[Ellie's Blog] Bio Sculpture Gel #2025 Vibrant Violet

Last week, I tried soak-off gel nail colour for the first time, because I am a victim of expiring Groupons. But that’s a different rant.

The salon used Bio Sculpture Gel, which was first-to-market, but other brands have emerged since then such as CalGel and OPI’s Axxium. The entire manicure took 75 minutes, and features a small jar of gel polish (kind of like really thick nail polish) applied with a brush. There was a base coat, two layers of polish, and a top coat, each layer of which stayed wet until cured under a UV light. A more detailed breakdown of what I liked and didn’t like after the jump.

[Ellie's Story] Compatibility

Monday, 8:20 pm – Candidate 1:

Me:            “What do you do for work?”

Him:          “I’m uh…between jobs right now. But I’m hoping to find something soon.”

Me:            “Okay. So what was your previous job?”

Him:          “I was a dancer.”

Me:            “Oh, like a ballroom dancer?”

Him:          <Pause> “Uh...like an exotic dancer.”

Tuesday, 12:35 pm – Candidate 2:

Me:            “So, you’re not opposed to living with a cat?”

Her:           “Not at all. I actually have a pet too. I’d like to bring it with me.”

Me:            “Oh cool. I’m fine with that as long as it gets along with my cat. What kind of pet  is it?”

Her:           “A scorpion.”

[Ellie's Blog] Gucci Envy Me Eau de Toilette

In addition to nail polish, something else I wear almost daily is perfume. I am by no means loyal to a single perfume; I have maybe 6 that I alternate between depending on mood. But I am not entirely fickle either, because there is a particular one I return to time and time again, and is the only perfume I own in a large bottle. Hands down my favourite perfume, today I'd like to share with you Gucci's Envy Me.

According to Sephora, Envy Me has notes of peony, jasmine, pink pepper, litchi, pomegranate, pineapple, pink musk, seringa, white tea, sandalwood, teakwood and sensual musk. Even if I were reincarnated as a German Shepherd, I doubt I'd be able to differentiate between all those scents, and my personal description is simply "a light and fresh floral". I don't like my perfume too heavy or too musky, but I enjoy a hint of floral, and this one fits the bill perfectly. It was the first perfume I ever fell in love with and purchased, so I guess it's true what they say about first loves.


Even though I'm sure you've all read or heard many tips for wearing cologne/perfume, the following are the ones that come to mind as I'm perfume shopping or spritzing myself in the morning:

• Always try a perfume on your skin before buying. The oils on your skin will react with the perfume oils, so the perfume will not necessarily smell the same on your skin vs. my skin vs. a piece of paper. 
• I don't want my perfume to knock people out like an ocean wave as I walk by; I want it to be so subtle that it doesn't register on my audience's consciousness. If a scent straight from the bottle is too strong, spray a cloud in front of you and walk through it.
• Hair holds scent longer than skin.
• Some people are highly allergic to scents; be sensitive to those around you.

What is your favourite scent? 

The smallest size (1oz) retails for $52 USD and is available from Sephora and most major department stores.