Overtone Review.

Terrible lighting but I finally got it the right color! Rose gold! :) And I did it without dying it again! I went to my hairstylist a few weeks ago and she toned my pink and put kind of a golden medium blonde in it. Still wasn't what I wanted but I knew it was going to be a process. And I'm about to sound like a commercial so bear with me. lol

I finally broke down and ordered Overtone. It's a color depositing conditioner. So it doesn't damage your hair like dying it. And if you get tired of it, just stop using the conditioner and it'll wash away. I've known about it for a while. Just decided to try it rather than dying my hair yet again and possibly damaging it or having it come out wrong.

I got the kit which came with the initial jar of deep conditioner, a regular bottle of the conditioner for maintaining it and a travel bottle. Given that with my hair I only need to wash it once a week this should last a while.The jar had a good bit in it. I used most of it because I have lot of hair but there is still enough left if I need to touch up at any point. I'll only have to go to my stylist to have her redo my roots every three months or so and then just keep using this conditioner for as long as I want the color.

There are still some sections more gold or pink but it blends nicely. Gives it dimension and looks natural. Overall I'm super happy with how it turned out It's been a process but I finally got there. 

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Hello again!

Hello, hello! My gosh it's been ages since I've written anything here. I looked at my blog a while back and noticed that nearly all the photos were gone. I got a bit frustrated by that and just left it all alone for a while. Plus I've been super busy. I finally sat down to revamp it this week. I deleted all the old posts that had missing photos because unfortunately I no longer have them saved anywhere. Those that I still had I added them back in to their corresponding blog entry. Not only did I have to replace those photos but my header and background were gone as well. In light of that I decided to change the logo a bit. Which led to me deciding to change the blog name also. So here it is. The brand new blog. Hmm actually... Would it be refurbished? :p

At any rate I am still fairly busy with other things but I will try to post here at least once a month. More often when I can. The content of the blog will remain the same as it always was. Pretty much anything and everything. Haha!

I'm writing this on Easter so I thought I would share a bit about the day. I don't really celebrate it but I wanted to do something nice for my hubby so I made a special dinner. It was just my husband and I so I made things I know he really likes. I made deviled eggs, pork roast, creamed corn fritters, baked macaroni and peach cobbler. Two of these in particular he had been asking for. That would be the creamed corn fritters and the peach cobbler. I normally make regular sweet corn fritters so this was an experience. I think I'm going to either alter my original recipe a bit to use creamed corn or find another recipe for the creamed corn fritters. Don't get me wrong. They were really good but they remind me too much of pancakes. I thought it odd when the recipe called for flour instead of cornmeal but I went with it. The results are below.

 Instead of fresh peaches the peach cobbler was made using some peaches my father in law gave us. He does canning. I had those on hand so I figured why not give it a go. The hubby loved it so I guess it's okay! Next time it will be made with fresh though. The pork roast I made in a slow cooker. I mixed together a marinade sauce to pour over it. I'm not entirely sure of everything I used. I remember there was honey, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire and a few other things. xD Anyway it came out great so hopefully I can remember it for next time. If you would like the recipes for anything below just comment and let me know and I'll share it in another blog.

Deviled eggs. They're separated because my hubby likes them different than I do. So I used wax paper to keep them apart.

Peach Cobbler

Baked Macaroni

Slow Cooked Pork Roast

Creamed Corn Fritters

Do you celebrate the day? If so is there anything special or any traditions you do? Share them in the comments below! That's all for now! Hope you all had a great holiday if you celebrate it and if not hope you had a great day regardless!

~ The Geeky Cat

Zoya Naked Manicure Review

Hi everyone! Long time no blog. Life has kept my very busy between my shop, writing and just everyday things. Also as some of you know I had a pretty big health issue I was dealing with as well. I even had to shut down my shop for a while to focus on that. However today's blog is not about this subject. Today I'm here to talk about the Zoya Naked Manicure Kit!

When I first saw it on their website I was curious so I looked over their online pamphlet to get more information. Admittedly it confused the hec out of me the first few times I read over it. Eventually though I figured it out. Zoya was very helpful in answering questions on their Facebook page about it. Not only from me but others as well. All in all my questions were answered in one form or another there.

Without further ado here is the Zoya Naked Manicure Kit plus the lavender perfector I bought separately. You can see that in the photo at the top.

The kit comes with everything most will need to get started. Base coat, pink perfector, tip perfector and satin seal topcoat.  Like many however I agree that you should have been given a choice as to what "color" perfector came with it. The pink works well for me but it won't for every skin tone. I personally purchased the lavender perfector as well because it helps with yellowing. My nails are not horribly yellow but sometimes after wearing certain polishes they do get a bit yellow colored even with base coat. I also ended up buying the glossy seal top coat because sometimes I want shiny! It's also great for when you wear polish with the kit.

That is actually one question I asked Zoya. How to wear polish with this kit. Their instructions were exactly how I had been doing it. So yay me! For those curious about that this was their answer: "All you have to do is use the base coat, one coat of the perfector (2 only if you have deep ridges or pitting) and then 1-2 coats of your color. You can use the glossy seal top coat or satin top coat over depending on the finish you want but you don't need both with color."

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It is important to note that this kit will NOT repair yellowing because it's not designed to do that. In their own words: "The lavender perfector isn't used to treat yellowing, but to cosmetically neutralize it so it's not as noticeable when going bare. It does have all the same treatment benefits as the other products in this line so it definitely will help to restore health to your nails." So don't go into this thinking that it will fix the yellow cause it won't. It does however do a great job of hiding it when you have it on.

I tested this Naked Manicure kit for three weeks because according to Zoya's Facebook rep that's about how long it takes to see improvement results in your nails.  Here are photos taken throughout my trial.The top left photo was taken prior to me using any of the kit's polishes. The top right photo was with the polishes in the kit on. Bottom left was taken a week after usage and the bottom right was taken two weeks after. (Note it is not currently on in either of the bottom photos.) I did not take a photo at week three because I've was out of town. However they honestly don't look any different from the end of week two. I will say that this kit did help with the peeling I was having as well as breakage. I've had one or two peels and a break since I started using it about a month ago but it has gotten much better.

Most of the time when I wore the Naked Manicure I wore it with regular polish because I don't typically like naked nails. I like color! lol I did find that some polishes it chipped faster with than others. It of course did last about a week when wearing Zoya polish with it.Not a huge deal breaker for me either way because I tend to change my polish fairly often. Usually before a week is up.

 Wearing it with polish does require an extra step and dry time as you have to apply the base, perfector, color and then the top. Really though it's not any more difficult or time consuming than using two coats of base coat. Which I tend to do anyway to help even my nails out. Especially if I know the color in question stains. So this actually works perfect for me. I purposely used a polish I know to stain with this kit and guess what? No staining! It also takes the place of a ridge filler if you use one because it fills those in quite nicely.

I actually really like the freedom this gives you to not wear polish and still have your nails look great as well. Even though it's fairly rare for me to go "naked" sometimes I do. This kit also makes a great base for a french manicure.

Dry time is pretty good overall but the perfectors do take a little longer to dry than the base or top coat. The pink also took longer than the lavender for me. So be sure to allow yourself adequate time for this to dry.

This kit in general is very easy to use. The tip perfector may take a bit of practice but it's not difficult. Zoya recommends painting down towards the free edge (as if you were painting regular polish on) instead of trying to do it like a french manicure. The key here is to keep it looking natural. Remember you are not trying to do a french manicure with this. You're trying to imitate your natural nail. 

So bottom line. Do I think this was worth the purchase? In short, yes. 

It's especially great for those who work in places where they can't wear colored polish. I know I used to work in a restaurant and they required "natural" looking nails. It could also be used if you simply don't have time to add color but want great looking nails. Plus as I mentioned above it does aid the overall health of your nails as well and provides a great base for regular polish.

The starter kit for women retails at just $25 on the Zoya website. Which really is a great deal considering you get four bottles with it. 

The men's starter kit is $22 and it comes with the Buff perfector, Naked Base and Satin Seal topcoat.

There is also the professional starter kit which comes with all of the "colored" perfector shades, the white tip perfector, naked base, both the satin seal and glossy top coats and a stand. It sells for $96.

The perfectors are sold individually for $10 each. They come in Pink, buff, lavender, mauve, and nude. The satin seal top coat, glossy top coat and base coat is available separately for $12 each.

To find out more  or purchase it yourself check it out on their website: http://www.nakedmanicure.com/

It is also currently available at ULTA. (At least it was at mine. You may want to check with yours to be sure.)

A special bond.

Some of you may remember the post I made yesterday (Tuesday) about being sick. At the time I wrote it I was having a ridiculous amount of trouble sleeping due to a bad cough. Well, I never got to sleep. I ended up going to the doctor first thing in the morning. There I was informed that I have currently have the joy of fighting off the flu, a sinus infection and bronchitis. The coughing is so bad (even with the prescription cough medicine) that I have been unable to stay asleep for the last 28 hours longer than like four minutes at a time. As it is now the co steroid shot and the antibiotics seem to be working but of course that won't help the cough. 

The cough suppressant medicine they gave me is not helping AT ALL. Which is absurd since it's supposed to be one of the best and cost like $40! The only thing it's doing is adding to my already exhausted state. (It makes you drowsy.) I think once it wears off I'm going to try taking what I was taking before which is an over the counter cough suppressant/expectorant. At least when I was taking that my coughs were mostly productive. Now I have more dry coughs which is not the way to go if you want to get better. Loose, productive coughs break up the phlegm causing the issue. I'll also try taking a sleeping pill. Those usually knock me right out no matter what. My issue of course isn't falling asleep since I'm so tired, it's staying there. Usually those are pretty good about that. So here's hoping.

Anyway my reason for this post is about my kitty named Bella. A little while ago I was so frustrated that I couldn't get to sleep after such a long time.

Well, she curled up next to my chest purring and put her paw on my hand to soothe and reassure me. Every time I'd cough she would either curl her paw gently on my hand or lick it as if to say it's gonna be okay mom. The purring was soothing on it's own, and the act of her curling up with me was very sweet but the hand holding, squeezing and kissing made it extra special.

Bella has asthma. She's actually on a daily pill for it but occasionally she still coughs when she purrs. I always try to calm her when it happens. I guess this is her way of trying to do the same. Cats are smarter than many give them credit for. They know when something is wrong. Especially if it's with a person (or another animal) they have a special bond with. ♡♥

In sickness and in health.

My husband and I got married last month. So I thought the title was appropriate.

He actually got sick with the flu first, and is still dealing with the lingering cough. At least he is now able to sleep a few hours at a time without waking up. I can't wait to get to that point.

I've been sick for about a week now and I've reached the coughing portion. It's not as bad tonight as it was last night, but still bad enough to keep me awake. Last night I didn't sleep at all. I think I finally passed out around 7am. The cough is a little better tonight but not much. Even under my tongue hurts from coughing so much. It's really awful that these things are worse at night isn't it? The doctors all tell you to get rest but it's kind of hard to do when the sickness is keeping you awake. Over the counter medicine that makes you sleep is only so good also. I actually ran out of that medicine last night. I've been taking something different today. Seems to work about as well as any other really. I could take a sleep aid but let's face it... I'm tired of taking pills and that can't be good to do either. So instead I sleep during the day when it's not so bad. Being sick makes me a vampire. Ha!

There I am in my bed tonight desperately trying to fall asleep after finding a semi comfortable position that I am able to breathe in (stuffed up nose). Every single time I start to drift off I cough and wake up. The last time, the time that got me out of bed I had actually fallen asleep and I jolted awake gasping for air as I coughed. That's not only a miserable feeling, it's pretty scary. So instead I lie there thinking about random things. Then I figure I may as well get up and type out some of them.

Now I'm sitting in my office, pretty much in the dark because too much light bothers me at the moment. It is almost 4am here after all. There is just the glow of my laptop and a night light in the corner where the cats bowl is. The only sound is my cough, my husband's occasional cough and oh... Now there is a cat eating at the bowl.

Okay I've rambled enough for this post. On to the next insane 4am post.

Hello Kitty not a cat... Say what?

To quote a real cat's meme... No. (Grumpy Cat)

"That's one correction Sanrio made for my script for the show. Hello Kitty is not a cat. She's a cartoon character. She is a little girl. She is a friend. But she is not a cat. She's never depicted on all fours. She walks and sits like a two-legged creature. She does have a pet cat of her own, however, and it's called Charmmy Kitty." (Source:http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/miranda/la-et-cam-hello-kitty-in-los-angeles-not-a-cat-20140826-column.html#page=1)

So by this logic Mickey Mouse isn't a mouse, Donald Duck isn't a duck, etc. So what if she has a pet cat? There is goofy AND pluto. A mouse with a pet dog... Since when do cartoons need to make that much sense? lol She even has KITTY in her title AND her name. Makes you want to look at them and ask, "are you serious?" Okay so she can't just be a girl cat? I mean, it's pretty apparent that's what she is.

You can't let people think all these years that Hello Kitty is a cat and then pull this. It's obviously a publicity stunt.

I for one refuse to believe it. Call it denial or whatever but that's how I feel. She's a cat. End of story! :p