Month: May 2015
Addiction Perfection
I have a pile of a couple dozen polishes that I haven’t tried yet, so I grabbed Urban Decay “Addiction”. It reminds me of the dark green ink on a new dollar bill.
After Orly Bonder, I did two quick coats of “Addiction”. I was super excited to try Dream Polish Gem Glam Top Coat. It’s quite different than “HK Girl”. It’s thinner and doesn’t smell like epoxy. I actually ordered a scented variety – “Lily Flower”. The scent was almost overpowering last night, but it’s very faint today. It dries a tad slower, but it’s still quick drying. It’s not as smooth as glass and a tad less shiny, but it photographs beautifully. Being slightly less shiny is better, since it lets the polish’s beauty speak for itself. I want to try it over a few different polishes before I declare it the perfect top coat, but I’m really excited that it’s “5 free” – I don’t want to get finger cancer!
Online Shopping Binge
I kind went nuts last week with the online shopping – between Thursday night and Saturday morning , I placed no less than 6 online orders…so many sales and coupons in my inbox…I couldn’t resist.
With the long holiday weekend and biblical flooding, almost all of the packages hit at once yesterday. Instead of half a dozen different posts, I figured I’d stuff most of them into one…
I am fairly shameless, so I’m not going to show the pile of underwear from Victoria’s Secret. Yup, I hoard panties, too.
I had been eyeing the Sephora Sun Safety Kit – I need to protect my easily scorched skin. Inside the kit are 16 different sun protection products in a cute travel bag: – AmorePacific Natural Protector SPF 30, Clarins UV Plus Anti-Pollution Broad Spectrum SPF 50, Clinique Moisture Surge CC Cream Broad Spectrum SPF 30 in Light Medium, Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare Dark Spot Sun Defense Broad Spectrum SPF 50 Sunscreen, Dr. Jart+ Premium Beauty Balm SPF 45, Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment SPF 15, Josie Maran Cosmetics Argan Daily Moisturizer SPF 47, Korres Yoghurt Nourishing Fluid Veil Broad Spectrum SPF 30, Murad Invisiblur Perfecting Shield Broad Spectrum SPF 30, Ole Henriksen total truth eye crème SPF 15, Origins VitaZing Broad Spectrum SPF 15 Energy-Boosting Moisturizer with Mangosteen, Peter Thomas Roth Max Sheer All Day Moisture Defense Lotion SPF 30, Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protection Cream SPF 50+ WetForce Broad Spectrum Water Resistant (80 Minutes), St. Tropez One Night Only in Light-Medium, Supergoop! City Sunscreen Serum SPF 30, and Vita Liberata Passion Flower & Argan Dry Oil Broad Spectrum SPF 50. PHEW – that’s a lot of sunscreen!
For my 3 samples, I chose Viktor & Rolf “Flowerbomb” (spicy and flowery, reminds me of a Victoria’s Secret scent), Maison Martin Margiela REPLICA “Beach Walk” (this doesn’t smell like a perfume – it smells like a thing – LOVE), and dr. brandt Do Not Age. Sephora was also running a Jetsetter deal – pick 3 extra samples – so I got Origins Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask, Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream, and boscia Purifying Cleansing Gel. My face is gonna be SMOOTH.
I can’t say no to Birchbox’s Limited Edition Boxes. As soon as I got the email got the “Under the Sun” ($55) box, I knew I would eventually order it…but not until I got that 25% coupon. 25% off and $10 in Birchbox points and ADD TO CART. Inside the box: Baggu Tote Bag (I had my fingers crossed for this elephant print!), Cynthia Rowley Beauty Beauty on the Go Multi Blush & Bronzer Duo (meh), Laura Mercier Bakes Eye Color in “Cameo” (yasss), Sugarpova Flirty Candy (why does Maria Sharapova sell candy?), Chloe + Isabel Birchbox Exclusive Medina Convertible Pendant Necklace (my favorite part of the box!), Knockaround Premium Sunglasses (silver!), ncLA Nail Lacquer in “Bikinis & Martinis” (it’s the color of bubble gum you’d find stuck under a picnic table), and Supergoop! Skin Soothing Mineral Suncreen with Olive Polythenols SPF 40.
For samples, I got Vasanti Brighten Up! Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator and Sumita Jumon Contrast Eye Pencil. I also finally got my Birchbox Anniversary Keyring (not pictured).
…and today, I got a big box of Deep Cleansing Hand Soap from Bath & Body Works. You know that I start to get the shakes if I have less than 30 bottles under the sink. They were all between $2.75 & $3.25, plus 20% off and free shipping. I threw in a handful of Scentportables for my car for good measure.
I also received my Dream Polish Gem Glam Topcoat in “Lily Flower” – yes, it’s scented! This another popular one on Instagram and it’s 5 free – I can’t wait to try it out.
I am still waiting on my sale order from Delush Polish – that’s the only one that hasn’t arrived. I think I have enough stuff to keep me busy…until next week when all my subscription boxes start rolling in!
Reflecting Skin
It’s glittery, but not. It’s…breathtaking, like skin that reflects pure light.
I decided to do a new version of my old naked rhinestone suit manicure. After Orly Bonder, I used RUFFIAN “Sahara” as my skintone – just one coat. A thick coat of essie Luxeffects “Set in Stones” and then finished off with Zoya Matte Velvet Topcoat. Just four quick coats and dry within minutes. The perfect “before bedtime” manicure!
Salmon Clamdiggers
So Old Navy was having a ridiculous Memorial Day sale – the whole store was on sale and I ended up going twice, knocking out a little of next year’s School Shopping…although mostly shopping for myself. I’d been coveting The Pixie Ankle Pants for while, although on my 6’1 frame, they’re more like what my mother would have called “Clamdiggers” on me.
I’d tried them on several times, but never saw the right color and fit…until now. I came across a pair with a salmon pattern and fell in love. I don’t know why – I’ve never particularly cared for the color, but they were just so…funky. I tried them on and they were like magic pants. I grabbed a salmon colored cardigan (grandma sweater) and white tank top to match…and I saw a Real Housewife staring back at me. I finally have something to wear while skipping out of PTA meetings to go smoke behind the elementary school! Wouldn’t you know, my husband said they’re HIDEOUS.
Of course, I had the perfect polishes to match – Julep “Nan” for my toes and Jenna Hipp “Crème de Cantaloupe”.
I went back to Orly Bonder for the base coat. “Crème the Cantaloupe” was streaky as hell on the first coat and started to worry, but the second coat smoothed out perfectly. My “HK Girl” is getting low and hard to get out of the bottle, but I got it on there – only a few uses left.
That color though…it is NOT for my skin tone. It’s like an electric cantaloupe!
Pink or Purple?
This polish has me all verklempt – is it pink or purple?
At first, I was convinced it was light purple, but when I showed my husband – he said it was very pink. I argued that it was purple, but my daughter agreed – definitely pink. Well shit.
In any case, Jenna Hipp “Très Parfait” was just as awesome as “Rose Tart” – super smooth in two coats. I used Sinful Colors Base Coat this time, but stuck with “HK Girl” – I love that shit, even if it smells like super glue.
Beauty Box 5 – S.O.S.
My poor little Beauty Box 5 has been sitting on the counter for almost a week – how could I forget?
May’s theme is “S.O.S.” – Super Outstanding Skin! Inside this month’s box; Bio Swiss Stainless Steel Mini Tweezer (perfect to add to my purse emergency kit – never know when you might have a brow emergency at work); Ahava 3 Sample Pack (fancy skin stuff); Styli-Style Blush/Highlighter Stick in “Bittersweet” (kinda orangey, but hey – it isn’t bronzer); Dermalogica AgeSmart Multivitamin Hand and Nail Treatment; and Coastal Scents Classic/Synthetic Brush (it appears to be an eyeliner brush – yasss).
OK, this is a better box than the last few – they’ve got me for a few more months…
Pond Mani
…and now for something completely different.
I decided to try a “Pond Mani” – layers of sheer polish over layers of dots that appear suspended in different layers of a pond. After Sinful Colors Base Coat, I started with a layer of white dots in Sinful Colors “Snow Me White”, then a layer of Sinful Colors “Prized Plume”. I repeated twice more – 3 sets of dots and 3 layers of “Prized Plume”. I topped it with “HK Girl”.
Obviously, my impatience shows – a few of the white dots smeared a little bit. Other than that, it worked perfectly. Next time, I’ll try a sheerer polish, but I’m ecstatic about how this one turned out.
Sinful Friday
I couldn’t resist a final stop at Walgreen’s on my way home from work Friday evening. What? You know how I am!
I decided I wanted the other two Sinful Colors opalescent top coats to go with “Prized Plume” (blue) – “Flight to See” (purple) and “Sheer Flight” (green).
I also went basic and picked up some black and white for nail art – “Black on Black” and “Snow Me White”.
They didn’t have any good clearance polish – so disappointing.
Climbing the Social Ladder
After removing the foul “Italian Leather”, doing 7 loads of laundry, heating up dinner, paying bills and other assorted household chores, I needed a quick fix for my nails. No nail art, multiple colors or textures to coordinate. No fussy cremes that take forever to dry…
I picked Sinful Colors “Social Ladder”, a pale pink shimmer. It looks almost white in the picture, but it is pinker in real life. It’s a perfect Bridal polish. As my husband said, “It’s a little bit understated for you.” Every once in a while, I need to pretend to be normal. It was exactly what I was looking for – Sinful Colors Base Coat, 2 quick coats of “Social Ladder” and “HK Girl”. Wham, bam, dry and I went to bed…and proceeded to lay there for two hours, tossing and turning. Well fuck.
May Ipsy Bag – Jetsetter
Oooooh, this is my new favorite-est ipsy bag. It’s a bag from Breakups to Makeup – “Contents: My Life” – it’s amazing.
May’s theme is “Jetsetter” – too bad I did all my jetsetting already! Inside: Urban Decay 24/7 Glide on Lip Pencil in “Ozone” + BONUS Revolution High-Color Lipgloss in “Failbait” & “Bittersweet”; BelláPierre Cosmetics Waterproof Mineral Gel Eyeliner Pencil in “Ebony” (I could rock a killer cat eye while I take my kids to the pool?); 2 Klorane Smoothing and Relaxing Patches; Pixi by Petra Beauty Bronzer (Just what I needed, more bronzer); and Bare Republic Naturals SPF 30 Mineral Face Sunscreen Lotion (It’s by Coola, so I know I’ll love it).
If you’d like to try Ipsy – click here. I’ll earn 250 points if you sign up through my link.