Beauty Blog Coalition: 4th of July Competition

The Beauty Blog Coalition members may not all be American, but we do love to celebrate all holidays with our friends, so we bring you the 4th of July Competition, with not one but two $300 USD Visa gift cards!  All terms and conditions may be found at the bottom of the Rafflecopter widget.  Please allow the widget to load in full.  Competition ends 5 July 2012.  You may enter on any of the blogs below - Rafflecopter won't allow you enter twice.  You may tweet about the giveaway (the last option in the Rafflecopter) every day for extra entries!  


Thank you to the following - the members of the Beauty Blog Coalition, Rafflecopter, HTML Tables, and Flag Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net


(All comments have been closed on this post - for any questions, please email me at krystal[at]polishgalore[dot]com!)

Please visit the lovely sponsors of this competition!

15 Minute Beauty Fanatic	Beauty and Fashion Tech
Beauty by Miss L	Beauty Info Zone
BeautyTidbits	Blushing Basics
BlushingNoir	Bottles and Bottles of Polish
Confessions of a Sarcastic Mom	Cosmetically Challenged
Emily Hudspeth, hair design and makeup artist	Endless Summer
Future Derm	Geniabeme Beauty Blog
Making Up the Midwest	Midnight Manicures
Moxie Reviews	My Beauty Bunny
My Highest Self	My Newest Addiction Beauty Blog
Nails and Noms	NaturallyNancy1
Oh So Lacquered	Peek.Ponder.Publish
Perilously Pale	Phyrra
Polarbelle	polish insomniac
PolishGalore	Prime Beauty
retrodivas beauty	Stephanie Louise- All Things Beautiful
The Pink Sith Blog	thefabzilla.com

a Rafflecopter giveaway

FingerPaints Summer in the City

YAY summer!  Still super happy that it's the time of sunshine.  Well, mostly.  Please enjoy the following from FingerPaints - I'm sure you'll find these already in your local Sally's Beauty Supply!  (All images courtesy of Lippe Taylor)

The NEW FingerPaints Summer in the City Collection 

Just in time for your Memorial Day pedicure, Sally Beauty introduces the new FingerPaints Summer in the City collection for summer 2012. 


The collection features 6 hot new shades that will be sure to wow this season! Show off your bare feet with: 

Beach Bound (Purple) 

Flip Flop (Fuchsia)

Late Night Rendezvous (Blue Shimmer)

Movie in the Park (Purple Shimmer)

Sexy Sundress (Yellow)

To-teally Hot (Teal) 

FingerPaints are sold separately for $4.99 and are available exclusively at SallyBeauty.com.

Algenist Firming & Lifting Intensive Mask

Now, I talked about the Algenist line all the way back in February (holy cow), and finally, I'm letting you know Does It Work?  I got to try the Firming & Lifting Intensive Mask, a 2.7 fl. oz tube of gel that retails for $52.  The ingredients include alguronic acid, propeptide3, jojoba, green tea & vitamin E and is supposed to restore your skin's elasticity, structure and suppleness.  Now I'm not even 30 yet, but I do have some sagging skin around my eyes and as I've gained weight, my cheeks tend to be a little more puffy but otherwise I have some pretty decent skin.


For this mask, you are to apply an even layer to clean, dry skin avoiding the eyes.  Leave on for 10 minutes and then remove using warm water.  Apply once or twice a week.


Now, considering that the system's claim is better skin in 10 days, I did not see results in 10 days of my mask, considering that's only 2 applications.  Instead, I applied once weekly for 2 months (March and April) and then let my skin breathe for a month (May).  This is a downside of testing out skin care products that I've found as a blogger... how do you accurately tell what's going on with your skin?  I'm not a dermatologist, so please note all the opinions in this review, are my own.

So as you can see above, the tube is a pretty good size for the price, and you don't need a lot to cover your face (always a good thing)!  The gel looks like coffee creamer in color and appears to be a thick gel.  I'm pleased to say it was not greasy or oily feeling.

How flattering is this yo?  So here I am with the mask applied.  Once on the skin, the gel is absolutely colorless.  You can see on my right side that I have a few blemishes and overall my skin is a bit red.  My skin has always been "a bit red" but my dermatologist couldn't determine if it was rosacea or not.  (To be honest, I'm looking for a new dermatologist as well).  Now the good about this mask is that it doesn't dry on your face like other face masks I've used, where it's dry and crusty and the mask cracks on your face.  Instead, it just dries clear and it did take a bit of rubbing to get it all off (just splashing with warm water did nothing for me).  I didn't notice any side effects or issues with my skin while using this product.  The blemishes on my face have cleared up, and have stayed cleared up even with discontinuing the product.  Now if that's a cause of the product or anything else, I don't know.  I can't tell any difference in the firmness of my skin and since it wasn't to be used on the eyes, my baggy eye lids and bags under my eyes are still there (darn).


Would I buy this again?  Because $50 is way out of my current price range, the answer is no.  I would love Algenist to come out with a smaller trial kit of all 3 items, maybe a week's worth?  This way people can test the whole system and see if it really works for them.  Only having one product gives me a bit of a disadvantage when it's the whole system that really treats your skin.  Edit:  Hah, so now they DO offer a "trial" set for $65.  Now THIS I think is worth it.


As far as masks, I love that it's a clear, odorless gel but on the other hand, it's hard to tell if you missed a spot on your skin.


Algenist Firming & Lifting Intensive Mask ($52) can be purchased at Sephora.

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

China Glaze Summer Neons

We're already hitting triple digits here in the south, so naturally it's a perfect time to pull out your flip flops and some nice bright summer neons!  Please enjoy the following press from China Glaze.  (All images courtesy of AII)

Heat Up Your Summer with China Glaze®’s Newest Sizzling Collection

The sun has nothing on you this summer!  Rival its brightness and heat with China Glaze® Summer 2012 collection, Summer Neons.  Featuring 12 new sizzling shades perfect for surf, sand and nightlife, the all new hot hues in China Glaze® Summer Neons include:

Pink Plumeria

Light pink with gold shimmer 

Under the Boardwalk

Fluorescent raspberry 

Splish Splash

Bright sky blue shimmer

Love’s A Beach

Sizzling hot pink

Hang-Ten Toes

Bubblegum neon with iridescent purple shimmer

Beach Cruise-r

Glimmering fuchsia grape

Orange You Hot?

Bright orange with attention-grabbing gold glimmer

Surfin’ For Boys

Glistening bright coral

Flirty Tankini

Shimmery strawberry smoothie pink

Ride the Waves

Dark ocean blue

I’m With the Lifeguard

Glimmering lime green

Sun-Kissed

Hot highlighter yellow

Also available 8-piece box collection featuring Under The Boardwalk, Ride The Waves, I’m With The Lifeguard, Sun-Kissed, Orange You Hot?, Surfin’ For Boys, Flirty Tankini and Pink Plumeria.

China Glaze® Summer Neons will be available as open stock colors and 12-piece counter display.  Individual polishes retail for $7 MSRP and the 8-piece box set retails for $56.  China Glaze® Summer Neons will be available at fine salons and beauty supply stores nationwide in June 2012.

China Glaze is free of DBP, toluene, and added formaldehyde. China Glaze nail lacquers are available through salons and professional beauty supply stores nationwide. For more information, visit: www.chinaglaze.com or follow China Glaze on Facebook and Twitter: http://twitter.com/ChinaGlaze

China Glaze is a division of American International Industries.

About American International Industries

For nearly 40 years, AII has been the leading manufacturer and worldwide distributor of innovative, quality beauty and skin care products for men and women.  Our product lines include Ardell, Andrea, Body Drench, Bye Bye Blemish, Checi, China Glaze, Clean + Easy, Clubman/Pinaud, Duo, European Secrets, EzFlow, Fright Night, Gena, GiGi, Gypsy Lash, IBD, Jeris-Lustray, No Tweeze/Micro Tweeze, 'N Rage, Prolinc, RAW, Seche, SuperNail, Surgi-Care, Waterworks, Winning Nails, Woltra, Woody’s, and Youthair. For more information, visit our website: www.aiibeauty.com. 

Salon Perfect Spicy Tomato

It's not a spicy meatball, no... it's a Spicy Tomato from Salon Perfect!  This is a nice orange red creme, kind of jelly like?  I used a base of Poshe, 2 coats of polish and no top coat but dude, check out the shine.

So here is this spicy color in the sun - kinda hot and out there, yes?  I loved that I didn't have application streaking or watery ickiness that you can get with reds.


This is where you'd normally see my shade picture, but my dorky self got nothing but blurry pictures.  Fantastic.

Indoors with the flash instead!  Yay!  Hot, jelly, creme, no shimmer... orange red.  The only thing I hate about this polish?  Very easy to find a duplicate, but at only $3, can't really beat the price.


Salon Perfect [Website] [Facebook] [Twitter] [YouTube] is a collection of professional-quality lash, brow and nail products. Available exclusively at Walmart stores nationwide, Salon Perfect offers premium faux lashes in an assortment of styles.  The "Blooming With Color" collection was only available in 1,700 stores during May 2012.

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

CPNALV: Focus On Social Media Democracy

Seriously people, only 39 days before I'm in Vegas, reporting to you on what's coming up for the rest of 2012 and a few sneak peeks into 2013.  Oh yes.  I'm giddy thinking about it.  Honestly, the next 60 days of my life seem to be pretty fantastic - I have a lot going on.


Today, I have a treat.  Now, this press release is from April but since then, one panel member has been replaced... by MOI.  Yes, I will be part of the following press release, with my expertise (sweet!) on social media.  


Here's my little bio that will be available to those who are attending the panel.  (Whoa, girl needs head shots... cough)

Krystal Seidel | PolishGalore | Founder/Blogger - Krystal Seidel is a working mother in South Texas who's passion for nail polish has blossomed into the nail blog Polish Galore.  She started writing about beauty and fashion as a Teen People trendspotter in 2000 and has been recently been featured in Rite Aid's Glam Camp publications.  Krystal helped create one of the first Facebook game applications, (fluff)Friends, in 2007 and utilized various social networking programs to help (fluff)Friends grow to over 10 million installs in its lifetime.


Yeah buddy.


Now for the rest of the press release.  (For those keeping score, I'm replacing Jeremy Thompson, who will be giving a different conference at the same time).  Images courtesy of Y! PR.

CPNA TO FOCUS ON THE SOCIAL MEDIA DEMOCRACY

LEARN HOW TO MANAGE FEEDBACK IN THE SOCIAL MEDIA LANDSCAPE

 

Las Vegas, NV (April 26, 2012) – Popular social media outlets such as Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest are changing the way consumers interact with brands on a daily basis. This instant, digital platform has paved the way to encourage consumers to engage and provide feedback within the online community. Although this idea might present opportunistic discussion, what happens when this open channel of communication results in less than positive feedback from the public – how should a brand respond?

Join Cosmoprof North America (CPNA) and four social media savvy influentials as they shed some light on how to handle the communication process between brands and the public, whether it is positive or negative feedback. Moderated by Brad Masterson, Vice President of Y Public Relations, the “Join the Social Media Democracy” session will be held at Cosmoprof North America on Tuesday, July 24, 2012 from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
 

Patrick McIvor | Matrix Professional Haircare & Color | Color Director – Named the Best Hair Colorist by Allure Magazine, this tireless trendspotter is involved in social media, educational, technical and philanthropic initiatives for Matrix, which has gained more than 300,000 online followers. In addition, he is one of the hairstylist pioneers in the social media community. McIvor began sharing with fellow professionals via Facebook, Twitter and YouTube early on, and today his online connection strategies serve as the success model for both salons and individual stylists.
 

Megan Segura | DailyMakeover.com | Associate Editor – Segura is responsible for reporting on the latest beauty and hair trends, as well as managing the social media channels like Facebook and Twitter for Daily Makeover, which receives more than three million readers a month. When she isn’t covering market events, Segura helps extend Daily Makeover’s reach by working with outside beauty bloggers. From basic makeup to luxurious skin treatments, she shares her love for all with beauty junkies and product fanatics, otherwise known as the Daily Makeover community.
  

Jaime Richards | BellaSugar.com | Acting Editor – For the past four years, Richards has been writing about all-things beauty for the San Francisco based website, BellaSugar.com. BellaSugar is part of the Sugar Network, which receives an impressive 26 million visitors a month. By engaging and connecting with the ever-changing online community, Richards has experienced first-hand the direct feedback given by the readers of the site. She not only participates in the discussion, but also elicits feedback from her audience in regard to the content she posts daily.

Cosmoprof North America will take place July 22 - 24, 2012 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, NV.  Stay tuned for regular CPNA show updates, and for more information, visit cosmoprofnorthamerica.com and Facebook.com/cosmoprofnorthamerica.

Salon Perfect Kiwi Lime

I have another Salon Perfect shade today - Kiwi Lime.  Okay, call me crazy (CALL ME MAYBE!) but this looks way more yellow than kiwi green... or lime green.  Maybe I just wish it was green?  But seriously, this is so yellow.  YELLOW.  And like a yellow, it's streaky.  I used a base coat of Poshe, 3 coats of polish and a top coat of Seche Vite.

See?  Yellow!  Now granted, it's a bit of a dirty yellow instead of like, Sharpie highlighter yellow but it's still NOT GREEN.  I think I'm just in green rage right now (Hulk out yo).

So here in the shade, it takes on a tiny bit of a greenish shade, but not by much.  

Indoors with the flash.  Hmm.  Nope, no green.  The good thing is that it doesn't look as terrible streaky as it was - and almost looks opaque here!  Granted, yellows just generally are frustrating and difficult to apply, so don't feel bad Kiwi Lime... it's not JUST you.



Salon Perfect [Website] [Facebook] [Twitter] [YouTube] is a collection of professional-quality lash, brow and nail products. Available exclusively at Walmart stores nationwide, Salon Perfect offers premium faux lashes in an assortment of styles.  The "Blooming With Color" collection was only available in 1,700 stores during May 2012.

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

Pure Ice Vinyl Remix

I actually have several of the Pure Ice Vinyl Remix polishes to show you - and I promise I will soon!  Please enjoy the following release from Pure Ice!  (All images courtesy of Bari)

There is something about Pink and Black that just makes you want to shimmy!  GLAMROCK is the first duo of Vinyl Remix to seriously make your nails dance. Remix your mani by swirling your brush in a C pattern and then twirling it in an S pattern. Watch the magic happen!

Twitter @BariBeauty
Facebook http://facebook.com/baribeauty

Pure Ice is manufactured by Bari Cosmetics

Salon Perfect Plum Sorbet

So last month, I posted about Salon Perfect, the Wal-Mart exclusive line of nail polish that was only available during May.  Salon Perfect is more of a lashes brand but sometimes they put out nail collections, and this was their big "test" of how Salon Perfect nail polish would go.  These bottles are 3.3mL (0.3 fl oz) and sold for ~$3.


Today I have Plum Sorbet, a "magenta with purple shimmer" from the Blooming with Color collection.  Yes, you've seen this same color before with Color Club Mrs. Robinson or China Glaze Purple Panic for the most part... This is a non-neon version for sure.


I used a base coat of Duri Rejuvacote, 2 coats of polish and a top of Seche Vite.  The formula was pretty spot on.  Salon Perfect is also produced by A.I.I., the company who owns China Glaze.

Here in the sun, you can see that this is fully opaque polish, in just 2 coats!  The purple shimmer isn't as pronounced as I had hoped - I was looking for more of a duochrome effect, but it's just not there.

Here in the shade, this color really stands out against my skin, which I really like!  I had let my nails grow a bit since my last posting (as you can tell)... I hate having unshaped nubbins now - looks so unprofessional to me!  I actually had tried squaring off my nails myself, but I still need help (as you can see on my pinky).

Indoors with the flash - again, the shimmer isn't completely there, but you can see it a bit on the middle finger.  For $3, this was a great polish!  It's a little on the smaller size, but still fits comfortable on the hand.


The black cap is plastic, and actually a false cap (like many others in this style) but I don't recommend taking it off to polish - the cap that holds the brush is no wider than your finger width, and makes it awkward to hold during polishing.  So, keep the black cap on!


Because this was an exclusive line, it's going to be hard to find these for sale now.  You can see if there are any on a shelf in your Wal-Mart, but they were only in 1,700 stores and only during May.


Salon Perfect [Website] [Facebook] [Twitter] [YouTube] is a collection of professional-quality lash, brow and nail products. Available exclusively at Walmart stores nationwide, Salon Perfect offers premium faux lashes in an assortment of styles.  The "Blooming With Color" collection was only available in 1,700 stores during May 2012.

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

CPNALV: Spotlights Program 2012

45 days left! Please enjoy the following release regarding Cosmoprof North America Las Vegas. (All images courtesy of Y! PR)  


PS: The brands have not been released yet, but when they are, I will be sure to let you know!

CPNA INTRODUCES SPOTLIGHTS PROGRAM 2012

A NEW, EXCLUSIVE INITIATIVE TARGETING SMALL BRANDS

 

This year, Cosmoprof North America (CPNA) introduces SPOTLIGHTS, an exclusive initiative within the Discover Beauty program. This new exhibit space will allow smaller companies that are big on creativity but tight on budget the opportunity to showcase their products at CPNA, the premier B2B event.

Every year, CPNA attracts various indie boutique retail store owners, major salon and spa owners and international buyers from more than 100 countries who come to scout and find new resources to launch in their establishments. The SPOTLIGHTS program will house small artisan labels that are a prime fit for high-end retail stores, boutiques, salons and spas.

The intimate SPOTLIGHTS section will have a clean, minimal, department store-like setting within an open lounge in the Discover Beauty section, inside Pavilion A dedicated to the Cosmetics & Personal Care sector. Brands will display their products on small white countertops to allow all show attendees to see these brands.

China Glaze Concrete Catwalk

While I'm still on my hunt for the perfect grey, Concrete Catwalk seemed like a logical choice to check.  This is also from the 2011 fall collection "Metro".  This whole collection screams NYC to me, but that may be the Glee-episode in me talking...  Or something.  Sadly, I don't recall which base and top coat I used and I believe this was 2 coats.


Also, I suffered a devastating loss - goodbye nails, hello nubbins.

So, not my perfect grey - this one has too much of a dark presence for me.  I do like it much better on nubbins that on long nails though, so I'm sure I'll wear it again, especially in the long winter months.

In the shade this almost has a blue tone to it, but I do believe it's just bad lighting.  Bad blogger too.

Finally indoors with the flash - and some bad focus.  You can see a little bit of patchiness on my pinkie fingers.  You'll notice that on the last post too - you need to make sure to cover the whole nail surface with the polish so you don't end up with patchy spots.




China Glaze [Website] [Facebook] [Twitter] can be found online through several etailers, including my favorite Head2Toe Beauty, Sally's Beauty Supply as well as TransDesign.

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