Nothing But Nails

Hi:

Tao by Zoya (main color)
Over the Top by Essie (accent nail)

Penny here! As many of you know I have a 'thing' for nail polish. I've gotten lots of questions lately about the polishes I've been wearing so I just thought I'd share some of my finds. So far I stick to a few of my favorite brands. The apple of my eye right now are Zoya's 4-Free polishes ($8). As mentioned in my July 25th post, Zoya is a great long wear, polish with over 300 colors to choose from (www.zoya.com). As a 4-Free polish Zoya's polishes are free of toluene, formaldehyde, DBP (phthalates) and camphor.  Back in July I reported that the only down side was that these polishes were not widely available. Well since then I have now found Zoya in my local ULTA Beauty stores. According to their Customer Service department, these polishes are only sold at spas and salons. You can plug in your zip code on their website to see where the polishes are sold near you, or call: (800) 659-6909, Customer Service.

Marina, by Zoya

I also still love OPI ($9.50), and Essie. I also have a couple by China Glaze and my splurge buys are from Rescue Beauty Louge (www.rescuebeauty.com, $18; usually buy on sale). I have a new Sephora by OPI color I haven't tried yet as well. I try to keep my personal collection to 45 bottles or less. LOL! I gave away about 5 bottles last week. I just prefer to buy my polish and take it with me to the nail salon every two weeks. That way I'm sure to get the look I want and not have to worry about whether they have my colors.

I'm currently wearing Tao by Zoya (see pic above)...from their Fall Collection called Smoke & Mirrors. I bought 6 colors from this collection but didn't keep them all. I get so many compliments on Tao when I wear it. There is also a similar color in the same line with a hint more blue than gray, called Marina. Check them out! I love to change my colors with the seasons so I've been doing lots of dark to medium tone colors...lots of grays, wines, purples and rich hues. I don't go ga ga for sparkles around the holidays but I may pull out something dark with a gold or bronze shimmer like Jem by Zoya. (read full story...)

Penny's Pinked

Hello my lovelies!

Even if you lived under a rock some place you would know that October is Breast Cancer Awareness (BCA) month. :-) Nevermind that the month is almost over...its never too late to show your support. I don't think I know anyone who has NOT been touched by breast cancer or some form of cancer in their lives. It has taken the lives of so many and will threaten many more if we don't continue to support the research and technologies that are hopefully bringing us closer to a cure, and helping to prolong lives today. Take a look at the statistics from the National Cancer Institute (NCI):

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/breast

Raise Awareness by Essie, $8.50

Here are some other organizations to check out as well:

• http://www.breastcancer.org/
• http://www.webmd.com/breast-cancer/default.htm
• http://ww5.komen.org/

Some of you may have already seen this article from Total Beauty with 10 myths about the causes of breast cancer. Interesting stuff. Check it out:

http://www.totalbeauty.com/content/gallery/bca-myths?lc=nw1895-1

Penny believes that every penny counts (no pun intended)! LOL! So whether you give $1 while paying for groceries, or $5 while buying cosmetics; or whether you write a name on a ribbon to hang in the window in honor of a loved one; or wear pink all month long...every gesture of support generates awareness and hopefully education. Early detection is key. So Penny's been pinking it up wherever she can and just wanted to take a moment to share some of the easy ways (while beauty shopping) that you can contribute to finding a cure for this disease.
 (read full story...)

Penny's Sharing

Hi all:

Penny stumbled across this article on Bobbi Brown's website and thought it was worth sharing. It talks about 'being yourself' and being proud to accentuate your features...instead of focusing on what you may consider your flaws. Make-up should be fun and should enhance your features...even Penny sometimes forgets that.

Check it out (paste link into browser if not active): http://www.bobbibrowncosmetics.com/cms/learn/be_who_you_are_beauty.tmpl

Enjoy.

Be blessed. Be beautiful.

P

Lip Sync

Hi folks:
Last night I began chatting with my cousin about the 'nude' lip look I was wearing with my burgundy smoky eyes. The most important tip for a good nude lip is to first diffuse your own natural lip color with a lip pencil that matches or is close to your skin tone. If you blend the pencil over the entire lip it gives you a nice blank canvas to work with.

On my eyes I wore a Bobbi Brown's Cream shadow in Cement as a base. Then I smoked out my eyes with MAC's eye shadows in Sketch topped with Agate (Limited Edition) for some shimmer. I also blended in Bobbi Brown's Eye Shadow in Cocoa in the crease and above. I finished with Urban Decay's 24/7 Eye Liner in Zero (black) on my lids and smudged across my lower water line. I finished my lower lash line with a dusting of Sketch eye shadow over the black pencil to keep it in place.
I was wearing the following lip products:

Selma Hayek's NUANCE Color Vibrance Lipstick in Shimmering Nude ($9.99, CVS only)

http://www.cvs.com/CVSApp/promoContent/promoLandingTemplate.jsp?promoLandingId=1401#

Sephora Collection Nano Lip Liner in Belle Beige ($5, Sephora)

http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P236904&categoryId=C17367&shouldPaginate=true

I also love to finish the look with this gloss; its the perfect compliment. I sometimes wear just the liner and the gloss too.

MAC Lustreglass in Love Nectar ($14.50)

http://www.maccosmetics.com/products/spp/shaded.tmpl?CATEGORY_ID=CAT166&PRODUCT_ID=PROD707&SKU_ID=SKU3557
(read full story...)

Penny's UPDATE - Blank Face

Hi All:
Since my post on September 17th about facial cleansers/make-up removers I tried a new product I have come to like. On one of my many visits to Sephora I came across another great find in the bins near the check-out line with the travel size and mini items. I've been curious about the Boscia brand for some time. So I was pleased to see the mini-bottle of  Boscia's Makeup-Breakup Cool Cleansing Oil (mini was about $10-$17).

This cleansing oil contains a blend of botanical oils that break up make-up without drying out the skin; much like my beloved Bobbi Brown Cleansing Oil ($39). Bobbi Brown's formula contains olive and jojoba oils for softening, while ginger root extract is said to soothe and calm the skin. Boscia is a natural line and the Boscia's Makeup-Breakup Cool Cleansing Oil (5oz, $26) is paraben-free, phalate-free, and free of dyes, and perfumes. It is really gentle and has a slightly cooling feeling and smell (possibly from the eucaplyptus and menthol), but neither lingers. The Bosica product also contains jojoba oil, as well as, rose hip oil (Vitamins A & C), and coconut and palm oils. I love that it takes off all my make-up and cleanses my face well without any drying or tigthening. It does not leave an oily residue and rinses clean. And unlike the Neutrogena Naturals Fresh Cleanser and Make-up Remover mentioned in my previous post, it does not burn my eyes or have a strong smell. Although the Neutrogena product is the most budget friendly, I prefer the Boscia cleanser and would definitely buy this again.

Be blessed. Be beautiful.
P