Love This Junk

How is it that I named this blog Love This Junk after my many Love This Junk posts on Kindredly, but don't have any Love This Junk posts here?  Weird...well, here is a list of some junk that's made it's way into my good graces...

My good friend and fellow blogger, LK, introduced me to OPI's axxium gel polish.  In 2010, I became a manicure junkie.  Each week, you'd find me at my local Beauty Nails gabbing it up with one of the technicians.  I suffer from not enough time and little patience, so I was always messing up my nails soon after leaving the salon.  First of all, it's just not possible for three layers of wet polish to completely dry within one hour.  What is dry to the touch is definitely not dry to the impact of slamming your nails into something, which is what will no doubt happen right after a mani.  So, I tried axxium at Lily Nails in Atlanta.  None of the salons in the burbs were on the gel nail bandwagon...unless you were talking about the pink and white claws, which I was not.  After a successful two week stint with axxium's bubble bath, I took it to my local salon to be soaked off. 

They had no clue what walked through their doors.  They were filing, trying to get all scary with that electric file thing...the whole time I'm trying to get "there's an easy way to get this off" translated into Vietnamese because I was certain they were going to file my nails down to nothing.  They made a few phone calls, and began the process of getting the polish off.  The soak off process is a bit tedious.  Especially if you don't have much time on your hands.  Also, if you're like me and have super sensitive hands and feet, this can be kind of painful if they get to digging all in your cuticle.  After getting a few weeks of normal manicures, I asked Beauty Nails if they'd begin carrying the gel polish...and now they do!

 

I've had Bubble Bath, You Don't Know Jacques, Lincoln Park After Dark, and Dulche de Leche from OPI.  Bubble Bath and Dulche de Leche were a bit "naked" looking.  Especially DdL - super naked, don't get it unless you want to look like you have super shiny naked nails.

 My local salon also purchased this line which I am currently wearing in a pretty pinkish-glittery color.  It's not love, but it's not hate.  I will say the application process is much easier with this line.  My salon hasn't found their comfort level with just using brushes from their current inventory, so she has to painstakingly clean the OPI brush from base coat to color coat, which again, takes time and makes me fidgety. This particular brand of polish is more in line with what they are used to, which results in a much better manicure for me.

I ran into two displays in one weekend holding Sally Hansen's nail polish strips.  I figured for $8, I'd give it a try.  It claims to be super easy to apply and last for two weeks...I purchased the below pattern, Misbehaved.

 image via

Application is actually super easy, and for my first time, I thought it looked pretty professionally done.  I wore it to work the next day, and my co-workers were all pretty impressed.  Fishnet fingernails are not exactly the most professional of things, so because of that, I only wore them for one day before getting my Lincoln Park After Dark axxium mani.  I recommend...there are several different colors and prints to choose from.  I think next time, I'll just try one of the metallic ones...

So, springtime tanning efforts went into effect in January.  My co-worker told me about L'Oreal's Sublime Bronze lotion, so I got it.  I picked up my trusty Neutrogena spray, but I'm not getting anywhere with that, so I tried this.  I love it.  One problem, it wears off like a spray tan...splotchy looking skin.  So, my suggestion is to keep building the tan. Use this as often as you can get away with.  Of course, it's a bit hard for me because I usually hit the gym before work...sleeping in tanning lotion, then going to the gym and sweating...I just envision streaks and a brown sports bra - gross. 

 

And finally....I love my Kindle.  I got it for my birthday, and I'm in love.  I'm kind of annoyed that I have two books on my nightstand that I must get through before I start using my it, but it's all ok.  I can use this time to find the perfect case because you know it can't be plain.  

So, what are some of your recent favorite finds?  Please share....