Author: Lara
Oh, Magdalene
Oh, Julep “Magadalene”…you are beautiful beyond compare.
Is there such a thing as “Whore Blue”? No? If there was, it would be Julep “Magdalene” – Blue curacao shimmer. If there was ever a color that was made for toes, it would be Julep “Magdalene”.
Again, I succeeded in applying two coats without bubbles, due to Julep Oxygen Bonding Base Coat. Likewise, no smudges, due to “HK Girl”. THIS COMBINATION WORKS.
BFFsgiving Shopping
I got to see my BFF yesterday! And we went shopping!
So we hit Ulta first…but while we were still in the parking lot, I was finishing up some Sephora orders. I got an email offering a 24 hour window for VIB members to order the Urban Decay Gwen Stefani Palette before it hits stores on 12/1. ADD TO CART! Since that’s what my BFF and I decided our men are getting us both for Xmas, we were kind enough to do their Xmas shopping for them…
Since I placed a huge Ulta order last week with their Cyber Fundays promotion, I didn’t need much – just some Zoya Remove+. I was drawn to the 5/$5 goodies though. I got a few stocking stuffers for my daughter – bobbie pins and lip gloss – and a few for my self – a nail buffer, Ulta Nail Lacquer in “Silver Bells” and my favorite, a little travel makeup brush set.
We also hit Bath & Body Works, but that was a complete bust – nothing really jumped out at us, so we left empty handed.
Next up, Sephora…well, the Sephora inside of JC Penney’s. We didn’t feel quite brave enough to step foot in a mall.
As soon as I saw the Kat Von D Lolita Lip Duo, I knew it would be mine…even though I already have one “Lolita”, I wanted to try “Lolita II”. Just $19.50 for both.
I even remembered to bring in my Play! card for 50 extra points! I just checked my account…I only need to spend $132 to hit Rouge status…can I do it within the next 5 weeks?
Julep Melody
Roy G. Biv lasted SO long – it still looked good, but I wanted a change…
For some reason, I have a preponderance of purples in my unused stash, so I decided to try Julep “Julep” first. “Julep” is their signature color, received as a bonus in my September box. It’s a creme, but I wouldn’t call it a full creme – it’s thinner, almost a jelly. The formula was the best Julep creme I’ve tried. After Julep Oxygen Bonding Base Coat, I did two coats. Not a bubble ANYWHERE. I decided to jazz it up by adding Julep “Melody” – an iridescent, high gloss, glitter top coat – to my thumb and ring finger. It was a freebie in my November box. I finished up with “HK Girl”.
This is an odd polish – it seems like a pastel, but it’s deeper and very wintery. You might notice how short my nails are…I chopped them for my upcoming Black Friday fishing trip…that’s right – probably no Black Friday shopping for me – maybe I’ll be able to get a cell signal off the coast of Louisiana? Shocking, I know…but I have no appetite for those crowds. I know I’m a shopaholic – but those people are NUTS.
Sephora Play! 03 – November 2015
November’s Sephora Play! is “The Exclusives” – products that Sephora says can only be found there…are you sure Sephora? Because I bought a bottle of “Stella” by Stella McCartney at Ulta – but that was last year, so it might be exclusive to Sephora now?
Besides the sample of “Stella”, my box also includes Make Up For Ever Skin Equalizer (which I bought in Vegas a few months ago – great primer); Bite Beauty High Pigment Pencil in “Rhubarb”; Buxom Full-On Lip Cream in “Dolly” (this should go well with the “Rhubarb”); Sephora Collection Contour Eye Pencil 12Hr Wear Waterproof in “My Boyfriend’s Jeans”; and Josie Maran 100% Pure Argan Oil (I have SO MUCH damn Argan Oil now). Another amazing box!
Someday, I’ll actually remember to bring the card for 50 extra points into Sephora – I forgot last time!
Sephora Play is only $10/month. You can get on the wait list at sephora.com/play.
Roy G. Biv
Wow…just…WOW.
I am totally in lust with the Formula X Infinite Ombre Nail Design Set. It’s infinitely easy! You just start with “Platinum Prime” – silver anchor base – and layer the four included colors however you wish – “Boundless Berry”, “Infinite Indigo”, “Timeless Teal” and “Limitless Lemon”.
I started with Orly Bonder and one coat of “Platinum Prime”. Once dry, I started on my thumb with “Boundless Berry” and layered the colors in Roy G. Biv order. The polish is a sheer jelly, formulated to layer and blend. I managed to capture every color in the rainbow by layering the 4 colors. The finishing touch was “HK Girl” for extra shine.
Definitely not worth full price ($29.50), but I don’t regret spending about $11 on the set.
Soap Me
I get a little twitchy if I have less than 20 B&BW Hand Soaps under my counter. When I dropped by Bath & Body Works on Saturday, they didn’t have soaps for 7/$24 – they were 6/$24. Fuck that!
However…when I checked my email on Sunday, they were back at 7/$24, plus the email had a code for 30% off, which was much better than the 20% off coupon I received via postal mail. So I dragged my poor son on a quick trip…I just grabbed 10 Xmasy scents – I even let him pick one (Honeyed Pineapple Pumpkin – gag). He prefers the foaming soap to the thicker soap I like – he says he doesn’t like the weird little beads.
With the sale and my coupon – $2.40 each. Oh, I also got a new bath scrubby…in case you were wondering…
The Brown Mound
If you’ve known me a long, long time – you might remember the car I had in high school and college – a dookie colored 1978 Chevy Nova, covered in the requisite 90s grunge/fight the power/darwin fish bumper stickers. My dookie brown ride earned the nickname “The Brown Mound” from my friend, Chris. (But, um, at least I had a car…why did I always have to go pick your ass up?) In any case, China Glaze “Soft Sienna Silks” reminds me of the soft dookie brown of my old faithful Nova.
I received “Soft Sienna Silks” in this month’s ipsy bag. I love receiving polishes in my subscriptions – I wish I received more. I started with Orly Bonder, and then two thin coats of dookie brown goodness. This was a very slow drying polish – I managed to smudge several fingers before I could get the “HK Girl” on. Luckily, it is also very forgiving – I was able to smooth down the smudges on my thumb and pinky – they’re barely noticeable in the pic.
This is a perfect autumn polish – now if we would just get some perfect autumn weather…
November Birchbox – Feeling Fancy
November’s Birchbox has me “Feeling Fancy” – and smelling GOOD.
I know I just bought Roses de Chloe, but now I am going to have to go buy Cartier Eau De Cartier Goutte de Rose – obviously, another rose scent, but different – it smells somehow greener? Birchbox’s description says it’s unisex, but I really can’t see that happening – it’s too floral. Also inside my box – MAKE Skin Illuminator (Ugh.); Number 4 Flouro5 Elixer Restore & Repair Oil; PARLOR by Jeff Chastain Touchable Curl Cream; and LOC Matte Lipstick in “First Kiss” (I’m excited about trying Birchbox’s new house brand!)
All in all, a very glamorous box!
If you would like to try Birchbox, click on my referral link – https://www.birchbox.com/invite/5453f – I’ll get 50 points if you join.
VIB 20% Off!!!
It’s that magical time of the year – 20% off weekend for Sephora VIBs. I absolutely knocked some Xmas shopping out of the way, but I also picked up a few things for myself.
I couldn’t contain my excitement, so I zipped over to Sephora on Friday, during lunch. (I was bummed that Roses de Chloe was no longer one of the samples I could choose with an online order, so I wanted to sniff it.) Yup, I loved it, so I picked up a Roses de Chloe rollerball ($28). When we met, my husband couldn’t stand all the rose perfume I wore, but he said, “Hey! That’s nice.” Does that mean he’s getting old and likes it when I smell like his grandma? I also used my points to get Make Up For Ever HD Powder. I was pissed that they no longer had samples of Tory Burch Absolu – of course they don’t have the good stuff during a sale. I also got a free Sephora tote.
Then on Saturday, I hit the Sephora inside JC Penney – I wanted to check out all their Xmas sets, since they’re different than the sets inside a regular Sephora. I happened upon the Formula X Ultimate Ombre Set on clearance for $13.99 (down from $29.50). Yay!
It’s Sunday night and I have a few more hours…trying not to shop anymore.
November Beauty Box 5 – Boosted Basics
Oh, Beauty Box 5…you had me…then you lost me.
After several months of really good boxes, November is a WEIRD box. Inside this month’s “Boosted Basics” box: La Fresh good day. day moisturizer (to match the good night. moisturizer I received in an ipsy bag a few months ago?); Kaunis Facial Mask (I do love facial masks); Altchek MD Eye Gel Pads (set of 2); MOODmatcher Luxe Twist Stick in “Orange” (I used to have a green MOODmatcher in Jr. High! I tried the orange and it was a pleasant enough coral pinky hue – very moisturizing); and The All Natural Face Vegan Matte Cream Lip & Cheek Color in “Dusky Rose” (I am suspicious that the label looks like it was printed on a home printer – damn vegans).
It’s not a BAD box, just a WEIRD one.