OPI hits the runway with Jason Wu and Rebecca Taylor for New York Fashion Week

On 10 February (my son's 5th birthday!), OPI was out in full force for the Jason Wu and Rebecca Taylor shows.  Oddly enough, 10 February was also the anniversary of Rebecca Black's "Friday" song debuting.  Hah. Please enjoy the following release from OPI.  All images are courtesy of OPI.

OPI was used on nails for the Jason Wu and Rebecca Taylor fall/winter shows at St. John’s Center Studios and Lincoln Center! For Jason Wu, models’ nails were painted with taupe hue, San Tan-tonio. The noticeable neutral complimented clothes in taupe, black and gold with pops of fuchsia and red.

Meanwhile, Road House Blues, a purple-y navy, was painted on models’ nails for Rebecca Taylor to compliment the collection’s dark colors and floral prints. 

 Celeb attendees of Jason Wu included Shailene Woodley (actress, The Descendants), while Rebecca Taylor’s front row seated Olivia Palermo and Zoe Kravitz.

Valentine's Day $500 Visa Card Winner!

Congratulations to the winner!  Please don't forget to visit the bloggers that participated!

---

Beauty Blogger Coalition
Beauty and Fashion Tech
Beauty Info Zone
Beauty Swatches
BlushingNoir
Gems in a Bottle
Madame B Fatale
Moxie Reviews
My Beauty Bunny
PeaceLoveLipgloss
Perilously Pale
Phyrra
Polarbelle
polish insomniac
PolishGalore
Pretty in Dayton
Prime Beauty
The Beauty Delicacy
The Plastic Diaries

---

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Shea Terra Organics Rose Hips & Pink Clay Facial Cleansing Bar

Have you heard of Shea Terra yet?  I was first introduced to this brand last summer but am just now getting around to seriously trying the Rose Hips & Pink Clay Facial Cleansing Bar  (4.5 oz for $8.00).  You can read all about Shea Terra's Legacy here, as it's full of information including how their company helps Africans sustain their environments and families.  Here's shots of the other sides of the box.

Very good for those with sensitive skin (like myself).

I love the smell of rose!

A little more information on rose hips and pink clay.

The tops of the soap are shaped almost like a rocky plateau.


Finally here is the bar itself:

Now, on Shea Terra's website, the bar is all pink, not half pink/half brown like my bar.  I think mine may have dried out from sitting in my house for 6+ months.


So how does it work?  This bar is to be used once daily and is best used before bed.  Lather the bar in your hands and then massage the lather into your face with your fingers.  Rinse off well.  Shea Terra recommends you following it up with their Rose Water Facial Tone and a facial oil or cream but I just used the bar alone.  The lathering is good - not thick but the soap feels cooling against my skin.  It washes away clean without any heavy feeling on the skin and there is a slight rose smell that lingers.  I didn't notice any issues with irritation or any additional break outs or clogged skin which is always a plus.  Overall - I'm very pleased!


Shea Terra may be purchased on their website or by calling (+1) 877.427.6627 (M-F 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. EST). You can Like them on Facebook & follow them on Twitter.  They constantly have giveaways on their Facebook and occasionally post coupons on their Twitter page.


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

Mattése Elite Carnaval Collection

Have you used Mattése Elite nail polish before?  This is totally a new line for me, but what a great way to kick off a nail polish line than with neons?!  I love neon polish - and for those still young enough (or at least young at heart!) to go out to bars, neon totally glows under blacklight.  Please enjoy the following press release from  Mattése Elite about their new Carnaval collection, inspired by the annual Carnaval celebrations in Brazil!  All images courtesy of d2 publicity.

Get Ready to Party

Mattése Elite Carnaval Collection Nail Polish

Dance yourself into a frenzy with the new Carnaval Collection from Mattése Elite. Inspired by the annual Carnaval celebrations held in Brazil, these glossy solid shades are bright and festive.


An explosion of color ranging from vibrant pinks to deep purples and greens, this collection immediately starts the party.


Available in 6 neon shades:

Rainha: regal baby pink

Fantasias: mysterious dark purple

Desfiles de Samba: parade-worthy green

Samba Enredo: crowd-pleasing rose-pink

Passistas: electric violet

Rei Momo: high-voltage hot pink

Mattése Elite Carnaval Nail Polish retails for $5.99 and is available for purchase exclusively at Ricky’s NYC store locations and at www.RickysNYC.com

Layla Ultra Violet

It's coming...  Layla Cosmetics is bringing Holograhic polish back to the United States!  Today I have Ultra Violet, a light purple holographic polish with linear holo!!!  This is where you can see the full rainbow on the nail versus a scattered holo (like China Glaze Tronica).  Now there are some downsides but we'll get to those much later.


First off, Layla claims not to need a base or top coat with its polishes - they keep it simple.  Instead, they provide a nail file with the holographic polish that has 2 sides.  The pink side is to file the ridges down, the white side buffs your nails.  Then you have a smooth surface to apply your Hologram Effect polish on.  I buffed my index and ring fingers but left my middle and pinkie finger unbuffed.

Can you see the difference in the shine and amount of ridges on my nails?


Next I applied 3 coats of polish to all my nails.  Warning, lots of nail spam coming now!

nom nom nom.  Nail LOVE.  This color is a lot like China Glaze Octa Gone Wild except this has way more holographic goodness in my opinion.  Again, this is without a top coat.

Okay, downside in the shade.  You can see that I had a bit of patching on both my non-filed middle finger and my filed ring finger.  Boo.  :|


Next, I wanted to try some top coat.  Layla makes a top coat called Brilliant Due Nail Polish Protector ($19 at Zappos for 0.33 fl oz).  It has a bit of a "glass effect" that will prove useful in upcoming Layla collections (but that's all I can say about that for now) so I wanted to check it out.  

Now, normally top coat dulls the holographic finish of polishes.  I wanted to test polishes so on my index finger I have Layla Brilliant Due, middle finger - CND Air Dry, ring finger - Seche Vite and pinkie finger - Sephora by OPI top coat.  Check this out.

The holographic polish is definitely dulled by CND and Sephora by OPI but Seche Vite holds up a bit and Layla obviously looks the best.  Here's a comparison of just Layla and Seche Vite.

Hello holo!


Okay, now for the bad news.  First, Layla Hologram Effect polish won't be available until May.  :|  At that time it will be available in Ulta and possibly more stores online but Ulta is the only confirmed.  The second piece of bad news is that it's a bit pricey at $15.50 for a 10 ml bottle.  To compare, Glitter Gal's old bottles were 9 ml for $14.00.  a-england is priced at $12.00 for 13 ml.  OPI is ~$8 for 15 ml...  so yes, it's expensive but it will be available and that's sometimes half the battle.


I cannot WAIT to get my hands on more of these.  Check this out!

Photo courtesy of Layla Cosmetics Facebook page

Must... have... all... of... them...  Formula wise, the polish was just slightly thick but not nearly as bad as GOSH Holographic.  A tiny bit of thinner would probably make this perfect.


Again, this line will be available in May at Ulta for $15.50 a bottle.

Layla Cosmetics is distributed to the US through the Luxcon Group who has a Facebook Page to several online websites including Zappos, AVEYOU, Brigette's Boutique, Amazon, and Drugstore.

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