Friday, December 26, 2014

Zoya Negative Space Nail Art

Hello, everyone! I hope that you all had a lovely holiday and are enjoying the final giveaway in the 31 Days of Giveaways series, which features a Coach Wristlet and a Pixie Dust set!

Today, I have my first negative space nail art to show you. I experimented with some nail vinyls to achieve this look and I'm pretty happy with how it came out!


I decided to go with matte shades for this look, so I used Zoya Veruschka and Savita.

A helpful tip for using nail vinyls: peel them off in the direction of the design. So for here, I peeled up a little, then down a little, following the zig zag. It helped me achieve much cleaner lines on this hand.

What do you think of my negative space zig zags? Is this something you'd like to try for yourself?

Until next time!

Thursday, December 25, 2014

31 Days of Giveaways - Days 30 and 31: Zoya and Coach

The end is here! I have combined the last two days of the giveaway because I think these two are just too awesome to post for only 24 hours.

So this giveaway will end on December 31st at midnight!

Here's the Zoya prize:



And here is the Coach prize:


Are you as excited now as I am?!? Enter below!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, December 22, 2014

31 Days of Giveaways - Day 29: Nails Inc.


Happy Day 29! If you haven't read about the giveaway and the rules, click here.


Saturday, December 20, 2014

31 Days of Giveaways - Day 28: Sensationail, Illamasqua, and the Mystery Indie Duo

A jam-packed day 28 is here! If you haven't read about the giveaway and the rules, click here.

Check out the fantastic trio of prizes after the jump!



Friday, December 19, 2014

31 Days of Giveaways - Day 26: Milani

The Milani giveaway is here! If you haven't read about the giveaway and the rules, click here.

Check out the fantastic pair of prizes after the jump!



Thursday, December 18, 2014

Milani Candy Cane Nails

Happy Friday, everybody!

With Christmas officially less than a week away, I figured it was high time for some Christmas nail art! So with a little help from the straight nail vinyls from NailVinyls.com and a pair of Milani Color Statement shades, I whipped up some candy cane nails!


For this manicure, I used Milani Iconic Red and Spotlight White.

Here are a few helpful tips if you want to recreate this look:

1. Paint the white for your base color and apply the red over the nail vinyls. I made the mistake of painting red as my base and it was a lot of work getting the white opaque. So save yourself the hassle and don't do it!

2. When using nail vinyl lines or striping tape, paint in the direction of the pieces. I achieved FAR cleaner lines when I applied the polish on a diagonal than when I just applied the polish in a vertical line from bottom to top.

3. Wait at least 20 minutes for the polish to dry before applying a top coat. I know that seems like a long time and the Milani Quick Dry top coat is amazing, but your colors WILL smear if you don't wait at least that long. Seriously. Hold out as long as you can. Nothing is more aggravating than having beautiful stripes and screwing it up after such hard work.

Feel free to post your Candy Cane nails to the Princess Polish Facebook page to show them off!

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

31 Days of Giveaways - Day 25: Lorac

The Lorac giveaway is here! If you haven't read about the giveaway and the rules, click here.

Please note: There will now be two prizes on Days 27, 28, and 29!



Monday, December 15, 2014

Hanukkah Dreidel Nail Art

Hanukkah begins tonight at sun down, so I thought it would be appropriate to kick off the eight craaaaazy nights with a little ode to the dreidel.

The dreidel frustrated me to no end as a child because I was highly unskilled at getting it to spin and always seemed to lose to my dad. Oh well.

At the least, painting them was more fun than having all of my chocolate coins stolen.


For this manicure, I used navy, teal, red, yellow, lime, and white acrylic paint over Zoya Blu. Blu has been lingering in my polish drawer for so long now and I had forgotten how much I adored her.


A very happy Hanukkah to those of you who celebrate and please keep posted for more Hanukkah nail art, as well as upcoming Christmas manicures, as well!

Sunday, December 14, 2014

31 Days of Giveaways - Day 22: Geek Chic Shoes

The Geek Chic Giveaway has finally arrived! If you haven't read about the giveaway and the rules, click here.

Check out the prize under the cut! I've been really excited for this one to roll around because it's my baby!



Nail Rehab: Trind Perfect Cuticle and Nail Kit

Hi everyone! I've been wanting to do a review of the Trind Perfect Cuticle and Nail Kit for ages and after completely wrecking my nails a few weeks ago, I had a really good before picture. Or rather, a not-so-good before picture that would serve as a good before picture.

I first started using the Trind Perfect Cuticle and Nail Kit after having my gel nails removed back in January. They were thin, brittle, and just entirely gross after, but I really feel as though Trind helped them grow out faster (and thus, growing out that unsightly ridge from where they'd once ended) and make them stronger.

Here is what the Trind Perfect Cuticle and Nail Kit looks like:


I'd show you mine, but the bottles only have 1/3 left in them and the labels are pretty much worn off.

Instead, I will show you the before and after... under the cut!

Holiday Gift Guide: Bedphones

Back when I was in undergrad at Rutgers, I always shared a bedroom with a roommate. Unfortunately, I also developed the habit of always needing to watch something on my Macbook while I tried to fall asleep.

Because my roommate (my BFF and future doctor, Cynthia!) had early classes and I had afternoon ones, she'd always been fast asleep while I was settling in for the night. In order not to wake her, I'd have to wear my headphones, which were usually fairly bulky and made it hard to fall asleep. Earbuds always hurt me to wear, so I couldn't wear those either.

Not to mention, it was EXTREMELY stupid and dangerous because I could have choked myself in the middle of the night. I can't tell you how many times I woke up with the cord wrapped around my neck.

My old headphones were also bad for working out because they never stayed on and always were bulky to travel in a car or plane with.


Enter: Bedphones.

Saturday, December 13, 2014

31 days of Giveaways - Day 21: MAC Lipstick

The MAC Giveaway has arrived! If you haven't read about the giveaway and the rules, click here.
Check out the prize under the cut! I've been incredibly excited for this one to roll around!



31 Days of Giveaways - Day 20: Discontinued Zoya Trio!


I'm very excited for today's Zoya giveaway! If you haven't read about the giveaway and the rules, click here.

Check out the prize under the cut! It's totally AMAZING! And because it's so amazing! I'm going to let this giveaway run through Monday, as an extra apology for the posting issues I've had as of late!



Thursday, December 11, 2014

31 Days of Giveaways - Days 17-19: Big Sexy Hair and Two Mystery Prizes!


I'm very excited for today's giveaway of two mystery non-US shades! If you haven't read about the giveaway and the rules, click here.

I'm so sorry that the posts haven't gone up for Days 17 and 18. I've been sick and trudging to the end of my law school finals. Fortunately, I'm feeling much more like myself and finals have finished! So today is going to feature three prizes with three separate winners from Big Sexy Hair, For Animal Lovers, and the Mystery Non-US Shades. Keeping reading to find out the prizes!


Monday, December 8, 2014

31 Days of Giveaways - Day 16: butter LONDON


I'm very excited for today's giveaway from butter LONDON! If you haven't read about the giveaway and the rules, click here.

Please note: Because I was extremely ill yesterday due to a reaction to a new medication, I was unable to post Day 15's Nails Inc. prize. As a result, Day 29's giveaway will now feature two Nails Inc. prizes with two winners. Sorry for the trouble!



Day 16's giveaway prize is butter LONDON The Black Knight, perfect for the holidays!




Fill out the Rafflecopter widget below to enter! And check back tomorrow for the reveal of the Big Sexy Hair brand prize!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Saturday, December 6, 2014

31 Days of Giveaways - Day 14: Betsey Johnson


Welcome to Day 14, where we're shifting from cosmetics to a little fashion! If you haven't read about the giveaway and the rules, click here.



Day 14's giveaway is this fabulous and totally adorable convertible purse that can be used as a clutch or a wristlet




Fill out the Rafflecopter widget below to enter! And check back tomorrow for the reveal of the Nails Inc. prize!



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Friday, December 5, 2014

31 Days of Giveaways - Day 13: Nail Vinyls


Welcome to Day 13! If you haven't read about the giveaway and the rules, click here.



Day 13's giveaway has been in HIGH demand! A $15 gift certificate to Nail Vinyls, so you can pick out whatever ones you like!




Fill out the Rafflecopter widget below to enter! And check back tomorrow for the reveal of the Betsey Johnson prize!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thursday, December 4, 2014

31 Days of Giveaways - Day 12: Philosophy


Welcome to Day 12! If you haven't read about the giveaway and the rules, click here.



Day 12's mystery Philosophy product is... going to remain a mystery! Well, sort of! It's going to be one of these three below!



Fill out the Rafflecopter widget below to enter! And check back tomorrow for the reveal of the Nail Art Supplies prize!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

31 Days of Giveaways - Day 11: Illamasqua


I'm very excited for yet another Illamasqua giveaway! If you follow me on Instagram, you'd have gotten a hint as to today's prize! If you haven't read about the giveaway and the rules, click here.



Day 11's giveaway prize is Illamasqua Viridian, perfect for the holidays!



Fill out the Rafflecopter widget below to enter! And check back tomorrow for the reveal of the Philosophy brand prize!

Also, don't forget that the Zoya MatteVelvet giveaway is through midnight on 12/5, so these giveaways will end at the same time!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

31 Days of Giveaways - Day 10: Zoya


Welcome to Day 10... it's a BIGGIE!!! If you haven't read about the giveaway and the rules, click here.


Day 10's mystery Zoya prize is...

THE ENTIRE MATTEVELVET COLLECTION!

Fill out the Rafflecopter widget below to enter! This giveaway will run for 48 hours, due to an issue with this post being published, so it will end on December 5th at midnight. Check back tomorrow for the reveal of the Illamasqua prize!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, December 1, 2014

31 Days of Giveaways - Day 9: Mystery Holographic Trio


Welcome to Day 9! If you haven't read about the giveaway and the rules, click here.



Day 9's mystery holographic polishes are... going to remain a mystery! I'll announce the prize when the giveaway is over tomorrow night!

Fill out the Rafflecopter widget below to enter! And check back tomorrow for the reveal of the Zoya prize!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sunday, November 30, 2014

31 Days of Giveaways - Day 8: Tweezerman


Welcome to Day 8! If you haven't read about the giveaway and the rules, click here.



Day 8's giveaway prize is a concealer brush from Tweezerman's new IQ Brush collection!





Fill out the Rafflecopter widget below to enter! And check back tomorrow for the reveal of the holographic trio!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Saturday, November 29, 2014

31 Days of Giveaways: Starbucks


Welcome to Day 7! If you haven't read about the giveaway and the rules, click here.



Day 5's giveaway prize is a gift card to Starbucks!




Fill out the Rafflecopter widget below to enter! And check back tomorrow for the reveal of the Tweezerman prize!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Friday, November 28, 2014

31 Days of Giveaways - Day 6: China Glaze


Welcome to Day 6! If you haven't read about the giveaway and the rules, click here.



Day 6's giveaway prize is a China Glaze duo of Escaping Reality and Scattered and Tattered!


Fill out the Rafflecopter widget below to enter! And check back tomorrow for the reveal of the Coffee Lover's prize!


Thursday, November 27, 2014

31 Days of Giveaways - Day 5: Sephora


Welcome to Day 4! If you haven't read about the giveaway and the rules, click here.



Day 5's giveaway prize is a $25 gift certificate to Sephora!



Fill out the Rafflecopter widget below to enter! And check back tomorrow for the reveal of the China Glaze prize!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

31 Days of Giveaways - Day 4: Holiday Indie Trio


Welcome to Day 4! If you haven't read about the giveaway and the rules, click here.



Day 4's giveaway prize is a holiday indie trio! R. Hobby Cosmetics Peppermint Shatter (shredded white and red glitter topper), Vivid Lacquer Theoretically Nude (a nude crelly with pink shimmer), and Philly Loves Lacquer Mummers Parade (a magenta jelly base with dark pink diamond, purple and blue hex, orange bar, and fine pink, orange, and purple glitters) are up for grabs!



Fill out the Rafflecopter widget below to enter! And check back tomorrow for the reveal of the Sephora prize!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

31 Days of Giveaways - Day 3: Julep


Welcome to Day 3! If you haven't read about the giveaway and the rules, click here.



Day 3's giveaway prize is a quad of Julep prizes!! Up for grabs are two Julep lip glosses (Zinnia and Peony) and two polishes (Chelsea and Brielle)!


Fill out the Rafflecopter widget below to enter! And check back tomorrow for the reveal of the Mystery Holiday Trio prize!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, November 24, 2014

31 Days of Giveaways: Day 2 - Nails Inc.


Happy Day 2! If you haven't read about the giveaway and the rules, click here.



Day 2's giveaway prize is the Nails Inc. After Party trio!!



Fill out the Rafflecopter widget below to enter! And check back tomorrow for the reveal of the Julep prize!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sunday, November 23, 2014

31 Days of Giveaways: Day 1 - Illamasqua


I'm very excited to kick off the 31 Days of Giveaways! If you haven't read about the giveaway and the rules, click here.



Day 1's giveaway prize is Illamasqua Bacterium!


Fill out the Rafflecopter widget below to enter! And check back tomorrow for the reveal of the Nails Inc. prize!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Friday, November 21, 2014

DEAL ALERT: Ebates (aka: How a Broke Student Didn't Break the Bank for Holiday Shopping)

Hello, my lovelies! With Black Friday coming around, I figured now would be a great time to talk about Ebates.



Before you roll your eyes, hear me out. That is MY actual check up there. I didn't do anything other than shop like I normally do online. I didn't give them any money or anything else outside of my name and address to mail the check to me.

This actually helped me out a lot the past year of law school, a time when I only had a meager work study check coming in every few weeks, but plenty of gifts to buy for the holidays and as many friends started getting engaged and married. And it kept helping all year round, especially when it came to buying textbooks.

I discovered Ebates last year as a second-year law student with a very limited budget for the holidays. Ebates is a website that gives you cash back for your online shopping purchases year-round. It's free to sign up and once you do and make your first purchase through the site, you get a $10 gift card PLUS the cash back you're already entitled to.

You don't have to visit the website every time you plan on shopping, which is nice because I would always forget. You can actually just download a button that alerts you every time a place you're shopping online qualifies for cash back through Ebates. You click the button and it syncs with your Ebates account! I mean, how convenient is THAT?!?




 Every site offers a different cash back percentage, but here's a key few:

Sephora and Ulta - 8%, Groupon and LivingSocial - 6%, Nordstroms, Kohls and Macy's - 6%, Ebay - 5%, Amazon.com - 3%, Walmart - 2%, and Best Buy - 1%.

(I know that Best Buy doesn't SEEM like a lot, but wait until you need a new washer and dryer or a TV!) Last December alone, I received over $185 in cash back. Yeah. That's my check up there.

Just think about it this way... every time you spend $100 at Sephora.com, Ebates gives you $8. Really, they do.

And how do you get that cash back? Ebates mails you a CHECK. This isn't a Visa gift card or some online gift card. It's real CASH.

To sign up, simply click HERE and you can start using Ebates right away. It's THAT easy.

(Full disclosure: The above link is a referral link that I get credit for and I would greatly appreciate it if you used PrincessPolishBlog@gmail.com for the referral address. However, if you are uncomfortable clicking through the link, you can visit Ebates.com and I will understand.)

Happy shopping, everyone! :)

Thursday, November 20, 2014

ANNOUNCING: 31 Days of Giveaways!


Hello, everybody! I'm super excited to bring you this giveaway that I've been teasing on Facebook the past few weeks!

Starting on Monday, November 24th, I'll be kicking off 31 Days of Giveaway that will run through Christmas! Each day will feature a different prize and the giveaway for that prize will be open for exactly 24 hours.

Rather than reveal every specific prize ahead of time, I've created a handy calendar below that lists each day's giveaway by brand or by category. Tune in each day at midnight EST for the big reveal across the main blog and all social media pages (including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!)

Many of these products are limited edition or are discontinued items!

This giveaway is open to everyone 18 years and older AND is open internationally.


Are you as super excited for this giveaway as I am? What products are you hoping are included based on the listing above?