Lorraine Nails and Beauty

Blogger Changing Name to "Google Blogs"?

2011-07-06T18:01:00.000-04:00

According to this article from CNN.com, Google is planning to retire its Blogger and Picasa brands. Apparently name of the blogging service will change from "Blogger" to "Google Blogs."

I don't anticipate this will cause any big problems for us bloggers, but I now this will affect a lot of the beauty bloggers since many of us are on Blogger.

I just thought this was some interesting news :) What do you think?

Graduation Nails - Funky Fingers "Kenyan Sunrise"

2011-06-20T22:33:00.000-04:00

Today was my OFFICIAL high school graduation... I am officially no longer a high school student! I graduated with an "Advanced Studies" diploma as well as an IB diploma (I don't now if that means anything to anyone, but IB is an international program. 47 other students from my class received the diploma).

I have to say I am very proud of myself :) But also very humble because I realize I could not have done any of this without the help of my friends, family, and teachers.

I have been so busy that I couldn't actually take pics of my nails but I wore a nice purple outfit under my gown, so I wore Funky Fingers "Kenyan Sunrise," a dark purple holo that is apparently a dupe of Color Club "Wild at Heart." Here is a pic I found on Flickr.

Anyway I just wanted to give all of my readers an update. This is the reason I haven't really been posting -- I've been really busy with schoolwork and such. After Winter Break I was pretty much slammed with work. I believe it has paid off though :) I hope to get back to posting over the summer. Hopefully in college I will actually be able to set aside some time specifically for blogging.

-Deanna

Favorite Nail Polish Colors

2011-06-13T17:24:00.001-04:00

As promised, I wanted to make a post about something using some stock photos from Fotolia (please see my previous post for more info on Fotolia). I decided to share with you some of my favorite polish colors.

My top favorite polish color is BLUE. I especially like blues like the one pictured above: dark, sparkly blues. In particular, the best blue I have ever worn is Zoya Tallulah. When I first put this polish on, I was literally like "OMG THIS POLISH IS AMAZING"

I also like PINKS. Not as much as other colors -- however, I know a few good pinks. My favorite is Zoya Kiki, mostly because it is a duochrome. Pinks actually don't suit me very well because I am not a girly girl, and pinks just sort of strike me as a girly color. Perhaps you disagree ;)


This would have to be my second favorite color -- purple. Like blue I like dark shimmery purples. As I write this I am wearing Wet n Wild "Midnight" (a dark purple with glitter). I feel that the color purple really suits my personality (I don't know why). Something worth noting is that I recently officially made purple my favorite color ;)

Last but DEFINITELY not least, we have black nail polish. Black nail polish has always been my go-to polish. I wore black nail polish before anyone else in middle school, and it caused quite a scandal -- people were so shocked my mom would let me wear black nail polish to school! Soon tons of people in my school were wearing black nail polish. I think I started a trend :)


	This post features stock photos from fotolia.com. I was provided with a free 4-week subscription to Fotolia. I also have several 2-week free trial codes for my readers -- if you are interested, email me at lorrainenails@gmail.com. The free trial is completely no-strings-attached, no credit card info necessary!! For more info on fotolia.com click here.

What about you? What are your favorite colors of nail polish? Let me know in the comments :)

Fotolia - Stock Photos for Bloggers (& Update)

2011-06-05T01:48:00.000-04:00

I usually am hesitant to accept free products to review for my blog, especially from companies I am not familiar with, but this past week I got an offer I couldn't refuse: a rep (Jenna) from Fotolia.com, a stock photo website, contacted me and asked if I would like a free one-month subscription to Fotolia.com, along with some codes for my readers. Since I love stock photos, and would love to use some in future posts, I felt I couldn't refuse this offer.

Fotolia has a nice little site set up where people who are interested can get info. It has info such as "8 Reasons For Fotolia Microstock" and some videos and pictures. The website outlines the "credits system" and the subscription services. For more info, visit: fotolianews.com.

One thing worth mentioning is that using stock photos saves bloggers from accidentally taking copyrighted pictures and using them without permission. For example, if you search Google Images for an image, the majority of the images you see are NOT in the public domain, meaning the owner of the image could take action against you (if they really wanted to). I personally like the idea of being "licensed" to use a photo.

In the next few weeks I will make a few posts showing off the types of stock photos Fotolia offers, particularly in the area of beauty/nails. In the end I am not sure if I myself will be able to purchase a license from Fotolia once my trial has ended, but I hope I can help out some readers who have been looking for a stock photo service.

I also have 5 codes for free two-week subscriptions that I am offering to my readers, thanks to Fotolia. The subscription is for 14 days, with image 3 downloads per day. If you are interested, please email me at lorrainenails@gmail.com, and I can give you a code.

On a personal note I also want to get back to posting nail pics, but my cuticles are a mess right now and I'm sure my readers don't want to see that. Also ever since my last post in February I've been very busy... I am graduating on June 20 so there have been many things I have had to deal with. I'm sorry I've been absent -- I have been reading the blogs I follow, though, so I haven't been totally gone.

I hope this summer, once everything is a little bit less crazy I'll be able to start posting again.

The one-month subscription to Fotolia was provided to me for free by a rep from Fotolia.

PS: I just turned 18 on Thursday!

Upcoming Releases from Bath & Body Works - Highlights from Live Chat

2011-02-06T18:50:00.001-05:00

Camille McDonald of Bath & Body Works (she is a fragrance creator, I believe) recently hosted a live chat with Facebook users last week. She shared some information about upcoming releases. I have condensed this info to show you only the info about the upcoming releases.

Please note this is not a press release in any way. This information was gathered by me from going to the live chat. If something here is wrong, LET ME KNOW!!

FEBRUARY RELEASES

For Valentine's Day, shimmer lotions will be available in Carried Away, Cherry Blossom, Japanese Cherry Blossom, and Sweet Pea.
Spring Break to be released February 28.

MARCH RELEASES

In late March, B&BW will release a collection of fruit-scented soaps that includes watermelon, strawberry, blueberry, cherry, and apple.
Easter collection to be released March 21.

APRIL RELEASES

New to the vanilla blends is Cherry Vanilla. (Available in April)
Upcoming scent: "Country Chic." (April 15th) McDonald says it is inspired by "what Twilight Woods would smell like if it was created in the Spring. It starts with citrus, goes to berries, and ends on woods, vanilla, and praline"

SUMMER/FALL RELEASES

Summer releases: "Into the Woods," a "fabulous fruity wood," and a collection of coconut blends.
In July, there will be a new collection of scrubs.
They are working on a new men's scent for Fall.

AROMATHERAPY/TRUE BLUE SPA

Coming soon are new designs for True Blue Spa (late February) and Aromatherapy (July) collections.
Face masks/face scrubs coming out in July (True Blue and Signature Collection).
New fragrance for Aromatherapy: Lemon Zest.

MISC (no date):

Coming soon: Springtime Woods fragrance, "a fantastic safari type fragrance" and an "irresistible collection of coconut blend fragrances."
Also coming soon, some new Pocketbacs that "tie into the signature collection."

As you can see there are some great things lined up for Bath & Body Works!

Some Blog Matters :)

2011-02-06T18:45:00.000-05:00

Okay I have a lot of announcements to make -- 4 of them. So here they are, for those who would like to read them:

1. Giveaway page - I just updated the Giveaway page with some new giveaways! If you would like to discover some new blogs and giveaways, check out that page by pressing "Current Giveaways" on the navigation bar across the top of this page.

2. I am in the planning stages of my own giveaway right now... I'm thinking a mega-giveaway with multiple winners (2 to 3 winners). Either that, or just one big prize package for one winner. What do you think? Let me know in the comments below!!

3. My blog sale is still going on. I'm contemplating adding some polishes soon. Click here to go to my blog sale.

4. And finally, I painted my nails for the first time in a LONG time today! It's been a while, probably almost 2 or 3 months. I haven't been myself lately and I just kind of lost interest in polish for a while, but today I looked outside and saw how sunny it was and had this urge to paint my nails :) I'll post pics soon.

Thanks for sticking with me everyone! :) and I hope you've been enjoying the guest posts by my sister!
- Deanna

C.O. Bigelow Rose Salve Review

2011-01-28T13:00:00.001-05:00

Image Source: Total Beauty Blog

Application: Rose Salve is very smooth and applies easily to my skin, lips, and cuticles. When I use it on my lips it's thick, but at the same time it's not too greasy. I used to use Vaseline on my lips but I have pretty much switched over to this. The skin above my lips used to get really chapped, red, and itchy, but after I started using this instead of Vaseline, it stopped happening. It may be a coincidence, though. I also put this on my cuticles before going to bed sometimes, and when I wake up they are soft. Still miss my Lemony Flutter Cuticle Butter though :'( But this is a cheap alternative.

Scent: My favorite part of the Rose Salve has to be the scent! It smells very faintly of roses. It has almost no taste on the lips, though, which I am fine with.

Uses: The best thing about this salve is that it is multi-purpose. I can use it on my lips, cuticles, and, if I wanted to, places like my elbows and feet.

Ingredients: Petrolatum, Lanolin Oil, Squalene, Flavor (Aroma), Octyldodecanol, Gossypium Herbaceum (Cotton) Seed Oil, Rosa Canina Fruit Extract, Bisabolol, Jojoba Esters, Red 30 Lake (CI73360).
Pretty good stuff.

Price: Regular price is about $5.50 at Bath & Body Works, although I got this for free because I had a coupon.

Rating: I give this a 5 out 5! I haven't had any problems with this so far. In fact, I plan to buy another one this weekend so that when this one runs out I'll already have a new one on hand.

Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Swatches

2011-01-27T21:24:00.004-05:00

I love these, especially the palette for green eyes! Here are the swatches I said I would post!

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Shimmer Strips Smoky Collection for Green Eyes

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Shimmer Strips Pop Collection for Hazel Eyes

ULTA Swatches: Eyeshadows, Baked Eyeshadows, Cream Eyeliners, Pencil Eyeliners

2011-01-27T13:43:00.009-05:00

Hey everyone, awhile ago I wrote a post about the ULTA Blockbuster Kit I purchased. Well, I finally got around to swatching some of the stuff! I think the only thing I didn't swatch was the liquid eyeliners, because I'm most likely going to give them to someone else since I don't plan to use them. Anyway, first, here are some pictures of the kit.

Click on pictures to see the full-size versions!

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Eyeshadows

I can't really comment on the consistency of the eyeshadows because they are varied a lot. Some colors, such as Bloom, Mint, and Key West, were very easy to apply. Other colors (particularly matte colors) such as Paparazzi, Impulsive, and Unpredictable, were hard to apply. The swatches are organized by the different color groups, how they were arranged in the kit. Click on pictures to see the full size!

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Baked Eyeshadows

I thought the baked eyeshadows would be easier to apply than the regular eyeshadows, but they were actually not easy to apply at all! Here are some of the pictures. Click on the pictures for a full-size view.

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Pencil Eyeliners

The only pencil eyeliner I didn't swatch was black because it was in my purse and I was too lazy to get it. Anyway, none of the eyeliners are nearly as dark as black. I can use black on my waterline but I can't use the other liners. Also, from the packaging, "Halo" looks like it's going to be a white eyeliner, but it's actually really a sheer shimmery color. You might not even be able to see it in the picture. One thing about these eyeliners is, as far as I can tell, they are not able to be sharpened, so what you see is what you get. I can kind of see why ULTA would do this, because the kit had such a low cost, that it would be pretty expensive for the company to have to include full-size eyeliners. Maybe they CAN be sharpened but I'm not going to try it until my black eyeliner has completely run out.
I was hoping that colors like "Halo" and "Indigo" would be really opaque colors, but they aren't. :(

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Cream Eyeliners

You can see in one of the pictures of the kit that at the bottom of the palette of regular eyeshadows there are five (you can't see all five in the picture) cream eyeliners in black, brown, green, purple, and blue. I think this is a good selection of colors. I haven't really used the cream eyeliners yet but they seem decent to me.

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Liquid Eyeliners

Notably absent from this post are the liquid eyeliners. There is a black, a brown, a purple, and a blue liquid eyeliner. I don't use liquid eyeliner so I'm not sure what I'll do with these. Since I don't think I'm going to use them, I didn't swatch them because I might decide to give them to someone else.

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Anyway, later on I hope to post swatches of the Physicians Formula palettes I posted about yesterday!!

Snow Day! & Makeup Haul: CVS, Walgreens

2011-01-26T18:48:00.010-05:00

Hey everyone! Here in the DC Metro area it's snowing like crazy and the power keeps going out. Unfortunately, it's not a nice little snowfall but, rather, a storm with rain, snow, sleet, and earlier I thought I saw a flash of lightning. I have some extra time on my hands (never thought I'd say that again!) so I though I'd make a post. Later on I might post swatches of some of the items I mention in this post. If you see a product you want swatched right away, just ask me!

I don't usually post hauls but I just wanted to let people know what kind of things are on clearance at CVS, Walgreens, and other drugstores. For whatever reason, after the new year, all the drugstores I went to had things for 50-75 percent off. I just want to share my thought on a few things in case you want happen to be at the drugstore and see these things on sale. Also I did not buy this all at once, I accumulated it over the past month or so.

First of all, some of the Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips are on clearance at the drugstores near me, specifically the POP ones. It wasn't the entire line that was on sale--just some of the shades, which I thought was interesting. Everytime I look at the makeup section of the drugstore, I've wished I could buy one of the shimmer strips but they're pricey for my budget. However, I managed to get them for about $3 because they were 75 percent off!

Physicians Formula POP Shimmer Strips for Hazel Eyes

I saw the POP shimmer strip for hazel eyes, which had a lot of gold colors and purplish-pinks. I probably would not use the colors the way they suggest them because I don't know if it would be a look that would flatter. However, I really like the gold color and the pink colors!

Physicians Formula Smoky Collection Shimmer Strips for Green Eyes

I found an ever better one at another drugstore--one of the Smoky collection shimmer strips for green eyes. I don't consider my eyes green I LOVED the purples and greens that it had and I decided I definitely had to get it. Two of my favorite colors are the two colors underneath the first one. I wore both of them and it definitely brought out the green in my eyes. At some point I want to try wearing both of the (the 4th and 6th shadows.)
Speaking of makeup products that make your eyes look green...

Almay intense i-color Mascara for Green Eyes... with bonus travel size package of Almay makeup remover pads

I love Almay makeup remover so when I saw that I could a travel size package of Almay makeup remover pads AND a mascara for only around $3 I didn't think twice. The mascara didn't say anything about being waterproof so I figured I might have problems with it--but I wore it and didn't have any problems!
As for the makeup remover, I have the liquid version, so it's good to have the travel size version to keep in my purse in case I ever have a makeup disaster! Almay makeup remover is the only kind I will use!

Revlon 3-D Extreme Mascara (Waterproof)

I haven't really used this mascara a lot, but the time I have used it, I haven't had any problems with it. For some reason the packaging is really light, which I guess should be a good thing but to me it makes it seem like there isn't a lot of product or the packaging is cheap. But that's just me! Plus I got in sale, which is always great!

Physicians Formula Plump Potion in Black

Again, don't have a lot of complaints. This will most likely be the mascara I use the most for now, because I should probably stop using my old Covergirl mascara. This mascara says that it's "Smudge-free" which I interpret to mean waterproof, or something similar to that. It seems like it's waterproof to me! The wand is bent, which I thought was just a problem with mine specifically, but I guess it's supposed to be like that.

Physicians Formula Mineral Wear 3-in-1 Concealer in Translucent Light

The idea behind this product is that it's an easy-to-use concealer. You just push the bottom of the container and some of the concealer will be pushed up onto the brush--no brushes or compacts necessary. Which is a good idea, but I can kind of see why this was put on clearance. First of all, it's hard to tell if the powder is actually on the brush because when the powder is pushed onto the brush you don't see it. However, if you bend the brush back a little you can kind of see the powder coming out. Secondly, the bristles of the brush are kind of scratchy to me. On the package it says that you could even use this for "All-Over coverage" which seems like a silly idea to me because it would take forever. You might well invest in powder in a compact or loose powder, and a good brush. Overall not what I expected. P.S. Some of the bristles are coming out of the brush!!!! :(

Covergirl TruBlend Whipped Foundation in Natural Ivory

I think I paid $5 for this on sale, but I'm glad I got it. I usually don't wear foundation on a day-to-day basis, mainly because most foundations are uncomfortable to me and I'm afraid they'll cause me to break out. I tried this out a couple of days ago and I really like it! It blends into your skin, compared to other foundations that you have to blend really well. Overall I like it because it's light and doesn't require a lot of work (blending, etc) to wear. I'll probably wear it only when I really need it, or for special occasions. But who knows? I might start wearing it everyday!

So that's just my general impressions on these items. If you have a drugstore near you, I would highly recommend going there to see if there's some crazy clearance sales going on!

This weekend I hope to be going to Bath and Body Works, and hopefully I can find out some information about the new fragrances!

Newest B&BW Fragrance: Carried Away

2011-01-26T11:58:00.000-05:00

Bath and Body Works has a new spring fragrance, called "Carried Away." A 2 oz body lotion is available for just $1! Buy it here!

Image from Bathandbodyworks.com

Get Carried Away with our exclusive new romantic fragrance inspired by the way love sweeps you off your feet
Key fragrance notes: lush raspberries, white jasmine and whipped vanilla

Blog Sale Reminder

2011-01-23T15:19:00.000-05:00

Just a reminder that my blog sale is going on! :) I have some nice, unused items for sale including a bunch of lotions, Bath & Body Works products, and some makeup. Everything is reasonably priced! Please check out the blog sale here:

Lorraine Nails Blog Sale

I have already sold a couple of things. So please check it out if you haven't already! :) Thank you!

Please help me out! :)

2011-01-18T19:25:00.000-05:00

Hey guys, I have a project in Business and I need input from high school and college students. Please take my survey here:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/G56PPDH

It is VERY quick, unlike the last survey I did. It is just 3 questions. If you would like to, please repost on your blog so I can get as many results as possible.

Sorry to advertise personal stuff again, but I really need help with this. I hope you all understand! Thanks! :)

Nivea - A Kiss of Smoothness (Moisture) Lip Balm Review

2011-01-17T18:26:00.000-05:00

I'm pretty sure that this product has been renamed to "A Kiss of Moisture". So for clarity I'm going to post the pic of the Moisture one, since they look about the same. If I'm wrong someone please correct me, but all the info I've dug up tells me that Smoothness has been renamed to Moisture.

Picture source - from Wal-Mart

I recently discovered Nivea after I purchased a little 99-cent sample of Nivea creme from ULTA. It was so great that I decided to try out the Nivea lip balm.

Product: The product itself is one of the best lip balms I've tried in a while. It has a very light-weight formula, so the lip balm applies well and it is not too heavy. I don't really like shiny lip balms so this is perfect because it feels the way that a shiny lip balm would, but without the shine. I've been using this every day at school and when I'm out, and within 10 minutes of putting it on, my lips feel moisturized.

The lip balm does not really have a taste, which I am fine with. It has a smell that's hard to describe -- it's sort of baby powdery.

The only thing I would have to say is I would not use this simply for its SPF. It only has SPF 4... I have Blistex lip balms that have SPF 15, which is what I really need when I'm out in the sun. For me SPF 4 is nothing special, but maybe it works for others.

Price: Considering I got this on sale for $1.50, I would say that's pretty good. This usually retails for around $3, which I feel is a bit on the pricey side.

Ingredients: Let's take a look:
Active Ingredients: Octinoxate, Avobenzone. Other Ingredients: Octylododecanol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Microcrystalline Wax, Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Cetyl Palmitate, Myristyl Myristate, Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate, Water, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Copernicia Cerifera (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil, C20-40 Alkyl Stearate, Beeswax, Fragrance.

Looks pretty good... but I had never heard of those two active ingredients before, so I looked them up.

Octinoxate - ultraviolet light absorber and UV filter. Can sometimes cause dry skin. The use of Octinoxate in certain products is limited in Japan. (source)
Avobenzone - an oil soluble ingredient used in sunscreen products to absorb the full spectrum of UVA rays. Found in sunscreens. (source)

Rating: 4/5

There are other varities of Nivea lip care, such as:
Nivea Flavored Tinted Lip Care (Strawberry and Cherry), A Kiss of Milk & Honey, and Lip Care For Men.

Disclosure: I purchased this product with my own money.

New Bath & Body Works Scents: Island Escape

2011-01-17T13:31:00.000-05:00

Just here to let you know about the newest scents from Bath & Body Works! B&BW just released three new scents for a new collection, "Island Escape."

The three new scents are:

Bali Mango - Our tropical Bali Mango is an exotic getaway of juicy mango, sugar cane, pink passionflower and luscious nectarine.

Fiji Passionfruit - Our juicy Fiji Passionfruit is a tropical escape of passionfruit, mandarin orange, apricot nectar and lime zest.

Hawaii Coconut - Our creamy Hawaii Coconut is an island vacation of fresh coconut water, sunkissed citrus and ocean musk.

Right now on the B&BW there is a "Buy 3 Get 2 Free Deal" going on for the Island Escape collection. For each scent they a Shower Gel, Body Lotion, Fragrance Mist, and Body Scrub.

I need to get down to B&BW and buy some of these scents so that I can review them.

Photos from Bath & Body Works.
This post is for your information only. This is not an official press release. I was not paid to make this post.

Review: The Body Shop Guarana Lip Butter

2011-01-09T18:49:00.000-05:00

As you all know I have recently changed my format. From now on my blog is not just about nail polish -- it is also about beauty products! :) To kick off this new start, here is a review of a lip butter I got over Christmas break, at The Body Shop. The lip butters were pretty much cleared out when I got there, so this was one of the ones I liked the best... Guarana Lip Butter.


Image from The Body Shop

People: I feel I should mention, the people in the store were nice. You know how it is when you go into beauty stores -- right when you walk in they're at the door, asking "Do you need help finding anything?" I'm kind of a shy person so it sort of scares me when they do that. But it's still nice :) Immediately someone told my sister and I about the deal where you pay $5 for a bag and then you get 50% all the products you can fit in the bag. In retrospect, that was a good deal! I wish I had purchased more lip butters!

Product: The product itself is awesome. First of all, it is just right for me. Most lip balms I find are either too waxy, too slimy, or too sticky. This one, however, is perfect -- it is lightweight but at the same time it still has substance. It scoops easily out of the pot (unlike lip balms like Carmex) and applies smoothly over the lips. The lip butter also tastes and smells like candy, which is one of the reasons I picked it. I can only assume the other lip butters taste good, too :)

Ingredients: This lip butter has some nice ingredients in it. A sampling: Shea butter, Castor seed oil, Beeswax, Lanolin, Safflower oil, Flavor, Yellow 5 Lake, Red 5 Lake, and of course Guarana Seed extract. I have never heard of Guarana Seed Extract, but according the The Body Shop it protects layers of the lips and retains moisture. Overall I feel this is a great mix of ingredients. I usually don't like colors in my lip balms, but it is kind of unavoidable, and also I feel that the shea butter and guarana seed extract outweigh the coloring.

Price: I paid $4 for this, but the regular price is $8. $8 is a bit much for this, IMO. I know it is made with some hearty/possibly expensive ingredients, but I still feel $8 is expensive. $5 or $6 would be more appropriate?

Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Buy this product here!

The Body Shop
Here is thing thing I like about The Body Shop: they mix it up, ingredient-wise. What I mean, is each product is different. At Bath & Body Works they use the same formula for each product, just changing the fragrance. It's nice, but I don't feel like I'm getting high-quality products. At B&BW, if you don't like the formula, then you won't like any of the B&BW products.

However, at The Body Shop, each product has its own separate ingredients. For example, the Lemon Lip Butter has lemon seed oil in it, while the Coconut Lip Butter has coconut oil in it. The same principle applies with their body butters, lotions, etc. I may do an in-depth post about The Body Shop later if I have time, because there are a lot of reasons why I like them.

Overall, I feel that The Body Shop definitely makes quality products. They use real ingredients that are good for your skin. Also they are very involved with charity work; for example, the deal I did was where you pay $5 for a bag -- part of the money from the bag went to a organizations that help stop human trafficking. They also sell some other products that support that cause. On their website they have a Values & Campaigns page which explains their different causes. I think all of their ingredients are fair trade. All of these community efforts and specialization in products may account for the high prices, so I think I can kind of overlook the prices.

Overall I am very pleased with my lip butter! :)

Please read: Changing my blog name - rant contained within ;)

2011-01-09T18:02:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone :) Please be warned that this post is a bit rambling and there is some ranting. If you don't like reading, scroll down the bolded part ;)

As you know it's been a while since I've officially blogged. The primary reason for this is because my interest in nail polish has faded over time. And in this post I will explain why.

After I got hooked on nail polish, I started looking at other beauty products as well, specifically soap. Then I started going around on Etsy and looking at different beauty companies. Right now I am really interested in beauty products -- soap, lotions, body butters, sugar scrubs, lip balms, etc -- and because of that I have been spending most of my time and money on beauty products rather than nail polish.

Part of this is because of my own personal problems. I have various afflictions (I'm sure you all do) -- eczema, dry skin, chapped lips, peeling and flaking skin, etc -- and I am always looking for solutions to my problems.

[rant]

Specifically, I am looking for more natural solutions to my beauty problems. There are so many cruddy products out there... take, for example, lotions that are supposed to "moisturize." What they really contain is a mixture of glycerin, water, and preservatives. They're affordable, but they don't do much for me. I recently switched to a hand lotion with real cocoa butter and shea butter for my hands, and I can tell you that worked better than any of the other lotions I have used. I want to use stuff made with essential oils and raw materials (shea butter, cocoa butter, mango butter, etc) that don't have tons of fragrance and dyes and preservatives.

I will admit I am using some not-so-natural products. I recently purchased a 1 oz of Britney Spears "Curious" perfume... one of the best things I have ever smelled. I still use some of that lotion I mentioned above, the glycerin/water one. I use some prescription creams for my eczema (which is kind of unavoidable when you have eczema). But I am trying to limit my use of products that are made of really cheap ingredients, because they really don't help my skin problems.

I'm not dissing people that do use those products, I'm just saying it's not for me.

[/rant]

So basically what I am saying is my priorities have changed. A few months ago my main issue was whether my nails were pretty; but I now I am more worried about my skin's health.

Okay, so what is the point of this post?

I am not going to completely stop blogging about nail polish, of course -- it is still one of my interests. I'm not about to sell my whole nail polish collection or anything crazy. I just wanted to let everyone know that my interests have changed a bit.

I am going to change my blog name to "Lorraine Nails and Beauty," to reflect this shift in interests. I hope everyone is okay with this. You can still refer to me as "Lorraine Nails" if you would like to, since you are used to it, but I want to change the name so that newcomers will know to expect not just nail polish, but other beauty products as well. I feel this change will increase my audience.

My URL will not change, so don't worry about that.

My sister is going to be helping me out a bit sometimes. She has been making a few guest posts, and is collaborating with me in my blog sale.

Thank you guys for your support!

Lorraine Nails Blog Sale!

2011-01-08T01:06:00.028-05:00

It's the first Lorraine Nails blog sale! Unfortunately I do not have any nail polish for sale, but I have a lot of bath, body, and cosmetic items!

Everything on the first half of this page is priced as follows:

$1.50 each OR if you buy five or more items, $1 each!
Prices aren't negotiable.

The Details:

Shipping is dependent upon how much you buy. Purchase of $5 or less = $3 shipping flat rate; Purchase of more than $5 = $5 shipping flat rate.
If you want it shipped internationally I will send you an email to let you know what the shipping cost will be.
Items won't be shipping until payment is received.
I can only accept payment through Paypal!
Everything is new unless otherwise noted.

Click here for the order form!

001 - OPI AvoJuice lotion in Ginger Lily 1 oz
002 - OPI AvoJuice lotion in Grapefruit 1 oz
003 - OPI AvoJuice lotion in Coconut Melon 1 oz

~~004 - Beyond Belief lotion in Vanilla Brulee 2.25 oz~~
005 - Bodycology shower gel in Cherry Blossom 2 oz

006 - Mango shower gel 1.7 oz
007 - Mango body lotion 1.7 oz
008 - Pomegranate shower gel 1.7 oz
009 - Pomegranate body lotion 1.7 oz
010 - Plum shower gel 1.7 oz
011 - Plum body lotion 1.7 oz

012 - Loreal Extra Intense Liquid pencil eyeliner in Emerald
013 - IceBreakers Sours lip balm in Berry Splash
014 - Jasmine La Belle Star Eyeshadow in Foxy
015 - Jasmine La Belle bath soap in Raspberry

015 - Roll-on lipgloss in Peach
016 - Roll-on lipgloss in Strawberry
017 - Roll-on lipgloss in Green Apple

029 - CVS Aloe Cool & Fresh moisturizing lotion - $1.50

==== Everything below this line is more than $1--price is listed ====

Everything here has been used a few (1-2) times except for the Curious lotion and body wash.

~~019 - Bath and Body Works travel size lotion in Moonlight path - $2.50~~
~~020 - Bath and Body Works travel size spray in Moonlight Path - $2.50~~

021 - Bath and Body Works travel size lotion in Dancing Waters - $2.50
022 - Bath and Body Works travel size spray in Dancing Waters - $2.50
023 - Bath and Body Works travel size lotion in White Citrus - $2.50
024 - Bath and Body Works travel size travel size lotion in Cherry Blossom - $2.50

025 - Bath and Body Works travel size Shea Cashmere lotion - $2.50

~~026 - Bath and Body Works travel size body butter in Twilight Woods - $2.50 (used once)~~

Britney Spears CURIOUS lotion (027) and body wash (028) - each are $3.00 --
The lotion contains macadamia nut oil which is why I am selling it. If you have allergies, contact me for the full ingredients listing of the products, as it is not listed on the back.

~~018 - Victoria's Secret Very Sexy Blush/highlighter duo in Coral (swatched a few times) - $3.00~~

Business class study - please help me! :)

2010-12-29T09:57:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone :) Sorry for my absence, I am so busy with schoolwork these days.

Speaking of schoolwork, for Business class I am doing a study on e-book reader use among college students/employees. If you are a student/employee at college, I would be very grateful if you could take 3 - 5 minutes to take this survey, to help me with my research:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PY8WPBV

If you know any college students/employees, I would be very appreciative if you could let them know about this survey. Also if you know any men who are college students/employees please let them know about it as well since I need to hear from both genders ;)

Again, the link is: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PY8WPBV
Thank you all so much!

- Deanna

Danielle's Jewelry Store Sale: Ending in January!

2010-12-19T19:09:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone! I just wanted to let you know about some holiday sales that are going on over at my sister's jewelry store, Danielle's Jewelry Store. Here is the email I recieved:

I currently have two sales going on at my jewelry store!

First of all, a holiday sale for all of my mailing list subscribers and their friends and family! Later I will announce this sale to the public, but I want to give mailing list subscribers the news first!
If you enter the coupon code HOLIDAYS at checkout, you will get 10% off your entire order! I encourage you to forward this email to your friends and family, and post about it on your blog/twitter/facebook. Spread the word! This offer will only last until New Year's Day!

And that isn't the only sale--until the new year, you will receive free shipping on orders over $30. No coupon code is required--I will send you an adjusted invoice after you place your order.

Both of these offers can be combined on your purchase!

I will be listing many new items over this month, so check back frequently!

Danielle :)

If you are trying to come up with the perfect gift for someone, I recommend checking out Danielle's Jewelry Store. If you are trying to get the package to someone in time for Christmas/New Year's, I would talk to Danielle and see if the thing you want can be sent via expedited shipping (shipping may cost extra for this, though). Or if you just want some stuff for yourself this is a great opportunity to get high-quality jewelry for a great price.

Anyway, enjoy the sale! :) I have helped Danielle sell at craft shows before, so I know for a fact that these are great savings!

Guest Post: ULTA 108 pc. Blockbuster!

2010-12-14T21:15:00.006-05:00

BEHOLD!

http://www.ulta.com/ulta/browse/productDetail.jsp?productId=xlsImpprod2710079

Sorry about the lack of organization in this post but I just wanted to let everyone know about this good value!

I have always been a fan of ULTA Blockbuster sets because they are always a great value. Also, it's a great way for you to try a wide range of ULTA products without actually having to buy full sizes of everything. So, this year, I saw that they had many different value kits available and I was ecstatic.

My problem with the ULTA kits is that they are a mix of everything--blush, eyeshadow, lipstick, nail polish, etc. Normally this would be a good thing, but the problem is that I mainly only wear eye products like eyeshadow and eyeliner, and those were the main reason I bought the kits. Secondly, oftentimes there were many dark eyeshadows, which I didn't like because I usually wear lighter colors. And, also, rather than being arranged by color the eyeshadows were arranged in a random order which for some reason kind of bothered me.

But, this year, I found out that ULTA had kit that was ALL eye products, and immediately when I saw it I knew I needed to buy it, especially since I managed to get it for $20 including shipping!

What's in it: It has 60 eyeshadows, 24 baked eyeshadows (so really 84 in total!!), 8 eyeliner pencils, 5 cream eyeliners, 4 liquid eyeliners, and some brushes and applicators.

Packaging: In the past the ULTA Blockbusters have had packaging that wasn't that great, at least to me, but the packaging for this kit of much less unwieldy than past kits. The set is flat, as you can see from the picture, and you open it up. Inside there are two mirrors, one of which is a magnifying mirror. I wouldn't actually recommend carrying the eyeshadows around by the built-in handle because if you drop it, chances are that the shadows will break. Nevertheless, I still love the packaging!
Because of the packaging, it's hard to get to the eyeshadows. If you're a DIY kind of person, you could take the eyeshadow pans out and put them in an empty CD case to make a palette that is easier to access, which is what I've done in the past.

Design: The cool thing about the eyeshadows is that, first of all, there is a large variety of colors. Secondly, each column of eyeshadow focuses on a different color group, making it easier to mix and match colors. The first column is blues, the second is purples, the third is pinks, the fourth is purplish-browns, the fifth is reddish-browns, the sixth is regular browns, the seventh is oranges and browns, the eight is greens, the ninth is blacks and grays, and the tenth is turquoise blues. Basically, you have a large variety of colors, and to me there is a good balance between light colors and dark colors.

Cons: There aren't a lot of bad things about this kit. One thing I will mention is that as usual most of the brushes are useless in my opinion. Brushes in kits tend to be not as good quality as buying brushes by themselves. Simple economics--if they want to have good makeup in the kit, they spend less money making the brushes. If you want good brushes, I would suggest buying them separately. However, the sponge applicator might be helpful if you use sponge applicators. Also the eyelash/brow comb will be helpful to me.

Overall: If you are used to high-quality brands, you might not like this kit because as with all kits, there is the possibility that some of the products could be lacking in quality or are formulated differently from the full size. But if you're like me and you'd rather have a kit than buy individual items, and you want brand name makeup but are on a budget, I would definitely recommend this or other ULTA kits.

This post is lacking an actual review of the product because as it turns out I haven't had time to actually use it yet. However, I have been admiring this kit for the past week and I plan to use it this weekend. In the meantime, if you want to buy this kit, you should probably do it as soon as possible because I have a feeling that soon they will not be available. I just wanted to let everyone know how great this kit is and what a huge variety it has!

If you would like to see specific swatches or have any other questions, please post in the comments!

Guest Post: Bath and Body Works Sale

2010-11-21T00:16:00.002-05:00

Hey everyone! Deanna hasn't posted in a while so I thought I would make a guest post. I don't think she will mind. I just wanted to let everyone know about a crazy sale going on at Bath and Body Works.

First of all, right now all of their travel size items (perfumes, lotions, and body washes) are all 3 for $10! I believe the regular price is 3 for $15. They have travel sizes in pretty much all of their fragrances. They're ideal if you want to try a fragrance for awhile but don't want to have to buy the full size.

Even better, when I walked into the store they gave me a coupon for $10 off a purchase of $30 or more. I ended up getting 9 travel size items for only $20!

If you like Bath and Body Works or have been wanting to try some of their fragrances, this is the best time to go there.

Here's what I got, all travel sizes:
-White citrus lotion
-Dancing waters lotion
-Twilight Woods spray (my other one is running out--and I love Twilight Woods!)
-Moonlight Path lotion and spray
-Secret Wonderland lotion and spray
-Butterfly Flower lotion and spray

Lorraine Nails Giveaway Winner!

2010-10-03T20:55:00.000-04:00

As you know, my first giveaway has ended... and I am here with the results! :)

Here are some stats from the giveaway: We had 28 people enter, with a total of 118 entries! (For info on how I drew the name, please see the bottom of this post.)

And now I will announce the winner!

The winner is:

Monika! Monika had 7 entries (103 thru 109).

Congrats Monika! Please respond to my email within 72 hours.

Thank you to all of you for participating! And welcome, new followers! I hope you enjoy my blog, once I start posting regularly again ;)

How I drew: First I put all of the entrants into a chart, in the order that they entered (I didn't alter the order of the entrants). Then I assigned each entrant the correct amount of entries. For example, the first one had 2 entries, so she got the numbers 1 and 2. The next person had 4 entries, so she got the numbers 3, 4, 5 and 6. Next person (5 entries) got 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11. On so on. Then I used random.org to draw a number from 1 to 118.

Beauty Giveaway is Closed

2010-10-01T14:51:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone,

As of today the Beauty Giveaway is closed!

Thank you to everyone who participated! :)

The winner will be announced shortly.

- Deanna

Belle Bath & Beyond Blog Sale

2010-09-22T18:59:00.000-04:00

Another blogger in the nail polish blogging world is having a MEGA nail polish sale... we're talking tons of polishes for sale. I've never seen a blogger try to clear out their stash like this so I felt like the sale was worth posting about. Plus the prices are good... some $4 Zoyas!!! :)

Unfortunately I am totally broke right now so I can't buy anything, but there are good polishes up for sale, so go check it out if you are looking to add to your own stash.
The sale ends October 3rd!

Click here to go to the sale