Sunday, August 10, 2014

The Perfect Barielle Manicure...Plus GIVEAWAY!

(Press Sample)

Hello everybody!

I have something extra cool to share with you today. Barielle recently asked me if I'd like to review products for a perfect Barielle manicure, and if so, they'd sponsor a giveaway of the products for my readers!

Of course I said yes. :)

So first I'm gonna walk you through some products that I think will make your manicure perfect, and then I'll talk about the giveaway. There maybe might be a little dash of nail art, too...


Step 1: Get rid of those cuticles!

You can't have a gorgeous manicure if you've got icky straggly cuticles ruining the look. So for this one, I reviewed Barielle's Extra Gentle Cuticle Minimizer:

Barielle Extra Gentle Cuticle Minimizer

The instructions said to leave this on for 2-3 minutes, applied to the cuticles, and then remove with the included orange stick. I followed the instructions, and found that the product was gentle and effective. My cuticles get pretty ragged, so for a product to be gentle but also still effective on my cuticles is a pretty tall order. Take a look at the pictures below to see what you think about the job it did--I was very happy with the results. :)


Step 2: Base coat!

For this step I reviewed Barielle's Nail Rebuilding Protein. This product is a personal Holy Grail product for me--I've been using it for about 9 months now, and I'll never use another base polish again. It's actually a protein rebuilder for damaged nails first, and a base coat second, which means it's meant as a nail treatment, and functions as a base coat.

Barielle Nail Rebuilding Protein


This product has transformed my peeling piles of hot mess to smooth, strong nails. I was able to tell a difference from the first time I used it, and when I've stopped using it for some reason, my nails will start showing damage again within days. Here's a shot of my old bottle, that I've been struggle to get the dregs out of, to show you just how much I love it: 


I need a new bottle! ::grabby paws::

I even forgo any sort of special glitter base and just use this under glitter; I remove with the foil method and it's worth it because this minimizes my damage.


Step 3: Polish, baby!

Now we're ready for our polish, the undeniable core of any awesome manicure. For the 'perfect' manicure, I wanted to pick something that can take you from work to evening, and even to a fun weekend. I chose Daring Dahlia, a fuchsia polish with a sweet pink-purple shimmer:




Barielle Daring Dahlia

Barielle Daring Dahlia
Barielle Daring Dahlia

Barielle Daring Dahlia
Barielle Daring Dahlia

Barielle Daring Dahlia

Barielle Daring Dahlia

I love the versatility of this color. It's sassy and fun, and the shimmer gives it enough dimension that it looks special--like the color variations in a real flower. This is the sort of basic every girl needs, but that feels way more special than a basic. :)


Step 4: Top coat!

I am an impatient wee beastie, and a clumsy one, so I don't like to have to wait any longer than necessary for my polish to dry. For ages I've used Seche Vite as my topcoat, but it's not three-free, so I've been on a continual lookout for a fast-drying topcoat that is three-free and actually works. So for this step, I reviewed Barielle's Ultra Speed Dry Manicure Extender, which is a quick-drying topcoat. 


 


The instructions for this say to wait until your polish is completely dry before applying. No way was that going to happen; I normally wait about a minute before putting on my topcoat, sometimes a little more. So what I did here was wait about 2-3 minutes before applying the topcoat, then I let the topcoat sit for another 2-3 minutes before I started to interact with the world. That method worked just fine for me; I didn't get any dings or smudges, and the finish was very shiny (as you can see above). I went to bed about 2 hours later, and didn't have any sheet marks in the morning. I will definitely use this, and recommend it as a three-free topcoat.


Step 5: Staying healthy & pretty. :)

The last product is Barielle's Intensive Nail Renewal Oil. I like to apply oil or balm 2-3 times a day; I'll use oil particularly at night before I go to bed.




I found this to be an effective oil that absorbed relatively quickly and did a very good job. Also, it has a very light scent, almost no scent at all, so it doesn't compete with any other scents you're wearing and shouldn't bother you. :)


So there you have all the products for my perfect Barielle manicure! And because Barielle is so awesome, they are sponsoring a giveaway of all of the five products that I selected above. So the prize includes the following 5 items: 

One Extra Gentle Cuticle Minimizer
One Nail Rebuilding Protein
One Barielle Daring Dahlia
One Barielle Ultra Speed Dry Manicure Extender
One Barielle Intensive Nail Renewal Oil


For you chance to win these, please enter the rafflecopter widget below. This is a Unites States only because of shipping restrictions. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Hmm...I feel like there was something else I wanted to share with you...what was it...Oh! Of course!

No perfect manicure on this blog is complete without a little touch of nail art. I wanted to keep this simple in accord with the theme of the perfect manicure--this is something you can do in a quick minute because you don't even have to worry about stamping it straight:


Daring Dahlia with darling daisies
Daring Dahlia with darling daisies

To do this, I used Konad Special White stamping polish and Pueen plate 31 (these products are not included in the giveaway, only the Barielle products.). Because it's a single accent nail and it's a pattern that doesn't need to be straight, you can throw this on in a minute and be out the door to that awesome picnic you're having with your family and friends. :)

You can find all of these products on the Barielle website, and because August is healthy nail month, they have a special sale going on right now--all threatments are under $10 and all nail colors are $4 through the end of the month. Check it out!


I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!!
M.

92 comments:

  1. They sound like nice products to achieve the perfect manicure. Wish I could enter the giveaway myself but best of luck to everyone else who can!

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    1. Sorry about that...I hate when the giveaways have to be US only. :(

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  2. Thanks for the info and giveaway, dahling! <3

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  3. Wow, that cuticle minimizer really did a great job! I love the finished mani--super cute :)

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    1. Thanks so much! I was really happy with the minimizer. :)

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  4. Fun!!!! What a great giveaway!!

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  5. "There might be a bit of nail art, too..." - I'd be surprised if there weren't! :D Really like the end result, so fresh & pretty.
    And that cuticle thingy does seem to work really well.

    p.s.: boo on shipping restrictions.. :/

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  6. What a gorgeous mani!! I have all of these items (and backups) so I'll leave the giveaway for another lucky lady!

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    1. Thanks so much! And thanks for visiting my blog, cause you ROCK! :)

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  7. I love Barielle's nail products! they work so well! Your nails are so beautiful! <3

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    1. The really do I love them, and their polish never disappoints. And thank you! :)

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  8. My cuticles are the worst and my nails get SO damaged. I could totally use some of this stuff!

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    1. Check out the minimizer, for sure. And the cuticle oil really helps with that, too. :)

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  9. Your nails look so professional! Mine are always destroyed. Especially the cuticles. I could totally use this stuff.

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    1. Thanks so much! Mine look pretty destroyed unless I'm very on top of my routine, lol. :)

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  10. I absolutely love the color. My nails are such a mess so these products sound perfect to me. I am going to check them out!

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  11. whoa will have to try these... my nails look like crap right now!!

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    1. Been there...will probably be there later this week...sigh...

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  12. My cuticles right now are awful. I could totally use this big time. This color is phenomenal and love the mani!!

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  13. I really need to get a cuticle minimizer like this. Your manicure turned out so good!

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    1. Thank you! I'd be lost without cuticle minimizer, for sure.

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  14. i might need the nail rebuilding protein.

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    1. If you have peeling nails, definitely give it a try. Just remember to use it every time you change your polish. :)

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  15. Sounds like a fancy manicure! I've heard great things about this brand but have yet to try it! Thanks for sharing!

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  16. Great products!! And I love the affordable prices!

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  17. Sounds like a great product that gives great results! Definitely worth giving it a try!

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  18. So beautiful! I've been giving myself a lot of manicures lately, and hot pink is always my go-to color ;)

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  19. The manicure extender looks pretty cool -- that's my issue. I have good cuticles and I have the thickest nails ever! By polish doesn't last on my fingers beyond a few hours. Boo. I'd love to try the extender to see if I can get it to last at least a few days!

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    1. Are you using a base coat? I've found that's also a big reason why polish comes off quickly...

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  20. This looks like a great product!! I rarely do my nails at home but I really need to more often

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    1. I just don't feel right unless I have pretty fingers...:)

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  21. I actually have a lipstick that matches that exact shade of nail varnish! So perfect. I love the nail stamp too - never even heard of them! What a fab idea.

    Katie <3

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    1. It's fate, lol! I love nail stamping, it has changed my manicure life! :)

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  22. I just saw a cuticle dissolvent at the store and debated on getting it because I wasn't sure if it was safe or not! Now I am going to try it!

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  23. Beautiful photos! Love that hot pink on you!

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  24. I am a self diagnosed chronic nail biter. I seriously hope I win the giveaway. At 23, I wish I had beautiful nails. I will try anything at this point!! I really want the Nail Renewal Oil and the rebuilding! Seriously, thank you for sharing this!

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    1. I'm glad it helped! I've never had nail biting issues myself, but I know some people that do--have you tried the stuff you can brush on that makes your nails taste bad and deters biting?

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  25. your cuticles look great!! i'm so jealous! :) i use a cuticle oil from julep.. but i actually haven't been doing it diligently.

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    1. That's my main problem, forgetting. I only have to forget for a day or two before they look sooooo bad, lol!

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  26. Such a pretty manicure. These sound like great products!

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    1. I love this company, both their polishes and their treatments. :)

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  27. The little flowers are adorable and I love how shiny the lacquer is! It makes your nails look really healthy.

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  28. My nails could do with some love, this colour looks lovely :-)

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  29. These products seem amazing. I work in dirt (literally) and never take the time to do my nails because they are destroyed the next day. Your nails look great, though. Jealous!

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    1. Thank you! I know what you mean about the dirt. Even gardening kills my nails...:(

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  30. Looks like the perfect manicure! That color is simply beautiful. Which reminds me that I should do my nails.

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  31. That colour is gorgeous!! Great giveaway :D

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  32. Your nails are gorgeous! I really love that polish color too!

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  33. Your nails are very very cool - I wish I could get mine in such great condition - maybe I'll try this! :)

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    1. Thank you! I've found that the right products really make a difference. :)

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  34. It looks like Barielle has a great line of products! I could totally use the cuticle minimizer! My cuticles are terrible!

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    1. That's one of my big weak points, too...that and my peeling :(

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  35. This set looks so enticing! I really am interested in the cuticle dissolving one, I have such a hard time with mine.

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    1. I think my cuticles are made of steel, lol! So annoying...

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  36. I love the attention to detail! The only problem I have is not biting them! WEEEEE!

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  37. This is so beautiful! Love the Barielle products!

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  38. I absolutely love Barielle products! That pink is stunning on you!

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  39. These look amazing! I've never tried Barielle products before. I really like the nail polish color. :)

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    1. They have great stuff and tons of great colors. Thanks for reading! :)

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  40. That polish is just gorgeous - love the shimmer in it. Barielle has such good polishes. I think I will try to duplicate that stamping using dotting tools.

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    1. That's a great idea--it would still be so fast and easy! :)

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  41. Instead of doing a post I put a clickable photo to your giveaway on my side bar; hopefully that's ok. Thanks for the giveaway!

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  42. I've seen this brand before and it looks great! The pink is beautiful!

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  43. I Love that pink , Awesome giveaway thank you for the Chance ...

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