Urban Decay Friends and Family Sale!

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One of the few things I love more than nail polish, is eyeshadow.  If China Glaze was my nail polish obsession, Urban Decay is by far my eyeshadow obsession.  I'm in love with their primer potions, shadow palettes and even their eyeliner - which I NEVER wore before I found the 24/7 Eyeliners.  Now, unfortunately, you cannot use the discount on the popular Book of Shadows III, Naked palette, Zero or Bourbon 24/7 eyeliners which works great for me since I already own all those.  If you're new to UD, I suggest you try one of the Primer Potions or one of the other palettes such as the Vegan palette that's shown - which includes a small Zero pencil in it.  (WIN!)


Also, I have a little poll for you!  It's pretty straight forward - I have a large collection of eyeshadow (Urban Decay and Kat Von D) as well as some eye liners (Urban Decay) and some lip products (Kat Von D, MAC, NARS).  The reason I blog is to share!  It's no where near as fun when you're just keeping your collections to yourself.  So, would you be interested in seeing what else I have hiding?  This poll is completely anonymous, so don't worry about hurting my feelings.  :)

Would you like to see some makeup swatches on... » ProProfs Polls
Tags : makeup

Blogs of Note

Happy Sunday!  I have 3 more blogs for you today!

First up is All You Desire.  One of the few bloggers that swatches with a black background, she has medium squared nails and great cuticles.  She has a lot of purple/blue/greens in her collection and also does some Konad as well.  She does live in the Czech Republic but gets a lot of the US products in a very timely manner to swatch.


Next is Also Knows As.  Blog owner Kellie is one of my favorites and I'm really proud of how well her blog has grown.  She has a variety of nail lengths from nubbins to long but always includes large pictures of her swatches for great polish accuracy.


Last today is Another Nail Blog.  Her nails also vary from nubbins to long and has good color accurate pictures.  She also makes some frankens!


Enjoy!

Essence Black & White

I've always loved the classic black and white in fashion.  It's elegant and timeless at the same time.  Please enjoy the following press release from Essence.

essence trend edition “black & white”

Introducing one of the most popular trends from the international catwalks: the black & white look! In all combinations, shapes and patterns and, above all, for your make-up! From January to February 2011, essence begins the year with the awesome “black & white" trend edition – a breathtaking range of products that provide extraordinary styles with just two colors! Graphical designs and contrasting black and white shades give every look that extra special touch for a guaranteed trendy start to the year!


essence black & white nail polish
Neither matt nor glossy – these new black & white nail polishes have a soft touch effect! No matter whether you go for black or white – it’s sure to give your black & white styling that extra special touch. 

Black Out

White Hype

essence black & white top coat
Exciting, unusual, different: totally black & white à la essence! The top coat with a white holographic appearance gives your nails a special look. An absolute must-have in white for extra extravagance this winter! 

White Holo

essence black & white nail fashion sticker
Now you can conjure the popular cracked look to your nails faster and easier than ever before! Absolutely no waiting times and guaranteed to be error-free – simply select your favorite image, stick onto clean nail and file into shape using the nail file.

Envy My Nails

Paralyzed

essence black & white nail fashion file

Create the ultimate nail design in just a few seconds: The nail fashion file in a gorgeous black and white design is an essential accessory for perfect nails! It files the nail fashion stickers to the desired length in an instant to complete your amazing black & white look.

China Glaze How About A Tumble

Mmmm old school goodness - I decided to wear China Glaze How About A Tumble to go out in.  Oh please polish companies, make some holographic polishes for 2011!


How About A Tumble is from the Kaleidoscope collection and is a light purple holographic polish that looks like glitter but isn't one (yay)!  I used a base of Seche Natural, three coats of How About A Tumble and no top coat.  Dry time on this is super fast - less than 5 minutes.  I wish I had some sun pictures for you, but these are all indoors under "Natural" 6500K white lighting.

I also grabbed one flash picture for you.

Oh how I do love this color.  It is currently discontinued but sometimes you can get lucky in your local dusty salon or on eBay.

China Glaze [official website] can be found online through several etailers, including my favorite Head2Toe Beauty [official website], Sally's Beauty Supply [official website] as well asTransDesign [official website].

Nicole by OPI Love Your Life

I am a sucker for hearts and stars, so when I saw this bottle of Nicole by OPI Love Your Life, I knew it had to be mine.  It's a clear base with rainbow sparkles and pink flat glitter hearts.  I used a base coat of OPI Natural Nail Base Coat, three coats of Love Your Life which included fishing out the hearts with the side of the brush, and a top coat of Seche Vite.


I'm thinking in the future, it might be easier to use an orange stick or dotting tool to get the hearts out and place it onto my nail as opposed to attempting to brush the hearts on my nail with the brush.

I tried to get about 2 hearts per nail but it wasn't easy.

So you can see the glitter a bit better, I put 1 coat of Love your Life over CND Blackjack while getting as many hearts as I possibly could onto my brush.

I can't wait to use the heart glitter during Valentine's but it is a bit of work to get them and place them on the nail.


Nicole by OPI is available beginning at ULTA, Meijer, Harmon, HEB, Sears, Wal-Mart and more for around $8 a bottle.  For more information, visit their website, follow Nicole by OPI on Twitter or become a Facebook fan.

Zoya News!

I'm really glad that I was introduced to Zoya this year.  They are a small, independent cosmetics company that really does appreciate their fans.  I wanted to share some of the news coming out of their offices this week. 


First up, the Cleveland Plain Dealer had a really nice article about their founder, Zoya Reyzis in their Style section.  I absolutely love this picture of Zoya.

Photo Credit: Lynn Ischay

Secondly, there has been a race this year for Facebook Pages.  As some of you know, my actual day (and night) job is working for a Facebook Application, so I've learned way more about Facebook's policies, changes, rules and everything else in the past three years.  When Facebook switched from "Fans" to "Likes", it was a small change but at the same time, made a difference.  Several companies are holding incentives to gain x amount of Fans (or Likes), and Zoya is having one themselves!

Now unlike some companies that are holding product giveaways for a very small number of their fans, Zoya will be holding a promotion for all USA followers to get 3 free bottles of nail polish.  How awesome is that?  As of press time, their Facebook page has 8,300+ followers so please do invite your friends - the deadline is January 3, 2011 - exactly one month from now.

CSN Giveaway #4

YAY December!  This is my birthday month, and I call it my birthday month because it's only a few days before Christmas on 19 December, so between everyone's company Christmas parties and their own traveling/holiday plans, my birthday is always thrown around and celebrated in pieces by different people.  This year, I've planned a trip to San Antonio to go ice skating (!) and have dinner with friends.  One thing I'm going to have to do is pack my suitcase for a few days, and let me tell you, I seriously need to get some new bags.  I've had my current ones for over 6 years when I went to Europe and being my first time, I way over-packed and ended up ripping two of my bags.  I need to go shopping, and you might too, so let's have a giveaway!


CSN is giving me the opportunity to give away a $40 Gift Certificate to any of their 200+ online stores, including their Luggage Store - which carries The Signature Collection by Vera Wang!  USA and Canadian readers only please, and also this $40 certificate does not cover any shipping but there are many items on CSN that include free shipping!


Giveaway ends on 9 December 2010 at midnight:01 GMT.

This giveaway is now closed.

Nicole by OPI Kiss Me At Midnight

Last in the Holiday Magic winter 2010 collection from Nicole by OPI is Kiss Me At Midnight which frankly, is just an awesome name - although more New Years related.  It's a very dark red with red shimmer - almost glowy like China Glaze Lubu Heels but it's not glitter but a shimmer.


I used a base coat of OPI Natural Nail Base, 2 coats of Kiss Me At Midnight and a top coat of Seche Vite.  Formula was very nice - not runny or thick.

That's not a bubble on my middle finger, but rather the reflection of my camera!  You can see how the color is just smoldering in both the bottle and on my nails.  Here's another sun picture.

Here you can see more of the dark red base with just a hint of the red shimmer against the sunlight.

Oddly enough, in the shade the shimmer is lost every where but in the bottle.  Go figure.  ^_^

Finally is a rare flash picture where the flash isn't killing my skin or nails.  You can see the red shimmer perfectly but sadly this isn't what your nails always look like - go for Struck in the Chimney for something like that.  ^_^


Nicole by OPI is available beginning at ULTA, Meijer, Harmon, HEB, Sears, Wal-Mart and more for around $8 a bottle.  For more information, visit their website, follow Nicole by OPI on Twitter or become a Facebook fan.

Disclosure: The product[s] in this post was [were] provided to me by the company for consideration.  For more information, please read this post.

Essence I Love Berlin

My local HEB finally has Essence, even if it's just a little bit of it, and most of the nail polishes literally sold out in one day.  ^_^ Please enjoy the following press release from Essence.

essence trend edition “I love Berlin”

Berlin is unique. Capital city, cosmopolitan city and – thanks to the Fashion Week – it has also become a world-famous fashion metropolis in recent years! So why not develop a trend edition dedicated to the glorious Spree River city that constantly reinvents itself? That’s exactly what Yasmin Teufert, the lucky winner of the essence “be a trendmaker” competition, thought!

The new trend edition “I love Berlin”, which will be available in stores in January and February 2011, was created in close collaboration with essence and reflects the huge diversity of trends straight out of the magnificent city of Berlin. The extremely cool, bright products with a stylish design are a true declaration of love to this awesome city. Let them whisk you away on an ultra-special city tour of Berlin! 

essence I love Berlin nail polish

Stylish, extravagant and extremely fashionable – typical Berlin! That’s how the new super glossy nail polishes are presented. Five sensational bright colors add that certain little something to every look! No matter whether you visit Check-Point Charly, the Brandenburg Gate or the Triumphal Column – with these nail polishes, you’ll be the biggest tourist attraction!

Love This City

I'm a Berliner

Green Grass

Buddy Bear

Berlin Story

essence I love Berlin matt tip painter

It’s nothing new that Berlin is a fashion hotspot. But even the trendy people of Berlin will be amazed when they see the new matt tip painter! Either apply it to the tips of your nails combined with the desired color in the traditional way or let your creativity run wild Berlin style and conjure-up great effects on your nails! 

Berlin Story

Green Grass

essence I love Berlin studio fashion nails

Look like you’ve painted a piece of the Berlin Wall on your nails! The nail fashion stickers in the I love Berlin graffiti style is the ultimate extra touch for trendy, stylish nails! Simply apply the adhesive stickers to your nails and then file down any overhanging corners with the file. Berlin, here I come!

Berli-Nail

Berlin Calling

essence I love Berlin studio nail fashion file

It doesn’t just help you achieve the perfect nail style – this practical nail file with a cool Berlin design is a loyal companion when you’re on the road. Never venture into the urban jungle of Berlin without it! Thanks to its handy pocket format, the studio nail fashion file is sure to fit into any purse so it’s always close at hand in case of a nail emergency! 

I Love Berlin studio nail fashion file

essence “I love Berlin” will be available in stores from January until February 2011. 

I've been awarded!

I got an email from The Online Cosmetology School saying that I had been chosen as a Top Manicure & Pedicure Blog! It was great to be included in with some of my favorite blog reads, and even a few I hadn't of heard before. You can see the entire list here.


Yay us!

CosmetologySchool.org