Preview: Wet n Wild Nude Awakening vs. Urban Decay Naked Palette

I just wanted to give you a quick look at one of the photos in my soon-to-be-published in-depth review of the Wet n Wild Spring 2013 Limited Edition Nude Awakening Palette (which will include an extensive comparison to the Urban Decay Naked Palette):

This is just one side of the Wet n Wild palette--there are more dupes on the other side...

I've been working on this blog post for over a week now, but I'm almost done so it should be up tomorrow (I also bought the Going In The Wild palette but will review that one in a separate post).

Please stay tuned...

PS: A huge thanks to several of you for your photo submissions and swatch pics of these LE palettes. I wish I could publish them all, but I'm extremely behind on posts in general (which is why it's taken me so long to review these palettes myself). I'm so sorry about that!

Spotted: L'Oreal Spring/Summer 2013 Limited Edition Miss Candy Collection

What do you get when you combine new Limited Edition L'Oreal Infallible eyeshadows, Le Glosses, nail colors (jellies!) and candy-striped Nail Lingerie designs together? You get the new Limited Edition Miss Candy Collection!

If you thought the Versailles Romance Collection from L'Oreal was cute, wait until you see this one:

image credit: Brittany for Nouveau Cheap

L'Oreal Spring/Summer 2013 Limited Edition Miss Candy Collection

Reader Brittany spotted the new Limited Edition Miss Candy display recently (it's hard to see but right under the words "Miss Candy" it clearly says "Limited Edition") and she was nice enough to share pics (and swatches of the limited edition Infallible eyeshadows) with us!

Keep reading for lots and lots of pictures...

Dollar Tree Haul

Purchased by Me

Now that we all know that Sinful Colors polishes are now surfacing at Dollar Tree, I thought I'd show you the polishes I purchased on a recent Dollar Tree stop:

Sinful Colors nail color in 198 Irish Green (0.5 oz)

Sinful Colors Nail Art in 1638 Bad Chick (0.25 oz)

(retail: $1.99 each; $1 each at Dollar Tree)

Tips for those of you looking for Sinful Colors at your Dollar Tree stores (and a nail look I created using these two polishes) after the jump...

Nouveau Cheap in the May 2013 issue of ShopSmart Magazine

It's been quite an exciting week here in NouveauCheap-land! If you subscribe to the print edition of ShopSmart Magazine (by Consumer Reports), keep your eyes peeled for an article titled "Bargain Bloggers' Best Tips"  in the May 2013 issue.

My longtime blogging pal Jamie of Rural Beauty Blog let me know that she saw me quoted in this issue today (thank you SO much, Jamie). I didn't even know the issue was out yet until she brought it to my attention!

My tips:

image credit: Jamie for Nouveau Cheap

Print edition of ShopSmart Magazine May 2013 Issue

Article: "Bargain Bloggers' Best Tips"

Do you subscribe to the print edition of ShopSmart Magazine? Do you ever buy it when you see it on newsstands? Needless to say, I'll  be hitting the stores today in search of this issue!

Thanks again, Jamie, for the heads-up that this issue is now out, and thank you SO much for sharing this pic!

Tweets:) Water-Based Nail Colors at Walmart

In the past week I've seen a handful of you mention this new nail polish brand that's currently landing in Walmart stores. Reader Inna not only shared some pics of the display, but also some bottle shots, swatches and mini-review!

Tweets:) polishes are water-based and claim to be odor-free. Keep reading to see Inna's take on them and why I'm personally freaking out a little bit about these!

image credit: Inna for Nouveau Cheap

Tweets:) Water-Based Nail Colors

(retail: $2.97 each at Walmart, 0.22 oz)

Review: The Wet Brush

Press Sample

I rarely get excited about hair brushes. I'm actually one of those people who uses the same brush forEVER (I think I've reviewed a total of two hair brushes in the four years I've been blogging).

But here's the deal: I have a few friends who work in fancy salons, and they all keep talking about this brush. The Wet Brush. Apparently this brush is all the rage with stylists right now because it's created specifically to detangle wet hair. I can only image how it feels to be a stylist and have to comb out rat's nest tangles with a comb all day. I mean, I hate to comb out my own my tangles, let alone someone else's. My hair is long, wavy and fine (but I have a lot of it) and it's extremely prone to tangles (literally, I can blow on my hair and it will tangle) and I've been using the Tangle Teaser for quite some time now, which helps immensely.

But when my friends started raving about The Wet Brush, I. HAD. TO. GET. MY. HANDS. ON. ONE. And then, as luck would have it, one was sent to me for review. I almost cried when I opened the package and I'm not being dramatic--I really wanted this brush. So let's see if it kicked my beloved Tangle Teezer to the curb, shall we?

 The Wet Brush in Classic Yellow

(retail: $14 on The Wet Brush website)

Review: Hard Candy All Lid Up Créme Eye Shadows

Press Sample

I recently received some of the new 2013 Hard Candy products for review, so I'd like to kick off this mini-series with the new All Lid Up créme eye shadows. I received three shades for review (there are ten shades total in this range):

NEW Hard Candy All Lid Up Créme Eye Shadows

(retail: $6 each at Walmart, 0.19 oz)

Paula's Choice Celebrates Leaping Bunny Certification with contest, free shipping and more

Exciting news to share with you today from Paula's Choice. Keep reading for all of the details!

Seattle-based cosmetics company Paula’s Choice LLC, has been cruelty-free for 17 years - and this month is proud to announce it will be wearing orange in a big way as the newest, certified member of the Leaping Bunny Program. Companies certified through the Leaping Bunny Program have made a voluntary pledge to eliminate animal testing from all stages of product development.

To celebrate this important milestone, Paula’s Choice is holding We Love Our Animals Photo Contest on its Facebook page. To enter, all someone has to do is post their favorite animal or pet photo along with a comment about why they believe beauty products should never be tested on animals. Each week, one photo will win a $100 Paula's Choice gift certificate. In the final week of the 4-week contest, a grand-prize winner will win a year’s supply of Paula’s Choice skin-care products of their choice. Even better, if people want to shop Paula’s Choice after entering the contest, the company will donate 5% of their purchase to the Johns Hopkins University Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing. 
 
The requirements for the Leaping Bunny Certification include a commitment to eliminate animal testing not only from the company, but also from their ingredient suppliers. The result is a product guaranteed to be 100% free of new animal testing. All Leaping Bunny companies must be open to independent audits, and commitments are renewed on an annual basis. The program is administered by a coalition of animal rights organizations, including the Humane Society of the United States and the National Anti-Vivisection Society. 

Paula’s Choice namesake founder Paula Begoun states, “All of us are thrilled to have this certification as definitive proof of our commitment to not testing on animals. Our pet friendly office with 15 dogs is proud of us, too.” 

To find out more about Paula’s Choice and its commitment to helping people find the best products for their skin, visit www.paulaschoice.com. More information on the Leaping Bunny Program can be found at: http://leapingbunny.org/. 

Led by best-selling author and beauty expert Paula Begoun, the Paula’s Choice Research Team evaluates and reviews hundreds of skin-care and makeup products, in books such as Don’t Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me as well as online at CosmeticsCop.com. Combining cosmetics industry knowledge and expertise, Paula and her team have developed the Paula’s Choice line of state-of-the-art formulations based on reliable, published skin-care research. Products include skin-care, makeup, body and hair-care products, beauty tools, and accessories. All products are fragrance-free, cruelty free, and environmentally friendly.

April promotion: free shipping on all orders

Enter promo code PRPET to have Paula's Choice donate 5% of your purchase to Johns Hopkins University Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing. You can pair this code with the April (no promo code necessary) special of free shipping or any other promo code.