Summer

tarte Friends and Family Sale: Ends July 27th!

tarte friends and family, tarte promotion, tarte sale, tarte discount Sorry for the late post on this, all! Tarte Cosmetics is offering a friends and family discount of an incredible 40% off of their entire selection! Head over and enter code FF08 during checkout to score this incredible savings, but act now, because this deal ends on July 27th!

Click HERE to head over to tarte online.

Not sure what to buy? Allow me! tarte cheekstain (retail of $28, sale price of $16.80) is a gorgeous, dewy way to flush the cheeks! I’m absolutely obsessed with the rest assured brightening wand (retail of $22, sale price of $13.20), a product that helps you make your eyes look wider and highlights the cheekbones. From the summer 2008 health couture collection, don’t miss 4 day stay mascara (retail of $18, sale price of $10.80) a mascara that lends volume and length to lashes, and lasts an incredible 4 smudge-proof days!

Have fun shopping!

Prive Amplifying Shampoo

Laurent D., Prive Amplifying Shampoo This volumizing shampoo is successful because of its incredibly clarifying formula. After using this shampoo only once, my hair felt completely cleansed of all buildup, and was left lighter and more voluminous. Laurent D’s Prive shampoo truly delivers.

Prive Amplifying Shampoo retails for $18 (250 mL) or $25.50 (500mL) at salons.

Click HERE to check out Prive online.

Raging Rouge Rewind: Why I Am Throwing Away My 40+ Bottle Nailpolish Collection

One of my most popular posts, "Why I Am Throwing Away My 40+ Bottle Nailpolish Collection" is still relevant. Many brands have yet to remove these harsh chemicals from their solution! Well… my house is now clean of them.

I love my nail-polish, all 40+ bottles of happy, simple, fun color variation. I’ve applied them lovingly, and have organized them by color for easy access. I love sifting through them to pick out a color before heading to the salon.

I love them all, and I’m throwing them out.

Why? The story starts during my pregnancy, about two years ago. While pregnant, I did everything in my power to ensure that my baby was given a healthy environment in which to thrive. I gave up caffeine, discontinued coloring my hair, and stopped using any topical product that seemed sketchy. I wasn’t certain if nail-polish was safe, so I did some research. My research unearthed that a common ingredient in polish, dibutyl phthalate (DBP), is linked to birth defects. Temporarily, I decided to pass on my manicures, too.

Turns out, there are a minimum of three ingredients in many nail polishes that are harmful to both you and your unborn child; DBP, Formaldehyde, and Toluene. According to articles I’ve read on the subject, these three chemicals statistically increase birth defects, reproductive issues, and cancer risk. DBP is in fact banned from cosmetics in the EU, due to its dangers.

This post has completely ruined your relaxing manicure and pedicure ritual, right? Well, just when all hope was lost, I contacted someone at OPI. Thao Nguyen, a technical support person from OPI Products, Inc. gave me more information on OPI’s nail-polish formula. In response to customer demand, Thao said "OPI has began [sic] transitioning out of Formaldehyde, Toluene and DBP early last year and we expect that transition will be completed by year end." Thao also said currently the only OPI products that contain Formaldehyde and/or DBP are OPI’s nail strengtheners (all "Nail Envy" products), Start-to-Finish base/top coat and RapiDry Top Coat.

The news keeps getting better. The new OPI Formaldehyde, Toluene and DBP formula will be available worldwide. So, regardless of where you buy it, you can be certain your OPI polish does not contain these ingredients.

My 40+ faithful Polish soldiers will become casualties of war. I’m going 100% DBP, Toluene and Formaldehyde free. On a positive note, it gives me a fantastic excuse to purchase the entire Australia collection. It’s already DBP, Toluene and Formaldehyde-free.

Sephora’s Lash Stash Promotion!

I’m always looking for great deals to pass along to my readers, and here’s one of them! If you’re in the market for a mascara, but looking to steer away from your usual product, Sephora is selling the Lash Stash (a $50 value, retailing for only $28).

This set contains seven deluxe-sized samples of Sephora’s best selling mascaras, so you can test a new one each day of the week until you find the perfect formula for you!

Mascaras included are: a 0.14 oz Benefit A Little Bit BADgal Lash in Black, a 0.02 oz Blinc Kiss Me Mascara in Black, a 0.15 oz LORAC Publicity Stunt Lashes in Black, a 0.12 oz Smashbox Bionic Mascara in Black, a 0.24 oz Stila Multi-Effect Mascara in Black, a 1.0 oz Sephora Brand Lash Plumper in Black, and a 0.17 oz Too Faced Lash Injection in Black.

While you’re shopping Sephora, be sure to check out the SALE section, where great train cases and makeup brushes can be found for 50% off of their original prices (including that white Marc Jacobs train case I’ve been lusting over for so long).

Click HERE to buy The Lash Stash ($50 Value) for only $28!

SPINLASH: The Mascara You Never Knew You Needed

Spinlash, revolving mascara, rotating brush I hadn’t been to a fast-food restaurant in years… but several months ago, I stumbled upon the fact that a local fast-food joint had an incredible indoor play structure where my toddler could safely play on a rainy day. Ever since, a friend and I periodically meet there so our sons can burn off some steam and conspire (they’re thick as thieves) while we sip coffee and catch up.

During one recent trip, I noticed new technology in use that I had never seen before. Apparently, preparing drinks for drive-through customers is no longer done by humans in some restaurants. A machine selects the appropriate cup size, drops a cup into a round cup holder, follows a conveyor to get filled and is finally covered with a lid. I marveled at just how lazy we had become, needing to automate such a simple task. But then I realized that this new process likely reduced error, and ensured results are the same for every customer. Upon first glance, I thought… useless technology. But after some reflection, I realized it was quite genius!

I feel the same way about SPINLASH. When I first heard about this product, I thought it was quite unnecessary. After all, applying mascara is just about the simplest part of your morning routine, right? I was amazed at how much this rotating brush benefits the application process. The SpinLash mascara wand slowly revolves as you apply your mascara, separating every lash and applying product in a thin, even coat. Clumps are non-existent, and lashes look long and voluminous. The rotating brush can operate in either direction, making it easy to use with either hand, or to apply mascara to both the top and bottom lashes. SpinLash comes with mascara housed in the storage cap, but you can easily use this brush with your favorite formula as well.

Click HERE to check out SPINLASH online, where it retails for $14.95 + s&h. SpinLash can also be found at online retailers like drugstore.com. In the works by the same company are other cosmetics, such as: eyeshadow (EYEPODZ), blush (SPINBLUSH), foundation (LUXFINISH), lipstick (LIPPODZ) and gloss (JUICYPODZ). I’m dying to see how the creators of SpinLash continue to improve our beauty routine!