Month: April 2021
Not Sorry
Sinful Colors “Not Sorry” was my first pick from the “Go Off!” Collection. Although it looks baby blue in the bottle, it comes out more of a steel gray or pewter on my nails.
This is two coats of “Not Sorry” over Glisten & Glow Ridge Filling Base Coat and under Glisten & Glow Top Coat. Two coats is pretty sheer, I could’ve gone with three. Glitters were a bit sparse, I had to go fishing to get 2-3 per nail.
This polish is only so-so – it might be years until I get to the other two.
Go Off!
Breaking News! HEB has the newest Sinful Colors Glitter Topper Collection – “Go Off!”
Do I really need three different shades of the same shimmer topper with the exact same glitters – little gold solar flares and hot pink lips? I do…because HOT PINK LIPS!
The baby blue polish is “Not Sorry”. The light pink polish is “Pop Off”. The lavender polish is “Just Say It”. I bought them ALL…at $2.98 each.
I guess my news alert is fairly meaningless, unless you live in South Texas, where HEB is KING…
Bubble Gum
Sally Hansen “Jewel Bubble Gum” was an Ulta clearance find from the Jelly Belly x Sally Hansen Collaboration. I don’t know that I’ve ever come across a jelly belly this color, but maybe it was a special limited edition jelly bean?
This is two coats of “Jewel Bubble Gum” over Glisten & Glow Ridge Filling Base Coat and topped with Glisten & Glow Top Coat. As you would expect, the first coat was streaky, but the second coat was smooth and self-levelling. This is a “conservative” nail polish color that doesn’t feel conservative.
More than anything, it reminds me of satin pointe shoes. It made my toes feel much more sophisticated!
Hair Haul
Everyone in the family was needing a little hair care, so another Ulta haul was in order…
For myself, I ordered a NatureLab.Tokyo Perfect Smooth Shampoo Refill ($22) to match the Conditioner. I also got a back-up Colorista Bleach Highlights Kit ($10.99).
My son needed shampoo & conditioner for his bleached hair, so I grabbed Pacifica Sunshine Highs Shampoo & Conditioner ($10 each) while they were BOGO 40% off.
I decided to treat my daughter with Colorista Semi-Permanent Color in “Purple” ($10.99).
All this hair stuff qualified me for a free 12 piece Hair Color Sampler. The sampler included Madison Reed Color Protecting Shampoo & Conditioner (I’ve been curious about this brand for a long time); Virtue Recovery Shampoo & Conditioner; Redken Acidic Bonding Concentrate Shampoo & Conditioner (I don’t know what citric acid will do for my hair, but looking forward to trying it); Kenra Color Maintenance Shampoo & Conditioner; Fekkai Technician Color Shampoo (no conditioner?); AG Hair Care Ultradynamics Extra-Firm Finishing Spray; Pureology Color Fanatic Multitasking Leave-In Spray (giving to my son); and DevaCurl Noo-Poo Blue Anti-Brass Zero Lather Curl Cleanser (also giving to my son).
On the non-hair front, I picked up St. Tropez Self Tan Purity Bronzing Water Face Mist ($15, down from $30) for my kids, because they LOVED the previous sample I got…for myself, I got Ulta Coffee & Chocolate Energizing Superfood Mud Mask ($4, down from $8) – it smells good enough to eat! It sucked all the gunk out of my pores and made my skin super soft.
I qualified for a second gift with purchase – a Best Seller 7 Piece Gift, with my $65 purchase. This gift included Smashbox Photo Finish Primer; Bumble and bumble. Hairdresser’s Invisible Oil Primer; Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Complex (I love this stuff); Glamglow Supermud Clearing Treatment (I also love THIS stuff); MAC Powder Kiss Lipstick in “Werk, Werk, Werk” (it’s red…meh); and Clinique Moisture Surge 100H Hydrator. That was only 6 pieces!!! What a rip-off…
Just $784 to Diamond!
Influenster Vox Box – Romance Parfum by Ralph Lauren
I was THRILLED to receive a bottle of Ralph Lauren Romance Parfum (1oz – $64) from Influenster, complimentary for review purposes.
Ralph Lauren fragrances have always held a special place in my heart. My mother’s signature scent was Lauren by Ralph Lauren – I still have the last bottle she bought before she died – 16 years ago. I cannot smell it without thinking of her. That being said, Romance smells nothing like my mother’s Lauren to me – it smells like MY Lauren. Instead of the carnations in Lauren, Romance is heavy with Damascena Rose. Rose has always been my signature scent, ever since discovering Tea Rose in middle school. Romance is not a straight up rose scent – it’s more like a rose for people who say they don’t like rose (like my husband). He actually liked the scent of Romance!
This is a very wearable scent, day or night. I’ve moved it into my permanent fragrance rotation.
Thank you Ralph Lauren and thank you Influenster!
Ruby Tutu
Sinful Colors “Ruby Tutu” has a song stuck in my head…Ruby, Ruby, Ruby, Ruby Soho!
“Ruby Tutu” is a sheer red polish with a bit of sparkle. It reminds me of the inside of a tomato, of all things. I started with Glisten & Glow Ridge Filling Base Coat. There is one coat of “Ruby Tutu” on my index finger, two coats on my middle finger and three coats on the rest of my fingers. I finished with Sinful Colors Demi Matte Top Coat on all my fingers, except the pinky – I went for a glossy finish with Glisten & Glow Top Coat.
Ruby, Ruby, Ruby, Ruby Soho! (I can’t remember the rest of the song – just that part.)
High Brow Haul
During this past year of working from home bliss, makeup is minimal during the week…except for my brows. I MUST put on my brows before turning on the camera.
I decided to branch out from my usual Ulta Ultra Slim Brow Pencil in “Dark Brown” ($10) and also order an Ulta Sculpting Brow Pencil in “Dark Brown” ($10). It’s got a thicker, angled tip and seems maybe a tick darker than the Ultra Slim. It was more difficult to use and the first time I used it, I looked like an angry Brooke Shields. I did get a nice 6 piece gift with purchase though – a spiffy blue bag with Makeup Remover Facial Towelettes, Poreless Face Primer, Clear Brow Gel, Automatic Eye Liner in “Matte Black”, and Jelly Gloss Lip Gel.
I spent $2.49 on this really bizarre lip balm in a pouch – Freeman Feeling Beautiful Lip Dip Tinted Balm in “Raspberry”. I love doe foot applicators, but I feel like there is not enough of this super moisturizing lip balm in the little pouch…
My $60 purchase also qualified for a It Cosmetics Beauty Break, with Confidence in a Cleanser (I wish it wasn’t so expensive!); Superhero Elastic Stretch Mascara, Hello Results Wrinkle Reducing Daily Retinol Serum-in-a-Cream (this is going straight onto my counter); Brow Power Universal Brow Pencil in “Universal Taupe” (I am guessing this will be a bit light for me); Confidence in Your Beauty Sleep (another great cream); and Confidence in a Gel Lotion.
Wondering where the rest of my $60 purchase is? Shhhh…it’s on it’s way across the ocean.
Just $859 til Diamond.
Picturing Sicily
Picture it…Sicily, 1922….
Sophia’s stories about Sicily sure do hit different in 2021, vs. 1986. Of course, I’m just assuming that the name of this polish is a nod to Golden Girls. It’s Belle en Argent “Picturing Sicily”. I suppose the polish could just be about remembering a vacation on the Mediterranean island…no way! This polish is from my March ipsy bag.
This polish is streaky as HELL. There was little I could do to get a completely smooth finish. I started with Glisten & Glow Ridge Filling Base Coat. This is two coats of “Picturing Sicily”, topped with Glisten & Glow Top Coat, except for my matte pinky – I used Glisten & Glow Matte Top Coat.
Fun fact…this polish is the exact same color as my phone!
Decades Haul
I have been STALKING and WAITING for the Urban Decay Decades Mini Eyeshadow Palettes to go on sale ($12.50, down from $25). I’ve seen it on sale a few times, but the windows were so short, I missed the sale…but not this time!
I was most excited about the 90s palette – “1993” – a palette full of grungy, 90s shades. There is literally a metallic gold shade called “Grunge”. I’ve used it a few times and it is fairly versatile. The other palette I got was the 00s palette – “Soundtrack” – a palette full of shimmery shades, even one called “Y2K”. “Y2K” is my favorite – a color-shifting duochrome. This palette is not as versatile, but reminds me of my first few Urban Decay palettes, and “Throwback” is a dead ringer for “Polyester Bride”. If you know, you know.
Ulta just came out with a whole line of WandaVision makeup, but the only product that piqued my interest was the Ulta Beauty Collection x Marvel Studios WandaVision Wing Tip Liner Duo ($12). The felt tip eyeliner is nothing new, but the cat eye stamp is really cool! It took a few tries to get it right – on the first try, I put it on upside down, but I was able to fix it. I could’ve used this a few decades ago…my cat eye days are mostly behind me.
My poor son inherited my bacne, so I jumped at a new product designed to fight it – Pacifica Bacne Warrior Acne Fighting Spray ($16). He’s been using it, but the jury is still out on how effective it will end up being. It’s really hard to spray, so it’s not as easy to apply as you’d think. Pacifica products were BOGO 40%, so I got Pacifica Sea Foam Complete Face Wash ($6, down from $10) for myself. It smells SO good – like a coconut popsicle!
I picked up a pack of Kitsch Face Masks ($12.99) – my kids’ favorite masks for school. I qualified for a Tarte Beauty Break 4 Piece Gift with my $50 purchase. The set includes Shape Tape Foundation in “228 light beige”; Stay Spray Setting Spray; Maneater Voluptuous Mascara; and Base Tape Hydrating Primer. I haven’t tried any of them yet, but free is free. I didn’t forget to use that $3.50 off $15 coupon, either.
$919 to Diamond…
March 2021 Ipsy Bag- Stronger Together
I held off on posting about this month’s ipsy bag, because I wanted to try some of the products…
My product choice this month was Benefit They’re Real Magnet Mascara…First off, it’s not literally magnetic. I guess that would be bad if it was really magnetic? I tried it out and it was thick and flaky. My eyes got a bit irritated wearing it, so I’m not a fan. I didn’t really see a difference between They’re Real Magnet Mascara and the regular They’re Real Mascara.
Also in this month’s bag: Belle en Argent Nail Polish in “Picturing Sicily”; Ciate London Fruit Burst Lip Oil in “Lychee & Acai” (I have this on my bedside table – perfect for before bedtime lip moisturizing); Hanalei Company Aloe E Face Cleanser (it smells really nice); and Purlisse Beauty Matcha Green Tea Antioxidant Priming Moisturizer (this really makes your makeup stick…and smells nice).
For once, I actually tried all of my products this month – great bag, ipsy!
I subscribe to the basic ipsy bag for $12/month. If you’d like to try Ipsy – click here. I’ll earn 250 points if you sign up through my referral link.