Zoya: Hot Lips!

For those of you on Twitter, you must have heard about the promotions Zoya does. Well there latest one they gave away three free Hot Lips of your choice. These are their glossy lip balms. It's a gloss that is also a balm. My picks were Fame (a pretty nude), GirlyGirl (a deep pink with a hint of shimmer)  and Babydoll (a barbie pink). I love all three. They have such a good smell to them and the colors don't disappoint. I also picked up Luna which is one of their new glitters. It looks like a disco ball. Very party appropriate. I haven't had time to try it on yet but have seen many swatches and it looks like New Years Eve in a bottle. They also included some catalogs which are a big help since they have over 300 polish colors! Be sure to follow Zoya_NailPolish on Twitter!

My Elfster Package!

I participated in a polish exchange over at Elfster.com for Christmas. We sent off our packages around the First of November and I received mine Friday. I was so excited when I seen my package in the mailbox. Turns out my "Elf" was Berry from HappyBerryNaiad blog. She sent sooooo much stuff! The picture doesn't even have everything in it! I also got O.P.I. Elephantastic Pink, there was another Clarins sample and even some jewelry! She even made the card herself which is why I showed the outside. I really enjoyed this exchange, I got to send a package to New Zealand and I received mine from Singapore. I hope we can do this again...soon! Thanks again to Berry :) 

Giveaway Winner!

I'm sorry it took me so long to post the winner. Also, ignore my nails in this as I've been fishing all day :) And for those who don't want to watch the video, the winner is SparkleMidori!

Happy Halloween!

Sometimes last week I was over at Makeupalley.com and seen a code for another Zoya promo posted on the nail boards so I hurried over to Artofbeauty.com and loaded my buggy with the three polishes that came to my mind as a want and clicked order. I wasn't sure if it would work, I mean three free amazing polishes? (just pay shipping?) Well I guess so! I received my polishes in the mail Thursday. These are my first Zoya polishes and I love them! I got one from the winter glitters, one from the winter mattes, and one I've had my eye on for a while. I love all three. I can see why they're giving these away now. They know once you try them you'll be hooked. I got Harlow(which is missing from the picture), Barbie and Nova. I want to paint all my shoes with Nova haha!

I've been messing with makeup all morning, trying to see what I'm going to do tonight. The makeup doesn't show up at all in these crappy pictures, it's so much more dramatic in person. Plus my hair is frizzy but the tutorial I used off of youtube.com said not to use any hair product...if you want to see the most amazing curls ever go here. I wish I would get mine to look like hers! 

I still haven't decided for sure if I'm even going to dress up but if I do I'll try and get better pics. 

Happy Halloween everybody! Have a safe night!

And thanks to everyone entering the contest so far! I love reading the polish ideas!

Giveaway! Barielle, Nailtek, and Nailene +

Hi everyone! I'm so happy to finally post a giveaway. Here's the prizes-

1 Nailene French Manicure Kit

1 Nailene So Real artificial nails set

1 Shades by Barielle polish in Lava Rock

1 Shades by Barielle polish in Pin Up

1 Shades by Barielle polish in Polished Princess 

1 sample pack of Philosophy Microdelivery Peel

1 Nailtek Foundation II

I gotta admit I was tempted to keep the Polished Princess for myself haha! But that would be greedy so I decided I'll just have to buy it...

How to enter:

• Must be a follower of this blog
• Leave me a comment telling me what polish would you create for Barielle if given the chance?? Leave your email address if it's not on your blog already!

Addtional entry:

• Post a blog post about this contest on your blog, be sure to leave me a link in your comment.

This is U.S. only, 18 and up. Winner must respond within 5 days of notification. Contest ends November 12th. 

Good Luck!

Free Nail Polish!

I never noticed this before but did you know Barielle has a monthly contest? The winner this month will win the full ALU collection (all12!). I just entered, wish me luck! And get over there to enter while there's still time! Click Here

Wow Barielle!

With all the technology today, I sometimes forget how easily other people (or companies) can find out what we're talking about. I posted my bottle of Barielle earlier which had a small defect-just so you know the color is to die for and Imma post some pics when I get a chance! Anyways, I got an email first thing this morning from Adam Pollock part of their customer service team and he said, "Dear “Sparkingpinkgorilla”,That should never happen…Send your address to me and we’ll ship you out a new one.We stand behind our products." Wow. I didn't expect that! I hear bloggers and beauty product junkies complain about various companies all the time and never get any response. Anyways, i mailed Adam Pollock back and asked him if they would mind if I used the replacement bottle in a giveaway since mines still usable and he said......(drumroll please).......Yes! That they will send a couple of different ones for the giveaway! Yay! So I'm announcing my upcoming giveaway. I'll post an official post about it when the polishes arrive. I've been collecting some stuff for one and just been waiting for when I had some extra polish to put in the group.

I just wanted to let you all know this. I thought it was quite amazing since I had a small order from them (unfortunately) and I have a small blog but apparently even the "little person" matters in their book! :)

O and I wanted to say wow at their packaging my order came in. I could have sat on the box and nothing would have broke. 

You can order Barielle polishes and treatments from Barielle.com where the polishes are buy 2 get 1 free and they include samples in every order. You can also go to Scrangie.com and click the link on her blog. I had forgot to do this when I ordered and she's the main reason I ordered them in the first place with her amazing swatches. 

What The Hell Barielle?

I got my first Barielle Polish today...Yay! I hope this is not an indicator of their quality though... If I put it back on and twist hard it'll go back together though. The shade is Lava Rock- I'm so ecited to try it on! I can't wear black because it looks all kinds of wrong so I've been trying dark colors that lean towards black. The swatches of this I've seen are amazing!

365 Days Of Polish?!

i found a really neat blog while googling some random nail swatches. It's called dailypolish.blogspot.com and the girl in charge of it has committed to wearing a different shade of polish every day for a year. I know this sounds like nothing after reading All Lacquered Up and Scrangie's blog where they're constantly swatching whole collections of nail polish but for us mere mortals I find this an achievement. I got to admit as much as I love nails and love polish, I hate the task of doing my nails. I know I couldn't do it every day! Not to mention my boyfriend might think I was crazy if I had 365 bottles of polish stashed around the house...I'm slowly trying to bring him around though :) 

Anyways- go check out her blog, I can't believe she only has 9 followers!

P.S. she's on day 52 if you're wondering

Click Here

images via beauty-advices.com

More From Nailene

After wearing the couture nails from Nailene for about a day they started popping off a bit ( I think it was because they are so arched and my nails are fairly flat) so I took them off and out the So Natural nails on for my Saturday night out. They held up much better but I still had one pop off, which was probably my fault. I like these nails a lot but they do have their cons. Here's my list of the good and the bad.

The Good:

• Cheap 
• Easy to apply
• Sturdy-thick enough to not break or chip but thin enough to feel natural.
• Very lightweight-I can't even tell they're on my nails.
• These have a slight sparkle to them which I really like.
• Contour to your nail really well. 
• Short length-I know a lot of people don't like the short length but I prefer this length.
• Natural looking tip-not bright white and no noticeable line between the nude and white.

The Bad:

• Tip wear started on day one and the top coat of the nail is flaking off. I think this could be solved by putting your own clear coat over the nail initially.
• Kinda plastic looking. 

Starry Sky

I was contacted by Nailene Last week and they said they asked if I'd like some products to review. Well I love free stuff and nail stuff so I said of course! I didn't expect so much but they were really generous and it all came like a birthday present in a pretty purple bag with tissue paper. I was so excited to open it all! Here's what I got-

I tried the Acrylic Strong topcoat with some of the bedazzle decals first. The topcoat had a nice shine and dried fairly fast although the formula seemed thin. It could be that I'm just used to Seche being so thick. I really like the bottle design. It's frosted glass which makes it easy to hold on to and the shape feels comfortable to hold. The decals were easy to apply and seem really secure- especially with the topcoat over them. 

So after messing with the decals, I took them off because I couldn't wait to try the Couture nails on. 

These were easy to apply and I didn't get many bubbles at all. Plus I put decals on top to hide any flaws. I love the blue sparkly tips!

What I like about them:

• Affordable 
• Quick and easy to apply
• Seemed not to have as many bubbles
• Fun design
• Bubbled arch (I don't naturally have one but these give me one-which I like)
• No commitment (No going to the salon to maintain these. If I want nails, I just pop some on in the comfort of my own home and when I'm done I can remove them at home.)
• Looks as good as salon nails

What I dislike:

• While I found a good match for most of my nails, there was the one nail that I couldn't match well.
• No matter what there are always bubbles.
• These didn't seem to hold as well as the other nails I've used. This isn't totally a bad thing though, because this nail design isn't something I'd want for more than the weekend. 

Overall I really like these regardless of the cons. I was surprised these are made by the same company that makes Revlon's because I did not like the Revlon ones. I tried applying those and they turned out horrible so then I tried removing them which was even worse. I can't wait to try the other nails I received and will be doing reviews on them also.

Hungry Giveaway!

Kae over at The Hungry Asian is having a giveaway! The prizes are Mac Baby Goth Girl ,Hard Candy Mr.Wrong  and China Glaze Fortune Teller. 

All the info is on her blog, so click here and be sure to enter by October 16th!

It's In The Bag

Essie It's In The Bag

I always have trouble with this color polish- creamy off white- it always looks streaky and thick. Any tips?

Here's a few things I picked up today-

I got these buy 1 get 1 free. I already have a bottle of the intensive therapy but I wanted the foundation. These were only $4.99 at TjMaxx!

I used the base coat earlier on my damaged nails- they have torn spots on them from me peeling off my fake nails(I know big no no)-and it worked wonders!

I seen these last time but in full sized and liked at the scents, so when I seen them in a mini trio I had to pick them up! Essie Smoothies hand and body lotion in blueberry/banana, coconut/pineapple, pomegranate/mango. I picked these up at TjMaxx for just $4.50 for all three!

They also have these for $9.59 at discountbeautycenter.com

I'm always looking for some hand wipes to carry with me and found exactly what I wanted! I picked these up at Old Navy for $1.50 each-they only come with10 wipes a piece but they smell delicious and can be used for face or body. 

Nail Designs

I had some extra fake nails left over and thought I'd try some designs out. Some didn't work out so well. All are three coats with Seche Vite topcoat except Essie Mid Squad has Essie 3way glaze as a topcoat. These are my Halloween themed ones. I love the jagged tip on the green one.  I used my Nailene French tip pen in black. The color I used was Sally Hansen InstaDri Lickity Split Lime. I love this color but it stains my nails so bad(even with every base I've tried) and the brush sucks. The left nail is Sinful Colors Cloud 9 and Art Deco black.

These are Christmas themed. From left to right- China Glaze Adore (amazing coverage in just one coat with this polish) topped with Jessica An Affair To Remember. The next one is L.A. Colors in Pink Crush (a red pink) topped with Art Deco silver glitter. And last is Jessica The Way You Look Tonight with Art Deco gold glitter for the tip. TWYLT should be called Ruby Slippers! So pretty!

Ignore my messed up nail art please. I posted this one to show you how similar Sinful Colors Forever Pink looks to my new Essie Mod Squad. Not an exact dupe as the sinful is lighter in real life. The Sinful doesn't compare at all to the formula of the Essie. I see what all the raves are about now. Love this polish! The tip of the left nail is Art Deco in baby pink and magenta.

So I wanted to show everybody my new phone! It's no blackberry or iPhone but I really like it and all I wanted was just a phone. I'm on gadget overload as is and the thing I use my phone most for anyways is the calculator. Swear. I hate talking on the phone. 

stock photo

My phone! <3

My Pretty Sample Bag

I got my pretty sample bag today! I got the three sample bag just to try it out. If you're not familiar- My Pretty Sample Bag is brought to us by the same Linda who runs My Pretty Pink Box. With the sample bag you can actually choose your samples from a really good variety of samples. Be quick though! I waited and some of the samples I wanted sold out. I just checked the site and she's actually lowered the pricing so it's a HUGE deal. I paid $6.50 for 3 samples and now it's just $5.50. That's $1 cheaper! The five sample bag has gone down fifty cents if I'm correct- from $9.50 to $9.00. This all includes shipping also, so no hidden fees to jack up the price! So anyways, here's my bag and thoughts- O yea, there was no actual bag haha! Which is probably a good thing cause I have plenty of bags laying around as is.

This was taken with my phone by the way.

What I got-

A 1.5 oz. can of BigSexyHair Spray&Play volumizing hairspray

A box of Revlon Runway Collection nails in minx/medium length (hope these are as good as the kiss nails which were amazing!)

A bag of 3 mark. skincare samples and one perfume sample 

Not bad considering the nails run around $6 by themselves! 

I would definitely buy this again! I love sampling products before I buy them or having smaller sizes for my handbag and traveling.

TjMaxx Haul and New Toy

I love TjMaxx and finding deals, here's some of the stuff I got...I got the cutest little notebook to carry around with me  cause I'm always thinking of something I need to do or get and never have anything handy to write it down on and eventually I always forget. Now I won't! I was so happy to find this trio of little Korres body butters. I've bought Korres products from TjMaxx before and really love the products but not their retail prices- I got this for just $6.99- right now it's listed on Ulta.com for $24.50! It comes with Quince, Fig, and Guava. I found these Betsey Johnson ankle socks in the color purple, 6 pairs for $6.99- that's Walmart pricing! Haha! The retail tag says $65.00, now I'm a Betsey lover but no way am  paying $65 for some socks! I found this wallet I've seen on a couple of website for around 20 bucks for just $4.99. I really like this wallet because it's small and sturdy and cute enough to just carry around with you by itself. I also found a pink zebra hairbrush. I wouldn't proclaim myself as a zebra print fan but I guess I should because I always end up buying zebra print stuff. I am a cupcake fanatic though, so when I seen this cupcake candle with sprinkles on top I had to have it, it smells so yummy. The sprinkles look so real but I thought surely they must be wax right? My boyfriend was like- no they're real- and ate one! *Gasp* Turns out he was right- they are real! Haha! Stale but real. I now see why though- when the candle burns, they don't melt! I also got this water bottle with a skull and rose on it, I'm not a skull fan but I love the pink and black. When I used it the first time I was thinking wow this bottle sweats a lot because the bottle stayed soaking wet, but I realized there is a small spot where the seam wasn't welded all the way so it was leaking- that's one negative about TjMaxx, sometimes the product is there because it's defective. I fixed it though so no big deal. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw a small selection of Essie polishes sitting there. I don't own any Essie polish so I just grabbed this double pack which came with a free 3 way glaze mini. The colors are mod squad and it's in the bag. I paid just $7.99 for the pack and they had singles for $3.99. They also had some Essie lotions that smelled amazing. I could kick myself for not getting any. And I seen some Rescue Beauty Lounge shower gel, but it smelled kinda yucky.  I also got a pair of Betsey Johnson sunglasses that I forgot to take a picture of, a shirt, and some workout pants.I didn't take pictures of these because they're in my shower but I found a large 25 oz. bottle of Bed Head Brunette Goddess for $11.99, smells like caramel. This was a deal for the one as they run around twenty dollars on amazon, but if you want the 2 pack of shampoo and conditioner, amazon has it for around $23- in the 25 oz. I found a small bottle of Sexy Bath and Body in Pumpkin. I love the big sexy hair products and this is from the same makers and smells like a pumpkin pie! It really gets me in Halloween spirit. This bottle was just $4.99 and it runs around $10 everywhere else- so another deal! I hate the body wash I've been using, Caress Tahitian Renewal. It's not so much as the smell but more the formula. It feels watered down or something. I had bought it to try and when I ran out my boyfriend bought me the same kind again.  I might turn it into handsoap...I bought this for my favorite Aunt's birthday. I'm going to wrap it in the pink box from MPPB because it's so pretty and it'll be a good repurposing. I love Precious Moments and this one reminds me of my aunt so much because when I was younger I would go to her house and help in the gardens and yard. Also because I remember her taking me to this gift shop that had all these Precious Moments dolls and I was so amazed. I always wanted this one doll named Patty, she came with a goose.

OMG PSP!

Ok so I'm not a Hannah Montana although I won't deny watching an episode or two or like maybe a lot...But anyways, I've wanted a PSP for a while now but just never wanted to spend the money but when I found this purple one online last week I had to have it! My boyfriend bought it for me and it's so pretty. I can't wait for Little Big Planet to be released for it in November! My nail polish almost matched this when I got it. I was wearing Orly Cashmere Cardigan with Sinful Colors Purple Diamond layered over it. I'll do some swatches later on and post them. 

Beauty By Pinky Nail Tutorials

I wanted to share these tutorials I found on YouTube. This girl makes these super cute nails look  so easy. 

My Pretty Pink Box!

Ok so I got my box yesterday! Yay! It wasn't exactly what I expected but I'm pleased either way. I didn't get any of that Totally Texty (I think that's the name of it) shampoo or conditioner and I thought there was a bottle of that in every box but I must have misunderstood. Here's what my box contained:

• Kiss Everlasting French glue on nails in real short 
• Revlon Fantasy Lengths self adhesive false lashes in defining
• Nailene French Tip Pen in black
• Orglamix mineral blush sample in allspice
• Paint Fx pigment sample in silversham
• Montagne Jeunesse Chocolate masque
• Mark. Sophistique sample

A lot of these are products I never would have bought for myself but I'm really enjoying them. I put the nails on this morning, they are soooo pretty! Sometimes my nails get in bad shape due to my job and I can't keep a nice manicure, so these are a really good solution to that. They're not perfect, as you can kinda see the glue behind the nail bed. But it's not easily noticed unless you're looking real close. The kit includes 12 sizes, so it made it easy to find a match for each nail. I always see other people use these and I just haven't ever had luck with them because they fall off almost immediately and look so bad but these were easy to apply and the glue feels secure. The box states you can wear them for 7 days, I only plan on wearing mine til Friday so we'll see if they last til then. I really like these because I had a fresh manicure in under 5 minutes! I definitely plan on purchasing some of these nails.

Edit: The reason for the air pockets was because I didn't apply them right. I should have put glue on both the nail and my nail but I only put glue on my nail. They still look good but I'll know for next time. 

I also tried the chocolate masque this morning and it smells so yummy! I'm a big fan of chocolate and it was fun applying this to my face. It smelled and looked just like chocolate! I had to tell myself not to eat any. It says it's to relax and it was very relaxing. Plus it made my skin glow after I washed it off. I'd really like to try this mask again and maybe other mask by this same brand.

The Nailene pen I got is in black which will come in handy for Halloween. I tried it this morning on bare nails and it was really easy to apply. It says to use a top coat and I see why, when I washed my hands the polish washed right off. This was a good thing since I was only testing it and didn't want to keep it on, so it should be easy to experiment with this pen. It says it's for tips but you could do many designs. The tip is like a marker tip so it's completely goof proof, but if you do have trouble you can use tip guide stickers. 

I haven't tried my lashes yet but they look super easy to apply and are very natural looking. Dramatic but natural. It also includes more strips of self adhesive and an applicator in the box. The Orglamix blush is a nice warm color and comes in a good sized sample jar. The Paint Fx pigment sample is a beautiful silver color. Paint Fx also has a coupon included for one 7 gram pigment for just 1 penny. Kiss included a $1 off coupon for their nails. 

I really enjoyed my box! I actually even like the box it comes in. I know they started with another box and some people were disappointed with the change but this box is really nice and could be repurposed very easily. 

I can't wait for next months box and will definitely repurchase from My Pretty Pink Box again. If  you haven't gotten a box yet, there might be some left! Hurry! 

Also, Linda- the genius behind MPPB has started My Pretty Sample Bag where you can choose your bag size and what you receive. They have some great samples listed on the site, so be sure and check that out also!

Santa Gets His Nails Did!

I'm not sure how many of you have heard of Elfster.com but I just heard about it today and it's genius! It's a modern day secret santa program and MagicXMaid has decided to invite us all to join. Basically, we'll sign up now, then on November 1st Elfster will let you know who you're being secret santa for, but they won't know who you are and you won't know your secret santa- you can ask questions to the person, get an idea of what to buy- plus they have wishlist you can fill up. Sounds like fun huh? You must sign up! Click Here 

Image Via: FauxFoodDiner

My Beauty Must Haves

In no particular order...

Baby Doll by YvesSaintLaurent

I love this perfume- my favorite used to be Ralph by Ralph Lauren but when I first smelled this, it was love! It's a must have. I want the four different colored minis so bad.

Too Faced Lash Injection

I love this mascara cause it's all you need.

Too Faced Lip Injection   

I originally had this in Techno Buff which was so pretty. I don't reach for this nearly as often but it's still a must-have.

Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat

This topcoat is AMAZING. I can use the crappiest polish, apply it horribly, put this on top and still get compliments. They should call it Nail Salon in a Bottle.

Revlon Colorstay Makeup

I really like this, it hasn't given me any issues and matches me perfect. It's not as good coverage as everyone says, but it's probably just my lack of skills at applying. I still love it. Best foundation ever, plus cheap. I apply with disposable wedge sponges. 

Nivea Men Sensitive Lotion

I ran out of moisturizer one day so I used my boyfriend's. Omg, why can't I find this in a female version. Usually face lotions make me all red and blotchy after applying, but this one never does. I love it and yes i use this daily. I'm still looking for a female version though. This contains chamomile and has no scent. Love. Before this I was using a Neutrogena face lotion and had tried some Weleda lotions, I hated both. I used to use Clinique moisturizing lotion and was using moisture surge (which I loved) but still has dry patches on my oily skin. I still have dry patches but I can manage better with this. Plus, it's sooo cheap, like $6 and some change.

Maybelline Eyelash Curler

I got this at a dollar tree with a lash comb and I really like it because it's simple. I think I'm ready to try some more grown up curlers, but if they don't work- I'll still have this one to fall back on.

Mac Beauty Powder Blush in On A Mission

I am reallly loving my first Mac Blush. I love it! I can't wait to buy more. Well Dressed- here I come!

Lancome Petite Boheme Illuminating Powder in 03 Faerylite

I picked this up at a TJMaxx for like $8! I love it, so pretty. This is a picture I jacked off of google though, I'll have to swatch it when I get a chance. 

Juicy Couture Perfume

My second favorite perfume. Smells like gardenia. I have to admit I totally bought it for the bottle but I got lucky and loved the scent. And the bottle is huge! Will last me forever. 

Jane Be Pure Mineral Concealer in Green

I got this cause I needed a green concealer and it was cheap. It's no miracle by any means but sometimes I really am so glad to have it. 

Essence Of Beauty Kabuki Brush

My first kabuki! It's so soft and works like a dream. Not bad for a drugstore brush, not that I'd have any comparisons...

Covergirl LipSlicks LipGloss

This product is good in any color, it's just one of those things really good to have. I think I'll always keep one in my makeup drawer, it was my first ever lip product! 

Clinique Color Surge Eyeshadow in SugarBerry

This color is no longer with us but I still have it and love it. This is my perfect eyeshadow color, any suggestions for a dupe? I don't think Clinique shadows ever get enough credit but they are so pigmented and buttery soft. My favorite used to be Serenity, a silver color. 

Bag Balm

I'm so loving this. The can is huge and the balm is a miracle. Put it on lips, cuticles, elbows, feet, cuts and scrapes. It's a do all.

Avon Rounded Eyeshadow Brush

This brush was cheap, like two dollars, and seems to work pretty good. I'll probably edit this when I get my ELF haul though and tell you what utter crap this is, haha!

Avon Anew Clinical Eye Lift

It's not working as good as it did initially but if I skip using it for a few days and start back, the miracle product kicks back in. I like it better than anything else I've found so far, although my bags are no where near gone. Very moisturizing also, so even if you don't have bags/wrinkles- this is a must try.

Avon Magix

I didn't know if I liked this at first and also tried the chaffing gel. This works just as good! Plus it has spf and you can get it cheap- especially during a sale. It doesn't last and last, but I'm not sure any primer does. 

Anastasia Brows In Bloom

Picked this up for like $5 at TJMaxx and it really makes eyebrows look so groomed, even when you skip a few days(weeks) of plucking. It included wax, highlighter, and 2 brow powders. The powders I don't like, they're so dark. They don't look that dark in the compact but go on very dark. The wax and highlighter are the real gems. The highlighting cream makes you have an instant brow lift.

Lancome Colr Fever Gloss in Mesmeric

Ilove this pinky nude shade, it's so good by itself or with a lipstick. It lasts really good and is just the perfect gloss period. I got it for around $8 at TJMaxx and this is a limited edition shade that was only available at Nordstrom but when I run out I will buy another Lancome Color Fever Gloss even if I have to pay retail.