Nail-Venturous Floam

I don't feature a lot of "indie" brands much on PolishGalore because the #1 complaint I get is "But where can I buy this?!"  Floam by Nail-Venturous was definitely one of those polishes.  I didn't even get this one myself... a dear friend accidentally obtained 2 due to a shopping cart error and allowed me to buy one off her.  


Nail-Venturous is a blogger turned indie nail polish creator and one of her creations was the above polish, very reminiscent of the childhood toy that was made of tiny neon microbeads that you could sculpt into shapes.


So as I mentioned before, I wore this polish over my existing Sheek White Gelish manicure in order to make the polish pop, so I thought, but this neon doesn't need much help!  I used 3 coats of Floam and sealed with Lynnderella Glitter Tamer to try and make this polish smooth on top.  It does dry both a little matte and very bumpy.

I think what I love most about this polish is that while it's just blue and yellow neon matte glitter, it does give off a bit of a green tint without the base being dyed by said glitter.  NO GLITTER BLEEDS HERE!

Not much difference in the shade.  One of my male co-workers actually stopped me to see my nails and said "Oh weird, it looks like that stuff my kids used to play with."  YEP.  FLOAM.

And finally, indoors with the flash.  You can see a bit of the grit on the middle finger, despite using top coat.


Now one thing people have asked is "What is up with the brush!"  It's a bit "loose" where the bristles aren't tightly put together.  This actually aides in spreading Floam onto your nail.  It takes a bit of getting used to, but it's a nice feature to have.  Interestingly, I saw that her bottles are listed at 15ml which is 1ml larger than China Glaze bottles but they appear to me to be smaller.  I'm not going to dump out my bottles to measure, but please just note that.

Nail-Venturous [Facebook | Etsy] can be found in her Etsy store or on Ninja Polish for $9.  The bottles are 15 ml.

Caboodles Wants 200k!

It's a little weird to me that I'm older than Caboodles (not by much!) but I definitely remember my first one... it was purple and sparkly (hello), and I loved that thing until the day it broke.  Well, Caboodles is still around and looking to have their biggest giveaway ever!  Please enjoy the following press release!

Caboodles Celebrates 200,000 Facebook Fans

CHICAGO [July 2012] – There’s lots to celebrate for Caboodles this year. The cosmetic organizer brand is in its 25^th year as a household name in cosmetic organization. The Caboodles Facebook page is approaching a very important milestone too—the fan count is approaching a staggering 200,000.

When the milestone is major, the celebration must be too! The fan page has been buzzing with hints about a big surprise in store and it’s finally time to stop being coy and spill the beans! Caboodles is celebrating reaching 200k with its biggest giveaway ever. Once the count hits 200k, the giveaway entry form will be accessible for the fans to enter. What makes this giveaway such a big deal? Past giveaways have had 2, 3, or even 10 winners. But this giveaway has 25 lucky winners. Each winner gets a prize pack of Caboodles goodies to get organized and chic. The prize pack includes:

• -          Classic On-the-Go-Girl case in fuchsia pearl
• -          Caboodles t-shirt
• -          Caboodles beach tote in pink
• -          Caboodles flashdrive
• -          Ooh La La petite train case
• -          Curve Appeal wristlet
• -          Bitsy Bag evening bag
• -          Ready to Go Valet makeup bag

But that’s not all! You don’t think they’d give away empty Caboodles for such a momentous occasion do you? Each prize pack will also include some awesome beauty products inside, thanks to giveaway sponsors Ardell, China Glaze, TanTowel, and Senna Cosmetics. Winners will be able to bronze it up, polish those nails, gloss those lips, and bat their lashes in style – all as a thank you for being a Caboodles fan. 

Cosmoprof North America 2012 Post Show Release

I still have lots to show you from Cosmoprof North America Las Vegas (which is why I've been posting 4+ times a day!), but I wanted to include the Post Show Release.  I was really proud to be a part of this year's show as a media blogger again.  I feel like I had a swift kick in the blogging pants to get back into the swing of things and also I was honored to speak on Social Media.  I was told that we received great conference feedback, and that is the best compliment ever.  Please enjoy the following press release.

COSMOPROF NORTH AMERICA 2012

POST SHOW RELEASE

 

Las Vegas, NV (July 25, 2012) –  Celebrating 10 years in Las Vegas, Cosmoprof North America continues to exemplify the energy and creativity that drive the beauty industry. This year’s show boasted the highest attendance and participation, which proves that the beauty industry is resilient and poised for expansion in the upcoming year.  Cosmoprof North America prides itself on uniting attendees and exhibitors, acting as the ultimate platform for networking, sharing new and upcoming products and cultivating new business relationships.  Encompassing all sectors of the industry under one venue, Cosmoprof North America remains the single most important forum for the beauty industry in the United States.  

The event, which was held at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center from July 22 – 24, featured 856 exhibiting companies to a sold out show floor along with over 25,000 attendees representing a 9% increase to the year before that included importers, distributors, manufactures, and global beauty leaders all under one roof. As in past years, CPNA attracted many new and innovative brands in addition to industry leaders such as AHAVA, CONAIR, CND, Essie / L’Oreal Professional, Moroccan Oil, OPI Nail, Orly, RUSK, Schwarzkopf, and Zotos International.

The International Buyer Program, sponsored by UNIPRO, the Italian Association of Cosmetic Industries, once again united buyers and sellers around the world with the resources, contacts, and data to build business partnerships. Beauty and cosmetic companies showcased their products and were offered the opportunity to have pre-scheduled appointments with a group of selected importers and distributors. Overall 300 meetings were held between international buyers involving more than 150 exhibiting companies and 88 qualified international buyers. The international buyers were invited from Argentina, Canada, Chili, Honduras and Mexico; the US Commercial Service was also present at the event with buyers from Bulgaria, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Canada, Ecuador and New Zealand.

Through strong collaborations with countries seeking to expand their beauty trade presence, CPNA dedicated special sections on the show floor to distinct International Country Pavilions. Country Pavilions allow small and medium-sized companies from within select markets to participate in CPNA with the objective of obtaining direct “face time” with distributors and retailers to secure distribution in the U.S. Featured countries and regions at the 2012 show included Brazil, China, Columbia, Italy, South Korea, and Taiwan.

Discover Beauty, an exclusive initiative of CPNA, assists emerging brands in finding the appropriate retail market, while highlighting new trends. The one-on-one meetings with prominent retailers like BeautySage.com, C.O. Bigelow, Duane Reade, Henri Bendel, HSN, Nordstrom, Skins 6|2 and Zappos aim to give Discover Beauty brands critiques and feedback. The program returned this year with 15 brands competing for the prestigious Discover Beauty Award. With voting done by specialty retailers and editors from top beauty sites, these brands were judged on creativity, innovation and market readiness. The 2012 Discover Beauty Award winner is Layla Cosmetics from Italy, which was announced at the Discover Beauty party at MIX in THEhotel at Mandalay Bay. Fusing together the latest technology and Italian fashion influence, Layla Cosmetics has been creating trend setting and cutting edge nail products from Milan for over 70 years.

Earlier this year, CPNA unveiled its first-ever Discover Beauty partnership with BeautySage.com, the new e-commerce site founded by Dr. Mehmet Oz and Dr. Michael Roizen. BeautySage.com will host an exclusive Discover Beauty pop-up store that will feature three Discover Beauty brands from this year’s lineup. These brands, which were announced also announced at the Discover Beauty party include, Marula – The Leakey Collection, Recipe for men and Fairiche.

CPNA also introduced another new initiative this year as a part of the Discover Beauty program called, SPOTLIGHTS. This new exhibit space offered smaller companies that excel on creativity, but seek economic solutions, the opportunity to showcase their products at CPNA. With 19 brands in the program, SPOTLIGHTS featured small artisan labels that are a prime fit for high-end retail stores, boutiques, salons and spas, and was all abuzz with activity throughout the three days of the show.

Top trade publications from across the globe joined leading beauty industry professionals at the show to seek out the newest emerging trends. CPNA also saw a higher presence of online media with over 100 bloggers reporting live from the show. In addition, Beaut-E Zone, which featured editors from Bellasugar.com, DailyMakeover.com, TotalBeauty.com and YouBeauty.com / BeautySage.com was a huge success. These leading online beauty editors were able to meet with exhibitors in Discover Beauty and report trends they discovered and show happenings on their respective sites; combined they have a total reach of over 30+ million readers.

Prior to the show, CPNA announced that five talented students from the Penrose Academy in Scottsdale, AZ would participate in CPNA’s second annual Trendscout program. While given unrestricted access to the show floor, the CPNA Trendscouts met with exhibitors to find new product launches and discover the latest trends. They reported their findings via Twitter and Facebook posts, which were displayed in real-time at the main entrance of the show floor, helping attendees identify the current trends at the show. CPNA will issue a Trend Report, which will be based on the scouts findings later this month.

Staying connected during the show was easier than ever this year. Attendees and exhibitors could “check in” via Foursquare and view show specials as well as download the new CPNA Smartphone App, which helped attendees find their favorite exhibitors and other companies. Guests could also scan the new CPNA QR Code that featured exclusive show promotions and tips from CPNA show organizers.

Every year CPNA brings industry leaders to the forefront to share innovative ideas and experiences that will help the beauty industry better understand the dynamics and market trends, current and future. Special education seminars were filled to capacity with more than 500 attendees in total. Business and industry leaders from multiple sectors of the industry participated in round-table discussions and panels to share their knowledge and insights.

CPNA Hosts PBA Beauty Week
In addition to all that CPNA offers, the event also hosts PBA Beauty Week from the Professional Beauty Association. PBA Beauty Week features the North American Hairstyling Awards (NAHA), PBA Symposium, and BEACON. All three events featured a record number of attendees.

The NAHAs in particular, which are the professional hair care industry’s single most important awards event of the year, were hosted by famed entertainment journalist and star of E! Network’s E! News and Fashion Police, Giuliana Rancic. In addition to hosting the show, Rancic also received the Professional Beauty Association’s Beautiful Humanitarian Award for her work with the charities Dress for Success, Bright Pink, Operation Smile, Mercy Home for Boys & Girls in Chicago, and the Children’s Miracle Networks. This year’s show was attended by a record number of more than 3,000 guests and was also seen worldwide via live online steaming broadcast by an additional 40,000.  Dimitrios Tsioumas of the Mizu Salon in New York City took home NAHA’s top prize, Hairstylist of the Year, as well as the Contemporary Classic honor. To see the winners, visit probeauty.org/naha.

Cosmoprof North America 2013 will take place July 14 – 16 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas. For more information on exhibiting or attending, please visit cosmoprofnorthamerica.com or call 800-557-3356.

JulieG Julie's Fave

After getting my Shellac off, I decided to pull out JulieG's Julie's Fave, a melon pink creme that is neither too bubble gum or Barbie pink and doesn't go off into the neons either.  It's a very pretty shade for the office or just for a night out.  I used a base coat of Poshe, 2 coats of polish, and a top of nubar Diamont.  The formula was nice on this polish - not too runny, not too thick.

Here in the summer sun, the color almost pulls neon, but I promise you it's not.  I think it goes well with many skin tones, mine included!

Meanwhile in the shade, you can see how this color just lays beautiful, no streaks or anything.  I wasn't able to get a good picture indoors with the flash - too much caffeine in my system or something because I was not able to stay still.


A great staple add to your collection if you're looking for a nice melon creme.


You can purchase JulieG in Rite Aid stores across the US or shop online at Jesse's Girl Cosmetics which ships worldwide!  JulieG sells for $3.99 for a 0.35 fl oz (10 mL) bottle.

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

Studio One, Portland, Maine

As you can see above (and I mentioned earlier!) I got engaged on 19 June 2012.  It was short and sweet - he took me to the restaurant where we had our first date, pulled out the box, asked me to marry him.  :]  We were traveling to Maine, his home state, at the end of June, and I really wanted to get a Shellac manicure for the week long trip that would end with his family reunion.

I originally was going to a place near my town to have it done, but due to family circumstances, I had to cancel and pray for a place in Maine to get Shellac done.  I checked the CND Salon Locator and found Studio One, in Old Port, Portland, Maine.  It was about a 30 minute drive from where we were staying, so I convinced the fiance to go and we could check out some cool architecture.

I decided not to make an appointment and instead to just "walk in" and see what kind of service I could get. To my delight, they had an opening in 45 minutes, so we headed downstairs to Anthony's to eat (which was amazing, by the way).

The salon itself is very open and inviting while still maintaining a professional vibe.  The magazines available are current (which you don't really think about but when you're at an appointment early, it makes a difference!), and they offered me a water, but I declined since I had just eaten lunch.

Now, I cannot for the life of me find the business card from my manicurist, so I do apologize that I am not mentioning her by name.  

Studio One offers other gel services too, such as Young Nails, but I was pleased to see that for the Shellac services, all the CND products were being used.  Mixing and matching products can result in flawed results for the client.

Because I had just recently had a manicure, I didn't need my nails trimmed or shaped, and I chose to put on Hollywood, a pretty red, with a top coat of Mother of Pearl, a light holographic scattered glitter, much like China Glaze Fairy Dust.

I ended up spilling that I was a nail blogger, so my manicurist did not explain the entire process to me but I really loved that she had it down to an art on her side.  She would have one hand in the UV lamp while the other was being polished, and then she would move the lamp over for me so I didn't have to twist my wrists or cross my arms to get to the lamp.  It was a relaxing hour that ended with a soft hand scrub with a CND spa scrub.

The ONLY complaint that I have was that at the end of my Shellac manicure, instead of using 99% isopropyl alcohol to remove the "sticky layer" that sits on top of the nail after the top coat has cured, she used pure acetone.  I literally drew my hands back in horror and said "What is that" after smelling acetone, and she assured me that she did this with all her Shellac manicures.  

This is not what CND has said to use.  CND has explicitly said that only 99% isopropyl alcohol should be used to remove the "sticky layer."  Acetone is used to break down Shellac through the microtunnels that is created by the Shellac coats.  Needless to say, I allowed her to wipe my nails with the acetone, and as a result, my nails felt rubbery until the day I removed said Shellac.  She also did not apply Solar Oil after my manicure, but I asked for some anyway, and she provided it from her desk.  (I was not offered a mini bottle to take home.)

I paid $30 for my Shellac services on 26 June.

Freshly Shellac-ed!

Other than the "rubbery" feeling, I was very pleased with my Shellac manicure from this location and if I was in the area again, I'd come back.  I would, however, stop her from using acetone this time on my finished nails.

I removed my Shellac on my own on 10 July 2012 without any issues.  CND does not recommend for the client to remove her Shellac on her own to maintain the integrity of the nail.  

Shellac - 10 days later! 

I had zero lifting, splitting, tip wear, or any other problems after my 14 days... I just wanted a nail polish change.  :]

Edit: I had the original dates wrong. I wore this polish for 14 days, not just 10.

Shellac Day 14

Left Hand - Day 14

Right Hand - Day 14