Zoya "Get Your Green On" Promo SOLD OUT!

EDIT: Whoa, you guys were fast! Zoya is completely sold out of greens! Sadly, since they no longer have the inventory to fill any more orders, the promo has ended early.

We sure do love our greens...


Here's a sweet deal from Zoya for all my green nail polish loving buddies...

Get Your Green On!

Green nail polish is in! We want you to get your green on!

Get 3 of Zoya's best selling green nail polishes for $5*! This incredible offer includes Zoya Suvi, Zoya Shawn and Zoya Ivanka! Green polishes for work, play and everyday! Get this $24 value for $5* when you add it to your cart now! (You save $19!) Don’t miss out! This offer is only valid until March 7, 2011 at 11:59 EST! Limit one Trio per customer.

Here's how it works:

Add one "Get Your Green on Trio" to your shopping cart. Once in your cart a discount for $19.00 will appear, reducing the net Trio cost to $5.00. Then just complete the checkout process. Remember only one "Get Your Green on Trio" will be discounted. Any additional trios that you purchase will be at regular price.

CLICK HERE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE OFFER RIGHT NOW!

(*Consumers Only, Continental USA only, Valid Credit card with sufficient funds needed to process order, Limit one per customer. Any additional trios (Zoya Suvi, Zoya Ivanka can Zoya Shawn) be purchased at retail price. Valid ONLY FROM 3/4/2011 - 3/7/2011 at 11:59PM EST. Non-Transferable. Not Valid with any other promotions or offers. Standard S/H applies. For complete details see www.zoyanailpolish.blogspot.com.

Don't you want this? :D

Zoya Shawn

New Promo Codes

Before I forget, let me direct your attention to the sidebar ------>

You'll notice that in addition to the OC Nail Art code, Trind and Pretty Indulgent have offered to run discount codes for my readers.

These may be especially useful for my Canadian buddies...

Trind, whose products I'm currently testing and will review soon, is a Dutch company and one of Europe's most respected nail care brands. They have some really nice nail care products for natural nails and a small line of nail colors. Trind.ca is the source for US and Canada to order Trind products and they're offering 20% off your order when you use code scrangie at checkout. This expires May 14, 2011. In addition to the code, you can get free shipping on orders over $47 (no code required).

Pretty Indulgent is a new Canadian e-tailer that carries a ton of my favorite brands- OPI, Zoya, Nubar, Orly, Color Club, China Glaze... And not just nail polish! They also carry Arcana, Villainess, Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab and Sihaya Designs. Pretty Indulgent is giving you 15% off your order with code scrangie and this one expires March 15th, 2011.

I'm not affiliated with any of these stores and I don't make a commission; they're just discounts, plain and simple!

Inque Nails Designs and Sale

Inque Nails is having a sale until February 8th: Get 15% off your order with code thanksget15off OR get $5 off your toenail sizing fee with code get5offsizing.

Edit: Reader Vampkat also shared this code: 20% off if you use the code FBPPPQOW

I haven't posted about them yet because I haven't tried applying them. I'm currently working on swatching a lot of polish, so I didn't want to apply the Inque nails and immediately have to take them off and waste them! But, when I get a chance to wear the same thing for more than a day, I'll do an application post about these.

In the meantime, here's a little information about Inque.

Inque Nails are a vinyl nail wrap- a little like a decal, a little like Minx. You apply them with heat and they stick to your nails, similar to the Minx process. Except, with Inque nails, you can pick and create your own designs and they're custom sized to your nails.

The first thing you have to do is register your nails. You take a picture of each hand (and/or each foot if you want Inque for your toes!) and they custom size all your designs to the shape of your nails. I'll explain this more in detail when I post my Inque tutorial.

There are a ton of designs to choose from, or you can create your very own style!

To give you an idea of what's available, here are some of their designs:


This is what the Inque nails look like when they're sized to your nails.

However, it's easier to see the detail in the patterns on unsized sheets, so I'll post the unsized ones for these pictures. Keep in mind that you'll get the sized type above once you register your nails, and they'll be perfectly fitted to your own nail shape.

Amoeba


A Little Cheetah


Dog Gone Crazy



Flight


Go Green (these might just be my favorite!)



Peacock 2 (Peacock 1 is only one feather)


Proud To Be

Snake 4

Aren't those cool?! Such amazing, intricate designs that could never be duplicated with Konad or painting alone. They've added a ton of designs since I picked mine out and there are a lot new styles I want... I'm particularly fond of the new 'Cheese' design. Wish I saw that when I picked mine!

Right now they also have Superbowl designs, in case you're into that kinda thing and want to show some team spirit.

Those are the designs I chose, but there are over 200 designs to choose from. You can also submit your own images for a completely custom design. I'll do a more detailed post on application when I am able.

(These were sent to me for review.)

Revlon Grow Luscious Mascara with Black Galaxy shadow

I love trying new mascaras (well, really any new beauty product actually...) and when I saw this Revlon mascara I had to try it. It said the magic words: grow lashes. I'm a sucker when anything claims to help your lashes grow. My lashes are naturally really nice: long, dark and thick, but a year ago I had a bunch of them fall out and they haven't grown back in the same since. So, into my shopping cart it went!

I loved this mascara instantly. It makes thick, lush lashes. Not super defined like my beloved Lash Blast, but as softer, more fringe-like lash. I like both. But I liked this one so much that I used an entire tube of Blackest Black before I could even do a review of it.

It's one of those mascaras with the gigantic brush so it helps build huge lashes really easily. It isn't quite as big as Benefit's Bad Gal brush, but it's still pretty huge. This shade is Blackest Black, by the way. Here's a picture of me wearing it:

The shadows are Urban Decay Last Call, Bordello and... I forget... a light pink frosty one. SWF? The liner is Milani Infinite liner in Infinite (the crazy awesome bright blue). Milani has great eyeliners... I rave about them so much and I always forget to post a review.... Anyway...

This isn't so much of a review as a rave and a shopping tip... so... maybe I should work on a real review (two things in one post that I need to finish reviews of!).... But I wanted to mention this while it's still available:

Walgreen's was doing a special where you can get a free Revlon shadow with your Grow Luscious mascara. The Black shade comes with this really cool looking Black Galaxy shadow:



It's a very soft black (more of a charcoal/grey really) with lots of iridescent blue/purple and subtle rainbow sparkles. It's actually rather sheer and the sparkles don't show up really well when applied, but I love looking at it in the pan.


The Blackest Black shade (which I prefer over the plain Black) comes with Lilac Shimmer:


This is a soft, dusty light lilac with some silver glitter. I have not tried wearing this yet; these colors tend not to look good on me. Maybe I'll try it this week...

These duos were around $10 at Walgreens, but just last week I saw these at Big Lots for $4. They only had Black and Blackest Black and only in the non-waterproof formula, but wow, that's an amazing price. You can get two mascaras and two full sized shadows for less than the price of one at Walgreen's. Needless to say I grabbed a couple... I'm on a budget and you can't pass up a deal like that.

I get so excited when I find a good sale...

BeautyTicket 50% off sale

Taking a little break from posting until the new year, but I got this email and I had to post it cause it seems too good to pass up:

50% off of everything at BeautyTicket.com with code NEWYEAR50. While supplies last, ends January 1st.

Just a disclaimer: I've never ordered anything from Beauty Ticket so I can't vouch for their service. Normally I don't like to post sales for places I've never ordered from but this seemed like too good of a deal for me not to post! So, if anyone has purchased from this place before, feel free to share your experience.

Last-Minute Gift Ideas: Korres Long-Wear Age-Repair Lip Kit and Line-Smoothing Lip Butter Glaze Trio

I never intend to be but I always end up becoming a last-minute shopper. I'm sure I'm not the only one judging by the massive crowds at all the retail stores this week.

Thought I'd share some of my personal picks for last-minute beauty gifts!

I was originally going to do two separate posts for these kits so it wouldn't be confusing, but they do kinda overlap a little so I might as well post them together!


This is the Long-Wear Age-Repair Kit. It comes with four full-sized Korres Cherry Oil lipglosses in 23 Light Purple, 22 Rose, 54 Fuchsia and 25 Natural Purple plus three full sized Lip Butters in Jasmine, Pomegranate and Quince. The price tag says this set is $39, but I got it for $30 on sale at Sephora.com.

A simple yet attractive presentation. The products are nestled into a pink cardboard tray.

Jasmine, Pomegranate and Guave Lip Butters.

22 Rose

23 Light Purple

25 Natural Purple


54 Fuchsia

As you can see, the shade names don't seem to match the color of the gloss at all. Rose is the only one that really looks like its name. Also worth noting- the shades in this kit vary greatly from the ones in the photo on Sephora's website.

23 Light Purple, 22 Rose, 54 Fuchsia, 25 Natural Purple.

The glosses are somewhat sheer but buildable. Natural Purple is a creme while the other three all have subtle shimmer.

The finish is glossy but not over-the-top glossy, it's a nice middle ground. They provide a nice amount of color and subtle sparkle but none of the colors are particularly flashy or outrageous. They're all very natural and flattering, 'my lips but better' is the phrase that comes to mind.

Korres describes these are 'Long-Wear' and I'd have to agree. The color and shine last on the lips for several hours, even after drinking from a cup (which usually obliterates my lipgloss). It could be due to the smooth texture of the gloss- it's not at all sticky. It's slick and smooth and it doesn't want to stick to everything like a lot of glosses do. They feel very moisturizing and my lips actually feel better after these have worn off- they're like a treatment and a gloss fused together. I really like this formula.

The special ingredient in these is Cherry Oil, which they claim creates a water-resistant shield. It does that, but it also has another benefit: It smells awesome. These have a very light scent of natural cherry. No medicine or candy cherry scent in here. Just light, sweet, unobtrusive natural cherries. It even tastes a little like cherries. It's not sweet or flavored, but the scent of the oil in these does add a little bit of a cherry taste.

The colors are all extremely flattering on me. Like I mentioned before, they're subtle and natural, so they're likely to suit many different skintones. The Light Purple shade is my favorite- it's a perfect pink nude lip on me. I have pigmented lips so it's hard for me to find lighter colors that look right. This is light without being whitish/pale/pastel.

The packaging is also nice. The caps are a rich bronze plastic with golden shimmer running through it. It looks really classy and luxurious. The tubes are a little odd looking with all that random writing all over it- it sorta gives the impression of a medicine or a natural remedy type product that you might find in an apothecary. The wands are standard doe-foot wands that only hold a small amount of product- you will have to apply twice if you want full coverage.

I really love the Korres Cherry Oil gloss formula, and now that I know it rocks I want to try all the shades they make!

This kit also contains three Lip Butters. Last year when I was asking for good winter lip balm recommendations, these were suggested by quite a few people. I like them but they do have their flaws.

The lip butters are the top row. Jasmine, Pomegranate and Guava.

They're a sheer tinted thick balm with minimal shine. They actually remind me more of a lipstick than a lip balm. They have a very stiff, waxy texture that does last a long time on the lips, but it never feels very moisturizing to me. My lips don't really feel softer or less dry after wearing these.

They are lightly scented. The Jasmine seems to have a subtle vanilla-like scent, while Pomegranate and Guava have a subtle fruit scent.

I think the best use for these is to apply them after a lip scrub. That way you can lock in the moisture and smoothness, since these form a nice protective barrier to keep moisture in.

I would use these more often, but they have one fatal flaw for me: they come in a jar. I hate sticking my fingers in things and I also hate having to carry a lip brush. I don't carry these with me because of this; I keep them at my vanity near a clean lip brush and use them while I apply my makeup.

But, thankfully, Korres read my mind and created this:

The Line-Smoothing Lip Butter Glaze Trio!

This one has Jasmine, Pomegranate and Raspberry, but the Raspberry is almost the same as the Guava in the Lip Butter kit.

Here are the swatches again. Lip Butters on the top row- Jasmine, Pomegranate, Guava. Lip Butter Glazes on the bottom- Jasmine, Pomegranate, Raspberry.

The glazes have a much smoother, slicker texture but aren't quite a lip gloss texture. They're a spreadable balm with a high gloss finish. They melt when you apply them to your lips and that's a dead giveaway that there's a lot of nice natural butters or oils in the formula.

They don't last as long on the lips as the Cherry Oil glosses or the original Lip Butters in the jar, but they make up for less longevity with increased moisturizing ability. These do actually make my lips feel less dry and they have a less waxy texture.

All of the shades are shimmer-free and sheer. Jasmine is, of course, the lightest, providing a light pink tint, Pomegranate is a perfect bright coral tint and Raspberry is a subtle red-burgundy berry tint. The original Jasmine in the jar was unwearable for me because it left a white cast on my lips- too light for my coloration. Fortunately, the new Jasmine glaze is sheerer and pinker so it's not ghastly on me anymore!

They're scented the same as the Lip Butters- light, subtle scents.

They are packaged in a plastic squeeze tube with a slanted tip applicator. The tube for Jasmine is my favorite- soft pink tube with bronze writing and the same shimmering bronze cap as the cherry oil glosses. Very 'healthy' and spa-looking. Unfortunately, the outer packaging for the kit isn't as nice as the tubes- it's in a ziplock bag with paper label stickers. Not my idea of pretty!

I wish that they had these Glazes in squeeze tubes before! I greatly prefer them because they're lighter, glossier and much more sanitary- no more putting your fingers in a jar! These were a great idea and I hope they make them in every shade.

Both of these kits get my seal of approval. They're inexpensive, attractive, contain full-sized products at a reduced price and the items inside are great quality. I'd like to give these as much as I'd like to receive them!

Milani sale at CVS - One Coat Glitters

Just wanted to give everyone a heads up- Milani is buy one, get one 50% off at CVS. I don't know how long the sale runs, but I was just there and came home with this awesomeness:

(You can click to enlarge)

I can't remember the last time Milani was on sale anywhere. And these polishes are amazing. I'm wearing Blue Flash and it's stunning. I haven't gotten a chance to swatch, photograph or otherwise evaluate the rest of the colors yet, but they look incredible in the bottles. If Blue Flash is any indicator of quality, they're all super opaque and sparkly. The only ones that aren't opaque are the multi-color and the gold plate glitter, which seem to be more of a topcoat style glitter instead of an opaque wear-alone glitter.

Will post pics of these when I can!

Smashbox Smile Brightening Lip Gloss

Lately Sephora has been doing these weekly deals where you can get a normally higher priced item for a clearance price. Some of the things they've had are Smashbox lipglosses and eyeliner palettes, lotions, travel items, Boscia blotting linens, stuff like that. One of the more recent specials is this Smashbox Smile Brightening Lip Gloss- only $5 for Smashbox! I love Smashbox so I got it- always love these lower-priced items for getting my order up to free shipping level!

It claims that the blue-based pink shade will make your teeth look brighter and whiter. That's an age-old beauty trick that works to some extent, but it's nothing dramatic. Still, it's a nice added benefit to what's really just a gorgeous sparkly pink gloss.




Please do enlarge these to see the detail. What you have is a light cool pink gloss with tiny silver glitter and a wicked awesome blue-violet duochrome pearl shimmer. It is insane. When it arrived and I first saw it in person I flipped out. One of the coolest glosses ever.

And while it looks outrageous in the tube, the end result on lips is very wearable.

Check out that sweet blue duochrome. It's not enough to make you look hypothermic, but it is enough to give that fabled tooth-whitening illusion.

The gloss is rather sheer and the silver particles are much more sparse on the lips than they are in the tube. The gloss is mint flavored and leaves a cooling, tingly sensation on my lips for quite a long time.

It's very shiny and doesn't feel drying or overly sticky. Smashbox glosses generally run on the smooth/silky texture yet shorter wearing end of the gloss spectrum, but this one seems to have a little extra thickness to it. Still, I don't expect a lip gloss to stay on for more than an hour or two. I'm satisfied with the wear time on this.

I have to mention how much I love the tube. It has a sleek shape and the white cap looks great. It reminds me of the Holiday gloss set they did a while back- what was it called, Rapture or something like that? Loved those, love this.

Oh, and in case you're wondering, it's a full size. Full size Smashbox gloss for $5. You can't even get most drugstore brands for $5.

Kinda awesome.

Now it seems like my blog is becoming a Sephora-fest this week... Next thing I review won't be something from Sephora. Still really enjoying doing more makeup reviews than usual.

Rescue Beauty Lounge Bottle Pics (And a couple swatches!)

The big Rescue Beauty Lounge 50% off sale is starting in just a little while. My camera battery died in the middle of swatching but I did get some bottle pictures of my collection. Well, most of it at least... I'm missing a few that I couldn't find (Coral, Opaque Nude and a few others)...

Bikini Bottom, Teal, Dead Calm, Under The Stars


Starfish Patrick, Bangin', Sheer Red, Chinoise, Killa Red


Locavore, Look Rich Be Cheap, Frugalista


Square Pants, Yellow Fever, No More War, Diddy Mow, Orbis Non Sufficit, Recycle


Concrete Jungle, Stormy, 360, Catherine H, Anne


Underwear, Medium White, Moxie, Sheer Natural, Ani


Clear Pink, Grunge, Lelia, Plie, Om


Noisette, Bruised, Drifter, Atame


Purple Haze, Mismas, Scrangie, Catherine

Moulin Rouge, Au Chocolate, Black Russian, Film Noir

I'm going to see if I can get a few more pictures. Also be sure to check the "Rescue Beauty Lounge" tag on the right for some swatches. I am aware that some of my pictures don't seem to be working right now, hopefully I can fix that too!

EDIT: Looks like these ones weren't too blurry!

Underwear, one coat, with topcoat. And there's dust in my topcoat, too! Yay! XD

Bikini Bottom, four coats. Super sheer.

Square Pants, four coats, also super sheer.



Index and ring finger: Stormy
Middle and pinkie: Concrete Jungle

Sheer Red (two coats) over Underwear. Sheer Red really is sheer!


Edit again!: Sorry guys, I think I've photographed some colors that are discontinued! I didn't realize. I know that the Tudor wives aren't on sale today, but I wasn't aware that some of these others were unavailable :(