product review: sally hansen manicure gel kit

I’ve mentioned before that my Mom is a nail tech. So really for about the last seven years I’ve only paid to have my nails done if it was a girl’s night out or wedding party thing or something like that. And now, while I would have to say I’m less girly that a lot of people, I do still like my nails to look nice. Probably because my Mom’s a nail tech…

When we moved to Denver I was thinking that it’s going to get real expensive to be getting my nails done often. And since I’m one of the cheapest people on earth that wasn’t going to work. So I’ve actually been painting them myself and trying really hard to get better at it.

But when the nice people at Sally Hansen sent me their new gel manicure set to try out I was all for it. I LOVE gel manicures but they’re expensive (unless you have a Mom like mine. Thanks Mom!). So I was psyched to try this out. And I have to say, coming from someone who is so bad at painting nails; I did a really good job, because it was so easy to use.

The kit includes all the things you need: base, color and top coat polishes, file, buffer, cuticle pusher (technical term there), heat lamp, remover and nail pads. The instructions were incredibly easy to follow. I’ve tried it out twice now and both times I was really impressed.

There’s something about the gel polishes brushes that make them so much more manageable than regular polish brushes. The bristles are a little shorter so you don’t get the darn polish all over the place from rowdy bristles. I did have to place my nails in the lamp a few times more than it says, but I’m pretty sure it was because I was putting the polish on too thick. It wasn’t an issue, I just would push the button twice.

I’m a fan for sure. I can’t wait to grab a few other gel colors. For around $30 for the kit, it’s well worth the investment if you like gel manicures. That’s how much it is for one at a salon, so if you’re looking to pinch a few pennies this is the option for you. If you decide to try it out I’d love to hear your experience!

Fine print: Sally Hansen provided this kit to me to review, however all opinions are my own and you know that I’m brutally honest. I genuinely think this is a great product for the price and I have already recommended it to many friends!

product review: celadon road

Back in May an EO reader, and childhood friend(!), reached out to me about this product line she recently became a part of. It’s called Celadon Road, and the company prides itself on promoting green living through the use of socially responsible, eco-friendly products for your everyday needs.

Emily kindly sent me a few products to sample and I’m psyched to share with you my experience!

First was the Clearly Lemon Cream Cleanser. This cleanser was so light and un-harsh, is that a word? It doesn’t suds up like the soap that you might be used to. That took me a while to get familiar with because we are so trained to think the more bubbles the cleaner, the stronger the scent the fresher, which is not true in most cases. Once I got used to that I started to really love the cleanser. My face never felt dry after washing, but also never felt too oily from added lotions and creams in conventional washes.

I do have to say, and this is not gloating or bragging at all, just honesty, that I was blessed with incredibly clear, normal skin. Never too dry, never too oily, very rarely any blemishes. Digressing a little here on skin – I also take VERY good care of my skin. I wear SPF 30 all the time and I’m white as a ghost pretty much year round, but I’m cool with that. Okay, back to the products. There’s a wide variety of different washes for all skin types and I’d love to hear how the others work out on skin that might be oily or dry.

The other products were a Stain Remover spray and Odor Eliminator, similar to a Febreeze type product. Literally the day Em sent them to me Al nearly bled to death of a shaving incident. Okay not really but kind of. In the middle of the night when we were both half asleep the cut on his face bust open again and was bleeding bad. All I could mutter out of my half asleep face was that he just dripped blood on my crisp white bath mat. True love right there. The next morning I grabbed the Stain Remover, followed the instructions, washed the mat and just like that it was back to it’s crisp white state. To be kind I left out the bloody photos, but trust me. I was pretty impressed!

The Odor Eliminator is perfect for just a room spray or for certain uses too. I’ve used it on the couch, our hiking back packs, shoes and more. Couple sprays and the smells are eliminated.

I’m always on the hunt for better products that are environmentally friendly with safe ingredients. I think it’s incredibly important for our bodies, our earth and our lives and I truly enjoyed these products.

Using this link you can order directly from Emily. But if you message your order directly to her through her Facebook page you’ll receive 10% off your entire order. You’ll also be the first to learn of updates on products and upcoming sales if you’re a Facebook follower. Enjoy and I look forward to hearing how you like the products if you chose to try some out!