Category: Nails
A. Ham
Have you watched Hamilton yet? If you haven’t, beg/borrow/steal a Disney Plus account and watch it. Even though I brought my son to see the touring version a few years ago, there’s nothing like seeing the original cast shine in their roles. Shortly after watching, I had the idea for Hamilton nails.
I was shocked to find that I had NO nail polish with black star glitter. I had silver and gold, as well as red, white and blue – but not black. I also didn’t have any black star decals. I then started raiding the kids’s stickers, nope. I sure as hell wasn’t going to try to paint stars freehand, but then I remembered the moYou London stamping plates that I got in Vegas all those years ago…
I didn’t have a plate with a single star, but one of the plates had a small grouping of stars, so I went with that one. I started with two coats of Sinful Colors SinfulShine “Nola Way” over Glisten & Glow Base Ridge Filling Base Coat. I stamped the stars over my nails and I was shocked that it worked better than I remembered. I’d been avoiding playing with stamping because it seemed too annoying before…but it was kind of fun. I even got cocky enough to try a little fairy stamp on my pinky.
I topped with Glisten & Glow Top Coat, which didn’t smear most of my nails. I must have stamped too heavily on the middle finger of my right hand (not pictured), because it looked like a cluster of shooting stars.
Captain Marvel Vibes
It must be my OCD/hoarder tendencies, but a nail polish without a name just bugs the everliving SHIT out of me. NEITHER of these Wet ‘n Wild WIldshine nail polishes have a name! I searched all over the internet and couldn’t find these shades, either on the main brand page or on any blogposts. What’s that about?
The first thing we watched on our new Disney Plus subscription was Captain Marvel, so her blue and red costume must have been on my mind when I put this combination together – it wasn’t intentional!
This is two coats of the Wet ‘n Wild Blue polish over Glisten & Glow Base Coat. I used the pink, red and white Wet ‘n Wild glitter on the tips. I may have glooped it on too thickly, because the Glisten & Glow Top Coat did NOT play well with these polishes. It was almost as if the top coat was floating – dried – on top of the wet glitter polish. Several of my nails wrinkled and folded around the edges – it was ugly as hell. Oh well – thin coats, ya’ll!
Target Beauty Box – June 2020
Just one Target Beauty Box in June? How rude!
June’s theme is “Beauty Trendsetters” and includes products promoted by celebrity makeup artists and Instagram influencers. The first thing I noticed was a heavily photoshopped Kardashian glaring at me from the box. Turns out Khloe is a spokesperson for Tanologist Drops Sunless Tanning Treatments. 100% fuck no on this product.
The rest of the products in the box are a mix of cool and questionable. I’ve gotten samples of Lumify Redness Reliever Drops before and they’re pretty good. I’ve been using the Honestly pHresh Prebiotic Deodorant in “Sea Mineral” and it works as well as my other natural deodorants. I haven’t had a chance to use the tenoverten Rose Polish Remover Wipes or the Yuni Travel Shower Sheet Wipes. Ditto on the Waterl<ss Instant Moisture Dry Conditioner.
I’m intrigued by the Rae DeStress Capsules – lord knows I need to destress right now. I Tried to figure out what was in them by reading the package – a “Proprietary Blend” with Ashwagandha Root Extract and Bacopa Monnniera Whole Aerial Extract. Uhhhhhhh…I guess it’s not the most questionable thing I’ve taken, so I might as well give it a spin – down the hatch!
This box was $7, with free shipping, plus 5% off with my Target Red Card. The box came with a $3 off $15 coupon, and the coupon has an extended expiration date of 10/1/20. I still have a coupon from last month left, so I’m glad Target is giving extra time to redeem.
Vvvroom!
GAGGED! Sinful Colors Quick Bliss “Vvvroom!” has me gagging.
I usually don’t get excited about lavender nail polishes…or any shade of purple, really…but “Vvvroom!” is so pretty and shimmery – I could wear it forever. It was so long lasting, I felt like I wore it forever. This is one of the best $2.98 nail polishes out there.
This is two coats of “Vvvroom!” over Glisten & Glow Base Coat. I used Glisten & Glow Top Coat on all my nails, except the pinky. I had to see it mattified, so I used Sinful Colors Rubber Top Coat. I was underwhelmed by the matte look, it’s gotta be shiny.
Yes to Ulta
That Ulta, they keep getting me with their “gift with purchase” offers. My $60 purchase brought me a 10 piece “Patio Prep” Sampler. The sampler includes: My Amazing Replenish Hydrating Shampoo & Conditioner (This brand is new to me and I am excited to try it); L’Oreal Voluminous Primer/Base (I’ve gotten 3-4 samples of this and still have never tried it); Cover FX Mattifying Primer + Acne Treatment (Intrigued by this product – looking forward to trying this as well); Peach & Lily Glass Skin Refining Serum; Milani Bold Matte Lipstick in “I am Worthy” (I have not tried it yet, but it looks like my favorite shade, KvD “Lolita”); belif The True Cream Aqua Bomb (YES – I will never run out!); Hey Honey! 24Seven! Honey Day & Night Cream; and skyn Iceland The Antidote Cooling Daily Lotion. No lie – this is the best sample bag I’ve received in a good long while!
The way I’ve been shopping at Ulta lately, is filling my shopping cart with things I want, waiting for a good promo or deal. Yes to… products were BOGO Half, so I picked up a few items for my son: Yes to Tomatoes Triple Threat Acne Treatment Kit ($12.99 and includes a sulfur solution like Kate Somerville – I might have to switch myself) and Yes to Tomatoes Detoxifying Charcoal Cleanser ($5, down from $9.99). He acted offended, but I’ve noticed a real improvement in his complexion since he’s started using them.
I added to my conditioner hoard with John Frieda Wonder Drops – Frizz Smoothing Wonder Mask ($1.47 each and also BOGO Half). I got two and used one so far. It felt like a normal conditioner to me – nothing special. The packettes are smaller than I’m used to – only one application. I also ordered a Diane Hanging Shower Comb ($3.50) to evenly distribute my conditioning packs.
I liked the ColourPop Ultra Blotted Lip in my last order, so I ordered another one – “Cherry on Top”, a blackened cherry ($7).
EVERYWHERE is selling face masks now. I bought a pack of 3 from Kitsch for $12.99. They are good quality and breathable, so I’ll definitely buy more now that Texas has a Face Mask Order across the whole state.
I found a few 75% off clearance goodies: Ulta Transforming Clay Cleanser ($3.12, down from $12.50 ), which is supposed to change colors after 30 seconds, but changes color immediately – so weird. Also, Beauty by Popsugar Liquid Velvet Lip in “Be Racy” ($6, down from $24), which was way pinker than I expected and kind of tacky, as in made my lips stick together.
The last few things I threw in my cart were random – a Rebels Refinery Skull Lip Balm in “Mint”, because it reminded me of a lighter that I used to have, and a back-up Zoya Remove+ ($10). Oh, and don’t forget about that $3.50 off coupon!
After this purchase, I’m 40% to Diamond in 2021 ($719 to go)…but I have $61 in points. The new Urban Decay Naked Ultraviolet Palette drops in a few days and I’ve got my eye on it…
June 2020 Allure Beauty Box – Brighter Days
Now this is what I’m talking ’bout Allure!
The last few boxes have been duds, but this month’s box is an improvement. The star of the box is the FULL SIZE pūrlisse Watermelon + Charcoal Purifying Cleanser. It smells SO good and makes my skin feel so clean it squeaks.
The other big winner in this month’s box is belif The True Cream Aqua Bomb Aloe Vera. I’ve loved the original Aqua Bomb for years and this new formula with aloe vera takes hydration to a whole other level. I’d actually BUY this product.
Also in this month’s box: Starskin 100% Camellia Nourishing & Brightening 2-Step Oil Sheet Mask; Yensa Super 8 Lip Oil in “Pink Shine”; Dashing Diva Gloss Ultra Shine Gel Palette; and La Roche-Posay Active C10.
The Allure Beauty Box is $15/month, but they give you $5 off your first box. They also offer an option for $150/year – a savings of $30. Sign up via my referral link.
On the Catwalk
I love a good red nail polish and Color Club “Catwalk” does not disappoint.
“Catwalk” is from this month’s ipsy bag. I am shook – it is a the perfect Morticia Addams shade of red.
This is two coats over Glisten & Glow Ridge Filling Base Coat and under Glisten & Glow Top Coat. The polish is shiny on its own, but a glossy top coat makes it POP.
“Catwalk” was a long lasting polish, too – it lasted on my nails nearly a week with only slight edge wear. I still have it on my toes.
Pride Skittles
June is Pride Month, so how about Pride Skittle Nails?
Technically, I guess these aren’t Skittles – I blended the colors on my nails instead of using one color per nail. I pulled out the Sinful Colors Pride Collection and got to work.
I am terribly boring and blended the colors in ROY G BIV order, starting with red “Tainted Love”, orange “Tight Squeeze”, yellow “Natural Blonde”, green “Filthy Rich”, blue “Love is Love”, and purple “Drag Queen”. I layered two coats of each over Glisten & Glow Base Coat. The unique finish is from topping with Sinful Colors Rubber Top Coat – it’s basically just a slightly rougher matte top coat.
The shades blended really well, except for the yellow and green. I feel like the yellow and green blended really awkwardly. My favorite blend ended up on my right thumb, the red and purple. I don’t normally take pics of my neglected left hand, especially my stunted and damaged thumb nail, but I really wanted to show the blend in this post.
Vroom, Vroom MF
I heard on the internets that Sinful Colors added two more shades to the new Quick Bliss Collection…I mean, I needed some Walmart stuff anyway…
No need to go on a scavenger hunt – my closest Walmart had both of the new shades. The red is “Speedster” and the lavender shimmer is “Vvvroom”. Both have stickers denoting that they are “Bebe’s Shade” – oh hey, more Bebe Rexha collabs.
I even paid full price for these – $2.98. That’s a far cry from my 2/$1 hauls from Dollar Tree.
Spark
Oh hot damn, this polish is FIRE.
I’ve been swimming in Sinful Colors lately, so I decided to pick a neglected polish from the back of the cabinet…I cannot believe I’ve been sleeping on Formula X “Spark”. I was expecting a sparse topper, but this is no topper – this is a full coverage glitter, baby!
This is two coats over Glisten & Glow Base Coat. I used Glisten & Glow Top Coat on my first three fingers and Glisten & Glow Matte Top Coat on my ring finger and pinky. It will surprise no one that I like the matte look better.
Dare I start checking Tuesday Mornings to see if there are any Formula X bottles left? The one by me is NOT going out of business…