Month: October 2016
Sephora Play! October 2016 – The Cool Cut
This is it – the Sephora purchase that put me over the edge for Rouge status in 2017. $10 and BOOM.
October’s theme is “The Cool Cut” – innovative products that are about to hit it big.
One of my favorite Sephora sample discoveries is in this box – Belif The True Cream Aqua Bomb. It has me jumping on the Korean Beauty bandwagon. Also in this month’s box: Smashbox Always On Matte Liquid Lipstick in “Driver’s Seat” (interested in how their formula compares to Kat Von D and Jeffree); Cristophe Robin Regenerating Mask with Rare Prickly Pear Seed Oil (Winnie the Pooh approved?); Skin Inc. Pure Revival Peel (also good stuff – I bought some the last time I was in Vegas); Blinc Mascara Amplified; and Yves Saint Laurent Mon Paris (not bad – smells like rich people).
If you haven’t signed up yet – you are missing out! This is by far the best subscription box I get every month. Sephora Play is only $10/month. You can sign up at sephora.com/play.
Ants Marching
I *think* this is the last one.
Sinful Colors “Dead On” is deceptively clear. Like totally see-through – no color. I was expecting a vague purple tint based on the bottle – but nothing. Just blue and iridescent glitter in a clear base, with a few skull-spider-babies thrown in. Yep, I went glitter fishing again.
This is two thick coats over Sinful Colors Base Coat and under “HK Girl”. Yup, this has gotta be a topper.
Again, every time I would see my nails out of the corner of my eye, I would want to smack my fingers because it looks like I have ants. Urgh.
Oh and it glows in the dark. Kinda.
The Hunt is the Thing
So I went on another “hunt” last week. Two things I was looking for…the new Xmas Sinful Colors polishes (since they were 2/$3) AND a Fall Limited Edition wet n wild eye shadow.
I know…wet n wild – the cheapest of the cheap. But I’d been seeing the Fall Collection, specifically the “Velour Vixen” Color Icon Trio – and really liking it. Pink Glitter is irresistible.
Spoiler alert – I went to five different Walgreen’s and didn’t find either. 4 of the 5 had mostly empty wet n wild Fall displays and ZERO had Sinful Colors Xmas displays. Now…the 4th Walgreen’s had a single wet n wild Color Icon Trio remaining…but in “Plaid to the Bone”, which has a nice duochrome green/brown. I decided to take a chance for $2.99 I also grabbed a clearance Kylie Sinful Colors in “HollyWood”, which is redder than the pic shows.
It is HIGHLY unlikely that I’ll be buying another wet n wild eye shadow. First off, I can’t get it open. I mangled my thumb nail trying to get it open – I finally had to hand it to my husband to open. Later attempts using tweezers as a crowbar were more successful. The quality was alright I guess, but the shadows didn’t end up looking anything like the shade in the pan – OR the swatches I’d seen online. The duochrome lid shade is darker and more brown than green and the browbone shade is darker than in the pan – they are basically the same color. I won’t say it was a total waste, but you get what you pay for.
So my “hunt” was not successful this time…but that’s the fun, huh?
Cloak and Swagger
Yup, I am ripping through these Halloween polishes. I present to you…Sinful Colors “Cloak and Swagger”.
Sinful Colors is absolutely KILLING it with their textured polishes. This is a matte sparkle texture. It photographs almost black, but it’s a dark, dark eggplant color.
This is two coats over Sinful Colors Base Coat. I actually finished off the bottle…but it was an old bottle that was almost empty – I had already started a new bottle.
I took a risk and did my toes with it as well. I’m curious to see how long it lasts on my toes. I’m skeptical that it will last too long since I didn’t use a top coat. I’d expect the toes of my shows to rub bare spots on my big toes, but maybe not since I trimmed my toenails really short.
Been So Long Ulta
It’s been so long Ulta…I’ve missed you.
As you can tell, I’ve drastically cut back on purchasing the past few months, with the move and unpacking and having less space in the new place…but I couldn’t break this ritual…I buy a UD palette every time I hit a milestone at work – you know, raises, bonuses, etc. I hit an unexpected milestone, so I decided on a little “treat yo self”.
I immediately snatched up Urban Decay XX Vice Ltd Reloaded Palette for $34, down from $56. I already have the previous 3 Vice palettes, and have most of these colors in my original UD palettes, but so what? I’ve used it for the last three days in a row – I love it! It’s actually my favorite of the Vice palettes. The palette didn’t come with any free samples inside though…rude!
Since the “Beautiful Hair” event was going on last week, I grabbed the daily special – John Frieda Brilliant Brunette Visibly Deeper Shampoo & Conditioner at 40% off – $5.99 instead of $9.99. I’m a bit disappointed – I’ve been using it for a week and I don’t notice a lick of difference in the tone of my hair. I mean, the shampoo is as nice as any other John Frieda, but I don’t expect to rebuy.
I also took advantage of “Buy One, Get One Half Off” on Freeman Beauty Masks – I got Cucumber Facial Peel-Off Mask and Pear Pore Clean Mask. They both smell fantastic, but Pear is the best…
For freebies, I got a free Deluxe Size Buxom Wildly Whipped Lightweight Liquid Lipstick in “Centerfold”. The texture is luxurious, but it doesn’t dry matte like I expected – it gets on everything. I also got L’Oreal Revitalift Bright Reveal Brightening Moisturizer with Sunscreen and Lab Series Future Rescue Repair Serum (this is for dudes, wonder if I can get my husband to try it?)
You know I used a $3.50 coupon and got free shipping…oh yes I did.
Ebony and…
So many Halloween polishes, so little October…
I got Julep “Ebony” in this month’s Julep Box – yes, another holographic – graphite holographic. If a Number Two pencil was filled with unicorn farts…I just can’t get enough of holographics right now.
After Julep Oxygen Bonding Base Coat, I slapped on two quick coats of “Ebony” – it went on like a dream. I topped with “HK Girl”.
This polish lasted for-fucking-ever – no chips. It might have been the only thing holding my nails together – as soon as I took it off, I had to cut my nails down to nubs. They’ve been so abused lately, the tips were in danger of peeling, so I had to cut them to save them. Sigh. Nubbies again.
October Ipsy Bag – Black Magic
This month’s ipsy bag is full of “Black Magic”!
I’m IN LOVE with the bag, designed by Valfre. Look at the cute little witches and ghosts and lipsticks and candy corn and black cats and…so cute!
I’m also in love with the stuff in my bag: 2 patchology Flashpatch 5 Minute Hydrogels; theBalm Hot Mama! Shadow/Blush (looks like a dupe of NARS “Orgasm”); Beaute Basics eye Shadow in “Satin Taupe”; ModelCo Instant Brows Brow Pencil in “Light/Medium” (Probably WAY too light for me); and essence Superfine Waterproof Eyeliner Pen (this shit is like a sharpie – I tested it on my wrist and I couldn’t get it off, even with soap and water).
If you’d like to try Ipsy – click here. I’ll earn 250 points if you sign up through my link.
Nice Guise
Sinful Colors “Nice Guise” is blowing me away. It’s from the “Guise and Ghouls” Halloween Collection – and it’s a blue/green holographic. It’s simply amazing – it’s another one of those polishes that reminds me of The Matrix. Most holographics have a silver/rainbow undertone, which is why “Nice Guise” is so unique. Maybe not so unique if it also reminds me of Zoya “Remy”, which has less green.
I started with Sinful Colors Base Coat. This is two coats of “Nice Guise” – it’s a perfect formula, not too thick and not too thin. It dried fairly quickly, but I topped with “HK Girl” anyway. I think I can see myself in my nails.
I definitely need to try this one on my toes.
Surreally Sweet
How did I get so behind? This is two polishes ago…Oh well.
This is the beautifully textured Sinful Colors “Surreally Sweet” from the “Sugar Crushin'” Collection, a pink version of “Sugar High” – just what I was looking for! The texture is just like “Sugar High” – fine and sandy – not too rough. The pink is delicate, but it seemed to get dirty very quickly.
This is two coats over Sinful Colors Base Coat. It dried super quickly and only pulled away from the tips of my nails slightly. Maybe I should try an ombre with “Sugar High”? Removal was a snap – it came off quickly in my new dip-it.
October Birchbox – Revive and Restore
Sooooo…this month’s curated box is “Revive and Restore”, which I could really use after I was laid out this past weekend with a wicked cold. Did a premonition of my illness make me choose this box???
To be honest, I saw the GlamGlow and immediately picked this box. It wasn’t the GravityMud that I’ve been lusting over, but I’m happy with any GlamGlow product. The green tube is GlamGlow PowerMud Dualcleanse Treatment.
Also in this month’s box: Avene Hydrance Optimale Hydrating Cream RICH; This Works Deep Sleep Pillow Spray (if “this works”, it will be a godsend – I have raging random insomnia); Oribe Gold Lust Dry Shampoo (meh); and MAKE Silk Cream Lipstick in “Magnolia” (so tiny).
If you would like to try Birchbox, click on my referral link – https://www.birchbox.com/invite/5453f – I’ll get 50 points if you join.