Author: Lara
Independence Nails
I wasn’t gonna do special nails for the 4th today…I just wasn’t feeling it. The weather was awful and rainy today, we didn’t leave the house, and to be honest, I’m not very proud to be American right now. When I broke a nail putting laundry in the dryer, it was a good excuse to my nails. I even took the decision out of my own hands, by letting Lily pick the polishes for us to use…joke’s on me – she picked 4th of July colors.
My nails were long and at the point of breaking, so I went ahead and trimmed them all down before I got started. After Glisten & Glow Ridge Filling Base Coat, I started with e.l.f. “Liquid Metal”. It was one of those tiny bottles from a holiday set and it was like spreading peanut butter on my nails – there was barely enough for a single coat. Lily then dictated that I do a swipe of red (China Glaze “Applejack of my Eye”) on the left, and blue (China Glaze “Too Busy Being Awesome”) on the right. Both the red and blue were from the China Glaze My Little Pony Collection. I finished off with Glisten & Glow Top Coat.
Our nails turned out pretty nice. I did all the swipes freehand, but since the brushes were tiny, I was able to get somewhat clean lines.
Sephora Play! June 2018 – Summer Nights
Summer fling don’t mean a thing…But, uh oh, those summer nights…
June’s theme for Sephora Play is “Summer Nights” and features products meant to last well into the night. Oh, look at the that deluxe sample of Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Bum Bum Cream! I’ve gotten this few times and never tried it – but I’m committed now. I’ve even secured my husband’s service to apply to my bum bum!
Also in this (or last) month’s box: Too Faced Melted Matte Liquified Matte Longwear Lipstick in “Queen B” (I’ve been wanting to try this formula, even though I’ve been annoyed at the brand for a bit); Cover FX Perfect Setting Powder; Clinique Take the Day Off Makeup Remover; Marajo Nourishing Cleansing Creme and Deep Treatment Butter (um, you mean shampoo and conditioner?); and Living proof. frizz styling cream.
No fragrance again – boo! Still a good box, though!
Don’t be a prude, join up now. Sephora Play is only $10/month. You can sign up at sephora.com/play.
2 More Semi-Annual Hauls
Again, a double post with two separate Bath & Body Works Semi-Annual Sale Hauls. Each one ended up being about $30 each after coupons, so I’ll be stocked up for a good long while.
The first haul was last Saturday and I had Lily with me. I hit the Fry Road location (because fuck going to a mall on a Saturday). I started off just looking for the “Rose” Foaming Hand Soap I snagged on my last trip, but they didn’t have any. I ended up letting Lily pick a Shower Gel and Body Lotion from the 75% off bins – she chose “Hello Sun Shine”, a citrus-y one that smells great. I picked up a “Wild Rose & Apple” Shower Gel for myself, now that it’s in the 75% off bin, too. I added two more hand soaps to my bag, plus a “New York” 3-wick candle for $10. Did you know New York smells like “Rosewater & Ivy” – I figured it smelled like pizza rats. Oh, and I found a mini candle of “Sunwashed Petals”, which I’ve never seen before…and then I realized that it was a sniffer for Wallflowers. (They said I could buy it – shrug.) I also added two Wallflowers in the same scent.
The next trip was a lunchtime trip, looking for more of the “Rose” soap. No luck, but I did find “Vetiver”. I grabbed another 8 Hand Soaps, plus a back-up of “Endless Weekend” Shower Gel at 75% off. I also grabbed a 75% off Owl Wallflower Nightlight for Lily’s bedroom. I had bought her a grocery store one when we moved in, but I cannot ever remember what brand it is…plus, did you know that refills for those things cost more than the ones at Bath & Body Works (on sale)? Fuck that. Now her room can smell pretty, too. Oh, and a “Peony” purse lotion.
So…I wonder if this is the last shopping trip this sale?
I’m All Hopped up on Mountain Dew!
I’ve been putting it off as long as I could…Julep “Sam” – Limeade Creme – and it’s the polish so ugly, only I could love it!
Julep can call it “limeade” all they want, but it’s not. It’s not neon, but it’s that unnatural shade of yellowish green reserved for Mountain Dew and Monster Energy Drink. Or those weird liqueurs that only pretentious weirdos (like you know who) would drink. (Although I do admit, I’ve been wanting to try Chartreuse again, just to see if it’s as gaggy as I remember.)
Although the first coat was streaky, the second coat fixed everything right up. This is two coats over Julep Oxygen Smoothing Base Coat and under Glisten & Glow Top Coat.
I cannot stop thinking of other polishes to add to it – hot pink polka dots, fuchsia glitter, purple stripes – it would all look amazing! If you have a nail polish that you think is ugly, give it a chance – you might find the love of your life.
June 2018 Allure Beauty Box – Kat Von D
So this is why I signed up for the Allure Beauty Box in the first place – I saw ads about the Kat Von D box and wanted in.
Even though I already own one, the full size Everlasting Lip Liner in “Lolita” ($18) made the box a steal all on it’s own. In addition, the box included a mini Tattoo Liner in “Trooper Black”, a mini Studded Kiss Creme Lipstick in “Double Dare” (I don’t have this one), and a little Travel Mirror (which I also have.)
The box also included a promo code (ALLURE18) that gives you 2 Everlasting Lip Liquid Minis in “Exorcism” and “Nahz Fur Atoo” with a $50 purchase at katvondbeauty.com. It won’t get me to Rouge though, so I won’t use it.
The Ole Henriksen Transforming Walnut Scrub ($28) was a strange add, but I’ll take it – it was full size! I’ve tried it out already and love the way it smells.
How is the Allure box turning into my favorite box?
The Allure Beauty Box is $15/month, but they give you $5 off your first box. They also offer an option for $150/year – a savings of $30. You can sign up at https://beautybox.allure.com.
Raspberry Fizz
Ipsy did good this month! After months and months of weird polish colors, they sent me a wearable color that actually goes with the season. I got Dream by PS Cosmeceutical “Raspberry Fizz” in my June bag.
I’m not familiar with the brand PS Cosmeceutical, but their formula is on point. Nearly full coverage in one coat, so I went for two. This is the two coats over Glisten & Glow Ridge Filling Base Coat and under Glisten & Glow Top Coat.
“Raspberry Fizz” reminded me of another polish…OH! It’s very nearly a dupe for Jenna Hipp “Rose Tart”!
I also did my toes (again). The weirdest thing happened to my mermaid toes – I wore some black flats without socks for a few days and the black rubbed off onto the tips of my toenails. They weren’t even new shoes. My feet looked filthy and so I had to change the polish.
Jeffree Star – The Summer 2018 Collection
Jeffree Star, I can’t quit you. Well, your lipsticks anyway.
When Jeffree Star announced his 2018 Summer Collection, the biggest fanfare surrounded his new eye shadow palette – “Thirsty” ($48). When the Dreamsicle themed packaging was teased, I expected a warm palette with lots of oranges. There are a few, but I was really confused by the yellow and blue hues. Although some of the looks I’ve seen online from this palette are stunning, I ultimately decided to wait on this palette.
Four new flavors of Velour Lip Scrub ($12) also launched – “Pink Lemonade”, “Rainbow Sherbet”, “Orange Gummy Bears”, and “Grape Soda”. I kind of wish that I had added “Orange Gummy Bears” to my cart, but I totally forgot. Oh, and they offered an orange star Hand Mirror ($20). I never thought I needed a hand mirror until my mother-in-law asked for one the other day. Maybe I do need one?
The strength of the 2018 Summer Collection are the eight new shades of Velour Liquid Lipstick ($18). Instead of purchasing the entire collection for $105 (a savings of $39), I decided to just pick three individual shades.
The first choice was easy – “Thirst Trap” – a mellow rose gold metallic. It’s by far, my favorite of the three. It’s somewhat similar to Ofra “Versailles” – of course, with a better formula.
Next up was “Cherry Wet”. I expected a pink/red, like a cherry, but it came out more red on me. Weird.
Last was “Fudge Pop”, a glittery metallic brown. Many brown lipsticks look odd on me, but this one was just right.
You can see me modeling the shades in the Insta post to the left. Clockwise from the top left: “Thirst Trap”, “Cherry Wet”, an ombre of “Fudge Pop” and “Thirst Trap”, and “Fudge Pop” alone. The ombre is AMAZING – this might be my new go-to look this summer.
June 2018 Ipsy Bag – Flying Colors
This month, ipsy is celebrating ‘Pride Month’ with a rainbow selection of striped bags – I got the blue one, but I’ve also seen red and yellow ones.
The products this month are a bit odd. I know I should be more excited to get a MAC product, but I’m still working on a full size bottle of MAC Prep + Prime, so I don’t really need yet another sample of it. Also in this month’s bag: Dream by PS Cosmeceutical in “Raspberry Fizz” (the best color of nail polish I’ve received in an ipsy bag in at least a year); Adesse New York Lip Polish Luxury Lip Gloss in “Skinny Dip”; Kensie Eau de Parfum (never heard of it before, but it smells like one of those ‘Designer Impostor’ body sprays from the 90s); and Feel Pure Anywhere Balm in “Rose” (yassss).
If you’d like to try Ipsy – click here. I’ll earn 250 points if you sign up through my link.
Valen-time
Sinful Colors “It’s About Valen-time” is a bit out of season – it’s far past Valentine’s Day…but I’ve always got time for a pink foil.
This is two coats of “It’s About Valen-time” over Sinful Colors Base Coat (I just cracked open a brand new bottle) and under Glisten & Glow Top Coat. Application was a dream. Sometimes foils show brush strokes, but not this one. Application was smooth, although I may have gotten a single pinprick bubble.
Definitely a dupe for Zoya “Bobbi”, except it didn’t stain my nails. Bonus!
Platinum Order
Another Ulta order? So soon?
I’ve started doing this thing where, if I run out of something or if I see something I want to try, I stash it in my Ulta account and wait for a gift with purchase to hit (usually the Wednesday Beauty Break). Wouldn’t you know it, my basket got full and there was a NARS Beauty Break the week before last!
This Ulta Haul is pretty boring, to be honest. Just like almost every order, I got a Zoya Remove + ($10). I ended up buying 2 Japonesque Solid Brush Cleaners ($20), because they were BOGO Half. Freeman Masks ($4.29) were also BOGO Half, so I got Anti-Stress Dead Sea Minerals Clay Mask (I’ve had this one before and it’s very refreshing) and Brightening Green Tea + Orange Blossom Peel-Off Gel Mask (this one is new to me). The fun item that I picked up was the Memebox Black Cat Headband ($6). Do I really need a fuzzy headband with cat ears? Yes, if only because my daughter wants to steal it.
The NARS Beauty Break included 4 lip products – Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in “Dolce Vita” (I already have the lipstick); Powermatte Lip Pigment in “Starwoman”; Velvet Lip Glide in “Bound”; and Lipstick in “Orgasm” (which I just got, so I’ll give it away).
No other samples – boo, Ulta! Oh, but this order made me Platinum for 2019.