My first adventure with INCOCO Nail Polish Appliques!

Greetings loved ones! Lets take a journey! (Kudos to you if you know who said that without googling it!) Last month I was contacted by Incoco to review their 100% real nail polish strips and I was super excited! I have tried the Sally Hansen polish strips (and even the old Avon ones from 2005ish) but 'back then' I didn't take care of my nails the way I do now so it was like putting a $10,000 wedding dress on an old muskrat...pointless. SO when the opportunity arose to give it another go you can bet your sweet behind I jumped at it!

Incoco Nail Polish Appliques are 100% real strips of flexible "pre-dried" nail polish that you stick to your naked nails and smooth out to bond it to your nail.  There is no dry time and clean up is as easy as wadding the excess material up and tossing it in the trash. They are 3-free and they claim to last up to 14 days! Removal was simple, just a little bit of your favorite nail polish remover and a couple of cotton balls - no need to peel and no damage to your nail bed. There are nearly 250 different colors and designs to choose from for your nails and toes, from glitters, to neons, to french tips, gradients, stamp-like strips...even a faux water marble! AND they're made in the USA (shout out to New Jersey!)

All the goodies!

Incoco sent me all of the tools I'd need to accomplish the task - a polish removal wipe to prep the nail, an 'orange stick' to help smooth the applique on the nail bed and help it adhere, a double ended file with a course and fine edge to file the edge of the strip down and remove the excess, and of course the nail strips Summer Sizzle and Glory Days. Now I don't know for certain if all the tools are included with each order but I would assume they are since similar mass market products include them with their products but don't quote me. Regardless, if you're doing this yourself you probably already have most of these items in your nail tool box so no big!

Unboxing! YAY! This is 'Summer Sizzle'

The packaging on these is really cute and fun. I loved that the outside of it shimmers slightly and that you can see a printed image of the strips while the actual strips remain safely hidden behind it, protected from harm or fading from light. They are also super portable and would be easy to toss into your luggage when you go on vacation - no to worry about them breaking open or spilling. WIN.

There are 16 strips in each package. Something that I LOVED about these babies is that each strip is double ended! One side is slightly more rounded than the other and they taper differently toward the middle. This was PERFECT for me because some of my nail beds are curved at the cuticle and some are more square, and my middle fingers get wider closer to the tip whereas my ring finger tapers inward slightly. This offers superior fit and I was able to find a pretty good match for each of my nails.

Close up of Summer Sizzle

I started by removing the polish I had on my nails and lightly buffing them. Then I opened the package of strips and separated each strip from one naother, matching them up to each of my nails, and laying them out in a row in the order in which I would apply them (I did thumb to pinky). Its important that you do not open the package of strips until you're ready to start applying them because they will dry out eventually. Then I used the polish remover cloth that Incoco sent with the kit to clean each of my nails one last time before I started applying the strips.

Instructions from the package

Match the strip up to your nail one more time to make sure you're applying the right one/end to your nail and peel off the clear cover and the paper backing, holding onto the silver foil piece. Determine the end you want to use and remove the silver foil piece. Lay the polish strip gently onto your nail near the cuticle. You have a very small window to preposition these so if its not on straight peel it up and preposition before you smooth it. This was the hardest part for me because the strips are so thin that they curl while you're holding them a little bit making positioning them properly a little tricky. If its on straight, gently smooth the polish strip toward the tip of your nail with your finger or the orange stick - I used my fingers and a rubber cuticle pusher to accomplish this and seal the sides and edges. You can gently stretch it along the sides to make it fit your nail a bit better, but I would be very careful if you are using a 'designed' strip like I did because the stretching did create very small lines in the design. It's not a huge deal, they are invisible at a normal distance, its only when you inspect them closely that you can see the lines. I was really pleased that I did not experience any air bubbles under the strip as I applied them, and smoothing them was very simple. To remove the excess, fold the strip down over the edge of the nail and file the end gently in a downward motion. I made the mistake of being a little too rough on the filing part and ended up with a few ripples on the edge of the nail that I couldn't flatten out. When the excess has been filed off you're all done! Lean back and admire your handiwork! For giggles I did toss a fast dry top coat on top before I removed them just to see what it would do and all it seemed to do was just make the edges sharper LOL. Definitely no need for a top coat on these babies.

SO HOW DO I feel about them? I like them but I think I need more practice on the application end of things and they are a little too pricey ($8.99/set) for me to use regularly. I was only able to wear these strips on my hands for a couple of hours before I had to take them off. The ripples on the tip of a couple of them allowed water to get underneath and they peeled up shortly after I did some dishes. Additionally I had to preposition a couple of them which broke the bond with my nail and when I ran my hands through my hair my hair slipped under a lose edge, got caught, and lifted it up. HOWEVER I applied the left over strips to a couple of my toes and they wore FANTASTICALLY WELL for a good 3 weeks before I decided to change my pedi and soaked them off. Its no secret I am very rough on my hands so my inability to wear these for too long on my nails is quite certainly my fault LOL. I am definitely looking forward to using the Glory Days set for the next appropriate holiday, and if the pedi-strips are as sticky as the hand ones I will definitely pick up a set or two for my toes!

Alright so how do you snag a set of Incoco Nail Polish Appliques for yourself? WELL, you can check out their website at www.incoco.com to browse all of the designs and sign up for the newsletter to receive alerts for some really great promos from Incoco. You can also follow them on Facebook: Incoco, Instagram: @incocoproducts, and Pinterest which has some great tutorials and user photos.

AND/OR...

YOU COULD ENTER THIS GIVEAWAY!

Incoco is giving me the opportunity to share their polish strips with 1 lucky winner! Its super easy to enter, just follow the rafflecopter widget! This giveaway will run for 2 weeks, from today until 11:59pm CST on 9/19/2013 and the winner will be contacted sometime on the 20th. The winner will have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen. I will be verifying entries so please be honest! Open to US and Canada residents only. GOOD LUCK!

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New Girl On The Block - JK Customs!

Helllooooooo my loves!

I am so excited to show you a trio of brand new beauties from a brand new indie - JK Customs!

6yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyhhhhhhyttttttttttth <--- Roxy says, "Hi!" evidently...

Anyway, Jen Koontz of JK Customs has been making polish for herself and friends since last year, but just recently made the jump into the indie market when her custom creations took off! Her debut line includes 5 polishes: Tears of Gaia, Beg For Mercy, Vernal Equinox, Ice Queen and my personal favorite, Cupid's Eros!

Disclaimer: Some of the products in this review were sent to me for an honest review. 

Up first we have Ice Queen. Ice Queen is a gorgeous icy glitter topper with lilac (light purple) hexes, and a mix of blue iridescent and holo hexes and squares in a clear base. I couldn't decide how I liked it better so I'm including a couple options. This is 2 coats of Ice Queen over China Glaze 'Aquadelic'.

Here's another shot of 2 coats of Ice Queen over Sinful Colors 'Ciao Bella'.

Next is Vernal Equinox. Vernal Equinox is another word for Spring Equinox and this polish definitely conjures thoughts of spring. A mix of yellow, aqua and white glitters are suspended in a clear base with pastel purple stars. This would be a great polish for Easter! Here is 2 coats of Vernal Equinox over Sinful Colors '24/7'. This one does require a little bit of dabbing to get good coverage.

Last but not least is my personal favorite of JK Customs debut line; Cupid's Eros. Cupids Eros is a gorgeous blend of PINK glitters in a clear base. Seriously, its pink glitter overload and I loves it. LOL This is 2 coats of Cupids Eros over Sinful Colors 'Cotton Candy'. I LOVE the glitz of this one!

JK Custom polishes are available on her Facebook page, and in her brand spankin' new storenvy shop which is still somewhat under construction. Polishes retail for $7 each and the price includes shipping - how cool is that? You can also enter to win a full sized bottle of Tears of Gaia in my birthdanniversary giveaway going on now!

So what do you think? Any must haves for you?

**Authors note: I really just had to add this for myself. The world lost a wonderful, promising young actor this weekend. Cory Monteith, better known as Finn from the Fox hit 'Glee' passed away in his hotel room in Vancouver. I feel a little silly admitting that the passing of this stranger has affected me, but I am a HUGE Gleek so this one kinda hit me hard. Sad. Sending thoughts and love to his family and friends who are certainly devastated by this tragic news.**

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. 

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Different Dimension - Irish You Well

Different Dimension - Irish You Well

YAAAAY! St. Patrick's Day is one of my faaaavorite holidays! I love green, I love shamrocks, I love anything and everything Irish, and because I'm a red head (strawberry blond if you want to get SUPER technical) I get to blend in for a day LOL!

History Lesson! St. Patrick's Day, or The Feast of Saint Patrick is celebrated to commemorate the death of Saint Patrick who died March 17, 461 AD. At least, that's the most recent understanding. Most historians agree on the March 17th part, but the year in which he passed has been widely debated. Saint Patrick was born in Britain to a wealthy family, and grew up in the church. When he was 16 he was kidnapped and held captive in Ireland as a slave. He eventually escaped and returned to Britain and studied to be a priest.

Did you know that the original color associated with Saint Patrick was BLUE? Irish folklore says that when he returned to Ireland as a bishop he used the shamrock to explain the Christian Holy Trinity to the Irish people. This eventually led to the color green becoming synonymous with St. Patrick's Day.

So now you know, and we can move onto this beauty from Different Dimension - Irish You Well. Missi describes Irish You Well as, "a white crelly (cream/jelly) base with green and gold glitters in different sizes and gold circle glitters throughout." Nailed it! LOL

I've been wearing Irish You Well (over white) for 3 days and its holding up very nicely. I wish cameras could pick up the glitter properly, but alas it doesn't. What you should know is that this is a great polish for someone who wants a St. Patrick's Day polish without the 'in your face' green of other polishes. I really love the subtle glam with the classy, muted white.

I swatched it twice, once by itself, the 2nd time over white. Here is 3 coats of Different Dimension - Irish You Well. (Click to Enlarge)

This is 2 coats of Different Dimenson - Irish You Well over white.

You can find Irish You Well and more of Missi's amazing creations in her Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/DIFFERENTdimension for $8.50 (full size), and on Facebook.

OH! I almost forgot to mention! Melissa at Pinked Polish is hosting a giveaway that includes one of our Penny Stands! You can see more photos of our Penny Stand in our Etsy shop here. Enter to win below! Good Luck!!

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Santa's Secret Stash Holiday Giveaway!

WOOOO GIVEAWAY TIME!

I am SUPER excited to be able to participate in this awesome multi-blogger giveaway, not only because the prizes are killer, but because I have gotten to know each one of these amazing ladies and they are true class acts!

Since this is a holiday giveaway we wanted to keep most of the prizes a secret but I can tell you there will be lots of indies, HTF's, customs, candy and other glittery goodies that are sure to knock your stockings off.

Here is a TINY peek at a couple of the prizes:

Different Dimension 2012 Santa Baby Mini Set

China Glaze Holiday Charms Mini Set

More Goodies From:

Tomboy Nails

Fox Claws

Too Cute-icle

Cosmetic Sanctuary

Different Dimension

Mani Curiously

Mentality Polish

The Polished Pixie

Pinked Polish

Cupcakes and Polish

Finger Painting Fingers

Above the Curve Nail Polish

Kyoti's Nails & Lucky 13 Lacquer

Adventures and Mishaps in the Land of Nail Polish

Now for the boring stuff - i.e. The rules

- US only please (Sorry international ladies)

- Giveaway begins at 12:01am 11/8/2012 and ends at 12:01am on 12/1/2012.

- There will be 14 winners! Winners will be chosen by Rafflecopter.

- Winners will be contacted at the e-mail address they provided on Rafflecopter and will have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen. You can only win ONE prize. Duplicate winners will be redrawn.

- Please don't cheat. All entries will be verified. Fraudulent entries will be disqualified.

Good Luck! Have fun!

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Kyoti's Nails Multi-Blogger Halloween Giveaway!

When Kyoti (creative genius behind Lucky 13 Lacquers!) asked me to participate in her Trick or Treat Giveaway I was floored and flattered! I mean who doesn't love giveaways!? HERROOO!! Anyway, here are just SOME of the goodies!! 16 Winners in all! Check out Kyoti's Trick Or Treat Giveaway post for photos and details of ALL of the prizes!



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For those of you who don't love giveaways, you make me a sad panda...but I will love you, and hug you, and call you George....or something like that. Enjoy!

TL:DR
- It was not too long, lazies. Just read it.
- Giveaways...SQUEEE!