Month: June 2015
Beauty Box 5 – Bon Voyage
Oh Beauty Box 5, I was considering canceling you, but you’ve won me over this month and received a stay of execution with this month’s box, themed “Bon Voyage”.
In my “Bon Voyage” box: Urban Decay Perversion Mascara (FINALLY, a prestige product – I wasn’t wowed by this mascara when I first got it, but I find myself reaching for it when I’m going out on the town); Herbal Essences Body Wash in “Honey Smell Good” (and it does); LOL Rotational Eye Shadow in “Splash That Cash” (it should be called “Irritable Bowel Syndrome”, because I’ve seen these exact shades of brown and green in the toilet this past week); Nails Inc. Nail Polish in “Bruton Street” (another fancy brand – $9.50 at Ulta or Sephora); and Simple Skincare Micellular Cleansing Water (a skimpy sample – just a moistened pad – but not a dealbreaker). There was also a $20 off $49.95 coupon for GorgeHair.com, but no way I’m spending that much money on a brand I’ve never heard of.
Keep the good boxes coming, Beauty Box 5!
Basic Bitch Pink
I am far too old to be concerned about being a “basic bitch” – but come on ya’ll – this is “basic bitch” pink. No glitter, no shimmer – just your basic plain pink.
One time, at Pier One, I made the comment that Pier One used to have cool stuff back when I was in High School, but now it’s stuff for Basic Bitches who want to look like they’ve traveled the world. He gave me the WORST stink eye, probably because we were in the middle of Pier One when I said it.
This is Sinful Colors “Boom Boom” from my Target Beauty Box. Good formula, good coverage – exactly what I’ve come to expect from Sinful Colors. I used the Sinful Colors Base Coat and excitedly opened one of my new “HK Girl” bottles – I LOVE that top coat!
I don’t mind being a little basic, once in awhile.
June Ipsy Bag – Swim Into Beauty
It’s fitting that June’s bag is made of black neoprene to match the theme – “Swim Into Beauty”.
This month brought me an interesting bag: Formula X Nail Color in “Power Source” (fucking neon coral); Befine Cucumber Face Mask; Smashbox Cosmetics Photo Finish Foundation Primer (so…much…primer); it Cosmetics Brow Powder Universal Eyebrow Pencil; and tre’StiQue Mini Shadow Crayon in “Kona Coffee” (I was so pissed when I pulled this out of my bag – I thought the cap was missing, but the cap looks like a pencil).
If you’d like to try Ipsy – click here. I’ll earn 250 points if you sign up through my link.
Target Beauty Boxes – June 2015
So I missed the last Target Beauty Boxes in April – I was too busy sleeping off a hangover in New Orleans…but I got them this time – oh, yes I did.
Again, there were “His & Hers” boxes. His box ($5) was kind of lame – my husband was really disappointed. Whatever, at least I got him a box open…that I opened for him. Inside his box: Gillette Fusion ProGlide Razor (same one as in the last box; it was okay, but no great shakes); Axe Styling Messy Look Gel and Axe Styling Spiked Up Extra Hold Gel (My husband shaves his head and my son has longer hair than me, so needless to say – this stuff won’t get used in our house); Dove Men + Care Oxygen Charge Shampoo (will get thrown in the travel bag); and an Orabrush Tongue Cleaner (now THIS is cool and will get used).
Her box ($7) is decent: Olay Regenerist Luminous HydraSwirl Eye Cream; Revlon Ultra HD Lipstick in “Gladiolus” (the same damn color that came in my Allure Beauty Thrills); Sinful Colors “Boom Boom” (I don’t have this one – YAY!); Cutex Advanced Revival Nail Polish Remover Pads; and Fekkai Blowout (my 3rd can – also received in my February Birchbox and the October 2014 Target Beauty Box).
Both boxes shipped free and I also got a 5% discount with my Red Card. Each box also came with a $3 off $15v Beauty/Personal Care purchase, so even though the boxes were not as good as previous ones, they were still worth it.
I’m a Mermaid!
Since I am going to be in the water all day at Schlitterbahn tomorrow, I wanted mermaid nails. For this, I grabbed an old favorite. I’ve had Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure “Mermaid’s Tale” forever…long before I started this blog. Come to think of it, this is the first time I’ve ever worn it alone on my nails. (This is the closest I’ve been.)
“Mermaid’s Tale” did not disappoint. Full coverage glitter in just two coats! I started with Orly Bonder…and I had to give up on Dream Polish Gem Glam and go back to the “HK Girl”. It dries so much faster and doesn’t pick up color. My bottle is nearly empty, so it was a struggle to get it on my nails. Immediately afterwards, I had a panic attack and ordered two more bottles.
“Mermaid’s Tale” matches my “Teal Toes” – Julep “Marion”. I don’t remember what base coat I used, but I do remember that I used Sally Hansen Diamond Flash for the top coat. That bottle is also almost empty. ARGHHHHHHHH!
I’m pretty sure that Julep “Marion” is one of the first Julep polishes that I got – I think it was in the November 2013 Diamond Mystery Box. That seems like a million years (and polishes) ago…
Jah-Kwell-In
I have a friend named “Jacqueline” and sometimes she gets called “Jah-Kwell-In”. Hooked on Phonics, for real.
When I was picking my Julep Box for this month, I picked Julep “Jacqueline” first. Julep describes it as bright grenadine shimmer. I think my eyes must be off, because I thought it was orange. It’s not so much orange, but definitely an orange-leaning red, with a pink undertone. I wasn’t sure I would like it, but once the color was on me – I loved it. Of course, I would have picked it it anyway, because…Jah-Kwell-In.
This is two coats with Orly Bonder and Dream Polish Gem Glam. The polish didn’t mesh well with the Gem Glam – it seemed to dry quickly, but SURPRISE! I smooshed the edges opening a goddamn envelope. I’m going to try it again in a few weeks with a different base and top coat.
JAH-KWELL-IN! I think I need to spend some time with Jah-Kwell-In.
Sea Cadet
I’ve been taking biotin over a year, but the last bottle I bought was high dose and I really have noticed a difference in my nails. I finally just cut them all to nubbins – they hadn’t been breaking like they used to. When I cut them, I filed them with my new Delush Crystal Nail file. What used to take me forever with an emery board, took a matter of minutes. Not only was this file faster, it didn’t change the shape I had cut – it just made the edges as smooth as marble. I LOVE it.
I decided to try out two of my newest polishes on my new nubbins. I started with Funky Fingers “Space Cadet”, a solar polish that’s a creamy light turquoise in the shade and morphs into a sickly pale green in the sunlight.
To jazz up the polish, I topped it with Funky Fingers “Broken Sea Glass” – opalescent white, light pink, bright green and purple hex glitter in a clear base. It would really look a lot better over a white or pale blue polish. (I’m thinking Sinful Colors “Tokyo Pearl” or “Cinderella”.)
This is Orly Bonder, 2 coats of “Space Cadet”, one coat of “Broken Sea Glass”, and Dream Polish Gem Glam.
My nails look like toothpaste. Really expensive toothpaste.
Teal Toes
In preparation for going to Schlitterbahn on Friday, I searched through all my polish to find the perfect teal to match my new swimsuit. I found it in Julep “Marion”.
I was so excited when I painted my toes last night – it was going to look great with my pin-up style swimsuit…until reality hit when I was at Target today. Wearing a one-piece to the neighborhood pool is fine, but a colossal pain in the ass when you’re in your suit all day at a water park. So I bought a new bottom (black) and two tops (both leopard print). I’m sure my teal toes will look just fine with leopard print.
Apparently, “teal toes” is a thing. It’s intended to raise awareness of ovarian cancer. Hmmm. Well, I can get behind anything that’s not that awful Komen pink.
Damn You, Five Below
I don’t wake up in the morning and decide to buy a shitload of nail polish. Sometimes, it just happens.
The whole family ended up at Five Below and I didn’t even try to avoid the Funky Fingers nail polish bins. Nothing was catching my eye until I came across a few new opalescent glitter toppers – “Scattered Sea Shells” and “Broken Sea Glass”. I had to find one more to get 3/$5, so I let Lily pick one. She chose “Varsity Blue” – white, black and blue dots.
And then I got caught up in the moment and chose two solar polishes – “Space Cadet” and “Hang Ten, Brah” (hilarious name). I wouldn’t even wear these colors normally – but I bought them anyway. Because of course I did.
Rose Jelly
I had to try a Julep Jelly!
This is two coats of Julep “Tiffany” sandwiched between Julep Oxygen Bonding Base Coat and Dream Polish Gem Glam Top Coat. I was expecting it to be sheerer, but it was thicker than I expected. It reminds me of melted candle wax. But it’s still a jelly, because I can see my nail line. Julep’s website describes it as Pink radish jelly – I guess radish is pretty accurate.
“Tiffany” is sooooo much like Jenna Hip “Rose Tart” – both match my Knockout Roses, although “Tiffany” is just a smidge darker.