It's My Birthdanniversary Celebration!

And you're invited!! HOLLER!!

Okay i'll admit it... I love my birthday! Maybe it's my 'only child syndrome' rearing its spoiled little head, but I stretch this shit out for at least a week. Ask Mr. Fox Claws, it goes like this...
Me: "Honey...can we go to dinner for my birthday?"
Him: "Your birthday isn't for 3 more days..."
Me: "I know but...early birthday present?"
Him: "But...we went to dinner LAST night for your birhday..."
Me: "I know but..doesn't soup, salad and bread sticks from The OG sound delicious? And its like, almost my birthday!"
(P.s. If you get 'The OG' reference you're awesome! Fist bump to my fellow lady clones out there! Now I'm done...hehehe)

LOL Ah well...we only get one birthday a year so I'm going to make the most of it ;) Besides, this one is a good one...this is the first year I will turn 29 - next year I will also turn 29 - and I will continue to turn 29 until I actually feel 30! I will wear glitter and I will not bow down to crows feet or laugh lines. SO THERE!

Anywho, the end of June/beginning of July also marks my 1 year blogaversary, and Mr. Fox Claws and I's anniversary so we're making quite a big deal about it in this household! AND AND AND some of my favorite lacquer lovin' ladies have come out to help celebrate with a (quite spectacular if I do say so myself) awesome giveaway.

Here's the treasure map....

From Fox Claws:
- Little Princess rack in black, white or pink - You choose!
- MY favorite accessory at the moment - an iridescent crystal heart necklace - I bought an extra one just for this giveaway!
- Elf Concealer brush aka awesome nail clean up brush - My Favorite!
- Nail Art Goodies - Stickers, Nail Wraps etc.
- Ulta Goddess
- Ulta Purple Haze

From Too Cuteicle:
- An unreleased pink holo inspired by Fox Claws called 'Foxy'!

From Polish Sickness:
- Nabi Holographic Polish in Red
- Sally Hansen Prisms in South Sea Pearl
- 4pk of Striping Tape

From Different Dimension:
- Random surprise pack of pretties!

From JK Customs:
- Full size bottle of Tears of Gaia
- Nail Wraps
- Nail Art Glitter

From Mentality Nail Polish:
- $25 Gift Certificate to their online store!

From Happy Hellionz:
- A surprise Hellion!

From Chiraltiy Nail Polish:
- Full Size bottle of Convergence

From Northern Star Polish:
- Full Size bottles of Aquadellic, Knock 'Em Red, and At First Blush

For the Canadian ladies and gents only...
From Girly Bits Cosmetics:
- $30 Gift Certificate to Girly Bits!

For the European ladies and gents only...
From An Irish Nail Polish Addict:
- 4 surprise Catrice polishes

ON TO THE GIVEAWAY!!!

Prize Pack #1

(Above)

- Fox Claws Princess Rack
(Rack ONLY - Rack contents are NOT included)

- A HUGE bubble bottle of Too Cute-icle 'Foxy'

- Ulta Goddess

- Ulta Purple Haze

- Northern Star Polish 'Aquadellic'

- Nail Art Goodies

- Elf Brush

Prize Pack #2

(Above)

- Crystal Heart Necklace

- Different Dimension Polish Pack

- JK Customs FS Tears Of Gaia

- Northern Star Polish 'Knock 'Em Red'

- Nail Wraps

- Nail Art Glitter

Prize Pack #3

(Above)

- Surprise Hellion from Happy Hellionz!

- $25 Mentality Gift Certificate

- Chirality 'Convergence'

- Northern Star Polish 'At First Blush'

- Nabi Holographic Polish in Red

- Sally Hansen Prisms in South Sea Pearl

- 4pk of Striping Tape

Prize Pack #4 - Europe Only

4 Catrice Polishes

Prize Pack #5 - Canada Only
$30 Gift Certificate to GIRLY BITS!

Important Giveaway Info! (Please read me!)

- There will be 5 winners -  3 from the US, 1 from Canada, 1 from Europe

- Giveaway will run from 7/3 until midnight on 7/21 (CDT). Winners will be chosen and e-mailed around 7/22-7/23.

- Entries will be verified! Cheating will result in complete disqualification.

- Winners have 24 hours to respond to e-mail notification before a new winner is chosen.

- Some prizes were purchased by me, some were generously donated - Don't forget to thank all of the wonderful ladies who were kind enough to donate to this giveaway! Additionally, portions of the prize packs may be shipped directly from their source and may arrive separately.

- Prize Packs #1-3 are for US Fans only.

- Prize Pack #4 is for European Fans only.

- Prize Pack #5 is for Canadian Fans only.

- Winners information (e-mail/address/name) may be shared with one or more entities who have donated to this giveaway in the event that they need additional information from you, but will not be used for marketing purposes. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway Results...almost.

*Incoming wall of text! Scroll down for blog suggestions and responses...the beginning is just a long-winded 'Thank you for being awesome!*

Kawaii Nail Lacquer

Before I announce the winner (in a separate post) I wanted to thank everyone who entered my very first giveaway and made it something special for me. As a new blogger I wasn't sure how you ladies would react to my 'style'. I'm not particularly witty, I don't take the best photos, and I don't have a real steady hand when it comes to nail art, I can't always afford the newest indies, or even the new national brand collections when they come out. I take a practical stand on buying new polish; "Do I have something that looks like that in my collection already, or is this totally new?" After reading the comments you all left I realized that I'm a lot like most of you: A hard working woman with bills to pay and an affinity for pretty things on my nails.

(Random side note: To make this an official 'polish related post' check out my newest nail mail! Kawaii Nail Lacquers PINK BLIZZARD! *DROOL* Pink Martini is next on my list!)

As part of my giveaway I asked the question: "What do you love and hate about nail blogs? What would you like to see on Fox Claws? How can I improve my site?" I was so surprised at the responses I received. I expected "INDIE INDIE INDIE, TUTORIALS OR BUST" but instead I got a great mixed bag of suggestions that I wanted to share with you to let you know that I hear you and I intend to deliver (or 'DELIVRAR' if you're into gaming like I am!) I want this blog to be something you want to read, not something you just stop by on a random giveaway occasion. So thank you for the compliments, encouragement and suggestions! I will definitely put them to good use in the coming months.

On to some of your comments!

• I love to see bloggers swatch and feature polish that is affordable and readily available. As someone on a budget, I can't afford a $12 or $16 bottle of polish all the time!
• I hear you girl! I will definitely be showcasing affordable polishes as this blog progresses. I'm definitely a bargain shopper. 
• I love seeing new Indie Polishes!
• I LOVE wearing new Indies when I can grab them for a decent price. I have a few in my arsenal and will get post sup on them as soon as possible :)
• I love all the colors and info on deals, I hate bad pictures (you take great shots).  I love drug store brands, art and comparisons.
• Thank you for the compliments on my photos! I'm experimenting with my different camera's and lighting around the house. Unfortunately the weather doesn't like to agree with me because by the time I get around to taking photos its overcast. I swear. Happens every dang time.
• I love learning all the new tips n tricks, not sure what I hate...maybe when they go way way way off topic. More nail art. Your site is great.."if it ain't broke don't fix it!"
• Uh oh! I will definitely be guilty of going off topic (you should hear me talk, sometimes I switch subjects so fast my fiance has to literally tell me to back up and slow down.) As a way of combating my ADD-communication issues and make reading easier, I'll be adding a TLDR (Too Long; Didn't read, aka TEAL DEER) section at the bottom of each post to give you the skinny on the wall of text above it. Aside from the polish, its probably my favorite part of my blog.
• I think your site is pretty awesome!  I like that it's not *just* nail polish pictures.  Hauls, nail art, all of that stuff is nice.  I also think your TLDR bit at the end of each post is hilarious.
• I'm glad you like the TLDR! It's one of my favorite things. I often find myself scrolling some website with a crap-ton of information and thinking "WHERE is the TEAL DEER, this is going to take FOREVAAR!"
• I would like to see nutrition and nail care talked about.
• This is a fantastic suggestion, and something I never really thought about. This is definitely something we could all benefit from! Thanks :)
• I love swatches and comparisons, and i hate NOTHING! it's all good fun, what could be bad?
• You got it! Comparisons are one of my favorite things too! Why buy the $16 Deborah Lippmann when you can get the Claires dupe for $5!?
• Tips on taking care of nails.
• I don't consider myself an expert on nail care but I would be happy to share and discuss my routine. I am always open to learning new ways to make my nails and cuticles look healthy and happy! Thanks for the suggestion!
• Love all the creativity, hate that everyone's nails are longer than mine. I would love to see anything you feel like posting!
• Hey, I was a nail biter for 26 years before I quit. YOU CAN DO IT! Grow them out, take care of them. Nails are jewels not tools ;) I hope I can continue to post things that you will want to read, and I'm always open to suggestions!
  
• Personally, I think blogs put too much into reveiws and I'd like to see more nail art (diy nail art). I'd like to see diy, step by step, nail art on Fox Claws and I think that would help to improve your site! (=
• Noted! Thank you for your honest feedback. I will definitely see about putting up some tutorial type posts (see my leopard print post for a short gradient tutorial) I'll have to try to bribe my fiance into taking photos for me ;)
  
• Love pretty colors, hate nothing. More Cara art!
• LOL! Thank you Miss Jess over at Too Cute-icle
• I love swatches and art. I dislike regularly posted non-polish posts. Every now and then is ok, but I come to blogs for the polish. :)
• Got cha! It is a nail blog after all! I'll try to keep the non-polish related posts (after this one of course) to a minimum ;) I can't promise I won't include my cats in some of the posts though LOL!

Ahhh, that was fun. Thank you again for your wonderful comments and suggestions. If I didn't address yours here directly don't think I'm ignoring you! I carefully went through every entry (and removed some naughty cheaters) to make sure I didn't miss anything. Please, please, please, feel free to continue to shoot your suggestions to me. I want this to be a place for all of us to enjoy and learn in. (Oh man..cliche much!? *sigh*)

TLDR;

- Giveaway is coming to an end!

- I heart your suggestions

- Thanks for the love and lulz.

- TEAL DEER IS POPULAR!

- Long live Teal Deer!
- I love you guys!

<3 Fox

It's my birthday and I'll...do what I want to?

....because I certainly don't want to cry! LOL

Today I am 28, one year closer to 30! YIKES! I asked my facebook friends what kind of mani I should do for my birthday and overwhelming response was this one:

So that's what I did, and I freaking LOVE it. I got so many compliments at work! I made sure to give cutepolish credit whenever I could because there's no way I could have dreamed this up on my own. (Also, don't judge the 'cherry heart' LOL!)

Anyway, we're off to the Verizon Store to get me a new phone (I HOPE) because mine is an old POS. I have a couple of swatches coming up for you next week! Don't forget about the bonus copious credit for registered accounts! If you don't have an account you can sign up here! 

And of course my birthday giveaway is still going on here!

Edit: OH MY GAAAD! I am one of the winners from Beyond Beauty Lounge's massive Christmas in July giveaway!

2nd Edit: For anyone who is curious, I picked up a Samsung Galaxy SIII in white. SHES SO PRETTY!

TLDR;

cutepolish rocks!

I won!

Cuppy Cakes on mah nizzails

Its mah birthday!

<3 Fox

Birthday Giveaway!

HELLO LOVELIES!

My birthday is coming up next Saturday and I wanted to celebrate the beginning of my blog, and my birthday, and summer, and the fact that its Friday the 13th, and everything thing else amazing about RIGHT NOW with my first giveaway! (Holy run on sentence batman!)

Up for grabs is one brand new bottle of Sinful Colors Cinderella! (Because what girl hasn't wanted to be a princess on her birthday?) Thank you to Christine from MakeUp, Beauty, and Fashion by Christine for allowing me to use her beautiful photos for this giveaway!

• 1 lucky follower (honestly, I wish I could send everyone something) will win one brand new bottle of Sinful Colors Cinderella.

• Giveaway ends July 31, 2012.

• You must be 18 years of age or older. Unless you have your parents permission.

• Sorry, open to US only. If you live internationally and know someone in the states that can send you the package you may enter.

• Please don't cheat. Cheating ruins the fun for everyone! I will be verifying entries. Duplicates and non-compliance entries will be tossed.

• The winner will be notified by email and will have 24 hours to reply before another winner is picked.
• This giveaway is obviously not sponsored or endorsed by anyone other than me, with a special thanks again to Christine for lending me her beautiful photos. I purchased the polish with my own money.

• If you have any questions, please shoot me a message at facebook.com/thefoxclaws.

EDIT 7/24/12: In light of the whole Sinful Colors thing today, I will try to find an alternative prize for my Cinderella giveaway if the winner would prefer not to receive the SC polish.  I don't know what it will be yet but will attempt to work it out with the winner. Thanks for your understanding.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Obviously I'm new at this so if I forgot something, or any of you veteran giveaway-ers have any tips or comments I'd love to hear them :)