It’s time for another installment of As Amazing As Polish, my opportunity to gush about the products that I feel truly are as AH-MAZING as nail polish.

Long time readers, I’m sure you have noticed how sporadic these posts are.  It’s not out of laziness or forgetfulness, it’s just that as beauty junkie who is constantly testing new products it takes a rare flower to get a rave from me. Lancôme Flash Bronzer Oil-Free Tinted Self Tanning Face Lotion (what a mouthful!) definitely deserves that kind of praise.

You may or may not remember that I’m a reformed indoor tanner.  After having a couple suspicious moles removed a few years back I gave up the habit but have been seriously missing the golden brown color ever since.  I can’t help it, I like how I look with a tan.  I think a lot of people that aren’t blessed with flawless, porcelain skin would agree.

Since I gave up the fake & bake I’ve been on the hunt for a self-tanner I can fall in love with and it’s been one massive fail. I’ve tried gradual self-tanners but hated smelling like ass every night to look barely sun-kissed.  I’ve used traditional self-tanners only to end up with streaks or Oompa Loompa feet. Embarrassing!  I’ve tried spray booths, lotions, creams, mists, tanning mitts, etc. and like Goldilocks I never found the right fit until now.

With the exception of the summer months I had pretty much resigned myself to being the pale girl my parents created.  Without indoor tanning, I just couldn’t stomach the process of self tanning.  Exfoliating, dealing with the stench DHA (dihydroxyacetone) causes when it reacts with your skin, avoiding orange palms and streaks.  It’s all too much.  But if I could find a product that smells pleasant, is mistake-proof in its application and gives noticeable results without requiring daily maintenance I would reconsider my stance.  Enter the newest product in the Lancôme Flash Bronzer lineup, their Oil-Free Tinted Self Tanning Face Lotion.

When I was in New York for The Makeup Show I was invited to a press event for Lancôme’s new mascara, Définicils Precious Cells, and the Flash Bronzer Face Lotion was one of the items I was sent home with to try.  Now for the past couple years I’ve been relying on Jergens Natural Glow Face simply because it is cheap and none of the more expensive products I bought had impressed me.  They either broke me out, made me look orange or did nothing for me color-wise.  The Jergens smells horrible but didn’t upset my skin.  The color is pretty light though and I hated using it every night instead of my usual anti-aging creams.

Long story short, I packed the the Lancôme Flash Bronzer when I went to Put-In-Bay for my birthday.  I applied it the night before we sailed over to the island and was a bit shocked by how muddy brown the lotion appears.  It even looked a bit odd when I first applied it on my face.  But once I started to rub it in the lotion gave my skin a noticeable, even glow.  Even being the key word here.  The tint definitely helped ensure an even application.  The product promises results in thirty minutes but since I apply it before bed I can’t attest to that.

What I can tell you is that I woke up the next morning a glowing, bronzed goddess.  I was seriously amazed plus I didn’t have the BF complaining about self-tanner smell or any marks on my pillowcase.  The best part, my golden tan lasted the five days the package promises.  I just moisturized as normal and the color held its own then gradually faded away.

To give you an idea of how fantastic the color is, let’s look at a Before & After. The picture on the right of me and the lovely Paula from Older Girl Beauty was taken the weekend of The Makeup Show in May. I’m all pale, pasty and red. No bueno. To the left is a shot of me and my BFF, not to be confused with the BF, at Put-In-Bay in late June. Much better!

Ever since that weekend in May, I’ve been addicted to Flash Bronzer.  I’ve been using it regularly for over a month now and haven’t had a single skin issue or bit of patchiness.  It’s like I’m back to my blissful days of UV tanning, minus the skin cancer risk and sun damage.

As those of you who follow me on Twitter & Facebook know, I’m heading to Vegas for the Cosmoprof show again and you better believe I’ll be breaking out the Flash Bronzer.  In fact I’m so impressed with the face version, I’m heading to my Lancôme counter to pick up a bottle of Flash Bronzer Body Gel to tan the rest of me and a backup bottle of Flash Bronzer Face.  I had been using Estee Lauder’s Bronze Goddess and it gave good color but was streaky, smelly and took forever to dry.

Lancôme Flash Bronzer Oil-Free Tinted Self Tanning Face Lotion is available now on Lancôme-USA.com and at Lancôme counters nationwide.  It retails for $30 for a 1.7 fl oz bottle.  I’ve been using my bottle religiously for the past month and a half and it’s still going strong.

Who else has tried the Flash Bronzer line?  What are your favorite self-tanners?  I had hoped to find a comparable product from L’Oreal since they have the same parent company but the Sublime Bronze line just doesn’t work as well for me.  Anyone have an affordable self-tanning option that doesn’t smell, clog pores or streak?

Disclosure: A product sample was furnished by Lancôme. For more info view my Disclosure Policy.

image credit: Heather Park & All Lacquered Up

It’s time for another installment of As Amazing As Polish, my opportunity to gush about the products that I feel truly are as AH-MAZING as nail polish. Lip gloss junkies you must, MUST, get yourself a Pocket Rocket! OK that sounds dirty. I’m talking lip gloss here people! Get your minds out of the gutter (cuz you’re crowding me out). One of my fave makeup brands Urban Decay introduced Pocket Rocket Lip Gloss last spring and I’m loving it! I seriously can’t get enough of this stuff. See why after the jump!

What is truly genius about the Pocket Rocket is the packaging. It’s clever, fun and totally unique. Each one features a hot guy on the cap who undresses down to his skivvies at the right angle AND the tube is flat to fit in your pocket with no unsightly bulge. Now I don’t know about you girls but when I go out I hate carrying a purse. I’m a lover of big purses and hauling one around on a night out is a PITA so I’m a strict M.I.L.K. (money, ID, lippie, keys) carrier. The shape of the Pocket Rocket is ideal for that. It’s longer than most glosses but the flat design and smooth casing make it easy to stash in the front or back pocket of your jeans.

Even better than the exterior is the yummy gloss inside. I picked up David a few weeks back at my local ULTA and have been wearing it everyday since. If you’re looking for a fab non-sticky gloss, you’ve found it! Smooth and silky, it glides on with ease.

Even though I was intimidated by the deep mauve color in the the tube, on my lips it’s just sheer enough to not be overwhelming. It’s just pretty and girly. Very much my ideal hue. Oh and the scent, I can’t get over the scent. It smells like Golden Grahams, one of my fave cereals ever. Delish!
You can get your own Pocket Rocket for $19/ea online at UrbanDecay.com, Sephora.com and Beauty.com or in stores like ULTA and Sephora.

Who’s a UD fan? Anyone else swooing over the Pocket Rocket? Sound off!

It’s time for another installment of As Amazing As Polish, my opportunity to gush about the products that I feel truly are as AH-MAZING as nail polish. Aveda’s Smooth Infusion Style Prep Smoother certainly belongs in that category.

As you know from my AAAP post about New York Streets, my beauty junkie tendencies go way beyond nails with hair being my next great obsession. And for as long as I can remember, I’ve been an Aveda devotee. When my stylist from childhood moved to an Aveda concept salon, it changed my hair’s lifestyle. I immediately switched everything in my routine to the point that my product drawer looked like I had robbed the salon.

When I first started with Aveda, I was all about the Clove line and Cherry Almond Bark Deep Conditioner. I lived for them. Though at some point in my early 20s I developed a sensitive scalp that can’t tolerate their shampoos without getting itchy. Color me sad.

Over time I’ve tried Damage Control, Anti-Humectant Pomade, Brilliant Emollient Gloss, Light Elements Smoothing Fluid, Hang Straight, Be Curly, Brilliant Universal Styling Creme, Volumizing Tonic, you get the picture. Needless to say, my love affair with Aveda is deep and real.

After years of playing, mixing and testing I finally found a perfect concoction for my everyday straight, round brushed look. A bit of Elixir Leave-on Conditioner combined with Brilliant Emollient Gloss and Anti-Humectant Pomade to tame any frizzies or flyaways. So you can imagine my horror and bitterness when I learned last year that my beloved Elixir was being taken away. Apparently us Midwesterners were the only ones that understood its merits and that wasn’t enough for Aveda to keep putting it out. Boo on that! Or so I thought. Then, last year at a Fashion Week dinner hosted by Aveda, I was introduced to my new BFF, Smooth Infusion Style Prep Smoother.

Kids, this product is IT! I honestly don’t know what I did before it came into my life. For you fellow Aveda-philes imagine if Elixir and Hang Straight had a baby. Talk about the most perfect love child. Honestly, with the exception of a little bit of Ouidad/Kerastase leave-in to quench my dry ends, all I need is Style Prep and my hair is shiny, smooth and frizz free. My poor pomade has been sitting, untouched, ever since. I just hit the pump three times, emulsify it in my hands and rake through my strands before drying. And I love that the Smooth Infusion line’s lemony botanical scent lingers. Even after a long day, my locks still smell fresh.

I’m telling you if you have hair texture anything like mine, you know thick, coarse, slightly wavy, frizzes at the mere threat of humidity, you MUST MUST MUST give this product a whirl. If you go to an Aveda salon ask your stylist to use it on you or see if they can send you home with a small sample. Your hair will love you for it!

Aveda Smooth Infusion Style Prep Smoother retails for $24.00 for a 3.4 oz bottle and is available at Aveda salons, stores and online at Aveda.com

In honor of World AIDS Day I want to share with you a charity and product line that truly is As Amazing As Polish; the MAC AIDS Fund and Viva Glam lineup of lip color. You may remember that last year I had the privilege of attending a party with Viva Glam spokeswomen Eve and Dita Von Teese to celebrate the MAC AIDS Fund reaching the $100 Million mark. Since then, MAC has raised an additional $30 Million dollars through the sales of Viva Glam & Kids Helping Kids products alone. That is totally ah-mazing!

A little background on the MAC AIDS Fund and Viva Glam:

Established in 1994 by M·A·C Cosmetics, the M·A·C AIDS Fund supports men, women and children affected by HIV/AIDS globally. Introducing its first VIVA GLAM lipstick that same year, M·A·C decided that every cent of the selling price of the VIVA GLAM lipsticks would go to the M·A·C AIDS Fund. With a total of six shades of Viva Glam lipstick and two shades of Viva Glam lipglass now sold worldwide, and through the annual Kids Helping Kids Card Program, M·A·C Cosmetics has provided over $130 million (US) to date for the M·A·C AIDS Fund. The M·A·C AIDS Fund is the heart and soul of the company – with its employees giving their time, energy and talent to help those affected by HIV/AIDS worldwide.

Not only is the MAC AIDS Fund a fantastic charity supporting a worthwhile cause, the Viva Glam lippies really are “amazing.” My personal faves are the Viva Glam V & VI lipsticks and their matching lipglasses. I prefer warmer lip shades so those two are the most flattering on me. Both colors come in my favorite MAC lipstick formula, lustre. Lustres are slick, moist and, for a lipstick, give a soft, wet look. Topped with the coordinating lipglass makes them even more lustrous and patent looking.

Viva Glam V is a sparkly nude pink that is perfect for a subtle day look yet it transitions well into night when paired with a smokey eye. Being that the V set hasn’t left my purse since I bought it, it’s my go to look for work.

Viva Glam VI is a pearly browned plum that I love to wear at night. It glides on effortlessly and compliments my typical brown/neutral eye look.

If you can’t decide on the best Viva Glam color for you, check out MAC’s Holiday collection, Passionately Red. It consists of two lip palettes filled with coordinating Viva Glam shades. You can choose from Cool Lips with IV and II lipsticks and VI lipglass or Warm Lips with VI and V lipsticks and V lipglass. Both of the jewel adorned cases include a black-handled 316 SE lip brush. They retail for $22.50 each with all the proceeds going to the MAC AIDS Fund.
In case the colors alone aren’t enough to convince you to pick up a Viva Glam product and help a worthy cause, here are 10 more reasons.

Did you know that the $14 from a Viva Glam lipstick can…

• pay for 14 bus passes for people living with HIV to attend their doctor’s appointment?
• sponsor a prevention workshop for 10 at-risk youth in Russia?
• cover the cost of food and packaging for 7 hot meals for a person living with HIV/AIDS?
• help distribute 100 condoms at community education sessions in Kenya?
• provide round trip transportation for 3 women living with HIV/AIDS to attend programs?
• provide supplies to help volunteers knit 10 baby blankets?
• buy basic school supplies for a child of an HIV/AIDS Client?
• pay for the transportation costs for four HIV patients to come to medical clinics?
• pay for three rapid HIV-testing units?
• provide one person with HIV/AIDS a nutritionally-appropriate and home-delivered breakfast, lunch and dinner?

MAC is offering free shipping from now until midnight when you use the code 4DAY at checkout. So, there really isn’t any reason you can’t place a tiny lippie order, is there? It is Cyber Monday after all. Get to it!

OK so because this site is focused on nails, you all don’t know about my obsession with my hair. It’s way beyond fanaticism, it’s a sickness. My hair is my arch nemesis and a daily battle.

Left it up to its own devices I would have what The Boyfriend describes as “Amazon Hair,” a puffy mess of crazy that only he gets to see. I was cursed with thick, coarse, wavy hair that for some reason rejects almost every low to high end brand of shampoo & conditioner I’ve used and I’ve tried way too many.

For quite some time now, I’ve been in love with Kenra’s Platinum Shampoo and Conditioner for Thick/Coarse hair. It’s a great line but being a typical product junkie, I continue to try new things in hopes of finding the ultimate combo that will produce shiny, bouncy, uber-soft results. All I’ve found is a bunch of losers. Shampoos that make my scalp itchy. Conditioners that weigh my hair down or leave it feeling like straw.

So as hard as it is for me to believe, I’ve finally found something that truly wows – New York Streets Hair Culture Collection. It really is “As Amazing As Polish.” My hair hasn’t felt this smooth and manageable while still maintaining its luster since I was a kid with “virgin hair.” Even The Boyfriend commented on the softness and added movement. That’s right, a GUY noticed! I mean, he’s been well schooled in the world of beauty over the past nine years but he’s still essentially an oblivious boy. So color me overjoyed that New York Streets made that big of a difference!

Now as someone with a sensitive scalp, finding a SLS (Sodium Lauryl/Laureth Sulfate) free line is always a top priority. While SLS isn’t terrible, it is harsher than other types of detergents so it can cause scalp irritation. New York Streets uses oil derived cleansers that are gentler and less drying.

Clean shampoo has a warm, foody scent. It reminds me of Healthy Sexy Hair Chocolate Soymilk Shampoo but milder and less chocolate-y. The texture is thin and syrupy, like honey, yet it’s not sticky like other sulfate free shampoos I’ve tried. Even though most SLS-free shampoos don’t lather much, if at all, Clean does give you a bit of that comforting “it’s doing its job” foam action. It rinses clean but not squeaky and even before you grab the conditioner, you can feel the softness happening.

Condition, with the same cozy scent scent as Clean, is a medium viscosity opaque conditioner. It glides on easily, almost like a coating, and doesn’t require a lot of product to get the job done, even for my big old mess of hair. The first time I used it, I squeezed out a giant dollop only to have half of it go to waste. And even though it does contain some smoothing silicones in the ingredients, they appear much lower on the list than the majority of conditioners that rely on ‘cones to tame unruliness.

The overall effect of using both Clean & Condition along with my favorite styling products, Kerastase Ciment Thermique and Aveda Smooth Infusion Style Prep, makes me beyond happy. Honestly, I can’t remember the last time my hair felt this soft and weightless. There aren’t words for how much I love these products. Even the hipster cool packaging sets it apart from any line I’ve encountered before. And I love that the shampoo and conditioner bottles are the same size. I HATE when the conditioner comes in a smaller bottle. HATE I say!

If you are frustrated with your hair situation and can’t find a solution, I HIGHLY recommend you give these a whirl.

New York Streets Clean ($13.50) and Condition ($15.50) can be purchased directly from their website NewYork-Streets.com. Or you can check out the salon locator to find them locally.

Welcome to a new series on All Lacquered Up, As Amazing As Polish, where I share with you the beauty products I love JUST as much as polish. Considering my fanaticism over all things nails that’s a pretty high honor so, I’ll only tell you about a product if it’s truly Ah-MAZING! You know, those items that make me jump up and down with joy the way I do over greens.

So I’ve been working on this project that I can’t quite share yet but is very exciting. Part of the process includes testing new products like all the new mascaras from this year; LashBlast, Phenomen’Eyes, Oscillation, DiorShow Iconic, etc. The one that truly wowed me… Estee Lauder TurboLash All Effects Motion Mascara. While all the others have really great qualities that in some ways top the rest, TurboLash outshines them all.

I’ve always been a Clinique Naturally Glossy Mascara girl. I stock up on it whenever I hit the CCO (Estee Lauder Cosmetics Company Outlet) and it’s been my go-to mascara since well, I can’t remember. That’s how long I’ve been using it. But now all I can reach for is TurboLash. This vibrating gem separates, lengthens, enhances, etc. All those adjectives you want in a mascara, they’re in the tube. And it does all this without giving you creepy spider lashes or clumps or any kind of lash mess. Like Jem, it’s truly OUTRAGEOUS!

What I love most is that you don’t have to wiggle the brush to get perfect application, the battery powered motion takes care of that for you. The vibrations begin when you twist the cap and don’t stop until you put the wand away. No buttons, no fuss. I’m not a coordinated gal. I’m lucky I can get my polish on semi-straight. So trying to wiggle a brush at my lash line? Forget it! TurboLash does that for you. You just slowly comb the brush through your lashes and viola, like magic, your lashes grow and seperate and curl before your eyes.

What you see above is my naked eye, no enhancements besides a quick squeeze of my Shu Uemura curler. What do you think? A major improvement, no?

Estee Lauder TurboLash retails for $30 and is available at Estee Lauder counters and online at EsteeLauder.com