Author: Lara
Disco Accent Nail
Zoya polish lasts so long without chipping…I was planning on putting glitter on Zoya “Bobbi” when it began to chip, but it hasn’t started to chip yet.
I couldn’t resist playing though – so I used essie luxeffects “A Cut Above” on my ring fingers. It’s not quite as sparkly as “Set in Stones” – but that may be because of the shimmer of “Bobbi”. I’ll have to try it over a matte polish.
I figured out what this polish reminds me of – “Day to Night” Barbie’s Fuchsia Lamé body suit. I didn’t even own this Barbie myself, but I loved her. Not too long ago, I took one of those lame Facebook quizzes – “What Barbie Are You?” – and the answer was “Day to Night” Barbie. That is ABSOLUTELY THE TRUTH. Facebook quizzes never lie.
I’m a Bobbi Girl
It’s been too long since FUCHSIA!!!
I put on 2 coats of Zoya “Bobbi” last night while I was watching The Soup on the DVR. I didn’t even have to use Quick Dry Drops…It dried almost immediately!
Zoya polish is so dreamy…I can’t afford to be addicted to two brands of nail polish…
Saturday Shopping
If I’m out of the house, I’m going to find a way to go shopping.
Before heading to a birthday party, my BFF and I had to drop by Ulta, kids in tow. While she availed herself of her 20% off coupon, I was going to put my $5 off coupon to use by picking up Zoya “Bobbi” and essie luxeffects “A Cut Above”. (Too bad I didn’t check the dates – my coupon isn’t valid until Monday. Luckily, they had a $3.50 off coupon at the check-out.)
After a fun birthday party for a very sweet 5 year old, I demanded that we visit Bath & Body Works, so that I could take advantage of B3G3 and an “up to 40% off” coupon. I picked up Fragrance Mist, Body Cream and Shower Gel in “Oahu Coconut Sunset” for my sister in Alaska. They don’t have B&BW where she lives and I figured she may be missing Hawaii after a cold winter. I also picked up back-up Body Creams for myself – “Mad About You”, “Pure Paradise” and “Carried Away”. My coupon ended up being for 30% off – not a bad deal…
Big Lots is Cheap as Shit
I didn’t really expect to find anything good at Big Lots when I went looking for cheap gift bags…but of course I did.
I’m continuing to be an amateur and bought a tube of Olay Fresh Effects BB Cream for $5. I also picked up some Monster High Shampoo/Conditioner for my daughter. I hope it doesn’t give her a rash.
My best find was the lip balm I found for the kids – Bacon and Mac & Cheese. The Bacon lip balm smells like dog treats – but the Mac & Cheese lip balm is even worse…it smells like FEET. Straight up, dirty feet like my daughter’s gymnastics school. Yeah, my kids put that shit on their mouth. Ick.
I controlled myself from buying any fingernail polish. Mostly they had cheap, no-name shit…but they did have a bin of China Glaze, Revlon, Sinful Colors and stuff for $1-$2. All the colors were ugly though…
Oops, I Did It Again
My inspiration for this paint job was Britney Spears’ naked rhinestone suit from the MTV Music Awards. Don’t laugh, Britney is no less a valid inspiration than The Shocker or The Rusty Trombone!
Hands down, essie luxeffects “Set in Stones” is the best glitter to use if you want to draw attention to your nails. I was unable to get a pictures of my nails that didn’t have multiple lens flares.
Underneath the glitter, I put down a single coat of Artmatic “Dusty Rose”, which is one of the oldest polishes that I own. (I don’t remember why, but Dr. Delta gave me this polish when we lived together in college…so it’s at LEAST 17 years old.) I haven’t seen Artmatic in stores in years, but according to the intertwebs, it’s still sold in Dollar Stores. I admit that I had quite a bit of Artmatic makeup in my Junior High years.
This is now my “go to” nail look. Get used to it…
BOGO
Julep is evil!
They KNOW that if they send me a BOGO (Buy One, Get One), I’m gonna use it.
I am really loving their monthly Birthstone Collection, so I ordered “Aretha” – Aquamarine for March and “Coretta” – Diamond for April. “Coretta” contains real diamond dust according to the website.
I also spent $2 on a 4 pack of Buffer Blocks. I didn’t expect them to be so tiny.
New Speckled Mystery Boxes were just released…I will resist! I WILL.
Polish Remover Battle Royale
I’m taking my polish off 2, 3, sometimes 4 or 5 times week. I also use a lot of glitter. When I say “a lot” – I mean a fuck ton. A METRIC FUCK TON.
Since joining Julep and then starting this blog, I’ve gotten a few suggestions to take me beyond the usual drugstore removers. The first suggestion I got was from my cuzzin, Beth – Zoya “Remove +”. I was going on and on about Julep and she said I HAD to try Zoya Remover. Although I still haven’t gotten my hands on Zoya polish, I immediately went to Ulta and picked up the Zoya Remover for $10. It’s really tough on glitter, although it can still take a long time scrubbing my nails. It smells good and leaves my skin feeling soft.I was all impressed because I thought it didn’t contain acetone – the main ingredient was listed as 2-Propanone. A quick Google told me that 2-Propanone IS acetone. Very sneaky, Zoya.
My friend Angie commented on the site that she swears by the little plastic jar that you dip your fingers in from Target. (The product is actually called up&up “nail polish remover dip-it”.) It was only $3-$4, so I picked one up. Immediately, I was reminded of THE DIP from Who Framed Roger Rabbit? This shit melts fingernail polish like it was a tiny cartoon horn. There are little scrubbies inside the jar that power the glitter off. Except for the fact that it dries my skin out like leather, this is the best thing EVER.
The last product I tried out is Julep’s “Party’s Over” Glitter Nail Polish Remover Kit. The kit is 10 little silicone caps that you pop on the end of your nails with an acetone wipey. The first 7 caps went on just fine…the last 3 were a bitch to get one. I would have tried one hand at a time, but I was afraid the wipeys would dry out. This method works exceedingly well…but it was $22 for just 5 packets of wipeys.
Ultimately, the winner of the Polish Remover Battle Royale is…the up&up “nail polish remover dip-it”, but the remover inside of it is exceedingly toxic-feeling. When I finish it off, I’m going to refill it will Zoya “Remove +” to create the PERFECT product.
Kroger Haul
I can’t pass up a good deal…my Kroger had a bunch of polish at 50% off.
I made my husband and kids stand there in the aisle while I dug through my coupons. I had a $1.50 off and a $1.00 off Maybelline coupon, so I got 2 – Color Show Street Art “Wild at Heart” and Color Show “Emerald City”. I’m a bit confused that the “Emerald City” is more blue than green…but whatever. Regularly $3.99 each and $1.99 on clearance – I paid $.99 and $.49 each.
They also had Revlon Perfumerie, Sally Hansen and more at 50% off. I need to go back…
Stained Glass
Pictures do not do my nails justice – they are gorgeous!
I started with a coat of Sally Hansen “Flirt” – a dark maroon. Then I added a sloppy coat of Sparitual Luminary Matte Top Effect in “Opaline”. My nails looks like stained glass. Blood-splattered stained glass!
This is my first experience with Sparitual products. The bottle says Vegan, but I bought it anyway. (At first I thought they were referring to ingredients, but then I realized they must be referring to the animal testing aspect. Feh, I put nail polish all over my dog and she’s fine.) It’s the most expensive polish I’ve ever bought at $12, but again, my nails look damn good.
20% Off Ulta Haul
Send me a coupon…and I’m gonna use it.
Ulta has always been pretty free with their $3.50 off coupons, but they’re nothing special, since you can’t use them on “Prestige” brands. But the 20% off coupon they sent IS usable on “Prestige”. That’s kind of a big deal.
Since I had just ordered the Too Faced “Boudoir Eyes” Palette for my BFF, I decided I wanted it, too. (We don’t get all salty when we get the same products – we like buying the same makeup, carrying the same purses, wearing the same horsemask.) They were out of the free “Better Than Sex” mascara, but the clerk gave me a sample of Bare Minerals “Lash Domination”.
As I was testing Too Faced BB Cream, the stila makeup artist asked if I had any questions. I didn’t realize she was just stila, so she couldn’t answer any of my questions about the Too Faced stuff. For once, I didn’t have my kids with me, so I figured why not try the stila? (It’s funny how these makeup artists talk shit about other brands. I mentioned that I used to use Bare Minerals and she said it’s basically like rubbing dirt on my face.) I let her try out the stila Stay All Day Foundation on me. Honestly, it wasn’t bad, but too much work for me. I DID like the Set & Correct Baked Powder Trio and bought it. I also picked up 3 of the lip glazes from last month’s Birchbox – Red Velvet, Lychee and Banana Berry – they were 3 for $15!
Finally, I grabbed a Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz pencil in “Soft Brown”. I’ve heard good things about Anastasia Dip Brow, but again – too much work for me. I’ve already tried the pencil and I’m liking it so far…lighter than the normal cheapie pencils I use, but more natural.
My initial total was about $115, but with the 20% off coupon and $11 in Ulta Rewards, it was $79…this post should have been called “How to Make Your Husband Shit a Brick.”