Last Minute, Easy to Find, Stocking Stuffer Ideas

Hello everyone! I hope you're all doing well and for those who celebrate, I hope you're ready for Christmas. If you're not all done with shopping don't fret, I have a few suggestions for last minute stocking stuffers that should be pretty easy to find. These are a few of my favorite tried and true items and I would love to see any of these in my stocking. This post is not sponsored in any way. I used promotional images from the official websites, I did not take these photos. 

First up is CND Solar Oil. This is a fantastic product that works hard to keep your cuticles and nails looking fresh and hydrated in the cold weather. 

I use this all times of the year as my go to cuticle oil. After removing a manicure, filing and buffing my nails, I slather this all over my nails and cuticles, rub it in for a minute or two then wash it off. If I am feeling super dry I will put some on and keep it on (just using a little less than I would during a manicure). 

This stuff smells divine, like sweet almond oil. It's absolutely beautiful smelling. 

You can pick this up at CVS for around $8.00 to $10.00 depending on your location. 

Photo Credit: CND.com

Next up is my favorite hand lotion from Bath and Body Works. This is the True Blue Spa Shea Cashmere & Silk Hand Cream.  This retails for around $10 from Bath & Body Works but right now it's going for $6.00 in stores and online.

This is one of the best hand creams I have ever tried. It smells amazing, like vanilla and almond with a touch of sandalwood. It's quite a sexy scent. Be warned though if you're sensitive to strong scents you may not like this. The scent will last through several hand washings and lingers for quite some time. I love that but it may be a turnoff for some of you. 

This is one of the only hand creams I can tolerate on my hands. It sinks in quickly and doesn't leave my hands feeling greasy, just insanely moisturized. I love love love the feeling of this cream on my hands and rarely use other hand creams. Nothing has compared to the scent and feeling of this one. It's a real winner in my book. 

 Photo Credit: Bathandbodyworks.com

Next up is the world's greatest quick drying top coat. I cannot live without this in my collection, I just can't. I keep several back ups of it available at all times.

This is a quick drying, high shine top coat that has become a cult favorite though out the years. I have yet to find a top coat to live up to the expectations this has created. It will seriously change your nail polishing life. I swear. It makes giving yourself a manicure so much faster as it cuts down on drying time. The result? Perfect nails in no time flat.

If you haven't tried this, trust me, you need it. It's not a luxury, it's a necessity.

You can find this at CVS, Sally Beauty Supply and a few other similar stores for around $6.99 - $9.99 depending on your location. 
Photo Credit: Seche.com

Next up is a good old lip smacker lip balm in plain ol' vanilla. I have lip balms that I love more than this one but we're talking last minute stocking stuffers so I wanted to suggest a great product that was easy to find in a snap.  I've seen Lip Smacker products anywhere for CVS and Walmart to my local grocery store.

I love the good old classic  vanilla lip smacker. It's actually a pretty great quality balm to have in your purse. It's super moisturizing, smells and tastes great and only costs around $1.75.  I think this little balm would make anyone happy from your little sister to your mom. Can't beat classic.

Photo Credit: Lip Smacker

And last, but most certianly not least is a stocking stuffer for the reader in your life. I know all of my lovely followers are into beauty but I am sure there are some on your Christmas lists that just are not. Well if they are into books, and I mean books, not Kindles LOL, they will love love love my favorite book marks from "Last Line".

I have mentioned these on my blog before but I just love them and wish more people knew about them. They are the best bookmarks and never fall out. They clip to the side of your page and allow you to mark exactly where you left off last time you read.

I get mine at Barnes and Noble for around $1.99 for a two pack. They come in a variety of fun colors too.  I can never have enough of these lying around!

So that's all I have for you today but I hope it helps you make those stockings a little more full this year. 

What are your favorite items to stuff stockings with? 

Images are promotional images and were not taken by me. I have not received any of these products for free  they are just things I love and use.  This post is not sponsored in any way. 

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Butter London: All Hail the Queen

Good morning my friends. Thanks for baring with me as I sort out the commenting issues on my blog. I have no idea why that one post was not allowing comments. I still can't figure it out. As long as it works going forward I will be happy. I blog so that I can connect with my readers, without comments I can't do that.  I like Disqus, as long as it works! Intense Debate was a bit better, to me, because you all could share links to your latest blog posts. If you know how I can incorporate that into Disqus let me know. I found many amazing blogs that way.

Anyway, today I have a Butter London polish to share with you all. This is All Hail the Queen which at some point I believe was called All Hail McQueen I am assuming that was shortly after Alexander McQueen's untimely death.  This is essentially the base color of Yummy Mummy with some holographic sparkle added in.  The holographic sparkle makes this shade so gorgeous.  It's subtle indoors but outside, in natural lighting, it's fantastic. I almost wish it was a bit more in your face, but then again the subtly makes it more wearable. 

I used three coats for the opacity shown, two just did not cut it for me. If you recall, I liked Yummy Mummy but felt that it chipped quicker than average for me.  I found this one wore a bit longer but still wasn't amazing in the staying power department.  I think the reason it may have worn better was because I used Butter London's base and top coat. 

I really like the base coat. The one I tried was the Nail Foundation Flawless Base Coat. Which comes in a nice large bottle. It had a great matte finish which I am sure helped the polish to adhere well to the nail. I am a sucker for a good base coat, and this is a good one. 

I also used the Hardware P.D. Quick Topcoat which was your average, run of the mill, quick drying top coat.  Similar to Seche Vite, though not quite as thick.  It worked well and did dry quickly, maybe took slightly longer than my beloved Seche, but performed generally the same.  It's 3 Free, which is great for a quick dry top coat, so if you're in the market for something 3-Free then this might work for you.  I love Seche Vite but it does contain Toluene, which concerns many folks. 

 

Butter London polishes can be purchased at ButterLondon.com, Ulta and some other places online.  They are $14 a piece which is a bit hard to swallow so make sure you go for a color you can't dupe elsewhere.   


What are your favorite Butter London shades? How do they wear for you? Do you find them worth the price?  

Disclosure: This product was provided by PR for review purposes. All reviews are 100% honest and done at my discretion. For more information please see my Disclosure Policy.

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Nail Life "Speed Demon" Top Coat: Review

Nail Life's "Speed Demon" polish dryer top coat is available at Sally Beauty Supply stores and online at Sally Beauty. It retails for $6.99 or $5.99 with a Sally Beauty Club Card.

Upon becoming frustrated with my beloved Seche Vite I decided to try something new. I use the Nail Life Gripper Base Coat (stay tuned for a review) and I love the size of the bottle so I decided to give this top coat a try. Why was I frustrated with the Seche Vite you ask? I absolutely hate the fact that once you're down to the bottom 1/3 or so of the bottle the formula becomes a thick, goopy, impossible to work with mess. So like I said, I picked this up to give it a try.

Value/Size
Now $6.99 or $5.99 might seem steep but this top coat is 1 fl. oz which is double the size of most regular polishes. So I think that's a good value and something to keep in mind when debating on what to purchase.

Formula/Application
The top coat is thicker than normal polish but not as thick as Seche Vite, if that makes sense. It goes on well and is never goopy. Sometimes, if I don't get enough on the brush, I do end up with streaks and apply a second coat, but I have a feeling that's more my fault than the product's.

Shine Factor
The top coat is high shine and leaves my nails looking great for days. I'd say the shine factor is pretty much the same as Seche Vite's.

Drying Time
This top coat dries very quickly, going from application to dent free finish in about 5 minutes (I suppose I should have done a more accurate timing because I am not entirely sure, but fast). 5 minutes to DENT FREE, less than 1 minute to dry and dentable. I think Seche Vite does have a bit of an edge with the drying time because I do feel that it dries very quickly to a dent free finish. It is comparable though.

Overall, I'd recommend this product. I love the large bottle and the product performs as promised. I think if Seche Vite didn't thicken so terribly at the end I'd choose it over this one but since it becomes virtually unusable without the help of a thinner I'd have to give Nail Life's "Speed Demon" a slight edge but it's really such a narrow margain that I can't even decide. I love both products. I wish Seche Vite was usable at the end because that quicker drying really makes me love it.

Have you tried Nail Life's "Speed Demon"? What did you think of it? What other top coats do you suggest checking out?

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