First Giveway--25 Follower My Favorite Things

Yay! It is finally the moment we have all been waiting for!!! My first ever Glitter, Gloss, and Glaze Giveaway!!! As promised, I said when I hit 25 followers I would do this! (as this week has gone on, I think right now I have 31 followers, so even more exciting!!)

For this first one, I wanted to give one lucky person some of my favorite things--and all things that have been mentioned/reviewed/loved by this blog. (****All items were purchased by me with my own money****)

Here's the overall item picture and then itemized pix of everything:

Ta-da! Some of my fave things!

Cosmetics Bag

Maybelline Baby Lips in Peppermint

Sinful Colors Extra Shiny Lip Gloss in Creamsicle Cream

Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream

e.l.f. Nail Polish Remover Pads

Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear in Violet

One of my favorite polishes of allll time is Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear in Lilac. It looks great with stamping; it did an awesome job with water marbling; it looks pretty by itself; it's pretty with glitter on top; it's doesn't chip very easily--it truly is my favorite polish! Sadly, I couldn't find lilac today, but Violet is just a pretty color and even has a little sparkly glimmer to it:)

So Rafflecopter is going to help with my first giveaway! The rules are pretty simple. You must leave a comment on this post in order to be entered. You can write a random fact about yourself or what one of your favorite products is. Then if you want additional entries, you can Like my Facebook page, Follow me on Twitter, and/or Tweet about this giveaway! So, that's a total of FOUR chances to win!

You do need to be 18+ and in the continental United States. Sorry to all my international lovelies, hopefully my later, bigger giveaways will be open to you, too! You have until next Saturday, January 14, 2012 at midnight EST time to enter! I'll notify the winner and he/she will have 48 hours to provide me with their contact/shipping information. Good luck!!!

Take Care of Your Nails!!

No fancy nail art/designs/polish today (I actually mentioned on Twitter this morning that I was going to work with naked nails! lol) It doesn't happen often, but I think every once in a while, my nails might need to breathe the fresh air!

Today, I thought I'd take a moment to talk about nail health! You know I'm a huge HUGE proponent of BASE COAT!! I wasn't always. Especially when I was younger, I thought I just needed the colored polish and I'd have pretty nails. This is all good and fine 'til your nails start turning an ugly shade of yellow/orange/grossness from the (especially darker) polishes that have seeped into your nail beds! (okay, I'm not sure that's what happens, but it sounds good, so go with it;) Base Coat is genius because it puts a barrier between your nail and the colored polish. So, if I haven't stressed this enough, USE BASE COAT!!!!

 A few other things you could/should do to keep your nails looking and feeling healthy:

1. Buff them. I discovered this buffing block nearly ten years ago. The concept is simple, file nail edges, remove ridges, smooth nail, shine nail. Basically, what happens after you do all four steps, your nails will be so shiny they'll look like you have a coat of clear polish on! Also, the polish goes on smoother and cleaner since your nails are smoother:) If you've never used one, you can get one for cheap--in the block or the stick form (I prefer the block, just 'cause it gives me more source to hold on to.) If you don't know how to use one, let me know! I'd be happy to explain in greater detail or film a tutorial for you!:) (mine is Ms. Manicure for about $2)
2. This is an item I've only recently started using: Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream! The best way I can describe this stuff is that it's like a lip balm for your finger nails! It's super easy to use! Just massage it into your nails and cuticle areas! It moisturizes your nails and softens cuticles! I've been using it for only a couple weeks, and I'm not sure if I see a huge difference yet, but I love the smell of it! It's like lemon meringue pie!! yummy!!! My one complaint is it comes in the little tins that are nearly impossible for me to open:( But that's just me:( (Walgreens, $5.99)

So these are the tips I have for now! What do you do to keep your nails looking and feeling healthy and beautiful?? :)