Category: Nails

 
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Easter Grass

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Doesn’t Julep “Tatum” look like Easter grass?

Easter grass is verboten in our house…if you’ve never pulled a strand of Easter grass out of a feline’s bunghole – you don’t know what you’re missing! Trust me, they like it even less than you do…

In lieu of Easter grass, I’ll make do with Easter grass nails…

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Moroccan?

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Is it purple? Or is it bronze? Is it mauve? Or maybe it is copper? Rose gold? I can’t figure it out. Zoya “Faye” is an enigma!

This polish takes on totally different colors, depending on the room you’re in. In the bathroom, it was purple. In the living room, it was copper. I was wearing a pink sweater today and the polish looked rose. I took this picture outside, to get the best range of colors.

Zoya “Faye” reminds me of Moroccan decor. It makes me want to belly dance. Are you laughing at me?

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April Birchbox – Rainy Days

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Birchbox’s theme is “Rainy Days” and came with a dumb tip for how to spend a rainy day – go online and buy an umbrella. Really?

Other than that ridiculous tip, the box is really cool.

A little nail polish from Color Club, Gala’s Gems Collection – “Aquamarine Azulino“. (I have no idea who Gala Gonzalez is, but I guess she is famous enough to curate a set of nail polish.)

Silver Eyeliner from Cynthia Rowley Beauty. Birchbox let me pick between black and silver and since I have a dozen black eyeliners, I went for silver.

Keims Cleanshine Energizing Shampoo, which I may bring with me when I go to Chicago in a few weeks.

Kenyan Coffee Face Polish, Body Scrub and Hydrating Face Oil with Kola Nut by nyakio. I am guilty of over-exfoliating and am cutting back right now, but I am really anxious to try these. I’m going to force myself to wait until the weekend because of the caffeine content…I am SUPER sensitive to caffeine.

KIND Snacks Healthy Grains Bar in Maple Pumpkin Seeds with Sea Salt – breakfast tomorrow!

This might very well be the BEST Birchbox yet!

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.

 

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I got Issues

 

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I forgot to go to the bathroom after my son’s allergist appointment and Ulta had the closest bathroom. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!

I knew I couldn’t make it to my next stop – in 5 o’clock traffic – so I HAD to stop…and use my $5 off $15 coupon. I picked up Zoya “Faye” and China Glaze “It’s a Trap-eze”. I was going to get 2 Zoyas, but Lily BEGGED for the China Glaze because RAINBOW GLITTER, so I went ahead and got it “for her”. (I still have one more $5 off coupon.) You can’t really tell from the picture, but “Faye” is a chameleon purple/copper shimmer – it’s hot.

After Ulta, I had to get a prescription from Target. I live for the clearance endcaps at Target. It just so happens that the endcap right by the pharmacy had hundreds of 50% off nail polishes. I showed considerable restraint in only getting one today – Sally Hansen Gem Crush “Glitz Gal”.

I had planned to paint my nails tonight, but Zoya polish doesn’t chip – my Disco “Bobbi” nails still look good! I’m thinking slamming my hand in the car door tomorrow, to ensure I need a repaint…

 

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Disco Accent Nail

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Zoya polish lasts so long without chipping…I was planning on putting glitter on Zoya “Bobbi” when it began to chip, but it hasn’t started to chip yet.

I couldn’t resist playing though – so I used essie luxeffects “A Cut Above” on my ring fingers. It’s not quite as sparkly as “Set in Stones” – but that may be because of the shimmer of “Bobbi”. I’ll have to try it over a matte polish.

I figured out what this polish reminds me of – “Day to Night” Barbie’s Fuchsia Lamé body suit. I didn’t even own this Barbie myself, but I loved her. Not too long ago, I took one of those lame Facebook quizzes – “What Barbie Are You?” – and the answer was “Day to Night” Barbie. That is ABSOLUTELY THE TRUTH. Facebook quizzes never lie.

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I’m a Bobbi Girl

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It’s been too long since FUCHSIA!!!

I put on 2 coats of Zoya “Bobbi” last night while I was watching The Soup on the DVR. I didn’t even have to use Quick Dry Drops…It dried almost immediately!

Zoya polish is so dreamy…I can’t afford to be addicted to two brands of nail polish…

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Saturday Shopping

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If I’m out of the house, I’m going to find a way to go shopping.

Before heading to a birthday party, my BFF and I had to drop by Ulta, kids in tow. While she availed herself of her 20% off coupon, I was going to put my $5 off coupon to use by picking up Zoya “Bobbi” and essie luxeffects “A Cut Above”. (Too bad I didn’t check the dates – my coupon isn’t valid until Monday. Luckily, they had a $3.50 off coupon at the check-out.)

After a fun birthday party for a very sweet 5 year old, I demanded that we visit Bath & Body Works, so that I could take advantage of B3G3 and an “up to 40% off” coupon. I picked up Fragrance Mist, Body Cream and Shower Gel in “Oahu Coconut Sunset” for my sister in Alaska. They don’t have B&BW where she lives and I figured she may be missing Hawaii after a cold winter. I also picked up back-up Body Creams for myself – “Mad About You”, “Pure Paradise” and “Carried Away”. My coupon ended up being for 30% off – not a bad deal…

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Oops, I Did It Again

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My inspiration for this paint job was Britney Spears’ naked rhinestone suit from the MTV Music Awards. Don’t laugh, Britney is no less a valid inspiration than The Shocker or The Rusty Trombone!

Hands down, essie luxeffects “Set in Stones” is the best glitter to use if you want to draw attention to your nails. I was unable to get a pictures of my nails that didn’t have multiple lens flares.

Underneath the glitter, I put down a single coat of Artmatic “Dusty Rose”, which is one of the oldest polishes that I own. (I don’t remember why, but Dr. Delta gave me this polish when we lived together in college…so it’s at LEAST 17 years old.) I haven’t seen Artmatic in stores in years, but according to the intertwebs, it’s still sold in Dollar Stores. I admit that I had quite a bit of Artmatic makeup in my Junior High years.

This is now my “go to” nail look. Get used to it…

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BOGO

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Julep is evil!

They KNOW that if they send me a BOGO (Buy One, Get One), I’m gonna use it.

I am really loving their monthly Birthstone Collection, so I ordered “Aretha” – Aquamarine for March and “Coretta” – Diamond for April. “Coretta” contains real diamond dust according to the website.

I also spent $2 on a 4 pack of Buffer Blocks. I didn’t expect them to be so tiny.

New Speckled Mystery Boxes were just released…I will resist! I WILL.

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Polish Remover Battle Royale

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I’m taking my polish off 2, 3, sometimes 4 or 5 times week. I also use a lot of glitter. When I say “a lot” – I mean a fuck ton. A METRIC FUCK TON.

Since joining Julep and then starting this blog, I’ve gotten a few suggestions to take me beyond the usual drugstore removers. The first suggestion I got was from my cuzzin, Beth – Zoya “Remove +”. I was going on and on about Julep and she said I HAD to try Zoya Remover. Although I still haven’t gotten my hands on Zoya polish, I immediately went to Ulta and picked up the Zoya Remover for $10. It’s really tough on glitter, although it can still take a long time scrubbing my nails. It smells good and leaves my skin feeling soft.I was all impressed because I thought it didn’t contain acetone – the main ingredient was listed as 2-Propanone. A quick Google told me that 2-Propanone IS acetone. Very sneaky, Zoya.

My friend Angie commented on the site that she swears by the little plastic jar that you dip your fingers in from Target. (The product is actually called up&up “nail polish remover dip-it”.) It was only $3-$4, so I picked one up. Immediately, I was reminded of THE DIP from Who Framed Roger Rabbit? This shit melts fingernail polish like it was a tiny cartoon horn. There are little scrubbies inside the jar that power the glitter off. Except for the fact that it dries my skin out like leather, this is the best thing EVER.

The last product I tried out is Julep’s “Party’s Over” Glitter Nail Polish Remover Kit. The kit is 10 little silicone caps that you pop on the end of your nails with an acetone wipey. The first 7 caps went on just fine…the last 3 were a bitch to get one. I would have tried one hand at a time, but I was afraid the wipeys would dry out. This method works exceedingly well…but it was $22 for just 5 packets of wipeys.

Ultimately, the winner of the Polish Remover Battle Royale is…the up&up “nail polish remover dip-it”, but the remover inside of it is exceedingly toxic-feeling. When I finish it off, I’m going to refill it will Zoya “Remove +” to create the PERFECT product.