NCLA Summer of '69

I love Oldies music.  I grew up listening to it while my parents jammed in the front seat.  Now I hope my son doesn't think I'm as weird as my parents when he catches me singing to Britney Spears or Christina Perry or Goyte...  Anywho, I was super excited to sing a long when these polishes hit my desk - reviews to come before the end of the month!  Please enjoy the following from NCLA - all images courtesy of them (and how fantastic are these press images?!)

NCLA Summer of 69' Summer '12 Collection

www.shopncla.com

Releasing April 2nd, 2012

Featuring 3 new hot nail lacquer colorsEnough of the grey, enough of the cold! We are ready again for the crisp smell of a spring morning, feeling the warm blanket of hot air on a summer night and bringing out our favorite summer fashion!


We want beautiful flowers in our hair, happy music in our ears and start a revolution of color and style on our nails.


Inspired by a generation that re-defined music, that pushed fashion forward and that breathed the essence of freedom, the Summer of 69’ collection is bringing back timeless style with a little touch of LA love!

The nail polish part of the collection consists of three stunning new colors: A beautiful, bright coral crème, a rich fluorescent berry and a gorgeous, lush, violet lavender. These truly exquisite new lacquers will make for a brilliant summer! And they are all 5 Free.


To round the collection off, the three nail wrap designs pick up the superb color schemes in a unique mix of old school design elements, sprinkled with a dash of distinct NCLA style. The result is a beautifully crafted blend that is perfect for the season ahead!

Well…, Let’s rock the backstage areas, let’s sing out loud under the blue skies, let’s laugh with our friends in the warmth of the night. Let’s make this the best time of your lives. Glorious summer is finally back!

www.shopncla.com 

  

All products MSRP at $16. Available April 1st at Kitson, Nordstrom, www.shopncla.com and other high-end retailers.

CND Desert Suede

Considering I'm almost at 1600 bottles of nail polish, you'd think I basically have every color there is.  And on days like today, I'd have to agree.  Today's polish is CND Desert Suede, a "warm opaque nude".  I used a base coat of Poshe, 2 coats of polish and a top of CND Air Dry.  Formula was nice and smooth.

So not quite mannequin hands but quite close!  The color is smooth like butter while still being opaque enough to wear alone.

In the shade, this color tends to wear a bit darker - looking more like milky caramel.  Love it!

And stranger still, inside with the flash, you get more a yellow tint - like butter scotch.  Thank you for the nude fun, CND.  There's a tag line for you.


CND is available for $9 per colour, and $11 per effect and you can find locations to buy here.

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

Stages of Beauty - Toners

Do you use a toner?  I just started using one as part of a face system that I had received last year.  While I'm still not sure what all a toner does (at least I'm honest!), I am always willing to learn - and there are some good facts at the bottom of this release!  Please enjoy the following from Stage of Beauty (images courtesy of Marlo Marketing).

This month, Stages of Beauty launched a collection of four toners, each with ingredients and formulations specific to different ages (20s, 30s, 40s, 50s). Additionally, Founder of Stages of Beauty, Jasmina Aganovic, who is an MIT-trained Chemical & Biological Engineer, shared with us interesting information on incorporating a toner into one’s skincare regimen, below. 

• Tightens pores and reduces pore size

• Restores the skin’s natural pH
• Reverse and defends against free radical damage
• Brightens the skin’s complexion
• Deliver nutrients to smooth and plump the skin
• $19.99 for 4 oz. bottle


Unique Ingredients:


Monk’s Pepper Berry Extract – Anti-oxidant complex shown to dramatically improve the vitality and appearance of skin while fighting signs of aging, promoting a radiant glow and increase hydration.


Red Tea Extract – Found in mountains of South Africa and has been shown to contain SOD, which acts an both an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory in the body, neutralizing free radicals that can lead to wrinkles and aged skin. Red tea is full of vitamins and minerals that increase capillary strength and promote younger, healthier looking skin.


Western Dock – The extract of the Western Dock plant contain Tyrosinase inhibitory enzymes that lighten the appearance of unwanted dark spots.




Facts on Toners:


• Toners rebalance the pH of the skin after cleansing. Did you ever notice how sometimes your skin is red or pink after cleansing? That’s because cleansing can actually be quite abrasive on the skin. The pH is altered and toners help to normalize the pH on the surface of the skin.


• In Asia, toners are known as the “holy grail” of products – they consider it to be among the most important step in their skincare routine.


• The best way to apply a toner is to dispense (or spray) the toner onto a cotton ball and lightly dab the skin. There’s no need to be rough! Some women feel the need to use the toner again if the cotton ball comes back dirty. That’s not true. All that means is that the cleanser didn’t cleanse effectively or you should exfoliate more often.

FingerPaints Cordur-Orange

Dipping into fall again, today is the FingerPaints Cordur-Orange from the Fall Fashionista collection.  This is a dark orange creme which actually wears darker than what is seen in the bottle.  I used a base of Poshe, 1 coat of polish and a top of CND Air Dry.  I was amazed at how opaque this polish was.

Unfortunately, I did not have any sun, but lots of clouds.  As you can see, the polish looks more red on the nail than orange, but it's definitely an orange creme.

Same story in the shade.  I definitely think it's a great wearable color all year round, despite being a fall collection.  In case this is your first time to PolishGalore, the scoop is that I don't care for fall... not cold enough and not sunny enough.  (Yes, I know that's pretty oxymoronic right there.  And yes, I know oxymoronic isn't a real word, but I like it.)

And finally indoors with the flash - the camera wasn't too happy about focusing on the bottle.  Despite the dark background, I'm actually using natural light behind my front door for lighting and the camera uses the flash to add in.


Definitely a nice wearable color - I'd buy it for a good staple if you don't have a dark orange already.  Great possibilities during Halloween for nail art or even an autumn themed manicure.


FingerPaints [Website] [Facebook] [Twitter] [Blog] can be found in Sally's Beauty Supplies stores and online for $4.99 USD each.

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 May Day Competition!

We're at it again!  The Beauty Blog Coalition is giving away another $500 (USD) Visa Card!  All terms and conditions may be found at the bottom of the Rafflecopter widget.  Please allow the widget to load in full.  Competition ends 1 May 2012.  You may enter on any of the blogs below - Rafflecopter won't allow you enter twice.  You may tweet about the giveaway (the last option in the Rafflecopter) every day for extra entries!  (All comments have been closed on this post - for any questions, please email me at krystal[at]polishgalore[dot]com!


Please visit the lovely sponsors of this competition!

PolishGalore	Beauty Swatches
Moxie Reviews	Glitter Gloss Garbage
Polarbelle	Prime Beauty
Phyrra	Midnight Manicures
Naturally, Nancy	Blushing Noir
Perilously Pale	Confessions of a Sarcastic Mom
My Highest Self	Pretty In Dayton
Beauty Info Zone	Retrodivas's Beauty
The Plastic Diaries	Emily Hudspeth
Beauty And Fashion Tech	FutureDerm

a Rafflecopter giveaway