Best Facial Tanner of 2011

Moroccan Mineral Facial Tanner - Toasty, Tan & Attractive
Tall and tan and young and lovely... you know the rest. I am well known by friends and family as a serial sunless tanner -(I secretly want to be the girl from Ipanema), and for decades I searched high and low for the perfect facial tanning juice, lotion or cream to give me a toasty and tan complexion that does not make me look like a sweet potato! But that's not all - facial sunless tanners need to live up to my rigorous demands.

Click to See: Before & After

My Facial Tanning Must Haves:
1) Give me a dark sunless tan that lasts, and does not take 4 days of consecutive application to "show up".

2) Don't have dark tints or brown dyes... these stay lodged in pores and dull the complexion. Not to mention they make you look like you have blackheads!

3) No Sticky Icky! I want my facial tanner to dry down quickly - I hate when my face sticks to my pillow!

4) Stay awhile. There is nothing worse than laboring over a sunless tan only to see it wash away the very next day.

5) Smell nice, don't break me out and have some added ingredients that make my skin look nice... is that too much to ask?

Well bronzed beauty seekers, I am pleased to announce that the Moroccan Mineral Facial Tanner excels in every single one of these categories. It truly is one of the easiest and most natural sunless tanners we have ever tested - and we are so pleased to offer it here at Pretty Like Me. So no more boiling your Botox baking for hours in the sun - save face and get glowing without UV exposure! It provides approx. to 25-50 facial tans per bottle!!! It is the HG of facial self tanning.

CND Shellac French Manicure - Bliss for Natural Nails

I am a very busy lady, managing a household, running several businesses and juggling an endless "to do" list.  Despite being preoccupied with a million things to manage, I try and make sure my nails look good, because if the nails are gross, I feel gross... I can't explain it. Needless to say,  I nearly fell out of my chair when I read about Shellac on alllacqueredup.com. The pictures of her nails on day 14 of her Shellac manicure were astounding!  It was like someone had photographed a Unicorn!  Or someone finally captured big foot.... I could not wrap my brain around what I was seeing!  Her nails looked like they were just polished, yet her manicure was actually 14 days old!

I have to admit, I actually had DREAMS about getting my first Shellac manicure. The anticipation was so great, I could barely contain my excitement! The thought of actually having beautiful nails for 14 days (to me) is one of the greatest beauty inventions of my lifetime!

My favorite quintessential manicure is a French one.  But as all natural nailed ladies know, a French manicure is only going to look great for 2-3 days before the chipping begins.  My CND Shellac French manicure was with 2 colors, Negligee (a transparent pink with a very subtle iridescent) and Cream Puff (the opaque white used for the tips).  Now, I have to admit that I was a bit bummed at how clear the Negligee appeared. I have on 2 coats in this photo.  A white on white manicure is my preferred choice (1 coat Essie Waltz and 1 coat Essie Marshmallow).  But with the limited color selection currently available from CND Shellac, Negligee was my only option... though I think Shellac Romantique might make for a good alternative (I will try next time).

So far, on day two of my Shellac French Manicure, I have no nicks, chips or scratches.  Just INSANELY shiny and healthy natural nails!  A VERY important step to keeping your Shellac manicure looking great, is to apply Solar Oil every day!  Solar Oil contains a luxe blend of natural Rice Bran oil, Jojoba oil, Vitamin E Oil and Sweet Almond oil that not only conditions your nails and cuticles for a healthy looking manicure (I put some on just before this photo was taken), but the act of massaging Solar Oil into your nails actually stimulates nails to grow while the the oils strengthen and condition crusty cuticles and nail beds. Every time you use Solar Oil, it totally revives the beauty of your manicure!

If I needed another reason to love Shellac it would be that there is absolutely no damage done to your natural nail. Shellac is also "3 Free".  It is free of  formaldehyde, toluene or DBP.  I call Shellac "The Kind Manicure"; your nail bed does not need to be mutilated with a nail file or drill at anytime. CND Shellac polishes go on just like regular nail polishes, so there is no damage to your precious, natural nail.

So far my manicure is holding strong.  I have opened cans, boxes, washed my 225 lb Mastiff and unloaded the dishwasher without a single MARK on my nails.  I will do another photo and update in 12 days...stay tuned!

So call your salons and ask for Shellac - It is totally worth experiencing!

Cupcake Obsessed - Sweet Shop Gift Ideas for All Ages

Pretty Like Me, Inc has just added dozens of new adorable, gift-able and girlie treats to our Sweet Shop section. Whether you need adorable (but affordable) gift ideas, party favors, birthday parties, stocking stuffers or just thoughtful gift for someone special, you will be sure to find something unique and precious here!

Here are photos of some of our favorites (from top to bottom): 

Sweet Shop Cupcake Soaps -  These look like real pastry cupcakes, but they are actually paraben free, glycerin soaps.  Preciously packaged and scented with Buttercream frosting.


Cupcake Bandages - Everyone at our Pretty Like Me headquarters is wearing cupcake bandages... just because they are so cute!  What a great item to have on hand for the kids, grand kids, nieces, neighbors, sleepovers - anytime!

Stiletto Lip Glosses- For lovers of lip gloss and high heel shoes, these adorable stiletto heels are packed with shimmering, flavored lip gloss. Each stiletto is adorably gift boxed in a miniature peek-a-boo window shoe box and a pink ribbon top handle for a fun & whimsical presentation. I smile every time I see these on my desk!

Box of Chocolates Lip Gloss Gift Set - YUMMY and insanely cute!  This is one of the most impressive sets we've ever seen... and we have seen a lot!!  Presented in a beautiful gold box, (exactly like fancy chocolates and truffles), each chocolate lip gloss sits cradled in it's own chocolate wrapper making the presentation soooo...OMG!

Enjoy shopping our sweet shop for all your gift needs!