Category: Nails
Independence Nails
I wasn’t gonna do special nails for the 4th today…I just wasn’t feeling it. The weather was awful and rainy today, we didn’t leave the house, and to be honest, I’m not very proud to be American right now. When I broke a nail putting laundry in the dryer, it was a good excuse to my nails. I even took the decision out of my own hands, by letting Lily pick the polishes for us to use…joke’s on me – she picked 4th of July colors.
My nails were long and at the point of breaking, so I went ahead and trimmed them all down before I got started. After Glisten & Glow Ridge Filling Base Coat, I started with e.l.f. “Liquid Metal”. It was one of those tiny bottles from a holiday set and it was like spreading peanut butter on my nails – there was barely enough for a single coat. Lily then dictated that I do a swipe of red (China Glaze “Applejack of my Eye”) on the left, and blue (China Glaze “Too Busy Being Awesome”) on the right. Both the red and blue were from the China Glaze My Little Pony Collection. I finished off with Glisten & Glow Top Coat.
Our nails turned out pretty nice. I did all the swipes freehand, but since the brushes were tiny, I was able to get somewhat clean lines.
I’m All Hopped up on Mountain Dew!
I’ve been putting it off as long as I could…Julep “Sam” – Limeade Creme – and it’s the polish so ugly, only I could love it!
Julep can call it “limeade” all they want, but it’s not. It’s not neon, but it’s that unnatural shade of yellowish green reserved for Mountain Dew and Monster Energy Drink. Or those weird liqueurs that only pretentious weirdos (like you know who) would drink. (Although I do admit, I’ve been wanting to try Chartreuse again, just to see if it’s as gaggy as I remember.)
Although the first coat was streaky, the second coat fixed everything right up. This is two coats over Julep Oxygen Smoothing Base Coat and under Glisten & Glow Top Coat.
I cannot stop thinking of other polishes to add to it – hot pink polka dots, fuchsia glitter, purple stripes – it would all look amazing! If you have a nail polish that you think is ugly, give it a chance – you might find the love of your life.
Raspberry Fizz
Ipsy did good this month! After months and months of weird polish colors, they sent me a wearable color that actually goes with the season. I got Dream by PS Cosmeceutical “Raspberry Fizz” in my June bag.
I’m not familiar with the brand PS Cosmeceutical, but their formula is on point. Nearly full coverage in one coat, so I went for two. This is the two coats over Glisten & Glow Ridge Filling Base Coat and under Glisten & Glow Top Coat.
“Raspberry Fizz” reminded me of another polish…OH! It’s very nearly a dupe for Jenna Hipp “Rose Tart”!
I also did my toes (again). The weirdest thing happened to my mermaid toes – I wore some black flats without socks for a few days and the black rubbed off onto the tips of my toenails. They weren’t even new shoes. My feet looked filthy and so I had to change the polish.
June 2018 Ipsy Bag – Flying Colors
This month, ipsy is celebrating ‘Pride Month’ with a rainbow selection of striped bags – I got the blue one, but I’ve also seen red and yellow ones.
The products this month are a bit odd. I know I should be more excited to get a MAC product, but I’m still working on a full size bottle of MAC Prep + Prime, so I don’t really need yet another sample of it. Also in this month’s bag: Dream by PS Cosmeceutical in “Raspberry Fizz” (the best color of nail polish I’ve received in an ipsy bag in at least a year); Adesse New York Lip Polish Luxury Lip Gloss in “Skinny Dip”; Kensie Eau de Parfum (never heard of it before, but it smells like one of those ‘Designer Impostor’ body sprays from the 90s); and Feel Pure Anywhere Balm in “Rose” (yassss).
If you’d like to try Ipsy – click here. I’ll earn 250 points if you sign up through my link.
Valen-time
Sinful Colors “It’s About Valen-time” is a bit out of season – it’s far past Valentine’s Day…but I’ve always got time for a pink foil.
This is two coats of “It’s About Valen-time” over Sinful Colors Base Coat (I just cracked open a brand new bottle) and under Glisten & Glow Top Coat. Application was a dream. Sometimes foils show brush strokes, but not this one. Application was smooth, although I may have gotten a single pinprick bubble.
Definitely a dupe for Zoya “Bobbi”, except it didn’t stain my nails. Bonus!
Platinum Order
Another Ulta order? So soon?
I’ve started doing this thing where, if I run out of something or if I see something I want to try, I stash it in my Ulta account and wait for a gift with purchase to hit (usually the Wednesday Beauty Break). Wouldn’t you know it, my basket got full and there was a NARS Beauty Break the week before last!
This Ulta Haul is pretty boring, to be honest. Just like almost every order, I got a Zoya Remove + ($10). I ended up buying 2 Japonesque Solid Brush Cleaners ($20), because they were BOGO Half. Freeman Masks ($4.29) were also BOGO Half, so I got Anti-Stress Dead Sea Minerals Clay Mask (I’ve had this one before and it’s very refreshing) and Brightening Green Tea + Orange Blossom Peel-Off Gel Mask (this one is new to me). The fun item that I picked up was the Memebox Black Cat Headband ($6). Do I really need a fuzzy headband with cat ears? Yes, if only because my daughter wants to steal it.
The NARS Beauty Break included 4 lip products – Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in “Dolce Vita” (I already have the lipstick); Powermatte Lip Pigment in “Starwoman”; Velvet Lip Glide in “Bound”; and Lipstick in “Orgasm” (which I just got, so I’ll give it away).
No other samples – boo, Ulta! Oh, but this order made me Platinum for 2019.
Roberta
2018 is the year of the mermaid nail polish. I just cannot get enough of these water-themed colors this summer.
Julep “Roberta” – breezy turquoise shimmer – was a bit thicker than I like. Although it was very nearly goopy, the thickness actually gave me a bit more control over the application.
This is two coats of “Roberta” over Julep Oxygen Smoothing Base Coat and under Glisten & Glow Top Coat. I think I’ll be going back to the Oxygen Smoothing Base Coat for good – this polish lasted a full week on my fingers!
I also did my toes – that’s when I noticed that the color matches my living room walls exactly. It’s like the tips of my toes disappear when they’re hanging off the edge of my sofa!
Girl Boss
This polish is called “Girl Boss”, but I don’t feel particularly “Boss” while wearing it.
This soft, demure polish is Pretty Woman “Girl Boss”, from April’s ipsy bag. It’s a nude dusty rose, with a hint of lavender. The color itself is fine, but the formula was horrible. I started with Glisten & Glow Ridge Filling Base Coat and then two coats of “Girl Boss”. The first coat was streaky. The second coat…still streaky. There was little I could do to get coverage in some spots (see my ring finger). The bald spots just stayed bald. Fuck it, I topped it with Glisten & Glow Top Coat.
This is the second Pretty Woman polish that ipsy has sent me – the first, “I Can’t Deal”, was from my January 2017 ipsy bag and I had MUCH better results – not streaky and better coverage. The main difference was the base coat – maybe the polish doesn’t like the Glisten & Glow?
June 2018 Julep Box – Sundae Funday
The theme of this month’s Julep box is “Sundae Funday”, and it’s a selection of creamy ice creamy colors. Though the colors were nice, I only ended up picking one – I was distracted by the lippies!
Julep launched three new shades of It’s Whipped Matte Lip Mousse – I got two of them. “Blind Date” was a no brainer – electric fuchsia metallic matte. My second selection was “Blush” – rose gold metallic matte. I’m nothing, if not predictable. Fuchsia and rose gold are my “things”.
For my polish, I waffled around, but ended up selecting Wonder Maven “Roberta” – breezy turquoise shimmer. I am likely to be rocky blue/turquoise/aqua pool nails all summer.
No candy AGAIN. At least there was an insert and some coupons.
Not a Julep Maven? Click HERE to join – I’ll get a $15 credit and you’ll get your first box free!
Rorange
If you like Blurple, you’ll love Rorange!
Sinful Colors “Rorange” is exactly what its name says – red/orange. Or is it rust/orange? Either way, it’s an orange-leaning red. It’s very temperamental to lighting and background – that’s why I uploaded two pictures. It’s like two totally different polishes.
I started with Sinful Colors Base Coat. (The bottle is nearly empty, but it was a pain in the ass the get a full brush, so I tossed it after I was done.) I then did two quick coats of “Rorange” and then Glisten & Glow Top Coat.
I really shouldn’t be wearing “Rorange” right now – it’s absolutely a fall color…but whatevAH, I do what I want!