Category: Nails
Hemi Harlow
I found it…after trying maybe a zillion polishes…the perfect polish to match my car!
This is Zoya Matte Velvet “Harlow” – not to be confused with Julep “Harlow”. Zoya “Harlow” originally came out in Winter 2009 (along with “Veruschka” and “Savita”), but they’ve re-released them all! Zoya describes “Harlow” as a rich, saturated rose plum packed with sparkling metallic shimmer in a velvety MATTEVELVET finish. Fancy!
I didn’t read the site first – like the Pixie Dusts, you aren’t supposed to use a base coat or a top coat with the Matte Velvets. Oops. I used Orly Bonder first. It seemed to work okay – no bubbles and it dried really quickly. The site also warned that it’s not as long wearing as regular polish…Oh snap!
I can claim that this is a Halloween themed manicure, since my fingers are dressed up like my car, right? The only thing missing is the racing stripes (sorry, Dave).
I Swear…I Only Went in for a Haircut
Really! I hadn’t gotten my hair cut since February, so I figured it was time…OK, I kind of knew that I would probably buy some stuff if I actual went to the salon in Ulta to get my hair cut. Shhhh,,,
Ulta was running a special on Zoya polish – buy 2, get a free gift – “A Matte Story”, which came with Zoya Matte Velvet Top Coat (I’ve been needing one!) and Whore Red Matte Velvet Lipstick. the two polishes that I got were Zoya Matte Velvet “Harlow” and Zoya “Remy”.
I went to the fragrance section to sample “Stella” by Stella McCartney. There was a placard for it, but no bottles. A clerk offered to go check the back and came back with a single bottle – saying they had discontinued carrying it. I made a split second decision to go for it and buy it…not realizing that it was the $72 50 ML size. Uhhhhhh…I got it anyway and in my excitement, I totally forgot to use my $3.50 off coupon. The blow was softened, however, by a VISA gift card I had gotten as a “thank you” from my AVP last week.
I was so excited, that I opened “Stella” in my car and started spraying. I LOVE the way it smells on me, but I was a bit disappointed in the scent’s staying power. It’s just a few hours later and I can barely smell it on me. I had read online that the new 2014 version has less staying power, so I guess I need to be on the lookout for one of the old bottles. Trader’s Village, maybe – or one of those Indian perfume places?
Bruise Violet
I couldn’t NOT try out Julep “Logan” first.
Julep’s site describes the color as sultry aubergine shimmer – I would replace sultry with earthy. There’s a vegetable like brownish undertone – this color feels very organic.
Well, duh – aubergine is a fancy word for eggplant. It’s not as inky as “Padma” and has a subtle shimmer, but could still be mistaken for black at first glance.
I went back to the Revlon Quick Dry Base and Top Coats. There’s something about Julep polish that doesn’t mix well with base coats – bubbles, no matter what brand I try – even Julep’s own base coats. I only got 2-3 bubbles this time, but each one is like a pinprick to my soul.
I also painted my toenails with “Logan” last night…right before I broke my pinky toe, tripping over my daughter’s metal lawn chair.
(Yeah, we keep metal lawn chairs in our living room. That’s normal, right?)
I was astounded at how well the polish matched the violet bruises – I couldn’t have planned it better!
The last time I broke a toe was during Hurricane Ike, stumbling around in the dark. As clumsy as I am, that’s a pretty good record.
October Julep Maven Box – The Black Magic Collection
My BFF and I both got our boxes yesterday! Thank you mail carrier!
October brings us a spooky box – “The Black Magic Collection”. This month’s beauty product was Night Shift Sleeping Mask – a reparative moisture mask that does the heavy lifting while you’re fast asleep so you wake up to a brighter, smoother, firmer complexion. I put it on my face last night before bed, but I can’t tell if I am brighter, smoother or firmer.
For polishes, I HAD to pick Classic with a Twist “Logan” – sultry aubergine shimmer – because my son’s name is Logan. (He was SO disappointed in the color – he wanted “Logan” to be his favorite color – blood red.) I also picked It Girl “Dana” – white with electric blue sheen (black light reactive). (There is no “Dana”, only Zuul.) I added on “Casper” – glow-in-the-dark shimmer, from last October’s collection. I really don’t need another glow in the dark polish, do I? Whatever.
There was even something for my husband in the box – I gave him the little bag of candy corn.
Not a Julep Maven? CLICK HERE to join! Get a special 4 piece Welcome Box with code FREETREATS!
He Sees You When You’re Sleeping…
Well, originally, I was going for a sexy Freddy Krueger look, but what I ended up with Xmas fingers. Oh well, both of those assholes see you when you’re sleeping.
After Orly Bonder, I painted one coat of Rimmel 60 Seconds “Passion”. I painted stripes with Sinful Colors “Pine Away” and then topped it all with Julep “Shoshanna”. Since “Shoshanna” is gold with red and green highlights, I thought it was match the red and green really well – and it did, although in a very Xmas ornament type of way.
I got one final use out of my Sally Hansen Diamond Flash and then threw the bottle away. My husband asked me if I was going to “have a funeral for my dead solider.” He’s silly…but I considered it.
Cabana de Muertos
I wonder how suspicious we looked – my BFF and I – scurrying into the Taco Cabana Bathroom and giggling? I couldn’t help it – I was just so excited to turn the light off and show off my glow-in-the-dark nail polish!
This is Funky Fingers “Dia De Muertos”, from their Glow in the Dark Halloween collection. It’s a baby blue jelly base, with hot pink matte glitter in different sizes. There is
This is one of the bumpiest glitters I’ve ever used. Not only did I buff all of my nails first and use Orly Bonder, but I also topped with Sally Hansen Diamond Flash – and the two coats were still bumpy as all hell.
This stuff REALLY works – it glows like a sonofabitch.
I didn’t hold out much hope for getting a good “glowing in the dark” pic, but I was pleasantly surprised at the picture I was able to get inside of my closet. Of course, it doesn’t glow for very long, so I had to hold my hand up to the light, run into the closet, slam the door and try to get my camera to focus before the polish stopped glowing. So yeah, it took me 3 tries to get this pic.
Get ready for a spoooooky October. All month long, I’ll be doing Halloween-y or Fall themed nails. I don’t have all of my ideas worked out yet, so I am open to suggestions!
Unicorn Farts
Yes, Kenneth…unicorns fart glitter. What else would they fart?
I dug to the bottom of my plastic bin to find the perfect red to go underneath Funky Fingers “Unicorn Farts”. I dug out Sinful Colors “Under 18”, which I don’t think I’ve ever used before. It is a pearly tomato red and it went on smoothly without pooling in my cuticles. I did have to a bit of artful dabbing to get decent glitter coverage, but it wasn’t as bad as other beauty blogs had claimed. It certainly wasn’t as annoying as “Fruit-Ta-Ta”.
I used Orly Bonder as the base coat and Sally Hansen Diamond Flash for the top coat. (My Diamond Flash is almost empty! I don’t know whether I should buy another one or try another quick dry top coat. Probably both.) The texture of my nails is still a bit bumpy, but none of the glitter is lifting up, so I’m content.
I wanna try “Unicorn Farts” over a silver holographic polish – maybe Julep “Coretta”?
September Beauty Box 5 – Balancing Act
My BFF and I felt like we weren’t just getting enough samples in the mail, so we both signed up for Beauty Box 5! It’s $12/month, $30/quarter or $99/year for 5 beauty product samples. I signed up for the 3 month pricing, because I wanted to check it out first. My BFF signed up first and gave me a code to get the August box free!
September’s theme is “Balancing Act”. I received a Nicka K New York Eyelight Crayon in “Violet”; 2 foil packs of Natural Style by FUBU Deep Conditioner & Co-Wash; Sally Hansen Toe Spacer (Ugh, another pair); a bottle of My Beauty Spot Nail Polish (color not labelled, so I’ll call it Gunmetal?); and Revlon Bold Lacquer Mascara in “Blackest Black” (plus a $1 off coupon).
August’s theme was “Radiant and Remarkable” I received yet another Pur~lisse “Pur Protect SPF 30”; La Fresh Travel Lite Facial Cleansing Wipes; Nancoco Lip Gloss in “First Kiss” (SO DAMN PINK); a foil pack of Novex Brazilian Keratin; and a bottle of Style Essentials Nail Polish (again, no name on this one – white and aqua glitter).
Although there are a few Dollar Store Brands (Style Essentials, La Fresh, My Beauty Spot for sure) in the boxes, I am not freaking out yet. I’m pretty annoyed by polishes without names – what the fuck is up with that? I’ll give it a few more months and see what else pops into the box. Ipsy and Birchbox have me spoiled!
If you’re interested in trying Beauty Box 5, let me know and I’ll get you the code for a free box that I got. Their referral program isn’t live yet, so I cannot beg for referral yet!
Horny Lady Gremlin
Remember the horny lady Gremlin in Gremlins 2? She was EASILY the best part of the movie, sexually assaulting the doctor from Star Trek: The Next Generation. Well, that’s what this polish reminds me of – the horny lady Gremlin. Don’t ask me to explain how my brain works – I don’t understand it either.
After Orly Bonder, I used one coat of Sinful Colors “Pine Away” and one coat of Orly “Bubbly Bombshell”. I used Sally Hansen Diamond Flash for the top coat. Easy Peasy – and my nails were dry within 15 minutes.
Copycat!
I wish I could say that I came up with this combo on my own, but I totally stole it from my cousin, Jess. She posted a pic with this exact combination of polish and I had to steal it. Just like I stole the Day of the Dead Converse…she better keep an eye on those Kah Tequila bottles…
After Revlon Quick Dry Base Coat, I used one coat of Pacifica “Red Red Wine” and two coats of Maybelline Color Show Street Art “Wild at Heart”. I finished with Revlon Quick Dry Top Coat, for extra shine – and to smooth down the glitter bits.
Since I was lazy and only did one coat of “Red Red Wine”, I already have a good bit of edge wear. Grumble, grumble, grumble…