Mandragora
Although I am no longer in my Harry Potter era, I can appreciate a pretty polish when I see one. It seems gold, but has beautiful green and fuchsia shimmer.
Moonshine Mani “Mandragora” is from January’s Polish Pickup and is inspired by the Herbology Class scene in the first Harry Potter film. I did not know until I googled it, that Mandrake is hallucinogenic? I mean…I’m too old to start experimenting with strange plants, but interesting nonetheless. <Furiously googling how to import Mandrake from Asia…>
This is two coats of “Mandragora” over Cuticula Mic Drop Base Coat in “Melt Down” and under Cuticula Limitless Top Coat in “Raspberry Pop”.
Polish Pickup January 2024 – Deadly Plants
They keep getting my with these killer themes! The first Pickup of 2024 had an amazing theme – Deadly Plants.
From left to right:
Ard as Nails “Poison Ivy” ($13.50) is inspired by…duh…poison ivy. I personally don’t have any experience with poison ivy, but my husband is VERY allergic. He gets into every few years or so…that’s country living, I guess.
Moonshine Mani “Mandragora” ($13.00) is inspired by the Mandrake scene in the first Harry Potter movie.
Red Eyed Lacquer “Dead Inside” ($12.50) is inspired by the corpse flower. I hope the polish isn’t that stinky.
Gracefull Nail Polish “Toxic Pink” ($12.75) is inspired by the plant Nerium oleander ‘Monrovia Red.’
Envy Lacquer “Poison Garden” ($13.00) is inspired by, well, The Poison Garden in London.
I’ve already tried a few of these and they are OUSTANDING.
Regents Place
In any case, Nails Inc. Gel Effect “Regents Place” was a freebie from a a few summers ago, and I just got around to sampling this shiny periwinkle polish. It wasn’t streaky and it was quite striking.
When I googled Regents Place, I was expecting something traditionally British and quaint…y’all…it’s a fucking high rise, mixed use development – a fucking skyscraper mall.
This is two coats of “Regents Place” over Glisten & Glow Ridge Filling Base Coat and under Glisten & Glow Top Coat.
We’re All Born Naked, the Rest is Drag
I went through a Drag Race phase several years ago, so I couldn’t pass up Paradox Polish “We’re All Born Naked, the Rest is Drag” from December’s Maker’s Choice. This is the last polish from December – I did it!
Even though I’m not crazy into Drag Race like I used to be, I’m still glad I picked this one up – it’s one of the BEST thermal polishes I’ve ever tried! It doesn’t stop working after a day or so and the color change is so dramatic. My daughter is also OBSESSED with thermal polishes now, so I guess that’s what I’ll be grabbing from the Pickups now.
This is two coats of “We’re All Born Naked, the Rest is Drag” over Cuticula Mic Drop Base Coat in “Melt Down” and under Cuticula Limitless Top Coat in “Raspberry Pop”. I cannot remember if I used Glitter Grabber, but I don’t think I did.
January 2024 Ipsy Bag – Come Clean
It’s already February…and I’m tired. So tired.
My product choice for January was Yensa Beauty Pink Lotus Peptide Renewal Face Cream. It’s a heavy, HEAVY cream – but it smells nice and luxurious. It doesn’t leave a greasy residue on my pillowcase, so I like it.
My other products this month were Floss Rise Above Lengthening Mascara in “Black” (suspiciously similar packaging to MILK Makeup’s Lengthening Mascara); Kate Somerville ExfoliKate Intensive Exfoliating Treatment (oh yeah); Les Beauty Lip Liner in “City Lights” (haven’t touched it); and Ren Clean Skincare Radiance Glow and Protect Serum (I HATE the scent – it smells like rotten yogurt).
I like the sequined bag, but I am afraid to use it – the sequins might fall off. I think it will end up being a Barbie bag.
I just got February’s Icon Box – I need to catch up!
I subscribe to the basic ipsy bag for $14/month (recently increased from $13/month) and Icon Box (formerly Glam Bag X) for an extra $60/quarterly (recently increased from $43/quarterly). If you’d like to try Ipsy – click here. I’ll earn 250 points if you sign up through my referral link.
No Ordinary Rose
Beaux Rêves Lacquer “No Ordinary Rose” is inspired by The Little Prince. I feel like I’ve read it, but I cannot remember a damn thing about it except for what I’ve read on Wikipedia. This beauty is from December’s Polish Pickup.
This is two coats of “No Ordinary Rose” over Cuticula Mic Drop Base Coat in “Melt Down” and under Cuticula Limitless Top Coat in “Raspberry Pop”. I am really liking Cuticula’s base and top coats – my manicures are lasting 6, 7, even 8 days now!
Glass Jellyfish
Lumen Lacquer “Glass Jellyfish” is the perfect neutral. In low light, it looks like a simple, sheer pink or lavender…HOWEVER…when the light hits it, there is a brilliant shine, with a hint of the blue that is so prominent in the bottle. The best part? It’s so sheer that you cannot see chips. I wore it over a week!
I LOVE this polish. This is the second polish I’ve sampled from December’s Polish Pickup.
This is two coats of “Glass Jellyfish” over Cuticula Mic Drop Base Coat in “Melt Down” and under Cuticula Limitless Top Coat in “Raspberry Pop”.
Shape-shifting in the Moor
Here’s to assuming that Psyche Minerals is referring to shape-shifting in a bog and NOT shape-shifting inside of a Andalusian Muslim. (Am I logophile? Or a Witzelsucht…I’ll let you google and decide.)
Psyche Minerals “Shape-shifting in the Moor” is from November’s Polish Pickup. I was so excited to try “Redrum” that I had to circle back to finish up November. Oops.
“Shapeshifting in the Moor” is inspired by the púca, a shape-shifting troublemaker from Irish folklore. The most famous representation is Puck in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer’s Night Dream.
This is two coats of “Shape-shifting in the Moor” over Cuticula Mic Drop Base Coat in “Melt Down” and under Cuticula Limitless Top Coat in “Raspberry Pop”. I was surprised to find a bit of texture in the shifting polish – I guess that’s the silver glitter? Next time I might add some Glitter Grabber.
Atomic Redrum
I’m baaaaaack…did you miss me?
I was in Arlington last week for a work thingie and then a Girly Getaway in Waco this weekend…and BAM – today hit me like a ton of bricks. Back into the office today, cold as fuck…and then Grad School started again. Thank FUCK this is my last semester. But you’re not here to read about my foul mood or all the bad decisions I’ve made that led me to this point…you just want to hear about the REDDEST and MOST BADDASS red nail polish I’ve ever seen.
That MOST BADASS red nail polish is Atomic Polish “Redrum”. I have so many red nail polishes that it’s gonna take a lot to make me purchase another one. “Redrum” has a lot of…whatever it is that makes me want to buy nail polish. On paper, it sounds boring…a red shimmer polish, that shifts to orange in the light. It’s just so intense!
This is two coats of “Redrum” over Cuticula Mic Drop Base Coat in “Melt Down” and under Cuticula Limitless Top Coat in “Raspberry Pop”. Oh, and it’s inspired by that creepy little kid in The Shining.
Oh, and it matches LaLa’s SUV – it’s the EXACT color…I wish I had remembered to take a picture when I was there.
Semi-Annual What WHAT!
Oh, my favorite sale of the year – Bath & Body Works Semi-Annual Sale. Even though there is sale over the summer, the after Xmas sale is FAR superior…because that’s when the Halloween stuff comes out!
My first trip was a quick stop on my traditional ‘day after Xmas looking for cheap candy’ shopping trip. We ended up at the store near my office, which usually has a decent selection. Except for the “Sunshine Mimosa” Wallflower Refill, everything I got was 75% Halloween. I had been eyeing this goth candleholder for months and was thrilled to lay my hands on it for 75% off. I also grabbed some hand soaps and a bewitching “Everlasting Magic” Body Cream. I spent $28.61, and saved $73.17.
A few days later, Lily & I were shopping in Tyler with our LaLa and we stopped in again. I came across a csent called “Satin Slippers” and became OBSESSED. It’s white rose forward, which is a rare find. Plus, it was in the $4.95 bucket – super cheap! But alas, they only had Body Spray and Body Cream – no Shower Gel! I was able to find some more Wallflower, some Body Cream for Lily, and some “Vampire Blood” Hand Cream for my purse (nothing screams WEIRDO like pulling “Vampire Blood” lotion out of your purse in public). I spent $46.35 this time, but saved $83.58.
I wanted that “Satin Slippers” Shower Gel, so on the way home from Nac, I made up a plan to stop at a few locations to look. We stopped in Spring, but they didn’t have it either. Right before we hit home, we stopped at the location closest to home and…MOTHERLODE! Not only did I find my “Satin Slippers” Shower Gel, they also had “Everlasting Magic” – I bought two of each. I also bought another Halloween Candleholder, a Halloween Wallflower Plug shaped like a coffin, and MORE candles. I spent $82.24, but saved $144.37!
In total, I spent $157.20 and “saved” $301.02. Obviously, Bath & Body Works is ridiculously overpriced, but I love it anyway.
As we near the 10th anniversary of Beauty Hoard, it crosses my mind that people MAY not be interested in reading about every product I buy…but then it also crosses my mind that I don’t do this for other people, I do it for myself, to create accountability in my shopping addiction and my overwhelming need for beauty rituals.
Here’s to another decade of soap hoarding!