Happy 1st Unblogaversary Giveaway!!!

Hello readers!

I'm very very very excited to announce my first ever giveaway!  My official 1 year blogaversary was on March 2nd... but I accidentally completely missed it.  I could have sworn it was in April!  So, I'm celebrating my 1st unblogaversary instead!  With the help of some wonderful indie makers I've put together a giveaway for all of you who have joined me on my blogging journey over the past year.  Let's check out the prizes!

The Lazy Laquerista (Me!) - Northern Star Polish Pumpkinlicious, Polish Yer Hooves Rusty Nails, Models Own Mini Trio Glitter Collection, Pretty & Polished Watch It In CD and Darling Diva Polish Witchy Woman (US and Canada)

Gothic Gala Lacquers - Two polishes of the winners choice (International)

Model City Polish - $25 Gift Certificate (International)

Darling Diva Polish - Bottle of Stand Back and Feel The Love Cuticle Cream (US Only)

Stand Back swatch photo source

Girly Bits - $25 Gift Certificate (International)

Lucky 13 Lacquer - 10ml Bottle of Holo-Addicted and one glass nail file (US and Canada)

Northern Star Polish - A Northern Star Gift Packed valued at ~$15 (International)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck everyone and thank you for your support over the last year!  Please enjoy this picture of a llama in scarf.

 Happy polishing,

- Michelle 

Beauty Box 5 March 2014 Review

Hello readers!
Today I have my first ever Beauty Box 5 box to share with you.  I signed up for this subscription earlier this year when they were running a $20 off the yearly rate promotion.  I couldn't pass up a $6.58 ($7.40CAD) a month box including shipping to Canada.  (Seriously, having shipping to Canada included in the price is amazing).  Here's what I got this month.

Tree Hut Moisturizing Hand Cream | Retail: $8.00 5oz

"Do your hardworking hands need a little TLC? Made with organic shea butter, argan oil, and chamomile extract, this paraben free lotion is packed with anti-oxidants to revitalize dull, dry skin."

My first impression is that this lotion smells amazing. I love the variety of natural ingredients and I can always use more lotion since winter insists on sucking all the moisture from my skin.

Swissco Dual-sided Facial Pad | Retail $2.00

"Achieving softer skin and smaller pores is as easy as exfoliating a few times a week! Just add your favorite cleanser to the pad, gently buff that pretty face, and kiss lackluster skin goodbye!"

Love this.  I can always use another scrubby.

Design Essentials Natural Curl Enhancing Mousse | Retail: $15.99 7.5oz

"Save time on styling and sleep in! Great for loose waves or tight ringlets, this quick-drying, olive oil infused curl enhancer delivers moisture, hold, definition, and sheen without the crunch. Plus, it smells seriously amazing.

I'm curious to see if this lives up to its no crunch promise.  I have curly hair so I'm definitely going to give this a try.  The only bad thing is this leaked a little in transit and left sticky spots on some of the other products.  I've heard BB5 customer service is really good though so I emailed them to see if anything can be done.

Bellapierre Cosmetics Makeup Base | Retail: $18.99 0.29oz

 "Every girl deserves an all-in-one that hides imperfections and makes her makeup even better.  This pretty ivory base is great when you're low on time (or room in your purse), and serves as a concealer, illuminator, and eyeshadow primer.

I haven't had luck with eyeshadow primers of this creamy style before but based on some quick googling it gets good reviews as a concealer.  I'll have to compare to my current products to see if it's a good shade for my skin tone.  I have a feeling it might be too light for me but if that's the case I'm sure I can swap it.

Jane's Pick All Natural Soaps | Retail: $8.00 5oz

"Get clean without the chemicals! Made from an all-natural blend infused with herbs and flowers these pretty soaps are handmade, so each bar has a unique pattern and relaxing scent.  BB5 tip: lather up and use this instead of shaving cream!"

This soap also smells amazing.  I usually use body wash/shower gel but I'll definitely give this a try.

The whole box!

The items add up to a total retail value of $50.27.  Not too bad for paid $6.48.  I know there are products in here I will definitely use so I'm very happy with what I got.  If you want to sign up for BB5 you can do it here.  Based on my first impression this sub is a great deal.

Happy polishing,

- Michelle

Teal Glitter Gradient

Hello readers,
Today I have a quick post for you showcasing my favorite way to hide chips... glitter gradients!  My original many used a base colour of Arcane Lacquer Headstrong and one coat of Girly Bits Cosmic ocean to add shimmer.  To cover up some tip wear and minor chips I dabbled Rainbow Honey The Kraken on the tips.  Sparkly and functional! A coat of Seche Vite smoothed everything out and my mani was good to go for another couple days.

Happy polishing,

- Michelle

Polish Yer Hooves Stormy and Rusty Nails Swatches & Review

Disclaimer:  This product was offered at a reduced price or at no charge to manicuremanifesto.com in exchange for published reviews.  All reviews are fair, honest and reflect my personal opinion.

Hello readers!
Today I have two polishes from a new to me brand, Polish Yer Hooves, to show you.  I love the adorable cow on the labels and the cow print on the brush handle helps differentiate it from other brands.  Let's get to the polishes!

Stormy

Story features a frosty periwinkle base with a strong violet shimmer.  I really love this colour.  It has an ethereal look about it.  Unfortunately, I didn't love the formula.  I found it quite thick and as a result somewhat finicky to work with.  Though it became opaque in two coats I would have much preferred a thinner formula that took three coats to reach opacity.  The results was still very pretty though and I got great wear time from it.  Three days in I had no noticeable wear.  Photos show two coats of Stormy with one coat of HK Girl top coat in natural lighting.

Rusty Nails

Rusty Nails features a metallic burnt orange base with a mix of gold hex and bar glitters.  The formula on this one was quite nice.  I had no issues with application and the glitter was evenly distributed.  It was well pigmented and was opaque after two coats.  Pictures show two coats of Rusty Nails with one coat of HK Girl top coat in natural lighting.

Conclusion

Overall I was happy with these polishes.  I think I'll add a bit of thinner to Stormy before I use it again but that's an easy fix.  I'm not really an orange polish person and bar glitters just don't do it for me so Rusty Nails just isn't for me.  That's just because of the colours though.  If you are an orange polish person this has a great well pigmented formula.  You can find Polish Yer Hooves on

Etsy

Facebook

Happy polishing,

- Michelle

Products I Finished This Month - February 2014!

Hello readers,
Today I have the products that I finished over the last month to show you.  There's a good mix this time around.

The Body Shop Satsuma Shower Gel

I love the giant shower gels you can get at the body shop.  The pump is super convenient.  Satsuma is one of my favorite scents of all the options.  It's very refreshing and helps me wake up in the morning.  I will definitely be buying this again.

Yves Rocher Energizing Mask

I didn't notice any significant difference in my skin after using this mask.  It did feel cool and refreshing but the effects didn't seem to last after wearing it.  I probably wouldn't buy this one again.

Yves Rocher Orange & Almond Hand Cream

I really liked this cream.  It had a nice light scent and was moisturizing without feeling greasy.  I would try this one again.

Clinique 7 Day Scrub Cream

I love a good facial scrub.  I found that this wasn't quite gritty enough for my personal needs but if you have sensitive skin or want to use it all the time then I would recommend it.

OPI Nail Envy

I finally finished my mini bottle of nail envy! I had really good results on my nails.  Only my pointer fingers are still a little weak, but definitely stronger than before I started using it.  I've decided to swith to Duri Rejuvocate for my next strengthener since Duri is meant to be worn under polish.  If you're just starting your strengthening routine though I would highly recommend this product.

Julep Strawberry-Mint Lip Balm

I really liked the smell of this very sheer pink balm.  It didn't smell artificial like some lip products do.  I did find the consistency a bit softer than expected though.  I'm pretty sure it would have melted instantly in my purse on a hot day so it became my coffee table balm.  A nice product if your lips are fairly hydrated but if dry lips are a problem then this product likely won't do the trick.  I would consider purchasing it for a low price but wouldn't buy it at full price.

That's it for the February products! Are there any of the products that you have tried and loved (or hated)?

Happy polishing,

- Michelle

Picture Polish Ocean Swatches & Review

Hello readers!

I was a bit quiet (and by a bit quiet I mean completely silent) last week because I was busy escaping the cold and enjoying a wonderful lazy beach vacation in the Dominican Republic.  I'm back to the cold now but want to reminisce by showing you the polish I chose to wear for my trip.  Seeing as how it was a beach vacation Picture Polish Ocean seemed like the perfect choice.  This polish features a bright blue jelly base packed with loads of blue holographic micro glitter.  The formula was fantastic and easy to apply.  Pictures show three coats of Ocean with one coat of CND Super Shiney top coat in natural lighting in front of the ocean itself.

Bonus starfish!

I was really impressed with the wear time of the polish... like really impressed.  The photos above were taken on the third day of my trip.  Other than some minor tip wear which I touched up a few times through out the week I didn't get any major chips until the very last day.  Considering my nails with busy picking at sea shells, getting soaked in saltwater and chlorinated water daily on top of normal use this is amazing.  This quality is totally worth the higher price tag.  Now that I'm home though, it's time to switch up my polish since this is the first time in a very long time that I've worn the same colour for a whole week.

Happy polishing!

- Michelle