Review: Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nail Strips

 

If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook you might have heard, I'm obsessed with the Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nail Strips.

 

I've always wanted to try these salon effects nail strips. I even bought some about a year and a half ago but have never opened them. I was afraid I would have so much trouble putting them on that I would ruin them and there would go $10 down the drain.

 

I finally gave them a whirl last week and I am obsessed. I applied the leopard print Sunday evening and about a week later on Monday I took them off. I really only had chipping on one nail out of 5 (I didn't apply them to all my nails.) I just put on another set (pink polka dots) last night and for some reason this set has a little more chipping, I think it might be user error in this case with how I filed them this time.

 

 

 In the past week I've compiled a nice little collection of these and I can't wait to keep using them. I like that each set comes split into two packs, so if you are like me and only want to do half of your nails with the strips and the rest with polish the other half of the strips won't dry out and you can get two manicures out of them. I really can't get enough of these!

 

 

 I've been enjoying seeing people's reactions to my manicures and think I have convinced a few people to also try them out to see how they like them! Have you used these? How did you like them?

Received this product complimentary for testing and review purposes from Influenster

Hardcover vs Paperback 151

Amazon.com:

Chloe's older sister, Ruby, is the girl everyone looks to and longs for, who can't be contained or caged. When a night with Ruby's friends goes horribly wrong and Chloe discovers the body of her classmate London Hayes left floating in the reservoir, Chloe is sent away from town and away from Ruby. But Ruby will do anything to get her sister back, and when Chloe returns to town two years later, deadly surprises await. As Chloe flirts with the truth that Ruby has deeply hidden away, the fragile line between life and death is redrawn by the complex bonds of sisterhood.

 

Let me start by saying I haven't read this book (I have it but haven't read it). I'll admit that one of the reasons I bought this book was because of the hardcover, I love the way it hints at a mystery instead of what in my opinion looks like giving away plot points with the paperback. Honestly I'm kind of turned off by the paperback cover. It looks like a giant head floating in the ocean. And why is the girl's hair so clumpy on the right side? It's like a wall of hair.

 

Thanks to Marta who suggested this H vs P!

 

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Lookalikes 165

I really like this layout, especially in the case of How to Be Single, great lighting and color.

 

Thanks to Kelsey who suggested this lookalike! 

 

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Hardcover vs Paperback 150

Amazon.com:

At once wildly original and stuffed with irresistible nostalgia, READY PLAYER ONE is a spectacularly genre-busting, ambitious, and charming debut—part quest novel, part love story, and part virtual space opera set in a universe where spell-slinging mages battle giant Japanese robots, entire planets are inspired by Blade Runner, and flying DeLoreans achieve light speed.

It’s the year 2044, and the real world is an ugly place.

Like most of humanity, Wade Watts escapes his grim surroundings by spending his waking hours jacked into the OASIS, a sprawling virtual utopia that lets you be anything you want to be, a place where you can live and play and fall in love on any of ten thousand planets.

And like most of humanity, Wade dreams of being the one to discover the ultimate lottery ticket that lies concealed within this virtual world. For somewhere inside this giant networked playground, OASIS creator James Halliday has hidden a series of fiendish puzzles that will yield massive fortune—and remarkable power—to whoever can unlock them.  

For years, millions have struggled fruitlessly to attain this prize, knowing only that Halliday’s riddles are based in the pop culture he loved—that of the late twentieth century. And for years, millions have found in this quest another means of escape, retreating into happy, obsessive study of Halliday’s icons. Like many of his contemporaries, Wade is as comfortable debating the finer points of John Hughes’s oeuvre, playing Pac-Man, or reciting Devo lyrics as he is scrounging power to run his OASIS rig.

And then Wade stumbles upon the first puzzle.

Suddenly the whole world is watching, and thousands of competitors join the hunt—among them certain powerful players who are willing to commit very real murder to beat Wade to this prize. Now the only way for Wade to survive and preserve everything he knows is to win. But to do so, he may have to leave behind his oh-so-perfect virtual existence and face up to life—and love—in the real world he’s always been so desperate to escape.

A world at stake.
A quest for the ultimate prize.
Are you ready?

Paperback is winning for me, the hardcover reminds me a lot of generic classic reprint covers. Sounds like an interesting story!

Thanks to Gail who suggested this H vs P!

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This Week in Books

1. Amelia Anne Is Dead and Gone by Kat Rosenfield

2. A Night Like This by Julia Quinn

Lookalikes 164

These both are kind of creepy, on Flawless where is her nose? And on Dangerous Angels, those eyes must be exaggerated!

Thanks to Jordyn who suggested this lookalike! 

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Hardcover vs Paperback 149

Amazon.com:

Kendall loves her life in small town Cryer's Cross, Montana, but she also longs for something more. She knows the chances of going to school in New York are small, but she's not the type to give up easily. Even though it will mean leaving Nico, the world's sweetest boyfriend, behind.

But when Cryer's Cross is rocked by unspeakable tragedy, Kendall shoves her dreams aside and focuses on just one goal: help find her missing friends. Even if it means spending time with the one boy she shouldn't get close to... the one boy who makes her question everything she feels for Nico.

Determined to help and to stay true to the boy she's always loved, Kendall keeps up the search--and stumbles upon some frightening local history. She knows she can't stop digging, but Kendall is about to find out just how far the townspeople will go to keep their secrets buried.... 

These covers just kind of rub me the wrong way. I just don't like the perspective of the image on the hardcover, it's just a weird angle to use. And the paperback, that girl has always looked dead to me, her pose is so still. Definitely very different covers.

Thanks to Gail who suggested this H vs P!

Have you spotted a Hardcover vs. Paperback you would like to contribute? Send me an email!

This Week In Books

The Golden Lily by Richelle Mead (Review)

Lookalikes 163

Definitely The Vespertine in this case. Dark Angel is very very VERY washed out, we can't have that!

 

Thanks to Kelsey who suggested this lookalike! 

 

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Harcover vs Paperback 148

Amazon.com:

What if you could see how your life would unfold--just by clicking a button?

It's 1996, and less than half of all American high school students have ever used the Internet. Emma just got her first computer and an America Online CD-ROM. Josh is her best friend. They power up and log on--and discover themselves on Facebook, fifteen years in the future. Everybody wonders what their destiny will be. Josh and Emma are about to find out.

This is one of those books I've been excited to read ever since I first heard about it. But neither of these covers really do much for me, I feel there has to be a more clever way to show this great concept.

*Can't say for sure if this is the final final paperback, but Amazon seems to think so, considering the form it took on Amazon with trim marks and all I'm not 100% sure. 

Thanks to Marta who suggested this H vs P!

Have you spotted a Hardcover vs. Paperback you would like to contribute? Send me an email!

 

Currently Enjoying: The Shops at Target Edition

1. Square Lollipop from The Candy Shop- These were too cute not to buy one! 2. Taffy from The Candy Shop- Really, really tasty taffy in Vanilla, Pear and Cotton Candy. 3. Nautical Print Cap Toe Flat from The Webster- Pink and Stripes, what's not to love? 4. Cap Toe Flat from The Webster- These were just a really pretty color! 5. Gold Necklace with Castings from The Webster- All these sand dollar jewelery pieces remind me of going to the beach when I was little, love it! 6. Gold Leaves Drops Earrings from The Webster- These are beachy without being cheesy. 7. Silver Chandelier Earrings from The Webster- Who can't use some statement earrings? 8. Gold Sand Dollar Earrings from The Webster- Again with the sand dollars! 9. Copper Nail Polish from Cos Bar- I'm a sucker for nail polish. 10. Bronze Nail Polish from Cos Bar- Again, why not get just another bottle? 11. Cucumber Melon Hand and Body Wash from Cos Bar- I'm kind of obsessed with body wash. 12. Cucumber Melon Body Butter from Cos Bar- I've been wanting to get some body butter. 13. Cucumber Melon Body Scrub from Cos Bar- Love body scrub!

This Week In Books

1. The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving by Jonathan Evison (Review)

2. The Family Fang by Kevin Wilson (Amazon)

3. Fifty Shades of Grey by EL James (Amazon)

4. The Selection by Kiera Cass (Amazon)

5. Sweet Shawlettes by Jean Moss (Amazon)

Lookalikes 162

Do you think that's the same girl on both covers? The same picture even? After studying them for awhile I think, yes they are the same, but Sink or Swim got a heavy HEAVY photoshop job. Now, speaking to the covers themselves, neither stands out for me as spectacular but Harbinger wins for its simplicity, Sink or Swim has way too much going on. I really don't even know what I'm looking at, I think the summary would have to give some more explanation for it to make sense.

 

Thanks to Jess who suggested this lookalike! 

 

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Press Play: March + April

MARCH

I Am Number 4

The Hunger Games (favorite)

APRIL

Chandani, The Daughter of the Elephant Whisperer (int'l film festival)

A Brief Trip Around The World: International Short Narratives (int'l film festival)

Weekly Dose of Crafts: Yarncation

No actual projects this week but I had something special I wanted to talk about! Two weekend ago I traveled to Hood River, Oregon for the Columbia Gorge Fiber Festival. My friend Tami of Candy Skein and Tami's Amis had a booth there selling her hand dyed yarn. So I used the opportunity to take a vacation or rather a yarncation (I realized I hadn't really had one in a year) and meet up with Tami and a few of her friends from her knitting group who were very very nice and welcoming! 

I was good for the first few days but the last few days I went a little crazy and this is what I came home with:

One of the booths I fell in love at the festival was one called Alpha B, I just loved the saturated brightly colored yarn. First I bought the teal colored one and then the last day of the show I went back for the rest, realizing I would regret it if they didn't come home with me!

Another booth I visited was Abstract Fibers, after hearing about their Silk Hankies I had to investigate. After learning how to work with them I bought enough to make myself a cowl. I love things that are just slightly out of the ordinary and these definitely qualify!

And obviously I had to go home with some of Tami's Candy Skein yarn. I just have to say how excited and proud I am for Tami and her business. It was so fun to see it all in person finally! Go Tami!!! I plotted in my head and eventually started looking into my raverly queue to find some projects to pick yarn for. This is what I ended up with, a rainbow of color! Weee!

I had to point out one of my favorites that I bought from Candy Skein. Tami does a Sock Club of the month where she makes a new colorway that is only around for that month and this month's is called Butter Mints, look how pretty it is! So tasty!

The morning before I left we also went to a few yarn stores including one called Twisted, everyone at the festival said we must go there, and I bought a few things (you can see them pictured in that first image)! So that's a quick recap of my yarn-cation (ha!), have you gotten any beautiful or special yarn lately? What's new?

Hardcover vs Paperback 147

Amazon.com:

Four friends
One sisterhood
Ten years later, the story continues

On the cusp of turning thirty, Tibby, Lena, Carmen, and Bridget are now living separate lives, out on their own. Yet despite having jobs and men that they love, each knows that something is missing: the closeness that once sustained them. Carmen is a successful actress in New York, engaged to be married, but misses her friends. Lena finds solace in her art, teaching in Rhode Island, but still thinks of Kostos and the road she didn’t take. Bridget lives with her longtime boyfriend, Eric, in San Francisco, and though a part of her wants to settle down, a bigger part can’t seem to shed her old restlessness. Then Tibby reaches out to bridge the distance, sending the others plane tickets for a reunion that they all breathlessly await. And indeed, it will change their lives forever—but in ways that none of them could ever have expected.

This is an unusual case. The four original books in this series all look the same and have a very young adult, pretty much tween look to them. And then this book comes along, a fast forward into the future, is it for adults? Or the teens that read these books? I really don't know. It's sure trying to fit into the adult market though. My vote is going to go to the paperback, it just feels more like how I remember the original books in the series. The hardcover looks like it's trying to be literary fiction, but I haven't read this book yet so who knows what it really is. The only thing that bugs me about the paperback is that there are only 3 girls on the cover, someone is missing!

Have you spotted a Hardcover vs. Paperback you would like to contribute? Send me an email!