Sparkled Beauty

A quick post today to let you know some awesome deals I found in the weekend. While doing my Winners check, just in case another Cargo Mediterranean set shows up, I found ...

... Nubar Polka Dots (reg. 24, on sale for $20 on Nubar website vs. $17 at Winners), I was so excited.

Not a huge saving but I have wanted all 3 bottles for a while - White Polka Dot, Black Polka Dot, and Diamont top coat.

A few Korres products showed up on the shelf too. This must be "Boxing Month" at Winners, they have brought in so many new brands.

I got the Antioxidant Sunflower and Hydrating Evening Primrose Eyeshadow quad - Cool Collection (reg. $35, Winners' price $9). Each shade - Silver, White, Plum and Purple - has its own lid, supposed to be long wearing and creaseless.

Also found a Korres Lip butter in Plum (reg. $12, I paid $4). There seems to be only one shade available.

Macadamia Natural Oil hair care products were at Winners for a long time but this Discover the Secrets of Healthy Hair gift set was on clearance for $36 (retails $99, Winners' original price: $70). I didn't pass it up:
- Rejuvenating Shampoo 300ml (reg. $21)
- Moisturizing Rinse 60ml ($6)
- Healing Oil Treatment 125ml ($39.95)
- Deep Repair Masque 250ml ($33)
- Healing Oil Spray 60ml (%14.50)
- Nourishing Leave-In Cream 60ml ($6.50), and
- A wide tooth comb.

Looks like the Healing Oil treatment is the most expensive by itself, already costs more than what I paid for the whole set. I'm happy.

There are some Smashbox from the Untamed collection (lip glosses, eyeliners, etc.), if you are a fan of the brand. Check out your Winners, you never know what you can find.

A side note: There is a great deal on Physician's Formula at Shoppers this week - 40% off sale plus mail-in rebate stickers on certain products which would end up costing you close to nothing. You'll need the stickers, the rebate forms from the brand's website, and your receipt to do the rebate.

A little math here for you:
- pH Matchmaker blush in Natural, reg. $17.99, after 40% off: $10.79, after $9 rebate: $1.79

- Eye Booster 2-in-1 Lash Boosting Felt-Tip Eyeliner + Serum in Ultra Black (this is the felt tip, not the thin brush), reg. $16.99, down to $10.19, $1.19 after $9 rebate.

Note that there are certain products with $6 rebate stickers but I think the rebate period for them has passed. So please check the list of current rebates to grab the right products in store.

Have a great first day of the week, everyone. I'm at a conference till Wednesday but will be thinking of good food and shopping most of the time :)

How's everyone getting ready for the holiday? I suck badly for forgetting to pack the USB cord to transfer my pics from the camera to the computer, so I end up with no new reviews/ posts for a while. I apologize.

We're going to have to go with previous NOTDs that I have lined up in the draft list.

This is Nubar Cotton Candy, a pretty colour but not what I imagined. Is it just me or you also think of a pale pink colour when you hear the name Cotton Candy?

I mean it didn't come to me as a surprise as I did look at swatches before getting it, but still how could Cotton Candy be an aqua/ turquoise kind of shade? :)

Anyway, here it is, more of a close-up. On the nail, it looks a bit more sheer than the bottle colour. I did 3 coats, just to see how opaque it could be, but I probably needed the 4th coat to get rid of VNL. Nonetheless, Cotton Candy is a pretty colour and I wouldn't mind wearing it again.

Nubar has great wear and finish, I have to say. Out of a few I tried, I didn't have any problem, application wise or else. I recently increased my Nubar stash quite a lot thanks to a blogging friend who found it at a nail supply store. Wish I could upload pics of the haul to show you. Soon though, I promise.

I missed the eclipse last night too, wasn't on twitter to see all the tweets about it. We were watching a movie downstairs :) Squirt had a fun day today with the "Yogi Bear" movie and a few trips sliding down the hill in a toboggan. Tomorrow we are going skating. Kids are spoiled during the holiday, I'm telling you. So much fun stuff for them to do, not mentioning all the presents Santa would bring them :) Hope you are spoiled too!

My very first... Nubar!

Let's take a break from haul posts with a NOTD. Not that there's anything wrong with those hauls, lol :)

This is Nubar Iced Licorice, from my Blog Sale haul a while back. I wore this right before the LA trip and I really hated to take it off. It was love!

I broke 2 nails before the trip, so the nail length was uneven. But just concentrate on the shade, do you see how gorgeous it is?

This first pic is with flash but the colour isn't that far off with how it looks IRL. It is a lively purple, not flat, if you know what I mean, thanks to the smoky duochrome flash. Not easy to describe, but the moment you see it, you'd be in love with it.

Application was one of the best I have seen, lived up to the Nubar fame that everyone was talking about. On top of that, the brush and the bottle design are great too.

This picture is with indoor natural light, not the best quality, I'm sorry :) It was not easy to catch the sun over here where we seem to have more grey/ foggy days than everywhere else in the country, lol.

Just take my words and get Iced Licorice if you have access to Nubar easily (and cost effectively, lol). Hope I can grow my Nubar "collection" over time. More blog sale hunting? Lol...

A few happy notes:
- I just got myself 2 Melmers - the Michaels' version of IKEA's Helmers. I figured they could do the job until I can get to an IKEA (none here where I live). They are on sale for 40% off this week, if you guys want some :) Now all my polishes have a neat home (no longer shoe boxes), sorted by brands. I might need a third one soon though, lol.

- And omg, Kandee Johnson commented on my IMATS LA pictures post. I was so surprised and happy that she found my blog.

Have a good day, ladies. It looks like the rain streak has stopped and we see some sunlight here today.

The bad polish addict in me stroke again as I fell for a huge blog sale on nail polish. Come see how many bottles I ended up with, lol. It's crazy with any polish blog sale, as you have to search for swatches, and put your name in for them, hoping no one else did before you.

I picked the shades I always wanted or the ones with brands I haven't owned any. It was a really hard job to decide on the final list, I'm telling you.

First row: Nubar Greener and Iced Licorice, Piggy Polish Piglet.
I decided on the 2 Nubar shades the moment I saw the swatches. Have to admire the blogger who sold them, as they are way too pretty to part with.

Second row: Star Gazer #138, Orly Velvet Rope, Lollipop and Spark.
Velvet Rope is stunning in the bottle with a nice amount of shimmer. Hope I can swatch it soon. I love the rubbery handles, didn't mind to get 2 more from Orly.

Here come the China Glaze. You all have seen these shades around: Blk-Bila-Bong, Orange Marmalade, Let's Do It in 3D and Social Animal. It's just me, the late "boomer" that haven't owned them yet, lol.

I needed Orange Marmalade to complete my Summer Days collection - the one collection I want to own the whole thing.

Kaleidoscope collection would be another one, so glad I got Let'd Do It in 3D.

Can't say I know much about Social Animal, but it looked pretty on blogs, and so did Blk-Bila-Bong.

Last batch: the OPI :)

You have seen my OPI Stash which was 3 colours and a top coat, then I got My Private Jet from VNS. And now I double the stash with Have You Seen My Limo?, Catherine the Grape, Parlez-vous OPI, Do You Lilac It? and Teal the Cows Come Home.

I was all settled with not having anymore OPI, as they are too darn expensive to buy now that etailers can't sell them. Surprisingly, nobody snagged these shades before me, so I was lucky to have them.

Should I be settled down now, lol? Darn, now I have to go back and take new stash pictures again for the brands I haven't posted about. Hope you guys don't take haul posts as showing off. I am just too excited and wanted to share. Cheers!