REVIEW Kiss Stick-On Strips

   Wild. Elegant. Cool. Hot. Stunning. Chic.You name it & I love it... on my nails! I am constantly changing the color/design on my nails. I look for fun innovative products for them as well. I came across these Kiss Stick-On Strips at my local Dollar General while perusing for some household essentials. The colors & designs were so eye catching I just fell in love. Hen & Chicks got my full attention though. Neon orange & pink with zebra stripes just screamed summer at me. And since I can't stand the cold I figured I'd summer up my nails. :)

Day 1 just applied

Day 1

    

     I've enjoyed other Kiss nail products (excited to see them continue to expand their brand as well) over the years and have come to expect great quality from them. Kiss nail products' great quality is matched by their awesome prices. Check out their site for more details- www.kissusa.com
     For 3 bucks I got 18 strips of varying sizes. Kiss Stick-On Strips boast application in 3 easy steps & stay put power for up to 10 days. So once home I began my process. I cleaned my nails with alcohol & picked out my 10 strips. I applied them closely to my cuticle, foldeddown the end & filed off the excess. I have a tendency to bite my nails if they're not painted or well manicured so theywere quite short when I applied them. However application was easy. Please do remember to clean your nails with alcohol prior to applying!
     Now that the Kiss Stick-On Strips were on it, was time to show them off & check their stay put ability Kiss Stick-On Strips didn't feel awkward like I had imagined at first. It was really no different than having paint on my nails. I received lots of compliments on my Kiss Stick-On Strips.

This is day 4

     I wore them for 4 days, did about 5 loads of dishes (by hand) with the Kiss Stick-On Strips on plus all my normal daily mommy stuff. Not one chipped, peeled, cracked or tore. At the end of day 4 I took them off only because I was ready for a change. The Kiss Stick-On Strips had lived up to all that Kiss had claimed.

Day 4

      I spoke with another lady who had purchased some as well. Her Kiss Stick-On Strips had been on for 9 days and looked great! I plan on purchasing some other designs to give a try.
      My overall take on the Kiss Stick-On Strips is definitely positive. I recommend all nail fans give these a try. With all the designs, there is something for everyone!

This review was solely done on my own. It is not sponsored in any sense. The opinions in the above blog are uniquely my own.

Sweet NYC Product Giveaway via Everyday Makeup Blog

  I love makeup and NYC New York Color Cosmetics. When I recently came across the blog Everyday Makeup Blog I found two  of my loves combined in a very helpful and fun way. I am new to her blog but have found the posts I have read to be fun and informative. 
  Even more to my makeup/NYC New York Color madness she had a post on a simply feminine & lovely Valentines look that included using several NYC New York Color products. And an amazing NYC New York Color giveaway!!  

Everday Makeup Blog gave permission to use this photo.

   Go on over to her blog, Everyday Makeup Blog, and check it out! While you're at it, check out NYC New York Color's Facebook page!

Snackivore-Yep thats me!

   OK I've come to face the facts... I love snacking. And any kind of snack works. Healthy or otherwise. Chips are one of my fave more unhealthy snacks. I love the various choices and textures. Makes my mouth water :). So any chip I am up to try at least once.
    I was a lucky www.houseparty.com hostess last Saturday of a Riceworks Crisps party. I hadn't tried them before and was greatly intrigued by their promise of flavor with a healthier kick. Riceworks Crisps  boasts natural ingredients, no preservatives, no artificial flavors, wheat & gluten free, 7g whole grains, kosher certified, 33% less fat than potato chips, plus much more, while still having great flavor. So why not get excited?? Read more about their benefits and such here.
   The Riceworks company had me revved for big flavor with a little less guilt. I decided to pair the 6 flavors with a variety of dips: salsa, salsa con queso, spinach dip, and the fixings for Chicken nachos. (I tend to be a little partial to Mexican inspired dips.) And my guests and I noshed over laughs and a few photo opps as well as some snacking sin confessions. 

   The crisps were all a hit with my party goers. I myself fell in love! Riceworks texture is very crisp with a smooth flavor. They're thicker than potato chips which makes them great for dipping and such. My faves wound down to the Parmesan & sun-dried tomato, sea salt and the gourmet wild rice w/ sea salt & black pepper. Riceworks crisps go great with dips but are perfectly delicious enough to stand alone! 
    The Sweet Chili Riceworks crisps were my least favorite flavor as they were too sweet for my liking.  With that said they were still quite tasty. My two year old found his fave was the Sweet Chili. The Parmesan & Sun-Dried Tomato were the second fave of my guests/guinea pigs. 
    The flavor of the actual crisp is a mild almost nutty flavor. The seasonings are robust but not overpowering. For me, Riceworks has found the perfect balance of flavor and health. Yet another reason I stand by trying almost everything once. 
    Don't just go by my take on Riceworks, try them for yourself today!! 




Disclaimer: This review was not endorsed by any company and my take on the above product is no one but my own.

Useful Useless Item Edition 3

     I've been quite lax on blogging lately but hey life happens right? Get it in when I can. (:


    My useless item I want to tell you about today, is (drum roll please) egg cartons. Yes you read right. The type that have lids are best for reuse in my opinion. Just look at how customizable the size and shape is! you just have to be a little creative when you cut them. You have to use something along the open end to cover. 
     Using crafting glue, various materials, and some thought egg cartons can be decorated in a large variety of ways. But now for some actual uses. One that I find interesting is as an organizer for buttons, threads, needles (you can stick the needles into the carton to hold them in an upright position), and other small sewing necessities. I love that you can stick the needles in the carton and not have to worry about being stuck when you go to grab one. For those of us who tend to over organize you can get very specific using egg cartons.
     Egg cartons also make great little caddy's for your make up drawer in the bathroom. Sure it can't hold large items. Try using egg cartons for the basics you use daily- sponges, single shadows, liners (you can lay them down the middle of the carton), small applicators, tube blush or small blush pots, etc. It makes it quick and easy to find your daily items.
      Try using egg cartons as craft supply holders. Egg cartons make great places to store scrap materials, shells, gems, pebbles etc. Egg cartons could even be used as paint pots for paints from larger containers. Add glitter to some, glue to others, and it keeps them all separated but together while you work on your project. 
      These are just a few suggestions for uses for empty egg cartons. Hopefully even if these uses don't apply it'll spark your own creativity to find a use for egg cartons or any other useful useless item!

New Year New Beginnings

      So I'm still sort of in shock that here we sit in the fifth day of 2012. I never        

 quite imagined that number nor what it'd be like. In some aspects I think I    

 would've imagined a lot of what it's like now. But I've never really imagined what  

 any future year would be like, so who knows.  

     This year I didn't rush for resolutions or have yet to make anything concrete. I want a different start on this year. My life is amidst quite a transitional point and I want to approach it slightly different than in the past. I don't want to make empty promises to myself or set myself up for failure.    

    With that said I have an idea of what I am going to aim for in 2012. I of course am still striving to be healthier. I know that I want to strive to begin a few new good habits and hopefully break a few bad ones. I have a couple huge resolutions in mind as well.    

     From past experiences, getting to know myself, as well as finding on various self help sites across the web, I have found some strategies that if I follow them I 

have some great success.  I decided to share a few.

    No habit is made over night and no habit is broken over night. It can take between twenty-one and thirty days to form or break a habit.  So there's the reason so many of my past resolutions fail. I get impatient and discouraged when I feel nothings concrete within a few days. To ward off this feeling I decided to find some inspiring quotes for patience as well as the statement no habit is made over night and thus no habit is broken over night. This way I can remember that I'm getting there.

    Another thing I have started to incorporate in my life is small progress is still progress. Live in the moment and appreciate the things going on around you. Know that if normally you smoke a cigarette as soon as you wake but didn't today, it's progress. It's something to be happy about and bolster your will power with that tidbit of knowledge. Each moment of everyday, good or bad, we have to deal with and thus should make the best of. You don't have to brag about the little things. But if you go from lunch to dinner without noshing on a doughnut make a mental note of it. It's a small step in the right direction and every step counts.

    Writing down things really is effective. Write your goals, dates for progress, how you do along the way, tips, things that throw you off, people who support you. It lets you see something concrete along the way. It holds you accountable and allows you to see the whole picture more clearly in my opinion. You can look back at patterns or factors that make you take a look at what made you not workout or got you behind and running late. For some things you have to look at the big picture and for me jotting all this down helps me do just that. 

   Talk to those who love and support you. Let them know your plans and how you would like them to support your changes/choices. This applies for losing weight, breaking bad habits, creating new habits, organizing your schedule, anything really. When you change something about your regular routine, it doesn't just affect you. It alters things for all those close to you. sure it may be in small ways but it helps to have everyone your close to on board and informed. 

   One last big thing I have to really remind myself to do. Don't beat yourself up when you slip up. For most of our natural born lives we are our own worst critic and that sets us up to fail more than not. Instead of giving ourselves an internal lashing we need to say "Hey. It's just one slip up. I don't have to let it define the rest of my days." Look at why we slipped up and work on improving that. Move on to the next day leaving yesterday precisely that- yesterday.