by Alyssa on March 18, 2013

I know I’m a little late on the uptake here, but Pantone’s color of the year is as chic as chic can be! I am already obsessed with everything emerald. Duri sent me some of their nail polishes to try out, one in a deep, rich emerald color and the other a frosty, iridescent light green.


Above: Oscar Party
This is a frosty, iridescnet green with lighter green and yellow-ish shimmer. I wasn’t a huge fan of this color. It looked pretty weird against my skin tone and I found the application to be kind of streaky. This is the color achieved after 2 coats


Above: Papparazzi
I LOVE THIS COLOR. It’s a really rich and pigmented metallic emerald green. It was a smooth application with hardly any streaks. The only downside is the wear on this polish. I don’t have pictures, but I had some serious chippage only 1 day after doing my nails – kind of a bummer because this color is just so fab! This is after 2 coats.
While I’m on the topic of Emerald pretties, check out these gorg earrings! They’re a little dressy for every day wear but on a special night out these would be perfect! To see more of the Stephanie Sommers line visit her site!

by Alyssa on February 14, 2013
I’ve never tried Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure polishes before. I posted a picture of my nail mail on twitter an a bunch of my followers said they LOVED this polish – so I was pretty stoked to try it out. I tried Arm Candy, Sheer Ecstasy and Copper Penny. This was also the first time I tried swatching so please bear with me!
Arm Candy


This is 2 coats of Arm Candy. It’s really sheer but adds a hint of creme pink to you nails. If you’re a gal that doesn’t like a lot of color on your nails then this is right up your alley.
Sheer Ecstasy


This polish was more opaque than arm candy. It was more of a milky taupe and had no hints of pink. This is after 2 coats but I found it to be a little streaky. Even still, it was my favorite polish of the bunch.
Copper Penny


This is definitely a glitter top coat as it’s not very dense. This is layered over my natural nail with 4 coats. I think this would look best over a burnt orange color or maybe even a brown.
The beauty about Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure polishes is that you don’t need a base coat or a top coat! I also found that they dried pretty quickly, shortening the time it takes for you to do your nails even more! The wear is PHENOMENAL I painted my nails with 3 coats of Sheer Ecstasy and went snowboarding all weekend. I didn’t have one. single. chip. It was amazing. My nails stayed perfect for almost a week!
Each bottle is $7.99 at drugstores nationwide.
Which is your favorite?
Have you used Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Polishes before?
by Alyssa on February 13, 2013

I don’t know about you guys, but I LOVE perfume. I wear it every single day. If I had to guess, I’d say I’ve been wearing perfume since I was like 7 years old. Baby Soft was my ish! But I digress… Want to win some awesome smelling perfume? Check out these deets below.

Heidi Klum Surprise
This is a sexy floral fragrance that starts with a touch of mandarin extracts and spicy pink pepper for a dynamic top note. That leads to notes of rose petals and magnolias. It finishes with milk of sandalwood to deliver a warm, sensual and unforgettable trail. This is musky and peppery for the dark mysterious gal.
Price: 1.0 fl. oz. – $28
Available: Mass Retailers and Drugstores Nationwide

GUESSGirl
This one is my favorite of the bunch. This fragrance has top notes of Raspberry Nectar, Melon and Bergamot, combined with middle notes of Brazilian Paradise Orchid, Provence Acacia Flower and Lily. Finished with base notes of Australian Sandalwood and Madagascar Vanilla. It’s light, but has staying power to last for the whole day. (M loved this one, too!)
Price: 3.4 fl. oz. – $62 ; 1.7 fl. oz – $52 ; 1.0 fl. oz – $40
Available: GUESS retail stories, perfumery chains, department stores and www.guess.com
Faith Hill SOUL 2 Soul Vintage
This fragrance opens with notes of fresh Juicy Pear while hinting Passion Flower and Sparkling Plum notes poke through. Then you’ll notice Peony Petals, Geranium Egypt and creamy Gardenia Petals. It concludes with nuances of Oakwood and Cedarwood Virginia, leaving behind a truly authentic statement. Do you dig the light and crisp scents? Then this one is for you.
Price: 1.0 fl. oz. – $24.50 for each
Available: Mass Retailers and Drugstores Nationwide
Want to Win one? Enter the giveaway below!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
by Alyssa on January 15, 2013
Holiday styling and switching to ombre has left my hair in tough shape. Constant contact with the styling wand and bleaching, on top of the crazy dry weather in Denver and my ends are DRY and lack luster. My New Years resolution was to step up my hair game – that means higher quality products and giving it some much needed TLC more often than every 3 months when I go to the salon.

VO5 Hot Oil Treatment arrived just in time. It’s the perfect product for my hair in that it replenishes lost moisture, vitamins and shine. Super easy to use and it made my hair softer, healthier looking and more manageable. I tried the oil treatment a really long time ago, like high school when I was using a legitimate IRON to straighten my hair. (THE HORROR!) I made a huge mistake – I put the tube of oil directly in the microwave for a solid 60 seconds. After hearing a huge pop and seeing the oil all over the microwave I realized I wasn’t supposed to put the tube directly in the mirco but instead in a cup of hot water to warm it. Rookie mistake.
Well, this go round I made sure to read the directions a little more closely and I had a smashing success. Here are some before and after pictures:

Before
Wild ends and not a lot of shine

After
Sealed ends, super soft and tons of shine!
(Which was clearly not captured in this pic – eek)
READY FOR THE BEST PART?
Who wants to win a Holiday Hair Repair Kit from VO5?!
If your hair is lacking shine and moisture, you’ll definitely want to get your hands on this prize.
HOW to enter: Leave a comment on this blog post saying what your favorite hair style was over the Holidays
WHEN can you enter: Starting TODAY! The contest closes on Tuesday January, 23rd at 6pm.
WHAT will you win: Alberto VO5 Holiday Hair Repair Prize Pack worth $25!
Enter TODAY! Good Luck Debutantes! xo
by Alyssa on January 14, 2013
So, the Golden Globes were last night. Where I have to admit I didn’t watch them due to bottomless mimosas during the Patriots game (GO PATS!) – I did see pics of the stars and couldn’t help but write this post. There were the good – that were oh so good, and the bad – that made me cringe in terror. Do you agree?
THE GOOD

Brittney Snow
I love this simplistic, classic look. Bold lip, up swept hair and lush lashes.

Selena Gomez, Sarah Hyland and Vanessa Hudgens
All that needs to be said is GLAM.

Rachel Weisz
Modern day pin-up look. Love the waves and her porcelain-like complexion.

Kate Beckinsale
She can do no wrong in my book. She looks stunning here with a bronze smokey eye and whimsical curled tendrils.

Julianne Hough
Kind of a kooky pic but that mauve smokey eye is to die for. And I’m obsessed with the contrast of her edgy coif and feminine dress.
THE BAD

Julia Louis- Dreyfus
The dress is too young and her makeup is too dark. It ages her.

J-Lo
I’m not feeling that nude lip and it looks like someone tried to glue bottom lashes on and missed terribly.

Jennifer Garner
I think someone got a little busy in the limo before the after party. The disheveled look it not becoming on her.

Taylor Swift and Kristen Wiig
I wish Taylor rocked her signature red lip. And I wish Kristen didn’t get that second spray tan.
THE UGLY

Rachel Zoe
WHAT IS THIS?! No highlighting, no brow definition and no Visine. She is the bomb.com when it comes to styling but she really failed the beauty side of things last night. Yikes! That winged eye is fierce though.
Photo cred to Yahoo!