Showing posts with label Body and Soul Contests. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Body and Soul Contests. Show all posts

Friday Follower Freebie!

Contest has now ended!
Merry Christmas! Today's winner will receive 4 full-sized products from the Savannah Bee Company, including a Hand & Nail Salve, Beeswax Hand Cream in a jar, Beeswax Hand Cream in a tube, and a Peach Lip Balm.

The Rules: You must be a follower. You must leave your eMail below in the comments as your entry. All entries are due by midnight tonight.


Posted in , ,

December Contest Winners of the OPI Alice in Wonderland Collection

Using random.org, I have chosen the winners of the OPI Alice in Wonderland collection! We have an International winner and a U.S. winner, Ana Rita and Lisa V. I don't believe Lisa has a blog I can link you to, but Ana Rita is the author of Let's Talk About Beauty. This contest had more entries than any other monthly contest I've held, so that tells me that everyone is excited about either Alice in Wonderland, OPI, or free polish! Thanks for all of the entries and congratulations to the winners. Yen from Victoria Nail Supply told me this morning that they are expecting this collection in the next couple of weeks, so as soon as she receives them, they'll get them off to the winners.
Note: Photo above shows the mini's, because that is the only photo I was furnished and didn't want to copy one from someone else's site, understandably. However, the winners will each receive a full-sized set of all 4 polishes.


Posted in ,

Friday Follower Freebie!

One winner will receive an assortment of 11 discontinued Maybelline Express Finish polishes! These have been turning up at Dollar Trees lately, and why they discontinued some of these is beyond me. The prize package contains 11 shades, including glitters, mattes and shimmers. Here are the shade names, starting at the Top Row left to right: Bronze Aluminum, Blackened Teal, Blackened Bronze. Middle Row left to right: Blue Chill, Shooting Stars, Planet Pluto, Khaki Fringe. Bottom Row left to right: Matte Plum, Matte Blue, Matte Stone, Purple Comet. My personal favorites include Blackened Teal, Khaki Fringe, and Shooting Stars. I still have my originals of these 3, but I picked some up for myself as back-ups.

The rules are simple: You must be a follower of some sort, you must leave your eMail below in the comments section as your entry, all entries must be received by midnight tonight.


Posted in ,

Friday Follower Freebie!

Two random winners will be chosen over the weekend for this week's FFF prizes! Check the FFF box in the right hand column on Monday for the winners, and for a preview of the 12/18 FFF prize. Each winner of today's drawing will receive 1 full sized bottle of Treasured Body Tropical Waterfall Body Lotion (8 oz.), 2 mini bottles (2 oz.) of Treasured Body lotion in a variety of different scents, and 1 bottle of BB Couture nail polish from their latest men's collection, either Pipe Bender or Impact Driver. Note: There is no choice on the smaller lotion's scents or nail polish shades. Thank you Kim and Overall Beauty for furnishing today's prizes!

The rules are simple: You Must Be A Follower Of Some Sort. You Must Leave Your eMail Below In The Comments Section As Your Entry. All Entries Must Be Received By Midnight Tonight.


Posted in ,

Body & Soul December Contest

Two winners will each receive 1 set (4 full-sized bottles) of the upcoming OPI Alice in Wonderland Collection. These will be sent to you from Victoria Nail Supply, and they are anticipating a late December arrival. Note the photo above shows the mini-set, but that's the only photo I personally had and didn't want to take one from someone else's site! The prize bottles will be full-sized. Send me an eMail with "December Contest" as the header and be sure to include your eMail address. Entries must be received by midnight, December 20. Followers only, please.

I apologize for my lack of swatching and polish pictures, and hope to get some done this weekend. I've been extremely busy with upcoming holiday planning...I have a love/hate relationship with Christmas...love the meaning behind it, the decorating, food, gift giving, music...hate the stress and the commercialism! There's something else I'm very excited about, which has nothing to do with nail polish or makeup, but it's been taking up a lot of my time as well. It's not quite a done deal yet, but if all goes according to plan, it should be by Monday, and I'll be sure to post pictures! I have BB Couture's newest "man" polishes, and I still haven't swatched their first "man" set I received a couple of months ago, so I think I'll be starting with those. Lastly, I changed one of the navigation buttons above to read "New Polish Releases". That link contains some of the upcoming collections, photos and information, and links to posts I have done showing swatches of the polishes I have. I'll update the page whenever I receive new information.


Posted in ,

Friday Follower Freebie!

Two FFF winners will be randomly chosen over the weekend, and each winner will receive a bottle of China Glaze Dripping Wet and a bottle of China Glaze Crystal Ball. Both of these are discontinued shades. Scroll down to yesterday's post for more photos of these polishes if you missed it. The rules are simple: You Must Be A Follower Of Some Sort. You Must Leave Your eMail Below In The Comments Section As Your Entry. All Entries Must Be Received By Midnight Tonight.

That's all there is to it! Check the FFF Information Box over in the right side column, because every Monday I'll update it with the winner(s) and also with the prize for the next FF, which will be held December 11.


Posted in ,

Korres Winner, British Swap, A New Weekly Contest!

Above & Below: Goodies from I swap I did with Andrea, one of my followers in England. These are my first GOSH polishes and the one on the right (Golden Dragon) is one of my favorite shade families. How cute is the lip gloss with a light in it!
Random.org picked the winner of the Korres 6 piece facial skin care and cosmetic box for me...and the winner is...JustMeScarllet! She is from Portugal and has a very nice makeup blog that also covers some nail polish. Congratulations to our winner!

I felt like a winner when I recently received a swap package from Andrea, one of my followers from Liverpool, England. She had contacted me about the possibility of getting her some OPI Holiday Wishes polishes and Sephora by OPI polishes she was longing for, but didn't have access to, being in England. We worked out a swap and I told her to send me whatever she wanted, but that I did want some tea. She did a fantastic job picking out polishes for me without any direction! She also sent me a Gosh lip gloss that matches one of the lip glasses from MAC that is no longer available from their Barbie collection. It was my favorite lip glass and she had read a post of mine way back when, stating that I had been on the prowl for something similar. It's a near perfect match and it even lights up! Thank you so much Andrea for such a thoughtful package. I'll be posting swatch pictures soon.

Speaking of winners, I've been working on a new weekly contest for my blog and it will start with the inaugural post/contest this Friday, December 4. The weekly contest will be called Friday Follower Freebie. The basis of the contest is two-fold, first, to give you my followers, a chance to win prizes that are beauty-related as a thank you for supporting my blog. So yes, you must be a follower to take part in these giveaways. You can follow via Twitter (the button on the left), my follower box (on the right), rss feed, Blog Lines, and so on. Secondly, I wanted to consolidate some of my reviews/giveaways into a more orderly, timely fashion. By having a weekly contest, it allows me to stay on schedule with some of the reviews for products that are furnished by the manufacturer, while at the same time, offering you the chance to win some great prizes. Some of the prizes will be furnished by myself, while others will be furnished by the product manufacturers. I'll continue to have my monthly contest as well, but this is just another way to thank you and have some fun at the same time. The rules are simple:

~You Must Be A Follower

~There is a box in the right side column which will announce the prize. I'll update it every Monday with the previous winner from the week before, as well as what the prize is for the coming week.

~Every Friday, I will publish a post describing the prize, reviewing the product (if a review is warranted), and posting a photo of the item(s). All you have to do is leave your eMail in the comments section of that post. This information will also be cross-posted on Twitter every Friday. Each FFF contest runs only on Fridays, and all entries must be received by midnight that night. The winner will be drawn over the weekend and their name will be published in the contest box. They will also be notified with an eMail. Occasionally, there may be more than one winner, depending on the amount of products available.


Posted in ,

Last Day To Enter! Win a 6 Piece Korres Skin Care & Cosmetics Box!

I wanted to remind everyone that the deadline to enter the Body & Soul/Korres giveaway is midnight tonight. Click here to see the original post/pictures and details on how to enter. Korres Cyber Monday sale started today and runs through Tuesday, December 2. Here are some of the great offers they have available:

~20% Off Everything Site-Wide

~Free Shipping Over $30.00

~Buy One Get One Free Deals

~Free Product With Purchase Deals
*Products furnished by Korres USA


Posted in ,

Body & Soul Black Friday Giveaway: Korres 6 Piece Set!

Above & Below: Win this box of Korres products! See below for details.
Below: These cards are included in the box and give you a brief description of each product.
I have no intention of going out shopping today, so I thought it would be fun to do a giveaway! For those of you who are familiar with Korres, you already know what a fantastic brand this is. Korres is naturally formulated, and they carry a wide range of beauty products, including skin care, cosmetics and hair care, to name a few. There are usually coupon codes available right on their web site for a variety of free products and/or shipping, not to mention the fact that their products and packaging are perfect for gift giving. Their lip butters have been a longtime favorite of mine, and Korres was kind enough to send a box for me to sample as well. These are all full-sized products with a retail value of over $125.00. Even the sturdy box is nice! I'm using mine to store some of my nail care products in. Here's what's included in the giveaway box (click the product title for a direct link to additional descriptions on the site), along with my thoughts of each product:

Pomegranate Cleansing Wipes-I am finding these very useful as a makeup remover, especially on the nights I'm feeling too lazy to wash my face! They are very effective, smell terrific, and leave my face feeling clean and soft. They're oil-free and contain Vitamin E, as well as Pomegranate Extract. The properties in Pomegranate Extract also act as a pore minimizer.

Wild Rose 24-Hour Moisturizer-this is an nice, lightweight moisturizer that includes an SPF 6. It leaves my skin feeling hydrated throughout the day and with no greasy feeling. It contains Wild Rose Oil and Vitamin C, along with a host of other natural ingredients for skin brightening, fine line reduction and an overall healthy and radiant glow. This one is recommended for normal to dry skin.

Lip Butter in Jasmine-I love their lip butters! The contain Shea butter for moisture and rice wax to seal in the hydration. I've gone through countless pots of these over the years and they give my lips a hint of color and shine. I use them alone or over another shade to add protection and shine.

Silicone Free 99% Natural Face Primer-I don't normally use a face primer, but so far, this one is very impressive. It minimizes my pores and seems to fill in lines without feeling like I've spackled my face in the process. It seems to give my finished look a smoother appearance and assists in an almost flawless application of my mineral powder.

Materia Herba Toning Cleansing Foam-this is doing a great job thoroughly cleansing my face and leaving it feeling refreshed, without a feeling of tightness. I've noticed that my face doesn't get oily at all during the day, and it may be due to the Salicylic acids in this. It's packed with many natural and organic ingredients, including floral water and olive leaf. This particular type is recommended for all skin types.

Lash-Strengthening Mascara with ProVitamin B5 and Rice Bran-this mascara (in black) has ingredients that nourish your eyelashes, in addition to providing length, thickness and color. I haven't used it long enough to be able to tell you that I've noticed a difference in the health of my lashes, but it definitely is a nice, buildable mascara that applies evenly and without clumping. It wears well throughout the day without flaking or smudging.

If you check out their web site, you'll be able to see their vast range of products, along with ingredient lists. I am finding that their products are of excellent quality and I consider them quite indulgent! Their packaging is well-made and attractive, and many of the products contained in the giveaway come from various lines that they offer containing a multitude of other products available...in other words, if you like the Materia Herba facial cleanser, you might want to consider trying some other products in the Materia Herba line, such as the eye cream or moisturizer. If you sign up for their mailing list or join them here on Twitter, you'll receive additional specials and offers. They also have an International site which can be found here.

RULES: You must be a follower of some sort to enter. This can be through Twitter, Blog Lines, the Follower Box over on the right, and so on. You can become a follower if you aren't already, to take advantage of my giveaways. Leave your eMail below, and just for fun, mention if you've ever tried anything from the Korres line and any thoughts you had on it. I'll draw a random winner on Monday, November 30, so have your entries in by midnight Sunday, November 29. As always, International followers are welcomed.
*Products furnished by Korres USA


Posted in , , , ,

Product Review: Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion & A Giveaway!


Today I'll be reviewing an innovative skin care lotion that I recently received from 21st Century Formulations, the manufacturer of Skin MD Natural. For all intents and purposes, this product acts as a moisturizer, but it acts differently than a moisturizer. When I used it the first time, I noticed that the bottle said "shielding lotion", meaning that "it not only adds moisture to the skin, but it also binds to the skin such that the environment is not allowed to penetrate and desiccate the skin, essentially forming an invisible shield around and throughout the skin. Shielding lotions are lotions that form a protective shield with the outer layer of skin and help keep out irritants and chemicals. They also allow the natural oils and moisture to remain in the skin so it can heal better."
Essentially, this lotion not only moisturizes your skin, it also protects it. It is recommended for use on the face, body and hands and although I was a little afraid to try it on my face, I did. I've been using this for 4 days now and I have had no problems or reactions whatsoever. The lotion is fairly thin in consistency, it absorbs quickly and evenly into the skin, and it has very little scent, which disappears completely after it's been applied. The first thing I noticed after using Skin MD is how silky soft my skin feels. That feeling lasts throughout the day, which I appreciate. I wash my hands quite a few time throughout the day, and I'm finding that my hands still feel hydrated after each time I wash them. I'm not applying lotion to my hands 3-4 times a day, because they simply don't look or feel like they need it. I don't have problems with my skin, but this product is recommended by many dermatologists as a way to treat certain skin conditions, including eczema and psoriasis. I've been putting a little extra product on my elbows, knees and feet before I go to bed, and I am noticing a slight change in the feeling and appearance of the skin in these areas. They're softer, most definitely, and they appear to be less dry when I get out of the shower, before I've applied the product for the day. I don't know if I'm imagining it, but the skin on my face looks better to me...better as in younger, a more even skin tone, just overall healthy looking... dare I say dewy or glowing, especially when I'm not wearing makeup. I have an arsenal of facial products that I use, so obviously, if one product could replace those, as well as replace my hand and body lotions, that would certainly save me time and money! I'm not quite ready to call this a miracle product and replace all of my other products with it, but I do like the results I'm seeing so far.
Here are some details about the product itself:
-No animal products or testing
-Dermatology tested
-Fragrance and colorant free
-Hypoallergenic
-Paraben free
-Non-comedogenic
Their website is filled with information about the company, the products and testimonials. I spent quite a bit of time reading it and the skeptic in me was pretty impressed. Personally, I found this statement on their website to be very interesting, because I actually add glycerin to many of my lotions because of it's moisture retention properties. "Glycerin has been the standard against which all humectants are measured. Until now no other humectant drew in as much moisture from the air as glycerin. But the proprietary formulation in Skin MD Natural has a moisturizing factor of at least 6 times greater than glycerin. Combined with its protective properties and natural ingredients, this makes Skin MD Natural a truly unique product." This product is available in a regular formula as well as an SPF 15 formula. They retail for $18.00 (regular formula) and $25.00 (SPF formula) for a 4 oz. bottle, and there are several other options on their website for larger orders, such as case lots (great for gift giving!), gallon bottles, and so on. You can order samples and simply pay for the postage, if you're interested in trying out this lotion. They have a 100% unconditional money-back guarantee on their products, so if you're not happy with it, just return it for a full refund. They do offer International shipping at a very reasonable rate ($9.95), and they also have a store locator and International websites located on their main page.
If you'd like to win 2 full-sized bottles of Skin MD Natural, leave your e-mail in a comment below. I'll select one name as the winner, and you'll receive a bottle of their regular and their SPF 15 formula (a $43.00 value). All entries must be received by midnight, November 20. The winner will be announced on November 21. Followers only, please.
*Sponsored review, products furnished by Skin MD Natural/21st Century Formulations.


Posted in , , ,

Body & Soul November Contest Announcement


~~~Followers only, please!~~~
I posted the information up in the right hand corner yesterday, and totally forgot to make a post about it! I was so busy trying to swatch the Finger Paints Holiday collection, that it slipped my mind. My contest this month isn't terribly creative, but I hope you like it. We'll have 2 winners, and each winner will receive all 6 polishes in the highly anticipated re-release of China Glaze's Wizard of Ooh Ahz Returns collection. The polishes will come to you from Victoria Nail Supply as soon as they receive them, although an exact date is not available at this time, but they are expected sometime this month. If you win, you can be the envy of all of your friends because you'll be among the first to be sporting these shades on your nails! I don't know about you, but my friends don't keep up on things like this too much...what's wrong with them?!! The contest is open to FOLLOWERS ONLY and US and International readers are all welcome. You can be a follower via my blog box over in the right column, Twitter (see the button in the left column), etc. As always, if an International reader wins, the polishes will be shipped to me and then on to you.




RULES: Send me an eMail with the word "Wizard" in the subject line and include your first name and eMail address. Followers only, please. US and International entries are all welcome to enter. Entries will be accepted until midnight, November 15 and 2 winners will be chosen on November 16 using Random.org.


Posted in ,

Essie Sweet Time of the Year Giveaway & Swatches!

Above: Essie's recent release of their Winter Collection, Sweet Time of the Year, includes from L-R: Rock Candy, Lollipop and Mint Candy Apple.
Above & Below: Rock Candy applied nicely in 3 coats. It's a very pale shade of pink and the color deepens upon each coat. All photos were taken outdoors with no flash under cloudy skies.
Below: Lollipop was nearly opaque in one coat, but I decided to go with the usual 2. This is a red creme with slight red/orange tendencies and the application was perfect...I'm not saying my application was perfect, but rather the formula/consistency was perfect!

Above & Below: Mint Candy Apple is shown in 2 coats. The first coat went on a little streaky, but covered well with a second coat. I added 2 drops of thinner to it after the first coat, because it seemed a little on the thick side. It looks so creamy in real life! In the last photo, I added a coat of Essie's Matte About You.

Essie recently released a small Winter Color Collection and although it contains just 3 shades, I love it. I was initially drawn to Mint Candy Apple, but after using all of them, I am equally smitten with the other two. According to their creator, Essie Weingarten, she says "This Season, I wanted to create a new set of classic, fun colors that are wearable on every skin tone." Mint Candy Apple is described as a creme de mint mint (that's not a typo!), Lollipop as a candy cane red, and Rock Candy as a sweet pink treat. Here's what I personally like about each one: Rock Candy, although considered a sheer and not extremely colorful, gives a very nice, clean look to the nail. It looks simple and finished, and sometimes that's what an occassion calls for. Lollipop is such a vivid shade and the coverage and ease of application makes for a quick and eye-catching look. Mint Candy Apple is mint green. Need I say more? These are available on their web site in full-sized bottles and also as 4-piece mini set, which includes a bottle of their 3-Way Glaze.


If you'd like a chance to win a set of all 3 shades in the full-sized bottle, just leave a comment below with your e-mail. To make it a little more interesting, tell me what your favorite Essie polish is or what shade you'd like to see Essie come out with. I'll start by telling you my favorite...it's hard to pick just one, but of the polishes I have, I'd probably say either Huckle Buckle or Viva La Vespa. As far as what I'd like to see them come out with, certainly a re-release of Starry Starry Night would be a wish of mine. Otherwise, I'd have to say some unique shades of green with various finishes. I'll draw a random winner on Thursday, October 22, so have your entries in by midnight, October 21 (tomorrow). Followers only please (via my blog, Twitter, etc.), and International followers are also welcome to enter.


Posted in , , , , ,

Cosmo Brand Polish & Our October Winner!


Above & Below: Cosmo brand polish in Under the Shade. I love this color!



Our winner in the Body & Soul October Contest is none other than fellow blogger, Kris! Kris has the fabulous Kris Primps! blog and has made mention of going on a low-buy, although I haven't seen any signs of that yet! I'm just kidding Kris, congratulations! I used Random.org to choose the winner and the lucky number was 6. Let us know what you're planning on using your Victoria Nail Supply gift certificate for and which polishes Yen sends you for the discontinued/hard to find portion of the prize. I did ask her to include my NOTD polish I used yesterday, Viva La Vespa, as one of the selections, but I don't know what else she has in mind.


The polish I'm showing you today is a brand called Cosmo and there is little information about them online. I've only seen them at a very shady nail salon in my town...one of those places that I have a little apprehension about when I go in, but I usually manage to come away with a few good finds, so risking my life is always worth it. I've managed to pick several of these up over the years and I absolutely love them. They apply perfectly in 2 coats, dry quickly, and have a rather unique finish. This one is called Under the Shade and it's a rustic red shimmer with a blackened base. The shimmer is so fine that the finish almost becomes foil-like or metallic when it's dry. I found one site that sells them online, but I don't know anything about them so I can't advise you to purchase these from them. I have heard others talk about randomly coming across them in small nail salons, so if you ever see one, I'd suggest picking it up to add to your collection.


Last week I did a review and contest with Tarte Cosmetics on my blog and I received an e-mail from them about a great contest they're having. The Grand Prize winner will receive a prize package of Tarte Cosmetics worth $1,250.00 and the 2nd and 3rd Place winners will each receive a $200.00 Tarte Cosmetics Prize Package. It just takes a minute to sign up and there's no purchase necessary. When I entered, I also received a code for 20% off my next order. The contest ends 10/31/09 and here's the link if you're interested.


Today's my husband's birthday, so I'm off to wrap presents and make his requested dinner. He doesn't ask for much and puts up with all of my nail polish and make up obsessions, so I figure it's the least I can do!


Posted in , , , ,

China Glaze Cancels Dark Secrets Release

Above & Below: My hopes have been dashed by the cancellation of China Glaze's Dark Secrets release, above. But Essie's Sweet Time of the Year, especially Mint Candy Apple, will help fill the gap during this lull of new collection releases.
I was anticipating the upcoming Dark Secrets Winter Collection release from China Glaze, but unfortunately, it has been postponed. I don't know if it's going to be released at another time or if it has been cancelled altogether, but I do know that I'm disappointed. I thought it was a dark, delicious offering of shades for Winter, but now we may never know. Perhaps all of the hype and success of the Glitter collection pushed it aside, but I wanted those shades! Especially the teal one. Hopefully, they'll change their mind and we'll be able to see them someday.


In the meantime, we don't have too much to look forward to over the next couple of months as far as new offerings. In the meantime, I'll keep gazing at the "Sweet Time of the Year" promo pictures from Essie, due out later this month. Mint Candy Apple will keep my spirits up!


Congratulations to Deanna, the winner of the Tarte Cosmetics giveaway. I don't think she has a blog I can share with you, as I haven't heard back from her as yet. A special thanks to Tarte Cosmetics for furnishing the prize collection.


Posted in , , ,

Tarte Cosmetics Giveaway & A Matching NOTD

Above & Below: The Tarte Cosmetics giveaway includes the Spring Greening Eye Shadow & Lip Gloss palette in a reusable eco-friendly case, a natural cheek stain and a cotton tote that zips into a small case for portability.
Below: Prize products, pictures courtesy of Tarte Cosmetics.
Below: Color swatches of the cheek stain and lip glosses. Don't worry, I used my palette for the swatches, not the prize palette!
Below: Ny NOTD, Anna Sui 214. I used the Tarte product packaging as a backdrop to coordinate with my nails.


I've got lots of information to cover in this post, so I tried to coordinate some of it so I could combine all of the things I wanted to cover. First, I've partnered with Tarte Cosmetics to offer you a chance to win some of their lovely cosmetics. The prize winner will receive their Spring Greening Palette, which is in a limited-edition reusable straw palette. It includes 6 vibrant eye shadows, 3 vivacious t5™ infused lip glosses and a bamboo eyeshadow brush (retail value $38.50). Also included is the Green Siren in Golden Apricot, a limited-edition natural cheek stain (retail value $30.00), and a reusable natural cotton tote that folds away and zips into itself, making it easy to carry or pack until you need to use it as a tote bag. To enter, just leave a comment below with your e-mail and we'll do a random drawing on October 12, 2009. All entries must be received by midnight, October 11, 2009. This is open to any and all followers through my blog or Twitter, including Internationals.


If you're not familiar with the Tarte brand, they make a wonderful line of natural cosmetics that are 100% free of parabens, petro-chemicals, phthalates, sulfates and synthetic fragrances. The company was founded in 1999 by Maureen Kelly and you can read more about her story here. They are extremely environmentally conscious and their products are of very high quality. I happen to have the Spring Greening Palette and the color pay-off is excellent. The shades are varied and I love the subtle shimmery finish that they have. The lip glosses are subtle as well, and this is my "go-to" palette for a natural, finished look. Not only are they an eco-conscious company, they are also very socially aware. This month they will be donating 20% of all proceeds from their Think Pink Natural Collection to the Young Survival Coalition, which is a support network for women under the age of 40 living with breast cancer. I have purchased Tarte Cosmetics at Sephora and they also have a store locator on their website. They often have sales and specials, including a Friends & Family Event which will save you 40% off of your order. They had one in August and I don't know if it's just once a year, but that's a fantastic savings. They also offer free shipping over $50.00 and a free sample with each order. Also, if you sign up for their newsletter, you'll get an e-mail for 20% off of your first order. You can also follow them on Twitter for more specials and additional information about their products.


I know some of you come here to see nail polish, so I coordinated my polish to go with the Tarte packaging! Today I have my first Anna Sui polish in color number 214. I have long admired this line, partly due to Anna Sui products in general and partly due to the beauty of the bottle. 214 is a deep violet shade of purple with matching glitter. I used 2 coats and probably could have gone with 3, but I think it's beautiful and I'm not at all disappointed in this polish. I bought this from one of my favorite fellow bloggers, Grace, over at The Kitchen, The Closet & The Laboratory blog during her last blog sale. She posted "Round 2" of her sale today, so if you're interested, check it out.

*Sponsored giveaway courtesy of Tarte Cosmetics.


Posted in , , , , ,

Color Club's Japanese Glitter for VNS & October's Contest

Above & Below: 2 coats of the Color Club for VNS Exclusive Japanese Glitter over bare nails. The base is a very pale pink jelly with little to no color. The glitter is small, hexagonal and somewhat holographic, reflecting and changing color at every angle.
Below: Close-up of the polish over a bare nail.
Below: 1 coat over OPI We'll Always Have Paris Suede shows you how well it works as a top coat to enhance any color polish. This is one coat and personally, I prefer the look that 2 coats gives, which I've shown below on Misa's Toxic Seduction.
Note: I apologize for the dim look of the photos, but I don't think we've seen anything but heavy cloud cover for more than a week now.
Below: Misa's Toxic Seduction, a beautiful blackened teal/forest green shimmer.
Below: Toxic Seduction with 2 coats of the VNS Glitter. This look is why I prefer 2 coats, it's a mini color explosion!

Victoria Nail Supply recently received a fifth Color Club Japanese Glitter that is available exclusively on their site. It actually doesn't have a name yet because they were shipped without the name labels, but Yen tells me the labels are on the way. It is similar to the other 4 that became available last month, only this one has a silver cap. Formula-wise, it's the same basic concept as the others, but this one works exceptionally well as a top coat to enhance the look of whatever color base you're wearing. Worn alone, it gives virtually no color to your nail other than the color-changing holographic glitter, whereas the others gave some base color (some more than others). I tried using the lightest one, Sakura Glow in a similar manner for a top coat, and it didn't give me the same effect as this 'yet to be named' polish did. I used one coat over OPI We'll Always Have Paris Suede and 2 coats over Misa Toxic Seduction. It doesn't change the base color very much, but it truly dresses up your nail look. What I like about it the most, is the changing or shifting look it gives, especially when using 2 coats. The glitter is small, similar to the other Japanese Glitters, but it seems to give off a more vibrant display of color and flash.


In other news...I can't believe it's October already! Besides using the month to do some fun Halloween-themed looks on my nails, I think I'll use this lull between collections to show you some of my older polishes. Not necessarily 'hard to find' ones, although there will be some of those too, but there are so many that get pushed aside when we get bombarded with all of these new collections at one time. I looked through my blog archive for the posts I did in September and I think only 3 of 33 were not new collections. I enjoy seeing other polishes myself, so I hope you will too.


Along those lines, I thought it might be fun to offer a little old and a little new for October's Contest. I've partnered with Victoria Nail Supply again this month and the prize will be a $25.00 VNS gift certificate for the "new", and I've asked Yen to choose 6-8 retired and unique polishes for the "old". I have no idea what these are, and I think part of the fun is in the surprise. She has some things not listed on her website, as well as a list I think many of you are aware of, that has a number of retired Essie and OPI shades that they have a limited stock of. Between Yen and her Mom (who sounds like a delightful person as well), they have years of experience in the nail industry, so we'll let them use their knowledge and resources to put something together. That part will remain a surprise, but if I get any hints, I'll let you know. RULES: You must be a follower through some means, and this is open to International and US/Canadian followers. Send me an e-mail and put 'October Contest' in the subject line, including your first name and e-mail in the body of the message.


I've got several other giveaways planned this month, some nail-related, others beauty-related, so check back often and follow me on Twitter to stay updated. I do have some new collections on the way, including OPI's Holiday Wishes and Orly's Matte collection, so if you're looking for those, I'll have them shortly. I'm really looking forward to the China Glaze Winter collection as well as their Khromes collection, but in the meantime, I think I'll enjoy revisiting some of my older polishes.


Posted in , , , , , , ,

China Glaze Glitter: Bad Kitty


Above: Bad Kitty in direct sunlight. It starts out as a pale watermelon shade, but deepens and becomes more vivid after each coat.

Above & Below: These photos were taken outdoors in various degrees of shade, no flash. As you can see, the amount of glitter in these polishes is massive!


Below: Indoors, with flash.


Below: This is one of my 'Bad Kitties'. All he needs is a beer and a cigar in his hand!

Today I have another shade from the Glitters, Shimmers & Cremes collection that China Glaze is releasing over the next couple of months. Bad Kitty is one of 6 shades in this collection available at Victoria Nail Supply now, and some of the other shades are available at Sally Beauty. Bad Kitty is a lighter watermelon shade with a very jelly type base, and packed full of small multi-colored glitter. I would love to have this polish in just the base color without the glitter because of it's extreme jellyness. This is shown in 3 coats and after the first coat, the color begins to build very well. I imagine that's because there's so much glitter for the polish to adhere to!

The winner in the Organic Apoteke drawing is Diana from the beautifully photographed and well-written blog, Painted Lady Fingers. Congratulations Diana on winning the travel sized bottle of Rasayana Rejuvenating Serum!


Posted in , , , ,
Save Free beauty tips on social network:
RSS FeedSubscribe to our RSS feed!