Month: March 2017
Bling Dipper
I couldn’t wait to get my hands on Funky Fingers “Bling Dipper” after my splurge. Or more accurately, I couldn’t wait to get Funky Fingers “Bling Dipper” on my hands…
As usual, my expectations for a color-changing solar polish were a bit too high. Going by the label, I was expecting a more dramatic shift in color, but all I got was a slight shift to light pink. Even so, I like this polish a lot – the holographic glitter is really dense, giving a lot of coverage – this is just two coats. I started with Sinful Colors Base Coat – a brand new bottle! I was a bit surprised at the bottle, they actually gave the Base Coat a name – it’s called “First in Line”. I can’t tell if they changed the formula as well – it seemed a lot thinner than my previous bottles, but it could just be because it is a new bottle. I finished up with “HK Girl”.
I need to try “Bling Dipper” over a coat of white – maybe that will give a more drastic change?
Review – Wet n Wild Megalast Liquid Catsuit Liquid Lipstick
It’s been a minute since I’ve done a full on product review, but I had ALL Saturday to myself and I had myself a little swatch party…
I’d been considering trying out Wet n Wild‘s new Megalast Liquid Catsuit Liquid Lipsticks since they launched at the end of 2016. I’ve spent hundreds of dollars on liquid lipsticks in the past year or so – at $18-$20 each. Could a $4.99 product really match products that cost 3-4 times the price?
If you’re too lazy to read any further, the short answer is YES. If you’re NOT lazy, I’ll continue.
I started slowly, buying “Give Me Mocha” at Walgreen’s a few weeks ago. I was so impressed with the formula, that I started looking for a few more colors to test. It took a few trips to different Walgreen’s and Targets, but I also snagged “Rebel Rose” and “Goth Topic”, also snagging three more tubes to send to my lipstick buddy, Sally. They started their voyage to Scotland a week ago yesterday – I hope they get there soon!
Let’s start with “Goth Topic”. I’ll admit it, I only bought it for the name. I spent so much time at Hot Topic in the 90s!
I don’t wear dark lipsticks like this much anymore, but back in high school and college, this dark maroonish/brownish color was my jam. It’s the 90s in one color.
I only had one color to compare it too – and it’s not that hot a match. NYX Liquid Suede Creme Lipstick in “Club Hopper”. The NYX lipsticks are only a bit more expensive at $6.99, so it’s not much of a savings, but I found that “Goth Topic” – although thin – gave better coverage than “Club Hopper” and wore off my inner lips more slowly.
I’m suspecting that I’ll rarely wear either of these, unless I want to really annoy my husband.
On to “Rebel Rose” – a dusty rose. I’ll be honest, I thought that I had at least a handful of lipsticks that would match this one, but when I swatched them – they were all a little off. I wasn’t able to find ANY exact matches, but I decided to show off the closest ones I found.
Jeffree Star Cosmetics “Gemini” is somewhat similar, but a bit more Terra Cotta leaning. I suspect that it is a closer match to Jeffree Star “Doll Parts”, but I don’t have that one yet. Soon.
Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in “Patina” is a bit closer, but leans more lavender. I really like the Stila Formula – it’s not as drying as most others.
“Patina” lasts the longest of the three on me. It is also the most flattering, but “Rebel Rose” looks pretty amazing as well.
…and I saved the best for last. “Give Me Mocha” is similar to SO many of my lipsticks – at least a dozen, if not 20. I narrowed it down the the very closest of matches to share.
Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in “Lolita” is my absolute favorite matte liquid lipstick right now. It’s not an exact match, but fairly close. I was hoping that Jeffree Star “Androgyny” (another favorite) would be a dupe, but it leans more mauve.
I found two from NYX that are very close: NYX Lip Lingerie in “Exotic” and NYX Intense Butter Gloss in “Chocolate Crepe”. The Lip Lingerie has the matte staying power, but “Chocolate Crepe” is the closest color match….BUT, it’s not a matte liquid lipstick. The Butter Gloss is a slimy gloss that gets all over the place.
If you want to be a babe on a budget, don’t lose a minute’s worth of sleep over saving a dime (or 150 dimes) by picking the Liquid Catsuit Liquid Lipstick. It lasts just as long as Jeffree or Kat Von D and the colors are decent. It doesn’t smell weird and although thinner, a second coat fixes any thin coverage spots. I just wish they had more colors!
$1 Buckets
You know I can’t just walk past a bucket of $1 nail polish…much less 4 buckets!
I was bored at work yesterday, so I swung by Five Below during my lunch hour yesterday. I grabbed some random crap for the kids and as I was checking out…I spied buckets of nail polish for $1. I had already checked the nail polish display and there weren’t any new polishes, so I passed.
I picked out five Funky Fingers that caught my eye: “Bling Dipper” (Ooooh, a color-changing solar polish); “Comet Me Bro” (another color changer); “Oh Be One” (I think a Star Wars polish); “Very Purpley”; and “Hand Jive” (Grease themed, I think).
I’m so silly, these polishes are regularly $1.67-$2.50 at most – it’s not even that big of a discount.
March Birchbox – Pretty Mighty
Leave it to Tracy Flick to deliver a perfectly color-coordinated Birchbox. March’s “Pretty Mighty” box was curated by Reese Witherspoon and her “lifestyle brand” Draper James. I have no idea what a “lifestyle brand” is – maybe it’s her “goop”?
In any case, she did a great job on this month’s box. For my sample choice, I chose Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream – I got it in last March’s Birchbox and used it right up. Also in the box: Cargo Swimmables Water Resistant Bronzer (why???); Coastal Scents Revealed Smoky Eye Shadow Quad (2 tiny eyeshadow samples from the palette, but love the rose gold and taupe); Dr. Jart+ Dermaclear Micro Water (I am so confused about all this “special water” I’ve been getting – how does “hydrogen mineral water” remove makeup when regular water doesn’t?); and Davines Oi All in One Milk, plus samples of Davines Oi Shampoo and Conditioner (man, I wish I could afford full sizes of Davines).
Thanks, Reese!
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.
Where Oh Werewolf
Oooooooh! I found a Halloween polish that I missed!
I was digging for a polish and I found this shimmery grey from last Halloween – Sinful Colors “Where Oh Werewolf”. It’s a darker asphalt color, as opposed to the light pavement of “I Can’t Deal”. There’s also a bit of glitter and shimmer.
I started with Sinful Colors Base Coat, finishing off the bottle. I’m thinking this is the 3rd bottle I’ve finished? Two coats of “Where Oh Werewolf” dried rather quickly and I finished with “HK Girl”.
There’s a bit of turquoise to the base of this grey – it matched the heathered slate grey tank I wore today perfectly.
She’s a Brick…House
My nails match my house!
I never thought I’d live in a plain red brick house, but here I am…living in a plain red brick house. That’s okay, because now my nails match my house.
Julep “Rosemary” – modern brick creme – is nearly a perfect match for these bricks. She’s from this month’s box. I’m digging a more “normal” manicure than I’ve had the past several weeks. I feel almost…grown-up.
This is two coats of “Rosemary” over Julep Oxygen Bonding Base Coat and under “HK Girl”. I got a bizarre chip on my index finger – I think from digging in my purse for my keys – so I’ll likely be changing polishes tomorrow.
Coincidentally, one of my favorite teachers from high school was named Rosemary. She taught history and gave us a bizarre lesson on how The Wizard of Oz was an allegory for the Gold Standard in the US. Why do I waste valuable brain space on that nugget of information???
Sephora Play! March 2017 – The Gleam Team
Strangely enough, I received my Sephora Play before my ipsy and Birchbox this month…so I won’t be lagging a month behind for once.
We’re back to a white cotton bag this month. I still haven’t figured out what to do with all these pouches. Maybe use them for panties and socks when I travel?
I was drawn to try Chloe Fleur de Parfum immediately – I love Rose de Chloe so much. It’s not bad – there are rose notes, but they’re buried under the lemon verbena. Unfortunately, it gave me a headache within 90 seconds of a light spray on my arm. Boo!
Also in this month’s “The Gleam Team” box: GlamGlow GLOWSTARTER Mega Illuminating Moisturizer (I can’t get enough GlamGlow); Bobbi Brown Long Wear Cream Shadow Stick in “Golden Pink” (weird product); Benefit Cosmetics Watt’s Up! Cream-to-Powder Highlighter (another weird one); Living proof Full Dry Volume Blast (I think I’ve gotten every single Living Proof product available over the past several months); and Josie Maran Surreal Skin Argan Finishing Balm (another confusing product – instructions say it can be used as a primer or a finishing balm – wot?).
Very weird products this month – and NO lip products. Boo!
If you haven’t signed up yet, JUST DO IT. 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.
Shamrock Shake
Is there anything MORE St. Patrick’s Day than a Shamrock Shake? I mean, besides Guiness. Or green beer. Or an Irish Car Bomb. Or just getting drunk, in general. Revised…is there anything that I can drink with my CHILDREN that’s more St. Patrick’s Day than a Shamrock Shake? No?
I decided I wanted to give my fingernails a Shamrock Shake. I started with Sinful Colors Base Coat and two streaky coats of Makeup Revolution “Cool Days”. Even with two coats, this polish is so streaky that it’s unwearable without something else on top of it. Seriously BAD streaking. Good thing I already had glitter on my mind when I started.
I couldn’t decide on one green glitter, so I just went ahead and used all of them. Starting with my thumb, I used a single coat on each finger: Deborah Lippmann “One Short Day” (I forgot how opaque it is), Sinful Colors “Feeling Lucky?”, Nanacoco “Emerald”, Sinful Colors “Shamrockin'” and Sinful Colors “Green Ocean”. My personal favorite is “Green Ocean”, but Lily likes “Shamrockin'” the best. I topped them with “HK Girl”.
I know, I know – three fingernail posts in a row. I’ll get to the other stuff next…I promise.
$12 Latte?!?!?!
Thinking…have I ever spent $12 on a latte? I’m sure I’ve spent at least $7 or $8 in Vegas…and at every airport Starbucks ever. But there aren’t people out there spending $12 on the regular? Are there?
Trust Fund Beauty “$12 Latte” was in last month’s ipsy bag. It’s a deep chocolate brown. I started with Sinful Colors Base Coat and then two coats of “$12 Latte”. I decided jazz it up a little with Nicole by OPI “Pick of the Glitter”, one of my favorite glitters. The bronze and turquoise really brings out the chocolatey goodness. I finished with “HK Girl”.
“$12 Latte” was silky smooth – full coverage in two coats, with no streaks. I really like this brown – this will be my goto brown when I’m in a poopy mood.
Lara!!!
I’ve been waiting over three and a half years and it’s finally here…Julep “Lara”!
Honestly, this isn’t the color I would pick to represent me (shell pink with shimmer), but it’s also possible that I don’t know myself very well. Maybe I really AM shell pink with gold shimmer? What if I’m NOT flamingo fuchsia?
This is two coats over Julep Oxygen Bonding Base Coat and under “HK Girl”. no fuss, no muss.
I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that this is a glossy dupe for the matte Sinful Colors “Angelik”.
I also have Zoya “Lara” – now I just need to track down a bottle of Deborah Lippman “Lara’s Theme” and I’ll have them all…