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!

Olay ProX

I got home from work this morning and checked the mail since I forgot to check it yesterday and I was so surprised to receive my 28 day sample (I know, huge sample!) of Olay ProX wrinkle smoothing cream! Yay! I had signed up for it at VocalPoint.com and didn't actually think I'd get it because I was assuming it would be an overwhelming response for it. I've had my eye on this line since it was released even though I'm only 24. My problem is I work nights and have developed bags under my eyes which have made lines under my eyes. I know you're thinking...well get an eye cream but my bags are unusually low and so are the lines so none of the eye creams have worked for me. I'm really excited to try this! The quality of this jar is pretty impressive to be a sample. One more thing! They included 5 coupons for $10 off a single Olay Professional Pro-X product, expires 2/28/2010. If you would like one of these you may mail me your info and I will mail one to you. My email is sugar@sparklingpinkgorilla.com. This is a first come first serve basis, I'm sorry I don't have one for each of you :( 

If you'd like more info on this product or line, or to request a $10 off 2 products coupon, please visit OlayProfessional.com.

Just A Cheap Shirt

I wanted to show you all my Miley shirt! I've really been enjoying it, it's really comfy and casual. A good $12 spent. My boyfriend washed it for me on accident and I'm not sure if he used hot water or what but I got some black bleeding around the cuff of one sleeve. Luckily you can't see it when I'm wearing it though. O and my brother asked me if I was pregnant while wearing it... haha!  I stumbled across this shirt at Bluefly.com for $60, so anyone interested in a higher quality version could look here. The name of it is Just A Cheap Shirt yellow plaid flannel western shirtdress...

Drugstore.com Haul

I decided to try this Philosophy On A Clear Day kit($65 on Drugstore.com) even though the reviews everywhere are iffy. I wanted to try it because I'm tired of benzoyl peroxide which makes my skin dry and flaky and has made all my washcloths, towels, and pillowcases look like I went on a bleach spree.  I used it today and even though it smells really really bad, it made my skin feel really good. Hopefully this is a good sign. They included a four pack of the microdelivery peel and I LOVED it. My skin actually felt plumper if this makes any sense. And so soft!

(from left to right) Oil-free Foaming Acne Cleanser, Oil-free All Over Acne Treatment, Oil-free Acne Spot Treatment, Retinol Clarifying Lotion( retinol makes me nervous :s)I haven't used these since they first came out , I was early teens and didn't even have blackheads! I can't wait to see how they do now.These sheets are small so you might need several but they do suck up the oil and make skin matte! I got this for headaches but as an added bonus it helps relieve eye puffiness! Just pop it in the freezer to chill.

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.

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!

New Skin Care Routine

My face is so not happy lately so I've purchased some new items for my skin care. It's only been a day but I really like everything so far! Usually my skin knows right off the bat if it dislikes something. Here's what I'm trying-Olay Complete All Day Moisture Lotion SPF 15 for Sensitive Skin

Cetaphil Antibacterial Gentle Cleansing Bar

Both were cheap! $3 and some change for the bar and around $10 for the lotion. I've read really good reviews on the Cetaphil. My facial cleanser has not worked for me since I bought it but I kept using it anyways, my face was tight and dry and just not getting better with it. I was using Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash but I really think my skin does not like salicylic acid which this (along with many other acne treatments) has in it. The Cetaphil smells soapy, like a hotel soap. But it rinses really well, makes my skin feel clean, not dry, and feels really gentle. The lotion is also gentle, doesn't make me itchy, red and splotchy like every other lotion seems to do. It feels light and doesn't make me overly moisturized- i.e. oily. No strong smell. Plus it comes in a really generous sized bottle and has a screw on cap so if I throw it in my bag I won't worry about it leaking anywhere.

My first impressions have me impressed, but I'll do a proper review after I use these for a few weeks. Wish me luck! 

Blast Those Bumps! (Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque Review)

Ok so this review is long over due but I really was on the fence with this initially. Don't get me wrong, it's a great, cheap, easy to acquire product. But I was so expecting to be blown away right off the bat and really wasn't. I love a mask, but this was no better than others- or so I thought. From all the reviews I've read, I expected my face to be transformed into Heidi Klum when I washed the green stuff off. It wasn't! Bummer huh? Haha! But after using this mask off and on for a few months here's my opinion- 

This really is a MUST HAVE product. 

First off- This product is soooo easy to find. Usually when I read about a product and decide I want to buy it, the search for it begins. Not with this. I got mine at Sally's Beauty Supply but I have seen this mask at every big box retailer and drugstore I've been to. 

Second- This product is so so cheap. I paid $3.29! And you get a good amount of product for your money.

Third- It works. It really does. You can use it as a mask or as a spot treatment. The mask feels like it's sucking the gunk out of your pores, and the spot treatment seriously reduces the size of my breakouts. Put it on at night and by morning the pimple has shrunk.

Overall- I love this product and will continue to buy it over and over again from now on. I've had a red dot on my nose since I was 16 (yes 16! I'm 24) and I could not get it to go away for anything. Using this, with a combo of the much talked about aspirin mask, has made my spot disappear! Poof! Gone. 

I also want to try all the other Queen Helene mask, scrubs, and creams. I've seen a mud mask that looks so good! Has anyone tried any other Queen Helene items? And I don't know why I chose the jar but I know this also comes in a tube and I was wondering how much of a difference (if any) it is.