Category: Nails
January 2018 Julep Maven Box – Advantage Point
I totally fucking forgot to “curate” January’s box. Oops. I remember looking at this month’s collection, but I guess I forgot to go back in and finalize my selections.
What they sent me is fine though. I’m not out of love your bare face Detoxifying Cleansing Stick, but it IS a product I use and enjoy, so I ain’t even mad. The colors they sent me are plain, but not dupes of shades that I have. I got Classic with a Twist “Jenn” – Mahogany Creme – and Wonder Maven “Geri” – Blushing Beige Creme. See – very “naked” polishes!
No candy or treats in my box. Boo.
Not a Julep Maven? Click HERE to join – I’ll get a $15 credit and you’ll get your first box free!
Every Kiss Begins With…
Another polish so soon? Did you see that bad purple? It had to go.
I had to clear my palette with Julep “Kay”, a shimmery neutral taupe. It’s almost a pearl finish. It’s slightly darker than my skin, so I don’t feel as washed out as when I wear lighter, skin-toned polish.
I started with Julep Oxygen Bonding Base Coat, two coats and finished with Glisten & Glow Top Coat.
I’ve been a Julep subscriber for over 4 years. It’s not super extravagant, but it’s not inexpensive either. The reason I continue my subscription is the consistent high quality of these polishes and variety of finishes. I honestly cannot remember the last time I was disappointed in a Julep polish…some of the beauty products have been hit or miss, though. I plan to continue my Julep subscription for the foreseeable future.
The Peculiar Purple Pieman of Porcupine Peak
Is there such a thing as a “bad” purple? A “villainous” violet?
Butter London “Violet’s Revenge” is one of those “bad” purples. “Bad” in so many ways…first off, it reminds me of a bad guy – specifically the Peculiar Purple Pieman of Porcupine Peak. (Why did Strawberry Shortcake’s nemesis bear such a striking resemblance to Divine cohort David Lochary? And didn’t Sour Grapes remind you of Mink Stole? Food for thought.)
It goes without saying that this purple is also reminiscent of other baddies – The Joker, Thanos, Ursula, Grimace…all bad and a similar shade of purple.
But I digress, the color itself is not why I removed this polish after a day and a half – it wore horribly on me. I started with Glisten & Glow Ridge Filling Base Coat, painted two coats and then finished with Glisten & Glow Top Coat. The polish thinned in a few places when I applied the top coat, plus there were a few pinprick bubbles and ripples. I haven’t gotten ripples in a year! The polish also chipped almost immediately – so disappointing. I’m going to chalk it up to an incompatibility between the Butter London formula and Glisten & Glow.
Persephone
Fresh new new nails for a fresh new year. 2018 couldn’t be any worse than 2017, right?
Wait, forget I said that. I don’t want to tempt fate.
My first paint job of the year is Julep “Persephone”. Crushed berry holographic – it’s basically a bright fuchsia with multicolored sparkles throughout. It’s abso-fucking-mazing. I am really loving this month’s Julep Collection.
This is two coats of “Persephone” over Julep Oxygen Bonding Base Coat and under Glisten & Glow Top Coat.
Boudoir Nails
Red matches everything, huh?
I had an AMAZING photo shoot with Paskey Boudoir in Dallas last week. In addition to shaving things I haven’t shaved in years, I wanted something special for my fingers and toes. I finally settled on Sinful Colors “Ruby Glisten”, a deep red glitter. Red is the one true neutral – it matches anything – from pearls and satin to sweatpants to nothing at all.
After Sinful Colors Base Coat, I painted two coats of “Ruby Glisten” and topped with Glisten & Glow Top Coat. An amazingly long lasting manicure – I got six full days of wear. The picture doesn’t do it justice – it was SO much shinier!
Obligatory Xmas Gift Post
I would like to say that my holiday hiatus was a planned, well deserved break…but…In reality, I went out of town for a few days and then got sick, so I decided to be lazy. For my first post back, I wanted to share a few of the beauty-related gifts I received for Xmas.
First off are the super-cute nail polish Xmas ornaments I received from my big sis. They’re made from real polish bottles, filled with glitter!
My son came through with Vera Wang Embrace Rose Buds and Vanilla. I admit that I had dropped a few hints about the scent at Kohl’s a few weeks ago. It’s been on my mind since receiving a sample in an Influenster Vox Box earlier this year.
My husband got me an oil diffuser – now I can make the whole house smell like roses! (He also got me Wonder Woman Underoos – the vintage-styled ones, just like the ones I had as a kid!)
My lil sis gifted me with a wonderful Evil Queen clutch and Wonder Woman wooby. (I have an unhealthy obsession with soft and fuzzy blankets). Evil Queen and Wonder Woman – I wonder what that says about my personality???
What did YOU get for Xmas???
Festive AF
What? More festive Xmas nails? Damn straight – I’m festive AF.
AF means ‘as fuck.’ All the cool kids are saying it. I heard my son say it. I’ll allow it. He did, however, inform me that I am no longer allowed to use the word “dank” – I.E. when I was talking about “dank memes” at McDonald’s and must have embarrassed him. Oh well.
I decided to go for a Xmas tree look – I feel like I’m obligated to do one every year. After Sinful Colors Base Coat, I laid down two coats of Sinful Colors “Vintage”. I topped with a single coat of Sinful Colors “Holiday Rebel” and then finished with Glisten & Glow Top Coat. It’s a very subtle Xmas look.
Xmas Spirit
Just days until Xmas, and I find myself sorely lacking in “Xmas Spirit”. The tree is up, the house is decorated, presents wrapped…I’ve even been listening to Xmas music ON PURPOSE…and there is no Xmas Spirit to be had. I think I figured out why…no Xmas-themed nails yet!
This month’s Julep box had the remedy to that situation. I picked Julep “Dyani” as the background for the snowflake decals. Those little decals were stubborn as fuck – they did NOT want to come off the backing paper in one piece. I used my thinnest, sharpest tweezers and got all but one of them off in one piece. This is two coats of “Dyani”, over Julep Oxygen Bonding Base Coat, then decals, then Glisten & Glow Top Coat.
As soon as my nails were done – not even dry – I felt it entering my body. I felt almost…jolly? The Xmas Spirit had returned to me…until this morning. Michael Buble’s cover of ‘Santa Baby’ rotated onto my Amazon Station and I made the mistake of listening to the whole thing. I’ve never hated a Xmas song as much as I hated that song. It made me want to smash my Xmas tree with a bat and then set it on fire.
Maybe I’ll feel better by next Xmas.
After Dark
After all that color, I dialed it back to a textured charcoal gray with Sinful Colors “After Dark”. It’s another polish from the Kylie ‘Denim & Bling’ Collection. I didn’t test it out first – I just opened up the bottle and went to town. That’s one of the things I enjoy about new polishes – sometimes there’s a bit of mystery to how it will turn out when it dries. I had suspected a matte polish, but had no idea “After Dark” would deliver a beautiful Sandpaper texture.
This is two coats over Sinful Colors Base Coat, no top coat.
Doesn’t it remind you of a #2 pencil? It’s like spending hours filling in a scan-tron, and then you get pencil all over the edge of your hand. I’m glad I’m to the point in my life where I’ll never have to fill in another scan-tron again.
Target Beauty Boxes – December 2017
Two Target Beauty Boxes for December – it’s an Xmas miracle! Well, not really – it happens every few months.
The “Hers” box (right) seems a bit light for $7. It includes Hask Coconut Oil Deep Conditioner (I’ve gotten a lot of these, and have just started using them); Rimmel London Shake it Fresh Mascara in “Very Black” (the fuck? I’m supposed to shake it up before using it?); imPRESS Press-On Manicure (Who has fingers this small? My 9 year old, I hope); Nexxus Comb Thru Finishing Mist (I’ve gotten several cans of this – I like it); Vera Wang Embrace Marigold and Gardenia (Dammit, this is the wrong one!); My Beauty Diary Black Pearl Mask; and Chapstick Red Lip Tint.
The “His” box is much beefier – I can see either my husband or son using all of this: Axe Dual 2-in-1 Shampoo + Conditioner (I had just bought my husband this exact same thing); Dove Men+Care Dry Spray Antiperspirant; Pacinos Styling Pomade (well…maybe not this); Crest Whitening Therapy Toothpaste; Olivina Cleansing Cloths (are these for the butthole?); Dove Elements Body Wash and Cremo Beard Scruff Cream & Oil.
Two $7 boxes with free shipping and an additional 5% off with my Target Red Card. Two $3 off $15 coupons – I’m going to Target tomorrow.