Soaping For A Cause

So I know that I haven't been on this blog much lately but I have had a lot going on! I am getting back into making my soaps, and it's been tremendously therapeutic!

I mentioned in a vlog on my YouTube page last week that I wanted some ideas for a new soap to add to my new Etsy shop. Well one of my subscribers had a great idea... An Autism Awareness soap!

I instantly thought about how awesome this could be! Not only could I make an awesome soap that everyone will love, but we can take it a step further and DONATE the proceeds to my favorite Autism charity.. Autism Speaks!

That's where you guys come into play. On the right hand side bar (very top) of this page is a link that will allow you to donate for the supplies needed to make this awesome soap. Once I have gathered enough to get all of the supplies needed I'll start the soap! Once the soap is ready I will put it in my Etsy shop and sell it. Then I will donate the proceeds from the soap, along with any extra from the supply donations to Autism Speaks!

I will be keeping a detailed list of all of those who contributed to this project, both supply donations and soap buyers. I will do so because I want to include this list of names with my donation so that Autism Speaks will know that this donation is not all me... they will know that you guys came together as a community to make this happen. I'm just the hands that created it, but you guys made it happen!

Thank you guys so much in advance.... Let's Do This!!!!



Brightest Blessings,
Melissa

My First Zoya!

I feel like I am so behind the times. I have seen so many other nail bloggers post pictures and sing the praises of Zoya for years now. I have wanted to try them for a very long time. For some reason though, I just never got around to it. Well, I am here to tell you that if you are at all on the fence about it, just do it! You won't be sorry.

I decided to give Zoya a try last week when they were having a sale. I figured that if for some reason I didn't like it, at least I wouldn't have paid full price.

Once I placed the order I was even more excited that I thought I would have been. I watched the mail like a hawk! When they finally got here I'm sure I looked like my 7 year old daughter on Christmas morning! I ripped that package open and dug right in! 

I was super impressed with their packaging! All three of the little bottles were nestled into a cute little black box. 

Inside that cute little box were three beautiful colors! 

The first one Heidi, a lovely orange/coral creme. I was already excited by the color, but I was even more impressed with the application! It glided over my nails like a dream. No pooling around the cuticles and no brush marks left behind. I got beautiful, shiny, full coverage in just two coats!

Below is Heidi - 2 coats, no topcoat! Look how shiny!!!

Next up is Barbie. It's a flirty pale pink with the lightest touch of hot pink iridescence. This one wasn't as impressive as far as application is concerned, but the overall look is amazing. The formula on this one is a little thinner, and definitely not as opaque. It took 3 coats to conceal my free edge. I love this color though. It's flirty, fun and in the sunlight has a subtle hot pink shimmer. 

Below is Barbie - 3 coats, no topcoat.

Lastly we have Wednesday. It's a pale turquoise creme that is even more beautiful in person. Just like Heidi, this one applied flawlessly with just two coats. I am in love with this color! Of the three, this is my favorite!

Below is Wednesday - 2 coats, no topcoat

I can honestly say that I love these! The formulas are great, even if Barbie is a little on the thin side. I like the brush too... It's not to thin and not too long. It applies just the right amount of polish. 

The best part for me though is their formulation. Long wearing, vegan friendly, paraben free AND it's also free of formaldehyde, toluene, camfor and dibutyl phthalate! So basically you get kick ass colors, smooth application AND none of the yucky chemicals! For me, that's a win/win! 

If you want in on the awesomeness just click on my "share the love" link below! 

https://www.artofbeauty.com/rd/016B26F4

With "Share the Love" everyone wins and everyone gets rewarded. Whether it's with instant DISCOUNTS or valuable "Love Points". Best of all it's FREE! Good News - you are automatically enrolled if you already have an account.

So if you click my link and create a free account, I will get "Love Points" when you make a purchase. Then you too can start earning "Love Points" when your friends sign up too! 

Let It Snow Challenge Week #6- Winter Solstice Nails

Let It Snow! Challenge Week 6

Winter Solstice Nails

I know, I'm late posting this. I hope that in spite of my tardiness you enjoy this post. 

Winter Solstice is actually on my birthday (December 21) so I decided to do a look that was fun, fresh and full of winter blues!

I started off with Essie [Smooth Sailing] and sponged on a generic silver polish. After that I used a thin coat of OPI [Pirouette My Whistle] and then topped it with a swirl of the generic silver with a thin brush.

 It's a simple and fun look!

Even though this post is a week late, please take a moment to look at the other ladies' looks for week 6!

3 Free Bottles of Zoya Polish!!

STARTS MONDAY, JANUARY 7th 2013

A New Year Calls For New Color!

Zoya Nail Polish wants you to SHINE in 2013 by rocking your unique style -

on your nails! Pick any 3* Zoya Professional Lacquer shades 

to instantly update your nail polish wardrobe for the New Year!

Offer Valid Monday, January 7th (10AM EST) through 

11:59 PM EST January 13th ONLY

 Pick3 bottles of Zoya Nail Polish for FREE* 

** just pay shipping & processing charges of $10. 

Use Code: ZOYA2013

Want more?... 

Receive FREE Shipping*** with any Zoya or Qtica purchase

of $25 or more (same code)!

Here's How...

Create an account on Zoya.com if you do not already have one.. 

Add at least (3)Zoya Nail Polish shades to your shopping cart, 

along with any additional items you wish to purchase.

Enter Code ZOYA2013 into the coupon code field in cart and press

 "Apply Code".

Complete Check-Out, Review & Submit Order.

* Promotion Excludes Zoya Nail Treatments, Gilty Pleasures and 

Spring 2013 Lovely and; PixieDust Collection colors 

If you don't already have a Zoya account, 

join here using this link and 

"Share The Love" with me:

https://www.artofbeauty.com/rd/01670BBE

Let it Snow! Challenge Week #5- New Year's Nails

Let it Snow! Challenge Week #5

New Year's Nails

For me, no New Year's Celebration is complete without GLITTER!! 

For this manicure I decided to do a glitter gradient using my 3 favorite glitter polishes by Julep. 

I call this manicure "Champagne on Ice"!

I started with one coat of [Vivien], it's a beautiful sheer gold with small and large gold hex glitters. Then About 1/3 of the way up the nail from the cuticle I applied one thin coat of [Colbie]. It's a gorgeous green with lots of gold. In person it is super sparkly! On the free edge I applied one coat of [Harper]. A stunning teal/green that is packed with teal, green and gold micro glitter. 

Together the work very well and each one is a stunner on it's own. You can purchase any of these beauties at julep.com 

Thank you for stopping by! Check out the other lovely designs from the other talented ladies taking part in the challenge by clicking on their thumbnails below. Check back weekly by subscribing!

Let It Snow Challenge Week # 4: Christmas/Holiday Nails

Let It Snow Challenge Week #4

Christmas/Holiday Nails

Sorry I'm a little late with this post. The holidays got a bit crazy and I just didn't have the time. Not to mention that we had to take our 7 year old Daughter Jacqueline to the ER the day after Christmas! She has the Flu. Don't worry though, she'll be ok!

So for this challenge I wanted to go with a sophisticated manicure that could be worn to any holiday party... upscale or not. I went with a dark green, almost black polish by OPI [Nein! Nein! Nein! Ok Fine]. It has a great grey quality to it that I love! I topped it off with NYC [Matte Me Crazy Topcoat]. It gave it a wonderful leather like look. Then I just barely tipped the free edge with Covergirl Outlast [185]. It's a glossy, patent leather red with a metallic finish. On the accent nail I used Revlon [571- Posh]. I topped the Revlon with a generic green glitter striping polish.

It's a simple, yet sophisticated look that would work well on any nail length!

Thank you so much for stopping by! Please check out the great work the other Ladies participating in the challenge have done by clicking on their thumbnails below.

Let It Snow Challenge Week #3: Ugly Christmas Sweater

Let It Snow Challenge: Week #3

Ugly Christmas Sweater

This week's challenge theme was a ton of fun! It didn't turn out quite like I wanted it to, but I'm still calling this one a success! 

I used one coat of OPI [OPI Red] with one coat of OPI [Animalistic] on top to give it depth and sparkle. I used my ArtDeco Striping polish [white] to "draw" on the design. Then I used OPI [Jade is the New Black] mixed with a pinch of green glitter on a piece of foil  for the accents. 

My lines weren't as crisp as I'd have liked, but the little reindeer turned out so cute!!! 

Thanks for stopping by! Don't forget to subscribe to this blog and check out the other talented ladies participating in the challenge by clicking on their pictures below! 

Why I Love Julep!

There's no doubt about that I love nail polish. I also love getting things in the mail! That's why I love Julep! Every month they send me a box of awesome! Nail polish, hand creams, polish remover pads, even jewelry on occasion. Every month is different!

Here's how it works:

For $19.99 a month, you'll get $40-$60 worth of nail and skin care products, including Julep nail polish.  You  just take their style quiz to find out which box you best match with (but you can change your style choice month to month if you want!).  When you first sign up, for $19.99, Julep sends you an intro box, and then you'll start receiving your monthly boxes!  On the 20th of every month, Julep sends out a promo email, previewing next month's boxes and special deals.  Here's some goodies of the Julep Maven program:

• $40-$60 of nail products delivered to your door each month for only $19.99.
• You can skip any month with no penalty, so there's really no pressure.
• You can switch styles each month if you want to.
• You can choose to send your box to a friend if you'd like!
• Free shipping from julep.com.
• 20% off all of your purchases on julep.com
• You can cancel at anytime simply by giving Julep a call.

If you'd like to sign up, you can click on my referral link [HERE]! You can get your intro box for $0.01, just enter code the code PENNY at checkout after clicking the link above and taking the style quiz. .  You really have nothing to lose by trying that first box!

(discount code valid at time of publication!)

Let It Snow Challenge: Week 2

Let It Snow Challenge: Week 2

Inspired by a Christmas Movie, Song or Carroll

This one was really fun to do! I decided to go with "Oh Christmas Tree". My daughter loves to sing it, and she was humming it the other day and it got stuck in my head. 

I started with OPI [Berlin there Done That] as the "undies" of this manicure. Then I topped it off a thin coat of Nicole by OPI [A Gold Winters Night].  It's got gold micro glitter and bar glitter with hints of teal bar glitter. It's the perfect holiday polish!

The Christmas tree accent was really easy. One of the gals on the The Nail Challenge Colaborative Facebook page posted a picture on how to do Chevron with tape. So I just taped off the nail, leaving a triangle shape on the center of the nail. I filled it in with green polish and put some hex glitters and beads on it for ornaments. I found a star shaped glitter and topped my tree! Once it all dried I topped it with my Sologel soak off gel topcoat and cured it for 2 minutes under a 36watt UV lamp. 

These pictures were taken after 4 days of wear! Topping them with gel gives them insane shine and wear! I'm on day 6 of this mani and they still look perfect!

So, that's my week 2 manicure! I hope you enjoyed it! Please check out the other "entries" from the other talented ladies below! As always, thanks for stopping by and don't forget to comment and subscribe!

Never use a Q-Tip again (for nail cleaning) again!!!

So a few nights ago I discovered something amazing while doing my nails! I was painting my nails with a glitter polish and had my trust Elmer's glue out to use as my base coat. If you've never hear of this technique here's a quick run down...

If you paint a thin layer of Elmer's School Glue onto your nail and let it dry before painting your nails with glitter, you'll be able to "peel" the glitter off later rather than struggle with it come removal time. I'll have to do a video on that sometime.

Anyway, I had got some of the glue on my skin and discovered that when it peeled off my skin, so to did the polish I had gotten on my skin! Then it hit me... If I paint my skin around my nails with glue and let it dry, I won't have to bust out the Q-Tips later to clean up my cuticles when I'm done! i tried it out, and it worked like a charm!

Here's a quick video I made last night to show just how easy and awesome it is!!

So, if you try this method out... please let me know what you think! And if you decide to share your findings with the world, don't forget to send me a shout-out! 

Thanks for stopping by!!! 

Let It Snow Challenge: Week 1

Week 1: Let it Snow Challenge

Snowflakes

For this look, I didn't want to do the expected. I am sure most of the ladies doing this challenge did the drawn on or stamped snowflake designs. That's not to say they aren't stunningly beautiful, but I wanted to do something different.

I wanted the feel of a sparkly, winter snowfall. While my camera failed to capture it's sparkle, it still looks pretty good.

I started out with one coat of Julep's [Vivien], it's a gold glitter that is packed with super shiny gold hex glitter. After that I used my dotting tool and with some generic white nail polish I made tiny white dots. 

It's hard to see, but after the white was dry I applied a coat of OPI's [Pirouette My Whistle]. It's a soft silver glitter with bits of white pearl glitter. I think it looks very snow like, but for some reason they didn't want to photograph well. 

All in all, I think it turned out great. Like a gold and silver snow globe! The pearl glitters look like snowflakes and the white dots enhance the look. Next time I may add some pale blue or lavender glitters as well.

I hope you enjoyed my Week 1 look following the theme: Snowflakes

Thank's for reading, please don't forget to subscribe/follow if you haven't already!

Let It Snow: Weekly Nail Challenge

I've been wanting to do a nail challenge for a while now, and this one seems perfect for me! It's a weekly challenge so I wont have to post every day! lol

Basically I will post a different nail look each week following that week's theme. This week's theme is "Snowflakes". I'll try to post it either today or Monday. 

Here is the list of weekly themes:

So now I'm off to do week #1: Snowflakes! I'll post it as soon as I'm done!

Julep's December Box [SPOILER]

It's no secret that I love Julep! Their polish is amazing. They send unique colors, exceptional and fun goodies with every box! December's box has me extra excited! Julep announced on their Facebook Page that December's box will include the "fixings" to make you own DIY Nail Polish Ring!

A while ago I did a video on how to make a ring out of nail polish, so I was very excited! Here is their post...

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SPOILER ALERT: Included in every December Maven box will be a #DIY Cabochon Ring. You will receive 1 disk and 1 ring base, the perfect combo for you to create your own holiday bling with your new Julep colors!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

If you want to get on on this sweet deal you can sign up to be a Julep Maven! It's only 19.95 a month and you get 2-3 polishes and extra goodies delivered to your door! You can skip any month you want, and when you join you get discounts on their products. I absolutely it! I am not affiliated with Julep, I'm just a huge fan of their service and product!!

 

CLICK HERE TO VISIT JULEP.COM

Oh Splat!

I was browsing my BlogLovin feed last night looking for some nail art ideas. This of course led to about of hour of reading blogs. Then I came across a post by Victoria from the blog Manicurator! It was simple, fun and easy nail splatter design. 

Normally, I don't do splatter nails. They can be very messy, and for me are kind of hit and miss. You dip a straw in your polish and blow it onto your nails. This can be very "gloppy" and goopy. So I was super excited to give Victoria's version a try.

She used a spray bottle! Genius! It was easy to do, and the effect is beautiful! Here's what you need:

• Small EMPTY Spray Bottle
• 2 Nail Polishes
• Nail Polish Thinner
• Scotch Tape
• Paper Towels
• Q-Tips
• Nail Polish Remover

So here's what I did. I painted my nails with 2 coats of OPI's (My Very First Knockwurst). Once my base color was dry it was time to mix my nail polish spray. 

For the spray I decided to use a cheap nail polish. I don't know the name of it though, it was from the Dollar Tree. I used a cheap one so I wouldn't waste any of my good polishes. I added a small amout of polish to the clean, empty spray bottle. I didn't measure it, but if I had to guess I'd say it was about 1/2 a teaspoon.

Then I added a few drops of polish thinner. I kept adding thinner until the polish was a more liquid consistency. You have to play around with the ratio until you get the effect you want. I would add a few drops, shake the bottle and then do a test spray onto a piece of paper. Once I got the spray pattern the way I wanted it was time to do it on my nails!

Using the tape, tape around your nails to help minimize clean-up. Cover your work are with paper towels. Now hold the spray bottle about 6 inches above your nails (I did my 4 fingers first and then the thumb separately) and gently spray. You may need more than one spritz depending on how you want it to look. Once you have it how you like, remove the tape and let it dry completely before doing the other hand.

After both hands are done, use your q-tip and polish remover to clean up the polish on your fingers and hand. Top coat and your done! Here's how mine turned out...

I love the random pattern with the bigger splats mixed with the small ones!

The topcoat I used had tiny pastel glitters in it, but it looks just as good with plain old clear! Next time I might try a high gloss base color and a matte spray or the other way around!

I hope you try it! If you do, let me know how it turns out!!

 

Let's have a 3-Way!

OK, it's not what you think! I was looking through my polishes and I had a few that I haven't used yet. So I decided to pick one. Once I did my nails, I decided to add some glitter. Then I decided to do it with a matte topcoat. So today I had one manicure, three ways!!

The color I decided on trying on today was OPI (I Have A Herring Problem). I love this color! It's a very pretty blue/grey with subtle silver shimmer.

[Above] The flash brought out the blue tones and shows off the subtle silver sparkle! It's a stunner by it's self. 

[Above] In natural light you can see the grey tones better.

Because I can't ever leave well enough alone, I decided to add a coat of NYC (Starry Silver). It's packed with tiny silver micro glitter and medium sized blue and purple hex glitter. My daylight was going away so the next few pictures read more grey than blue. Trust me when I say, it's more like periwinkle in person.

[Above] NYC (Starry Silver)- 2 coats, no topcoat.

As i was cleaning up my polish "station", I laid eyes on my Julep Matte Topcoat. I had to try it out! I'm glad I did! I'll try to get better pictures tomorrow. I really hoped that the blue would show up better. The last few days I have been doing a bit of experimentation with the matte topcoat over glitters. It's a really great combo!

[Above] One coat of Julep Matte Topcoat

So the moral of this story is; No manicure is complete, until you decide it so! 

lol

Sexy In Suede

I am in LOVE with my new Julep Matte/Suede topcoat! It came as a part of my November Julep Maven Box. Along with it were two Suede finish polishes. I'll swatch those later. For now, let's talk about this topcoat! 

This is my first experience with matte finishes. I always had a bit of an aversion to them. I imagined them as having a chalky feel, or feeling like un-glazed ceramic. I'm not a fan of that feel/texture. I almost skipped this month's Julep box because I wasn't too keen to try the mattes. 

After looking at a few of my fellow bloggers posts on the subject of matte polish, I decided to go ahead and give it a try. I am so glad that I did! 

The first thing I tried was the topcoat. I had just done my nails the day before and in the interest of not redoing my manicure, I thought I would just try the topcoat on top of my mani. It went on glossy just like any other topcoat. As it dried the shine went away. I actually loved the look. I waited for it to dry and touched it. It felt like a soft suede. Amazing! Even on top of my glitter manicure, it looked great!

It looks like it has a tiny bit of shine, but that's the flash of my camera. in person it's not that shiny. It's a soft, brushed satin kind of look. I love it on top of my glitter manicure! I had on 2 coats of OPI's I Brake For Manicures and 2 coats of OPI's Pirouette My Whistle. I topped it off with 1 coat of Julep's Matte Top Coat.

The above picture shows OPI's Pirouette My Whistle. I love the silver micro glitter and matte pearl hex glitter! With the matte topcoat, it's a beautiful look. I give this topcoat 5/5 stars!

If you're interested in trying out Julep's polishes and/or monthly Maven Boxes just click the link below!

www.Julep.com 

Follicleanse Clarifying Shampoo *GIVEAWAY*

Healthy Hair Plus has some of the best shampoos, conditioners and styling products out there! I've used their Emu Oil Shampoo and Nourish Conditioners in the past with great success! That's why I am very excited to share this giveaway with you!

As winter here in the North East approaches, my hair and scalp get so dry and itchy! As a brunette, flakes can be VERY problematic! They are much more visible for us darker haired folks. Blonde gals get it too though, so really, everyone who suffers from flakes and itching can empathize with my love/hate for the cold winter season!

Follicleanse Shampoo does an amazing job deep cleaning the scalp and eliminating the source of dandruff, and flaking problems! It helps the scalp return to a healthier state without any flakes or itch. Rich in Zinc PCA and botanical extracts, it helps to heal and repair inflammation and irritation and reduce oil production! A clean scalp and hair growth go hand in hand.

• Deep cleans dirt, oil and product build-up
• Reduces oil production from sebaceous glands
• Infuses vitamins and botanicals to heal and revitalize
• Increase blood flow to the scalp
• Helps stop DHT accumulation
• Paraben Free, Best Anti-Dandruff Shampoo

You can enter the giveaway below! The winner will get a whole case (12 bottles) of Follicleanse Shampoo! This prize is worth $144.00 USD!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

BlogLovin'

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Bloglovin is a easier way to keep track of all the blogs you love! Just click the link above to get started. Now all the blogs you love will be available in one place!!

OPI Releases NEW Pure Lacquer Nail App with Designs Inspired by Skyfall, Press Release

OPI Releases NEW Pure Lacquer Nail App with Designs Inspired by Skyfall

OPI adds four new, limited-edition designs to the Pure Lacquer Nail App collection, which offers instant, easy-to-apply nail designs. The precut nail strips are made of 100% real nail lacquer and provide a high-shine finish, long-lasting wear, and zero drying time. The new designs inspired by Skyfall include Nice Tux(silver and black glitter zig zag stripe), Positively Shocking(glittery gold), Floating Dragon (bright red crème with black dragon print) and Shaken Not Stirred (silver with martini glass print).

“We are pleased to expand our Pure Lacquer Nail App offerings with designs inspired by OPI’s thrilling partnership with EON Productions and Skyfall,” says Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, OPI Executive VP & Artistic Director. “The popularity of nail design is booming with both the everyday woman and nail professionals. Pure Lacquer Nail Apps provide women with quick, easy and unique nail looks, offering long-lasting designs that could not be created by hand.”

To apply, peel off plastic cover and place Nail Apps on nails, while smoothing down all edges. Each pack contains 16 strips to ensure perfect sizing for all finger and toe nails. File the nail edge to remove any strip excess. Pure Lacquer Nail Apps already contain a base coat and top coat; do not use regular base or top coat with the strips. Simply remove with an acetone polish remover. For longer wear (about two weeks), have a manicurist cure the nail strips with OPI’s GelColor Top Coat.

This limited edition promotion will be available beginning October 2012 at professional salons, including Beauty Brands, Beauty First, Chatters, Dillard’s, JCPenney, Pure Beauty, Regis, Trade Secret, and ULTA, for $11.95 per set.

For more information, please call 800-341-9999 or visit www.opi.com. Follow OPI on Twitter@OPI_PRODUCTS and become a Facebook fan!

Bubblin' Brew- Nail Tutorial.

I love holiday themed nail art! So last night I was trying to think of something other than the usual pumpkin and ghost nails. Then it hit me!!

 A few weeks ago I got a package from  www.Julep.com and my nail polish was wrapped in bubble wrap. I thought then to save it for nail art! I know, why the heck would I save bubble wrap for my nails?! Well, I've seen people use plastic bags to add texture to their nail art designs. So I thought that maybe bubble wrap would work too! And guess what? It did!!

It's super easy to do too! So here's what I did...

I started out with a base coat. I always use a base coat, and you should too! It protects your nails from stains. And because my color scheme is in the green range of colors they would stain yellow if i didn't base coat first. Ask me how I know! lol

After my base coat, I applied one coat of Sally Hansen's Hard as Nails in the color Limestone. It goes on slightly streaky, but honestly it doesn't matter. We'll be covering most of it up later. Make this and all of your layers except the last one we'll do as thin as you can. It will dry faster and your overall nail look won't be too thick.

Once my green coat is completely dry, I applied 2 thin coats of OPI's Zom-body to Love. This color was released last Halloween as part of a limited edition set. It's a pretty green that glows in the dark. You can use any green or yellow glow in the dark polish you have though. 

Now for the fun part! Once your nails are completely dry, apply one thick coat of a dark green color. The color I used is a dark grey with a hint of forest green to it. It's OPI's Nein! Nein! Nein! OK Fine! .  It is part of the Germany collection. It's a hard color to describe, but you can use any dark grey, green or black color.

While this darker layer is still fairly wet, carefully press your bubble wrap onto the nail. Try not to let it slide around. We want to keep the bubble shape  somewhat intact. Once you have pressed the bubbles into the nail polish, gently lift the bubble wrap up to remove it. Some of your dark color will come off with the bubble wrap, revealing the lighter green, glow in the dark base!

And that's it! Topcoat and your done! The bubble shapes and mossy colors reminded me of a witch's cauldron. That's why I am calling this "Bubblin' Brew".  The green swirls look really neat in the dark too!  It would work great with any color combinations even without the glow polish.