Cute Nails: NYC Matte Nail Top Coat Review

Recently I was rushing through Target and paused in the beauty department to just take a look at what the makeup section had. I saw this NYC Matte Top Coat in the NYC section and I immediately had to grab it. It was really cheap, and I couldn't resist. Anyways, as it was my birthday weekend, I wanted to try it for the party. I decided to use it on top of my black nail polish. Let me tell you; it made it extremely matte! I was really impressed, especially because of how cheap it was.
One of my favorite things about this is that I will be able to use any nail polish that I already have, and I can make it matte rather than having to buy all new nail polishes for a trend that may not last too long.
The only downside to this nail polish is that after a few days, it started doing something a little odd where it started looking kind of strange (I can't find the words to describe it). But other than that, I love it! 8/10

- E.

Happy Hair Days: Essential Rich Premier Hair Mask

Essential Rich Premier Hair Mask

When I was in Japan last summer, I watched a lot of beauty guru videos, hoping that they would lead me to some of the extremely exciting brands of Japanese makeup that is pretty much only accessible in Japan.

I stumbled upon a video that Bubzbeauty had put out about how she had gotten her hair so long. I had cut my hair in March of 2013 because the ends were extremely damaged, but I was really missing my long hair. In the video (she currently lives in China), she mentioned this Japanese hair mask called Essential Rich Premier. During a trip to the local convenient store I saw that they carried the Essential Rich Premier Hair Mask! Not only this, but they were on sale! I bought the orange one and the pink one (not exactly sure what the difference was, I think my Mom told me at the time, but I can't remember).

I started with the pink one, and I could immediately feel the difference in my hair. I shampoo'd and conditioned my hair as normal and let this sit in my hair while I shaved my legs. My hair usually tangles pretty easily, and I could actually run my fingers through my hair after I rinsed it out! I didn't really like the way the pink one smelled, but once I opened the orange bottle, it was heavenly.

It's a little hard to open in the shower with the twist off top, but the bottle usually lasts me like two months. I know that it seems impossible to get this mask, but I actually found it online at yesstyle.com! They have it for $12.90 which is a little expensive (especially compared to the price in Japan, I actually have my aunt send me some every time my Grandma sends us a box of goodies from Japan), but I think it is well worth it. I have yet to find a hair mask that actually works this well!

- E.

Here is the link to yesstyle.com: http://www.yesstyle.com/en/kao-essential-damage-care-rich-premier-hair-mask-200g/info.html/pid.1030237617

A New Start: The Healthy Life!

I won't go into detail, but recently I have been going through some health problems. I had begun to make a change in my diet previously, but this had solidified the idea that it was time to make a lifestyle change. Now, I am struggling to live away from my parents and to maintain this "healthy" lifestyle, while also balancing school and a social life.

Now, I am someone who can never stick to anything! I will start a project and never finish it, or I will begin to have a healthy diet and right away start to eat snacks whenever I can sneak them in. However, I have finally found one of the easiest ways to maintain this new exercise regimen! I found this girl called Blogilates a while ago on YouTube through another YouTube user. She was bright, fun and super energetic! When I started her first video, I was astounded. I could actually keep up and she was amazing! She kept track of every video that you needed to do for the day (all place in one easy peas-y convenient location). I completed my fifth day of this "beginners poppilates" and so far I can happily say that I am constantly sore and it feels great!


Her website is www.blogilates.com and from there you can find the beginners workout on there! - E.

A Few Changes

For those of you who have frequented Rustic Beau before, you may have noticed a few changes that have taken place on our blog.  To start off the New Year, Erika and I decided to give Rustic Beau a little updating. We renamed our blog A Penny for Your Thoughts and widened our range of blogging topics to include more personal topics of interest, such as our experiences during our last year as undergrads, our quest to become physically and emotionally healthier, and our thoughts and feelings about beginning post-college life in just a few short months.  By expanding the subject matter of our blog, we hope that we will feel more free to share the happenings of our daily lives (in addition to posting beauty reviews, decor/organization ideas, and DIY projects) and therefore post more frequently.  It'll be interesting to see how things actually pan out considering how well our blogging quest went at the end of last summer...  However, what better time to set new goals and challenges for ourselves than the beginning of a new year!  (:

Well, that's all for now folks!  Thanks for stopping by and be sure to stay tuned!

- M.

Happy 2014!

Hi everyone (...anyone?!).  We know it's been a while...  Despite the fact that we haven't posted in a few...err...quite a few months, Erika and I thought that a good way to start off the new year would be to write a post sharing some of our New Year's resolutions!

E.
- become healthier (cardio 3x a week)
- begin yoga
- be less selfish
- eat less candy

M.
- walk Penny at least 3x a week
- read more
- floss my teeth everyday
- drink more water
The last two are past (and sadly, unkept) resolutions.  Hopefully I'll do better at keeping them this year!

E. and M.
- post two times a month! (haha... but really...)

We hope you all had a wonderful and safe New Year's eve and wish you nothing but the best for 2014!  Here's to a great new year!

- M. & E.

P.S.  Stay tuned!  Erika and I have some updates in mind for what is currently "Rustic Beau!"

I Love Apples. This Is My Apple Song.

After a longgg summer of summer school and work, a day trip with one of my besties was just what I needed.  Once summer school finallyyy came to a close, my friend and I decided to venture up to Apple Hill.  To say that it was an awesomely fun day is an understatement.  Below are just a few of the photos from our apple adventure.

Apple Hill in Apple iPhone photos.

 

 

There's nothing that a day filled with car singing, donut eating, hay riding, llama feeding, and apple picking can't cure.  Absolutely nothing.  Thanks for the amazing day Apple Hill!  Until next time...  Pumpkin patch-ing anyone?  (:

- M.

Unbelievably Easy French Nails!

I used to always pay to have my nails done at my local salon. I would love the classic french tip nails, which would end up costing more than the regular basic polish. When I first saw the way that the nail technician did it, I was astounded! I could easily do these nail! I didn't need any tape or stickers. This is how I did them:

1. For this nail tutorial I used OPI white nail polish (no idea what it's called, but the nail polish is white), a brush (E.L.F., $1 eye lining brush), a tissue, nail polish remover and Essie 3-way glaze. All of these products are relatively cheap, but for nail polishes, any white nail polish will work. Don't be afraid to try different things with your nail colors! I once did the galaxy nail, but decided to do just the tips of the nails as galaxies.
   
2. I started out with clean nails. This is super important. To help the nail polish stick on better, buffing the nail will help it stay on longer
3. So what now? Paint the tips of your nails white. It doesn't have to be neat, just paint the ends of them.
   
4. Pour a small amount of nail polish remover into the cap of the bottle and then take the E.L.F. eye liner brush and dip it into the nail polish remover. 
5. At this time, you will need to be extremely careful. Shape the nails into how you'd like them to look. You can either make them rounded or straight (as I did). Hold your hand however you need to make this process easier. I find that holding them like I did in the first photograph and holding the brush from behind my hand helps me have better control over the brush.
   
6. Once you have finished shaping all the white parts on your nail, put a layer of top coat over the whole nail to create the shiny look.
   
7. Ta-da! Easy, cheap french tip nails :)

- E.