Zoya Giveaway #3 - All That Glitters Duo, Holly Days Duo, Believe In Magic Duo, Ellie, Marigold, Ash & Sam

Sponsored Giveaway

Hello readers,
It's time for the final installment of my Zoya giveaways! Let's take a look at the last prize.

Zoya Giveaway #2 - Taste Of Winter Duo, Snow Kisses Duo, Fun & Frosty Duo, Brighton, Mandy & Vanessa

Sponsored Giveaway

Hello readers,
It's time for the second installment of my Zoya giveaways! Let's take a look at this week's prize.

Zoya Giveaway #1 - Kissmas Quad & All Snuggled Up Quad

Sponsored Giveaway

Hello readers,
It's time for a giveaway! I have a bunch of Zoya products that I want to share with some lucky readers so for the next three weeks I'll be hosting three zoya giveaways. Let's take a look at this week's prize.

Indie Expo Canada VIP Polish Giveaway

Hello readers,
A couple weekends ago I had the chance to attend the second Indie Expo Canada in Toronto, Ontario as part of the official press team. Head over to today's other blog post for my full coverage of the event. I know that not everyone who wanted to could make it out in person, so today I'm giving you the chance to win some of the polishes from IEC 2017 and IEC 2018 VIP bags. Make sure to fill out the entry form at the bottom of the post.

Live Love Polish Pitch Perfect 3 Collection Swatches, Review & Giveaway

Press Sample Affiliate Link Sponsored Giveaway

Hello readers,
Today I have the Pitch Perfect 3 Collection from Live Love Polish to share with you. This collection features four full coverage shades and two glitter toppers. Make sure to read all the way to the end for a chance to win the full collection. Let's take a look at swatches.

Fifth Blogaversary Giveaway!

Sponsored Giveaway

Hello readers,
Today marks the fifth blogaversary for Manicure Manifesto! Thank you so much for reading from the start, following more recently or even dropping by for the first time today. Five years feels like a big accomplishment so I wanted to celebrate with all of you, and what better way to celebrate with a big giveaway? Read on to see all of the amazing prizes up for grabs from lots of wonderful brands. Thank you to all of them for donating these items! Be sure to make it all the way to the end to fill out the entry form.

Ceramic Glaze Botanical Oasis Collection Giveaway

Sponsored Giveaway

Hello readers,
Did you see last week's post featuring the new Ceramic Glaze Botanical Oasis collection?  Be sure to check out Part I and Part II.  Now that you're all caught up, how would you like a chance to win the entire collection?!  Just enter using the form below.

Must be 18 years or older.  Open to Canadian residents.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Third Blogaversary Giveaway!!!

Sponsored Giveaway

Hello readers,
Today marks the third anniversary of my blog which means it's time to celebrate, and what better way to celebrate than a giveaway?!  Eleven wonderful indie makers have been very generous and donated prizes.  Put on your party hats along with Lefty and Cricket G. Pig and enter at the bottom of the post.

The Epic Canadian Indie Giveaway!

Sponsored Giveaway

What's EPIC, INDIE and TOTALLY CANADIAN?!...

The Epic Canadian Indie Giveaway!

The giveaway features some amazing up-and-coming and established Canadian Indie brands. 

Check out each of the sponsors' shops and be sure to enter the giveaway at the end of the post. The giveaway is open to Canadian and US residents; ends November 17, 12am EST.  Now for the the part you've been waiting for... the prizes!

Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleansing Cloths Review & Giveaway

Press Sample Sponsored Giveaway

Hello readers,
Today I have a new product from Cetaphil to share with you.  If you're like me, you want a no nonsense easy way to clean your face at the end of the day which will leave you feeling fresh.  Cleansing cloths are a great option (I especially love them while traveling) and I'm looking forward to see how Cetaphil's Gentle Skin Cleansing Cloths perform.

These Gentle Skin Cleansing Cloths are advertized to remove dirt and makeup with no soap, no irritation and no rinsing.  They are suitable for face and body, leave your skin feeling fresh and clean, ophthalmologist tested and are fragrance-free. 

Now it's time to put to put these cleansing cloths to the test.  I tried them out on a day when I was wearing some makeup that included Cover Girl concealer, Urban Decay Primer Potion, Quo Back To Basics eye shadows, The Balm Cindy-Lou Manizer, Julep Kajal eye liner, GOSH Giant Blush and ModelCo Party Proof lipstick.

Before	After

The Gentle Skin Cleansing Cloths did a good job of removing my makeup with one exception - the eye makeup. It took some scrubbing to get all the shadow off and I wasn't able to get all the liner off. The cloths did leave my skin feeling clean and moisturized though. If you're wearing much make up I would suggest using a dedicated make up remover first and then using the cloths to deal with any remover residue and to clean up the rest of your face. After using these for a few days I didn't notice any negative side effects such as break outs (which I am prone to) or dry skin. I will definitely consider these as an option for when I'm traveling or just need a refresher part way through the day. If you want to give these cloths a try make sure to enter the giveaway below where you have the chance to win one of ten 10-packs of Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleansing Cloths along with a $3 Off coupon.

Giveaway open to Canadian residents 18 years and older

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Happy polishing,

Michelle

Second Blogaversary Giveaway!

Sponsored Giveaway

Hello readers,

Today marks the blog's 2nd blogaversary!!! I can't believe it's been two years and I wanted to thank you all for joining me on this blogging adventure.  To celebrate I've organized a giveaway featuring prizes from a variety of wonderful  and very generous indie makers and myself.  Check out the list of amazing prizes below and enter using the form at the bottom of the post.

The Lazy Laquerista (Me!) - $25 gift certificate to the stockist/indie shop of your choice
(International)

Llarowe, Color4Nails, Harlow&Co, Etsy, Nail Polish Canada, Femme Fatale, any indie
 polish shop that can issue gift certificates... or an option I haven't even thought of.  As long as they sell polish and offer gift certificates the choice is yours!

Model City Polish - $15 gift certificate
(International)

Indigo Bananas - Winner's choice of three full size polishes from indigobananas.com
(International)

Girly Bits Cosmetics - $25 Gift Certificate
(International)

Emerald & Ash - Winner's choice of one polish and one cuticle oil
(US & Canada)

 Gothic Gala Lacquers - $25 gift certificate
(International)

LynBDesigns - $25 Coupon Code
(International)

Eat.Sleep.Polish - $25 Gift Certificate (excludes shipping costs)

(International)

Lucky 13 Lacquer - One full size bottle of Softening The Bad Things, one 2oz bottle of cucumber melon hydrating polish remove and one blue glass nail file.
(US Only)

Alchemy Lacquers - one polish of winner's choice
(US & Canada)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Happy polishing,

Michelle

Emerald&Ash Cuticle Oil Experiment, Review & Giveaway

Disclaimer:  This product was offered at a reduced price or at no charge to manicuremanifesto.com in exchange for published reviews.  All reviews are fair, honest and reflect my personal opinion.

Today I have a different kind of review for you.  Ashley and Nate over at Emerald&Ash sent me three cuticle oils a month ago to review.  Here's a little bit of info straight from the makers themselves:

"Our nail oils are hand blended and mixed to order. None of our oils sit with scents premixed into them. We use a unique blend of oils that include Fractionated coconut oil, grapeseed oil, jojoba oil, meadowfoam seed oil, tea tree oil, vitamin A oil and vitamin E oil.

We created a nail oil that we love and want to use. We wanted something that was fast absorbing, moisturizing and that didn't leave a greasy feeling behind. It's a cuticle oil that can be used as often as needed, while also using it frequently to help get your nails and cuticles into better shape.

We offer 85 scents in both essential oils and fragrance oils. Those 85 scents can also be blended into an even larger selection of scents. Along with that we offer unscented, sellers choice where we choose the scent and a scent of the month that is offered at a discounted price."

I could have instantly told you that they felt very nice and smelled delicious but I wanted to go deeper.  I decided to do a full out experiment with treatments and controls (the statistician in me is making an appearance :P). The goal was to see what difference the cuticle oil actually made in the long term.  My fingers were already in pretty good shape... but I did know where to find some not so nice cuticles: my toes.

Experimental Design

My right foot is the control.  It will get all the same treatments (creams, scrubs, etc.) as my left foot except it won't get any E&A cuticle oil.

My left foot is the treatment.  It gets E&A cuticle oil applied to cuticles and dry spots 1-2 times a day.

Wait four weeks and see if there are any differences between the two feet.

Results
The following photos are unaltered except for the addition of a watermark and labels.  They were taken in natural lighting.  No cuticle oil was applied before taking the photos.

The first apparent difference is the dry spot under my big toes which I call the flip flop zone.  This is where the strap from my flip flops sit and it is perpetually dry and ugly.  On my left foot on which I applied the E&A oil is a lot less dry that the same spot on my right foot which didn't get any E&A love.

The next problem spot are my 'toe knuckles'.  This is the first joint from the end of the toes.  Mine tend to be dry and slightly flaky.  After a month of cuticle oil application the toe knuckles on my left foot look much improved compared to their right foot counterparts.

Finally the primary use for these awesome oils - cuticles!  It's easiest to see the difference looking at my big toes.  On the right foot with didn't get any oil you can see that the cuticle is dry and flaky and the skin on the left side of the nail is dry too.  On the left foot the cuticle on the big toe looks moisturized and smooth.

Conclusion

The results speak for themselves.  I absolutely love these cuticle oils and they really do make a difference.  I have tried four scents so far:

- Cool citrus basil

- Blood orange and honeysuckle (blend)

- Fresh cut grass

- Fresh raspberry and lime (blend)

My personal favorite is the fresh raspberry and lime blend.  It's so fresh and crisp and tempts me to lick my fingers.  The fresh cut grass scent is quite light and not at all overwhelming.  Cool citrus basil and blood orange and honeysuckle are lovely as well.  E&A offers the option to blend any of their scent options to make a one of a kind cuticle oil too which means the possibilities are virtually endless.

You can find Emerald&Ash on:

emeraldandash.com
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter

And finally, here's your chance to try E&A cuticle oils for yourself!  I have two $20 E&A gift certificates for two lucky winners.  Enter using the rafflecopter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Happy polishing,

Michelle

The Great Polish Giveaway Of 2014

Hello readers,
Who doesn't love a giveaway?   One of my favorite polish suppliers, Nail Polish Canada, came up with a really cool way to team up with bloggers to give one lucky winner up to 200 polishes.  Each blogger that signs up nominates a polish to be included in the prize pack and for each new blogger the prize increases by one polish.

 

So which polish did I choose?  One of my all time favorite Picture Polishes: Hope.  Hope features a dark blue jelly base filled with teal micro glitter, holographic micro glitter and handful of small blue hexes.  It has a fantastic formula and needs two coats to go opaque.  These swatches show two coats of Hope with one coat of CND Super Shiney top coat in natural lighting.

Use the rafflecopter below to enter.  You can gain extra entries by going to each blog that has nominated a polish.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Happy polishing,

Michelle 

1st Unblogaversary Giveaway Winners!

Hello readers!
My 1st Unblogaversary Giveaway has officially come to end and you know what that means... winners!

And the winners are...

Alexandra Catherine - Lucky 13 Lacquer
Kay Spriggs - Gothic Gala Lacquers
Amanda Cassidy Wampler - Northern Star Polish
Bar Eldar - Model City Polish
Debbie Spence - My prize pack
Gina Spero - Darling Diva Polish
Stacy McKeever - Girly Bits

All the winners we emailed earlier today.  You have 48 hours from the time of the email to respond and claim your prize.  In the event that a winner doesn't respond I will redraw for that prize.  Thank you for entering everyone! This was a lot of fun and a great way to celebrate my first year of blogging.

Happy polishing!

- Michelle

Happy 1st Unblogaversary Giveaway!!!

Hello readers!

I'm very very very excited to announce my first ever giveaway!  My official 1 year blogaversary was on March 2nd... but I accidentally completely missed it.  I could have sworn it was in April!  So, I'm celebrating my 1st unblogaversary instead!  With the help of some wonderful indie makers I've put together a giveaway for all of you who have joined me on my blogging journey over the past year.  Let's check out the prizes!

The Lazy Laquerista (Me!) - Northern Star Polish Pumpkinlicious, Polish Yer Hooves Rusty Nails, Models Own Mini Trio Glitter Collection, Pretty & Polished Watch It In CD and Darling Diva Polish Witchy Woman (US and Canada)

Gothic Gala Lacquers - Two polishes of the winners choice (International)

Model City Polish - $25 Gift Certificate (International)

Darling Diva Polish - Bottle of Stand Back and Feel The Love Cuticle Cream (US Only)

Stand Back swatch photo source

Girly Bits - $25 Gift Certificate (International)

Lucky 13 Lacquer - 10ml Bottle of Holo-Addicted and one glass nail file (US and Canada)

Northern Star Polish - A Northern Star Gift Packed valued at ~$15 (International)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck everyone and thank you for your support over the last year!  Please enjoy this picture of a llama in scarf.

 Happy polishing,

- Michelle