Author: Lara

 
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Black Dahlia

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I’ve been wanting to try Zoya Pixie Dust for FOREVER…so finally…this is Zoya Pixie Dust “Dahlia”.

No base coat, no top coat, just 2 coats of “Dahlia”. Isn’t it divine?

Oh, and I finally cut my nails. They were starting to break, so I just expedited the process. Imagine how much sexier this polish would be on longer nails…

I am getting obsessed with Pixie Dust…I just bought three more! It’s the last day of Zoya’s Fourth of July Promotion – 3 free polishes for $12 shipping. Click NOW before it’s too late!

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A Good Red is Hard to Find

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A good red is hard to find…but I’ve found the best red fingernail polish ever created – Zoya “Sooki”.

This is a single coat of “Sooki”, topped with Revlon Quick Dry Top Coat. Absolute full coverage in one coat. It was very shiny on it’s own, but the top coat makes it look like glass.

Plus…it was FREE.

 

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Rapture Light

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I’ve been wearing Victoria’s Secret “Rapture” since its launch in 1992. Stephanie Seymour was the face of “Rapture” and she was one of my idols in high school. (I totally thought I would be getting married in her mini-skirt wedding dress from “November Rain.” Don’t judge.) Funny, when I was 16, wearing it made me feel all grown-up, but wearing it now…it makes me feel young.

“Rapture” is a heavy scent and it’s easy to put on too much. Victoria’s Secret just came out with a lighter version – “Sensual Fragrance Mist”. It’s in a bottle like a body mist, but you can’t give yourself 8-10 sprays, like a mist from Bath & Body Works. Even though it’s lighter than perfume or cologne, it’s stronger than most body mists. Use with caution!

Regular price is $25, but it was on sale for $15 at launch a month or so ago. It was backordered and I just received it today. Youth in a bottle!

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Soap Addict

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As the Bath & Body Works Semi Annual Sale winds down, the deals and coupons get a little better. The best stuff is gone and they want to get rid of whatever is left.

I’ll admit it, I went to Bath & Body Works yesterday and didn’t buy anything. I’m so glad I didn’t, because this morning, I got an email that ALL soaps are $3 today. That’s a sale I can get behind. I’m not even going to list all the scents I got…because I bought 14. That’s right…14. The current coupon is either $10 off $30 or $20 off $50. You know what I did…

In addition to the 14 soaps, I picked up a 75% off “Coconut Lime Breeze” Body Cream for my desk at work, a 75% off “Citron for Men” Shower Gel for my husband (because he always complains that I buy crap for myself and the kids, but never for him) and 2 50% off “Honolulu Sun” Hand Creams for my purse.

$35.15 <throws microphone down>

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America, Fuck YEAH

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Don’t these patriotic nails just say, “America, Fuck YEAH!”???

I’ve been waiting at least 6 months for the 4th of July. Julep “America” isn’t just an everyday polish…

I started with Revlon Quick Dry Base Coat. Rimmel “Blue Eyed Girl” for my blue, Julep “Bunny” for my white and Zoya “Sooki” for my red. I used just a single coat of each. I topped each nail with Julep “America” and then finished with Revlon Quick Dry Top Coat. The Revlon dried fairly quickly and didn’t bubble or crack…good news!

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My BFF also did “America, Fuck YEAH!” nails.

Her blue was Sinful Colors “Ciao Bella”, her white was Julep “Bunny” and her red was Sinful Colors “Gogo Girl”. She also topped with Julep “America” – I got a dupe in my Cupid Mystery Box and gave it to her.

We’re twinkies!

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Five Below Finds

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I discovered a new store! It’s called Five Below and it’s a dollar store – or technically, a five dollar store – because everything is under five dollars. Five Below is bright and clean and full of cheap crap from China, so in other words – very dangerous for me.

I got a Frozen T-shirt and some hair clips for my daughter.

I got macaroni and cheese duck tape and a “No Farting” button for my son.

I got matching Jason Hockey mask socks for my BFF and I…what am I forgetting?

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OH YEAH…nail polish. Five Below has an exclusive brand of nail polish called “Funky Fingers”, which is produced by Color Club. The regular colors are 3/$5, but I picked up a couple of bottles from the solar collection at 2/$5.

“Cowabunga” is a hot pink that is supposed to turn red in the sun. “Gnarly, Dude” is a clear base with pink and black glitter that is supposed to turn darker in the sun. Internet scuttlebutt is that they don’t work so well, but we shall see…

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$2 off Revlon

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I was supposed to be getting something to eat for dinner, but like a recovering crackhead, my feet took me to the cosmetics section before my head realized I was there.

The first thing I looked for was Orly Bonder, but there was an empty spot on the shelf. At least I know I should try to find it at HEB at $6.99 instead of $10 at Ulta.

Did you know that HEB now carries Sinful Colors? $1.98, so I gotta wait for a sale…

Then I noticed that there were store coupons for $2 off any Revlon product over $3.50. I took this as a sign that I should snatch up Revlon’s Quick Dry Base Coat and Quick Dry Top Coat, regularly $4.31, now $2.31 each. I also picked up Revlon Leather Cuir “Motorcycle Jacket” from the Spring 2014 “Leather & Tweed Collection”, regularly $4.28, now $2.28. I had been eyeing it the last few times I had been at HEB. It wasn’t in its own display, just mixed in with the “Amazing Spider-Man 2” Display…but this lonely bottle has been patiently waiting for me for several months…and now it’s mine!

I love a good coupon…my feet have the urge to go back to HEB soon…

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Modern Mermaid in the Blue Lagoon

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I went full mermaid this morning.

Captain Blankenship “Mermaid Mane” Sea Salt Spray in my hair – in a loose, wavy bun. After showering with Bath & Body Works “White Citrus”, I tried Atelier Cologne “Cédrat Enivrant” Cologne Absolue. I played a tense game of “eyeliner chicken” with my Vasanti Kajal Extreme Intense Eye Pencil in “Electric Navy” – luckily I won. (“Eyeliner Chicken” is when you keep putting on more eyeliner, trying to get it even. You know you’ve lost when you look like a raccoon.) The most important part was my mermaid manicure…

This is RUFFIAN “Blue Lagoon”. As beautiful as it is, it is a very unforgiving polish. I got full coverage in one coat, but it shows every imperfection. I have a few peeled tips on my right hand and they show. I also gave Sally Hansen “Diamond Shine” another try as a top coat…it didn’t dry fast enough and I got a few bubbles. Next time, I’ll use a faster drying top coat to try to avoid the bubbles. “Diamond Shine” can kiss my ass.

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Modern Mermaid & More

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If Birchbox keeps sending me coupon codes for 20% off my first purchase, I’m going to keep using them. Is that unethical?

I finally got a product in one of my monthly boxes that I loved enough to purchase. If you had told me a month ago that I would spend $36 on moisturizer/sunscreen, I would have laughed in your face…but then I tried COOLA Tinted Matte SPF 30 for Face. It goes on smooth – my face feel like velvet and stays matte and shine free all day. This is the holy grail of face products.

I had been lusting after the Limited Edition “Modern Mermaid” Box ($44) and I finally made the plunge. In the box: a deluxe sample of Anastasia Beverly Hills Lash Genius Waterproof Topcoat (which I probably will never use); a travel size spray of Atelier Cologne “Cédrat Enivrant” Cologne Absolue (citrusy and woodsy – another scent my mother would have loved…and I love it too); Captain Blankenship “Mermaid Mane” Sea Salt Spray (I need to devote a post to all my sea salt sprays – I use them every day); COOLA Liplux SPF 30 Original FormulaRUFFIAN Endless Summer Collection – Nail Polish Trio“Blue Lagoon” – a metallic blue, “Endless Love” – a metallic pink and “Sahara” – a metallic nudeVasanti Kajal Extreme Intense Eye Pencil in “Electric Navy” (dunno about this one…); and a Stephanie Johnson Mermaid Round Snap Mirror, which is exceedingly cute. I think I will use everything in the box, except the waterproof mascara top coat – I don’t want all my eyelashes to fall out!

I also got 2 free samples in my box: another air repair “Rescue Balm” and eyeko “Skinny Mini” black liquid eyeliner, which I am excited to try out.

With my coupon and another $10 in Birchbox point, I only paid $54…sweet deal!

Click my referral link – https://www.birchbox.com/invite/5453f – I’ll get 50 points if you join!

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Bestest Bestie ever!

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Did you know that I have the bestest bestie ever?

I was freaking out last week because she was in Vegas and we hadn’t hung out in a few weeks. At least we were still texting and I was living vicariously through her facebook posts. The problem was that she kept checking into Sephora to taunt me. I had been lusting after the Kat Von D Butterfly palettes for months, but I hadn’t even had a chance to go check it out in person yet…

So instead of a lame T-shirt or bumper sticker, she just bought my the Kat Von D “Chrysalis” palette! I got all verklempt and shit…

My vacation will be to Alaska in a few weeks…I don’t even think they have Sephora or Ulta there, so I guess I’ll be bringing her back Moose Jerky or Whale Blubber Soap or something?