Author: Lara
Sephora Play! December 2017 – Glam Straight
I know, I know. Again. Don’t even say it.
December’s box is full of party products – special products for a night out. Before I could even get excited about any of the products, I was in awe of the Art Deco pouch that came with this month’s box. It’s total Gatsby.
After the pouch, I was drawn to the Dr. Jart+ Cicapair Tiger Grass Cream – it’s a soothing cream that eliminates redness. My scabby winter skin could use the help. Also in this month’s box – Atelier Cologne Clementine California (so happy – I just used up a travel spray of this); drybar Triple Sec 3-in-1, Clinique pretty easy liquid eyelining pen in “black”; Make Up For Ever Artist Rouge Mat in M401 “Hot Red”; and Smashbox Cover Shot: Golden Hour Eye Shadow Duo. I could almost do a full face with this box. I’dd look really weird with no eyebrows though.
Do you get Sephora Play? This is far and away, the best subscription box I get every month. Sephora Play is only $10/month. You can sign up at sephora.com/play.
Persephone
Fresh new new nails for a fresh new year. 2018 couldn’t be any worse than 2017, right?
Wait, forget I said that. I don’t want to tempt fate.
My first paint job of the year is Julep “Persephone”. Crushed berry holographic – it’s basically a bright fuchsia with multicolored sparkles throughout. It’s abso-fucking-mazing. I am really loving this month’s Julep Collection.
This is two coats of “Persephone” over Julep Oxygen Bonding Base Coat and under Glisten & Glow Top Coat.
Detour Treat
Driving back from Dallas on Saturday, I was actually paying attention to road signs and saw that all three lanes of I-45 were shut down. Fuck that, I detoured to I-35, which brought me through Hillsboro…and a Bath & Body Works Outlet…during their Semi-Annual Sale.
My primary target was $3 Wallflowers for my bedroom – I got 9 – that should last me a few years. I only grabbed two 75% off Hand Soaps – most of the scents were the same as my last trip. But I did come across a new line of body products to add to my bathroom – Pure Simplicity “Rose Water”. The Pure Simplicity line is 100% hypoallergenic, vegan and…gluten-free? Um…okay. Whatever, I bought Shower Gel, Lotion and Face & Body Refresher (regardless of what it said on the box, I’m pretty sure it’s just fragrance mist). I know I’m a sucker for rose scented stuff and this is another good one – so green and fresh smelling.
Lily wanted a Pure Simplicity Oil Rollerball in “Acai Berry”, so I bought it for her. Oh, and an extra bath poof – I gotta make sure I have extras. I had a $10 off $40 email, too. I feel like I need to go again though…
Boudoir Nails
Red matches everything, huh?
I had an AMAZING photo shoot with Paskey Boudoir in Dallas last week. In addition to shaving things I haven’t shaved in years, I wanted something special for my fingers and toes. I finally settled on Sinful Colors “Ruby Glisten”, a deep red glitter. Red is the one true neutral – it matches anything – from pearls and satin to sweatpants to nothing at all.
After Sinful Colors Base Coat, I painted two coats of “Ruby Glisten” and topped with Glisten & Glow Top Coat. An amazingly long lasting manicure – I got six full days of wear. The picture doesn’t do it justice – it was SO much shinier!
December 2017 Ipsy Bag – Snow Glow
This month’s “Snow Glow” bag is full of interesting products.
Obviously, the first thing that caught my eye is the HUGE packet – The Coffee Scrub in “Coconut”. It’s basically coconut scented coffee grounds repurposed as a facial exfoliant. My only question – are these USED coffee grounds???
Also in this month’s bag: MAC In Extreme Dimension Lash Mascara in “Black Extreme” (NICE – I’ve never tried MAC mascara); Luxie Beauty Precision Shader Onyx Brush 239; MEECH AND MIA Loose Eyeshadow Pigment in “White”; and TRÈSTIQUE Mini Brow Pencil in “Americano” (looks a bit chubby, but I’ll give it a whirl).
If you’d like to try Ipsy – click here. I’ll earn 250 points if you sign up through my link.
Obligatory Xmas Gift Post
I would like to say that my holiday hiatus was a planned, well deserved break…but…In reality, I went out of town for a few days and then got sick, so I decided to be lazy. For my first post back, I wanted to share a few of the beauty-related gifts I received for Xmas.
First off are the super-cute nail polish Xmas ornaments I received from my big sis. They’re made from real polish bottles, filled with glitter!
My son came through with Vera Wang Embrace Rose Buds and Vanilla. I admit that I had dropped a few hints about the scent at Kohl’s a few weeks ago. It’s been on my mind since receiving a sample in an Influenster Vox Box earlier this year.
My husband got me an oil diffuser – now I can make the whole house smell like roses! (He also got me Wonder Woman Underoos – the vintage-styled ones, just like the ones I had as a kid!)
My lil sis gifted me with a wonderful Evil Queen clutch and Wonder Woman wooby. (I have an unhealthy obsession with soft and fuzzy blankets). Evil Queen and Wonder Woman – I wonder what that says about my personality???
What did YOU get for Xmas???
December 2017 Birchbox – On the Dot, Off the Cuff
This month’s Birchbox was a “Hail Mary” pass – I was all set to cancel my subscription until I saw the goodies in this month’s fabulous box. I’d had weak boxes for the last several months and now that the point system has been overhauled…but lo and behold…an amazing box! They’ve earned a brief reprieve.
I was expecting the Davines MINU Illuminating Shampoo – For Color-Treated Hair – it was my sample choice this month. The box also came with foil packs of Davines MINU Illuminating Conditioner – For Color-Treated Hair and Davines MINU Hair Serum – For Color-Treated Hair. Bahhhhh….foil packs….no….
The goodies I wasn’t expecting: Stila Cosmetics HUGE Extreme Lash Mascara (they messed up and I got TWO of these!); Lavanila The Healthy Fragrance Pure Vanilla Eau de Parfum (eh); LOC Liquid Shimmer Shadow in “Eclipse”; and Sunday Riley C.E.O. Rapid Flash Brightening Serum. Oh, and I almost forgot…an eyelash curler. A FUCKING eyelash curler. Does anyone even use those anymore?
If you would like to try Birchbox, click on my referral link – https://www.birchbox.com/invite/5453f – I’ll get 50 points if you join.
Festive AF
What? More festive Xmas nails? Damn straight – I’m festive AF.
AF means ‘as fuck.’ All the cool kids are saying it. I heard my son say it. I’ll allow it. He did, however, inform me that I am no longer allowed to use the word “dank” – I.E. when I was talking about “dank memes” at McDonald’s and must have embarrassed him. Oh well.
I decided to go for a Xmas tree look – I feel like I’m obligated to do one every year. After Sinful Colors Base Coat, I laid down two coats of Sinful Colors “Vintage”. I topped with a single coat of Sinful Colors “Holiday Rebel” and then finished with Glisten & Glow Top Coat. It’s a very subtle Xmas look.
Xmas Spirit
Just days until Xmas, and I find myself sorely lacking in “Xmas Spirit”. The tree is up, the house is decorated, presents wrapped…I’ve even been listening to Xmas music ON PURPOSE…and there is no Xmas Spirit to be had. I think I figured out why…no Xmas-themed nails yet!
This month’s Julep box had the remedy to that situation. I picked Julep “Dyani” as the background for the snowflake decals. Those little decals were stubborn as fuck – they did NOT want to come off the backing paper in one piece. I used my thinnest, sharpest tweezers and got all but one of them off in one piece. This is two coats of “Dyani”, over Julep Oxygen Bonding Base Coat, then decals, then Glisten & Glow Top Coat.
As soon as my nails were done – not even dry – I felt it entering my body. I felt almost…jolly? The Xmas Spirit had returned to me…until this morning. Michael Buble’s cover of ‘Santa Baby’ rotated onto my Amazon Station and I made the mistake of listening to the whole thing. I’ve never hated a Xmas song as much as I hated that song. It made me want to smash my Xmas tree with a bat and then set it on fire.
Maybe I’ll feel better by next Xmas.
After Dark
After all that color, I dialed it back to a textured charcoal gray with Sinful Colors “After Dark”. It’s another polish from the Kylie ‘Denim & Bling’ Collection. I didn’t test it out first – I just opened up the bottle and went to town. That’s one of the things I enjoy about new polishes – sometimes there’s a bit of mystery to how it will turn out when it dries. I had suspected a matte polish, but had no idea “After Dark” would deliver a beautiful Sandpaper texture.
This is two coats over Sinful Colors Base Coat, no top coat.
Doesn’t it remind you of a #2 pencil? It’s like spending hours filling in a scan-tron, and then you get pencil all over the edge of your hand. I’m glad I’m to the point in my life where I’ll never have to fill in another scan-tron again.