About Me

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My name is Randi and I am a college Senior. I'm studying in the engineering field and will be graduating in December in 2014! I created a blog to write about my addiction to nail polish ( and all that it involves) and also to document and share my journey to becoming healthy!

Sunday, June 15, 2014

GoVoxBox from Influenster

Hello Lovelies! 

I am VERY excited to be sharing my first fitness post with you all under my new name! I was so excited to talk about this GoVoxBox! Everything arrived just in time and at the perfect moment for me to get started with my transformation! 


I first want to talk about that Aqua Spa. I am BEYOND in love with this lotion! I am so very picky about lotions because I usually get very disgusted when things are between my fingers and then it feels greesey and I just don't like it, but this lotion is so unlike anything I've tried! It's not greesey or leaves a sticky feeling between my fingers! The smell is amazing too! It's a mixture of Lavendar and Camomeille, so it's really a relaxing smell! Another good thing about this lotion is that it's perfect for sunburns/peeling skin!  My boyfriend recently had an AWFUL sunburn because he wouldn't listen to me and out sun screen on... SOO of course I had to play doctor until he got better! :) I put this lotion on him once a day and it's cut the amount of peeling he had a tremendous amount! He barely had any peeling and it was amazing! :) 

Next I would like to talk about the PROFOOT Inc. Orthopedic Inserts! I'm not sure what I did to get those but boy-oh-boy did I need them! I have very flat feet so I am constantly in pain and my feet on sore almost every second of every day! I suffer from Plantar Fasciitius which is a condition of inflammation of the thick tissue that connects the heel of the ball of the foot! If you think it sounds painful, it is! Custom Orthodics are very expensive and I quite frankly don't have the money for them so I'm constantly buying insole for my shoes. So this was truly a blessing to receive them in my GoVoxBox! 

With the summer months fast approaching that means one thing- FLIP FLOP SEASON <3 I am constantly wearing flip flops but after long winter months, like most people, my heels get really cracked! Cue PROFOOT Inc. Pedi-Rock. It is gently enough that it doesn't completely rip my feet apart, but also rough enough that it really makes a difference after my usual foot soak! It has my heels feeling nice and smooth after a few weeks of using it! 

Next in line is the Next Step Blender and Protein samples! The blender is perfect because it can keep one at home and keep this one at work, along with the protein samples! The protein samples came in 3 different flavors: Swiss Chocolate, French Vanilla, and Fresh Berry



My surprisingly favorite little snack from Blue Diamond! Blueberry covered Almonds- WHAT! I absolutely LOVED these things and I totally plan on buying more of these to keep at my desk as a healthy snack when I get a little hungry before lunch time at work! They sounded like such a crazy combination I almost didn't even try them! Lol They taste almost like a blueberry sundae with an after taste of almond! Spectacular! 

And who doesn't love getting free tampons! I won't go into great detail on those but they're awesome! :) 

As always, much love, 
Randi    

As times change so do we....

Hello Lovelies! 

I'd like to take a moment and reflect where this blog was and where it's heading! Over the past month I have really changed my lifestyle around. I started working out 5 times a week, cut out fast food and almost all soda. I say almost because I NEED my Ginger Ale when I'm sick! It's my only vice! :) 

Anyways, this blog has been strictly nails and polish swatches BUT that is all going to change. I'm still going to continue to do nail post but I'm also going to incorporate things like my workouts, my favorite recipes and things I've accomplished! :)

 So my blog name will be changing! Drum roll please......... My new blog name will be..... Fit&Polished! I think this really encompasses where my life is heading and I am super excited about it! I'm really looking forward to this change and I hope you all will continue to support me! 


As always, much love,
Randi


Sunday, June 8, 2014

Toes goes!

Soo I don't really have a lot of pictures for this post (but I'll add more later)! I was kind of bored, had an awful day so I wasn't about to leave my house! I received some bad news that two people I went to high school passed away in two unrelated and unfortunate accidents! Today also makes 4 years that I have been out of high school and 4 years since another person I graduated with father pasted away. SO none-the-less, I'm kind of starting to HATE you June 8th! 

Back to the pedi! I wanted something fun, cheerful and summer-y. I'm not totally in love with crazy tribal print but the non-obnoxious ones are really cute so I slapped some on my toes! Honestly figuring out my color combination took the longest... cue boyfriend... I had it narrowed down and he chose the final colors! 


This design was super easy! And the best part, I could be messy and it would still look okay! It was literally sooo simple! All you need to complete this is 3 colors and a striping brush! I'd also suggest having some nail polish remover and some paper towel! 

Step 1: Apply some base coat. I used Zoya Anchor.

Step 2: Appy base color. For this I used 2 coas of Zoya Snow White with appropriate dry time between layers!

Step 3: Apply middle color with a random (or planed) lines to cover the nail from side wall to side wall! I used Color Club Warhol!

Step 4: Apply top color repeating the same lines technique as used in Step 3! I choose to use Color Club Mrs. Robinson! 

Step 5: Apply Top Coat! I used Glisten&Glow HK Girl quick drying top coat! 

I hope you enjoy and if you have any questions feel free to ask! :) 

As always, much love,
Gingerella 

Friday, May 23, 2014

It's been far too long!

Im so sorry I kind of fell off the deep end! I was finishing up my first semester of my Senior year in college and just got a bit overwhelmed! I had to part with my polish and leave it at home because I'll admit I was getting a BIT distracted! Lol 

I just started my internship as a drafter last Monday and I'm very excited about it because it is something I want to do! My whole life all I wanted to do was design and I'm finally getting my chance! :) 

So here's the plan. I have a lot of posting to do this weekend over a 3 day break AND all my aunts and cousins want their nails done! :) But to hold us all off for a bit, here is a simple manicure I did last night because I just could not stand have naked nails for too long! 


I used Gelous base coat that I bought from Sally's, Zoya Snow White and an Orly pink glitter that I currently forget the name to because I just got it from a swap! 

Take care!

As always, Much love,
Gingerella

Sunday, February 16, 2014

Cult Cosmetics February Black Box

Hello Lovelies,

I've been getting Cult Cosmetics' monthly subscription nail box for a few months now! I'm not sure why it just dawned on me to actually put each box in a post to review and to provide swatches! DUH! Cult Cosmetics subscription Black Box is what started this "addiction" that only seems to be growing... (Thanks guys! lol) I originally signed up because a friend (and fellow blogger) said I would get a variety of polishes that included China Glaze, OPI and others. I, however, signed up the month they made the transition to their brand of polish. I won't lie, initially I was a little disappointed. To my surprise, the polish was wonderful! The Debut Box colors were incredible! The colors were super pretty, the formula was great, the bottle size were unique (for my collection), and they were surprisingly comfortable to polish my nails with!

So to get on with what we all originally came for: February Black Box accurately named Festival Lights.


February's Black Box was very much anticipated for me for one reason: the holographic topper! This box included 3 full size (0.5 FL OZ/15mL bottles) of their new color line and 3 Nail Art Brushes; fan and two angled * disclaimer, I don't know the actual names of the brushes*. The pictures CC (Cult Cosmetics) posted for spoilers I don't think were anything like the actual colors in person-which is a good thing! The pictures they had made Laguna (right) seem more orange-ish/corally and I wasn't really digging it. Also in respect to Breakwater (left) it looked more pastel and I was a sad because I just picked up one that I thought was going to be similar. BUT to my surprise Laguna and Breakwater looked nothing like the pictures they posted and they are some of the most beautiful polishes I have ever looked at! :)

Since the holo topper was thee highly anticipated polish for me--why not start with it first?! 



Here is COACHELLA! Cult Cosmetics first holographic nail color and boy did they do a great job! It is absolutely stunning just as itself, doesn't need a base color or anything!


Here, on the left, is Coachella just under the 60Watt twister lights, that the name seems to escape me. To get this coverage, on the right, this is 3 coats of pure Coachella in artificial lighting (my Ott Lamp). It's SOOO pretty! I can't even stop starring at these pictures! :p 


This is probably the worst picture ever of Coachella, but here I am outside standing in about 2 feet of snow. It was cold, and STILL snowing so this is as good as you all are going to get! :p


This is Breakwater! Breakwater is a beautiful purple! It isn't as pastel as I thought it was, which let me say this again, I was SOOO HAPPY ABOUT! I love this shade of purple. It's unlike anything I have in my collection so score!



 Breakwater on the left is underling artificial light, my Ott Light, and on the right is outside in natural light surrounded by what seems to be tons and tons and TONS of snow!


Considering Coachella is actually a holo topper--I thought I'd feature it as one as well. Here is Breakwater underneath Coachella! Which again, it's stunning!


Finally, we have Laguna! Thankfully, it isn't as coral/orange as their original pictures show! I'm not even sure what this color is actually? All I know it is super bright! I want to say it's a hot pink, but it definitely has enough orange in it to make me confused BUT it there isn't too much orange either to make it so that is the typical coral color just about every brand of polish has.


I'm sorry I forgot to get a picture of Laguna under artificial lighting from my Ott Light! I didn't realize I didn't have one until I already took it off. I did my mani's statically so I could be happy with the last polishing and leave it. But I think Laguna in natural lighting speaks enough for it. It is a powerful color; bright, cheery, and I'm totally in love.


Here again, featuring Coachella as the holographic topper it is supposed to be! The left in under my Ott Light and the right is outside in natural snow glistening light!


Last, but not least the nail art tools for this month! The fan brush itself is set at an angle like this ... \_ ... where the \ portion has the bristles! There is also an angled brush (on the left) and a not so angled brush (on the right). I think it is supposed to be a flat brush, but my obsessive self noticed it was angled a bit! lol

I really hope you enjoy! Please let me know if you liked it, what I can do differently, what you liked! I'm open to suggestions considering I'm still trying to get in the swing of things!

Much Love,
Gingerella


Saturday, February 15, 2014

Zoya Haul Part VI

Hello Lovelies!

This is the piece of resistance!! *insert fancy accent here* Last but not lease my favorite color that I picked up through their promotion! Again, I hope it doesn't surprise you all that it is purple! Here is Aurora!

Yes I realize this picture isn't focused or anything but I really was trying to capture the full holographic effect of this polish and all that it had to offer! When I wear this polish I often have to stop myself from just completely starring at them the whole time!


I really love that most about this polish is that its a unique shade of purple to begin with. In different light it completely changes its color, tones and the holo picks up different colors. But hands down, this color is MIND BLOWING! It's purple, holographic, and completely stunning.


Here is just a few more photos of Aurora! If you don't think this is the most beautiful polish you've ever seen then- well then I'm not sure, I just think you need to rethink that! These pictures honestly catch the most beautiful effect of this polish at any angle!


 Please enjoy and I hope you all loved this series!

Much Love,
Gingerella

Saturday, February 8, 2014

Zoya Haul Part V

Hello Lovelies!

I'm sorry I haven't posted in almost a week, and this isn't going to be a super wordy post either. Just more of a picture oriented post with as many angles and unclose shots as possible! With these crazy snow storms hitting us in PA, a recent passing in the family and an overload of school work-I've been very busy! Not to mention Monday I slipped on some ice and banged up my left wrist, shoulder, and ankle pretty badly... my luck. I really need Spring Break to come sooner rather than later!

BUT, life must go on, and so does my Zoya series that I've been doing! I have two more polishes left and they're highly anticipated in my opinion! The last two I have are Dream and Aurora! So, here we go... This post I am going to be talking about DREAM! :D


If y'all haven't noticed, I have a soft spot for purples and blues! Dream is a considered to be a part of Zoya's Holographic Collection. It's super pretty, high-pigmented, and holo-rific :) When I finally had my order delivered I just could NOT wait to put Dream on! I actually had a black gel polish mani on and I didn't feel like waiting 10+ minutes to take that off so I just applied a real thin coat of Dream over it. OH MM GEE was it in credible to look at! I definitely should have taken a picture of it but I was just too excited!


Please forgive that pesky hangnail and my dry cuticles! This was the third mani I did that day! This is two coats of Dream and I can honestly say that I can completely get lost its color! There is so many different things I could pick out of why I love this color.... It could take forever! LOL


From a distance, you can tell how dynamic Dream really it. It seems like a dark, ocean blue and yet the faint sparkle of the underwater world... keeping with my "It Looks Like The Ocean" theme I have in my head! :p





What I really like about this photo of Dream is that you can really start to see the holographic in polish! You can still see the dynamic color of the blue too!


As Always, Much Love,
Gingerella




Sunday, February 2, 2014

Zoya Haul Part IV

Hello Lovlies!

Sorry I have been a little MIA for a few day! I had a huge lab report doing and it was literally EATING any free time I had! Good news- IT'S DONE AND TURNED IN! *crowd cheers!* In some other random good news, I have found a company to fund my (and my senior design partner) senior project! Fingers crossed, good vibes, and hopefully it leads to a job offer! :)

But, back to what we reeeallly came for... the polish! <3 I am very glad I took these picture before I sat down to actually write this because as of last night (Saturday 2/1) I now am sportin some shorties! I had a pretty bad break a few weeks ago and then recently I have been plagued by some corner breaks. SO, I am starting over!

I only have 3 more polishes to conclude my pretties from Zoya's 3/$12 promo! To get on with it, I am going to start with the beautiful Payton! (How fitting since today Payton Manning is playing in the Super Bowl today)


I was told by a lot of my fellow Polish Addicts that Payton is their favorite! It's purple so of course I would love it and it is a Zoya's holographic line! Being that I am very new to holographic nail polish but have seen many absolutely stunning shades, I had high hopes!


I love that Payton is purple, but honest opinion, the holographic wasn't like "OMG I NEED." For instance in this picture, you can't really tell that it is a holographic polish. The only way you can see it, is if you actually have my hand in you hand and looking at my nails.


This picture you can kiiinda see the holo, but again it really isn't an in-your-face type of holo, so I was a little disappointed in that sense. However, I was really impressed with how smoothly I was able to apply this. It went on super easy, and I probably could have gotten away with one coat, but I did have a few minor spotting towards the cuticle.


Now this is probably thee best picture of Payton! You can see her absolutely breathtaking purple shade! It's almost a dark wine color- that I am in love with, and you can start to catch the holographic glitters in the polish!


In a close up of Payton you can finally see her absolutely gorgeous holo! Being said again, I think because Payton is such a dark purple that is why her holo is a bit masked! 



Much Love,
Gingerella


Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Zoya Haul PART III

Hello Lovelies,

Here we are again for my third part of this lovely series I've started :) I am really enjoying this amazing process of trying new colors completely out of my comfort zone! This is my 3rd and final PixieDust polish I picked up from their 3/$12 and even though Stevie holds my actual heart-Tomoko is to DIE for! It is thee most sparkle I have ever seen on my nails. I just could not stop starring at it!


As you can see, it isn't very opaque, this is 3 coats of this beauty. OH WELL! I can totally get over that, seriously! Just LOOK at it sparkle! I figured next time I use Tomoko, I'll probably use a creme or pink polish underneath just to offset having to add a million layers to get the coverage I want!


To me 100% honest, I am having a hard time describing Tomoko's color! When the light hits it one way you pick up a lot of gold tones, and then move your head a different way and it's like completely silver. Just look at the picture above!! It totally just looks like a bunch of silver glitters glistening in the light! :)


This picture, I think it is a bit odd that it seems like it is picking up some green tones..... and then I remembered while I was trying to take pictures- I was wearing a green shirt. So the color it throws off may even pick up on the color it's surrounded by. Which is pretty cool, I think! :)


In the same sense that in this picture, you can really see how sheer it is, yet completely flawless at the same time! It honestly BLOWS MY MIND!!


This is an up-close-and-personal type shot. Some may actually not like this because of fear of being able to see the dirt. You know, that no matter what you do to keep them clean, always manages to end up under your nails. So it may be a hit or miss, but my thought is.... no one is going to be looking at my nails that closely anyway so I'll ROCK my pretty Tomoko painted nails!!

Now, the only problem is to try not to get distracted from my work/school work from starring at my nails to much!! :x


Much Love,
Gingerella

Saturday, January 25, 2014

Zoya Haul PART II

Hello Lovelies!

I'm glad to have you visiting my page again, and if this is your first time I'd like to revert you back to my previous post where I stated that I will be doing almost a series-type deal with my polishes I picked up fro Zoya's most recent promo (3/$12)! Also, for a reminder, these are my first (few) Zoyas!

Since I started out with my beloved Stevie, which as we know is a PixieDust, I thought it would be fun to do the rest of the Pixies that I picked up, and then move on to the others. So, this post I will be talking about London!


At first glance, I was a tiiiiny bit disappointed. I don't own a lot of grey polished, actually just one from a sub box I have, and I haven't had the chance to use it. Don't get me wrong, the polish look absolutely beautiful in the bottle-I always have a fear it'll look good in the bottle and NOT on my nails. That is what made me feel a bit indifferent about it!


After a good layer of base coat, and one coat of London, I was feeling more hopeful that this color was going to look fabulous on me! I am a natural red head and all my life I have had to watch which colors I wore. For instance, I have not ever been able to wear red. I completely, 100% washes me out! So, for the sake of apologies- I'm soooo sorry I ever doubted you London!


For me, this polish did go on a bit sheer. Sheerer ( if that is even a word?) than I thought, so I did end up using 3 coats. What I did notice, and I LOVE, about these wonderful PixieDust is that you can absolutely tell whenever they are dry! I'm not even sure how to explain it, but you can see it drying into the textured goodness it promises!


The shine and sparkle this lovely grey matte polish gives off is absolutely mind blowing! I can't really wrap my head around the fact that this is a grey matte polish sparkles so much! :)


And yet in this picture (above) you see a completely different side of this polish. It is dark, and sparkly and you can really see all the detailed textures in the dried polish!



Much Love,
Gingerella 



Tuesday, January 21, 2014

My First Zoya Haul!!

Hello Lovelies!

I think this is going to be a series type deal..? I took the bait on Zoya's most recent promo sale they had. In case you all didn't hear about it- it was 3 polishes for $12, for a grand total of $4 a bottle! Which no matter which you chose, it was a FANTASTIC deal considering their regular polish is $9 per bottle and their PixieDust collection is $10 per bottle! will do seperate post and swatches of each individual polishes I ordered. :) I have 6 polishes to share with all of you and I hope you enjoy it! 

First off, these are my first Zoya's so it was really hard for me to narrow my picks down to just 3 after seeing all the beautiful polishes they had to offer! I felt like a little kid at a candy store just oogleing over the sweetest things there! Then I found out they had a polish named "Stevie," and everyone (i know) knows I call my boy friend Stevie! So there was no doubt in my mind, no matter the shade, it was going to be mine! When looking up swatches I found it to be a PixieDust in a light purple shade with silver glitters and I LOVE THE COLOR PURPLE! If you couldn't tell! ;) I was super excited because although I do have one textured polish , OPI's Can't Let Go, I haven't used it yet but I have heard sooo many great things about Zoya's PixieDust Collection! 

So, here we go, it's polish time!! My first of six Zoya's:



I was trying to capture the best angle of the bottle, the shade of purple AND pick up the glitters as well! It was a bit of a pain, and after numerous photos, of almost the same exact thing, I liked this one the best! 



Here I have just a base coat of OPI Nail Envy, and 3 layers of Stevie, NO TOP COAT! :) Although I heard putting a topcoat on PixieDust leave you with a pretty cool effect, I wanted the texture and matte finish like it's supposed to leave. 



I really dig this color, a lot! This picture picks up some of the reflection from the silver glitters, but also showcases the cool purple shades it leaves off!

To be 100% honest, I wasn't sure how I was going to like the feel the texture polish. I was fearing it to be almost like I had sand paper on my nails but it feels more like a buffer, if you ask me. ANYWAYS, I am totally excited about this polish and I can't wait to write about my other pretties! :) Oh and I thiiiink Zoya has won me over! Looking forward to expanding my collection :) 

Much Love,
Gingerella