The Battle of the Beauty Boxes: Birchbox vs. Ipsy GlamBag!

Happy Tuesday! Today I will finally be concluding my analysis of which beauty box I think is worth the $10/month and gives it's subscribers the most for their subscription. Before I get started into the blog, I am sure there are more than a handful of readers that want the clear cut answer. And here is mine...

The winner (in my opinion) of the battle of the beauty boxes issssss:

IPSY GLAM BAG!

If you never got around to the review of Birchbox and want to see what I got in my Birchbox last month, please click HERE! If you want to see what Ipsy Glam Bag is all about, I'm going to say you should definitely continue the read :)

Now let's see why Ipsy Glam Bag won the battle :) Here are my top 5 reasons why I would choose an Ipsy subscription over a Birchbox one:

Reason #1 FULL SIZE PRODUCTS

Birchbox gives small samples. Of course there are the occasional full size bottles, but with Ipsy, you are almost always given a full size product. Let's be honest, if you want to buy a product, you need to be able to use it for a few weeks to decide whether it's right for you. A full size bottle comes in pretty handy, and for $10/month, this is a no brainer!

Reason #2 YOU GET A MAKEUP BAG WITH EVERY SHIPMENT

Though I do love that my Birchbox comes with my products all wrapped up in tissue paper and very pretty, I much rather have a cute makeup bag with all my products inside of it. It is much more practical since I can use the makeup bags :)

Reason #3 COLORS OF PRODUCTS ARE BETTER CUSTOMIZED TO MY SKIN TONES

Do not get me wrong. Birchbox customizes their products as well, but I have found that every single product in my Ipsy Glam Bag was perfectly fit to my skin tone, eye color and hair texture. It is as though I personally hand picked the products to try out!

Reason #4 GLAM BAG PRODUCTS ARE HAND PICKED BY SOME OF MY FAVORITE YOUTUBE GURUS!

There's just something exciting knowing that some of my favorite youtubers are picking the products that are mailed out to me :)

Reason #5 IPSY IS MORE MAKEUP/HAIR ORIENTED

In my first impressions post about Birchbox, I received a face mask, a tiny perfume tester I would receive for free at the mall and 3 sample tea bags. That post was written for a reason: first impressions. That box, whether indicative of a usual monthly Birchbox or not, did not live up to my first Ipsy glam bag experience. I think this is the perfect time to transition into what I received in my Ipsy glam bag this month: June 2013!

MY IPSY GLAM BAG JUNE 2013

The swatches above from top to bottom:

Chella Highlighter pencil in Ivory Lace
Starlooks Lip Liner in Tickle me Pink
Cailyn Gel Liner in Purple
NYX blush in Rose Petal
J.Cat Body Glitter is not pictured

xoxo,
GirlontheGo

More info about Ipsy Glam Bag: http://www.ipsy.com

Top 10 ways to get HEALTHY NAILS this summer!⚘☀⚘

Happy Saturday everyone!! So, summer rolls around and all those dark nail polish colors we used throughout the fall and winter season has taken a toll on our nails! Why not start off the summer with beautiful, long nails to add some sparkly and bright neon polish to? Here are my top 10 things to do to get beautiful and HEALTHY nails this summer :)

1) MOISTURIZE! 

You would be surprised how much of a difference moisturizing your hand, nails and massaging the lotion into your cuticles can do. If you have extra dry hands, try using a cuticle oil and massaging it into your cuticles. I personally just use some body butter from Bath and Body works. I apply it while I'm watching tv or laying in bed and just massage it in, since I'm already just lazying around ;) Aveeno also makes various great lotions that are very moisturizing. As for cuticle oils, I would suggest the brand, OPI. 

2) DO NOT PICK AT YOUR NAILS

Picking dirt and playing with your nails is a sure fire way to cause them to chip and break. The alternative to this? WASH YOUR HANDS! If you wash your hands often, you will need to moisturize more. Healthy nails are ones that are left alone to grow. Similarly, chewing your nails is an immediate way to notice brittle nails that will definitely break off within no time (learned that the hard way!). 

3) ALWAYS APPLY A BASE COAT

So many people skip this step as part of giving themselves a manicure. It is very important you apply a base coat! Nail polish stains your nails. In addition, it strips your nails of their moisture. There are base coats specifically designed to avoid both these problems. A personal favorite is Nail Envy Dry and Brittle Nails by OPI. 

4) BE GENTLE WITH YOUR CUTICLES!

I have seen this mistake done by so many people! Pushing back your cuticles or even using a cuticle trimmer is perfectly fine. However, if you are hurting your cuticles in any way, you are hurting your nails indirectly. Your cuticles are what nourish your nails and protect them from germs and bacteria. If you trim your cuticles so much that they bleed, you are exposing your nails to infection. If you push your cuticles back so much that they hurt to touch, this could end up causing brittle nails. Your cuticles are there to protect your nails, so make sure you don't go overboard in trying to get rid of them!

On the left is a straight edge toe nail
clipper by Tweezerman. It works great
for fingernails to get a clean straight
edge. On the right is a curved edge
fingernail clipper. It will give a
rounded edge to your nails and can be
found in most every brand.

5) TRIM AND FILE YOUR NAILS REGULARLY

Nails, as anything, aren't going to grow exactly as you want them to. It is necessary to file and trim your nails to prevent chips. If you are a fan of round edge nails, almost all nail clippers come with a slight curvature. I personally have found these to make my nails more prone to chipping. I use a toe nail clipper by Tweezerman to achieve a straight edge cut on my fingernails. Find what shape works best for your nails! I would also suggest using a glass file, as they are more gentle on your nails and are less likely to chip your nails

6) USE A HAND SCRUB

I have found that using a hand scrub once a week on my nails has made them more healthy looking after the first use! Scrubbing your hands will stimulate blood flow as well as getting rid of the dead skin. Both of these are great for growing healthy nails and healthy looking nails! It will also help to strip the layer of "yellow" on your nails that are likely due to stains from nail polish. I like to concentrate the scrub for a little bit on my cuticles to get the blood flowing there. Make sure you use a gentle scrub, since your hands and nails are delicate! I use the True Blue Spa 60-second manicure hand scrub from Bath and Body works. Smells a little too lemon-y for my taste, but hey, works great!

7) DO NOT USE ACETONE BASED NAIL POLISH REMOVER

Did you know that insecticides, paint (to thin the paint) and shoe polish are some of the common household items with acetone in them? Of course, our body already produces small amounts of acetone and using acetone in moderation as nail polish remover does not necessarily cause some sort of dramatic effects to your health, however, why not use an acetone free nail polish remover when it is available? The acetone free nail polish remover will help your nails retain some of its moisture and will make them less brittle in the long run.

8) TAKE A MULTIVITAMIN OR BIOTIN

Let me disclaimer this one with, if you do not need additional amounts of these supplements, overdosing on vitamins is a waste of your time!!! Not only that, but all vitamins and medicines have an upper limit, meaning there is a certain amount beyond which taking them will actually
cause negative effects on your body!!! CHECK THE  UPPER LIMITS of vitamins and track your intakes. DO NOT take 5 different multivitamin pills and assume that your body will just be in better shape due to this. Whatever your body does not need, it will get rid of, and in some cases, will end up causing side effects. 

That being said, in moderation, a multivitamin a day or a biotin tablet a day when you are having trouble growing your nails or keeping strong healthy nails is perfectly fine for the average individua

l (again I say average since everyone has different things that work and don't work for them). I personally am a big fan of taking a multivitamin a day and taking a Biotin tablet every 3 days in place of the multivitamin. This has helped both my hair and nails grow healthier!

9) PROBLEMS WITH YOUR NAILS SIGNAL OTHER PROBLEMS IN YOUR BODY. PAY ATTENTION TO THEM!

Your nails are a direct result of what is happening in your body. If your nails are brittle and are not growing, you may have a calcium deficiency. If they are excessively dry, you probably are dehydrated or lacking vitamin E. If they are pitting and have dry spots, maybe it is a more serious condition such as psoriasis. If you see any odd changes in your nails despite actually taking good care of your nails, make sure you consult your doctor. There may be an underlying cause to it! 

10) DRINK PLENTY OF WATER

A simple and common sense tip, but often forgotten! Over 50% of your body is water. Water is needed as a fundamental for growth and nourishment in your body. Drinking enough water, especially during the summertime when you are easily dehydrated, will nourish your nails and cuticles and prevent dry, brittle nails. 

I hope these 10 tips have helped you in some way. Please consult your doctor before doing any dramatic changes to your daily habits and diet, but these should be some easy tips to get you started on your way to beautiful nails! Have an amazing weekend!! ❤❤

xoxo,

GirlontheGo

Hearts & Sparkle Nail Tutorial❤❤❤

Happy Friday lovelies! Today I am walking you through a very easy manicure. This mani is perfect for almost any time of the year! Red, black and white are classy and yet bold colors to wear. You can essentially substitute this look with any color you are loving right now! 

Now before I dive into the tutorial, I just wanted to give you all a heads up that I am in the works of trying to set up my own youtube channel with all my beauty tips and tutorials! I will be sure to post links and updates when the time comes :)

STEP 1: The basic polish step!

To start off, paint your thumb, pointer finger and pinky finger a solid shade of whatever color you are loving right now. I stuck with the bold, red/black/white with sparkle look. The red is my absolute favorite shade of red by OPI. It is Cajun Shrimp. I have talked about this shade multiple times, and if you do not own it, it is definitely a staple color! Next, I painted my ring finger an accent nail. I began by adding a base of Essie imported champagne. I then added a glitter polish over it. I used OPI Halo, which I have been absolutely obsessed with the past week since I purchased it ;) Last, I painted my middle finger an opaque white. I used Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear in the shade White On.

Step 2: Add some design time!

In this step, we add a little fun to the nail! I used my Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear black polish. Any black polish will do. Using my dotting tool, I simply added to dots using the largest of the dotting ends I had, and then used a smaller dotting end to connect the two dots towards the tip of the heart. If you want to see a step by step visual tutorial on creating hearts on your nails using dotting tools, please click the following link to my Heart Mani Tutorial: http://girlotg.blogspot.com/2013/04/happy-monday-i-was-originally-going-to.html

Step 3: Rhinestones!

If you have a few rhinstones on hand, I would add a little rhinestone at the center of the heart. It adds a pretty and professional touch :) In place of the heart, feel free to add some polka dots, a chevron nail look, or even taking you nail polish of choice and adding a stripe down the middle or just creating a nail tip on the middle finger would add a special touch. The look of this manicure is to tie in all your nails with a color trend, but keep the middle two nails unique from the other 3. This is trending currently and I encourage you all to put your own spin on this look and have some fun with it! As always, don't forget to add a top coat to add some shine and make your mani last! As always, I used my favorite Seche Vite. Give it a try! You will fall in love with it :)

Send me pictures of your creations and I would love to feature them in my blog! Take care and check back for summer purchases/must haves (haven't quite thought of a title yet). It will feature a lot of my purchases I recently got this past Spring break and have been loving and using through the hot weather days :)

xoxo,
GirlontheGo

New Nail Polish find!!! ❃ Lovely Lilac Nails ❃

Hello lovelies & happy Monday!

I am a huge nail polish junkie. I absolutely love Essie, Zoya and OPI (personal favs). However, I recently stumbled upon a formula of nail polish that seems to be consistent with both Ubran outfitters and a local boutique called Francesca's. The formula is amazing! The nail polish goes on opaque and does not leave streaks! It is beautiful. The colors are vibrant and with a shiny top coat, the colors just come alive. 

I painted my nails with Beach Day from the boutique and used OPI's Halo to add some glitter accents and an accent nail to my ring finger. I used the Seche Vite top coat (as always) to top off my nails and make my mani last the rest of the week! Hope you are having a fabulous summer and check back for my summer must have's blog later this week :)

xoxo,

GirlontheGo

June 2013: Must Have Nail Polish Duo! ❁

I recently purchased two new nail polishes that I absolutely love! I paired the two together, with one color on four of my fingers and a fun glitter polish on my ring finger as an accent nail.

The first color I purchased is Essie's Imported Champagne. It is a beautiful pearl color with a hint of chrome in it. It is exactly like having pearl nails! I used the Orly Halo glitter polish as an accent nail. It is a gorgeous subtle gold polish (almost a silvery gold, not a pure gold color). It goes perfectly with the pearl tone. I love buying glitter polishes for accent nails since it is a versatile thing. You can pair them with so many different colors as an accent polish! I highly recommend these two as a staple to any nail polish lovers collection :)


Have a beautiful week lovelies!
xoxo,
GirlontheGo

Tiffany Nails mani ✼

Happy Monday!! I am all about having a pretty manicure, but I don't have the time anymore to give myself an intricate design that takes a long time to do. As an alternative, I have been loving giving myself a little gradient glitter tip mani. You can pair it with any color you would like underneath. I chose to start off with a base coat. Then apply Essie Turquoise and Caicos. Then, using Orly's Tiara, I start at the tip of my nails, so that most of the glitter begins thicker there, and then proceed halfway down my nail. I try to barely touch the nail as I am approaching the halfway point on my nail so that it gives the look of a gradient. I think apply a top coat (my favorite of course, Seche Vite) and that is it!

Feel free to pair this same look with different colors and different colored glitters. Another favorite of mine is to have a blue nail polish and top it off with either fuchsia glitter or a deep blue glitter for the tip. Enjoy!!

xoxo,

GirlontheGo