Author: Lara
Barbie & Kylie
Instagram is like my crack. My girl Rita (@blkisbeauti) posted that she saw the Barbie sets and Sinful Colors Kylie polishes for 50% off at Walgreen’s. I conned my husband into dropping me off to browse…but only after I walked the aisles at Lowe’s. Marriage is compromise.
I literally snatched up the last Barbie Face Case. There are 9 eye shadows (NO blue eye shadow? All my Barbies had blue eye shadow!), a blush, a lipstick, liquid eyeliner for that signature cat-eye) and eye shadow primer. I also grabbed “Barbie Pink” lipstick and a Makeup Bag – because of there is anything I need, it’s more makeup bags. They didn’t have any brushes or fingernail polish left.
I also spied the Sinful Colors Kylie Jenner Collection for 50% off. These polishes had been excluded from the usual Sinful Colors sales, so I was pumped. I am not thrilled to be making Kylie Jenner any richer, but I can throw the bitch $1.49. I picked up the following shades: “Kleopatra”, “Angelik”, “After Dark”, “Kargo”, “Konstellation”, and “Haute Koffee”. Oh, I get it…all the polishes have a “K” in the name. So klever.
You know I’m gonna hit more Walgreen’s to see what else I can find…
Target Beauty Box – September 2016
I have so many Subscription boxes stacking up…ugh, I need to stop unpacking my other shit and unpack THESE boxes.
First up is this month’s Target Beauty Box. It included OGX Renewing Coconut Milk Shampoo (no Conditioner – fuckkkkkk); S.W. Basics Organic Lip Balm (only three ingredients – cocoa butter, coconut oil and beeswax); Maybelline The Falsies Push Up Drama Mascara, Rimmel The Only 1 Lipstick in “One of a Kind” (the insert said it would be “Naughty Nude” though); EDEN BodyWorks JojOba Deep Conditioner (I guess I can use this with the shampoo); Laneige Water Bank Moisture Cream (yassss queen); and Biore Baking Soda Cleaner (I am almost done with the full size one in my shower – I love this cleanser).
At $10, this box seemed a bit overpriced, but I feel like I’ll actually use most of the stuff in the box. I also got my $3.50 off $15 coupon – if I remember to use it. Don’t forget the 5% Red Card discount.
Danica
Oooooh…another blurple!
Julep “Danica” is blue violet iridescent chrome. Blue + violet = blurple. It’s so sparkly.
I started with Julep Oxygen Bonding Base Coat. This is two coats of “Danica” topped with “HK Girl”. Another silky smooth formula – the perfect consistency. It seemed to chip more quickly than usual – but that could be yesterday’s toilet cleaning spree and several rounds of dishes.
My first thought was that “Danica” was referring to the NASCAR driver. Now that I think about it, I think “Danica” is Winnie from The Wonder Years. There’s something a bit psychedelic 60s about this polish.
My husband wants to see “Danica” on my toes. I think I can make that happen…
Vacation Time Lolita
I LOVE finding polishes that match my lippies!
At first, I was confident that Sinful Colors “Vacation Time” would be a match to Jeffree Star “Celebrity Skin”, but it wasn’t brown enough. Then I looked at “Rose Matter”, but “Vacation Time” wasn’t nearly that pink. Then I looked at Kat Von D “Lolita” – BINGO! It’s a perfect match!
After Sinful Colors Base Coat, I painted two coats of “Vacation Time”. Like most creme polishes, the first coat was streaky, but the second coat evened it out. It is a nice formula – not too thick, not too thin. I used “HK Girl” to finish.
I also did my toes – I’m not so sure how I feel about my toes looking so…normal.
KvD Beauty Addiction
I don’t care if I’m between houses – I’ll just get my Sephora order sent to my in-laws’ house.
Sephora renamed their “Rewards Boutique” – it’s now “Rewards Bazaar” and new items are added every Thursday. The Thursday before last…they added a new 500 point item – The Kat Von D Beauty Addiction Set, which includes Ink Liner in “Trooper”, Tattoo Liner in “Mad Max Brown”, Studded Kiss Lipstick in “Cathedral” (been dying to try), Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in “Vampira” and a “vegan leather” (whatever the fuck that means – vinyl?) makeup pouch. Yup, had to have it…so what can I order to get it???
I settled on the Sephora Z palette ($28) – I’ve got quite a few loose pans of shadows from my sub boxes, I was a bit annoyed when Sally showed me that Makeup Revolution launched their own (significantly cheaper) customizable palette the very next day after my order. Sigh.
I used a code to get Deluxe samples of the two new Elizabeth and James scents – Nirvana Rose and Nirvana Bourbon. I did NOT like either. Per my son, Nirvana Rose smells like hand sanitizer and Nirvana Bourbon smells like a hobo’s asscrack. Maybe they’ll grow on me…
For my three samples, I got Balenciaga Skin (which smells very alcohol-y), Tom Ford Neroli Portofino Acqua (am I allergic to Neroli? I got an immediate headache!), and Hourglass Ambient Light Correcting Primer.
Only $13 away from Rouge in 2017!
Neely
Julep “Neely” was my second pick from the huge mystery box haul. I was just drawn to this sparkling cranberry full-coverage glitter…like a soccer mom is drawn to the glitter aisle at Hobby Lobby.
I started – of course – with Julep Oxygen Bonding Base Coat. “Neely” was almost full coverage in one coat, but I went for two coats. Holy shit – it’s perfect! The formula was the perfect consistency – not too thick or goopy. I didn’t get clumps of glitter – just smooth coverage. No chunky, sharp edges either. This is one of the best full coverage glitters I’ve ever used. Once I added “HK” Girl, the shine was off the charts. It was long lasting, too – I wore if through my move – nearly a whole week. It bit the dust when I started cleaning, then unpacking and washing dishes – all that Fabuloso and water made my nails start peeling and the tips got absolutely shredded. It will take my nails several months to recover from the move. It would be a tragedy if I didn’t love my new place so much.
I want everything I own to be covered in “Neely” – my phone, my car, my bed, my dog, my shoes…ESPECIALLY my shoes.
Construction Paper Orange
Julep “Jenna” – tangerine burst creme – was my first pick from my Mystery Box Bonanza. My mother-in-law was looking through the polishes with me when I opened the boxes and this is the first one she grabbed…so of course this was the first one I had to try. I also knew I had a good hour of signing my name the next day and I wanted BRIGHT. I may or may not have low-key pretended that I was a hand model while signing all those closing papers for my new house.
I started with Julep Oxygen Bonding Base Coat. This is two smooth coats of “Jenna”. The first coat was a bit streaky, but the second coat was absolutely smooth. I finished with my favorite top coat, “HK Girl”.
“Jenna” reminds me of orange construction paper. There’s something weird about orange and purple construction paper. It’s got a different texture than the other colored paper and the color is just off – almost muddy. Although “Jenna” is a vibrant orange, there’s a bit of muddiness in it as well.
Allure Beauty Thrills – August 2016
So…we’ve been in the middle of a big move and I’ve been on hiatus for the last 10 days or so…but I haven’t stopped hoarding. I’ll never stop hoarding…I’ll just have to get more creative, since the new house is about 800 square feet smaller than my old house.
The first thing I must find room for…August’s Allure Beauty Thrills Box. I ordered for the whole year and it showed up on my doorstep a few days before my move. I haven’t even gotten to try any of it yet! Inside the suspiciously light August box: Arm & Hammer Truly Radiant Clean & Fresh Battery-Operated Spinbrush and Truly Radiant Clean & Fresh Toothpaste (I’m starting to rely on getting these in every box); Aveeno Pure Renewal Shampoo and Conditioner (it’s sulfate-free, which is good for my septic system); ChapStick Total Hydration Moisture + Tint Rose Petal (I love the ChapStick Total Hydration and I love Roses – I would have bought this if I hadn’t received it in this box); Grande Naturals GrandeLIPS (not sure if my lips need to be any plumper, but I’ll give it a shot); ittse Eye Shadow in “Obsidian” (another shadow for my new zPalette – oops, haven’t posted about that yet); Lumene Bright Now Vitamin C Sleeping Cream; Neutrogena Ultra Light Cleansing Oil (I bet this would ROCK with my Clarisonic); Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Hand Cream (I am guessing my husband will be getting this one to use after a shift on the tractor); Not Your Mother’s Double Take Dry Finish Texture Spray; One ‘n Only Argan Oil Treatment; Redken Diamond Oil Glow Dry; Rimmel London The Only 1 Lipstick in “Oh-So Wicked” (Oh, dark crimson); Rituals Happy Buddha Foaming Shower Gel (excited to try this!); RoC Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle (I haven’t tried the first one yet); RUSK Styling Collection Elixir Mist; Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Duo Pack – in “Flower Crown” – and Big Cuticle Oil; Simple Skincare Dual Effect Eye Make-Up Remover; Skinfix Daily Lotion; Toppik Hair Building Fibers (Uhhhhh…no); and WEN Spring Gardenia Green Tea Cleansing Conditioner (the one product I WILL NOT try…there’s a class action lawsuit alleging hair loss – FUCK THAT SHIT).
I have another box coming in December…I just need to figure out who to call to change my address!
Thank You, Julep!
When it comes to customer service, Julep has never disappointed.
I got an email a few weeks ago that Julep was unable to release the Gel Sunscreen that was missing from last month’s Julep box. No details, but an apology and a code for $50 off my next purchase. I only pay $19.99 for my box each month…and even though I got my two polishes, they sent me a code for $50. $20 would have been generous…but $50! I immediately got online and ordered all 3 of this month’s Mystery Boxes ($19.99 each). I paid just $9.97 for all three boxes – 21 polishes in total. That’s less than 50 cents a polish!
The Shimmer and Glitters box came with “Pepper”, “Neely”, “Queen Anne” (already got this one), “Oscar” (got this one, too); “Roxanne”, “Judy”, and “Tish” (and this one). The box also had metallic temporary tattoos.
The Metallics box has “Penny”, “Rachael” (got it).“Marika” (got it), “Sawyer”, “Joss”, “Missy”, and “Mia” (pretty sure I got this one in one of my first boxes). This box came with gold chevron nail decals.
The Brights box included “Jenna”, “Connie”, “Suzanne”, “Lee” (got it), “Sam”, “Ari”, and “Danica”. Light blue nail chevrons were included in this box.
21 polishes with only 7 repeats – not bad! Thank you again Julep – your customer service exceeds expectations yet again!
Sephora Play! August 2016 – The Eye Openers
Except for the perfume sample, this month’s box is entirely focused on eye products, hence “The Eye Openers”. The first thing I noticed was the adorable muslin bag with winking eyes – “Wink outside the box.” What can I store in this bag?
Inside this month’s box: Urban Decay Cosmetics Perversion Mascara (I love getting more of this); Caudalie Resveratrol [Lift] Eye Lifting Balm; Lancome Energie De Vie Smoothing & Glowing Liquid Care Moisturizer; Sephora Contour eye pencil 12HR wear in “Flirting game” (taupe shimmer); Make Up For Ever Artist Shadow in I-544 (iridescent pink granite); and CLEAN Reserve Blonde Rose (I love a rose scent, but I prefer a greener rose – this one is heavy on the musk…also, within 3 minute, it gave me a massive headache – UGH).
I am loving every single thing in this box AGAIN. If I had to pick one subscription box to keep and get rid of the rest – it would be Sephora’s.
If you havenโt signed up yet โ get off your ass and DO IT! This is by far the best subscription box I get every month. Sephora Play is only $10/month. You can sign upย at sephora.com/play.