Sorry that I have been a bit MIA as of late. I am blog-productive when I have schoolwork to do, but when midterms and whatnot are over, I tend to spend as much time vegetating as possible. I’ve yet to resize, edit & upload swatches and reviews, so here are some photos of the beautiful Wilder Ranch State Park, a gem of a park in Santa Cruz. There are trails winding around the coastal bluffs where you can see otters & harbor seals floating (in the summer, lots of harbor seals haul out on the plateau in the third photo. It is quite the sight.), and little beaches with drippy caves. There are also trails that wind up into the hills, but I’ve yet to explore those.

If you ever find yourself in the Santa Cruz area, or somewhere off highway 1, with some spare time, it’s a great place to check out.

Babor Nougat is a pretty burnt orange creme. It applied creamily, but did require two thin coats for full opacity and streaky patch elimination. You could probably get away with doing just one thick coat though. No complaints on this one.

Babor is available online for $13.

This was provided to me for review.

I felt that Babor Nougat was a little too mature for me, so I added Lynnderella Shape Shifter on top to add some fun.

Lynnderella Shape Shifter is a smorgasbord of holographic glitters. The most predominant ones were the bits of microglitter and the hexagonal glitter, but I did spy some hearts, squares, and stars. I had a bit of an issue getting the larger glitters on my nail, but did not have the patience to shake the bottle for hours.

One last shot to show the gorgeous glittery awesomeness…

Lynnderella polishes are only available through Llarowe for $15. Leah Ann, however, is in the process of revamping her Lynnderella ordering process due to the overwhelming demand.

I am pretty sure that Ever creates the perfect down-to-earth, I just woke up and this was on my floor cool, and that aesthetic translate to their leather jackets. I’ve been drooling over them for forever.

The Desa jacket is no different. Fitted, washed, buttery soft lambskin… beautifully distressed… get in my closet, please!

Scotch Naturals Bitter N’ Twisted! It’s a vibrant red water-based jelly. It’s really pretty! I don’t have anything negative to say about this one.

Pictured above is two coats. Application for this one wasn’t difficult with a base coat. It does, however, have a very long dry time. You need to wait to apply the On the Rocks top coat when the color is completely dry. Otherwise, the top coat leaves white streaks through the polish.

Scotch Naturals Bitter N’ Twisted is available via Scotch Naturals for $14.99 or through Spirit Beauty Lounge for $14.99.

Scotch Naturals Leprechaun Lynch. First of all, what is wrong with leprechauns and why is Scotch Naturals lynching them? Aren’t leprechauns supposed to be adorable, a bit mischievous, but mostly harmless? At least that’s what my elementary school teachers told me whenever we came in on March 17th to some green foot prints and a couple desks turned over… And aren’t leprechauns green? Why isn’t this blue? Okay. Done analyzing the name.

Scotch Naturals Leprechaun Lynch is an aqua blue with bits of silver shimmer. Unfortunately it is pastel and behaved as such, hence the incredibly streaky manicure. This is two coats and I can still see  my nail. I found this also to be a little runny and difficult to control.

Scotch Naturals is a water-based polish brand, great for if you want a less chemical-y alternative to regular nail polishes. Because of this, application is a little bit different than regular polishes. For easier application, the Scotch Naturals base coat should be used. For a shiny manicure, the Scotch Naturals On the Rocks top coat should be used, as other top coats will not work with a water-based polish and cause it to chip.

Scotch Naturals is available via their website for $14.99 or $48.99 for three colors of your choice, a nail buffer, and the top coat. You can also buy Scotch Naturals via Spirit Beauty Lounge for $14.99.

This was provided for me to review.

If you feel that a product should be considered for my HCQ, please send me an email at paulina@thegoreprincess.com and I will add it to my to try/to buy list! To view other hand creams on my quest, click here!

Price: Winterwind Farm Tangerine Lavender All Natural Hand Cream is $5.00 for 1.7oz on Etsy. Shipping is $5 for Priority or $2.50 for first class.

Packaging: This hand cream is packaged in a plastic jar with a metal lid.

Texture & absorbance: This stuff is thick, and a little bit goes a very long way. It does take some effort to apply to your hands, but it sinks in nicely with just a bit of residue that disappears with time.

Scent: This is faintly scented with fragrance oils. I chose tangerine lavender, but other options are available.

Zoo Factor: This stuff is great for working at the zoo, or for rescuing sea lions which is what I tested it with. After allowing the hand cream to settle in, my hands stayed moisturized for a good six hours. It did stand the test of hand washing initially, but as it time went on, staying power after washing my hands wasn’t strong.

Acetone Addict: This is amazing for hydrating your skin! A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.

Buy it again? Yes! Definitely. The price is great ($5). It is all natural (ingredients are beeswax, lanolin, sweet almond & jojoba oils, pure water, essential & fragrance oils). My support goes to a small business. And this stuff works like a charm. If you’re looking for an overnight, wear with gloves, type of hand cream, this is also it!

This was provided to me for review.

A England Princess Sabra!!! Oh my goodness, this is so gorgeous. I am absolutely in love with this. It’s a very pale yell0w-based green scattered holographic polish. Very beautiful! It’s soft enough and not in your face, and would work as a neutral too.

Pictured above is two thin coats with no topcoat. It applied fairly smoothly, although I did have a bit of an issue with some clumping on one finger. This also dried very quickly because I somehow managed to smush a finger into the wall with no dents.

You can buy this directly from Adina (who is the sweetest lady ever!) for £9.00 and free shipping, from Llarowe (also a very sweet lady) for $12, or from Kim of Overall Beauty (another sweet lady!) for $12.

What’s better than shopping? Shopping for a cause! Give your lady some super cool gifts and give to charities at the same time!

Modelinia Loves bracelet by NOIR ($35) from Beach Mint and Endless (in Australia & Brazil, more colors available too) – all proceeds go to Save the Children.

Philosophy Shower for the Cure ($20 for 16 oz.) – all proceeds support the women’s cancer research fund.

Philosophy Green ($20 for 16 oz.) – all proceeds go to the rainforest foundation.

Philosophy Sweet Dreams ($20 for 16 oz.) – all proceeds go to buy new books for children in need.

KitchenAid 5-Speed Cook for the Cure Blender ($150) and 5 Qt. Stand Mixer ($399.99) – 10% of retail prices is donated to Susan G. Komen for the Cure®.

TOMS glitter slip on ($54) – for each pair purchased, TOMS will give a pair to a child in need.

ThreadSence White Light Skarf for a Cause ($64) – all proceeds go to Walk With Sally, a non-profit organization that is committed to providing healing and comfort to children debilitated by the emotional experience of living with or losing a parent to cancer.

Beats by Dr. Dre Solo HD Headphones RED Special Edition ($199) – a portion of the profits from this goes straight to the Global Fund to fight AIDS in Africa.

Sir Richard’s Condom Company in Collection, Ultra Thin, Pleasure Dots, Extra Large,  or Classic Ribbed ($9.99 per pack of 12) – for each condom purchased, a condom is donated to a developing country.

Apple iPod Nano (Product) RED 8GB ($129) & 16GB ($149) -  a portion of the profits from this goes straight to the Global Fund to fight AIDS in Africa.

If none of these are up your alley, check out Gifts that Give Back!

With the female world all up in a tizzy about vampires, werewolves and the sort, nothing says I love you quite like these gothic-esque Joomi Lim baubles. And if a vampire just so happens to swoop down on your young lass, a jab to the neck with one of those rings might distract him enough for a couple seconds of run as fast as you can. Fashionable and functional.

Spice up his business day with a bacon tie ($20, Urban Outfitters). Keep him casual in a bacon shirt ($24, Urban Outfitters). Bacon up his kicks ($59.99, Zappos). Add in some socks to the mix ($8 each or 3 for $20, Urban Outfitters). Give him a chocolate-y salty bacon sugar rush, and get some for yourself, too ($10, Fred Flare). Take care of him forever and ever with some bacon bandaids ($9.50, Fred Flare).