M.A.C Glamour Daze Nail Lacquer Swatches

One of the new collections M.A.C designed for Holiday 2012 is Glamour Daze. The limited-edition collection is inspired by the glamour of getting ready for the holidays, with the shimmer of a festive finishing touch. And, of course, I'm obsessed with two of the nail polishes in the collection! Read on for more.

Read more »

Deborah Lippmann Ray Of Light Swatches

You know those nail polishes that have the power to put you in the best mood every time you look down at your hands? Well, Deborah Lippmann Ray Of Light is one of those colors.

Read more »

butter LONDON Nail Polish Swatches: Wallis and Lillibet's Jubilee

How was everyone's Thanksgiving? I hope you all ate your fill of turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce -- I know I did! Today I have swatches of two amazing butter LONDON nail polishes for you.

Read more »

My Latest Mani: Zoya Song

When I received the Zoya Diva collection from Fall 2012, one color immediately stood out to me: Song. It's a beautiful, deep, vibrant royal blue shot through with tons of silver and blue sparkle. I'd been waiting for the right time to paint my nails with this stunner, and this weekend seemed like the perfect opportunity!

And you know what? The polish is just as amazing on the nail as I was hoping it would be. I can't stop staring at my nails and admiring the gorgeous hue!

This color is actually so pretty that it inspired my mom and me to start thinking of all the songs with "blue" in the title. Just a few we came up with:

Blue Skies
Rhapsody in Blue
Blue Velvet

What's on your nails right now? And can you add any other blue songs to the list? Let me know in the comments!

Fall in Love: Philosophy Love Sweet Love Shampoo, Bath & Shower Gel

I tend to stay away from products that shout about love from the rooftops. But then I came across Philosophy Love Sweet Love Shampoo, Bath & Shower Gel and, well ... I changed my tune.

The scent is delightfully fresh and fruity. I love using it either last thing at night or first thing in the morning. And the bright pink hue just makes my shower that much more fun!

As with every Philosophy 3-in-1, you can use it as a body wash, bubble bath or shampoo. I usually use mine as a body wash, but it does create an amazing amount of bubbles if you want to take a relaxing bath!

Philosophy Love Sweet Love Shampoo, Bath & Shower Gel retails for $22 at sephora.com.

Mani of the Week: HIPP x RGB F1

I've long been intrigued by the HIPPxRGB line of nail polish. The eight shades are created as a foundation for your nails, with a "nude" shade that should work for every skin tone. So when I was sent HIPPxRGB F1 to try out, I simply had to! Would this be the color that gave me mannequin hands?

Well, not quite ... but it is a pretty stunning nude for fair-skinned girls. I'd say that there's definitely not a nude in the line that will come any closer to my paler than pale skin tone! Plus, it applied like a dream and was completely opaque in two coats. Three days have seen minimal chips, and it dried to a gorgeously glossy finish.

What do you think of the HIPPxRGB line -- and this shade in particular? Would you check it out? And, what's on your nails this week? Let me know in the comments!

HIPPxRGB F1 retails for $16 at rgbcosmetics.com.

First Look Fridays: Blogger and NARS Digital Media Analyst Sara Zucker

Sara Zucker's blog, farpitz., is one of my must reads. Her writing is smart and fun, and she posts everything from fashion news to a series dedicated to answering her readers' most burning fashion questions. Plus, she works for one of my favorite brands ever, NARS! And that, in my opinion, just makes her the coolest person ever. Read on to find out which NARS products are her absolute must haves, how she got her start in blogging and so much more.

Read more »

Going Strong: Herbal Essences Honey I'm Strong Strengthening Shampoo and Conditioner

When I was in high school, I was absolutely in love with Herbal Essences. I just couldn't get enough! I especially loved the pale yellow bottles -- they made my hair super silky and shiny, and they smelled so delicious. I fell away from the fold when it came to Herbal Essences over the years, but now I'm back -- and it's all thanks to Herbal Essences Honey I'm Strong Strengthening Shampoo and Conditioner.

Read more »

Sponsored Post: If You're Not Whitening, You're Yellowing.

When I was in college, I won an award for Best Smile at my choir's annual awards banquet. It's true. Thanks to my dentist (and my uncle), Dr. Meshenberg, not to mention my orthodontist, Dr. Arnstine, my smile has been white and sparkling since the early 90's. Well, until now, that is ...

Scared? So was my brother, when I jumped out at him with these yellow teeth! He actually jumped himself, did a double take, and then said, "What the heck happened to your teeth?"

Well, never fear ... I just used a temporary teeth yellowing kit! But that's where Crest 3D White Professional Effects Whitestrips come in. If your smile is less than bright white and you're looking to pep it up, they're your miracle worker! Crest's slogan is:

Pretty obvious, but it's also painfully true! When it comes to your teeth, you can take precautions to avoid a yellow smile -- but over time, it can yellow from everyday activities as mundane as drinking coffee. Pretty scary, right? So why wouldn't you want to take the opportunity to make your teeth as beautifully white as possible?

Crest 3D White Professional Effects Whitestrips give you a whiter, brighter smile that lasts. The secret is in the strip! They remove over 10 years worth of set-in stains, AND they whiten 25 times better than the leading toothpaste! They also include Advanced Seal no-slip technology to conform to teeth for noticeable whitening results without the mess, PLUS they feature the same enamel-safe ingredient used by dentists.

So don't let your teeth end up like mine in the pictures above. Check out Crest 3D White Professional Effects Whitestrips immediately! Be sure to visit 3dwhite.com for more details.

I participated in this sponsored post campaign for One2One Network. I received monetary compensation and product, but all opinions stated are my own.

Mani of the Week: Essie Beyond Cozy

You know those colors that just call to you from afar? The ones that you know will change your life the moment you try them? Well, that's how I feel about Essie Beyond Cozy.

I stopped by Tenoverten for a manicure last night and this nail polish beckoned to me from the shelf. I was immediately dazzled by the densely packed silvery gold glitter within the bottle, especially since it wasn't suspended in a clear base. (I'm just not a fan of glitter nail polishes that don't appear dense on the nail in one coat.)

Well, color me impressed with this stunner! Two coats produced serious glittery goodness -- it leans more silver than gold on me, but I'm okay with that. I seriously can't stop staring at my nails!

What's on your nails this week? Let me know in the comment!

Essie Beyond Cozy retails for $8 at beauty.com.

Hershey, PA: My Top 5 List for the Sweetest Place on Earth

Proud to be in Hershey!

When I was about 12 years old, my family took a day trip to Hershey, PA. To be honest, the only thing I remember us doing is going on the tour of the chocolate factory! We didn't go to Hersheypark or stay at The Hotel Hershey. So, when I had the opportunity to visit Hershey as an adult and do all the things I missed out on as a kid, I immediately jumped at it! Below, my list of the top 5 musts I recommend for anyone taking a trip to the sweetest place on earth (and a few pictures along the way!).

Read more »

Purple Passion: LCN Colour Me Up

Purple is the color of royalty. It's also an extremely passionate hue to me, especially when it's shot through with gold shimmer ... as is the case with LCN Colour Me Up.

I applied this color on a whim last week -- I was traveling to DC for the weekend and needed something bold and fun on my nails! And so I turned to this dark grape.

Read more »

First Look Fridays: Carly Herbst of Lacquered Lover

If you're a fan of nail polish blogs, chances are you've stumbled upon Lacquered Lover. The brains behind the fabulousness is Carly Herbst. I love seeing Carly's photos of different nail polishes, especially since her descriptions of them are extremely well written and completely spot on. I also love her ever-updating list of her nail polish stash -- it's seriously enviable! Read on to find out what inspired her to start her blog, the nail product she can't live without and so much more.

Read more »

When the Weather Outside Is Frightful: CeraVe Moisturizing Cream

Ah, winter. Even though I know it's coming every year, it still seems to take me by surprise. And all of a sudden, my skin is paying the price. Well, except for this year ... because, luckily, I had my trusty CeraVe Moisturizing Cream by my side.

Read more »

My Friends Are All Gay. And I'm Happy About It.

I've been surrounded by gay people all my life. Except, to me, they're just people. I guess growing up in community theater and then working in fashion and beauty led me to welcome a high number of gay people into my life. For that, I am thankful.

Read more »

Salon and Spa Directory: The Spa At The Hotel Hershey

Last week, I was magically transported to a chocolate wonderland. And let me tell you, Willy Wonka has nothing on The Spa At The Hotel Hershey.

Everything about the spa is absolutely divine -- and not only because many of the treatments include chocolate! From the moment you step off the elevator and walk into the magnificent lobby, you're in the most delicious world possible. I was lucky enough to experience two treatments at the spa, and I'm here to tell you they couldn't have been more fabulous if they'd tried.

Read more »

Mani of the Week: My Very First Jelly Sandwich Manicure!

I'm really excited about my manicure this week. I've long been wanting to try the jelly sandwich -- I just think it's such a cool idea, and a very easy way to do nail art. But for some reason, I just got around to it! So, presenting my very first jelly sandwich manicure.

For this manicure, I used the following two colors:

Zoya Katherine (a semi-sheer aubergine jelly from the Gloss collection)
NARS Arabesque (a baby pink glitter in a sheer base)

This is honestly one of the easiest manicures to do. After applying a base coat (my favorite is always CND Stickey), you simply paint the polishes over each other one layer at a time, starting with the jelly. Wait for each layer to dry before applying the next, and make sure your layers are on the thin side so they'll show through each other.

Depending on how sandwich-like your manicure looks after two coats of jelly and one coat of glitter, you may be able to stop. Mine was fairly sandwich-like already, but I decided to apply another sandwich layer, so the end result of layers went a little something like this:

Zoya Katherine
NARS Arabesque
Zoya Katherine
NARS Arabesque
Zoya Katherine

At that point, I was satisfied with how the manicure looked and finished it off with a layer of Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat for extra shine. And that's all it takes!

Have you tried a jelly sandwich manicure? What colors did you use, and how did it turn out? Let me know in the comments!

The Julep Maven Box Program: Review And Giveaway!

I think it's fairly obvious by now that I'm obsessed with nail polish. I paint my nails at least once a week (usually it's more like two or three times) and I'm always looking for new brands and colors to try out. That's where the Julep Maven program comes in.

This program is pretty ingenious -- and here's how it works. You go to julep.com and take the style quiz -- a quick, easy and completely free quiz that helps Julep figure out which colors will work specifically for you. This happens thanks to one of the five style profiles:

American Beauty
Boho Glam
Bombshell
Classic With A Twist
It Girl

After you figure out which profile fits you the best, your first Julep Maven Box will contain at least two nail polishes and other beauty favorites that are chosen just for you! Julep sends you an email on the 20th of every month previewing your upcoming box. If you love what they choose, do nothing -- and they'll ship it. Or you have the options of trying a different style, sending your box to a friend or skipping the month altogether (and the bill, of course). Tons of nail polish and products geared directly toward you every month -- what could be better, right?

I took the style profile and discovered that I'm Boho Glam. My intro box contained the following three products:

The Best Pedi Creme Ever: a foot cream that's formulated with shea butter, coconut oil and Vitamin E. It smells fantastic and makes your feet feel super soft!

Sasha: A beautiful peachy orange nail polish that applied like a dream and was completely creamy and opaque in two coats. And totally glossy without top coat!

Toni: Oh my gosh. It's only my new favorite color. Depending on the light, it might be chocolate, it might be lavender, it might be taupe, it might be violet ... you get the idea. In any light, it's gorgeous -- and it's seen here with only one coat! (Side note: My drama teacher in junior high was named Toni, and she was just the coolest person EVER.)

Interested in becoming a Julep Maven yourself? It's easy! Sign up here. You can even receive a discounted introductory box with the code THEBEAUTYOFLIFE. What are you waiting for?

And here's the best part. I'm offering a giveaway to one lucky reader! You'll have the chance to win an intro box of your very own. Just fill out the box below (all of the rules are within the box, too). Be sure to take the style quiz so you can find out what your style profile is and tell me what box you want if you win! Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway