Author: Lara
Smoky Naked
The new Urban Decay Smoky Naked Palette launched back on July 12th at Ulta, so I’ve been watching the mail every day since I ordered it that morning. Yesterday, it finally came! I guess I could have gone to the store that morning, but I didn’t want to risk having to go store hopping.
It’s everything I hoped it would be. A full range of 12 matte and shimmery shades – I used it for the first time this morning (“Combust” on my lid, “Whiskey” on my crease, with “High” as a highlight) and the result was perfection. The shades were slightly less buttery than my other Naked palettes, but nothing I couldn’t work with.
The best part? I had $53 worth of Ulta Points saved up – so it was only $1. I’d been saving since around Xmas – so worth it. For samples, I got Laura Geller spackle Supercharged fortified under make-up primer and HASK Mint Almond Oil Thickening Shampoo and Conditioner.
On top of that, this was the purchase that put me over the top on Platinum Status for 2016. Mmmm…
Sunburn
Coincidentally, Formula X “Power Source” is the EXACT same color as the sunburn I have on my legs. Yeah, I made a rookie mistake at Schlitterbahn and didn’t respray after lunch. Now I have sunburned strips on my knees and shins. I’m hoping it ends up looking like contouring.
I got this tiny bottle of “Power Source” in my June Ipsy bag. Tiny bottles are kind of a pain in the ass – short brushes and awkward. This formula was just okay – it was thick and somewhat streaky. It dried smoothly though – no bubbles or clumps. I’ll credit that to Orly Bonder and “HK Girl”.
So what color is this? Neon Coral? Coral is really growing on me. I thought I hated it, but it looks so good with my skintone.
Target Beauty Boxes – Back to School 2015
More Target Beauty Boxes – and just a month after the last duo! This month, there were 2 “Back to School” Target Beauty Boxes – just $5 each. Of course, I ordered both of them.
Inside the “Honor Roll” Box: a Bathery Delicate Pouf (they’re not quite as good as the Bath & Body Works ones, but not bad); John Frieda Luxurious Volume 7-Day Treatment; Olay White Strawberry Body Wash; NYX Butter Gloss in “Strawberry Parfait”; Goody Ouchless Elastics; Cover Girl Outlast All-Day Primer; and Burt’s Bees White Tea Facial Wipes (I hope these don’t burn my eye area like the Cucumber Sage ones I got in my December 2014 Allure Box).
Inside the “Head of the Class” Box: Goody Ouchless Elastics (I’m glad I got a pack of these in each box – now that my son’s hair is longer than mine, elastics are in short supply in my home); a Bathery Pumice Stone; Hollywood Fashion Tape; Cover Girl Colorlicious Lip Gloss in “Give Me Guava”; wet n wild Max Volume Plus Mascara (another mascara to throw in my box); Herbal Essences Wild Naturals Illuminating Dry Oil Spray; and Yes to Cucumbers 10-count Wipes.
A great value for about $10. I used my Target Red Card to get my 5% off – it’s just 50 cents, but every little bit helps.
The Lace is On
Okay, I promise – this is the last one tonight.
Lily was again kind enough to let me borrow one of her polishes. This is essie “The Lace is On”, a polish I bought her a while back at Nordstrom Rack for $2.75. (She didn’t have to ask but once – it’s a lovely fuchsia.) The formula is perfect – 2 coats, no clumps or streaks.
I’m trying to use up all my random base coats, so I used Revlon Quick Dry Base Coat. I stuck with “HK Girl” for the top coat though – I use my other top coats on Lily – she chews off her polish within 48 hours, so it doesn’t really matter.
Amazon New Beauty
Like the rest of the planet, I was fairly disappointed by Amazon’s “Prime Day” promotion on July 15th. I was, however, able to take advantage of Amazon’s New Beauty Promotion – 35% off one item from a VERY small selection of items.
I was hoping to find a good FULL set of brushes, but I was skeptical of the quality of the two they had in the promotion – e.l.f. and Shani (e.l.f. is so-so, but Shani looks super sketchy). Instead, I chose the real Techniques Travel Essentials 3 Brush Set. I’ll probably chunk the case/stand, but you can’t beat $7.27 for 3 high quality make-up brushes!
Beauty Box 5 – Summer Night Out
I might actually use every single thing in my Beauty Box 5 this month!
Inside this month’s “Summer Night Out” box: OFRA Lip Gloss in “Truffle”; OFRA Lip Liner in “Spicy”; Nanacoco Nail Polish in “Orange Wonderland” (it’s really more sparkly/rusty); Love Life Skin Restorative Night Cream and Intensive Recovery Serum (2 foil packets each); and Pur~lisse Flash tattoos (I’m about to get another REAL tattoo, so maybe I’ll use these on my wrists?). I also got codes for 20% at purlisse.com and 25% off at lovelifeskincare.com.
Now I just need to plan a Summer Night Out!
July Ipsy Bag – Summer Lovin’
Summer lovin’, happened so fast…Can you believe that summer is already half over?
“Summer Lovin'” is also Ipsy’s July theme. The bag is a bit ugly – I’ll just add it to the pile. There’s some good stuff inside that ugly bag though: Nudestix Magnetic Eye Color in “Gilt” (waterproof and comes with a cool sharpener); Crown Brush Professional Tweezers (the second pair of tweezers I’ve received recently); City Color Cosmetics HD Powder (I’m excited to try this one); Jor’el Parker “Classico” eau de parfum (interesting scent, but isn’t Jo’rel Superman’s dad?); and pūr~lisse pur-bright ultra skin brightening serum (sure, why not?).
I had redeemed my ipsy points for a J. Cat Beauty lip stain, but it didn’t make into this bag – I guess I’ll be getting it next month?
If you’d like to try Ipsy – click here. I’ll earn 250 points if you sign up through my link.
Matte Mia
You know what happens when you let your husband pick out your nail polish? Good things…good, good things. Technically, he didn’t pick it out – the only guidance he gave me was “dark red” and “matte”.
For “dark red”, I chose Urban Decay “Mrs. Mia Wallace”. I’ve had it not even a year and it’s already getting clumpy. I had to fight a few clumps, but I managed to smooth them out. I guess it’s time to invest in polish thinner.
I used Orly Bonder as the base coat. To make it matte, I used Zoya Velvet Matte Top Coat – it’s the best…although I haven’t tried any other matte top coats, so I’m just guessing.
I’m going to bug my husband about my polish more…I’m sure he’ll LOVE it.
Green on the Runway
This stunning polish is OPI “Green on the Runway”, from the 2014 Coca Cola Collection. Lily was kind enough to let me borrow one of the polishes that my BFF got her for Xmas.
Even though it looks fantastic in the pic, you can’t see the full magnificence – it’s a green to rust colored duochrome – although you can see a hint of it on the bottle. I guess it’s supposed to look like a Sprite can, but it’s far darker than your average Sprite.
I also tried out OPI Nail Envy for the first time, again, borrowed from Lily. It seems to be a really good base coat and the brush is like magic. I didn’t use the OPI top coat, instead opting for “HK Girl”. For some reason, the “HK Girl” dragged a few bald spots in the polish on my right hand and catastrophically smudge my ring finger. I don’t know why – if it’s an incompatibility with OPI, or maybe I just didn’t let it dry long enough. Hmmmm…
July Birchbox – Go Bold
Birchbox must have heard my whining – my box arrived first this month, even before Julep.
July’s theme was “Go Bold” – which is odd, because this isn’t an overly bold box. Maybe somebody else got some bolder stuff. Inside this month’s box: clariSEA Rapid Detox Charcoal Exfoliant (I’m turning into a charcoal junkie); a 2.5 ox bottle of Davines MINU Shampoo, with bonus foil packs of MINU conditioner and MINU hair serum (I get so annoyed by mismatched sizes in my samples); Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin Liquid (to match the cream I got last month?); Jouer Luminizing Moisture Tint; and stila look at me liquid lipstick in “bella” (sample choice for the month). I take it back – that hot pink lipstick is pretty bold!
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.