DLN 1000+ Follower Giveaway!!!


Here it is, the DragonLadyNails 1000+ Follower Giveaway! Just my way of showing my appreciation to all my lovely readers! It will run from today 9/15 through 9/30. There will be two prizes for this giveaway:

PRIZE #1:


Color Club Polish in Cadillac Red, Sugar Sheer, In Bloom, Catwalk Queen, Overboard, Rev'd Up, and Trippie Hippie, as well as four nail art striping tape (blue, white, red, gold), and the Salon Express Nail Stamping Set (5 image plates, a scraper, and a stamper).

PRIZE #2:


Color Club Polish in Covered in Diamonds, Hot Couture, Sugar Plum Fairy, Magic Attraction, Gingerbread, Beyond the Mistletoe, as well as four nail art striping tape (blue, white, red, gold), and the Salon Express Nail Stamping Set (5 image plates, a scraper, and a stamper).



You MUST be a follower via GFC to enter. The giveaway starts 9/15/2012 and ends on 9/30/2012 at midnight and is open INTERNATIONALLY unless your country doesn't accept the shipping of cosmetics!!! I'm not responsible for customs charges in your country and I'm not responsible for the package once I've shipped it. Winner will be contacted by email after the giveaway ends. If you are under the age of 18 you must have your parents’ consent. Also, prizes will be shipped without packaging to reduce shipping costs.

**All prizes/products are brand new, never used or swatched, and purchased with my own money.**

If you have any questions contact me at dragonladynails@gmail.com.

Now my rant...
RULES:
  • Please follow directions!
  • Erroneous/fraudulent entries will be removed.
  • More than 1 fraudulent will get all of your entries removed.
  • Fraudulent entries will get you completely disqualified.
  • Fraudulent entries & disqualification from 2 different giveaways and will get you banned from future giveaways.
Grounds for disqualification:
  • Entering more than once (both sets will be removed)
  • Not being a GFC follower (this includes leaving the GFC name blank)
  • If you are caught entering GFC name, email, and the rest are fraudulent entries in more than one giveaway – I will forever ban you from my giveaways (dishonesty is a HUGE dislike for me, it’s not fair to the followers who actual do stuff for those entries and you just click enter, enter, enter and hope I don’t check….well, I do. Every. Last. Entry.)

I have said this before I'm sure these rules sound harsh but they are there for those followers who actually do the requested activities to earn those entries. I have also changed around some of the entry options as you will notice. I also added the option to host a copy of this giveaway's Rafflecopter widget in a post for 25 bonus entries. You can combine this with the blog post bonus entry and get 30 bonus entries for one blog post. 

Okay, enough of that onto the Rafflecopter widget!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks again to my 1000+ Followers!! Much Love, The Dragon Lady

P.S. Please click here to vote for my contest entry. Thanks!

My Contest Entry - Please vote!


I just entered the BirchBox Color Club Fall themed mani contest on FB. Please help me out and vote for my mani here. Thanks bunches!

In other news, I hope to finally get my newest giveaway up later today and I am taking swatches & doing manis like no tomorrow because I will be taking part in the TNT Challenge from ASK Cosmetics (stating very soon) so I won't be able to paint my nails for 12 weeks. Craziness! I am trying to "store" up some posts basically, but you will probably also get mani pics for my mother, and daughter, and possibly some toes as well to fill in the gaps. =)

If you were wondering about what I used for he fall mani entry...generic ridge filling base coat, 2 coats of Color Club Catwalk Queen, then stamped with Mash-27 (leaf tip image) using a very old bottle of Sally Hansen Nail Prisms Emerald Amethyst, topped with Seche Vite.

Much Love, The Dragon Lady - and thanks for voting!

Sinful Colors Sinfully Magnetic


As some of you know Sinful Colors has now jumped onto the magnetic bandwagon and released a magnetic line called Sinfully Magnetic. I found a display of them at my local Rite Aid, that contained 6 or 7 colors (sorry, forgot to actually count them). They retail for $4.99 which I was bummed about because it's Sinful Colors and they are usually cheaper. As for the colors, some of them looked pretty close to the colors we have been seeing in the magnetic polishes for months. The dark green, dark purple, dark charcoal gray, silver, dark blue, etc. I almost walked away from the display but as I was standing up glitter caught my eye...yup glitter. Captivate Me, definitely captivated me. It's a wine colored polish with small, holographic micro glitter.


After finding one with glitter I searched all the colors on display carefully and while no others in that display had glitter one, Polar Opposites (a light gun metal-ish gray), has a blue to purple duo-chrome shimmer to it - hard to tell for sure but it might actually be a green to blue to purple. I scored both of these and grabbed up a spare of each to use in a future giveaway.


What do you think of these? Has anyone else found any glitter/shimmer magnetic polishes? Much Love, The Dragon Lady

Yesterday's Teal Mani


Here's a quick post to show you all what I used in the ovarian Cancer Awareness mani I wore yesterday. I used two coats of Sinful Colors Sweet Dreams, a pale teal with a silver shimmer. Once that was dry I stamped over it with the awareness ribbon french tip image on BM-324 using China Glaze Deviantly Daring. On my accent nail I sponged Sinful Colors Nail Junkie, then hit it all with a coat of Seche Vite.


Mani/Bottle shots:




I also did my toes in a teal glitter nail art polish, Finger Paints Art Hue Feeling Young?, I moved some of it to a small polish bottle for easier application. I topped it off with two coats of Seche Vite, then today I used one coat of Geliah Top It Off UV Topcoat for awesome glass-like shine (also adds durability and I am planning on wearing this for awhile).

Macro in sunlight

First ever toe shot! 
Much Love, The Dragon Lady

Support Ovarian Cancer Awareness - Wear Teal!


As most of you know today (the first Friday in September) is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Day and the color for Ovarian Cancer Awareness is teal. Also, check out TealToes.org, painting your toenails teal to raise ovarian cancer awareness... I think we can all do that. ;) Teal Toes also has a polish page that lists some teal colored polish names/brands and also nail polish brands that are donating proceeds to the cause when you purchase polish (although they didn't mention Color Club's ORCF Teals collection).


“Early detection of ovarian cancer saves women’s lives.
The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2012, about 22,280 new cases of ovarian cancer will be diagnosed and 15,500 women will die of ovarian cancer in the United States. More statistics…

According to the data, the mortality rates for ovarian cancer have not improved in forty years since the “War on Cancer” was declared. However, other cancers have shown a marked reduction in mortality, due to the availability of early detection tests and improved treatments. Unfortunately, this is not the case with ovarian cancer, which is still the deadliest of all gynecologic cancers.”

Unfortunately, no screening test exists that can test all women for ovarian cancer. I’ll bet your thinking I get the dreaded Pap test that’ll catch it. Wrong! The Pap test does not test for ovarian cancer; it screens for cervical cancer.

“Not only do researchers need to develop an early detection test for ovarian cancer, like mammograms for breast cancer and Pap tests for cervical cancer, but also women and medical professionals need to become more aware of ovarian cancer symptoms.

Ovarian Cancer Symptoms:
  • Bloating
  • Pelvic or abdominal pain
  • Difficulty eating or feeling full quickly
  • Urinary symptoms (urgency or frequency)
Women with ovarian cancer report that symptoms are persistent and represent a change from normal for their bodies. The frequency and/or number of such symptoms are key factors in the diagnosis of ovarian cancer. Several studies show that even early stage ovarian cancer can produce these symptoms.
Women who have these symptoms almost daily for more than a few weeks should see their doctor, preferably a gynecologist. Prompt medical evaluation may lead to detection at the earliest possible stage of the disease. Early stage diagnosis is associated with an improved prognosis.

Several other symptoms have been commonly reported by women with ovarian cancer. These symptoms include fatigue, indigestion, back pain, pain with intercourse, constipation and menstrual irregularities. However, these other symptoms are not as useful in identifying ovarian cancer because they are also found in equal frequency in women in the general population who do not have ovarian cancer.

Symptoms vary and often depend on the location of the tumor and its impact on the surrounding organs. Many ovarian cancer symptoms mimic those of less life-threatening conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome.

Risk Factors
While most women with ovarian cancer do not have any known risk factors, some do exist. If a woman has one or more risk factors, she will not necessarily develop ovarian cancer; however, her risk may be higher than the average woman’s.

Genetics
About 10 to 15 percent of women diagnosed with ovarian cancer have a hereditary tendency to develop the disease. The most significant risk factor for ovarian cancer is an inherited genetic mutation in one of two genes: breast cancer gene 1 (BRCA1) or breast cancer gene 2 (BRCA2).  These genes are responsible for about 5 to 10 percent of all ovarian cancers.

Eastern European women and women of Ashkenazi Jewish descent are at a higher risk of carrying BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations.

Since these genes are linked to both breast and ovarian cancer, women who have had breast cancer have an increased risk of ovarian cancer.

Another known genetic link to ovarian cancer is an inherited syndrome called hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC or Lynch Syndrome). While HNPCC poses the greatest risk of colon cancer, women with HNPCC have about a 12 percent lifetime risk of developing ovarian cancer.

Women who have one first-degree relative with ovarian cancer but no known genetic mutation still have an increased risk of developing ovarian cancer.  The lifetime risk of a woman who has a first degree relative with ovarian cancer is five percent (the average woman’s lifetime risk is 1.4 percent).

Increasing Age
  • All women are at risk of developing ovarian cancer regardless of age; however, a woman’s risk is highest during her 60s and increases with age through her late 70s.
  • About 69 percent of women diagnosed with ovarian cancer in the United States from 2002 to 2006 were 55 or older.
  • The median age (at which half of all reported cases are older and half are younger) at diagnosis is 63.

Reproductive History and Infertility
Research suggests a relationship between the number of menstrual cycles in a woman’s lifetime and her risk of developing ovarian cancer. A woman is at an increased risk if she:
  • started menstruating at an early age (before 12),
  •  has not given birth to any children,
  •  had her first child after 30,
  • experienced menopause after 50,
  •  has never taken oral contraceptives.
  • Infertility, regardless of whether or not a woman uses fertility drugs, also increases the risk of ovarian cancer.
Hormone Replacement Therapy
Doctors may prescribe hormone replacement therapy to alleviate symptoms associated with menopause (hot flashes, night sweats, sleeplessness, vaginal dryness) that occur as the body adjusts to decreased levels of estrogen. Hormone replacement therapy usually involves treatment with either estrogen alone (for women who have had a hysterectomy) or a combination of estrogen with progesterone or progestin (for women who have not had a hysterectomy).

Women who use menopausal hormone therapy are at an increased risk for ovarian cancer. Recent studies indicate that using a combination of estrogen and progestin for five or more years significantly increases the risk of ovarian cancer in women who have not had a hysterectomy. Ten or more years of estrogen use increases the risk of ovarian cancer in women who have had a hysterectomy.

Obesity
Various studies have found a link between obesity and ovarian cancer. A 2009 study found that obesity was associated with an almost 80 percent higher risk of ovarian cancer in women 50 to 71 who had not taken hormones after menopause.

Reducing Risk
Women can reduce the risk of developing ovarian cancer in many ways; however, there is no prevention method for the disease. All women are at risk because ovarian cancer does not strike only one ethnic or age group.  A healthcare professional can help a woman identify ways to reduce her risk as well as decide if consultation with a genetic counselor is appropriate.

The use of oral contraceptives decreases the risk of developing ovarian cancer, especially when used for several years. Women who use oral contraceptives for five or more years have about a 50 percent lower risk of developing ovarian cancer than women who have never used oral contraceptives. “ - Ovarian Cancer National Alliance

You can go here to donate or shop to support the cause. Wishing Much Love and Happy, Healthy Ovaries to you ALL, The Dragon Lady

Nina Ultra Pro Electric Slide



One of the polishes I scored from Sally Beauty the other day was Nina Ultra Pro Electric Slide. It looked like a pretty cool neon green jelly with  gold and iridescent glitter in it. This is two coats of Electric Slide no base coat and no top coat.



Meh! So disappointing! It looks kind of like I have some weird nail illness that made them all gross greeny-yellow and I was trying (and failing) to hide it with glitter. Yuck! But all is not lost, that's what layers are for!


I layered two coats of Electric Slide over 2 coats of China Glaze I'm With the Lifeguard (should have done 3 as I can still see a bit of VNL). Loooove it! Very summery (it's still in the 100+ degrees where I am, so until the weather gives over to fall I am refusing to put my summer neons away).



Much Love, The Dragon Lady

Neon Pink, Hello Kitty, and Mini-Haul


I just wanted to post a quick one to show you what I was wearing. It an unnamed neon pink with a silver shimmer. I wore this just by itself yesterday but last night after my day of errands I decided it "needed" something. Stamps! I just received a few new stamping plates with some Hello Kitty designs (ordered them to do my little ones nails for her b-day). I decide to test them out on myself too. Here's what I did.

I used two HK images and a whole nail polka-dot from the QA12 image plate which I bought off Amazon.com. I think it turned out pretty cute and I'll probably wear this mani until tomorrow. Nothing like a little stamping to extend that manicure one more day! ;)


Here's a little pic of my mini-haul today from my local Sally Beauty aka My Addiction Supporter. It was time to renew my membership and yes, I bought more polish. I'll have to update the Polish Stash list here pretty soon.


Much Love, The Dragon Lady