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4th of July Nails

Be extra patriotic this 4th of July and paint your nails red, white or blue! Check out some of these looks that Tina and I put together :)

Bottom coat: OPI Last Friday Night, Top coat: OPI Blue Shatter

Jessica Blue Blast

Jessica Scarlet (2 coats)

Bottom coat: Jessica Scarlet, Top coat: OPI Navy Shatter (Tina calls these 'Spiderman nails'!)

Jessica Blue Blast and ring finger nail in Jessica Superstar



An NYC 'Blowout' at the Robert Stuart Salon

I’ve been in New York City for about 2 weeks now and I’m slowly learning how to live like a real New Yorker. I’ve taken the subway every day to work, I’ve met up with friends on a week night (gasp!) for a drink, and spent time in Central Park over the weekend.

On the beauty front, I found a neighborhood nail salon that has a manicure and pedicure package for super cheap (cheaper than in Michigan!). I got a mani/pedi on Sunday and it was well deserved based on all of the walking I have been doing!

Another thing that is very big city-esque is a hair ‘blow dry’ or ‘blow out.’ Women go to salons here just to get their hair blown dry by a professional hair stylist. And yes, it does make a difference! Before a big event or work travel, ladies will make an appointment for a blow out so the don’t have to wash and style their hair.


I had the privilege of getting a blow dry at the Robert Stuart Salon on the Upper West side (82nd and Columbus). The salon was celebrating their 29th birthday and had quite the crew out. Several clients and employees were chatting over food, desserts and champagne when I arrived. I was quickly greeted and taken around the salon by Brandon, who is an assistant at the salon.

Robert Stuart and me
After putting on my Robert Stuart royal purple cape to protect my clothing, Brandon got me situated at the shampoo bowl. This was hands down, the best-shampoo-EVER. He must have spent about 10 minutes massaging my scalp with Shu Eumero shampoo and conditioner. I almost fell asleep I was so relaxed. Brandon told me that everyone who gets a haircut or blow out gets this type of shampoo. He explained that since the shampoo is the customer’s first interaction with the salon, it’s important to make it relaxing. Well, job well done.

After my shampoo I sat down in Tran’s chair. Tran is newer to the salon, coming from Atlanta. She didn’t add too much product to my hair before starting to blow dry. She tackled my hair piece by piece, with a huge round brush. The result, a sleek, but full of body, blow dry.

After sleeping on my hair I only had a small touch up to make before I left to catch my plane at LGA. I can see why ladies on the go in NYC get blow outs. It’s relaxing, saves you time in the morning, and looks great. I would recommend The Robert Stuart salon. Friendly staff and atmosphere, and the shampoos are something to write home about.

Note: This review includes products and/or services that I received as a sample or for free, provided by the brand company or a PR rep. Please click here for more information regarding my disclaimer.





Get the Look: Waterfall Braid

For those of you with long hair, I'm jealous you can try this out!



WATERFALL BRAID: HOW TO
1.       Strengthen, protect and repair hair prior to braiding by applying Joico Color Therapy Restorative Oil on wet hair.
2.       Dry hair as usual.
3.       Separate a section behind your left ear and start by dividing hair into an ordinary 3-strand braid.
4.       After 4 weaves, drop one strand and gather a new strand of hair that pulls the braid in the desired direction. Repeat until you achieve desired length.
5.       Secure with a clear hair elastic.
6.       Finish with Joico K-PAK Split End Mender for ends that look lush and hydrated.


TRESemme Split Remedy Review


For the last week and a half I’ve been faithfully using the TRESemmé new Split Remedy line. The full line is made up of a Shampoo, Conditioner, Serum, Conditioning Spray and a Conditioning Treatment, and are all meant to be used together to help repair split ends.

Here is a breakdown of the products:

TRESemmé Split Remedy Shampoo & Conditioner
These both have a clean smell to them, maybe with a bit of apple and vanilla, and the scent from them lasted in my hair all day. Because I usually like to have volume in my roots, I only used the conditioner on the ends of my hair. This also ultimately helps me to go longer in between hair washes. I left it on for about 2 minute and then rinsed.

TRESemmé Split Remedy  Conditioning Spray
This reminded me of a detangler hair product my mom use to use on my hair when it was really long, back in elementary school. It’s a light spray that I combed through my hair after applying. A few sprays of this goes a long way. After blowing my hair dry it felt really silky and soft. Watch out for your walls and mirrors while spraying this!

TRESemmé Split Remedy Conditioning Treatment
I use a leave in conditioning treatment 5 out of 6 hair washes a week to help keep my hair soft and healthy. I applied this light cream from the middle to ends of my hair. A little goes a long way with this product. I was able to dry my hair super smooth with this treatment, and I noticed less ‘frizzies’ than normal. When I used this product, I did not use the Conditioning Spray with it.  

TRESemmé Split Remedy Serum
I love this serum – and it can be used both pre and post blow drying. When using the Conditioning Spray, I added the serum just to the ends of my hair before blow drying. When using the Treatment, I added the serum after blow drying. The serum helped not only with making my hair look shiny and sleeker, but also helped prevent frizz. We’ve had some very humid days in NYC and this protected me 100% from frizz, without weighing my hair down. Please note again, that a little goes a long way!

All the styling and treatment products smelled similar to the Shampoo and Conditioner. Layering these products helped my hair to smell really fresh all day. These are also very large size products, so you definitely get your money’s worth.  After a week of using these products I could definitely notice that my hair was softer and looked healthier.
NEW Split Remedy, from TRESemmé, repairs up to 80% of split ends in just three uses.  And with continued use, repairs further damage as it occurs.

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by TRESemmé via Glam Media.  The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of TRESemmé.


Free Shipping on TooFaced.com




Too Faced is celebrating the 4th of July a little early! FREE SHIPPING from 6/28 - 7/4 on TooFaced.com with code: HAPPY4TH. 



Last 2 Days to Get Lancome Gift with Purchase

I LOVE gifts with purchases (aka GWPs). Lancome teamed up with award-winning designer Chris Benz to design their latest bag. Known for his use of color and patterns, he chose a floral print for the bag, straight off the runway from his Spring collection. Best part, the bag is reversable. Second best part, Chris Benz created two exclusive eyeshadow pallets for this gift! 


Available from June 12th to the 26th, this striking bag is complimentary with any $75 purchase (up to a $178 value), and includes the following:
- Color Design 5 Pan Palette color choice:
  • Emerald Silk + full size Color Fever Gloss in Paradise Peach (warm)
  • Flushed Satin + full size Color Fever Gloss in Intense Fuchsia (cool)
- Eye cream choice:
·        Absolue Eye Premium BX
·        Absolue Eye Precious Cells
- Bi-Facil Double-Action Eye Makeup Remover
- Absolue UItimate Night BX Serum
- Hypnôse Drama Mascara

Be sure to stop by your local Saks Fifth Avenue to pick up your bag by tomorrow!



Beauty Blog Coalition Weekly Roundup




Yves Rocher Monoi de Tahiti Oil Review



I am a huge fan of cocoa butter, but Monoi de Tahiti (Traditional Gardenia Oil) by Yves Rocher, has made me rethink my daily moisturizing routine just a bit. Instead of my normal cocoa butter lotion, I’ve been using this oil. I get the same comfort knowing that my skin is being nourished and hydrated with coconut oil, as well as smelling sweet and delicate from the gardenia blossoms that are combined – all in one oil. I love the feeling of this luxurious oil on my skin.

I love the feel and smell of this luxurious oil on my skin. The scent is lovely and reminds me of vacations in tropical destinations. I was able to get dressed right after application without having my clothing stick to me and the scent and moisture has stayed with me all through the day. Not a drop gets wasted! Anything left on my fingertips (after application to my body), goes directly into my hair. It adds a brilliant shine and doesn't weigh my hair down. This oil gets HUGE love from me!

You can find Monoi de Tahiti oil by Yves Rocher on their website. It retails at $7.50.

By Lipgloss Break Guest Blogger, Tina

Note: This review includes products that I received as samples, provided by the brand company or a PR rep. Please click here for more information regarding my disclaimer.


30% off butter LONDON

butter LONDON's Family & Friends event is on! Now through June 27th take 30% off your entire order! Enter code FFSUMMER12 at checkout.

Check out my post on butter LONDON's new Lippy collection!





Giveaway Break - Borghese Splendore All Over Body Bronzer

Last year I wrote about one of my beach bag necessities from Borghese, the Splendore All Over Body Bronzer. This bronzer is great for creating a bronze glow without the sun damage. I dust it on my face, shoulder and legs to give me a nice sun-kissed look.


This year...we're giving it away! Borghese and I want to send one lucky reader their own Splendore All Over Body Bronzer to fake a glow, just in time for the beginning of Summer!





***Giveaway***


Enter to win a Borghese Splendore All Over Body Bronzer! 

Fill out the form below to win! For extra entries, you can sign up for my mailing list, post a link to this giveaway on your blog, follow my blog, follow me and retweet on Twitter , follow me on Pinterest or become a fan on Facebook; just make sure to list the entries in your comment. Enter up to once a day!

This giveaway is open to US residents only. The contest will end on Friday, July 20th. I will randomly select one winner and announce them on Lipgloss Break, so keep checking to see if you're a winner - Good Luck!