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I got Nailed and I am LOVING it!

I used to be very into having my nails done. It was like therapy for me to go weekly to have my polish changed and fills done. I never experimented with color because I thought the classic french manicure was so pretty and girly that I just stayed satisfied wearing the same airbrushed nails week in and week out. Then when pink and white acrylic came along I only had to wear clear polish on my nails and they looked like they had a fresh french manicure. Pretty boring, right?

Well, even before the recession really hit American's hard I eliminated my weekly nail routine out of the budget because I was working from home. No one was getting to see my nails but my son and my cat so it seemed like I should save that money. Well I have found a reason to start doing my nails again.

I won a contest from the June Issue of Allure magazine. When my prize came in the mail I did not recognize the brand at first so I did a little internet research and read up on Deborah Lippmann and her nail polishes. Her line is carried in Nordstroms, Nieman Marcus, on Beauty.com and also her own web site store. Her polishes are normally $16 each and she has a celebrity clinetele list that boasts the likes of Mariah Carey, Cher, Renee Zellweger, and Sarah Jessica Parker. Now, I am not sure about you, but those ladies are some of the most beautiful women I can even think to name. What I also find interesting is that they have very different styles and fashion sensibilities. What that immediately told me was that Deborah has created products that appeal to a diverse cross section of women from a varying age range.

I was intrigued. I opened the package to examine my prize. The Lippmann Collection Celebrate honors the 10th Anniversary of Deborah's line and let me tell you it delivers. To start, the packaging is a very nice box that has a message from Deborah printed just inside when you remove the lid that reads "With your enduring support over the last ten years, Lippmann Collection has grown to become a voice in fashion, setting the trends. To thank you for a decade of loyalty, I created this trio - Celebrate. - Deborah"

When you slide out the insert that is nestling your trio of polishes, notice the detail that the jacket has been given. It was printed with the same spot varnish treatment that is on the box lid and it gives the illusion of confetti being thrown at a party. Nicely done. Bravo on the packaging!

The first color that I tried of the three is called Ruby Red Slippers. The description on the box reads "Dorothy's shimmering ruby (glitter)." Actually, the glitter in this polish is so much better than Dorothy's shoes. The reason why is the Ruby Slippers looked like they had been sprinkled with craft glitter. Everyone knows that square shapped glitter that I am talking about, right? What this polish has that Dorothy's shoes didn't is a variation in glitter size and shape that adds depth and dimension to the polish. When I swiped the polish on the first time I thought that it was a little less glittery that I expected. I swiped the brush across for a second coat and everything changed. Instantly you can see the effect of why it was important to have the varying sizes of glitter. I painted my whole hand and waited. I couldn't decide if I should finish the other one with the same color or open a second bottle!

The other two shades that are in the trio are Superstar - show stopping copper flecked fudge (glitter) and Funky Chunky - sequined sheer black (glitter). Like I mentioned $16 per bottle is the normal charge for the Lippmann Collection but this special trio is priced on the web site for $35. Even at $35 this was an incredible prize for me to win. I am really so happy and so thankful to Deborah I am going to hand write and send her a personal thank you note because I am just thrilled! This is not something that I would have normally gone out and purchased for myself. Now, not only and I thrilled with using it I am going to work on converting everyone I know over to these polishes.

FYI - I noticed that this trio is currently sold out on lippmanncollection.com but it is available at Nordstrom's for the same price. Must have been because of all the press it is getting!

Victoria Secret Haul - Who knew they did more than panties?

Maybe I live on another planet. I had no idea that Victoria Secret sold makeup. I don't buy their bras, I never shop online with them, I don't get their catalog and the one store that I do go in at Christmas time to buy lotions as stocking stuffers doesn't carry makeup. I was reading another blog and saw that Victoria Secret had a makeup line out right now that is inspired by Christian Siriano's fall collection. If you are not sure who he is, Christian was the winner of Project Runway Season 4. Two of the products got me to do some googling and after a few phone calls I found a store that had the makeup line here in my town. I went shopping on Saturday and was really surprised at what I found.

Victoria Secret has a really awesome line of shadows simply titled "VS." Two of the shadows from their VS line that I fell in love with are 24 kt. and Fierce. I guess others love those two as well because they were sold out of both. Instead I consoled myself with buying VS Taboo($10), which is a sparkly purple color. It has an iridescence that is irresistible and a glitter that reminds me of Urban Decay's Midnight Cowboy. To go with this silky soft new shadow I picked up a darker color purple of the Beauty Rush line of wet/dry shadows in "Plum Crazy"($6).
After picking out 4 more of the Beauty Rush wet/dry shadows (come on, they were on sale buy 5 for $20) I remembered why I had gone to the store in the first place. I swatched the Christian Siriano products. While I did not buy any of the shadows (the color payoff was better in the normal line) I did pick up the Kajal Eye Liner. Victoria Secret's web site really describes it best: "Sumptuous, creamy, pigment-rich kohl liner, inspired by an ancient Egyptian beauty ritual, glides on for the ultimate smudged, smoky effect." They did not lie. It is by far the smoothest liner I have every purchased and the point is amazing. It is limited edition so get yours while they last, at $12 each they are sure to sell out.