Matchy Matchy
I found the perfect polish to match all my new lipstick – Ulta “Sunset Bronze” – a tiny little bottle from one of my old gifts with purchase.
Although it was thick, the polish went on smoothly, but there were a few bubbles on the second coat. I couldn’t decide on shiny or matte, so I did both – “HK Girl” and Zoya Matte Velvet Top Coat, with Orly Bonder as the base. I like the matte better, but my husband likes the shiny better.
I found an eye shadow that matches perfectly – theBalm “Flirty”. I even wore a sweater and shoes to match – matchy matchy!
On a Mission…
When you’re on a mission and you still don’t find what you’re looking for…but still come home with several bags of goodies…
My mission – to find some dupes of Kat Von D “Lolita” (Sephora exclusive) and Anastasia Beverly Hills “Veronica” (Macy’s exclusive). As painful as it would be to spend $20 on a lipstick, it’s more annoying that both are very hard to come by – forever out of stock in stores and online. So I did some googling and found some cheaper alternatives. I hadn’t used my 20% off Ulta coupon, so I went in search of some NYX and Essence dupes. I saw online that NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in “Cannes” and NYX Intense Butter Gloss in “Chocolate Crepe” were close. Nope – no luck. I did, however, pick up another Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in “Soft Brown”, another Zoya Remove+ and Ulta Dual Tipped Foam Applicators (I can’t quit foam applicators). I also hit a Target and HEB looking for NYX, Essence and wet n wild dupes – but no luck.
That was Saturday. On Sunday, I scammed my husband into dropping me off at a different Ulta – I did manage to find NYX “Chocolate Crepe” – but no “Cannes”! I did grab NYX Butter Lipstick in “Pops” – it looks close, too. And then I saw the Fall Ulta Gift with Purchase (a leatherette bag with the usual – eye shadow quads, blush, mascara, polish, brushes, eye liner, lip gloss, etc.)…I picked Ulta Shiny Sheer Lip Gloss in “Smoky” (I thought it would be darker, but it just made my lips vaguely gray and glittery) and Ulta Liquid Liner in “Black Pearl” (Glittery black eye liner is good, but they were out of the Rose Gold I wanted). That was only $19 and I needed $19.50, so I grabbed Ulta Cotton Pads.
Last stop, HEB to grab some soda for my M-i-L…and I found wet n wild Megalast Lip Stick in “Spiked with Rum” ($1.93). Still no “Cannes”, I’ll keep searching, but look forward to some lipstick swatches coming soon…
Moscow Mule
Okay, I’ve never actually had a Moscow Mule, but it sounds really tasty…and Sinful Colors “Copper Pot” looks like like one of those fancy copper mugs.
This is two coats – smooth and full coverage – with Sinful Colors Base Coat and “HK Girl”. I also did my toes, but I haven’t taken a pic yet. There’s a slight hint of green sparkle – where did that come from?
“Copper Pot” is somewhat similar to Julep “Tatiana”, but it’s a tad darker and less sparkly.
I’m Gilty
Sinful Colors “Gilded” has been sitting in my “untrieds” basket since…oh, OCTOBER, so I decided to take it for a spin.
“Gilded” is a gold shimmer with red microglitter. I was able to get almost full coverage in two coats, with Sinful Colors Base Coat (almost empty!) and “HK Girl”. The red and gold meld together to give a rose gold effect.
Just as I expected, “Gilded” is very similar to Julep “Love”, except the glitter is red, not fuchsia and there’s more of it.
HUGE Ulta Haul
Those “gift with purchase” deals get me every time. Last week, Ulta was offering a pink plastic Beauty Bag, filled with samples – free to Platinum Members with a $60 purchase. There just happened to be $60 of stuff I needed…a back-up Urban Decay Naked Skin Ultra Definition Finishing Powder in “Medium Light”…2 more Freeman Beauty Masks that were BOGH (I’m a total mask addict now) – Avocado & Oatmeal Clay and Golden Grain Brightening…5 Ulta Brilliant Color Lip Glosses on sale for $3 each – “Rich Plum”, “Toast” (a back-up), “Spice”, “Guava”, and “Cupcake”…and I broke down and tried Poo-Pourri in “Rosy Cheeks” (I tried it earlier today – although I didn’t smell poo-poo, it seemed to be a mostly non-offensive load – more research is needed).
Inside my beautiful pink bag (perfect for my upcoming Vegas trip): Lancôme Defincils Mascara in “Black”; Ulta Sweet Fantasy Vanilla and Caramel Silky Smooth Body Lotion; it Cosmetics No-Tug Waterproof Gel Eyeliner in “Black-Brown”; Juice Organics Brightening Shampoo and Conditioner; Dolce & Gabbana “light blue – Sunset in Salina” (reminds me of my mom – smells a little bit like “Lauren”); it’s a 10 Miracle Leave-In for Blondes (I gave away the last one I got, but I’ll give this blonde version a try); Thierry Mugler “Angel” (I think a friend of mine wear this – so I never will); Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion (I have SO many samples of this shit); Whish Body Butter in “Almond”; Biolage Matrix Exquisite Oil; dermalogica Ultrasmoothing Eye Serum; Laura Geller Baked Liquid Radiance Foundation in “Golden Medium”; Juice Beauty Stem Cellular Booster Serum (good stuff – I used up my last sample); Kate Spade “Live Color Fully” (I might actually wear this one); Benefit It’s Potent eye Benefit cream; and a mini Ulta Brilliant Gloss in “Toast” (I guess I didn’t need that back-up I ordered?). Gee, I’ve got finger cramps from typing.
Two more samples came with my order – HASK Coconut Monoi Oil Shampoo and Conditioner and Cargo HD Picture Perfect CC Cream. I also used my $3.50 coupon. Excited to play with my new stuff!
Piss Piñata
Never one to shy away from the most grotesque descriptions possible, I cannot resist comparing this particular combination of nail polish to the after effects of killing a piñata over a toilet. A “piss piñata”, if you will.
I do admit that Sinful Colors “Otaku Anime” is the loveliest yellow I have ever used. I usually hate yellow polish – I don’t often try it – but this shimmery polish manages not to look like a fungus. It is, however, reminiscent of a urine sample. I added Sinful Colors Piñata Blast “Fierce Fiesta” to my thumb and ring finger to jazz it up. “Fierce Fiesta” is a very sparse topper – red, blue and yellow dots, with giant pink hex pieces.
I used Sinful Colors Base Coat and “HK Girl” – smooth as silk.
Smoky Naked
The new Urban Decay Smoky Naked Palette launched back on July 12th at Ulta, so I’ve been watching the mail every day since I ordered it that morning. Yesterday, it finally came! I guess I could have gone to the store that morning, but I didn’t want to risk having to go store hopping.
It’s everything I hoped it would be. A full range of 12 matte and shimmery shades – I used it for the first time this morning (“Combust” on my lid, “Whiskey” on my crease, with “High” as a highlight) and the result was perfection. The shades were slightly less buttery than my other Naked palettes, but nothing I couldn’t work with.
The best part? I had $53 worth of Ulta Points saved up – so it was only $1. I’d been saving since around Xmas – so worth it. For samples, I got Laura Geller spackle Supercharged fortified under make-up primer and HASK Mint Almond Oil Thickening Shampoo and Conditioner.
On top of that, this was the purchase that put me over the top on Platinum Status for 2016. Mmmm…
Sunburn
Coincidentally, Formula X “Power Source” is the EXACT same color as the sunburn I have on my legs. Yeah, I made a rookie mistake at Schlitterbahn and didn’t respray after lunch. Now I have sunburned strips on my knees and shins. I’m hoping it ends up looking like contouring.
I got this tiny bottle of “Power Source” in my June Ipsy bag. Tiny bottles are kind of a pain in the ass – short brushes and awkward. This formula was just okay – it was thick and somewhat streaky. It dried smoothly though – no bubbles or clumps. I’ll credit that to Orly Bonder and “HK Girl”.
So what color is this? Neon Coral? Coral is really growing on me. I thought I hated it, but it looks so good with my skintone.
Target Beauty Boxes – Back to School 2015
More Target Beauty Boxes – and just a month after the last duo! This month, there were 2 “Back to School” Target Beauty Boxes – just $5 each. Of course, I ordered both of them.
Inside the “Honor Roll” Box: a Bathery Delicate Pouf (they’re not quite as good as the Bath & Body Works ones, but not bad); John Frieda Luxurious Volume 7-Day Treatment; Olay White Strawberry Body Wash; NYX Butter Gloss in “Strawberry Parfait”; Goody Ouchless Elastics; Cover Girl Outlast All-Day Primer; and Burt’s Bees White Tea Facial Wipes (I hope these don’t burn my eye area like the Cucumber Sage ones I got in my December 2014 Allure Box).
Inside the “Head of the Class” Box: Goody Ouchless Elastics (I’m glad I got a pack of these in each box – now that my son’s hair is longer than mine, elastics are in short supply in my home); a Bathery Pumice Stone; Hollywood Fashion Tape; Cover Girl Colorlicious Lip Gloss in “Give Me Guava”; wet n wild Max Volume Plus Mascara (another mascara to throw in my box); Herbal Essences Wild Naturals Illuminating Dry Oil Spray; and Yes to Cucumbers 10-count Wipes.
A great value for about $10. I used my Target Red Card to get my 5% off – it’s just 50 cents, but every little bit helps.
The Lace is On
Okay, I promise – this is the last one tonight.
Lily was again kind enough to let me borrow one of her polishes. This is essie “The Lace is On”, a polish I bought her a while back at Nordstrom Rack for $2.75. (She didn’t have to ask but once – it’s a lovely fuchsia.) The formula is perfect – 2 coats, no clumps or streaks.
I’m trying to use up all my random base coats, so I used Revlon Quick Dry Base Coat. I stuck with “HK Girl” for the top coat though – I use my other top coats on Lily – she chews off her polish within 48 hours, so it doesn’t really matter.