Blue Rizzler at the Garden Party
True to my word, I added two new polishes to my last Ulta order – Holo Taco “Blue Rizzler” and Holo Taco “Garden Party Taco”.
“Blue Rizzler” is a blueberry violet crushed holographic. “Garden Party Taco” is a scattered floral topper. I did have to do some glitter fishing for those flowers, but it wasn’t TOO awful.
I started with Holo Taco Pink Smoothing Base Coat and two coats of “Blue Rizzler” on all of my nails except the pinky. My pinky got two coats of “Garden Party Taco”, while my ring finger got a single coat of “Garden Party Taco” I finished with Holo Taco Glossy Taco Top Coat.
Tangerine Ulta Haul
She don’t use nothing that you buy at the store, she likes her legs to smell real orange, she uses TANGERINES…
I cannot help it, that song has been stuck in my head for DAYS. I’ve been happy with my Moroccan Rose Shave Oil, but I decided to switch it up and try Tree Hut Moisturizing Shave Oil in “Tangerine” ($10.99). I didn’t stop there – I also got Tree Hut Foaming Gel Body Wash in “Tangerine” ($9.99) and Tree Hut Tangerine Moisturizing Body Lotion ($11.49) to match. My dumb ass didn’t even wait for them to go on sale. I don’t care, I smell so good…
While I was shopping, I got a few more things for me: J. Cat Beauty Lemon-Aid Makeup Brush Soap ($2.99); Sol de Janeiro Rio Deo Aluminum-Free Refillable Deodorant Cheirosa ’62 ($16); and Nads Natural Facial Wax Strips ($5.99 – mustaches are so OUT this year).
Peach Slices was on sale, so I grabbed Lily a Peach Slices Oil Control Balancing Cleanser ($10.49, down from $14.99). She is all about Korean Skin Care right now.
In addition to a $10 off coupon, I got a Free Diamond & Platinum Exclusive 8 Piece Gift with $65 shipped purchase: Kitsch Rice Water Protein Solid Shampoo and Solid Conditioner (I’ve been curious about these!); megababe Blade Bar (ok, I love the one I have, so this saved me $8 from buying a new one); Milani Keep It Full Plumping Balm; Ralph Lauren Polo; Thayers Blemish Clearing 2% BHA Toner; Indie Lee Brightening Cleanser; Peach & Lily Super Oasis Concentrated Serum; and Charlotte Tilbury K.I.S.S.I.N.G. Lipstick in “Fallen from the Lipstick Tree” (what kind of stupid name is that?). Except for the lipstick and cologne, this is a smashing set of samples.
Just $604 more until Diamond in 2026.
Power Number
…I feel like I’ve been stuck in the early 00’s lately – binging One Tree Hill with Lily, which also means revisiting the music and fashion – so why not revive another millennial trend? CRACKLE POLISH is back y’all.
Fresh from April’s Polish Pickup, we’ve got Colores de Carol “Power Number“. It’s a teal multichrome shimmer crackle – it’s got EVERYTHING, and it crackles like a sonofabitch.
I started with Cuticula Mic Drop Base Coat in “Tropical Oasis” and a single coat of Atomic Polish “Sour Apple Rings”. I topped with a thick coat of “Power Number” and I admit, that it got patchy as it shrunk, so I may have filled in a few bald spots to even out the finished look. I finished with Cuticula Limitless Top Coat in “Blackberry Passionfruit“.
Fallible Ulta Haul
Ugh. Not only did I lose my favorite powder foundation somewhere between my house and San Francisco earlier this month…but when I finally ordered a replacement of my L’Oreal Infallible 24H Fresh Wear Foundation In A Powder in “20 Ivory” ($16.99), it arrived absolutely SHATTERED. These things happen and Ulta’s Customer Service Chat Agent made it right immediately. 10/10 service and I received a replacement within a few days.
I added a few new polishes to my cart – Holo Taco “Blue Rizzler” ($14) and Holo Taco “Garden Party Taco” ($13) – and they happened to be in the bubble wrap with the powder and got a bit dusty. No damage to my Thayers Alcohol-Free Witch Hazel Facial Toner in “Rose Petal” ($10.95).
I qualified for a free Wellness Sampler with my $50 purchase (even though I used a $10 off coupon). Inside the Wellness Sampler: Sol de Janeiro Beija Flor Elasti-Cream (I don’t care that I just got one of these – I love the scent); lemme Debloat Daily Digestive Gummies (Not the kind of gummies I usually take, but I’ll give them a whirl); The Good Patch Rescue Patch (it appears to be for a hangover – I’ll try next time I go to Cali); Tan-Luxe Super Glow Hyaluronic Self-Tan Serum (NOPE.); Cetaphil Daily Oil-Free Facial Moisturizer SPF 35; Tula Skincare 24-7 moisture hydrating day & night cream (love this brand); Sunday Riley Good Genes; philosophy amazing grace hydrating shower gel; and dermalogica Skin Smoothing Cream. This is a bad ass sample bag with only one dud!
$662 to Diamond in 2026.
May 2025 Ipsy Icon Box – Erin & Sara Foster
Once again, I find myself wondering who this quarter’s Icon Box curators – Erin & Sara Foster – even are. I did a quick Google and found that they are Podcasters (don’t care) and made a semi-autobiographical Netflix Show (won’t watch). Cool, cool…but then I read farther down the article and figured out that they are just another set of Hollywood Nepo Babies with a record producer father that put them in Jenner/Hadid circles – and he is currently married to that weird American Idol lady. Safe to say they’ve lost what little legitimacy they may have had in my eyes…
ANYWAY, they curated this box and it easily one of the lamest Icon Boxes yet. I’ll start with the one product that is SOLID GOLD – Grande Cosmetics GrandeBROW Brow Enhancing Serum in Clear ($73). This shit WORKS. I do not know that I would pay $73 for it, but I have been using it every night for the last two weeks or so and I already can see a difference in my thin 90s brows. I am so glad I snagged this as one of my product choices.
I admit, I have not tried my other two product choices yet. I selected First Aid Beauty 0.3% Retinol Complex Serum with Peptides ($48) because I will be 50 next year and a facelift is not in my budget. I don’t remember why I picked Drunk Elephant D-Bronzi™ Anti-Pollution Sunshine Drops ($39). It’s bronzer drops that you add to your foundation. I will literally never use this.
What am I going to do with Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Freeze Gel ($26)? I don’t have brows, so I might resell it. I will probably use the Beautystat Universal Triple Action Daily Peel ($29) instead of acne pads. I used the Rare Beauty All of the Above Weightless Eyeshadow Stick in “Integrity (Champagne) ($22) and it was quick and easy…but WAY overpriced. I’ll probably never use the Rodial Plumping Collagen Lip Oil ($38) for anything, except as lipstick remover.
I am absolutely IN LOVE with my final product though – Maison Louis Marie No.14 Icila Eau de Parfum ($93). It is worth every penny of that $93. Notes of ruby red grapefruit, plum and patchouli make this a hit for me. I’ve already used it half a dozen times since it arrived.
Another $368 box…of course, half of it might be going in the trash…
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.
Stargazer Lily
Leave it to Beaux Rêves Lacquer to create another polish that is nearly impossible to photograph accurately.
Beaux Rêves Lacquer “Stargazer Lily” is from April’s “Celebrate!” Polish Pickup. It’s another magnetic polish and is a sister polish to “Blooming Azalea”.
Since I used the Velveteen Magnet, there isn’t a clear line to see the magnetic effect, but since I’m using a ring light, you can see a pink to blue transition on my nails. Since I was velvetizing, I did not bother with DRK Nails Magic Effect.
This is two coats of “Stargazer Lily” over Cuticula Mic Drop Base Coat in “Tropical Oasis” and under Cuticula Limitless Top Coat in “Blackberry Passionfruit“.
Persephone’s Pomegranate
Zombie Claw “Persephone” was one of my picks from February’s “Fables & Folklore” Polish Pickup and is inspired by Persephone eating pomegranate seeds. I like the IDEA of eating pomegranate seeds, as well as the taste – but in real life…it’s such a pain in the ass.
I was struck by how similar in tone this polish is to Julep “Persephone”. I wonder how they’d look together?
This is two coats of “Persephone” over Cuticula Mic Drop Base Coat in “Tropical Oasis” and under Cuticula Limitless Top Coat in “Blackberry Passionfruit“.
We are like the Dreamer who Dreams
I didn’t need another notebook or another totebag…but I did need THIS particular notebook ($18) and THIS particular totebag ($32), designed by The Great Northern Candle Company. I haven’t decided what to used them for…but I will.
The main purpose of my order wasn’t even to get merch – I wanted wax melts. The wax melts are a GREAT deal. I thought I was paying $14 for a 2 oz pack of 6 – but $14 gets you 2 2oz packs! I ordered “Log Lady” – Cashmere + Cedarwood – and “Great Salish” – Sweetgrass + Cedar Smoke. Someday, I’ll get to go there in real life…
I also got a few more 2ml sample vials ($9 each). “Noir 315” is heavily inspired by Fire Walk With Me and is mainly Cedar + Labdanum. (Dale Cooper also stayed in Room 315 at the Great Northern.) It leans masculine, but I like it on me. I also got “The Woodsmen”, inspired by the murderous Woodsmen in The Return. The Campfire + Chocolate scent reminds me of Toblerone Dark Chocolate – I want to smell it, but I am not sure I want to smell like it? Does that make sense? I also got a another free sample of “The Roadhouse” – these folks are so generous!
Even though I’d gotten a scratch card in my last order for $10 off $65, there was a 20% off sale the weekend I ordered, so I’ll save that card for the next order…I think I need a full bottle of “Noir 315”.
Cheesecake & Candlelight
If cheesecake is involved, it’s automatically a celebration. Even if I wasn’t veering dangerously close to Golden Girls territory – at the ripe old age of 49 – this would be a universal truth.
Royla Lee “Cheesecake & Candlelight” is from April’s Polish Pickup and is inspired by the Golden Girls and their nightly cheesecake ritual. Truth be told, I CANNOT WAIT to live with my girlfriends and eat cheesecake and talk shit about the ugly neighbors. Of course, I’m a Dorothy – and I’ve got my friends slotted accordingly. In fact, the more the merrier – I know at least 6 or 9 Golden Girls that might be interested after their husbands (mysteriously?) pass away…
This is my first Royla Lee polish and it is quite nice. Like most chromed shimmer polishes, I did get a few visible brushstrokes, but they weren’t hideous. I ended up taking a lot of “thumbs up” pictures while I was in San Francisco the weekend before last, so I’m glad I was wearing such a pretty polish.
This is two coats of “Cheesecake & Candlelight” over Cuticula Mic Drop Base Coat in “Tropical Oasis” and under Cuticula Limitless Top Coat in “Blackberry Passionfruit“.
Polish Pickup April 2025 – Celebrate!
Celebrations! is April’s Polish Pickup theme. Who doesn’t love a good celebration?
With all the magnetic polishes I am collecting, I got a neodymium bar magnet ($3) and an SJ 3Designs Velveteen Magnet ($12). I’m excited to try both.
By Vanessa Molina “Easter Egg” ($13.50) is a magnetic polish inspired by Easter and the eggs that come with.
Royla Lee “Cheesecake & Candlelight” ($13.75) is inspired by one of my favorites – The Golden Girls.
Colores de Carol “Power Number” ($13.50) is a CRACKLE polish…not sure of the inspiration.
Baroness X “Empty Orchestra” ($13) is another magnetic polish, inspired by…an empty orchestra pit? I cannot remember exactly.
Beaux Rêves Lacquer “Stargazer Lily” ($12.50) is inspired by my FAVORITE flower and is a sister polish to “Blooming Azalea”.
I cannot wait to bust out the magnets!