Giveaway — The New Black / The Digital Underground by Madeline Poole

It's that time of year! The season where you skulk around the mall finding all the best sweaters and gift sets and trinkets and baubles... and purchase them for someone else to enjoy.

They say 'tis better to give than to receive, I know, I know. And I can only imagine all of the selfless holiday purchases my Polishment pals have been making... That's why I want to send one of you a special Christmas treat!

The New Black collaborated with Los Angeles-based nail artist Madeline Poole. Aren't familiar with Poole? I've included some of her handiwork below; she's one of the best nail painters in Hollywood. Click the pics to explore Madeline Poole's website. Or better yet, follow her on Twitter!

As you can see, Madeline has quite the eye for color and is no stranger to nail art. She designed three sets for the The Digital Underground collection. You can buy them here at Sephora for $24... or enter below for your chance to win "Nile" from yours truly.

Entering for your chance to win is easy — all you need to do is make sure you're a Polishment follower!

The cutoff is 11:59pm Pacific time on Sunday, December 16th. The winner will be randomly selected through Random.org. For this giveaway, only winners with U.S. shipping addresses are eligible. (Sorry for the inconvenience!) For the amateurish legal details, click here.

meowychristmas!!! Francesca

ZOYA — Isla

It's a neat gimmick that Zoya's got going on. All of the brand's shade names are actually girl names! Please make the acquaintance of my new gal pal, Isla.

Isla is a blackened, metallic ruby. It gleams a rich red, but when it's not catching the light, it's a noticeably darker color. It's a little hard to explain, but this is not your usual metallic red. Sometimes a shiny red screams holiday to me (Essie Jag-U-Are, love ya, but I'm looking at you...) but Isla is a dramatic crimson that works well for months other than December. Isla's high-shine keeps it from feeling too vamp (but don't worry, it still feels pretty Melisandre-esque.). If you're a red lover and are looking for a glamour color to add to your Stash, I sincerely recommend Isla. Also a good gift for your more traditional-color-loving friends.

I love the Zoya brush; it's on the tiny side but it fans beautifully so that you can get a nice clean edge near your cuticle. The formula's smooth, but I will admit that this color chipped sooner than I expected. By Day Four, I had definite tip wear, and by Day 5 I had legit chips.

The name Isla conjures Isla Fisher to mind, the foxy lady who made her big debut in Wedding Crashers.

... but I happened to be wearing Isla the first time I listened to Lana Del Rey's album, Born to Die, and Lana mentions red nails on several tracks, so I'm pairing that redhead with this manicure instead.

borntoisla, Francesca

[youtube=http://youtu.be/Bag1gUxuU0g]

Christmas Manicure Craziness

I wanted to do a festive holiday manicure but I just couldn’t decide what to do — there were so many options.

Some simple red and green nails with some glitter? Perhaps some trees, inspired by Jane at Nailside’s fantastic Christmas Tutorial? (You must click here and check out what Jane’s been up to; she really is the best.) Then there was a tape manicure idea I came up with that, if executed perfectly, would look like little gifts with bows…

Decisions, decisions...

The same day I planned to do my Christmas Nailz, I decided to make a million Christmas cookies, and the process was way more intense than I thought it would be. I was too tired to make a wise decision by the time I sat down to do my manicure that night. What you are about to see is a product of exhaustion.

Unable to pick and choose in my delirium, I decided to do ALL the designs!! This is the most cray cray manicure I’ve done yet. I’m not known for subtlety, and this mani is proof of that.

The gift idea was the most promising, but mine didn’t turn out so well. The major secret is access to a helper. Literally, a helping hand. You need another person to achieve this look. See below — click to enlarge.

Best of luck if you give these tapey gifts a whirl!

Meowy Christmas, GLOSS

Candy Cane Baby

I am so thankful to get to spend my holidays with friends who are like family to me, as my family is states away and I only get to see them but a couple times a year.  I will be with them on Christmas, but leading up to these holidays can be quite difficult when you are riding solo. This weekend I got to partake in a little holiday party with some very close friends.  There were many families and babies there, which made for much fun.  There were gingerbread houses, ribbons, cookies, Justin Beiber Christmas music, and other holiday joy!

The highlight of the evening, you ask?!....Painting a young ladies nails!

This particular young lady is of the tender age of five and, as her mother describes, "she like to be a girly girl and get her nails painted, but she also likes to play in the dirt."

My kind a' lady.

The menu was candy canes, and I followed this PYT's specifications exactly.  Belive me.  She was specific!

Using the following sinful colors, this is what we came up with.....

Not so bad for a wiggly five year old!

Afterwards, she was off to the park with the other children to, well, play in the dirt, of course ;)

Spotted: Krystal's Kandy Mani

Check out my friend Krystal’s Kandy Mani!

She's fancy and got her nailz did, but I think that with the right colors and some patience, you can recreate this look at home. Don't forget the subtle silver glitter on the white stripes! It added some welcome sparkle.

I think this looks so festive and cheerful! What a sweet holiday manicure; a true treat!

xxo, GLOSS