Cheesy Poof
This is it – this is what you’ve been waiting for. I know you want to hear ALL about those scented nail polishes…
I started with Sinful Colors “Cheese Puff” because…I don’t know why chose that one first. First off, I was surprised to see that it is a textured polish. It’s got a fine, sandy finish, literally it felt like scraping sand off my nails when I was taking it off. It’s got a little bit of glitter to it, very subtle. It really does feel like the outer surface of a cheesy poof.
But does it SMELL like a cheesy poof? They actually DO! The smell is very subtle, but it was there – even the next day. My husband and children say it just smells like nail polish, but they are all congested and cannot smell shit.
This is two coats of “Cheese Puff” over Glisten & Glow Ridge Filling Base Coat. No top coat, so my fingers could vaguely smell like feet.
If you’ve ever wanted your fingernails to look (and smell) like you’ve just finished off a bag of Cheetoes, this is the polish for you!
Sweet & Salty
Sinful Colors has really stepped up their game in 2020. They’ve already released three new collections, and it’s only the first week of March!
As soon as I heard about the SCENTED Sweet & Salty Collection, I knew I had to track it down. My closest Walmart didn’t have it, but the one a mile on down the road had the whole collection, plus “Juicy”, the one Quick Bliss polish that I missed.
There are six polishes in the “Sweet & Salty” Collection: “Taco Tuesday”, “Cheese Puff”, “Cookies & Cream”, “Donut Even”, “Chocolate Cake”, and “Pizza Party”. I cannot wait to smell them all!
These polishes were $2.98 each, a real splurge for me these days!
Target Beauty Boxes – February 2020
Target made me go full “Karen” this month, I almost had to ask for a manager.
I was late to order the February boxes, because I was in Vegas. I went to order the boxes mid-month and Target’s website was telling me that there was a $25 minimum order for free shipping now – the hell? I poked around and there were comments on My Subscription Addiction describing the same issue. I chatted into Support and the agent was…less than helpful. He just kept quoting that I had to meet the threshold, even after I told him that I’d been buying individual Target Beauty Boxes for YEARS with free shipping. I politely bid him adieu, asking him to please refer this issue up the chain, as I wouldn’t be purchasing any more Beauty Boxes until it’s been fixed.
Turns out it must have been a temporary glitch. I went back and checked my shopping cart and I was able to complete my order with Free Shipping, and NO issues. As a matter of face, Target’s site even offered my a $1 consolidation discount, if I’d agree to slower shipping in fewer boxes. Now, I have NO illusions that the fix had anything to do with me or my chat into Support. It HAD to be a coincidence…right?
In any case, I snatched up both February boxes. The “Pucker Up” box was solely lip products. The star product is the St. Ives Passionfruit Lip Scrub. While not as sweet and tasty as Jeffree’s, it close. It left my lips soft and smooth and wasn’t nasty and greasy like the wet n wild scrub. Also in the lippie box: TwelveNYC Perfect Pout Cooling Gel Lip Mask (I keep forgetting to put in the freezer, so I can try it); Dr. Bronner Lip Balm in “Peppermint” (I bet it’s as tingly as the soap); Burt’s Bees Moisturizing Lip Mask; Milani Bold Color Statement Matte Lipstick in “I am Confident”; Burt’s Bees Lip Shimmer in “Peony”; and Soap & Glory Sexy Mother Pucker Lip Plumping Gloss in “Plums Up” (this STINGS like Lip Venom – and there is no tint to the gloss – BOO.) This box was a great value!
The other box was “Self Love” themed, and included Que Bella Radiance Boost Shimmering Cream Face Mask; Pacifica Island Vanilla by Pacifica Perfumed Hair & Body Mist; Aveeno Moisturizing CICA Balm (I brought this to work to use and it was…slick – I swear, it left like lube on my hands); Yuni My OM World Calming Aromatherapy Body Mist; Village Naturals Therapy Aches and Pains Muscle Relief Mineral Bath Soak (will be handing off to one of my kids); Masque Bar Silver Foil Pearl Peel Off Mask; and TwelveNYC Bright-Eyed Cooling Gel Eye Pads (again, someone remind me to put these in the freezer).
Each box was $7, with free shipping, that $1 Consolidation discount plus 5% off with my Target Red Card. Both boxes came with $3 off $15 coupons, but they expired 3/1. I had only gotten the boxes 2-3 days before that and I did not have time to use them.
Giggling All the Way
When I think of “giggling” on Sesame Street, of course I think of Elmo…but Elmo isn’t pink? Elmo already got his red polish though, so maybe this pearly pink polish is for Prairie Dawn – she’s a pink puppet.
China Glaze “Giggling All the Way” is a shimmery coral pink polish – it gives off definite flamingo vibes. This is two coats over Glisten & Glow Ridge Filling Base Coat.
My first three nails (thumb, index and middle) are shiny, topped with Glisten & Glow Top Coat. My ring finger is regular matte, with Glisten & Glow Matte Top Coat. I wanted to see how it would look rubberized, so I used Sinful Colors Rubber Top Coat on my pinky. The rubber top coat definitely gave my pinky a lot of grainy texture and made the shimmer POP – it almost looks like a holographic polish!
This is #11 – just one more polish left to swatch!
Track $tar
Believe me, I’m the FARTHEST thing from a Track Star – but Sinful Colors “Track $tar” made me feel like one.
I started with Sinful Colors Base Coat, but after three nails, it was clear that I wasn’t going to be able to beg any more out of the bottle. I threw the bottle away and finished the rest of my nails with Glisten & Glow Ridge Filling Base Coat. I painted two coats of “Track $tar” and finished with Sinful Colors Rubber Top Coat.
I am becoming obsessed with the “sneaker-like texture” of the new “Sporty Brights” Collection. I expect this Spring to be extra neon.
February 2020 Sephora Play! – Beauty Soul Mates
Hmmm…I’m getting a severe sense of deja vu with this month’s Sephora Play! box – I feel like I’ve seen all of these products before.
I received the Clinique Almost Lipstick in “Black Honey” just a few months, ago, in November’s box. The Clinique Blackhead Solutions 7 Day Deep Pore Cleanse & Scrub is a new product to me, at least.
I got the Kat Von D Beauty Lock-It Setting Powder in a 500 point bonus, so at least it’s not a repeat. (I noticed that the insert still refers to Kat Von D Beauty, so this was all put together well in advance of the rebranding.)
I received Fresh Lotus Youth Preserve Moisturizer, which is slightly different than the Youth Preserve Mask I received in 2018.
I’m not going to complain about philosophy Purity Made Simple Cleanser – I love it…but I did receive it in a Play! box in 2018.
Last, but not least – Verb Ghost Oil. Yup, you guessed it – 2018.
Even though I’ve gotten almost all of these products before, it’s a good little box this month.
Sephora Play gives you 5-6 prestige samples a month, for just $10! You can sign up at sephora.com/play.
February 2020 Allure Beauty Box – On Holiday
February’s Allure Beauty Box is a hodgepodge of items – some makeup, some tools, some skin stuff.
This first product I noticed was Olay Regenerist Retinol 24, which I had just finished off from last month’s Target Beauty Boxes. It was a great night moisturizer and I’ll be using this one up, too.
Also in this month’s box: Wander Beauty After Hours Highlighter (aren’t we OVER highlighters, yet?); an NYX Cosmetics Multi-Purpose Buffing Brush; BareMinerals Skinlongevity Vital Power Infusion Serum; Belif: The True Cream Aqua Bomb (finished the sample I got in December’s ipsy bag LAST NIGHT); Honey Jarret Super Beau’Tea Mask; and Cargo Cosmetics Essential Lip Color in “Santa Fe”.
A so-so box with really good products and really mediocre ones.
The Allure Beauty Box is $15/month, but they give you $5 off your first box. They also offer an option for $150/year – a savings of $30. Sign up via my referral link.
Cele-Bert
We are drawing near to the end of the Sesame Street 50th Anniversary polishes with the 10 polish – China Glaze “Cele-Bert”.
“Cele-Bert” is a green-leaning gold glitter polish, which I’m assuming is named for the unibrowed muppet. It is far more green in the bottle than on the nail. It’s a full coverage glitter, and not too sharp either.
This is two coats of “Cele-Bert” over Glisten & Glow Ridge Filling Base Coat. I actually like it mattified with Glisten & Glow Matte Top Coat (ring and pinky) than glossy with Glisten & Glow Top Coat (Thumb, index and middle).
Two more to go…
Birthday Splurge
But is it really splurging if it’s on the sale page?
I hadn’t used my $10 off birthday code at Ulta yet, so I filled my cart on the sale page. Actually, let me back up. I was scrolling the Sephora Presidents Day sale and saw that the Jackie Aina and Carli Bybel palettes from Anastasia Beverly Hills were 30% off, so I decided to redirect that purchase over to Ulta – not only because I have a coupon, but also because I feel like I get more value from being top tier at Ulta than being top tier at Sephora. Also, Ulta has BOMB GWPs.
Ulta didn’t have the Jackie Aina palette, but the DID have the Anastasia Beverly Hills Carly Bybel Palette ($31.50, down from $45). That’s fine, because the Jackie Aina palette looks a little cray. (I was hoping that the Alyssa Edwards palette would be back, but nope.) I only know Carli from the Allure Beauty Box she did last year. I was thinking that the palette would end up being pretty basic, but it’s got a nice selection of colors, with lots of shimmer and glitter. I’m enjoying using it, except that the glitter shades have the fallout from hell. It sprays all over my whole damn face. Primer helps a little bit, but it still gets everywhere. I’m gonna have to work on it.
I also decided to go out on a limb and try the Lime Crime Venus XS Vixen Palette ($10, down from $20). I’ve stayed away from Lime Crime for the most part because the owner was a shitbag, but since selling out in 2018, it appears they’ve turned their reputation around. The XS Vixen is a small red-themed palette. The quality is just OK – it doesn’t blend very well at all and the coverage is splotchy. Looks like I can continue to ignore this brand.
One more sale purchase – an Urban Decay Cosmetics Brow Beater Microfine Brow Pencil and Brush in “Dark” ($10, down from $20). I’m guessing that it’s on clearance because they are discontinuing it…which is fine. The quality is fine, similar to Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz, but still not as good (for me) as the Ulta Ultra Slim Brow Pencil.
I picked up the new Pacifica Sunshine Highs Toning Shampoo & Conditioner ($10 each) for my son’s bleached locks. I got it in preparation for another round of highlights, so probably next week or so.
There was also a free 28 piece beauty bag with a $70 purchase. You know I cannot get enough of those GWPs. Inside this HUGE red bag: Elizabeth Arden Prevage Anti-Aging Daily Serum; LORAC Pro Plus Fiber Mascara (eek, those fiber mascaras scare me); PUR Fully Charged Mascara; Boots No7 Dark Circle Corrector; Mamonde Petal Spa Oil to Foam (I have 3 sample bottles of this now – thanks, Ulta); Living proof. restore perfecting spray; Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in “Patina” (I really like this shade – I wonder if my old one is dried up?); proactivMD Deep Cleansing Face Wash (I used proactive back when it first came out; it worked for a while, but then ate all my skin off); Becca Ever-Matte Poreless Priming Perfector; Clinique Dramatically Different Hydrating Jelly; First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream; It’s a 10 Miracle Finishing Spray; Shiseido Benefiance WrinkleResist 24 Pure Retinol Express Smoothing Eye Mask; Patchology Flashpatch Illuminating Eye Gels (so many damn eye patches – I feel like a fucking pirate); TonyMoly Vital Vita 12 Ampoules Mix & Match Serums; Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder and Glow Powder; DevaCurl Supercream (no curls here, go will give away); Viktor & Rolf Bon Bon; Zitsticka (intrigued); Botanics Simply Calm; Ulta Beauty Matte Black Eyeliner; Biolage Airdry Glotion (what?); Pureology Colour Fanatic; Smashbox Photo Finish Oil & Shine Control; Giorgio Armani Acqua Di Gio; e.l.f. Poreless Primer Putty (oh, this is some GOOD stuff – I like it); Cover FX High Performance Setting Spray and Florence by Mills Clean Magic Face Wash (what does that girl from Stranger Things know about beauty products?) A dang good bag!
$1,088 to Diamond. I better step it up!
Flushed
To my daughter’s dismay, I had to take another break from her Sesame Street Collection to try out at least one of my new purchases.
It was a difficult decision, but Lily chose Sinful Colors Quick Bliss “Flushed” for my to try. It’s a mauve duochrome with a strong gold shimmer. I was fearing that the formula would be really sheer, but it gave great coverage in two coats – no visible nail line! This is two coats over Glisten & Glow Ridge Filling Base Coat and under Glisten & Glow Top Coat.
The Cherry Oil in the formula is supposed to make it dry quicker and not need a top coat, but I really didn’t notice any difference from regular Sinful Colors.
Sinful Colors is on a roll in 2020. In addition to Sporty Brights and Quick Bliss, they’ve just dropped a SCENTED food collection of polishes. That’s right – my nails can smell like tacos and pizza. I haven’t found them in stores yet, but you know I’m looking.