THIS my friends, is my next read. If you’re a guy, chances are you have either heard about it or read the book for yourself. a friend of mine told me this exactly and to be honest, i did not believe her. low and behold, every male counterpart i came across in the days to follow have indeed heard OR read this book.

“Illustrated through the tactics of Queen Elizabeth I, Henry Kissinger, P. T. Barnum, and other famous figures who have wielded—or been victimized by—power, these laws will fascinate any reader interested in gaining, observing, or defending against ultimate control.”

i am already intrigued just from looking at the table of contents - Never Outshine the Master, Always Say Less Than Necessary, etc. definitely an interesting read. I will be sure to keep you posted on my thoughts.

have you read it?

• Tags
• books
• reads
• robert green
• the 48 laws of power
• strength

as you can see, i rarely do diy-related posts BUT i recently read about this UV Gel starter kit and I became intrigued. if you haven’t hear of UV gel, it is a clear gel nail polish that goes over your nail and can last for about 2 - 3 weeks (depending on your nail growth). i was introduced to this last year and loved that i didn’t have to do my nails constantly AND the UV gel did not leave my nails feeling weak or brittle. the only issue is that here in NYC, getting a UV gel manicure can cost anywhere between $30 - $50 dollars - this depends on WHERE you go in NYC and whether or not you want a design. If you do want a design, the fancier you want it, the more money you’ll have to shell.

i must admit, i did not do a TON of research to find this kit. One of my fave bloggers, Mr. Kate uses and recommends the Sensational Starter kit. It is currently sold on CVS and Walmart. If you buy it online, CVS currently has it for $10 less (so that’s $49.99!).

although the kit came with a color, i spoiled myself and got 2 additional color choices. tonight i decided to try the Coral since Spring is upon us.

the kit comes with:

• the LED lamp
• lint-free wipes
• bamboo manicure stick (the gel polishes come with one as well)
• double-sided nail buffer
• gel cleanser
• gel primer
• gel base & top coat
• color gel polish

i will spare you of the exact steps but the total process takes about 30 minutes to complete, which is pretty much the same time you’d spend at the salon, if not longer.

this! is the finished product. i was actually surprised about how almost-perfect they came out. i say almost-perfect because there are a couple of things you need to be aware of. hopefully, as i continue to do them, i’ll get better.

one thing to realize (which i’m upset i forgot because the girls at the salon did it all the time) is that it’s best to put your 4 fingers in the LED Lamp and when that’s done, THEN go ahead and put both thumbs in. i think due to the positioning of your thumb when you put all fingers in, it doesn’t get as much of the light as it needs to and doesn’t dry as quickly. that’s why my thumb did not come out as smooth.

i may need to do more research but i did find that although i took my nails out when the lamp went out, they still felt to be a little moist. i am not sure if that’s how they are supposed to be because the minute i wiped them with the gel cleanser, all the “stickiness” was gone.

another thing that i am noticing is that on two of my fingers, the gel seems to be peeling off at the edge. this may be due to the fact that i may not have sealed the edges properly with the gel top coat.

i definitely think this is worth a try. it is a GREAT way to save some extra cash. who knows, maybe i’ll start getting fancy and doing some nail art as well.

• Tags
• nail
• nails
• nail design
• uv gel
• calgel
• nail polish
• diy

i hate when someone gets the same item as you and then showcases it on their blog, Facebook, and Twitter like they were the first person in the world to be seen in it. like, “trick you know i had that Rose Gold Michael Kors watch 1 year before you did, stop lying!”.

• Tags
• annoyed
• irritated
• michael kors