Month: December 2023
Raisin Flakes
Ugh, did you know that nail decals can go bad? The first set of Julep Snowflake Decals that I got back in 2017 totally shredded when I tried to peel them off the backing. No problem, I’ll just position them on the edge of my nails, like I meant to do that. Luckily, the second set is fine…
I started with Glisten & Glow Ridge Filling Base Coat and two coats of Sinful Colors “Raisin the Roof”. (I’ve had this polish since 2019 – why haven’t I tried it before?) I tried to carefully place the Snowflake Decals – I’ll admit it, most of the shredded and torn ones ended up on my right hand. I attempted to tame the edges with Glisten & Glow Glitter Grabber, but my biggest mistake was going matte with Glisten & Glow Matte Top Coat. Either two coats was two much or the Glitter Grabber, I’m not sure. There was too much product on my nails and it got a kind of Play-Doh consistency and made weird puffy lumps on my nails. I tried, okay?
…and I thought I was being creative, choosing a dark wine polish to go with snowflakes, but it turns out I did something similar back in 2018. Oops…
Baba Yaga
Oof, I didn’t realize the pic I took was so blurry…Imma need to start wearing my bifocals, eh? I own a pair, but they give me a headache…
Adored Colors “Baba Yaga” is pretty self explanatory – it’s inspired by Baba Yaga, that baby-eating witch that lives in a house on chicken legs. This was one of my selections from November’s Polish Pickup – Fairytales & Folklore.
This is two coats of “Baba Yaga” over Vibrant Scents Double Bond Base Coat in “Island Petals” and under Vibrant Scents Top Coat in “Island Petals”.
December 2023 Ipsy Bag – The Glammest Show on Earth
Is “glammest” even a word?
Doesn’t matter, this bag IS the glammest…and check out the zipper pull! I love a big heavy ball, don’t you?
My product choice this month was Veriphy Skincare Self Absorbed Moisturizer. I’ve been using it as a daily moisturizer and it’s the perfect weight. My skin feels well moisturized and it isn’t too heavy.
Also in this month’s glammest bag: Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in “Medium Brown” (I’m usually a “Dark Brown” girl, but I’ll still use it for “no-makeup” makeup days); Dr. Brandt Skincare Microdermabrasion Age Defying Exfoliator (slightly peppermint scented, seems very similar to his POREdermabrasion product); SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Hyalu-Cica First Ampoule (the texture is very serum-like); and Tresluce Beauty Ilusión Volumizing & Lengthening Mini Mascara in “Jet Black”.
A pretty good bag – I’ll use 4/5 products.
I subscribe to the basic ipsy bag for $14/month (recently increased from $13/month) and Icon Box (formerly Glam Bag X) for an extra $60/quarterly (recently increased from $43/quarterly). If you’d like to try Ipsy – click here. I’ll earn 250 points if you sign up through my referral link.
Light the Night
Color Street “Light the Night” Nail Strips were the perfect quick solution for Xmas Party Nails! These are from last year…I think I got them for a Stranger Things idea I had and then later forgot…
I think this might be the best Color Street application that I’ve had so far. Remember – practice makes perfect!
Oz
Exactly NO ONE is shocked that I would grab the Wizard of Oz themed polish first.
MJ Lacquers “Oz” is from November’s Polish Pickup and the first polish I’ve tried by MJ Lacquers. It’s a dense, DENSE glitter and I love it. More glitters should be impossibly dense like this.
This is two coats of “Oz” over Vibrant Scents Double Bond Base Coat in “Island Petals” and topped with Glisten & Glow Glitter Grabber and Vibrant Scents Top Coat in “Island Petals”.
Polish Pickup November 2023 – Fairytales & Folklore
It was so hard not to buy 20 polishes this month – I LOVE the Fairytales & Folklore theme. Most were based on stories and legends, but there were quite a few Taylor Swift (Folklore) polishes. I thought I got a variety of polishes…turns out that the three I picked are primarily GREEN.
MJ Lacquers “Oz” ($12.75) is a black crelly, loaded with every color of glitter, iridescent flakies and shimmer. The green flakies are the most prominent aspect in the polish. Of course, it’s inspired by The Wizard of Oz.
Adored Colors “Baba Yaga” ($12.50) is a green shimmer, filled with earthy glitter. It’s inspired by the witch of Slavic folklore.
Psyche Minerals “Shapeshifting in the Moor” ($13) is a glittery multichrome polish that shifts all colors of the rainbow. It’s inspired by the púca – a celtic goblin.
I couldn’t pass up another bottle of Baroness X Acetone Antidote in “Chocolate Croissant” ($8). As soon as I opened it, I wanted to eat it. I didn’t.
Mrs. Always Right
I received essie “Mrs. Always Right” in a National Nail Polish Day promo earlier this year. I love a good terracotta polish, especially if they have more of a mauve/rose tone. I call this shade “Lolita”, after the OG Kat Von D shade.
This is two coats of “Mrs. Always Right” over Glisten & Glow Ridge Filling Base Coat and under Glisten & Glow Top Coat.
Urban Turkey Skittles
Like I said, Rogue Lacquer “Urban Decay” inspired me to dig out my “actual” vintage Urban Decay polishes, I was relieved to find that they were all usable and none had dried up – hallelujah!
Since it was right before Thanksgiving, I decided to do a simple turkey skittle mani. Starting with my thumb, the polishes are Urban Decay “Asphyxia” – a shimmery lavender with a hint of blue fire, Urban Decay “ID” – a sheer coral shimmer with fine glitter throughout, Urban Decay “Baked” – a chromed gold, Urban Decay “X” – a bronze duochrome that shift to purple; and Urban Decay “Gash” – this was THE color for polish in the 90s, a dupe for Chanel “Vamp”.
I did two coats of each polish over Glisten & Glow Ridge Filling Base Coat and under Glisten & Glow Top Coat.
tgin Ulta Haul
I swear to god, when I ordered two bottles of tgin Rosewater Frizz Free Hydrating Conditioner, they were 40% off – but looking at the email receipt, they were regular price – $14.99? I don’t know what I did, it was a couple of weeks ago…but I know I am kind of annoyed. Anyway, it’s usually cheaper to get the shampoo and conditioner in my Amazon Subscribe & Save for $22.49, but I go through the conditioner pretty quick, so I thought $8.99 was a hot deal…I also thought I was getting tgin Rose Water Curl Refresher for 40% off, nope. Sigh….
I did, however, manage to get a bunch of staples for 30% – 40% off…my holy grail Ulta Ultra Slim Brow Pencils in “Dark Brown” and “Medium Brown” ($6, down from $10); Ulta Exfoliating Round Cotton Pads ($2.09, down from $3.49); Ulta Travel Size Super Soothe Gentle Daily Cleanser and Travel Size Shine Bright Creamy Cleanser (both $2.40, down from $4); Ecotools Exfoliating EcoPouf Loofah Bath Sponge ($2.09, down from $2.99); and HASK Keratin Protein Smoothing Deep Conditioner Packette ($1.79, down from $2.99).
At least I got to use my $10 off $50 coupon…
Just $99.85 to Diamond in 2024…I’ll be taking care of that with a haircut next week!
Does it get Eddie Vedder?
LynB Designs “Does it get Eddie Vedder?” was my other pick from October’s Polish Pickup. It’s inspired by Weird Al parodies, Pearl Jam…and sweaters?
I could’ve swore this was a light purple polish, but all the descriptions refer to it as gray. Are my eyes getting that bad? In any case, it wasn’t the base color that drew me to this polish – it was that ELECTRIC BLUE SHIMMER. I could not stop looking at my hands.
This is two coats of “Does it get Eddie Vedder?” over Vibrant Scents Double Bond Base Coat in “Island Petals” and under Vibrant Scents Top Coat in “Island Petals”. I feel like I should’ve gone for three coats to get rid of that pesky visible nail line.