Hand Jive
Have you ever been confused by how a polish turns out? Funky Fingers “Hand Jive” didn’t turn out the way I expected at all.
“Hand Jive” looks so orange in the bottle – neon orange, even. On my nails, not so much. It turned out peachy. Not that anything’s wrong with that…it just wasn’t what I was expecting. I should have remembered the formula from the other “Grease” polishes, but to be fair – that was over two years ago!
I started with Sinful Colors Base Coat and then two fairly goopy coats of “Hand Jive” followed. I topped with “HK Girl”.
I think this manicure would have lasted a week or so, but to be honest…it was too boring for me. I had to let it go.
Ulta 21 Days of Beauty – Day 14
So proud…I made it all the way to Day 14 of Ulta’s 21 Days of Beauty before placing an order!
I had to pull the trigger on trying It Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC+ Airbrush Perfecting Powder SPF50+ in “Light” for half price ($17.50 instead of $35). I’m always on the hunt for the perfect powder foundation. Trying it for the first time this morning, I wasn’t disappointed. This stuff is THICK. I used the included sponge for the first application, over only moisturizer – no primer – and it is THICK. Thick, but not as cakey as MAC Studio Fix. It covers almost as much as a liquid foundation, so I switched to my usual kabuki to buff it out evenly. I’m going to try over a few different primers next – it tended to settle into my nose pores, so I’m thinking that’s the only place I’ll really need it. A good buy!
I also took advantage of an NYX BOGO half sale – I got the Cosmic Metals and Lid Lingerie Shadow palettes (normally $9.99 each). They are like matte/shimmer twins. I wore Lid Lingerie today without primer. Note to self: NYX shadows ALWAYS needs primer. The colors are nice though.
I also grabbed another Ulta Ultra Slim Brow Pencil in “Dark Brown” ($10) – it is my new go to. Also, it put me over the threshold to get $5 off my order. For free samples, I got an Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Powder Duo (I have like 6 of these) and Smashbox Photo finish Foundation Primer (I have like 16 of these). They also threw in a huge sample pouch of DevaCurl Buildup Buster…but I don’t have curls or use a lot of product in my hair.
Free shipping since I got a Beauty Steal, so I didn’t have to hit the $50 threshold!
That Would Be Enough
I can’t resist a Hamilton reference to go with Julep “Eliza”.
My sole polish pick from this month’s box, “Eliza” is described as infinite ocean holographic. I don’t see much of that infinite ocean off the Gulf of Mexico, but I got a taste of it in Mexico last summer. It really does seem like glitters on forever.
This is two coats over Julep Oxygen Bonding Base Coat and under “HK Girl”. It’s an extremely smooth applying polish. It wears forever, too. I’m on day four and it should last a few more days.
It’s polishes like this that make me think…how lucky we are to be alive right now.
That was bad – I apologize.
April Julep Maven Box – Relax & Remix
So, I wasn’t feeling all of the Spring-like polishes available in this month’s “Relax & Remix” Collection. So I picked just one polish – Julep Bombshell “Eliza”, infinite ocean holographic. No idea why Julep It Girl “Ming” – wild orchid jelly – is in my box. Thanks, I guess?
I decided to enlarge my makeup collection. I picked a new shade of Feels Like Velvet Full Coverage Eye Shadow Duo – “cinnamon & spice”. I LOVE these colors on me. They’re very warm and light up my face. I’m also impressed with the creamy formula – they stayed put all day without primer. I also picked a matching lippie – It’s Whipped Matte Lip Mousse in “Say Hello”, rich marsala matte. It’s Whipped doesn’t last through meal, well…not tablitas and fajitas, anyway. I’m not sure ANY lippie would last through the juicy smoked ribs I ate yesterday.
Not a Julep Maven? Click HERE to join – I’ll get a $15 credit and you’ll get your first box free!
March Ipsy Bag – Tres Jolie
March’s ipsy bag is beautifully color-coordinated – from the pale pink bag with a rose gold zipper to that snail thingy (more on that later) to the nude lippie. And the bag is super-sized – perfect for liners or brushes.
So about that cute little snail…it’s Ladykin Affinitic Snail Cream. It’s literally 80% snail secretions. And I am supposed to put this on my face. For wrinkles. For what it’s worth, I looked it up on Amazon and it had some legit good reviews…so I’ll give it a shot. But…snail slime…on my face.
Also in this month’s “Tres Jolie” bag: Cake Desserted Island Supreme Body Mousse; Elizabeth Mott Blending Brush (the Elizabeth Mott All Over Shadow Brush I received a few years ago is still my favorite lid brush); tarte cosmetics tarteist quick dry matte lip paint in “rosé”; and Doucce Freematic Eyeshadow in “Marisa” (for the record, I HATE the name “Marisa” – my college boyfriend cheated on me with a homely (and possible homeless) skag named Marisa).
Great bag this month! I’ll let you know if the snail trail kills me.
If you’d like to try Ipsy – click here. I’ll earn 250 points if you sign up through my link.
Bling Dipper
I couldn’t wait to get my hands on Funky Fingers “Bling Dipper” after my splurge. Or more accurately, I couldn’t wait to get Funky Fingers “Bling Dipper” on my hands…
As usual, my expectations for a color-changing solar polish were a bit too high. Going by the label, I was expecting a more dramatic shift in color, but all I got was a slight shift to light pink. Even so, I like this polish a lot – the holographic glitter is really dense, giving a lot of coverage – this is just two coats. I started with Sinful Colors Base Coat – a brand new bottle! I was a bit surprised at the bottle, they actually gave the Base Coat a name – it’s called “First in Line”. I can’t tell if they changed the formula as well – it seemed a lot thinner than my previous bottles, but it could just be because it is a new bottle. I finished up with “HK Girl”.
I need to try “Bling Dipper” over a coat of white – maybe that will give a more drastic change?
Review – Wet n Wild Megalast Liquid Catsuit Liquid Lipstick
It’s been a minute since I’ve done a full on product review, but I had ALL Saturday to myself and I had myself a little swatch party…
I’d been considering trying out Wet n Wild‘s new Megalast Liquid Catsuit Liquid Lipsticks since they launched at the end of 2016. I’ve spent hundreds of dollars on liquid lipsticks in the past year or so – at $18-$20 each. Could a $4.99 product really match products that cost 3-4 times the price?
If you’re too lazy to read any further, the short answer is YES. If you’re NOT lazy, I’ll continue.
I started slowly, buying “Give Me Mocha” at Walgreen’s a few weeks ago. I was so impressed with the formula, that I started looking for a few more colors to test. It took a few trips to different Walgreen’s and Targets, but I also snagged “Rebel Rose” and “Goth Topic”, also snagging three more tubes to send to my lipstick buddy, Sally. They started their voyage to Scotland a week ago yesterday – I hope they get there soon!
Let’s start with “Goth Topic”. I’ll admit it, I only bought it for the name. I spent so much time at Hot Topic in the 90s!
I don’t wear dark lipsticks like this much anymore, but back in high school and college, this dark maroonish/brownish color was my jam. It’s the 90s in one color.
I only had one color to compare it too – and it’s not that hot a match. NYX Liquid Suede Creme Lipstick in “Club Hopper”. The NYX lipsticks are only a bit more expensive at $6.99, so it’s not much of a savings, but I found that “Goth Topic” – although thin – gave better coverage than “Club Hopper” and wore off my inner lips more slowly.
I’m suspecting that I’ll rarely wear either of these, unless I want to really annoy my husband.
On to “Rebel Rose” – a dusty rose. I’ll be honest, I thought that I had at least a handful of lipsticks that would match this one, but when I swatched them – they were all a little off. I wasn’t able to find ANY exact matches, but I decided to show off the closest ones I found.
Jeffree Star Cosmetics “Gemini” is somewhat similar, but a bit more Terra Cotta leaning. I suspect that it is a closer match to Jeffree Star “Doll Parts”, but I don’t have that one yet. Soon.
Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in “Patina” is a bit closer, but leans more lavender. I really like the Stila Formula – it’s not as drying as most others.
“Patina” lasts the longest of the three on me. It is also the most flattering, but “Rebel Rose” looks pretty amazing as well.
…and I saved the best for last. “Give Me Mocha” is similar to SO many of my lipsticks – at least a dozen, if not 20. I narrowed it down the the very closest of matches to share.
Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in “Lolita” is my absolute favorite matte liquid lipstick right now. It’s not an exact match, but fairly close. I was hoping that Jeffree Star “Androgyny” (another favorite) would be a dupe, but it leans more mauve.
I found two from NYX that are very close: NYX Lip Lingerie in “Exotic” and NYX Intense Butter Gloss in “Chocolate Crepe”. The Lip Lingerie has the matte staying power, but “Chocolate Crepe” is the closest color match….BUT, it’s not a matte liquid lipstick. The Butter Gloss is a slimy gloss that gets all over the place.
If you want to be a babe on a budget, don’t lose a minute’s worth of sleep over saving a dime (or 150 dimes) by picking the Liquid Catsuit Liquid Lipstick. It lasts just as long as Jeffree or Kat Von D and the colors are decent. It doesn’t smell weird and although thinner, a second coat fixes any thin coverage spots. I just wish they had more colors!
$1 Buckets
You know I can’t just walk past a bucket of $1 nail polish…much less 4 buckets!
I was bored at work yesterday, so I swung by Five Below during my lunch hour yesterday. I grabbed some random crap for the kids and as I was checking out…I spied buckets of nail polish for $1. I had already checked the nail polish display and there weren’t any new polishes, so I passed.
I picked out five Funky Fingers that caught my eye: “Bling Dipper” (Ooooh, a color-changing solar polish); “Comet Me Bro” (another color changer); “Oh Be One” (I think a Star Wars polish); “Very Purpley”; and “Hand Jive” (Grease themed, I think).
I’m so silly, these polishes are regularly $1.67-$2.50 at most – it’s not even that big of a discount.
March Birchbox – Pretty Mighty
Leave it to Tracy Flick to deliver a perfectly color-coordinated Birchbox. March’s “Pretty Mighty” box was curated by Reese Witherspoon and her “lifestyle brand” Draper James. I have no idea what a “lifestyle brand” is – maybe it’s her “goop”?
In any case, she did a great job on this month’s box. For my sample choice, I chose Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream – I got it in last March’s Birchbox and used it right up. Also in the box: Cargo Swimmables Water Resistant Bronzer (why???); Coastal Scents Revealed Smoky Eye Shadow Quad (2 tiny eyeshadow samples from the palette, but love the rose gold and taupe); Dr. Jart+ Dermaclear Micro Water (I am so confused about all this “special water” I’ve been getting – how does “hydrogen mineral water” remove makeup when regular water doesn’t?); and Davines Oi All in One Milk, plus samples of Davines Oi Shampoo and Conditioner (man, I wish I could afford full sizes of Davines).
Thanks, Reese!
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Where Oh Werewolf
Oooooooh! I found a Halloween polish that I missed!
I was digging for a polish and I found this shimmery grey from last Halloween – Sinful Colors “Where Oh Werewolf”. It’s a darker asphalt color, as opposed to the light pavement of “I Can’t Deal”. There’s also a bit of glitter and shimmer.
I started with Sinful Colors Base Coat, finishing off the bottle. I’m thinking this is the 3rd bottle I’ve finished? Two coats of “Where Oh Werewolf” dried rather quickly and I finished with “HK Girl”.
There’s a bit of turquoise to the base of this grey – it matched the heathered slate grey tank I wore today perfectly.