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

Perfect Match — BaubleBar & Essie Collaboration!

Talk about a match made in heaven! (Or hell, if you're trying to manage your cash flow...) BaubleBar and Essie have teamed up in a genius way.

BaubleBar eyed this collection and thought... Nice shades, Essie. So pretty, so shiny, so jewel-like. Why don't we make a collection using these exact colors? Say whaaa?

With the holidays coming up, what better treat for the nail polish-loving ladies in your life? At $50, it's an affordable indulgence that'll give you a lot of bang for your buck: one full-size polish, one perfectly matching bangle, plus two other BaubleBar bracelets all inside a shiny little bag that's just begging to be repurposed.

iwant! Francesca

Spotted: Nails In Motion

Few things are worse than smudging a fresh manicure. A bird pooping on your car right after you've washed it, or the top scoop of an ice cream cone falling to the ground before you even get to taste it are a couple examples of similarly agonizing situations.

But wait! Every now and then, a genius idea comes along that solves a problem that you didn't even know you had, or never once thought you could eliminate.

Remember the days before the invention of The Slanket, The Original Blanket with Sleeves? If you were freezing on the couch but needed to grab the remote, or sip your glass or wine, or pet your cat, then you had to remove your vulnerable arm from the warm confines of your blanket and brave the subzero temperatures of your chilly family room. Those were dark days...

Well, thanks to the people at Nails In Motion, you may never have a ruined manicure again! Check this out!

And they sound really easy to use.

Have any of you guys tried this product? I am a sucker for anything Lucite... not to mention, I think these would really come in handy. Pun intended.

shallispend, Francesca

P.S.

P.P.S. My birthday's coming up...

Ms. B Chic Presents: Gifts for the Nail Fanatic!

My friend Margot is — and I do not use this term lightly — a fashionista. Her style is awe-inspiring, and luckily for us all, she has a blog (check it out here!) called Ms. B Chic where she shares all of her wardrobe wisdom. And luckily for us, she's a nail polish lover, too.

Which of these are you dying for? I am definitely dreaming of (1) Essie's Matte About You. Imagine the possibilities!! (12) is so lovely...

Which are you eyeing?

xxo, GLOSS

Le Métier de Beauté — Merry Metallics Set

You know... since most of my friends know that I have an obsession with nail polish, they all seem to think that polish is high priority on my Christmas List.

... And it is. :)

I saw these online today and am resisting the urge. The Urge to Splurge. May I present Le Métier de Beauté "Merry Metallics Set." ("Le métier de beauté translates to "the craft of beauty" en français, ma petite.)

What colors! And what packaging!! I am a sucker for pretty packaging. The site alludes to two sets. Only one is pictured and described in depth. I see some great shades here:

• Plum Puddin' - rich plum spun with sheer silver
• Red-E and Waiting - sheer red with metallic gold undertones
• Tarnished Silver - a moonlit platinum
• Lame Entertain You - a shimmering copper with silver undertones

There's no need to comment on the awful names. I know, I know. It's bad. Real bad.

It's clear that they are confused about their image. Luxe packaging, clunky names. They need to use more romantic, Francophile names, a la Chanel. But read this...

Each nail lacquer glides on smoothly with a 220-bristle flat blush uniquely designed for easy application. Fortified with strengthening proteins and hydrators, Le Métier de Beauté nail lacquers are highly pigmented for rich, glossy, long-wearing color.

220 bristles, eh? Is that good? We need some context here...

But can we just talk about the little decorative keepsake that comes with this set?

What an over-the-top description... and yet, it leaves me wanting MORE. I would wear it as a necklace, conventions be damned.

Honestly, $32 is totally reasonable. Observe:

• A keepsake of the Quality, like this hand-chosen leaf? $10 easy.
• One "mini" bottle of Le Métier de Beauté polish contains 4ml (0.135256091 FL OZ)*
• Four bottles in a set! That means you get 16ml (0.541024363FL OZ) total
• One full-size bottle of Le Métier de Beauté polish costs $18 and contains 13ml (0.439582295 FL OZ) total (note: less than the average Essie bottle, which is 13.5ml... OPI is 15ml)
• So, let's say, based on the full bottle price, that 1ml is worth $1.38.
• 16ml (total amount of polish you get with this set) is worth $22.08, according to my voodoo math
• So, $10 keepsake, plus $22.08 worth of nail polish, plus the added convenience of having four colors at your disposal instead of just one... IT ALL EQUALS $32**.

whatISthedifferencebetweenwishfulwistfulandgreedy, GLOSS

*Please observe my in-depth reporting. I am citing my source. Because I care. <3

*my grades in math have never been very good, although I can't imagine why not