DOVE Limited Edition Summer Care Body Wash and Bath Bar Review and Giveaway!

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I don't know about you, but where I'm at, summer is still scorching hot.  My thick, overly emollient body washes and soaps are just not the right fit for me in this warm weather.  I can honestly say that our household is truly a fan of Dove soaps (we never run out of bath bars in our bathroom, we buy them at Costco in bulk), so it's truly nice to know that they have a limited edition Summer Care body wash and bath bar!  

The beauty bar has the rejuvenating marriage of citrus and floral scents, as well as vanilla and amber.

MAC Cinderella, Viva Glam Miley Cyrus, Toledo Video Review and Giveaway Winner!

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MAC Cinderella 

MAC Coupe d'Chic iridescent pressed powder

MAC Coupe d'Chic iridescent pressed powder

MAC Little Black Bow fluidline

 MAC Cinderella Stroke of Midnight Eyeshadow x 6 palette

MAC Cinderella Stroke of Midnight Eyeshadow x 6 palette

MAC Toledo collection

MAC Venus Red nail lacquer

MAC Toledo SE129 blush brush

MAC Toledo: lipglass in Tenor Voice

MAC Toledo: lipglass in Tenor Voice

MAC Toledo: Modern Twist Lash Curling Mascara in Vinyl

MAC Toledo: Modern Twist Lash Curling Mascara in Vinyl

MAC Kindergarten Red blush ombre

MAC Viva Glam Miley Cyrus lipstick and lipglass

Hi everyone! Below is my video on my MAC Cinderella, Viva Glam Miley Cyrus, Toledo Video Review and Giveaway Winner!. Please check out and subscribe to my YouTube channel if you'd like to see more of these kinds of videos.  Check out the video after the jump!

See review video below:

NARS All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation and NARS Spring 2015 Swatches, Review and Giveaway!

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Wearing NARS Reckless Blush (as highlighter), NARS Liguria Lipstick

NARS All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation, NARS Reckless Blush, NARS Liguria Lipstick

NARS Reckless Blush

Swatch: NARS Reckless Blush

NARS Liguria Lipstick

NARS Liguria Lipstick

NARS Liguria Lipstick

NARS Liguria Lipstick


Hi everyone! Below is my video on my NARS All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation and NARS Spring 2015 Review and Giveaway. Listen to the mechanics carefully, and comment in my YouTube video comment box, NOT here on this blog. Please check out and subscribe to my YouTube channel if you'd like to see more of these kinds of videos.  Check out the video after the jump!

See review video below:

NYC Expert Last Lipstick, Lip Crayon, Mascara & Liquid Liner Swatches and a Giveaway!

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To tell you honestly, I have not used NYC Cosmetics.  I don't even remember the last time I used one of their products.  That is why when I was asked to do this post, I was really looking forward to trying out one of the lesser known brands (to me).  I see this brand all over drugstores and I believe ULTA, but I've never had the opportunity to try the products.  Until now.

Today I have four different products from NYC New York Color Cosmetics to show you - the CityProof Twistable Intense Lip Crayon, the NYC Expert Last Lip Color Lipstick, the Volumizing Mascara and the Liquid Eye Liner.

Since I gravitated toward the lip colors, let's start with these first!

NYC CityProof Twistable Intense Lip Crayon in 011 Brooklyn Brown Stone, 041 Ballroom Blush,  NYC Expert Last Lip Color Lipstick in Forever Fuchsia, Coralista and Traffic Jam

 NYC Expert Last Lip Color Lipstick in Forever Fuchsia, Coralista and Traffic Jam

Video Post: Giveaway & Swatches of the China Glaze Spring 2014 City Flourish Collection

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China Glaze Spring 2014 City Flourish Collection

Hi everyone! Below is my video on my Giveaway! China Glaze Spring 2014 City Flourish Swatches .  Please check out and subscribe to my YouTube channel if you'd like to see more of these kinds of videos, and if you want to win the neon set of the China Glaze City Flourish collection!  This giveaway is open to all of my channel's YouTube subscribers worldwide.  Head on over to my channel to subscribe and join my giveaway!  Check out the info bar of my video on YouTube for the giveaway mechanics!  My international YouTube subscribers are welcome to join.

See review video below and all my swatches of the China Glaze City Flourish Collection after the jump:

Nicole by OPI Better After Dark and Promises in the Dark Swatches, and DOVE® Chocolate and Nicole by OPI® Sweepstakes!

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DOVE® Dark Chocolate and NICOLE by OPI® celebrate the New Year with the launch of the “Discover Your Dark Side in the New Year Sweepstakes.” The Facebook-based promotion will randomly award 25,000 entrants with two exclusive NICOLE by OPI® nail lacquer shades inspired by DOVE® Dark Chocolate: “Better After Dark” and “Promises in the Dark.”

See the nail polish swatches below:

DOVE® Chocolate and Nicole by OPI® Ring in the New Year With an Irresistible Sweepstakes!

HACKETTSTOWN, N.J. (Jan. 3, 2014) – DOVE® Dark Chocolate and NICOLE by OPI® celebrate the New Year with the launch of the “Discover Your Dark Side in the New Year Sweepstakes.” The Facebook-based promotion will randomly award 25,000 entrants with two exclusive NICOLE by OPI® nail lacquer shades inspired by DOVE® Dark Chocolate: “Better After Dark” and “Promises in the Dark.”

As the #1 solid dark chocolate on the market[1], the unique, silky-smooth taste of DOVE® Dark Chocolate lives up to people’s expectations of what chocolate should taste like. Available in four varieties, including new DOVE® Silky Smooth Sea Salt Caramel Dark Chocolate, DOVE® uses carefully selected cocoa beans to deliver its signature taste and a special process that delivers the unique, silky-smooth texture.

“In 2014, we want to encourage people to discover the delicious taste of DOVE® Dark Chocolate, which offers a creamy taste experience that shatters the perception that dark chocolate tastes bitter,” said Roy Benin, Chief Consumer Officer, Mars Chocolate North America. “With this sweepstakes, we’re putting the silky-smooth taste of DOVE® Dark Chocolate at people’s fingertips with the always smooth nail polish experience from NICOLE by OPI®.”

Enter the “Discover Your Dark Side in the New Year Sweepstakes”

From now through February 5, 2014, DOVE® Chocolate Facebook fans can enter once per day for a chance to win one (1) of the 25,000 NICOLE by OPI® kits, which include:

§ A coupon for a free DOVE® Dark Chocolate Bar (1.34 oz. - 1.44 oz.)

§ Better After Dark NICOLE by OPI® Nail Lacquer Bottle

§ Promises in the Dark NICOLE by OPI® Nail Lacquer Bottle

To enter, simply “like” the DOVE® Chocolate Facebook page and click on the Sweepstakes tab (https://www.facebook.com/dovechocolate/app_548734081871225) to enter your name, email address, shipping address and date of birth. The Sweepstakes is open to legal residents of the 50 United States who are age 13 or older on or before December 27, 2013. All winners will be selected at random by an independent agency in the week following the sweepstakes.

For more information, please visit www.facebook.com/dovechocolate or www.facebook.com/nicolebyopi.

About Mars, Incorporated

In 1911, Frank C. Mars made the first Mars candies in his Tacoma, Washington kitchen and established Mars’ first roots as a confectionery company. In the 1920s, Forrest E. Mars, Sr. joined his father in business and together they launched the MILKY WAY® bar. In 1932, Forrest, Sr. moved to the United Kingdom with a dream of building a business based on the objective of creating a “mutuality of benefits for all stakeholders” – this objective serves as the foundation of Mars, Incorporated today. Based in McLean, Virginia, Mars has net sales of more than $33 billion, six business segments including Petcare, Chocolate, Wrigley, Food, Drinks, Symbioscience, and more than 72,000 Associates worldwide that are putting its Principles into action to make a difference for people and the planet through its performance.

Mars brands include: Petcare – PEDIGREE®, ROYAL CANIN®, WHISKAS®, KITEKAT®, BANFIELD® Pet Hospital and NUTRO®; Chocolate – M&M’S®, SNICKERS®, DOVE®, GALAXY®, MARS®, MILKY WAY® and TWIX®; Wrigley – DOUBLEMINT®, EXTRA®, ORBIT® and 5™ chewing gums, SKITTLES® and STARBURST® candies, and ALTOIDS® AND LIFESAVERS® mints. Food – UNCLE BEN’S®, DOLMIO®, EBLY®, MASTERFOODS®, SEEDS OF CHANGE® and ROYCO®; Drinks – ALTERRA COFFEE ROASTERS™, THE BRIGHT TEA COMPANY™, KLIX® and FLAVIA®; Symbioscience – COCOAVIA™ and WISDOM PANEL™.

For more information, please visit www.mars.com. Follow us: facebook.com/mars, twitter.com/marsglobal, youtube.com/mars, linkedin.com/company/mars

About Nicole by OPI

Nicole by OPI offers a salon-quality range of bold, fashion-forward nail lacquers. The brand’s heritage is based on OPI’s well-established foundation of excellence in both color and technology, providing premium products to a broad range of consumers looking for trendsetting nail lacquers. Known for its celebrity collaborations and partnerships, the brand invites consumers to be creative and confident by expressing themselves through color. Currently, Nicole by OPI range boasts over 120 shades, including retailer-exclusive lacquers, and serves as the color authority for the younger demographic.

For more information, visit nicolebyopi.com. Follow Nicole by OPI: facebook.com/nicolebyopi, twitter.com/nicolebyopi, instagram.com/nicolebyi, google.com/+nicolebyopi

China Glaze Happy Holiglaze Swatches & Giveaway! (US-Only)

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China Glaze Happy Holiglaze Collection

Hi everybody!  Below are my photo swatches of the China Glaze Holiday 2013 collection called Happy Holiglaze.  You can also check out my YouTube video with my thoughts on and swatches of the China Glaze Happy Holiglaze collection. There is a giveaway announced in that video, and if you are a subscriber of my YouTube channel, you can join that giveaway. However, if you prefer to enter on this blog, look below! Before the swatches, you will see a Rafflecopter widget down below where you can enter for a chance to win one of two sets of the China Glaze Happy Holiglaze collection (all 12 polishes!).

Check out the swatches, then enter using the Rafflecopter widget to get a chance to win a set of these bright and festive holiday nail lacquers from China Glaze!

The 12 colors of the China Glaze Happy Holiglaze Collection which you can have a chance to win are the following:

Elfin' Around: Red rust with an aluminum-like mirror finish
Just Be-Claws: Red with an aluminum-like mirror finish
Santa Red My List: Pink/red with an aluminum-like mirror finish
Put A Bow On It: Magenta glitter
Be Merry, Be Bright: Multi-magenta purple glitter
All Wrapped Up: Midnight purple and blue glitter
Your Present Required: Multi-sized and multi-colored glitter
So Blue Without You: Blue with an aluminum-like mirror finish
Bells Will Be Blinging: Blue and gold multi-colored glitter
Mingle With Kringle: Fierce gold with aluminum-like mirror finish
This is Tree-mendous: Green with fine gold glitter
There's Snow One Like You: Limited edition white Texture with matte glitter

So let's talk about the Giveaway!  China Glaze and The Shades Of U partnered to hold a giveaway for all The Shades Of U blog subscribers and followers!  Enter using the Rafflecopter widget below and get a chance to win one of two sets (12 nail polishes) of the China Glaze Happy Holiglaze Collection!

Giveaway Mechanics:

1. This contest is open to The Shades Of U Subscribers/Followers 18 years old and older residing in the U.S. Again, this is a U.S.-only giveaway.
2. Subscribe to or follow The Shades Of U via one or more of the following: the Twitter, Instagram or Facebook (mandatory). You can tweet about the giveaway for more chances of winning.
3. The giveaway runs today until December 5, 2013.
4. Rafflecopter will choose 2 winners who shall win one set of China Glaze Happy Holiglaze collection each (12 nail polishes in one set).  The names of the winners will be displayed on the Rafflecopter widget below after the winners are chosen.
5. I will e-mail the winners; the winners shall reply with their mailing addresses within 72 hours of the date/time-stamp of the e-mail, otherwise, the winner shall be disqualified and another winner shall be chosen.
6. China Glaze will ship the prizes to the winners, so The Shades Of U cannot control when the prizes will reach the winners.

Goodluck!  Enter using the Rafflecopter widget below.


a Rafflecopter giveaway


Check out the swatches of the China Glaze Happy Holiglaze Collection after the jump!

Total Beauty Pink Embrace Collection for BCA Review and Giveaway!

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 Total Beauty Shops Pink Embrace Collection