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Friday, October 31, 2014

Superficially Colorful - In Autumn Mood Thermal Collection - Swatches and Review

*These products are Cruelty Free 



I'm back as promised with more polishes from Superficially Colorful! This time I have the Autumn Thermals. I will apologize in advance for living someplace so hot. I didn't capture the thermal changes so at the end I will show you where you can see them in all their glory. They change easily and significantly.

Superficially Colorful
In Autumn Mood



Continued after the jump...


The Digit-al Dozen Spooky Days: Day 5 - Fright Night

Nothing to Disclose



Fright Night
Halloween Nail Art




For this hodge podge of a mani I used Kiko 292 (purple), Zoya Rocha (orange), Milani Yellow Whiz and a plain black creme. Can you tell I was running out of steam?

Here are a few more Halloween looks, most I've done for Spooky Week and a few others...












Be sure and check out the manis from all the other Digit-al Dozen ladies below!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!










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Thursday, October 30, 2014

Superficially Colorful: Fairies and Sprites Collection - Swatches and Review

*These products are Cruelty Free 


Tonight I have a new collection from Superficially Colorful to show you called Fairies and Sprites. There are 4 pastel textured polishes inspired by...Fairies and Sprites!

Superficially Colorful
Fairies and Sprites Collection





Continued after the jump...


The Digit-al Dozen Spooky Days: Day 4 - Spooky Toothpick Marble

Nothing To Disclose 


I'm back for Day 4 and I can now say "And now for something completely different!" John Cleese would be proud. Though it's unlikely he would know a dry brush from a toothpick marble. But I did promise today wouldn't be dry brush.

My good ol' stand-by works well with Halloween colors and matted, it looks almost like crushed velvet!

Spooky Toothpick Marble


halloween-toothpick-marble-nail-art


I started with bare nails and just did 3 quick swipes with the polish brush using Kiko 292 (purple), Zoya Rocha (orange) and Sinful Colors Black on Black. Finished up with the super matte of the new Zoya Matte Velvet Top Coat.

Be sure and check out the other great manis in the links below and do NOT forget to enter the GIVEAWAY - The Digit-al Dozen Spooky Days Giveaway.










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Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Zoya Nail Polish 3 for $15 Promo - No Tricks, Just Treats!

Press Release 
*These products are Cruelty Free 




No Tricks, Just Treats!




Forget the tricks - today it’s all about the TREAT! We want you to have an extra Happy Halloween, so let’s set aside the creepy costumes and horror films (at least for a minute) and focus on our favorite part - the goodies! Now you can treat yourself with any 3 Zoya Nail Polish shades for just $15. With Zoya's selection of over 300 different shades in a variety of flawless finishes, you'll be ready to dress up your nails beyond Halloween!

Get ANY 3 Zoya Nail Polishes for $15
NOW (10/29/14) – Sunday, November 2 (11:59pm EST).

How it works:1. Add at least three nail polish colors to your shopping bag along with any additional items you would like to purchase.
2. Enter code ZOYATREATS into the coupon code field and press “Apply Code”.
3. Complete check out, review and submit order.

Share the spirit of Halloween with your friends - Tag and share using #ZoyaTreats so no one misses out!


*Terms and Conditions
Valid online only at www.zoya.com through 11/02/14, 11:59pm EST. Not valid in conjunction with other coupons, codes or promotions. Shipping & Handling fees apply. Continental US only. Excludes Zoya Nail Treatments and Color Spoons. Art of Beauty is not responsible for incorrect addresses, credit card entry errors, web related issues or any errors associated with declined credit cards. Returns or exchanges of promotional items not permitted. Code must be entered at time of purchase. One code per account - code cannot be reinstated for canceled orders. Please allow up to 4 weeks for processing if volume warrants it.

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The Digit-al Dozen Spooky Days: Day 3 - Dry Brush Redux

Nothing to Disclose



Yeah, I've not been feeling up to snuff this week so I've done sort of a variation of an Extend-A-Mani for today's Spooky Mani. I dry brushed purple over the existing orange and black and changed out my accent nail. Twice. LazyGirl Nails!





I used Kiko 327 (grey) for the base and dry brushed black and Kiko 292 (purple) and Zoya Rocha (orange) which is also on the accent nail. The spider is a decal exclusive for Halloween from Nail Vinyls.

And the accent nail below is the same as Day 1. It was pretty busy so That's when I changed to the plain orange with the Nail Vinyls spider decal.




Hopefully tomorrow I can quote John Cleese and say "And now for something completely different!"

Be sure and check out all the other Spooky Manis in the links below!











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The Digit-al Dozen SPOOKY DAYS Giveaway

Sponsored Giveaway 



The Digit-al Dozen has something special for you this week - along with a just-for-fun week of spooky Halloween manicures we also have a Giveaway!! Two lucky winners will be drawn




Prize 1 is the entire Different Dimension Spooky Spooky Collection!
 


Prize 2 will be winners choice of any 2 polishes from The Nail Junkie shop!



A huge thanks to Different Dimension and The Nail Junkie for joining us in bringing some sparkle to your Halloween!

Both prizes will be open to international readers! (As long as your country allows polish to be shipped. You'll know if yours has restrictions, if it does please have another place your prize can be sent.) Giveaway will run until 12:00am (EST) November 4th Winners will have 72 hours to respond or another name will be chosen. Just fill out the rafflecopter widget below and Good Luck!





a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Tami Beauty: Skibo Sunset - Swatches and Review

*This product is Cruelty Free 



Tonight I have a new-to-me brand to show you...from SCOTLAND! Tami Nail Polish's Skibo Sunset.


Tami Nail Polish
Skibo Sunset 



Continued after the jump...


The Digit-al Dozen Spooky Days: Day 2 - Double Double Toil and Trouble

Nothing to Disclose


Double Double Toil and Trouble
Halloween Manicure


halloween-nail-art-dry-brush


What's spookier than the witch scene of Macbeth?

    Thrice the brinded cat hath mew'd.
    Thrice and once, the hedge-pig whin'd.
    Harpier cries:—'tis time! 'tis time!
    Round about the caldron go;
    In the poison'd entrails throw.—
    Toad, that under cold stone,
    Days and nights has thirty-one;
    Swelter'd venom sleeping got,
    Boil thou first i' the charmed pot!
    Double, double toil and trouble;
    Fire burn, and caldron bubble.
    Fillet of a fenny snake,
    In the caldron boil and bake;
    Eye of newt, and toe of frog,
    Wool of bat, and tongue of dog,
    Adder's fork, and blind-worm's sting,
    Lizard's leg, and owlet's wing,—
    For a charm of powerful trouble,
    Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.
    Double, double toil and trouble;
    Fire burn, and caldron bubble.
    Scale of dragon; tooth of wolf;
    Witches' mummy; maw and gulf
    Of the ravin'd salt-sea shark;
    Root of hemlock digg'd i the dark;
    Liver of blaspheming Jew;
    Gall of goat, and slips of yew
    Sliver'd in the moon's eclipse;
    Nose of Turk, and Tartar's lips;
    Finger of birth-strangled babe
    Ditch-deliver'd by a drab,—
    Make the gruel thick and slab:
    Add thereto a tiger's chaudron,
    For the ingrediants of our caldron.
    Double, double toil and trouble;
    Fire burn, and caldron bubble.
    Cool it with a baboon's blood, 
    Then the charm is firm and good.



For this mani I used a base of Kiko 327, one of my favorite grey cremes. I dry brushed black over all the the accent nail where I did a simple "dotticure" with black and Zoya Rocha. Matte top coat on all but the accent nail.


Be sure and check out the other great Spooky manis in the links below!










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Monday, October 27, 2014

The Lacquer Legion: After Dark - Spooky Midnight Smoke

Nothing to Disclose 


I'm baaaaaaaaaaack! This time I have a spooky "after dark" manicure for The Lacquer Legion's prompt this month - #LLAfterDark!


The Lacquer Legion After Dark
Spooky Midnight Smoke


nail-art-spray-marble-halloween



I started with a base of Elevation Polish SBP: Salto dol Soldado and then did a quick spray marble using distilled water, rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle and a plain black polish. Then I finished it off with a coat of the new Zoya Matte Velvet Top Coat.

This is what it looked like shiny...





If you would like to participate, just post your mani on social media with the hashtag #LLAfterDark! And be sure and search that hashtag to see all the other #LLAfterDark manis!











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The Digit-al Dozen Spooky Days: Day 1 Spooky Dry Brush

Nothing to Disclose


Happy Halloween Week! Some of over at The Digit-al Dozen decided to get together for an extra week - Halloween manicures!

Halloween Nail Art
Spooky Gradient Dry Brush

dry-brush-nail-art-halloween


I started with a base of Kiko 292 then did a quick gradient with Barry M Satsuma...




Then I drybrushed on black. Shown below with shiny top coat...





And for the final look, I finished with a coat of matte top coat.

Quick and easy!

Be sure and check out the spooky manis from the others in the links below!











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Sunday, October 26, 2014

KBShimmer Toys for Tots Charity Polish and Winter 2014 Collection: Press Release

Press Release
*These Products are Cruelty Free 




KBSHIMMER ‘TOYS FOR TOTS’ CHARITY POLISH SET FOR RELEASE IN NOVEMBER





Four dollars from each bottle of ‘Pine-ing For Yule’ will be used to buy toys for children.

KBShimmer is excited to announce that the 3rd edition of their annual charity polish, Pine-ing For Yule, will go on sale November 1st, 2014.


KBShimmer Pine-ing for Yule for Toys for Tots
Photo by @lacquerloon on Instagram via KBShimmer



Owner Christy Rose says, “We here at KBShimmer are very fortunate, and we want to pay forward that good fortune by helping our local community. Creating a special Christmas themed charity polish is something I look forward to each year, and this year’s polish is a new favorite.”

All over the world, the evergreen, triangle shaped pine tree has become a symbol of the holiday season. This year, KBShimmer pays homage to the Christmas tree with the 2014 charity polish,
Pine-ing For Yule. Holographic evergreen triangle ‘trees’ swim among red mini star ‘tree toppers,’ and holographic glitters in red and sliver light up this Christmas polish with their rainbow sparkle.

“As a mother, I know how important Christmas is for a child, and therefore choosing Toys For Tots as our charity was a perfect fit. This is the third year that we have donated to our local Toys For Tots group, a tradition I hope is in place for years to come” Rose said.

From November 1st through December 15th, four dollars from the sale of each bottle of Pine-ing For Yule sold on http://www.KBShimmer.com will be donated to the Terre Haute (the KBShimmer headquarters) chapter of Toys for Tots. Each bottle retails for $8.75.

Last year, KBShimmer raised about three thousand dollars to help ensure that every child had something to open during the holidays. Do some good this holiday season and get a fun polish for yourself (or buy a few extra as stocking stuffers or gifts).

For more information about Toys For Tots visit http://www.toysfortots.org.

KBShimmer products can be found at http://www.KBShimmer.com.
For sales outside of the US visit http://www.HarlowandCo.org.

The KBShimmer Winter 2014 Collection will also be releasing November 1, 2014. This collection consists of 11 new polishes and 5 returning holiday favorites. They also have 4 new cuticle oil pens, and 1 new holiday themed vinyl nail decal sheet.

You can see swatches of the Winter 2014 collection from Kelly over at Set in Lacquer here.

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

KBShimmer was founded in 2008 by the husband and wife team of Jason and Christy Rose. KBShimmer offers unique and colorful nail glitter nail polishes that are Big 3 Free, with all glitter formulas being completely free of chemicals such as toluene, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin and
dibutyl phthalate (DBP). KBShimmer glitter polishes feature a flat glitter grabbing brush for easy application.

KBShimmer also offers a 2-free quick dry polish top coat, olive oil lotion, sugar scrubs, lip balms, cold process soaps and other skin care products.

If you would like more information about KBShimmer, contact Christy Rose by emailing sales@kbshimmer.com or visiting http://www.KBShimmer.com.

© 2014 KBShimmer. All rights reserved











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Weekend Bits and Bobs: October 26, 2014: Burberry and Chanel

Nothing to Disclose 
*These products may not be Cruelty Free 




Hi guys! It's been a LONG time since I've done a Bits & Bobs post so I figured it was time. Today I have a couple of new purchases to show you - Burberry Nail Polish and a Chanel Shadow Duo.




Continued after the jump...


Saturday, October 25, 2014

Which Matte Top Coat is Best?

Nothing to Disclose 
*These products are Cruelty Free 



Hi guys! Ever since Zoya released their new matte top coat, I've had a lot of requests for a comparison. So how could I not?

First, I'll say that I have tried a few more than I'll be showing here. For one reason or another I didn't like the others, so I gave them away. One was Essie. Just didn't love that one at all. Also didn't like the NYC one. So the only three I have left are the 3 I'll show you.

Matte Top Coat Comparison



For a long time, I've used nothing but the butter LONDON Matte Finish top coat. I'm perfectly happy with it and even have a back-up. Retails for $19 for .6 oz. Available at butterlondon.com and Ulta.

Wet n Wild WildShine Matte Top Coat is new. It retails for 99¢ for .43 oz. Available at drug stores nationwide.

Zoya Matte Velvet Top Coat is also recently released. It retails for $10 for .5 oz and it's available at zoya.com and Ulta.

So which is best? Let's take a look.






As you can see, butter LONDON and Wet n Wild have about the same amount of "mattification" while the Zoya is clearly much more matte.

I've never had an issue with butter LONDON having "white bits" but I have friends who have had this experience.

I didn't have any issues with the Wet n Wild until I used it after a water technique - there were white bits then, but I think I used it too soon before the water dissipated. No issues before or since.

I haven't had ANY issues with the Zoya.

So my pick for the winner is Zoya.

If you don't care if it's not quite as matte, then you really can't go wrong with the Wet n Wild for 99¢ but I prefer the extra matte and I'm willing to pay for it. And it's $9 cheaper ($7.95 cheaper when you factor in 17.5mL vs 15mL) than the butter LONDON I've been using.

What do you think? Does this help?



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HPB October Halloween Mani Link-Up

Nothing to Disclose 



Happy Halloween Week! Yes, I celebrate it the entire week. Okay, FINE. The entire month. I like Halloween. What?

So this weekend, HPB (Hobby Polish Bloggers) is getting together to post our Halloween manicures and there's a link-up at the bottom where you can see all the great Halloween manis from the other members.

Hobby Polish Bloggers is a group for bloggers who blog primarily just for fun or more casually. It's a resource for feedback, support and guidance on your current blog or information on how to get your blog started.


Today I decided to do a simple spray marble. My long-time readers know I have let water marbles defeat me time after time and while I haven't given up that good fight just yet, it's nice to do a quick and easy fool-proof mani once in a while.




Well, NEARLY fool-proof. When using a matte top coat over nail art, be sure and use a regular top coat first that doesn't smear. Matte top coats will almost always smear. Oops!

I've used a base of Zoya Rocha and spray marbled with black and purple (Kiko #292). Slap on a quick coat of matte top coat (I used Wet n Wild WildShine Matte Top Coat for 99¢ and it's just as good as my former favorite, Butter London Matte Finish) and BAM! Happy Halloween!

You've probably seen tutorials on "spray marbles" already but I used distilled water at room temperature, put one drop of polish and sprayed it quickly with just plain rubbing alcohol from one of those little spray bottles you get in the "travel section" at Walmart. Once it makes a cool design, I dip my nail in like a water marble. Protip: You NEED tape or glue or whatever you normally use or cleanup is just as bad as you'd have with a standard water marble.

What do you think? Is this something you would try?

Thanks for checking it out and remember to have a look at the great manis linked below!


Happy Halloween!







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China Glaze TWINKLE for Holiday 2014 - Press Release

Press Release
*These products are Cruelty Free 


China Glaze has just released their new Holiday 2014 collection called Twinkle! There are cremes, shimmers, metallics and glitters, including one glitter topper.

Yeah it's not even Halloween yet. But I'm about used to seeing Christmas stuff out before Halloween. Nothing like getting a jump-start. And I need a jump start because I haven't started my shopping yet. Maybe this will get me in the mood?

China Glaze
Twinkle Collection - Holiday 2014





I was lucky enough to get a sneak peek at CosmoProfNA in July! Sorry it's a cell pic.





Leslie over at Work/Play/Polish got some much better shots of the display as well. Check them out!

Continued after the jump...


Thursday, October 23, 2014

Alter Ego Nail Enamels Gloss48 Exclusive Duo

Press Sample 
*These products are Cruelty Free 


Today I have an Exclusive Gloss48 Duo for you from Alter Ego Nail Enamels. This Duo launches at the discounted price of $14 next Wednesday, October 29th at 11am EST.


Alter Ego Nail Enamels
Gloss48 Duo



Continued after the jump...


Monday, October 20, 2014

Zoya Wishes for Winter/Holiday 2014: Press Release

Press Release
*These products are Cruelty Free 


Whoa Nelly!






Wishes really do come true with this magical new nail polish collection for Winter/Holiday 2014! Zoya Wishes** is a densely pigmented assortment featuring both traditional and Magical PixieDust formulas in coordinating color combinations that can be worn alone or combined into stunning combinations, no matter how you wear them, this collection delivers a fanciful way to celebrate the season!


· ZP766 - NORI: Sapphire blue Magical PixieDust* with holographic hex glitter, perfect for any holiday festivity.

· ZP767 - THEA: Deep amethyst Magical PixieDust* with an orchid flash, packed full of party-ready holographic hex glitter.

· ZP768 - IMOGEN: Black crystal Magical PixieDust* with holographic hex glitter, just add an LBD and you’re off!

· ZP769 - PRIM: Velvet blue metallic, with a full coverage, high-density pigment and buttery smooth application.

· ZP770 - HAVEN: True holiday plum liquid metal with a thin vein of orchid for added brilliance.

· ZP771 - WILLA: Full-coverage, onyx black cream.





* Zoya Magical PixieDust is textured, matte and sparkling. No base coat and top coat required.


PRE-ORDER STARTS 10/20/14!

SHIPPING DATE 11/01/14.



ZOYA IS THE HEALTHY COLOR OF FASHION!

$9 (US) Standard Colors
$10 (US) - PixieDust Colors

Available in top salons, spas and on zoya.com

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OMGosh THEA!!! Yeah I'm pretty sure that's going to be my favorite. What do you think? Predictions on your favorite?





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