October Favorites!

Happy Halloween everyone! I hope you all are having a spooktacular candy-filled Halloween. I'm actually going to be spending Halloweekend in upstate New York to fulfill my dream of eating at the Culinary Institute of America! My boyfriend and I are going for one night just for a little getaway. I'm sure I'll have a few delicious photos to share when I come back.

Speaking of food, let's jump right in and start with my first October favorite! I have never been to a Dairy Queen before and earlier in the month my brother decided that we were going to take a little road trip to get our DQ on. I obviously had to get the Pumpkin Pie Blizzard...and it was so good. See that stuff dusted over the whipped cream? It smelled like nutmeg! I hope it was real, but either way the whole thing was amazing.

So much yum.

My next favorite is a pair of combat boots from DSW, which is my favorite place to get shoes. I have been on the hunt for combat boots and this pair from Madden Girl is so cute! I purchased them in the color taupe, but when I got them they looked more like a khaki green. I actually love the color plus it matches my coat. I wore these for a couple hours in New York and they broke in pretty easily and now they are super comfortable.

I tucked the laces in (because I'm lazy).

Next up is a product I recently reviewed, which you can check out here. It is the Maybelline creamy matte lipstick in the shade Touch of Spice. I have been loving this as an every day lip color.

My next favorite is my pink hair extension from Ulta that I got during their cut-a-thon for breast cancer. I donated $10 and a nice woman from the salon put the extension in.

Casual car selfie

My last favorite is my favorite manicure that I created this month. I enjoyed creating all of those breast cancer awareness manicures, but I would have to say my absolute favorite mani this month was the one I did for Halloween! I just think it came out so stinkin' cute.

Time to jump right into November! I have a lot of fun things planned, so stay tuned ;)

xoxo,

   Brooke

Spooktacular Manicure

Happy Halloween week everyone! I have seen some really awesome Halloween manicures throughout the month of October, but I like to just do one at the end of the month and go all out. A lot of planning and prep went into this mani you guys. Check out this sketch I did!

These are the colors I was thinking of using.

Here is the final design, which took me over two hours to complete. I am absolutely obsessed with this mani! I can't decide which nail is my favorite, which one is yours?

Left hand. How cute is the mummy?!

Right hand. I love the cauldron and the eyeballs.

I took a picture of all the polishes I used. There are so many that I think I'll skip naming them all this time, but if you have any questions about polish names don't hesitate to ask!

Hope everyone has a spooky and fun Halloween!

xoxo,

   Brooke

Avon Pearl Shine

Happy Manicure Monday everyone! How were your weekends? I went to Max Brenner (again) with my boyfriend. This is our absolute favorite spot to get dessert. As I've said before, if you haven't been there you should definitely put it on your list the next time you're in NYC. Pro tip: make a reservation before you go.

I ordered The Euphoria Peanut Butter Chocolate Fudge Sundae. This concoction is made with chocolate peanut butter ice cream, dulce de leche ice cream, caramelized toffee bananas, spiced peanuts, and pure chocolate chunks topped with whipped cream and crunchy hazelnut bits. Oh and did I mentioned it's served with warm peanut butter sauce and milk chocolate ganache to drizzle over the top? Yeah, this is as decadent as it gets folks. I asked the waitress if anyone ever actually finishes this gigantic sundae by themselves and she told me lots of them do! I think if I ate it over the span of a day I could, but I would totally get sick.

Look at all that deliciousness!

For my nails today I wanted a little break from color so I decided to try my Avon Pearl Shine. I really love this for when I want a clean and beautiful manicure. It has just a touch of pink, but it is very sheer. This is a lovely alternative to a clear coat. I am also thrilled with the formula.

Here is the color I used: Avon Pearl Shine

Be on the look out for my spooktacular Halloween nails coming up on Tuesday or Wednesday. I have something awesome planned!

xoxo,

   Brooke

Maybelline Touch of Spice Review

Happy Friday everyone! I'm skipping the mani today so I can keep my gorgeous pink nails through the weekend. I recently picked up one of Maybelline's new creamy matte lipsticks in the shade Touch of Spice (#660) and thought I would share a little review with you. I got mine at CVS and the entire display was actually empty except for ONE Touch of Spice! I couldn't believe my luck since that was the only color I wanted, although I am thinking of going back for Lust for Blush at some point.

First let's talk about the formula (hint: I love it). I found this lipstick to be creamy and it didn't tug during application. It wears very nicely and does not dry out my lips at all. I always like to exfoliate and put on a hydrating lip balm shortly before using it, or any lipstick for that matter. I would describe Touch of Spice as a mauve rose, which is right on trend and the color is lovely for fall and winter. I have been loving it as an every day lip color.

Here's a look at the packaging. I love that they made the tube matte.

Here's a little swatch of Touch of Spice on my wrist.

And here it is on my lips. You can see my pink hair!

I really think Touch of Spice is a great color for those of you who, like me, are not super adventurous with lipstick colors but want to try something new. It's like your lips but better!

xoxo,

   Brooke

Breast Cancer Awareness Wednesday (Part 4)

Happy Breast Cancer Awareness Wednesday! I can't believe this is my fourth and final mani for breast cancer awareness. The month went by so fast! I know there is still one week left in October, but the plan was to just do four of these manicures so here we are. I have really enjoyed doing these designs each week as they are a reminder of the women in my life and all over the world who have battled breast cancer. Please remember how important it is to get checked every single year.

Today I decided to use my namesake polish, Zoya Brooke, as my base color. (Are there any other Brooke polishes out there? I would love to get my hands on them!) Brooke is described on Zoya's website as "a combination of deep pink, red and violet with fuchsia duo chrome shimmer and a subtle silvery frost." This is such a girly and bold pink. The application is wonderful, as I've found with every other Zoya polish I have used. I topped it with Zoya Lux, which is one of their Pixie Dust polishes. This one is described as a "rose quartz sparkle." This glitter transformed my mani and seriously made me feel like I had princess nails!

For some reason my nails look more glossy in my kitchen (left) than in the bathroom (right).

Here are the colors I used, from left to right: Zoya Brooke & Zoya Lux

"Breast cancer is no more than a chapter in my life story. It will never be my life's story." -Robin Roberts

xoxo,
   Brooke

Julep Blakely

Happy Manicure Monday! I hope you all had a great weekend. I went pumpkin picking on Saturday at a cider mill and even got to watch them make apple cider! I bought some to bring home and it is so delish. I was planning on repainting my nails last Friday, but I loved my breast cancer awareness manicure so much that I decided to keep it on all weekend.

I wanted to do something simple today, so I decided to use Julep Blakely. This is a purple and green molten metallic chrome. Say that five times fast! I haven't taken this polish out in a while because I really didn't want to use it up, I love it so much. Now that I've seen the dupes of it (OPI Peace & Love and Essie For the Twill of It) I don't feel so bad about using it since all three are exactly the same. The latter two are also cheaper!

I took a picture with flash so you can see the green.

Here is the color I used: Julep Blakely

xoxo,
   Brooke

Breast Cancer Awareness Wednesday Part 3

Hey everyone! It's breast cancer awareness Wednesday here on I'm So Polished and I have a really beautiful manicure to share with you today. I am super proud of this one you guys. I put a lot of effort into it and I love the way it turned out. You can easily recreate this with a small detail brush and a little bit of patience!

And here it is in natural lighting. I used Cult Cosmetics Belmont Shore as my base color. It looks a lot softer here than it does in the previous pictures. My bathroom lighting makes them look almost neon pink, but the color really is not that bright.

Here are the colors I used, from left to right: Cult Cosmetics Belmont Shore, Avon Vivid Pink, Seche Delicate, Victoria's Secret Backstage, Zoya Purity, Avon Teal Appeal,  Avon Styled Green, Avon Rapid Black

Whew! Lots of colors for this one.

"Every day may not be good, but there is something good in every day." - Unknown

xoxo,

   Brooke

Zoya Loredana

Happy Manicure Monday! I hope you all had wonderful weekends. I stopped in at Ulta (yes, again) on Sunday for their annual cut-a-thon for breast cancer. I walked in at around 4:15 and there were only a few people there. The woman who put in my extensions told me they were packed earlier but I came when there was a bit of a lull, which was perfect for me! I donated $10 for the pink hair extensions and I'm so happy with how they look.

Pink hair don't care!

On my way out I also picked up shampoo and conditioner from OGX. They were having a buy one get one 50% off promotion plus I had a coupon for $3.50 off $10 so I got a good deal on those. I wanted to get something a little bigger than travel sized bottles but small enough that I could easily pack them in my luggage for a couple of trips I have coming up. These were a great compromise. 

Love the way these smell! Can't wait to try them.

Onto the nails! I decided to use Loredana, which is from Zoya's Matte Velvet collection. As described on Zoya's website, Loredana is a "medium gunmetal grey, packed with silvery shimmer and a velvety matte velvet finish. This shade gives the nails the appearance of brushed steel." 

Now according to Zoya, the matte velvet colors are not intended to be worn with a base coat or a top coat. They say it works best when applied on a completely clean, dry surface. I just could not wrap my head around not using a base coat, so I applied one anyway and the polish still went on perfectly. These matte velvet polishes dry super duper fast. Like do your nails and get out the door in 10 minutes fast. 

I think I may try putting a top coat on these tomorrow and see how it looks.

*Edit

Here is Zoya Loredana with a top coat. Not that drastic of a change, but I like it better without a top coat.

xoxo,

   Brooke

Zoya Kalista

IT'S FRIDAAAAAAAAYYYY!

...I'm obviously not excited or anything. Guys, I had the very unfortunate experience yesterday of breaking a nail (cue horror music). I was so proud of myself for waiting until I got home to cut it evenly with a nail clipper and file it. Not so long ago I would have just gone to town right then and there and picked at it, which is not good for your nail. Luckily it's on the hand that I don't take pictures of, but it's such a sad little nub next to the rest of my nails.

I decided to just stick with one color for the weekend, no nail art or anything. It has been a long time since I've done that! I used Zoya Kalista, a "dark espresso brown with plum-purple undertones and strong golden shimmer." This one is so pretty, I honestly don't even think I needed to add anything else to it.

Here is the color I used: Zoya Kalista

Hope you all have a lovely weekend!

xoxo,
   Brooke

Breast Cancer Awareness Wednesday Part 2

Happy hump day! It feels like this week has been dragging on forever and I'm so ready for the weekend. I have my second breast cancer awareness manicure to share with you today. You can see last Wednesday's mani by click here.

I wanted to do something simple with a little bit of sparkle, so I pulled out one of my all time favorite pinks: Deborah Lippmann Whip It. This polish is from the 80s Rewind collection and it's almost a neon pink, that's how bright it is. I used Zoya Dot on my index finger and Rainbow Honey Stellar Treat for the glitter. I love how it turned out!

Here are the colors I used, from left to right: Deborah Lippmann Whip It, Zoya Dot, Rainbow Honey Stellar Treat

"Yesterday I dared to struggle. Today I dare to win." -Bernadette Devlin

xoxo,

   Brooke

Zoya Margo & Aurora

Happy Manicure Monday! I'm so excited to show you two of the new polishes I recently got from Zoya. I haven't been able to stop staring at my nails since I painted them, these colors are so beautiful! Margo is a luscious red plum that goes on smoothly in two coats, although I could have gotten away with one. Aurora, as described on Zoya's website, is a "full coverage, medium sugarplum purple flecked with a high concentration of micro fine diamond holographic glitter." Okay, where has this polish been all my life?! I can honestly say that Aurora is now my favorite color in my collection. Seriously. The glitter is very fine so it goes on smooth and there is no rough texture that I sometimes have with other glitter polishes. Put this polish on your wish list, you must have it.

You can see the glittery goodness in the picture on the right. I really love the combo of Aurora with Margo, I think they go perfectly together. Btw, how cute is that mini pumpkin?!

Here are the colors I used: Zoya Margo & Zoya Aurora

xoxo,

   Brooke

Zoya Haul...Part 2

Hey everyone! Oops...I may have gone to Ulta and bought even more things. You can check out the first haul, which I ordered online, here. I could not pass up this next deal you guys. It will be happening from October 5th (today) through October 25th only at Ulta stores. The promotion is a free matte lip and nail set with your purchase of two Zoya nail polishes. I would give your local Ulta a call before you go just to make sure they still have the free gift in stock.

My Ulta did not have the Matte Velvet Collection in stock yet.

Now let's get into the goodies! For the month of October, Ulta is donating to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. They are calling it "Donate with a Kiss." As you can see they are using cute pink bags with the breast cancer ribbon on it. I chose to donate $5 and my gift with the donation was this pretty charm bracelet. Learn more about Donate with a Kiss here.

Here is everything that was in my shopping bag.

The polishes I picked up are Tinsley and India.

(Descriptions from Zoya's website)

Tinsley is "a full-coverage, rose gold foil metallic." I've been eyeing this color for a while and I thought it would be pretty for some upcoming vacations. India is "a deep, luxurious red with a gold liquid metallic shimmer." I knew this one would be gorgeous for fall.

*Edit

I ended up stopping by a different Ulta store a couple days later and found the Matte Velvet Collection so I exchanged India for Loredana. Zoya's website describes Loredana as "a medium gunmetal grey, packed with silvery shimmer and a velvety matte velvet finish. This shade gives the nails the appearance of brushed steel." I can't wait to try it out!

Lastly I have the free gift that came with my Zoya purchase. I was so thrilled when I opened the packaging to see FULL SIZED products! I already have a tiny bottle of the matte topcoat and I love it so I'm super happy to have the regular size too. I was extremely excited for this lipstick and, as always, Zoya did not disappoint. This is a rich, creamy red that went on smoothly with no tugging. I love how the finish really does look velvety. I rarely wear a red lip, but I may have to start doing it more often now that I have this lipstick. I'm surprised that the packaging of the lipstick itself has no branding on it at all, not even the name Zoya.

I did a little swatchy swatch on my wrist and I even took a selfie with the lipstick on. 

I highly recommend that you get yourself over to Ulta ASAP before they run out of this awesome free gift! 

xoxo,

   Brooke

Zoya Haul

Hey everyone! I'm beyond excited to show you my haul from Zoya. I placed this order back on September 18th and the reason it took so long to ship is because I ordered it during their "Where in NY is Zoya?!" promotion. This deal got you three free polishes of your choice, a free 8oz bottle of their nail polish remover, and free shipping with your purchase of $25 or more. This was a fantastic deal for me especially because I absolutely love their remover, which you can check out my review of here. This is what came in my box.

The first thing I pulled out were these pamphlets that advertise the spring 2014 collection. Hmm...I'm thinking they were just trying to get rid of them? Not sure why they would send me three.

The next two items were these cute swatch cards. On the left are the colors from the fall 2014 Entice & Ignite collection. On the right are the colors from the summer 2014 Tickled & Bubbly collection. These are great because you can hold each swatch on top of your nail and see how the color looks with your skin tone. I have to say that the Ignite collection is seriously gorgeous.

Up next is my favorite nail polish remover, Zoya Remove+ in the 8oz big flipper bottle. Check out my review here. This stuff is just fantastic.

And last but definitely not least are the gorgeous polishes. I honestly spent way too much time trying to decide which colors to order. There are so many to choose from! It's kind of like when I stand in front of nail polish displays at the store for an abnormal amount of time looking up swatches on my phone. I swear, I will stand there for 20 minutes comparing swatches with five polishes in one hand and my phone in the other. Does anyone else do this or is it just me? 

Anyway, I finally settled on six beautiful colors. The names from left to right are Purity, Blu, Aubrey, Margo, Aurora, & Kalisa.

I can't wait to try these out! 

xoxo,

   Brooke

Breast Cancer Awareness Wednesday

Hey everyone! Throughout the month of October I will be doing breast cancer awareness manicures every Wednesday. My family has been impacted by this disease, just as so many others have. We need to remember to be aware not only for the month of October, but all year long.

Here is the mani I did tonight, using all Julep polishes. I have a whole pile of pink nail polish ready to go for the next few weeks!

I'll be honest, this one took me a while to do. Gradient manicures are definitely time consuming, but the end result is simply beautiful.

I love the little hint of sparkle on the tips.

Here are the colors I used, from left to right (all Julep): Bette, Nellie, Laree, Jules, & Yumi

"You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face." - Eleanor Roosevelt

xoxo,

   Brooke

September Favorites!

Hey everyone! Can you believe we're already in October? The leaves here in New Jersey are starting to change and I'm ready for boot weather. Oh and fall manicures of course! What is your favorite thing about fall?

I decided to start a monthly favorites post to talk about some of my favorite things from food to makeup and of course a few of my favorite manicures. Let's get started!

My first favorite is food related. I'm kind of a closet foodie, although I guess my friends and family would say it's not such a big secret. I love watching the Food Network and I'm always looking for new recipes to try. When fall comes I just love all things pumpkin flavored and the other day I picked up Oikos Pumpkin Pie greek yogurt from the grocery store. I seriously did not think I would like it but I just had to try it. Oh my goodness. Go to the store and get this yogurt before the season is over. It is THAT good.

I made myself a parfait with Kellogg's granola and it was delicious. 

My next favorite is Aveeno Eczema Therapy Hand Cream. I mentioned this one a while back in my Aveeno haul post, linked here. I've given this product a lot of time to be tested and I am very happy to say that the eczema on my hands has cleared up significantly. I used to have it on my palms and it is now completely gone there. I now only have some on my fingers, but not much.

The swipe of lotion on my hand is about the amount I normally use.

My favorite beauty product this month is Nivea lip balm in Olive Oil & Lemon. I like to use this before I go to sleep and it really keeps my lips moisturized throughout the night. The scent is very light and it has no flavor, which is good for me.

The last favorites I want to share with you are four of my favorite manicures that I created this month. Out of all four I would say my favorite is the flower mani on the top left.

Wishing you all a wonderful start to the month of October!

xoxo,

   Brooke