Month: June 2017
June Julep Maven Box – Bask in the Heat
Let me just say, I fucking HATE the summertime. There is NO part of me that is excited to “bask in the heat”. It’s the first week of June and it’s already 95 degrees. Killlllll meeeeeeeeee.
Even though the weather has me grouchy, I can still crack a smile for my Julep box. I went ahead and selected Julep’s new mascara – With a Twist Lash Boosting Bamboo Mascara in “Jet Black”. It’s a decent mascara, very similar to Length Matters, which I love…but I didn’t see any remarkable difference in volume after twisting the brush. I’ll keep practicing…
For polishes, I chose Boho Glam “Marisol” – golden amber metallic – and Classic with a Twist “Jaydra” – Tuscan rose sheer holographic. I don’t know what it is, but I’ve really been digging gold polish. Oh, and I also used Jules to get another love your bare face Detoxifying Cleansing Stick – I love this thing with my Clarisonic.
…and an Atomic Fireball. Fuck you. Yup, grouchy again.
Not a Julep Maven? Click HERE to join – I’ll get a $15 credit and you’ll get your first box free!
VIB Rouge Fall 2017 Preview
I’ve been invited to several exclusive Rouge events over the last two years that I’ve had Rouge status, but this past Saturday was the first time I ever actually went. I actually got up super early, got dressed and drove my ass to Sephora at 9am in the morning.
The Fall Preview Event showcases a few of the new products launching in the fall and makes them available to purchase in very limited quantities. I say very limited, because by the time I arrived, 25 minutes into the event, they had already sold out of the Too Faced Glitter Bomb Palette. I might have been tempted to buy it, especially after swatching it and covering myself with rainbow glitter…but then I think about the owner…and no.
I had snagged a new Clinique Bubble Mask…but then I got a mini-facial with Fresh products. I put that sucker back and purchased Fresh Rose Deep Hydration Face Cream ($40) and Fresh Rose Deep Hydration Facial Toner ($44). I just have a soft spot for rose scents. I also picked up a Deep Pore Replacement Head for my Clarisonic ($27).
Oh, and the freebies! The Fresh Rep gave me a Deluxe sample of Fresh Sugar Face Polish and Sugar Lip Treatment Collection. When I checked out, I qualified for a HUGE flower printed pouch and a little gift baggie of samples. Inside the little baggie were 2 of each sample: Lancer The Method: Polish, Cleanse, Nourish; Alterna Haircaire Bamboo Smooth Anti-Frizz PM Overnight Smoothing Treatment and AM Daytime Smoothing Blowout Balm; Shiseido Ibuki Refining Moisturizer; and Ole Henriksen Truth Serum. Weird products, but I’ll try them out.
All these purchases requalified my VIB status for 2018 and put me just $561 away from Rouge. I think I can do it…
Magical Bag
Did I need more liquid lipstick? No, but I wanted it. Same thing.
I’ve been jonesing to try the Ofra Long Lasting Liquid Lipstick ($17) since it dropped at Ulta a few weeks ago. I’d been admiring “Emerald City” – not a duochrome, but a trichrome – for quite some time. I also picked up “Versailles”, because I need more rose gold in my life. “Versailles” is very close to Jeffree Star “Pussy Whipped”, but not quite as peachy. “Versailles” looks better on me, TBH. I haven’t tried “Emerald City” yet. The Ofra formula is nice and smooth and not drying.
I also decided to try Ulta Adjustable Coverage Foundation in “Fair”, which is very affordable at $14. I’m pleased with the performance. it’s light coerage, but a good match for my skin. I also picked up the new Ulta New Hue Shadow Switching Pan. I know I just paid $9 for a sponge in a tin, but this damn thing works like a champ. I don’t know that I could’ve made my own at home for cheaper. I spent just enough on Ulta products to get a FREE Deluxe palette, one of those ones with ALL the products – 24 shadows and blush and lip stuff. I might never use it, but free is free. I used a code for $5 off $15 in Ulta products, so I got all those goodies for a steal.
I also threw in a Zoya Remove+ for shits and giggles. My free sample pack had Olay Regenerist Advanced Anti-Aging Micro-Sculpting Cream Moisturizer and Jack Black Double-Duty Face Moisturizer (for my man).
The real star of my order was the FREE 24 product beauty bag that I got with a $60 purchase. It was packed so full, I can barely get all the stuff back in it!
Inside this magical bag: philosophy time in a bottle repair serum (love this stuff, but too pricey); DevaCurl Buildup Buster Gentle Deep Cleansing Serum; it Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye Full Coverage Anti-Aging Waterproof Concealer (I’ve heard good things about this stuff); Sexy Hair Long Sexy Hair Shampoo, Conditioner and Detangler (I don’t have long hair anymore, so I must be patient); NYX Total Control Drop Foundation (4 shades, surely the lightest will work); Shiseido Benefiance WrinkleResist24 Intensive Eye Contour Cream; Clinique BIY Blend It Yourself Pigment Drops (very interesting concept); Urban Decay All Nighter Long Lasting Makeup Setting Spray (Finally! I’ve been wanting to try this); Ulta Mattifying Balm (another one I’ve wanted to try); Too Faced Mascara Melt Off Cleansing Oil (another genius idea); Jimmy Choo L’eau; Tory Burch Love Relentlessly; Benefit Hoola Quickie Contour Stick; Julep love your bare face Hydrating Cleansing Oil; Unwash Bio-Cleansing Conditioner; First Aid Beauty Oil-Free Mattifying Gel (another WOW product I want to try); Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Cucumber and Green Tea (I stuck it in the fridge for a hot nasty day); Organic to Green Coco Oil; Lancome Advanced Genifique Youth Activating Concentrate; Anastasia Beverly Hills Lip Gloss in “Butter Scotch”; Vitabath Spa Day Body Wash in “Lavender Chamomile”; COOLA Classic Sunscreen White Tea Moisturizer; StriVectin Hair Deep Repair Mask; and Smashbox Cover Shot Golden Hour Eye Shadow Duo. Phew, finger cramps. Oh, and another $5 off $15 Ulta coupon.
Bree is Blinding
Looking for a polish that will look great with yellow-stained nails…and I came across Julep “Bree”.
“Bree” is from last December’s Julep box – not sure how I passed this one by. Julep describes this one as golden gardenia multidimensional glitter. Not sure where the gardenia part comes in, but yeah – it’s gold glitter, alright. I’m quite a fan of full coverage glitters and this is one of the fullest coverage glitters I’ve ever used. This is just two thin coats over Julep Oxygen Bonding Base Coat and under “HK Girl”.
“Bree” lasts and lasts…I wore it for a full week (Sunday through Saturday) with minimal edge wear. The best part…”Bree” melted right off when I went to remove it – no scrubbing!
Victoria’s Secret Velvet Matte
So…Victoria’s Secret is jumping into the matte liquid lipstick game. As I consider myself something of a connoisseur of liquid lipsticks, I had to add one to my last bra order.
Victoria’s Secret Velvet Matte Cream Lip Stain is $14 (practically a steal) and comes in 14 shades. I chose “Obsessed”, a bright cherry red/pink. The formula is thick and smooth, and applies well. The formula is an enigma – it lasts all day – 12+ hours – but it gets ALL over EVERYTHING. It was on my teeth, on my coffee cup, on my fingers…I don’t even know how it got on my fingers. I don’t even know how it stayed on my lips all day, looking good, while simultaneously getting all over everything else.
It doesn’t dry out your lips – no cracking or dryness, but it is truly a stain. After “removing” it for the night, my lips had a faint pink stain (similar to Benetint) for a day or so.
This is a good product – I’m thinking I need to try other colors – maybe a good add when I need to hit a shipping requirement on an order.
Wrapped in Plastic – The Return
You had to know that this beauty was coming back…
I had to show off Hare Polish “Wrapped in Plastic” along with my other Twin Peaks polishes. I started with Sinful Colors Base Coat, painted two coats and finished off with Zoya Matte Velvet Top Coat. I am in love with how it turned out. It reminds me of a frosted over window in winter, with the crystals reflecting the sun.
The strangest thing happened with this polish – it changed colors. After a day or so, it began to take on a yellow hue, instead of the pure ice blue. I think it might have been caused by my fingernails, stained by the green and yellow polishes that I used last.
The first time I tried it (several years ago!!!), I went shiny. I definitely like the matte version better.