Breedlove Hoops

Cardio. It makes me shudder like a villain in a horror movie. I have always hated cardio. For me, cardio is hard, miserable, and something I need to put more effort into. 

Why put more effort into something you hate? 

The only way to improve your weak areas, is to put extra effort into it. I need to tackle it head on, and stop ignoring it. This means scheduling a 1 mile run a few times a week, rain or shine. If you know Oregon, it will most likely be rain.

Some of you may be reading this thinking "housework is cardio." WRONG! If you want to improve something you have to push beyond your level of comfort. 

This is going to be tough for a while, but with some consistency, it should become second nature. 

Deb of Honey Bunny Lacquer created an "Anti Valentine's Day" collection based on rock songs. Today I have Falling In and Out of Love (Lita Ford), Love Hurts (Nazareth), and Love Hate Love (Alice in Chains). Those of you who have known me for a long time know that I went through a serious rock phase, so I was super excited to swatch these! 

Falling In and Out of Love

 

Falling In and Out of Love is a pink matte polish with blue shimmer. The first photo shows its natural finish, the second is taken in sunlight with a topcoat, and the third was taken in my lightbox with a topcoat. Pinks can be hit or miss for me because of their obnoxious Barbie sparkle. This was definitely not the case with "Falling In and Out of Love." I seriously love the subtle shimmer. This is Barbie pink's mature older sister. The application was smooth, but you need to work quickly because the matte base dries quickly. Shown above is three coats with no base color.

Polishes used: Honey Bunny Lacquer- "Falling In and Out of Love', Rimmel London- "Lasting Finish Pro"

Love Hurts

Love Hurts is a white matte polish with subtle gold shimmer. The first photo shows its natural finish, and the second was taken in my lightbox with a topcoat. The other color I am super picky about is white. Most whites are so streaky that you can't achieve a nice finish unless you use 4+ coats. The application was smooth, but like "Falling In and Out of Love", you will need to work quickly because this dries faster than your average polish. Shown above is three thin coats with no base color.

Polishes used: Honey Bunny Lacquer- "Love Hurts", Rimmel London- "Lasting Finish Pro"

Love Hate Love

 

Love Hate Love is a glitter topper with matte & holo red hearts, black hearts, black dots and red dots. Shown above is one coat over Love Hurts, topped with Poshe Top Coat. The application required me to fish for hearts, but it wasn't overly involved. I did have a few issues trying to get black hearts out of the bottle, but as you can see, they aren't as common as red hearts. The hearts lay relatively flat on my nails, and I have a decent curve to the nail bed. I've been wearing this for about 24 hours now, and have not lost a heart yet! 

Polishes used: Honey Bunny Lacquer- "Love Hurts", Honey Bunny Lacquer- "Love Hate Love", Poshe- "Quick Dry Top Coat"

 

Conclusion

I'm really impressed with Honey Bunny Lacquer's "Anti Valentine's Day" collection. I felt like the polishes really fit with the theme. All formulas were easy to work with, and exceeded all expectations. 

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*** All colors were generously provided for review

Sue Me Lacquer is brand new to the indie scene with her "Big Boom" collection. The collection includes two jellies and two creams. All colors can be purchased in a set of minis or individually. All colors offered by Sue Me Lacquer are 5-free and vegan.

Oceanic

Oceanic is a medium blue jelly. Shown above is three coats, with a fourth coat on the middle finger for comparison. The third photo shows how it would appear matte. The formula was nice for a jelly, but I found that you definitely need to use three coats to get a consistent color. This is not uncommon for a jelly. The dry time was fairly quick, and I didn't have to wait too long between coats. 

Polishes used: Sue Me Lacquer- "Oceanic", Essie- "Matte About You"

Into the Forest

Into the Forest is a dark green jelly. Shown above is three coats with no base coat or top coat. The third photo shows how it would appear matte. The application was similar to Oceanic, but I found that it was almost dark enough with two coats. I was amazed at how glossy these dried. The only reason I would use a topcoat is to extend wear time because I am super hard on my nails. If you prefer to go without, this whole collection looks great without it.

Polishes used: Sue Me Lacquer- "Into the Forest", Essie- "Matte About You"

Crimson Chin

Crimson Chin is a crimson creme. Shown above is two coats with no topcoat. The third photo shows how it would appear matte. I've seen other swatches of this and it appears more of a crimson color, but the bottle I have looks more like burnt sienna. The more I think about it, I almost wonder if it appears that way because of my skin tone. Regardless, I like the color, and it will be a nice addition to my collection. 

Polishes used: Sue Me Lacquer- "Crimson Chin", Essie- "Matte About You"

Georgia Peach

Georgia Peach is a shimmery peach cream. Shown above is two coats with no topcoat. The third photo shows how it would appear matte. The application was smooth and the polish was nice consistency. 

Polishes used: Sue Me Lacquer- "Georgia Peach", Essie- "Matte About You"

 

Conclusion

I was really pleased with the Big Boom collection overall. The polishes were a nice consistency, and unique to anything I have in my personal collection. I look forward to seeing what Sue has in store for future collections. Sue Me Lacquer will be accepting preorders on 1/27/2014, and the shop will officially open on 1/30/2014.

Be sure to check out Sue Me Lacquer on Instagram, so that you can enter her giveaway!

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*** All colors were generously provided for review

I'm not going to bore you with the details, but here is my four week review of Wendler 5/3/1.

Week 1 

I thought I was going to die. After four months of zero weightlifting, everything felt heavy.

Week 2

I finally started to feel more confident in my lifting despite the weight increase. I ended up going to the kettlebell class at the end of this week.

Week 3

Still feeling dead from kettlebell training, I shifted my schedule around to accommodate the increase in weight. I managed to pull a 170lb deadlift for two reps. It's not much, but finally getting close to those old numbers.

Week 4

It honestly feels like cake after last week. I even threw in some kettlebell work because I was getting bored.

 

I think I am going to run the same numbers for the next four week cycle. I could increase my numbers, but I think I am going to see better results working with the same weight right now. 

I'm sure many of you are sick of Winter and snow, but I really had to share this gorgeous winter themed polish with you. 

 

Snow Flaking Way is a rich purple jelly with holographic hexagon, circle, bar and snowflake glitter. This is by far the best jelly I have ever worn. Shown above is three coats with no base color. The application was so unbelievably smooth, that I could have mistaken it for a cream. I did have to fish for the snowflakes, but it wasn't too difficult. The only problem I had with the formula was that the snowflakes stuck up through my thick topcoat and got caught on everything. I'm sure this could have been fixed with another layer of topcoat. I am extremely pleased with KBShimmer's jellies, and I will definitely be purchasing more in the future.

Polishes used: KBShimmer- "Snow Flaking Way", Poshe- "Topcoat"

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I was given this lovely color back around Halloween, but I was waiting for the right time to wear it. I figured my birthday was as good good time, and I wasn't disappointed!



Moonbow is a glitter topcoat that shifts between purple, blue, pink and green. You might be able to catch the occasional orange or yellow in the right lighting. This is a dupe of the hard to find Ozotic 528. All I can say is holy moley that color shift! This quickly worked its way into my favorite colors of all time. The application was easy peasey, and only required one coat. The only downside is that this is not a standard, full-sized bottle but rather a 6mL one. Shown above is one coat of Moonbow over one coat of Orly- "Liquid Vinyl".

Last Saturday I had the pleasure of joining Lisa from 110 Pounds and Counting and a handful of her friends for a workout at The Warrior Room. The workout was completely different than anything I have ever tried. It was a kettlebell/tabata hybrid. While I am a little familiar with tabata style workouts, I was certainly not prepared for that workout.



We started off by learning the proper technique for kettlebell deadlifts, swings and various squats. From there we progressed to a killer, timed series of movements. If I remember correctly we did three sets of 20 deadlifts, 20 jump squats, and 20 swings within 10 minutes. I was already winded at that point, so I was a bit nervous to learn what they had in store for the rest of the workout. If you know me, you know that I hate cardio. I lift weights at home, so the only cardio I get happens when I decide  to hoop between sets.



Next we did goblet squats, burpees and sumo squats. My hamstrings were on fire at that point! Did I mention that the day before I was squatting at 90% of my max? Smart, huh?

We finished the main portion of the workout with shoulder presses, sit ups and upright rows. I enjoyed that portion the most because it gave my legs a break. Once the main portion of the workout was done we ended with some core work and stretching.

Kettlebell training is no joke. I really don't think you can prepare for the type of work they put you through. Despite taking a lot of breaks through the training session, I would definitely do this again.

If you are a local reader, The Warrior Room is still running a Groupon deal. It's a great way to try something new without breaking the bank. In all honesty, even the regular pricing for The Warrior Room is manageable. If you give The Warrior Room a try, let me know what you think!

***All photos are property of Lisa at 110 Pounds and Counting

I know this is super late, but I had a million other obligations to fulfill before I could share this with you. I decided to wear Model City Polish- "Sugar Cookie" for my Christmas mani. Like all of the Model City colors I own, the formula on this was excellent. 

Sugar Cookie is a white crelly with red, green and gold glitter. Shown above is two coats with no base color. The application was smooth, and easy to work with. I love the color combo, because I feel like it doesn't scream "Christmas" like some of the other holiday colors did.

I wore this mani for about seven days through many abusive activities. I was chip free through several batches of cookies, wrapping gifts, cleaning house and a million dishes. It only started to chip when I started weightlifting again. 

Polishes used: Model City Polish- "Sugar Cookie", Pretty & Polished- "Swift Sparkle"

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I know this is super late, but I had a million other obligations to fulfill before I could share this with you. I decided to wear Model City Polish- "Sugar Cookie" for my Christmas mani. Like all of the Model City colors I own, the formula on this was excellent. 

Sugar Cookie is a white crelly with red, green and gold glitter. Shown above is two coats with no base color. The application was smooth, and easy to work with. I love the color combo, because I feel like it doesn't scream "Christmas" like some of the other holiday colors did.

I wore this mani for about seven days through many abusive activities. I was chip free through several batches of cookies, wrapping gifts, cleaning house and a million dishes. It only started to chip when I started weightlifting again. 

Polishes used: Model City Polish- "Sugar Cookie", Pretty & Polished- "Swift Sparkle"

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I celebrated my 20+ something birthday last Saturday and decided to reflect on the previous year. In the last year I:

Purchased and moved into my first house with Brian



Tried my hand at gardening


Learned how to shoot photos on manual setting proficiently


Learned how to edit photos using GIMP


Started blogging about and reviewing nail polish



Baked my very first cheesecake and apple pie from scratch


I got a Kindle which in Brian's words "Rekindled my love of reading"


I achieved a 180lb deadlift among other weightlifting pr's. If you are counting weights, I couldn't find a photo of my 180lb deadlift, so 170 will have to do.

What achievement in 2013 are you most proud of?

Hello everyone! I'm back with another new indie brand. Sparx Polish is fairly new to the indie scene, but you wouldn't know it with how well crafted her formulas are. Each bottle (regardless of color) comes with a cute polish charm. You can wear them as a bracelet, necklace or hoard them like buried treasure.

All formulas were excellent to work with and were very pigmented.







If you purchase three polishes you will get a free gift. This playful star charm is strung on a fairly long chain (my favorite!) and was a really nice addition to the polishes I received for review.

Rainbow Graffiti





Rainbow Graffiti is a rainbow mixture of hexagons, squares, and bar glitter in a clear base. Shown above is one coat of Sparx Polish- "Rainbow Graffiti" over one coat of Maybelline Color Show- "Impeccable Greys."

Polishes used: Sparx Polish- "Rainbow Graffiti", Maybelline Color Show- "Impeccable Greys", Rimmel London- "Lasting Finish Pro"

Dragonfly





Dragonfly is a metallic purple with blue flecks. Shown above is two coats with no base color.

Polishes used: Sparx Polish- "Dragonfly", Rimmel London- "Lasting Finish Pro"

Holly Berry





Holly Berry is a rich pinkish red with gold flecks of glitter. This was my favorite color of the three because of its gold shimmer. Shown above is two coats with no base color.

Polishes used: Sparx Polish- "Holly Berry", Rimmel London- "Lasting Finish Pro"

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*All products were generously provided for review