Author: Lara
Amazon New Beauty
Like the rest of the planet, I was fairly disappointed by Amazon’s “Prime Day” promotion on July 15th. I was, however, able to take advantage of Amazon’s New Beauty Promotion – 35% off one item from a VERY small selection of items.
I was hoping to find a good FULL set of brushes, but I was skeptical of the quality of the two they had in the promotion – e.l.f. and Shani (e.l.f. is so-so, but Shani looks super sketchy). Instead, I chose the real Techniques Travel Essentials 3 Brush Set. I’ll probably chunk the case/stand, but you can’t beat $7.27 for 3 high quality make-up brushes!
Beauty Box 5 – Summer Night Out
I might actually use every single thing in my Beauty Box 5 this month!
Inside this month’s “Summer Night Out” box: OFRA Lip Gloss in “Truffle”; OFRA Lip Liner in “Spicy”; Nanacoco Nail Polish in “Orange Wonderland” (it’s really more sparkly/rusty); Love Life Skin Restorative Night Cream and Intensive Recovery Serum (2 foil packets each); and Pur~lisse Flash tattoos (I’m about to get another REAL tattoo, so maybe I’ll use these on my wrists?). I also got codes for 20% at purlisse.com and 25% off at lovelifeskincare.com.
Now I just need to plan a Summer Night Out!
July Ipsy Bag – Summer Lovin’
Summer lovin’, happened so fast…Can you believe that summer is already half over?
“Summer Lovin'” is also Ipsy’s July theme. The bag is a bit ugly – I’ll just add it to the pile. There’s some good stuff inside that ugly bag though: Nudestix Magnetic Eye Color in “Gilt” (waterproof and comes with a cool sharpener); Crown Brush Professional Tweezers (the second pair of tweezers I’ve received recently); City Color Cosmetics HD Powder (I’m excited to try this one); Jor’el Parker “Classico” eau de parfum (interesting scent, but isn’t Jo’rel Superman’s dad?); and pūr~lisse pur-bright ultra skin brightening serum (sure, why not?).
I had redeemed my ipsy points for a J. Cat Beauty lip stain, but it didn’t make into this bag – I guess I’ll be getting it next month?
If you’d like to try Ipsy – click here. I’ll earn 250 points if you sign up through my link.
Matte Mia
You know what happens when you let your husband pick out your nail polish? Good things…good, good things. Technically, he didn’t pick it out – the only guidance he gave me was “dark red” and “matte”.
For “dark red”, I chose Urban Decay “Mrs. Mia Wallace”. I’ve had it not even a year and it’s already getting clumpy. I had to fight a few clumps, but I managed to smooth them out. I guess it’s time to invest in polish thinner.
I used Orly Bonder as the base coat. To make it matte, I used Zoya Velvet Matte Top Coat – it’s the best…although I haven’t tried any other matte top coats, so I’m just guessing.
I’m going to bug my husband about my polish more…I’m sure he’ll LOVE it.
Green on the Runway
This stunning polish is OPI “Green on the Runway”, from the 2014 Coca Cola Collection. Lily was kind enough to let me borrow one of the polishes that my BFF got her for Xmas.
Even though it looks fantastic in the pic, you can’t see the full magnificence – it’s a green to rust colored duochrome – although you can see a hint of it on the bottle. I guess it’s supposed to look like a Sprite can, but it’s far darker than your average Sprite.
I also tried out OPI Nail Envy for the first time, again, borrowed from Lily. It seems to be a really good base coat and the brush is like magic. I didn’t use the OPI top coat, instead opting for “HK Girl”. For some reason, the “HK Girl” dragged a few bald spots in the polish on my right hand and catastrophically smudge my ring finger. I don’t know why – if it’s an incompatibility with OPI, or maybe I just didn’t let it dry long enough. Hmmmm…
July Birchbox – Go Bold
Birchbox must have heard my whining – my box arrived first this month, even before Julep.
July’s theme was “Go Bold” – which is odd, because this isn’t an overly bold box. Maybe somebody else got some bolder stuff. Inside this month’s box: clariSEA Rapid Detox Charcoal Exfoliant (I’m turning into a charcoal junkie); a 2.5 ox bottle of Davines MINU Shampoo, with bonus foil packs of MINU conditioner and MINU hair serum (I get so annoyed by mismatched sizes in my samples); Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin Liquid (to match the cream I got last month?); Jouer Luminizing Moisture Tint; and stila look at me liquid lipstick in “bella” (sample choice for the month). I take it back – that hot pink lipstick is pretty bold!
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.
Mango or Queso?
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I had been putting off trying Funky Fingers “Hang Ten, Brah”. Even though it is a solar polish, I was prepared to hate it…but I totally LOVE it.
I thought it would be a sickly boring yellow, but it turned out to be a lovely Mango flesh color, with a subtle green shimmer. I don’t even like Mango (it smells like dirty vagina), but the color is ripe and vibrant.
I realized while we were eating dinner tonight – “Hang Ten, Brah” is ALSO the exact color of queso (FUN FACT – my BFF thinks queso smells like dirty vagina).
I was going to take a pic of my nails and my queso, but I ate it too fast.
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This is “Hang Ten, Brah” in sunlight. It actually changes as much as the bottle promises, into a juicy tangerine.
I also used Funky Fingers “Scattered Sea Shells” on my thumb and ring fingers. It’s different sizes of white glitter with bits of pink, blue and Mango/Queso glitter.
This is just two coats with Orly Bonder and “HK Girl”. I could have gotten rid of the VNL with more coats, but I was feeling lazy last night.
Neither Bikinis, Nor Martinis
I am a fan of neither bikinis, nor martinis – but that’s not the reason that ncLA “Bikinis & Martinis” frustrated me. First off, it’s a plain, light coral – not a fan of coral. Application was streaky – even after 2 coats, I had streaks. I used a good base coat – Orly Bonder – and “HK Girl” helped a bit, but not entirely.
The most shocking thing about this polish is that the list price is $16. $16! Luckily, I got it as part of the Birchbox “Under the Sun” Limited Edition Box – but, still – $16 for a streaky polish in a basic color.
I think I’ll give it a try with glitter – glitter fixes everything.
Vice Deal
Sometimes, Ulta has an offer I can’t refuse. The Urban Decay Vice Ltd Palette for $39 (normally $58) was an offer I couldn’t refuse, especially with a $10 off ANYTHING coupon.
When I opened the palette and ooohed and ahhhed over the colors, I excitedly told my husband that there’s a color called “Backdoor” and it’s BROWN! My son said, “But our back door is white?” I hope he stays young and naive forever.
I also got Urban Decay Naked Skin Beauty Balm in “Medium”. I had been searching everywhere for “Light” – in several stores, online, but no luck…except on the Urban Decay site and they won’t give me points. Luckily, I tried “Medium” this morning and it looked exactly the same on me as “Light”. So, I dunno what the point of having two colors is.
My samples were a tiny little card with a smidge of Benefit The POREfessional (insulting!) and Biolage keratindose Shampoo and Conditioner.
Peacock Ombre
Sometimes I surprise even myself.
I got the idea from Instagram to layer sheer jelly polishes to ombre my nails. No sponges or special tools – I just overlapped layers of three polishes to melt from green to blue to purple. I used Sinful Colors “Sheer Flight”, “Prized Plume” and “Flight to See”.
I used Sinful Colors Base Coat, but I probably should have used something else – all the layers made a few thick spots and the polish slid and folded in a few spots underneath “HK Girl” (see my index finger). Other than that – the colors blended fantastically – I’m really pleased with myself.