Etsy Spotlight: Nancy Green Jewelry

One of my new favorite jewelry designers, Nancy Green, creates gorgeous semi-precious gemstone jewelry with beautiful intricate sterling silver designs. Nancy Green Jewelry offers bold rings, lovely earrings, and pretty necklaces and bracelets. Nancy lives in Colorado, in the Rocky Mountains, and spends her time hand choosing each gemstone very carefully. Once she has a gemstone picked out, she lets the gemstone speak for itself and draws inspiration from it to find just what type of design she's like to make with it. She uses stones like turquoise, aquamarine, jade, lapis, chrysocolla, and more. She has a knack for choosing beautiful gems, and she really knows how to accentuate the gemstone's natural beautiful in the design of the silver that goes with it. Nancy is a true artist, and is self taught. She began silversmithing about 8 years ago, and before that she created wire jewelry and beaded jewelry. Nancy only choose high quality natural stones, so they really stand out as the focal piece in each of her pieces, whether it's a bold ring or a statement necklace. She creates each piece by hand, and really puts a lot of love and patience into each piece.

I recently got a gorgeous turquoise ring from Nancy Green Jewelry, and it's so stunning that I keep getting compliments on it. It's chunky, and bold, with a beautiful turquoise stone that takes center stage. It's sterling silver with a lovely design around the base of the ring, and a heavy duty adjustable band. This isn't your average adjustable band. it's not flimsy, or too easy to bend. Instead it's a thicker band that is soldered to the ring, and can gently be bent open to fit your finger I keep mine at about a size 7, which is basically nearly a full band as the base doesn't need to be opened up much to fit my finger. I can close the ring band a bit more if I like, or stretch it a bit more open, but the metal is strong and it gives slightly without making the band lose shape. The entire band and base of the ring is sterling silver, no silver plating whatsoever. This ring is so well made, the quality of the ring speaks for itself. The ring has some weight to it because of the size of the stone. This feels like a very expensive ring, but Nancy's jewelry is very affordable for the quality. Most pieces are under $100, which is absolutely fantastic for sterling silver jewelry and natural gemstones. I've seen jewelry of lesser quality, and of silver plated or brass pieces go for nearly double the price of what Nancy's pieces cost. Some high end stores carry big name brands that use silver plated or gold plated material and are flimsy and cheaply made, yet cost $100+. Nancy's jewelry is quality and made with real sterling without any of the fillers. She only uses quality materials and the quality of her jewelry speaks for itself!

 

You can see the beauty of the turquoise up close, and the detail of the silver design around the gemstone. The turquoise has a pretty shape and a wonderful vibrant color. So gorgeous! From the back of the ring, you can see that Nancy stamped it with her initials NG to show that it's her work and a true Nancy Green piece. You can also see the shape and thickness of the band, and you'll notice the small gap where the ring can be opened up if need be to adjust the size. My ring also has a heart stamped inside of the band, and small starburst designs around the outside of the band. It's a really personal and beautiful touch and makes me feel super special like the ring was made just for me. It feels great on my finger too, and I think it looks quite at home on my hand ;)

Nancy makes so many pretty pieces, and I am now a HUGE fan of her work and will continue to be so. I highly recommend Nancy's designs. She's already made a name for herself in Colorado, and her pieces are often noticed and recognized when worn. Her pieces are truly one of a kind! Since each piece is hand picked, each piece that she makes is one of a kind, and won't be the made the same away again, making each piece a one off truly unique piece of jewelry. I love my ring, and cannot wait to add more NG pieces to my jewelry box! Here are a few other pieces from her shop that I just adore:

Small Rectangular Lapis Ring - $48

Sterling Gaspeite Earrings - $119

Charoite, Orange Spiny and Variscite Sterling Ring - $74

Large Spiderweb Turquoise Pendant Necklace - $169

Robin's Egg Blue Turquoise Ring - $99

Nancy offers really prompt shipping, and she's very nice too so if you have any questions about her jewelry you can contact her. Nancy also has a blog that she updates with photos of new jewelry pieces also. Be sure to check out Nancy Green Jewelry to see the entire collection of beautiful gemstone and sterling jewelry pieces.

DISCOUNT: You can save 10% off of any order from Nancy Green Jewelry if you enter the discount code "DISCOUNT10" at checkout!

Review: BITE Beauty Luminous Lip Library, High Pigment Matte Pencil in Poppy and Tart

I adore BITE Beauty. Their lip colors are so nourishing and pretty and come in a variety of both neutral and bold colors. I also love that they have antioxidants in them such as Resveratrol (which is also in wine). They are free of icky chemicals too, and they have more natural ingredients. I'm a big fan of their BITE Beauty High Pigment Matte Lip Pencils. I recently got two of their new pencils, the Poppy High Pigment Matte Lip Pencil and the Tart High Pigment Matte Lip Pencil. I also got their super cute Luminous Lip Library, which is a palette filled with their lip products.

The BITE Beauty Luminous Lip Library is pretty awesome. It's a great way to sample the brand for the first time, or a great way for a BITE fan to have many of the lip products all in a convenient palette that you can take with you on the go! The palette sleek and black, and opens up like a book. On the left, is a nice size mirror, with a cute transparency of red lips. On the right side of the palette, is a mini lip brush, and BITE Super Fruit Butter, which makes your lips super smooth and moisturized, and it smells lovely too. It also includes the BITE Line and Define Lip Primer, so you can prime your lips before adding some color to them. It also includes the BITE Sheer Balm which is a light pink color and smooths your lips. Each lip product comes in a little B shape. The palette also includes 9 BITE lipstick colors! The colors include Cava, Rosette, Pepper, Fig, Cin Cin, Poppy, Carmenere, Rose, and Tanin. I already have a full size Tanin and Rose lipstick, but the palette is great because its an easy ay to take all of these colors on the go! Just throw the palette into your handbag! The colors are beautiful and moisturizing. You can apply them sheer, or layer for a more opaque color. It's a fabulous little palette, and it's only $30! Great deal for a quality brand like BITE and so many product colors.

BITE High Pigment Matte Pencil in Tart - Sephora describes this color as a soft cherry, but on my lips it's more of a coral-toned shade. This is what I hoped MAC Watch Me Simmer lipstick would be. It's a very comfortable formula to wear, it doesn't feel heavy, and though it's a matte formula it's moisturizing and not drying.

BITE High Pigment Matte Lip Pencil in Poppy - I really love this shade. On my lips it shows more of a neutral toned red. It's perfect on it's own or as a base for a gloss. This makes a great holiday shade!

You can find the BITE Luminous Lip Library and BITE High Pigment Matte Lip Pencils at Sephora!

Rock Beauty

Rock Beauty makes really fun nail, lip, eye, and body cosmetics that are easy to use and so much fun! Easy to apply body tattoos, press on nail colors, nail decorations, and more! I got some awesome Nail Rock and other Rock beauty products recently and they are really cute! I got some temporary tattoos, a Rock Beauty kit that comes with a temporary tattoo, nail, and eye designs, as well as some really fun Nail Rock decorations, including some holiday designs!

The packets of temporary tattoos are fun and easy to use, and even come in glittery designs! The Rock Beauty Disco Kit comes with bright eyeshadow strips, nail strips, and glittery temporary tattoos. Everything to have fun with bold decorations to go along with your makeup! You can watch a video tutorial of how it works here.

I also got some super adorable Nail Rock sets that come with nail glue and super cute little nail decorations. These decorations are 3D rather than a flat sticker or decal, these are actual tiny little decorations that can be applied to your nails after you polish them. Super cute embellishments!

 

Cute! The Nail Rock designs are really unique and fun, and make adding decorations to your nails so much fun. The decorations are easy to apply and glue to your nail on top of your nail polish.

Check out the entire line of Rock Beauty Nail Rock products available for purchase online!

Ciate Gift Set

Have you tried Ciate yet? Their nail polish line is so much fun! I recently got one of the Ciate limited edition nail sets for the holidays, and now I am totally hooked on the Ciate brand! All of their nail polish colors are so pretty, and their fun and unique caviar manicures look so cool! I have the Ciate Mini Mani Advent Calender gift set (which is now sold out!) and features a fun little foldout book of the days of December, with a fun little bottle of Ciate polish behind each date. Each day you open the number of the day and get a Ciate surprise! Most are lovely nail polish colors, and behind some are Ciate Caviar beads! Here are photos of the set below.

Super cute! This gift set sold out pretty fast, so it's unavailable now, but the other Ciate holiday gift set, the Ciate Mini Bar gift set is still available at Sephora! It's only $29 and it comes with 8 different Ciate polish colors and caviar manicure beads! Such a cute little gift set, and a great way to try the Ciate brand for the first time! This set is affordable and comes with a cute little caviar bed box, which opens to showcase all of the Ciate bottles of polish and beads. Everything you need to create cute manicures for the holidays! Here is a photo of my first time doing the Ciate caviar manicure:

The Ciate colors are lovely, some of them have glittery finish, others have a creamier opaque base, and others have a smooth gel like texture. The colors are very buildable, so you can wear them as sheer or opaque as you like! As for the caviar manicures, they are pretty easy to do, just follow the directions that are included and be sure to let your nails dry for a full 15-20 minutes. The beads look so cute, even prettier in person! It's best to choose a base color that matches the caviar beads that you will be using. Simply paint a thin coat on polish on your nail, and while the color is still wet, pour some caviar beads over the nail to coat it. Press the beads onto your nail so that they are firmly pressed against your nail and the polish. Allow to dry and then admire your nail! You will get compliments on these caviar manicures, they are just so cute and trendy. The Ciate Caviar Mini Bar Gift Set would make a great gift idea for the holidays! Check out the entire line of Ciate nail products are Sephora online.

Philosophy Gift Ideas

I love Philosophy for their cute packaging, beautiful scents, and rich fluffy bubbly shower gel. They always come up with the cutest products and lovely gift sets, especially around the holidays. I recently got the Philosophy Amazing Grace Layering Collection, which comes in a pretty pink gift box ready for gift giving. The gift set comes with the best-selling Amazing Grace scented products including the Shower Gel, Perfume, and Body Cream. This set is fantastic and perfect for those who already love the Amazing Grace scent, or those who are new to the brand and would love to try the scent! The 240ml bottle of shower gel has a shimmery light pink gel that can be used as a shower gel, bubble bath, or even shampoo! The smell is so pretty, and it's been one of my favorite perfumes for years now. It's soft and feminine and everyone who smells it asks me what perfume I'm wearing! The body cream is rich and thick and super moisturizing. The spray fragrance perfume comes in a square glass bottle that is perfect for spraying yourself with the lvoely scent whenever and wherever you like! You can layer the shower gel, then moisture with the body cream, and then spray the perfume for an ultra beautiful scent! You can find the gift set for $49.50 and it would make a great gift this season!

The Philosophy Frosted Treats Gift Set smells so delicious! It comes in a cute little sparkly green gift box with a red gingham ribbon. The set comes with Sweet Fluffy Cupcake shower gel, and Sweet Creamy Frosting body lotion. The scents are a wonderful pair! The shower gel is a shimmering light blue color and it's rich and thick, so a little goes a long way to create a luscious shower or bath full of bubbles. It leaves a light yummy scent on your skin. It smells like a sweet vanilla cupcake. The body lotion is rich and creamy and white, and smells like a delicious buttercream frosting. So yummy! It's not sickeningly sweet, it's just the rich amount of sweetness and it smells fantastic is you use the lotion on your skin after using the shower gel in the shower. This gift set would make a great gift or stocking stuffer! You can get this gift set for $22! Great price for such a cute gift set!

BeijoFlor Jewelry on Etsy

I like the bright colors and textures of pretty druzy and gemstones, and I recently got this cute pair of pink druzy earrings from BeijoFlor. BeijoFlor is a shop on Etsy that makes oxidized sterling silver jewelry with stones like moonstone, druzy stones in different colors, and onyx. Each piece is made from inspiration from tropical brazilian designs. These earrings have a oxidized base with pink druzy stones and hypoallergenic ear hooks. The colors feature a darker color of bright pink around the outside of the stone and a lighter color inside the stone, with a slightly rough druzy salted texture. BeijoFlor also makes rings, necklaces, and other types of earrings. The colors are bright and pretty too. I also have a coral druzy ring from BeijoFlor too. The rings come in various ring sizes, so be sure to check to see if they have your size, and also make note of the druzy or gemstone size in each listing, because the size of the gemstone or druzy varies on each piece. The stone on my ring is 5mm, so it's smaller than I had thought it would be, but the ring is still pretty. Right now BeijoFlor is having a sale, so you can get a discount on in-stock pieces! You can check them out at BeijoFlor on Etsy.