Sneak peek at Nailene's new SKINNY French Tip Pen!

I am obsessed with reading other bloggers' sneak-peeks and first-looks so when I am lucky enough to get one myself, I totally freak out. And that's exactly what I did last week when the kind folks at Nailene sent me the new Skinny French Tip Pen recently for review. This baby isn't even on store shelves yet, but it will be very soon (you'll start to see them at your local drugstores in February).

Wanna see? OK, here we go!

If you own one of Nailene's other French Tip Pens (click here to see my review of my favorite Pearl White pen), then you're probably wondering how the two tips compare. Here's a pic of the Skinny tip:

And here's a pic of the standard tip (this is the Pearl White pen):

And now let me show you how this baby performs. I applied one coat of Nailene Skinny French Tip Pen to my bare nails and I did NOT use Nailene Nail Guides, which I love and am usually hopeless without. I really wanted to test out this new skinny tip and see if it could improve the quality of my French mani lines, and guess what? It really, truly did. I was able to make MUCH cleaner lines and with much more precision and ease, compared to the standard tip.

(Apologies for this pic but I wanted to apply this and snap a pic as fast as I could so I took this before I cleaned up or applied top coat)

Now some of you may be saying, "Her lines aren't that great." But let me tell you something: I suck at freehand French mani tips. Seriously, I would never wear a French mani at all if it weren't for my beloved Nailene Nail Guides. I simply cannot draw a clean, straight line on my nail beds without them. So what you see in this picture above is pretty close to perfection for me, given that I did this freehand and without the help of guides. I am still amazed that I could do so well. This new tip really helps you get the precision you need (especially on the sides of your nail beds) and as you can see, even for a klutz like me, the clean-up is very minimal. In fact, I'm willing to bet that if you're a better French mani artist than me, you'll have little to no clean-up at all.

So tell me, when the Nailene Skinny French Tip Pen hits store shelves in your area, will be you picking one up? I'd love to hear if you're as excited about this new product as I am. So far I am loving it!

PS: It just occurred to me that you can probably do some fun nail art with this skinny tip too! I'll try out polka dots and post some pics later in the week.

A sample of this product was given to Nouveau Cheap for editorial purposes, either directly from the manufacturer or from the agency that works on behalf of the manufacturer. All reviews on NouveauCheap.blogspot.com are the honest opinion of its author and editorial samples do not, in any way, affect the outcome of product reviews.

Possible new scents from Bath & Body Works

Hey, I've got a secret for you to file away for a little while! A reader just emailed me to give me the scoop on what we can expect from BBW this year, and it sounds fantastic! While I cannot confirm that all of this info is 100% true, she told me that she got this info directly from a BBW employee. If any of you can confirm this, please leave a comment on this post. Thanks!

In February BBW will release a new PS: I Love You called PS: I Love You Spring Fling and also a new Sweet Pea scent called Sweet Pea Forever and a new Moonlight Path scent called Moonlight Magic.

In the spring they will release a new scent called Orange Sapphire which is a citrus blend and there will be a new collection called Summer Vanillas which will include berry vanilla, lemon vanilla and coconut vanilla blends.

Once again, I can't vouch for the accuracy of this report, but um, if this is true, I am ALL ABOUT new vanilla blends! And I'm so curious about what Orange Sapphire will smell like!

What do you think, ladies? Are you excited about these new scents (if this info is accurate, of course)?

J&J issues massive recall of Tylenol, Motrin, St. Joseph's Aspirin and more

I know this is a beauty blog, but since I blog so much about drugstore products, I thought it only appropriate to mention this here.

As I myself am trying to get over a nasty head cold, I wanted to let all of my readers know about a massive over-the-counter drug recall that I just found out about, which may affect some products currently in your medicine cabinet.

From TheHuffingtonPost.com:


NEW YORK — Johnson & Johnson issued a massive recall Friday of over-the-counter drugs including Tylenol, Motrin and St. Joseph's aspirin because of a moldy smell that has made people sick.

It was the second such recall in less than a month because of the smell, which regulators said was first reported to McNeil in 2008. Federal regulators criticized the company, saying it didn't respond to the complaints quickly enough, wasn't thorough in how it handled the problem and didn't inform the Food and Drug Administration quickly.

The recall includes some batches of regular and extra-strength Tylenol, children's Tylenol, eight-hour Tylenol, Tylenol arthritis, Tylenol PM, children's Motrin, Motrin IB, Benadryl, Rolaids, Simply Sleep, and St. Joseph's aspirin.

The FDA and Johnson & Johnson's McNeil Consumer Healthcare Products said they did not know the number of bottles recalled. It included caplet and geltab products sold in the Americas, the United Arab Emirates, and Fiji.

Consumers should check the full list at to identify the recalled batches. http://www.mcneilproductrecall.com/

The FDA said about 70 people have been either sickened by the odor – including nausea, stomach pain, vomiting and diarrhea – or noticed it.

The smell is caused by small amounts of a chemical associated with the treatment of wooden pallets, Johnson & Johnson said. The FDA said the chemical can leach into the air, and traced it to a facility in Las Piedras, Puerto Rico.

The New Brunswick, N.J., company said it is investigating the issue and will stop shipping products with the same materials on wooden pallets. It has asked suppliers to do so as well.

Definitely check your batch numbers and toss these products if they match up! Heck, I might toss them even if they didn't match, just to be safe (but I'm super paranoid like that).

What are the hot flavors and fragrances for 2010?

I always take prediction lists with a grain of salt, but this one caught my eye because it was compiled by Bell Flavors & Fragrances, which is a privately-held company that's been around since 1912 and "develops products for the food, beverage, cosmetic, personal care, and household care companies throughout the world." In other words, I'm willing to bet that A LOT of the cosmetics, foods, and household goods we use on a daily basis have their fragrances and/or flavors created and supplied by Bell.

So when Bell makes a list of the top ten notes/accords that they think will be huge in 2010, I listen. So let's consider this our first-look at the big fragrance and flavor trends of the year!

From Happi.com:

Bell Flavors and Fragrances has once again revealed its top 10 fragrance notes/accords for 2010. They are:

1. Grapefruit Rhubarb Rose
2. Seashore Driftwood
3. White Amber/Patchouli
4. Mahogany Vetiver
5. Absinthe
6. Mandarin/Orange Blossom
7. Mojito
8. Woody Iris
9. Satin Wood
10. Szechwan Pepper

Now keep in mind, Bell creates flavors and fragrances for the food industry, cosmetic industry and household product industry. So don't look at this list and assume we'll start to see Szechwan Pepper lipgloss anytime soon (ouch!). I'm assuming Szechwan Pepper is going to be popular in products like potato chips (I think I've already seen a few brands that carry this flavor). But as for fragrance? I am the MOST excited about Grapefruit Rhubarb Rose. I love any type of citrus when it's blended with rose, and I love, love, love me some rhubard (I'm a sucker for anything tart and tangy). Also, I love the Mint Mojito flavor Orbit Gum, so I'd be happy to see mojito in other products (Suave, Dove, Tone, Soft Soap, St. Ives, could one of you PLEASE make a mojito body wash? Pretty please?).

Are they any trends on this list that you're excited to see more of in the marketplace this year? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

About that NYX sale...

I've seen several bloggers mention the big NYX $1 sale that began yesterday on the NYX site, so I wasn't even going to mention it here since I know so many of you read the same blogs I read.  BUT, then I saw this post by the lovely Jeweled Thumb, and I had to link to it here.  JT shares some great insights about NYX's high shipping fees and why it still may be worth your while to make a purchase, depending on what products you want to buy.

Definitely check it out if you're considering taking advantage of this sale!

Seven Random Facts

A lot of bloggers have been doing this tag lately so I think it's time I chimed in (if I remember correctly I did a similar tag in the past, but it was a long time ago so why not disclose a few more random facts, right?). Also, thanks so much to the bloggers who have personally tagged me for this one!

1. I've said it before but I have to say it again: I'm a HUGE Lost fan. I have every season on DVD and have watched every episode over 20 times (pathetic, I know). I read every Lost blog out there, and I lurk on several Lost message boards and I think Lostpedia is better than Wikipedia (not really but you get the point). And even though I read Lost spoilers for season 6 on a daily basis, the best part about Lost is that, the more spoilers you hear, the MORE confused you get. Spoilers aren't really spoilers in the Lost universe.

2. I have a huge crush on Paul Rudd.

3. I have a Bachelor's Degree in English Literature and I minored in Film Studies.

4. I love every vegetable EXCEPT for Brussels sprouts.

5. I am ashamed of my addictions to celebrity gossip and reality TV.

6. I am over-the-moon excited and thrilled by the news that Soundgarden is reuniting.

7. One of my goals in life is to someday attend the Lebowski Fest.

If you have a blog, consider yourself tagged (if you haven't already done this one). And if you don't have a blog but would like to contribute, I would LOVE to see your seven random facts in the comments! :)

New Year, New You: Time to upgrade your hair dryer?

Continuing my New Year, New You series, I'd like to talk to you for a minute about hair dryers and why it just might be time to upgrade yours.

Now, I'm a total low-maintanence girl when it comes to my styling tools. I usually prefer to let my hair air-dry if possible, but since that's just not practical on most days, I do like to give my hair a quick blow-out before I head out the door. I'm not one for fancy hair dryers because, well, I've managed to have amazing luck over the past several years by staying true to one brand and one brand only: Conair.  Let me explain.

Back in my teen years, I used whatever hair dryer I could get my hands on. I went with any brand I could find as long it was cheap and had a "hot" setting. And for years I found that my hair dryers had a lifespan of about one to two years before they'd just suddenly stop working. In fact, I used a brand that shall remain nameless once and had the hair dryer almost catch fire and kind of explode dangerously close to my face. Yikes!

Because of my poor track record with other brands, I developed a habit of keeping my old hair dryer (provided it didn't stop working or explode on me) and storing it under the sink just in case my new hair dryer decided to quit on me.  If you have ever had a hair dryer stop working for you, and you did NOT have a back-up, well you know how desperate that situation can be! 

But that all changed once I found Conair. For me, Conair has been my gold standard of affordable hair dryers because they're the MOST dependable hair dryer I've ever owned (plus, they just plain rock). In fact, I haven't been able to break my habit of keeping my old hair dryer when I upgrade to a new one, so I currently have two fully-functioning Conair dyers in my home! Here's a pic of my Conair Ion Shine 1875, which I've had for MANY years (the teal one), which is now my back-up dryer since I decided to purchase the newer model of the Conair Ion Shine 1875 (the black one), a few years ago. Both dryer are still in fantastic working order, and I use the black one just about every day.

I could stop this post right now and say I love Conair, the end. But recently I was contacted by the agency that works for Conair and they asked me if I'd like to try their new Infiniti Cord-Keeper Styler for review. Wait a minute, "Cord-Keeper"? What the heck? How could I say no?

So let me tell you about this new Conair Infiniti Cord-Keeper Styler. In one word, it's the BOMB. Seriously, it's got this retractable cord that you control by just pushing the little triangular button on the side of the dryer. When you're ready to use the dryer, you just pull the cord to whatever length you need. And when you're done using the dryer, you just push that little triangular button and ZIP! The cord instantly retracts and you are good to go! No more leaving your hair dryer out on the counter when you're in a hurry and you don't have time to roll the cord up around the handle.  Nope, you just push the button and BAM, you can put that baby back in your bathroom cabinet in two seconds FLAT.

So tell me, which looks more appealing to you? My drier on the left, with the traditional messy cord, or the Infiniti Cord-Keeper Styler, on the right?

Here's a closer look at the Conair Infiniti Cord-Keeper Styler (from the Conair website):

 Now you see it, now you don’t with the Infiniti Cord-Keeper Styler by Conair™ !  The cord retracts into the handle of this innovative blow dryer with just the touch of a button for convenient and tidy storage.  And of course, it has all the great benefits of an Infiniti styler, like a full 1875 watts of power and a high torque DC motor for maximum drying power and speedier styling!  Other features include:

• Tourmaline Ceramic™ Ionic technology - ion output helps smooth the cuticle layer creating silky, shiny hair; infrared energy protects hair's natural luster
• Ionic technology reduces static electricity and leaves hair silkier, shinier and more manageable
• Cool shot
• 3 heat/2 speed settings
• Removable filter
• Concentrator
• Diffuser
• Limited three-year warranty
• Unit weight: 2.75 lbs

For me, it just doesn't get better than this hair dryer. It's got the 1875 power that I'm used to, it's got ionic technology (essential for making my hair smooth and shiny!), a concentrator (can't live without that), a diffuser, and it's light! I mean, it's under 3lbs.  And of course, who can forget that retractable cord?

I've been using this hair dryer for almost one month straight and so far, I am in love. It gets super hot yet never manages to feel hot on my scalp like other dryers do. Also, it's just super easy to work with, and of course the best part is that it's a snap to put away when you're done. No more yelling out in pain when I accidentally step on the cord of my hair dryer in the middle of the night because I was too lazy to put it away that morning.

So with this New Year, New You series, I'm hoping to offer you affordable ways to treat yourself right in 2010. Upgrading your existing hair dryer is definitely an affordable way to pamper yourself this year, and it's the gift the keeps on giving, that's for sure. 

The Conair Infiniti Cord-Keeper retails for about $39.99 online and wherever Conair products are sold, but guess what? I just saw this model at CVS which means one thing: save up your Extra Bucks and you could get a fantastic deal!

A sample of this product was given to Nouveau Cheap for editorial purposes, either directly from the manufacturer or from the agency that works on behalf of the manufacturer. All reviews on NouveauCheap.blogspot.com are the honest opinion of its author and editorial samples do not, in any way, affect the outcome of product reviews.

The new CVS Beauty 360: Will you give it a try?

In case you haven't heard, CVS has opened a new online beauty department called "Beauty 360" that features lots of high-end beauty products from brands like Laura Geller, Vincent Longo, Paula Dorf, Cargo and others. In addition to this online feature, CVS has also opened brick & mortar "Beauty 360" departments across the nation (currently there are eight) with plans to open more soon. Check this out:

From Happi.com:

CVS OPENS BEAUTY 360 ONLINE

Offers more beauty brands for retailer’s 6 million monthly online visitors.

Beauty 360 is now operating online. The new site—like its brick and mortar counterpart operated by CVS—sells prestige cosmetic, skin care, hair care, fragrance and grooming brands.

There are currently eight Beauty 360 locations in the U.S., and the Woonsocket, RI-based retailer says it will continue to grow that business with additional locations throughout 2010.

"CVS/pharmacy has always been a leader in beauty and launching the Beauty 360 concept was a milestone for us in being able to provide our customers with greater access to the prestige beauty products they love," said Mike Bloom, senior vice president of merchandising and supply chain for CVS/pharmacy. "With the introduction of ecommerce for Beauty 360, we are making shopping for these luxury beauty products more convenient for everyone—especially the nearly six million customers who visit cvs.com each month."

Brands at Beauty 360 include Vincent Longo, Philip B, Canyon Ranch, Freeze 24.7, Cargo, Bioelements, Neil George, Jack Black, Anthony Logistics for Men, Laura Geller, Paula Dorf and Borba Cosmetics.

Do you live in a city that already has a CVS "Beauty 360" location in-store, and if so, have you visited one? Do you think you'd purchase a high-end product from the online "Beauty 360"? You can check it out here: CVS Beauty 360. I poked around and noticed that they have some unique GWP (gift-with-purchase) deals, but what I'm REALLY wondering is if you can use CVS Extra Bucks when making a purchase. Now THAT would really seal the deal for me. Does anyone know about that? Please leave a comment and tell us what's up!

Hard Candy Sheer Envy Face Primer vs. Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer

Wow, it seems like a million years ago that I was freaking out about the new Hard Candy collection at Walmart, but it was actually just in September of '09 that I first spotted the display. And for some reason I have managed to reviewed everything I purchased from that first haul except for this little lovely, which I also purchased that day back in September. So finally, I'm delighted to present you with this review!

Hard Candy Sheer Envy Face Primer (retail: $8, 1.6 oz) can be found exclusive at Walmart (in-store and online) and it's one of just a few drugstore-level face primers that you can find with ease these days.

I don't know about you, but face primer is one of those things that should be part of my daily routine, but never quite manages to get there. It's just one of those steps in my routine that I will skip if I'm running late (which seems to be the norm for me) but when I do use it, I always say to myself, "Wow, I really should use this more often."

So let's take a look at the box:

Yay for cruelty-free!

Yay for paraben-free!

So how does this compare to arguably the most popular silicone-based face primer in the entire world, Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation primer? Well I just so happen to own the Smashbox product, so here are the ingredients:

As you can see, the first few ingredients are extremely similar in both formulas, but after that, there are differences. Hard Candy contains mica and titanium dioxide (Smashbox does not) and the Smashbox primer has several natural ingredients that are absent in the Hard Candy formula. In my humble opinion, the formula of Smashbox seems like the Cadillac of face primers while Hard Candy seems like a more stripped-down, economical primer (maybe a Toyota Corolla?). One is luxurious while the other will dependably get you from point A to point B. Oh and by the way, a 1oz bottle of the Smashbox primer will set you back a cool 36 bucks.

Let's take a look at the actual product:

Hard Candy Sheer Envy Face Primer

Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer

Obviously the Hard Candy primer is white while the Smashbox is clear. But once you start blending these primers into your skin, they both feel a lot alike. Here's what the Hard Candy product looks like once you start to rub it in:

The more you rub, the clearer it gets, until it's finally completely clear and undetectable (and really, it takes no effort at all for it become clear once you start applying it).

I wanted to show you what both primers look like once they've been applied to my skin but my camera just could not pick it up. So I'll tell you that the feeling and texture of both products is quite similar. If you've used a silicone-based primer before, you know that it fills in every little wrinkle or dry patch on your skin and it makes everything feel very smooth because it deposits a light, gel-like quality to the surface of your skin. I put some on each hand and, honestly, I couldn't tell the different. They felt almost identical in terms of smoothness.

Let me stop right now and tell you something funny though. If you go back up to the photo I took of the box of Hard Candy primer, you'll see that the directions say to "Apply one pump for an even layer all over your face..." but tell me, how do you apply "one pump" with THIS:

Hard Candy, I hate to break it to you, but you cannot "pump" a squeeze tube. I seriously didn't know how much to use the first time I applied this because it comes out like toothpaste. I could have just kept on squeezing...and squeezing with no clue when to stop. But after my first use, I quickly figured out that you really only need about 1/4 of an inch of product to cover your entire face. Not much is required at all, exactly like the Smashbox primer. Less is certainly more with both products, otherwise you run the risk of making your skin too slick.

After using both the Smashbox primer and Hard Candy primer several times on cold days and warm days (and if you're confused, you apply primer AFTER your moisturizer and/or sunscreen and BEFORE your concealer and foundation), it is my opinion that the Smashbox primer holds up a bit better under warmer conditions (especially if you have oily skin like mine), but during colder weather, the Hard Candy primer performed like a champ for me and was almost identical to the results that I get from my beloved Smashbox. Both products make your concealer (especially under-eye concealer) apply so much more smoothly, and they both really help extend the staying-power of your foundation (I've used these with liquid foundations, cream foundations and powder foundations and it works well with all three). If you've got oily skin and you're sick of having your foundation disappear at around 1 or 2pm in the afternoon, I would highly suggest giving a silicone-based foundation primer a try--you might be surprised to see your foundation still in tact at 6pm!

All in all, I would say that the Smashbox primer extends the life of my concealer and foundation and keeps me looking fresh until around 6 or 7pm on a good day. The Hard Candy primer does the same exact thing for me, but only until about 3 or 4pm. At that point, I will definitely need to apply a bit of powder to my nose, cheeks and chin. But this is just me, and again, I have very oily skin. If you have normal or dry skin, your results could be much better.

So if you're new to the silicone foundation primer game, I would DEFINITELY recommend purchasing the Hard Candy primer first, to see if this type of product is a good match for you and your skin type. If you find yourself really loving the effect of this primer, then maybe, when you have extra cash, you might consider stepping it up and treating yourself to the Cadillac. Otherwise, Hard Candy primer should be able to get you from point A to point B with no major issues, for sure. Definitely worth the eight bucks!

Wet n Wild product update: You asked and I've got answers!

A few days ago after I broke the news about the new Wet n Wild 2010 makeover, several of you asked about the fate of some existing WnW products. I've spoken to my contact at WnW and I've compiled a list of everything I know so far (some of this info was mentioned in my previous post but I'd like to condense it into one complete list on this post). If you have any questions, as always, leave a comment and I'll do my best to get you answers!

Existing WnW products that will NOT be discontinued in the foreseeable future:

MegaEyes Creme Eyeliner
Craze Nail Polishes
IdolEyes Cream Pencils
Natural Wear line

Existing WnW products that WILL be discontinued in the foreseeable future:

Bronzzer Compacts

These will be replaced by the new ColorIcon Bronzers in "Princess" which is a light shade, and "Goddess" which is a dark/med shade. I've been told that the texture, blendability and staying power of the ColorIcon Bronzers are superior to the Bronzzer Compacts so if you're sad about losing Acapulco Glow, I don't think you'll be sad for long!

Silk Finish Blush Compacts

Don't worry--the new ColorIcon Blushers will feature the exact same shades and names as the Silk Finish Blushes (Pearlescent Pink, Heather Silk, Mellow Wine and Berry Shimmer) but the texture, blendability and staying power have all been improved. Yay!

Ultimate Expressions Palettes

Say bye-bye because these are going to be replaced by the new ColorIcon Eyeshadow Palettes, which look fabulous and contain six pans per palette (each palette has three matte shades and three highly-pigmented effects shades). I'll be reviewing these shortly so stay tuned.

MegaEyes Eyeshadow Pots

Adios, old friend. These are going to be replaced by the new ColorIcon Eyeshadow Singles which will feature seven shades and a formula that promises to be longwear and crease-resistant.

If you heart is breaking a tiny bit about the loss of these WnW products, I would strongly advise you to stock up now while you can. But don't be sad for long because, as you can see in the pic above, these new products look amazing and I'm sure we'll all find new favorites in no time. And of course please check back because I'll be reviewing several of these new products in the very near future! In the meantime, don't forget to check out my review of the brand spankin' new Wet n Wild MegaLast Lipsticks and Nail Colors here.