All Hail Shellac...or Not

CND's Shellac is the polish everyone is trying these days.  Supposedly, it's only a polish, and guaranteed to last 14 days without chipping.  Well I tried it for my bday.  I went to a salon on March 19, and started taking it off April 3.  I definitely got my money's worth. Here's my pros and cons list:

Pros

• Lasts longer than 14 days.
• Minimal chipping
• Shine never goes away
• Helps grow nails quickly
• Somehow prevents nails from breaking
• Builds a somewhat stronger nail

 Cons

• It's hell getting it off (I tried two methods in my video)
• Need pure acetone or something close to it to get it off
• It took 3+ days to remove with method one
• It's a process for removal...taking 10-15 minutes of acetone soaking with method two
• Nails gain some bruising (scratches and slight dents)
• Requires extreme buffing afterwards
• Polish moves up vertically as the nail grows similar to how acrylic nails look when you need a fill-in

So would I try it again?

The answer is maybe.  I'm concerned about what's in the product that makes it last so long.  While my nails did grow, I don't like the bruising.  I got bruising even after using the foil method (see my video below).  Due to this bruising and lifting that the polish does, I'm inclined to think there is some acrylic in the polish.  I hate acrylic.  I'd rather have no damage, and the same quality of Shellac. 

I suggest you give it a try.  It does look pretty for 14+ days, and I got a lot of compliments. :)

MAC Wonder Woman Collection: Athena's Kiss Review

I'm not this huge MAC fan so when they come out with new stuff, I'm the last to know.  I saw my cousin with Athena's Kiss on, and I knew I had to buy it!  It wears like a truly pigmented lipstick, but it's a gloss.  At first I didn't like it because it seemed to make my already big lips look bigger.  I'm daring though.  I had to try it again.  I'm in love!  It lasts for a long time, and you don't need a lot.  When the color starts to disappear, you'll still have glossy lips.  Just pat the wand on your lips, and rub your lips together.  Voila!  No need to smudge it in with the wand.  Get it before it runs out!

Face Regimen

For the past couple months (since mid-January maybe), I've been using black soap to clean my face, and moisturizing it with shea butter.  I try to wash twice a day, but due to my laziness that hasn't been so successful.

I remember back in December I looked at my face, and was disgusted.  I had acne repeatedly on my cheeks.  Since I have a problem with picking with things, my cheeks were beginning to scar.  I'd used black soap before, and liked the way it felt so I got a hold to more.

A friend of mine suggested I use shea butter to moisturize instead of lotion.  After doing it for two months now, I'm seeing great results.  While I can still slightly see scarring, it's much clearer on my cheeks than it was in December.  I've had much less blackheads.  My face doesn't get oily like it used to with lotion.  I don't have those huge pimples that last a long time.  The few pimples I get are small like heat bumps, and disappear quickly.

I'm still getting used to this whole acne thing since it just popped up when I was 22.  However, black soap combined with shea butter is a great regimen that everyone should try.  Dudu Osun is a good brand of black soap too, and you can use either yellow or white shea butter.