CPNALV 2013: China Glaze Gelaze

When I first made my appointment to meet with China Glaze this year, I was told that they had something so awesome it was going to make me giddy. Now, we all know that China Glaze has had issues with people leaking their information, both domestically and internationally, so I was skeptical until I saw the China Glaze instagram on Sunday morning and literally responded with WHAT IS THIS.

Meet the newest revolution of China Glaze - Gelaze. But with an accent mark on the a. I'm sure I could find the hot key to make the ' but for now, pretend or use a Sharpie on your monitor. (Don't use a Sharpie.)

Gelaze is a 100% gel with a base coat built in. The bottle is powder coated in the actual shade so you know exactly what you're getting. China Glaze took the top 36 selling shade including Ruby Pumps and Fairy Dust, and created this new gel system

To use, prep and shape the nail as normal, then use one thin coat. Cure for 30 seconds in an LED lamp or 60 seconds in a UV lamp. Remove the tacky layer that remains with a lint free square pad soaked in Isopropyl Alcohol. Then add a second thin coat of gel, cure in the lamp again (30 sec LED/60 sec UV) and remove that tacky layer are you're done.  The Gelaze top coat is optional but cure times are the same.

When it's time to remove the Gelaze, you'd break the seal with a nail file, wrap the nail with a cotton pad soaked in acetone and wait for the gel to break down.

Gelaze also has 3 treatments available as a base coat for those who are needing to work on the integrity of the nails. They are Therapy, Foundation and Maintenance.

China Glaze is coming out with their own LED lamp for your convenience to use with the system as well.

Gelaze will be available at Sally's Beauty in late October, early November. The line will include a 0.5 fl oz bottle for professionals that cost $14 and a 0.33 fl oz "mini" bottle for consumers that cost $12.




When more information become available, it will be posted! Happy polishing!

CPNALV 2013: No-Miss Ltd


Every year I like to stop by No-Miss and see what they are up to. I always look forward to seeing Milana but unfortunately she wasn't there this year but they did have lots to see!

This year, No-Miss launched A.Lexa, a nail polish line designed for tweens and teens. There are 16 shades in 3 different categories.

Additionally, they are coming out with a new toner.

They also had their lines of mascaras, eyeliners and lip glosses.

Did you know that with every online purchase comes a free clear lip gloss (shown on the far left)?

It was neat to see the following poster hanging near the nail polish.

Which by the way, it made in the USA. Did you notice the new caps?


Finally, new this year is a huge chocolate lip healder. I was lucky enough to get one and the smell is amazing.
More on that later.

No-Miss nail polishes can be found in several health food stores like Whole Foods or purchased on their website for $7.95.  You can follow No-Miss on Twitter or like them on Facebook as well.

CPNALV 2013: NCLA Fall 2013

My first stop at Cosmoprof North America Las Vegas 2013 was purely by accident. I was going to meet with NCLA later that day but their booth was conveniently located next to my first appointment so I decided to stop in and say hi! First off, it's NCLA, all caps. That part made me happy to know I've been (sometimes) writing it properly.

First off, how cute is this retail display for NCLA? While they are looking to tweak the design a little, I was pretty obsessed with it - even asking what the cost was because I thought "How cool would this look in my home?"
Seriously, I think I need to just buy one and display. The only problem is that they sit 3 deep and I'd rather all my pretty polishes showed through so maybe I need to just keep expanding on this idea.

This fall, NCLA is coming out with a new 4 piece collection titled North of Sunset, which is another tribute to living in LA.
  • Dead End Gorgeous - a vampy navy with purple and blue microglitter
  • Lauren Canyon Lolita - I have no idea what color this is because while it looks light purple in that bottle, my paper swatch was more mauve. You'll just have to wait for the official press release on this one!
  • My Dad Invented That! - mind you, I was disappointed when I was told that Elin's dad didn't invent this polish. But it's a beautiful multiglitter in a gunmetal grey base.
  • My Spa Comes To Me - a khaki creme.

More information including shipping should be available at the end of August.

NCLA has also been known for their nail wraps. They have many successful lines and partnerships, including one that was awesome but I wasn't allowed to photograph (or talk about).

One that I can talk about is the Clueless inspired wraps!
The first plays homage to Cher's closet and the matchmaking tool. The second is based loosely off Cher and Dee's outfit. The third is a cute play on the scene where Cher gets her driver's license. Finally, the fourth wrap you see is a first for NCLA - it's the first all words based wrap! There are many cute sayings like "As If" and "Whatever". These will be available in September.

On the bottom rack, we have the new Transparent Nail Wraps, also launching in September. You can wear them alone or over a colored polish. They have quirky designs like naught and nice, hair, and faces.

Finally, when I get home, I'm going to an official wear test for their new Flawless top coat. I have it at home - I just need to test out the NCLA system - Gloss It, color and Flawless. NCLA says they get an easy 7 day wear with no chips, dents, tip wear. So I will give it the old college try.

NCLA [Website] [Facebook] [Twitter] [Tumblr] [Pinterest] [Instagram] is available on the website for $16.00 a bottle and in a variety of stores.

CPNALV 2013: Indie & Blogger Dinner


To kick off Cosmoprof North America Las Vegas 2013, the ninjas at Ninja Polish set up a nice dinner for indie polish makers and bloggers Saturday night. Despite oversleeping and missing my flight, I was able to make it and boy, am I glad I did!  We had so many wonderful bloggers, e-tailers and nail polish creators and it was fantastic putting faces to names. I'm waiting for someone to post group photos so I can share but until then I have something equally fantastic.

So the ninjas really went ALL out this year in giving us gift bags. And I'm not kidding - we're talking little tote bags with a pocket that have the brand logo on the front. I will seriously be using this bag over and over again and not just for nail polish stuff!

This was all inside my "blogger survival kit"
I snuck away with a shirt too (I'm part ninja) but the bags included some amazing essentials like nail polish remover and candy (seriously, thank you so much) but also lip gloss for the dry Vegas heat, face wipes, REJUVACOTE AND SECHE VITE (since I forgot ALL my nail polish stuff at home this was a Godsend), and some amazing pretties from various brands!

From Dandy Nails [Etsy | Facebook] I received Bound to Fall from the Valentine's Day collection. While this polish is currently out of stock for international buyers, you can sign up for the "in stock emails" on the Ninja Polish website here. If you live domestically in the US, you can buy Bound to Fall directly from Dandy Nail's Etsy page here. [Thanks Sandy!]

Red Dog Designs [Big Cartel | Ninja Polish | Facebook] is a new brand to Ninja Polish and she included a wheel of her Neon Summer Sands collection. I originally received Sunny Shores, which you may have seen on Instagram.
 But I was sitting next Romy Raves and she was eying my bottle (we thought it was more green in the light we were in), so we swapped because Romy is a green fiend.  So now I have Coral Beach, which is a pretty orange.

Also included in the bag was a bottle of Serum No. 5 in Day Glow. This is a super bright yellow glow that you may have seen on the lovely Chalkboard Nails. I'm excited to try this out when I get home.

Finally in the Ninja Polish bags were five freaking amazing Ninja Polishes.  First, from the Enigma collection is Shillelagh, a color shifting green with golden shimmer.

From the upcoming Gemstone collection is Rubellite Dreams - a cherry red with red microglitter that just makes it look like a gorgeous ruby.

From the Spectrum collection, I received the amazing Glamorous, which is a rival to OPI DS Glamour (which I don't own but love).

And I also received Passion Shift - soon to be released. (Spectrum collection)
That's what I'm wearing on my top two nails in the photo - it's a crazy duochrome holographic.

Finally from the upcoming Dragon collection, I received Enter The Dragon which is this ridiculous glitter bomb with color-shifting glitter in a clear base.

But that's not all! KBShimmer was also on hand and gave us little gift bags that included two upcoming fall release polishes, scrubs and lip balm. I will be able to talk about them next month as they are currently embargoed.

Sea Lore Polish was also there and I purchased two of her polishes from the Spring Seas collection - 
That's Popping Parrotfish on the left and Springing Seahorse on the right.

And finally, Girly Bits Cosmetics brought two adorable minis. Pam, the owner, lives in the same city I do - except we're in different countries. This may not be cool to you but I am fascinated by it every time. Our cities even did like a sister-city program which is cute. We had never met before Saturday, so it was fun to say hi.

At press time, What Happens in Vegas .... Ends up on Facebook is only available in mini form for the ladies at the dinner but who knows!


Look at that beauty!


The other bottle is Visions of Sugar Plums, which is available in full size here for $10.00.

Whew. So I have my work cut out for me to show you lots of beautiful indies. I am very thankful for the opportunity to meet these ladies and grateful that they gave me gift bags. I also got to meet Llarowe and keep missing Harlow and Co but we're here together in spirit.

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

Live from Cosmoprof North America 2013!

So after missing my flight, being rerouted 5 hours out of my way, and showing up 7 hours late, having my laptop wireless card go southside, my iPad not charge and a migraine the size of Texas, I am in Las Vegas for the Cosmoprof North America show!

Yesterday I met with a large diverse group of brands - NCLA (yes, it's in all caps!), China Glaze (Gelaze anyone?!), OPI (item coming this fall that I am jumping up and DOWN for!), Barielle (great story line behind each collection), Seche (much more pigment and boldness!), ORLY (flakie IN matte top coat!), Jessica (glow in the dark snowman ornaments anyone?), nubar (where have they been), and much more.

Tonight I have more meetings set with brands like essie, and CND plus something extra special that I hope I can talk about. Unlike last year, more items are embargoed this year... some I can't talk about until December! Some I couldn't photograph. But despite that, just know that this is the place to learn about new nail trends ... when I can talk about them!

Be prepared, tell your friends. 
Cosmoprof posts are coming!

Happy polishing!

NCLA United States of Glitter


Happy 4th of July! I'm spending this day working on PolishGalore because I'm packing my husband and son up to fly to Maine for three weeks.  PAAAARTY!  Meanwhile, I will be heading to Vegas next weekend for Cosmoprof North America and I'll get to see the lovely girls of NCLA again and I will finally figure out again HOW to spell their name when you write it out. I will then fix all my posts. (I'm not OCD, just precise.)

So for today's holiday, I thought I'd do it up with United States of Glitter, a red, silver and blue hexagonal glitter in a clear base. The glitter is reflective on its self like taco glitter but it doesn't curve up at all. I layered one coat of United States of Glitter over 1 coat of Cult Nails Tempest. My base coat was Cult Nails Get It On and I topped it with Cult Nails Wicked Fast.

The glitter behaved really well. I didn't dab it on, instead I brushed the nail two or three times lightly.

Love! I really debated on a base color but ended up going with white. I almost thought about a holographic top coat underneath but I think that would have been a little much. I am really appreciatively that the glitter laid flat and you didn't have to worry about it curling up or catching on your hair.

In the shade, the glitter still catches any light it can find and just dances around.

Love. I'm really glad I bought this when it went on sale. It was shipped out quickly and was here in plenty of time for Independence Day.

Have fun and be safe!

NCLA [Website] [Facebook] [Twitter] [Tumblr] [Pinterest] [Instagram] is available on the website for $16.00 a bottle and in a variety of stores.

PolishGalore on Nail It!: Trend Report - White Nail Polish



Howdy howdy!  I have another article on Nail It! online up today! This one is about white nail polish being the newest trend to hit the fashion world. The featured China Glaze polish was seen on the hands of models at the Tadashi Shoji Fall/Winter 2013.
Photo used with permission from Gotham Polish


Check out the article here and while you're looking, here's a little more information on the polishes.

Salon Perfect “Sugar Cube” – 2 coats, available for $3.98 in WalMart stores
JulieG “White Orchid” – 2 coats, available for $3.99 at Rite Aid stores or jessesgirlcosmetics.com
Sally Hansen “Sheer Bliss” – 4 coats, available for $7.99 at chain drug stores and mass retailers nationwide
China Glaze “Dandy Lyin’ Around” – 2 coats, available for $7 at salons and professional beauty supply stores nationwide.
LVX “Fantom” – 2 coats, available for $16 at shoplvx.com
Cult Nails “Tempest” – 1 coat, available for $12 at cultnails.com 
essie “Marshmallow” – 3 coats, available for $8 chain drug stores nationwide
OPI “Solitaire” – (liquid sand) 2 coats, available for $9 at professional salons.

PolishGalore on Nail It!: Seche Bright and Bold Summer 2013 Collection


Are you reading Nail It! online yet? In addition to the magazine, published every other month, the Nail It! website provides you with more nail art, nail news, interviews and all over nail goodness. Currently, I have an article up about the Summer 2013 Seche lacquer collection Bright and Bold.

You'll be able to see each shade in its glory and coming soon to PolishGalore, I'll go more in depth about each polish but I can tell you, these were very opaque and highly pigmented.  

You can pick up Seche lacquers at Ulta.com and coming this fall, they will be carrying the entire core line - that's 58 shades! Plus the seasonal collections, and they have some fantastic ones planned. This collection can be found at beauty supply stores around the country and some e-tailer websites like Head2Toe Beauty.

Again, go check out my article now on Nail It!

CPNALV: What Not To Miss

Twenty five days. I cannot wait!

If this is your first time at Cosmoprof North America or if you've been coming for years, you absolutely cannot miss the following features!


  • STOP by the exclusive one-stop beauty shop for free sampling – BEAUTIQUE, a new sampling concept which will be unveiled at the show. Pick up some of the latest up-and-coming cosmetics, skin care, nails, hair and some classic beauty favorites. As the first to bring customized sampling to a trade show,  CPNA has created a fun sampling bar which will feature select exhibiting brands for a nominal donation. This gives exhibitors an opportunity to gain more visibility with buyers in attendance that might be overlooked otherwise.  All proceeds collected will benefit CITY OF HOPE. (Read more about Beautique here!)



  • CPNA presents every opportunity for success to their exhibitors. Key merchants, Claudia Lucas, Director of Merchandising for Beauty at QVC, Erica Evans, Vice President of  Merchandising for Beauty at HSN and Wendy Pos-Cerveira, Director Health & Beauty  at The Shopping Channel will host a live Open-See to meet with exhibiting companies looking for the next hot beauty product. The live presentations will be only open to all Cosmoprof North America exhibitors and take place from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday, July 15th in a private meeting room inside Mandalay Bay Convention Center with video cameras recording each presentation. (Read more about the TV Shopping Challenge Search here!)



  • CPNA brings back the popular Emerging Beauty. This program allows new manufacturers who have never been a part of the show to experience firsthand the business opportunities it presents. There are two sections within Emerging Beauty – one dedicated to finished products for retail distribution located in Pavilion A: Cosmetics and Personal Care and the other dedicated to professional use for the salon industry located in Pavilion D: Professional Hair, Nails and Tools. The two areas are clearly marked and easily found on site. http://cosmoprofnorthamerica.com/exhibition/emerging-beauty.aspx



  • Don’t Forget to stop by Discover Beauty and SPOTLIGHTS!!!! It really is the hub of what is new and trending in beauty. The number of exhibitors keeps on growing and you cannot miss this area on the selling floor. (Read more about Discover Beauty here!)


CPNALV News: Attention Bloggers!


There are only 25 days until beauty companies from all over the world descend upon Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas for Cosmoprof North America Las Vegas. I'm working on lining up appointments with various beauty brands to bring you all the action so be sure to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

If you're a blogger, that will be at Cosmoprof North America this year, please apply to this Facebook Group. We will be discussing the convention, tips, and sharing information before and during the event with each other.

Dermelect Summer 2013 Collection

I love hearing about nail polish companies partnering with beauty bloggers - we ARE a driving force in the beauty world. I personally do not buy nail polish anymore without looking it up online first for a blogger swatch.  I don't know Karie Frost but I'm very happy for her!

Dermelect Cosmeceuticals and Celebrity Nail Tech, Elle, extended a hand to guest collaborator Karie Frost, founder of top beauty blog FearNoBeauty.com, to create ME’s Summer 2013 Lacquer Collection. Aptly named Fearless Beauty, the eye-popping four color lacquer collection contains Dermelect’s signature anti-aging, peptide-infused formulation, designed for women who desire to grow out long, strong, natural nails without compromising fashionable fingertips.

"I see hundreds of new nail products cross my desk each year, and Dermelect really caught my eye," says Frost, who not only founded beauty blog FearNoBeauty.com, but has also worked for 12+ years on top nail industry magazine Nailpro and new consumer nail magazine Nail It!. "The science behind the nail treatments, and now the new ME lacquer colors, truly deliver stronger, longer nails—the perfect canvas for brilliant manicures. I wanted to bring brave new colors to the brand's ME lacquers—colors that will not only inspire women to take fun, fearless shade risks with their nails, but also feel confident while doing so."

Created for beauty junkies who love to push boundaries, the Fearless Beauty collection contains four creamy hues injected with high-voltage bright pigments, guaranteed to turn heads.

RENEGADE
a rebellious jade crème

BUZZ-WORTHY
an electric lemon crème

FEARLESS
a bold cobalt blue crème

MOXIE
a plucky pink crème 


HOW IT WORKS
The first coat instantly bonds to the nail, while the second fuses with the base coat to create a flexible web of color that resists chipping and improves brittleness.  The ME colors combine fast drying, high shine and a healthy ‘green’ dose of vitamins, peptides and moisture, offering a colorful solution to the contemporary woman’s beauty concern—aging nails and hands.  

KEY INGREDIENT
ProSina Protein Peptide-Hydrolyzed Keratin extracted from New Zealand sheep’s wool that strengthens the nails and moisturizes the skin.   

BENEFITS
Strengthens weak, brittle nails
Restores nail flexibility
Helps nails resist chipping and splitting
Provides long-lasting, high shine and bold color
Water and detergent resistant
Protects against UV rays
Formaldehyde, DBP, Toluene FREE
Cruelty FREE (no animal testing)


Dermelect’s ME Fearless Beauty collection, available summer 2013, retails for $14.00 and can be purchased online at www.dermelect.com and at high-end apothecaries, beauty boutiques, salons, spas, medi-spas and doctors offices.

Dermelect ME Core Lacquers

Dermelect Cosmeceuticals has come a long way in their quest to help women keep and grow out their natural nails while providing a fashionable alternative to acrylics. 

You only have to use 2 coats, no base, no top. The ME colors combine fast drying, high shine and a healthy "green" dose of vitamins, peptides and moisture.


THE COLORS
PRETENTIOUS-purple passion
SWAGGER-autumn royal plum
INDULGENCE-translucent pink
RED-ICULOUS-classic chinese red crème
VIVACIOUS-verdant pine green
PHENOM-egyptian blue
SO SUPERB-magnificent creamy mauve
BLUE BLOOD-rich crimson with blue undertone
DEBONNAIRE-opaque nude
OPULENCE-french porcelain white
STUNNER-metallic mocha blend
DECADENCE-metallic espresso with green undertone

KEY INGREDIENT
ProSina Protein Peptide-Hydrolyzed Keratin extracted from New Zealand sheep’s wool that strengthens the nails and moisturizes the skin.   

BENEFITS
Strengthens weak, brittle nails
Restores nail flexibility
Helps nails resist chipping and splitting
Provides long-lasting, high shine and bold color
Water and detergent resistant
Protects against UV rays
Formaldehyde, DBP and Toluene FREE
Cruelty FREE (no animal testing)
Dermelect’s ME Core lacquers, available April 2013, retail for $14.00 and can be purchased online at www.dermelect.com and at high-end apothecaries, beauty boutiques, salons, spas, medi-spas and doctors offices.

LVX Modena


Have you missed my regular postings? I have really missed writing. First, my PAS (point-and-shoot) camera broke. It was my trusty Canon Powershot A2000 IS that I bought right after my son was born so it's over 6 years old. The bottom hinge broke and I was pretty much scared to use my DSLR that I purchased last year.

Well,, as expected, my blog and its readership suffered. I love bringing you the latest news from brands, but especially after my Google+ Chat with Cult Nails, I realized that I want to be a library of nail polish swatches, for you to go through, and the camera shouldn't be what stops me.

The next 12 or so reviews I have coming out will all have been taken with my DSLR and because the size on it is larger, I've decided to crop my photos differently. Please do let know me what you think in the comments!  (Also, I bought a Canon PowerShot A4000 IS to replace my 2000 this past weekend.)

Back to the polish. From the LVX Summer 2013 collection, today I have Modena, a poppy red creme that is just flat out HOT. I used a base of Cult Nails Get It On, 2 coats of polish and a top of Cult Nails Wicked Fast. I love how opaque and well formulated LVX is.

Here it is in the sun and you can see how lovely it is - very red, very awesome. I felt like a powerhouse wearing it.

Same story but in the shade. I've had a lot of fun playing with my lightning but with most cremes, the polish doesn't change much. Now if LVX starts making more shimmers...  LOL.  Hard to make a shimmer when you're following fashion - they don't do a lot of shimmers (or any duochromes... or glitters...).

Anyway, back to the polish. Don't forget that my sale on Gloss48 lasts until this Monday, otherwise you can purchase this beauty at $16 a bottle on the LVX website.

LVX [Website | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Instagram] is available on their website. It is 10-free to include Toluene and Camphor, vegan and cruelty free. Use promo code POLISHGALORE for 20% off your purchase!

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

Hand Perfection Hand Care

I didn't start really paying attention to my hands and my nails until about 5 years ago. I try to keep lotion around and on at all times but I'm not always as diligent as I should be. Have you heard of Hand Perfection before? This is definitely a new-to-me brand from CCA Industries. They also make Bikini Zone, which I have used before.

Hand Perfection was created with Ellen Sirot, the nation's top hand model. It's fragrance-free, non-greasy, goes on smooth and absorbs quickly for an invisible, weightless free. 

The product that really caught my eye (and that I will actually use) is the Nail and Cuticle Treatment ($9.99.)


The Hand Perfection brand

Nourishing Day Cream with SPF 15 (SRP $14.99)
Rejuvenating Night Cream (SRP $14.99)
Nail and Cuticle Treatment (SRP $9.99)
Combo pack which contains the Nourishing Day Cream and Rejuvenating Night Cream (SRP $24.99)

Hand Perfection will be available in January 2013 at CVS, Walgreens, Albertsons, Duane Reade, Harmon and other fine stores across the country.  Please visit us at www.handperfection.com and on Facebook@HandPerfection.


Hand Perfection is from CCA Industries, Inc.  CCA develops, manufactures and markets high quality, innovative health and beauty care products available at fine food, drug, discount and supercenter stores everywhere.  Other top brands include Nutra Nail, Bikini Zone, Plus White, Sudden Change and Shadow Shields.