Category: Nails
Very Cherry
Forget for a moment that “Very Cherry” Jelly Bellies are plain old red jelly beans. Jelly Belly x Sally Hansen Insta Dri “Jewel Very Cherry” is an iridescent magenta dream. The base does lean red, but this is definitely a pink polish. I forgive you, Sally, for trying to make me believe this beautiful polish is a cherry jelly bean.
I started with Sally Hansen Double Duty – will I ever finish this damn bottle? This is two coats of “Jewel Very Cherry”, topped with Glisten & Glow Top Coat.
This polish looked very familiar to me, once it was on my nails. It might be a dupe of one of my OLDEST polishes – Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear “Hot Magenta”. They are not an exact match – but they are pretty darn close.
Stoned Vibes
While taking my daughter to Ulta for a back-to-school haircut, I had a moment to go shopping for myself…
Urban Decay Cosmetics just launched the “Stoned Vibes” Eyeshadow Palette ($54) and I had been on the fence about it, but seeing it in person lured me in…well, that AND a $10 off a $40 purchase coupon. I’ve had a chance to sample several of the “stoned” shades and they are very different than what you’d expect. They’re very sheer, but buildable. Be warned, they leave a lot of fallout all over your face. The colors are a nice range of colors, too. I’ve seen a few negative reviews, but it’s kind of nice to see Urban Decay branching out and releasing something different than another Naked palette.
I also scooped up some clearance goodies: a few 75% off Frida Kahlo x Ulta Beauty items – a back-up Blurring Primer and the Beso de Amor Cheek & Bronzer Duo. There were also a bunch of Jelly Belly x Sally Hansen polishes at 50% off – “French Vanilla”, “Jewel Very Cherry”, and the “Hop Into Spring” Duo with “Birthday Cake” and “Jewel Bubble Gum”.
I also bought 3 tiny Conair Quick Smooth Hair Brushes, because they have velcro in them to make your hair smooth. I couldn’t tell a difference, honestly. And, they were $6…and I expected them to be $3 because they were so tiny.
The cashier let me break my purchase into two transactions, so I could use the $10 off coupon on the eyeshadow and another $3.50 off coupon on everything else. Just $299 to Diamond status in 2021.
Mercury Rising
Cuccio Colour is a new brand to me – it was an add-on to last month’s ipsy bag. I giggle every time I say it…you know, because coochie. I am a child trapped in a woman’s body.
Cuccio Colour “Mercury Rising” is a dark violet creme. It covered well and was not streaky. It also lasted without chips.
This is two coats of “Mercury Rising” over Glisten & Glow Ridge Filling Base Coat. It’s shiny alone, but I topped all but my pinky with Glisten & Glow Top Coat. My pinky got the matte treatment with Glisten & Glow Matte Top Coat.
Is this polish misnamed? Isn’t Mercury known as “the red planet”? Just a thought…
Energetic Snake
Fresh off “Witchy Snake”, I couldn’t wait to try the other Bebe Rexha Snake-like Top Coat. Check out Sinful Colors “SSS Sparkle”.
I wanted a bright primary color that would pop against the gold, so I started with a single coat of Sinful Colors “Energetic Red” over Glisten & Glow Ridge Filling Top Coat. I then topped all of my fingers, except the ring fingers, with “SSS Sparkle”. I finished the job with Glisten & Glow Top Coat.
I wasn’t expecting the glitter crackle to dissipate so much – it crackles, but also shrank onto the nail, leaving bigger crackles than her black sister.
I really liked the orange leaning “Energetic Red” – it’s still on my toes!
Turned Up Turquoise
It’s so difficult to get good sunlight polishes of turquoise nail polishes and China Glaze “Turned Up Turquoise” is no exception. The pictures I was able to get are straight blue, but the polish has a bit more green in it in real life. It is absolutely a chameleon of a polish.
The polish was a gift from my dear friend Lisa and I was excited to try it immediately. I was not expecting a pearly matte finish! From the bottle, it appears to be a plain old creme polish, but I was pleasantly surprised with the pearly qualities.
This is two coats over Glisten & Glow Ridge Filling Base Coat and under Glisten & Glow Matte Top Coat. Even with the top coat, it chipped rather quickly – I was disappointed.
“Turned Up Turquoise” is originally from the 2008 Summer Ink Collection – no wonder it’s so thick! The collection is modeled on tattoo colors, which is right on with the turquoise in blue rose tattoos on my arm. I was very fortunate to get my hands on this classic and sought after polish.
August 2020 Ipsy Bag – The Future is Yours
August’s ipsy bag contains futuristic products in a futuristic holographic bag.
My product choice this month was It Cosmetics Confidence in Your Beauty Sleep Night Cream. I didn’t read the description when I picked it – I wouldn’t have picked it if I had realized that it is lavender-scented. Lavender usually gives me an immediate headache, but this product was fine. I’ve been wearing it to bed with no ill effects!
Also is my cool little holographic bag: Araceli Beauty Jalisco Eyes Single in “Sombrero” (a good neutral base color – it applies like butter); Hey Honey Take Away the Drama Youth Boosting Honey & Copper Peel Off Mask; Jersey Shore Cosmetics Moisture Rich Hydrating Lip Balm in Watermelon; and MOTD Cosmetics Pigment Packer Small Shader Brush.
I also splurged on a $5 nail polish duo add-on with Cuccio Colour “Mercury Rising” and Color Club “Ghosted”. The add-ons are SUPPOSED to be shipped with your ipsy bag, but they arrived separately, about a week before my bag. What’s the point of that???
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. I am starting to get tempted to subscribe to the yearly plan…
Witchy Snake
I found them! I found the new Bebe Rexha “snake-like top coats” at HEB. Girl, you cannot fool me, those are crackle top coats!
Surprisingly, I don’t own a black crackle, so I was happy to get a pure black crackle in Sinful Colors “Snake it Happen”. (I do have a black with silver glitter, but that DOES NOT COUNT.) There’s also a gold glitter, which you’ll get to see soon.
I finished off my bottle of Glisten & Glow Base Coat and threw away the bottle. It was okay, but I much prefer the Ridge Filling version. I started with one coat of Sinful Colors “Witch’s Brew”, a neon green. I should’ve done more than one coat, because as soon as “Snake it Happen” hit it, the green almost disappeared! Why??? Even though the green nearly disappeared, “Snake it Happen” crackled beautifully.
I finished with Glisten & Glow Top Coat, except for Sinful Colors Radical Matte Top Coat on my ring finger. The main difference is that the matte top coat is snug to the polish and leaves ridges you can feel, whereas the glossy coat is super smooth.
Sinful Station
Is there is a Dollar Tree in the same parking lot as the Honky Bucket I’m eating lunch at, I’m gonna find an excuse to drop in and search for Sinful Colors, even if it’s all the way in College Station.
This particular location had a decent selection of Sinful Colors…except for the fact that almost all of the packages contained “Energetic Red”. I picked a package that paired “Energetic Red” with SinfulShine “Guilty Pleasures”.
I also found a package with rather new polishes – “Witch’s Brew” from last Halloween’s Bebe Rexha “Wicked Neons” collaboration. It’s a blacklight reactive neon green. The package also had the Radical Matte Top Coat. I already have several matte top coats, but what’s one more?
Prosecco
I don’t actually drink Prosecco – almost all wine products give me an immediate headache and throat inflammation to boot. If only I could be one of those “wine moms”…
Sinful Colors SinfulShine “Prosecco” is one of the most popular shades from the core collection, and I can see why. It’s a beautiful taupe-y greige with a gold, bubble-like shimmer. It’s a great polish for vacation, as it’s neutral enough to hide chips.
This is two coats over Glisten & Glow Base Coat and under Glisten & Glow Top Coat.
What’s YOUR Hogwarts House?
You want to cause chaos in your household? Pick up a couple of Hogwarts House Bath Bombs for your kids and watch them freak out when their bath bomb tells them they are in the wrong house. No joke, my little Hufflepuff daughter was scandalized when her bath bomb told her she should be in Slytherin. My Slytherin son wanted to get into HER bath and kick her out, and even a week later, he is too scared to use his own bath bomb. The Harry Potter x Ulta Beauty Mystery Hogwarts House Bath Bombs are $8 each – purchase at your own risk.
The Harry Potter x Ulta Beauty Hogwarts House Lotion ($12 each) is a much safer bet. I got one for each member of the family: Gryffindor (berry vanilla), Hufflepuff (wildflowers), Ravenclaw (cucumber), and Slytherin (raindrops). They all smell very good.
I added a few odds and ends to my order – a China Glaze Striper in “Paint it Black” ($1.05, down from $1.50) and a Marc Anthony Deep Repair Aloe Vera & Jasmine Oil Deep Conditioning Packet ($1.79, down from $2.99).
I got a Clinique Beauty Break with my order, with Clinique High Impact Mascara, Lipstick in “Bare Pop”, and Take the Day Off Makeup Remover. I also used my trusty $3.50 0ff $15 coupon.
Just $418 to Diamond in 2021.