Author: Lara
July 2024 Ipsy Glam Bag – Passport to Glow
I get so fucking annoyed when ipsy send me one of these goddamn pouches…which is dumb, because I literally have enough zipper makeup bags to store makeup for a whole season of RuPaul’s Drag Race.
The past few weeks have been a shitshow (literally and metaphorically), so I haven’t touched a single sample. C’est la vie.
In this month’s pouch, I received Ailovi Soft Matte Foundation in “Nude 01“; First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads (great for travel); Keys Soulcare Protect Your Light SPF30 Daily Moisturizer (one of the few celeb beauty brands that I feel is unique and brings something new to the table); Lithe Beauty Night & Day Eyeshadow Palette; and NEEN Duo Eyeshadow Brush (what is a NEEN?). I’ll try all this stuff later…
I just picked my products for next month’s Icon Box (with Chrissy Teigen and John Legend), so I’ve got that to look forward to!
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.
The Berry Best
I’ve always been obsessed with blue food. Not foods that are naturally blue, like blueberries…but blue candy and blue soda and blue snow cones and blue cotton candy and blue alcohol. Most of it is labelled as “Blue Raspberry” or “Berry Blue”, but it doesn’t taste like raspberries or blueberries or anything found in nature? What is this magical, laboratory-created flavor??? In any case, Sally Hansen Insta-Dri x Ring Pop “The Berry Best” is the nail polish representation of my favorite flavor.
This is two coats of “The Berry Best” over Glisten & Glow Ridge Filling Base Coat and under Glisten & Glow Top Coat.
I Think I Have an Idea
I googled Rayman to see what it looks like and now I am traumatized. It’s this bean shaped…creature…that has a head, hands and feet. Sounds normal, right? It’s not, because there is no neck, arms or legs. I feel like I am not explaining it right – but I cannot think of another way to describe the main character of these video games…fuck Rayman for the nightmares I will surely be having tonight.
What’s the point? The point is that Fancy Gloss “I Think I Have an Idea” (from April’s Polish Pickup) is inspired by Rayman. So I googled it. And now Rayman is my new sleep paralysis demon. Oh, and did I mention that it’s a really fun thermal polish is peachy pink when warm, but a muddy purple when cold?
This is two coats of “I Think I Have an Idea” over Cuticula Mic Drop Base Coat in “Melt Down” and under Cuticula Limitless Top Coat in “Raspberry Pop“.
Grape Expectations
I’ve been feeling a bit like Miss Havisham these days…so why not “Grape Expectations”?
…I know I am married with two (almost grown children) – I just meant I like sitting around in my dusty-ass house, wearing a dirty wedding dress and eating old cake.
This is Sally Hansen x Ring Pops Insta-Dri “Grape Expectations”. They did a really good job with these polishes – they look like ring pops!
I started with Glisten & Glow Ridge Filling Base Coat, then two coats of “Grape Expectations”, and ended with Glisten & Glow Top Coat.
Bee Balm
By now, it’s pretty obvious that I’m a sucker for clever and/or cute packaging. Bee Balm has that in SPADES. I saw it on insta and I had to order…
…and I might have gone overboard. I cannot STAND paying shipping…so I ordered enough for free shipping. Looks like everyone I know is getting some Bee Balm, too. I got 2 Honey, 2 Strawberry, 2 Peach and 1 Watermelon. They also came out with Pina Colada right after I ordered…but I need to use up some before I order more. Oh, and I ordered extra applicators in case I break or lose them.
The thing is – it’s just lip balm in a pot. I have been avoiding lip balm in a pot, because I hate sticking my finger in it and possibly contaminating it. Bee Balm solves that with a tiny little applicator held in the lid…and it looks just like a honey dipper! Why doesn’t all lip balm in a pot come with an applicator?
My only complaint is that they seem to be using the Kohl’s pricing model – always on sale for 75% off. I’ve only ever seen it for $5, supposedly on sale from $19.99. Sure, Jan. I concede that the “Buy 3, Get 1 Free” sale right now is a smoking deal – that’s $3.75 each! Go jump on this deal RIGHT NOW – https://mybeebalmco.com/ .
I Like Big Bum Bums…
…and I cannot lie.
It’s hard to pass up a coupon that includes Prestige Brands, even if it’s just a measly 10% off.
The many samples and deluxe samples of Bum Bum Cream are almost gone, so it’s time to buy the big boy – Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Bum Bum Refillable Body Cream ($48), 8.1 ounces of Bum Bum goodness – and it’s refillable! I also splurged on a purse spray of Sol de Janeiro SOL Cheirosa ’62 Eau de Parfum ($26) – it smells SO GOOD.
I scrolled the clearance page and found the Sally Hansen Insta-Dri x Ring Pop Nail Polish Quad Giftset ($2.20) and Ring Pop Nail Polish Holder ($2.50). That’s 55 cents per polish!
I also qualified for FENTY BEAUTY by Rihanna 4 piece Beauty Break. In addition to a sleek tote bag, I got a Gloss Bomb Universal Lip Luminizer in “Fenty Glow”; Eaze Drop’Lit All-Over Glow Enhancer in “Bronze Jasper”; and Hella Thicc Volumizing Mascara in “Cuz I’m Black”. I’ll probably only use the tote bag and the mascara…
Only $508 to Diamond in 2025.
Barbiecore
Yes, these nails are PEAK Barbiecore…
My only disappointment with the way these nails turned out was the color of pink I picked. Sally Hansen Insta-Dri “Petal Pusher” (a freebie from last year) is more of a pastel peach than a pastel pink. Of course, I could always say I was going for a Peaches ‘N Cream Barbie vibe…or even a Barbie skintone vibe.
I got these Barbie nail decals a month or so ago at MINISO. They were only $5 – very affordable. Now I want to go back and get Kuromi nail decals!
I started with Glisten & Glow Ridge Filling Base Coat, two coats of “Petal Pusher”, and then the MINISO decals. I topped the decals with Glisten & Glow Glitter Grabber, which may be the cause of the bubbles, and then Glisten & Glow Top Coat.
The Killing Moon
I am totally out of the video game world – I’ve never heard of Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty? That’s the name of the game that inspired this polish from April’s Polish Pickup.
I love thermal nail polishes and Cadillacquer “The Killing Moon” is a beautiful one. I wish I had tried it with longer nails, so that I could get more of the black tips, but my daughter keeps leaving town…and doing dishes DESTROYS my nails.
This is two coats of “The Killing Moon” over Cuticula Mic Drop Base Coat in “Melt Down” and under Cuticula Limitless Top Coat in “Raspberry Pop”.
Welcome to IKEA
Do you ever have a creative idea come to you as you’re falling asleep? And then you become obsessed by the idea and you keep thinking about it, and you cannot stop thinking about it…until you DO IT?
These nails were one of those liminal ideas…and it turned out disappointing, to say the least. My sleep-addled mind forgot that yellow + blue = green, so that’s how I ended up with mostly greenish nails, instead of resembling IKEA branding. I tried, okay?
I started with Glisten & Glow Ridge Filling Base Coat and two coats of Sally Hansen Insta-Dri “C is for Cookie” on my first four nails. I left my thumb plain and then topped the next three fingers with Sally Hansen Insta-Dri “Think BIG”. My pinky got just two coats of “Think BIG” – and I cannot help but think of the bathtub after Big Bird shaves their legs…(yes, I’ve always considered Big Bird to be non-binary)…I topped with Glisten & Glow Glitter Grabber and Glisten & Glow Top Coat.
IKEA nails lasted exactly two days. LOL.
June 2024 Ipsy Bag – Sunny Days Ahead
I don’t remember picking GIRLACTIK Fruit Superfood Sugar Face Scrub, but I must have…because ipsy said that’s what I chose. I’ve used almost the whole tube…it smells divine, but the exfoliants are sharp and jagged – and WHATEVER YOU DO, don’t get any in your mouth. It’s nasty bitter.
Also in this month’s bag: Benefit Plush Tint in “Cream Puff” (this color is bad on me and it got on everything – gross product); Jazmine Cosmetics Brow Boss – Brow Styling Wax (What on earth would I do with this?); JLo Beauty That JLo Glo Brightening & Firming Serum with Niacinamide (oh, I know about this stuff – I think it aggravated my psoriasis); and Wander Beauty Mile High Club Length and Define Mascara.
It’s not an awful month, but it’s not great either. Am I considering canceling ipsy after a decade? Mayyyyyybe…
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.