Below are highlights of this month's best events that are being featured on freebeautyevents.com.

For example, in February and March, Ulta is having their Yesto Event in select states. Demonstrators will be sampling products from all the Yesto lines including Yes to Cucumbers, Yes to Tomatoes, Yes to Carrots, and Yes to Blueberries.

Also, in March and April, Walgreens is having their Neutrogena event in Florida. Demonstrators will be showing the latest Neutrogena sunblock products and giving customers great coupons. Best of all, customers will have the chance to enter a raffle to win a Neutrogena gift basket as well.

Freebeautyevents.com also features a monthly contest. For the month of February 2012, they will be giving away 10 prizes. Each prize will consist of L’Oreal Go 360 Clean Deep Facial Cleanser, L’Oreal Youth Code Youth Regenerating Skincare Serum Intense Daily Treatment, and Dr. Lewinn by Kinerase Life & Resculpt Anti-Wrinkle Night Cream. The Contest runs from 2/1/2012 to 2/29/2012, winners will be chosen on 3/5/2012 and notified by 3/15/2012.

Disclosure: I received free beauty product samples in conjunction with this post.

A girl can only be in so many places at one time, so it was with great sadness that I missed covering the nail looks by Deborah Lippmann for Kate Spade's Fall 2012 collection. Luckily the team filled me in post-show and shared these photos of the amazing polka-dot nails! Are you swooning yet? This season, Kate Spade envisioned a bold and fun nail, so celebrity nail tech Deborah Lippmann came up with a polka-dot nail that's feminine and long with a rounded tip. The base is Fade to Black, an opaque vinyl record black, topped with sporadic polka dots in I'm Not Innocent, a clean creamy peach, to add the perfect pop of color.

Both polishes are $16 each at www.deborahlippmann.com.

This is one mani I can't wait to try at home, the trick will be creating those dots but as you can see, they don't have to be perfect. Would you wear a polka-dot manicure à la Kate Spade?

Yesterday I was invited to cover the nail looks backstage at the Tracy Reese Fall 2012 collection runway show, thanks to Sally Hansen. Manicurist Jin Soon Choi gave me the scoop on the two exclusive new nail polish colors that Reese created for the runway inspired by her vibrant fall line: Scarab, a peacock blue and Copperhead, a metallic copper. These polishes showcase never-before-seen technology exclusive to Sally Hansen, which is why it's hard for me to describe them but I'd say they're similar to a duo-chrome, that is, a micro-shimmer that flashes another color depending on the light. The effect is mesmerizing. The polish actually incorporates real silver to create the nacre or glow, and "precious pigments from the Far East that capture the intense, luminous and vibrant iridescence, pearl and shimmer found in nature." I'm not entirely sure what that means but I'm a fan! Look out for Scarab and Copperhead in the fall. I'll keep you posted on availability, pricing and other details as soon as they become available. Which color is your favorite?

UPDATE: And the winner is... #45 Donna F.! Congrats to our winner and thanks to everyone who entered.




Please note: This giveaway has ended and is closed to further entries.

Recently I received a free introductory "Classic With a Twist" Maven Box from Julep, a relatively new monthly nail polish "club." Keep reading for my review, then scroll down for a fab giveaway and a special discount code if you'd like to try Julep for yourself.

Watch out Birchbox, there's a new beauty sample group on the block. It's called Sample Society, and it was created by Beauty Bar and Allure magazine. For $15 a month, Sample Society members will receive 5 deluxe-size samples from premium brands, monthly beauty news from Allure editors and a $15 gift code that can be used toward the purchase of any product from the featured brands received that month. As a final bonus, members receive a one-year subscription to Allure.

If I was a beauty blogger, I'd be all over this. But as it is, I can barely get through a tube of mascara let alone five beauty samples each month. I just don't use that much product (blasphemy, I know). But that's just me. In comparison, Birchbox is $10 a month for 4-5 samples and I have heard only good things from my Twitter buddies. I do love the idea of getting a lovely package each month in the mail with exciting new samples that are big enough for you to actually test, so I'll admit it's tempting.

Are you a fan of beauty sampling programs that let you try before you buy? Or do you find you end up spending more overall?