Win a Beach Bag FULL of Awesome Kiss Supplies!

Wow!! I just saw this amazing summer giveaway that might make me hate summer just a little bit less! It's doubly awesome because I love Kiss products!

Kiss Products, the leader in artificial nail technology, has teamed up with lovemyshoes.com for a “Step into Summer” Sweepstakes.  Each winner will receive the colorful beach bag shown above, a Kiss branded beach towel, an assortment of Kiss toenail and at-home pedicure tools, plus a pair of Havaiana Sandals from lovemyshoes.com.

                To Enter:

•       Entrants must “Like” the Kiss Nails facebook page, submit name, address & email to the contest form (click on image)

•       Facebook fans will have 4 chances to enter on 6/21, 6/28, 7/5 & 7/12 only.  One winner will be selected from each day’s entries using a third party random draw service.

To enter, visit:   Facebook.com/kissnails  & click on “Kiss Freebies”   

Til next time!

Information and photo were provided by KISS.

See my disclosure statement for more information.

Tagxedo is AWESOME!!

OMG, I am having the most fun with this new web application! Seriously, Tagxedo is the coolest thing ever! I made the cutest word cloud using my Twitter ID... LOOK!
(oops, tried to submit the wrong thing... here we go!)

Isn't it cool?? It's so simple to make, and you have full control over the colors, shapes, and what words you use. You can even input your own list directly, or use a link to your blog if you like! I've only been playing with this for an hour or two... and I'm even considering a quick blog redo!

I hope you guys love this as much as I do! Show me what you come up with if you visit Tagxedo!

Penguins, penguins everywhere yet not a one to snuggle...

See my disclosure statement for more information.

Simple Fun Nail Art: LSU Nails!

Hi guys! This is just a super quick post to share a look I did over the weekend. It was so fun and so easy I wanted to share! It's perfect for any sporting events you may want to attend, or just for the fun of it!

I'm from south Louisiana, so of course LSU pride is thick. We're brought up to know purple and gold before we know our own names, almost! While I was digging through my polish box trying to figure out something to wear, it hit me- purple and gold!

I used Maybelline Express Finish Matte Gold as my base color, because it's one of my absolute favorite golds. Also, it's one of my only golds... I need to remedy that! Then I added a layer of Sally Hansen's new Crackle Overcoat in Vintage Violet. I love this one because it's got a gorgeous blue shimmer in it.

These polishes did a pretty good job of showing Tiger Pride, imho! They were lots of fun and they made me want to spend some time on campus at LSU, maybe lunch on one of the indian mounds or just tossing the frisbee at the student union. Talk about fond memories...

One thing I love about this look is that it's not polish dependent. You can use any color pair you like, and with crackle polishes being so popular you can find lots of them! I even found some crackle polishes at Walgreens last week for $5 each! There was a great selection of colors too, from metallic gold and silver to basic black and white to fun colors like orange and green! All in all, I think there were 8 or 10 colors total. It's definitely worth a look!

So tell me, are you enjoying the crackle trend? I wasn't that interested in it at first, but it definitely seems to be growing on me. I'm dying to find a way to incorporate it into more elaborate nail art! Maybe this weekend I'll get a few minutes to work on it... :D

Til next time!

Crackle polish was provided by the manufacturer for consideration.

See my disclosure statement for more information.

Best Nail Treatments- Irish Rogue

Wow, I am so happy to share this with you! I recently learned about a fairly new brand of nail polish that looked really interesting. I was offered the opportunity to try out the color of my choice as well as their topcoat and base coat.

Since I absolutely love it, let me introduce you to Best Nail Treatments by the makers of Poshe products! After an agonizing time looking at their color chart, I chose to try a color called Irish Rogue, which is part of their neon shades. I also received the basecoat and topcoat so I could do my manicure the way they suggest.

First off, let me just say that this color is absolutely gorgeous! The color didn't photograph well for me, which is a huge disappointment. In reality this color is almost like the green on a can of Sprite, deep and saturated and absolutely dense with color. The best part was a surprise for me: Irish Rogue has almost-hidden shimmer that's easy to miss if you aren't looking for it. This photo shows the shimmer beautifully, and is closer to the color I see on my nails as I type this.

Unfortunately, I have to be honest about my experience with this polish. The basecoat states that it's quick-drying, and the topcoat states that polish will be dry to the touch in 1 minute and completely dry within 5 minutes. This absolutely was not the case for me. I attempted to paint my nails with this twice, and the first time I painted my nails, I gave up waiting after 15 minutes and applied a coat of Seche Vite. My nails didn't dry at all, and about 10 minutes later I removed it all out of frustration because it was all still horribly wet.

The next time I tried I decided to be patient and give the polish more time to dry. I know I've been spoiled with Seche Vite, but I can be patient when I need to. While my nails were nowhere near dry after 5 minutes, I'm willing to assume that's because of something in my body chemistry. My polish was dry within an hour, and since then it's worn like a champ. The only issue I had was with drying, and I assume most people won't have that problem.

Back to the positive points, since there are a ton of them! I have to share the selection of colors, since it overwhelmed me completely! You can choose between cremes, shimmers, glitters, pearls, and metallics. There are even two special effects polishes that I'm absolutely dying to try! Honestly, I believe everyone can find at least one or two polishes here to fall in love with... I know I've found at least 12!

Then there are the topcoat and basecoat. First of all, let me share my favorite part of this: they sell their topcoat in larger sizes! You can get a single bottle, a larger bottle, or you can even get it in a gallon! The basecoat is clear and extremely fast-drying. As are the rest of the BNT polishes, the topcoat and basecoat are big-3 free,  which is reassuring to those of us who do our nails so often! They also sell a polish thinner, in case your polish or your topcoat gets a bit goopy over time. I've found that a good polish thinner is an absolute must!

Also, let me take a moment to address a question I get frequently- how to make your polish last longer. This is probably the question I get asked most often, and I say this every single time. In my opinion, the brand of polish you wear isn't what makes the most difference in how long it lasts. Instead, I find even cheap polishes can last well when you use a good basecoat and a good topcoat. Also, a good basecoat does not work well as a topcoat, because the properties that make it a good basecoat prevent it from making a good topcoat (and vice versa). I'll write more about this a bit later, though... it's worth its own post.

I had one other small problem, but it wasn't a huge deal. The brush that came with my bottle of basecoat had a few long hairs on it, which made application a real bear. It would poke over my cuticle and make a mess!

It was easily fixed. I simply grabbed my manicure scissors! I took the brush out of the basecoat and wiped it off carefully, then held it up sideways in one hand while putting the scissors right up next to the flat part of the end of the brush. A couple of snips and the brush was as good as new!

Bottom line? I love this polish!! It's such a vibrant shade that it's perfect for the summer months. Plus, I've had several compliments on my nails since I put it on! (More than usual, which makes my day!) They're available at the Best Nail Treatments website, and polishes start at $5.99!

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go start my wishlist at the website. I have some polishes to mark before my birthday in August! Til next time!

Polish, basecoat, and topcoat were provided by the manufacturer for consideration.

See my disclosure statement for more information.

Doctor's Remedy Enriched Polishes

When people find out I'm a beauty blogger, they tend to ask questions. How do you get started, how do you figure out what to write about, how do people know to find your blog... there are a lot of questions. But the one I seem to get most often is about my nails. People are convinced nail polish is bad for your nails, and maybe even bad for your health!

You can imagine how excited I got when I learned about Dr.'s Remedy Enriched Nail Polish: a nail polish line made by doctors! It's not only free of the typical nasties (DBT, toluene, and formaldehyde) but it's also enriched with natural ingredients to help make your nails stronger and healthier! I know, it's crazy!


OK, they're doctors, but what do they know about color? Are we going to be stuck with the same old traditional colors that everyone has? I have a serious color addiction! Enriched is nice, but if it's just nudes and pinks, I'd definitely have to pass...

Thankfully, as you can see, there are lots of absolutely gorgeous shades- pinks and mauves, of course, and reds to die for, but also some really fun edgy colors like heather grey, royal blue, and stunning violet! I feel comfortable saying there's something for everyone here!

So, my next question was about the quality of the polishes: how well do they wear, how pigmented are they, etc. Happily I wasn't disappointed at all. I tried three polishes, and they were all absolutely wonderful. If you were to apply a single thicker coat, they would all be one coaters! Instead, I put on two thin coats for each of these photos.

First off is Heather Grey. Honestly, this color doesn't work at all with my skin tone, but that's the only complaint I have. It's beautifully pigmented and applies like an absolute dream. This is that gorgeous cement color that's so popular at the moment.

Then I tried the Dark Brown. Omg, this color is utterly delicious! When I first saw this color, I wasn't quite sure how I felt about it. but WOW did that change once I put it on! This deep rich chocolate color can look almost violet in some lights, or almost black in others. So freaking gorgeous!!

And finally, I got to try Ruby Red, an absolutely stunning shimmery red that makes me want to dance! This red is, like the others, super-pigmented and easy to apply. I imagine wearing this under a layer of ruby-red glitter, as if I were wearing Dorothy's ruby slippers on my nails.

Also, when I say that? It's good. I have my own ruby slippers I wear every chance I get. I think everyone should have a pair of ruby slippers!!

The final verdict? I have no idea if these polishes are any healthier for your nails than the ones at your local big box store, but they're really gorgeous and I love them lots!! They're perfect for painting your nails, for doing nail art, for mixing and blending... they're just perfect!

Also, don't forget to tune in next week, because I've got a treat for you! Next week is animal print week, a full week of gorgeous nail art inspired by animal prints! Zebra, tiger, leopard, cheetah... if you like the animal prints, you'll love these!

Til next time!

Polishes provided by the manufacturer for consideration.

See my disclosure statement for more information.

The Camp Trip- Dropping the Kiddo Off!

Wow. I totally intended to write this sooner, but I seem to have spent the entire week resting. Well, most of the week, at least. But hey, last weekend was a hell of a whirlwind!

This trip totally snuck up on me. It seemed like one minute it was January and the kiddo was pestering us to register him for camp and the next we were leaving in an hour or two! Seriously, y'all... if time continues to speed up like this the older you get, then by the time I'm 80 days will last about 20 minutes each!

Thank goodness for the husband, who managed to pack everything, get the car ready, buy the snacks for the road and everything else. I was utterly useless other than the occasional snuggle and pep talk. He swears it's not the case, but yea... it really is! Fibromyalgia sucks!

But there we were, with the car loaded and everything ready to go. Husband even went to the library to get a couple of books on tape! We probably started our book 45 minutes into the trip, and before long we were all enjoying Christopher Moore's Bite Me. I love that whole series, and Abby is such a fun, complex character.

Unfortunately, for whatever reason I was so incredibly exhausted. I ended up sleeping most of the way there! Instead of having to stop every hour or two for me to walk, I think we stopped twice? We made the drive up in really good time (9 hours instead of the usual 12) and managed to check into the hotel early enough to actually get some good rest! At least, I got good rest... :D

The next morning I woke up to the kiddo's perky voice telling us he'd gone down to the continental breakfast to get breakfast for the husband and I! That's right... breakfast in bed! I'd say it was because he's a sweetheart but he was just really dying to get to camp. He'd been up for an hour or two already and just couldn't wait anymore!

So, by 7:30am or so we were back in the car to drop the kiddo off. OMG, everyone was so happy to see him! Counselors were calling his name, hugging him, campers were running up to him and leaping onto him with giant bear hugs... everyone was practically exploding with excitement! Then when we got through all the paperwork and drove him to his cabin, he actually got mobbed by campers and disappeared into the cabin without even saying goodbye! We teased him about it, but he did come back out (after a counselor said, "What, you're not even going to say goodbye?") and give us each huge bear hugs.

After that, we headed back to the hotel for some more rest before the drive home. I went back to sleep and didn't wake up until almost 2pm (our check-out time), when husband woke me. He'd packed the car, so we got back into the car again and made the trek home... and since I was awake this time, it took us the usual 12 hours. Go figure! :D

So yea, I've been pretty wiped out since then, but I am working on some fun stuff. Keep checking back... til next time!

My New Manicure CleanUp Brush!

OMG, y'all, I have the BEST news.

Some of you may think I have super-amazing nail painting skills and never ever make a mess. You couldn't be further from the truth. I have shaky hands, and I end up with quite a mess around my cuticles. It's ok, though, because once I learned how to clean up with a brush and some acetone (or regular polish remover, whatever) my nails looked great!

I went through a lot of brushes, trying to find one that would be perfect. Big enough without being too big, nice angles, the right shape. Finally, I found one that I fell in love with. Wet n Wild makes a creme eyeliner that is freakin' amazing, and the brush that comes with it is perfect for cleaning up your nails. (It sucks for lining your eyes, though- get a new brush for that!) Best of all, the eyeliner costs a whopping $4, so I don't feel like I'm breaking the bank when I need to replace my brush.

Unfortunately, that brush is almost a year old and it's pretty much died. Acetone isn't the nicest to brushes, and these poor bristles have lost their oomph. When I went to replace it, I couldn't find the Wet n Wild liner ANYWHERE!!! This was QUITE a problem!

Well, on the ride home from dropping the kiddo off at summer camp, we stopped every few hours to stretch our legs and walk a bit. Lucky for me, I checked the cosmetics section in one of these tiny little towns and found a new brand of makeup called Black Radiance. It's a lovely cosmetics collection for darker-skinned women, and they had my brush!!

At that point, I didn't care if the cream liner worked or not, or if it was even in the package. I just wanted that brush! The good news is that it cost even less than my original Wet n Wild liner! This lovely package cost a grand total of $3.88- a price I was more than willing to pay.

Well... ok. I won't lie here. I actually picked it up and carried it in the buggy with me for a good 15 minutes while I decided whether I was going to buy it or not. Cheap or not, we're broke and we still have to go pick up the kid in 3 weeks! But eventually, I decided to go wild and bring it home with me, and I'm SO glad I did! The brush is utterly gorgeous and even works for putting on eyeliner, if you don't have any other brushes. I'd still recommend using a nicer one, though.

As if this wasn't enough good news, the liner is actually amazing! I have a feeling it's the same liner as the Wet n Wild, since it comes in the same colors and is made by the same parent company as Wet n Wild. Since I already have black liner, I went with the chocolate brown and couldn't be happier. I applied a test line onto my hand just to see how well it lasts, and after countless times washing my hands, sleeping with it, etc, it was still looking exactly the way it did when I put it on. This stuff STAYS!

I also love it on my eyes... the brown is dark enough to really make my lashline look thick without screaming "Look At My Eyeliner!" I'm loving this stuff!

So if you're looking for a new cleanup brush, head to your local cosmetics department and look for some cream eyeliner. If you can find the Wet n Wild, grab it, but the Black Radiance is just as good!

Til next time!

I bought this one with my own money, and I'll buy another when I find it!

See my disclosure statement for more information.