Review: Seche Vite Top Coat & The New Black Nail Polish

$4.99, Amazon

I didn't paint my finger nails for like eight years. I hated how it would only last two days and then the chipping would begin. I never had the patience to remove my nail polish and then reapply several times a week. Also, the drying time was excruciating.

No more. This top coat is amazing. First of all, the shipping is blindingly fast. Second of all, the online reviews say it all. This top coat dries in a minute. Fully dries, as in, you can go about your business without using your elbows to pick up things. Second of all, it results in a super shiny manicure that looks like a shellac manicure. 

I can't say much about the staying power, but I've seen no chips after one day, which is actually pretty good compared to other top coats. I used to just add a shellac top coat to my nails when I was done with the manicure, but that didn't last very long and was a bitch to take off. I am so excited about this top coat because it means I can do my nails more, which means no more languishing for my nail polishes. 

Sephora

I got a mini-set of nail polish in last month's Pop Sugar Must Have (the best month yet!). They were two shades of bright orange-y, coral-y red, and I thought they were perfect for St. Lucia. However, having used both colors, I am a bit disappointed.

The colors are certainly very vibrant, but the polish is very thin. Usually I only need two coats of nail polish (even the cheap CVS stuff), but with this stuff, two coats were insufficient. I can still see the under-bits of my nails.

It's a shame that this brand is of such poor quality, because they have so many cute colors and sets, such as the ombre set above. However, it's unlikely I will buy another one of their nail polishes.

The Holiday Gimme: 2012 Gift Guide

I am pretty exacting when it comes to presents. I don't necessarily return things that people buy me that I don't like, but I am definitely a re-gifter. Honestly, it's better to give someone some cold hard cash than to give him or her solid proof that you know nothing about him or her. E.g., Lotion? Unless it is L'Occitane or something really effing expensive, don't bother. While I also like the occasional homemade gift (candy, jams, cookies), they smack of homemade production line cooking and should never be given as a sole present. We get it, you're cheap. 

If, you find yourself needing to buy a present for someone who has embraced materialism and capitalism as much as I have, then here are some present suggestions that are on my own personal wishlist. I chose the items that can be purchased for anyone on the girlfriend-relative-coworker spectrum, and that doesn't require intimate knowledge of someone's size.

Review: Red Carpet Manicure Gel Polish Pro Kit

$79.99 $39.99 drugstore.com

This package was sitting on my counter for several days. First, because I had received a deluge of packages after some frenzied Black Friday/Cyber Monday shopping. Second, because the system looked so complicated. All those tiny bottles! What purpose did they serve? Finally, after sitting down twice to attempt a manicure, I realized that I was missing some basic tools--like a nail file, or a cuticle pusher. I finally hoofed it over to Sephora to buy a nail kit (review soon) and sat down to delve the byzantine mysteries of this manicure kit.