Have you got your FREE Nicole by OPI polish from Special K yet?

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A little while ago I share with you how you could get your very own free Nicole by OPI polish from Special K.  Have you got your free polish yet?  If not, here’s the deets!

My favorite polish of the three is definitely Pros & Confidence!  The formula was a dream to apply, thin yet richly pigmented and easy to control!  Just a warning, while it did not stain my nails, it did stain some of the dry skin around my nails when I removed it.  But that was easily remedied with a bit of cuticle remover!

Disclosures: polish insomniac at times reviews products provided by a representative of the company. When we do so, we specifically state so. We also use affiliate links. For more, please see the disclosure page.

Makeup Wars: Favorite Masks!

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I am so happy to be participating in another edition of Makeup Wars!  I missed several weeks due to illness and work, so it feels good to be back in the swing of things!  In this week's Makeup Wars, my friends and I will be showing you our favorite face masks!  Will they be crazy expensive, or truly affordable?  I can't wait to see what everyone else writes about!  
And why am I using so many exclamation points?!?

I love face masks, but my favorite by far for my dry, breakout prone skin is the AmorePacific Moisture Bound Vitalizing Masque.  I first purchased it as part of a set and then quickly snatched up a full sized bottle!   Let me begin by sharing with you what the Sephora website has to say about this mask.

What it is: An overnight mask with a liquid-gel texture for improving internal hydration and antioxidant levels.  What it is formulated to do: Restore tired, dehydrated skin overnight with this lightweight mask. AmorePacific's 5-Hydra Complex dramatically improves internal hydration and antioxidant levels. Cellular turnover and youthful metabolism are promoted while moisture loss is prevented, all from the inside out. What it is formulated WITHOUT: - Parabens - Sulfates  - Synthetic Dyes - Petrochemicals - Phthalates - GMOs - Triclosan

Suggested Usage:-Apply in the evening. -After cleansing and treatment, apply an ample amount on the face and neck, avoiding the eye area. -Wait five minutes and retire. In the morning, rinse and follow with normal treatment routine. 

OK, I've got a secret.  I love the AmorePacific Moisture Bound Vitalizing Masque... But I don't use it as a "once a week treat" as you may think... I use it almost daily!  That's right, I apply the Moisture Bound Vitalizing Masque every night.  A little bit goes a very, very long way, and it dries down within 5 minutes. I wake up with wonderfully refreshed skin - without those dry lines around my eyes. Plus my husband thinks it smells divine!
Why don't I just use a moisturizer, you may ask?  This moisturizing masque is actually less expensive than purchasing my beloved AmorePacific moisturizer!  I have been using this routinely for about 6 months, at least 5 nights per week, and I am in love!  Judging by the heft of the bottle, I have about one month left before I repurchase.  I was testing another line of skincare in that time, so about one month went by that I didn't use it at all.  That means if a bottle is $60, and I used it five times per week for 6 months, I will get approximately 120 uses out of the bottle.  That's $0.50 a night!  WINNING!
If you are like me and suffer from dry skin (or only occasional dry skin) I highly suggest you try out this masque!  Even if you don't use it daily!

Disclosures: polish insomniac at times reviews products provided by a representative of the company. When we do so, we specifically state so. We also use affiliate links. For more, please see the disclosure page.

Deal Alert: butter LONDON on QVC TODAY (4/26/13)

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butter LONDON's Global Colour Ambassador Katie Hughes will be on QVC tomorrow, April 26^th between 10:00-11:00AM EST, with host Mary Beth Roe sharing butter LONDON’s latest QVC exclusive: the Summer Vacation Collection. The Summer Vacation Collection contains three butter LONDON Nail Lacquers in Two Fingered Salute, Bobby Dazzler and Tea With The Queen. This one-of-a-kind set is available for $28 (regular retail price $45) and is the perfect trio of colors to mix and match for fun, flattering summer nails.

This is a great deal, as each polish alone retails for $15!  Check out my swatch of Two Fingered Salute (previously a Nordstrom Exclusive) here!

Disclosures: polish insomniac at times reviews products provided by a representative of the company. When we do so, we specifically state so. We also use affiliate links. For more, please see the disclosure page.

Barielle Summer Brights ♥ Swatches & Review

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For Summer Barielle is bringing us a collection of five Summer Brights!  I am going to show you them in order, most loved to least loved.  See my notes on formula at the end of the post.

Blue Capri is a creamy royal blue.  My favorite color!  It’s slightly softer than Nails Inc. Baker Street or Illamasqua Force, but in the same color family.  And much less expensive!

Sweet Addiction is a wonderfully serene green crème.  I ended up wearing this one as my NOTD for several days!  It held up wonderfully well.  Plus it was perfectly opaque in one coat!

Lemondrops is a bright yellow crème.  The exact color of a crayon you would use to draw the sun!  This polish did require 3 coats.

Cosmic Kiss is a smooth raspberry crème.  Very flattering shade!

Poor Pink Flip Flops.  I saved my least favorite for last.  It is a very smooth, very pretty cotton candy pink.  Rather “blah” in my book!

None of these polishes are original, but they have a GREAT FORMULA.  If I hadn’t been sent them for review, I would have bought Blue Capri and Sweet Addiction anyways - they are just that great!  And if you haven’t found a sunny yellow polish with a great formula, you should definitely pick up Lemondrops!  Plus the name is just too cute! 

I will leave you with another picture of my favorite polish!

Barielle Shades polishes retail for $8 and they are usually BOGO 50% on www.barielle.com!

Disclosures: polish insomniac at times reviews products provided by a representative of the company. When we do so, we specifically state so. We also use affiliate links. For more, please see the disclosure page.

butter LONDON Poole ♥ Swatches & Review

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I recently got my hands on Poole from the butter LONDON Summer Holiday collection, and I was ecstatic!  If I was to pick one polish from the one collection to own, it would have been Poole!  You can check out the rest of the collection here.

Poole is a robin’s egg blue crème inspired by this seaside resort town in high summer.  Although the formula was slightly thin it, the coverage was perfect in just two coats!  I am definitely glad to have this gem in my collection - it’s my current NOTD!

Poole can be picked up on the butter LONDON website, Zappos.com, ULTA.com and Beauty.com, where it retails for $15/bottle.  After eyeing the rest of the Summer Holiday collection, I’ve got my eyes set on Champers!

Disclosures: polish insomniac at times reviews products provided by a representative of the company. When we do so, we specifically state so. We also use affiliate links. For more, please see the disclosure page.

Beauty Spotlight: Visionary Beauty Desert Island

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Its now Visionary Beauty's turn to be stranded on the desert island; having not been on holiday for years this was actually a welcomed turn of events. However being allowed a mere 12 beauty items was very tricky, let's see what made her list of essentials.

Disclosures: polish insomniac at times reviews products provided by a representative of the company. When we do so, we specifically state so. We also use affiliate links. For more, please see the disclosure page.

Coming Soon: OPI San Francisco Collection (Fall/Winter 2013)

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It’s snowing here in Iowa, but I already have a preview of the OPI Fall/Winter collection!  San Francisco by OPI includes the following shades:

A-Piers to Be Tan

I shore do like this chocolaty tan.

Dining al Frisco

Just feast your eyes on this fresh-air blue!

Haven’t the Foggiest

Can’t tell you why I love this misty gray...I just do!

Peace & Love & OPI

This holographic sage and eggplant is far out!

Keeping Suzi at Bay

There’s no holding back this assertive navy blue.

Incognito in Sausalito

You better keep this almost-black blue under wraps.

Lost on Lombard

Oh garn-et! I’m all turned around!

I Knead Sour-Dough

Are you bready to wear this toasty warm brown?

Muir Muir on the Wall

This trailblazing plum is the fairest of all.

In the Cable Car-Pool Lane

Good golly, Miss Trolley, this rich burgundy takes me away!

Embarca-Dare Ya!

Betcha can’t pass up this marvelous magenta.

First Date at the Golden Gate

You and me and this shimmery ruby make three.

It’s All San Andreas’s Fault

I’d move mountains to get this textured earthy taupe!

Wharf! Wharf! Wharf!

Dog-gone it...fetch me that textured matte blue!

Alcatraz...Rocks

There’s no escaping this arresting textured gray.

 

Fall is far away, but I already have my eye on a few of these colors!  I can’t wait to see Peace & Love & OPI, Muir Muir on the Wall and Keeping Suzi at Bay in person!  What do you think about more Liquid Sands polishes?  Are you over them yet?

Disclosures: polish insomniac at times reviews products provided by a representative of the company. When we do so, we specifically state so. We also use affiliate links. For more, please see the disclosure page.

San Francisco nail lacquer shades each feature OPI’s exclusive ProWide^™ Brush for the ultimate in application. Liquid Sand nail lacquers should always be worn without top coat.San Francisco by OPI will be available August 7, 2013, at Professional Salons, including Beauty Brands, Beauty First, Chatters, Dillard’s, jcp Salons, Pure Beauty, Regis, Trade Secret, ULTA and ulta.com for $9.00 ($10.95 CAN) suggested retail for each nail lacquer.
For more information, please call 800-341-9999 or visit www.opi.com. Follow OPI on Twitter @OPI_PRODUCTS and become a Facebook fan!