Month: August 2022
PEEPS Blue
Blue PEEPS are the best PEEPS…and that’s a hill I’m willing to die on, folks.
There’s just something about that blue crystallized sugar…and it always looks better than it tastes. As much as I love PEEPS, I can never finish a whole package before the last 1 or 2 get hard and crusty…
This is Sally Hansen Insta-Dri x PEEPS in “PEEPS Blue”. I love a bright, blue polish moment and this polish really delivers. This is two coats over Glisten & Glow Ridge Filling Base Coat and under Glisten & Glow Top Coat. This is a very long lasting polish – I know I wore it over a week with minimal edge-wear or chipping…
August 2022 Glam Bag X – Alicia Keys
I’ve been receiving Keys Soulcare products in the last several Glam Bag X boxes – I was wondering when we would see Alicia Keys as a curator!
I love that I get to pick THREE products in every Glam Bag X. I liked the One/Size Ultimate Blurring Setting Powder in May’s bag so much that I chose One/Size Turn up the Base Versatile Powder Foundation in “Fair 1” this time. The powder foundation gives decent coverage and gives a very filtered look…but it’s about one tic too light for me…meaning it will be perfect for winter when I retreat inside.
My other product choices were a Baublebar June Bracelet Set (2 gold bracelets – I gave one to my daughter), and Epione Beverly Hills Flawless Serum. I’ve been using it at night because it’s super thick, almost like honey.
For some odd reason, the (non-choice) products I received are not what’s showing up on ipsy’s site for me…so weird. The only one that is accurate was the Huda Beauty Silk Balm Honey Kiss Lip Balm in “Queen Bee” (a basic clear lip balm with a doe foot applicator). The site lists 4 other products, but I received 5 additional products: Keys Soulcare Be Luminous Exfoliator (a powder that turns to foam – interesting feeling); Go-To Skincare Skin Party (a thick skin cream); LYS Beauty Aim High Liquid Highlighter (no thanks); oSea Essential Hydrating Oil (I don’t like oils on my face, so I gave it to my daughter); and Rinna Beauty Lipgloss in “Guilty Pleasure” (I haven’t tried it yet, Lisa Rinna’s lips scare the FUCK out of me).
When I put my bag together, it said it was worth $449…not sure if it is worth more or less than that, due to the product changes…I feel like it was a nice box, so I guess that’s all that matters.
I subscribe to the basic ipsy bag for $13/month and Glam Bag X for an extra $43/quarterly. If you’d like to try Ipsy – click here. I’ll earn 250 points if you sign up through my referral link.
Diamonds on my Neck
Still grumbly after the Cheetos Fiasco, I just grabbed a polish out of the TV cabinet to slap on my nails the next night. (Doesn’t everybody dedicate a whole cabinet in their living room to untried nail polish?)
The lucky winner was Sinful Colors Power Paint in “Diamonds on my Neck.” I love this shimmer/foil finish – it doesn’t finish streaky or leave drag marks. It’s just a fantastic, long-lasting polish.
This is two coats of “Diamonds on my Neck” over Glisten & Glow Ridge Filling Base Coat and under Glisten & Glow Top Coat. Beautiful.
Cheetos Fury
I have never had a product leave me so angry in my entire life.
I was school shopping with the kids a few weeks ago and I got dragged into Claire’s. This set of Cheetos Scented Nail Polish ($12.99) caught my eye…I know I already have several cheese scented nail polish – a great Sinful Colors one and a nice Nails Inc. x Velveeta set that I just got…I love weird smells, okay? So I bought the nail polish set and was looking forward to trying it.
A few days later, I got around to trying the polishes. I started with Glisten & Glow Ridge Filling Base Coat, and then started painting…I was dismayed to find that these polishes ARE scented, but they don’t smell like cheese at all. THEY ARE ORANGE SCENTED. That’s right, dear reader, these Cheetos branded nail polishes smell like orange Fanta. Look at the packaging again…is there ANYTHING on there that would indicate that the polishes do not smell like Cheetos?
Cut to bedtime…I’m washing my face and I catch a glimpse of my fingers…it’s been hours since I painted my nails, but the polish has turned to gel-like globs and is mostly in the sink. What. The. FUCK. It was like that scene in Poltergeist, you know the one where the guy peels his face off and it’s there in the sink? Turns out, this is little kids nail polish…you know, like that peel-off Avon shit that we all had as kids. I just threw it all in the trash. I just…I get teary eyed just thinking about it.
Do. Not. Buy. Nail Polish. At. Claire’s.
Neptune’s Cove
I picked up we are Fluide “Neptune’s Cove” as an add-on to July’s ipsy bag. It was well worth it!
I love a teal moment and I love a shimmer moment, but I REALLY LOVE a teal shimmer moment. With this glossy top coat, it reminds me of 50s era Formica – a green Formica table, if you will.
This is two coats of “Neptune’s Cove” over Glisten & Glow Ridge Filling Base Coat, and under Glisten & Glow Top Coat.
PEEPS Polish Haul
$1.50 nail polish…yes…$1.50 PEEPs nail polish…you have my interest AND you have my attention.
Even though it’s well past Easter, I added the entire Sally Hansen Insta-Dri x PEEPS Collection to my cart – “PEEPS Pink”, “PEEPS Yellow”, “PEEPS White”, “PEEPS Blue”, and “PEEPS Fruit Punch.” Is “Fruit Punch” even a color?
I love freebies, so I restocked on my favorite brow pencil – Ulta Ultra Slim Brow Pencil in “Dark Brown” and “Medium Brown” ($10 each). This gave me a free 10 piece gift from Ulta: Eye Shadow Palette (8 shades); Highlighter & Blush Duo; Luxe Lipstick in “Raisin”; Tinted Lip Oil (great for removing long wear lip paint); Clear Brow Gel; Matte Eye Primer in Nude; Mattifying Face Primer; Lash Flash Mascara; and a Makeup Removing Cloth in a faux leather Makeup Bag.
I am a sucked for each new lippie that NYX puts out, so I grabbed a NYX Smooth Whip Blurring Matte Lip Cream in “Velvet Robe” ($8), which granted me a freebie: an NYX Suede Matte Velvet Vegan Lip Liner in “Sandstorm”. Oh, I have this shade of Liquid Suede!
I purchased a Conair True Glow Sonic Facial Brush Replacement Head ($8, down from $10) because…they come with an adapter for the recently out-of-business Clarisonic! I tried it and the little adapter piece that came with it worked like a charm…I am so glad I hadn’t trashed it yet. My daughter is obsessed with Stranger Things, so I got her a half price MAC Lip Glass in “Rockin’ Robin” ($10, down from $20). I also added an INVISIBOBBLE Waver Traceless Hair Clip ($3.50) for funsies.
Not only did I use a $5 off coupon, but I got more freebies – thank you Diamond Day! I got a Platinum & Diamond 4 piece gift that included four Jane Iredale products: POMMISST Hydration Spray, Just Kissed Lip and Cheek Stain, Beyond Lash Volumizing Mascara, and Smooth Affair Illuminating Glow Face Primer. I also got a Platinum & Diamond Exclusive gift from NEST Fragrances – three votive candles in “Grapefruit” (burning now – smells so good), “Ocean Mist & Sea Salt”, and “Wild Mint & Eucalyptus”.
$313 to Diamond in 2023!
Influenster Vox Box – Sally Hansen Miracle Gel
It’s been a while since I qualified for an Influenster Vox Box…I’ll admit, I may not have been keeping up with all the surveys, my inbox is a bit of a mess…something like 40k emails in there, 99.99999% of them trying to sell me shit.
In any case, Influenster and Sally Hansen sent me Miracle Gel Nail Polish in “Sugar Fix” – a beautiful periwinkle blue – and Miracle Gel Special Effects Top Coat in “Crystal”. The polishes go for $10.99 each at Ulta, but I received these complimentary from Influenster and Sally Hansen for my honest review.
And I will be honest, I wasn’t sure what to expect from Miracle Gel. I last tried the line shortly after launch in 2014 – I received a set in an Allure Beauty Thrills Box. It was thick and goopy and streaky. I feel like they changed and/or improved the formula though, because “Sugar Fix” was a breeze to work with. There were no streaks and the color was vibrant. I did not use a base coat, but it finished perfectly smooth in two very light coats.
I finished with the Special Effects Top Coat in “Crystal” and I was stunned at the effect. What was once a plain blue polish now has a brilliant pink shimmer – the pictures don’t do it justice. The top coat dried very quickly – almost as quickly as a fast dry top coat.
I’d been ignoring the Miracle Gels whenever I came across them on clearance, but now I may start seeking them out to use with this top coat – I absolutely love it!
Makeup Revolution x Coca Cola
Nothing like a vacation with your bestie…I was quite chuffed to find the Makeup Revolution x Coca Cola Palettes in the goodie bag she brought me all the way from Scotland. It almost makes up for the Buckfast…almost…
The full size palette has 18 shimmery shades, while the mini palette has 9. I’ve tried them both and they are outstanding. They go on smooth and blend well. I dressed up my eyes to go to the grocery store and the sample lady went out of her way to compliment my eye shadow, as I was shoving my face full of sandwich samples. I said, “Thank you – my husband says I look like a sexy racoon.”
I hadn’t seen these palettes in the states…I was under the impression that they didn’t launch here…but a quick Google confirmed that Target has them. Run, do not walk, to buy these!
July 2022 Sucreabeille Mini Subscription Bag
July’s unreleased scent is “Unicorn Farts” (not to be confused with these Unicorn Farts). It’s super sweet and cotton candy smelling – not my vibe, but not horrible.
The rest of this month’s scents are a bit hit and miss…
“Attempted Murder” (think crows, not homicide) straight up smells like Fritos. How does this scent smell like corn chips? The oakmoss maybe?
“Dead or Alive” smells like slightly musky/rotting strawberry scent. It’s not BAD, but it’s kind of a lot.
“Cantankerous Spinster” reminds me of my grandmother. She was not a spinster or cantankerous, yet the scent of peppermint and chamomile reminds me of the rubs and soaks she would use for her arthritis. It’s not Ben Gay I don’t think, but something like that. It is definitely a mature scent.
“Swashbuckler” is a clean, soapy scent, with notes of the ocean…what does it remind me of? Old Spice? Irish Spring? Honestly, I would’ve expected more of a rummy note…this is a good unisex fragrance.
“Lime Tree” smells like…limes and trees. I kid, it smells like fresh limes, not the artificial candy version. Of all the scents this month, “Lime Tree” is one I would be most likely to wear!
I subscribe to the Mini Subscription Bag at just $15/month (shipping is extra), but there’s also a Medium Subscription Bag for $40/month and a Full Size Subscription Bag for $70/month. Click here for a $5 off coupon (for you AND me)!
The Cheeziest!
I am the proud owner of MULTIPLE cheese scented nail polishes. What a world we live in!
Nails Inc. “La Dolce Velveeta” captures the golden goodness of Velveeta, not only in shade, but in its light scent. I’ll admit, I was gagging a little bit when applying this polish…but it also made me a little bit hungry? The scent did not stick around long, but as I rammed my fingers under my husband’s nose at bedtime, he claimed he could smell the cheese.
This is just one coat of “La Dolce Velveeta” over Glisten & Glow Ridge Filling Base Coat. I was considering doing a second coat, but the minor streaks made the polish look more like a cheezy Velveeta sauce, so I went with it. I did not use a top coat, because I wanted to see how long the cheesy odor would last. The matching nail decals did not last long without a top coat – they started peeling after a bout of dishes. Now that I know that the scent doesn’t last long, I’ll use a top coat next time.
I felt quite self conscious about having a nail that said, “creamy,” but since I never leave the house, no one noticed. I like the shell macaroni decals the best…hey, I need someone to make me Velveeta Shells & Cheese!