Category: Nails
Birthday Nails
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I was agonizing over what polish I should pick for my [40th!] birthday nails…until I got this month’s Julep box…then I knew.
Julep “Rosie” is charcoal grey with magenta glitter…and I LOVE it. It’s reminiscent of Zoya “Noir”, but in a smooth glitter formula. After Julep Oxygen Bonding Base Coat, I laid down two coats of “Rosie”. On the first coat, I noticed immediate shrinkage around the edges of my nails. Sigh. I made sure and coated the tips well on the second coat, but the polish still drew away from the edges of my fingernails, leaving a sliver of white fingernail at each tip. Le sigh. I sealed it with “HK Girl” and hoped for the best.
I had a very pleasant [40th!] birthday…work was low key, got my Tieks, had a lovely raw ribeye with the family, and didn’t find any new wrinkles or have hot flashes. Life is rosy…er, Rosie.
February Julep Maven Box – The February Collection
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Hey Julep…creative name you dreamed up this month – “The February Collection”.
The spotlighted beauty product this month was more Eye Shadow 101 sticks. I wasn’t feeling it, so I picked a new lip gloss in “Captivated” – Iridescent fig shimmer with Power Cell Complex. For polished, I picked It Girl “Rosie” – Charcoal grey with magenta glitter – and FINALLY got It Girl “Celeste” – Cosmic gray iridescent glitter. Just like last year, the February box came with “Hartleigh” – Holographic heart glitter top coat. There was also a single, foil wrapped chocolate heart. Yeah, I already ate it.
Not a Julep Maven? Leave a comment and I’ll send you a referral email good for a free welcome box!
Black Gold
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Black gold…Texas tea…
I was afraid this combination would look trashy, but it turned out fairly classy. After Sinful Colors Base Coat, I painted two coats of Maybelline Color Show “Twilight Rays” on each nail. “Twilight Rays” is black with a strong gold shimmer. I thought it would be more subtle, but it is really striking. I used essie Luxeffects “Summit of Style” to accent my thumb and ringfinger – I got it on clearance at HEB yesterday for $4.22! This is just one coat of “Summit of Style” – I think I could get full coverage in two, maybe three coats. I sealed the deal with “HK Girl”.
It’s funny how essie “Set in Stones” is blindingly blingy, yet “Summit of Style” is more understated – more like gold jewelry instead of diamonds. My luxeffects collection is almost complete…
Midnight Jewels
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Maybelline ColorShow “Midnight Blue” is an inky dark blue. At a glance, it appears black, but it’s blue enough that I was able to photograph the blue easily. When I bought it a few weeks ago, I was thinking that it was a jelly and I would get sheer coverage. I was wrong, it’s a creme – full coverage in two coats.
To jazz it up, I added Sally Hansen “Family Jewels” on my thumb and ring finger. “HK Girl” sealed the deal.
I wasn’t sure what to use for the base coat, so I just used the usual – Sinful Colors Base Coat. I’m definitely expecting stained nails after taking it off though. The price of beauty…
The Vegas Challenge
So…my dear skeptical husband didn’t think I’d be able to last 5 days in Las Vegas without painting my nails. That sounded like a challenge to me!
I’ll admit, I cheated a little bit. I was careful to choose very light polishes that would wear well…but that doesn’t mean I couldn’t have had a freak slot machine accident that mangled a nail. I started with Sinful Colors Base Coat and then a single coat of RUFFIAN “Sahara”. I then sparkled up with THREE coats of Nicole by OPI “Pick of the Glitter”. THREE. I was hoping for fuller coverage, but it’s not bad. I’m still gonna need a chainsaw to get it off. I finished up with “HK Girl”.
Just in case, though…I took “Pick of the Glitter” with me, in case I needed a touch-up.
Turns out, I didn’t need any touch-ups. Although there is major edge wear – there were no major chips. Actually, the new growth and my cuticles look worse than the tips.
Toodles, I’m going to go look for my chainsaw…
First Ulta Haul of 2016
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I didn’t think it would be so soon…but here it is – my first Ulta haul of the year.
I had been using John Frieda Illuminating Shine and I REALLY like they way it makes my newly short hair feel. I noticed it was $3 each on Ulta’s site and went nuts, ordering 3 each of shampoo and conditioner. (I guess it is discontinued now – it’s no longer on Ulta’s site. FUCK.) Isn’t that the way it always goes? You find something you like and them BOOM – it’s gone. Ugh. I also got a John Frieda Gift with Purchase – travel sizes of John Frieda Beach Blonde Cool Dip Purifying Shampoo, Smooth Seas Detangling Conditioner and Sea Waves Sea Salt Spray. Of course, I just cut all the blonde off my hair, but these will be good for summer.
I also picked up Urban Decay Loose Ultra Definition Finishing Powder – I’ve been using the Pressed, but wanted to try this. I also got Biore Baking Soda Liquid Cleanser (is baking soda the new charcoal?) – I tried it last night and it was nice. I had been lusting over Nicole by OPI “Pick of the Glitter” for about a month, after spying it in a Walgreen’s display. It was still on my mind, so I broke down and bought it. (It is every bit as good as I thought it would be.)
My purchase qualified me for the Platinum Skin Beauty Break Gift with $60 Purchase – a little plastic makeup bag with NOICE samples. Inside the bag: Dermablend Professional Setting Powder (Pricey); Philosophy Purity Made Simple One-Step Facial Cleanser (going to Vegas with me); StriVectin SD Advanced Intensive Concentrate for Wrinkles & Stretch Marks (Which one should I work on first?); Juice Beauty Green Apple Peel Sensitive (Leave it to Gwyneth Paltrow to make beauty products in the worst scent imaginable); Clarins Super Restorative Total Eye Concentrate; Lancome Renergie Lift Multi-Action Lifiting and Firming Moisturizer; Skyn Iceland Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels; Patchology FlashPath Eye Gels; and Smashbox Photo Finish Primer Oil. This is the best sample bag I’ve gotten from Ulta, I think!
I didn’t get my Variety Sampler though…Bummer.
On Thursdays…
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…we also wear pink.
I had intended to post these nails yesterday, under the cute title, “On Wednesdays, We Wear Pink” – but my hosting service decided that Wednesday evening was a really good time for maintenance, so we also wear pink on Thursdays now. Deal with it, loser.
This is Sinful Colors “Zest of Times”. It’s a very sheer, jelly pink. A Barbie pink. I kind of wish it was more opaque, but if wishes were horses…
I started with Sinful Colors Base Coat, two coats of “Zest of Times” and then “HK Girl”. Three or four coats probably would have given me the opacity I was looking for, but ain’t nobody got time fo’ dat.
HEB Beauty Clearance
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I know it might seem like it, but I had slowed WAY down on my nail polish purchase…until this month, anyway. So many beauty clearances, so little time.
I had some time to kill while my daughter was at a birthday party yesterday, so I decided to knock out some grocery shopping at HEB. I meandered into the beauty section with a full cart and found not just an endcap, but a whole table display of beauty clearance. There was a little bit of everything…
I chose three nail polishes – Maybelline Color Show “Midnight Blue” and “Twilight Rays” ($1.48 each), and Revlon Parfumerie “China Flower” ($2.48″). I also grabbed Physicians Formula Extreme Shimmer Eye Liner for Green Eyes ($4.81). I couldn’t resist the green glitter eyeliner…I NEEDED it.
About $10 is a small price to pay for such happiness…
I Got Trouble
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It’s a thrill when you you open up the mailbox to find a package you’ve been waiting for…but it’s even MORE of a thrill when you open it up and find a package you weren’t expecting.
I was tickled to receive an envelope from my friend (and most frequent commenter), Luci, sent me nail mail! She had a few polishes that were not getting the proper love at home, so she sent them to come live with me! She sent 2 Deborah Lippmann polishes – “Fashionably Late” and “Ya Got Trouble”, I’m guessing from the 15th Anniversary Set “I’ve Gotta Be Me”.
Which one to try first???
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“Ya Got Trouble” was a no brainer. It is a beautiful multichrome that shifts from brown to gold to greenish to purplish. I love how all Lippmann polishes are named after songs. “Ya Got Trouble” is from The Music Man.
I started with Orly Bonder and then painted two coats. The first coat was a bit streaky, but the second one gave full coverage. Finally, “HK Girl” to seal it.
It’s been 24 hours and no major chips…although I have a bit of edge wear on my left hand. It’s not tragic – I can wear this color at least one more day, maybe even two.
Insane Glitterbomb
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Oh. My. GAWD. Are you seeing what I’m seeing? This polish is INSANE. An INSANE glitterbomb.
Julep “Tish” is silver bell full-coverage microglitter. It’s a dense silver glitter, but there’s also a bit of black glitter mixed in for depth.
I started with Julep Oxygen Bonding Base Coat and got amazing full coverage in just two coats. I was expecting a a sandpapery texture, but the polish was semi-smooth. I finished the job with “HK Girl” and it felt sooooo smooth last night – but today, it’s slightly pebbled. Weird.