Beauty School Pedicures

Even though the weather is turning colder, I'm still holding on to summer clothes and colors. Here's a nice summery color for nails, Spa Ritual in Last Tango. 

I picked this polish up when my friend and I got pedicures at the Douglas J Aveda Institute in Ann Arbor. I love going to the beauty school for pedicures. The way I look at it, I'm just helping a student get their hours to graduate!

In the express pedicure, they do the normal pedicure foot soak, nail polish removal, shaping, cuticle care, buffing, exfoliation and lotion massage.When I got in the chair the student gave me a neck pillow that smelled so good I've been on the hunt for the scent ever since. After polishing the student then has to have his/her instructor come over and check out their work.

In my experience, the students are usually a little nervous, but always very friendly and careful. And I feel like they pay special attention to detail because their instructor has to look over everything. The take a little bit longer than normal pedicures (I would block off at least 1.5 hours of time), but honestly, I don't care at all. To me, it's just extra time to relax! 

At the Aveda Institute it's $32 for an express pedicure, and you get to keep your polish. They use to have OPI but have since switched to SpaRitual, which I really like. They have a strict policy against no tipping, but this may not apply to all schools, so I would highly suggest asking when you book your appointment.

Have you ever went to a beauty school for a manicure, pedicure or hair service? If so, what did you think?

Trump Hotel Chicago

Sometimes, a girl just needs to be pampered...which is why I get giddy like a school girl when I get to stay at the Trump Hotel Chicago. Half of my sales team sits in our Chicago office, so when I visit, I'm able to stay at the Trump which is walking distance from our office.

I appreciate good customer service and experience, and consistently, the Trump Chicago has exceeded my expectations. Here's what I love about this hotel...

• They get to know you...when you fill out a profile as a Trump Card Privileges member (free to join), they truly honor your special needs. Favorite magazine, snacks, etc. I specified that I eat healthy and came back to my hotel room one night with a full on exotic fruit spread. It was amazing.
• Each room has a Nespresso machine with both regular and decaf options.
• Turn down service is on point. Bottles of water are left behind for at night slippers are placed by your bed.
• They leave behind a note card each day with the weather for the next day. Super helpful.
• The gym is amazing. Amazing view, large amount of cardio and weight machines, and the locker room is like a spa. They even have takeaway mini booklets with different workout programs, depending on what your goal is.
• They have their own line of amenities that smell great. We were lucky enough to stay in a spa room one stay and got bonus bath and body products, body scrub and body butters...
• The bathroom mirror has a TV in it...enough said.
• Extremely comfortable beds

The Trump realizes that they get a lot of work travelers, so they do their best to make you feel comfortable, pampered and at home. If you're in a city where there's a Trump, I definitely encourage you to splurge. It's a celebratory type of hotel.

Wine on the house because of a reservation mix up

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  View from treadmill

  

  Nespresso machine and mini bar

Nordstrom Beauty Gift with Purchase

It's close to being the 'most wonderful time of the year'....not the holidays, but Nordstrom free gift with purchase time! Get a Nordstrom beauty spot iPhone 5 case and 15 beauty favorites in a clear cosmetics bag with your $125 beauty or fragrance purchase.

Don't need any beauty items for yourself? Well then think of others! Early holiday shopping, someone's birthday coming up? Two perfumes or colognes could get you this fun gift to keep for you!

Beauty Blogger Coalition Weekly Roundup

Fun Fierce Fabulous Beauty Over 50!: Find out why Sephora's $16 Black Magic Palette is getting rave reviews!

Mama Fashionista: Quinn shares her latest and greatest favorites from Smashbox Cosmetics!

Lola's Secret Beauty Blog: The Organic Pharmacy Rose Plus Marine Collagen Complex is a potent and highly effective anti-aging product that REALLY beats the competition!

BeautyTidbits: A super-hydrating lip gloss and an anti-aging lip serum all in one? Say hello to the new Vitality Lip Flush Butter Glosses from It Cosmetics!

Painted Ladies: Find out how Summer's Eve makes it easy to be fabulously fresh and enter to win a $100 Spa Finder gift card.

Peppermint Lips Beauty Blog: MAC Impassioned Lipstick Review, Dupe & Swatches!

TheFabZilla: TheFabZilla officially ends her summer posts as she looks forward to fall. Check out what made it to her top 10 most loved products this summer!

Luminous Lacquer: Borrow and wear Designer Jewelry? Very awesome! Check out her review of RocksBox!

Midnight Manicures: Do you subscribe to monthly beauty boxes? Jeanie shows you her favorite, Wantable.com, and why she ended up with 2 boxes this month.

Beauty by Miss L: This week Miss L did a purple & golden manicure.

Geniabeme: The ladies of Makeup Wars are having a Color War! See what products I picked for the color purple!

D.G.S.Beauty: D.G.S.Beauty shares her customized wristbands. Learn where you could a wristband of your own.

Advice Sisters Beauty?Fashion/Lifestyle Website: Alison of the Advice Sisters explores a bunch of beauty tools to DRY For!

The Stepford Witch: Looking for a radiant setting powder that doesn't break the bank? Check out this week's review of Mary Kay's Translucent Loose Powder.

Beauty 101: Looking for the best products to create the perfect nude lip? Casey from Beauty 101 has you covered!

And the Winners Are....

We have our winners - thank you so much to everyone who entered! 

Joico Hair Products giveaway - nicolegriesmer, lynntrish30, jill190
L'Occitane hair care mask - mihaeladay, sabryant, wallindeb

Two more giveaways are still going. Enter to win a $50 Limited gift card and a full size L'Occitane Verbena EDT. Happy Sunday!

Kate Upton Elle cover

I'm currently obsessing over Kate's Elle cover. Not only is Kate a fresh faced beauty, but her jewels are to die for. Looking forward to getting this copy in the mail.

 

Giveaway Break - L'Occitane Verbena Eau De Toilette

I've been doing a lot of reviews of L'Occitane lately. I've really been impressed with all of their new products I've been trying, including their hair mask and colognes. They have definitely done a great job at going beyond their lotions and creams they are known for. Their website has even received a fresh new design. 

LOccitane.com now has a responsive design, which means it seamlessly adapts to all screen sizes, including tablet and mobile. Some of their other updates include:
 - Skincare Diagnosis and fragrance finder
 - Rich video content
 - Simplified checkout process
 - Glossary featuring over 200 Mediterranean ingredients
 - VIP sign-up to receive special offers and invitations from L'Occitane

L'Occitane is way ahead in this space, and I give them props  for adapting their web experience to help us consumers have a great expeirence! To help celebrate the launch of their new site, L'Occitane is sponsoring a giveaway on Lipgloss Break!

***Giveaway***

Enter to win a L'Occitane Verbena EDT! 

Fill out the form below to win! There are also several different ways you can get extra entries: sign up for my mailing list, post a link to this giveaway on your blog, follow my blog, follow me & retweet on Twitter , follow me on Pinterest, follow me on Instagram or become a fan on Facebook; just make sure to list the number of extra entries in the form below. Enter up to once a day!

This giveaway is open to US residents only. The contest will end on Tuesday, September 10th. I will randomly select one winner and announce them on Lipgloss Break, so keep checking to see if you're a winner - Good Luck! 

Friday Favorites

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I’m always on the hunt for travel size beauty products. I rarely check my bag when traveling for work so I have to make sure that everything I bring is under 3.4oz. I recently received a sample from L’Occitane Eaux de Colognes new line and I’m obsessed with the scents. And I’m in luck, they also come in a travel friendly size!

I have Ravissante & Captivante and love them both.  Captivante is a light, fresh every day scent. The bottle is huge, but looks really pretty on my bathroom vanity. Kind of like décor. 

I seriously love my new phone. The Samsung Galaxy 4 has the best camera! It kept my niece and nephew entertained during an hour long car rid. They loved putting 'stickers' on pictures of themselves. 

 Palmer's Cocoa Butter (added bonus, SPF 15)...need I say more?

 

Love me some Nordstrom Rack. The one in Lake Orion, MI was very organized and clean. I scored  these Me Too flashy flats. Can't wait to sport them in the fall! 

Chicago skyline at night. Beautiful! Can you spot the Navy Pier Ferris Wheel? Taken with my new Samsung Galaxy 4. 

Nexxus Youth Renewal Elixir

Years of highlighting and sun have definitely taken a toll on my hair. At 31 years old, I've been shifting my focus away from products that strip my hair clean and enhance my highlights, to products that help reverse the signs of aging. This is why I was excited to try out Nexxus Rejuvenating Elixir from their Youth Renewal line.

The Nexxus Youth Renewal line has a shampoo, conditioner, dry shampoo, blow dry spray and an elixir. Each product is suppose to help combat 8 signs of aging hair: volume loss, breakage, roughness, less shine, dryness, brittleness, unruliness and loss of color vibrancy. I experience both brittleness and dryness the most, and I can tell that I am starting to have volume loss.

After washing my hair, I followed the bottle's directions and I put 4 drops (okay, maybe 5) in my hair, focusing on both the roots and the ends. I combed through to make sure it was evenly distributed and then I dried my hair. I could definitely tell a difference in how my hair dried. My hair looked shinier even after one use, so I'm looking forward to starting using this 3-4 times a week to get all of the benefits. Two added bonuses: it's small enough to travel with and has a fun fruity scent.

Along with anti-aging products, you can also do the following to help protect your hair:
 - Wear a hat or scarf if you'll be outside in the sun for awhile.
 - Don't wash your hair every day. I know it sounds weird, but it's good for hair to build up natural oils.
 - Frequently trim your hair to get rid of dead ends.
 - Go easy on the hot styling tools. If you have to blow dry and straighten your hair, use a heat protection product.

Interested in trying out Nexxus for yourself? It's your lucky day! Fill out this form to receive a sample for yourself! Hurry up, only 500 samples available! 

NeXXus Youth Renewal combats 8 signs of aging hair. Our Vita-8 Complex helps improve color radiance, shine, strength, and volume, as well as reduce frizz.

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

OPI Gelcolor in My Vampire is Buff

Last minute manicure! I ran to the the nail salon closest to my office in Chicago. 2Q Nails on State St. in River North. I normally don't get gel manicures in salons (my best friend Tina usually does them for me) but I'm in crunch and won't have time to do my nails before my brother in law's wedding this weekend!

I wanted to go with a neutral nude so it would match whatever I decided to wear to the rehearsal and to wedding this weekend. CND Shellac's pale pinks (check out my Shellac swatches) are all so sheer, so I decided to try out OPI Gelcolor. I love how the color turned out! I chose My Vampire is Buff. It's a creamy nude that will go with any outfit color choice. I've only had it on for a day so I can't report on the wear yet, but I will definitely follow up and let you know how long it lasts!

I love being able to not have to worry about my nails for at least a few days....Happy Friday!