It's So Easy Summer Nail Art Contest + Giveaway!

Deadline to submit is 31 July 2013

Last year, It's So Easy held their first ever summer nail art contest and due to the success and creativity of the participants, they are holding another contest this year! To refresh your memory, here is last year's winner - Hung from Gretna, LA.

So how does it work? First, get your supplies ready and be ready to call for crunch time because this contest has been accepting submissions since 1 July. The last day to enter is 31 July, which is coming up way too fast in my opinion.

Your superiority in nail art can land you some serious cash and prizes. First prize wins $1000 cash! Second place receives $500 cash and third place will receive $250 cash. On top of that, twenty (20) congratulations prizes will be awarded consisting of $25 gift cards to Sally Beauty Supply.

To enter, participants must visit www.itssoeasynails.com and upload one nail art look. Again, the deadline to enter is Wednesday, July 31st. On August 1st, online voting will open to nail enthusiasts to help their favorite design win. Voting ends on August 15th and will determine the top 50 finalists. Final judging will be conducted by the It’s So Easy® Professional Nail Art Team, and winners will be announced shortly after.

Participants must be 16 and older to enter, live in the USA, and entries are limited to nail lacquer and nail art paint only - no embellishments allowed.

Tag the It’s So Easy® contest on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter using #ISENailArtContest2013.

In addition to but totally separate from the above contest, It's So Easy has a special opportunity for all PolishGalore readers! That's right, I'm having a giveaway! One lucky person will walk away with a fantastic It's So Easy prize pack. My giveaway (below) ends the same day as the It's So Easy Summer Nail Art submission - so 31 July (a week from today). All entry options are optional & you can tweet once a day using the last entry. All terms and conditions can be found in the Rafflecopter widget - please allow to load fully before starting to click away.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

CPNALV 2013: China Glaze Ombre - Part 2!

The last thing from China Glaze that I'm able to talk about right now are the new China Glaze Ombre sets. China Glaze had seen a good response from the first three sets that were Sally's Beauty Supply exclusive. If you recall, I reviewed the Wait Teal You See! in March. (Don't remember? Click here.)

The four new Ombre sets will be coming out next month, but some keen readers have already spotted it in their local beauty supply stores. Not only are there more sets, but it's no longer a Sally's exclusive, so you may be able to find them in your favorite China Glaze spot.

I had to compliment the ladies of China Glaze on the "blogger pose" because I really liked the organic feel, and they were really giddy... like they had done well.  And they have done well. I did mention that I hated the hexagonal sponge because if you have wide nail beds, then you end up wasting so much of the sponge per finger. It was good feedback from them. I'm still totally on board with the Ombre sets because you get 4 polishes for ~$13. 

The embargoed stuff is equally cool.  Just saying.

Happy polishing!

CPNALV 2013: China Glaze On The Horizon

One of the most difficult things about attending a business-to-business conference like Cosmoprof North America Las Vegas is that there are items on the show floor that you can see but a lot of times you can't photograph, write about or talk about for months later. That was the case for China Glaze. I was able to preview six amazing collections but my lips are sealed and the photos I was allowed to take are being hidden in folder upon folder until the day that they can be released.

One thing we could share was the On The Horizon "feathered finish" polishes that will be launching in September.  This is a 6 piece collection that featured small bar glitter in a various of color combinations. It only takes 2 coats for each polish to be opaque.  The official press release states "This free-spirited collection introduces six new lacquers using interwoven matte particles to create a feathered finish."

As you can see, the colors are as fun as the names. My quick picks are All A Flutter and Flock Together.  The China Glaze® On the Horizon collection will be available in August 2013 at fine salons and beauty supply stores nationwide with an SRP of $10.

Official Bottle Images from China Glaze:

All A Flutter

Pastel Peach, Soft Blue & White Particles interwoven to apply like a feathered finish in one quick swoop over the nail 

 Flock Together

Mint Green, Bold Blue & Black Particles interwoven to apply like a feathered finish in one quick swoop over the nail

Flying South

Orange and Soft Yellow particles interwoven with a Red glitter to apply like a feathered finish in one quick swoop over the nail 

 Light As A Feather

Orange, White & Black Particles interwoven to apply like a feathered finish in one quick swoop over the nail

 Party Fowl

Bold Blue, Orange & Black Particles interwoven to apply like a feathered finish in one quick swoop over the nail

You’re A Hoot

Soft Yellow, Orange & Black Particles interwoven to apply like a feathered finish in one quick swoop over the nail 

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

Press Sample

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

Press Sample

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

Nothing To Disclose

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.