Miss Colombia
I think we can all agree on one thing…if nothing else, Miss Colombia had the best dress. I was dying over the pinky nude rhinestone dress. (Beauty pageants aren’t something I normally watch, but it was on in the background at the in-laws…we had so much fun heckling!) I just happened to pick up NYC “Pink Bling” at Target on Saturday…78 cents – it’s a dead ringer.
After Sinful Colors Base Coat, I did two coats of “Pink Bling”. Coverage was okay – I probably could have gotten total coverage with another coat or two, but my nails are relatively unstained right now, so I didn’t mind my natural color peaking through. “Pink Bling” is a smooth glitter, but I finished with “HK Girl” for extra protection and shine.
“Pink Bling” would look ABSOLUTELY amazing over a silver or platinum base coat.
Festive Xmas Tree Nails
Instead of Xmas tree shapes, I decided to go with the extreme close-up version…
After Sinful Colors Base Coat, I painted two coats of Deborah Lippmann Wicked “One Short Day”. I used a dotting tool to make ornaments with Sinful Colors “Sugar Sugar” (yes, using this one again) and Ulta “Silver Bells”. I finished with a thick coat of “HK Girl”, but “One Short Day” is a bumpy glitter, so my nails still have some texture. I am annoyed that the polish is already starting to chip on my right hand. I’ve heard grumbling on the web about how bad Deborah Lippmann polish chips, but I didn’t want to believe it…
I thought I had talked Lily into letting me give us matching nails, but as usual, her stubbornness won. They are similar…but she demanded Julep “Priscilla” instead of “One Short Day”. (She had to look at EVERY green glitter that I own to decide.) She also demanded multicolored balls – pink, red, blue, silver and purple. I wish I wish I had been able to get a picture before the polish started peeling off. I honestly don’t know what she does to her nails, but they last 12 hours, tops.
December Beauty Box 5 – Smoky Season
Okay Beauty Box 5, you’re on the bubble – I haven’t decided if I’m going to keep you in 2016.
December’s “Smoky Season” box is another weird one. This box included: OFRA Shimmer Eye Shadow in “Millenium Bark” (The color is alright, but it’s just a loose tin pan – what the fuck am I gonna do with that?); Beauty Box 5 Blender Brush; Prestige Cosmetics Total Intensity Eyeliner in “Deepest Black”; The Beauty Crop Glamazon Stick (a highlighter crayon); and So Fresh So Clean Makeup Removing Cleansing Towelettes (I’d complain about all the makeup remover wipes I am getting, but I actually used a lot of them this past Halloween).
I don’t know that I’ll be using ANY of these products any time soon. Grumble, grumble.
December Ipsy Bag – with Love from Ipsy
This classy quilted red bag – it makes me want to go back to carrying a red purse instead of the pink one I carry right now!
December’s theme is “with Love from Ipsy”. There are some exciting goodies inside this month’s bag: RickyCare from Ricky’s NYC Classic 3D Blender; Pacifica Power of Love Natural Lipstick in “Nudie Red” (this will look great with the Pacifica eye shadow from the Target Beauty Box I just got); Marc Anthony Coconut Oil & Shea Butter Deep Conditioning Treatment; Elizabeth Mott Thank Me Later Eye Shadow Primer; and Peony Shadow Trio (I chipped both of my thumb nails trying to get this fucking thing open and jammed my thumb nail into one of the shadows, leaving a deep rivet – things in life shouldn’t be this hard).
I am thinking through my subscriptions for next year – I’ll definitely be keeping ipsy in 2016!
If you’d like to try Ipsy – click here. I’ll earn 250 points if you sign up through my link.
Obligatory Snow Manicure
I can’t let the season pass without making my nails a winter wonderland!
I pulled out one of my oldest polishes for the base – Urban Decay “Strip”. I can’t remember exactly when I got this polish, but it was probably 12+ years ago. It still had the price tag on it – I bought it at Nordstrom for $9.50. Remember when Nordstrom was the only place you could buy Urban Decay? Anyway, it’s a beautiful icy silver foil. I needed just one coat over Orly Bonder for full coverage. No one makes polishes like this anymore! I then dipped and dabbed Funky Fingers “Elsa” to get the snow flakes. (I gave up by the time I got the middle finger on my right hand – ain’t nobody got time fo dat!) I finished with “HK Girl”, but I still have a few snowflake edges sticking up – they got all caught in my hair when I was washing it this morning. I was even able to find a glass ball to match my nails. There really isn’t a sophisticated way to hold a huge ball, is there?
So, yeah – I have decade old+ polishes – anyone else? Please share so I don’t feel quite so bad about my nail polish hoarding…
Allure Beauty Thrills – December 2015
Just like last year, the Allure Beauty Thrills Box went on sale during Thanksgiving vacation. Again, I set my alarm and ordered. The price went up again – $49.95 now, with $10 shipping. Even so, it is a hell of a deal.
There were a few repeats from previous boxes, but loads of new stuff: Algenist Power Advanced Wrinkle Fighter Serum (easily the most valuable item in the box – $105 on Sephora’s site); Aloxxi Volumizing Whip (eh, I am SO past the mousse phase); Caress Daily Silk Silkening Body Wash (this is THE BEST for shaving your legs in the shower); Clear Scalp & Hair Total Care Nourishing Shampoo & Conditioner (going to my sister); Colgate Optic White Toothbrush + Built-In Whitening Pen (my third one); Colgate Optic White Express White Toothpaste; Dove Advanced Care Anti-Perspirant/Deodorant (still using the last one I got); Dove Deep Moisture Wash (another good one for leg shaving); e.l.f. Studio Lip Exfoliator (intrigued); e.l.f. Studio Moisturizing Lipstick in “Bordeaux Beauty”; HASK Monoi Coconut Nourishing Shine Oil (another repeat); Herbal Essences Naked Volume Shampoo (what the fuck am I supposed to do with shampoo and no conditioner?); Jessica Custom Nail Color in “Soak Up the Sun” (bright ass pink); Michael Todd Knu Anti-Aging Face Lift Serum ($58 on Ulta’s site); Not Your Mother’s Clean Freak Unscented Refreshing Dry Shampoo (Ugh); One ‘N Only Island Essentials Awapuhi Intensive Treatment; Redken One United Multi-Benefit Treatment (I LOVE the Blonde Idol BB Spray from my first Allure box – looking forward to this one); Rusk Working Spray; Simple Skincare Micellular Make-Up Remover Wipes; Sonia Kashuk Tools Medium Eye Shadow Brush No. 28 (I needed another blending brush); Suave Professionals Moroccan Infusion Styling Oil; Touch In Sol Feel Like Honey Moon Skin Base; and Yes to Tomatoes Detoxifying Charcoal Cleanser (Tomatoes and charcoal sounds like something you’d use to get out skunk stink).
All these high end wrinkle products – my face is going to be a smooth as a baby’s behind!
December Birchbox – Winter Essentials
Winter is a tough season for my skin. I feel like my skin is so try that I have to put a lot of products on it to moisturize it. In turn, I get breakouts. Then more products to combat the breakouts…and skin that is drier and flakier than before. Let’s see what Birchbox thinks my “Winter Essentials” should be…
Inside this month’s box: Jane Iredale Just Kissed Lip and Cheek Stain in “Forever Peach” (I tested it on my wrist and got about as much color as a cherry chapstick – it smelled like chapstick, too); Coastal Scents Eye Shadow Duo – formalEYES (the description on the card led me to believe I would be getting classic pinks and mauves – uh, I got gold and emerald green…then I looked at the package and it says styleEYES – guess I got the wrong one? I showed my husband and he just said, “Slutty.”); eSalon Perfect ending Leave In Conditioner (is that anything like a happy ending?); derma e Microdermabrasion Scrub (I LOVE this scrub); and JUARA Coconut Illipe Hand and Nail Balm. There was also a tasty treat in my box – a little chocolate bar from Chuao Chocolatier – “Cinnamon Cereal Smooch”. It was SO good. I did not share.
Hmmm…not a bad box, but a little odd. We’ll see how the slutty green eye shadow looks with peachy chapstick.
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.
Another Ugly Christmas Sweater
So basically, any polish combination with red and green, and/or glitter – looks like an ugly Christmas sweater to me.
This year’s ugly sweater combination is Sinful Colors “Cauldron Couture” over “Sugar Sugar”. (Technically, “Cauldron Couture” is a Halloween polish…but green and black glitter can also be Christmas-y?) On Sunday nights, I need something quick – Sinful Colors Base Coat, two coats of “Sugar Sugar”, one dabby coat of “Cauldron Couture”, a thick coat of “HK Girl” and bedtime.
“Sugar Sugar” is one of my favorite glittery reds. I didn’t remember, but I also used it for the base last year. DOH!
The Usual Saturday
My daughter and I hit the usual spots after her gymnastics class on Saturday…it’s like a thing.
First, we hit Bath & Body Works for $2.50 Hand Soaps. Even though I just stocked up, I couldn’t resist this yearly sale. I picked up a total of 12, even letting Lily pick out a few scents for the kids bathroom – “Elfin’ Around” and “Vanilla Bean Noel”. I picked a mix of Xmas and Summer scents. I used a $10 off $30 coupon, which gave me the soaps for $1.66 each. That’s an even better deal than the 20% off coupon I used last year!
Then we hit Ulta – I just needed some clipper sets for some Xmas gifts I’m putting together. I just used a $3.50 coupon, even though I have a 20% off ANYTHING coupon burning a hole in my purse. I doubt I’ll even use it this year…
Finally, Taco Bell while getting my car inspected. While there, Lily was concerned that the guy from the Lube place wanted to marry me because he came in to grab lunch…then I accosted a rando to get a picture of his tattoo to send to my husband. You know, the usual Saturday stuff.
Lovecraft
I couldn’t wait to get my hands on Kat Von D “Lovecraft”…or should I say that I couldn’t wait to get Kat Von D “Lovecraft” on my hands?
I wasn’t sure which base coat would work the best, so I threw the dice and picked Sinful Colors Base Coat – it was fine. The first coat was a bit patchy, but the second coat covered all of the bald spots and didn’t drag. “Lovecraft” is rather thick, but not goopy. The brush is so tiny, I had to use 2-3 brushfuls to cover each nail. I finished with “HK Girl” and did drag a tiny bald spot on the middle finger of my right hand. Curses!
I LOVE the way “Lovecraft” looks, but my husband said, “Meh.” What does he know about edgy neutrals, anyway? He also said that the lighting in the picture makes my mole look like a pimple. I wasn’t self-conscious about it until he said that. He is my biggest cheerleader.
I already had a mini of Kat Von D Studded Kiss Lipstick “Lovecraft” from Sephora points, but it’s always good to have a backup.
“Lovecraft” is matte mauve pink nude – very matte. It’s not quite as drying as most of the matte lipsticks and lip creams I have tried. It has good staying power and a coat of clear balm late in the day revives the color. As you can see, the polish and lipstick match quite well.