It's not a promise, It's a GUARANTEE...

This is the tag line that caught my eye. Duri Cosmetics created a nail strenghing product that is supposed to work wonders.

On the side on the box they state "Rejuvacote the nail doctor will heal and cure your split, cracked and acrylic eaten nails. In a matter of weeks you will enjoy the look and fell of strong, vital, natural nails. It's not a promise, It's a guarantee."

I'll be honest my nails are trashed. I work at a nail salon and my nails have been through the ringer. I try every new product that we get into the store. I'll admit I have eaten off acrylics, picked at gels, and have re-polished my nails more times in one day than I can count. So needless to say, I'm not shocked that my nails look like crap.

This leads me to why I am suddenly so interested in this product. It is a very popular product at Sundrops. We order them, and they FLY out of the store. Clients swear by it. So now I will be taking it for a test drive of my own. Not only do clients swear by it, Duri guarantee's it, Allure Magazine has backed it as one of the best products, and this past spring InStyle Magazine named Duri Rejuvacote in their Best Beauty Buys 2009. This must be good!

I am committing to this product for one month. I am hoping that by the end of one month the damaged parts of my nail have grown out and my nails do gain some strength.

Here is my Regime-

Day 1: Apply Rejuvacote as a base, polish with desired nail color, and use Rejuvacote as a top coat.

Daily: Apply Rejuvacote nightly

Day 7: Remove and apply every other day depending on improvement.

Here are some pictures of my dying nails. As you can see, the free edge of my nails are really damaged (the white part of your nail). These pictures are really forgiving.

I will update pictures on a weekly basis so you can see the improvements for yourself.

Halloween

Halloween is a fun day for us at Sundrops. This year we had an employee costume contest. Clients voted for their favorite costume and Kelly was our big winner.

She dressed as her co-worker Connie. It was pretty amazing the transformation she did on herself. Many people were shocked to say the least. Many times throughout the day I was fooled by the Connie look alike.

The pictures from the day are posted below.

Pictured above L-R: Melissa (dressed as Marilyn Monroe) and Erin (dressed as Ugly Betty)

Pictured above L-R: Katherine (dressed as a zombie), Kelly ( dressed as Connie), Connie (dressed as a pumpkin), and Pam (dressed as a doctor) Is it not freaky how much they look alike?

Pictured above L-R: Stephanie (dressed as a flower child), Melissa, and Carissa (dressed as a Pink Lady)

Pictured above L-R: Cande (dressed as Raggedy Ann) and Stephanie

The only person I didn't have a picture of was Senthia, she was dressed as a hippie.

Beauty Recycling Program

Sundrops Nail Spot is proud to introduce our Beauty Recycling Program

Green has never been so chic! Our new Beauty Recycling Program will help you stay looking great while helping the environment. Here’s how it works, you bring in your empty container of scrub, body butter, or body wash and we will refill them with our featured scent. Each month we will feature different products ranging from hand to foot care. These featured products will be available to purchase per ounce when you bring in your empty container. So what are you waiting for? Join Sundrops Nail Spot’s Beauty Recycling Program and let’s beautify our plant and ourselves.

Let's Review:

1. Bring in your empty scrub,lotion, or body wash container

2. Sundrops staff fills it up with a deliciously scented lotion, scrub, or body wash

3. Pay for the product by ounce

4. Leave happy and helping the enviornoment

Spooky Movie Night

Yesterday, we hosted our movie night (a la Jamiee Rose). Guests enjoyed treats and the classic movie Bride of Frankenstein while getting their hands and toes done. Below are some pictures from yesterday. Join us Sunday, October 25th for our last showing.

Above: Treats above, popcorn balls, candy bars, and coca-cola in the bottles. All classic treats to compliment the movie.

Above: Erin and Senthia setting up.

Above: A close-up of our cute admission tickets we made on the computer and tied with ribbon to the candy.

Such a fun night and we look forward to seeing you on the 25th!

Sweet Time of The Year

I was cruising through the latest Lucky issue and got a glimpse of the Essie Winter 2009 collection. Sweet Time of The Year is a small collection of only three colors. Lollipop (candy colored red), Rock Candy (soft pink), and Mint Candy Apple (minty green).

I am really ecstatic to see the minty green. I was so sad to see Greenport discontinued especially with the love of jade colored nails continuing into the Fall and Winter. The collection will be launching in store November 1st.

photos courtesy of http://www.body-soulbeauty.com

Do You Believe in Magic?

My sister and I are always searching for great skin products. So I was ecstatic when she called me at work, telling me she found a great cream. Egyptian Magic. I thought to myself hmm, it is called Egyptian Magic? It sounded hookey and weird. So as soon as I got off the phone I began my research. I entered Egyptian Magic into the search engine and hundreds of reviews came up.

Now I am thinking to myself, why have I never heard of this cream? It is sold at Whole Foods and other retailers that I frequent. It has been featured on The View, Vanity Fair magazine, US, People, the list goes on and on. So now I am obsessed and I haven't even tried it. My sister was so kind to purchase a jar for myself ($36) and literally all I could think of was getting home washing my face and trying the cream for the first time.

The first night was great. The cream is more like a petroleum jelly. It is rock hard in the jar and then you have to warm it up in your hands by rubbing your fingers together. At that point it just melts almost into an oil. It is 100% natural and can be used all over the body.

It has been almost a week now and I really like it. My skin in the morning is dewier and I feel like my skin looks a bit brighter. I have rubbed it on my elbows, which worked wonders and my dry spots on my feet. It really softened calluses on my heels and toes. All in all I would definitely recommend it. Try it, if not for the face for the body, especially the feet.

Autumn Begins

September 22, 2009 marks the first day of the Autumn season and the fall equinox. An equinox only occurs twice a year with sunlight and night being equal parts. Today is a day of perfect balance. So with the beginning of a new season, I bring you my favorite things of Autumn.

1. Halloween decorating. With the new season brings fall holidays, my favorite Halloween. Martha Stewart never disappoints with her holiday decor. I thought this looked like a great project for this Halloween. Seems simple, I'll let you know.

2. Hot Cocoa. It seems like the Starbucks Pumpkin Spice latte is on every one's fall list this year. Don't get me wrong it is delicious, but fall is not fall without some great hot cocoa. Williams Sonoma has a great recipe called Old-Fashioned Hot Cocoa. It is so good and as you can see by the recipe below it is intended for a child to make, so you know it is kid approved. Also, I suggest the whipped cream topping.

Ingredients:
1 1/3 cups whole milk
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
Mini marshmallows or whipped cream for serving

Directions:
-Warm the milk. Before you start, be sure an adult is nearby to help.

-In a small saucepan over low heat, warm the milk until tiny bubbles appear around the edges of the pan. Remove from the heat.

-Blend the cocoa

-Put the cocoa, sugar and vanilla in a mug and stir to combine. Add 1 tablespoon of the hot milk to the cocoa mixture and stir until it is smooth with no visible lumps.

-Pour the remaining hot milk into the mug.

-Stir well, top with the marshmallows or whipped cream, and serve immediately. Serves 1. Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Sweet Treats, by Carolyn Beth Weil (Simon & Schuster, 2006).

3. Cozy Blankets. The change of weather equals some great snuggle time on the couch. I found this perfect snugly blanket from Pottery Barn. The Sweater Knit throw. A sweater and a blanket rolled into one? What sounds more perfect?

4. Fall Shoes. There are some amazing shoes this season. What I love best about fall shoes are boots. I particularly love the riding boot look. I found some Frye boots that are gorgeous (and waaayyy out of my price range). They would be the perfect addition to any fall wardrobe and the Bordeaux color is beautiful. Nordstrom online has a great lookbook on Frye boots, check it out; if only to dream.

5. Change of weather. For many Phoenicians the fall means 80 degree days and chilly nights. For me, the change of weather means being outside. Enjoying my backyard again, drinking coffee in the morning on my patio and hitting the mountain trails. My favorite trail is the summit at Piestewa Peak. It is the best work out and the best view. Try it, if you haven't. It very difficult but very rewarding.

I wish you all a wonderful new season full of balance and new challenges. What are your favorite things to do for Autumn?