One for me and one for you...for a future giveaway...

I've been a haulin' lately and I also decided that since my blog, Shades of Beauty, Inc. is more than a year old now, it's probably time to start thinking about hosting a giveaway. My followers have added to the great enjoyment I receive from doing this blog. I have learned a lot from you, my Twitter Friends, as well as those that "Like" my Facebook page.  I haven't decided on what, when, or where, but I have started picking up some goodies for my future giveaways(s). These aren't all, I've just starting shopping for you guys...


But while I was looking for stuff for you guys, of course I had to pick up some stuff for myself.  It's only fair...LOL!  On a recent trip to Walgreens, I picked out some great shades of Sinful Colors for you guys and some Milani Baked Blushes for myself.

I bought my first Milani Baked Blush-Red Vino, several months ago.  Since then, I had been spying several of the others in the collection. So today, I picked up Milani Dolce Pink-a pink shimmer, Rose D'oro-a dusty rose shimmer, and Corallina-a coral & golden shimmer.

I know that they have been out for over a year now, but have you given the Milani Baked Blushes a try? If not, you really should. Great pigmentation, color choices, price, and long wear.

Review:

• Collection: Milani Baked Blushes
• Weight: NET WT. 0.12 OZ / 3.5g e
• Price: They range in price from $7-8. I've seen them at Walmart, Walgreens, CVS as well as several online retailers, Cherry Culture and MilaniCosmetics.com, of course.
• Application: These are shimmers, so if you are adverse to too much shimmer, use a light hand.

Grace, Peace, & Blessings.

* FTC: These products were bought with my own monies. These are my honest opinions. I am not employed by nor was I paid by this company. This is not a sponsored post.

Season of Neon...

It seems that most of the polish manufacturers are coming out with neon collections.  Sally Beauty's Finger Paints line is included in that trend.  On a recent trip to Sally Beauty, I walked in and just inside the door was the Finger Paint latest neon collection.  

Like a moth to a flame I went directly for the purple-PopArt Purple and the blue-InkBlot Blue.  As with most neons, they dry matte. There was also another Finger Paints collection, Summer In The City (Sorry, I didn't snap a picture).  Just like the neon, this collection had a shade that I was directly drawn to-Late Night Rendez-Vous, a blue-green micro flakie. The Summer in The City collection also includes Flip Flop Fuschia, To-Teally Hot, Beach Bound (purple), Movie In The Park (blue & purple glitter), and Sexy Sundress (yellow). In addition to these three, I picked up a polish that I have been eyeing for months, Finger Paints Art You Blue? It's a denim blue shimmer.  I also bought Orly Gilded Coral-dusty pink with golden shimmer (originally part of the Spring, 2011 Spring Collection) and Orly Terracotta-neon pinkish-orange. These are two shades that are part of the Orly core collection.

Have you picked up any neons for the summer?  Have you tried any of the Finger Paints polishes? If not, you really should. Their quality, colors, and application is right up there with the others.

  Grace, Peace, & Blessings.

* FTC: These products were bought with my own monies. These are my honest opinions. I am not employed by nor was I paid by this company. 

It was a busy day for my Mailman...

I came home to four packages at my front door...I love packages!!!  If you haven't visited the Drug Store Divas blog, you are really missing out on some great offers; free samples and tons of coupons.  Three of  these packages, I received through offers I found on Drug Store Diva.  


First, is a full sized Mio Liquid Water Enhancer. Mio is a convenient pocket sized bottle of calorie-free flavored water enhancer.  I had been wanting to try this so I jumped at the opportunity. I chose to try the Lemonade.

Next, was a four serving size of the new Gevalia Coffee in their House Blend selection.  I had seen this brand in Walmart but had not yet given it a try.  I was weary of turning away from my Starbucks, but now I can give Gevalia a try.

Lastly, for the sample products, is the Beauty Bag I received from Target via Drugstore Divas.  This cute little makeup bag is a London Soho New York beauty bag. And inside were samples and COUPONS!!!  I hear that Simple Skin Care is very popular in the UK but it is really just making it to this side of the pond.  My Beauty Bag included a sample of the Simple Beauty Wipes. I like to use beauty wipes at night, so I can't wait to try these.  Also included was a sample of Neutrogena Fresh Foaming Cleanser. I love the Neutrogena Alcohol Free toner, so I am excited about trying this product.  Then included was a sample of Pantene Conditioner, Nivea Extended Moisture Daily Lotion, and L'Oréal Paris Magic Lumi Light Infusing Primer. Lastly, included in the Beauty Bag, was a coupon book full of beauty related coupons.

The last package I received was actually one I purchased.  I'm on a healthy hair journey and will be participating in a Sulfur Challenge next month. So I ordered Sublimed Sulfur for a scalp oil mix. 

Well that is all for now.  Just wanted to take a quick moment to share...Have you received any good samples lately?

 Grace, Peace, & Blessings.

* FTC: Except where noted, these products were bought with my own monies. I am not employed by nor was I paid by any of these companies.

Pantone Universe: Color of the Year--Tangerine--My Answer

As I mentioned in a previous post, Pantone Universe has declared Tangerine as the Color of the Year.  And Surprisingly, the color is very complementary to my skin tone (NW43) and I have fallen in love with the color. So I went hog-wild in seeking many different products in variations of the color Tangerine, Orange, Coral, etc.  

Of course, I started with nail polishes in that color. The golden shimmer, and undertones really work well with my complexion.

I then looked to find lippies in the color Tangerine.  Of course, one of the first, was the Sephora + Pantone Universe collaboration--Tangerine Tango.

To go with the lipsticks, of course I needed lip glosses.  So I found a few.  I even found an orange lip liner.

The last beauty product I ever thought I would attempt in orange or tangerine would have to be a blush, but I took the jump of faith and there is no looking back.  I am loving NARS Taj Mahal.  I even picked up Maybelline Eyestudio Color Tattoo in Fierce & Tangy.  

I need to give some of the orange, tangerine, and coral eyeshadows in my Coastal Scents 88 palettes (Mirage & Metal) a try.

Have you added any orange to your makeup wardrobe for the season?

 Grace, Peace, & Blessings.

* FTC: These products were bought with my own monies. These are my honest opinions. I am not employed by nor was I paid by this company. 

NOTD: China Glaze Riveting

You can't pick up a fashion magazine or watch a fashion program without it touting the Color of the Year being Tangerine. Sephora and Pantone Universe recently introduced an entire collection of beauty products based on the color tangerine. You couldn't have paid me to believe that I would join that bandwagon, but I must admit, the color is excellent against my skintone (NW43). 


Then there was all the hype about the recent movie blockbuster, The Hunger Games and the China Glaze Capitol Colours collection. I never did understand all the hype. I didn't see the movie or read the books.  When I saw the first pictures of the collection, I didn't think I was going to buy any, but on sight, there were a few I needed to add to my collection.  Today, I am sharing with you China Glaze Riveting.  It is one of those colors that I can't stop looking at.  Throughout the day, I find myself constantly looking at my nails. LOL!  


Sidenote: I had been hunting China Glaze Orange Pacific forever, unsuccessfully. Fortunately, China Glaze Riveting is close enough to kill that lemming.


China Glaze Riveting is a beautiful bright tangerine with gold shimmer fleckies.

Review:

• Opacity: pictured is 2 coats but for no VNL I would suggest 3 coats.
• Collection: 2012  Capitol Colours
• Bottle:14 mL – 0.5 Fl oz.
• Brush:Standard narrow brush
• Price: China Glaze - Reg. $5.99 but can be often found on sale at Sally and other e-tailers.
• Application: I didn't experience any difficulty with the application of Riveting, not too thick or runny.

Grace, Peace, & Blessings.

* FTC: These products were bought with my own monies. These are my honest opinions. I am not employed by nor was I paid by this company. 

NOTD: China Glaze Aquadelic & China Glaze Optical Illusion, why did I wait so long?

I had swatched China Glaze Aquadelic from the Spring, 2012 ElectroPop collection before but this is my first full manicure. What was I waiting for? This is a gorgeous mint green, turquoise opaque cream. People have been stopping me all day and complimenting me on my manicure; the fast food counter staff, the women at the MAC counter, the Sephora sales associate...I have long since admired mint green manicures when I saw others wearing them, but I just never took the leap. Today, I took that step of faith...

China Glaze Aquadelic is in the same family as OPI Mermaid's Tears, Orly Gumdrop, China Glaze For Audrey and Ulta Mint Condition but is unique enough to be a necessary addition to your collection.

Then, as an accent, I added China Glaze Optical Illusion from the recent limited edition Prismatic Chroma Glitters collection. Optical Illusion is described as "Aqua green glimmers with a hint of purple filled with pink, yellow, silver, orange, and green flecks". In a previous post, I described the China Glaze Prismatic collection as a combination glitter, duochrome, and holographic polish. The glitter is not large bulky glitters, but they are substantial enough to be seen. 

China Glaze provided us with 2 great collections for any spring and summer wardrobe.  Don't let them slip by without grabbing yours...

Review:

• Opacity: Aquadelic 2 coats, Optical Illusion-2 coats over 1 coat of Aquadelic
• Collection: Spring, 2012 ElectroPop and Spring,  2012 Prismatic Chroma Glitters
• Bottle:14 mL – 0.5 Fl oz.
• Brush:Standard narrow brush
• Price: China Glaze - Reg. $5.99 but can be often found on sale at Sally and other e-tailers.
• Availability: If you can find them, grab them. The Prismatic collection was introduce as a "limited edition".
• Application: Aquadelic was streaking with the first coat but smoothed out with the 2nd coat. Optical Illusion is not like some rough and chunky glitters; with an added top coat, it has a nice smooth finish.

Grace, Peace, & Blessings.

* At least some of these sample products were sent to me for review consideration by the PR department of the Manufacturer. These however are my honest opinions. I am not employed by nor was I paid by this company. 

Pretty in Pink - Orly Flirty

I love when I am able to remind others of colors from the past.  Easter has passed and we are now in the midst of Spring and spring colors.  I have been loving pastels, cremes, and bright springy shades.  This one fits right in to those categories.  Orly Flirty was part of the 2011 Happy Go Lucky Collection.  Flirty is described as a Pink Shimmer. I more specifically say a Barbie-Bubble Gum Pink Shimmer.  This collection included the following:

• Flirty: Pink Shimmer
• Frisky: Teal Crème
• Fresh: Green Crème
• Frolic: Purple Crème

Review:

·Opacity: 2 coats for bottle color
·Collection: Happy Go Lucky, 2011
·Bottle: 18 mL – 0.6 Fl Oz (20% more than the average polish)
·Brush: Standard narrow brush
·Price: Reg. $5.99 but can be often found on sale at Sally and other e-tailers.
·Availability: Ulta, CVS, and Sally Beauty are some of the major retailers that carry Orly
·Application: Smooth.  I'm wearing BC, and 2 coats of NP

Remember, treat your nails as jewels, not tools. Grace, Peace, & Blessings.

PR: Salon Perfect Introduces A Cornucopia of Color

A CORNUCOPIA OF COLOR

Salon Perfect Introduces Limited Edition Spring Polish Collection

Los Angeles, CA (April 2012) – Did the cold winter months keep your fingers and toes under wraps?  A fresh manicure with a bright, energetic polish is the perfect pick-me-up to bring your tips and toes out of hibernation.  Bursting with vibrant brights and sweet pastels, the all-new Salon Perfect® Blooming with Color nail polish collection is sure to put a spring in your step!

Your polish basket is sure to overflow with rich crème shades including:

• Perfectly Peach – Delicate peach
• Lemon Zing – Sunny yellow
• Kiwi Lime – Vibrant green
• Blue Mint – Cheerful mint
• Berry Blue – Classic periwinkle
• Purple Sorbet – Dark lilac
• Lavender Icing – Soft lilac

• Spicy Tomato – Juicy red
• Tangy Tangerine – Tart orange
• Sour Apples – True blue-green
• Blue Raspberry – Vivid azure
• Plum Sorbet – Magenta with purple shimmer
• Berry Pink – Bold flamingo pink
• Bubblegum – Honeysuckle pink

Celebrate spring with a bountiful array of Salon Perfect® Blooming with Color nail polishes!  The collection will be available in approximately 1,700 Walmart locations nationwide during the month of May for $2.98.

About Salon Perfect:

Salon Perfect is a collection of professional-quality lash, brow and nail products. Available exclusively at Walmart stores nationwide, Salon Perfect offers premium faux lashes in an assortment of styles.

National Autism Awareness Month - Essie Aruba Blue

Still showing support of National Autism Awareness Month.  This time, I am wearing a much blogged about, but only very recently added to my collection-Essie Aruba Blue.  I also did an accent nail with the infamous Icing Epic Winning.  Blues are more becoming my favorite polish color.  There isn't much I can say about Essie Aruba Blue or Icing Epic Winning as they both have been blogged about at length. My two cents, "They're gorgeous!"

Review:

·Color Family: Blue (Sapphire Blue)

·Finish: Metallic (Jewel-tone)

·Opacity: 2 coats for bottle color

·Collection: Core Collection

·Bottle: 15 mL – 0.5 Fl oz

·Brush: Standard narrow brush

·Price: Reg. $8.00

·Availability: Ulta, CVS, Walgreens, and Sally Beauty are some of the major retailers that carry Essie. Icing polishes are available at Icing stores

·Application: Smooth.  I'm wearing BC, and 2 coats of NP

Remember, treat your nails as jewels, not tools. Grace, Peace, & Blessings.

Post Response: How long does my manicure last?

Last fall Kelly, of Vampy Varnish did a post called “Nail Polish Wear & Why I Never Discuss It”. Also, the nail polish industry has recently been bombarded with gel polishes which promise to give you two weeks worth of wear from your manicure.  I have often been puzzled why so many people can’t get their manicure to last more than a couple days without chipping.  If I choose to not change my polish, I can easily get 2 weeks out of a manicure with no chipping; of course, there will be growth and tipwear, but I very seldom have issues with chipping.  So I decided to do a response post to Kelly's original post. I followed my normal manicure regimen and took periodic update pictures. My goal was twofold, one, as a tutorial and two, to see for myself how long my manicure and tolerance would last. (I normally get bored with a polish after a few days, LOL!)

So for starters, products used were as follows:

• Treatment: OPI Nail Envy Original (1 coat), I rotate with Nail Life Nail Revitilizer also, but they both give me the same results
• Basecoat: American Beauty Gelous (1 coat)
• Basecoat: Nail Life Gripper Adhesive Basecoat (1 coat)
• Nail Polish: Misa Sinning Out Of Control (2   coats), & China Glaze Liquid Crystal (2 coats) on accent nails. I had to decide on a color(s) that I could tolerate for a   long period of time. *I pretty much get the same wear, regardless of the polish brand I use-drugstore or department store.
• Top Coat: Seche Vite Fast Drying Top Coat (1 coat)

I realize that that is a drawnout process, but For Me, It Works…

Regimen:

• Remove Cuticles (if needed)
• File, shape and buff nails (if needed)
• Oil Nails and Cuticle with my cuticle mix
• Exfoliate hands (optional)
• Moisturize with favorite hand cream
• Wipe down nail beds with alcohol to remove all traces of oil
• Proceed to polish my nails with each of the products mentioned above. Yes, all of them. Also, being certain to "wrap my tips" with each product.
• Moisturize my nails & cuticles at least once daily.

Side notes:
Kelly stated that some of the contributing factors to her polish life were a lot of hand washing and using the keyboard. She also clarified her definition of a perfect manicure as it looking “exactly like it did the second you applied it. That means NO tip wear, not a single chip or crack and no noticeable nail growth around the cuticle area.”

My definition of an “Acceptable manicure” is as follows: No chipping or peeling; no noticeable nail or cuticle growth and minimal tip wear. My life is filled with a lot of hand washing, dish washing without gloves, and like most people, live by texting and a keyboard.

Starting photos (3/23/2012)

Update photo: (3/27/2012) - 1 week into manicure. There is minor tip wear, and some growth at the cuticle. But still acceptable.

Ending photos: (4/2/2012) - 10 days into my manicure. Although there was no chipping, I couldn't tolerate the growth at my cuticles and had grown tired of the color.  The manicure had also lost some of its shine. But still no chipping.

No Chipping, but much growth.

Texting & Keyboards = Tipwear.

Another view of tipwear.

So as you can see from the picture timeline, I was able to go several days with no chipping. So for me, I see no reason to invest in the latest gel nail products.  In addition to the enjoyment I get from doing my own nails, I also get substantial "wearage" (my word, LOL!) from the products and process I currently use.  So if your level of tolerance is similar to mine, you may want to try the products & process I use and hopefully, you will get similar results.  Should you have any questions, please post them and I will get back to you as soon as possible.

Remember, treat your nails as jewels not tools. 

Grace , Peace, and Blessings. 

Grace, Peace, & Blessings.


* FTC: These products were bought with my own monies. These are my honest opinions. I am not employed by nor was I paid by this company.