Diva de los Muertos
I’ve been waiting since SUMMER to try out these Dashing Diva Dia de los Muertos nail decals that I picked up at TJ Maxx over the summer. I used them for Halloween/Dia de los Muertos and got lots of compliments.
I think I’m finally at peace with the fact that every nail decal I use will probably lift. My nail bed is very curvy and those suckers just want to FLY.
I started with Holo Taco Pink Smoothing Base Coat and then two coats of Holo Taco “Milky White Shimmer”. (I forgot how streaky this polish is.) I laid down the stickers and then finished with Holo Taco Glossy Taco Top Coat.
Polish Pickup October 2025 – Optical Illusions
Just a small haul from October’s Polish Pickup. The theme is “Optical Illusions”, which means a lot of holos and magnetic polishes. All the magnetic polishes are starting to look the same to me. Do I have magnetic polish fatigue?
Cuticula “Psychedelic Glow” ($13.50) is inspired by a flower that looks like it’s moving when you look at the center of it…hmmm, I may know a little bit about that.
Lemming Lacquer “Cheshire Cat Grin” ($14) is inspired by the optical illusions of the Cheshire Cat. I absolutely LOVE the colors in this one.
Zombie Claw “All is Vanity” ($13.75) is – I think – inspired by one of the most famous optical illusion paintings, ‘All is Vanity’ by Charles Allan Gilbert. You’ll recognize it as soon as you click…
There are Ghosts in the Basement!
Oh, look! It’s another magnetic polish that I forgot was magnetic…
Sweet Heart Polish “There are Ghosts in the Basement!” is from September’s PPUWEEN and is inspired by Matthew Lillard’s character from Thirteen Ghosts. I love a shifty chameleon polish and this one goes from gold to bronze to copper. It really captures the look and feel of the film. Other reviews state the the magnetic effect is very sublte…but still…I feel like a loser when I overlook a magnetic polish, now that I have plenty of magnets to use.
This is two coats of “There are Ghosts in the Basement!” over Cuticula Mic Drop Base Coat in “Tropical Oasis” and under Cuticula Limitless Top Coat in “Froot Loop“.
October 2025 Ipsy Bag – Work Your Magic
I am in love with this month’s ipsy bag. The bag itself, but the products are nice, too.
I don’t know how my ipsy bags have turned into mostly skincare – I haven’t updated my profile in at least 5 years, if not 10. I have enough weird eyeliners and makeup brushes, I ain’t even mad.
My product choice this month was e.l.f. Skin Stick it To Zits. I picked out pimple patches because my daughter uses them…but then she acted all offended when I tried to give them to her. Like I was saying she has bad skin? Teenagers are THE WORST.
Also in this month’s snaky bag: Dr Lili Fan Probiotic Defense Toner (been using the shit out of it – the tiny bottle is almost empty); Soroci Vita-C Intensive Serum (Nice on my skin before bed); Glow Recipe Avocado Ceramide Moisture Barrier Cleanser (I’ve been using the shit out of this too); and All Moringa Nourishing Mask (I used this today before my shower – it smells like pickles and I looked like Oscar the Grouch).
A great bag! I’ll use everything, except the zit stickers…maybe my son’s girlfriend would like them?
I subscribe to the basic ipsy bag for $14/month (recently increased from $13/month) and Icon Box (formerly Glam Bag X) for an extra $60/quarterly (recently increased from $43/quarterly). If you’d like to try Ipsy – click here. I’ll earn 250 points if you sign up through my referral link.
Coven
I have been sleeping on Haunted Polish – their bottles are just amazing!
Haunted Polish “Coven” is from September’s PPUWEEN and is inspired by moonlight shining through red stained glass. If that’s not a spooky inspiration – I don’t know what is.
I like “Coven” so much that I brought it to the nail salon with me for my last pedicure. Even my toes are spooky.
This is two coats of “Coven” over Cuticula Mic Drop Base Coat in “Tropical Oasis” and under Cuticula Limitless Top Coat in “Froot Loop“.
Saisei Ulta Haul
It’s been a bit since I’ve taken advantage, but I still love Diamond Love List Mondays…
I POUNCED on a new hair routine – it’s been a while since I did that, but a new product line from NatureLab. Tokyo had me intrigued. I used a few of their lines a few years back, before I switched to Sol de Janeiro. I grabbed NatureLab. Tokyo Saisei Stress Defense Amino Acid Shampoo and Saisei Restoring Therapy Conditioner ($22 each), as well as Saisei Biomimetic Peptide Treatment Essence ($46). This line is supposed to destress your scalp and minimize fallout and color loss – my husband will appreciate it, based on the labubu-sized clump of hair he recently pulled out of the shower drain. It’s only been a week, so no results to report yet.
My current favorite lippie was in my purse when it got stolen several months ago and it wasn’t re-released with products for the second Wicked film, so I decided to try r.e.m. beauty Wicked So Popular pH Adaptive Lip Oil ($25). It gives long lasting color…but it is fucking GLINDA pink. It’s fine with my skin tone, depending on what I’m wearing, but not as good as Tulip Fields. Ugh.
A few other “add to cart” moments: Thayers Soak It Up 80HR Liquid Moisturizer for Normal to Dry Skin ($14.99) and Alcohol-Free Witch Hazel Facial Toner in “Rose Petal” ($10.95); and wet n wild Bare Focus Tinted Hydrator Tinted Skin Veil ($6.99) – this is fucking foundation, why did they lie? Not quite full coverage, but definitely medium coverage – NOT a veil.
I racked up 4 gifts with purchase on this order! Just for being Diamond, I got a Free Diamond Exclusive belif The True Cream – Moisturizing Bomb with select $50 shipped purchase.
Inside the Free 11 Piece Beauty Bag with $85 shipped purchase: a blue sequined makeup bag; ANOTHER belif The True Cream – Moisturizing Bomb; Urban Decay All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray; mixsoon Soondy Centella Asiatica Essence (I have no fucking idea); Redken Acidic Bonding Concentrate Conditioner; DIME Luminosity Eye Serum; 2 Wella Invigo Brilliance Vibrant Color Mask; L’Occitane Amande Concentrate de Lait; Gucci Flora “Gorgeous Gardenia” (NO); Smashbox Pore-Vanishing Primer; Lancome Genifique Ultimate Serum; Shiseido Clarifying Cleansing Foam; Billie Eilish “Your Turn” (it smells like new shoes); and Paris Hilton “Iconic” (I actually like this one – I hate that I like it). Please no one tell Ulta that I got 15 items in what was supposed to be an 11 item gift.
Inside the Free Diamond & Platinum Exclusive 22 Piece Beauty Bag with $135 shipped purchase: a blackish green makeup bag; Sol de Janeiro Cheirosa 59 Fragrance Mist (I’ve been wanting to try this one – woody vanilla); Tirtir Milk Skin Toner; Bondi Sands Self Tanning Foam in “Dark” (nope); ma:nyo Pure Cleansing Oil; NYX Fat Oil Chillz in “Strawberry Slush”; Dolce & Gabbana “Light Blue” (deluxe size); Redken One United Multi-Benefit Treatment; Mixsoon Bean Cleaning Oil (why do I need to clean my bean?); tarte tartlette Tubing Lash Primer; No7 Future Renew Night Serum; Farmacy Deep Sweep Pore Cleaning Toner; Clinique Acne Solutions Clinical; RoC Retinol Correxion Line Smoothing Eye Cream; NOYZ “Only Human”; Marc Jacobs “Daisy Wild”; Azzaro “The Most Wanted”; Billie Eilish “eilish” (deluxe sample); Good Molecules Lightweight Daily Moisturizer; COSRX The Retinol 0.1 Cream; CECRED Moisture Sealing Lotion (for hair? wut?); Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel; Peter Thomas Roth Peptide Skinjection Amplified Wrinkle-Fix Serum; and Olaplex No. 6 Bond Smoother. 24 items in this bag!
Finally, inside the Free Diamond & Platinum Exclusive 9 Piece Skincare Gift with select $25 shipped purchase: bareMinerals Skin Rescue; Murad Environmental Shield Superactive Moisturizer; Benefit The POREfessional Deep Retreat Pore-Clearing Clay Mask; Estee Lauder Nutritious 2-in-1 Foam Cleanser (um, nutritious?); Dermalogica Dynamic Skin Recovery SPF 50; it Cosmetics Confidence in a Cream Barrier Boost; Supergoop! Unseen Sunscreen SPF 50; Fur Ingrown Concentrate; and Peter Thomas Roth Water Drench SPF 45. Awww…just the 9 items in this one.
Since I knew this order would take me to Diamond Status for 2026, I used a $5 off coupon and $20.50 in Ulta points. How am I going to try all 48 samples???
The Life of a Showgirl
A few years back, my kids turned me into a Swiftie. I took them to The Eras Tour. I handled their cringe when I declared that my favorite songs were ‘You Need to Calm Down,’ followed by ‘Anti-Hero.’ I made fucking personalized friendship bracelets for every person in my group at work (with the help of my fellow Swifties in the Culture Club, of course). Now they don’t even care about Taylor anymore…my son has moved on to country music and my daughter has moved on to KPOP. Yet here I am, enjoying ‘The Life of a Showgirl’ by myself.
I truly do have a nail polish for every occasion. I created this look starting with Cuticula Mic Drop Base Coat in “Tropical Oasis” and two coats each of Sinful Colors “Turnt-Quoise” and “Cloud 9”. I applied a glitter gradient using my favorite glitter – Nicole by OPI “Pick of the Glitter” (which is super thick and chunky – girl needs some thinner). I finished off with a coat of Glisten & Glow Glitter Grabber and Cuticula Limitless Top Coat in “Froot Loop“.
One of my favorite songs from the album is ‘Opalite’ – and I just happened to have an opalite egg handy. It was my mother’s – she was obsessed with eggs in her artwork – and I’d like to think that she would’ve been a Swiftie, too.
…and I don’t care what anyone says – this album slaps. Tay Tay can sing about her man’s dick for a full album and I’m here for it.
Heidi HO! HA HA HA
If you heard, “Heidi HO! HA HA HA…” coming from your child’s doll – would you laugh? Or would you fucking RUN as fast as your little legs could carry you?
I would fucking RUN, because that means CHUCKY is after you. Chucky is one of my favorite horror icons. I’ve seen all of the original films, as well as the SyFy series (which was cancelled too soon, IMHO). I haven’t had the stomach to watch the remake, but I’d watch Aubrey Plaza watch paint dry, so I need to make a point to watch it this spooky season.
Hearts & Promises “Heidi HO! HA HA HA” is from September’s PPUWeen and is, of course, inspired by Chucky. I have many, MANY sparkly red polishes – HELLO RUBY RED SLIPPERS – but this one might be the best one I’ve ever had. It’s absolutely opaque and shiny as fuck, even without a top coat. The sparkles are so fine, that there is no texture to fight with. This is a PRIMO nail polish.
This is two coats of “Heidi Ho! HA HA HA” over Cuticula Mic Drop Base Coat in “Tropical Oasis” and under Cuticula Limitless Top Coat in “Froot Loop“.
Polish Pickup September 2025 – PPUWeen
It was quite hard not to fill my shopping cart with ALL of the PPUWeen Polishes…I trimmed down my cart quite a bit and somehow ended up with almost all red polishes? It’s fine, I promise…
Haunted Polish “Coven” ($13.50) is inspired by moonlight shining through red stained glass. This is my first Haunted Polish and I am intrigued.
Hearts & Promises “Heidi HO HAHAHA” ($13.50) is inspired by the man himself, Charles Lee Ray, AKA Chucky.
Sweet Heart Polish “There are Ghosts in the Basement!” ($13.50) is inspired by Matthew Lillard’s character in Thirteen Ghosts. I think it’s time for a rewatch!
Penelope Luz “Vampire’s Blood” ($13.50) is inspired by the bloodlust of vampires. Not only is it a magnetic polish, but it also changes colors with a top coat!
Finally, I picked up another Baroness X Acetone Additive in “Cacao Crystal Vanilla” ($8.50). I cannot wait to crack open a new dipping jar of nail polish remover!
I hope some of the other PPUWeen polishes come back next Rewind…
The Owls are STILL Not What They Seem
An 11 year old nail polish and it’s still good!
That’s right, I got Hare Polish “The Owls are Not What They Seem” back in 2014. I actually wanted to use “Wrapped in Plastic” for my trip to Twin Peaks (um, I mean North Bend, WA), but it was super thick and dried out. I think I can revive it with nail polish thinner, but that is a project for another day.
You can see how it looked 10 years ago here – virtually the same!
This is two coats of “The Owls are Not What They Seem” over Cuticula Mic Drop Base Coat in “Tropical Oasis” and under Glisten & Glow Glitter Grabber and Cuticula Limitless Top Coat in “Froot Loop“.