Tuesday, March 30, 2010

wow, 50!!

I never thought I would reach 50 followers!!  I started this blog as a way to keep sane during the day, and I figured I might have a couple people read it!  Thank you all for reading my silly posts and for the great comments and support.  I am enjoying getting to know you all and I am thankful for all the lovely ladies I have met along the way!!

I am probably going to start planning a give away, but it might take some time, as I don't always have spare funds to play with...  I will try to come up with something good, and if you have any ideas of what you might like to see in my give away, let me know!  (nothing too expensive, it may be drugstore or Sally's stuff- sorry!!)

Thanks guys, I love you all!!

Until Later,
Amberski

Research

This a non polish post, feel free to skip!!  Mr. Ski and I have been watching "The Pacific" on HBO and it got me curious.  I know his grandfathers were both in the Navy around that time, so I asked him if they were in the war.  His maternal grandfather was a cook on a Navy ship, that's how he came to America.  (he was from the Philippines.)  His paternal grandfather was a Seabee, and I knew that he was stationed on a base in Antarctica during the 1960's, but that's all I knew.  Unfortunately, he passed away a few years ago, so I couldn't ask him.  Mr. Ski told his grandmother that I was curious, and she told him that his grandfather was at on Island X( the family wasn't told the name of the island, and he refused to talk about it) around the time the marines invaded, and helped rebuild the airfield.  I spent a few hours last night googling information, and couldn't come up with much.  I am sad that I cannot talk to him and find out more, I am very interested in this period of our history.  Apparently he had nightmares for years and didn't even speak of it to his family, Mr. Ski's grandmother has pieced things together over the years by talking to people he served with.   I miss Grandpa Ski, and I wish I had talked to him more about things he had done in his life, and I wish the same for Mr. Ski's maternal grandfather. (he also passed away a few years ago.)  I am going to be sure to speak to my grandfather more often about these things, as I realize that he will not live forever, even though I want him to!

I urge all of you to talk to your grandparents (or any older family member) about their life while you have the chance.  You never know what interesting things they have done!

Until later,
Amberski

Sunday, March 28, 2010

New Layout... again

I am trying yet another new look, let me know if y'all like this one or the previous one better!!

Until Later,
Amberski

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Quick NOTD...

I am currently wearing ChG Something Sweet- not my usual color of polish!  This is a very delicate pink, and I am not sure how I like it on me....


Let me know what you think!!  There was a thread on MUA earlier about swatching hand and other hand not being the same...  I am gonna be brave and show you my right hand!  The nails are actually pretty much the same length, so it's not really a big difference.


There is one problem with my right hand though- right now I have a healing burn on my knuckle and a fingernail gouge on my thumb...  (long story, don't ask!)  See my boo-boos  : (


Anyway, that is all for now.  Have a great evening!!

Until Later,
Amberski

Friday, March 26, 2010

Rain, rain....

Sorry I haven't been around, I have been feeling blah again.  The weather here has gone from 70 degrees and sunny to 45 degrees and rainy.  Needless to say, it is wreaking havoc on my back/knees and my mood.  All I want to do is try to lie on the couch and read.  I promise I will snap out of it soon- I have a tag from Tierney to do, a few new polishes I want to show you (once I get more remover, LOL) and I am sure that I have some other things I can talk about!!

I may pop back in later this evening, if not- have a wonderful weekend!!

Until later,
Amberski

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

NOTD-ChG Grape Pop

This is another one from the Up and Away collection that I am sure you have seen before!!  I have very few purple polishes, so this called to me...

If I had been careful, I probably could have gotten away with one coat, but this is 2.  My camera apparently hates purples, the pics turned out kind of blue.



This one is blurry, but it is closer to the purple.


Mr. Ski told me last night that he really likes this color on me...   so do I!!

Until Later,
Amberski

Monday, March 22, 2010

NOTD- ChG Lemon Fizz

This is from the Up and Away collection, and I am sure most of you have seen it many times, LOL!!  It is new to me though, so you will just have to deal with it! : )   I am not a big yellow person- I rarely wear it because it makes me look sick (as a clothing color, that is) but I am starting to love the yellow polishes.  I am not sure that I will try a taxi-cab yellow, but these softer yellows are just gorgeous!

This is 3 coats.  It was a tad gloopy, as I have heard that most of this collection is, but it evened itself out in the end.



It makes my fingers look a bit red, but who cares!  I am so pale, I need some color in my skin, LOL!!  I think I want to paint my kitchen this color, what do you think??

Until Later,
Amberski

Review: Go Natural Water Based Nail Polish

I was sent these polishes for review. (not by the company, but by a person who was curious to know how they work.)  This is my first review, so please bear with me...

According to the website, these polishes are safe for sensitive nails and are hypo-allergenic.  They are safe for children as well.  They offer over 70 colors, and it is not a bad selection.  There are no toxic chemicals in them at all!!

The first polish I tried was called Chocolate Raspberry.  It is an interesting brown shade with a pink flash.  I tried to capture it in this picture:


This polish went on streaky and very thin.  I don't know if that is because there are no chemicals in it or what, but I did 3 coats, and definitely could have used another.  It also does not dry as fast as I am used to, after 5 minutes I could still wipe it off.  The color was pretty, however.


Next up was Jewel of The Nile.  This is a  very vibrant pink, and I had the same streakiness and sheerness with this one as well.  Once again, I used 3 coats and could have used more.


The last polish I tried was my favorite.  This is Midnight Skies.  It was slightly less streaky as the others, and 3 coats covered pretty well.  It also had a texture that reminded me of the OPI Suedes.


If I decided to use these again, Blue Skies would be the only one I wear, and then I would completely negate the non toxic thing by using my SV topcoat!

All in all, I found these to be difficult to control, and they needed quite a few coats to get rid of VNL.  The texture on all of these was a bit clumpy, yet sheer and streaky.  According to the FAQs on the website, you can thin with water if needed.  I did not test the wear of these, but I read that it lasts anywhere from 2 -4 days if careful.  You can remove it with just rubbing alcohol with in the first 1 to 4 days, after that it begins to get difficult and they recommend you use their specially formulated remover.  I also tried this, and it removed the polish quite nicely, but it really didn't remove regular polish well at all.  If you are allergic to polish or you are just trying to rid yourself of the chemicals, then this is for you, but those of us that have no problems with regular polish, I recommend you stick with them!!

Go Natural Polish and remover can be purchased here for $5.75 to $6.25.

Until Later,
Amberski

Disclosure Policy

Since I am about to do my first review, I guess I should post this....

This policy is valid from 22 March 2010 This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. For questions about this blog, please contact amberski75@yahoo.com. This blog does not accept any form of cash advertising, sponsorship, or paid topic insertions. However, we will and do accept and keep free products, services, travel, event tickets, and other forms of compensation from companies and organizations. The owner(s) of this blog will never receive compensation in any way from this blog. The owner(s) of this blog is not compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the blog owners. If we claim or appear to be experts on a certain topic or product or service area, we will only endorse products or services that we believe, based on our expertise, are worthy of such endorsement. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. This blog does not contain any content which might present a conflict of interest. To get your own policy, go to http://www.disclosurepolicy.org

Friday, March 19, 2010

Just a quick post...

popping in really quick to say hi.  I am meeting up with some friends tonight for a hockey game and drinks!  The scary part is, I haven't seen some of these people in about 17 years!!  Eek!!  Mr. Ski was supposed to go with me, but my babysitter had to cancel.  Oh, well...  he would have probably felt awkward, he only knows one of the people going.

Anywhoo, I just wanted to let y'all know that I have a review coming for you next week, so stay tuned!!

Hope everyone has a great weekend, and that the weather where ever you are is as fabulous as it is supposed to be here!!

Until later,
Amberski

Thursday, March 18, 2010

NOTD and mini haul

Okay, first things first...  here are some of the pics I promised yesterday.  All that came out was a comp I did, and even those pics aren't the best, but her ya go!!

I noticed the other day that ChG Outta Bounds looked awfully green on me compared to other pictures I had seen, and that it looked close to the Sinful San Francisco I wore a few days prior.  I put SF on middle and pinky, Outta Bounds on index and ring:



Weird, huh?  They don't even look close in the bottle...  Mr. Ski couldn't tell a difference, and he has a pretty good eye for color.  I don't think I need both!!

Now for my mini haul!  I went to Sally's for the first time last night, and picked up these:


ChG For Audrey, Lemon Fizz, Something Sweet, Grape Pop, Orly Fantasea, and a new SV top coat.

This brings me to my NOTD- ChG For Audrey



Pretty!!  Even Mr. Ski liked it and he doesn't like pastels on me...

Until Later,
Amberski

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

So, I had a green comp to show you, and I added on to my mani, but my camera died- need new batteries!  Sigh, I have to get Mr. Ski to pick them up on the way home so that I can post these pics for you....  Unfortunately, my computer doesn't have a card reader on it, so I need the camera itself...

We are making corned beef and cabbage tonight to celebrate, and my house smells like vinegar.  I love the smell of vinegar- is that weird??  Neither Mr. Ski nor I happen to be Irish (he is a Poli-pino and I am Scottish and German...) but we love corned beef and cabbage!!

What are you guys doing to celebrate?

Until Later,
Amberski

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Tag- Threes of me

I was tagged for this by Elizabeth of Lacquered Lizard, so here we go!

Three Names I go By:
1. Amber
2. Amberski
3. Mommy

Three Jobs I have had:
1. SA at a bookstore (<3 that job!!)
2. waitress/bartender
3. Mortgage loan processor

Three Places I have lived:
1. Chesapeake, VA
2. Norfolk, VA
3. Virginia Beach, VA  (boring, huh?)

Three favorite non alcoholic drinks:
1. COFFEE
2. Sweet tea (like Chic Fil A or Hardees sweet!)
3. did I say coffee??

Three Favorite alcoholic drinks:  
don't drink much, but when I do..
1. Toasted Almonds
2. Mike's Hard Pomegranate Lemonade
3. Kahlua

Three TV Shows I watch:
1. ABC soaps
2. CHUCK!!!
3. Big Bang Theory

Three Places I have been:
1. NYC
2. Nashville, TN
3. Outer Banks, NC

Three Places I would like to visit:
1. Key West- going over Thanksgiving!
2. Scotland
3. Bahamas

Three people who text me regularly:
no one, don't have a cell phone!

Three Favorite old TV Shows:
1. 21 Jump Street
2. Will and Grace (not that old, but I loved it!)
3. Homicide, Life on the Streets

Three Favorite Dishes:
1. my step dad's Breakfast Casserole on Christmas Morning
2. Mr. Ski's BBQ
3. lumpia, pancit, or adobo : )

Three Makeup/Beauty products I cannot live without:
1. hair straightening balm
2. St. Ives Apricot Scrub
3. Nail polish, duh!

Three things I am looking forward to:
1. hockey game Friday with friends I haven't seen in almost 20 years
2. Key West in Nov
3. The Princess starting kindergarten!  (sigh- only 2 more years to go...)

Three people I tag:
1. Tierney
2. Scandalous
3. Claudia- Chromatic Misadventures

Have fun y'all!!

Until Later,
Amberski

Monday, March 15, 2010

NOTD- ChG Outta Bounds

This is my last untried green for St. Patty's Day!  If it doesn't last until Wednesday, I will probably redo with Sinful San Francisco again- Mr. Ski liked that one!!

This was 3 coats.  Great green color, but my camera didn't want to capture it properly...


That is an weird reflection on my middle finger, not a wonky gap!!


The formula on this was great, I probably could have done 2 coats, but I am OCD...  : )

Sorry this was short, I am still hurting.  I finally called to make an appointment with the pain management specialist, but they can't see me until April 2nd.  Unfortunately, there is no way around that- I don't have insurance so it is through a free clinic, and I kinda have to go with the availability of the specialists...  : (  So for now, I am going to go try to relax and ignore the pain...

Until Later,
Amberski

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Just popping in to say...

Just wanted to pop in and apologize for going MIA the last few days.  I have been in a lot of pain this weekend, not to mention this lovely cough that won't go away.  I suppose the smoking isn't helping that, but....  (no lectures please- I know it is bad, I just am having a hard time committing to the idea of quitting.)

Anyway, I just wanted to let you all know that I am still here, and will be back to the regular posting tomorrow!

Until Later,
Amberski

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Oldie but goodie...

I was getting blinded by the pink from earlier, so I did a quick change.  Here is one that I have had since the late 90's- Rimmel Zeitgeist.  It is a gorgeous purple/olive duochrome.  I love this polish, and unfortunately it is HTF....




I am so glad I hung on to this!!

Until Later,
Amberski

NOTD- Wet n Wild True Love (215)

This is an older polish that I had (okay, not that old- I bought it in August because the Princess wanted pink fingernails for her birthday...)  I had put on China Glaze Midnight Ride last night, but it was so dark purple that it just looked black on me.  I didn't even take a picture of it, that's how much I disliked it!

I used 3 to 4 coats of this (some nails were streaky) but that really doesn't bother me too much.  I know some people get frustrated after 2 coats, but I am OCD about it looking opaque!


This next one is under my lamp so you can see how pepto pink it really is!


And then, I noticed it matched one of the stars on my crazy Flirtitude pajama bottoms.  (I got lazy today and I am still in my jammies- so what?!)



I am nearing the end of my untrieds, and I only have 2 more greens to do for St. Patty's Day (I will do those closer to Wednesday) so I may be pulling out an oldie but goodie in the next day or so.  What I want from you guys is to know which one you would rather see- Rimmel Mania or Zeitgeist?

Until Later,
Amberski

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

New Layout

I am trying out a new layout, let me know what you think!!

Until later,
Amberski

Haz a sad...

I woke up this morning to the news that Corey Haim passed away from a possible drug overdose.  I grew up in the 1980's, so Corey Haim movies were a big part of my life.  I remember having posters of him on my walls, next to Kirk Cameron and Ricky Schroeder.  It is so sad to see what happens to some of these child stars as they grow older.  What would Hollywood be like if River Phoenix had ODed?  Corey Haim had an on going struggle with drugs, and I knew that this was inevitable, but it still makes me sad.  Yes, I know he hadn't made a real movie in ages, but I caved a few years back and watched "The Two Coreys" on A&E, and it seemed that he was getting his act together.  Oh, well....  I guess that I will need to organize a Corey Haim movie marathon- "License to Drive", "Lost Boys", and maybe "Dream A Little Dream"...

RIP, Corey Haim.

Until Later,
Amberski

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Nail Junkie's First giveaway

Nail Junkie is having a great giveaway!  There are a ton of great polishes- check her blog out here!

Until later,
Amberski

NOTD- Claire's Dreamcatcher

Ok, I know I am late to the game on this one, but I just received it in a swap.  For some reason, the thought of going to Claire's freaks me out.  I used to shop there all the time, but I feel like maybe I am too old to go in there now...  silly, I know!  I need to get over it, because I really want some of those mood polishes!!

I found the application on this to be some what of a PITA... gloopy and streaky all at the same time- does that make sense?  I ended up doing 4 coats, just to make sure it was even.



These were taken in sun- yay!  It is about 60 degrees here today- gorgeous!!

On a fun note, I noticed that this polish matches my favorite coffee mug!


Until later,
Amberski

Monday, March 8, 2010

A peek into my life- complete with pictures!

I thought I would do a non- polish post, and tell y'all a bit about my life.  Warning- there are pictures, and please don't hold any mess against me- I am a bit slow on the housekeeping today...

First, let me tell you that I am addicted to coffee!!  The very first thing I do when I get up in the morning is make myself at least one cup.  My coffee pot is well-loved and overly abused!  I am thinking it may be time for a new one!


I have another addiction- I love to read.  I will read almost anything, and I have a ton of books.  Mr. Ski put the bookshelves in the garage, since there is not much room in the house for them.  The shelves go down a bit farther than the picture shows, but there was a laundry basket in the way, LOL!  I actually got rid of a lot of books before we moved in, I had way more....


I hate cleaning the kitchen, and dishes are my least favorite part.  Here is why:


That is a portable dishwasher...  Portable my ass!!  You have to roll this monster up to the sink and connect a hose to your faucet...  It is not the easiest thing in the world to maneuver, either!!  (Don't look at the mess, please!!)

I also can't stand cleaning the Princess's room.  I cleaned it on Saturday, and this is what it looked like Sunday afternoon...


ARRRGGGHHHH!!!

Mr. Ski is very romantic, let me show you what he says was my Valentine's Day present:


Romantic, right??  Ha!  I love it, but flowers would have worked.... : )  This was his gift to himself:


He put it up on the wall all by himself- he used to do home theater installations way back when.  (and yes, that is a soap opera on the tv!)

Last, but not least, here are our fur babies.  They drive me nuts, but I love them!!

Pleakley (named after the alien from Lilo and Stitch) is our monster kitty.  He was a rescue from the shipyard, and still has some wild tendencies...


This big, goofy thing is Kody.  He is a Golden Retriever, and we got him for free off Craigslist...   He is a needy thing, and thinks he is a lapdog!!  I caught him sleeping on a stuffed VW beetle, and thought it was cute:


That's all I am going to subject y'all to for now!

Until Later,
Amberski

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Yes, I am in a better mood, so I will post!

I am in a MUCH better mood today...  Maybe because the sun was out, it is semi warm, and the kids have left me alone for the most part!!  It is suspiciously quite, but I am scared to go see what they are up to- best to just let them play nicely.  That rarely happens because of their age difference, so I will let it be, LOL!

I actually have some polishes to show you today!  Friday night I decided to use a yellow creme polish I received in a swap, since another MUA NB member posted a blue one from the same set.  I had a hard time with the application, it took 3 coats before it stopped being streaky.  I think I went for 4 coats just to be safe.



Both Mr. Ski and Ski Jr. took one look and said yuck, but I wore it most of the all day Saturday and it started to grow on me.  It did make my hands look red though...

I decided to do a green today in preparation for St. Patty's Day.  Here is Sinful's San Francisco.  It was hard to capture the exact green, but it is very pretty.  I used 3 coats.



This last one is blurry, but it is the most color accurate.



That's all I have for now, but will have a few more greens coming up for St. Patrick's Day, so stay tuned!

Until Later,
Amberski

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Yay!

I am not in the greatest of moods today, so this won't be a real long post...  I just wanted to pop in and say thank you to everyone- I now have 30 followers!!  I didn't expect much more than maybe 10, so I am grateful that you guys noticed me!

Thanks again!

Until Later,
Amberski

Friday, March 5, 2010

NOTD and some pics

So I am feeling a lot better... though the cold is killing my back and knees.  Sigh, I can't win!!  I have some pictures for y'all, since  I was a slacker while I was sick.

Here we go:
1st, I added some glitter to my ChG Up All Night mani.


Blurred to show the sparkle:


I decided a few hours later that it didn't look exactly how I pictured, so I tried out one of my new swap polishes- OPI Russian Navy Suede.


Ack- just noticed the appalling lack of clean up- sorry!


I loved this polish!  The texture is great, applied easily and dried amazingly fast!  The only downside is that it chipped in less than 24 hours, boo!

Last night I tried out another one of my swap polishes, which is my NOTD.  Milani Hi Res- holo!!!!



The holo shows up even in dimmer light- so pretty!  I need to stalk the drug stores around here so I can find the others!!

That's all I have for now, ladies!  Have a great day!

Until Later,
Amberski

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Tag- Ten things that make me happy


I was tagged by Tierney for this.  These are the rules: List 10 things that make you happy and link back to the person who tagged you and ten others.  Ok, here we go!!

1. My family!  I have 2 great (mostly) kids and a wonderful husband, and I love spending time with them!  I am also fortunate to have my mom and sisters nearby as well as my husband's huge family.

2. Nail Polish!  I have just started to get into this but I enjoy the routine of a mani and I love all the ladies I have met along the way!

3. books- I love to read, I read just about anything!!

4. ABC soap operas- cheesy, I know, but I like being able to escape for a while. (plus some of those men are hotties!!)

5. Coffee- I love sitting down with a cup of coffee, any time of the day....

6. Spring- I hate the cold, so when the weather starts to warm up to about 70 degrees, I am one happy lady.

7. MUA- I have met so many great people there, and when I am cranky, they can always make me laugh.

8. My friends.  You know who you are....  : )

9. Cooking- I am just starting to enjoy this, and I am slowly getting better.

10. the beach- I rarely go, but when I do, I love the smell of the ocean and the sound of the waves.

Now I tag:
jellynat
Elizabeth aka lacqueredlizard
Ange-Marie aka Scandalous
April and Ashley
deez-nailz
Stephanie@ shortnchic
r3beauty
Michele@lacquerized
PowerLifterChick
kittytokaren

I know some of y'all won't do it, that's okay!!  It's all in fun!

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Ugh, I am sick...

I started feeling like poop yesterday, and woke up feeling like $%@# today!!  I got whatever ick the kids had, and of course mommy doesn't get a sick day, boo!  I am feeling slightly better at the moment, so I figured I would post a quick NOTD.

China Glaze Up All Night (2 coats, b/c and SV)



The photos above were in natural light- no sun because it is yucky here.  The one below is under the "natural" light bulb in my lamp.



This is such a pretty blue.  I am thinking about adding sparkles to make it look like a night sky.  (Don't worry, I will take pics if I do!)

Until Later,
Amberski