Beauty School Pedicures

Even though the weather is turning colder, I'm still holding on to summer clothes and colors. Here's a nice summery color for nails, Spa Ritual in Last Tango. 

I picked this polish up when my friend and I got pedicures at the Douglas J Aveda Institute in Ann Arbor. I love going to the beauty school for pedicures. The way I look at it, I'm just helping a student get their hours to graduate!

In the express pedicure, they do the normal pedicure foot soak, nail polish removal, shaping, cuticle care, buffing, exfoliation and lotion massage.When I got in the chair the student gave me a neck pillow that smelled so good I've been on the hunt for the scent ever since. After polishing the student then has to have his/her instructor come over and check out their work.

In my experience, the students are usually a little nervous, but always very friendly and careful. And I feel like they pay special attention to detail because their instructor has to look over everything. The take a little bit longer than normal pedicures (I would block off at least 1.5 hours of time), but honestly, I don't care at all. To me, it's just extra time to relax! 

At the Aveda Institute it's $32 for an express pedicure, and you get to keep your polish. They use to have OPI but have since switched to SpaRitual, which I really like. They have a strict policy against no tipping, but this may not apply to all schools, so I would highly suggest asking when you book your appointment.

Have you ever went to a beauty school for a manicure, pedicure or hair service? If so, what did you think?

Zoya Nail Polish Stunning Collection

Loving Zoya nail polish Sunning Summer 2013 collection. Fun, bright colors for fingers and toes. From top left, going clockwise, the colors are:

Darcy - Bright, yellow (good for future Michigan games!)
Thandie - A creamy orange
Josie - A tealish-green
Rocky - Love the name as much as the color. Will look pretty on toes and paired with denim
Yana - A bright reddish-pink. Another good one for toes
Micky - My favorite from the collection. A Pretty coral-pink that will go with most everything.

For each swatch I did a base coat with two color coats and a quick dry top coat. I always have great wear with Zoya nail polish, lasting in good condition for 3-4 days, and minor touch ups needed after that.

You can purchase these (and many other colors!) from Zoya.com. You can purchase the entire set in a sampler kit for $48 or buy them individually for $8 a pop.

Note: This review includes products that I received as samples, provided by the brand company or a PR rep. Please click here for more information regarding my disclaimer.

Gelish Gel Nail Polish

One of the MANY things I love about NYC is that the manicures and pedicures are so super cheap. Today I decided to let someone else 'Shellac' my nails. Usually I do themselves or my bestie Tina does them, but since she's a few states over, I thought I would let the nail salon do it. I'm traveling this week so I wanted to not have to worry about my nails. The salon did have Shellac, but I opted for this Gelish nail polish in Pink Smoothie.

Looks a lot like Shellac Romantique. Gelish had a ton of colors to choose from which was appealing to me. The nail tech said she never had any complains with Gelish. I'll be the judge of that!

I'll keep everyone updated on how it holds up!

Welcome to Atlanta...

If Atlanta had a facebook page, I'd want to be friends with it. I had an amazing weekend in the ATL with my husband and friends. Congratulations to Brian & Melissa who got married!

I couldn't go to fashionable Atlanta without a few cosmetic necessities...

It's currently 60ish degrees in Michigan, and 80 in Atlanta, I couldn't show up with my white legs! I got a spray tan at Sncroniz Salon in Brighton, MI before I left. This was my second one. I'm not sure what brand they use but it turned out fairly natural looking, especially after I showered twice.

My feet were looking a little orange from the spray tan, but that was taken care of when we went for pedi's at Sugarcoat, a nail and beauty bar in Buckhead. As my Atlanta travel guide said, if Barbie had a salon, it would look like this. The girls working were ultra friendly and fun, and loved to chat and gossip. The pedicure was relaxing, and not only did they take care of my spray tan orange toes, but they mixed up a Barbie-colored paint for me, using two different Essie shades.

Instead of splurging on a manicure that would probably chip in two days, I went for the KISS Everlasting French Manicure glue on nails in petite length. Perfect length, and lasted 4 full days (I decided to remove them today). I got a ton of compliments on them, even at the nail salon, they couldn't believe I did them myself! When I purchased them at CVS it came with an instant save coupon!The day of the wedding I touched up my tan with Nature's Gate Sunless Tanning lotion. I was interested in trying this one out specifically because it contained Olive Oil. It worked well, and didn't turn me orange. It's a good buy at $8.99 (available in stores May/June).
I came prepared for humidity with Profound Beauty's Desert Texture Spray. I LOVE this stuff. I had the best hair weekend thanks to this product. After blowing dry my hair, I sprayed this on and then used my flat iron.

It really doesn't have a smell to it, and it's super light and doesn't weigh down my hair. Even though it's an aerosol, the powders it contains absorbs oil and left my hair with a matte finish. I love this product. It's a great investment for anyone who lives in a humid area (calling all you Floridians out there!). I'd say a little goes a long way. $31 is expensive, but if you live in an ultra humid area, totally worth the investment. P.S. My mom is in love with Profound Beauty's Desert Sand as well. Same concept, protects your hair from humidity.

Miss you at Atlanta!

Note: This review includes products that I received as samples, provided by the brand company or a PR rep. Please click here for more information regarding my disclaimer.