Month: October 2023
Beetlejuice Nails
My sister-in-law posted some really groovy Beetlejuice Nails on her Color Street page, so I had to do my own version…a combination of Color Street and regular polish…
Beetlejuice means black and white, but also purple and green. For the purple, I used two coats of Danglefoot Lacquer “Hair Raising” – I was just dying for an excuse to use it again. I almost used Alchemy Lacquers “Oddities” again, too – but I wanted a brighter green. I went with three coats of Sinful Colors “Sour Apple Killer” for the green. I even got an ant-spider-baby-skull! I used Glisten & Glow Ridge Filling Base Coat on the painted nails, topped the ant-spider-baby-skull with Glisten & Glow Glitter Grabber, and topped the painted nails with Glisten & Glow Top Coat.
I’ll never try to paint stripes again, as long as I have Color Street “Between the Lines”. I used Color Street “Swiss and Tell” for the white. One of the new sets I got was “Mi Cultura”, a floral overlay from the Hispanic Heritage Collection. I took a chance and placed “Mi Cultura” strips over a nail I had already painted with regular nail polish…it was ready to slide off my nail, but a thick coat of Glisten & Glow Top Coat glued that sucker down.
All in all, I think it turned out well…a few nails are a little sloppy and crooked, but would it be Beetlejuice without sloppy and crooked?
Oddities
Alchemy Lacquers “Oddities” is the third polish I’ve tried from September’s Polish Pickup. It’s inspired by the medicinal plant garden at the Mutter Museum in Philadelphia.
There are not enough chartreuse nail polishes in my collection. This one is even better than the usual chartreuse ones, because there is a shifting shimmer that shifts from purple to red to orange. I tried several different angles and lightings, and this is the best pic I could capture of that shimmer.
This is two coats of “Oddities” between Vibrant Scents Double Bond Base Coat in “Island Petals” and Vibrant Scents Top Coat in “Island Petals”.
Hair Raising
It was so hard to choose which one to try, but I finally decided on Danglefoot Polish “Hair Raising” as the next polish to try from September’s Polish Pickup. “Hair Raising” is inspired by past hair disasters, and boy do I have a few! I love how the polish shifts from a fuchsia shimmer to bright blue in the sunlight!
This is two coats of “Hair Raising” over Vibrant Scents Double Bond Base Coat in “Island Petals” and under Vibrant Scents Top Coat in “Island Petals”.
I don’t think I’ll get to all five of them before Halloween…but it’s always a good time for spooky nails!
October 2023 Ipsy Bag – Glam-O-Ween
Glam-O-Ween sounds like a competition on RuPaul’s Drag Race…and I’m here for it!
This month’s product choice was Saturday Skin Rise + Shine Gentle Cleanser. I got a full size in a Glam Bag X last year and used it all, so I got it again. It makes my skin so clean it squeaks.
Also is this month’s glamtastic velour spider bag: ACE BEAUTÉ Effortless Radiance Loose Setting Powder; Avant Skincare Collagen Intense Radiance Activator Serum (I’ve been using before bed and it smells SO luxurious); ciate London Extraordinary BB Cream (I’ve also tried this one out – not bad and absorbs well); and Clinique Acne Solutions™ Clinical Clearing Gel (I’ll probably let me daughter have it).
A nice skincare centered bag this month…not a product will be wasted.
I subscribe to the basic ipsy bag for $13/month and Icon Box (formerly Glam Bag X) for an extra $43/quarterly. If you’d like to try Ipsy – click here. I’ll earn 250 points if you sign up through my referral link.
Lilith
I had no idea that Zoya had a “Polish of the Month”, but October’s Polish of the Month is very special to me – it’s “Lilith”! (For those of you just joining us, my daughter’s full first name is Lilith.) I also have Julep “Lilith“, but it’s not as exciting as this one.
Zoya “Lilith” is a wearable black illuminated by rose gold flakes and delicate pink micro-glitter. This is two coats of Zoya “Lilith” over Glisten & Glow Ridge Filling Base Coat and under Glisten & Glow Top Coat.
Metal Mania Ulta Haul
Urban Decay keeps making Naked Palettes and I keep buying them. Sigh.
I know, I know…I barely even wear eyeshadow anymore. But Naked Palettes – I just can’t quit you. So I added the new Urban Decay Cosmetics Naked Metal Mania Metallic Eyeshadow Palette ($59). Weren’t these $54 before? Hmmm…the colors are very nice, but I feel like they aren’t blending as well as the older palettes. I cannot tell if this is a change to my eye skin or the shadows themselves…I’ll continue working with them to figure it out.
I also got a free gift – my choice of Urban Decay x Smiley Naked Mini Eyeshadow Palette (regularly $33). I chose the “Mucho Happy” one, but I haven’t tried it out yet.
I also restocked on basics – Thayer’s Witch Hazel Toner in “Rose” ($10.95) and Got 2b Glued Spiking Glue ($7.99) for Lily’s Band Hair. I also add a Sweet & Shimmer Sheer Lilac Lip Oil ($2.99), but was disappointed that lilac is just the color – not the flavor or scent.
Oh, the reason I ordered when I did…to get the National Brow Day (October 2nd) Sampler with my $50 purchase. I got a Morphe Supreme Brow Dual-Ended Brush; Winky Lux Uni-Brow Mini Precision Brow Pencil; NYX Micro Brow Pencil in “Cool Ash Brown”; Benefit Fluff Up Brow Wax (no…just no); Benefit Gimme Brow Brow-Volumizing Fiber Gel (Another no); Anastasia Brow Wiz in “Medium Brown” (YES!); and Ulta Beauty Dual-Ended Brow Highlight in “Light to Medium”. Are we still saying “brows on fleek”? No?
I got to use a $15 off $50 coupon…just $202 to Diamond in 2024.
The Saw is Family
No one will be shocked that the first polished I picked to try out from September’s Polish Pickup is Sweet & Sour Lacquer “The Saw is Family”. I mean, a Texas Chainsaw Massacre nail polish…DUH.
I love the way this polish is put together. The base is a blood red crelly, with a mixture of black and blue iridescent glitters that make it look like a bloody saw blade. I am in love.
This is two coats of “The Saw is Family” over Vibrant Scents Double Bond Base Coat in “Island Petals”. I kind of screwed up on the top coat. I did a coat of Glisten & Glow Glitter Grabber and then automatically grabbed Glisten & Glow Top Coat instead of the matching Vibrant Scents Top Coat. Oopsies.
Polish Pickup September 2023 – Haunted History
I cannot remember the last time I spent $65 on nail polish…but I couldn’t resist September’s theme, “Haunted History.” I’ve got to celebrate Spooky Season!
Danglefoot Nail Polish “Hair Raising” ($13) is inspired by past hair disasters…I’ve had a few of those myself.
Sweet & Sour Lacquer “The Saw is Family” ($13) is inspired by The Texas Chainsaw Massacre…supposedly based on a true story, at least according to the kids in my daycare. (For those of you NOT from Texas, it’s not…Ed Gein notwithstanding.)
Alchemy Lacquer “Oddities” ($12.50) is inspired by the medicinal plant garden at the Mutter Museum in Philadelphia. I am intrigued. And it’s NOT red!
Baroness X “Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary” ($13) is inspired by…guess who…Bloody Mary.
Lilypad Lacquer “Haunted forever” ($14) is inspired by…an image on the web. Not sure which image, hmmmm…
I seriously had to limit myself to just 5…I wanted at least 15 other polishes. Which one should I try first???
Connie
I absolutely HATE that Julep not only stopped carrying nail polish…they deleted all of the polish descriptions from their site. It’s like being a Julep MAVEN didn’t even happen. Sigh. It’s like all those years of polishing our nails together didn’t even happen. And how am I supposed to know what color this is?
Julep Classic with a Twist “Connie” was in one of the last few rounds of polish I got. It’s a magenta crème, with a demi-matte finish, but it was so streaky that I had to go shiny with it. It’s a nice color, very 80s. The edges shrank horribly, but I’m not sure if it was the polish or the top coat. I lean towards the polish, because G&G doesn’t usually do that.
This is two coats of “Connie” over Glisten & Glow Ridge Filling Base Coat and under Glisten & Glow Top Coat.
Four Times a Mermaid…
I’m once…twice…thrice…FOUR times a mermaid!
I pulled out my favorite nail polish for a funeral last week. Oh, and it matches my hair!
This is two coats of Sally Hansen “Mermaid’s Tale” over Glisten & Glow Ridge Filling Top Coat and under Glisten & Glow Glitter Grabber and Glisten & Glow Top Coat.
You may be asking yourself why “Mermaid’s Tale” looks even better than before…more depth, more sparkle. The secret is Glitter Grabber – don’t do glitter without it.