It's a Mish Mash

I wanted to apologize for my little break here - after my awesome party month in December (Blogiversary, getting married, my birthday, Christmas and New Years), I was hit with a hard reality.  On my parents 35th wedding anniversary, January 2nd, my mom passed away unexpectedly.  The hardest part hasn't been my own grief, but that of everyone else's.  My mom touched a lot of lives - more than I ever realized.

I'm okay.

I am, however, having to settle affairs and get her things in order.  She didn't have any kind of funeral plans or arrangements so there's that.  Additionally, I have to devote some time to helping my dad do a purge of items because my mom was a good record keeper to put it kindly.  Everything she had, has a story or a purpose so my weekends are going to be dedicated to getting that taken care of for a little while.  I am still going to be working on PolishGalore - I have lots of press releases to share!  But additionally I have a LOT of polish to share, some that I've been really excited about.

Lots of love.

Creative Bioscience Challenge: Final

I am not a doctor.  The following post is written with my opinions and the information provided from the Creative Bioscience website.  You should discuss any weight loss treatment with your doctor before you start it.  

January 1st marked the end of my 90 Day Weight Loss Challenge from Creative Bioscience who is sponsoring my product trial of African Mango 1200TM for 90 days in my effort to lose weight.

Now, last month I gained 2 pounds but gone down a dress size and was feeling more full during the day, so it was like an even wash.  December was going to be challenging with my wedding, my birthday, Christmas and New Years.  I knew getting to the gym would be hard, as would saying no to so many tempting foods.

And I was 100% right.  I had cake (wonderful, 4 layer white cake)... and quite a bit of it.  I also had cookies, candy, popcorn, tamales, and lots of soda.  I was eating during the day, not at night, but I was eating a lot.  I was still taking my pills during the morning and feeling full during the day after eating, but I wasn't eating healthily.  I tried to stick to Subway for lunch instead of Mexican food (the town I work in has only 3 restaurants) and that helped.

Despite all that, lazy won out and I gained an additional 2 pounds and was no longer down a dress size.

So what does this mean?  Would I recommend the product again?  It's hard to say.  Had I followed a workout routine and better diet, I'm sure I would have seen more results, since I did have the full feeling during the days and that's part of my problem.  However, knowing my current lifestyle, I would not try this particular method again.

I will be holding a giveaway soon for one reader to try out their own 90 day challenge - please stay tuned!

And HAPPY NEW YEAR!

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

CPNALV: Cosmoprof Worldwide Ad

Cosmoprof North America Las Vegas may not be for many months, but this year the advertising campaign will be shared by Bologna, and Hong Kong.  Please enjoy the following visual wonderment and press release.  To see larger, please click on the image.

Cosmoprof Worldwide Unveils Its New Advertising  Campaign Created By Leo Burnett

 

Las Vegas, NV (November 13, 2012) – Leo Burnett, one of the most influential communication agencies in the world, has been commissioned to create the 2013 / 2014 Advertising Campaign for Cosmoprof Worldwide. The BolognaFiere Group, one of the world’s leading trade show organizers in the cosmetics, fashion, architecture and building, art and culture industries, made the decision to assign the advertising campaign project to Leo Burnett with the objective of redefining Cosmoprof’s image and solidifying its global stature.
 

The decision to work together has proven to be ideal, as both groups are international icons and this strong ad campaign had to be adaptable across the various countries and cultures. The concept will be adopted across the entire Cosmoprof’s worldwide platform, not only in Bologna, but in Las Vegas and Hong Kong as well.

Leo Burnett’s campaign is designed based on the universal vision of Cosmoprof’s identity and the brand’s self-proclaimed values. The creative concept depicts Cosmoprof as a beautiful blossoming flower: a visual metaphor for their reputation as the leader in the beauty industry and a symbol of pure and ideal beauty. Each show will have their own unique color palette which will represent their individuality.

“This choice represents an important step in the process of enhancing a brand through its own identity,” states Duccio Campagnoli, president of BolognaFiere. “A brand with worldwide renown needs appropriate communication and visibility. We are certain that our partnership with Leo Burnett will bring great prestige to the Cosmoprof Worldwide system as an international hub for the beauty world.”

NOYA Lip Balm

As I was leaving Cosmoprof North America Las Vegas this summer, I ran into a booth called NOYA where I met two lovely people - Sarah and Josh.

They wanted to know if I'd like to try their all natural, kosher-certified lip balm.  Unlike many products on the market, NOYA only has 3-5 kosher ingredients - all that you can pronounce and recognize: Extra virgin organic olive oil, coconut oil, beeswax and natural flavor.  NOYA is free of all preservatives (parabens, sulfates etc), safe to use on any skin type, not tested on animals and working on developing eco-friendly biodegradable packaging as well.  

NOYA currently comes in 4 flavors - Cherry, Spearmint, Vanilla and Classic (unflavored).

When I originally told Sarah that I was a nail blogger, not a makeup blogger, she told me that I could use NOYA as a cuticle balm so I grabbed a Classic for the road.

Fast forward to now: I've been sick for a few weeks now (again) and one of the first things to go on me is my lips.  They are cracked, sore, and not pretty.  That's when I remembered I had my tube of NOYA in my bag.  I put it on and immediately felt some relief.  Between the oils and the beewax, it keeps my lips soft as I try and re-hydrate myself.  The tube is no bigger than a tube of Chapstick, so it fits well into a pocket or purse (net wt 0.15 oz).  The lid is slightly grooved for a tight fit, which is big for me because I tend to throw it in my purse and I have other brands that have lids that just slip off constantly.  My only complaint is that I don't prefer the unflavored - so I purchased the other 3 this evening.

This has been my lifesaver this summer and I'm super glad I ran into this booth.  At only $3.99 a tube, it's extremely affordable and you definitely get your money's worth.  I am definitely going to be a repeat customer.  (At press time, my order was $12.77 even - no shipping fee!  I was able to check out with PayPal as well which I always prefer.)

Edit: After a reader commented that the shipping/tax was too much for one tube, I did some searching and found this image on their website.  So if you want free shipping, you can buy 3 tubes (I recommend all the flavored ones!) and then you don't pay shipping!

NOYA [Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Google+] can be found in over 100 stores in the USA or purchased on this website for $3.99 a tube.

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

LVX 3-in-1 Nail Treatment

I used this for my Christmas manicure - while not a "quick dry" formula, I did find that this helped my manicure last a lot longer than I sure expected it to!  Please enjoy the following from LVX!

VEGAN LUXURY NAIL LACQUER BRAND LVX ANNOUNCES THE

RELEASE OF THEIR FIRST BASE AND TOP COAT TREATMENT.

LVX nail lacquer will release a 3 in 1 treatment: Base, Top and Strengthener in one.

Chicago (November 2012): LVX, a brand known for delivering only the top and best quality products, is releasing the first ever vegan and 5-free “3 in 1” nail treatment. A nail strengthener, base coat and high shine topcoat--here is how the triple function treatment works:

 Strengthener

·      Provides intensive treatment and will help nails become noticeably stronger within 2 weeks

·      The nail strengthening property promotes nail growth, conditions and helps normalize the natural nail plate to promote strong and healthy nails

·      The treatment contains horsetail, a healing herb rich in nutrients and high in silica, proven to help natural nails grow faster and stronger

Base

·      As a basecoat it prepares the nail surface for optimum nail lacquer application

·      The formula contains incredible adhesion properties that improve nail lacquer wear

·      It protects the nail surface from staining by creating a barrier and smoothes minor surface imperfections

Top

·      Provides an extremely high shine finish

·      Maximizes the wear characteristics of nail lacquer

·      The clear shield provides a bright transparent color enhancer

·      The treatment provides a reinforcement and protects nails

As a strengthener only, apply treatment to a clean and dry nail 2-3 times a week for approximately 2 weeks. This intensive treatment will deliver results within 2 weeks of regular use and help promote the growth of strong and healthy nails.

LVX products are VEGAN and formulated without the use of Formaldehyde, Formaldehyde Resin, DBP, Toluene, and Camphor. The brand is dedicated to providing top quality, socially responsible, and eco-friendly, luxury products without compromising quality, durability and finish. LVX nail lacquer is cruelty free. All products are produced in the U.S.A. The new treatment product will be available December 1, 2012 on www.shoplvx.com.