Archive for the ‘Budget Beauty’ Category

by Stephanee Stubblefield

When I was young I would use my mom’s nail polish to make marbleized designs on my nails, just to turn around the next day, remove the polish and use another color. My dad promptly told me to stop wasting my mom’s stuff. At that point, I’m sure any dreams of being a nail technician were crushed…

Fast forward to present day and I still love different nail designs. I especially admire any girl that can create fancy looks in the comfort of her own home. I, however, always mange to smudge and nick any polish I apply on my own. In fact, it’s best if I leave manis and pedis to the professionals.

At least that’s what I thought until I came across Sally Hansen Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips ($9). Could it be a product that is smudge proof, has no drying time and has designs/colors for any occasion you can imagine? Yes, and they are uber cute!

Click “CONTINUE READING” below to read more…

Happy Monday Beauties!

If you follow me on Twitter, you’ll know that this past Friday was my birthday! So, in honor of another glorious year, I decided to try out a fab new nail design. I love, Love, LOVE getting my nails done professionally, but as a recent graduate (LOL!), I’ve been trying my hand at frugality and taking on more DIY beauty projects.

So, here are the results!

I’ve gotten pretty good at doing my own nails these past few weeks, don’t ya think?!

Anyhoo, I did a Half-Moon Manicure and it was surprisingly easy! I got the idea from this video:

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2cBfViPIm0]

My nails are short, so I wanted a fun and bold color combo. I dug into my polish stash and used these:

Base Coat: First Base Base Coat – Essie ($7)
Half Moon: Xtreme Wear Nail Color in Going Green by Sally Hansen ($3)
Main Color: Nail Lacquer in Blue My Mind by OPI ($7)
Quick Dry Top Coat: Miracote by Duri ($7)
Hole Reinforcement stickers I’ve had since college ($1)

I’ve been getting compliments left and right, so I will definitely try this again in the near future. Let me know if you guys try it out!

xo,
Ugochi

Disclaimer: I bought all these products myself!

***Don’t forget to enter our latest contest – ends 7/26***

Dear NYC Beauties,

Everyone deserves a little pampering, right? Well, here’s a quick repost of the sweet deal that’s always available at the lovely Aveda Institute – Aveda’s esthetician education center.  50% off your first skin care, hair cut, styling or color service.

Services are performed by advanced (and supervised!) students and I had not a single complaint when I visited. Just print the below discount vouchers and mention when booking your service.

When I’m not buying my millionth piece of delectable tiramisu at Whole Foods, I’m puttering around in the Whole Body section looking at all the health and beauty products on display and trying really hard not to buy most of them.

One product that I love to bits and pieces is the 365 Everyday Value Shower Gel ($3). Shower gel can go for upwards of $7 here in NYC, but 3 bucks gets you 16 ounces of this lovely product. Jackpot!

It comes in a few different scents, including Citrus Grapefruit (pictured) and Lavender Blend (my personal fav). It comes unscented, too, if that’s your cup of tea. No matter what scent you choose, rest assured that you’ll be getting no parabens, animal ingredients or artificial fragrances.

If you’re anti-sulfates, steer clear of this product, since it contains sodium laureth sulfate as it’s main foaming ingredient. Otherwise, this shower gel is a quality and affordable way to keep clean. Happy bathing!

Stay Beautiful

***Enter our latest contest! Ends 3/29***

Disclaimer: I bought this bad boy myself!

I really want a cheap facial!

But, I don’t really want to wait until the next Spa Week to get one…

Well, it looks like I’ve found the solution in the Aveda Institute. There are a bunch of locations across the country and one can get top-notch spa treatments for a fraction of the price. I’ve never been (yet) but I’ve heard great things through the grapevine…