Category: Nails
So Amazon
I’m sure it’s not shocking that one of my nicknames during high school was ‘Amazon’. When I first started hearing it, it was meant pejoratively, started by a few jerky guys. Obviously, little Richard did not do his homework – Amazons are pretty badass!
I’m still feeling the purple, so I decided to recreate the same mani, but with a better purple. The better purple is Sinful Colors “Amazon Woman”, which is just outstanding. I had forgotten that it’s rather matte on it’s own – but of course, I topped with Glisten & Glow Matte Top Coat for extra matte-ening.
Of course, I started with Sinful Colors Base Coat (which I still cannot find in a store – eek). This is three coats of “Amazon Woman”, again using Nicole by OPI “Rainbow in the Sky-lie” on accent nails. The matte top coat is SO important for a long lasting manicure. Matte polishes are very delicate and chip within minutes it seems. Unless you are planning to paint every day, a matte top coat is absolutely necessary.
One-Step
I’ve found it. I’ve finally found the single hair tool for a perfect blow-out. I’ve had a love-hate relationship with blow-outs for well over 20 years. Around the time I graduated college, I ended up with a hair cut that necessitated a blow-out with round brush (it may or may not have rhymed with ‘the Bachel’). It happened probably 3 times before I was like ‘FUCK this’. I’ve tried everything from ionic dryers to diffusers, but everything takes too damn long – and makes my hair frizzy. About 10 years ago, I picked up a Conair Wet-to-Dry Styler, which works okay, but again – it take forever. Several years ago, I stepped up to a Revlon Paddle Style Dryer Brush, but there was still something lacking…
…until I tried the Revlon Pro Collection Salon One-Step Hair Dryer and Volumizer ($59.99). I can literally give myself a salon quality blow-out in about 5 minutes. 5 fucking minutes. I feel like I’ve suffered through decades of bad hair before this tool was invented. Run, don’t walk, to buy this tool. One exception, I give you permission to wait until you get a 20% off coupon like I did.
Oh and pro-tip – definitely use a blow-out spray or primer before you use it. I am using Redken Pillow Proof Blow Dry Express Primer Spray and it protects my hair while making it dry faster.
I also threw in a Revlon Nail Buffer ($3.49) because the 99 cent Diamond Brand ones I bought last time are SHIT. You get what you pay for!
My purchase qualified for a “Skinfatuation” gift with purchase, which included Exuviance Super Retinol Complex; Juice Beauty Stem Cellular Anti-Wrinkle Moisturizer; Murad Resurgence Retinol Youth Renewal Serum (fancy); Mario Badescu Vitamin C Serum; StriVectin Advanced Retinol Intensive Night Moisturizer; and Yes to Grapefruit Brightening Vitamin C Glow Boosting Paper Mask. That’s a lot of fucking retinol!
$138 to Platinum. It’s looking like I might have a chance to hit Diamond with Ulta this year, instead of Rouge with Sephora this year…
For My Work Wife…
I did these purple nails for my work wife – she loves purple!
Easter is coming and the stores are filled with pastels. I decided to mix up my pastels with some glitter. I started with Makeup Revolution “Adore” – two coats over Glisten & Glow Base Coat. The first coat was very streaky, but I got it to smooth out a bit with the second coat. There were weird fibers or hairs in the polish – I couldn’t tell if they were coming from the brush or what. This is the first time I’ve used this polish, so I don’t know what the fuck was going on with it – is hair nail polish a thing in the UK?
I used Nicole by OPI “Rainbow in the S-Kylie” on my accent nails. It’s a very versatile glitter, despite the fact that it is Kardashian-related.
I finished with Glisten & Glow Top Coat – I wasn’t brave enough to try the matte top coat , the polish is too lumpy. I do like the look quite a bit, although it’s starting to chip.
Nakey Nay
Oh hey – Spring Break is over, so I’m back.
The next “Naughty Nudes” that I tried out is Sinful Colors “Nakey Nay”. I fucking love the name – it’s so over-the-top silly. This is two coats of “Nakey Nay” over Sinful Colors Base Coat. It applies so smoothly, like a dream.
You know I’ve been obsessed with matte nails, so I used Glisten & Glow Matte Top Coat on all the nails, except that ring finger. I used plain Glisten & Glow Top Coat on the ring finger. I cannot decide on a favorite – I like them both.
Ignore the edge wear – I’d painted my nails on Wednesday, before heading out of town for Spring Break and didn’t stop and take a pic until today.
Let’s Flamingle
You KNOW I went back to Walmart and got Sinful Colors “Let’s Flamingle”. (I also got Sinful Shine “Poison Apple”). I paid full price, too – $2.98.
I am absolutely IN LOVE with “Let’s Flamingle” – I hope I am wearing it when I die, so my ghost will be always wearing it.
This is two coats over Sinful Colors Base Coat. I went without a Top Coat and it’s beautiful. I have regrets though – I started getting chips on my right hand within seconds it seems. Next time, I’ll try it with a matte top coat.
That’s it – I am totally caught up! I have nothing left to post…until I take a pic of the Target Beauty Box that arrived in my mailbox today.
Rainbow Wishes
I have unicorn nails!
I had totally forgotten about Nails Inc. “Rainbow Wishes” – I found it hidden in a cabinet in the living room. I am pretty sure I have random bottles of polish stashed throughout the house. Isn’t that what alcoholics do – stash bottles around the house? I’m definitely a polishoholic!
This is two coats of “Rainbow Wishes” over Glisten & Glow Base Coat and topped with Glisten & Glow Top Coat. I looooooooove it.
And, since this polish is so light and sheer, I could probably get away with wearing it for EVER. Edge wear and chips blend in – you cannot even see it.
Copper a Feel
I let Lily select which one of the Sinful Colors “Naughty Nudes” I would try first. She narrowed it down to “Copper a Feel” and “Skinny Dip” and I decided to go with “Copper a Feel”, a rich copper polish with greenish gold shimmer.
“Copper a Feel” is a rich, vibrant polish. It’s thick like a creme polish, but packed with shimmer – almost flakies. I might have been able to go with one coat, but I went with two coats over Sinful Colors Base Coat.
I couldn’t decide on top coats, so I used Glisten & Glow Matte Top Coat on my thumb and ring finger, and regular Glisten & Glow Top Coat on the rest. Although I like both the glassy and matte looks, the matte look wins, although just barely.
Naughty Nudes
Oh, how the tables have turned.
When Walgreen’s carried Sinful Colors Nail Polish, I’d wait for the sales, hoping for 5/$5, but 3/$5 or 2/$3 were good, too. The sales were few and far between, but at least they still carried it…until now. Walgreen’s no longer carries Sinful Colors, but their main outlet is now Walmart. I’ve seen displays at HEB and Target, as well as buckets at Big Lots – but the new collections are dropping at Walmart.
I had to make an emergency cat litter work after work one night last week, so I made a reconnaissance run through the makeup aisle and there it was – the brand new Sinful Colors display, barely touched. I filled my carts with two full collections – the Naughty Nudes Collection and the Sinful Mattes Collection. 18 bottles of nail polish, rolling around in my cart. I looked for a bottle of Base Coat, but there wasn’t a space for it in the display – I’ve got to search for it. I passed on the new Sinful Shines, a bit pricey for me at $2.98 each.
Ultimately, only the Naughty Nudes ended up coming home with me. when I was checking out, the Sinful Mattes were also $2.98 each. I didn’t feel like spending another $30 on nail polish right this second – $17.82 is bad enough.
The Naughty Nudes Collection consists of (clockwise, starting with the lightest color at about eight o’clock) “Strike a Pose”, “Tease”, “Nakey Nay” (my personal favorite name), “Copper a Feel”, “Come Closer”, “Body Language”, “SkinTillating”, “Nude Mood”, and “Skinny Dip”.
I have regrets about skipping a few of the Sinful Shines, specifically “Poison Apple” and “Let’s Flamingle”. I need to go back…
Carla Calamine
Do they even sell calamine lotion anymore? Now that there’s a vaccine for chicken pox, what else can you do with calamine lotion? Oh, I guess people still use it for poison ivy, but I’m guessing that the vaccine has really killed the calamine industry.
I, though, am from the generation that had chicken pox – and boy did I ever. I still have very prominent scars from the chicken pox I got in 2nd grade and I remember how I looked, covered in calamine lotion. It’s not even lotion – it doesn’t absorb, it just sits on your skin and crusts. And that’s Julep “Carla” in a nutshell – it dried on my nails like calamine lotion. The first coat was super streaky. The second coat helped, but it was still super streaky. I think part of the problem was that base coat. I squeezed one more use out of my almost empty bottle of Julep Oxygen Smoothing Base Coat – but that last coat was not even and did not give a good start to the manicure. (I am devastated that I cannot get this base coat anymore – nothing works as well with my Julep polishes, as their own formulation.)
I finished with Glisten & Glow Matte Top Coat, which was adding insult to injury. It showed every imperfection and of course, I managed to get several dents in it while getting ready for bed. It didn’t last long – I took it off after 2 days.
Vibrant Virgo
Can you tell that this nail pic was taken in the middle of lovely Chicago Midway Airport? I was stuck there on a layover for five hours on Saturday, so I had plenty of time to take care of Instagram business.
Julep “Vibrant Virgo” is a multidimensional rose gold polish – and it. is. EVERYTHING. It matches everything – even my new wedding band.
This is two coats of “Vibrant Virgo” over Julep Oxygen Smoothing Base Coat and under Glisten & Glow Top Coat.
I was kind of trying to riff on Jim Morrison in February’s box review – here’s the real quote:
“I don’t know how many you people believe in astrology…Yeah, that’s right…that’s right, baby, I…I am a Sagittarius. The most philosophical of all the signs. But anyway, I don’t believe in it.
– Jim Morrison – “Roadhouse Blues”
I think it’s a bunch of bullshit, myself.
But I tell you this, man, I tell you this…I don’t know what’s gonna happen, man, but I wanna have my kicks before the whole shithouse goes up in flames.