Tag: Sally Hansen

 
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Sari, Not Sari

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Does it really matter that I have dozens of fuchsia/magenta/whatever nail polishes? I keep buying them and I keep loving each new one more than the last.

This is Julep “Neha” from August’s “Wanderlust Collection.” Julep describes it Sari Magenta Shimmer, but Sari isn’t really a color, is it? I’ve seen many Saris this color, so maybe that’s what they mean? Stereotypically Indian Magenta?

I used the last of my Julep Oxygen Smoothing Base Coat – I got only 12 measly uses out of it! I suspect that this base coat is the source of my bubbling problem. “India” did not bubble with the Revlon, but “Neha” bubbled on this first coat! I put that second coat on as quickly as I could and then slapped Sally Hansen “Diamond Flash” on top. I managed to escape with no bubbles…phew!

My biggest disappointment is that my beloved Furious Fuchsia is in the shop after getting rear-ended last week. I have an obsessive desire to compare my polishes to my car to find the perfect match. I won’t be seeing her again until the end of the month…at the earliest. Rude.

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I Say GODDAMN!

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Now THIS is a motherfucking polish.

Urban Decay “Mrs. Mia Wallace” might just replace Zoya “Sooki” as my favorite polish. Look at that deep, blood red.

…and look at that bottle. Instead of my usual “look at my fingernails” pose, I had to show off the bottle with the little skull on top. How fucking cool is that?

It’s been a while since I’ve used Urban Decay polish and I forgot how damn good the brush is. I hardly got it on my cuticles. The formula is nice too – perfect coverage in two thin coats. My one complaint is that I got a few bubbles, but I tend to think it’s because I used Sally Hansen Diamond Shine for the base coat. Sally Hansen Diamond Flash Top Coat helped a little, but I still have a few pinprick bubbles. Next time, I’ll try the Revlon.

I also did my toes, but I’m afraid to take off my socks and look…I used American Classics Yellow Stopper as a base coat…before I googled it and realized that it is NOT a base coat and will make the polish peel off…SIGH. I can be a silly pooh sometimes, but at least I managed to get it off my fingernails before I fucked them up, too.

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Pink Flaming-toes

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Ba DUM dum…

I know, I know, it’s a really bad pun.

I just wanted to show off Julep “Vicki” next to some REAL pink plastic flamingos. I used Sally Hansen “Fruit-Ta-Ta” as an accent on my middle toes. Pretty good match, huh?

I actually just took “Vicki” off my toenails. It was too thick around the edges and the Sally Hansen Diamond Flash left ragged edges. I couldn’t go on vacation with my toenails looking all raggedy. I went back to Zoya “Sooki”, my new favorite toenail polish.

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Pink Flamingos

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If Babs Johnson was going to pick a nail polish – it would be Julep “Vicki”!

Julep wasn’t kidding when they “Vicki” as pink flamingo crème – my fingers look like plastic yard flamingos! “Vicki” is a hard polish to work with. It is streaky in one coat, but two coats is too much and it pools in the cracks between my nail and finger. I was a good girl and started with Julep Oxygen Smoothing Base Coat, but it is almost empty, so it was goopy. I’m going to try to get one last use out of it, but not sure I have enough for all 10 nails. After two coats, I topped with Sally Hansen Diamond Flash, which I needed, because my washing machine was in the process of breaking down while I was painting my nails and I unexpectedly had to get sopping jeans out of the machine shortly after I painted them.

I like the concept of plastic pink flamingo nails, but the color is too bright for me – my nails are almost neon. Next time, I’ll try “Vicki” with a glitter or other special effect top coat to tone it down a bit.

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Red Sticker Fever

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Yup…I went again. I picked a different location to see what goodies they had left from the massive Ulta clearance…I was not disappointed.

I decided to try Ulta “Citrus Rose” Rejuvenating Bath & Shower Gel ($2.97 down from $9.50). I’m gonna be pissed if I love it, because I’ll never find it again. I also got a compact folding brush for my purse. I’m tired of rushing out of the house and realizing that my children look like Little Orphan Annie.

The best deals were in nail polish. I found Sparitual “Improvisation” ($2.97 down from $12), China Glaze “Bling it on” ($.97 down from $8.50), 2 China Glaze “Scattered & Tattered” ($.97 down from $8.50) – 1 for me and 1 for my BFF because it appears to be a dupe of her favorite Sinful Colors polish, Sally Hansen “Fruit-Ta-Ta” ($1.49 down from $2.99) and Ulta “Pinata Yada” ($.47). Including my $3.50 off coupon, I spent $9.53 at Ulta.

I also stopped by Big Lots to take advantage of their 20% off for members day. Besides Pop-Tarts and Veggie Sticks, I found My Beauty Spot “Lux Velvet Effect Nail Art Kit”. It is supposed to make my nails look and feel like crushed velvet. I am skeptical, yet intrigued. For $2.80, I can take a chance…

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Modern Mermaid in the Blue Lagoon

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I went full mermaid this morning.

Captain Blankenship “Mermaid Mane” Sea Salt Spray in my hair – in a loose, wavy bun. After showering with Bath & Body Works “White Citrus”, I tried Atelier Cologne “Cédrat Enivrant” Cologne Absolue. I played a tense game of “eyeliner chicken” with my Vasanti Kajal Extreme Intense Eye Pencil in “Electric Navy” – luckily I won. (“Eyeliner Chicken” is when you keep putting on more eyeliner, trying to get it even. You know you’ve lost when you look like a raccoon.) The most important part was my mermaid manicure…

This is RUFFIAN “Blue Lagoon”. As beautiful as it is, it is a very unforgiving polish. I got full coverage in one coat, but it shows every imperfection. I have a few peeled tips on my right hand and they show. I also gave Sally Hansen “Diamond Shine” another try as a top coat…it didn’t dry fast enough and I got a few bubbles. Next time, I’ll use a faster drying top coat to try to avoid the bubbles. “Diamond Shine” can kiss my ass.

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Oil Slick Tar Ball

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This weekend was our 5th annual Cuzzins Camp, where our family and friends get the kids together at LaLa’s in East Texas to enjoy a weekend of farm living and each other. This year, I couldn’t resist bringing nail polish for a night time activity for the girls. NOTE TO SELF: Bring more polish next time. Lily was insulted that I only brought 6 polishes to choose from!

Unlike Lily – who always wants to paint herself and make a mess, CK asked me to paint her fingers and toes. I was honored! She chose Julep “Jeanne”, “Estelle” and “Oscar” for her fingers. She chose “Caitlin” and “Tatiana” for her toes (not pictured). Lily slopped “Caitlin”, “Yumi” and “Tatiana” all over her feet, and had started on her fingers when I made her stop. She was paying a little too much attention to The Lego Movie and I did not want polish all over the kitchen. I put Sally Hansen “Diamond Shine” on her toes and sent her packing…

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For myself, I chose Julep “Estelle”, originally from the Galaxy Mystery Box, but I got it in Golden Ticket Mystery Box #2. Julep’s site describes it as midnight black with holographic shimmer, but doesn’t mentioned that it is a lightly textured polish. It isn’t quite as rough as their stardust finish, but I wasn’t expecting it. As first, I freaked out that there was some weird chemical reaction between the Sally Hansen “Diamond Shine” and “Estelle” – it took over 30 minutes to fully dry! A quick Google confirmed that the polish is supposed to be textured – phew! even so, I am not thinking that “Diamond Shine” is nearly as good as “Diamond Flash”. I’ll have to try it with a few more polishes to be sure…

When my nails were wet, I thought they looked like an oil slick, but as they dried – they totally reminded me of tar balls. We are definitely used to seeing tar balls in Galveston! I don’t hate this polish, but it’s definitely not summery.

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Targeting

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Even when I have to go to Target for grown-up stuff like dog food and toilet paper, I am going to find some kind of beauty product that I need…

I took advantage of an Olay sale and stocked up on my face shit – Olay Total Effects “Revitalizing Foaming Cleanser” and “Night Firming Cream”. I have no idea if it’s firming anything, but it doesn’t break me out. A $3 off coupon was a nice addition.

For my nails, I picked up a new Trim Buffering Block, because SMOOTH is GOOD. Finally, I decided to try out Sally Hansen “Diamond Shine” Top AND Base Coat. I am a little suspicious of this product doing both, but at $3.99, I figure it will be decent at one of them, at least. I wanted to try Orly Bonder, but they didn’t have it, so I’ll be picking some up at my next Ulta stop…

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Speckled

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Julep “Kimberly” is from the April 2014 “Speckled for Spring” Mystery Box. I didn’t get this mystery box, but I did pick up “Kimberly” for $2 – couldn’t resist.

“Kimberly” is lavender with black specks. It’s not quite a creme and not quite a jelly, so it’s what the Internet Nail Polish Mafia calls a “crelly”. (Yes, I’ve been googling and educating myself.) The impression one is immediately left with is speckled Easter candy. As soon as I showed my husband, he said, “It looks like Easter candy.” The problem is that it’s June. This one probably won’t come out again until next Spring. I’m sad that I didn’t also order “Emerson” – the same thing in baby blue.

My Julep Oxygen Smoothing Base Coat is almost empty, but I probably have a few more uses left. I used Sally Hansen “Diamond Flash”, so “Kimberly” looks super-shiny. I got a little too much “Kimberly” around  the sides of my fingernails and it crinkled under the top coat. The top coat dried before the polish and I had to press it down. Total amateur move.

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National Pink Day

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So yesterday was another one of those made up holidays – National Pink Day. So why not pink nails?

Don’t my nails look like tufts of cotton candy? Say “hello” to Sinful Colors “Pinky Glitter”. It’s sheer, but with 2 coats, I got nearly full coverage. By itself, the polish was slightly more matte. I used Sally Hansen “Diamond Flash” to shine it up.

I’m slightly embarrassed about the orange tint on the bottom half of my nails. Before I realized that I was tearing up my nails by not using base coat, I managed to stain my nails pretty good. (The worst offender was Zoya “Bobbi”!) I’m starting to freak out because my Julep Oxygen Smoothing Base Coat is almost empty. I don’t know if I want to buy another bottle – it’s good stuff, but pricey. Help! What base coats do you people use???