Redrawing the NuNAAT giveaway winner.

I never heard back from the winner of the NuNAAT giveaway, so I have redrawn the winner! If you are the winner, PLEASE comment on this post so I know you have seen it and then reply to my email with your shipping address. Thank you!
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Photo Diary 9/30: Instagram Pics

Just a collage of my recent instagram pics..

1. Strawberry lemonade from Ruby Tuesdays
2. Delicious chophouse burger from Ruby Tuesdays (fried onions, yummy!).
3. Homemade cheeseburger with egg and BBQ sauce.. It was sooo good!
4. Macaron lens from Eyecandy Lens (review coming soon!)
5. Peach Sake BB cream from Skinfood. I really want to try this!
6. InStyle Magazine... Magazines keep getting thicker and thicker because of all the advertising. This is why I prefer blogs!!
7. My Butter London order from a new site called Coterie Inc. I can't wait to try these out! My first BL polishes.
8. An apple from my recent visit to an apple farm! It was a fun day and the scenery was beautiful :)

I hope you all had a fun weekend! My Daiso series continues tomorrow with another nail polish post, then on Tuesday a long ass post on Daiso cosmetics, including a video! I did the $20 makeup challenge video using all Daiso products. Check it out on Tuesday if you want to know how well the $1.50 Japanese makeup performed :)

Giveaway Winners

Just wanted to announce the winners of my last 3 giveaways!

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a Rafflecopter giveaway
Congratulations to the winners, thank you so much for entering! I will have more giveaways coming soon, including a circle lens giveaway, so stay tuned :)

Winmax Nail Brights Polish in No. 2

Another Winmax Nail Brights nail polish from Daiso!

This one is simply called No. 2 and is a jelly pink with silvery holographic shimmer. I layered two coats of No. 2 over 2 coats of an unnamed baby pink Color Club polish. On it's own, the polish is quite sheer and can be built up, but after 4 coats I still saw faint visible nail line.

Natural light

 Artificial light

Artificial light

You can see the holo shimmer in the last photo.

The formula is a bit thick and gloopy, you definitely need to wait for it to dry in between coats or you will get drag and end up with uneven coats. I was impatient, so it's not as level as I would have liked.

Because of the jelly look, I think this polish would be great for layering. I am going to try a glitter sandwich with it!

Overall, for $1.50 I think these polishes are well worth it. I am definitely going to be picking a few more up in different colours.

Half moon mani with Winmax Nail Brights Polish No. 10 from Daiso

Hellooo!

This week I'll be posting products from the Japanese ¥100 ($1.50 here) store, Daiso.

Kicking off Daiso week is this black glitter polish by Winmax in their Nail Brights range, simply called No. 10.

Natural light

Natural light

Sunlight

With flash

This shade is a semi-jellyish black base, with reddish brown shimmer and silver holographic glitter. The glitter isn't super holo, but it looks nice in the sun. I like this shade a lot, it's subtle, but pretty. This is two coats, with two coats of top coat. The formula was easy to work with and the brush is similar to Essie's. Not bad for $1.50 polish! There was no strong smell either, which is a relief. Some of the cheaper polishes tend to stink like paint thinner or something ghastly like that.

This is my first attempt at a half moon mani, I think it turned out nicely even though it's a bit plain. I need to get some nail studs or crystals or something to jazz up my nail art! Time for a Born Pretty order I think, I have my eye on some striping tape as well.

Hope you all had a great weekend! Look out for more Daiso posts this week :)

Beauty Blogazon Roundup 9/23

Nail art, how-tos, giveaways and lots of lovely reviews. Check out this edition of the Blogazon Roundup!


Glitter.Gloss.Garbage. : Lush Emotional Brilliance Left Glitter.Gloss.Garbage Underwhelmed

Polarbelle: Polarbelle wants you to enter to win a set of four beautiful Orly nail polishes.

Girl Gloss: Girl Gloss looks at How to Apply Foundation with tips and tricks for perfect makeup

Shades Of Beauty, Inc.: Nanacoco Crystal HD Polish...A BSS find not to be overlooked

Perilously Pale: Don't let the word glitter scare you! The Rouge Bunny Rouge Fire Drops Loose Glitter Pigments are softly shimmering dimensional eyeshadows anyone can love! Perilously Pale shows us swatches of all the shades.

Jamegackie: Ready For Halloween Nails? Check out these Nightmare Before Christmas inspired nails!

The Convenient Beauty: The Convenient Beauty is loving the unique color turn-out of Burberry Devon Sunset lipstick

The Beauty Think Tank: The Beauty Think Tank gives you the lowdown on September's Birchbox, complete with witty commentary.

Confessions of a Sarcastic Mom: Confessions of a Sarcastic Mom showcases the bright green neon of Color Club Limeligh

Beauty Info Zone: Butter London polishes
have something for everyone with their new Fall/Winter collection. Come pick your favorite

.Love My Nails: Check out my awesomely cute manicure for the third week of the Girly Girl Challenge, It's really awesome.

A Little Polish: Don't want the summer to end? Check out Stephanie's Leafy Green Mani before it's too late!

TheFabZilla: It's the great battle of the gel eyeliners at TheFabZilla. See which won between INGLOT 77 Matte and MAC Blacktrack Fluidline.

Blush and Beakers: Among the frenzy of New York Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2013 this beauty blogger got to cover backstage at Timo Weiland.

Lisa's Nail Obsession: Delicate and elegant girly girl nail art.

Lacquer Buzz: Are you ready to embark on a nail art journey around the world? Lacquer Buzz takes you to the most exotic destinations. Next stop: Spain!

Trouble-MAker on Heels: No7 Skin Illuminator made Troublemakeronheels' skin radiant and healthy looking

The Beauty Specialist!: Ray participated for the first time in an eye make-up contest & wants your opinion regarding her looks.

Lola's Secret Beauty Blog: Lola's Secret Beauty Blog recently made the fantastic discovery that Ken Downing's mythologized Le Métier de Beauté Lip Creme Lip Gloss in Purple Haze is still available- what an extraordinary coup!

Liesl Loves Pretty Things: Liesl loves silver holos. Find out Why Butter London Dodgy Barnett is her favorite.

Pinked Polish: Pinked Polish is Celebrating 500 likes on Facebook with a Huge 2 Part Giveaway.

Kimpelling Beauty: Girly Girl Nail Challenge: Delicate and Elegant. butter LONDON Knees Up with lace stamping

Cosmetics Aficionado: Did Buxom's Big & Healthy Lip Cream in White Russian give Cosmetics Aficionado big and healthy lips? Find out!

Passion for Polish: Leopard print nails, anyone? Check out Passion for Polish's tutorial!

Bliss Works Beauty: Fun & funky manis, reviews of beauty products, & coupon codes to save you $$$.

Midnight Manicures: Midnight Manicures shares with you the do's and don'ts when it comes to Essie's no place like chrome polish.

Crows' Feet, Cupcakes, and Cellulite: Anastasia Kisses On My List (Vol. 2) HydraFull gloss set passes Crows' Feet, Cupcakes, and Cellulite's "Gloss Greatness" test with flying colors!

adore-a-polish: Join in on the swatch-a-thon! 7 of Avon's eye shadow quad's and one duo take to the stage in a swatching frenzy.

Peace Love and Glitter: YoHave you ever been curious about the waxing? You know, the process of ripping the hair out of your skin? It sounds scary, but it's really not (and your hair stays gone for alot longer than shaving!). This is a simple explanation of how the process works and what you can expect from it.

Très Beau Glamour: Looking to find a way to pamper your feet without spending a ton of money? Want your own personal foot spa?With three items you can create the perfect spa treatment for your feet. Check out Nay's review on the Avon's Foot Works in Cherry Ice.

DeyiMizu: Fall is here; Get warm with this warm fall FOTD

Ishah x Beauty: Ishah x Beauty creates love heart nails using the Red Carpet Manicure DIY gel kit.

Beauty Fiends: Julia at Beauty Fiends has the limited edition Dita Von Teese Classics collection beauty box and shadows from ArtDeco!

Beauty Thesis: A re-creation of Erica Dixon's makeup from the Love & Hip Hop Atlantareunion show.

Beauty Product Review: e.l.f. is getting Villainous with their new Limited Edition Disney Villains Palette. Come check it out!

Love Heart Gel Nails with Red Carpet Manicure Candid Moment & After Party Playful

This is a manicure I've been wanting to try for a while with my stiletto shape nails. Pink and white gel love hearts, what could be cuter?

To create this look, I decided to go with my Red Carpet Manicure gel kit. I used Red Carpet Manicure Candid Moment on all nails except my ring finger and RCM After Party Playful as the accent nail. I did 3 thin coats, curing after each coat, and then did the love hearts. For the pink hearts, I used 2 thin coats of After Party Playful (curing after each coat) and for the white heart, I layered one coat of Wet n Wild French White Creme under 2 thin coats of Candid Moment (also cured after each coat).

Natural indoor light

Natural indoor light

Daylight

Artificial light

 I'm pretty much in love with how it turned out. I got a lot of compliments on this manicure, unfortunately I just changed my nail shape again so I wont be able to replicate it any time soon ;_;

PRESS RELEASE:

Last year, the hottest red carpet statement was Red Carpet Manicure’s  “Amor 24” made from real 24 carat gold, which was worn by Rihanna to the GRAMMYs®.  This  year, Red Carpet Manicure is unveiling “Your Fortune Awaits,” a limited edition shade with four carats of genuine ruby dust which will certainly make it onto the red carpet via our RCM celebrity manicurists.  There is also a consumer version, “Draped in Rubies,” available in ULTA Beauty stores October 1^st. “Draped in Rubies” will be available for sale nationwide at ULTA and Ulta.com and will be retailing for $9.99. For more information on RCM products please visit redcarpetmanicure.com.

Red Carpet Manicure, the first DIY gel manicure system for manicures and pedicures is available at Ulta, Fred Meyer, Meijer and now, Duane Reade.

Essie Van D'Go w Zoya Chloe

Essie Van D'Go is a beautiful peach shade that I haven't worn enough. I may just be clinging stubbornly onto Summer with this shade, but it's definitely hot enough around here to warrant it! It's a perfect warm peach that suits my skintone, leaning more on the yellow side of peach than pink. I topped 2 coats of Van D'Go with one coat of Zoya Chloe, to give it a shimmery glow.

Essie is a great brand that I don't have enough of. I only own a few shades, but I absolutely love the ones I have. This is a really pretty combo, I love Zoya Chloe over almost everything! I am digging my new nail shape too :D

Hope you all had an awesome weekend!

nuNAAT Brazilian Keratin Collection - Review & Giveaway!

Bleaching my hair a number of times has left it with a somewhat straw-like consistency. 'Hay-esque' might be an appropriate term. So, in order to restore some moisture and discourage random passers-by from assuming I am wearing horse feed on my head, I tried out the NAAT Brazilian Keratin Collection by nuNAAT, which is recommended for daily use on chemically processed hair.

The collection includes-

L to R: Deep Moisturizing Shampoo, Deep Conditioner, Liquid Keratin Leave-in Reconstructor, Intensive Hair Mask and Serum Ultra Shine.

From nuNAAT.com:

• Works with all hair types
• Repairs cuticle damage
• Regenerates and strengthens hair fibers
• Restores natural shine and softness
• Seals hair cuticles
• Reduces volume and frizz
• Makes hair resilient and healthy
• Formaldehyde and sodium chloride free

Great for every day use. Also recommended for those who have professionally relaxed/straightened hair to keep hair at its best between touch-ups.

From the very first time using the Deep Moisturizing Shampoo and Deep Conditioner, I noticed the texture of my hair change. It was silkier and much easier to comb through. I then used a small amount of the Liquid Keratin Leave-in Reconstructor and allowed it to dry naturally. I had a lot less frizz than usual and my hair was a LOT more hydrated. Usually you don't notice results this drastic after the first use, but honestly nuNAAT surprised me.

I have used the Serum Ultra Shine a couple of times, but I have extremely fine hair and it seems to weigh it down a bit. I think I may be using too much, because it's concentrated stuff. The serum is specifically designed to be used with a flat iron, as the heat activates the ingredients and locks in shine.

The Intensive Hair Mask is really creamy and thick and hydrates well. I put it in before having a nice, long bath and then washed it out in the shower. It detangled my hair effortlessly and left it feeling soft and smooth.

Intensive Hair Mask

I really like the scent of all the products, it's light and sweet without being too strong. I think companies these days are realising that a lot of women don't like strong, overpowering scents (like Granny florals!) and are adjusting their products accordingly. I also like the fact that their products are formaldehyde and sodium chloride free.

Soft and shiny, no more straw!

Overall, I felt that the NAAT Brazilian Keratin Collection really did make a big difference to my hair. It's noticeably softer, smoother and easier to comb through. There's less frizz and my hair is more manageable. I do wish I could get a bit more shine to my hair, but I know that the lighter your hair is, the less shine you get anyway. I think I'll have to use a lighter hand when applying the serum and see if that improves the result I get. If you are looking to restore moisture and lessen frizz, I think this is a great haircare collection. It may not be ideal for oily or very thin hair, as it is designed to reduce frizziness, which may weigh down those hair types.

nuNAAT products are sold at Walgreens, Sallys, and beauty supply stores nationwide or drugstore.com online.

ZOMG, another giveaway! If you want to receive this exact same full-size collection, enter in the Rafflecopter giveaway below!
Open to US Residents only, no PO boxes.

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Good Luck!

Check out nuNAAT on Facebook and Twitter.

Disclaimer: Products provided for honest review.

Review & Giveaway: Vi.Be Solid Perfume.

Good morning!

The lovely Daisy at Vi.Be Fragrance recently sent me some of their solid perfumes to try.

Vi.Be is an indie beauty brand that focuses on creating unique and inspiring fragrances in a solid form. I got to try a full size in Hot Berry and 3 minis in Oriental Rose, Wonder and Miss Honey.

From Vi-Be.com:

Adorn yourself with our stunning solid perfumes and embrace your scentuality. Quality Beeswax, healing Shea Butter, a special fragrance blend and Vitamin E applied to your pulse points will leave your skin supple and your nose pleased. Also try it on your hair to complete your scent aura.

No Parabens - No Alcohol- No colorants

Travel-Friendly

The fragrances come in little twist up tubes, which makes it really easy and convenient to take with you. The perfumes are solid, but still a little creamy, so it's not too difficult to transfer it to your skin. I found that I only needed a very small amount on each wrist and the nape of my neck, as it is very concentrated and lasts a long time.

Hot Berry

Solid Perfume

Style

Deep Sensual Sweetness.

Notes

Raspberry, Amber, Musk, Lime.

Oriental Rose

Solid Perfume

Style

Elegant and sophisticated floral oriental.

Notes

Rose, Hyacinth, Tuberose, Orange Blossom, Heliotrope.

Miss Honey

Solid Perfume

Style

Warmly inviting. Sweet Floral.

Notes 

Honey, Rose, Jasmine, Vanilla.

Wonder

Solid Perfume

Style

Wondrous whimsical fruity floral. Perfect for the dreaming beauty.

Notes

Melons, Apples, Pears, Jasmine, Rose. 

I actually liked all the different scents, which is surprising since I'm notoriously picky when it comes to perfume. None of them were too overpowering, or old lady-ish, they were quite light and fresh (even the musk and florals). My absolute favourite was Wonder though, it's really fruity and light and refreshing! And it has.... MELLLLONNNN! And JASSSMINNNNE! Two of my absolute favourite scents in the world. Perfect for Summer, or any time if you're like me and yearn back to days at the beach.

The price:

$18 for the large, which has 14g/0.5oz

$7.50 for the mini, which is 4.2 g / 0.15 oz

You might think it's a bit steep for the size, but solid perfume lasts a long time and goes further than eau de parfum/spray perfume. I find a solid perfume is more subtle and the scent lasts longer as well, which I prefer. There's nothing worse than being around someone that smells like they took a bath in perfume.. (no, really, thanks for the assault on my senses there). I also like the convenience of being able to throw a solid perfume in my purse and not having to worry about it leaking.

Want to try out solid perfume with some lovely, unique scents? I know you do... which is why you're lucky I'm hosting a giveaway! :p

I have TWO $50 giftcards to giveaway! TWO (2), YES TWO of you will win a $50 giftcard to Vi-Be.com! Have I repeated the number TWO enough times yet? (TWO!!!!). :)

Enter below, open to US residents only.

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Also, Daisy has given me a discount code just for my readers! Use 20ISHAH2012 for 20% off your order. The discount code expires 11.59pm, 12 October 2012.

Click on the banner to go and check out their products:

Are you a solid or spray perfume kinda girl?

Disclaimer: Post contains affiliate link.

Labor Day Fun! Arbor Mist Frozen Wine Cocktails.

It was the Labor Day holiday this past Monday, so we went down to the lake to eat fish & chips, enjoy the sunset and try the new Arbor Mist Frozen Wine Cocktails.

I got the opportunity to try these cocktails through SheSpeaks, just in time for Labor Day. They come in 3 flavours, Blackberry Merlot, Strawberry White Zinfandel and White Pear Pinot Grigio.

Basically, you put them in the freezer for about 5 hours, take them out and gently massage them a bit, before pouring into your glass. Each pouch is probably 1-2 drinks, depending on how big you like your drinks lol. I don't drink much (especially not at the moment), but I had a tiny bit of each and they were absolutely delicious! I have tried frozen margaritas before and these are a similar concept, if you like wine coolers these might be more to your taste. If you don't like wine coolers, these are STILL going to be to your taste... as I said, they are DELICIOUS! The Strawberry was my favourite, I am SUCH a sucker for strawberries! What I like about these pouches is that although they are the same alcohol level as Arbor Mist wines (6%), they don't taste harsh at all. They are tasty and smooth, while still tasting like an alcoholic beverage. The fruity taste is not artificial at all, the flavours actually taste like the fruits they are supposed to be i.e. the Blackberry tastes like blackberry, White Pear tastes like pear etc etc.... The only thing you need to be aware of is that you definitely need to drink them while frozen and in this heat, it wont take long for them to melt. Unless you keep them in ice, you should definitely drink them straight out of the freezer.

Here are some pics of the Strawberry and White Pear flavours in my teeny, tiny glass!

Strawberry White Zinfandel

Lol, tried to get fruity with an orange wedge... as you can see, it dwarfed my glass.

White Pear Pinot Grigio

ze Lake

Me, trying to be high class with my wine :p

As I can't really drink at this present time (lol so cryptic), I had my teeny glass of each flavour and my husband drank the rest. If you think males can't enjoy these, think again! He really liked them as well and they were strong enough for him not to consider them sugar water, hehe. Arbor Mist frozen cocktails are awesome for these hot days and nights, throw a bunch (frozen) in your ice chest and have them at your next pool party ;) I saw a bunch of them at Walmart for under $2 a pouch, definitely cheaper than going out for cocktails.

What did you get up to this past weekend? Do you have a favourite summer beverage?

Product sent for review.

Dove Daily Moisture Conditioner Review & $1000 Spafinder Sweepstakes

As Summer comes to a close and the crown of leaves start to dry up and fall from the trees, it's important to ensure that our own crowning glory (err, our hair) isn't left dried up and withered as well. All that sun, surf and (in my case) bleach can leave locks dry, frizzy and sadly lacklustre.

In a bid to fix some of the damage I've done to my poor abused, artificially sun-kissed hair, I tried out the Dove Damage Therapy Daily Moisture Conditioner.

(Came with a travel sized Strength & Shine Extra Hold Hairspray. Very nice, not sticky at all.)

The Daily Moisture Conditioner is intended to stop future moisture loss, while leaving hair with smoothness, softness, shine and frizz control and no weight or greasiness. The formula has a patented Micro Moisture Serum which nourish hair, seals lifted cuticles and helps lock in essential moisture. You can find out more about that stuff at DoveHair.com. All I'm interested in is ... does it work?

My hair has been feeling like straw, but I just used a normal amount of the conditioner. It's creamy enough that you don't have to use a whole lot. I usually put conditioner through the lengths and ends of my hair and then comb it through my whole head, so as not to use too much on the roots and weigh them down. I left it in while I scrubbed my face and shaved my legs and did all that other girly stuff, so it had time to penetrate and nourish the hair shaft. I have quite fine hair, so a lot of moisturising conditioners can leave my hair feeling greasy and limp. I found that the Dove Daily Moisture Conditioner was nice and creamy and allowed me to comb the tangles out in the shower easily, but didn't leave residue on my hair.  The conditioner has a nice, light scent which isn't too overpowering. The scent doesn't noticeably linger after washing it out, but you can still smell it if you smell the hair closely (which is nice for snuggling).

Overall, after use my hair felt softer, smoother and less frizzy but didn't look limp or weighed down at all, which I was happy about. I didn't have super ridiculously glossy hair, but as it has been pretty fried with bleach, I wasn't expecting a miracle. I am definitely satisfied with the results, especially the fact that it doesn't make my hair limp or leave any residue.

Enter to win a $1,000 Spafinder gift certificate!

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY, JUST ANSWER THIS SIMPLE QUESTION:
WHAT SUMMER ACTIVITIES DO YOU DO THAT DO DAMAGE TO YOUR HAIR?

COMMENTS TO THIS POST ARE NOT SWEEPSTAKES ENTRIES. PLEASE SEE BELOW FOR ENTRY METHODS FOR THIS SWEEPSTAKES.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

a) Follow this link, and provide your email address and your response to the Promotion prompt

b) Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: "#SweepstakesEntry"; and then visit this link to provide your email address and the URL to that Tweet.

c) Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and then visit this link to provide your email address and the URL to that post.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. Winners will have 72 hours to claim the prize, or an alternative winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here.

This sweepstakes runs from 9/4/2012 - 9/30/2012

Be sure to visit Dove^®Hair.com to get a coupon for $1.50 off Dove Hair Therapy products.

Polish Days - Geometry themed nail art

Hurrah for my first Tape Mani!!

I've been wanting to try out a tape mani for a while now, so this Polish Days theme of Geometry gave me a perfect excuse :)

Here's a list of the polishes I used:
Essie Van D'Go
Zoya Chloe
Sinful Colors Open Seas
Spoiled by WnW Designated Driver
Kiss Nail Art Paint Gold Glitter

I had a lot of fun doing this mani and learned what NOT to do when using tape...... Mainly, don't assume after 5 minutes that the polish dry enough to put tape on top of.... it's not =_= You might have noticed I changed my nail shape. I'm REALLY loving the 'stiletto' shape right now, it's super fierce! What's your favourite nail shape?

Check out some of the other Polish Days - Polish Geometry posts!