Perfectly Polished Tips 210 - Sneekpeeq Giveaway

Sneekpeeq is a social shopping website that works with Facebook. Basically you can browse products on the site, then "peeq" at the price tags. The website will then share what you "peeqed" at on your Facebook timeline. The site allows user to earn badges for discounts and such. They currently offer home, food, and fashion items for up to 70 % off retail. They have partnered up with over 400 brands and that number is growing.

When it comes to the Perfectly Polished Tips/sneakpeeq giveaway, everybody wins! sneakpeeq is giving my readers 20% off their next purchase just for entering, plus a chance at the Grand Prize. One winner will receive a $25 gift card to use on their favorite food, style and home products—that goes a long way in sneakpeeq’s amazingly low-priced boutiques!

Come see all the things you love but haven’t discovered. sneakpeeq only has new products that you have never seen before!

To enter:
1. Like Perfectly Polished Tips on Facebook
2. Click HERE to sign up with sneakpeeq

The winner will be announced on my blog on 03/03/12!

*Contest/website is US only.

Perfectly Polished Tips 209 - Bare Naked Nail Challenge Week 1 Update

I have a few polish posts planned, however life got in the way last week. That and upon starting one of the posts I discovered that my photos weren't labeled properly. I didn't have a free second to sit and redo them. I will get those up this week for sure! Whoever coined the term "terrible twos" was NOT joking. This kid is going to have me gray before I hit 25!

Before Photos

Week one of the ASK Cosmetic's Bare Naked Nail Challenge is done. Things were going really well until about Thursday; up until that point I had been applying TIPS for Toes twice a day and my nails and cuticles were looking great. Then Thursday-Saturday I only applied it in the morning, mostly because things came up in the evening and my hands and nails had been exposed to water too close to bed time. It went down hill from there. I'm dried out again and the peeling on my thumbs seems to be worse. I wonder if this is one of those things that gets worse before it gets better. I am using the cleanser and lotion often so my hands are still in decent shape.

I am kind of getting the hang of using the Contoured nail file. I think I watched the youtube how-to video about 20 times already. It is clear in the photos that the filing is not going well at the moment. I am going to cut all of my nails down today though because of the peeling. I also have some type of injury to my left ring nail, it looks like the ridge extended right up to the white part of my nail. There is a small crack in it, I tried to photograph it but I am not sure if it will be visible as it is pretty tiny.

Left Hand

Left Ring - you can see the damaged part and the tiny crack

Left Thumb

Right Hand

Right Thumb

Those are my nails after one week of TIPS for Toes nail conditioner plus the Skin Milk and cleanser. My nails feel stronger but I don't trust growing them out just yet. I'm probably going to cut them down weekly until a majority of the splitting and peeling grow out.

The nail conditioner has a weird scent, I can't put my finger on what it smells like exactly. Celery is one thing that comes to mind but I know that isn't it. The smell fades very quickly though so it's not a big deal. The cleanser and lotion don't have much of a scent at all. I think that is my favorite part, I don't want to apply smelly things to my hands all day!

TIPS for Toes is an oil but it soaks in very quickly, it's not runny either which is a plus. The routine does not take long at all. I keep the soap and lotion next to my bathroom sink and applying the TIPS for Toes has become second nature in the morning.

My goals for this week are to apply twice a day because I really feel like that helped a lot. I have also been trying to drink more water and remember my multi vitamin but those are still a work in progress!

Perfectly Polished Tips 208 - ASK Cosmetics Bare Naked Nail Challenge BEFORE photos

Last month I posted about ASK Cosmetics hosting a Bare Naked Challenge. It's not a contest but more of an experiment. The company chose about 50 people to use TIPS Nail Conditioner and TIPS for Toes for a period of 8-12 weeks. Each participant is encouraged to take weekly photos and notes about the progress their nails are making.

I had been emailing with Lisa and asked her if any spots remained to please let me know and that I would love to participate. My nails have been in horrid shape. You can see how dry they are and they are full of ridges. I still am blaming picking off glitter polish. Even if I were to use remover I feel like it would still scratch them up. (Yes, I tried the infamous foil method and I FAILED...big time).

Here are my before photos, these were taken a couple weeks ago but my nails were in the exact same condition when I started using TIPS for Toes last Saturday (2/11). My cuticles and hands are also in sorry shape. It's sad because I know that could easily be remedied by using oil or lotion but I'm lazy. I figured that knowing that I had to take photos and track my progress would keep me going. Three days in and so far so good! It was so awkward photographing my right hand as I always use my left for swatching LOL.

LEFT HAND

LEFT HAND

LEFT RING FINGER

LEFT THUMB

RIGHT HAND

RIGHT HAND

RIGHT THUMB

The products that I will be using for the next 8-12 weeks are:

-TIPS for Toes (yes, on my finger tips, this is formulated for nails that need serious help!)

-TIPS Nail Conditioner (when TIPS for Toes runs out)

-Contour Nail File (this this looks like a torture device! LOL, I am still getting the hang of using it and feel like it's going to be tough because I love my glass file)

-Revival Hand and Nail Cleanser

-Revival Skin Conditioning Milk (lotion)

My routine thus far has been using TIPS for Toes first thing in the morning followed by some of the hand lotion. Then through out the day I use both the lotion and cleanser together. I have been applying the treatment twice daily. The second time is before dinner, I file then too because they recommend filing daily to keep the nails smooth. Oh, and there is no cuticle pushing allowed! This is going to be the hardest part for me. I have a habit of pushing them back each time I apply oil or cuticle balm. I've had to fight the urge each time I put on the treatment!

I'm three days in like I said and the skin around my nails is looking so much better. I'm excited to see what results this yields in the end. I would love to be able to keep my nails a bit longer and not have to worry about nasty breaks or tearing.

I will be posting my findings weekly and well as weekly photos. They recommend not wearing polish for the duration of the challenge however I think that swatching should be ok due to the fact that nothing will be hardening on my nails. I will wait the prescribed two weeks though because I would like to get the most out of this challenge.

Perfectly Polished Tips 207 - NOTD Pink Essies

Pink + Glitter + Me = ?

I have not worn a pink polish on my tips in forever. Once I got over the initial blue, green, teal, black, purple, ect are not weird or "goth" colors I never looked back. Pale pinks were once my go to polish. Most of them did not cause all of the damage to my nails to stick out. Plus they weren't "weird."

It's so silly that certain colors are suppose to mean certain things. Like black = goth or a french mani = klassy. I'M NOT KNOCKING the french mani either. Only the french pedi! No No No, everyone should wear what they like.

Back to my NOTD. I spotted Essie A Cut Above at Walmart and she stole my heart. Prior to this polish I did not own any polish with hex glitter or multi sized/shaped glitter. I only had glitter of the normal glitter variety. To be honest I always thought the hex glitter polishes were tacky and "gah, why would anyone wear that?" Now I know. The base color is Essie Skin Deep which is just a pale pink with subtle silver shimmer. Skin Deep was one of the very first polishes I purchased after finding the Nail Board.

I don't think that I'll wear A Cut Above often, it's fun but a little too much for me. I do love the color though, can anyone point me in the direction of a hot pink version?

I also picked up Nicole Kendall on the Katwalk when I got A Cut Above. Another polish I wouldn't usually go for. I fondled Nicole A Rainbow in the Skylie or whatver the rainbow crazy glitter one is called. I need to go back for it.

On a side note, I made it to 2012 and I got a smart phone! I finally figured out how to upload my photos to Picasa straight from my phone. So if this photo looks odd it's because it's a phone pic and I used something other than Photobucket to edit it. I kind of feel like my phone takes better photos than my point and shoot cannon. I need to do some side by side comparisons.

Speaking of comparisons my next few posts will be bottle and swatch comparisons of a few of my favorite polishes. They are all in the teal family - surprise, surprise.

Have you jumped on the glitter train or are you avoiding it? Have a great weekend!

Perfectly Polished Tips 206 - Saving Winter Cuticles

Fall and winter are horrible on my skin. It probably doesn't help that I never moisturize consistently ever. I don't get it, I know that using oil or lotion will help the gross situation on my hands and I just don't do it. Minds are crazy things. I wanted to share my favorite products that give great results.

Cuticle Removal -
If it's been awhile and your cuticles are over grown and just plain nasty I recommend trying Blue Cross cuticle remover. I get mine from Sally's, it's a white liquid that you apply to your cuticles and then wash away. I can't remember if they carry a smaller bottle but the one I got was huge. I suggest either decanting some into an empty nail polish bottle and using the brush to apply or some type of bottle with a dropper. This stuff is pretty powerful so make sure not to use it too often or leave it on for too long. I usually use it once every two weeks and leave it for about a minute.

Another product I love is Sally Hansen Diamond Strength Cuticle and Nail Refiner. It's pretty much an exfoliator for your finger tips. If my cuticles are looking really rough I use this after the Blue Cross remover.

Usually my next step is pushing back my cuticles but I recently read that this is no good. Cuticles are there to protect your nail beds and when you push them back you are exposing the nail bed. Now what? I would like to hope that moisturizing alone will remedy this but I am not so sure. Any thoughts?

Treatment -
CND Cuticle Eraser will always be a favorite of mine. It's made up of AHAs which help to dissolve all of the dry, yucky skin. For a while I was only able to get this online and when my nail polish purchasing decreased it was silly to spend an insane amount on shipping for a tube of it. Luckily someone told me about a brand that Sally's carried. I can't find it on their web site but it was the same deal as Cuticle Eraser, AHA cream. It looks like Sally's has a Poshe AHA cream that is probably similar.

Moisture -
Currently I have been using Badger Balm for cuticles which I picked up with an Apothica.com order a few months ago. It's not overly greasy and it doesn't really have a scent which I like. Burt's Bees Lemon cuticle balm is also nice. As is LUSH Lemony Flutter. For the first time ever I live near a LUSH store so I am super excited to head over there one of these days.

Oils are another great option for keeping cuticles soft. I recently picked up Josie Maran Argan oil. I use it mostly for my face but it is very nice on the nails/hands. Extra Virgin unrefined coconut oil is another top pick of mine. I actually use this on my entire body. One facebooker told me that they liked almond oil to treat their dry cuticles. EVOO is another option.

I hate lotions, I cannot find one that won't break out my face. What does hand lotion have to do with my face you ask? Well I am a constant face toucher, all the time and I cannot break myself from the habit. I even tried wearing foundation in hopes that it would help me stop. Nope, I quit wearing foundation because some nights I'm too lazy to wash my face before bed (WHAT!?!). Yes, maybe that has something to do with my face break outs too.

I will tolerate Eucerin Dry Skin Therapy plus Intensive Repair hand lotion. It sinks in quickly and is pretty long lasting, usually I still feel smooth 2 or 3 hand washes later. I'm also loving Weleda Skin Food. It's very thick so I try to apply it before bed.

Although I am no longer an avid participant of the MUA Nail Board I do read there from time to time. Lately the ladies over there have been raving about Lansinoh Lanolin, the stuff many women use while breastfeeding. This stuff is very greasy though and can stain so while it may work very well I'd be weary about getting on my clothing. I haven't personally tried this but lanolin is supposed to be awesome all around so it's probably worth a shot.

Those are some of my favorite products, not necessarily just for fall and winter but year round. Hopefully they help out any one in need of some cuticle pampering!

Did I forget anything? What are your favorite cuticle care items?

Perfectly Polished Tips 205 - CARGO Laguna Blush

This is my (sad) attempt at reviewing makeup with photos. Some bloggers have beautiful swatches or are amazingly made up using the product they are reviewing. Unfortunately you won't find that here, yet? I could practice maybe. My lack of photography and make up application skills have been stopping me from posting make up reviews. Hopefully this post isn't terrible :)

Before I found my love of polish I loved blush. It's such an easy product to use and can make a huge difference in your face. Benefit Dandelion was my gate way drug, since then I have been hooked. For the longest time though I stuck to light pinky or peachy colors that just barely tinted my skin. Recently I was jonesing for a new blush and I decided that I should branch out and try something new.

CARGO Laguna is a bright coral blush and way out of my comfort zone. The first time I tried I used way too heavy of a hand and looked absolutely ridiculous! I was able to rub some off and while it was still a bit much for me I gave it a chance. I am in love with it. I wear very minimal make up. The rest of my look consists of black mascara, black liner, Boscia BB cream, and some Jack Black balm. Laguna brightens up my face and gives a slight pop of color.

I used a bit more product in the swatches than I would at my face. I was trying to show the color but my skin kind of looks rug burned LOL. You can see the vibrant, tropical color in the shot of it in the pan though.
I love CARGO's packaging, it's so sleek and simple. It's east to open and nice to look at.

I purchased this from Apothica.com but it can be found at CargoCosmetics.com and Sephora.com as well.

Perfectly Polished Tips 204 - Clarisonic Mia Skin Cleansing System

I had been lemming the Clarisonic Mia forever but I could not in anyway justify spending the money on it. An electronic face brush could not possibly make any difference in my skin. I would just stick with my $5 manual on from Sephora. Finally I gave in and picked up the Olay Pro-X Advance Cleaning System and I was instantly in love. After using that for a couple of months I decided it was time to go for the Mia.

The Mia uses sonic technology and a micro message to thoroughly cleanse your skin in only a minute. When I first got it I used the normal brush and I used it twice a day. This may be over kill for some but I was hooked. My face felt super clean but not stripped. It was also summer though which makes my oily T-zone even oilier, something I did not think was possible! After a couple of months, and cooler weather I scaled back to once a day. I was using it in the morning and then doing the oil cleansing method at night but now I use it at night with Philosophy's Purity Made Simple face wash. I follow that up with Acne.org BP treatment. That stuff is amazing and worth checking out if you have blemishes, clogged pores, and the like.

I saw a difference in my skin after about two weeks of use. I did have a little bit of purging on my forehead. That is the area that I tend to get clogged pores on and was also the area I was hoping to have clear up by using the Mia. I also found that my skin was brighter and more even toned.

Even though I would like to completely credit the Mia for the improvement in my skin I have to say that I noticed that my diet plays a very large role in how my face looks. When I am eating clean and not drinking soda my skin stays very clear. I'm a total coke zero addict though so I guess I'll have to deal with a few clogged pores until I can give it up.

The Clarisonic Mia retails for $119 and comes in a variety of colors and patterns depending on where you buy it. I have a boring white one, I wish they made silicone sleeves or stickers for them. You can find the Mia at places such as Clarisonic.com, Sephora.com, QVC, and SkincareRx.com. Google around for coupon codes or if you can wait until Sephora's friends and family discount you can get it for a bit cheaper.

The Zoya Fleck Effect giveaway winner is up on my facebook page. Congrats Angel!

Perfectly Polished Tips 203 - Apothica Valentine's Day Glamour Giveaway

Apothica.com is giving away two prize packs for Valentine's Day over on their facebook page. Each bundle is worth $150 and contains some really nice items. You can check out the loot here.

One entry per person. To enter, go to Apothica's facebook page, put in your email addy and share with your friends. Winner will be announced on Valentine's Day, Feb 14th.

Please tell them I sent you! Good Luck!

Perfectly Polished Tips 202 - NOTD Zoya Tru + Clarins 230

In my Zoya True post I wrote about how Tru reminded me a bit of Clarins 230 and how I thought the two polishes would look great layered. Instead of tossing the idea around and never doing it, I made the combo happen. This is the first manicure I have done since Christmas Eve! I usually don't go that long with out polished nails but I haven't had time to sit and polish. Thank god for Sesame Street! It kept my sweet little girl occupied for a few. Although when she finally did come in to see what I was doing she asked for a pedi. She's sporting Tru on her baby toes.

Clarins 230 was highly sought after, not sure if it still is. The company stopped making it some years ago and then apparently the pigments used in the formula became very hard to come by. I know many people have emailed Clarins asking them to release the polish again but so far nothing. I do think though that other companies are listening and have released some polishes that may fill the void. I was lucky enough to get 230 from a friend a couple of years ago. I didn't have to eat ramen for weeks to afford it either, which is always a plus.

This is only the second or maybe third time I've used 230. I don't know why I do this but if I know something is discontinued or reformulated I ration it and use it very sparingly. Really this makes no sense. After acquiring 3 bottles of another long gone favorite I realized I was probably insane or going to drive myself insane and I gifted 1 away. (Oddly enough, I haven't worn that polish in a long time either) We can't win them all.

On to the photos - One coat of Tru topped with one coat of 230:

Here is Tru on her own

topped with 230

Gold Shimmer

Red/Pink Shimmer

Here is the green shimmer. It took me forever to get the right lighting for the green/blue shimmer to show through!

My nails are super nubs right now, they were long but I lost a chunk of my thumb when I was buckling my kid into his car seat. Instead of being responsible and grabbing the glass file I keep in my purse I bit it off. Then because it was so much shorter than the rest I bit those off too. By the time I pulled out my file it was too late. I had to file most of them to the quick. 

I also have a bit of shrinkage, I used a different top coat because Poshe was MIA. I used NYC Grand Central Station. Worked just as well as Poshe but didn't play nice. 

Don't forget to enter my Zoya Fleck Effects Giveaway! It ends tomorrow at midnight!

Perfectly Polished Tips 201 - Sultra Cleanse & Condition Hair Moisturizer

As I have mentioned on here before my hair is thick, curly/wavy, and color treated. I am terrible at remembering to deep condition, I'm lucky if I remember once every six weeks. I don't flat iron my hair nearly as often as I used to but when I do it often looks fried. I do use a heat protecting spray but I really think I need to cut a lot off and start from scratch. I'm not willing to do that...yet.

Recently I tested out Sultra's Cleanse shampoo and Condition Hair Moisturizer. Both are formulated with Sultra's exclusive ThermaStress Complex which is meant to mend and defend your hair while you heat style.

I love the Cleanse shampoo, it is creamy but not overly so, my hair and scalp are left feeling clean. It lathers well and reminds me shampoo used at a salon. Which also reminds me that I love having my hair washed by other people. :)

The conditioner was nice the first time around, my hair usually takes a few minutes of combing through to get completely untangled. This got the tangles out quickly and easily. Upon reading the ingredients though I noticed that it is full of silicone's, which are probably doing most of the protecting. I needed to use a clarifying shampoo in between uses, which is really no big deal.

I love the smell of both, it's island-y, maybe some coconut. Not over powering though, it didn't really linger on my hair but did on my daughter. I was sniffing her all day. I am a big fan of the packing style as well. I love black and hot pink together, that caught my eye immediately and even if I had no use for heat protective products I would still be drawn to them. I also liked that they are both in tubes. I hate getting to the bottom of a bottle of product and having to balance it up side down, I inevitably knock them down every single time I'm in the shower.

Sultra is known for their styling tools, they offer a great variety and their hair care line is designed to work with the tools. I don't own a Sultra flat iron though so I used a 1 inch Remington iron. I noticed that my hair was a lot easier to work with, I didn't need to comb through many pieces when sectioning. My hair was super smooth and soft. It didn't look fried, even on the ends which are in desperate need of a trim. I had static overload that day though so I didn't wear my hair down for very often. I couldn't take it sticking to everything.

The only down side for me was that because the conditioner is so heavy my hair looked greasy pretty quick. Normally I can leave my hair for 3 or 4 days before it starts looking gross. I had to shampoo and start over the next day, which is not a huge deal.

I also used the products when leaving my hair curly. We haven't had many cold days here as of late but a few mornings were chilly and going outside with wet hair is no fun. My curls fell flat mid day but I had tons less frizz than I would if I had just blow dried using my regular conditioner. It's nice that I can use both weather I am wearing my hair curly or straight.

Cleanse Shampoo and Condition Hair Moisturizer are available from Sultra.com, Nordstrom.com, and Brookstone.com and retail for $18 each. As of this morning Cleanse is not on their website, I'm not sure why. I am almost positive it was on there a couple weeks ago. You can find Sultra hot tools at Sephora as well as Sultra.com

(these were sent to me for review)


Please don't forget to check out my 200th post giveaway! You could win a set of Zoya Fleck Effects! It is running until Feb 2nd and I forgot to mention it the first time around but it is open to everyone, not just US.