Bootie Babe - The Pursuit Of Bootieness

Bootie Babe is a new beauty brand developed by SuperBooty LLC, based in San Francisco, California. The company is proud to announce the 2013 Nail Polish Collection with 48 sexy shades and featuring an "industry-first" in unique packaging: crazy, cute and collectible bootie shaped bottles! With names such as “Butt Out", "Red Riding Rump" and "Uncanny Fanny", the product line has generated tremendous excitement all over the world.

I was very kindly sent three shades to try - 'Bum Rush' (dark grey and burnt orange creme), 'Nummy Bummy' (black with silver glitter) and 'Butt Out' (pink frost holo glitter).

 'Bum Rush' (direct sunlight)

I was very pleased with 'Bum Rush', which applies super smoothly and evenly thanks to the precise brush, and although I found the polish to be on the thin side, it was not a runny mess. 'Bum Rush' was perfectly opaque after only two coats and it took about three days to chip.

'Nummy Bummy' (indirect sunlight)

I really hoped the black base in 'Nummy Bummy' would not be sheer like most of the glitter nail polishes I have tried, because it just looked stunning in the bottle, and I am so glad it was not! It is opaque enough for my liking after only two coats, and it took about three days to chip. As for 'Butt Out', which I don't have proper pictures of, 'Nummy Bummy' applied very smoothly and the polish was on the thicker side, which I always appreciate - who likes a runny mess anyway?

Each bottle of Bootie Babe Fashion Nail Polish weighs .5 oz (14.8 ml) and includes a tall cylindrical cap and Dupont applicator brush for durability and ease of use. Each bottle comes with a glossy gift box and 2.5" Bootie Babe logo sticker.

SuperBooty LLC understands the need to market cosmetics that are safe, free of toxic ingredients and developed using cruelty-free testing procedures. Bootie Babe lacquer formulations are developed specifically to be “California Safe”, and do not include chemicals such as formaldehyde, toulene, and dibutyl-pthalate.

The Bootie Babe 2013 Nail Polish Collection is now available for sale online ($8 each) and at wholesale prices for distributors and retailers in the U.S. and internationally.

Disclaimer: One or more products were sent to me for consideration to review. I am not affiliated with this company and the fact that the products were free absolutely does not influence my opinion.

Barry M Nail Paint in Peach Melba

Barry M is my favorite brand of nail polish because it's of amazing quality for the price (only £2.99!). You only need 2 coats for a perfectly opaque color that last a complete week without a single chip. The brush is perfect, the texture is creamy the application is streak-free. 

Peach Melba must be my absolute favorite nail polish shade. It sheers me up instantly and it even makes my hands look tan! It's a shame Barry M is not available here - they had plans to come to Canada but it doesn't seem to work well so far. I'm very grateful to have won this nail polish from the extremely generous Karen - thank you so much! =D

Barry M Nail Paint in Grey (With A Twist!)

Barry M is my favorite brand of nail polish because it's of amazing quality for the price. You only need 2 coats for a perfectly opaque color that last a complete week without a single chip. The brush is perfect, the texture is creamy the application is streak-free. It's a shame Barry M is not available here - they had plans to come to Canada but I don't know what is happening with this now?

I was recently sent some nail art stickers from Online Nail Bar to try and I thought it would be fun to jazz up Grey with these.

Tiny Pink Yellow Nail Art Stickers

Onlinenailbar.com stock a fantastic range of nail art stickers. Each sheet contains between 30 and 60+ stickers so this means that you can complete mutliple manicures or share with friends. This product is extremely affordable at only £1.25 each.

These nail art stickers are very easy to use - simply place the stickers on your nails and seal the nail stickers with a clear top coat. I have founf the stickers a little hard to manipulate because they are so small, but it's not impossible. Just be careful and act quick if you don't want them to properly adhere to the nails. Also, the first time I tried them, I forgot the top coat and of course, the stickers fell off within 30 seconds!

I would not personally re-use the stickers because hey, at £1.25, what did you expect? They lose they stickiness quickly altough a top coat helps them stay put on the nails more easily. I must say I was a little disappointed with the color too - you an clearly see the color pixels when you look closely, but not so much from a distance. They are still cute though!

Disclaimer: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Julep Maven Boho Glam Intro Box

Some times ago, Julep had a wicked deal going on - 1¢ for any Intro Box, how amazing is that? Of course, I had to take advantage of it! When I took the Julep Maven Style Quiz, I was told I was an American Beauty, but I was not fond of the shades so I decided to opt for Boho Glam instead .

Here is what the Boho Glam Intro Box contained:

• Julep Glow On Age Defying Hand Brightener 
• Heather Julep Nail Vernis (chic platinum greige with a metallic glow)
• Blake Julep Nail Vernis (sunny butter yellow crème)
• Julep Facial For Hands Glycolic Hand Scrub sample
• Julep Everyday SPF SPF 30 Hand Cream sample

Julep Glow On Age Defying Hand Brightener $32 for 89mL / 3 FL OZ

Visibly minimizes the appearance of fine lines and age spots on your hands while adding radiant glow and evening skin tone. Contains rare African plant extracts that are clinically proven to block melanin production and reduce hyper-pigmentation and micro light diffusing technology gives hands an instant glowing and luminescent appearance. Advanced emulsion system imparts water-resistant, non-greasy softness.

I must say I was not happy to see a random hand cream in this box (even though I knew I would received it). It's super light and it's absorbed incredibly quickly into the skin without leaving any residue behind, but still, it's not moisturizing enough for my patches of eczema. Also, because I don't have a problem with hyperpigmentation, I almost immediately gave this cream to my mother.

I think I would prefer if Julep included more manicure related products instead of skin care products. I would have personally be happier to receiv three nail polishes, or even, two nail polishes and a top coat. Who needs another hand cream, after all?

Heather and Blake Julep Nail Vernis $14 for 8mL / .27 FL OZ

Professional quality “4-free” nail polish formulation, developed without carcinogens such as formaldehyde or formaldehyde resin, toluene and DBP.

From my past experience with Julep Maven, I already knew that I would not like Heather. Yes it's pretty in the bottle (I'm in love with greige nail polishes) but I personally think the metallic finish spoils it all. I have a preference for cream finish but Heather just looks dull in my opinion. It's not as pigmented as I would have liked it to be on the nails (I needed three coats to be somewhat happy with it), and of course, it chipped after only 2 days, which is not what I would have expected from a $14 nail polish!

Blake was love at first sight - it's the sole reason why I chose the Boho Glam box! I love yellow nail polishes, they cheer me up and they just look unique! The only yellow nail polish I had in my collection was Avon Nailwear Pro in Sunshine and as happy as it made me feel, it was still more of a mustard-y yellow and I've been on the hunt forever for a more banana-y yellow... well I have finally found it in Blake!

I think the formula is perfect - smooth, creamy and easy to apply. The color is perfectly opaque after 2 shades and OMG, this thing clings to the nails like crazy! Blake lasted a good four days on my finger nails without any chip, and I couldn't resist to apply it on my toe nails too... where it lasted about 2 full weeks! Wow!

My opinion has still not changed about Julep Maven - I'm not sure it's worth the $19.99 a month becaue none of their shades are truly unique and so far, I have only been happy with their cream nail polishes. For more details on Julep Maven, please see my Classic With A Twist Intro Box review.

I have a little surprise for you lovely ladies! Feel free to use the code GABYSBEAUTYBLOG at checkout to receive your first Julep Maven Sneak Peek Box for just $5! (valued over $40).

Wet n Wild Coloricon Nail Color in 24 Carats

I recently won this amazing nail polish from Danielle and I couldn't wait to try it out! 

I must admit it's quite disappointing on its own - to me, at least - but I wasn't expecting much from it as I always prefer to layer glitter nail polishes over a dark base. I applied three coats of 24 Carats over Wet 'n Wild Shine Nail Color in Black Crème.

I didn't need to apply three coats for the glitters to properly show up but I really wanted to make a statement as I was going out for my Christmas work party. As for most glitter polishes, 24 Carats dries super quickly and I didn't notice a gritty finish.

I was incredibly disappointed to see my mani chip super quickly - the day after I applied the nail polishes, I noticed chips in the morning, and by the end of the second day of wear, I had nail polish left on only half of my nails! And yes, I did used a topcoat (Sally Hansen Insta-Dry Top Coat).

It's a shame these limited-edition nail polishes won't be available in Canada as from what I've seen on other blogs, they all look gorgeous and they would definitely make a great party accessory! At least I had the chance to try this one - thanks again Danielle! (:

Deborah Lippmann Nail Lacquer in Shake Your Groove Thing

The holidays are a time to feel good; even in New York people are a little cheerier! So it seemed only natural to create a collection of holiday colors that celebrate the spirit of the season. Each color has something joyful, from large flecks of gorgeous glinting glitter or a magnificent metallic finish that shimmers off the nail. Go ahead, play with these shades and let them add to the joy of the season. 

We have seen so many large sequins in fashion I wanted to make the most full-on gold ever. SHAKE YOUR GROOVE THING is all large sequined glitter in gold with nothing but a clear base. It’s holiday in a bottle!

The new Deborah Lippmann 2011 Holiday Collection has just been released and I was kindly offered the chance to review one of the nail polish. Of course, I had a hard time making my mind because I've always wanted to try Deborah Lippmann nail polishes but I never took the plundge because of the prices.

I've been especially curious about the glitter nail lacquers so I chose Shake Your Groove Thing, a full-on flickering gold (glitter).

It's the first time I used a nail polish like this and so, I was unsure of the way to use it. I have realized (too late) that you can't simply layer coat after coat because the glitters are in a clear base so the polish is likely to be patchy and unequal. Here are my results after the first use:

Three coats

To prevent the patchiness, you have to manoeuver the glitters and properly set them into places. Of course, to achieve the "full-on" effect, you will have to apply tons of coats. You can also use this nail lacquer over a dark or a gold base - I bet it would look stunning!

Also, be sure to apply a top coat because I have experienced fall out during the first two days of wear. A good thing about this nail polish, unlike other glitter nail lacquers, is that it doesn't feel gritty - it's actually surprisingly smooth to the touch!

Before I forget, I also wanted to tell you about a new organization started by NailPolishCanada.com called http://www.AdoptAPolish.org. It's a for-fun site modeled after pet adoption but instead of adopting pets people adopt nail polish. Each polish has a profile telling their sad story and why they need to be adopted. To get free polish people just need to apply saying why they would provide the best home for the polish. All the polishes are brand new and ship for free to the best applications. Isn't it just too cute?

Deborah Lippmann Shake Your Groove Thing is available at NailPolishCanada.com for $22.00.

Disclaimer: One or more products were sent to me for consideration to review. I am not affiliated with this company and the fact that the products were free absolutely does not influence my opinion.

Catrice Cosmetics Ultimate Nail Lacquer in Purplelized

Some times ago, I posted about the Archetype Cosmetics Mineral Pigment Eyeshadows samples I received from Delicate Hummingbird for winning her giveaway. The main prize was three Catrice nail polishes, and today I'm showing you my favorite, Purplelized.

It's a gorgeous charcoal purple with multicolour shimmer/sparkles and a slight holographic effect. I absolutely love it!

Tutorial: Newspaper Nails

I recently discovered this manicure "trend", and I was curious to see the results on me so I decided to give it a go yesterday. It was my first try so it's far from perfect, but I love the effect!

To achieve this look, you will need:

• some alcohol (I used Isopropyl Rubbing Alcohol 70% U.S.P. I've seen many people using vodka but I wouldn't personally want to "waste" such a yummy beverage for a manicure... I'm such a drunk, I know LOL)
• cup to pour the alcohol and soak your nails in it
• pieces of newspaper (the smaller the text, the better in my opinion)
• light nail polish
• top coat

Start by painting your nails with a light nail polish. I chose a pale pink but you can use any color as long as it's light, so the newspaper prints will show on it.

I used Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Xtreme Wear in First Blush

Be sure that your nail polish is completely dry before proceeding with the next step. I was too excited and I completely messed up my right thumb because I didn't wait long enough. Just to be sure, you could even wait a complete day.

Dip your nails in the alcohol and let them soak for around 30 seconds. I'm not sure if it really makes a difference how long you let them there, I guess I will have to experiment.

I prefer to dip one nail at a time, even though that's not what I'm doing in the picture LOL.

Then place a piece of newspaper on the nail and press firmly for about 30 seconds. Make sure it covers your entire nail (curve and tip), and DO NOT MOVE or else the text will be blurry (unless it's the look you're going for).

Peel off the paper gently, and finish with a top coat.

TADAHH!

I personally think this manicure could look tacky on long nails, but it's up to you. I prefer my nails short anyway.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and please don't hesitate if you have any question (=

Don't forget to enter my Mary Kay Satin Lips Set Giveaway! It ends in one week!

NOTW + OOTDs + Wal-Mart haul

I had a calm week-end, as always. Saturday night, I went to Sara's house to have breakfast with her and some friends (we wanted to have a real breakfast in the morning but Sara couldn't, so we did it at night instead!) We ate eggs, toasts, bacon, beans, breakfast potatoes and breakfast sausages, and we drank smoothies. Yummy!

Friday and Sunday, I relaxed outside all day as it was warm and sunny. I read, painted my nails. Sunday, I ended the day by taking a bubble bath. I noticed that my father bought plain yogurt at the grocery store, but nobody eats plain yogurt in the family... I figured out it was a mistake so I decided to do a face mask with it. I will do a post about it soon!

Here, take a look at the bad sunburn I got on Friday (and a previous of the yogurt mask):

But not only did I got a sunburn, I also tanned a little - and I never tan usually!

Can you see the tan lines where my tee-shirt sleeves would hit? LOL.

For my NOTW, I searched through my mother's stash and discover a silvery nail polish without label. I used three coats to achieve the opacity I wanted as it contains more glitters than color:

with flash

without flash

I also painted my toenails with Annabelle Nail Enamel, but I have no idea of the name of the shade because my mother removed the label on the cap.

I'm really due for an at-home pedicure LOL.

I can't believe it snowed yesterday! And it was around 3°C... X_X

 Balou was almost begging to go play outside as he loves the snow so much, but he would have been all wet and dirty... Poor baby!

At least I let him go pee after his dinner =P

I shaved my legs during the weekend to be ready for shorts Monday, but although the day started warm and sunny, it ended breezy and cold. I wore sandals to school, but I'm glad I had pants and a vest on! As it was freezing and snowing Tuesday, I decided to wear my super warm leggings with boots (not sandals, this time LOL).

top: L'Aubainerie Entrepôt

cami: Stitches

leggings: eBay

boots: Giant Tiger

I also got my coupons by P&G and webSaver.ca in the mail yesterday.

What interested me the most was the $1 and $3 off any Clairol hair dyes (my favourite is Nice 'n Easy, and it's currently on sale for $5.98 at Wal-Mart) and the $1 off L'Oréal Go 360° Clean (I'm obsessed by the Scrublet!). 

If you don't know P&G brandSaver and webSaver.ca, you should definitely take a look. Sadly, the coupons are available to Canadian residents only.

So today I went to Wal-Mart to use some of those coupons before they expire (on June 21th, if I remember well?):

I got:

Clairol Nice 'n Easy in 123 Nautral Soft Black (left) and 131 Rich Dark Brown (right): I was a little lost because the look of the packaging was changed, but I figured out there wasn,t much of a difference between these two shades, so I decided to give a try to Soft Black for the first time.

123 Natural Soft Black (left), 131 Rich Dark Brown (right) 

with flash

123 Natural Soft Black (left), 131 Rich Dark Brown (right) 

without flash

Can you see a difference? I can't! (Please don't mind the red on the box on the left, it was a pink post-it reflected on the box)

Bonus pack of Pond's Dry Skin Cream (left) and Pond's Cold Cream (right): I actually cheated a little... We had the choice between three bonus packages: x2 Cold Cream, x2 Dry Skin Cream or x2 Deep Cleansing and Make-Up Remover, but as I haven't tried any Pond's cream before, I didn't wanted to buy two of the same product... so I ripped open two packages and exchanged products, and the cashier didn't notice LOL. I'm a real bad girl, I know =P But I'm happy because I've been looking for a cream cleanser for a long time now, and I also have dry skin, so I hope that Dry Skin Cream will works!

Topcrop Sun Crunch for Rat/Mouse: I usually buy the one for Hamster/Gerbil since it seems to contains more interesting things for my rat and my gerbil, but it was out of stock (as always).

Iams ProActive Health for Large Breed: We are supposed to feed the doggie wether ProActive Health Active Maturity Large Breed (because he is almost 11 years old) or ProActive Health Weight Control Large Breed (because the veterinarian says he is slightly overweight), but they are harder to find. Today, it's because the Active Maturity Large Breed was out of stock, and the Weight Control Large Breed wasn't on sale (the one I bought was a little less than $10 off). And anyway, Balou has been eating this one all his life.

This morning, I woke up to this:

Stupid snow! It's almost May! Go away!

I wore a scarf to go to school this morning, but when I came home around 1:00 PM, it was a little sunny and around 12°C. And look at the forecast for Friday to Wednesday:

(click to enlarge)

At least we will have some sun! Yey!

Here's my OOTD:

Barefoot! You can see my red toes (=

top: Stitches

cami: Jean Bleu

skinny jeans: Sirens

Balou loves the snow so much that he didn't wanted to stay inside! I let him go play in the little leftovers of snow. But the thing is, he didn't want to stay outside alone xD

I'm sorry, I chose the "compact" option by mistake, which lowers the quality to allow the video to be sent by email -_- I also tried not to talk because I hate my voice on camera xD Oh and I stopped the camera because Balou was about to poo LOL.

Oh yeah, and I have a little something coming up for you soon! Stay tuned! It's a surprise =P