Hobby Polish Bloggers Winter Giveaway 2013!

Another giveaway?! You know it! This one is slightly different, one winner will get a $200 gift card to their choice of Llarowe, Ninja Polish or Harlow & Company (or the option to have a one time PayPal transfer of the money), and two more winners get the same but $100 each! Ends at midnight on 12.31.2013, CST.

The Hobby Polish Bloggers are having their second multi-blogger giveaway! To enter, please allow the Rafflecopter widget to load below. All Terms and Conditions may also be found in the widget. Please visit the following Hobby Polish Bloggers members who are bringing this to you! You may enter using Rafflecopter from any of the below blogs but your entry will only count one time. You may, however, tweet about the giveaway (the last option) once a day for the duration of the giveaway.

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Hobby Polish Bloggers
A far from perfect mom
Be Happy and Buy Polish
FashionFooting
I Feel Polished
Imperfectly Painted
Jen Likes Polish (and some other things)
KellieGonzo.com
Love. Varnish, chocolate and more...
Lucy's Stash
Lustrous Lacquer
MandysSecrets
manicure addict
Pamper with Polish
Polarbelle
polish insomniac
Polish Obsession
Polished and Glittered
PolishGalore
PolishNV
pretty tough nails
Refined & Polished
The Dalai Lama's Nails
The Mercurial Magpie
The Sparkling Hoard
TrailerHood Chic

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

LVX Cliquot

Press Sample
The Winter/Resort 2014 LVX collection arrived the other day, so I'm trying to power through the Fall 2013 collection for you. Especially if you want to grab some after the holidays when you probably have a gift card or two to use. This is Cliquot, a pretty pink creme that is a pretty flattering nude with the right skin tone. I used a base of Cult Nails Get It On, two coats of polish and a top of Cult Nails Wicked Fast. No problems here with formula, pigmentation or pooling - yay!

I'm actually a big fan of this color. It's a great office nude, perfect for a glitter undie and I really think it would sparkle at a Christmas party with the right rainbow reflective small glitter. I've been thinking about my Christmas nails a lot since I have my work party on Wednesday but with my birthday on Thursday, I just don't know if I want to redo my nails for each day or what. I'll figure it out.

Back to the polish - great color staple to have. I'd buy it again without question.

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.

LVX Azzurrum

Press Sample 

Here's another fall 2013 LVX polish for you - Azzurum, a pretty navy blue that doesn't go black. I'm not a fan of navy blue blacks because I just don't think they look as good on my skin. I used a base coat of Cult Nails Get It On, 2 coats of polish and a top of Cult Nails Wicked Fast. Once again, the formula and pigmentation were spot on and the best news ever - no staining afterwards.

See? Happy times. I did have a bit of a problem with my cuticles on my middle finger but that's because my cuticles were in terrible shape. Cold weather sucks sometimes. Otherwise, this was a great wintery polish - perfect for a holiday party and really compliments everything.

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.

Beauty Blog Coalition Winter Giveaway 2013!

The bloggers from the Beauty Blog Coalition are at it again and want to give you the opportunity to win a little money right before the holiday season!

All terms and conditions are listed in the Rafflecopter widget below. The giveaway is open from 10 December until 21 December, internationally to all those ages 18 and up. You may tweet using the Rafflecopter option once a day until the giveaway is over for extra entries. One winner will receive a $500 prepaid Visa gift card. Two more winners will receive a $200 prepaid Visa gift card. (Both are available as a one-time PayPal transfer if the winner so chooses.)

Please take time to visit the bloggers who made this giveaway happen and good luck!

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A Little Polish
Ashley is PolishAddicted
Beauty and Fashion Tech
Beauty by Krystal
Beauty by Miss L
Beauty Info Zone
Big Time Beauty
Blushing Basics
Blushing Noir
Citizens of Beauty
Confessions of a Sarcastic Mom
Cosmetic Sanctuary
D.G.S.Beauty
daydreaming beauty
Fabulous Awesomeness
Geniabeme
Glamorable
Glamorous Mama
GlitzGlamBudget
Hairspray and Highheels
Honeygirl's World
InTruBeauty
Justina's Gems
Kat Stays Polished
KellieGonzo.com
KillerLipGloss
Lawless Lacquer
Liesl Loves Pretty Things
Lipgloss Break
Logical Harmony
Makeup by Kim Porter
Midnight Manicures
Moxie Reviews
My Highest Self
My Newest Addiction Beauty Blog
Peace Love Lipgloss
Peek & Ponder
Phyrra
Pointless Cafe
Polarbelle
PolishGalore
polish insomniac
Portrait of Mai
Pure Natural Diva Botanicals
Set in Lacquer
Smashley Sparkles
Stephanie Louise- All Things Beautiful Blog
The Crumpet
The Lacquerologist
TheFabZilla
Will Paint Nails for Food

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

LVX Viridis

Press Sample
Today I have another LVX polish - Viridis from the Fall 2013 collection. LVX has done a great job at being on point with fashion and this emerald green is right on point. It was Color of the Year by Pantone after all.  I used a base of Cult Nails Get It On, 2 coats of polish and a top of Cult Nails Wicked Fast. Formula was smooth and consistent and no staining afterwards.

Tada! I found it to be more blue toned in real life - still emerald but not as dark as their website looked. I was just really glad that it didn't stain... Greens give me the worries.

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.

LVX Cashmere

Press Sample
LVX Cashmere is a light grey creme from the Fall 2013 collection. I am still looking for my perfect grey but none seem to really hit the spot. For this manicure, I used a base coat of Cult Nails Get It On, 2 coats of polish and a top of Cult Nails Wicked Fast.

So this comes super close to being my happy grey that I want to wear all the time. I think it needs a tiny more grey in it for me but it's a great palette cleanser or office appropriate shade.

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.

I am alive - Promise.

Image Courtesy of ellageepolish 

It's been a heck of a month. I had surgery (again) late last month and recovery hasn't been fun... or happened. I still have an open hole in my stomach because the incision just won't heal. It's kinda neat - like a black hole or something. (Serious note: The doctor knows and said it's just taking time to heal.)

I also went all over the place this month. My favorites? Watching my dear BeautyJudy get married in New Jersey.

And then the ATXNailGirls meet up in Austin, Texas (photo at the top of this post). 

Then I got strep throat. Hah.

But now I'm preparing for the holidays which of course starts Thursday with Thanksgiving. Then I have my first wedding anniversary, my 30th birthday (holy crap), Christmas and New Years!

BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, POLISHGALORE TURNS FOUR! What? Yep! I have lots of stuff to giveaway so I'm excited.  You should be too. Stay tuned!

Thanks a Latte Giveaway!

Nothing To Disclose
While I wait for the winner of the Hobby Polish Blogger to respond to her winner's email, I'd like to bring you yet another fantastic giveaway! This one is being hosted by Cosmetish but I'm super excited to be a part of it.  This giveaway is open internationally and ends on Friday 22 November 2013 at 11:59 PM.

Please wait for the Rafflecopter widget to load in full before you start filling it out. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Nailed Kit - Halloween

Press Sample
While I was at iFabbo's #iFabboSFcon, I had this lovely woman come up to me and ask me about my nails, then show me hers. She had on a skittle of different decorations and colors that made me say "What are you wearing!"  Then she handed me the above envelope with a smile on her face and told me that all the information is inside.

Okay so it wasn't totally as clandestine as that, but it was pretty close to that. She was from Nailed Kit, a company that provides nail art kits that are simple for the beginner (hello, me) but can be used for advanced nail pros too!  The company has 4 different categories of kits - Birthday, Bachelorette, Baby Shower and Girls Night which are based on the decals that in the kit. Pick a category, pick a design and then the rest is auto-generated by the Designer. Each Nailed Kit includes the solid base decals, the design you've selected, rhinestones, a nail file and a shaping stick (orange stick).

Inside my Halloween Kit which HOLY COW, GOES AWAY TOMORROW SO GO NOW IF YOU'RE INTERESTED, was the Spooky Spiders design (USD $12.00) which came with a yellow base decals.

Back to the kit. I love the packaging.

I told you yesterday how much I love branding. Super easy here - it's all written out in steps.

Step 1 - Start It!

Their website says that these are real nail polish strips but they are definitely soft and pliable like nail polish stickers. It reminds me of the NCLA decals vs say the China Glaze nail polish appliques. You do have to be careful during the filing or you will tear the strip (did that one on my pinkie, right off the bat).

Step 2 - Personalize It!

This was my first experience with water decals. I immediately didn't pay attention to instruction 1 and cut my decal too far away from the actual printed image. I used tweezers to drop my decal in the water and remove it, and then when I tried to transfer it to my nail, it was all over my cuticles. I decided to take it off, trim it, put it back in the water for a second and then reapply. It worked but don't do it that way.  I decided to put another water decal over a bare nail and trimmed it properly first. It worked better. I sealed both with essence gel-look top coat.

Step 3 - Bling It Out!

The kit includes a sheet of multicolored rhinestones that are attached in a chain but you can break it apart easily. I added a single rhinestone over the nail polish decal and then a row of rhinestones to my bare nail and sealed both essence gel-look topcoat.

So Nailed Kit - not only can you buy the kits when you wish but they also offer a Monthly Club for $14 a month (currently in a waitlist). They are also available on social media - Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & Pinterest. 

Overall, great for a look, great for a night out, not something that I would buy on a regular basis but that's mostly because I'm still terrible with the solid base decals. Until I master that, I have very little business trying this out. But I definitely think it's a great stocking stuffer kit for the upcoming holidays and I really hope they have some holiday themed kits coming up soon.

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

I ♥ Nail Polish Update

I really hadn't heard of the brand I ♥ Nail Polish, also written as I Love Nail Polish or ILNP, before this year but boy, have they quickly become one of my favorite brands.

For starters, founder Barbra is very specific about branding. When you purchase from I ♥ Nail Polish, your box is branded, the tissue paper is branded, and each bottle shade is very professionally labeled. It's the little things that make me really enjoy a company - the attention to detail is exquisite.

Next let's talk about the founder. I got to meet her this summer at the Ninja Polish blogger dinner in Vegas and she is the sweetest woman ever. She was very humble and kind and that's something else that really sticks out for me. If you've been following her social media, specifically the I ♥ Nail Polish Facebook Page, she will share manicures that she enjoys - even when her brand is no where in the photo. It's no question to me why her brand has been so successful (over 182,000 fans on Facebook alone!).

Now I own quite a bit of I ♥ Nail Polish that I bought straight from her website and then she did it to me with the Ultra Chromes (especially Birefringence, which is my new love). Now she's completely outdone herself by adding holographic goodness to the mix, bringing back 2 retired shades AND introducing 10 more shades that will be available for pre-order on November 1st. Let's look at the lovelies, shall we? (All images courtesy of I ♥ Nail Polish)

Absolute Zero

AC Slater (originally retired)

Admire Me

Birefringence H (now with holographic goodness!)

Bottle Service

Contraband

Cygnus Loop H (now with holographic goodness!)

Exodus

Grapealicious (originally retired)

Indie Go

Molly

Mutagen H (now with holographic goodness!)

My Little Glacier H (now with holographic goodness!)

Pt 78

Purgatory

Sweet Serenade

Washing Ashore

But wait, there's even more! If you pre-order on November 1st, each polish will be $1.00 off the official release price. EVEN BETTER THAN THAT if you pre-order at least 3 pre-order polishes in a single order, you will receive a limited edition, not-for-sale holographic polish totally FREE!

And there's even more. If you sign up for the I ♥ Nail Polish newsletter here, 5 lucky winners will win the complete set of 16 polishes announced on November 8th.  Already bought them? Well you will get a total refund of your order if you win and you don't have to pay for shipping AND YES this is open internationally! (PolishGalore is not affiliated with this giveaway in any way, shape or form.)

I'm exhausted. So much amazing goodness in one posting.  For more on the I ♥ Nail Polish brand, be sure to following their various social media platforms: Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook.

Gelish MINI Trends

I stopped in Sally's this past weekend and was intrigued to see this new collection of Gelish MINI polishes for $15.95 each. I had to reach out for more information because we all know how knowledgeable some employees can be.

This new collection is called Trends and it's a seasonally-inspired grouping of the most sought after colors and textures for layering on top of other Gelish colors or wearing alone. Sixteen brand new colors, people!

No more talking, LOOK AT THESE. (Images courtesy of Gelish)

All That Glitters Is Gold

Gold glitter

Candy Shop

Green & blue glitter

Let Me Top You Off

Purple, red & blue glitter

Too Tough to Be Sweet

Magenta glitter

Girls' Night Out

Chunky silver glitter

Concrete Couture

Black & silver glitter

Rough Around The Edges

Iridescent holographic flakes

Am I Making You Gelish?

Silver holographic glitter

A Pinch of Pepper

White & black dots

Feel Me On Your Fingertips

Purple glitter

Lots of Dots

Fine multi-colored dots

Sweet 16

Pink glitter

Life of The Party

Red glitter

#PartyGirlProblems

Blue, pink & silver glitter

Getting Gritty With It

Blue, pink and turquoise glitter

Are You Feeling It?

Turquoise, blue & green glitter

-dies- I seriously had to stop myself from just buying them all. My must haves are Are You Feeling It?, Rough Around the Edges, Am I Making You Gelish? and A Pinch of Pepper. Don't even pretend like you know I'm not obsessed with black and white glitter.  LOVE.

Bonus: Did you know Gelish MINI has their own website now?