Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Talk About It - Dr.'s Remedy Enriched Nail Polish

I love anything that shimmers and shines as well as anything glitzy and glamorous – I have a feeling that I'm not alone so today is all about Dr.'s Remedy Enriched Nail Polish!

Let me start off by saying that there is no such thing as 100% natural nail polish, only smarter and safer formulations. Dr.'s Remedy is a safe and enriched nail polish that was created by two doctors who are both board certified podiatrists who care about their patients and the products they use. Both Dr. Adam Cirlincione and Dr. William Spielfogel are skilled surgeons who realized the top concern with their patients is brittle and discolored nails that is often associated with the harsh chemicals that can be found in commercial nail polish.

Dr. Cirlincione's wife was pregnant and was advised against using hair dye, eating certain foods, and being exposed to harsh chemicals. This warning led the doctor to do some research on chemicals and toxins. Along with Dr. Spielfogel they created Dr.'s Remedy, which is 3 Free (formaldehyde, toluene, and DBP – which can cause some serious damage to ones health) and enriched with good for you ingredients like tea tree oil, garlic bulb extract, and wheat protein.

These enrichments help promote healthier and stronger nails and also provide anti-fungal properties so it won't cause any damage. Their nail polish come in a wide variety of gorgeous shades and is safe enough for anyone and everyone; including those who are extremely sensitive to traditional nail polish or chemicals in general.

I got so lucky because I got to try out their new seasonal collection Jolly and Joy. The collection is made up of 5 amazingly lovely and flattering festive shades perfect for the holiday season, and beyond.



ESSENTIAL Emerald is one of my favorite nail polishes, ever! I don't have anything like this shade and I just love the way it looks on my nails. It compliments my skin tone and applies like a dream. It wears well and I had no problem with chipping, although I only wore it for 2 days. This is such a gorgeous color that I can't get enough of! They describe it as "a take on the classic tree-and-plant-inspired gem of a shade, with delicate glimmer and unparalleled amounts of glamour".



RESOLUTION Red Glitter is my other favorite from the collection. This polish applies so well and looks great on the nails! The only drawback to this polish is the fact that glitter polishes are really difficult to remove, but everything else about this is perfect! It adds the perfect amount of glitter to the fingers without being too over the top. I feel like this polish would be appropriate for any situation because it's almost a nude pinkish-red color. They describe it as "a red meets copper spin that's sequin-look-alike laden with high shine and sparkle.

 

REVIVE Ruby Red is the most perfect red color that I've ever seen. It's absolutely perfect for fall and winter, and I think it would make a wonderful statement on the toes. It's deep yet feminine and pretty. It is described as "a shimmer-infused Wizard of Oz-inspired shade of crimson.



SERENE Silver Glitter is so special and unique. It changes color in different lights and makes the nails look fancy, sort of like a perfectly pretty disco ball. It wasn't the best with my skin tone but that won't keep me from rocking it because it's so interesting! It's described as "a seasonal sizzler like no other: shine, chic, totally unique in the metallic scene."



PASSION Purple is last, but not least. It's "a bombshell-boysenberry with subtle silver meshed throughout". It's not my favorite for fingernails but I have high hopes for how amazing it will look on my toes. This is my Mom's favorite of the collection though and it looks amazing on her. For whatever reason I had the hardest time applying this one. Don't get me wrong – it was still easy, just not as smooth as the others.



These nail polishes are fabulous, right? They're a little expensive at $17 each but I think they are totally worth it. I've never seen such lovely shades before. If you were only going to get one I would highly recommend either Resolution Red or Essential Emerald.

You should check them out on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/Remedynails or on Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/remedynails. If you're interested in owning these for yourself Dr.s' Remedy is sold exclusively at www.remedynails.com or by calling 877-323-NAIL.

(FTC: These products were so generously provided to me for review consideration by the company. I am not being compensated to write this review. All thought and opinions, as always, are my own and honest.)

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

What a Sweet Potato!

I absolutely love Sweet Potatoes! They're one of my favorite foods – mashed, baked, steamed, any way at all! They also happen to be really, really healthy! They are an excellent source of Vitamin A, Beta-Carotene, and antioxidants. They are considered a super food and are definitely a must have in my kitchen. Since I love the way the taste and that fact that they are really great at nourishing the skin I thought today would be the perfect time to share this sweet potato facial mask recipe.


What you need:
2 ounces of mashed sweet potatoes (just steam them, take off their skin, and mash them)
1 tablespoons of oatmeal
1 tablespoon of honey
A dash of nutmeg


Once you've got the ingredients all together all you need to do is mix them together to form a thick paste. Apply the mixture onto your face, neck, and chest after washing with a gentle cleanser. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes before rinsing off with warm water. Make sure to moisturize afterwards (as you should with all treatments). This mask will leave your skin looking and feeling soft and smooth. It will also help new skin cells form. Sweet potatoes aren't just for Thanksgiving anymore!

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Talk About It - Mad Gab's

Stockings are one of my favorite parts of the Christmas Season! Today I'm sharing with you a few products from an awesome company called Mad Gab's that would make excellent stocking stuffers, or even gifts.

Gabrielle Melchionda starting making lip balm in 1991, while still in college, after she came across a recipe that she thought sounded easy to make. She gathered the necessary supplies and began mixing up batches in her mother's kitchen. The lip balms were such a hit with her friends that they encouraged her to market them and sell them in a store. By her senior year of college, Mad Gab's was in 10 stores and Gabrielle embarked on a journey to learn how to make a business work.

Fast forward 20 years and the business has grown into a huge success. People all over the world love Mad Gab's products. They moved from their original 200 square foot office to a 4500 square feet space where the Mad Gab's team makes, ships, and sells their products. They strive to create unique, high quality, and effective all natural beauty products while creating minimal waste. They also wish to "inspire others that anything can be done with good ideas, hard work and a strong team."

Mad Gab's formulates their products with ingredients like beeswax, shea butter, organic extra virgin oil, vitamin e, natural flavors, essential oils, mica and other healthy and beneficial ingredients. All of their products are great and they come in the most adorable packaging with fun little facts on them. Oh, and by now my loyal readers know how crazy sensitive my lips are, right? Well, none of these lip products irritate them in the least! I absolutely love and adore all of the products I got to try, so let's get to the reviews!

I'm going to start with the newly launched (October 1st, 2011) Wildly Natural line of lip products. These lippies are inspired by patterns in nature like peacock feathers, giraffe spots, and the wings of a butterfly. This line offers Lip Butters, Shimmers, and Glosses each with 3 flavors. The glosses come in pink, plum, and bronze while the shimmers come in the same colors with added glitter. The lip butters come in Coconut Lime, Juicy Mango, and Lavender Vanilla.



The pink lip gloss is the most perfect pale pink that provides the lips with a very sheer dusting of pretty color. It's not sticky at all and it feels super lush and hydrating. It's shiny without being over the top. The Juicy Mango Lip Butter is so smooth and applies easily. It makes my lips feel moisturized and silky. It smells great and tastes good without making me lick my lips 24/7. The Plum Lip Shimmer is probably my favorite of the 3 because it's so gorgeous and flattering on my lips. It has the perfect amount of shimmer and color.

Moving on to the other Mad Gab's products I was lucky enough to try - lets talk about the Turtle Shimmer which is a glistening pink color perfect for any pretty pout. The Shimmers have a lovely peppermint scent and flavor to them which I just adore. The minty tingle adds a cool feel to the lips. I love the turtle on the packaging too!


I also got to try a couple of the smooch products; one is from the Zoo Smooch line and the other is from Dino Smooch. My zoo balm is the Giraffe Smooch in vanilla with SPF 15. I find giraffes irresistible, so I think this one is really adorable. It's got a really warm vanilla scent that is just delicious. My favorite balm of the bunch is the Stego Smooch lip balm in berry, which comes in a recyclable tin. This smells fantastic and I'm mad about the formulation. It's wonderful! It applies like butter and lasts for an irresistibly kissable mouth. I normally don't like balms in tins because I'm a bit of a germ freak but this one is incredible.



Last but certainly not least is the Hi-Bear-Nating Balm which is a calming lavender body balm. I can't remember if I've told you how obsessed with lavender I am before but just take my word for it – I can't get enough! This is perfectly divine smelling lavender (not all are) and it works so well to calm and relax me for bed. I just massage a little bit of this onto my neck and temples (as per instructions on the package) right before bed and I'm ready to doze off and get a peaceful night's sleep.



I love Mad Gab's so much that I'm planning on checking out their Holiday Smooch Lip Balms very soon. Their prices are affordable and their products are worth a try so check them out for yourself at http://www.madgabs.com/

(FTC: These products were so generously provided to me for review consideration by the company. I am not being compensated to write this review. All thought and opinions, as always, and my own and honest.)