Fall Leaves Nails

Hellooo!

Fall has "officially" begun (a few days ago) and I'm so glad it's here!

Unfortunately, the weather here in Florida is nothing short of hot and humid still..

I wanted to do a Fall/Autumn inspired nail design since I love fall colors, though it's hard to let go of the bright spring and summer ones, it's a nice change.

Here I used China Glaze "Holly-Day" as the base and used red, orange, and yellow acrylic paints for the leaves.

I only had to use one coat of Holly-Day, it applied so smooth and even.

This does look better in person to me, since you don't see as many of the flaws but it doesn't look too horrible on camera I hope. 

The sunlight also wasn't very good at capturing the warmth of the colors.

Also!

If anyone is interested, BornPrettyStore.com (affiliate link)  has offered me a coupon code for my readers to use on their purchases! 

At checkout, use the code "GAL91" for 10% off!

I also want to say thank you to everyone who joined the Monday Blues Blog Hop! ♥

The Monday Blues Blog Hop

Welcome to the launch of The Monday Blues Blog Hop!
This blog hop is hosted by Traci from drinkcitra, Jayne of Cosmetic Proof, and of course myself.
Mondays typically aren't the best day of the week and our goal is to help make yours better!

Aren't sure what a blog hop is?
Basically, the gist of it is you leave your blog name and link on the list below. Other people joining the blog hop will easily be able to see and access your blog simply by clicking the link. You get the full experience of a blog hop by not only leaving your link below but by visiting blogs, following, and leaving comments! This will help you be able to find new blogs as well as allow other bloggers to find you.
What are you waiting for? Join in, hop around, and let your Monday blues melt away!

<a href="http://www.chrissyai.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk19/Christtuhh/bloghop/BlogHopButton_zps32c1c32f.png" alt="BlogHopButton" width="200" height="180" border="0" /></a></p> <p style="text-align: center;">

If you're interested in being a co-host next week, send us an e-mail at mondaybluesbloghop@gmail.com!

Nail Swatches

Since my recent birthday nail polish haul, I've been swatching like crazy!

(My hands are not enjoying the nail polish remover either..)

So here are some swatches and my opinions on the polishes!

China Glaze - I'm Not Lion

This is three coats with a top coat in natural sunlight.

I'm absolutely in love with this polish. It's so gorgeous!

It looked opaque enough with two coats, but there were some "bald spots", it also dried rather quickly.

Unfortunately, it was hard to capture just how beautiful it is on camera, but I think you get the idea.

I used the Elmer's Glue method and I'm not sure if I just applied too thin of a layer or what, but it was more difficult to get off near the tips of my nails. It still came off much easier than without, nonetheless.

Color Club - Blue-Ming

Two coats with a top coat in natural sunlight.

I'm really loving this polish, the shade of blue is gorgeous and it's so bright.

It's almost neon-ish with how bright it is. It applied really smoothly and was opaque in two coats.

Color Club - Worth The Risque

Two coats with a top coat in artificial light.

This polish was a bit disappointing. Though it looks beautiful in artificial lighting, in sunlight it just went into a pretty dull silver for me. It did apply smoothly and was opaque in two coats. I even tested it outside with no top coat thinking that might make a difference, but I got the same result. I'm not sure if I got a dud but I was pretty disappointed after seeing such gorgeous swatches of it. 

Does anyone else have this polish? Do you have this problem?

Color Club - Who Are You Wearing?

One coat of snow and one coat of WAYW on top, with a top coat in natural sunlight.

I was also a little disappointed by this polish as well. I had tested it out previous to this swatch and it took three coats before it was opaque. Which is what lead me to putting white under it and seeing how that went. The color came out the same but it didn't take three coats to get it to be decently opaque. It also wasn't the color I was hoping for, it's a little washed out here (but not much) and I was expecting it be a little bit darker and more nude/beige rather than looking like an off-white cream.

China Glaze "Snow" vs. Sinful Colors "Snow Me White"

One coat of each, no top coat, in artificial light.

I wanted to do this comparison just to fulfill my curiosity.. and I must say I was surprised.

I was expecting some godly difference between the two. Though there is a difference, I wouldn't say it's a difference worth 6 dollars.

Snow: Snow applied very smoothly and covered the nail nicely. It was almost opaque in one coat and there were little to no flaws.

Snow Me White: Snow Me White was a little "goopy" (mine is a little old compared to the brand new  CG 'Snow' and had a few bumps/bubbles and left the sides of my nails a little streaky. It was almost opaque in one coat as well. I could push down the bumps/bubbles once it was almost dry and I'm sure it was nothing another coat and a top coat couldn't fix.

Conclusion? If you don't mind spending the money on China Glaze, go for it. The application was great and two coats would probably leave your nail entirely opaque in white. However, if you don't and you prefer the $1.99 alternative, I'd say the difference is hardly there, and nothing anyone but you would notice.

(Please keep in mind I do have fairly small hands--meaning small nails. The results I got may not be the results you get if you have longer and/or wider nails.)

P.S, I've started working on my "giveaway prize box"! I can't wait to complete it so the fun can begin!

Thanks for reading!

Neon with Glitter Accent

I am entirely in love with Flip Flop Fantasy (Thank you, Traci!) and this picture doesn't do either of these 

polishes justice because they're both so gorgeous and a little hard to capture on camera.

I used:

(Snow Globe, Nova, Flip Flop Fantasy)

I used Flip Flop Fantasy and for the accent nail I used about three coats of Nova and one coat of Snow Globe.

 Nova

Snow Globe

P.S, I used the Elmer's Glue method that I saw Jayne post about and I am so impressed!

I couldn't help but think it was too good to be true, but the glitter polish peeled right off, no hassle, no damage!

ANDDD.. for those of you who don't know, it's a very awesome person's birthday today! 

(Which would also be dad's birthday.. but I mean another awesome person!)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TRACI!!!

Be sure to visit her at drinkcitra.com and give her lots of birthday love!

She's such an amazing person & blogger and deserves lots of birthday wishes.

Love youuu! ♥

Thanks for reading!

~♥~

Birthday + Nail Mail!

Helllooo!

For those of you who don't know, today is my birthday! (:

Thank you to everyone who has wished me a happy birthday.

I was really happy when I found out that the nail polish I ordered was going to be here on my birthday!

Unfortunately, I had to wait almost all day for it and it killed me. Haha!

(Also, the lighting is a bit dull since the package was delivered pretty late, I lost the sunlight pretty much so no swatches yet either!)

This is everything I got:

China Glaze - Snow

inm's Out The Door Top Coat (4oz Refill.. no idea how I'm gonna do that)

China Glaze - Liquid Leather

Color Club - Blue-Ming, Who Are You Wearing?, and Worth The Risque

China Glaze - Holly-Day and Cuticle Oil

China Glaze - Fairy Dust, Nova, Snow Globe, and I'm Not Lion

As if this weren't enough, I got a surprise package from Traci from drinkcitra!

This really helped brighten up my day since I had been waiting for my package all day and it was so surprised and such a delight, it really made my day even better. (And I have a feeling Jayne knew about this?)

She was sooo sweet and sent me make up goodies and on top of that, a nail polish I've been obsessing over. 

Kind of funny story, I wanted to order it with this order but it was sold out. Then, a day or two after I check back and it's back in stock. I was 'whining' to Faraz about it last night and then today I get it in the mail from Traci! (It's Flip Flop Fantasy, by the way!) I also almost bought a primer the other day at CVS but she also sent me this BB Cream which said it primes, can't wait to try it out! I've also had my eye on the Revlon Just Bitten Lip balms ever since she reviewed them.. it's like she's in my head! Hehe :D

Here's what she sent:

Thank you so so much, Traci!! I appreciate it so much.

(P.S, her birthday is on the 19th!)

Thanks for reading! 

~♥~

Urban Decay Naked 2 Swatches

I know this post is pretty late considering I did the review for the Naked 2 palette in July, however it occurred to me I never did swatches.

(Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette Review)

Foxy, Half Baked, Bootycall, Chopper, Tease, Snakebite, Suspect, Pistol, Verve, YDK, Busted, Blackout

Each finger swatch shown in the pictures is what was used to create the hand swatch.

(All pictures taken in natural light, no flash.)

That's it!

Sorry it took me so long to get these up.

Thanks for reading!

~♥~

Update: Liebster Blog Award

I've kept forgetting to update this because I've been nominated a few times since I was first nominated. I'm just going to do an update with the new questions since I already did the full tag before.

I believe there was one more person who nominated me for this but I can't seem to find it in my posts. 

I also need to catch up on a versatile blogger award I got and the sunshine award.

Kassica's Questions:
Who/What inspired you to create your blog?
It was kind of an idea I came up with myself because I thought it would be a fun experience. My boyfriend supported me and made me feel more confident about it, which is when I actually started posting. As I began to meet more people, my inspiration came from two lovely ladies who continue to inspire me, Traci and Jayne.

How did you come up with your blog name?
My name is Christa and my nickname is Chrissy. I've been pretty fascinated with Japanese related things and I've always liked the look of their language when it's written out. "Ai" means 'love' in Japanese. Kind of a random thing I put together and it stuck.

What is your favorite food and/or drink?
My favorite food is steak and I love Shirley Temples.. with a lot of grenadine. ;D

What's your hidden talent?
I wouldn't say I really have a hidden talent. I enjoy drawing, digital art, and graphic design. I don't know if I'd say any of those are my talents though, haha.

If you could choose one vacation spot in the entire world, where would you go and why?
Bora bora! It looks so lovely!

What's the weirdest or most exotic thing you've ever eaten?
I guess beef wrapped in grape leaves.

What are your favorite blog posts to read?
I love reading nail posts and hauls.

Which is your colour that best describes you or stands for your personality? 
I think baby blue.. maybe because it's my favorite color.

Who's your celebrity crush?
Probably Zayn Malik.. and no I'm not a crazed 1D fan girl. Haha.

What is something that you take for granted?
I'm not really sure.. I'm sure there's quite a bit I don't show appreciation for everyday and I probably wouldn't realize just how important it was until I lost it.

What's your current outfit?
Pajamas! T-Shirt and shorts.

Lauren's Questions:
1. What is your favourite TV show?

I have a few but I'm really anticipating the return of Dexter!

2. Do you prefer to wear pants or dresses?
Pants.

3. What is your favourite food?
Steak!

4. What website(s) do you visit most?
Probably my E-Mail, FLVS, YouTube, and pretty much the blogs on my favorite blog list. (My own blog too, of course)

5. Who is your favourite singer/band?
Currently my favorite singer is Jay Loftus.

6. If you could re-live any moment in your life, what would it be?
I'd probably be happy reliving any moment from my young childhood.

7. If you could meet any person, dead or alive, who would it be?
Faraz! :D

8. What's your favourite season?
Fall or Winter, though Spring is nice too. (How indecisive was that answer?)

9. What is your favourite quote?
"Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine and at last you create what you will." -George Bernard Shaw

10. What is the last book you read?
Of Mice and Men.

11. What's your favourite thing to do?
Talk to my boyfriend and do blog-related stuff! (:

This concludes the two sets of questions by these lovely bloggers who were so sweet and nominated me.

I apologize if I did leave someone else out that nominated me, I tried searching and found the ones I could.

Thanks for reading!
~♥~

120+ Followers, Domain, and new banner!

Hello lovelies!

I wanted to make this post to show my appreciation towards reaching 120+ followers!

Thank you, thank you, thank you! To my "old" faithful followers and to my new ones.

And incase you haven't noticed, I also bought a domain, I am officially ChrissyAi.com!

(I'd like to point out that if you still go to chrissyai.blogspot.com, the GFC Follow/Members doesn't work. 

I'm not entirely sure why this happens. Any ideas?)

I've also added a new banner since I felt my old was one getting.. well.. old. 

I've also been thinking a lot about a giveaway and I haven't settled on what exactly I want to do yet but I really want to have it ready by 150 followers. I was thinking about doing a "Favorites" giveaway of some of my favorite cosmetic products. Unfortunately, one of the cons of having the prize ready before the winner is announced is I can't really do anything that's skintone related. However, there's still plenty other prizes I could hunt down that aren't!

I'm open to suggestions if anyone has any!

What's are your favorite prize(s) to see in a giveaway?

What type of cosmetic products are you most excited to try out?

I appreciate all of the help and thank you so much to all of you who read my blog!

~♥~

Holographic Pink Mani

Hellooo! I hope everyone is having a great week!

I was excited to try this out because I have a holographic polish that's kind of sheer in one coat and I was testing it out on some white acrylic nails with different colors. I liked the outcome of it on the pink so I figured it'd be my next mani!

For this I used Sinful Colors Pink Forever and one of the Sally Hansen 'Prism' nail polishes.

Unfortunately, the label is scratched off so I don't know which one exactly.

Thanks for reading!

~♥~

Followers to Friends Blog Hop!

<a href="http://www.iampiscesw.blogspot.com/"> <img src="http://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/gg566/iampiscesw/FTFNEWBUTTON200-1.jpg" /></a> .

Review: Smith Farms Marshmallow Face Cream

As most of you know, I won Jayne's Smith Farms Marshmallow Face Cream giveaway.

I've been able to try it within the last week and I've been really satisfied with how it has worked.

Price: $26

Size: 2 fl. oz.

Claim: "This rich and fluffy cream applies smoothly and absorbs quickly, leaving skin hydrated and protected without making it greasy. Mallow root extract gives the cream its mousse-like texture and most importantly, softens skin giving it a smoother, healthier feel. The addition of yeast derived collagen further moisturizes and helps strengthen skin while antioxidant rich rice bran oil helps heal and regenerate."

Packaging: The packaging of this product is really great. It comes in a glass bottle with a secure plastic top and a pump! I really like pumps because they make getting the right amount so much easier. I'm really happy with the packaging of this, my only concern is since I'm a klutz I'm worried about dropping it. (Though the glass does seem pretty thick) However, I do have one minor complaint. It seems like when I push down the pump, it wants to squirt out at me!

Scent: Like Jayne, I was surprised by the scent. I was a little less surprised since I read her review first and had a heads up, but something about seeing it and then smelling it was still surprising. It has a citrus smell to it  which made sense when I saw the "orange blossom waters" on the ingredients list. Nonetheless, it smells lovely.

Texture: I love the texture of this face cream. It's so thin and creamy, a little really does go a long way for me. It blends out so easily and leaves my face feeling really fresh, soft, and moisturized. I definitely agree with the claim, it doesn't make me greasy and it absorbed into my skin effortlessly. However, I wouldn't really consider it a "fluffy" texture, like Jayne said in her review it feels more like a gel-cream.

Thoughts: This face cream is very moisturizing and I love that it's all natural. I'm not really 'vegan' or anything but I always feel better using things I know are all/mostly organic and have less harsh chemicals. My skin does feel softer and definitely more moisturized since I've been using this. I'm really happy with how it's going and I'm really grateful I won the giveaway and was given the chance to try this out! I use this every night and even just using it at night has helped. My face feels a lot more "calm" and I notice a decrease in redness from blemishes and an overall more even skin tone on my face.

Do I recommend it? Yes, definitely.

Would I repurchase? Yes.

Rating: 5/5

Thanks for reading!

~♥~

September: PCOS Awareness Month

I saw on Traci's blog that she had done a post to help spread PCOS Awareness along with other fellow bloggers. 

(Post Here)

The colors of PCOS Awareness are Teal and White.

I really wanted to do a nail design for this after reading Traci's post because my sister has something similar to this and recently had to get a hysterectomy. 

(She has endometriosis and has dealt with many ovarian cysts)

I wasn't aware of this particular syndrome, as Traci said, until reading about it in her post.

For more PCOS information and/or support, please visit: http://www.pcosupport.org/

Thanks for reading!
~♥~