Author: Lara
Androgynous Masochist
Oh hello, my lovelies…
Another restock last week means another shipment of Jeffree Star Cosmetics Velour Liquid Lipstick.
I’d been waiting for a restock of “Androgyny” since Sally showed me the way and the light of Jeffree. This warm plum mauve is my new obsession. It’s very similar to Kat Von D “Lolita”, but less drying on me.
I also picked up “Masochist” – a cool berry red. On me, it’s very similar to “Rich Blood”, but without that purple shimmer. I’ve found that the reds transfer more than other colors – my coffee mug looked pretty bloody yesterday.
Jeffree just revealed his summer collection over the weekend. THANK GAWD I’m not interested in bright summer colors…my bank account couldn’t handle it if I fell in love.
KaBOOM!
Those stars in “Rocket Out” were pokey and sharp, so I had to take it off. Surprise, a bonus 4th of July mani.
I started with Julep Oxygen Bonding Base Coat. I then did 2 coats of Julep “Tin Man”, a lovely silver holographic polish. I topped it with Julep “Fireworks”, a special topper from last summer. “Tin Man” looks almost white under the glitter and a lot of the holographic goodness is lost in the red, white and silver glitter. Oh well. I used “HK Girl” to make it super shiny.
I’m falling down on the job…I did four 4th of July manis last year, but only two this year. I need to get on the ball.
Obligatory 4th of July Nails
It’s that time again…time for the obligatory 4th of July nails.
Instead of the usual red, white and blue, I decided to start with a darker base. I wanted my nails to looks like fireworks in the night sky. I picked Sinful Colors “What’s Your Name”, a black polish with vibrant blue shimmer. (Alone, it reminds me of Wonder Woman’s hair in the comics.) I started with two coats over Sinful Colors Base Coat.
For the fireworks, I used a single coat of Sinful Colors “Rocket Out”. It’s filled with white, blue and bronze stars in large silver glitter. FINALLY, Sinful Colors put enough stars in a glitter! I had no problem getting 2-3 stars in each brushful of polish. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
I was a bit bummed that the silver glitter made it impossible to see the blue shimmer in “What’s Your Name”. Oh well, it still looks pretty cool. I topped with “HK Girl”, but the star glitter is still really sharp. I’ve been stabbing myself with it all day. This is some dangerous stuff!
Trumplestiltskin!
So…Lisa asked me for a polish to match that Cheeto-faced charlatan’s repulsive mug…he who shall not be named. Lily was also bugging me to try one of the new polishes that Loo gave her. I set eyes on Sinful Colors “Courtney Orange” and decided it was the one.
The problem is…it’s too gorgeous! I thought it would be a sheer jelly, but it’s a vivid metallic – the most beautiful sunset orange I have ever seen. I’ve hated orange FOREVER…until now. This polish has changed IT ALL.
After Sinful Colors Base Coat, “Courtney Orange” went one like a dream. No clumps or bubbles, just smooth sailing. This is two coats and although it is full coverage, there’s still a hint of VNL. I don’t even care. “HK Girl” added amazing shine.
To match my nails, I also tried Urban Decay “Fireball” on my eyes today. It looks orange in the pan…but it’s a peachy pink sunset duochrome. It’s magnificent color for a summer glow.
Oh…and I’m totally going to buy a car this color. I don’t know what or when, but I’ve been shopping…
Ulta Stars Aligned
The stars aligned to give me a 20% off anything coupon for Ulta at the same time I had enough points on MyPoints (referral link if you’re interested in joining – I’ve been a member for 18 years and have gotten $100s of gift cards) for a $25 Ulta gift card. And on the very same weekend that I was scheduled for a haircut. Did you know that you can use those coupons on salon services? You sure can! (I had set this appointment up three months ago and I couldn’t have planned it better.)
I got there a bit early, so I decided to take advantage of the NYX BOGOHalf sale. For myself, I picked up another NYX Micro Brow Pencil in “Chocolate” (I had been using “Ash Brown”); NYX Sculpt & Highlight Brow Contour in “Medium Beige/Ash Brown” (I used it today – the brow pencil was a little fatter than I like, but I really liked the built in highlighter); another NYX Ombre Lip Duo in “Cookies & Cream” (also used this today – dark brown and nude combo is a bit much for summer, but it looked good on me); and NYX Blotting Powder in “Light/Medium” (I used this over sunscreen moisturizer for oil control – it gave sheer matte coverage with no caking). I also picked up 4 NYX Retractable Eyeliners for my big sis. It is impossible to get makeup in Ketchikan and she liked the one she picked up on her visit a few months ago.
I also grabbed a Freeman Mint & Lemon Clay Mask at 15% off. They are like Pokemon – gotta catch em all.
I ended up saving well over $50 between gift cards, sales and coupons. Go me!
Elegantly Wasted
Is it even possible to be elegantly wasted?
To be “wasted”, it’s generally understood to indicate a state of sloppy hot mess. Whatever, this polish by Trust Fund Beauty is called “Elegantly Wasted”.
I got it a million years ago in an ipsy bag. I’d been resisting it because it’s so boring. “Elegantly Wasted” is a greyish lavender – elegant, I guess? I needed something boring after the worst polish ever.
After Orly Bonder, I tentatively put on a coat of “Elegantly Wasted”. Second coat, no problem — smooth cream coverage. I added shine with “HK Girl”.
I don’t know what I was so worried about. It looks pretty good for boring.
Worst. Polish. EVER.
I’m not even kidding. Essie “Belugaria” is literally the worst polish EVER. Words cannot describe how awful this polish is…but I’m going to try to explain.
My first hint should have been the fact that it was $2.12. I’ve never seen an essie that cheap. This poor sad polish had been sitting at Walgreen’s for three fucking years. Seriously…NO ONE wanted this polish. Then I googled and saw that it came out in the Winter 2013 collection. But I made the mistake of taking it home with me.
Why is this polish so horrible? First…the bottle lied to me. I thought it was a black jelly with glitter…but NOOOOOO. It’s textured, which would be great if it was fine textured like “Sugar High” or if it was chunkier like one of the Zoya Pixie Dusts AND had visual interest. Nope – it was chunky as fuck and MATTE black with just a few holo hex glitters thrown in. Seriously, it was like spreading sugar scrub on my nails. After Orly Bonder, The first coat wasn’t too bad…thick and goopy, but not quite full coverage. My mistake was going for the second coat. It didn’t spread – it just made little mountains on my nails.
Although it dried quickly, the formula chipped easily. The first time I washed my hands – BOOM, half my nails were chipped to fuck. To be fair, this is a common problem with textured polishes, but this one is the most fragile I’ve ever tried.
Worst of all…it damaged my cooter. This might be TMI…but I feel like I need to make a public service announcement. This stuff is so sharp that it cut through several layers of toilet paper and scratched me. No blood…but a close call, nonetheless. Don’t worry, I took it off as soon as I got home from work.
Remember…just say NO to “Belugaria”.
Let Me Flamingo
Sinful Colors NEON “Let Me Flamingo” is a perfect hot pink for summer.
“Let me Flamingo” is my second sampling of a Sinful Colors NEON polish. Like “The Bright Thing”, the color of the polish doesn’t really match the bottle, but at least this one is a bit closer. Like “The Bright Thing”, it’s rather sheer – almost like a matte jelly.I only did two coats over Sinful Colors Base Coat. I decided that I can live with the visible nail line. I finished with “HK Girl” for that shine.
I also did my toes. The hot pink makes my toes look super white.
Not my favorite hot pink for summer though…that would be Funky Fingers “Aloha Beaches”. I might switch my toes to that…
6 Walgreen’s Trips
I’ve been waiting for Walgreen’s to have another Sinful Colors sale…this week, they brought back the 2/$3 sale, which is NOT the same as $1.50 each.
There were just 2 polishes I wanted – “Let Me Flamingo” and “Bye Felicia!” – mostly because of the names. It should be simple, enough, right?
On Wednesday, I ran to the Walgreen’s by my work during lunch…couldn’t find either.
There was another Walgreen’s 10 minutes away, so I checked there, too. It was one of those fancy Walgreen’s with the upgraded beauty section…again, nothing. They even had the PRIDE display that “Bye Felicia!” – but none of the PRIDE polishes. Oh well, back to work.
On Thursday, I took my daughter to the Orthodontist and hit the Walgreen’s there. (There really ARE Walgreen’s everywhere.) Success as I found “Let Me Flamingo”, but no “Bye Felicia!” Lily wanted some polish, too. She picked out “Forever Pink”, “No FIlter” and “Curry Up” (which was on surprise clearance for 49 cents). She even paid for them herself!
After dropping Lily off, I hit two more Walgreen’s on my way to work. Still…no “Bye Felicia!”, although I did find a clearance essie “Belugaria” for $2.12 at the last one. A small win…
Flash forward to today. After Lily’s gymnastics class, I decided to run into Walgreen’s (yes, the SIXTH one) to look for Coconut Water. Sally has been raving about it and sampled three different kinds…unfortunately, Walgreen’s only had the worst one – Vita Coco. I grabbed it and the Delish (store brand). I agree with her assessment of the Vita Coco – thick and a bit oily, but still not bad. I have high hopes for the Delish, since the label doesn’t list any added sugars. I’m not a convert yet…there’s a possibility that it gives me the trots…not that it takes much.
ANYWAY, this Walgreen’s also had my beloved “Bye Felicia!” in all it’s yellow glory. YASSSSS BITCH. I also picked up “Vacation Time”, because DUH. Lily had to get more polish, too – “Cloud 9” (another surprise 49 cent clearance) and “GoGo Boy”. She’s a chip off of the old block.
I’m done for real now…although I know where a 7th and 8th Walgreen’s are…
Sephora Play! June 2016 – The Minimalists
What am I gonna do with all of these white canvas bags Sephora is now sending out in their play boxes? Ideas, anyone?
This month’s products are intended to help you create an easy summer routine, with that lovely cliche…less is more. Maybe. we’ll see…
The first thing I noticed in the box was the bright fuchsia bottle of Tarte Tarteguard 30 Sunscreen Lotion. It’s not waterproof, so I’ll try to figure out a time to try it out. Also in this month’s box/bag: bareMinerals Bareskin Sheer Sun Serum Bronzer (hmmm…maybe I can use for contouring); Benefit They’re Real Mascara (drowning in mascara right now, but this is a good one); Bumble and bumble. Don’t Blow It (H)air Styler; Becca Backlight Priming Filter (I probably have samples of this already, but haven’t tried it); and Tocca Florence Eau de Parfum (Bergamot and Violet – a bit too “mature” for me).
If you haven’t signed up yet – what are you waiting for? 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.