PBA BEACON Program

Hello friends!  While I regroup and get ready to post lots and lots of pretty nail polish, I have some light reading for you coming up, including some New York Fashion Week news.  Please enjoy the following from PBA and how the BEACON program can help cosmetology and esthetic students!  (All images courtesy of PBA)

BEACON 2013 - Offering Cosmetology & Esthetic Students a

Jump Start on a Career in Beauty

Applications Accepted Starting December 1, 2012 ▪ Entries Due March 2, 2013

The Professional Beauty Association's (PBA) BEACON program provides the nation's most promising cosmetology and esthetic students with education and opportunities to network with the industry's highest profile salon owners and stylists during PBA Beauty Week. Held each July in Las Vegas, BEACON students attend specialized classes with the biggest names in the industry, get up close and personal with NAHA finalists and get a firm understanding of the beauty business and how they can excel in their careers.

2012 BEACON students with BEACON leader, Geno Stampora

For BEACON 2013, entry applications will be accepted starting on December 1, 2012. All applications are due by March 2, 2013. For their applications, students must submit a resume detailing their education and professional experience, a letter of recommendation from a school administrator, a portfolio showcasing their talent and creativity, and a professional marketing piece (i.e. website, brochure, commercial) summarizing who they are and their career aspirations. Full entry details can be found at www.probeauty.org/beacon.

"BEACON is the perfect opportunity for cosmetology and esthetic students to learn from and network with the best in the industry at the industry's top event. BEACON truly focuses on teaching how to be the best beauty professional one can be in every aspect," said Jessi Marshall, PBA Director of Industry Programs & Education.  

All entries will be judged by a panel of top salon and spa owners, manufacturers and distributors. Applicants will be notified via email by April 30, 2013 as to their admission status in the 2013 BEACON program. One hundred first place winners will be named, along with 200 Honorable Mentions. All 300 winners will receive free admission to PBA Beauty Week and have access to specialized classes and networking opportunities.  

BEACON is part of PBA Beauty Week, North America's largest, most inclusive beauty event, offering unlimited networking, education, and professional growth opportunities to all sectors of the beauty industry. The event will be held July 13 - 16, 2013 at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas. PBA Beauty Week is produced by the Professional Beauty Association and hosted by Cosmoprof North America.

  

The Professional Beauty Association's (PBA) purpose is to advance the professional beauty industry by providing its members with education, charitable outreach, government advocacy, events and more. PBA is the largest organization of industry professionals with members representing salons and spas, distributors, manufacturers and beauty professionals/NCA. Visit probeauty.org or call 800.468.2274 (480.281.0424) to learn more.

Cult Nails Two Timer

More from the Cult Nails Deception Collection, this is Two Timer - a sheer yellow pearl with green shimmer that can transform your lacquer into a beautiful jade shimmer, which is what happened for me when I paired it with Cult Nails Nevermore (the 1 coat black creme).

Here it is in the sun - I love how instead of being a swirly gold like I thought it would be, it's this lovely green - perfect for fall!  I need to test this over more polishes to see what results it yields.

Here it is in the indirect light - very sweet green - happy times.

September 1-8, Maria is offering all 5 of the Deceptive Collection top coats for $40 (+ shipping).  If you want to wait, then you can purchase Charlatan for $10.  Definitely a fast favorite for me, and I can't wait to try it on other polishes (not just black).

Cult Nails [Website | Facebook | Twitter | Blog | Instagram: CultNails] is available in their shop for $12 a 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.

C.O. Bigelow Highlights Italian Beauty Imports

I've always loved looking at C.O. Bigelow products but it's a bit hard to come by for someone in Texas.  Regardless, they are expanding their lines with some amazing Italian imports.  Please enjoy the following press release!  (All images courtesy of Tractenberg)

C.O. Bigelow has long been a New York Institution, known for carrying wonderful and unique products from around the globe. Their eclectic selection is one of the reasons that C.O. Bigelow has such a loyal customer base. New Yorkers-in-the-know and celebs have been flocking to C.O. Bigelow for years to pick up their fave items.

Italy has long been known for its exquisite craftsmanship and deep rooted traditions. This is the case for C.O. Bigelow’s latest Italian beauty imports, Alighiero Campostrini Season Soap Collection, Alighiero Campostrini Soap in Origano (Oregano) and Proraso Refreshing and Toning Formula Collection.

Alighiero Campostrini Season Soap Collection

§  For over a century Alighiero Campostrini in Florence, Italy has been producing luxurious, high-quality artisan soap using ancient Tuscan soap-making recipes and techniques. These coveted formulas have been used and guarded by the family since 1894, as well as the great cultural heritage of Italian soap production. True to this honored heritage, Alighiero Campostrini continues to produce soap according to these ancient traditions as it always has done, since its founding. Each unique bar is made by hand using antique bronze molds cherished by the company through the generations. 

§  Season Soap Collection is available in:

§  Bar Silk (Seta) - Vegetable Natural Bar Soap with Lettuce Extracts.

§  Linen (Lino) - Vegetable Natural Bar Soap with Marine Extracts.

§  Cotton (Cotone) - Vegetable Natural Bar Soap with Rosa Mosqueta Oil.

§  Cashmere (Cashmere) -  Extra mild vegetable bar soap.

Price: $10 each

Where to buy: Exlusively at C.O. Bigelow

 

Alighiero Campostrini Soap in Origano (Oregano)

This beautiful soap evokes a walk through warm Italian oregano-covered mountain paths bathed in sunlight. The speckles inside the soap are made with real oregano, renowned for its antiseptic and tonic properties, which give this soap a extremely gentle exfoliating property without scratching the skin. This bar produces a wonderfully creamy lather that leaves the skin feeling soft, fresh and lightly scented. Great for both men and women.

Price: $26

Where to buy: Exlusively at C.O. Bigelow

 

Proraso Refreshing and Toning Formula Collection

This refreshing and toning formula offers an immediate cooler feel after shaving. Eucalyptus oil purifies and tones the skin. Menthol invigorates and revitalizes, leaving skin feeling renewed and fresh. No parabens, No silicons, No mineral oils.

Price: Pre Shave Cream ($13), Shave Foam ($9), Shaving Cream ($10), Shave Soap in Jar ($9), After Shave Lotion ($14)

Where to buy: C.O. Bigelow & www.bigelowchemists.com

Layla Magneffect Softouch Deep Violet

I had written about the new Magneffect Softouch Effect polishes coming down the line from Layla Cosmetics, but the other day I decided to take a bottle with me to work and see how easy it is to apply!  Softouch mimics a matte polish but it's not really a matte because if you add a top coat, the polish remains matte - it doesn't get all shiny and sparkly like a normal matte polish would.  For this manicure, I did not use a base or top coat, just 2 coats of Deep Violet polish.  Layla Cosmetics does not stain and actually advocate that you do not use a base or top coat with their polishes.

As with most magnetic polishes, you have to work a bit quickly.  I would polish a nail, let it dry, add a second coat and then immediately flip over the cap where a line magnet is located.  I'd hold the magnet there for about 5 seconds, then admire the nail.  If the magnet effect looked off, I just painted another coat and tried again.  Thankfully I got it down on most fingers, the first time but had issues with my thumbs.

Here in the sun, you can see that it's a lovely deep blue purple polish that is fully opaque in 2 coats.  I don't mind the bar line magnet, even though Layla did just come out with more magnets but I left them at home.

Now in the shade it almost looks like I have a bald spot in my index finger, and I wonder if the polish was a bit thin there or not.

Indirect light - nothing new to report.  I wore this polish for over a day and I didn't have any problems with chipping or staining.

Indoors with the flash - need I say anything else?

Layla Magneffect Softouch Effect is available for $15.50 a 10ml bottle.

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

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

ORLY Fired Up

I first saw this collection at Cosmoprof and now it's available!  Please enjoy the following press release from ORLY!  (Images courtesy of LaForce-Stevens)

ORLY Fired Up 

Break free in fall 2012 with rich, high gloss shades

Set sprits ablaze this fall 2012 as ORLY introduces Fired Up - a dynamic collection created to showcase inner power. High gloss shades mimic the inner workings of the human body, providing a natural explosion of color. The collection ranges from fiery red and deep wine tones to bright accents of golden yellow and vibrant orange balanced by hues of pewter and chocolate brown. Lacquers in the Fired Up Collection offer a dynamite seasonal touch of color to fingers and toes.

The six lacquers in the Fired Up Collection include: 

Glow

Taupe Crème 

Flare

Pale Gold Shimmer 

Flicker

Rust Duo Chrome Shimmer

Ignite

Red Crème

Smolder

Deep Wine Shimmer

Rapture

Chocolate Brown Crème

All ORLY Nail Lacquers including the Fired Up Collection are free of DBP, Toluene and all traces of Formaldehyde and Formaldehyde Resin.

The Fired Up Collection Lacquers will be available starting September 2012 for $8.50 each. ORLY Nail Lacquers and Treatment products are available at orlybeauty.com, Sally Beauty, Ulta and other purveyors of beauty throughout the U.S. and in over 100 countries worldwide. 

For more information visit us online at www.orlybeauty.com. 


Jeff Pink founded ORLY in 1975 with a simple idea: to innovate natural nail care. By creating leading-edge products and tools designed not only to beautify, but to respond to the needs of salon professionals, ORLY’s beauty experts have redefined nail care and nail fashion. ORLY’s dynamic color palette includes over 150 Lacquer shades that are completely free of DBP, formaldehyde and toluene. As much a trendsetter as a nail care innovator, ORLY also introduced the first-ever iconic nail look: the Original French Manicure® and reinvented Lacquer application with the award-winning Gripper Cap™. ORLY embodies quality that beauty professionals in over 100 countries worldwide rely upon.