I don’t know how it happened. They sold like crazy, they were impossible to find. We had people all over the world contacting us as to whether we had any more of them left. I had to tell them no.

Then for some reason, I now have two of them sitting on my desk.. Glittering at me.

Then came the choice: sell them or give them away?

I asked people on the Facebook, and it looks like a giveaway is the answer.

We’ve had a few suggestions, but I really like the idea of  a photo contest. It will let others see some great colors that are available.

So here you go!

1) Post a picture on our Facebook page of you wearing your favorite OPI polish color. Don’t forget to list what the color is!****

2) Extra entries for Tweeting, blogging or FB-ing about it and commenting on this post when you’ve done that.

Open to Canadians, 2 winners will randomly be chosen on Wednesday, June 30 and the polish will be mailed out to them.

It’s funny that the actual photo of the polish from OPI shows it as purple-ish. In reality it’s far more silver.

We’re looking forward to your entries!

****To post a fan photo, you just have to use the space where you comment on our wall and attach the photo to that.

You’ve heard of the new collections and you must have them. But each spa/salon only carries 1 or 2 of the lines you are after. You don’t have time to drive around looking for that one specific brand.

Plus starting your car almost always chips a nail.

After going from website to website, you are continually denied shipping because you have a Postal Code instead of a Zip Code.

We hear your cry.

Why is it so tough to purchase nail polish online in Canada?

Reason #1  It’s a lot of work. I mean A LOT of work.

Merchandising for internet sales is time consuming, and it’s made even more difficult when the distributors of the  brands don’t provide digital information. It’s a daunting task for online beauty retailers to take on.

A single spreadsheet with order codes and names of polishes is often what we have to work with. This means finding or making the images, writing descriptions of the colors and dragging out what ever info we can get from the reps about upcoming lines.

It’s a lot of work for a single, small item.

Reason #2 It changes constantly.

New releases, discontinued colors and limited editions. The products are always changing. All that time that is spent finding the info and then a color/collection/line can be discontinued in a matter of weeks.

Reason #3 There are hundreds of colors.

At the time of this post we carry 1114 individual colors across 7 nail polish brands. That does not count base and top coats, strengtheners or other fun paraphernalia. Think of all of the combinations! So pretty.

What it also means is that is isn’t feasible to carry multiples of every single color in house. So we work with several different distributors, each with their own way of doing things.

Pause for me imagining a glorious warehouse with thousands of glittering nail polish bottles…

Distributors don’t even take on more than 2 polish lines because of the detail work that is involved.

Reason #4 Existing in cyberspace

Since we are one of the only online accounts for those distributors, their systems are built to work with brick and mortar retail stores. Those stores purchase what the distributors currently have in stock. If it’s not there, they don’t sell it.

It would be very difficult to update a site everyday with several different distributor’s stock levels. Real time stats would be fluctuating constantly.

We always try and have the most up to date list possible, but sometimes they are simply out of a polish that they carry. In those cases we have to wait for their order to come in.

With OPI it’s almost never a problem. But those harder -to-find-but-stunning-ones like China Glaze, Zoya and Spa Ritual, are ordered less frequently by the distributors as fewer people sell them.

This means sometimes there can be a wait, most of the time there isn’t. On the upside it means you own that polish and it will come to you as soon as it’s available. You don’t have to go looking for it. It’s yours already.

This is particularly true of really popular colors (I’m looking at you Essie Mint Candy Apple).

Reason #5 Color Accuracy

Screen settings effect everything. Sometimes you just can’t know what a color looks like simply from a computer image.  This is where polish blogs are endlessly useful. There are some ladies out there who work tirelessly swatching colors, sometimes even before they are even released! Great photos and explanations of how they wear are out there.

My two favorites? All Laquered Up and Scrangie. They are by far the best polish resources I’ve found. They will also introduce you to brands you may not have heard of before.

Why do we do it at Spa Boutique?

We love nail polish and know how hard it is to get here in Canada. We are a way for you lovelies to shop for colors and brands in one place and we do our absolute best to get you those colors.

We sell only professional lines and we get them from reputable distributors. We have beauty professionals on staff to help you with choice whenever possible. There are colors that come through all the time and some we’ve never actually seen in person, but we will do our best to provide guidance.

It’s an extremely complex item to sell online which is why there aren’t many that do it. Over time the process will smooth out as the smaller lines become bigger and more readily available.

For now we do everything we can to get you your nail polishes.

Dark circles can be really tough, there isn’t really a guaranteed solution. There are several possible causes for them, so it’s necessary to pinpoint your cause and work from there.

There is no single solution unfortunately.

Most lines have started to move away from specific products to combat them, it was just to easy to disappoint people. “Helps with dark circles” will be tacked onto the list of benefits, but the focus is mainly puffiness, hydration and anti-aging.

On the upside it’s always nice to see cosmetics be honest about the results they can actually provide.

Here are some possible common causes for dark circles:

Thin Skin:  muscles and blood vessels are visible and when seen through the skin they appear blue. This most commonly occurs with age as skin thins out and dehydration becomes the norm. There’s very little cosmetic products can do in this case and a good concealer is probably the best option. Creams and such will give minimal results if this is the culprit.

Shadows: These are created by the shape of the face itself. Bumps and dips all effect how the lights hits you. Going for de-puffing products can help if that’s the major cause, as well as making lifestyle changes to reduce fluid retention; less salt! Under-eye hollowing cannot really be affected by cosmetics as it’s the lack of underlying muscles and fat structure that causes it. This is where surgical fillers come in handy, but that is too far outside of my knowledge to comment any further than that.

Blood Vessels: Weak or dilated blood vessels can cause blood to collect in the area making it darker or bruised looking. Eye Products that can help to strengthen blood vessels are useful. Once again a good concealer is usually the best/quickest remedy. Strengthening them takes time and consistent application of the product for cumulative results which will often be minimal.

Skin Pigmentation: For people who struggle with constant and dramatic dark circles and have their whole life, this is often the reason. It can also happen as a result of allergies, medication, sun exposure and pregnancy. The skin itself has more pigment and is darker. Products with mild skin lightening properties can help over time. But it’s best to try and identify the cause of the hyper-pigmentation and try and eliminate it. If it is a life long hereditary issue, then lightening ingredients are the way to go.  This being said the effects will be subtle and take awhile. Those ingredients can only be safely used in very small percentages around the eye.

Once the cause(s) of dark circles have been identified, then a proper treatment program can start.

It will take patience and consistency to see results, but they are possible in certain cases.

Some great ingredients to look for, not the only options, but easy ones to look for:

Horse Chestnut or Ivy: Decongesting and draining, these will reduce puffiness which will smooth out the overall look of the eye area

Caffeine: There is no real science behind this providing drainage benefits, but it is an anti-oxidant so it will help protect the skin. So it’s worth looking for.

Retinol/Vitamin A: These increase cell turnover and healthier cells. Some of the most effective ingredients at reducing line and wrinkle depth which can give a brighter look to the eye.

AHA: Glycolic and Lactic can exfoliate and hydrate the area, again creating a smoother look to brighten the area. Glycolics can also lighten hyper-pigmentation. Do not get it too near the eye though. It causes irritation in mucous membranes

Peptides: Anti-inflammatory and healing, when formulated correctly can provide great anti-aging results in the skin.

Vitamin C: Reduces inflammation, promotes collagen, lessens hyper-pigmentation and can help to protect the skin. This is subject to several complicated formula issues though: percentage, which kind of Vitamin C and how it’s packaged to keep it from degrading.

Kojic Acid: Reduces hyper-pigmentation.

Vitamin K: Some research suggest that this can help with vascular problems such as blood pooling.

Licorice: Anti-inflammatory to reduce puffiness under the eye.

At two separate points we have been sold out of the items as every distributor in town had run out of stock.

Both polishes are stunning and will be guaranteed to get you comments whenever you are out.

The Good: Gorgeous colors. So complex and beautiful to look at, they are both extremely unique as well.

Absolutely Alice is a bright blue with little spots of gold in it.

Mad As A Hatter is a multi-color glitter. It’s probably the best multi-color ever released. At a glance it appears mostly silver, but really there is an array of other colors: green, pink, blue, orange, purple and gold.

So. Pretty.

Like all glitter/sparkle polish they are horrific to try and remove. The reason for this is that nail polish remover dissolves the liquid part of polish.

With a glitter polish, a large portion of it is solid little pieces that don’t dissolve. So you have to wait for the remover to work it’s way through the layers of glitter to actually dissolve that polish.

Add to that the fact that glitter polishes often take multiple layers to achieve full coverage and you have an undertaking that is more time consuming than applying the polish itself. Plus glitter ends up all over your hands.

Of course as an esthetician I would never, ever suggest you peel a polish off of  your nails as it can weaken them and cause peeling…but for the most part these two tend to just lift straight up off the nail once they start chipping.

Which brings me to the next fault, these guys aren’t great at lasting. Even with top and base coats. While the first application will last a good long while, I’ve personally found that each time I use the bottle, the polish has thickened even more and the application lasts a shorter period of time, chipping within a day or two.

They work best and last longest as a toe polish as opposed to fingers. Absolutely Alice is pretty much opaque after two coats, Mad As a Hatter seemed to be three. Both dry very quickly, which explains why the polish in the bottle thickens up. Try to keep the amount of time the bottle is open to the absolute minimum.

You’ll need a nice thick top coat to get rid of any texture as well.

Overall, I’m so glad I own them and will probably buy another bottle or two before they’re gone forever. They make for perfect special occasion or party polish.

Have you used either of these polishes? What were your experiences?

I branched out from standard OPI polishes and bought a Zoya Matte. In green.

It was a big day for me.

I followed all the rules, I used polish remover on the nail to remove any oils, let a base coat dry completely and did quick, thin coats of the polish.

The color I used was the Veruschka green. A deep, shimmering forest green that instantly got comments and envy from all those around me.

Then for experimenting sake I put a top coat on the nails of one hand. It deepened the color and brought out the absolute stunning complexity of the greens and sparkle. I’d be hard pressed to pick a preference. They are just different ways to wear the color.

The biggest complaint with the Mattes is that they don’t last nearly as long. This is not really the case in my experience. I’m 4 days in and, granted, the small amount of chipping that is happening is on the Top-Coat-Free hand (also my dominant hand) but the top coated hand is not far behind.

I love the soft, velvety look of the matte, but I can’t tell yet if it’s that or the actual green color I love more.

I would give this particular product a big thumbs up and suggest that if you haven’t tried Matte polishes yet, this is a great place to start.

On Tuesday January 19th, in the middle of the night, the office next to ours caught fire.The fluorescent lights sparked and lit the ceiling on fire.

We were so very lucky. Theirs was pretty much destroyed. What the fire didn’t get, the sprinklers and water made short work of.

We managed to get away with only smoke damage. I do apologize for any parcels that smell like campfire. Some of the packing material absorbed the smell, but we wanted to get the orders out as soon as possible and the products themselves are completely fine. Just the boxes have a faint scent. Anything that hadn’t been packed yet is having new materials used.

We clearly could not work in the building as the electricity had been cut and it was very hard to breathe. Amazingly enough we had been planning on moving the next week anyway, so we had a new location.

Pulling together as a team, we managed to pack and relocate within a day and a half. Internet and phones were installed the next day.

We are now nice and settled in our most beautiful and biggest space yet.

We do apologize for any inconvenience our two days of catch up may have caused. It put us behind a little bit.

We do want to thank everyone for their patience and support over the last week. It was very, very tiring.

I’ll try and post more pictures as they become available.

This is our stairway with mostly water damage. The inside was much worse but we only had camera phones and it was too dark.

Our new office! We have a cozy little office area and a nice big space for shipping.

We appreciate all of our customers so much, we will be sending out an email shortly with some great Fire Sale! discounts. So if you haven’t signed up for our newsletter, now would be a great time.

Visit www.spaboutique.ca for all of your favorite beauty brands! Want something we don’t carry? Send me an email and I’ll add it to our list of brands to look into.

Most people learn their skin care and information from commercials on the tv and ads in the magazines. As a result most are skeptical about the claims they see.

Rightly so!

The ads are clearly edited and photoshoped and it’s highly unlikely Beyonce actually uses boxed hair dye. So thus far the visuals are all lies.

What about the claims?

They dazzle you with quick, fancy graphs and percentages that show cells plumping and wrinkles drastically reduced. However the fine print that appears for .3 second will clearly state “Results not typical” or “tested on 16 women”.  For the most part what they are showing is that your skin is more moisturized when you, you guessed it, use a moisturizer.

So what results can you expect from an anti-aging moisturizer?

1-Have realistic expectations: No cream will stop wrinkles or get rid of them. No matter what they claim. They can only ever reduce the look and help to slow down the appearance of new ones.

2-They only work if you use them. I often get asked how frequently the product needs to be used.  Skin is constantly assaulted by UV, pollution and the natural aging process. Usage of any product needs to be consistent if you want to protect it. the other issue is that repairative products need at least a full skin cell cycle to really make a change. Otherwise you’re asking dead skin cells to act younger. 6-8 weeks of consistent use gives the active ingredients time to nourish the new cells and improve them as they grow. There are no results over night.

3-What are they really doing? Mostly hydrating. This plumps the cells and reduces wrinkle depth. Certain ingredients are thought to increase collagen production over time. Some will also exfoliate which will further reduce the depth and will also brighten and even the tone.

They should also protect. Prevention is much easier than repair. SPF and occlusive barriers will protect against excessive damage and will hold in all that lovely moisture and nourishing ingredients.

4-Will a moisturizer be enough? You will see some improvement with simply using a well-formulated moisturizer. Whether you invest in other products is entirely up to your comfort level and the results you are seeing.

• A gentle cleanser and toner will be fine. Anything too aggressive will irritate the skin. Dry and sensitized skin will always look older.
• Exfoliating. This is just about as important at moisturizing. Removing the dead skin cells improves skin function, evens and brightens tone and ensure better product absorption. Retin-A and AHA products give the deepest and most even exfoliation are known to increase collagen over time as well.
• Serum: These deposit highly active ingredients deeply into the skin. They work best when used as short term treatments and are a great way to boost a focused routine, or address a separate skin issue.
• Eye Creams: These are best as prevention as well. There are many genetic factors to how our eyes age and many are very difficult to reverse once they  occurred.
• Sunscreen: This is the single greatest step you can take to keep your skin looking it’s best. Sun damage is responsible for almost all of the aging (other than the natural process) that happens to the skin. Plus it takes at least a decade. Protection from the sun now will benefit your skin later on.

Some ingredients to look for:

There are really a fairly limited number of ingredients that actually work at making the skin appear healthier and younger. This is not a comprehensive list but it will give you a basic idea of some of the most available things to look for:

• Vitamins A, C, E- All three have anti-oxidant properties, however it’s never actually been proven that these can protect against some aspects of aging. The research is ongoing and looks promising.  It certainly sounds fancy and that’s why so many cosmetics companies stress their important. They are thought to help slow free radical damage.
• AHA/Glycolic/Lactic/Salicylic Acid: Deeply exfoliating, these even and smooth out the skin and encourage collagen production which will improve tone. Salicylic is great for those that want anti-aging and have oilier skin.
• Retin-A: Still by far the most effective at home ingredient. It’s very aggressive and can cause some sensitivity
• Glycosaminoglycans: Complex proteins that are essential for healthy skin function. They include Hyaluronic Acid, Muccopolysaccharides and Natural Moisturizing Factor (NMF)
• Ceramides: naturally occuring fats in the skin, they help create a barrier to prevent moisture loss.
• Peptides: if formulated correctly (stable, accompanied by a carrier and actually able to make it through the skin without breaking down) they have tissue-healing benefits.

Different lines sometimes have their own patented technology as well.

Conclusion:

Cosmetics are not a replacement for medical treatment or surgery, they will not get rid of or stop your wrinkles. The best they can do is make your skin look as healthy and balanced as possible. You can easily reduce the look of lines and help to slow down future damage. Soft, bright, even skin tone can go very far and make skin look beautiful.

Have you found any products or ingredients to be more effective than others?

There were so many wonderful submissions I decided to include them on our blog as well.

The winning post was Beauty and the Feast’s “How To Revive Your Dried Out Eyeliner Pot“. She has a series of posts that are a great resource for any beauty fanatic.

Without any further ado, the rest of the nominees for Favorite Beauty Blog Post 2009:

Raging Rouge: CoverGirl Shine Blast Review

Beauty and the Feast: Kyoku for Men: An epiphany in men’s skin care

Canadian Beauty; We Officially Love Mineral Makeup

24/7 Style

The Jet Set Girls

Raging Rouge: 8 of the Best Concealers Ever!

Raging Rouge: The Best Lipstick and Best Lip Gloss Shades for Fall

Raging Rouge: Anti-Aging

Raging Rouge FitFlop Review

BellaSugar: Tips on Greening Your Makeup Bag

Raging Rouge: MAC Magic, Mirth & Mischief Mineralize Eye Shadow Review

Beauty and the Blog: best Beauty Advice Ever

Spoiled Pretty: Holiday Beauty Gift Picks

My Skin Concierge Ava

Raging Rouge: UV Sun Sens Wristbands

Makeup and the Beauty Blog: Barielle Decadence Nail Polish Blue Me Away

Raging Rouge: The Beau Bain Review

Beauty and the Feast: What is High Definition Makeup?

RN Guide to Skin Care: Philosophy Hope In a tube Eye cream Review

Dare2b.me: One Apple a Day…

I Got Cancer, But It’s Okay: Beauty Tips for Cancer Fighting Chicks

The Soap Bar: The Missing Lemon Biscotti

So there you go! The nominees for our first giveaway with Spa Week. If you missed this contest, we did give away almost $600 in prizes, so stay tuned for further contests!

What’s been your favorite Beauty Blog Post of 2009?

Currently Health Canada does not require that expiry dates be put on the cosmetic label. Most professional products will have some sort of marker on them though.

Here are a couple of things you can look for:

Open Jar or Period-After opening Symbol: This is becoming more and more common as it’s the standard in Europe. This indicates how many months the product can be safely used for after opening. This is based on the assumption that people are making practical decisions in storage and hygiene: product is kept tightly closed, away from light and heat, and hands are washed before it’s used.

20091231: Year/Month/Day, or something to this extent. It’s pretty straight forward in that it’s a date somewhere in the near future.

Codes: These will usually be a combination of letters and numbers that almost look like dates.  They are usually individual to that particular line and are difficult to decipher on your own. It’s best to contact the company. The letters can represent months (A=January, B=February etc.) and the numbers may represent years (1=2000, 2=2001 etc) but it can vary. If you are purchasing from an authorized dealer it is highly unlikely that the product is expired or close to. But it doesn’t hurt to check.

The expiry dates refer to when the product will stop being as effective, but if there’s a color, smell or texture change before that date, it’s probably best to discontinue use. Sticking unclean hands into containers or leaving them open will expose them to bacteria and humidity. That can cause them to go bad faster and they could  irritate your skin.

Basic guideline:

-Skin Care: 1-2 years depending on the products. If you are using the products properly, most should last you no longer than 8 months.

-Natural/Organic products: lack of preservatives means these last the least amount of time and are most prone to bacteria growth. 6 months tops and try to keep hands and water completely out of them

-Mascara: wet and near the eyeballs. 3 months. Do not compromise on this one. Replace every three months or earlier if you start to experience any eye irritation. Don’t share! Be greedy and territorial. I am terrible and do not follow this rule, despite my “no compromise” comment.

-Liquid Eyeliner: 3-6 months. Similar to mascara but these are less likely to touch the actual eye.

-Liquid Concealers and Foundations: 6-12 months. These can oxidize when exposed to air. The same reason your foundation may look different at the end of the day. Keep those lids tight!

-Cream shadows and blushes: 6- 12 months again. These usually involve more finger proddings and blendings. Make sure your hands are clean, or apply with a clean makeup brush.

-Lipstick: 12 months. Heat and moisture have a big effect on these.

-Powders (foundation, blush and eye shadow): 1-2 years. If kept dry and clean these are your longest lasting products. Mineral makeups have a good long shelf  life as they are made of rocks/minerals and can’t really harbor bacteria. However if they have additional ingredients like anti-oxidants or anything anti-inflammatory they do become less effective over time.

-Eye and lip pencils: 2 years

These time frames differ depending on the expert or on the specific line. But it’s always best to use common sense.

Some ingredients are blacklisted on some lists, and completely ignored on others.

The reason for that is no pregnant women is likely to say “Yes please test these ingredients on me and my unborn fetus to prove that they are safe”. As a result a general caution is applied to most active ingredients even if there is no actual data.

Then you get those that say natural is the way to go, the only problem being that essential oils are mostly contraindicated for pregnancy as well. Not all of them, but most of them. It still leaves most botanicals as viable options, but if we’re talking strictly acne, there’s not a whole lot those can do for it.

So what’s a girl to do?

First off, always talk to your doctor. They should know the most current research or at least know where to point you.

There’s a lot of scare tactics out there today, so it’s important to really take a look at the actual research and decide with your doctor what you are comfortable using.

These are some of the ingredients that commonly come up:

Accutane: This one is absolute not to be used during pregnancy. No questions. There are lots of studies showing links between it’s usage and birth defects

Retinol: A vitamin A derivative like Accutane, this is topically applied. Usually used as aggressive anti-wrinkle or anti-acne treatments, they should be avoided during pregnancy.

Benzoyl Peroxide: Some say usage has caused birth defects in animals, some say there’s absolutely no research indicating so. Either way, if and when it’s used it should be nothing more than spot treatment so it would be used in teeny, tiny amounts. This one is up to you and your doctor.

Salicylic Acid: If and when it ends up on the No List it’s because of it’s association with aspirin. The concern is if a lot is applied topically it could be absorbed and amount to the same thing as internally ingesting an aspirin. However this ingredient can be found in face washes, which means you would get the oil dissolving qualities and it wouldn’t be left on the skin. Like benzoyl peroxide, discuss with your doctor.

Essential Oils: There are many that should not be used during pregnancy and a few that are okay. Make sure you really trust your source, maybe use a few different ones to confirm it. Tea Tree oil is one that is to be avoided.

AHAs: These are effective exfoliants that seem to be safe and may be the best option for those that are experiencing breakouts. As with anything else, consult your doctor. Also remember that these make the skin more sun sensitive and require a sunscreen for daily use.

Here are a few different resources for you to take a look at.

The Beauty Brains: Everything they do is based off of the most up to date peer-reviewed research. So they are are great resource for those that like science based reviews.

Paula Begouin, Cosmetics Cop: Most estheticians don’t like her because she critically looks at ingredients and judges the product based entirely on that and not necessarily HOW the product uses those ingredients. But the woman knows her ingredients. She’s a great resource for any skin care enthusiast.

Skin Care and Beauty: This is a very thorough article about pregnancy and skin care. She has some great information.

There will always be multiple opinions on this, so it’s best to inform yourself and make the decisions with your doctor.