244: clearly

I've been a wearer of bold, thick plastic glasses for at least 6 or 7 years now & it seems that every new pair of glasses has to be larger or thicker or bolder than the last... so I had a phase of wearing clear frames only, but now I'm back to big ones.

Remember the last time I tried to buy smaller glasses frames? I tried out my glasses for a day & said... "That's not me."

Well, my current everyday glasses are these:


Derek Cardigan 7004 Shadow

My cousin Shellie gave me a code for a free pair for my Birthday this year so I decided to get a pair that was a bit more subtle. I was starting to fell like the above frames were just so BAM on my face... so I went for a smaller, rounder frame in a lighter colour too:

Derek Cardigan 7012 Birch

I hated my choice :( I was going to try them for longer than the last pair & I was even considering asking people to vote on whether I should keep them... but I decided to go with a return. It's over between us & I'm probably gonna go back to clear glasses. ah!

OH & Don't forget to go & enter for our TWO giveaways going on right now. All you have to do is comment!
win a halloween pumpkin bowl from Unknown Boutique HERE!
win a skull tee & skeleton hand barrettes from Lipgloss and Black HERE!

xoxo

243: Unknown Boutique Giveaway (CLOSED)

Looks like we're all getting into the halloween spirit this year & one of our sponsors, Shaunie from Unknown Boutique wants to join in on the giveaway fun! We're so excited to host this giveaway for her & hope that you gals love this sweet Halloween decor as much as we do! Good luck!








THE PRIZE:
♥ Black Lacquered Pumpkin Bowl from Unknown Boutique!


MANDATORY ENTRY:
♥ comment ONCE in this post telling us your favourite item at Unknown Boutique!
♥ & leave your email address (just so we can contact you if you win)


HOW TO GET EXTRA ENTRIES:
♥ on twitter, RETWEET THIS TWEET and post the link to your tweet in a new comment
♥ you get ONE EXTRA entry for each promotion (yes, we will check your link!)


DETAILS:
♥ open to contestants worldwide! Shaunie will ship anywhere :)
♥ entries will be accepted until 11:59PM EST on Sunday October 16, 2011
♥ the winner will be selected using a random number generator and contacted on October 17th via email.
♥ prize is not redeemable for cash value and cannot be returned or exchanged for store credit.

GOOD LUCK!

xoxo
&


PS, have you taken advantage of this special offer yet? Shaunie would like to offer readers of Syl and Sam a discount of 15% off your next order at Unknown Boutique with the coupon code "ShhhDiscount"

242: tutorial - apple nails

It's thanksgiving long weekend here in Canada & that always puts me in the mood for delicious root vegetables, turkey, squash & apple pie! I decided to do a bit of a themed manicure this week & went with apples! Here's the look we're going for:




Start with a base colour, apple colour, stem colour, leaf colour, white & a topcoat!


base coat your nails with whatever. I used a sheer manicure colour so that the focus would be on the nail art!


now using your apple-y red, draw a top-of-heart shape at the tip of your nail


It's pretty easy to draw it on in just two rounded swipes! Do the same on all your nails.


Then take your brown colour & use a toothpick to pick it up & draw a stem on each apple.


Now use the other end of the toothpick & dip into your leafy green. Drop a dab on your nail and drag with the tip of the toothpick to make a leaf shape.


Alternate which side the leaf is on... cause you're fancy.


and then use your striper brush & white polish to make a bit of a shiny spot on each apple. *ting*


& that's pretty much it! top coat them & you're done!

& then eat your apple after! This tutorial made me so hungry for one :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

xoxo

241: L&B - bones giveaway (CLOSED)

It's been a while, hasn't it? Well, it's time for a new giveaway!
It's thanksgiving weekend here in Canada & we're feeling generous, so here's a Halloween inspired set of items that are up for grabs for our readers & fans! It includes a couple of our best-selling items--




THE PRIZE:
♥ SKULL CUT OUT TEE (in black, white or grey in size s, m or l; based on availability at end of contest)
♥ PAIR OF SKELETON HAND BARRETTES (in your choice of the "pulling hair" or "pushing hair" style)


MANDATORY ENTRY:
♥ comment ONCE in this post telling us your favourite item at Lipgloss and Black!
♥ & leave your email address (just so we can contact you if you win)


HOW TO GET EXTRA ENTRIES:
♥ on twitter, RETWEET THIS TWEET and post the link to your tweet in a new comment
♥ on facebook, SHARE THIS POST & post your facebook name in a new comment
♥ you get ONE EXTRA entry for each promotion (yes, we will check your links!)


DETAILS:
♥ open to contestants worldwide! we will ship anywhere :)
♥ entries will be accepted until 11:59PM EST on Sunday October 16, 2011
♥ the winner will be selected using a random number generator and contacted on October 17th via email.
♥ prize is not redeemable for cash value and cannot be returned or exchanged for store credit.

GOOD LUCK!

xoxo
&


PS, just cause we love you: get an ADDITIONAL 50% off anything in the sale section of our shop for the duration of the giveaway. Use coupon code "THANKSFORSALES" at checkout to apply discount!

240: tutorial - dry water marble nails

Remember the water marbled nails tutorial? What a pain in the butt, eh? I got some great tips from my last post but it's still a bit of a chore to
do the whole water technique...

Well, I decided to try out the dry method which is similar to last week's diy nail decals technique and I feel like it turned out a bit better than the water method...

I don't know why I keep trying this look though because I don't even like the results. hahaha, but see for yourself if you think it's worth it!

here's what we're going for!


start with a few colours and a ziploc bag


Start with drawing a glob.


Then start drawing rings around the glob...


Alternate colours, drawing a target on the ziploc baggie


Then take a toothpick and start pulling the wet nail polish into the center.


You can drag the polish inwards or outwards to form that "marbled look"




I decided to do a bunch of circles of designs just in case I ran out!
And then since it's probably a bit thick, let it dry for a few hours (I left it for 24!)


after it's completely dry, you should be able to peel the nail polish off of the plastic. If it's a bit stuck, you can stretch the plastic a bit or use some tweezers to work on lifting a corner. Try to keep it in a single piece.


Then you'll have these weird flaps of nail polish!


Taking some sharp scissors, cut some pieces that are generally the size of your nails. It's better to cut them a bit larger than your nails than smaller!


Continue cutting up your patterned nail sheets & you'll have your own DIY nail appliques, just like the ones you can buy! :)


To apply, just put on a single coat of nail polish...


and stick the nail applique onto your nail & press into place. You can use a toothpick to press it down around your cuticles.


Do the rest of your nails & let them dry for a minute or two.


Then just press the remainder of the nail applique off of your nail.


You'll be left with a bit of a bumpy nail job & some messy cuticles but you can clean up the edges with a q-tip & polish remover.


Then just top coat & you're done!

What do you think? Does dry marbling look easier than water marbling?! Is this even worth it? I'm not diggin the look that much but it's finally a way to get the water marbled look on your toes! hahaha

xoxo