Month: March 2018
They’re After Me Lucky Charms!
I couldn’t let St. Paddy’s Day pass without a pretty green mani…
I pulled out an oldie, but goody – Julep “Tatum”, neon chartreuse chrome. This is two coats over Julep Oxygen Bonding Base Coat.
I had intended to use the gold clover decals in this month’s Julep box, but I couldn’t figure out how that was supposed to work. The label said ‘nail decals’, but they were on a white card like skin decals…and the instructions said to apply to clean, dry skin. Go home, Julep – you’re drunk!
Instead of the gold clovers, I decided to try out Julep “Desiree”, a high-gloss holographic top coat. I only used it on my ring finger, but you can’t even tell – the chrome effect is too reflective. I need to try it again on a creme polish. I topped with Glisten & Glow Top Coat, but the bottle is getting too old – it is getting to thick to cover smoothly and I got SO many weird bubbles. Good thing I have a fresh bottles stashed…
Supernova
I am absolutely shocked at how Funky Fingers “Supernova” turned out.
“Supernova” has tiny gold glitter, with larger baby pink glitter, in a clear base. I was expecting sheer coverage, but it provides nearly full coverage in just two coats! You cannot see any green staining on my nails AT ALL.
This is two coats of “Supernova” over Glisten & Glow Base Coat and under Glisten & Glow Top Coat.
I wanna listen to Liz Phair now…that used to be my jam…
SAT Shopping
What do you do, when you’re stuck waiting for you kid to take the SAT? If it had been close to the house, I would have gone home and taken a nap, but of course, none of the schools were less than thirty minutes away. Time for a little SAT Shopping…
I managed to kill over two full hours at Target, but didn’t come home with anything cool – just boring stuff like garbage bags and birthday cards and office supplies. I even tried on a few swimsuits, which wasn’t quite as horrifying as I expected, although it definitely wasn’t fun.
I also swung by Bath & Body Works, but not to buy. One of the new summer fragrances was Sea Salt Mango and I was dying to know how salt smells. I can’t say that smelling it answered my question – it smelled beachy, maybe a bit spicy? I also smelled Rose Quartz, which is a smoky rose + patchouli that I might have to add to my collection soon.
My real kryptonite was Five Below. I was all excited about the little skull rose garden I found, neglecting to notice that I had grabbed one with no seeds in it. (I went and bought another one yesterday to get some seeds – $3.) I have never been able to get anything to grow from these Buzzy sets, but maybe this is the one that will grow? I also couldn’t resist three new glittery polishes: Funky Fingers “Betcha I’m a Unicorn“, “Unicorn Dust”, and “Supernova”.
…and just a few steps away from Five Below is Ulta. I spent at least another hour roaming the aisles at Ulta.
I immediately grabbed essence cosmetics “space glam” ($2.99) – I liked “outta space is the place” so much, that I wanted to try more from the collection.
While browsing clearance stuff, I found Pacifica Cocoa Rush Anti-Fatigue Mask for 75% off – just $3.75. It’s like rubbing chocolate pudding all over your face. It’s a hydrating mask – it doesn’t dry and pull out the pores like I prefer, but it made my skin very, very soft.
I took advantage of BOGO 40% off on NYX lippies. I picked NYX Soft Matte Metallic Lip Cream in “Cannes” immediately. I already have the regular Soft Matte in Cannes and want to compare the two. I wore it yesterday and it is so comfortable to wear. It has a soft, whipped consistency like the Julep it’s whipped, but is long lasting. I need ALL of them. I also tried Unicorn Blood Lip Gloss in “Black Hole” – I wasn’t sure how it would turn out – it’s blue glitter. I do NOT need all of them.
I was able to use a $5 off $10 coupon from my email – score! Only $309.39 to Platinum.
Rise & Shine
I couldn’t stand it any more! Last Thursday, I spent nearly an hour and a half (or about three episodes of Drunk History) cutting my toenails and fingernails. The multivitamins my surgeon prescribed (Multigen) are fucking amazing – I’ve never gotten nails this long without breaking – and I’ve been taking biotin for YEARS. I’d continue to take them if they weren’t over $30/month. I decided to ensure that they continued to grow strong by trimming them all to match. And even though I had gone for a pedicure on my birthday last month, they guy didn’t cut my toenails at all – I hate it when they just leave them long! But I’ve healed well and can finally bend to reach my feet. Hallelujah!
I wanted more color in my life, so I decided to try Sinful Colors “Rise & Shine” on my fingers and toes. This is two coats over Sinful Colors Base Coat and under Glisten & Glow Top Coat. I had a heckuva time trying to photograph this polish. All winter, I’d been taking nail pics in my kitchen, under neutral LED lighting. I’ve been getting realistic color…until “Rise & Shine”. I feel like it’s got more green in it that pictures were showing, like a true teal. I waited a day and went outside and took pictures all over my back porch. I got the truest color against the bricks, but it still looks too blue. Pretty, but too blue.
WARNING! Like all dark green and blue polishes, this one STAINS, so get ready for green cuticles after using this polish.
March 2018 Julep Maven Box – Press Forward
I’ve held back on writing about this box for several days, as I wanted to test out the products for a few days.
March’s “Press Forward” box features a totally new type of product – Pressed Serums. For my box, I chose both the morning serum – you got this Pressed Serum Daily Moisturizer – and the nightly product – dream big Nightly Renewal Pressed Serum with BHA. (In a genius bit of product design, the identical tube tops are marked with a sun and a moon to tell you when to use them.) I’ve been using both serums, in addition to washing my face with love your bare face Detoxifying Cleansing Stick. I have noticed a difference in my skin – softer and smoother after just a few days. I’m having a hard time getting used to applying the products, which is not unlike covering one’s face with a Lady Speedstick.
I couldn’t go polish-less, so I used Jules for one of this month’s polishes – Boho Glam “Ida”, blue heron matte shimmer. I also got a special treat – gold four-leaf clover decals for St. Paddy’s Day. I hope they fare better than the roses!
Not a Julep Maven? Click HERE to join – I’ll get a $15 credit and you’ll get your first box free!
So Fancy
I’m so fancy…but you already know.
I don’t know that my nails have ever grown this long and strong. Prescription vitamins is a helluva drug. (I was prescribed Multigen before my surgery.) I’m starting to get paranoid about how long they are – am I gonna end up in the hospital after wiping my ass?
These golden rose decals did not work out like the other Julep decals I’ve received. Sure, they look amazing from afar, but They decided not to stay flat – they lifted up, even after a thick layer of Glisten & Glow Top Coat. The decal edges became sharp discs of death. One of them flaked off while I was transplanting an Oregano plant, leaving an impression not unlike a wax seal.
Let’s talk about the color though – I used Julep “Norah”, a rusty red shimmer. I am loving this color. This is two coats over Julep Oxygen Bonding Base Coat, then decals and then the top coat.
I’m willing to try the decals again though – maybe over a bright red…for Chinese New Year?
Coolest Polish of 2018
Is it too early to declare Essence Cosmetics “outta space is the place” as the coolest polish of 2018?
This polish popped up randomly in an Ulta Facebook ad – and I knew it had to be mine. I hadn’t even seen it in person, but I knew we were meant to be together. “Outta space is the place” ($2.99) is part of the new “Outer Space Stories” Collection by Essence. I don’t have a lot of experience with Essence – it’s a budget brand, like wet n wild.
What’s so impressive about this polish, you may ask – it just looks like a plain white polish? It’s not a plain white polish. It’s an iridescent unicorn polish that shifts pink, blue and purple in the light. Judging by all the big brands falling all over themselves to release shiny, pastel unicorn collections (I.E. wet n wild’s Goth-O-Graphic Collection and Too Faced’s Festival Collection) – 2018 will be the year of the unicorn.
This is two coats of “outta space is the place” over Glisten & Glow Ridge Filling Base Coat and under Glisten & Glow Top Coat. The edges of my nails are rather crispy – that’s totally my bad, as I did a shit ass job painting my nails this go-round. The lighter the polish, the lighter hand you need…or you get these crispy edges.
Sephora Play! February 2018 – Feel the Love
Missed it by THAAAAAAT much…
February’s Sephora Play box is themed “Feel the Love”, products that I’m supposed to not be able to live without. Hmmm, we’ll see about that.
This month’s fragrance is Atelier Cologne Vanille Insensee. I’m just not a plain vanilla girl, plus, I already have a small bottle of this scent. The other products are a bit more interesting: Peter Thomas Roth Firmx Peeling Gel (I love a good mask); NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in “Let’s Go Crazy” (ooooh, hot pink); Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Eye Colour in “ROSEGOLD”; Sephora Rouge Matte Lipstick in “Rebel Chic”; and belif Moisturizing Eye Bomb (so many eye creams, so little time).
I don’t know that I can’t live without any of these products, but there’s a good variety of products for me to try out. A really good mix of products this month!
If you don’t get Sephora Play, sign up and feel the love. Sephora Play is only $10/month. You can sign up at sephora.com/play.