Color Compare: Essence Walk On Air vs. Julep Taylor

After posting my review and swatches of Essence's Walk On Air, I had a few people ask how it compared to Julep's Taylor as I had mentioned how I used to love the shade of Taylor, that is until Walk On Air came along. By memory, I thought these two were similar, but after swatching them side by side they are pretty different.

Base Coat: Zoya Anchor Base Coat

Top Coat: Zoya Armor Top Coat

Guest Blogger Friday: Tyla Morgan

This week's guest blogger is Tyla Morgan on behalf of HairFree Plus - this is a little different than my normal guest blog posts, but the information is still helpful, so I hope you all enjoy it!

Amazing Beauty Cheats That Work and Save You Money

Post contributed by Tyla Morgan on behalf of HairFree Plus

In case you haven’t noticed, skin and hair care products are expensive. A trip to the drugstore or cosmetic counter to get beauty essentials can put a dent in anyone’s budget. Fortunately, you have an alternative – food products for beauty treatment. Use what you already have - not in your bathroom cabinets - but your kitchen cupboards and refrigerator. Many foods double as beauty products, and they have the added benefit of being free of preservatives and synthetic chemicals. Here are some ways to use things you already have in your kitchen to beautify your skin, hair and face.

Lemon

Lemons are a natural source of vitamin C, an antioxidant vitamin that has anti-aging effects. They also contain citric acid, a weak acid that lightens areas of pigmentation. When you put it to your skin, it has a mild exfoliating effect that removes dead skin cells and brightens a dull complexion while reducing oiliness and shine. To make a lemon facial toner, add 20 drops of lemon juice to a cup of water. Chill the mixture in the refrigerator. Put it on your skin after cleansing using a cotton ball.   

Lemon juice also doubles as a rinse for oily hair to remove build-up and add shine. Squeeze fresh lemon directly onto your hair after shampooing if your hair is very oily or dilute it with water first. Lemon juice also has a hair lightening effect, especially if you apply it before going out in the sun. It’s a good way to subtly lighten your hair if you don’t want to use hair dye or bleach.

Yogurt

After enjoying your morning container of yogurt, use it to brighten your skin. Yogurt contains lactic acid, a weak acid that removes dead skin cells and has a skin-brightening effect. To get the benefits, apply a thick coating of plain yogurt to your face and neck. Leave it on for ten minutes - then rinse with warm water. Your skin should look brighter and feel noticeably softer. A yogurt mask is also a good skin treatment for acne-prone skin.

Use yogurt to make an inexpensive, hair-softening conditioner. Mix a container of yogurt with two beaten eggs. After shampooing, apply the mixture to your hair. Leave it on for a few minutes. Then rinse with cool water. Feel how soft and manageable your hair feels.

Oatmeal

Oatmeal is a breakfast food that doubles as a rejuvenating skin mask that costs pennies. Combine a half-cup of oatmeal with a quarter cup of water. Cook the mixture for a few minutes. Let it cool. Then add a tablespoon of honey to make a thick paste. Apply the paste to your face, and leave it on for ten minutes. Rinse with warm water. Oatmeal is a gentle exfoliator that naturally brightens a dull complexion. You can also use oatmeal as an inexpensive facial scrub.

Other Kitchen Cabinet Skin Care Treatments

Olive oil is an inexpensive moisturizer and eye-makeup remover, and it doubles as a hot oil treatment for dry hair. Puffy eyes? Bring down the swelling by soaking chamomile or peppermint herbal tea bags in cold water and placing them over your eyes. Cold cucumber slices also work well for this purpose. Apple cider vinegar serves double duty as an oily skin facial astringent. Mix avocado with honey to make a soothing dry skin treatment or use coconut oil to soften your skin. Use mayonnaise as a conditioner for dry hair in place of expensive store-bought conditioners that contain synthetic chemicals. Mayonnaise also moisturizes dry skin.

Food Products for Beauty Treatment: The Bottom Line?

Before forking out the money for expensive beauty products, look in your kitchen cabinet and refrigerator first. The answer to your beauty problems may be there, and it won’t cost you a fortune. 

If you are interested in being a Guest Blogger on Beauty By Krystal - apply on my Facebook page under the tab Become A Guest Blogger!

Giveaway Alert! The Nail Junkie

I don't normally post about giveaways on my blog, but I think her polishes look AMAZING and I'm anxious to buy them all and try them out (of course, winning them would be even more fun!)

Link to her giveaway post: http://www.thenailjunkie.com/2012/03/nail-junkie-spring-2012-polish-line.html

This giveaway *IS OPEN INTERNATIONALLY*

It ends April 7th, 2012

Essence - Walk On Air

Essence Colour & Go Quick Drying Nail Polish, Walk On Air is a vibrant, true blue, creme polish. Why do I always think I don't go for blues, but when I wear blues I feel just as powerful as when I'm rocking a strong red? Walk On Air has my heart, just like Julep Taylor stole it for the one good day it lasted on my nails (click here for Taylor's review). In comparison to Taylor, Walk On Air is a deeper blue but just as vibrant and striking in the sunlight. I had mentioned in my Taylor review that the formula lacked but the color made me fall in love, well... I'm sorry Taylor, but Walk On Air is so much better than you!
This is a new shade to their Spring/Summer collection for 2012, Essence seems to change up their permanent colors every year, plus it has that catchy "NEW" sticker on it.

$.99 (on Ulta.com) / .16 fl oz / 5 ml

The first coat is thin and streaky. The brush isn't the highest quality, but it's high enough where it doesn't drag the polish - you still get a smooth texture.

The polish is opaque in two coats and incredibly shiny! These Colour and Go formulas always leave you with a "top coat" shine without the top coat. I honestly couldn't love this color enough. The blue is so uplifting, even on an overcast/gloomy day, this polish has me smiling.

I added a coat of Zoya's Armor Top Coat and it boosted the shine a bit, but to be honest this polish is shiny enough on its own. In my experience, Essence polishes last about 2-3 days, without a top coat, before any chipping or fading starts to appear. I will admit though, the top coat does give it a more "I just spent money on a manicure" look ;)

Base Coat: Zoya Anchor Base Coat
Top Coat: Zoya Armor Top Coat
Cuticle Oil: ELF Essentials Nourishing Cuticle Pen
Lady Bug Nail Polish Holder

*Product(s) were received for trial/review; these are my honest opinions

Julep Maven: $.01 promo box (March 2012)

In January I signed up for the $.01 Julep Maven intro box, and this month they were/are running this promotion again (if it's still available when you are reading this, the code I used was PENNY - it's only valid if you are newly signing up with them). I was able to get another penny box because I signed up with Julep under a different email address, that's probably frowned upon, but oh well. If you read my blog post on my Julep Maven January 2012 box, then you may already know that I was pretty disappointed in the quality and longevity of the nail polishes (.27 fl oz / 8 ml polishes that originally sell for $14.00 each). Mainly I signed up for this March's penny box because I wanted the polishes for only a penny AND because a good amount of people commented on my last post saying the Julep polishes they had weren't that bad of quality - so, I'm hoping I got a couple of duds before and these new polishes will be worth their $14.00 stickers.

After filling out my style quiz, I decided to get the It Girl box which offers 3 polishes instead of one of their themed boxes that offer 2 polishes and a hand product (I think it was a hand scrub, which I wouldn't have used).

Here is what I received:
Leah Julep Nail Vernis - "Vivid and refreshing grass green with a hint of shimmer."
Helena Julep Nail Vernis - "Ultra-saturated fuchsia. Looks great on all skin tones."
Melissa Julep Nail Vernis - "Sheer opalescent shimmer adds a soft glow when used alone and a high-fashion holographic effect when used over another color."

My January Julep Maven 2012 box: http://www.beautybykrystal.com/2012/01/julep-maven-01-promo-box.html

What's In My Mail?

This weekend I received some "nail mail" that I'm excited to share on my blog soon. First off is my $.01 Julep Maven box, which I will post more information and photos on very soon.

If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter, then you may know that my bloggy got a short term sponsorship. As payment, I received a gift card code to Apothica.com (or skincarerx.com, skinbotanica.com). I decided to use it on the cheapest nail polishes they had so I could share them on my blog since I don't really need any more makeup. I ended up buying 13 mini SpaRitual polishes. These are my very first polishes from this brand, so I'm very excited to see how they perform and wear. Oh, and I also got a few free samples with my order, so I'll probably post my thoughts on them once I use them up.

Lastly, I received from polishes to review from Barielle. Normally I don't share PR goodies until I post their reviews, but I loved their packaging and thoughtfulness so much that I had to share my excitement and appreciation. I'm putting the little shoe key chain on my kid's diaper bag, so cute!!!

Essence - Glamorous Life

Essence Colour & Go Quick Drying Nail Polish, Glamorous Life is a Maraschino Cherry red jelly polish with what looks like red micro glitters in the bottle, but when worn the micro glitters seem more like silver. The micro glitters have a shine that takes on a couple colors, silver, red, pink and even blurple (blue/purple). It's a sexy polish that will make numerous appearances in my life, especially this Summer!
This is a new shade to their Spring/Summer collection for 2012, Essence seems to change up their permanent colors every year, plus it has that catchy "NEW" sticker on it.

$.99 (on Ulta.com) / .16 fl oz / 5 ml

The first coat is pretty sheer and uneven, but the pigmentation is so saturated that if you were in a rush out the door and slapped on this polish, no one would notice you were only wearing one coat. The brush isn't the highest quality, but it's high enough where it doesn't drag the polish - you still get a smooth texture. The micro glitters are superfine, so you never feel any gritty texture, even as one coat it's smooth to the touch.

After applying the second coat, this polish transforms into the "glamorous" jelly that it is. It looks so magnificent, I absolutely love that it is a jelly polish (can you tell?). I own a million red polishes, but none of them look this thrilling and vibrant! The polish has its own high shine and the glisten from the micro glitters makes it POP even more!

I added a coat of Zoya's Armor Top Coat and it boosted the shine a bit, but to be honest this polish is shiny enough on its own. In my experience, Essence polishes last about 2-3 days, without a top coat, before any chipping or fading starts to appear.

Base Coat: Zoya Anchor Base Coat
Top Coat: Zoya Armor Top Coat
Cuticle Oil: ELF Essentials Nourishing Cuticle Pen
Lady Bug Nail Polish Holder

*Product(s) were received for trial/review; these are my honest opinions