Hues of You!

I'm a nail polish addict, this isn't even half of my stash!!

O.P.I

Forever 21 Beauty

Essie

China Glaze

SpaRitual

Orly

;)

What Are Your Rituals? Pt 2 - Hand Lotion

Another product from the SpaRitual line that I have fallen in love with is the Instinctual Organic Moisturizing Lotion. I'm a person who is constantly washing their hands (this is a germ filled world ya know!) so I'm always applying lotion to stop my hands from drying out. The current lotions that I use from Bath and Body Works and Victoria's Secret do a great job of moisturizing but since I wash my hands so much the lotion wears off very quickly. The SpaRitual lotion has a long wear stay and moisturizes deep down in the skin. It is a vegan product that features an amazing ginger essential oil and contains 83% certified organic ingredients and is paraben free. I use this lotion a few times throughout the day, not that I need it but as an excuse to smell it! I also like to use it on my hands and arms before I go sleep. Great product!

What Are Your Rituals? Pt 1 - Nail Lacquer!

For many years I was 'the' girl who ALWAYS wore the fake acrylic nails! Not only did I wear the fake nails but I wore them extremely long! My main reason for wearing the fake nails was because my natural nails just won't grow, they'll grow a little and then they'll break. My natural nails are also very thin, I've tried numerous nail strengtheners and hardeners but I can't seem to find the right one. After moving across the country (Kansas City, Mo to Los Angeles, CA) on my own for college, I had to put myself on a budget. Getting my nails done did not make that list! I come from a family of beautician's and nail techs so I know how to do my own but its so time consuming. I had to find a way for my nails to be cute and look healthy so I decided to just go all natural and try to grow my own. It takes a long time for nails to recover once they've gotten used to the acrylic, so I had to be patient. I found that getting manicures and using fun and pretty nail polishes helped speed up the process. Back in July I talked about how much I was loving Orly nail polishes (http://tyechampagne.blogspot.com/2009/07/nailed-it.html) and now I've found another line that has great nail lacquers as well. SpaRitual is a brand that I wasn't too familiar with until recently, in one of my classes we had to do research and present a new product for the founder of the company, Mrs. Shell Pink (she picked my team as the winner!!). What I really love about this brand is that most of their products are vegan and certified organic, which is a huge deal! The shade that I have is called Airhead from the Airy Sopranos collection of shades. Its very sheer and once applied makes your nails look like you came straight from the nail salon! Check out their whole collection of nail lacquers here: http://www.sparitual.com/nail_lacquers/

p.s. here's a throwback picture of me at my high school prom (5/4/2007), long nails in tow!