Valentine's Day Style Essentials from Target

Valentine's Day is coming up fast, and Target has some great ideas on how you can be looking red-hot for this lovely holiday!

From what to wear to what to gift, planning the perfect Valentine’s Day begins at Target. Celebrating the special day in style is easy with on-trend, affordable offerings for the whole family – all under $30!

Fashionable home goods, feminine jewelry, statement bags, glamorous makeup and other gorgeous essentials create the ideal look for any Valentine’s Day occasion.

Night with friends: 1. Merona Crossbody Bag in Pink ($26.99), 2. NP Set Day-to-Night Liners ($15.00 each), 3. Circular Lace Earrings in Gold ($7.99), 4. Converse One Star Sleeveless Britney Top ($24.99), 5. Mossimo Ponte Pencil Skirt in Deep Berry ($19.99), 6. Threshold Ceramic Frames ($9.99 each), 7. Bodycology XOXO Collection ($3.99 each)

Romantic dinner: 8. Mossimo Black Envelope Clutch in Black and White ($24.99), 9. Mossimo Ponte Peplum Sleeveless Dress ($27.99), 10. Threshold Berry Vases ($14.99-$19.99), 11. Multi Strand Necklace in Pearl and Aqua ($16.99) and Multi Stone Bracelet in Ivory and Aqua ($12.99), 12. Pixi Tinted Brilliance Balm in Rosy Red ($16.00),

13. Umberto Beverly Hills Volume Boosting Foam ($8.99)

Family night at home: 14. Xhilaration Junior’s Knit Tee and Short Sleep Set ($12.99), 15. Pixi Nail Colour in Amazing Amethyst ($8.00), 16. Red Pintuck Pillow ($24.99), 17. Mossimo Black Scarf in Black and White Diamond Print ($14.99), 18. Threshold Scallop Dinnerwear ($2.99) and Threshold Small Tumbler ($2.49)

NCLA and Glamour Mag

Got this awesome release in my email - super happy for NCLA!  Their wraps have been making the rounds in Hollywood, and here's just another example!  Do you get/read Glamour magazine?

Designers’ Resort 2013 Prints Featured on Limited Edition NCLA Nail Wraps

To be Sold Exclusively at Barneys Co-op and shopncla.com

NEW YORK, NY – Glamour has unveiled its latest designer collaboration for Fashion Gives Back—a project that gives designers the chance to create special bags, shoes, or tees to support causes they care about every year. This year’s charitable product is the new must-have accessory—eye catching nails: Glamour paired four designers—all known for their distinctive patterns—with nail gurus NCLA to create runway-inspired nail wraps. Signature prints featured in the Resort 2013 collections of 10 Crosby Derek Lam, Bibhu Mohapatra, L’Wren Scott and Peter Som, are transformed into limited-edition nail decals exclusively for Glamour. The nail art and original looksthat served as the inspiration from the designers’ collections are featured Glamour’s January issue, which hits newsstands nationwide on December 11.

All four versions of the limited-edition nail wrap kits will be sold exclusively at select Barneys Co-op stores and shopncla.com starting December 4. Easy to apply at home, each $16 kit contains enough wraps for three to four manicures. Five dollars of every kit sold goes to Girls Who Code, a nonprofit that helps young women pursue careers in technology and engineering.

About Glamour

Glamour magazine and glamour.com reach more than 17 million readers each month. Glamour was the first women’s magazine on the iPad and has launched popular special editions, apps and books—including two New York Times best-sellers—and received a record number of National Magazine Awards, including Magazine of the Year, honoring print and digitalexcellence.

About NCLA

Los Angeles based NCLA launched in 2011 with a collection ofbright bold easy-to-apply runway and street style inspired nail wraps. A line of vibrant long-lasting 5-free cruelty-free made in LA nail lacquers soon followed. NCLA has been releasing new collections of eye-popping solid, metallic, and glitter shades and fashion forward nail wraps each season since.  Nail Wraps + Nail Lacquer retail for $16.00 USD and are available worldwide in over 200 fine retailers including: Harvey Nichols, Kitson, Nordstrom, and ShopNCLA.com. They wish they all could be California girls. Now they can be with NCLA.

About Girls Who Code

Launched in Spring 2012, Girls Who Code is working to educate, inspire, and equip high school girls with the skills and resources to pursue careers in engineering and technology and become more engaged and empowered citizens. Together with leading educators, engineers, and entrepreneurs, Girls Who Code has developed a new model for computer science education, pairing intensive instruction in robotics, web design, and mobile development with high-touch mentorship led by the industry's top female developers and entrepreneurs. In its inaugural program, Girls Who Code empowered young women from New York City and will launch programs in cities across the country in 2013.

Pretty Serious Christmas Without Snow

I still haven't taken the Pretty Serious plunge (mostly because I'm working on cleaning out my stash as it is) but I have to say, she is bringing out some awfully cute collections!  Australia is on my list of places to visit before I die, and I think it would be kind of neat to go during the winter. Granted, it's not like I'm not used to Christmas without snow... All images courtesy of Pretty Serious.

Christmas without snow? What a preposterous notion! For the rest of the world, maybe. But down here in Australia, we love to crack out the beer and boardshorts and soak up the sun at this very special time of year. We wanted to capture the spirit of an Aussie Christmas with our very first seasonal collection consisting of six amazing new nail shades to help you celebrate Christmas the Aussie way!

BLUE GUMS ON BOXING DAY

This rich green shines with a mesmerizing blue shimmer! Perfect for those post Christmas celebrations!

HOT SUMMER NIGHTS

Shining stars sparkle in the velvet sky. This inky blue jelly with silver micro glitter is a nightscape on your nails!

PARTY BY THE POOL

Splash about in this gorgeous peacock jelly, swimming with flecks of green and blue!

SANTA'S SUNBURN

It seems that Santa's Sunburn is the best type of sunburn! This jolly red foil sparkles with tiny flecks of silver.

SEASONAL SUNSET 

Seasonal Sunset's rusty jelly base is packed to bursting with bright golden and copper microglitter particles and the result is simply breathtaking. It's a Christmas sunset on your nails!

TWINKLING LIGHTS

Like stars that sparkle in the sky, or Christmas lights twinkling in the night, Twinkling Lights will add something special to every manicure!

And to make things even cooler, our Christmas polishes will come in cute Christmas themed red holographic boxes with new artwork by our one and only Leigh Young! The perfect stocking stuffer! You won't even need to wrap them!

RRP is $9.95, with a 10% discount for buying all six shades! Pretty Serious Cosmetics also ships worldwide. Check out our site for more details.

Bottle volume is 11ml/0.37 fl.oz. Pretty Serious Cosmetics is 100% Vegan and Cruelty Free.

NCLA Rock Solid

NCLA is one of those brands that while I love it to death, these caps are going to be the death of me.  It's a false square cap that is supposed to be able to be removed to show a smaller round cap, but sometimes I can't get the square cap off and then my bottles don't line up perfectly, and THEN I RAGE. So if anyone knows how to get the fake square caps off without breaking anything, please do let me know in the comments.

Today I'm showcasing the finale of the Going Out in LA 2012 collection with Rock Solid. This is a fancy little grey that has a gritty glitter in it.  Talk about some extra texture! I used a base of Poshe, 2 coats of polish and a top of Cult Nails Wicked Fast.

I'm still hunting for my perfect grey, and this kind of comes close! The gritty glitter is definitely unique to any of my other greys, but if you don't want the sandpaper feeling, I suggest you add more thin coats of top coat.

In the shade, not much different - the glitter shows a bit more in the bottle, but I'm thinking of changing how I take pictures and show more nail than anything else. I'm working on revamping my self, you could say.

And finally in indirect light. The grittiness didn't bother me as much as I thought it would, but I did catch it lightly on things. The formula was nice and smooth (yes, smooth!) with no patchiness and quite opaque. I think this would be better suited to my nubbins that I have now than on longer nails.  Cleanup was normal - just a bit more scrubbing to get off the grit.

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

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

New Study Finds UV Nail Lamps Do Not Cause Cancer

Hooray for UV Lamps!  There has been much controversy over this in the past few years, and now, according to the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, you don't need to fret any longer.  Please enjoy the following from the Professional Beauty Association.

New Study Finds UV Nail Lamps Do Not Cause Cancer

Further Conclusions Made by Previous UV Research  

Phoenix, AZ (January 4, 2013) - UV lamps commonly used for drying nail polish are safe and do not increase one's risk of getting skin cancer according to a new study conducted by The Journal of Investigative Dermatology. This study disproves recent misleading Internet stories and media coverage suggesting such lamps may be unsafe and a direct cause of keratinocyte carcinoma, a type of skin cancer.

As part of its study, The Journal of Investigative Dermatology compared the UV rays emitted from three popular brands of nail lamps to low-risk phototherapy devices used in dermatology treatments (each dermatology treatment consists of 15-30 sessions). Researchers found that a salon client would need approximately 250 years of weekly manicures that involve the use of UV nail lights to develop the same risk of exposure as just one round of phototherapy sessions used to treat various skin conditions. Based on these results, researchers concluded that nail lamps do not significantly increase the risk of getting skin cancer.  

Lighting Sciences, a research company based in Phoenix, Arizona, conducted a similar study in 2010. The study was authored by Co-chair of PBA's Nail Manufacturers Council on Safety, Doug Schoon, Dr. Paul Bryson and Jim McConnell, and addressed a   potential cause-and-effect relationship between nail lamps and skin cancer. In trying to connect nail lamp use to carcinogenic lesions, the study compared UV rays from sunlight to the UV rays from nail lamps. This comparison, according to the study from The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, was not the most reliable as they believe UV rays emitted from nail lamps and those from the sun do not have the same kind of UV emission, and thus should not be compared in the same fashion.

"Comparing UV nail lamps to sunlight isn't comparing apples to apples, because sunlight is more dangerous than UV nail lamps. The reason we made this comparison was so that people could better understand the very low risks associated with the use of UV nail lamps," stated Schoon. Even so, both studies concluded that UV nail lamps do not significantly increase the risk of developing skin cancer.

Further investigation into a possible connection between nail lamps and cancer has been conducted by the world's leading photobiologist and creator of the SPF system, Dr. Robert Sayre. In numerous interviews and his soon-to-be-published research, Dr. Sayre has similarly stated that the use of UV nail lamps does not contribute to the risk of getting skin cancer and that the emissions from UV nail lamps are safer than that of natural sunlight.

     

For complete coverage of the latest nail lamp study, please visit:  http://www.probeauty.org/nmc/.

China Glaze Tranzitions

This is another collection from China Glaze where I felt like I needed the whole set!  I had some sent as press samples, and the rest I bought because I feel like there is some instant glam in being able to create nail art with just one bottle of nail polish.  Plus it's super helpful for someone like me!  Please enjoy the following release - all images courtesy of A.I.I.

COLOR + TOP COAT = ENDLESS CREATIVITY

China Glaze® Introduces Tranzitions Color Changing Collection

Los Angeles, CA – (December 2012): There’s nail art and then there’s China Glaze® nail couture.  Reverse French manicure, half moons, ombre, basket weave, dots or racing stripes: nail designs are intricate and multi-colored.  China Glaze® introduces a new way to get multi-color, unique nail art with fewer bottles of polish with the new color-changing Tranzitions collection!

China Glaze® Tranzitions’ revolutionary new nail lacquer reacts when a clear top coat is applied, changing the color from one shade to another for a stunning effect.  Wear any of the six beautiful, color-shifting shades alone, or allow your creativity to run wild and create intricate nail designs by applying a top coat in specific places.  Try different looks using nail art brushes, free-hand designs or nail guides.  Because each shade changes color, you get two lacquers in one, creating an entirely new look with just one swipe.

The China Glaze® Tranzitions collection features six shades, though with the color transition, you get 12 unique shades including:

Split Perso-NAIL-ity

Dusty pink shifts to fuchsia

Duplicityy

Mint green shifts to vibrant teal

Modify Me

Periwinkle blue shifts to indigo blue

Altered Reality

Teal blue shifts to turquoise

Metallic Metamorphosis

Silvery grey shifts to bluish-charcoal grey

Shape Shifter

Smokey violet shifts to dark purple

How It Works:

Step 1: Apply a base coat.

Step 2: Apply two coats of China Glaze® Tranzitions shade of choice.  Allow to completely dry.

Step 3: Lastly, apply one coat of clear top coat such as China Glaze® Fast Forward and watch the color change right before your eyes.

For more nail design ideas, click here to view the China Glaze® Tranzitions video.

The China Glaze® Tranzitions collection will be available in January 2013 at fine salons and beauty supply stores nationwide.

China Glaze is free of DBP, toluene, and added formaldehyde, and is never tested on animals.

China Glaze nail lacquers are available through salons and professional beauty supply stores nationwide. For more information, please visit www.chinaglaze.com or follow China Glaze on Facebook (@ChinaGlazeOfficial), Twitter (@ChinaGlaze) and Pinterest (pinterest.com/chinaglaze).

China Glaze® is a division of American International Industries.

About American International Industries

For 42 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 Andrea, Ardell, Body Drench, Bye Bye Blemish, Checi, China Glaze, Clean + Easy, Clubman/Pinaud, Duo, European Secrets, EzFlow, Fright Night, Gena, GiGi, Gypsy Lash, IBD, It’s So Easy, Jeris-Lustray, LASH BeLONG, Nail Tek, No Tweeze/Micro Tweeze, 'N Rage, Poshe, Prolinc, RAW, Seche, SuperNail, Surgi-Care, Waterworks, Winning Nails, Woltra, Woody’s, and Youthair. For more information, visit our website: www.aiibeauty.com. 

LVX Winter/Resort 2013

I told you that I wore LVX Legendaire on my toes for my wedding - it's definitely my new favorite luxury nail polish!  I still love my mid-level and drugstore brands too, don't get me wrong but something about the big 5 free, vegan quality really makes me feel good about supporting this brand.  I have this entire collection sitting on my desk to review and I promise to get to it - especially since LVX is branching out and adding shimmers!  All images courtesy of LVX.

Chicago (November 2012): With immense excitement still circulating from the release of their gorgeous Fall Winter 2012 collection, LVX announces the debut of their third seasonal collection—Winter/Resort 2013. The Winter and Resort/Cruise season is interesting; the holidays have passed yet we enter colder nights and subconsciously yearn for brighter and warmer days. LVX has released six astonishing colors that are going to fulfill our transitioning wardrobe and slowly bridge us into early Spring.

The LVX Winter/Resort 2013 Collection includes the following amazing shades:

Tribute: This hue provides us with serenity and tranquility. This particular blue is extremely appealing because of its energetic attitude and texture.

Luxe: Brilliant, extravagant and luxurious, luxe embodies all that is LVX. This quintessential shade is versatile and adaptable and enlivens our outlook with its stimulating radiance.

Alchemy: Let this amazing shade eradicate the dark shades in your winter wardrobe. Alchemy is a flamboyant hue that pays homage to last Summer’s gold accessory trend.

Aubergine: This affluent royal hue provides us with a mysterious and romantic attitude. This refined purple is both delicate and empowering.

Dark Matter: A highly saturated gray with multifaceted undertones, Dark Matter is this season’s new gray and our alternative to black.

Creamfields: A sophisticated neutral with a soft peach nuance, this wispy hue pairs well with every color in the palette and will span across the seasons.

The long lasting, chip resistant and non-streak formula is free of harsh and toxic chemicals. LVX products are VEGAN and formulated without the use of Formaldehyde, Formaldehyde Resin, DBP, Toluene, and Camphor. The brand is dedicated to providing top quality, socially responsible, and eco-friendly, luxury products without compromising quality, durability and finish. LVX nail lacquer is cruelty free. All products are produced in the U.S.A. The new collection will be available December 7, 2012 on www.shoplvx.com.

Zoya Lovely

I have this collection sitting next to my desk and can't wait to try the cremes especially - sometimes it's great to have a nice palette cleanser on the nail!  All images courtesy of Zoya.

Zoya Lovely
Beauty is a lovely state of mind

Lovely, just LOVELY!

Spring is awash in six soft and lovely new Zoya shades including three dewy metallics and three fresh blooms of cream. Poetic in nature, this collection is sure to capture the beauty of the season like no other....

Zoya Lovely – spRING 2013

Piaf (ZP652) - Fresh Forsythia Yellow Metallic - Full Coverage (Originally designed for Fashion Designer Zang Toi)

GeiGei (ZP651) - Blushing Cherry Blossom Pink Metallic - Full Coverage (Originally designed for Zang Toi/SS13).

Julie (ZP650) - Soft Wisteria Purple Metallic - Full Coverage (Originally designed for Zang Toi/SS13).

Blu (ZP653) - Lucky Hyacinth Blue Cream - Full Coverage

Neely (ZP655) - Earliest Spring Green Cream - Full Coverage (Originally designed for Peter Som/SS13).

Jacqueline (ZP654) - Perfect Magnolia Nude Cream - Full Coverage (Originally designed for Peter Som/SS13)

Shipping January 01, 2013

Ultra long-wearing, nail lacquers by Zoya are BIG5FREE - all formulas are completely free of harmful industrial chemicals such as toluene, camphor, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin and dibutyl phthalate (DBP) that are known to cause cancer and birth defects.

Zoya Lovely $8 (US)

Follow the Zoya Nail Polish and Treatments Blog and stay tuned on Twitter (@Zoyanailpolish) and Facebook for release date updates.

Hashtags: #ZoyaLovely and #nailpolish.

A Rhyming Dictionary Rinkitink

I decided to layer A Rhyming Dictionary's Rinkitink shredded blue and purple glitter over my Pixi manicure thinking the purple base was perfect.  I wished I had gone with a nude instead but hey - next time.  I used 2 coats of Rinkitink on all fingers.

First let me show you the bottle of this bottle so you can see what I mean when I say shredded glitter - kind of like a flakie, but not.

Cool stuff, right?  Sun, go!

Despite what it looks like, I didn't have a hard time with the glitter staying flat.  It did sit well on my nail.  I did not use a top coat but I would recommend 2 coats or if you own it, Lynnderella Glitter Tamer.

A little indirect light to set the mood (or something like that).

And a little closer look.  You can see that 2 coats provided great coverage.  I'm not sure how often I'll actually wear this color combination which is odd considering it's my two favorite colors (I even have rings in this combination!).

Maybe I need to wear the rings with the polish... but with a nude base.  Yeah buddy.

A Rhyming Dictionary has a bunch of new polishes listed - go check them out!

A Rhyming Dictionary [Etsy | Facebook | Twitter | Blog] is big-3 free and sold on Etsy.  She does not send internationally at this time.  Full sized bottles are 15 mL and sell for $7.50 plus shipping.  Her Etsy shop does not have the mini bottle prices listed.

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

Urban Decay NAKED Basics

Now I love my Naked palette from Urban Decay.  I wore it at my wedding!

Photo Courtesy of Macy Ryan Photography

 But I have not fully jumped on the Naked train with Urban Decay.  Now only did they come out with Naked2 but now the Naked Basics, Naked nail polish and I heard the rumors of Naked BB creams.  Today, I have the release on the NAKED basics which I haven't bought yet, but I am thinking about it still. Maybe if it goes on sale?  

Image Courtesy of Urban Decay

NAKED BASICS
(Because we know you want new ways get Naked.)

THE SKINNY
Urban Decay launches Naked Basics—the long-awaited, multi-purpose MATTE companion to Naked. This is the palette that belongs in every woman’s makeup bag—from fans of a neutral matte eye to color fanatics looking for base shades to pair with their bolder shadows. These über-wearable shades look great on literally EVERYONE. Richer than other mattes, the color goes on with a smooth, luxe finish (never chalky or powdery). We’ve even included one demi-matte shade, Venus, which has the tiniest touch of satin—perfect for highlighting and adding dimension.

HYPE
Our best-selling Naked and Naked2 palettes are proof that neutral eyes are anything but boring. Ever since we launched them, fans have been BEGGING us for a matte palette of neutral Eyeshadows, and this sexy little set answers the call! But don’t be fooled—you can do a lot with these colors. Wende loves to use these shadows to contour and define her eyes and then add a bright pop of color for extra drama.

NICE PACKAGE
The sleek, soft-touch case has a slight sheen and feels like suede. Small and compact so it
travels well, this must-have palette is packed with six full-sized shadows.

BREAK IT DOWN
Naked Basics includes four totally new and exclusive shades, one shade previously only available in another palette and one all-time staff favorite. Each Eyeshadow features our brand new Pigment Infusion System™, the proprietary blend of ingredients that gives every shade its velvety texture, rich color, serious staying power and blendability.

THE NAKED BASICS COLLECTION INCLUDES:
VENUS – soft, off-white demi-matte
FOXY – very light yellow/beige matte
WALK OF SHAME – very light pinky nude matte
NAKED2 – rosy taupe matte
FAINT – warm, dusty brown matte
CRAVE – deepest, darkest brown/black matte

Naked Basics Palette (SRP $27) is available from Sephora, ULTA and select Macy’s stores. Or, online at Sephora.com, ulta.com, macys.com, beauty.com and urbandecay.com.

Pixi Amazing Amethyst

On a gloomy day, I decided to pull out Pixi Amazing Amethyst from their fall 2012 line.  I used a base of Cult Nails Get It On, 2 coats of polish and finished with Cult Nails Wicked Fast.  The polish behaved well - no flooding of cuticles, good opacity and did not stain my fingers.

Due to no sun being out to play, you have an overcast picture.

This color reminds me of China Glaze Grape Pop but is more blurple I think than GP. I will have to pull swatch sticks to do a comparison in the future.  I'm in the middle of a huge purge/brand reorganization in my house that I'm hoping will be completed by 2014.

Indirect light doesn't fair much better for showing how pretty this color really is.  I'm calling it a metallic because it has a bit of a sheen and isn't a creme but isn't a shimmer either.  It's pretty though.

And flash for good measure!  The polish almost looks waxy or rubberized here but it's just the way the light is hitting the bottle.  I still haven't gotten used to this long skinny bottle - be careful not to tip it over or you'll get a puddle of polish on your desk.  Thankfully I haven't done that... yet.

Pixi [Website | Facebook | Twitter | Blog | YouTube] can be purchased online from their website or use find a retailer using their Online Retailers search engine for $8.00 for a 7ml/0.25 fl oz bottle.  You can also purchase Pixi at Target!

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