Cult Nails Blog: September 2012

Sunday, September 30, 2012

Our first October Give Away is here!!

I'll post the above instructions on our Facebook and Pinterest pages. Simply follow the instructions and you will be entered!

I will pick my favorite board on 10/8 and announce the winner on our Facebook page! The winner will receive $100 worth of Cult Nails products of their choosing!

As an added bonus Polish Galore will be hosting a give away on her blog giving away $50 worth of Cult Nails products, so be sure to head over there this week and watch for her announcement! I'll also post it on Facebook once her contest is up and running.

If that wasn't enough, Polish Galore will also be picking a winning board for the Blogger Choice prize which will be $30 worth of Cult Nails products!

And I will be adding a blog contest here starting tomorrow, so be sure to check back here tomorrow for another opportunity to win Cult Nails products!

Friday, September 28, 2012

October Announcement - Month of Giveaways!

I have been planning some give aways that will be spread across all our social media platforms. From this blog, to our , and Instagram(Cult Nails)! Are you ready?

Each give away will last one week, and since there are 5 give aways, two will run consecutively.

I will post details for each give away here on the blog as well as on our and . But I will give you all a hint of the types of give aways we will be having.

- Are you the biggest Cultie? Show us in a picture and you may win! Being the biggest Cultie doesn't mean you have all our polishes, you could just have one! It's all about team spirit here! Profess your love and you may win!

& Instagram(Cult Nails) - These contests will give you an opportunity to show off your nail art skills! Get out your Cult Nails nail art supplies and your Cult Nails polishes and put Kelly Osborne's $250K Emmy mani to shame with your skills! You don't need mega money for a mega mani!

- Free for all mani! Show us your favorite Cult polish in a creative photo or as a basic mani. Let us know why it's the best polish and help us spread the word!

Blog - This will be a more traditional entry - where you just have to enter to win.

So now you have a bit of the details, look for details here on the blog each Sunday and find out what the prizes will be! You don't want to miss this, this will be our biggest give away to date! We will be giving away over $500 worth of Cult Nails products!

Oh and did I mention it's my dad's and Juan's Birthday in October, so to celebrate, we are going to have a sale coming up too!

October will officially be the month of the Cultie! So make sure you follow us here, on , , Instagram (Cult Nails on Instagram), and and be part of the fun!

Thursday, September 13, 2012

You want me to do what? (by: Juan)

As some of you may know Juan had to deliver some polishes to NYC at the last minute for a Fashion Week emergency. I made him sit down and do a post to tell you all about it! I hope you enjoy!

Juan's Post:

Good morning/afternoon/evening all,

This is John (aka Juan) and I'll be writing today's blog post! This is going to be a long post because I want to share this experience with you as close to possible as I lived it. This post will be written with a couple of assumptions... since you are reading this on a nail/fashion related blog, you are likely a female (sorry guys, but it's kind of assumed); and two, you get as excited about fashion as I get about getting a new guitar!

Let's move on to the goods, because I've got lots to share!

In case you missed the post on the page, here's what happened: Our polish (Nevermore in particular) was selected to be used for a show in New York Fashion Week on Tuesday, Sept 11. We got the call on Friday from Ajah, celebrity manicurist of "Her Nails Rock!" that she finalized details with the designer on Friday night, and so we got everything ready and shipped it overnight on Saturday to arrive on Monday by 3pm. Plenty of time for the show, right!? Not really!

Maria and I were out at dinner Monday night, when Ajah (whom I now call Aj) called to let her know the package had not arrived. The package contained enough Nevermore to coat a small bedroom, and enough Wicked Fast Top Coat to protect a 1978 Volkswagen Rabbit from continuing to rust. So, what do we do? Aj had risked quite a bit when she highly recommended our product to the designer, the designer took a risk using a brand she'd never heard of, and we told them our product would be there. There's really only one option... get on a plane and get it there! This was decided before we left dinner, it was just a matter of who would be going.

Long story short, in the end it was decided that I would be the one waking up at 4:15 to get myself on a 7:00 AM flight to NYC to arrive at the Metropolitan Pavilion before the call time of noon! (NOTE: For those that don't know, like me, the call time is when you need to arrive (models, makeup, hair, and nails teams) to begin prep for the show... and it's no joke, they end up using every ounce of that time!)

This is how the clock looked when I rolled out of bed... way too early!

Now, if you follow me on Twitter or Instagram ( on both) you may have seen some of these images already. If you haven't seen them yet, or don't follow me *shame on you*, then this post will bring you through my day at a NY fashion week runway show. Actually, typing that, it makes me realize how many of you would love to attend a show, how many of you would love to be back stage, and how many of you may never have the opportunity to do so... so my goal is to bring you as close as possible (with a focus on Cult Nails of course) to the experience that I had.

Okay, so we've already established how early I was up. I'm not a terrible morning person, but 4:22 is very early. However, as I drove from the east coast of Florida by Cocoa Beach, to Orlando International Airport and the sun began to rise in my rearview mirror, my spirits brightened up a bit. "Today's gonna be a great day!" I thought to myself. So, I check in to my flight, get my baggage squared away and make it to the gate after the majority of the passengers have boarded. You see, security had long lines due to others soon to be flyers not being able to follow instructions, so I was delayed getting to the gate. No big deal. So, finally seated in the rear of the aircraft (seat 23A if I remember correctly) and getting comfortable and ready to do what I usually do on a flight; Sleep! (Time: 6:43 AM)

I am just about asleep, and I notice a woman getting ready to occupy the seat across the aisle from me. What caught my eye was the USA embroidered suit case she had carried on. It looked very, how do I out this, professional and something that may have been mass produced for a team... so I take a look at this woman who is tall, thin, and RIPPED!! Oh yeah, she's GOT to be an athlete. I usually get on people (my Mom) for being presumptuous in these situations, but of course I text Maria and share my suspicions. She calls me crazy! So, I politely, probably somewhat awkwardly, ask this young lady if she is an Olympic Athlete. Imagine my surprise when she smiles very politely back at me and introduces herself as Dee Dee Trotter. Now, I'll admit I didn't follow the Olympics too much this year and have a horrible memory of years passed so I was embarrassed to say I wasn't very familiar with her though I did recognize her name. She shared with me that she had won a gold and bronze medal in the summer games for events in track and field, as well as having been a participant it two other Olympic Games, and a gold medal winner in one of them as well! WOW! We talked for a few about the games, and we also talked about the reasons for our early morning trip to NYC... when I told her about Cult Nails, we were like besties! Just kidding, but she was interested in it and talked with me about it for a few. I offered her a polish, which I ended up giving her Nevermore, a Get It On Base Coat, and a Wicked Fast Top Coat, and she offered me a few things..... PICTURES! Who would believe me otherwise, right?

Me, Dee Dee and the MEDALS!!!

Dee Dee showing her "Convert Kit"! Get It On,
Nevermore, and Wicked Fast.

After that, I just knew that today was going to be a great day! Once I took the photo on the right, we wished each other well and parted ways. I went outside to catch the car service that Maria had arranged for me while I flew, and got to headed to the show. (Time: 10:13 AM)

My view from the back seat as we approach the city.

Shortly after 11:14 AM, the driver (who I've come to know as Yusef) pulls up to the Metropolitan Pavilion on 125 W 18th St, New York, NY! No matter how many times I visit, I still get excited. I love this city. It's now that I start getting a little excited for this fashion week mystery. I'm going to see what happens behind the scenes at this event, then watch the show and see Cult Nails on the runway. All I can think at this point is; "I am so proud of my wife! This is a dream come true! First, having a line of her own; now on the runways of New York Fashion Week! Way to go, babe!!!" I digress.

It is here, at the Metropolitan Pavilion (now referred to as the Met for the rest of the post) that I am supposed to meet Aj and the Her Nails Rock team to deliver the goods! ;) "The eagle has landed!" I'm a little before noon, so I walk around the block a couple of times to get the sights and sounds of this city as I know this trip is brief. As I come back, I'm greeted at the Met by a warm smile, and a big hug from Aj and Pia. We grab a quick bite to eat, introduced ourselves to one another and headed back to the Met for the noon call time.

Above: The Her Nails Rock team (L to R: Ajah, Priscilla, and Pia) Thanks for rockin' the Cult Nails tees ladies!
Below Left: Lulu, I didn't catch her last name, poses with her Nevermore.
Below Right: Erika Packard has some fun "chuckin' the deuces" and giving me a little duck face action.

Once there, we are shown to the "back stage" area where there are teams of make up artists from Inglot, and hair stylists from Style Grafix, and the three of us. Oh yeah, and a bunch of models... 14 for this show! There was a little hustle and bustle, but nothing like I was expecting, but we were 3 hours from show time. Once we got settled in, it was game time. Aj grabbed Get It On, Nevermore, Wicked Fast, a nail file, some of our gold flakes, cotton balls, and remover a started getting to it! Pia and Priscilla, who were working with Aj, did the same. While these models are getting their hair and make up done, these three girls were working on manicures. Of course, Aj put me to work as well. I got to take any existing polish off models and make small talk while I did so. "No. Please don't make me hold hands and chat with models. You're killing me!!!"

Aj, of Her Nails Rock, doing a Nevermove/Gold Flake manicure on Carolyna Ramos

This process continues for a while, and since there were no more models with existing polish, and I can't paint someone's nails with a black polish without making a HUGE mess, I'm useless. So I get to taking pictures! I'll only share some in the post, but there were TONS taken, I can assure you! One thing I haven't mentioned yet, is that one of the models (or should I say "the model") for this show was Tamar Braxton. I met her briefly while she got her hair, nails, and make up done; but she had a film crew with her (I assume for the Braxton Family Values tv show) so I was pretty much in the way!

Tamar Braxton, in Frontrow, rocking her Cult Nails mani on the runway! And yes, I took this pic!
As DJ Pauly D would say; "Yeah buddy!"

Following the hair, nail, and make up phase, is when the designer shows up... and the crazy begins! She's putting together models with looks, getting them lined up and dressed, and finalizing everything before the show. That's when I really took advantage of the camera. As girls were dressed and given the OK from the designer (Shateria), I asked if I could get pics. They happily obliged! Here's what I got!

Pictures above are:

Top: Lenka Dayrit Middle: Erika Packard Bottom: Carolyna Ramos

Now.. seems like everyone is dressed. Shateria is excited and thanking the girls. And it's about 2:48 PM. Time for me to try to get a seat for the show where I can take pictures. I try the press area, but I'm a little late for a good spot. I made my way onto the "riser" they have for press so I can get some pics. People are looking at me like "Who are you?!" and I'm looking at them like "You don't know? See this camera? Move over!" No words ever spoken, but I got up on the riser! :) I got it like that! Here's some of the better shots I was able to get.

Tamar Braxton (L) walks with Frontrow Designer Shateria (R) to close the show.

WOW! The show is over in less than 30 minutes! All that work for a 30 minute show.. but the onlooking crowd LOVED the collection as they erupted in applause! I took this as my cue to excuse myself (now just about 3:45 PM) as I have no idea how I am getting back to the airport for my flight at 7PM. I know, you're thinking why do you need 3 hours to get there. You ever been in NYC traffic? I wasn't about to take the chance! So, I hail a cab and get going to the Airport. Once there, I was able to catch an earlier flight and get home one hour earlier than expected. WAHOO! And, as an added bonus, I was treated to this beautiful sunset as I approached Orlando.

Anyways.. I hope you enjoyed my perspective of, what I have dubbed, "the trip that saved fashion week!" Until my next guest post...

John

Monday, September 10, 2012

Fitting Room Fun at The Shops at Target - Kirna Zabete

The Shops at Target - Kirna Zabete - Photo courtesy of Target
Long Sleeve Shirtdress $39.99 and Long Sleeve Colorblock Cardi $32.99

Many of you know of my love for Target already. A lot of my wardrobe is laced with pieces from Target. From their regular clothing to their designer collabs and now their Shops, it is any fashion loving persons go to place for affordable style. I do buy some higher end clothing, but those are the more classic pieces, the ones that will last through the years. And by higher end, I am not talking couture! I have never spent more than $150 on a pair of pants and that only happened once because I had a gift card! So you won't find any $1,000+ items in my closet, heck not even $500 (not counting shoes or purses and again that is only 1 in each category and they were both gifts.) So the fact that Target was teaming with Kirna Zabete had me super excited! I saved up so I could do some damage when the Shops went live on Sept 9th (yup yesterday!) Now I get to start saving all over again for Target's pairing with Neiman Marcus and some amazing designers in November! You may actually see me camping out overnight at my local Target! Something I have always thought of as a strange thing to do, but yup, totally am already mentally putting myself there so I can be ready.

The Shops at Target - Kirna Zabete - Photo courtesy of Target
Leather Jacket $199.99, Sleeveless tie-front blouse $26.99 and Metallic Jacquard Skirt $39.99

Anyway, you know me and my tangents. I was super excited for the Kirna Zabete line up. To give a bit of a back story. Target chooses shops and boutiques from around the U.S. and partners with the owners to create unique items for Target. These stores don't necessarily design clothes, shoes, housewares, but they had the opportunity with Target. Can you imagine how exciting that must be? Kirna Zabete is a Soho NY boutique that opened 11 years ago and is owned by Sarah & Beth, best friends. They sell high end fashion in their stores and now they have collaborated with Target to bring a limited edition collection that encompasses styles they love inspired by designers they love. You can check out all the great items directly on Kirna Zabete or Target's websites.

The Shops at Target - Kirna Zabete - Photo courtesy of Target
Sleeveless Maxi Dress $49.99 & Tuxedo Blazer $49.99

Of course for me this meant that I would be up chatting with some other Fashion Collab fans until the wee hours of the morning when the collection launched on Target's website. I immediately ordered 3 of the 4 pieces I thought of as my must have items. The fourth once I could zoom in on the view of the item, was no longer a must have but a must see, so I passed on that one. You would think that would be it, but it wasn't, I then proceeded to wake up early so I could be at Target bright and early and check out the items in person! I tried on some of the items and then hit the next Target. Not something I planned on doing, but there was a pair of shoes from the men's collab that I wanted to get for Juan and they sold out online in about 30 minutes from what I understand, so I wanted to hit the other local(ish) Target to us and see if we could find his shoes. There I tried on a few more items and then thanks to no shoes at that Target, while I was in Orlando this morning I stopped at another Target and yeay score! I got the shoes for John! Oh and I tried on some more outfits! :) Now don't sit there and judge me! I know you have all done this for polish before! Heck I've joined you in doing this for polish! My obsession just extends beyond polish into makeup, shoes and clothes. It is such a sad, sad thing really! LOL!

The Shops at Target - Kirna Zabete - Photo courtesy of Target
Sleeveless tie-front blouse $26.99 and High-low hem skirt $26.99

So my post for you today is fitting room fun! I posted some of the looks from Target's lookbook already, but what fun is looking at clothes on a model, when you can see them on a real person. Right? I took pics of everything I tried on and I am putting it all here for you, and maybe just maybe, you might find yourself running out to your local Target! :) Granted none of these are "styled" but it gives you an idea on the fit. I will say most of the items I had to size down in, which is great for vanity's sake! LOL! I'm not a fan of putting my sizing out there, but for those of you who may want to order online, it might be helpful for you. It just feels weird putting it out there.

Long Sleeve High Low Button up Blouse $29.99. This blouse is really long in the back, you can see in the mirror behind me. I absolutely love this blouse. It is so chic looking and has so many ways to wear it! You can wear it with jeans, pants, or even a skirt. Belted or loose. Just so many options and the mix of patterns. I just love everything about it. I got this in an XS. This one came home with me!

Hi low skirt $29.99 This was the skirt that was on my must have list, but in a different pattern. Man am I glad I passed on this skirt. It just seems to add inches to my frame. If you are petite or pettish, I'm 5'3", then this may be a bit long on you. I just did not find this fit flattering on my body. On a twiggy 5'7" I am sure this looks amazing. This is an XS

3/4 sleeve knit sweater $29.99 I almost forgot about the sweater! Totally not on my list, I am not a fan of boxy looking clothes. But for whatever reason, I wanted to try this on. It was so soft and comfy and I immediately fell in love and had to have it. It came home with me. In sweaters like this I am normally a M and I got this in an XS

Long sleeve hi-low shirt dress $44.99 OMG how I loved this dress. This is the perfect dress that you can wear to work, brunch, even around town, but still feel like you look good if you meet friends for drinks after work. I sooo wanted to get this after trying it on, but I wanted to stick to my budget, so this one stayed behind. (I ended up getting another dress which you will see in a minute.) But believe me if this one goes on sale, I am so getting it! This is an XS

Long sleeve cardigan $32.99 I really liked this cardigan. It is such a simple item that is perfect for the winter. I would wear this with a tee and jeans and belt it around my waist. I also like it how Target styled it with the dress. But this one was a bit big on me, and well, it stayed behind. This is another item I hope goes on sale eventually. In the meantime, I'll just be jealous of those who got this one. This is a S, I would need an XS

Sleeveless metallic jacquard dress $49.99 - OMG this dress! I saw it on the rack and completely dismissed it. There is no way I thought this dress would look cute on me. It has an almost suede meets leather look to it and on the hanger looked more like something a 20 something would wear. Juan saw it and said he really liked it. Of course he would! So I indulged him and tried it on. OMG! OMG! I fell in love with this dress. Sexy yet classy and funky all in one. Oh and it has pockets! Not too short or too long. Where it cinches in at the waist is perfect for someone who is short waisted like me, which if you are short waisted you know exactly what I am talking about. This one came home with me and I can't wait to wear it! I got this in a size 2! (I'm normally a 4 or 6 in dresses.)

Long Sleeve Trench $59.99 Loving this fun leopard trench. If you look closely the leopard print is actually lips! Unless you look really close, you would never know it! There are a lot of items like this throughout the collection. I think it is so unique and fun! While it rains a lot here in FL, I almost always forget to grab my trench coat and I have two. So this is not something I felt I needed to buy. However if someone wanted to buy it for me, I would not object. I think this is a perfect FL Christmas gift. (You think Juan is getting the hint? Doubtful, but not for lack of my trying! LOL!) yup an XS in this too.

Front zip sleeveless tweed & faux leather dress $44.99 and Faux leather and ponte legging $29.99 This is another dress I had no intention of trying on that Juan liked. And I am beginning to think Juan is learning a thing or two about clothes, because OMG I love this! On the right I paired it with the faux leather leggings. I wasn't a fan on the ponte panel on the sides. In the end the dress wasn't in the budget so I oh so sadly passed on this dress and passed on the leggings since for the money I would want a full faux leather legging. I also have a pair of skinny faux leather jeans I bought several yrs ago that will work, so why spend money on something when I have something that will work. But the dress. OMG! I want this so bad! Darn non unlimited budget! I am half tempted to get it anyway, but that's not going to happen. :( I will totally be jealous of the lucky lady who gets this! This one is an XS and the leggings are a 2, but admittedly a 4 would have been better, they just didn't have any 4's to try on. They fit fine everywhere but were a little tight in the caboose. I have a true Puerto Rican booty. :)

Long Sleeve Front Tie blouse $29.99 Not much to say about this blouse. I tried it on because they had it there. It truly is a beautiful top. I can see so many of my friends in this one. But it just isn't my style. This is an XS

Long Sleeve Shirt Dress $39.99 I'm beginning to feel like a broken record here. But again I LOVE this dress. I love it sooo much! But I got the hi-low shirt in the same colors, so I passed on this dress. But now I can't stop thinking of this dress. I LOVE LOVE LOVE it! I can't stop thinking of this one and the tweed one. Oh please go on sale! I really wish I was able to save more for this collection. I wonder if I can hit my parents up for this one for Christmas? hmmm This is an XS

Long sleeve hi-low blouse $29.99 Funny as much as I love the blue print one, this one just didn't do it for me. I also have about 3 button down black shirts in various materials. I just don't need another one. This one stayed behind. This is an XS

Long sleeve tie front dress $44.99 This dress is so pretty and the attention to detail on this one is amazing! It's hard to see in the photo, but there are pleats that run all down the front and back of this dress without adding bulk. It is really a nice looking dress. I ordered the maxi dress that I posted from the lookbook above, and it has the same pleat detail, so I am now really excited to get that dress! This one however, stayed at Target. this is an XS but I think the S would have been a better fit.

Sleeveless tie front blouse $26.99 and Tuxedo Blazer $49.99 I bought the shirt yesterday and wore it today. I'll put an outfit of the day post on Instagram with this one. I love the look of the shirt and am so glad I bought it, but it is a bit scratchy. For me it is not so scratchy that it bugs me, but I think it could bug some people. I think they should have lined this one. I am also wearing the tuxedo blazer, one of my must have items. I ordered this one online, but decided to try it on when I saw it at the store. Turns out that I need an XS not the S that I ordered. I am normally a S or M or 4 or 6 in a blazer, but because I have such narrow shoulders, I needed the XS here. I will have to return my S when it gets here and I grabbed the XS.

There are sooo many more pieces to this collection. I absolutely love this one. I wasn't a fan of the last Shops collection that Target put out, so I wasn't sure what to expect, but oh does this collection have my wallet weeping! Did you get any of these pieces or are you planning on getting any? Would love to know what you think!

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