Author: Lara
Mandarin Gold
So…I got a new car this weekend – a 2017 Honda Accord Hybrid Touring in “Mandarin Gold”. It’s the ultimate middle-aged mom car.
It is now my mission in life to find the perfect polish to match my car. I’ve never seen another color quite like Honda’s new “Mandarin Gold.” It’s not your ordinary gold, but more like a very sparkly brown with gold shimmer.
Julep “Penny” was near the top of my huge basket of untried polish. Julep describes it as burnished bronze metallic, but I detect more than a hint of copper. It is a rather close match to my new baby, if not a bit too light and a bit too copper.
I love Julep’s metallic polishes though – they have the best finish and self-level to be perfectly smooth. This is two coats over Julep Oxygen Bonding Base Coat and under “HK Girl”.
The first polish was close, but no cigar. I will continue my search.
Friday was a Good Day…
…I didn’t have to use my AK. Oh, and I received boxes from Sephora AND Ulta.
I broke down and decided to order the Milk Makeup Blur Stick ($36) – I had to see what all the fuss was about. The fuss is warranted. I’ve been using it almost every day since I got it. It’s like a giant chapstick for your face. It’s really weird rubbing a giant chapstick on your face, but you get over it when you see what it does for your skin. It makes all of your pores absolutely disappear. I don’t know where they go – and I do not care. For reference, it’s very similar to Benefit The POREfessional, with the added bonus of not having to get it on your hands. This is a must have product.
My excuse for ordering was to get my Sephora Birthday gift – I chose the Tarte Set with Amazonian Clay 12-hour Blush in “paaarty” and Tarteist Creamy Matte Lip Paint in “Birthday Suit”.
I used a code to get a fancy Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Set with Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Recovery Complex, Advanced Night Repair Eye and Revitalizing Supreme Light Global Anti-Aging Creme. (Why do all these products have such long names?) For my three samples, I got one thing I chose – Clinique Foaming Sonic Facial Soap – and two I didn’t – Calvin Klein Deep Euphoria and Skin Inc. Pure Revival Peel.
Wednesday is the best day to order from Ulta, because of the special Beauty Breaks. I’d been shuffling things in and out of my basket for three weeks, waiting for a good Beauty Break. Imagine surprise when my order arrived on Friday – just two days later.
The Beauty Break that got me was the e.l.f. Beauty Break, with Illuminating Primer, Poreless Face Primer, Moisturizing Lipstick in “Ravishing Rose”, Lip Exfoliator in “Sweet Cherry” (I’ve been using the last one I got to exfoliate after liquid lippies) and a Complexion Brush. I also got a free Deluxe Sample of Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion (the best one I’ve used) and drybar Hot Toddy Heat and UV Protectant. My sample pack included Olay Regenerist Moisturizer and H2O+ Beauty Elements Keep It Fresh Face Cleanser.
OH! I bought some stuff, too! I had to get my hand on the new Urban Decay Vice Liquid Lipsticks – I got “Conspiracy” and “Amulet”. Although the lipsticks are thinner than Jeffree or Kat’s, they go on smoothly and the colors are unique. I must have MORE…I also grabbed a backup Zoya Remove+ and a Japonesque Solid Brush Cleanser (replacing the one from my ipsy bag that I used up).
Such a good day!
Pavement
I wasn’t joking – as soon as I saw this polish, I had to try it.
This is Pretty Woman “I Can’t Deal” from this month’s ipsy bag. It’s a medium grey cream, the color of a freshly poured parking lot – no one’s parked in it yet and there are no oil stains.
I started with Sinful Colors Base Coat and got full coverage in just one coat. I went ahead and did two coats – just to be safe. The polish was super shiny on it’s own, but I finished with “HK Girl” – again, just to be safe. Safe from what – I do not know…but being safe seems really important to me right now.
January Ipsy Bag – Metropolis
“Metropolis” is January’s futuristic city theme. Did Superman create this beauty bag for Lois Lane?
The first product that drew my attention was the Pretty Woman Nail Polish in “I Can’t Deal” – it’s a pavement grey cream. So weird – I don’t own any polishes like this at all. Also in this month’s bag: Beaute Basics Contour Blush Brush; Trust Fund Beauty Lipgasm Lipgloss in “Blame Game” (I hope it lives up to it’s name); Naked Cosmetics Mica Pigment in “Desert Sunset #02″ (I got a similar shade in last February’s bag) and Jelly Pong Pong Lip Scrub in “Coffee + Coconut” (looking forward to seeing if this scrub rescues my abused lips).
A very odd bag, but I’ll use most of the items.
If you’d like to try Ipsy – click here. I’ll earn 250 points if you sign up through my link.
Under Cover
After Boring Pink, I needed more excitement in my life…or at least more glitter.
I’ve got to be honest – my nails are still half stained from several polishes ago – I think it was Zoya “Bobbi”. So after Sinful Colors Base Coat, I painted a single coat of Sinful Colors “Social Ladder” to even out the color of my nails. THEN comes the glitter. I painted two coats of Sinful Colors “Under Cover”, from the “Camo Glitter” Collection. It’s baby pink, baby blue and black glitter with iridescent sparkles in a clear base. There were white little skulls, but I didn’t waste time fishing – if they ended up on my nails, fine. I finished with “HK Girl”.
The thing about black glitter over a light base – it just looks like I have ants crawling on my fingers.
January Birchbox – New Year, New Perspective
I skipped the curated box and went for the sample choice this month. I chose R+Co. OBLIVION Clarifying Shampoo, which also came with a bonus foilpack of R+Co. Restorative Gel Conditioner. Ugh, my pet peeve – unequal amounts of shampoo and conditioner.
Also included n January’s “New Year, New Perspective” box: Arrow ENDURE Water-Resistant Mascara (nope – who are these people who use all this waterproof mascara?); Dermalogica Daily Superfoliant (yassss); Milk Makeup Lip + Cheek in “Perk” (I was disappointed that this wasn’t the Blur Stick – I might break down and buy it); and NUXE Moisturizer Cream Creme Fraiche de Beaute.
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.
Boring Pink
So…and be honest. Is Makeup Revolution “Love Etc.” a boring pink?
I guess it’s not boring exactly – yeah, it’s boring. It’s a perfectly serviceable medium pink. No sparkle – totally creamy. I guess I’ve been spoiled by the exciting Julep and Sinful Colors polishes I’ve been using lately.
I feel like the polish chipped exceptionally easily. I started with Orly Bonder, but it just didn’t seem to stick. (My Orly Bonder was almost empty and I had a hard time getting a full brush – so my application might have been lacking. I gave up and threw away the bottle when I was done.) I also finished with “HK Girl”, but I feel like the formulas did not mesh well. I got a few bubbles and it didn’t dry as quickly as it should have.
Even though I’m whining a bit, my nails still looked pretty fucking good. The girl working the pizza joint on Friday was shocked that I had done them myself – she was convinced they were salon nails.
Target Beauty Boxes – January 2016
Target started out 2017 strong with two great Beauty Boxes for January. Both are themed as “Beauty Goals”.
Beauty Box 1 (on the left) was $10 and included L’Oreal Revitalift Volume Filler Serum & Cream (sample card, boo); Nexxus Comb Thru Finishing Mist (a repeat from my Advent Calendar); ChapStick Total Hydration Sugar Scrub (I am so excited to try this – I think it will work well to remove my liquid lippies); eb5 Facial Cream; Beautiful Nutrition Lemon Clarifying Treatment (I got this in a Beauty Box 5 a while back – never tried it); Burt’s Bees Intense Hydration Day Lotion; AmLactin Moisturizing Body Lotion; and Revlon Kiss Balm in “Sweet Cherry”. I feel like this box was definitely worth $10.
Beauty Box 2 (on the right) was $5 and a bit smaller, but much heavier. This box included Carol’s Daughter Black Vanilla Leave-In Conditioner (smells good); Colgate Enamel Health Whitening Toothpaste (full size!); Mane ‘n Tail Shampoo (I would’ve preferred the conditioner); Vaseline Cocoa Butter; SheaMoisture Peace Rose Oil Shampoo & Conditioner (YASSSS); Simple Cleansing Facial Wipes (I used to hate getting these and now I LOVE getting wipes – they’re great for cleaning up shadow fallout); Palmer’s Coconut Oil Body Lotion and Miss Jessie’s Quick Curls (I have no curls.) I may not use as many of the products in this box – why so much cocoa butter – but still definitely worth $5.
EACH box came with a $3.50 off $15 coupon! I saved my 5% with my Red Card. Looking forward to next month’s box(es).
Darcy
Oh Julep, you got me this time. What color is this polish?
Their website describes Julep “Darcy” as Baja Sunrise Sheer Iridescent Shimmer. I’ve never been to Baja, but I’m really interested in going if that is what the sunrises look like – blue/purple/green/gold. It’s almost like Mardi Gras on my fingers! Inside, it looked more cloudy, but in direct sun, so many colors bounced off my nails.
This is two coats over Julep Oxygen Bonding Base Coat and under “HK Girl”. Like “Pacita”, I was able to get almost full coverage in two coats.
Whiteout…with Glitter in it
Look at this polish. Look closer. NO, closer.
Put your face up to the screen. Do you see that? No, it’s not whiteout with glitter in it. It might look white, but it is a pale purple with gold shimmer. This is beyond pastel – there’s the slightest bit of tint.
This is another one of those Kylie polishes – Sinful Colors “North Star” – from the “Trend Matters” Collection. I am inexplicably drawn to these matte polishes. The Sinful Colors matte polish formula is so good. It is the perfect consistency – not too thick and not too thin. Perfect, full coverage in just two coats. It sticks like glue to Sinful Colors Base Coat – I feel like I get a really long wear out of it.
I could have done a better job around the cuticle. Will I ever get better at dealing with my goddamn cuticles?