Cheap Thrills

So today I had to go to the doctor's, which sucks for one reason: I'm out of school this semester and have no health insurance. I love the good ol' USA. But, because I was fairly certain something was wrong (wheezing is never good when you've never had asthma or any type of breathing problem), I went. It didn't end up being too bad, but it was still annoying to have to fork over $94 instead of $20 (and at $94 I got off easy!!!). At any rate, I did have a couple fun, cheap little discoveries of late. So, I bring you a Cheap Thrills post, inspired by the fact that I got a couple little gems (Haha pun! You'll see why in a minute...) today that only cost $1. They should both be relatively easy for you to find if you are interested.

The first item is the E.L.F. Nourishing Cuticle Pen. Available at Target and E.L.F.'s website, it's a plastic marker filled with cuticle care ingredients, and it costs $1. Yes, $1. I don't want to call this an oil because it's not "oily" but whatever's in there is good stuff. The package boasts that this pen contains: avacado & almond oils, and is vitamin fortified: E, A, C, Pro-Vitamin B5. The back of the package also notes that it contains Grape Seed and Aloe Vera oils. It looks like this:

Cuticle oil is not my favorite thing. I'm not terribly convinced of its benefits and it's messy. This is not. The marker is actually semi-dry feeling, and at first you'll think it's doing nothing, but look closely and you'll see a nice sheen on your cuticles. It feels like you're coloring on your cuticles. Color a bit on each finger. My cuticles looked instantly better and weren't messy. Several hours later and they still look noticeably moisturized and cared for. It actually gets kind of addicting to apply it. At first I was skeptical because the marker felt so dry, but I urge you to color with it on a few fingers, get the juices flowing and then you'll see what I mean. It does *not* glop out the treatment, and I think this is one of its main benefits. I suggest buying a couple at a time! I'm not saying this is a miracle cure for seriously problem cuticles but if all you're worried about is maintenance, then I think this pen will impress you. Definitely worth it.

Second for today is this little nail art kit that comes with 120 gems. And yes, it is also $1.

These are ubiquitous at Dollar Tree stores down here. Hardly any of them have polish but ALL of them have this. Since I'm hesitant to feature those lovely Sally Hansen duo packs or single polishes that pop up now and again (because they're so sporadic), I've decided to feature something that's (probably) definitely available at anyone's local Dollar Tree. I don't usually do decals or non-Konad nail art, but because it was only a buck, I grabbed this. It's actually quite cute and I like how small the rhinestones are. You'll definitely need a pair of tweezers to work with them, though. Here's a close-up of some of the gems:

I used a thin coat of the clear polish it comes first, as a base to stick the gems to. Then I placed them with tweezers and used a coat of the same clear all over, followed by a coat of Seche Vite. It worked pretty well! I don't know if the look's for me, but I don't regret getting this kit whatsoever. These might be fun for accenting Konad designs.

Here's a couple that I just threw on for example:

The right one reminds me of up arrows on an elevator.

So, these are some cheapies that I highly recommend searching out if you can. Thanks for looking, more nails to come tomorrow!

ELF Holiday 2009 Polishes

Better late than never, I hope, I present to you the ELF Holiday 2009 set, which was a set of 3 polishes for $3. I didn't really buy any polish around Christmastime (save the RBL sale), so when I saw these at Target while I was Christmas shopping, I grabbed 'em for the heck of it. I did these swatches way back before Christmas.

This is the box:

And these are the 3 polishes:

L to R: Pearl (shimmery frosty white), Dark Navy (shimmery deep blue), and Royal Purple (red-leaning shimmery plum, almost dark fuchsia).

And swatches!

First, Pearl.

From far away for a bit of perspective...

It's only a bit brushstroke-y, and despite its frostiness, I kinda dig it. I can't explain why.

Sorry for the lack of cleanup... This was 2 coats.

And next, Royal Purple. It was kinda sheer, this was two thick coats.

It's a bit more red-leaning and less pink in real life. There's also a distinct blue pearl to it.

This catches a bit of the pearl.

And, lastly, my favorite, Dark Navy.

2 coats.

It's quite dark, but really pretty. Doesn't look black from far away, as you can see.

For inexpensive polishes, the formula on these was actually great. They dried well. I didn't wear any of them as a full manicure though, so I'm not sure of the wear on them, but I tend not to have any problems since I found base/topcoats that work for me. I'm sure these aren't available anymore (maybe they are??) as a set, but from these, I'd buy another ELF polish any day if the color struck me. These aren't terribly unique, but they were fun nonetheless.