Month: December 2014
Ugly Christmas Sweater
Behold…the nail polish version of the Ugly Christmas Sweater.
My husband does NOT like this at AT ALL. All he would say is that it’s “not pretty” – which is just him being nice. It’s beautifully hideous if you ask me…
After Sinful Colors Base Coat, I used just a single coat of Sinful Colors “Sugar Sugar” and a thick, goopy coat of Funky Fingers “Fra-Gee-Lay”. Sally Hansen Diamond Flash smoothed down the goopy, stacked glitter. My husband said it felt like modeling clay after it dried – smooth, but rippled.
Isn’t that cupcake ornament cute? My mother-in-law gave it to me a few years ago. I just wanna lick it!
Allure Beauty Box – December 2014
Because I knew this season’s Allure Beauty Box would go on sale during my Thanksgiving vacation, I set an alarm on my phone to remind me to jump on the computer and purchase it…again, I was able to get this value-packed box of goodies – over $250 of stuff for $44.95 + $10 shipping.
Is it possible that this box is even better than the last one? Inside: Aloxxi Conditioning Detangler (Lily might be getting this); Bioré Self heating One Minute Mask (I would have tried this out tonight if it wasn’t for a freak mustache wax accident this morning – don’t ask); Burt’s Bees Cucumber & Sage Facial Cleansing Towelettes (I totally used up the e.l.f. ones I got last time, so I know I’ll use these); Cetaphil Intensive Moisturizing Cream; Clean & Clear Morning Burst Hydrating Gel Moisturizer; Colgate Optic White Toothbrush + Built-In Whitening Pen (weird); Colgate Optic White Platinum Whiten & Protect Toothpaste (cool); Curel Skincare Rough Skin Rescue (the only duplicate from the last box – my husband already called dibs on this bottle to take to work); Dove White Beauty Bar (I didn’t know people still used bar soap?); Jergens Natural Glow 3 Days To Glow Moisturizer (I don’t need to be browner, so this will be gifted); John Frieda Brilliant Brunette Colour Protecting Moisturising Conditioner (this shit is my JAM); John Frieda Colour Refreshing Gloss for Cool Brunettes; John Frieda Frizz Ease Nourishing Oil Elixir; Neutrogena Boost Water Gel; Not Your Mother’s Whip It Up Cream Styling Mousse (do people still use mousse?); Organic Doctor Organic Manuka Honey Hand & Nail Cream; Organic Doctor Organic Virgin Coconut Oil Hydrating Radiance Elixir; Physicians Formula Nude Wear Glowing Nude Blush in “Rose” (YES, YES, YES); Rusk Texture Dry Finishing Spray; Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in “Sweet Talker”; scünci Hair Emergency Kit (my purse needs this); Shea Moisture Superfruit Complex Body Lotion; Splat hair Chalk in “Dusty Rose” (why not?); and Style Sexy Hair Dry Shampoo (yes, more dry shampoo).
My only disappointment was that there was no face wash! Now I have to go buy some fucking face wash!
Target Beauty Boxes – December 2014
I wasn’t expecting another Target Beauty Box so soon – the last one came around just 2 months ago! This time, there were 3 boxes to choose from. Of course, I got the regular $10 Beauty Box for myself, but this time – they had a $5 Men’s box. My husband has been envious of all my subscription boxes, and now he finally got one! There was also a natural box, but none of the products interested me, so I skipped it.
Inside the Men’s box: Gillette ProGlide FlexBall Razor – we both use Mach3 and this looks similar; Dove Men+Care Dry Deodorant Spray; Old Spice Swagger 2in1 Shampoo and Conditioner – the last deodorant I bought him was Old Spice Swagger, so this will match; Neutrogena Men Invigorating Face Wash – I don’t think I have ever seem my husband wash his face…at least not like girls wash their face; Proraso Shaving Cream; and AXE Peace Shower Gel – yay for travel sizes!
The Women’s Beauty Box is a major score for $10. Inside: Pixi Endless Silky Eye Pen – maybe this is THE ONE, the one that will give me the correct cat eye; Revlon HD Lacquer in “Petalite” – I am getting overloaded with Barbie pink lip gloss; Clairol Hair Food Thickening Solution – it’s a full size product, but it sounds like a pain in the ass to use, having to put in your wet hair, comb through and then rinse out; L’Oreal Butterfly Intenza Mascara – I love the original, so this one has to be twice as good; Cover Girl Eye Enhancers in “Daring Nudes” – no matter how many expensive palettes I get, I still use these Cover Girl quads weekly; ChapStick Total Hydration Lip Care in “Sweet Peach”; Laneige Water Sleeping Mask; and Boots No7 Protect & Perfect Advanced Serum.
As always, free shipping on these boxes and 5% off with my Red Card. You can’t beat this deal with a stick!
My Sharna
This is Julep “Sharna” from this month’s Maven box. I absolutely adore the fine, sharp texture of Julep’s microglitters. I’ll never add a top coat because I love the sandpapery feel of the glitter. I used Orly Bonder for the base coat – it does a great job of keeping the tips from chipping.
I’ve never heard of anyone named “Sharna” – but then I googled it and saw that it’s the name of one of the dancers on Dancing with the Stars. Hmmm…what an odd name.
It’s a Major Award!
Like I said…I can’t go shopping without getting something for myself. Yesterday, I took Lily to Five Below to pick out Christmas presents for her brother and I couldn’t resist the A Christmas Story themed polishes from Funky Fingers.
The three polishes are “Red Ryder” – I need another red glitter like I need…I ALWAYS need more red glitter; “Double Dog Dare Ya” – blue and fuchsia glitter; and “Fra-Gee-Lay” – white, red and green glitter.
I really wanted some of the other movie themed polishes that they had – they have one called “Jawbreaker“ – but I decided to hold off until my next trip…
December Julep Maven Box – The Countdown Collection
Once again, I got my Julep Box on the 5th – they’re really getting really good at their shipping times. My Julep Box was buried among 8 packages yesterday – a Harry & David box from my boss (pears from Oregon – yum), my Shutterfly Calendars and the rest from Amazon! I only have a few more gifts to buy left…
“The Countdown Collection” stars Orbital Eye Shadow, a shimmery shadow that can be worn dry OR wet. I picked “airglow” – champagne with rose gold pearlescence. I love baked wet/dry shadows, so I hope it’s similar! I also customized the shadows in my box: It Girl “Sharna” – bronze-dipped full-coverage microglitter – and Boho Glam “Chatoya” – bright platinum glitter top coat. For a treat, there were 2 Red Bird Southern Refresh-mints.
Since I switched to the customizable box, I can no longer use my Jules to pay for boxes. I was sad, until I realized that I had so many Jules that I could use them on other stuff – like their new holiday line. I picked SWEEP – The Photogenic Palette. It a palette of 11 neutral shades – matte and shimmer. 11 is such an odd number, but whatever. Even though there’s a sea of naked/nude palettes on the market, I feel like I gotta get em all!
Not a Julep Maven? CLICK HERE to join! Get a FREE Jingle Bells Welcome Box with code TREAT!
Marsala
So Pantone announced their 2015 “Color of the Year” – Marsala, described by Pantone as ‘a naturally robust and earthy wine red‘. Well, aren’t you so fancy, Marsala? Personally, I think it’s just an excuse for Sephora to sell makeup…but what do I know? I’ll go ahead and play along, I’m throwing my Marsala into the ring…
This is Sinful Colors “Hot Chili”. It’s definitely an ‘earthy wine red’, but also has holographic gold glitter. It’s not a smooth polish and really needs a good top coat – I used Sally Hansen Diamond Flash. For some reason, my thumb really started to bubble underneath the top coat and remained rough, but the rest of my fingernails are as smooth as glass. I wasn’t all that good at chemistry, so I have no godly clue why. Oh yeah, Sinful Colors Base Coat first.
I admit, I might be tempted if Sephora comes out with a Marsala set like the one that came out last year for Radiant Orchid. It doesn’t take me very much to be tempted by makeup – does Sephora take direct deposit?
Thanksgiving Ulta Haul
That’s right – at 7:30 AM, as we were driving to the in-laws’ place for Thanksgiving breakfast, I was Ulta shopping on my phone…
I cannot share my whole shipment, because again – there’s a gift. I can share the Ulta Nude Eye Shadow Palette that I gifted to myself. I couldn’t resist – it was $6 – half price! (If you haven’t noticed, I am HORRIBLE at Xmas shopping – I always end up buying more stuff for myself than anyone else!) I tried it this morning and was suitable impressed with the quality. It’s a bit odd that all of the shadows are pressed together in the same pan, but they are domed, so they don’t really infringe on each other. The palette didn’t come with a brush – it came with a foam applicator, which I actually prefer for my crease. I was underwhelmed with the applicator for the rest of my eye, so I;ll probably use one of my other brushes going forward.
I chose the variety sample pack and received L’Oreal Total Repair Extreme Reconstructing Shampoo, Conditioner and Emergency Recovery Mask; Biolage fiberstrong Intra-Cylane Fortifying Cream (huh?); and Amazing Cosmetics VelvetMineral Liquid Foundation in Medium-Beige (probably too dark). I’ll never need to steal hotel shampoo again!
Wait, What?
Remember that migraine? Turns out it was caused by a raging sinus infection. I finally broke down and went to Urgent Care today and got antibiotics…hoping to be back to normal soon…
Speaking of normal – this paint job isn’t. The colors in the bottle look nothing like what happened on my nails. I’m not complaining – it looks cool…but not what I expected.
Since I was feeling like crap, I did the bare minimum: one coast of Sinful Colors Base Coat, one coat of Sinful Colors “Mint Apple”, one coat of NYC Crystal Couture “Fashion Queen” and one coat of NYC “Grand Central Station”. (Although there’s a bit left in the bottle, I won’t be able to get it out without a fight – RIP “Grand Central Station”.)
“Mint Apple” was much more sheer than I thought it would be. I was surprised that “Fashion Queen” turned straight up gold on my nails – I was expecting a more orange sparkle. Now I know…
Teensy Ulta Haul
This is the time of year with deals too good to pass up. A few weeks ago, Ulta was running a special that made most of their cosmetics $5 each. If you got 3 of them, you also got a free Ulta makeup brush. I decided to try Ulta Minerals Finishing Powder, Ulta Gel Eye Liner in “Peacock” and Ulta Double Duty Lip Stain and Balm in “Fantasy”. (I think I have ALL of the Double Duties now!) The free brush I picked was the large eye shadow brush.
There was also a Christmas gift in the order…shhhhh…
There was also a special $5 off $10 purchase coupon. On top of that – free shipping on ALL orders!
Even though I just got that huge sample set, I picked the free fragrance samples. I got another vial of Juicy Couture “Viva La Juicy Noir”, Gucci “Made to Measure” Pour Homme and Oscar de la Renta “Oscar”. I’m afraid to crack them open after yesterday;s migraine…