women Archives - Starfocal

Have a Perfect Hair day With Living Proof!

October 11, 2013 By Amberlee 2 Comments

I have very dry, frizzy hair. I have tried so many different products and some help the problem, but none fix it. I have had luck with Keratin Treatments, but I feel bad using so many chemicals on my head. Luckily we can have a Perfect Hair Day with Living Proof!

About Living Proof

Living Proof was created with a simple ambition – challenge conventional wisdom to solve your toughest beauty problems.

With our team of expert stylists and biotech scientists, beauty meets brilliant science. We invent and patent new molecules that completely change how hair behaves. For head turning, bliss creating, confidence boosting results. We stop at nothing short of products that keep their promise. And the only one who can prove it, is you.

You are the living proof.

What I Thought

I received Living Proof’s Perfect Hair day 5 in 1 Styling Treatment and their Satin Hair Serum to review. Both products looked amazing and with Jennifer Aniston all over their page it has to be good, right?

First I will start with Perfect Hair Day. I never seem to have luck with styling treatments. They always seem to either dry out my hair or make it stiff or sticky looking. If anything it made my hair softer and easier to manage. This product is meant to treat your hair, help with styling, and it even offers heat protection! I couldn’t ask for anything more! It has been a great product to use and I truly love it!

I have tried so many different serums in my hair that it drives my husband nuts. He just doesn’t understand why I want my hair to look great when I am already married. He doesn’t seem to get that if I feel better about myself everything else will get better too. Oh well maybe one day he will learn. Anyway, Living Proof’s Satin Serum worked great! It didn’t leave my hair oily or sticky and helped get rid of the frizz. It is by far the best hair serum I have tried!

Lately I have been very disappointed with my hair. Not only has it been extra dry and frizzy lately, but my hair has been falling out left and right. So I went from having thick hair to having very thin hair and not nearly as much of it. I have been really missing the volume in my hair which is another reason I was excited about these products. Not only do they help get rid of that dry and frizzy look, but they also help create volume!

So far I love Living Proof Products and I hope to be able to review more for you guys in the future! Be sure to check out their website here!

**Disclaimer** I was in no way paid, or obligated to give a positive review, or a review at all for this company. If you would like to read my full disclaimer for reviews you can find it here.

Filed Under: beauty, hair, women

SteriShoe Review and Giveaway

October 2, 2013 By Amberlee 5 Comments

As some of you may know, my husband is a boot salesman. Not only does he sell them, but he is obsessed with them. He knows just about everything there is to know about boots and the companies that he sells for, but it’s more than just the knowledge. He also owns about 15 pairs of boots (does not include sandals)! He is very obsessed with keeping his shoes as clean and neat as possible, they even have their own shelf! When I was told I had the chance to host a SteriShoe Review and giveaway I was very excited!

So what is SteriShoe? SteriShoe is a product that sterilizes the insides of your shoes using Germicidal Ultraviolet Light (UVC). It kills 99.9% of organisms that cause Foot Odor, Athletes Foot, and Toe Nail Fungus! It is accepted by the American Podiatric Medical Association, is safe and easy to use, and is completely chemical and drug free! When I told my husband this, he told me that it couldn’t be true and he just did not understand how it could possibly work. I explained to him that UV Light has a lot of benefits and while it may not seem possible we might as well try it and see how it goes.

We received the SteriShoe extremely fast and while my husband was still a little hesitant, I couldn’t wait to try it! I ripped it out of the box, read the directions/information booklet, and went on a search to find the stinkiest shoes I can find! Since my husband has so many shoes none of them were as smelly as my brother-in-law’s shoes! I immediately put the SteriShoe to work!

The SteriShoe process itself takes about 45 minutes, but setting it up took about 2 minutes so it was a fair trade. After the 45 minutes I took the shoes out of the bag and sniffed them. They were so smelly before that they still had a slight smell so I decided that I would turn in on for another run while I was at work. I get a call a couple hours later from my husband saying that he took the shoes out and can’t smell anything. He kept asking if the shoes were smelly when I put them in the bag or if I did something funny to them, so I told him to try it out himself.

When I came home he had already used the SteriShoe on multiple pairs of shoes and kept freaking out because he could not believe that it was working on all his different shoes. He was hooked. He decided to take it to work to talk to some of his co-workers to see if they had ever heard of such a thing. His boss said that he had seen similar products at trade shows, but had never seen one with such a great design and one that actually worked. They are even thinking about adding the SteriShoe to their inventory!

SteriShoe is not only great for the average shoe-wearer, but is great for those with diabetes. Diabetes often causes poor blood circulation which can lead to loss of sensation. Pain tells our bodies that something is wrong, but when we cannot feel pain, an untreated blister or a sore can develop into a foot ulcer. When left untreated, a diabetic foot ulcer can result in an amputation, and there are approximately 86,000 diabetic related amputations annually. So keeping your shoes clean is a must and this is an easy way to do it!

You can find SteriShoe on their website here.

Giveaway!

Entry -Form

**Disclaimer** I was in no way paid, or obligated to give a positive review, or a review at all for this company. If you would like to read my full disclaimer for reviews you can find it here.

Filed Under: Current Giveaway, electronics, Giveaway, health, women

Blue Scandal Review – Manicure Monday

September 15, 2013 By Amberlee 30 Comments

It’s Monday again! Which means it’s time to show you my latest manicure! This time instead of one manicure, you get to see a whole collection that we got to review from Blue Scandal. While Blue Scandal may not make this polish they have amazing prices on many beauty products and sell this great NYX Love Is In The Air nail polish set for around $20!

I was so excited when the package showed up at the door! I have heard great things about NYX products, but had not tried them yet so I could not wait to start painting my nails! I immediately started painting and was very impressed with this polish! At first I was a little worried, I had to use 3 coats with the majority of colors and went on a little streaky. They dried extremely fast and the streaking went away as it was drying.

Another great thing about this polish is that it lasts a surprisingly long amount of time! I painted my nails in the after noon, did my dishes at home, cleaned the house where I worked and it wasn’t until I started using my steam machine that they started to chip. Normally regular nail polish only lasts about an hour before at least one of my nails decides to chip!

The only thing that I think I would change is that the brush of the bottles are a little funny and I think the main cause of the streaky-ness that I was experiencing. I do love that they come in smaller bottles in this set because you can try out all the colors and then buy bigger bottles of your favorites! I hate wasting money on things that I will never use, but luckily all the colors in this set are amazing so I will probably end up using all of them!

Meet the polish in this collection:

Muted Lavender

Pastel Lavender

Complex Purple

Soft Pink

Coral Sensation

Sandals

Paradise Nude

Hot Blue

Pistachio

Teal

Surf

Pastel Pistachio

Perfect Gray

Nude Peach

French Pink

Disco Inferno

Pink Glitter

Turquoise Glitter

About Blue Scandal:

“A new breed of cosmetics, makeup tools and fragrances. We are here to bring to the public a new life style for the next generation. Our objective is to provide fun, savvy, chic, scrumptious, sweet,extra-ordinary, stupendous makeup tools and fragrances.

Please join our revolution and be part of new wave!!”

What I think:

I was in awe of all the wonderful products that they have! They have such a wide selection of everything from Frangrances, Makeup, and Nail Products that it was hard to narrow a wish list down. They carry so many great brands and you know that what you are getting is a great product!

Of course it wouldn’t be Manicure Monday without a great manicure!

Not only are the products they sell absolutely amazing but so is there customer service! They shipped my set extremely fast and they wrapped the box very well, so I didn’t have to worry about the polish exploding and making a huge mess while in transit. I highly recommend Blue Scandal to anyone looking for great products at even better prices like their NYX HD Studio Foundation! You can find Blue Scandal on their website here.

**Disclaimer** I was in no way paid, or obligated to give a positive review, or a review at all for this company. If you would like to read my full disclaimer for reviews you can find it here.

Filed Under: Manicure Monday, nail art, nails, women

Gorgeous Eyes with NYC New York Color- Review

August 23, 2013 By Amberlee 7 Comments

I always get compliments on my eyes. It is one area of my face that I am proud to flaunt! So when I get the opportunity to review things to make my eyes look even better I jump on it! I was lucky enough to receive some great eye products from NYC New York Color to review for you guys.

I received some great products to let you know that you can create some great looks on a budget without losing quality! I received samples of NYC New York Color’s Show Time Glitter Pencils, Individualeyes Custom Compacts and Big Bold Curl Mascara.

I love eyeliner! I swear eye liner is one of my favorite make up products. However, it is also one of the products I am very picky about. I was very excited to receive the Show Time Glitter Pencils as I love anything that sparkles. I was impressed with how smooth this eye liner was and with how many sparkles it produced, but I was a little disappointed with the color quality. I prefer really dark bold colors and while these colors were pretty, they were not very bold.

Even though they were not as bold as I would like they were still pretty and would work great for someone looking for a more subtle look. They also lasted a lot longer than I thought they would which was a nice surprise.

Next up is the Individualeyes Custom Compacts. I was very excited to be able to try these as I have been wanting one for months! Each compact comes with 4 eye shadows, a primer, and a illuminator.

Here are some swatches of the two compacts I received. The top row is with the included primer and the bottom row is without.

Smokey Browns

Smokey Greens

The shadows themselves are pretty pigmented at first, but do blend very well. The primer (as you can see above) does help hold the shadow which is great. I think my favorite part about these compacts is the illuminator. I love the way eyes look when they have a white based color on the inner corner and I love that one is included in this compact. I found that this compact had little to no creasing and the shadows themselves were of good quality.

I would have to say that my favorite of all these products would have to be the Big Bold Curl Mascara! I used to have what I would have considered perfect lashes. They used to be long, dark, and curled perfectly without any help. When I had my first daughter I lost all of my eye lashes. After some hard work and some of the products found on this site, my eye lashes have some what grown back. They are not as full and long as they used to be, but something is better than nothing. Since they have grown back I have a really hard time trying to get my lashes to curl.

This mascara does a wonderful job of curling my lashes without using any scary instruments or adding so many layers that it clumps. The brush itself is a little intimidating but I loved the results I got from it. This is definitely my new favorite mascara and I’m sure I will be buying more soon!

Of course as soon as I open the box with my new goodies, guess who comes running to help try them out? Yes, little H came to the rescue to prove to us that she really is a little princess.

Cute little princess aside, here is the look I created on myself:

I thoroughly enjoyed these products, especially the Big Bold Curl Mascara! You can find these and other NYC New York Color products on their website here.

**Disclaimer** I was in no way paid, or obligated to give a positive review, or a review at all for this company. If you would like to read my full disclaimer for reviews you can find it here .

Filed Under: beauty, makeup, women

Beautiful Glass Nail Files from Mont Bleu: Review and Giveaway

August 21, 2013 By Amberlee 14 Comments

I remember when Glass Nail Files first became popular. They were decently expensive, but after trying them out I was hooked. I still for some reason can’t wrap my pretty little head around how well they work and have become obsessed with some of the really pretty ones! As I’m sure you can imagine I was very excited when Mont Bleu told me they were sending some of their gorgeous files for me to review!

I still remember my first glass nail file. Me and my mother bought files in our favorite color with our initials on them. They were pretty but the monograms were off center and crooked and while I loved it, I had always wished I could find something better. I kept that file for a couple years until one day it snapped in half in my purse. I was devastated! I was so upset about it breaking that I decided I wasn’t going to get another until I knew that I could take care of it better (I was about 16 at the time).

I recently found Mont Bleu’s website and instantly was reminded of why I love glass nail files! Their collection is amazing, and had just about every color combination I could think of! After talking with them I received 2 glass nail files, a pair of tweezers, and a pair of really cute earrings.

These nail files were even more gorgeous in person than I thought they would be! The crystals are extremely clear and cut so well that they look like gems! Of course I couldn’t wait to try these out so I immediately went to file my nails with them! I was very impressed! These nail files worked 100 times better than my old glass file, but were soft enough to not destroy my nails at the same time!

I also love that the colors seem to fade into the file area instead of just being cut off were the file ends. I think it adds a more delicate touch to these files. My last file was also rounded at the end, so I really enjoy that these have a pointed end to clean under my nails, or even push my cuticles back.

Crystal glass nail files from Czech Republic

It amazes me how many choices Mont Bleu offers for nail files! It would be extremely difficult to pick just one! You can find just about any design you want on their website! Some are even hand painted designs!

Next up for review are these amazing tweezers! I am pretty picky about tweezers, mainly because anything not girly in my house is stolen by either my husband or my brother-in-law. So I was very happy when I saw these included with the files. I love that these tweezers are higher quality than I expected! Some companies with similar products will “bedazzle” the cheapest pair of tweezers they can find. These tweezers are really nice! Not only are they designed really well to get the perfect grip, but they have a rubberized finish so they are easy to hold (and look super cool too)! My favorite color is also purple so I just plain love these things!

Lastly I was also sent these crystal earrings. I don’t typically wear earrings, but these are so gorgeous that I have been flaunting them with pride. I love that they change colors with different lights. As you know bold colors are a must have for me, so these are perfect! Not only do they make beautiful earrings like these, but they also make rings, necklaces, bracelets and just about anything else you can think of!

I absolutely loved all the products I received from Mont Bleu and I hope I can share more with you soon! You can find these and other great Mont Bleu products on their website here. Use code :”BLOG” for 20% off your purchase!Giveaway!

Entry -Form

Filed Under: beauty, Giveaway, nails, women

Sally Hansen Gel Nail Starter Kit

August 21, 2013 By Amberlee 16 Comments

Before becoming a blogger, I had some serious issues with my nails! My nails and cuticles were so dry that they would constantly split and crack. I didn’t feel like a real girl unless I had acrylics on, but now that I’m a full time mommy I don’t have the time or the money to invest in getting my nails professionally done. So to say blogging has changed my life in many ways would be an understatement. I have learned about so many products that not only make me feel more like a woman, but that also make me feel better about myself!

One of the products that have truly helped me have beautiful nails happens to be Gel Nail Polish. Not only does it protect my nails from breaking and cracking, but it also helped me stop the nasty habit of biting my nails (mainly because I couldn’t bite through the gel). After my nails started growing I decided that it was time to do some major research and make sure that my nails stay as healthy as possible. So today I am going to share with you a great Gel Nail Kit that can jump-start your way to healthy nails like it did for me!

I received Sally Hansen’s Gel Manicure Starter Kit in Shell We Dance, which is a light pink color. I was very excited to try another gel kit! This particular kit had me really excited because of everything that it contains!

This kit includes the LED light, base coat, color coat, top coat, cleansing wipes, remover, a cuticle stick and a nail file. One thing that I was really excited about was the LED light included in this kit. The last one I had seemed like a good design but because of its size and shape made it incredible awkward to cure my nails. This light while it may seem awkward at first, is actually is very comfortable and easy to hold. The only issue that I had with this LED light was that the bulbs did run a little hot, but not hot enough to burn and technically your not supposed to touch them anyway (sometimes I am a little too curious).

The other gel kits that I have tried have included a base/top coat as one bottle, so I was also a little curious about if there was an actual difference between the base coat and the top coat included in this kit. The main reason I was pondering about this was because this kit did not include a primer which seemed a little off to me. So my first idea was to look at the ingredients. Instantly I could tell that there was a BIG difference between the two.

GEL BASE COAT INGREDIENTS:

ETHYL ACETATE, ALCOHOL DENAT., DI-HEMA TRIMETHYLHEXYL DICARBAMATE, BUTYL ACETATE, HEPTANE, NITROCELLULOSE, TOSYLAMIDE/EPOXY RESIN, HEMA, HYDROXYPROPYL METHACRYLATE, ISOBORNYL METHACRYLATE, ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL,TRIMETHYLPENTANYL DIISOBUTYRATE, POLYVINYL BUTYRAL, CAMPHOR, TRIMETHYLBENZOYL DIPHENYLPHOSPHINE OXIDE, HYDROXYCYCLOHEXYLPHENYL KETONE, BENZOPHENONE-1, DIMETHICONE, D&C VIOLET NO. 2 (CI 60725), D&C RED NO. 33 (CI 17200). -
FLAMMABLE

GEL TOP COAT INGREDIENTS:
DI-HEMA TRIMETHYLHEXYL DICARBAMATE, HEMA, HYDROXYPROPYL METHACRYLATE, TRIMETHYLBENZOYL DIPHENYLPHOSPHINE OXIDE, HYDROXYCYCLOHEXYL PHENYL KETONE, POLYSILICONE-13, D&C VIOLET NO. 2 (CI60725).

My first thought was that the base coat must have ingredients that help adhere the polish to your nails and keep it there for longer. When I put the base coat on it even looked different than the traditional base/top coat. I could tell that it was almost trying to fuse with my nails instead of just trying to cover them up. Which I thought was pretty awesome.

I was very happy with how my nails turned out! This kit seemed to make my nails more smooth than some of the other systems I have tried. Not only that, but they actually stayed on with no chipping and no discoloration! While some other gel companies stayed on some start to fade or peel on the ends. While the light pink is not my favorite I did love the kit and the color was beautiful! Even the color was a light color, it only required two coats unlike other light gels I have tried.

I definitely think that everyone should have a gel nail kit! You can find Sally Hansen’s Gel Nail Starter Kit on their website here, or at a retailer near you.

What do you think about gel nails? Let us know in the comments below!

**Disclaimer** I was in no way paid, or obligated to give a positive review, or a review at all for this company. If you would like to read my full disclaimer for reviews you can find it here.

Filed Under: beauty, nail art, nails, women

Zoya Pixie Dust Swatches and Review

August 19, 2013 By Amberlee 7 Comments

I LOVE nail polish! Lately, because my nails are no longer stubs, I have been super obsessed with all the nail polish that is out there! I recently stole some Zoya polish from a friend to bring you review of their latest Pixie Dust line!

Recently I have become a big fan of some of the textured polish that has been coming out. The Zoya Pixie Dust is actually my favorite of all of them so far! Not just because of the name, but also because it is not overly textured. Even though you can feel the texture it is not one that you will pick at because it is too much for you to handle.

Ladies please meet Tomoko. This is one of my favorites of the fall collection! It’s light but it truly stunning. I love that it is bright without being too much for fall.

Here is Chita. I do not normally like green but this Pixie Dust seems to enchant me, so I do not mind this color at all!

Next is Sunshine. I am not really sure if I agree with the name of this color, but I do love it so oh well.

While I believe that Carter is gorgeous, the formula on this one was a little runny. I’m not sure if it was just my bottle, or if it is the color itself. But it was a true shame, although it did turn out pretty.

This next one is one of my favorite of the bunch and I wish it was mine for keepsies, Arabella.

Dhara truly surprised me as orange is one of the few colors that I generally HATE, but I LOVE this one!

Of course with having all of these colors at my disposal I wasn’t going to leave you with just swatches! So this is one of the designs I came up with after drooling over all the colors!

Pixie Dust is one of my new favorite polishes! You can find these and other great Zoya Polishes on their website here, or at a retailer near you!

**Disclaimer** I was in no way paid, or obligated to give a positive review, or a review at all for this company. If you would like to read my full disclaimer for reviews you can find it here .

Filed Under: nail art, nails, women

Ouch-Relief Sugar Wax Kit by Sally Hansen: Review

August 17, 2013 By Amberlee 4 Comments

I have never been a fan of really any hair remover products. It has been quite a while since I have tried any, but they either don’t work, are too painful, or some are even too messy! Thanks to Sally Hansen I have found a solution to all three of those problems!

When I heard that I was getting this kit I was both excited and terrified. My last experience with a waxing kit did not end well and I vowed NEVER AGAIN. However, this kit really had me intrigued.

What Sally Hansen says about the Ouch Relief Sugar Wax Kit:

Hair removal can be painful and frightening. But not anymore with the Ouch-Relief Wax kit. NEW Pain-Relief technology in a pre-treatment wipe helps to reduce the pain associated with waxing. This no-heat formula is easy-to-use and mess-free as the wax simply washes off with water.

What I think:

There are a couple really great things about this kit. First I will start off with the most important part. Each kit comes with pre-treatment wipes, wax, wax strips, and a wax spatula. The item in this kit that had me the most interested was the pre-treatment wipes. They are meant to numb the area you are waxing so that it is not as painful. Keep in mind that these will not make waxing pain-free, but will help. I was a little worried that they would not work but was surprised to find that they worked way better than I thought they would! Sure I could still feel that I was waxing, but it made it tolerable for me. The pain is main reason I decided not to do at home treatments before so this is wonderful for me!

I loved the wax included in this kit! It is made of honey and sugar and washes off with just water! It smells absolutely amazing too! I hate that some similar products have a horrible chemical smell. I get headaches very easily and I swear that I can smell chemicals for hours after I use a product, so this was a nice change for me. Also I have sensitive skin and this wax left my skin soft and did not irritate my skin at all!

Some kits I have used came with the waxing papers, but none matched the quality of this kit. The strips included in this kit are very thick and are not as paper-like as others. It makes it easy to grip the strips and stays strong so that you can apply enough pressure to remove the hair.

Overall I really liked this kit. It did not remove hair as easily as I thought it would, but the pain relief wipes made the extra tries worth it. At around $10 this kit is definitely worth the money! I would recommend this kit to anyone with sensitive skin or that does not have a high pain tolerance when it comes to waxing.

You can find this and other great Sally Hansen products on the website here, or at a retailer near you!

**Disclaimer** I was in no way paid, or obligated to give a positive review, or a review at all for this company. If you would like to read my full disclaimer for reviews you can find it here .

Filed Under: beauty, women

Get a flawless face with Laura Mercier: Review

August 14, 2013 By Amberlee 9 Comments

Since I started blogging, I have fallen in love with some wonderful makeup brands. One of those brands happens to be Laura Mercier. Everything I have tried from them has been of superior quality and I can always count on them for a beautiful look. Recently they sent me some products to review for you and I am proud to say that they do not disappoint!

I received the new addition to their primer line called Protect, as well as their Creme Smooth Foundation to try out.

Here is what Laura Mercier has to say about these two products:

Foundation Primer- Protect Broad Spectrum spf 30/pa+++

Prime the skin for makeup application, creating a smooth surface between skincare and makeup so skin texture looks smooth and makeup lasts and lasts. With the added benefits of UVB/UVA protection, this product creates the perfect canvas for makeup application.

Lightweight, oil-free creamy gel creates perfect canvas for makeup application
Primes and protects flawlessly; prepares face for Foundation, Tinted Moisturizer and makeup application
Provides UVB/UVA SPF 30 protection; helps prevent signs of premature aging, due to sun exposure
PA+++ provides high level protection against UVA rays
Features “Colour True Complex” to keep makeup looking fresh and colour-true all day
Conditions with Vitamins A & E
Perfect for all skin types, even sensitive

Creme Smooth Foundation- Warm Ivory

A modern, lightweight foundation that floats over skin without visibly settling into fine lines. The hydrating formula includes a multipeptide complex infused with Dermaxyl and advanced optical diffusers that help to visibly smooth out lines and wrinkles.

Perfect for normal to dry skin
Offers buildable coverage with a radiant, smooth finish
Available in 12 shades across a range of skin tones
Non-comedogenic
1.0 oz./30g

What I think:

Primer- Protect

Since this would be my first time playing with a foundation primer I was unsure of what to expect. The only thing I have ever used that was close to this would either be an eyelid primer or a bb cream. At first I was a little worried because as you can see, the formula is a little thin. I just didn’t think it would smooth out the surface of my skin as well as it the package says.

After using it a few times I was quite impressed with how well it works. I love that this primer is spf 30! I am probably the worst when it comes to putting on sunscreen or really anything to protect my skin from the sun. However, I will admit that when buying makeup one of the first things that I look for is something that will protect my face from the sun. Now I just need to work on protecting the rest of my body and I will be set!

Creme Smooth Foundation- Warm Ivory

I was very excited to review this foundation! I love Laura Mercier Foundations and this one is definitely my new favorite! It is super smooth, and covers wonderfully. I have combination skin so I need something that is pretty moisturizing while not being too heavy. While this foundation seems thick at first it thins out really well while still giving me the coverage I need. I also love that this foundation is not orange. I seem to have a problem finding products that are in my shade but that do not turn my skin funky colors, so I was very happy with this foundation!

Here is what my face looks like without these two products:

Here’s what they look like with them:

I love the way these two products come together. The primer makes my skin really smooth and helps with the application of the foundation. Because of the primer I was able to stretch the foundation that much further and I could not believe how little I was using. Without the primer I would need at least twice as much foundation! Not only that but the primer helps keep your makeup intact throughout the day and makes it just that much more manageable! I hate spending hours in front of the mirror just to apply makeup and then have it wear off in a matter of minutes. So I am VERY happy with these products and will be using foundation primer from now on!

I highly recommend these products to any girl looking for a flawless face without needing to use tons of products! You can find these and other great products from Laura Mercier on their website here.

**Disclaimer** I was in no way paid, or obligated to give a positive review, or a review at all for this company. If you would like to read my full disclaimer for reviews you can find it here .

Filed Under: beauty, makeup, women

Orly Smart Gels: Beauty Stop Online Review

August 12, 2013 By Amberlee 8 Comments

Hello, my name is Amberlee and I am a gel nails addict. Luckily for you guys I have been missing my gel addicts anonymous meetings so that I can bring you a new gel review!

I was send some wonderful Orly Gel Nail products from Beauty Stop Online. First let me talk about Beauty Stop Online. They offer TONS of both professional and personal care products at amazing prices. It is really hard to choose even one thing from their site and you end up wanting more! They have everything from hair products and hair tools, to nail products, makeup, and salon equipment. They truly are your one stop shop for all of your beauty needs!

After a long search of their website I decided to pick some products from their Orly Gel Polish selection, and here is what I got.

I received the Orly gel remover, the gel cleanser, cuticle oil, base and top coat, and 3 different colors. First off I love how big the bottles of the cleanser and the remover are. Each come with 4oz of product while most other companies have 2oz or less. I like to use a lot of the cleanser so this is perfect for me! This is the fun part about Beauty Stop Online! If you were to purchase either bottle anywhere else you would pay $9.99 a bottle, but from BSO you pay $4.99! Which I think is a great deal!

Like I said, I use a lot of the cleanser and I don’t notice too much of a difference from other cleansers (they mostly consist of alcohol), but I fell in love with the remover. Most of the time I use acetone to remove my gel nails, but that can be really harsh on your nails and of course your cuticles! So I love that this remover is designed to specifically remove Orly Gel Nails, does not take as much time as acetone and is definitely a lot more friendly to your nails.

The received the colors Rage, It’s Up To Blue, and Star Spangled. All of these are colors that I would not normally choose, but after seeing the swatches on their website I HAD to have them! They are all very shimmery and very unique. I can honestly say that I have never seen similar colors in any other gel polish lines. From what I understand after doing some research every Orly Smart Gels Polish is made to resemble a regular Orly counterpart. So if you have a favorite Orly Polish that you can’t live without, now you can have long lasting results with the Smart Gel version!

One thing that I was super excited about trying was the Smart Gels Cuticle Oil. My cuticles have always been a disaster area and it has only been lately that I have been on a mission to keep my nails up to par with all the other bloggers. To be honest I was a little afraid that the oil in other cuticle oils might hurt the coloring or even the seal of my gels so I just decided to not go there. When I say that Orly makes a cuticle oil just for gels to say I was excited just doesn’t cut it. I was a little worried about it being in such a small bottle, but it spreads really far and as you can see from the picture above I have barely made a dent in it. I love the way it smells and I love even more the way it soothes and protects my cuticles!

I normally don’t like to wear red unless it is during the holidays. There has been very few reds that I have actually enjoyed wearing. After seeing Orly’s Star Spangled I was in love! I don’t think I have ever gotten more comments on a solid color manicure in years! Here is what I am talking about:

Indoors

In the light

In the light at a different angle

These pictures don’t really do this color justice! I tried to take different angled pictures to show you how much this polish sparkled in the light, but the angles that sparkled the most would show up as a solid color on camera. This is by far the most beautiful red I have ever worn and I will definitely be showing off this color again very soon!

Next is another color that I do not normally wear but was enchanted by. It’s Up To Blue is described as a light blue, which to a certain extent is true but to me it is more of a bright blue than a light blue. Maybe you guys have a different opinion? Let me know what you think:

I had a little more luck with this color as far as showing how much it shimmers. Although I still must say that these photos do not do the color justice. The one problem I did notice about them is that they are a little opaque. In order to get full coverage with this colors I had to use three coats. The result is well worth it though! I am very impressed!

I was also impressed by the price. Each bottle of Orly Smart Gel Polish retails for $15.99 but the Base and Top Coat is $8.99 on BSO and the colors are $7.99. If I would have purchased these products elsewhere I would have paid $93.93 +tax. These products on Beauty Stop Online cost $47.93 +tax for a total savings of $46.

If you are looking for great products at even better prices you should check out Beauty Stop Online’s website here.

**Disclaimer** I was in no way paid, or obligated to give a positive review, or a review at all for this company. If you would like to read my full disclaimer for reviews you can find it here .

Filed Under: beauty, fun, nail art, nails, women