Thursday, December 20, 2012

Happy Holidays Multi-Blogger Giveaway

I have a very special giveaway to share with you today!!! A large group of us beauty blogger's wanted to show our appreciation to you, our wonderful readers, this Holiday season!


There is a gift basket full of goodies. Here is a list of some (not all) of the items in the basket:

4 Polishes from the China Glaze Holiday Collection
E.L.F Beauty on the go Pallet
Mary Kay Cream Blush
Kiss Lashes

Sephora Lip Gloss
Mary Kay Eye Makeup Remover
Philosphy Amazing Grace Powder Compact
Barielle Ultra Speed Dry Top Coat
Revlon Lip Glosses
Eos Lip Balm
Stila Lip Glaze
Loreal Hip Pigments
Jelup Daylight Defense
NYC eyeliners,
NYC lip glosses
Rimmel Mascaras

There is also a $110 Gift Card. Here's the best part! There is a chance for you international ladies as well. If an international reader is drawn first, they will get the gift card and we will draw a US winner for the basket. If a US reader is drawn first they will win the whole thing!

Huge, huge, huge thanks to Mercedes at Beyond Beauty Lounge for putting this whole thing together! The giveaway ends on New Year's Eve! Good luck ladies!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Friday, December 7, 2012

Pretty & Polished Pretty As A Peacock

I am supposed to be doing snowmans for the 12 Days of Christmas challenge, but I had a date last night with my mama (this is our 5th year as ticket holders to a local theater company, Southwest Shakespeare Company. Last night was A Christmas Carol! It was excellent!) and obviously didnt have time. You will see my snowman mani along with my Winter Wonderland mani on Monday!

Instead, I thought I would continue with the peacock theme and share a different indie peacock creation for you...


Pretty & Polished's Pretty As a Peacock is a dark green base with blue, teal, purple, and green glitters. This is three coats.


The formula was great to work with, and I wasnt fishing for the larger glitters. It did take two coats of top coat, so it is a bit of a top coat eater.

You can follow P&P on Facebook here, and her shop is here. Her full-sized polishes are $9 and her minis are $5.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!! Im driving up the mountain to enjoy Globe, Arizona's Christmas Light Parade!!

Don't forget I have a giveaway going on... you can enter at the bottom of this post

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Whimsical Nail Polish By Pam - Peacock Park

I just had to double post today, because otherwise I wouldnt have had a chance to show you this gorgeous polish until the week after next. That was just unacceptable to me lol. But this one is a quick one, which is a nice change from my post earlier (that you need to read, if you haven't! It's a giveaway too!)

I love All of Pam's creations I own, but this immediately became my favorite. And I'm sure you can see why:


ERMAHGERD!! So pretty! Is your mind blown? It should be lol. This is a teal jelly base packed with micro and medium glitter.The formula was a dream, especially considering how much glitter is packed in here.


Two coats was almost full coverage, but I added a third to make my OCD happy. I put two coats of Butter London's top coat, so it is a bit of a top coat eater; but its really not bad after one coat, I just like it super-duper smooth.

Whimsies cost $10 each... you can find Pam's other gorgeous creations and order info on her Facebook page.

Don't forget I have a giveaway going on... you can enter at the bottom of this post.

Eco Soap Work Review and GIVEAWAY!

I have a very special post for you this morning. And the whole time you are reading, think Christmas gifts! Haha.. It is "talk" heavy... But please, please, please read it. These are some amazing bars of soap I am sharing with you! So much so, that they have likely changed my life. This is big stuff and worth reading! I promise :)

I am a super crafty person... Through my crafting excursions, I have met some awesome people; and one of those people is Francis from Eco Soap Works. She makes amazing all natural,animal friendly, eco-friendly, vegan, synthetic-free and petroleum-free homemade soaps and was kind enough to send me some to try and share with you :)

First, lets give some back story to my skin. It sucks. I havent had a day without a zit since I hit puberty. I have never had a face full of zits or severe acne, but Ive always had zits. My skin is dry in the morning and oily at the end of the day and so, so sensitive, and Im not going to lie... I was worried about trying these because any changes in my skin care routine usually sends my skin in a downward spiral. I have never been so happy with my skin (as a whole) as I have been in the last 3 weeks I have been using these soaps. In fact, I may not be able to afford to completely change myself over to her soaps (right now), but I definitely plan on buying them to keep up with it as my face wash. And when I can afford it, best believe I will be buying her soap exclusively.

Im going to show you the soaps she sent, and tell you a little bit about each of them:


This is a specialty, seasonal soap. She actually sent me this as a gift not to share, because she thought this was the last bar of the year. But she made another batch because of demand (it's almost ready for your buying pleasure!)! Have I mentioned what an awesome gift this would be??

This baby smells good enough to eat (author note: do not eat lol). Its made with organic pumpkin puree and full of clove, cinnamon and ginger essential oils. It is so lovely once you suds it up! And I smell faintly delicious when I get out of the shower! (BONUS!)

 
This is a genius bar of soap. Francis had some avocados and thought "hmmm, I wonder how this would be in soap" and a few weeks later, viola! I am going to be so sad when this soap is gone!!

This is made with organic avocados and aloe gel from her own garden (here in Arizona, pretty much every house has aloe cacti in the yard somewhere lol). Here are a few points she makes in the info card attached:

Aloe vera is a very special healing plant; enriching and soothing to normal, oily or dry skin. Avocado has remarkable benefits to human skin - both when eaten and when used topically. It contains vital nutrients, minerals and fatty acids for your skin. Has both healing and moisturizing properties, and is gentle for all skin types, making it perfect for a face and body soap.

This soap is sooooo creamy. It is naturally unscented, so you arent going to walk around smelling of guacamole (I know you were thinking it lol).


This soap right here is the soap I will continue to buy for the rest of my life for my face. It is a-m-a-z-i-n-g. As I said above, I have struggled with my skin for 15 years (give or take) and it has never been as happy as it is after 3 weeks of this soap. My pores are smaller and my skin is far less oily at the end of the day. I have one zit right now; only having one used to be a fluke. I have confidence that I will be generally zit free with this soap, and that is a wonderful feeling after so many years of cover-up!!

This is an extra virgin olive oil soap, which is loaded with nutrition and antioxidents like vitamins A and E. (which makes it exceptional for those with sensitive skin - ie me). Goats milk may seem weird, but its loaded with vitamins and minerals for silky soft skin (I can attest to that). This soap is fragrance free, and life changing. Just saying.


This is the same basic soap as the one above. Not a lot of different going on except for the lack of oatmeal. If the oatmeal freaks you out, this soap is just as life changing lol. But something about the oatmeal makes me like it better. Dont ask why, I dont know.


This is a bar of soap that literally has an all natural loofah enclosed inside the sudsy goodness. I've used this once a week for the last three weeks, and my skin is soooooo soft after! Its great for feet or elbows or anywhere you want to make soft (but not your face, too harsh). You can actually read all the ingredients in this pic, so I'll let it speak for itself.

I have been careful to keep them out of the water while I am in the shower, because the dryer you keep the soaps, the longer they last. Ive been using the goats milk with oatmeal everyday for 3 weeks (including a couple days on my whole body) and I still have at least a week of use out of it. So one of these could easily last you a month for face wash if you are diligent like me!

Now for the super fun part... Im giving some away!!!


One lucky lady (or gentleman) will win a bar of Lemongrass Loofah soap and "Kitchen Soap" with Coffee.

Little info on the coffee soap... there is fresh brewed coffee in every batch because coffee (and caffeine in general) is good for your skin. This is called a "kitchen soap" because it is great for removing the smell of garlic or onions from your skin. But this is also fine for an overall body soap, and is an excellent exfoliater. 

Giveaway rules: US only, you must be 18 years or older. And I will be verifying that you have done  the two requirements :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you are interested in the specialty soaps, you have to follow Eco Soap Works on Facebook. She does not put them (Pumpkin Vanilla and Avocado/Aloe) on her website. Too much of a hassle when they are limited editions. She will announce when a batch is ready and you can email her letting her know you want one (or 5). But, you can get the basic goat milk and loofah soaps on her website here. When you order a soap from her (because you need to order a soap from her... at least one. Try it!) make sure you buy one of her adorable crocheted washcloths. She sent me one and I love it! It's perfect with her homemade soaps.

Soaps and washcloths are $5 each or 5 for $20. You can mix and match the soaps and the washcloths. The only exception is the loofah soap. The loofah bars she sent me are smaller, and she wont be making those anymore. However, she will be selling larger, 8oz bars for $9 each or 3 for $23. Be sure to check out her other products; she has all natural deodorant, lotion bars, bath teas... the list goes on and on.

If you are local to the Phoenix area, she has a stand at a number of farmers markets around town. She'll update you on her Facebook about where she will be, and she also has all the info on her website. Tonight she will be at the Cranberry Hills Restaurant and Catering in Phoenix for "Girls Nite Out" event from 4-7 pm. She will be at the Central Farmers Market on Saturday from from 9 am -1 pm, and I will be stopping by to say hi and get some more soap, so if you are in town and want to say hi email me (peacelovelacquer@gmail.com) and we can coordinate! Maybe lunch? :)

**These items were sent to me for review. I was not paid for this review. All opinions are my own and are an accurate representation of my experience with the products.**

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Candii Polished Review

I was hoping to get this post up last week, but I ran out of time (and internet lmao)! Brenda at Candii Polished was kind enough to send me a couple of her beauties. She has been making other cosmetics for a while and recently started making polishes; and she should keep it up, because these are amazing!!

First of all, I would like to talk about how cute the bottles are!! Its an octagon shape, which I love because its so different!! My only complaint is the stumpy handle. It takes a little getting used to; but I don't dislike it enough for it to ruin how cute I think the bottles are!! In this case, I prefer aesthetics over ease of use!


You saw earlier today that my Snowflake nail art had Let It Snow as the base. This is two coats of Let It Snow over black. The depth in this polish is just gorgeous. The application was smooth and the formula was easy to work with.


I can't rave enough about how pretty and shimmery this polish is! It has small and medium white hex glitters and a ton of blue shimmer. Pretty, pretty, pretty!! You all know how much I love shimmer and glitter... add blue (or green) to the equation and I am IN LOVE!


This is Holo Moly! I decided to try it over white, and now wish I had put it on black like Let It Snow... I will try to use this one again in the near future over black (Im thinking maybe a New Years mani)!! This baby is PACKED with medium holo hexes and micro glitter in a yellow jelly base.


This is two coats of Holo Moly! over white. The formula on this one was a bit more watery, but once I painted one nail I got the hang of it so its not too bad.


I tried to capture the micro holo from like 20 different angles standing out in my front yard... and this is the best I got. Trust me, in person it really sparkles!!


Here's a blurred, close-up bottle shot to give you a bit better of an idea of the sparkle... This does it a bit more justice!

Be sure to follow Candii Polished on Facebook here. You can buy these babies at her shop here. The full sized are $7.50 and the minis are $4... so they are a GREAT deal!!

**These items were sent to me for review. I was not paid for this review. All opinions are my own and are an accurate representation of my experience with the products.**

12 Days of Christmas Nail Art Days 2 - 4

So, Ive been in the dark ages... Yep... last Wednesday night I lost my internet... but it's finally back!! Today is day 4, so I have 3 days to show you. Please bare with me lol!!


Be sure to check out the other bloggers who are participating! And play along by posting your creation on my page, I will share it!



OK - so again, bare with me. I am so behind on review posts too; so you will be getting a review later today as well. That's right, its a two-post kind of day. Tomorrow will be too!! And I have 3 more reviews to do too! Bad time for my internet to go down lol.


Day 2: Snowflakes. Those of you that follow me on Instagram got to see this on Friday (if you aren't following me on Instagram and want to be, go here). The base for this nail art is Candii Polished Let It Snow; which is one of the polishes you will see in my review post later today.


I used my white Stripe Rite to draw the snowflakes, and went over them with the clear glitter Stripe Rite. It doesnt show in the pic, but in person the glitter really makes it pop!


Day 3: Christmas Movie. I love, love, love, love Dr. Seuss. I grew up reading all of his stories (my favorite was Marvin K Mooney Will You Please Go Now. I could recite it by memory when I was little!) so my first thought was How The Grinch Stole Christmas. It was a bit out of my artistic skill set, but I decided to go for it!! It took forever to do the Grinch, so I left it at him lol.


The Grinch himself is my LA Art Deco Striper in mint green (their names are all messed up. Its clearly lime green haha). The black outline is my Stripe Rite, his yellow eyes are my Orly Striper in Yellow Submarine, and the red dots were my red LA Art Deco. I painted the rest of my nails with China Glaze Merry Berry and Glistening Snow from their Holiday Collection.


Day 4: Christmas Lights. I was in a rush for these, and am not totally happy with them... but alas, I did not have time to redo them. I wanted to do something different from the standard Christmas light manis you see, and since we outline our house with icicles (and then cover the rest of the house with lights so you can see it from space... my hubby has an illness. He cant just put one strand up; he has to put them all lol), they seemed fitting.


The base is Barielle's Coalest Day of the Year. It is absolutely gorgeous, I liked it much better before I used my white Stripe Rite to add the lights haha.

OK.... so glad to be caught up on my nail art!! Dont forget to check back at noon pacific time for my Candii Polished review!!

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

12 Days of Christmas Nail Art Day 1 - Red and Green

I cannot believe it is almost December. It's a good thing I just have finishing touches left on my Christmas gifts! Yipee!!


Be sure to check out the other bloggers who are participating! And play along by posting your creation on my page, I will share it!


I have to say, it is kind of hard to get into the Christmas spirit when it is 80+ degrees outside. We have been too warm for too long here in the desert. It would be nice to get a pleasant, rainy day for once!!

Today is red and green, so I grabbed Barielle Lily of the Valley for my base. I havent showed you this one yet, so here's a swatch of if all by itself:


I taped at an angle, and painted Zoya Rehka.


Then, I covered the edge by free-handing some Zoya Ray (a pretty dark green) in the center. This wouldnt been prettier if I had taken the time to let it dry then tape the center for Ray; but we all know how I feel about taped manis. I already taped once for this one, there is no way I would have the patience to do it AGAIN. lol.


This is super simple, but also really elegant. And it's something anyone can do!

Friday, November 23, 2012

Thanksgiving Nail Art Challenge Day 5 - Turkeys

I am still full lol... I'm pretty sure I'm good for the rest of the weekend!! It's the last day of the Thanksgiving Nail Art Challenge, but don't fret!! Next Wednesday I start the 12 Days of Christmas Challenge. Its a Monday-Wednesday-Friday post leading up to Christmas Eve! Can't wait!


Today I am thankful for yoga pants. Yep, I'm wearing them right now... No one else is at the office to see it! lol

Be sure to check out the other bloggers joining in on the fun!

XO, Noelle
College Polished
PishPosh & Polish
Dipped in Polish
Jenerally Speaking 
Galactic Lacquer 
Tres' Chic Nails 
Charlottes-nails 
Manic Manis
The Life, Time and Lacquers of Lilmoon
Makeup and Nails, Not War
Not Too Polished
Mimi Manicures
Seriously Swatched
Jilltastic Nail Designs 

I kept today pretty simple, because I did it before heading to my grandparents house for dinner and I procrastinated and didn't have a lot of time! Haha


The base is once again Set In Nude by Ulta. I have gotten my $4 out of that one in this challenge alone!! Haha!! The rest was all done with stripers. The feathers are all FingerPaint Stripers: Master Muse (yellow), You're Kiln Me (brown) and Caric-art-ure (orange).


The turkey's head is Orly Instant Artist Chocolate and his beak is Orly IA Yellow Submarine. The white and black are my Stripe Rite polishes. The Orly and Stripe Rite stripers have by far the best brushes! I highly recommend them!

I have some reviews coming for you in the next couple of weeks, so keep an eye out for those along with the Christmas challenge!

How was your Thanksgiving?

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Thanksgiving Nail Art Challenge Day 4 - Pies

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!


Today I am thankful for my hubby, James. He is my best friend and the love of my life. He supports me in all my crazy crafting adventures, and is my biggest fan. I can't imagine my life without him <3

Be sure to check out the other bloggers joining in on the fun!

XO, Noelle
College Polished
PishPosh & Polish
Dipped in Polish
Jenerally Speaking 
Galactic Lacquer 
Tres' Chic Nails 
Charlottes-nails 
Manic Manis
The Life, Time and Lacquers of Lilmoon
Makeup and Nails, Not War
Not Too Polished
Mimi Manicures
Seriously Swatched
Jilltastic Nail Designs 

Today I had a creative block. When I was complaining about the block to my friends, Sunny at 365 Days of Color pointed out Chalkboard Nails post earlier this week. Such an awesome idea; accept for one problem, I have zero patience for taped manis lol. I was mad at her, because I knew I had to do it because it was a great idea ahaha. #nailpolishproblems


I started with Ulta Set In Nude. I sponged a bit of FingerPaints You're Kiln Me over it to try for a more "baked" effect. Then I played the waiting game for it to dry enough to tape. After a looooooooong wait, I busted out my striping tape. This is the first chance I have used it! My OCD really appreciates the even thickness in stripes lol.


Once I taped it all off (lots of patience while taping) I sponged a heavier coat of FingerPaints You're Kiln Me to darken it up a bit because I didnt have a good dark red cream. Then I topped it with a thin coat of Zoya Rehka.

Cherry is my favorite pie. What's yours?

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Thanksgiving Nail Art Challenge Day 3 - Brown and Orange

Wednesday.... That means tomorrow is Thanksgiving!! Yay!! Im so excited to go to Mema and Pa's house and stuff my face with the most delicious meal ever!! Cant. Freaking. Wait.


Today I am thankful for the job that I don't want to be at today.... but am thankful for it none-the-less, because I know there are so many less fortunate; who wish they were miserable at a job.

Be sure to check out the other bloggers joining in on the fun!

XO, Noelle
College Polished
PishPosh & Polish
Dipped in Polish
Jenerally Speaking 
Galactic Lacquer 
Tres' Chic Nails 
Charlottes-nails 
Manic Manis
The Life, Time and Lacquers of Lilmoon
Makeup and Nails, Not War
Not Too Polished
Mimi Manicures
Seriously Swatched
Jilltastic Nail Designs 

I love orange, I hate brown. lmao. So today, instead of doing what first popped in my head (lots of orange), I decided to push myself out of my comfort zone. Maybe I should do that more often ;)


 My poor cuticles are so unhappy. It's so dry!! I just did an olive oil soak yesterday, not that you would ever guess it! Ugh! Anyways, I was surprised by how much I like these! The base is Ulta Set In Nude (You will be seeing this one again tomorrow).


The rest was done with stripers: dark brown is FingerPaints You're Kiln Me, medium brown is Orly Instant Artist Chocolate and orange is FingerPaints Caric-Art-ure. I started at the bottom and worked my way up.

What are you thankful for today?

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Thanksgiving Nail Art Challenge Day 2 - Charlie Brown

I've been very excited waiting for today! I grew up watching and reading Charlie Brown and the rest of the Peanuts gang. I didnt have a single notebook or binder in school that did not have Woodstock doodled on it!


Today I am thankful for my friends and co-workers. I dont know how I would get through the day without all of your company!

Be sure to check out the other bloggers joining in on the fun!

XO, Noelle
College Polished
PishPosh & Polish
Dipped in Polish
Jenerally Speaking 
Galactic Lacquer 
Tres' Chic Nails 
Charlottes-nails 
Manic Manis
The Life, Time and Lacquers of Lilmoon
Makeup and Nails, Not War
Not Too Polished
Mimi Manicures
Seriously Swatched
Jilltastic Nail Designs 

I only took one picture of today's mani. I find when I get my thumb involved, there are not a whole lot of positions for me to hold my hand that arent redundant. And I dont see the point of posting a bunch of pics of basically the same angle haha!


This is the best nail art I have ever done. I am pretty proud of them, and dont think I will ever top this mani! I should just retire now lmao! Im going to break it down by nail and tell you what I used. There will be some redundancy, my apologies ahead of time! :p

Thumb: A snoozing Snoopy!!!! China Glaze for Audrey as the base, LA Art Deco Red for his house and my black and white Stripe Rites for the details and Snoopy himself.

Pointer: Charlie's exasperated scream, most often seen when Lucy moved the football lol. I used OPI Alpine Snow as the base and my black Stripe Rite for the "AAUGH!"

Middle: My favorite Peanuts character, Woodstock. It is a lot harder to doodle him on a nail than a notebook! China Glaze For Audrey as the base, Orly Instant Artist Yellow Submarine is Woodstock himself with my black Stripe Rite and FingerPaints Striper in Art Hue Serious? for the grass.

Ring: The iconic Charlie Brown sweater. The perfect yellow just happened to be a striper, that was fun painting my nail with that thin brush! FingerPaints Master Muse is the base, and once again I used my black Stripe Rite for the accent.

Pinky: Psychiatric Help 5 Cents. My favorite parts of any Charlie Brown story are all of Lucy's shenanigans. Maybe it's because I have always been a bit "Lucy" in real life (at least I can admit it, right? haha). I couldnt do a Charlie Brown tribute without representing it! The base is Deborah Lippmann's Almost Paradise and I used (you guessed it) my black Stripe Rite to write it out.

What are you thankful for today?