Category Archives: Deals and Steals
Who Needs Minx Nails?
Hello my fellow nail fans. I *almost* didn’t do a post on this subject because this isn’t my nail art. But they got so much attention that I wanted to tell you all about how cool they can be. I like to peruse the clearance sections at Sally Beauty, Ulta, Target, grocery stores, etc. for any kind of nail products that might be on a deep discount. I found these babies at Sally Beauty and thought, “Wow those look like Minx nails!…wait $5.00?! They’re MINE!”
So if you don’t know about Minx nails, a brief description: basically they’ve patented a solid coating that can be applied to natural or artificial nails using heat and pressure. They look like sets of nail-sized sheets of pre-designed nail art and they come in ALL SORTS of colors, patterns, images and metallic finishes. Here’s an example of a few sheets of them:
They’ve been around for a few years and there are many imitators but one thing that, in my opinion, set Minx apart and keeps celebrities like Rihanna, Beyonce, Victoria Bechham, and Katy Perry coming back for more is their use of metallics. There is no nail polish (that I’ve found so far) that can match the mirror-like reflective metallic finish of Minx nails. If you wanted that flashy metallic finish on your nails, you’d better be ready to plop your butt down in a Minx-certified nail technician’s chair and pay up to $65 for a manicure ($85 for a pedicure) to get them done properly. Oh and they usually last about 4 to 8 days for a manicure…yep…up to $65…for as little as 4 days. Guess what has 2 thumbs and wasn’t in line for Minx nails? *points thumbs at myself*
But it’s been a few years since Minx got popular and imitators (like Dashing Diva) have created their own Minx-like nails for the at-home nail diva like myself. I found these babies in a package that looked like this and purchased them without a second thought. I ended up saving them for this past weekend for Halloween! The quilted appearance is actually a raised texture and they definitely caught the attention of friends and strangers alike…one lady in an elevator with me reached out and rubbed one nail then caught herself and apologized. I’m used to people staring at and touching my hands so I wasn’t offended at all…but it was funny. 😀
So these, like many fake nails can be applied with special 2-sided adhesive nail stickers for super temporary use (like a day) or with nail glue for a longer lasting manicure. I opted for nail glue but first I prepped my own nails by applying 2 coats of top coat. I also jazzed them up a little by filing them down from the square tips you’ll see in the picture below to the almond shape in the top picture, my current favorite nail shape. I think the almond shape looks so edgy yet feminine and elegant; a nice middle ground between the borderline scary stiletto nail shape and the regular old square or round nail tip. It makes my fingers looks so long and graceful….ok let me stop looking at them and wrap this post up. Yes I am typing this post with them affixed to my nails RIGHT NOW. Gosh, I love these. And I’ll be keeping my eyes peeled for more like them.
So don’t be afraid of fake nails folks!! Just make sure to protect your natural nail and you too can enjoy the look of celebrity nails at a greatly reduced price.
The original square nail tip shape…
…filed down to almond tip shapes. You can even see my reflection in the facets of the nail surface!!!
Look at that shine in the direct sunlight!!!
Julep Nail Color – Save more than 50%! Expires June 2nd
My Lucky Magazine daily email today featured a new nail polish brand called Julep. Now the deal is for a “Must-have Summer Polish Set” that includes 4 fun colors for the summer and cuticle oil for $27.93 (regular price $64.95). Whenever a new polish brand enters an already crowded nail product market, I take notice because it must have taken quite a bit of work to get to the level of being featured by Lucky Magazine.You’ll have to go here, pick the Julep Summer Must Have Set and enter ‘luckydaily3’ at checkout to get the Lucky Magazine Deal. This deal is only good until June 2nd at 10:59 a.m. (it started today at 11:00 a.m.)
Julep is a nail parlor and product company that originated in Seattle, WA with the goal of providing a healthy, relaxing, empowering environment for women in groups to be able to sit down and enjoy each others’ company while being pampered. ‘Nail parlor, eh?’, I thought. Sounds fancy! 😀 I went to their website and checked out the About Julep page and was intrigued to find that PBS has profiled the company on their show “Trendspotting”. It was a VERY interesting video! Their 4 nail parlors are in Washingston so I won’t be able to take part in the full experience anytime soon but $27.93 for 4 polishes and cuticle oil for a brand with the $14/bottle price point is a deal.
I like their vision and what the company stands for in making fashion-forward, environmentally-friendly, healthy products. Let me know if any of you guys take a chance on Julep and pick up this deal today.
Free Zoya Summer Nail Color TODAY ONLY
Great googly moogly! I don’t know why these sites give so little warning, but TODAY ONLY UNTIL 11:59pm, Zoya is giving away one of their summer nail colors FOR FREE, all you have to pay for is shipping and handling! You can choose one from their Summertime, Sunshine, or ModMatte collections.
Quick background about Zoya – While many popular nail polish brands boast that they are “3-Free” (which means their formula is Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP), Formaldehyde and Toluene), Zoya is actually “4-free” as none of their formulas contain the above 3 nor do they contain camphor. Zoya is also a vegan company! Zoya is quickly gaining popularity and now is a great time to try it for yourself. Click here and you’ll be taken to the Zoya blog page that explains how you can claim your free bottle of polish. But do it today!
If you’re interested in what chemicals actually make up nail polish, check out this article from the Nails Magazine site explaining how nail polish *works* and the whole deal about terms like “3-Free”.
China Glaze Freebie – Expires Today!
Hi Nail Polish fans!
If you’re a Sally Beauty Club member, you can get a free bottle of China Glaze with any $10 purchase. Unfortunately, I just found out about this today and it expires today. You can go here to print the coupon. You have to present your Beauty Club card and print the coupon to get the deal.
Nice way to stock up on some summer nail colors if you can make it to a Sally Beauty store today. 😀