Author: Lara
Blood Moon
I am OBSESSED with this season of American Horror Story. I am even going to force my sister to take me to Roanoke next year….during the daytime, of course. I have no interest in seeing a REAL Blood Moon.
My Blood Moon is ciate London “Dangerous Affair”, from my August’s ipsy bag. Now I know why people go nuts over ciate – this polish is amazing. Not too thick, not too thin – just perfect. and the brush is wide and flat – one of the most perfect nail polish brushes I have ever used. Am I gushing? I feel like I’m gushing.
I started with Orly Bonder. This is two coats. The first coat had a few streaks, likely because the polish has a bit of a jelly to it. It was fully opaque at two coats though. I finished with “HK Girl”.
Next time I see ciate at TJ Maxx or Marshall’s…it’s MINE.
Target Beauty Box – November 2016
I skipped out on the October box, but I couldn’t say no to the November box – Beauty Ballot.
Inside my Ballot box…L’Oreal Advanced HairCare Volume Filler Thickening Shampoo (but no damn conditioner); Andalou Naturals 1000 Roses Beautiful Day Cream (looking forward to this); HASK Keratin Protein Soothing Deep Conditioner (I guess I can use this conditioner with the L’Oreal shampoo); Laneige Water Bank Soothing Mask; W3LL People Bio Brightener Stick; L’Oreal Voluminous Primer (I like the Voluminous Mascara, but I’m WAY too lazy to use a mascara primer); and Revlon ColorStay Eyeliner in “Black” (It has a cool little smudgy tip).
Another $10 box, but this one seems more stuffed than the last one – I ain’t even mad. I also got my $3.50 off $15 coupon – if I remember to use it. Don’t forget the 5% Red Card discount.
20ROUGE, Part I
Sometimes, you just gotta TREAT YO SELF.
I’ve held back several months…but when that 20% off discount code hit my inbox…I decided to use the fuck out of it. Sephora is not like Ulta, throwing around 20% off codes like confetti. They do it exactly ONCE a year…and I was not Rouge yet last year, so this is the first time I’ve gotten to take advantage.
Even though I had placed an Xmas present order online earlier, I decided to swing by Sephora after work to pick up something I’d been lusting over for months – GlamGlow GravityMud Firming Treatment. I can only watch so many of Jeffree’s silver snapchats without wanting to try it myself. I wasn’t about to spend $69 on it…but $55.20 seems so much more reasonable. (I know I’m full of shit.)
I tried it Friday night…and it was worth every fucking cent. It smells like coconut (my husband said pina colada) and tingled slightly. I don’t know if it lifted anything, but my skin DID feel firmer and smoother – much more so than with any of the other masks I’ve tried. The effect was most noticeable on my forehead. It will be hard to limit myself to using it just twice a week.
I also got my Rouge Renewal Gift – NARS Blush in “Goulue” (what kind of word is that?). I tried it today and it is perfect for me – much better than the famed “Orgasm”. I also got a free totebag – you can always use a new totebag.
I placed a few online orders – I’ll document those as they arrive…
You Say Tomato…
Is it orangey red? Or reddish orange? I can’t tell exactly what color Sinful Colors “HollyWood” is.
In any case, “HollyWood” reminds me of a juicy, ripe tomato. My husband is NOT a fan. He asked, “This is one of those one day polishes, right?” He hates tomatoes with the passion of a sugared up three year old.
This is two coats of “HollyWood” over Sinful Colors Base Coat. I’m getting much more comfortable with matte polishes. The Sinful Colors polishes are much tougher than the Zoya polishes I started with – they can take 8-9 hours of laptop pounding. Don’t be afraid of the matte – embrace the matte.
Oh…and it also matches KitKat wrappers. I know this because I have been sneaking them out of my kids’ loot bags since Halloween. Shhhhh…
Drip Drip Drip
Yeah, I know it’s November 3rd. Excusescakes.
Here are my lovely Halloween nails – the tried and true blood drip. My nail buddy, Angie, did really pretty ones this year, so I absolutely copied her and did matte black with red glitter. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
After Orly Bonder, I did two coats of Zoya “Dovima” and used a large and small dotting tool to drag Zoya “Chyna” on the bottom. “Chyna” kept its texture quite well – no major chips over almost a full week.
I did a blood drip last year, too. So shoot me, they’re cool looking.
Sephora Play! October 2016 – The Cool Cut
This is it – the Sephora purchase that put me over the edge for Rouge status in 2017. $10 and BOOM.
October’s theme is “The Cool Cut” – innovative products that are about to hit it big.
One of my favorite Sephora sample discoveries is in this box – Belif The True Cream Aqua Bomb. It has me jumping on the Korean Beauty bandwagon. Also in this month’s box: Smashbox Always On Matte Liquid Lipstick in “Driver’s Seat” (interested in how their formula compares to Kat Von D and Jeffree); Cristophe Robin Regenerating Mask with Rare Prickly Pear Seed Oil (Winnie the Pooh approved?); Skin Inc. Pure Revival Peel (also good stuff – I bought some the last time I was in Vegas); Blinc Mascara Amplified; and Yves Saint Laurent Mon Paris (not bad – smells like rich people).
If you haven’t signed up yet – you are missing out! This is by far the best subscription box I get every month. Sephora Play is only $10/month. You can sign up at sephora.com/play.
Ants Marching
I *think* this is the last one.
Sinful Colors “Dead On” is deceptively clear. Like totally see-through – no color. I was expecting a vague purple tint based on the bottle – but nothing. Just blue and iridescent glitter in a clear base, with a few skull-spider-babies thrown in. Yep, I went glitter fishing again.
This is two thick coats over Sinful Colors Base Coat and under “HK Girl”. Yup, this has gotta be a topper.
Again, every time I would see my nails out of the corner of my eye, I would want to smack my fingers because it looks like I have ants. Urgh.
Oh and it glows in the dark. Kinda.
The Hunt is the Thing
So I went on another “hunt” last week. Two things I was looking for…the new Xmas Sinful Colors polishes (since they were 2/$3) AND a Fall Limited Edition wet n wild eye shadow.
I know…wet n wild – the cheapest of the cheap. But I’d been seeing the Fall Collection, specifically the “Velour Vixen” Color Icon Trio – and really liking it. Pink Glitter is irresistible.
Spoiler alert – I went to five different Walgreen’s and didn’t find either. 4 of the 5 had mostly empty wet n wild Fall displays and ZERO had Sinful Colors Xmas displays. Now…the 4th Walgreen’s had a single wet n wild Color Icon Trio remaining…but in “Plaid to the Bone”, which has a nice duochrome green/brown. I decided to take a chance for $2.99 I also grabbed a clearance Kylie Sinful Colors in “HollyWood”, which is redder than the pic shows.
It is HIGHLY unlikely that I’ll be buying another wet n wild eye shadow. First off, I can’t get it open. I mangled my thumb nail trying to get it open – I finally had to hand it to my husband to open. Later attempts using tweezers as a crowbar were more successful. The quality was alright I guess, but the shadows didn’t end up looking anything like the shade in the pan – OR the swatches I’d seen online. The duochrome lid shade is darker and more brown than green and the browbone shade is darker than in the pan – they are basically the same color. I won’t say it was a total waste, but you get what you pay for.
So my “hunt” was not successful this time…but that’s the fun, huh?
Cloak and Swagger
Yup, I am ripping through these Halloween polishes. I present to you…Sinful Colors “Cloak and Swagger”.
Sinful Colors is absolutely KILLING it with their textured polishes. This is a matte sparkle texture. It photographs almost black, but it’s a dark, dark eggplant color.
This is two coats over Sinful Colors Base Coat. I actually finished off the bottle…but it was an old bottle that was almost empty – I had already started a new bottle.
I took a risk and did my toes with it as well. I’m curious to see how long it lasts on my toes. I’m skeptical that it will last too long since I didn’t use a top coat. I’d expect the toes of my shows to rub bare spots on my big toes, but maybe not since I trimmed my toenails really short.
Been So Long Ulta
It’s been so long Ulta…I’ve missed you.
As you can tell, I’ve drastically cut back on purchasing the past few months, with the move and unpacking and having less space in the new place…but I couldn’t break this ritual…I buy a UD palette every time I hit a milestone at work – you know, raises, bonuses, etc. I hit an unexpected milestone, so I decided on a little “treat yo self”.
I immediately snatched up Urban Decay XX Vice Ltd Reloaded Palette for $34, down from $56. I already have the previous 3 Vice palettes, and have most of these colors in my original UD palettes, but so what? I’ve used it for the last three days in a row – I love it! It’s actually my favorite of the Vice palettes. The palette didn’t come with any free samples inside though…rude!
Since the “Beautiful Hair” event was going on last week, I grabbed the daily special – John Frieda Brilliant Brunette Visibly Deeper Shampoo & Conditioner at 40% off – $5.99 instead of $9.99. I’m a bit disappointed – I’ve been using it for a week and I don’t notice a lick of difference in the tone of my hair. I mean, the shampoo is as nice as any other John Frieda, but I don’t expect to rebuy.
I also took advantage of “Buy One, Get One Half Off” on Freeman Beauty Masks – I got Cucumber Facial Peel-Off Mask and Pear Pore Clean Mask. They both smell fantastic, but Pear is the best…
For freebies, I got a free Deluxe Size Buxom Wildly Whipped Lightweight Liquid Lipstick in “Centerfold”. The texture is luxurious, but it doesn’t dry matte like I expected – it gets on everything. I also got L’Oreal Revitalift Bright Reveal Brightening Moisturizer with Sunscreen and Lab Series Future Rescue Repair Serum (this is for dudes, wonder if I can get my husband to try it?)
You know I used a $3.50 coupon and got free shipping…oh yes I did.