Part II of my interview with Kim Snyder of Overall Beauty!!

....and today I bring you part two of this Q&A period with Kim -

So, what drives you from day to day in your business?
A cup of coffee!! I have a home-based business. Ok a pot of coffee does :-). And the desire to be sure I have answered all my emails, get orders ready to go out or be out on the web, twittering, on Facebook we have a fan page, or blogging. I also do product reviews for other companies on my blog as well as I am always on the lookout for brand new beauty products that I might be able to offer on Overallbeauty.com or ideas to write about. You would be surprised what questions there are about beauty that still need a answer.

The Help with Haiti promotion you ran during that time of travesty was so philanthropic of you – do you have other works of promotions coming out soon to help with other organizations?
The Hands of Hope Collection was the first of its kind to be created for a cause such as helping out Haiti in their time of need. We chose The Salvation Army as the organization to give our donation to from the sales of The Hands of Hope because we wanted our donation to go help those who needed it the most, the women and child of Haiti. I hope that in the future we will be able to do something like this again. It was such a worthy cause; I think the biggest joy I ever felt was writing the check I sent them for my part. BB Couture and I went and matched the contributions dollar for dollar.

Have you always been in the beauty industry? What was your first job?
No I haven’t always been in the beauty industry, my first job was a busser for tables in a coffee shop in Las Vegas.

Is your business strictly an e-tailer business or do you actually have a brick and mortar store that you operate as well?
Overallbeauty.com is just a e-tailer but I do get calls asking for directions or if I am hiring. And no I don’t color hair but I do have an amazing hair stylist if you would like his name and number. (smile)

Did you always know this was something you wanted to do even as a child?
I have always wanted to do something that help others find their inner beauty. To help people feel a little better about themselves. If all it takes is a little makeup or nail polish and a listening ear that is what I am here to do. I get tons of emails thanking me for carrying BB Couture nail polish for men and understanding that they need color as much as women do!



If you weren’t doing this, what do you think you would be doing instead?

I would still be working with the elderly. I loved my job and learn so much about our country’s history from them.

What is your favorite color?
My favorite color is Pink which is why from my website to my blog you see Pink. With that said my favorite nail polish colors are green and pretty much anything dark and vampy. The very first green nail polish I ever wore was Frosty Meadow by BB Couture, it was love at first sight!! In fact I had a professional photo shoot the next day after having a manicure were they had applied Frosty Meadow, I am wearing a bright blue shirt with green nail polish!



What is your favorite collection?

With so many collections and more on the way, that is one really tough question to answer. But I would have to say its Vampy Varnish Collection and the Beach Collection. I personally helped in creating Balboa Beach Bunny which is part of the Beach Collection.

What does the BB stand for on your labels? (This question was answered by Cindy - the owner of BB Couture)
The BB stands for Botanical Babes (because we try to keep our products as natural as possible)


Do the blue tops on your bottles signify something special? (This question was answered by Cindy the owner of BB Couture)
Ah - The infamous Blue Caps - we needed to be different in every way, we had a very different polish most polish company's have black, white or silver caps. They have basic polish that looked very similar to each other.  We were the first to introduce our polish with No formaldehyde no DBP and no Toluene, everyone else had it and they said they needed it for staying power.  Our polish has always had staying power without that stuff.

Where do you see your business going from here to stay on top?
I think as long as I keep on offering superior customer service and the best of class organic, natural or hard to find products, along with BB Couture nail polish we will be around for a very long time. You may not know but we are also known for its wealth of informative articles. I have personally written over 150 articles on topics ranging from eyelash extensions to sulfate free shampoos and most are archived on the site.

Thank you so much for taking this time for this Q & A with my blog for our followers to read. It means a lot to me for you to be so gracious to take time out of your busy schedule and let us into your world of Overall Beauty.

Thank you very much, I had tons of fun answering all your questions!!

Oh - one more question - where else can we find out more about Overall Beauty??


I am found all over the web at
http://overallbeauty.com/,
http://overallbeauty.com/beauty-blog/ 
on Facebook at
http://facebook.com/overallbeauty1
on Twitter at @overallbeauty
on Linkedin.com at
http://www.linkedin.com/in/overallbeauty
a couple of blogs I own as well -
http://easyskincaretips.net/
http://buymagiclash.com/
I also own a ebook site at
http://healthyebooksforyou.com/ with a nail care ebook coming soon.


Kim Snyder


Owner, Overall Beauty

THE FOLLOWING IS OPEN TO ALL FOLLOWERS INCLUDING INTERNATIONALS!!

STARTING TODAY - YOU CAN ORDER FROM OVERALL BEAUTY

http://www.overallbeauty.com/

FOR ONE WEEK ONLY

USING THE CODE WORD ....WAIT FOR IT.... WAIT FOR IT....

AUDREY

OK, so it's not so original, but it is worth $3 off any order!!

Okay - the part you have all been waiting for - The Give-a-way!!

(Sorry no pics - camera went KAPUT - I'll get pics up as soon as I cab)

3 Brand New Bottles of BB Couture 

1 Glass File
1 Never Been Used Nail Wheel (clear nail)
1 Brand New Bottle of SV or Posche (winner chooses)
1 Brand New Borghese Cuticle Remover
1 Brand New Elf Eye Brush for easy clean-up
1 small baggie of Felt (white)


Okay - that's 7 items!! (who knows - there could be more *wink, wink*)


Here are the Rules:
(No tweeting or Facebook or blog necessary)


1. The obvious - you must be a follower (1 entry)
2. Bring someone else to my blog and have them be a follower and they mention your name (2 entries)
3. Have a blog? - Post my giveaway - link the giveaway back to me (1 entry)
No Blog - that's ok - just tell a friend - and send them here anyway (1 entry)
4. Tell me your favorite NP Brand (1 entry)
5. Can you tell me what the BB stands for? (1 entry)
6. Leave me your e-mail address (1 entry)
or send it to me privately at levernischocolat@gmail.com

Well, that's it - this gives everyone an opportunity to earn 7 entries

This contest is open for 7 DAYS ONLY!!

Winner to be announced on June 7th - why??  If you haven't figured out by now, I like the number 7 because well, June 7th is my birthday!!

GOOD LUCK!!

Well, that does it for me today!!

Until next time (and the next giveaway)...Happy Polishing!!

XOXOXOXOXO

Interview with Kim Snyder from Overall Beauty!! Pt 1 of 2

HELLO FAITHFUL FOLLOWERS!!

Well, I'm sure you know by now where the giveaway is coming from - what you don't know is - WHAT will be included in the giveaway - so you have to read and stay tuned!! :-)

So, Kim – how long have you been in the beauty industry?

I have been involved with makeup most of my life. Like many small girls, my first interest began with watching my mom get ready to go to work and then getting into the makeup whenever I could get away with it. This early experimentation provided valuable lessons, such as it’s unwise to paint your whole face with green eye shadow! I have since gone on to find my own personal style as a teen with my love for makeup is still going as strong ever.


How long has Overall Beauty been in existence?


I started Overallbeauty.com in 2004 with three products, I started off with Magic Lash Eyelash Enhancer (best seller 6 years straight!), Toma mood changing nail polish (no longer available) and Black Magic Mascara. I start off with an idea to offer a place where small beauty brands could offer their products without having to meet large wholesale minimum orders. In fact, many of the handcrafted products are not made until you order the item so that it will be fresh and at full potency when it arrives. In addition to offering my own mineral makeup line, Overall Beauty Minerals Pure Mineral Makeup which includes eye shadow, blushes and foundations, I also offers BB Couture nail polish, natural/organic skincare, bath and body products, makeup brushes and gift products from an array of small manufacturers.

What brought you to the world of beauty?


I was in a car accident in 2004 that pretty much stopped me from doing the job that I had at that time. I was a caregiver for the elderly. It was that experience that had shown me the almost magical power of makeup to restore confidence and make you “feel like a lady.” A little makeup or just getting your hair washed and curled meant more than anything to many of the women I took care of. They would ask that lipstick be applied for them because their hands shook or that she or I would help them with their hair. Once they had been made up, they transformed before my eyes, filling with poise and simple joy.

Where did you get the name Overall Beauty?

The name came about because I wanted a name for a business that would cover pretty much everything I would offer in beauty products. I was really surprised that the domain name was available at the time.


Is this a family business?
I pretty much do everything, but my husband is at times not a so quiet partner.


How have you managed to stay on top amongst so many competitors?
When I was younger I was food and cocktail waitress in Las Vegas, where I learned the “customer-first” attitude that made sure my tips were always generous. I took those very valuable lessons in giving customer service to try and be a step above and beyond any web site. I take the time to answers questions within a day and give my personal attention to every order. And it shows with every order I receive. It’s my belief in the concept of going out of your way to provide a superior shopping experience for every customer that I feel has helped OverallBeauty.com to grow consistently every year. I try to treat everyone like you are my newest best friend and I’m here to help you in any way I can. I also visit and order from other beauty sites to see what they do or don’t do and try to do better.

Where do you get your inspiration and color schemes from?



I help BB Couture by sending her nail wheel of swatches of colors with notes like, you know this green if it had more gold it in, it would be an amazing color!! Or send her a picture of something that I think has a really cool color. That was how Balboa Beach Bunny came about. It was a cell phone bag I had made with this super cool shade of purple. That bottle of polish put in major travel time till I decided it was right. The Hot Rod Collection came about because my sister who is a graphic artist in Las Vegas asked a simple question : why wasn’t there any colors of muscle cars from the 50’s? So she send over tons of photos of old 50’s muscle cars to show the colors. Once the colors were created for The Hot Rod Collection we all send BB Couture lists of names we thought we work for the colors created. My favorite from that collection is Little Deuce Coupe which happens to be the very first yellow to be offered by BB Couture. She is always open to ideas for colors.

Well, that ends part I of a II part interview!!

I know, I know, you want me to start the giveaway already right??  Well here's part I of part II of the giveaway:

STARTING TOMORROW, FRIDAY - YOU CAN ORDER FROM OVERALL BEAUTY

FOR ONE WEEK ONLY

USING THE CODE WORD ....WAIT FOR IT.... WAIT FOR IT....

AUDREY

OK, so it's not so original, but it is worth $3 off any order!!

Well, that does it for me today!!

Until next time...Happy Polishing!!

XOXOXOXOXO

Damone Roberts 1968 - A short post!!

HELLO FELLOW AND FAITHFUL FOLLOWERS!!

I still have a blinding headache but knew I needed to bring you something short and sweet....and yes this baby is sweet!!

This was a LE and re-released a month ago - don't know if it's still available - but I ordered this baby as soon as I heard it was available.

She went on so smooth and even and opaque.  She took three coats but easily could have worn well with two coats.

I really enjoyed this color.  I have quite a few mint colors that I will be comping for you in the future - just not right now.

Then I heard that this was very close to the Chanel Jade but needed shimmer...

...so I added some shimmer!!!

I found this 9 pack piece at Ross for $3.99!!  This 9  piece came with a base coat, top coat, this shimmer and 6 other colors!!  What a bargain!!

I put her over the Damone Roberts and it gave it just enough shimmer and shine to make me really LOVE the combo!!

BUT TWO DAYS LATER...HERE IS THE SHORT....

WHAAAAA!!!!!

I broke one nail and super glued it - then I broke another nail completely off and decided to chop them all off and start all over again!!

I KNOW WHAT YOUR ALL SAYING - THEY LOOK CUTE SHORT!!

WHATEVAH!!  (This is probably why I have a migraine!!)

To be fair - it is an adjustment and I think I kind of like them short too.

My nails haven't been this short since I took my acrylics off 6 years ago.

(Those who have had them - know this feeling)  I have been popping biotin, prenatals, water and moisturizing like a junkie on crack!! (Besides my valium!)

Okay - well that does it for me today - this post has taken me 3 hours to write (ARRRG!!)  Oh the things we do to be a blogger for our fans!! :-)

Okay - so the news you have all been waiting for - Tomorrow the secret to my giveaway will be revealed!!  I know you will ALL enjoy it and it will have so been worth the wait!!  I promise you will not be disappointed!!

Until next time - Happy Polishing!! 

(Turns off computer and goes back to bed to hide under the covers)

I've had such a migraine!!

Please excuse my absence for the past few days - I have had such a migraine!

No, I didn't party too hard this weekend - I think it may be sinuses - and this crazy weather we are having does not help.

I am hoping to be back up to paar tomorrow, if not come hell or high water I will be posting on Thursday and Friday to announce my first give-away and reaching my first 100!!

Thank  you again for your patience - I'll be back soon!!

Turning off the lights and the computer!!

'goodnight everybody'

FAUXNAD FRIDAY AND I BLUE IT!! Pt 5/5

HELLO FELLOW FOLLOWERS!!

IT'S FRIDAY!!  FAUXNAD FRIDAY!!

You have no idea how glad I was for this post to finally get here!! 

I have seen more blue swatching in this past week than I care to ever do again in one week's time!!  My Smurfette fingers thank me for the break!!

Well here she is...

...and then I...

How I missed adding her to the comp's on yesterday I don't know.  I guess I only had a few in mind that I had wanted to use and then when I went to put them back, this one here was poking her out as if to say I BLUE IT by not using her.  So..

I figured I'd make it up to her by giving her a day of her own!!

Which seemed to mak her very happy because she shown like no other...except she's not a water blue - but a navy blue!!  I guess she was so mad at me she decided NOT to allow me to take an accurate picture!! :-(

Well, instead of gettin mad, I got even...

I was going to fauxnad her little butt!!

...and fauxnad I did!!

I used one of my new Bundle Masters from Amazon.  As much as I LOVED the patterns and designs - mastering this bundle was no easy task!!

This is plate BM14.  The blue here is a little more true to life but Blue It is truly a deep blue than what I was getting.

As much as I loved this design - I could not for the life of me get it the way i wanted to - I guess that's what I get for not practicing first! :-(

But none the less, I  think my design efforts were creative:

Once again the dog came by me and swipe me and I ended up smudging my accent finger, so I left it out of the closeup.  I was going for a circle of stars with the finger on the right.  Now if I could just figure out how to do a shield I could have a real cute Captain America Mani for Memorial Day!!

Well, that does it for me this week.  I hope you all enjoyed my week of being blue - now off to scrounge my stash and find out the color of the week for next week.

FYI:

MY FIRST GIVEAWAY WILL BE ANNOUNCED NEXT WEEK FRIDAY!!

NO NEED TO WAIT UNTIL IT'S ANNOUNCED TO START LEAVING COMMENTS AND BECOMING A FOLLOWER!!

I PROMISE THIS GIVEAWAY WILL BE FABULOUS AND THERE WILL BE TWO WINNERS!!

Well, that does it for me today.

Until next time...happy polishing!!

XOXOXOXO

I've got the Blues Pt4/5

HELLO FELLOW FOLLOWERS!!

Today I bring you my first full comparison post...this is at the request of Jackie S.  So, word to the wise - if you have a question, ask it and I will do my best to get it answered and swatched for you!!

These were the original culprits for reviewing.

I knew they weren't all gog to be dupes, but some where still untried as of yet, so this gave me a perfect opportunity to open the bottles and at least swatch them - even if it was only on one finger! :-)

(For swatching purposes all polishes applied with bc/ridgefiller/tc)

This is for you Jackie...

(this was in my kitchen window)

Well, as you can see - they are very, very close - but not exactly dupes.

(Under Ott Lite)

La Playa, IMO pulls a little burple, whereas, Dead Calm truly is a calm deep blue - not dusty at all.

Then I swatched the other blues I pulled out...

... as you can see Mount Royal was the step child of the whole bunch!

MR was a little darker than what I could capture here and it was a dusty - it almost dried matte - so this one really did need a tc for a shine.

Then I saw Denim Dash looked similar to the other two that were left...

...and boy was I right!!  I banged my finger chasing the dog and so I just painted over that one with the dings.  Anywho - as you can see these three, to me, are very dupabale!!  If you have one, I realy don't think you would need all three - but if you REALLY love metallic blues - then you need all three!! :-)

So, Jackie, had it not been for you - this comp never would have taken place!!

Stay tuned tomorrow to see how Sally Hansen and I BLUE IT!!  :-)

...and because of this comp I now have serious smurfette fingers - but that's okay - because I'll soak and scrub and scrub and soak and they'll be white again in no time!!  See my manicure routine in the above page link to see how I do it.

Well, that does it for me today.

Until next time...happy polishing!!

XOXOXOXO

I've got the blues...kinda

HELLO FELLO FOLLOWERS!!

This is the last in the series of the Spring Blue Collection from Finger Paints (FP), but not the end of my I've got the Blues Series - so stayed tuned til Friday!!

I really don't know what the name of this collection was called, so if you know or remember, please let me know!!

(For swatching purposes I used a ridgefiller, an opaque nude and a top coat)

All of these would be great for layering.  I did not want to dilute the true color of these fine polishes, so I thought my best course of action would be to use them in their natural form over a nude.  A nude base does great in hiding the VNL (Visible Nail Line) for those sheer colors!!

(taken at my kitchen window)

One thing I learned from taking such close ups is I need a shape up - yuk!!

But, besides the bad shape - look at that glimmer and shimmer and this is the Milani that is so close to if not identical to the FP Floatin' on a cloud. 

If you can only find one and not the other, I dare anyone to challenge you to say it is not a FP!! (truth be told - we nail fanatics are impressed when anyone even knows the color of their finger polish beside 'some pink I picked up at the store or the salon'!  ARRRRRG!!

(Taken in my lite box)

Since this was not under natural light you can see the nude underneath this here - but it still has a glimmer and shimmer that makes me giggle!!  This one is a sheer and will not change the color of your original np, but just adds glittah.  The only difference I found between the FP and the Milani is that the Milani was more glittery and coarser in applicaion.  The FP required three coats and the Milani only needed two.

(taken in my lite box)

This reminded me of tin foil that was crumbled up then uncrumbled.  I wouldn't call it a foil because it was still a glitter - but a little more dense than shiny.  This one may not be for layering since it is so dense.  This was a nice application - a little more on the glittery side, but a smooth application none the less. 

(taken in mu lite box)

I blurred this to show the shimmer and glitter of different colors in this one.  This color has a clear blue base that will change the color of any lighter polish.  I have worn it over a baby blue np and it turned it into a light blue - which was nice - but it does change the color once layered.  It is a jelly in my opinion - it has no bumpy feeling even with three coats of application is was still smooth once it dried - unlike the floatin' on a cloud or oh my stars.

 

 (taken in my lite box)

Again, I blured this to show the shimmer and it's a dual glitter.  If you looking for a multi glitter with a pink base - this is not it.  This too was also a jelly which dried smooth and when applied for layering over a lighter color will change the initial color of the np.  I liked it just as it was so I probably won't be layering this one.  It is sheer so, don't forget the nude base or you will be using multiple coats to get this look.

 

(taken in my lite box)

So, there you have it!!  The summer blues collection from Finger Paints.  I will say that Sapphire Shimmer and Hue left a message where next to the blue's, but I do not believe they were part of the same collection.  I do believe these were just new glittah's for the summah!!

Well, that's it for me today.

Until Next Time...Happy Polishing!!

XOXOXOXO

P.S.  Even my puppy has the blues!!

"When's it gonna stop raining??"

I've got the Blues...Pt.II

HELLO FELLOW FOLLOWERS!!

It's still raining here!! :-(  The color blue is so befitting of my mood right now!
(All swatching was done with a bc, ridgefiller, 2 coats, tc)

This was actually swapped to me, so once I had the rest of the set I was a happy camper!!  Since I had a Sadly's Sally's coupon - getting the rest of the collection was a no brainer for me (I'm a sucker for a sale and a special!)

My mood may be blue - but nails are happy!!

The beauty of this baby was so befitting of this color that I was just mesmorized by it!!

Finger Paints really got it right this time with this collection!!

Application was flawless and perfect to me.  I loved ALL of these colors..

'Why is she holding a Milani bottle?' 

Okay, I did swatch Finger Paints Foatin' on a Cloud that was a part of this collection - but when I saw the flash of color from the glittah - I said to myself 'Self - don't you have another color similar to this?' So, I ran to my stash and lo and behold I did - A Milani, Diamond Dazzle!!  I was so excited that I had my first dupe - that I forgot to take the picture with the Finger Paints and was holding the Milani to show the glittah comps.  I know, I'm such a sad blogger!!

....then there are the one's I forgot to swatch!! :-O

...AND...

Saphire Shimmer, Oh My Stars, Floating on a Cloud and Hue left a Msg?

These swatches will be made available to you for your viewing pleasure on tomorrow's post.

Until Next Time...Happy Polishing!!

XOXOXOXO

I've got the Blues,,,Pt. I

HELLO FELLOW FOLLOWERS!!

I hope you all had a great and fabulous weekend - I sure did!! The hubbs and I had hit so many BBQ's and retirement's and etc., all weekend long that I didn't blog because I was having too much fun with the hubbs!! :-)

Well, wouldn't you know it that it's going to be raining here in Vir-gin-i-a ALL WEEK LONG!!  WHAAAAAH!! 

Hence - I've got the blues!!

I went out and got this Fingerpaints collex as soon as it landed (I'm a sucker for collections) and I'm just now gettig around to swatching it for you all.  I dont remember the actual name of the collection, it actually has 6 colors but the name I've got the Blues - works for me!! :-)

First up:

This baby was a dream to apply and to look at!!

Look at that almost metallic look to her!! 

She really was Artistic in her application and shine!  Such a satiny finish...

...I really hated to take her off she was just so gorgeous to me!!  She truly BLUE me away!! (sad, I know!!)

Next up:

(Don't know why this label shifted) 

She truly was a dream!!

This made me Dream more than just a little!!

(I was dreaming that my wonky finger would hurry up and grow out!!)

Look at that glimmer and sheen!!  Was just a glorious application!!

Next up:

Blue it was, but blissful - not so much!! 

Application on this baby was horrific!!  It took quite a bit of patience to get to this point because I had to apply it twice before it smoothed out.

Oh - it may look like a beautiful final finish, but it truly was a work of art to get her here!!

I was very satisfied with the final result - but it took three coats - and those first two coats were really 'interesting' to say the least - but by the third coat - it was finally flawless and the clear top coat really gave it that perfect final finish!! *whew*

I will usually never give a bad review of a np but I will not lie about the application - and to me all polishes are workable - and this one really made me work - but the end result was so worth it - hence the FOUR pictures of this blue versus the three of the others!!

Tomorrow I will bring you the rest of this collection for your viewing pleasure.

So, did you get any of these blues?

What did you think of this collection?

Don't know if there are any dupes (as of yet - comps are coming)

Let me know what you think!!

Until next time...Happy Polishing!!

XOXOXOXO