Author: Lara

 
+

November Ipsy Bag – Girl Meets Glitter

/

I got my ipsy bag on Friday, so sorry for the delay!

November’s bag is “Girl Meets Glitter” and I totally LOVE the glittery plastic bag from Forever 21 Cosmetics. I haven’t stepped foot in a Forever 21 in over a decade…maybe not since the 90s?

Inside my bag: Be A Bombshell Cosmetics Eye Base in “Submission”, a creamy gold taupe; J. Cat Beauty Lip Paint in “Red Potion”Marc Anthony Oil of Morocco Argan Oil Volume Shine Hairspray; Starlooks Gem Eye Pencil in “Ultra Orchid”; and TEMPTU S/B Highlighter in “Pink Pearl” – and now I have 2 of these and have no idea what to do with them.

This is a pretty decent bag, but none of the products seem to go together. Gold eye shadow base with purple eye liner and red lipstick? Maybe if I was Lady Gaga…

If you’d like to try Ipsy – click here. I’ll earn 250 points if you sign up through my link.

+

Pumpkin Spice All the Things!

/

It’s cold outside. You know what that means? Time for the white people to PUMPKIN SPICE ALL THE THINGS!

I got one of the Ipsy Exclusive polishes in my bag last monthNicole by OPI “On A Gilt Trip”. I started with a coat of that – I was surprised that it is a full coverage matte gold – I was expecting a sheer shimmer. I topped with a coat of Sinful Colors “Pumpkin Spice”, which is gold and red glitter in a clear base. WHY is it called “Pumpkin Spice”? I would expect “Pumpkin Spice to have oranges and browns? Whatever…

I used the Sinful Colors Base Coat and Sally Hansen Diamond Flash for the top coat. I took the picture at work, while I was bored waiting for a spreadsheet to calculate. WHAT? You don’t carry nail polish around in your purse at all times?

+

November Birchbox – BuzzFeed Life

/

My Birchbox got here yesterday, but it was my night to cook dinner and frozen pizzas don’t magically cook themselves!

Instead of the regular box, I chose the special BuzzFeed Life curated box. Inside my box: amika Perk Up Dry Shampoo (I know, I know – I have a dozen of these and I never use it); Dr. Jart+ Pore Minimalist Mask (it has charcoal serum – I’ll be using this soon); Dr. Lipp Original Nipple Balm for Lips (Uhhhh…); Greenleaf Signature Candle in “Silver Spruce” (OMG, I could smell it THROUGH the box and outer shipping box – it’s like an entire 9 foot Xmas Tree); and Mirenesse iCurl Secret Weapon 24hr Mascara. There is also a cute sticker that says “cute” – cute!

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.

+

Let’s Build A Snowman!

…and NO, I am NOT referring to Frozen. I’m referring to that classic of college cinema – Cannibal! The Musical. In this movie, if you start singing about building a snowman…YOU DIE.

Julep “Kiki” looked so good that I decided to try out Funky Fingers “Olaf” on top of it. (Yes…THAT Olaf.) “Olaf” was yet another frustrating glitter. Those snowflakes were impossible to fish out of the bottle because of the narrow neck. I gave up after one snowflake per finger. The rest of the glitter was wonderful…but those fucking snowflakes…

I did 2 coats of “Olaf”, which I regretted as I was removing it just a few hours ago. I had to pry those fucking snowflakes off with my fingernails…

+

Cloudy Dream

/

Julep “Kiki” is like dark, dreamy thunderclouds rolling in. It looks lighter in the bottle, like a bright sun shower – but once it’s on your fingers, it’s thunder and lightning. Julep’s site describes it as oceanic silver shimmer – maybe an oceanic storm? The Bermuda Triangle?

Another one coater, but I used two to be sure – sandwiched between Revlon Quick Dry Base and Top Coat. No bubbles or streaks – it’s like Julep has turned into Zoya all of a sudden!

I wish I had worn gray and black today instead of brown and pink…

+

November Beauty Box 5 – Gracefully Grounded

/

Just like last month, I got my Beauty Box 5 on the same day (Saturday) that I got the shipping email. I understand them hedging their bets – why not send the emails a bit later than they day the drop them in the mail? No matter what, I get them pretty quick since they are based in Austin.

“Gracefully Grounded” is November’s theme. Inside my box: L’Oreal Paris Nail Color (Really – another polish without a name? I thought L’Oreal always names their polishes? I call this one Bright Ass Tomato Red…); DenTek Floss Picks + Case (perfect for my purse); HASK Macadamia Revitalizing Shine Oil; Laura Ashley Body Butter in “Cherry Blossom” (Is Laura Ashley still around or is this product left over from the 80s?); and Dove Deep Moisture Body Wash (I got a full size in my Allure Beauty Box, but haven’t tried it yet.)

My BFF didn’t get hers until today – I FINALLY got one of my boxes before her!

+

A Solid Fart

/

So I made the mistake of asking my son what he he thought about my fingernail polish…he said it looks like “a solid fart.” After questioning him, he claimed that he had pooped this color before – and I stated that he needs medical care. He laughed at me as he walked away. Even though it sounded like he was saying my nails look like shit, I know that’s not what he meant. He meant that they look like chili beans, so I can kind of see that.

This is Julep “Fazia”. (Is Julep running out of polish names? May I recommend “Lara” or “Lilith”???) It was a true one coater, but I used two just to be sure. It was smooth and didn’t streak – and NO bubbles! I used Revlon Quick Dry Base and Top Coat, which seem to work best with Julep.

I can’t wait hear what my next polish looks like…boogers, barf or some other excrement?

+

November Julep Maven Box – The Friendsgiving Collection

/

I got my Julep box yesterday – but I wanted to try the Length Matters Wow-Impact Mascara before writing the review.

Holy shit – this is absolutely the BEST mascara I’ve ever used. (Keep in mind that I’ve gotten over a dozen mascaras in the past few months – I’ve tried EVERYTHING.) The formula goes on smooth with no clumping and really does make your lashes look a zillion miles long. It’s very similar to my previous favorite mascara – Maybelline Lash Stiletto. The bottle designs is good, too – it doesn’t squish out of the top of the tube when you put the wand back in – I HATE that. This mascara is worth the $26 retail price.

Back to the rest of the box…November is “The Friendsgiving Collection”. I customized my box to get Bombshell “Fazia”liquid garnet shimmer – and It Girl “Kiki”oceanic silver shimmer, in addition to the Length Matters Wow-Impact Mascara.

Also included in my box were 2 of the best caramels I have ever had – Goetze’s Caramel Creams. I ate them immediately and did not share. They were more buttery than Paula Deen’s underpants!

+

The Supreme

/

So, since Daylight Savings Time ended, it’s dark when I get home and I have had to get creative to find good enough light to take nail pictures. My husband switched all of the bulbs to LED, which saves money…but LED lights SUCK for pictures. I get so-so results in my bathroom, but this time I used my son’s desk lamp. It’s better, but not ideal. Nothing beats sunlight, but I guess I’m screwed until March.

This is Delush Polish “The Supreme” from the “Scream Supreme Collection”, inspired by American Horror Story. It’s a blood red jelly, filled with different sizes of red glitter. The red is so deep that’s hard to see all the glitter. Orly Bonder for the base coat and I used Sally Hansen Diamond Flash for the top coat…except for my ring finger. I hadn’t tried out Zoya Matte Velvet Top Coat yet and OH MY GAWD. I love it so much more on this polish than the shiny shiny. It dries super quick, too – almost like a quick dry!

Only three more Delushies to try!

+

Gambit

/

Zoya “Remy” is so beautiful that it changed my plans.

I had intended to just use “Remy” on my toes and continue with the Delush Polish “Scream Supreme Collection” on my fingers…but no…I saw it on my toes and changed my mind. Sorry Delushies, I’ll have to get my freakshow on later.

Zoya’s site describes “Remy” as brilliant indigo with copper and gold liquid metallic. It’s from the Fall 2014 Ignite Collection. Like all Zoyas, the formula is absolutely perfect. I used Orly Bonder for the base coat and Sally Hansen Diamond Flash for the top coat.

I looooooooove it.