Nail Art Wednesday: Movember Moustache Nails with a Gaming Geek Twist

With November coming to a close, I thought it would be appropriate to end it donning moustachioed nails in support of Movember, the annual fund raising event for men's health and prostate cancer research. Mr. J participated unofficially (in all honesty I think this was about the only time he felt it was justified to sport any sort of facial hair) so I'm beyond ecstatic to have his face back. Now, I wanted to put my own twist to it and didn't want it to be just like any other moustachioed nails. I thought about doing different types of moustaches on each nail but wanted to take it a step further: why not sport famous moustaches based on video game characters? I love me some video games (in fact, Mr. J and I met while playing a video game but that's a story to tell on another day) so what better way to incorporate that with Movember?

Can you guess who's who? Three are easily recognizable but the villains aren't as easy to place.

Truckload Tuesdays: Sally Beauty Steals and a Mini Review

No, I did not steal from Sally Beauty but for the price of the polishes that I got, it sure felt like I did! I did a quick run last weekend and ended up going home with five new pretties.

Gift set that I got for $8.99 + taxes.

Back of the box set.

L-R: Fowl Play, Sweet Peacock and Lucky Duck

This boxed set was such a no-brainer. Three full-sized Orly polishes and a pretty faux suede wristlet with feather accents for only $8.99 (with a Sally Beauty Club card)? Yes, please! I've been wanting to get my hands on Fowl Play since it came out but I waited, thinking that I'd rather get Cult Nails Unicorn Puke/Clairvoyant over it. Good thing I did and scored a great deal with this set! Better still that the two other polishes that came with it were the exact same colors I also wanted from the collection. I guess this is one of those few, few moments where delaying and waiting till the last minute makes it worth it?

Impulse buys: China Glaze Lighthouse and Glittering Garland, and a hand cream

I saw that China Glaze was also on sale and $1 off if you purchase 2 so I figured it was a good time to get Glittering Garland. I've been looking for Emerald Sparkle and have never seen it anywhere so when Glittering Garland came out, I was pretty excited that it would make a good substitute for now. Plus, it was a flakie. You know I had to have a flakie. Lighthouse was the hubby's pick since he says I don't have enough yellow. (As a matter of fact I only have a single yellow in my stash. Well, unless you count a color changing polish that changes from yellow to orange, then that would make it two.)

As for the hand cream, the cheapie/discount sucker in me couldn't pass up a 99 cent deal at the counter. *sigh* You can never have enough hand cream, can you?

Yuletide Vanilla by Beyond Belief (strange name for a brand)

Ingredient list at the back.

A dollop of the hand cream on skin.

I wish I can say that this is the best 99 cents I've ever spent on a hand cream but really, you get what you paid for. I do like that it's not particularly greasy feeling but I don't feel it's very moisturizing to begin with. It'll work for those my-hands-are-parched-beyond-belief-and-I'll-take-even-bacon-drippings-to-moisturize moments (that might explain the brand name..?), otherwise, don't expect too much and you won't be disappointed. As for the Yuletide Vanilla scent, it really doesn't smell particularly yultide-y or vanilla-y. I find the bergamot overpowers any sweetness from the vanilla that it actually smells like a perfume you'd expect an older lady to wear. No, don't get me wrong. It doesn't smell bad. But it's such a strong smell and you know what they say about too much of a good thing..? That.

The moral of this story is to never pick up anything from the counter, no matter how tempting or cheap that something might be. Put the blinders on, pay for your purchases and leave with quality products that you wanted in the first place. Don't make the same mistake I did.

Hammie asks: Are you an impulse shopper? Do you delay purchases till the last minute to score a better deal or do you jump on the bandwagon as soon as the next big beauty thing comes along?

NYC In A New York Minute Scenestealer Grey can gladly steal any scene

You know when something's so bad, it's good? Think stinky tofu (it's not called stinky for nothing but I heard it tastes awesome) or Rick Astley (I apologize in advance to any Rick Astley fans who might be reading this). I suppose the same can be said for Zoolander, the satirical comedy that poked fun at the fashion industry and the models that everyone wanted to be like. I particularly thought Ben Stiller as the slow but well meaning male model, Derek Zoolander, was a riot. And one of his "signature looks" is what immediately came to mind when I saw today's polish:

Blue Steel: "I'm pretty sure there's a lot more to life than being really, really, ridiculously good looking. And I plan on finding out what that is." (Image Credits)

Steel blue shimmery awesomeness.

Pam's Girly Bits: Stormy Skies and Street Magic helps you Sea's the Day

I'm really excited to show you a couple polishes from the Pam's first Girly Bits collection: Sea's the Day today! Pam, a fellow Canadian blogger, has really exceeded expectations with these lovelies. Really, not much intro is needed when these two can speak for themselves. First up, the packaging and after the jump, the polishes themselves!

The packaging it comes in. Very Girly (Bits)!

I love the personalized touches. Really shows the love put into these.

Indulge without the Splurge: US Thanksgiving Weekend 2011

First off, a big Happy Thanksgiving to all our American friends! Apart from all the yummy noms you'll most likely be gorging yourselves with tonight, Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales are another thing to be excited about. If you're not crossing the border to partake in deeply discounted deals (oooh, alliteration love!), we do have some Canadian versions of the deals that may be worth looking into this weekend. Don't expect the best discounts though, as I think Boxing Day sales are still among the best deals you'll ever encounter up north.

***There are a lot of deals available for the weekend, but I'm limiting it to the ones that I think are of the best value.

• Receive a free sample of Purity Made Simple One Step Cleanser by Philosophy at the Bay counters with this printable coupon. Valid till November 27, 2011.
• Crocs Canada has a buy 1 (sale item), get 1 free on any sale item on November 24 (TODAY) only. Note that these sale items are already discounted up to 60% off. Choose from a variety of shoes for men, women and kids. Valid only online and shipping is a flat rate of $9.99.
• Banana Republic has a great Black Friday deal available in store only. Get 40% off  before 1pm, and a discount of 25% off after 1pm on November 25, 2011 only. Note that the discount does not apply to bags, shoes, Monogram, Heritage Collection, 100% cashmere and third party merchandise.
• Get 25% off and free shipping on any regular priced dress at French Connection with coupon code: HOLIDAYDRESS. This code is valid till December 4, 2011. To receive 30% off regular priced coats and jackets until November 30, 2011, use coupon code: COLDOUTSIDE. Note that you can only use one coupon code at a time and both deals are only available online.
• Square One in Mississauga has a whole bunch of deals from a lot of its stores! Express, the US clothing retailer, just opened a new store and are bring Black Friday to Canada. Today, November 24th till noon on Friday, November 25th, enjoy 40% off the entire store. After 12pm on Friday, enjoy 30% for the rest of the day. Click here for more info on all the other deals be had at Square One.
• For a limited time, all items in store and online are 30% off at Jacob, including previously marked down items. For online shoppers, remember that shipping is free on orders over $25!
• Sephora has some great value sets for $12 available online and in store this Friday only. The fine print reads: Limit of two (2) of each Exclusive Beauty Deals product per client. Exclusive Beauty Deals skus retail for $12 CAD. Valid through 11/25/11 11:59pm PST or while supplies last. Exclusive Beauty Deals products not available at Sephora inside jcpenney stores.
  Sephora reserves the right to end or change this promotion at any time. Get a preview of the deals on their Facebook page.
• H&M is hosting a sale available in stores only this Friday. Some of the deals to be had includes: Tops starting at $5, Dresses starting at $10, Knitwear starting at $15, Men’s shirts starting at $15, Kids denim starting at $7.
• For Black Friday, Club Monaco Canada is offering an additional 30% off already reduced merchandise both in store and online. Deal is valid from November 25-27, 2011.
• American Eagle Outfitters/Aerie/77 Kids Canada is wants you to save an additional 40% off your entire purchase.  Use the promo code  72429831 at the checkout to receive your discount. No code or coupon needed for shopping in store. Promo runs from November 23-26, 2011.

Hammie says: Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Shopping!

Nail Art Wednesday: Calgary Flames Nails

After I did the Toronto Maple Leafs nail art in honor of Mr. J's birthday, I've had a nagging feeling that kept telling me that I needed to be fair and do one for the Calgary Flames, too. It could very well just have been Hammie with his subliminal messages, but wherever the thought came from, I knew it had to be done. See, I'm not originally from Toronto. I lived on the opposite end of the country, closer to the gorgeous Rockies in Calgary before moving here and that was where I first learned to appreciate hockey. I have a theory that wherever you first fall in love with the sport is where your loyalties will lie, no matter where you move in the future. So even if I now count Toronto as home, I still root for the Flames (Sorry, Leafs..). What better way to show your support even without a jersey or face paint on than to wear them proudly on your nails?

Go Flames!

Nuance by Salma Hayek Beautiful Blends Eye Quad in Neutral 80

Earlier this month, we looked at Salma Hayek's lip quad that I got from a CVS trip when I was last down south. It was the unique pod-like packaging that drew me in, as well as the promise of natural and organic products. If the lip quad wasn't to your liking, I actually did get an eye quad (Nuance by Salma Hayek Beautiful Blends Eye Quad in Neutral 80 to be exact), too, that looks exactly the same on the outside. In fact, if you threw both of these in a makeup bag, expect to mix them up at least 80% of the time. 100% of the time if you're anything like me. Now, I skipped the photos on how these can be opened as it works exactly the same as the lip quad so I'll forgo the packaging commentary and go directly into product photos and swatches after the jump.

Disclaimer: Now, I won't pretend to know what exactly I'm talking about as I'm no makeup artist. What I do know is more out of necessity and if you're looking to see eye looks, you'll be disappointed. My skills need some leveling up before I go public with that so this will be more about my personal experience with the product, apart from the token product photos and color swatches.

Not to be confused with the lip quad.

Zoya Ibiza makes pre-winter blues a good thing

After all is said and done, the one color I'll always go back to is blue. While I was reviewing my most recent posts, I've realized that I've all but cast aside my favorite. Something had to be done with this injustice! To make up for my straying eyes (no, Blue, it's always been you!), I've resolved to showcase my all-time favorite vampy blue also in an effort to see the good in these pre-winter blues.

Doesn't that just blue you away?