Author: Lara
Hiss and Make Up
Thanks to a one-on-one training session from my sister-in-law Becca, I am now an expert at apply Color Street Nail Strips.
First off, I learned that I was putting the strips on upside down – d’oh! No wonder my Flamingos were upside down! The other big difference was letting the strips cure. I was trying to file those suckers down immediately…but they need 20 minutes or so to cure before filing. This was the biggest difference in my application – I just needed a little patience.
This set is called “Hiss and Make Up”. I want to try reproducing it with a holographic polish and one of my crackle top coats.
When applied correctly, these strips DO last a very long time – I wore these for 10 whole days and they would’ve lasted longer, if not for my nail growth.
I’ve collected quite a collection of nail strips over the years – not just Color Street and Jamberry, but all kinds of brands. I’m going to start using them more, now that I’m an expert.
If you are interested in trying Color Street Nail Polish Strips , click here to visit Becca’s Store Front!
Crave the Chaos
Essie has launched a new line of 8 Free, Quick Dry Nail called expressie. I got a sample of essie expressie “Crave the Chaos” in the “Pampered Nails” Target Beauty Capsule. At first glance, “Crave the Chaos” seems to be a plain old pink polish…but it not a plain girly pink – it’s not exactly a masculine pink. Maybe mature is the word I am looking for?
This is two coats of “Crave the Chaos” over Glisten & Glow Ridge Filling Base Coat. Even though it’s supposedly a quick dry formula, I didn’t skip the top coats. My first four nails got Glisten & Glow Top Coat, while my pinkies got Glisten & Glow. I almost like it better matte. Almost.
Essie Expressie polishes are normally $9, so I was glad to get this one as part of that $14.99 box.
Flamingoals
A few months ago, I bought several more sets of Color Street Nail Polish Strips. I was planning to use these strips as a long lasting vacation mani – I *thought* I was going on a little extended weekend vacation to New Orleans last week, but COVID-19 kicked our plans in the ass. Oh well, I did my nails anyway.
This is Color Street “Flamingoals”. I am still kind of terrible at applying these – I keep wrinkling the tips. And why is the Flamingo upside-down??? I don’t care, I have Flamingo nails!
If you are interested in trying Color Street Nail Polish Strips , click here to visit Becca’s Store Front!
July 2021 Ipsy Bag – Stay Golden
I got an email today that August’s glam bag X shipped, so I better get on July! (Yes, I upgraded to Glam Bag X – more on that later.)
July’s bag design seemed plain and boring – until the zipper pull caught my eyes – it’s a gorgeous gold sun, with a vibrant blue (probably plastic) crystal.
I’ll be honest – I’ve only had a chance to try one of the products in this month’s bag and it was my product choice this month – Purlisse Beauty WATERMELON + CHARCOAL Purifying Cleanser. I really do enjoy Purlisse products – maybe I’ll actually buy some some day.
Also in this month’s “Stay Golden” bag: Dermedicine Advanced Skincare Retinol Detox High Potency Mask; OUAI Scalp & Body Scrub; Realher Dreams So Big Eyeshadow Duo in “Imagine” & “Ambition”; and Tarte Sea Quench Hydrating Primer.
Not a bad little bag this month…
I subscribe to the basic ipsy bag for $12/month. If you’d like to try Ipsy – click here. I’ll earn 250 points if you sign up through my referral link.
Target Beauty Capsule – Pampered Nails
The other Target Beauty Capsule that I ordered is the Pampered Nails Set. No shock there, I am a little obsessed with my nails.
Obviously, I won’t be using the KISS Gel Fantasy Nails – they’ll be gifted to anyone who wants them. I also already have a bottle of Sinful Colors “Low-Key Lavender”, which will also be gifted.
I will use everything else in this box: OLLY Undeniable Beauty Vitamins; Dr. Scholl’s Ultra Hydrating Foot Mask; Essie Expressie Quick-Dry Nail Polish in “Crave the Chaos”; BeLoved Cherry Blossom Hand Cream in “Blossom”; Up&Up Premium Cotton Rounds; Japonesque Essential 4-Way Nail Buffer; Up&Up Strengthening Nail Polish Remover; and a Manicure Set (great for purse or travel).
Another $5 off $15 coupon that must be used in-store. Ugh.
The Pampered Nails Target Beauty Capsule is $14.99 and still available! Use your Target Red Card for 5% off.
Target Beauty Capsule – At-Home Luxuries
I may have splurged a bit this month and picked up two more Target Beauty Capsules…
The first capsule is At-Home Luxuries and contains 9 luxurious spa items. It’s very likely that I will NOT be using the Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula Hemp Body Oil – I hate the way cocoa butter smells, as well as that hempy smell. I am also unlikely to use the HUGE Resin Gua Sha – I haven’t tried the tiny one from last month’s ipsy yet. I am also not interested in the Olay Premium Body Rinse Off Body Conditioner Shea Butter. What is the point of a lotion hyou have to rinse off? Ain’t nobody got time for that!
I will, however, try out the rest of the products in the box: DERMA E Hydrating Eye Cream; Que Bella Professional Illuminating Holographic Peel off Mask; Hair Food Avocado & Argan Oil Hair Mask (yassss); ACURE Brightening Facial Scrub Pouch; Artnaturals Collagen Booster; and SheaMoisture Coconut & Hibiscus Brightening Body Lotion.
This box comes with ANOTHER $5 off $15 coupon, but it is also in-store only. HUGE bummer!
The At-Home Luxuries Target Beauty Capsule is $14.99 and still available! Use your Target Red Card for 5% off.
Buena Fortuna
Oh, Fortuna…I cannot think of anything else but “O Fortuna” with this nail polish.
Pacifica Plant Magic “Buena Fortuna” is an amazing, shimmery gold/copper duochrome. I couldn’t pick up the hints of green in the pics – I tried.
This is two coats of “Buena Fortuna” over Glisten & Glow Ridge Filling Base Coat and under Glisten & Glow Top Coat.
To me, this is more of a pineapple polish than “Colada Mama” – what do you think?
Hairy Ulta Haul
Sometimes, you just gotta stock up on a few things. The price went up on NatureLab.Tokyo Perfect Smooth Conditioner Refills ($23, was $22)! I also used up an Ulta Ultra Slim Brow Pencil in “Dark Brown” ($10), which freaked me out, so I ordered 2.
My Shhhowercap is on its last legs, so I’m auditioning replacements that are not $43. This Kitsch Striped Luxe Shower Cap ($24) is working out so far – it doesn’t have the rubber strip like the Shhhowercap, but it’s keeping things dry so far. Fingers crossed. I also threw a set of Kitsch Large Dome Claw Clips ($10) in my cart – I have SO much hair right now.
A few impulse sale buys – KVD Beauty Studded Kiss Creme Lipstick in “OG Lolita” ($10, down from $20). I’ve been wanting to try this shade…but imagine my shock that the packaging was the old Kat Von D Beauty labelling. How old is this lipstick? At least a year and a half old…ugh. It did not smell and wore just find, but still annoying. I also snagged a 75% off Pacifica Plant Magic Polish in “Buena Fortuna” ($2.50, down from $10).
There were a lot of gifts with purchase in this order., even with my $5 off $40 coupon. I got a Free MAC Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation deluxe sample with my $25 makeup purchase, as well as a Kylie Cosmetics Concealer. I’ll probably never use either. I also got free 18 piece Day Tripper bag with my $85 purchase, which came with Kenra Volume Spray; Patchology Chill Mode Soothing Cannabis Seed Oil-Infused Eye Gels (I used a different set of Patchology Eye Gels this morning – I cannot tell for sure, but I think they helped…but not sure); Kiehl’s Super Multi-Corrective Cream; Exuviance Overnight Transformation Complex; MAC Studio Fix+; Vichy Mineral 89 Booster Quotidien Fortifiant; Benefit The POREfessional (I have SO much of this stuff – but I use it, so it’s okay); Korres Nourishing Probiotic Gel-Cream (I hope it does not make me poop); Bliss Drench & Quench Cream-to-Water Hydrator; Clinique My Happy; Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara in “Very Black”; Hanksin Hyaluron exfoliating AHA Treatment; Rusk Puremix Native Fig Replenishing Shampoo & Conditioner (I just got this in the last sample bag); Clinique Almost Lipstick in “Black Honey” (I love this balm – I just found an old one in my lipstick and trashed it because it smelled funny); Juice Beauty Stem Cellular Anti-Wrinkle Booster Serum; Clean It Zero Cleansing Balm; and Philosophy Nature in a Jar Cica Complex Recovery Moisturizer. There’s some good stuff in here!
This is it for Ulta hauls…I think. Just $457 to Diamond.
Candy Apple
There’s nothing like Xmas in July!
Sinful Colors “Candy Apple” is a glittery red jelly topper from a few Xmases ago. The jelly is red and the big glitter is red, but there’s also gold microglitter shimmer. It’s really pretty.
This is two coats of “Candy Apple” over Glisten & Glow Ridge Filling Base Coat and under Glisten & Glow Top Coat…except for the ring finger, which of course got the matte treatment with Glisten & Glow Matte Top Coat.
Colada Mama
Sinful Colors “Colada Mama” is part of the newest Saweetie Collaboration – “Vacation Vibes”. I’ve only found a few of these in the wild (HEB)…but I keep on looking.
A Pina Colada is certainly NOT baby poop orangey brown like this nail polish. Pineapples aren’t really this color – inside or out? Maybe part of the skin? “Colada Mama” would make a great UT polish though.
This is two coats over Glisten & Glow Ridge Filling Base Coat and under Glisten & Glow Top Coat.