What I got for Christmas 2012

(Click any images to enlarge)

 As I’ve gotten older, the plentiful amount of gifts under the Christmas tree has come down to about two or three, which makes sense since I don’t need all those toys anymore but only few functional gifts.  This year I got two great gifts, a Clarisonic Mia and a kitten calendar! Yes, you read that right. A kitten calendar.  It’s actually come to be sort of a Christmas tradition here in my family.  Its the go-to gift that we all use and since I’ve been extra cat crazy this year, my parents thought the theme for this calendar would be appropriate.  And I screamed in girly delight.

The Clarisonic Mia 2 was something I’ve been thinking about getting for a while now but was surprised by my mom who got it for me before I could.  And I’ve heard about this non-stop on YouTube and on other blogs.  It’s like the Urban Decay Naked Palettes, they never go down in popularity and, along with the Clarisonic, are becoming a beauty classic with numerous copycats still popping up years later.


 Lets dig into the contents shall we?

• Clarisonic Mia 2 - What sets this version apart from the original Mia are the two settings it has instead of just one.
• Clarisonic Cover
• Clarisonic Charger
• Instruction booklet
• fresh Soy Face Cleanser - I’ve heard plenty about this brand but this would be the first fresh product I have ever used. 
• Ole Henriksen Truth Serum Collagen Booster - I’ve never heard of this brand so I’ll just take this as a new skin adventure.  Judging by all the fantastic reviews online, I’m excited to try this baby out.

What I Learned this Christmas:  I learned that I really miss the old traditions of Christmas and want to make things different next year.  Other than watching a bunch of Christmas movies, I barely did anything Christmas-worthy.  Here's hoping Christmas 2013 will be a bit more festive.

Water Marble Nail Art, Take #6!

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Here is the Christmas water marble art I have been wanting to sport ever since I got Zoya's "Ivanka" this past July. I made two different versions on each hand. On the left hand (my first attempt) I used "Ivanka" in conjunction with "Ruby Red", a bright matte red. And on the right hand (my second attempt) I went ahead and paired "Ivanka" with "Red Carpet", a glittery red.
Each came with different results which I will get discuss further.....

Refer back to my original Water Marble Nail Art post for steps and other pictures.

Nail polishes I used (I only used 2 on each nail):

Sinful Colors in “Ruby Red” (left hand nails)
Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in “Red Carpet” (right hand nails)
Zoya in "Ivanka"

(L to R: “Ruby Red”, “Red Carpet”, “Ivanka”)

I would like to get this out of the way by saying that Zoya's "Ivanka" was NOT a good nail polish to water marble with. It's not impossible but its pretty difficult. I would not recommend for use if you are not an experienced water marbler.

In my first attempt of water marbling with "Ivanka" I decided to pair it with "Ruby Red" which is not glittery and therefore would make the glittery green "Ivanka" stand out more. Water marbling was a disaster. When I tried to use a pointed stick to make the design, the green went everywhere and would not stay in place for me to make a decent design for my nails. This explains why the edges of the colors on the close up shots look so muddied and not smooth. However, from afar, they look much better and I have actually received plenty of compliments from women while Christmas shopping.

(left hand; flash)

(right hand; flash)

Replacing "Ruby Red" with "Red Carpet" on my second attempt, on my right hand, fared a bit better while water marbling. My theory is that I used two glittery nail polishes instead of one and therefore balanced each other out better. And I have to say, I do like this pairing better. I especially love how both the colors sparkle in the sunlight. Absolutely gorgeous.

(left hand; sunlight)
(right hand; sunlight)

Have a Happy Holiday! Thanks for stopping by!