Free: 12 NYC nail polishes

You can get 12 bottles of NYC nail polishes for free this week!  All you have to do is this:

1. Print out 6 of the 1.50/2 NYC coupon available here.  You can only print out 2 per computer so ask a friend or something.  I also suggest going on swagbucks and using their coupon link instead because you would be getting 60 swagbucks for using the coupons as well.
2. Buy 12 bottles of NYC $.99 nail polishes with your CVS card
3. Pay 2.88 + Tax
4. Get $3 back in extra bucks
5. FREE!

Only this week you can get $3 back in extra bucks from buying NYC.  If you purchase it at a later date (coupons will expire 1 month after print date) , you will end up paying $3 for 12 nail polishes which still isn't bad

Free: Oscar de la Renta Esprit D'Oscar perfume sample

Snap a perfume sample of it here!  Don't expect a bottle, it is most likely a paper sample that you peel off.

Free: Zapzyt acne treatment gel sampe tube

Zapzyt is giving out 10,000 samples of their gel treatment.  I already received a tube from them from months ago and I have to say, it's actually a pretty decently sized tube.  Get yours here by filling out the form on the right side.

Hygiene 101

Yes, we all know to shower and to wash our face and hair, but not every knows these tips:

1. Washing your hair everyday will strip your hair of its' natural oils and make it produce more to keep up with it, leaving you with greasy hair by the end of the day.  To make your hair healthy and to keep oil production at a minimum, wash your hair at MOST every other day.  On the days that you don't wash your hair, clip it up/tie it up and wear a shower cap.  If you have dry hair, don't shampoo the roots and use conditioner every other day instead.
2. You can actually wash your hair with hair conditioner because shampoo may be too stripping for you.  Yes, hair conditioners can make your hair look greasy right after you wash it, but it only happens when you use the wrong kind.  To wash your hair with hair conditioner, make sure you use one that is silicone free!  Anything that ends in -cone will grease up/built up in your hair and won't rinse clean.  Also, make you you rinse really well too.
3. Makeup brushes are suppose to be washed.  I've met many people who have never washed their powder brush before and when they finally did, the water was black!  How disgusting is that?  Think about all the bacteria that was harvesting which may have been giving you break outs!  Try to wash your makeup brushes every 2 weeks with baby shampoo/face wash.  Don't use a cleanser that doesn't rinse clean and is too drying.  
4. They all say to wash your face 2-3 times a day. Well, that doesn't apply to everyone.  If you have normal to dry skin, you can get away with using just a toner in the morning and washing only at night.  If you have oily skin, don't wash your face more than 4 times a day.  It can dry out your skin which will lead to your oil glands thinking that it need to produce even more oil!
5. It is recommended to change your pillow case every 2 weeks because of the oils from your face and hair and all the dead skin cells giving bacteria a place to reproduce.
6. Don't use the puff that comes in powder compacts.  It grows bacteria because most people don't wash them.  Every time you use it, you are transferring oil to the puff and it will just keep building up.  If you put the compact right against your powder, you probably have noticed a film on your powder.  Now that is gross.
7. Don't use the wash cloth in your bathroom to dry your face. Think about how often you wash it and whether or not you dry your hands on it as well.  In a week, it will be the home of more bacteria than you can think of so use a tissue instead!
8. Don't touch your face unless your hands have been washed.  Do you ever notice all the gunk under your nails?  Where have your hands been or where have the things you have touched been?  
9. Don't pick your skin, your nails usually hold on to a lot of gunk and it can also scrape your skin.

Free: Cubic Zirconia Sterling Silver Earrings

YAY!  Nomorerack is having another referral offer!  This time its for a pair of 1.00 cubic zirconia sterling silver earrings.  I actually already got a pair for free from 2 weeks ago from them.  <---This is what they look like. All you need to do is refer 4 people under your link by the end of the day and then you can get this $40 earrings for free!  How easy is that?
If you don't have a nomorerack account yet, please sign up here.  On the front page, you will see these earrings under "Friend Deal".  Click on the image and you will be led to the page that has your referral link.

Yes, they do come shipped with the velvet black box

DIY tinted brow gel

Since my brows are black and my hair is dyed brown, the coloring is a bit off.  You might be able to pull it off if you have sparse brows but mine are think and dark so it just looks ridiculous if I don't tint my brows.  Sometimes I bleach them if I'm dyeing my hair light brown, but most of the time I just use a tinted brow gel.  The one that I use is by Sephora that I got 3 years ago.  They have since discontinued the tinted versions and I just noticed that my was nearly out the other day.

I've done my research on tinted brow gels and have found that most of them are department store brands.  Mac has one called brow set, Anastasia has a few, Million dollar brows as a few, and Revlon has one.  In any other situation, I would buy the Mac brow set since I have tested it out before, but since I'm running low on cash these days, I decided to go the other route: DIY.

I knew that I probably could mix some brown eyeshadow/bronzer into a clear mascara that I already had to get a tinted brow gel, but I didn't know how it would work out.  Out of boredom, I decided to try to make a tinted brow gel today.  I had a cheap old eyeshadow palette around from years ago that had a few browns in it.  I took a pen cap and smashed up the eye shadow and then took out the mascara wand and started dabbing it into the smashed eye shadow.  After every time I dipped, I stuck the wand back in, swirling the wand around to mix it in.  After deliberally using up the whole eyeshadow, my then clear mascara was now looking like my used up Sephora one.  I tested the new brow gel out on my arm hair, noticed that it wasn't pigmented enough, and smashed up another eyeshadow.  After using up 1.8 eyeshadows, my DIY tinted brow gel was complete.

Keep in mind that in terms of brows, you shouldn't use anything of a warm/red/orange undertone because it will just look off unless your hair is copper.  You can use shimmery eye shadows, but don't use extremely frosty ones or else your brows will be a glitter ball.  I used semi shimmery ones and it looks fine.  In terms of colors, you should use a brow gel thats about the same color as your hair and if you're blonde, use a light brown one.  Brow gels are not meant to be 100% opaque so don't worry if it looks off in the tube.

I also don't recommend you use this on your eyes because it's not sterile.  If you want to be extra careful, feel free to spray rubbing alcohol on the mascara wand and at the eyeshadow.

By DIYing my tinted brow gel, I saved around $15.  I will put up pictures later

Free: Aluminum money clip with free shipping

Today and today only, 1 Sale A Day is selling $19.99 Aluminum money clips for FREE with complimentary free shipping!  This sale ends at midnight, but wait till night to get it because by then, it will most likely be sold out!  Just add this to your cart and then checkout.  You do not need to enter in a credit card.

What happens to your body when you're sick

We all know the common symptoms of the common cold but here are some things not everyone knows:

1. Your face may breakout when you're sick.  I've experienced this many times as well as my friends.  The skin above my eyebrows are red and my face looks more inflamed.  I have never notice cysts but I have seen more of those little red bumps.  So if you break out when you're sick, don't blame it on whatever face wash you're using, blame it on the cold!
2. Your lips will be pale.  Every time that I'm sick, I notice that my face looks more ghostly.  My lips in particular is an ugly brownish purple color as apposed to my normal bright coral color.
3. You might drop a pound or so, but don't purpose get sick so you can lose weight.
4. The skin under your nose might peel due to blowing your nose, so I usually just put a dab of vaseline under my nose to keep the discomfort away.  Vaseline stays on longer and protects the skin from further abrasion.

Review: Express Top Handle Satchel

Edit: I just noticed this.  This bag looks EXACTLY like the famous Mulberry Alexa ($1,500)!  Well, minus the round plate.  If you have been drooling over an Alexa, but don't have the funds, get this!
Mulberry Alexa -->

I finally got my hands on this bag thanks to my friend Brianna.  When I first laid eyes on it, it looked really tiny compared to the measures of 14" by 11" and I thought that it would be way too small for school.  However, as I filled it up with my folders, makeup bag, wallet, calculator, notebook, and A-pad, it all fit perfectly.  By perfect I mean that the magnetic hook still hooked on which was absolutely amazing because the bag looks so small!

The bag is all synthetic with faux leather, straw, and antique gold metal.  This shade of cognac is much lighter and yellower than the cognac that I'm used to, but it is true to the image.  Think of it as the same shade of Benefit Hoola powder vs ruddy red bronzer.  It comes with removable cross body strap and there is a handle at the top.  There is buckle detailing on the flap and also underneath it.  There is a pocket underneath the flap and a zipper compartment inside.  This is such a cute bag but the one thing I don't like about it is how easily it can be scratched.  I already got a mark on it, its minor, but still a mark.  I blame it on the faux leather so I think I'm going to have to seal it up with nail polish and maybe hair spray the whole bag.

You can pick up this bag at Express for $60 but I personally would not buy it for $60, just wait till a coupon comes out or for it to go on sale.  It also comes in white (all faux leather, no straw detailing) and it is currently available in stores.

Freebie update: Nomorerack makeup

So by the end of the 60 hour referral period, I rounded up 26 referrals.  The YSL Bow pallete that I really wanted was 20 referrals but when I went to redeem it, it was already sold out.  Even though it was my most wanted item out of all that they were offering, it really was not worth the 20 referrals.  If you look up the price of it, you could get it for only $17.  I needed up ordering 2 Mac lip glasses and the Lancome color fever lip gloss in firework for 25 referrals.  I don't know what colors they're sending for the mac ones but the Lancome one is bright red.  The monetary value of the 3 lip glosses total $56 which is awesome.  Hopefully no one signed up 2x on the same computer or else I will not be getting them.