The Beauty Loser: Medifast Update #6

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Hello holiday season. For me, this is a party time of month, filled with my wedding anniversary, my birthday, Christmas and of course New Years. That also means lots of holiday cookies, cakes, candies, and oh yeah - the drinks.

KBShimmer Northern Frights

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If you've been reading my blog for awhile, you know that BeautyJudy is one of my best friends and I met her through blogging. So when she told me that she was going to be having a collaboration with KBShimmer, I was jumping for joy.

Dare to Wear Moonstone

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Continuing with my desire for a blue Christmas, today I pulled out another Dare to Wear polish. I tend to gravitate to light blue from time to time and today just felt like a blue day.

Sun Polish 5

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Are you a traditionalist during the holidays and go with reds and greens? This year, I'm seriously considering decorating in more of a "Winter Wonderland" theme with blues and silvers and that's one reason why I reached for this Sun Polish today.

Dare to Wear Innocence

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This past summer when I headed to Cosmoprof, I got a chance to meet with the team from Dare to Wear. Their huge news was that they were just relaunching their website to support e-commerce for both professionals and consumers which is awesome news in this day and age. I purchase most things online and rarely go into stores anymore especially for beauty items.

Glisten & Glow Shimmer Me Timbers

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One of the more interesting things when cleaning out my nail polish is realizing 1: how many indies I have acquired in the past several years and 2: how many polishes I have that are AMAZING. Tonight I was cleaning out a box that's been sitting by my desk for over a year (sad, I know) when I realized I had this great Glisten & Glow beauty sitting here.

The Beauty Loser: Medifast Update #5

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Happy December! This is my favorite month of the entire year and I'm super stoked to get this month started. But what about all the food?!

Anonymous Lacquer Set My Soul On Fire

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Yesterday we had family photos. It's a tradition we've started with our family and I'm really glad we do it because I do love looking at how we grow each year. One thing I try to make sure I have, is manicured nails for our photo shoot. Unfortunately, yesterday's that's about all I had going for me.

Gelish Mini Plum-thing Magical

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If you've been following my Facebook, you know that I'm in purge mode. I'm finally going through my polishes and getting real about what I'm keeping because there are so many polishes I love and almost forget I own and I want to wear what I own. Especially when they are as beautiful as today's polish - Gelish Mini Plum-thing Magical.

The Beauty Loser: Medifast Update #4

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How has it been two weeks already? It's been a LONG two weeks but thankfully, things have gotten better and continue to get better every day. So how am I doing on Medifast?

The Beauty Loser: Medifast Update

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Howdy. It's been nearly three weeks since I started Medifast and well - it's been a week of ups and downs. On the plus side, I haven't gained any additional weight, and I'm making huge changes in how I eat and what I eat. On the down side, I've realized that food is a very social thing for me and so this week was particularly hard for me to stay honest to the Medifast diet.

Mega Beauty Blog Hop Giveaway!

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Today I’ve joined up with 34 other beauty bloggers to do a Mega Beauty Blog Hop GIVEAWAY! If you are unfamiliar what a blog hop is, it’s pretty simple. Each lady in the hop is giving away something beauty related. All of the prizes are from cruelty-free brands. You can click through from one blog to another, entering the giveaways as you go. I recommend that you keep track of your entries by paying attention to the numbered list. You do not need to enter all in a single sitting. Come back and complete all entries by October 31^st. You can enter 1, 10, 20 etc. or all of the individual giveaways that are linked below. If you enter all 35 of these individual giveaways, then you’ll be eligible to enter to win the grand prize of $350 Paypal Cash. Think of the things you could buy with that! The Grand Prize entry form is on every one of the participating blogs, so you only need to enter once at the blog that you end on. All entries will be verified once the giveaway is over, so please give us a few days to announce the winners. Make sure you follow ALL the rules of each giveaway so you won’t be disqualified! This blog hop giveaway will run for 2 weeks, ending on October 31st at 11:59pm EST and is open to all. In the event that you get an ERROR message when clicking on any of the links below, try clicking on the HOME page of that blog. Or come back later and try again. There are often hiccups that happen in the beginning of a pre-scheduled blog hop such as this. Thank you for your patience!

The Beauty Loser: #MedifastMondays Update

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Last time we talked, I was getting ready to start Medifast and spent a week "prepping" by eating all my favorite foods for the last time in 3 months. Well friends, I greatly overdid it. I had way too much carbs, sugars, fats, and everything that I love under the sun and my body felt it. I was a hot sweaty mess when I went to Six Flags that weekend and the scale certainly showed it. I jumped from my 240 up to 248 and frankly, it freaked me out.

The Beauty Loser: #MedifastMondays

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Hey y'all! So I'm fresh off PolishCon (more to come about that soon!) and getting ready for The Indie Shop (WOO!) but #MakeupMondays is taking a little backseat for something that I've been putting off for awhile but this is MY YEAR.

Girly Bits Lost in the PATH

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Happy Wednesday! I'm getting ready for my upcoming trip to PolishCon and realized I haven't really shown off my goodies from Indie Expo Canada that I went to this past summer! The event, held by Girly Bits Cosmetics, had some of the best brands from Canada and the US in attendance, and I was so happy with the turnout.

Sun Polish 7

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This year at Cosmoprof North America, there were plenty of new brands, and one that was walking the floor was Sun Polish - a premium line out of Southern California. Unfortunately, they left the show the day before I got there but they were kind enough to send me two polishes to try. Today I have 7, a light green leaning mint creme.

Dermelect Kiss 'ME'

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Happy Monday! My #MakeupMonday is taking a break right now because honestly, I have so much polish here that I have lots to share. On top of all the indies I have floating around, I also have some great fall collections and today is Deremelect Kiss 'ME' from the Completely Classic collection.

Glisten & Glow Rock n' Roll & Route 66

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Today from the 1950s Collection by Glisten & Glow, I have Rock n Roll & Route 66 which is a great robin egg blue with teeny green shimmer. This polish also is great for water marbling and stamping and self levels on the second coat. If you watched my Nail It Instagram Live "Indie Spotlight", you saw that my first coat had a bit of pulling and I think it's from the shimmer in my first coat but it was perfect in two.

Cirque Cerrillos

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After my first Indie Spotlight, Emily suggested that I swatch a Cirque Colors and while I haven't bought from them in awhile, I decided to "shop my stash" as the cool kids say. I only own 3 Cirque polishes right now, all older but I was interested in seeing how well these polishes hold up over time. Today I have Cerrillos from the 2014 Heritage collection. Cerrillos is located in New Mexico accessible from State Highway 14, commonly called Turquoise Trail so this polish is well named.

Tonic Come Wander

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This summer when I was at Indie Expo Canada, I also got to chat with Tonic Nail Polish. Due to a hiccup with customs, her polishes were stuck but she had made, wrapped, and carried over 200 bottles in her luggage with her and BOY was I glad. I immediately picked up this beauty, Come Wander from her stash and was happily entering in my PayPal information to get this in my bag.

Beyond The Nail High Tide

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While I was at Indie Expo Canada, I chatted with the ladies from Beyond The Nail and decided to pick up a couple of their polishes. Being that this is a Canadian brand, I knew this would be one of the few times I would get to see them in person. Today I have High Tide from the neon collection.

Indie Spotlight 2 with Nail It!

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So last Saturday was my second Indie Spotlight with Nail It magazine and the post is live now here. If you recall, my last Indie Spotlight was watched by 1,024 people which was so amazing to me. Want to guess how many people tuned in this time?

Glisten & Glow Hand Jive & Hula Hoops

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Glisten & Glow just celebrated being in business for 7.5 years and to celebrate, she went through a little refreshed and simplified packaging! Also launched that day was the 1950s Nostalgia collection which included this beauty, Hand Jive & Hula Hoops. This is a mauve leaning purple creme that not only applies well and self-levels but also is great for watermarbling and stamping!

Nine Zero S'more Holo

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Have you heard of Nine Zero lacquer by JessFace90 on YouTube? This is a 5-free, hand mixed line that is made out of Michigan. I met Jess at PolishCon NYC and I was immediately drawn to her polishes that she was selling. I absolutely loved the above taupe/nude/purple holographic called S'more Holo. This is from the Harvest Festival collection and I've actually worn it twice which is a stand out for me.

Girly Bits Stayin' Alive

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Did you catch my Indie Spotlight on Nail It this past Saturday? So far I've only been using polishes that are readily available for purchase - nothing that is sold out or was only available in a past collection box or subscription service. Do you like that format? Let me know in the comments.

ILNP After Party

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Happy September! Will I see you at The Polish Convention later this month in Chicago? I'm so stoked about going especially because I'll be featuring items on Nail It's Instagram during the show! I'm trying to figure out if I want to just do a Story like I have in the past or a Story AND Live later that night? Let me know in the comments what you'd like to see.

ILNP Citrus Punch

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If you've ever looked at my spreadsheet, you know that I have a LOT of ILNP polishes. I love them so much, from the beautiful packaging, the wide brush and then THE HOLO! Sometimes it's hard to capture on camera but in the sun? Oh man, the ILNP polishes are a showstopper.

Ever After Blue Hawaiian

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Today I have Ever After Blue Hawaiian from the Flake It Up Jelly collection. This is a listed as a bold ocean blue jelly with color shifting flakes. I'm absolutely obsessed with this polish. For years, I drank nothing but Blue Hawaiian drinks at the bar, so this was so for me.

Ever After Tequila Sunrise

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Have you been keeping up with indies? It's so awesome to me that what started with Lynnderella and Cult Nails has EXPLODED into hundreds of shops. What started as a bunch of girls getting together for dinner and talking nails has turned into conventions across the country and even some in Europe and Australia! It's been so fascinating to watch over the past 8 years.

PolishCon Chicago

Am I going to see you next month in Chicago? On the fence about coming out? Well read below!

Indie Spotlight with Nail It!

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So if you're following me on social media, you may have seen that I started a new, twice a month feature with Nail It online! I was super stoked and really enjoyed watching people from literally all over the world join in and "heart" what I was doing on Instagram Live.

Cosmoprof North America 2017

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Cosmoprof North America was a BLAST! On top of seeing some of my favorite bloggers, I also got to meet with some of my favorite brands, as well as meet some new ones! It's always a pleasure to head out to Las Vegas for a few days to see all things beauty.

#MakeupMonday: Feather & Bone Face Gems

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This year at Cosmoprof North America, the Discover Green section expanded quite a bit. Last year, I didn't even venture that way, but this year it was unavoidable just because of size and location. However, there were some amazing brands in there including today's #MakeupMonday feature! 

#MakeupMonday: An Experiment

Starting this week, I'm going to run a weekly feature called #MakeupMonday. I started my blog in December 2009 and in the past seven years, I've dabbled here and there with makeup. Sometimes I bought because a fellow blogger got it and reviewed it, sometimes it arrived in a press sample from a company, but it's always just kind of sat around in my house, waiting to be used, enjoyed or even tossed. So moving forward, I'm going to test out #MakeupMonday and see if you, the reader, cares for it. Maybe you'll find a hidden gem to enjoy as well.

Cosmoprof North America 2017

It's that time again! Later today, I'm leaving for Las Vegas to attend Cosmoprof North America. The show actually starts today, and I'm trying to grab an earlier flight but as it stands right now, I'll be in on Monday and meeting with Morgan Taylor, Le Chat, China Glaze and others. Plus I'll see some of my favorite bloggers again during the conference along with some new faces!

Be sure to check my Instagram for the latest and greatest but I'll be back with all the things I'm allowed to share soon!

Indie Expo Canada

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June was a whirlwind! I hadn't been out of the States in over 10 years, but I was happy to go to Toronto, Canada for the inaugural Indie Expo Canada, hosted by Girly Bits Cosmetics. 

Kiss My Lash: Lash Extensions

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Recently, a local photographer put out a request for someone to do a fun shoot with her and I volunteered. More on that later, but one of the things that I wanted to try was getting lash extensions. I rarely wear makeup but I do love the way I look with mascara or when I have on strip lashes.

PolishGalore at Indie Expo Canada!

Well it seems (feels) like I just got back from PolishCon NYC, but this weekend I'm taking the show on the "international" road and heading up to Indie Expo Canada in Toronto! The show, hosted by Girly Bits Cosmetics, is Canada's premier event for small businesses in the beauty industry. 

The Polish Convention NYC Spring 2017

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Hey everyone! Sorry it's been so quiet on my end. I had been focusing more of my attention to social media, especially Instagram because last month, I went to NYC for PolishCon! While there, I got to watch over 34 brands do their hustle to sell beautiful multichrome, holo, creme, and glittery polishes to over 650 people who walked through the doors of the Grand Prospect Hall.

Morgan Taylor The Last Petal

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Well I don't know about you, but my Facebook News Feed is FILLED with comment after comment about HOW GOOD the new live action Beauty and the Beast is. Last month, an Alamo Drafthouse opened in a nearby city, and since it's pretty much the best theater ever, I rounded up some friends and we're having a Friends Night Out tomorrow to go see the movie in 3D.

China Glaze Warm Wishes

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This past winter, China Glaze came out with the Seas and Greetings collection - a different take on the typical reds and greens holiday collection. The motivation was the warm winters in California where China Glaze is located. I was mixed on it because while I definitely wear polishes all year long, I feel like I was longing for my typical reds and greens during December so this collection just sat at my desk.

The Color Box: March 2017 "Blue"

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Happy March! I cannot believe how fast this year is going. I will be headed to NYC soon for PolishCon NYC and hope to see some old friends and make new ones as well! Today I am happy to bring you The Color Box: March 2017 "Blue". This is a color-coordinated collaboration box that was started by Manna's Manis & More, xoxo, Jen, Amanda Loves Polish and the first indie brand to sign on was Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer.

Save this spring with Groupon Coupons!

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Y'all know how much I love Groupon. I wrote a post a few years ago about how I used a Groupon to get a massage locally and a few times I've mentioned how you can get JulieG by Jesse's Girl Cosmetics polishes at a really awesome deal price through Groupon. But did you know that in addition to having amazing deals for over 500 cities and 28 countries around the world, Groupon also has a whole section dedicated to coupons?

Colors by Llarowe Summer Skies

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It's cold in South Texas (below 40!) which is really rare so I wanted an icy blue to wear today! I decided to grab Colors by Llarowe Summer Skies which was the Polish of the Month for May 2016. This is a icy blue that is both holographic and has pink shimmer. 

JulieG Tropical

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If you love ipsy, then you may just recognize the next shade here! Today I grabbed JulieG Tropical, a matte neon turquoise/mint polish from the May 2016 five piece release. If you're an ipster, this was also included in a limited edition bottle but I purchased mine straight from the website.

Glisten & Glow Parasail in Puerto Rico

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I tried with my acrylics, y'all, but I just couldn't keep it up. I took off my left hand after Christmas and the right hand a week later. It was an ordeal that left me with some sore hands (mostly my fault) and the need for some TLC. I've been wearing Duri Rejuvacote for now but I wanted to add a punch of color for fun.