Joe Exotic Nails
You know I’ve been chomping at the bit to do Joe Exotic Nails – and I finally figured out a way to make it work!
I do NOT have faith in my freehand painting skills anymore, so I’d been hesitant to try painting tiger stripes on my nails. There’s just no way it wouldn’t look shit. But then I remembered the shit ton of Jamberry Nail Wraps that I got years and years ago. I hunted through the piles and found a single White Tiger Strip in a pack of samples that Kimberley had sent me – score!
Once I added the Jamberry to my ring finger, I had to duplicate Joe Exotic’s glitz and glamour. I decided to go with his ICONIC teal lewk, as opposed to his hot pink wedding lewk. I started with Sally Hansen Double Duty for the base coat, and then two coats of Sally Hansen Color Therapy “Reflecting Pool”. I topped with my favorite turquoise and copper glitter, Nicole by OPI “Pick of the Glitter”. I finished with Glisten & Glow Top Coat. It turned out AMAZING!
I had forgotten how annoying Jamberry Wraps can be if you don’t cut them exactly perfect. I kept getting the edge stuck in my fucking hair. As badass as my nails looked – I could only stand to wear this look for two days.
Now I wish I had another set of White Tiger Wraps, so I could do Roy Horn Nails…
Geneva
Ooooh, this is nice.
Julep “Geneva” made me feel like a unicorn princess. It’s an iridescent blurple sparkle polish.
This is two coats over Glisten & Glow Base Coat and topped with Glisten & Glow Top Coat. It is a sheer glitter, but the dense shimmer gives the illusion of full coverage.
“Geneva” was included in the very last Julep Mystery Box last year – “Glisten Up” – but I got it in my last big sale haul.
Target Beauty Boxes – April 2020
Thank you Target, for giving me two Target Beauty Boxes for April. My online shopping is ridiculous right now…
The box on the left is called “Clean Routine” and is filled with health-conscious alternatives to every day products. I tried out the Lavanila Pure Healthy Vanilla Deodorant today. It’s not as good as the Schmidt’s deodorant, but it kept most of the funk away. (I totally just sniffed my armpit – a little funky, but not bad.) Also included in the “Clean Routine” box: artnaturals Vitamin C Serum (I’ve been using a lot of serums in my morning routine since Quarantine started); hello bpa-free toothbrush (I’ll throw it in the bin for guests); Love Beauty and Planet Coconut Milk & White Jasmine Hand Cream (I have the one I received in the April 2019 box in my purse); and hello Hemp Seed Oil + Coconut Oil Fluoride Free Toothpaste (I’ve been using this for the past few days – it’s like brushing your teeth with oregano).
The other box is themed “Spring Into Clean” and is full of healthy cleaning products. I am LOVING the full sized SheaMoisture Cannabis & Witch Hazel Skin Rescue Cream Cleanser. It takes a lot of rinsing, but I like the way it feels and smells. Also inside: Pacifica Glowing Makeup Removing Wipes; The Good Stuff Complete Repair Balm (another repeat from April 2019); Acure Resurfacing Overnight Glycolic Treatment; and Spring & Vine Tea Tree & Mint Scalp Soothing Shampoo Bar (I gave to the husband, but he hasn’t used it yet.
Each box was $7, with free shipping, plus 5% off with my Target Red Card. Both boxes came with $3 off $15 coupons, and THESE coupons have an extended expiration date of 8/6/20. I was able to use BOTH of last month’s coupons already! I even used one of them to order these two boxes, adding some body wash for my daughter to the order to bump the total over $15.
Neon Skittles
You know, I think this is my first “Skittle Mani”. A “Skittle Mani” is pretty simple – just a different color on each nail, so it looks like you’re holding a handful of skittles! I decided to finish off the rest of the Sinful Colors “Sporty Brights” Collection.
Thumb to pinky, I used “Werk Out”, “Shoot & Swishhh”, “Fit Chick”, “Fitspo”, and “Trainers”. I did two coats (over Glisten & Glow Base Coat), on all my nails, EXCEPT the yellow, “Shoot & Swishhh”. I had to do three coats on “Shoot & Swishhh” – it was streaky as hell, no matter what I did. The third coat made it barely tolerable. I maybe should’ve done three coats on all of them – that visible nail line…I topped with Sinful Colors Rubber Top Coat.
My nails coincidentally match the best beaver scrunchie EVER.
Instinct + Transformation
Makeup Revolution Palettes at 40% off? Don’t mind if I do!
I’ve had my eye on the Revolution x Alexis Stone collaboration since it launched. I hesitated, not because of the price, but because of the unlikelihood that I would get much use out of it. But FOMO and a great price convinced me. The Instinct Palette ($15, down from $25) is a 28 shade matte palette with a rainbow of colors. Makeup Revolution has really upped their quality – these shadows were super pigmented and wore well without primer. (I did get a little bit of staining with the pink shadows, so be warned.) The Transformation Palette ($9, down from $15) has 7 shimmery shades that can be worn alone or over your Instinct shades, which is what I did.
I also snagged the I Heart Revolution Tasty Avocado Palette ($10, down from $15) and Tasty Hot Dog Palette ($7.49). I know that I look horrible in green eye shadow, but I couldn’t resist that cute avocado packaging. When I tried it out, I wasn’t wrong – my husband refused to go get ice cream with me while I was wearing it. The Hot Dog Palette was a nice surprise – I never knew that mustard and ketchup vibes would look so good on me.
My hair is growing out of control, so I got a few new hair tools – the Pattern Hair Clip ($10) is bigger than the octopus clips I’ve been using and it holds ALL my hair. It’s designed for curly hair, but works just fine on straight hair, too. I also got the Invisibobble Bunstar ($8 for 2). This little sperm-shaped piece of plastic screws in and holds your bun! I don’t exactly understand how it works, but it does.
I also got my son another L’Oreal Colorista Highlight Kit and myself an Ulta Tinted Juice Infused Lip Oil ($4.50, down from $9).
This 5 piece Benefit gift with purchase was the last Beauty Break I’ve seen – two weeks ago. A $60 purchase got me a Benefit makeup bag with my favorite mascara – Benefit Roller Lash, as well as The POREfessional Hydrate Primer, Precisely My Brow Pencil in “Warm Light Brown”, and Gimme Brow Brow-Volumizing Fiber Gel in “Warm Brown”. A $75 purchase got me a Benefit “Laughter is the Best Cosmetic” Canvas Tote. I want more Beauty Breaks – where did they go???
Just $935 to Diamond status!
Slow Down
This is it – I’ve found the perfect polish to match Kat Von D “Lolita” – my favorite shade of lipstick. (It’s even better than Sinful Colors “Vacation Time”.) This is Context Skin “Slow Down”, from this month’s ipsy bag.
“Slow Down” is a chestnut mauve creme. This is two coats over Glisten & Glow Ridge Filling Base Coat. It was smooth and self leveling, and the brush was great. I topped my thumb and ring finger with Glisten & Glow Matte Top Coat and the rest with Glisten & Glow Top Coat. This polish is so drastically different with the two top coats – I love it both ways – and I cannot decide which one is better!
Do you like how it perfectly matches the brick on my house?
“Slow Down” will be my new go-to shade for my toes – I cannot wait to try it out after my next pedicure!
April 2020 Allure Beauty Box – Spritzed Up
Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb is far from one of my favorite scents, but I’m impressed by the size of the sample included in this month’s “Spritzed Up” box. It’s not one of those stupid little vials – this is a Deluxe Mini with 7 whole mL! I may have to give it another try…
Also in this month’s box: Thrive Causemetics Lip Filler Long Wearing + Plumping Lip Liner in “Valisia” (I actually tried this one out – it’s okay, but there was no plumping to be had); Eva NYC Mane Magic 10-in-1 Primer (I like this brand, but I haven’t done my hair since…Vegas?); LuĂ© by Jean Seo Balance Hydrating & Calming Serum; Dr. Jart+ Cicapair Tiger Grass Color Correcting Treatment (I’ve gotten this in a couple different Sephora Play! boxes – it’s nice); Akar Skin Balance Toning Mist (I’m not a toner girl, but the smell of this one brings me back – it reminds me of when I thought I was making “perfume” by letting rose petals ferment in water bottles – that sounds negative, but it’s not, it’s a really earthy scent); and a PĹ«rlisse Watermelon Energizing Sheet Mask (Yes, I have enough sheet masks to wallpaper my bathroom, what’s one more?)
Kind of a grab bag of items this month – I like it.
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.
Chester Cheetah
My nails are…dangerously cheesy!
I had a spark of inspiration to create “Chester Cheetah” nails that actually SMELL like Cheetos!
After Glisten & Glow Ridge Filling Base Coat, I did two coats of Sinful Colors “Cheese Puff”. I didn’t know how the two brands would interact when I topped my nails with Zoya Leopard Spots Topper, but I was pleasantly surprised that the topper not only worked, but crackled even better than over Zoya Pixie Dusts.
I wasn’t exactly surprised that this manicure chipped exceptionally quickly. It was fine though – my fingers were super stinky.
April 2020 Ipsy Bag – Full Bloom
April’s ipsy bag is super bitchin’! I love the big wooden ring on the zipper and the soft lavender flowers.
For this month’s product choice, I selected Oryza Beauty Foiler Alert – Metallic Eye Shadow in “RosĂ©”. I have not tried it yet – maybe for my next video conference? I also haven’t tried the Araceli Beauty Ojos Perfectos Gel Pencil Eyeliner in “Black/Negro”.
I have been able to try the rest of the products in this month’s bag. I used the Ahava 24K Gold Mineral Mus Mask over the weekend. Even though it didn’t clear my pores as well as traditional mud masks, it made my skin so soft and glowing.
I’ve also been using the MURAD Nutrient-Charged Water Gel as my go-to moisturizer – it smells WONDERFUL. I’d actually pay for this one.
Stay tuned to see Context Skin Nail Lacquer in “Slow Down”.
I subscribe to the basic ipsy bag for $12/month. If you’d like to try Ipsy – click here. I’ll earn 250 points if you sign up through my referral link.
Therapewter
There’s something magical about metallic nail polish – it’s my favorite.
This is Sally Hansen Color Therapy “Therapewter”. The bottle says “Argan Oil Formula”, which is even MORE magical…because argan nuts travel through a goat’s digestive tract before being expressed into argan oil!
I got beautiful coverage in just two coats. This is two coats over Sally Hansen Double Duty and under Glisten & Glow Top Coat. It lasted a looong time without chips – honestly, I was impressed.
Pewter is an underrated finish. I used to have this pair of Naturalizer shoes in pewter that I wore literally until the soles wore through. I also appreciate pewter jewelry, but it’s rare these days. Bring back pewter!