Black Friday & Cyber Monday Deals

So many deals...so little time! I hope everyone has an amazing Thanksgiving with family & friends. Happy Shopping!

FOR THE MAKEUP LOVER

MAC Cosmetics - The holiday sets came out early and are almost sold out, but MAC has another surprise in store. Available only on Black Friday, MAC is offering an exclusive online-only edition of Veluxe Pearlfusion Shadow, The Smoky Black Friday palette. It features a trio of noir shades that blend for nighttime looks. These colors are gorgeous, and the perfect edition to any holiday party ensemble. Review to come soon...

NARS - 20% during the Give & Take Event Friday, November 28th - Dec 2nd. Sign up here to access the exclusive 20% event.

LORAC - Black Friday deals: Sultry Starlet Shimmer Eye Shadow Palette & Vintage Vixen Matte Eye Shadow Palette ($12 each at Ulta.com) & Champagne Eye Trio $12 at Nordstrom Rack. Cyber Monday deals: 25% off PRO Palette and PRO Palette 2, Free Red Eyelash Curler with every purchase, Perfect PRO Eye Trio ($25 at Nordstrom.com) and Champagne Dreams Eye Shadow Palette ($15 at Ulta.com)

LORAC Pro Palette

Bath & Body Works - There is a VIP Bag going for $20 with a $40 purchase. The bag has over $100 worth of products in it. This is the perfect hostess gift to have on hand!

Bath & Body Works VIP Bag

Ulta.com- Deals start on Thanksgiving Day, online, at 7pm CST. So many great deals, including sale prices on Too Faced, Laura Geller, Smashbox palettes and more! And 20% off Clarisonic Plus set - great deal!

Avon.com - Receive free shipping on all orders and 30% off any purchase of $30 or more on Black Friday

Lancome.com - November 30 - December 7, 20% off Friends & Family sale, plus get free shipping on any $49 order and a travel-size product of your choice.

Inglot - 20% off

FakeBake.com - 25% off all products!

Spa Sonic at Drugstore.com - On sale for $33.99 (cheap alternative to Clarisonic!)

Sexy Hair - Offering free shipping over $25 plus a free deluxe sample w/every purchase made on Black Friday. Their Sexy Hair Ultimate Control Flat Iron or Dryer is on sale for $99.95, including a free Style Sexy Hair 450 Protect and free shipping (regular retail price is $188).

Sibu Beauty - The premium skincare products and supplements made from the Himalayan Sea buckthorn berry is offering 60% off all the entire line and free shipping on orders over $50. Use code: SIBU60. Nov 28 - Dec. 1

LAQA&Co - 25% off all items.

Gloss48 - 20% off site wide. Use code SNOWVEMBER

Skindinavia - Offering free makeup primer spray + free shipping + 20% off with code '20off.' Valid Black Friday through Cyber Monday (Dec. 1).

Miracle Skin Transformer - Black Friday: spend $50 and receive 30% off your entire purchase, use code BLACKFRIDAY30. Cyber Monday: spend $50 and receive 40% off your entire purchase, use code CYBERMONDAY40

Jurlique - Black Friday: 3 custom bundles that are 50%+ off - no codes needed! Cyber Monday: $15 off any $50 purchase, $50 off any $150 purchase, $100 off any $300 purchase.

HairEnvy.com - 50% off Harry Josh Pro Tools on Cyber Monday

Dr. Brandt - Black Friday sale, 40% off on entire online purchase + free standard shipping

La Roche-Posay - Save up to 30% off with promo code 'FRIDAY.' 20% off $75, 25% off $100 and 30% off $125.

FOR THE HOSTESS
May Designs - 40% off entire site - get your 2015 planners now! Use code 'THANKS40'

FOR HIM

Amazon.com Electronic deals - Everything from laptops to cameras to TVs.

FOR THE KIDS
Citrus Lane - 20% off all gift subscriptions, use code CLGIFT20 and get 15% off your order with code THANKS15.

BabySteals.com - Doorbuster sales start Friday at 8am!

Children's Place - 50% off!

*Post contains affiliate links

Beauty Blogger Coalition Weekly Roundup - November 24

TheFabZilla: I sold my soul to these meteorites. Check out my review of Guerlain Holiday 2014 Meteorites Pearls d'Etoiles

Lola's Secret Beauty Blog: Burberry Beauty Light Glow Natural Blush in Earthy is the Perfect Contour and Bronzer for Cool-Toned Skin.

FutureDerm: Do Amino Acids Actually Do Anything in Skin Care?

beautyXposé: With holiday shopping in the full swing, it’s time to check out the makeup gift guide for the makeup maven in your life.

Painted Ladies: Take a closer look at ColourPop Sugar Shock Shadows in Queen For A Day and Empire!

BeautyTidbits: Looking for an oil-controlling CC Creme that's also gluten free? Check out the new Mirabella CC creme that provides full coverage and also keeps shine away all day!

Color Me So Crazy: Showing Off Two Colors from Blue Eyed Girl Lacquer

Beauty by Miss L: Simple effortless makeup look

Never Say Die Beauty: Allison shares a pretty storage solution for her growing nail polish collection

Lipgloss Break: Check out my list of must have beauty products as new mommy.

Must Have Products for a New Mom

I'm guilty of having the unrealistic expectation that I was going to have a lot of free time during maternity leave. OMG - I couldn't have been more wrong! If I get a shower in I call it a successful day! I'm currently loving products that make my routine a bit easier. Below are some of my favorite items so far on maternity leave...

1) Neutrogena Makeup Remover wipes - I love these for when I'm a pinch or on the go. Sometimes I have to use these in the car on the way to the gym! These makeup remover wipes are a quick and easy to use to remove makeup. They don't make my skin feel greasy and are especially good at removing eye makeup. I like to keep a package in my diaper bag and gym bag.

2) Noodle & Boo The Balm - I LOVE this lotion. It smells like a sweet baby :) With the cold weather in full effect in Michigan, my skin is so dry. I keep this lotion in my diaper bag for both myself and my baby boy. My hands are constantly on my baby, so I'm extra careful of the lotions I put on my hands. The best part about Noodle & Boo products is that they are safe for both mommy and baby - win/win!

3) Dove Dry Shampoo - I can usually sneak in a shower, but washing my hair is a whole other battle. It seems like I never have time to dry it all the way straight unless someone else is home helping with the baby. I packed this dry shampoo in my hospital bag and have been using it ever since. When I use this dry shampoo my hair looks really fresh. It also has a great, nice and fresh scent (usually I don't like the smell of dry shampoos).

4) Bath & Body Works Antibacterial - I'm fanatical about sanitizing my hands now that I'm a mommy. I keep several of these everywhere: car, diaper bag, purse, living room, kitchen...no excuse for someone not to use them before picking up the bambino! Bath and Body Works usually has them on sale for 5 for $5. Great idea for stocking stuffers too :)

5) Love + Grace PJ set - It's a struggle to take this pajama set off....because they are so comfortable! I was super excited to try these out. They are the softest pajamas I have ever owned. And as a nursing mom, it's key to have an easy, button down PJ top to go over a nursing tank. The first few weeks at home with bambino I was in my PJs the entire day, so if you're going to be a new mom, I'd highly recommend splurging on an ultra-comfortable pair like these.

6) Bath & Body Works Fragrance Mist - There's something about Fall and Winter that make me crave vanilla scents! The Bath & Body Works Wild Madagascar Vanilla Fragrance Mist, in my opinion, is the perfect scent for the holiday seasons. I've been staying away from strong perfumes because I don't want them to irritate my baby boy, but this light mist is perfect to spray on my body, and even hair, to make me feel (and smell!) pretty.

*Post contains affiliate links
** 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.

Bloggers Give Thanks PayPal Giveaway!

Myself along with a few other awesome bloggers have come together to bring you a PayPal giveaway just in time for Thanksgiving!  It’s our way of saying ‘Thank You’ for supporting our blogs.

Want a chance to be a lucky winner? Bookmark this page to make it easier to return to every single day up until November 20, 2014, and earn extra entries by sharing the giveaway with your friends on twitter!

Prizes

1st Prize: $150

2nd Prize: $50

3rd Prize: $25

Organized by: Kim of Beauty and the Bump

Co-Hosts:  Prime Beauty Blog // Everyday Beauty Blog // Norah Loves Makeup // XONoelle // Beauty Info Zone // Sabrina Dellinger // BeautyZ // Beauty Xpose // Lipgloss Break // Beauty Tidbits // Making Up The Midwest // Beauty with a Twist // The Diary of a Debutante

Rules: Use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter daily.  Besides the mandatory blog comment entry, all other entries are optional. Giveaway ends 11/20/2014, and is open to anyone with a valid PayPal account.

Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway Break - Headbands of Hope

I love when I come across a company that is giving back. Headbands of Hope is where I'm going to be shopping for all of my friends this holiday season...

Headbands of Hope is an American-made colorful headwear line. They have some beautiful headbands! For every headband purchased, one is given to a child with cancer and $1 is donated to the St. Baldrick's Foundation to fund much needed childhood cancer research, Alex's Lemonade Stand or CURE Childhood Cancer - you get to choose. 

It's great to be able to give a gift like this to someone you care about, and know that you're contributing to a good cause as well. I worked at Detroit Children's Hospital when I was in college and experienced first hand how special it was for patients to receive gifts like this. A small gesture or gift goes a long way for kids who are fighting cancer. 

I just purchased a knitted a headband to help keep my head and ears warm for the upcoming winter months. I can't wait to get it and spread the words about Headbands of Hope. 

Thanks to Headbands of Hope, you can enter for a chance to win a studded headband, like the one pictured below! 

 ***Giveaway***

Enter to win a black and gold studded headband from Headbands of Hope! 

 
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, add me to one of your Google+ circles, follow me on Instagram or become a fan on Facebook. Make sure to list the number of extra entries in the form below. Enter up to once a day to increase your chances of winning!
 
This giveaway is open to US residents only. The contest will end on Tuesday, December 2nd. I will randomly select a winner and announce them on Lipgloss Break (and will send an email as well), so keep checking to see if you're a winner - Good Luck!

Beauty Blogger Coalition Weekly Roundup - October 20

TheFabZilla: Chucky may have pranked me. Check out the case of the missing brow liner from Charlotte Tilbury. Worst purchase yet?

Lola's Secret Beauty Blog: With all of the gorgeous holiday color collections launching, have you put together your lust list? I have!

Painted Ladies: False lashes at your fingertips! Lash Closet is a first-of-its-kind false lash subscription service.

Beauty by Miss L: Check out Leelo´s Halloween themed little monsters nail art

Color Me So Crazy: In need of a little color now that the summer is gone?? Try Karora Self Tanning products!

Lipgloss Break: Review of Nubar Nail Lacquer 'Fall in Love Collection.' Great shades that are long lasting!

Grow It Girl: Tiki found the perfect fall vampy nail polish that's low odor. Check out what polish she is currently loving.

Never Say Die Beauty: Allison got another good ipsy bag this month & it arrived early!

beautyXposé: As the seasons change, so does your skin’s needs. Today, we’re bringing in an expert to talk to you about transitional skin care.

Be Happy And Buy Polish: Do you need ideas to take your work manicure to a WOW manicure? Jessica at Be Happy And Buy Polish has you covered!

I Know all the Words: Go full on Black Honey gorgeous this Fall with the Clinique Black Honey Beauty Set

Allure Best of Beauty 2014

In my opinion, Allure magazine is the print leader for beauty news and information. I always love checking on their Best of Beauty list each year. You can visit the site and check out the 2014 top products by category. Lancome Lip Lover and Revlon ColorBurst are on my wish list to try! 

What products on this year's list catch your eye?

Beauty Blog Coalition Cash Giveaway!

The fabulous ladies over at the Beauty Blog Coalition (including me!) have pulled together to bring you a Facebook Only Giveaway! Starting today, enter to win 1 out of 3 cash prizes. The only way to enter is to 'Like' our pages on Facebook. The contest ends November 1st so don't wait - enter today! 

Prizes:

1st Place: $155

2nd Place: $100

3rd Place: $55

*Winner must take PayPal Only.

The following blogs are participating...check them out!

Participating bloggers:

Aquaheart    www.aquaheart.net

Beauty by Krystal    http://www.beautybykrystal.com

Beyond Beauty Lounge    http://www.beyondbeautylounge.com

Blushing Noir    http://blushingnoir.com

Color Me So Crazy    http://colormesocrazy.blogspot.com

Confessions of a Sarcastic Mom    http://www.confessionsofasarcasticmom.com/

Cosmetically-Challenged    http://www.cosmetically-challenged.com

Everyday Beauty Blog    http://everydaybeautyblog.com

Geniabeme    http://www.geniabeme.com

Glamorable!    www.glamorable.com

Hairspray and Highheels    http://www.hairsprayandhighheels.net

I Know all the Words    www.iknowallthewords.com

Intrubeauty    http://www.intrubeauty.com

Liesl Loves Pretty Things    http://liesllovesprettythings.blogspot.com/

Lipgloss Break    http://www.lipglossbreak.com

Lit From Within    http://beautylitfromwithin.blogspot.com/

Makeup Life and Love    http://www.makeuplifelove.com

Midnight Manicures    www.midnightmanicures.com

MinaSlater.com  http://www.minaslater.com

My Highest Self    http://myhighestselfblog.com/

Nail Polish Anonymous    http://www.nailpolishanonymous.com

Peek & Ponder    http://peekandponder.com

Phyrra    http://www.phyrra.net/

Pointless Cafe    http://www.pointlesscafe.com

Polarbelle    Http://www.polarbelle.com

polish insomniac    www.polishinsomniac.net

PolishGalore    http://www.polishgalore.com

The Dalai Lama's Nails    www.thedalailamasnails.com

The Lacquerologist    http://www.lacquerologist.com/

The Mercurial Magpie    http://www.themercurialmagpie.com/

The Plastic Diaries    http://www.theplasticdiaries.com/

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NUBAR Nail Lacquer 'Fall in Love' Collection

Now that I'm a mom, it's a lot harder to find time to paint my nails and allow them to dry properly, so when I get the chance, I want to find a polish that will last. I'm a huge fan of gel manicures, but they're not practical to have all the time. I recently tried out Nubar Nail Lacquer for the first time and was really happy with the wear time.

Nubar Nail Lacquer is formaldehyde, toluene and DBP free. They pride themselves in being a 'healthy' nail polish, which is something I look for now since I have a newborn at home and my hands are constantly around him.

Normally I only get 2 days wear out of regular nail polish, but I had a really good run with Nubar polish. Love American Style is a creamy red that goes well with every season, especially Fall. This lasted, chip free, about 5 days on my nails. After 5 days I had minor signs of wear, but the manicure still looked good. 

Nubar Love American Style

Lush is a pretty blue that is perfect for fall and blue jean and jean jacket weather. This manicure also lasted about 5 days on me (credit to my BFF Tina for giving me this manicure). 

Nubar Lush

Sweet Hue is a bright pop of color for your hands. It's a pinkish-coral with a slight gold shimmer. I really liked this shade. It took 3 coats to achieve complete coverage, but was worth it! This color will transition nicely into Spring and Summer.

Nubar Sweet Hue

Check out the full 'Fall in Love' collection on the ByNubar.com site. What's your go-to Fall nail color this season? Please share in the comments below! 

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.

Mommy & Baby Favorites

Today my baby boy is 7 weeks old. Time flies! I've learned so much these past few weeks, and can't imagine my life before Maximus. 

I remember the first time my hubby and I walked into Baby's R Us to register...we were so overwhelmed! We only stayed for 30 minutes. I came right home and jumped online to do my research on the best products to register for. Here is a list of my favorite baby items so far.

1. TWELVElittle Diaper bag
When out and about with your little one, you have to be prepared for diaper explosions, spit up, hunger and tears. I heard with your second child you worry less about this and can leave the house with just a diaper and a wipe, but I'm no where near this confident yet. My diaper bag is loaded down! I bought this TWELVElittle bag the week before my son was born. I did a ton of research and this one had everything I was looking for: 1) could pass as a regular purse, 2) lots of compartments, 3) came in black, to match most of my clothes and stroller, 4) separate pocket for bottles and 5) changing pad pull out. I really like the bag so far. It's unreal how much I can fit in it. I will be doing a 'What's in My Diaper Bag' post soon. You'll be amazed...

2. Aden + Anais Swaddles
These blankets are made of 100% cotton muslin. They are super soft, breathable blankets, especially nice for summer babies, like Max. They have all kinds of fun patterns, and also make burp clothes, crib sheets and changing pad covers to match. I opted for the blue and gray star prints.

3. Boppy pillow
This is not just for nursing moms. This pillow was with me from day one in the hospital. I'm so glad I brought it! Feeding a baby can get so tiring for your arms. The Boppy fits snug around your waist and will allow you to rest your arms/baby on it, for a comfortable feeding or cuddle session. 

4. Newborn Rock'n Play
The Rock'n Play is ultra portable, which is why I love it so much. You can easily bring it from room to room, and easily collapse it to pack in a car. 

5. BOB Revolution Stroller
This was my splurge item. I knew I was going to be a baby strolling machine, and wanted a really nice stroller to walk up town with. A jogging a stroller is not just for runners (which I am not). It's great for city strolling too. The BOB Revolution is extremely easy to push, maneuver and collapse, which was nice since I was recovering from a c-section, but still wanted to get out and go for walks. 

6. May Designs Bump Diary
I'm a list maker. Even though I work in the digital sales field, I still like to make a good old fashion list on paper. I came across May Designs while shopping for gifts, and ended up buying my self a few presents. I loved the idea of personalizing a Bump Diary to help keep me organized throughout my pregnancy. I'm still using this to help keep track of doctor questions, appointments, etc. May Designs allows you customize your cover with colors, patterns, and fonts. Since we didn't have a name picked out until the week before Max was born, my cover read 'Bambino Sherman.' 

So, there you have it. A few of my favorite things so far. Here are a few other baby item round ups that may be helpful...enjoy!

Persnickety Plates - Baby Must Haves
The Small Things Blog - Favorite Mom & Baby products
Mommy Mentionables - Top Baby Products for New Moms
And here's a list items you can probably cross off of your wish list...

Please share your baby must-haves in the comments below. What could you or baby not live without?

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