Category: Nails
National Nail Polish Day 2023
Last June, I wanted the Scünci Pride Claw Clips ($7.99), but I didn’t order them in time and they were sold out. Not this year! One for me and one for daughter. The Great Hair Event was still going on when I placed the order, so I ordered Arctic Fox “Poison” for 50% off ($9.24 instead of $18.49). I intended it for my daughter, and even ordered a Lime Crime Bushy Brow Pencil in “Valentine” ($15)…but it was missing from my order! Then she told me that she has to die her hair back brown for Band…so I guess I’ll use it in my hair? I don’t need the brow pencil, so I just accepted a refund from customer care.
Oh, and I have been liking moisturizing primers lately, so I decided to try Tula Filter Primer Blurring & Moisturizing Primer ($38). I really like it so far – it is very smoothing and as far as I can tell, I am NOT breaking out. It’s a similar texture to Benefit Primers, except it doesn’t roll up into booger particles on your fingers.
Since I ordered this little haul on National Nail Polish Day, I received one of two different samplers with my $50 purchase. Inside the sampler: Flowery Duraboard Nail File 2 pack; Dashing Diva Glow Gel Nail Strips in “Ballet Blooms Mini”; Londontown KUR Perfecting Nail Veil “Shade 4” (‘Nail Veil’ – that’s a new one); Sally Hansen Insta-Dri “Petal Pusher”; Essie “Mrs. Always Right” (it me!); OPI Infinite Shine “Sage Simulation”; and China Glaze “Tropic Like It’s Hot”.
Just $591 to Diamond in 2024.
Purple Thunder
By Vanessa Molina “Purple Thunder” was the first polish I tried from May’s Polish Pickup. I was really impressed by the formula – it went on smooth and lasted quite a long time. Why can’t all polishes be like this? How do they get the flakies to lay so flat without lifting?
This is two coats of “Purple Thunder” over Vibrant Scents Base Coat in “Island Petals” and under Vibrant Scents Top Coat on “Island Petals”.
I still haven’t come across a Circle K yet, to try to find the elusive Mountain Dew Purple Thunder…I’ll keep trying though.
Polish Pickup May 2023 – Junk Food
Ya’ll…I might be hooked on Polish Pickup.
May’s theme was Junk Food…and I may have gravitated towards a specific kind of junk food – Mountain Dew. Three of the four items I purchased are Mountain Dew related! The Vapid Wax “Gamer Fuel” Wax Melts ($6) and Bluebird Lacquer Cuticle Balm No More Uglies in “Baja Blast” ($7) are scented like…you guessed it…Mountain Dew “Baja Blast”, my favorite flavor of Mountain Dew. They really DO smell like “Baja Blast” tastes, although the wax melts have an underlying hint of that orange puke sawdust smell (that weird shit they used to pour on vomit in elementary school, it’s a very unique smell.) One of the polishes I ordered is By Vanessa Molina “Purple Thunder” ($13), which is based on Mountain Dew “Purple Thunder”. I don’t think I’ve ever encountered this flavor…now I’m on the hunt! (A quick google says it’s exclusive to Circle K – I’ll be looking.)
Lilypad Lacquer “Licorice Allsorts” ($14) is the other polish I picked. Although I wouldn’t touch licorice with a 10 foot pole, this polish drew me in…I’m excited to see what they look like in person…
Berry Crush
Sinful Colors “Berry Crush” is from Winnie Harlow’s “Fruity Blend” Collection. It’s an…odd polish. It’s a sheer, demi-matte red, with black micro-glitter that looks like seeds. It really does look like a smoothie made with strawberries and blueberries.
This is two coats of “Berry Crush” over Glisten & Glow Ridge Filling Top Coat. This polish chipped super fast without a top coat.
Comet Mebro
Funky Fingers “Comet Mebro” is supposed to be a color-changing solar polish…but since I bought it on clearance over 6 years ago…I guess this polish is no longer feeling like changing it’s color. I tried it in full sun…nothing. I even shoved my hands underneath one of my husband’s plant lights…NOTHING. Oh well.
Without that fun feature, this is just another sheer blue nail polish.
This is two coats of “Comet Mebro” (…and what a cringey name) under Vibrant Scents Base Coat in “Island Petals” and under Vibrant Scents Top Coat in “Island Petals”.
PEEPS Classic Chick
Last PEEPS polish…I promise!
Actually…I still have a few (untextured) PEEPS polishes left to try out. I absolutely will not be able to keep that promise. How about I chill and wait a few months? Cool? Cool.
Meet Sally Hansen Insta-Dri “PEEPS Classic Chick”. It’s just a plain yellow, sugar textured polish. It’s hard to get that “right” shade of yellow on my skin, but this is it. This is the first yellow polish that I’ve worn that doesn’t make me look sick. I donned it for my son’s recent Graduation Party…HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION. Damn, I’m getting old.
This is two coats of “PEEPS Classic Chick” over Glisten & Glow Ridge Filling Top Coat.
PEEPS Cotton Candy
Easter is long gone, but the PEEPS nail polish remains…
Sally Hansen Insta-Dri “PEEPS Cotton Candy” is so fun! In addition to the sugary texture of the soft pink cotton candy colored polish, there’s also different sizes of blue glitter in the mix. “PEEPS Cotton Candy” is my favorite of ALL of the PEEPS polishes.
This is two coats of “PEEPS Cotton Candy” over Glisten & Glow Ridge Filling Base Coat.
Hook ’em, Honey
I’ve used Sinful Colors “Copper Pot” before, but not for such a special reason…last week, we celebrated the life of a close family friend, Honey, and in honor of her love of all things University of Texas, we were asked to wear burnt orange. Even graduating from a Texas System School, I don’t own a single thing in burnt orange, so my nails would have to do…I picked up one of her Bevo stuffies and was excited to see how well it matched…Hook ’em, Honey!
This is two coats of “Copper Pot” over Vibrant Scents Base Coat “Island Petals” and under Vibrant Scents Top Coat “Island Petals”. I’m not so sure that Sinful Colors is a good combo with Vibrant Scents – I caught a few bubbles in the top coat.
Diamond Freebie Haul
I love the first Monday of every month. Not because it’s a Monday, but because that’s when Ulta has their “Diamond Love List”, which is full of exclusive deals and freebies for Diamond Members!
The best part about the “Diamond Love List” is getting to try new products before the official launch. Fresh Rose & Hyaluronic Acid Lightweight Moisturizer ($46) is a lighter version of the Rose Deep Hydration Face Cream that I love. I’ve been using it under my makeup and I love how light it feels. It’s a bit pricier than Oil of Olay, but those are damn near $30 now! I’m getting uncomfortably close to 50 years old, so it might be time to splurge a little bit…I mean, it’s not La Mer.
My hair needs more than a sample pack of deep conditioner, so I splurged on Joico K-PAK Color Therapy Luster Lock ($38.50). It came with a gift with purchase – a free shower cap and hair wrap set. Who doesn’t need an extra shower cap and hair wrap?
What else did I “add to cart”? Aquaphor Touch-Free Healing Ointment ($9.99) is THE BEST. Smartypits Natural Deodorant Sample Pack – Sensitive Skin ($10, down from $20) – I couldn’t pass up this set of 4 trial size deodorants. So far, I’ve only used “Rose Lavender”, but it hasn’t irritated my skin. I also picked up a few more Flowery Nail Buffers, at 40% off. I also got a pair of Diane Daisy/Clean-Cut Shear 5” ($8.79, down from $10.99) for Logan. I caught him cutting his hair with kitchen scissors!
My order also contained a birthday gift for my sister…not pictured.
…and now for the free stuff! I got an exclusive Clarins 4 piece set with my $35 skincare purchase: Clarins Double Serum Eye; Extra-Firming Neck & Décolleté; Total Cleansing Oil; Extra-Firming Night Cream; and Instant Smooth – that’s five things! I also got a free mystery gift with select hair care purchase: it Cosmetics Confidence in a Cream Anti-Aging; Biolage Strength Repairing Spray; Love Wellness Call Me Collagen; Drybar Liquid Glass Shampoo & Conditioner; Verb Ghost Shampoo & Conditioner; Ouidad Water Works Clarifying Shampoo; Living proof. Perfect hair Day 5-in-1 Styling Treatment; and it Cosmetics Bye Bye Lines Serum. Last, but not least, I got a Platinum & Diamond Exclusive 11 piece gift with $35 hair purchase: Biolage All-In-One Multi-benefit Spray; Olaplex No. 6 Bond Smoother; Living proof. Perfect hair Day Enhancing Treatment; Batiste Dry Shampoo; Bed Head Master Piece Hairspray; ANOTHER Love Wellness Call Me Collagen; Better Not Younger Wake Up Call Volumizing Shampoo (but no conditioner?); Virtue Healing Oil; OUAI Treatment Masque; and Curls Blueberry Bliss Reparative Leave-In Conditioner. My hair is so lucky!
On top of all those freebies, I was able to use a $10 off $50 coupon…just $718 to Diamond in 2024.
Dead Flowers
Well of course I’m going to gravitate towards a nail polish called “Dead Flowers” – duh.
This is Poetry Cowgirl “Dead Flowers” from April’s Polish Pickup. It’s an absolutely PACKED microglitter – primarily silver, blue and rust colored glitter.
I used Vibrant Scents Base Coat and Top Coat in “Island Petals”, with two coats of “Dead Flowers”. The top coat is fairly thin and I could feel the texture of the glitter through the top coat. It could’ve used some help from Glitter Grabber, but I wanted to see what it was like on it’s own.