Author: Lara
April Ipsy Bag – Beautifully Bohemian
Just in time for Coachella, Ipsy sent out April’s “Beautifully Bohemian” bag.
Inside my woven, macramé-esque bag: Hikari blush in “Tango”; Starlooks Satin Finish Lip Gloss in “cuddle”; Mullein & Sparrow Mini Cheek & Lip Tint (it’s patchouli scented – WTF?); Hey Honey Good Morning Honey Silk Facial Serum; and theBalm Cosmetics NUDE Eyeshadow Single in “Flirty” (shimmering golden violet). I LOVE the stuff I got this month!
If you’d like to try Ipsy – click here. I’ll earn 250 points if you sign up through my link.
The Black Lodge
I’ve had this Twin Peaks themed manicure in my head for months…and I finally was able to test it out. This is a dry run of how I plan to do my nails in a few weeks to attend Texas Frightmare Weekend – Sherilyn Fenn and Jennifer Lynch will be there!
I did the Jamberry portion first – “Black & White Chevrons” on my index finger and I used “Newsprint on Neutral” to cut a “b” and an “r” for my ring fingers. (I know they should have been capital letters, but I couldn’t find any on the wrap.) I then did 2 coats of Sally Hansen Total Manicure “Sweet Talker” on my ring finger to seal it. I then used Sinful Colors Base Coat on the rest of my nails. I used 2 coats of Sinful Colors “No Text Red” on my thumb and pinky. I used 2 coats of Hare Polish “The Red Room” on my middle finger. I sealed all of my painted nails with “HK Girl”.
I absolutely LOVE how my nails turned out. I am going to make a few changes next time, including incorporating “How’s Annie?” into the mix.
I can’t wait for another trip!
Influenster Vox Box – Fresh is Fierce Vox Box
Influenster sent my vajayjay a gift!
Inside my Fresh is Fierce Vox Box is a 20 pack of Carefree acti-fresh pantiliners. Carefree is my regular brand, so I was quite happy to save a dollar and get a free pack. Ever since getting my Mirena three years ago, pantiliners are all I’ve needed. (IUDs are the next best thing to a hysterectomy!)
I also got a 50 cents off coupon – score!
As always, product received complimentary for testing purposes. Want some complimentary stuff? Check out Influenster for yourself…
Beauty Insider Love #2
Technically, this is my 2nd purchase using my 10% off Beauty Insider code, since I placed an online order yesterday.
I am usually annoyed by the lack of selection at the JC Penney’s Sephora, but I had to go to get their exclusive Summer Obsessions set. The main reason I wanted the set was the beautyblender. (Now I just need Loo to show me how to use it.) Also inside the coral makeup bag: Benefit “Watt’s Up”; NARS Lip Gloss in “Turkish Delight”; Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-hour blush in “fearless”; Tarte lights, camera, splashes 4-in-1 waterproof mascara (the one product I’m unlikely to use); Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer; and Urban Decay All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray (wish I would have had this when I was in New Orleans).
I also snagged a clearance bottle of Formula X Nail Polish in “Law of Attraction” for $2.99. I also got a free sample of Pink Sugar eau de toillette. It kinda smells like cotton candy.
My code is good until Monday – I’m trying to resist buying the Kat Von D Monarch palette…but I just might have to pull the trigger.
Goldfinger
Goldfiiiingaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!
Sorry, I couldn’t resist. This is Zoya “Severine”…which confuses me, because “Severine” is from Skyfall, not Goldfinger. Whatever, Zoya. Get your Bond Girls right!
“Severine” is warm greenish gold from Peter Som’s NYFW14 show. I didn’t notice how green it was until my husband started arguing with me about it. He wins – it’s green. I got it back at the beginning of the year as a mystery trio from Zoya.
I did 2 coats of “Severine” with Zoya Anchor Base Coat and Armor Top Coat. I did get some bubbles, which is rare with Zoya, but is inevitable with foiled polishes.
April Birchbox – Mad Men California
My Birchbox has been sitting here at least a week, calling to me…
I admit it, I’ve only seen a few episodes of Mad Men, so I’m not all heartbroken about the final episodes. But the products in the California box were compelling. Inside my box: 12 Benefits Instant Healthy Hair Treatment; CLEAN Original Eau de Parfum (the card says it was inspired by soapy – it’s way TOO soapy smelling, but my husband liked it and actually put it on); Cynthia Rowley Beauty Brightening Illuminator (yup, another one); LAQA & Co. Sheer Lip Lube Pencil in “Honeypot” (Honeypot!); and Not Soap, Radio Body Wash in “Bathing with sharks” (a fresh clean smell – my husband said it smells “yummy”.)
There was also a New York box – it was so hard to choose!
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.
Back from Hiatus
Somehow I managed to get stacked with a business trip to Dallas and a Girl’s Weekend in New Orleans within the same week.
It was like I was on another planet for over a week!
At least I had the pleasure of coming home to a nice healthy pile of boxes – Birchbox, Ipsy, Beauty Box 5 and Influenster!
I’ve managed to open them all and peek inside, but it will probably take a few days to post them all…
Since we were going to New Orleans, I had to bust out “Bitchcraft” from Delush Polish’s Scream Supreme Collection.
My nails had to look good as long as possible, so I used my best base coat – Orly Bonder – and topped it with 2 coats of Glisten & Glow “HK Girl”.
After 2 coats, my nails were as hard as rock.
Let me tell you, it was a sonuvabitch to get off – it took over 30 minutes.
We had planned on doing a full American Horror Story Coven tour, but my hangover prevented us from going on any tours. I’m not as young as I used to be – I can’t hang with the big dogs. We did, however, go find Madame LaLaurie’s mansion in the French Quarter before we started drinking too heavily. They don’t allow tours anymore, which is a bummer, but we did peek into the courtyard and look into the windows.
I guess that just means we’ll have to go back again soon to get to see the Garden District house and all of the other locations we had planned on going to see!
Smurfy
Looks like I fibbed a little bit when I said “no more purple”.
Julep “Danielle”, from this month’s Paradise Collection – is a cerulean wave duochrome – in layman’s terms that means smurf blue with a purple flash. I took like a dozen pictures and this is the best I could do to show the purple.
I am so excited – “Danielle” is a Julep polish that doesn’t bubble! Absolutely NO bubbles on any of my nails. Maybe it’s the comb I used – Orly Bonder and “HK Girl”? Or maybe they finally just perfected their formula?
April Julep Maven Box – The Paradise Collection
I got my Julep Maven Box on Friday (Yay for quick shipping!), but I have been so busy with Easter festivities that I hadn’t had time to post it.
April is “The Paradise Collection” – colors like a bright tropical bouquet. This month’s beauty product is “Don’t Leave Your Brows at Home” – a two-in-one tool includes brow powder and an angled brush. Even though I love my Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz, I’m excited to try it. I got “Cool Brown”. For polishes, I picked It Girl “Danielle” and Bombshell “Cassidy”. I normally wouldn’t have picked 2 blues, but I kept thinking about my Cuz’s little girl Cassidy – so I had to have it! For an Easter treat, my box had a little bag of Everlasting Gobstoppers – one of my favorites!
I just did my toes and nails in “Danielle” – pics tomorrow!
Not a Julep Maven? CLICK HERE to join! Get a FREE Spring Welcome Box with code SPRING!
Cadbury Mini Eggs
Cadbury Mini Eggs – that is what my nails look like!
I tried out Julep “Kimberly” last summer, and I thought to myself that I would pull it out next Easter – I am shocked that I remembered. Last time, I left it shiny, but I decided to use Zoya Matte Velvet Top Coat. Matte is SO much better suited to this polish.
“Kimberly” stuck well to Orly Bonder and I didn’t have any crinkles like I did last time. I’m getting pretty good at this…
NO MORE PURPLE – I’m purpled out.