Author: Lara
Good Apple, Super Mud
I love Ulta’s “21 Days of Beauty” sales – every day they have amazing deals on a wide range of products.
I jumped on the deal for 50% off KVD Beauty Good Apple Skin-Perfecting Hydrating Foundation Balm in “Light 010” ($20.25 instead of $40.50). It’s basically foundation in a compact. I’ve only had a chance to try it once, since it is still hot as FUCK here in Texas. For my first try, I applied on bare skin – no primer – and used an Urban Decay Foundation Brush. It sure is full coverage! It went on very thick, but I was able to get fairly smooth full coverage. It came off as a thick coat though, as my husband said it looked like “kabuki makeup.” I topped with Kat Von D Lock-it Setting Powder, which gave it a nice matte finish. The next time I use it, I’ll experiment with primers and a beauty blender for lighter coverage.
Another smoking deal was 50% off Glamglow SUPERMUD Charcoal Instant Treatment Mask ($30 instead of $60). I am sucker for facial masks, especially luxurious ones.
Although it wasn’t on sale, I need conditioner, so I got a NatureLab.Tokyo Perfect Smooth Conditioner Refill ($23).
Oh, and there was an AMAZING gift with purchase – a 14 piece sampler with my $60 purchase. There are 4 deluxe perfume sample! Little cute bottles – not tiny sample vials! The fragrances are Moschino Boy Toy, Versace Yellow Diamond, Viktor & Rolf BonBon, and Ralph Lauren Polo Earth. I haven’t tried any of them yet. Also in the gift: Ellis Brooklyn Bee (small vial, not deluxe); First Aid Beauty Bump Eraser Body Scrub; Sacheu Beauty Slick Skin; Florence by Mills Up in the Clouds Facial Moisturizer; it Cosmetics Confidence in a Cream; Banila Co Purity Therapy; Maelys B-Tight Lift & Firm Booty Mask (ooooh kay); Sun Bum 3 in 1 Leave In Treatment; Kiehl’s Super Multi-Corrective Eye Zone Treatment; ThisWorks Deep Sleep Pillow Spray; Murad Rapid Dark Spot Correcting Serum; Kopari Coconut Crush Scrub; Derma e Advanced Peptides & Collagen Serum; MAC Fix+ Spray; Living proof. Full Dry Volume & Texture Spray; Urban Decay Perversion Mascara; Love Wellness bye bye bloat Supplement; Derma e Thickening Shampoo & Conditioner; NatureLab.Tokyo Perfect Repair Shampoo & Conditioner; OUAI Detox Shampoo (no matching conditioner?); Grande Cosmetics Grande Gummies Vegan Collagen Booster (I just ate them – yummy); vor Sunset Rituals Conditioner (heyyyyy, no shampoo); and HASK Tea Tree Oil & Rosemary Hair & Scalp Treatment Mask. That is 27 samples, not 14…score!
Just $244 to Diamond in 2023!
Blushing Rose Quartz
More Color Street? Cool, cool.
My sister-in-law was in town Labor Day Weekend, so since she sells Color Street, I always want to have a Nail Party when she’s here. Lily chose these wraps for me – they’re called “Blushing Rose Quartz.” I am getting better at applying, but I’ll admit…my Cinderella hand looks like a trainwreck.
Rose Quartz is beautiful. I’ve started to see it cited as a birthstone for January, along side the traditional garnet…but I also see it attached to Taurus, which is mostly May birthdays and emeralds. Gemology is wild, ya’ll.
National Guacamole Day
When I was doing my nails last night, I had NO idea that the next day was “National Guacamole Day.” I just wanted to use the new Color Street Nail Strips that I got from my sister-in-law…but I googled it, and September 16th IS National Guacamole Day.
I started with Color Street “Let’s Guac and Roll” on my thumb and middle finger. After a coat of Glisten & Glow Ridge Filling Base Coat on the rest of my nails, I used Sinful Colors “Taco Tuesday” on my index and ring fingers, and Sinful Colors “Lil Beast” on my pinkie. No top coat for scented and textured polishes.
“Taco Tuesday” is THAT scented polish. Yup, it still smells like tacos. It’s been about 24 hours and my fingers still smell vaguely like I’ve been eating Doritos. “Lil Beast” is an alien landscape textured polish and really does look like the outside of an avocado.
I’ve been missing doing fun stuff like this with my nails…Hmmm, need more (stupid, made-up) holiday ideas…
Influenster Vox Box – Conair Cool Air Styler
I am BAD at hair.
Let me rephrase that…I can grow hair, lots of it. I am also pretty good at coloring my hair. I am REALLY FUCKING BAD at styling my hair. I acquire tool after tool, looking for the holy grail tool that will make hair styling easy for me. Will it be the InfinitiPro By Conair Cool Air Styler???
I was pumped to get another Vox Box so soon after the last one. (Oh yeah, I received this product complimentary from Influenster and Conair in exchange for my honest review.)
Well, right off the bat, I was annoyed that I had to blow-dry my hair first. Ugh, it only works on dry hair. Okay, I can deal with that…I dried my hair and got to work…it absolutely did not help that it was rainy outside. My hair doesn’t hold a curl well on a normal day, but forget about it when humidity is involved…
As you can see, the end results were mixed. I was able to get a nice way going on my right side, but this tool is not ambidextrous like the Beachwaver or the Dyson Airwrap. Doing the left side of my head was very AWKWARD and I must practice. It also made a far better wave on tiny amounts of hair (less than half an inch), than the usual amount I try to curl (an inch or so). I feel like it would take three hours to curl all my hair that way. It was however, FAR more comfortable to use than a regular curling iron because of the cool air blowing on the shaft. It supposedly locks in the curl, but if nothing else, keeps your scalp from sweating while you are holding it up to your head.
Sigh. The Conair Cool Air Styler is not MY holy grail, but it is an improvement over most old fashioned curling irons. It takes some practice to get the hang of it, and there are three different heat settings. It normally retails for $64.99, but Amazon has it for $49.97!
August 2022 Sucreabeille Mini Subscription Bag
This month’s mini subscription bag breaks out the fall scents…It won’t be fall in Texas for at least three more months (December-ish maybe?), but it’s the thought that counts.
August’s unreleased scent is “It’s All Science if You Write Down What Happened” and it is a bit confusing to me. It’s got a hot apple toddy type of scent, but muted…and there are no notes of clove or cinnamon. I guess it’s just hot apple cider?
“Spiked Cider” smells like flat apple juice, perhaps left inside a toddler’s sippy cup. If you ask me – and I know you did not – the names of “Spiked Cider” and “It’s All Science if You Write Down What Happened” should be swapped.
“Dead Ringer” might be my favorite of the whole box – and the site tells me it is discontinued! I love spooky scents, and this one is heavy with musk and myrrh. Arghhhhh…
According to the website, “Lodestone” is supposed to smell like Chocolate Peppermint Fudge (and figs?)…but I get “new car smell air freshener”. What is WRONG with my nose?
“Pumpkin Creme” smells exactly like you’d expect – every single Pumpkin Spice Latte you’ve ever drank. It’s too damn hot in Texas to be thinking about Pumpkin Spice right now. I really WANT to be drinking a Pumpkin Spice Latte right now, though.
“Memento Mori” is an old favorite…smells like every funeral home I’ve ever been to, and I love it.
I subscribe to the Mini Subscription Bag at just $15/month (shipping is extra), but there’s also a Medium Subscription Bag for $40/month and a Full Size Subscription Bag for $70/month. Click here for a $5 off coupon (for you AND me)!
Green Apple Craze
THIS IS NOT WHAT COLOR GREEN APPLES ARE!
I mean seriously – have the folks who name Sinful Colors Nail Polish color blind? Have they ever seen an actual piece of fruit? Or do they just eat tacos and pizza???
ANYWAY, this is Sinful Colors “Green Apple Craze”, a glossy polish that looks rather MINTY if you ask me…
This is two coats of “Green Apple Craze” over Glisten & Glow Ridge Filling Base Coat. I used Glisten & Glow Top Coat on all my nails, except the pinkies. I used Glisten & Glow Matte Top Coat on my pinkies – doesn’t it look like chalk?
Kirra
As I was preparing to attend my son’s Senior Night last week, I thought, “Why not show a little school spirit?” His school colors are purple and black, so I dug around for a snazzy purple…
Julep Bombshell “Kirra” is icy purple multidimensional glitter from the Hypnotic Frenzy Set – a bit more sheer than I expected, but buildable. I feel like I got decent coverage in two coats. It was a BITCH AND A HALF to get off, though.
This is two coats of “Kirra” over Glisten & Glow Ridge Filling Base Coat and under Glisten & Glow Glitter Grabber and Glisten & Glow Top Coat. Maybe those five layers is why it was so hard to get off?
Rose Water Delight
I finally remembered not to use a base coat!
Sinful Colors “Rose Water Delight” is another velvet matte polish – those polishes just do NOT like base coats. This is two coats of “Rose Water Delight” – no base coat, no top coat. The bad news is that this polish chipped pretty quickly…but it was less noticeable because of the light color.
I like the matte rose gold look. It reminds me of these cool wine tumblers my husband bought me – they match almost exactly!
Barbie x GLOSSYBOX
GLOSSYBOX is one of the few subscription boxes that I haven’t tried yet. When I saw ads for the Barbie x GLOSSYBOX collaboration, I had to get in on it.
I was excited to see that GLOSSYBOX allows non-subscribers to purchase their limited edition boxes – phew! The Barbie box was $35 for me, but $30 for GLOSSYBOX subscribers. It’s still available to order – click here!
I wish I had looked a bit closer at what was included in the box before I ordered it…I was pissed when I realized that the included eye shadow palette – ĀTHR Beauty Moonlight Crystal Palette – in the Halsey Glam Bag X last August. Well fuck…some lucky person might be getting it as a gift? It’s a GREAT palette, for a night out or even a grocery store trip.
The other big winner in the box was the Revolution Beauty Pout Bomb Plumping Gloss in “Candy”. At first, I was put off by the color – it’s super light. But then I had the idea to pair it with a darker lip liner and it looked AMAZING. I don’t care for plumping products that are spicy and hurt, but this one is just a mildly tingly mint. I love it!
I’ve been washing my face with the GLOSSYBOX SKINCARE Gentle Foaming Cleanser. It’s light and rinses clean. I also like the Cuvée Beauty Champagne Infused Eau De Parfum Rollerball. It reminds me of a Mimosa – champagne and orange juice.
The box also included First Aid Beauty Niacinamide Brightening Cream; Knesko Skin Rose Quartz Antioxidant Collagen Face Mask; Spectrum Collection A10 Small Fan Brush; Emilie Heathe Makeup Hair Clips (they are weird looking, but I like the concept); Floss Beauty Highlighter in “Sunbeam”; and a Makeup Eraser (I mean…I can always use another washcloth?)
I feel like I got a lot of value for just $35, even though the eye shadow was a dupe. According to GLOSSYBOX, the retail value of the box is over $230.
GLOSSYBOX subscriptions range from $21 monthly (if you purchase one month at a time) to $17.50 monthly (if you purchase a year at a time).
PEEPS Blue
Blue PEEPS are the best PEEPS…and that’s a hill I’m willing to die on, folks.
There’s just something about that blue crystallized sugar…and it always looks better than it tastes. As much as I love PEEPS, I can never finish a whole package before the last 1 or 2 get hard and crusty…
This is Sally Hansen Insta-Dri x PEEPS in “PEEPS Blue”. I love a bright, blue polish moment and this polish really delivers. This is two coats over Glisten & Glow Ridge Filling Base Coat and under Glisten & Glow Top Coat. This is a very long lasting polish – I know I wore it over a week with minimal edge-wear or chipping…