Imperfectly Painted Turns 7 (It's time we talk)

Today is Imperfectly Painted's 7th birthday. Every year that goes by I can't believe I've been doing this as long as I have. I still can't. When I started this blog 7 years ago I couldn't believe I blogged for a year, 2 years, or even 3 years. When I hit my 4+ milestones I figured that this was just a part of my life and I didn't really see that foreseeably changing until this year.

This year has brought about a lot of exciting developments and changes in my life and for the first time ever what's in store for Imperfectly Painted is not very clear. I don't plan on stopping this blog. I plan on maintaining it at the pace I've comfortably set over the past year and a half until that no longer becomes feasible which it might. Then, I'll play it by ear. I enjoy this blog and until I can't do it anymore or more infrequently I plan on running it the same.

What are these developments and changes? I can share some of them with you, but one is a surprise that I hope to reveal to you very soon that I think many of you will enjoy along with me!  As many of you may know from following me on Instagram I have been a cat volunteer at my local animal shelter (Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando) for 4 years now. I spend time socializing cats, providing enrichment, and helping adopters find the purrfect kitties for their family. I am also a lead volunteer and I train new volunteers every month.

My years at this shelter have provided me with so much passion in purpose in life. When thinking about a career path it dawned on me that I have been looking in all of the wrong places and the path was underneath my nose the past 4 years all along. I'm meant to serve animals. Every cat I come into contact with I want to make their life better, feel comfortable, and be happy. When I encounter a scared cat at a shelter and I sit with them, talk to them, see them relax, and have them head butt me or start purr I feel I've made a difference to them in their life. In that moment I made them feel respected and loved and that means the world to me. There are countless cats out there who need help and who need comfort, guidance, and someone who respects them to help them live happy and fulfilled lives. I want to be one of those people for them.

Starting in June I will be starting my certification to become a Feline Behavior Specialist (think Jackson Galaxy but not 😜famous). I will be taking courses through the Animal Behavior Institute in Feline Training and Behavior and doing field work at the shelter where I currently volunteer. The certification should take 6 months so I should be certified in December. I have goals of hopefully assisting in shelters/rescues as well as offering behavior consultations to individuals locally and nationally via Skype and email. Remember, I also have something else in store that I hope many of you will want to be a part of too! I should be able to reveal it in the next week or two. Stay tuned!

All of this is my priority right now and with certification courses as well as doing more shelter work that is going to take up a majority of my time. There maybe a few hiatuses here and there, but I do really hope I can maintain this blog. I love nail polish, while it's not my passion, it is something I enjoy and see it as a relaxing outlet for me.  This blog has served me so well and prepared me for this new venture I have in life I'm very excited about.

I want to thank you all for supporting me and staying with me all of these years. I do hope that I do have some more left in this blog long term, but time will tell. As for now, I'm thinking things will stay the same, but I wanted to forewarn you that they may change!

Many thanks!

Weekly Wax Wrap Up: 4/2/17-4/9/17

Here is what I melted this past week!

Ten Digit Creations Cancer (Zodiac Collection)
Scent Description: lavender + lemongrass + sea salt & ocean breezes
My Thoughts: The strongest note I get off of this scent is lemongrass followed by lavender and then the sea salt & ocean breezes. It's a very fresh and crisp lemongrass based scent with a soft beachy background. I really like this scent and it's really nice when you want something really clean smelling. I melted this after doing some spring cleaning and it was perfect. It's bright and refreshing.
Scent Throw: 3.5/5
Where To Buy: Ten Digit Creations

Ten Digit Creations While You Were Sleeping (Sandra Bullock Collection)
Scent Description: lavender + lavender chamomile + stress relief (eucalyptus spearmint)
My Thoughts: This has all the makings of my favorite kind of scent. I love all of these scent notes individually. The lavender chamomile comes off very strong in this blend when melted and I wish the stress relief had a bit more of an oomph. I love the spearmint and eucalyptus notes I smell on cold, but I wish they came out more strongly when melted. It's still a great scent and perfect for bedtime!
Scent Throw: 4/5
Where To Buy: Ten Digit Creations

Happy Sunday!

China Glaze I Sea The Point

Over the past few months, I've been revisiting old nail polish collections. I notice a common theme with me is that when some colors are released I don't have any interest in them but a few years later they're right up my alley. I had to make a purchase over at Head2ToeBeauty and decided to look through their old China Glaze collections to see if anything peaked my interest now. I ended up picking up a handful of colors including this one from 2014!

I Sea The Point

I Sea The Point is a bright blue creme.

Collection: China Glaze Off Shore 2014

Color: I know why I didn't get this back in 2014. Bright blues like this were all the rage then and I'm sure I felt comfortable I had enough bright blues. What's funny is that hasn't changed. I still have enough bright blues, but since bright blues haven't been as on trend they haven't been in the forefront of my mind as much, so I needed this one too now. This is vibrant and bright. I love blues like this and I'm sure this is number 25+ bright blue in my collection 😂.

Formula: This had a nice and easy to use formula. I used 2 coats above.

Price: I paid $3.25 for this on Head2ToeBeauty.

Overall: This is a great bright blue polish. Blues like this are always winning colors in my opinion and I still can't get enough of them. You won't be disappointed in this one!

My Rating: 5 out of 5 *Golden* Paint Splatters

Happy Thursday!

Nails Inc. The Mindful Manicure Collection

* I received the following products in exchange for my honest review.

Nails Inc. contacted me recently and asked if I would be interested in reviewing their new The Mindful Manicure collection. I was intrigued by this collection so I took them up on their offer. This Mindful Manicure collection is a set of 5 nail polishes that are infused with real gemstones. According to Nails Inc....

"This polish is inspired by gemstones, which are said to intensify a person’s aura, helping to clarify thoughts, channel energy, and heal. It’s a beautiful, on-trend nail polish with a feel good message. This polish is inspired by gemstones, which are said to intensify a person’s aura, helping to clarify thoughts, channel energy, and heal. It’s a beautiful, on-trend nail polish with a feel good message."

Now, I think these polish enhancing your aura and improving your mood is a bit of a stretch here. I'm not buying into that. I'm not a big believer in things like especially when you put it into nail polish form. I am really intrigued that these are infused with real gemstones and I love the soft and airy feel of these colors so I see where they go the idea for this theme.

Good Vibes (infused with clear quartz)
Wear for aura enhancing
*worn over a nude creme

Good Vibes is a clear top coat filled with rainbow iridescent flakes and glitters.

Better Together (infused with rose quartz)
Wear for friendship and love

Better Together is a pale pink with a silvery shimmer with a blue flash.

Future's Bright (infused with citrine)
Wear for happiness and heart shielding

Future's Bright is a pale peach with a glowing gold/pink shimmer.


And Breathe (infused with tourmaline)
Wear for stress relief and positive energy

And Breathe is a coppery pink frost with sparse iridescent glitter.

Balancing Act (infused with moonstone)
Wear for balance and wisdom
*worn over nude creme

Balancing Act is a pearlescent top coat filled with glowing pink/purple shifting shimmer.

Collection: Nails Inc. The Mindful Manicure 2017

Colors: These colors are soft and airy. I think these colors work for the collection theme. My favorite colors here are Future's Bright and both of the top coats. I think the top coats in this collection are real winners here. They're so versatile and high quality. The only color I'm not really enthused about is And Breathe it's really too frosty and the added glitter doesn't help it much.

Formula: These all had excellent and smooth formulas. I was afraid that Better Together, Future's Bright, and And Breathe would be sheer but they were not. They only needed two coats and the top coats I only needed one coat over a base.

Price: Each of these colors is $15.00 each. You can purchase them either from the Nails Inc. website or Sephora.

Overall: I think this is a nice collection. I love the softness of the shades and the infused gemstones. I don't think this is a collection that will appeal to some nail addicts because they're not as exciting as some indie colors. I would really recommend the top coats. I really think they're beautiful and the highlight of this collection. The price is a bit steep for my tastes on these, but this is a higher end brand of polish.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 Paint Splatters

Happy Tuesday!

Weekly Wax Wrap Up: 3/26/17-4/2/17

Here's what I melted this past week!

American Home Moonlit Night
Scent Description: There's a peaceful stillness to this fragrance that comes from a mix of cedar, oakmoss, clove and more. It's calm and quiet, crisp but relaxing.
My Thoughts: This is one of those clean and masculine scents. I feel pretty confident saying as American Home is made my Yankee Candle this is the same scent as Midsummer's Night. It's cologne like, but it's not overly heavy. It's crisp and clean. I love this scent and scents like this one.
Scent Throw: 3.5/5
Where To Buy: Walmart

Ten Digit Creations Deep In The Congo
Scent Description: welcome to the jungle + hundred acre woods + orchid rain
My Thoughts: This a very unique earthy, hippie, and green blend. I'm not a big fan of earthy/hippie scents, but the green notes in it help to balance it out. This scent does have some grit and dirtiness to it not in a gross way, but in that woodsy/earthy scent way. It's difficult to describe, but it's definitely unique to me. I like this scent. It's not a favorite, but it's one I will melt again.
Scent Throw: 4/5
Where To Buy: Ten Digit Creations

Happy Sunday!