielle Wednesdays posts:

Barielle Products Introduction
Week one
Week two

On to the comparison pics:

I can definitely see some growth to my nails from last week to this week. I had even filed and shaped my nails too before these pics, so some of the growth was filed off, but not much. I'm pretty impressed with the growth factor. I do wish that my nails looked better, but I think that will only come with time. What do you all think? Does it appear that my nails have had a significant amount of growth from last week to this week?

BARIELLE WEDNESDAYS - WEEK 2

It's time to update you all with my progress from using my Barielle products. Please CLICK HERE for the original post which has all the products I am using, as well as more info on Barielle Wednesdays.

Here is my progress after one full week of using Barielle's products:

As far as length, I don't see much difference. OF course, I really didn't expect to see that much if any difference in just one week. I am expecting a little something more in the next week or two though! I also have had no breaks, so that's good news.

BARIELLE WEDNESDAYS - WEEK 1

This is the first post in a series entitled Barielle Wednesdays. I informed you all yesterday of the products that I would be using on a daily basis to track my nail growth and nail health while using these.


EXTRA GENTLE CUTICLE MINIMIZER - This is taking the place of my Sally Hansen cuticle remover. The only difference I noticed was that the directions on the Barielle say to let the product soak in for 2-3 minutes, where the Sally Hansen is only 15 seconds. The Barielle product comes with a little orange stick, which is handy since it fits right in the box, and I don't have to hunt one down. This worked great on softening my cuticles and allowing me to push them back. This says for me to use daily.




GROWTH ACTIVATOR FOR NATURAL NAILS - The box claims this is a perfect product to use after removing acrylics - which HELLO! That's just what I need! I have tried several products like this recently, however, they all interfered with me painting my nails. One was to oily, another caused my nail polish to apply gloppy and one didn't let my polish dry. Needless to say I was really hoping that this wouldn't cause any adverse reactions to me painting my nails. This product is just like a nail polish, you just brush it on. The directions say to apply 1 coat to nails 2 times weekly and then to remove after 7 days. This one I won't be following the directions to the "t" since I remove my nail polish everyday, I don't see how this would help to only apply 2 x's a week. I will apply this daily, or after every removal of nail polish.
BTW - I painted my nails after the treatments (the succulent grapes post) and I had no problems what so ever with this product effecting my nail polish.




NAIL STRENGTHENER CREAM - This one I am to massage daily into nails and cuticles in a circular motion (I wonder why?). It says for especially damaged nails you can use it 2-3 times daily. I am going to try to apply this at least 2 a day. The packaging says to allow 3-4 weeks for noticeable improvement. For best results apply right before bed to allow the cream to penetrate overnight.




INTENSIVE NAIL RENEWAL OIL - This oil claims to replicate the body's natural lipids (lipids provide flexibility to your nails reducing breakage) that are diminished by water, soap & detergents. This product you just brush on to the cuticles and the nails. I am going to aim at applying this 2 times a day. For best results apply this right before bed to allow the oil to penetrate into the nails and cuticles overnight.




::::All product names can be clicked to direct you to Barielle's website for more info on each product::::

Both hands after all four treatments. I can already tell a little bit of a difference.

Right hand after treatments.

Left hand after treatments.


Next Wednesday I will have new pics posted up of my results after a week of using these products. I hope you all stick with me through this and give me HONEST feedback on what you think of these products based on my weekly pictures. You won't hurt my feelings, so please give me your honest opinions, Thanks!

BARIELLE WEDNESDAYS

I was recently contacted by a rep for Barielle, and was asked if there was a product I would like to try of theirs. Of course I am ALWAYS up to try new nail products, so I checked out their website. I have heard of Barielle before, but I have not tried any of their products. Here is a little background on Barielle I found on their website:

Over 30 years ago, Barielle introduced "Nail Strengthener Cream" as the first nail care product of its kind. Originally formulated to condition the hooves of million-dollar thoroughbred racehorses, this legendary skin care product helps nails grow healthier and stronger while resisting splits, peels and breaks. Its effectiveness launched Barielle as a nail and skin care company with unique products and approaches to treating, protecting and maintaining nails. Barielle has since evolved into one of the leading prestige nail care, hand care and foot care brands sold in the world, known for our cracked feet treatments and the best moisturizers for dry skin.


That explains the little horses on the boxes! I responded back that I would love to try the Growth Activator for Natural Nails. I thought this would be the perfect product to help my nails since they are STILL recovering from the acrylics I had on. I also explained in the email that was the reason I picked that product, and that if she knew of another product that they had that would help with my problem to send that instead.


Not only did Barielle send me:
Growth Activator for Natural Nails (for weak, hard to grow nails)

They also included:
Intensive Nail Renewal Oil (for dry hard cuticles)

Nail Strengthener Cream (for healthier, stronger nails)

Extra Gentle Cuticle Minimizer (for hard, ragged, or dry cuticles)

How generous was that? I am so excited to try out these products! I am really hoping that it kick starts my nails into growing and taking on a healthier appearance.


So starting tonight, I am going to start using all of these products on a daily basis (or as often as directed on the treatment). I am going to take pictures of my bare nails every Tuesday night and post them up on Wednesdays in a reoccurring post entitled "BARIELLE WEDNESDAYS". I figure this will be one of the best ways to not only track the progress of these products, but to keep me on track and using them.


Would love to hear from you all on this brand or these products! Have any of you tried these specific products and if so, what did you think of them.