Category: Nails
Long Kiss
Miss me? Been a bit busy, as all of Southeast Texas is now beachfront property. We’re all safe and dry (now) and I can get back my nails.
China Glaze “Long Kiss” is a luscious, shimmery wine. Not bad for 97 cents! I probably have a dozen or so maroon/wine/blood polishes, but I forget them all when I see a new one. I started with Sinful Colors Base Coat and then two clean coats of “Long Kiss”. I could’ve gone with one…but I never go with just one. The consistency is perfect – smooth and even. I got a few bubbles, but they disappeared under “HK Girl”.
I did these Saturday night and they lasted well up until today, with just a few chips on my right thumb. I did my toes, too and they’re still going strong.
Ulta…Note?
Ulta gives out unique coupon codes for their spring 20% off, so I didn’t have a cute name for this post…Instead of one or two big things, I bought a lot of little stuff. I also bought some gifts for another upcoming birthday, so those items are not shown, of course.
I can’t pass up 97 cent polishes, so the first thing I added to my cart were essie “Strut Your Stuff” and China Glaze “Long Kiss”. I then added two Freeman Beauty Masks – “Sweet Tea & Lemon Peel-Away Clay Mask” and “Apple Cider Vinegar 4-in-1 Foaming Clay”. I wanted to try another shade of Makeup Revolution Lip Euphoria, so I got “Aura”. I added another Zoya Remove+ for shits and giggles.
There were so many gifts with purchase last week! I got free Redken pack with Beach Envy Volume Texturizing Shampoo & Conditioner, Beach Envy Wave Aid and 25 Benefits One United Multi-Benefit Treatment (I have a full size of this that I use all the time). I also got a free Ahava pack with Dead Sea Crystal Osmoter Facial Serum (the fuck?), Time to Clear Purifying Mud Mask, Time to Hydrate Essential Day Moisturizer, Dead Sea Water Mineral Body Lotion, and a free tote bag. By far, the best samples were in the free Smashbox bag, which came with all this: Ahava Beauty Before Age Uplift Day and Uplift Night Cream, Parissa Brow Shaper Mini Wax Strips (I don’t have eyebrows, but I have a mustache – wonder if it will work?), pür Correcting Primer, Hampton Sun Sunless Tanning Gel (NO), Estee Lauder Modern Muse Le Rouge (me likey), Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue (me no likey), MyChelle Dermaceuticals Refining Sugar Cleanser, Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer (for real), StriVectin Advanced Retinol Intensive Night Moisturizer, It’s a 10 Miracle Leave-In Product, LORAC POREfection Mattifying Face Primer and Benefit Benetint.
Oh ya, also samples of Benefit Dew the Hoola Bronzer and Urban Decay Naked Skin Ultra Definition Powder Foundation.
Phew…my fingers are TIRED.
Plastic Flamingos
I’ve found a flamingo pink even flamingo-ier than the original, Julep “Vicki”. This is Jessica “Soak up the Sun”, from my last Allure Beauty Thrills Box.
I’m not familiar with this brand, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I started with Sinful Colors Base Coat. The first coat was VERY streaky. The second coat wasn’t as streaky, but it went on VERY thickly. It reminded me of a gel polish, so I had to be very careful around the edges. There were still a few streaks, but I didn’t dare do a third coat. Instead, I just finished with “HK Girl”.
My nails look like plastic press on nails. It’s kinda cool, but kinda weird.
Like a Virgin
Like a virgin…touched for the very first time.
My nails. I am talking about my nails.
Painting my nails every 2-3 days for the last few years has left them as yellow as banana pudding. The staining is visible through any clearish polish and I thought bare nails would be out of the question forever…or at least until I stopped painting and let them grow out. Not so…I discovered Perfect Formula Pink Gel Coat. I used points on a Sephora order a few months ago to add a sample on a whim. I’m just now trying it and THIS SHIT IS AMAZING. Through the magic of an optical brightener, my nail beds are pink again and the tips look whiter. It’s like I just had a french manicure. This is just two coats – no case or top coat needed…AND it dries within a minute or so.
…but there’s also some bad news. This shit costs $30 at Sephora. Keep an eye out for sample versions…
Furious Poisonberry
After years of painting, I’ve finally found THE polish that matches my car perfectly. And I didn’t even find it myself – it just appeared in my last Target Beauty Box.
This is Sinful Colors “Poisonberry” – two coats over Sinful Colors Base Coat and under “HK Girl”. Just…wow. The first coat was smooth, not streaky – and totally opaque. The second coat self-evened perfectly.
It’s very similar to Kat Von D “Bauhau5”, which is slightly more berry colored.
Vivid Sheers
I couldn’t wait to dig into my new Julep polishes this month’s “Brights + White” Collection.
I decided to experiment…after busting open my new Julep Oxygen Bonding Base Coat, I did two coats of Julep “Brigitte” on my thumbs and pinkies. I used my dotting tool to dot “Brigitte” on my index and pointer fingers. I left my middle finger as is. I then layered Julep “Ari” and “Delaney”, overlapping to create purple in the middle. After the first coats, I did more dots on my index and ring fingers, also adding some on my pinkie. Then another coat of “Ari” and “Delaney”. I finished with “HK Girl”.
The white did make the sheers pop, but that was just too much polish for my my nails. It was so thick that is became like dried acrylic paint – peeling up at the edges, as you can see on my pinky. I also didn’t paint my nails very neatly, which exacerbated the peeling. Lessons learned.
I couldn’t stand it anymore – I had to take it off and try something else.
This time, I decided to do a simple pond mani with Julep “Gigi”. I didn’t start with white base, just Julep Oxygen Bonding Base Coat. I did “Brigitte” dots, then “Gigi”, then dots, then “Gigi”. In retrospect, I might have done one more set – the dots on my thumb and middle finger are bit too aligned and should be more random. Again, I finished with “HK Girl”.
I really like the way these turned out – nice and summery.
I am craving a dreamsicle SO BAD right now!
April Julep Maven Box – Brights + White
Julep’s April collection is very, very interesting – “Brights + White”, a collection of vivid sheer polishes, meant to be layered.
This month’s beauty product is Love Your Bare Face Cleansing Stick. It’s like a stick of deodorant, but oils and enzymes to clean your face. I also got the Kaolin Clay Konjac Sponge (it even came with a little suction hook to hang it to dry – LOVE that) to go with it. I tried it last night – it was weird, but my face felt very clean and impossibly smooth after using them.
I couldn’t pick just one of the vivd sheer polishes, so in addition to It Girl “Ari” – extreme fuchsia vivid sheer, I got It Girl “Delaney” – blue atoll vivid sheer – and Boho Glam “Gigi” – zesty mandarin vivid sheer. The collection came with Classic with a Twist “Brigitte” – bright white creme – to use under the sheers to make them pop. I used more jules and also added Julep Oxygen Bonding Base Coat – I was out! Since I added three products, I got a free bonus – Classic with a Twist “Lulu” – wisteria mist soft focus (demi-matte).
My only complaint was the candy in the box. Sour Apple Air Heads. I HATE Sour Apple ANYTHING and Air Heads are asking for a visit to the dentist.
Not a Julep Maven? Click HERE to join – I’ll get a $15 credit and you’ll get your first box free!
Endless Love
I’ve had this polish nearly two years and I am just now getting around to trying it. I can’t believe it has taken this long to try this amazing polish.
RUFFIAN “Endless Love” is a chrome pink dream. I started with Orly Bonder and really could have gone with just one coat. I did two. Even though it goes on smooth and gives full coverage in one coat, it is very unforgiving of any ridges or peeling in your nails, so it looks best when your nails are in their best condition. It didn’t bubble as badly as the other RUFFIAN polishes I’ve tried, but I’ll chalk that up to user error – that was before I was using a base coat and a good top coat. I used “HK Girl” this time.
Rhymes with Delores
I am so in love with Julep “Delores”.
“Delores” – iris linear liquid holographic – is the perfect cool purple. I cannot believe how smoothly the formula went over Julep Oxygen Bonding Base Coat. It was full coverage in one coat, but I did two to make sure the color popped. It dried somewhat matte, to my surprise. I finished with “HK Girl” and WOW! It is ridiculously shiny.
You got any more of those holographic polishes? More, more, more!
Southwestern Mermaid
It’s Easter…but I was already sick of pastels, so I just went with something I’d had in mind with a while.
When I first got Nicole by OPI “Pick of the Glitter”, I tried it over a nude. I decided to try it over a turquoise to bring out the turquoise glitter. After Sinful Colors Base Coat, I did two thin coats of Sally Hansen “Marine Scene”. “Marine Scene” is one of my older polishes – not quite a decade old, but quite a while, since it’s only half full. My husband really likes this polish and just rolled his eyes at me when I started to put glitter on top of it. HE DOESN’T UNDERSTAND.
I topped with “HK Girl” for a smooth finish.
The turquoise glitter is a bit darker than “Marine Scene”, so it stands out. I like this a lot – it feels very Southwestern Mermaid.