Target Beauty Box – August 2017
Another month, another Target Beauty Box.
The “Hello Routine” Box has a little bit of everything: Herbal Essences Argan Oil Shampoo (but no conditioner – assholes); up & up 25 ct. Facial Wipes (Beauty Hack – I use these to clean up eyeshadow fallout under my eyes before doing my foundation); Dove Dry Spray Invisible Deodorant (giving to my son); Biore Deep Cleaning Pore Strips (Just one strip, but with a Limited Edition Pattern); SpaLife Nourishing Facial Mask (always welcome); and Garnier Clearly Brighter Daily Scrub (and scrubs are always welcome).
Another good box. I wish I didn’t have to go to the trouble of ordering these each month and they just showed up on their own…
So $7 again this month, plus free shipping and 5% off with my Red Card. And another $3 off $15 coupon. I am so proud of myself that I actually used the coupon from last month’s box – I bought some OGX Bamboo Fiber-Full Shampoo and Conditioner, plus some up & up polish remover. Go me!
Jonna Iguana
This is it – I’ve found it. Julep “Jonna” is THE GREATEST POLISH EVER MADE.
Described as an iguana green duochrome, “Jonna” is possibly the most amazing and beautiful polish ever. It shifts from a pale green to a vibrant turquoise – I don’t even know how that’s possible. Science.
“Jonna” reminds me of the iguana we used to have, “Cheech”. He was one of the most beautiful iguanas I’ve ever seen and reasonably tame. I think he thought I was his girlfriend – he mounted my arm and bit my finger once when I was hand-feeding him.
The polish went on smoothly – no brush marks like many chromed polishes. This is two coats with Julep Oxygen Bonding Base Coat and “HK Girl”.
The polish was super long-lasting as well. I was able to wear it from Thursday to Wednesday with minimal wear – a whole week!
August Julep Maven Box – Build. Blend. Your Way.
WHOA! This month’s box is all about skin. It’s called “Build. Blend. Your Way.”
The only polish that caught my eye was It Girl “Jonna” – Iguana Green Duochrome. I used 700 Jules to add it to my box, because I wanted the two new skin products: Cushion Complexion Skin Perfector in “120 – Linen” and Insta-Filter Translucent Powder. My choice was good – the Cushion Complexion works as the best under-eye concealer I’ve ever tried. I also used it to highlight – it’s a multi-tasking marvel. Insta-Filter is also the best translucent powder I’ve tried – and I’ve tried a bunch. I wore JUST these two products on my skin over the weekend and that is all I needed. That is WOW. They carry BOTH of these products at Ulta, too.
This box made me SO happy…keep it up, Julep!!
Not a Julep Maven? Click HERE to join – I’ll get a $15 credit and you’ll get your first box free!
Peri-Twinkle
Ooooh…BLURPLE!
Sinful Colors “Peri-Twinkle” is a very sheer blurple shimmer. It leans more blue than purple, but the purple is definitely there. This is just two coats over Sinful Colors Base Coat and under “HK Girl”. It was a thinner formula – very easy to apply.
“Peri-Twinkle” is from a Christmas Collection. It doesn’t feel very Christmas to me, but maybe Hanukkah? Yes, let’s say that this is a Hanukkah polish!
Cheeto Dust
My animosity towards the color orange is well known. It just isn’t my color. But for some reason, I intentionally chose this very orange polish in last month’s Julep box. Why? I do not know.
This is not Construction Paper Orange. This is not Traffic Cone Orange. This is not Tang Orange. This is not Pumpkin Orange. This is not Longhorn Orange. This is not Doritos Orange. This is…Cheeto Dust orange! Not Cheetos themselves, but that delicious dust…the best part really is the licking of the fingers, isn’t it?
This is two coats of Julep “Nadine” over Julep Oxygen Bonding Base Coat and under “HK Girl”.
Jam Out with your Clam Out
I needed to clear my nail “palate” after the very glittery “Serenity”. I grabbed Sinful Colors “Jam Out”, a new addition to their core collection.
“Jam Out” looks like a washed out pastel pink on first glance…but there’s more. There’s a luminous green shimmer underneath that pink. Can you see it on the bottle?
This is two coats over Sinful Colors Base Coat and under “HK Girl”.
I can’t hear the phrase “Jam Out” without adding “with your clam out”. I am so sorry – I know something is wrong with me…but isn’t this polish kind of…”clam” colored?
Sephora Play! July 2017 – Beauty Staycation
Getting my last July box in right at the last minute…
July’s theme is “Beauty Staycation” and the pink gingham bag says “Glamp Out!” I prefer glamping to camping any damn day.
So pumped to get another sample of Boscia Charcoal Pore Pudding – I got a sample last year and it was a really good mask. Also in this month’s box: bare minerals Gen Nude Matte Liquid Lipcolor in “Swag” (every brand is coming out with one right now); it Cosmetics Superhero Elastic Stretch Volumizing Mascara (I don’t know if I want my eyelashes stretched); Milk Makeup Cooling Water (not sure about this – it seems to be a “cooling” moisturizer stick?); Briogeo Rosarco Milk Reparative Leave-In Conditioning Spray (not a bad leave-in – I’m still working on the bottle I got a few years ago); and Atelier Cologne Orange Sanguine (I have several of these, but it’s good).
Even though the box contains several products I already have or have had, not complaints from me – it’s alll good stuff.
If you haven’t signed up yet, get to it. This is by far the best subscription box I get every month. Sephora Play is only $10/month. You can sign up at sephora.com/play.
Serenity Now
Argh, matte polishes can be so frustrating.
Formula X “Serenity” is a glitter matte, but it’s kind of chunky – not smooth. It’s got purple glitter in a black matte base. It’s only slightly gritty, not a full sand polish like Zoya’s Pixie Dusts. It’s just weird. This is two coats over Sinful Colors Base Coat. It dried quickly and did not dent, but the finish was just weird looking.
Oh…and it did not last for shit. I spent Sunday morning taping off the trim in my living room to continue painting my Island Oasis…and it was gone.
At least it was only $2.
July Birchbox – One-Two-Punch
Another month, another curated box. The theme is “One-Two-Punch” – quick solution products.
I’ll be honest, I picked the box purely for Kiehl’s Rare Earth Deep Pore Daily Cleanser – I got in a Birchbox last summer and I really liked it.
Also in this month’s box: Juliette Has a Gun Anyway (citrusy and clean); Oribe Matte Waves Texture Lotion; MAC Cosmetics Prep + Prime Skin (I have a full size – maybe I should revisit it now that my skin is healthier); and Beautaniq Beauty Blush Serum.
An interesting box and my skin is looking forward to trying some new products.
If you would like to try Birchbox, click on my referral link – https://www.birchbox.com/invite/5453f – I’ll get 50 points if you join.
Jade Kat
Sinful Colors “Jade Kat” was the first polish I grabbed from last week’s haul. I needed a contrast from the pink of “Hayat”, so I went with this bluish green shimmer. It’s a new add to the core collection – I dig it.
“Jade Kat” was sheerer than I expected. This is two coats over Sinful Colors Base Coat and under “HK Girl”.
I cut my nails back down to nubs. I should’ve trimmed my index finger more, but it’s growing in so strong – I couldn’t cut off my best nail!
So we painted our breakfast nook yellow. Or shall I say, “Equatorial”. New nail pic background #1!