Month: October 2024
Witch O’Clock
What time is it?
For the last 30 some-odd years, my answer has always been the same – “4:30 – it’s not late, it’s early, EARRR-LAYYYY” – and if you get that deep cut from The Spin Doctors, congratulations…you now need antacids if you eat a single slice of pizza.
…but NOW, maybe I’ll change my answer to “Witch O’Clock”, WHICH is the name of the first polish in the OPI x Wicked Nail Lacquer 12 Piece Mini Pack. OPI “Witch O’Clock” is a dark olive green and is very similar to Deborah Lippman “Defying Gravity”.
This is two coats of “Witch O’Clock” over Cuticula Mic Drop Base Coat in “Melt Down” and under Cuticula Limitless Top Coat in “Champagne Toast“.
Pink Pony Ulta Haul
Killing some time before I had to go pick up the kid from Marching Band last week, so I bopped into Ulta to have a look around…
L’Oreal Colorista is not my favorite hair dye, but for $3, I don’t mind have an extra “Metallic Pink” on hand for…dancing at the Pink Pony Club? Or whatever…
I know it’s dumb, but I bought The Body Shop Edelweiss Cleansing Concentrate for Lily…because this year’s Marching Band show opens with “Edelweiss” from The Sound of Music and I thought it would be funny…I spent $6.25 for that eye roll!
I love Wet n Wild’s Fantasy Makers Halloween line, so I grabbed their “Vampire Venom” Lip Gloss Stain ($6.49). It’s got the weirdest applicator. I was expecting a doe foot – but it’s a little plastic spatula? It’s a sheer glossy stain, okay looking I guess.
Finally, I snagged a bottle of L.A. Girl Pro Matte Mixing Pigment in “White” ($9) for my super-secret Halloween makeup that I’ve told everyone about already. Shhhhh…
At least I got to use a $3.50 off $15 coupon!
Elvira
Boy, was this a hard polish to photogrpah!
Hit the Bottle Polishes “Elvira” is inspired by the Mistress of the Dark herself – from September’s Vintage Halloween Polish Pickup. It’s a dark, dark, DARK shimmery blackened wine polish that looks black under most lights. In sunlight, however, is where Elvira shines. Ironic? Like a black fly in your chardonnay?
This is two coats of “Elvira” over Cuticula Mic Drop Base Coat in “Melt Down” and under Cuticula Limitless Top Coat in “Champagne Toast“.
I wonder if I can talk the family into watching Elvira, Mistress of the Dark tonight?
Wicked Ulta Haul
As soon as Ulta dropped all of the Wicked Movie Collab products…I knew I was in trouble. I tried – TRIED – to be conservative, but I don’t know if I did a very good job, especially since it was Diamond Love List Monday…
Right off the bat, I knew I had to get the OPI x Wicked Nail Lacquer 12 Piece Mini Pack ($49.99). I hate paying full price for nail polish, but I just couldn’t risk it selling out before I got it. The set has 12 mini polishes, 6 for Elphaba and 6 for Galinda. I am really looking forward to trying them all out. Ariana Grande’s r.e.m. beauty released a bunch of matched sets and lipsticks, but I was drawn to the r.e.m. beauty x Wicked Ozdust Eyeshadow Palette ($55). I am impressed by how creamy and blendable the shadows are. The glitters really pop! I even got a gift with purchase – a full size Midnight Shadows Liquid Eyeshadow. I wasn’t paying attention and thought it was a lipstick – which actually looked amazing after I wiped most of it off and applied lip stain on top of it. It made my lips look like stained glass – new favorite lip look! I’m sure I’ll be picking up more Wicked Collab stuff, but this is it for now.
It’s been a while since I’ve gotten hyped up about Urban Decay, but the new Urban Decay Cosmetics Moondust Space Cowboy Glitter Eyeshadow Palette – Limited Edition ($49) caught my eye. Yes, I know it’s basically just a few shadows pulled from Naked palettes in a fancy package – SHUT UP. I have only gotten to use it once, but I ended up with nice results, so no regrets. Oh, and I also got a Platinum and Diamond Free 5 Piece Gift with $35 makeup purchase, which came with an clear vinyl crossbody bag (perfect for stadiums with a clear bag rule); Urban Decay All Nighter Long Lasting Makeup Setting Spray (ugh, I have so much of this); a card sample of Urban Decay Moondust Eyeshadow in “Space Cowboy”; Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in “Zero”; and Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion in “Original”.
I added a few more random items to my bag: an EcoTools Exfoliating EcoPouf Loofah ($2.99); L’Oreal True Match Super-Blendable Powder in “C1 Alabaster” ($6.49, on sale from $12.99 – Ulta’s site told me which shade to use based on the shade I wear in Infallible, but it’s a bit light on me); and Thayers Alcohol-Free Witch Hazel Facial Toner in “Rose Petal” ($10.95).
All this got me a Free Platinum & Diamond Exclusive 28 Piece Gift with with $150 purchase – woo hoo! First off, this gift came with a gorgeous chocolate velvet cosmetic bag. Inside the bag: COSRX Master Patch Intensive; Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour HydraPlay Skin Perfecting Daily Moisturizer; Morphe Mini Continuous Setting Mist; Maybelline The Falsies Lash Lift Mascara; Sol de Janeiro Cheirosa 48 Perfume Mist (Awww, I already have one of these); Chloe Intense; Olaplex No. 7 Bonding Oil; Frank Body Glycolic Body Scrub; bareMinerals Complexion Rescue Blonzer (uh whut? It’s blush and bronzer, oh); Estee Lauder Revitalizing Supreme + Night Power Bounce Creme; e.l.f. Power Grip Primer; Benefit The POREfessional Super Setter Long-Lasting Makeup Setting Spray (ugh, more???); Wella Ultimate Repair Miracle Hair Rescue (again, more???); Clarins Total Eye Lift; Polite Society Greatest Lashes of All Time Mascara (braggy a bit?); Dime TBT Cream (what even is this?); Eau Thermale Avene Cicalfate Intensive Skin Restorative Serum; megababe Le Tush Clarifying Butt Mask (literally laughed out loud); tarte tartelette XL tubing Mascara; Charlotte Tilbury Exagger-eyes Mascara; Florence by Mills Floating Under the Eyes Patches; CeraVe Acne Foaming Cream Cleanser; OUAI Leave in Conditioner; Buxom Plump Shot Collagen Infused Lip Serum; e.l.f. Skin Holy Hydration Eye Cream; pixi Glow Tonic; NOYZ Lost + Found; and Vichy Mineral 89 Fortifying and Plumping Daily Booster. Damn, my fingers are TIRED.
I should feel worse about randomly spending $150+ without a good coupon or sale…but I don’t, because I used the last $30 of Ulta points I had saved up.
Carrie
This is my first polish from Cupcake Polish, and it’s a doozie.
Cupcake Polish “Carrie” is inspired by Carrie, specifically her blood spattered look at the end of Prom Night. At first, I thought it was just a red sparkle glitter part in a clear base…but I was wrong. It’s a thermal nail polish! Check out my ring finger and pinky – the base of the polish turned black!
Initially, I thought – of course, Carrie is vintage Halloween because it was made in 1976…but then I remembered that I ALSO was made in 1976. Does that mean I am vintage, too? I need to rest…
With all this glitter, I was expecting it to be a pain in the ass to remove…and it was. Have the exfoliating cotton rounds ready for scrubbing with this polish.
This is two coats of “Carrie” over Cuticula Mic Drop Base Coat in “Melt Down” and under Cuticula Limitless Top Coat in “Champagne Toast“.
The Evil Dead
I am the Queen of Halloween and I love Halloween-themed nail polishes. October has barely started, and I have a list of polishes as long as my arm that I want to try…first off, I’m digging into the new polishes from September’s Polish Pickup…
Probably not a shocker that I chose Cadillacquer “The Evil Dead” first. The Evil Dead is my favorite movie with a tree rape – what’s yours?
I have a love/hate relationship with black nail polish. I love it the first day, the second day – I love it every day until the day that I get a single chip in it. As soon as I get the first chip, I HATE it. It looks like shit and I want it GONE. Luckily, this is a good quality polish that went chip-free for quite a while. It’s not quite a jelly and not quite a creme, so it was nice and shiny, but not thin. I LOVE the purple and chartreuse chrome flakies – I feel like it is exactly what “swallowing your soul” looks like.
This is two coats of “The Evil Dead” over Cuticula Mic Drop Base Coat in “Melt Down” and under Cuticula Limitless Top Coat in “Champagne Toast“.
Polish Pickup September 2024 – Vintage Halloween
Halloween, Halloween…my favorite holiday! I love Halloween so much that I made it my wedding anniversary. This September’s Polish Pickup theme is “Vintage Halloween”, and the polishes did not disappoint. I wanted them all, but I tried to be selective and only select polishes that were inspired by things I really love, as well as not obvious dupes for others in my collection…
Cadillacquer “The Evil Dead” ($14) is inspired by…DUH…The Evil Dead.
Cupcake Polish “Carrie” ($13.50) is likewise inspired by Carrie.
Hit the Bottle Polishes “Elvira” ($9.50) is inspired by the Mistress of the Dark herself…Elvira.
Last, but not least, Cuticula Limitless Top Coat in “Zombie Juice” ($10) is inspired by…the juice that comes out of zombies? Unfortunately, the bottle I received seems to have come from a bad batch – it doesn’t dry. I’ve reached out to Cuticula directly for a resolution…hoping for a replacement bottle soon!
I am so excited about trying ALL of these polishes!
Diamond in 2025 Ulta Haul
I’d been dropping stuff in my cart for a few weeks and finally checked out…
I am paranoid about running out of shampoo & conditioner, so I got back-ups of Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Joia Strengthening + Smoothing Shampoo and Conditioner ($26 each).
I saw that Ulta had a gift with purchase for buying $19.50 worth of Ulta products…I can do that in my sleep! I had been eyeballing the Ulta Beauty Collection Weightless Water Lip Stain in “Cherry Pie” ($11). I was expecting it to be redder on…I guess I need to put like, 35 coats on? My nails need attention, so I also got an Ulta Manicure Buffing Block ($4) and two packs of Exfoliating Cotton Rounds ($3.99). I got the pink variant of the gift with purchase, which includes a 6 pan eye shadow palette; Ultamate Lashes Multi-Tasking Mascara; Poreless Face Primer; Cream Blush Stick; Tinted Eye Primer; High Shine Liquid Lipstick; Tinted Lip Oil; an Eye Shadow Brush; and a Makeup Sponge.
Speaking of nails, I also stocked up on Zoya Remove+ Nail Polish Remover ($8.40, down from $12) and a Flowery Blue Max 4-Way Buffing Block ($2.09, down from $2.99). Since I like color changing lip products and Tim Burton, I got a few of the Nightmare Before Christmas Collection products – Wet n Wild Nightmare Before Christmas Truth or Scare Color Changing Lip Oil and Nightmare Before Christmas Two-Faced Color Changing Lip Oil ($5.99 each). They are not sticky and have surprisingly solid staying power.
I used a $3.50 off $15 coupon AND $50 of my collected Ulta points, but that didn’t stop me from qualifying for 2 more gifts with purchase. First, I qualified for a 14 Piece Fall Haul with my $70 purchase, which included Belif Moisturizing Eye Bomb, Clean it Zero Ginseng-Glow Cleansing Balm; e.l.f. Poreless Putty Primer; NYX Duck Plump High Pigment Plumping Gloss in “Clearly Spicy” (I just put this on and it reminds me of the original Lip Venom – pure capsaicin on my lips – Jesus FUCK); Snail Rescue Purifying Cleanser; La Roche-Posay Mela Serum Dark Spot Correction; Florence by Mills Wildly Me (do you understand what I mean when I say it smells purple? The notes are iris, wisteria, violet and lavender); CeraVe Moisturizing Lotion; First Aid Beauty KP Bump Eraser Body Scrub (the sole reason I picked this bag variation); The Good Patch Dream Patch (a melatonin patch!); Tula The Cult Cleanser (oh, a DELUXE sample!); eczema honey Soothing Body Wash; Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser; and Vichy Mineral 89 Fortifying and Plumping Daily Booster (what is it even boosting?) I also qualified for a Platinum & Diamond Exclusive Free 10 Piece Gift with $90 purchase, which included Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer Bronzer (I bet this makes me look like I’m wearing blackface); Yves Saint Laurent Libre (stinky); Wella Ultimate Repair Miracle Hair Rescue (giving to Lily to deal with all day marching band braid damage); Benefit Precisely, My Brow Pencil in “Warm Deep Brown” (oh, this might be a match – I usually end up with Taupe in sample packs); tarte Maracuja Juicy Plumping Lip Oil (ugh, not falling for this again); Living Proof. Perfect hair Day High-Shine Gloss; Kylie Jenner Matte Liquid Lipstick in “Kylie” (ugh); Smashbox Photo Finish Primer; Anastasia Beverly Hills Lash Sculpt Lengthening & Volumizing Mascara; and OUAI Detox Shampoo (but NO MATCHING CONDITIONER – rude). Lots of good stuff!
This purchase pushed me over the edge! I’m Diamond in 2025!
Blueberry Smash
Sinful Colors “Blueberry Smash” looks like the shmutz at the bottom of a store-brand fruit-on-the-bottom yogurt. The color is weird and there are suspicious spots in it…
“Blueberry Smash” is from the Winnie Harlow Fruity Blends Collection, one of the last new Sinful Collections released. I have seen a few random Sinful Colors displays at HEB, but they’re always re-promotes. I suppose I should be happy that Sally Hansen is still going strong…
This is two coats of “Blueberry Smash” over Glisten & Glow Ridge Filling Base Coat. No top coat, due to the matte finish in the polish.
Blooming Azalea
I’ve never seen an azalea this color. I’ve seen white, hot pink, and even red…but never a muted mauve. Definitely NOT a muted mauve with an electric green/gold shimmer.
Beaux Rêves Lacquer “Blooming Azalea” was originally from January 2024 Deadly Plants, but I picked it up in July’s Polish Pickup Rewind. It’s a gorgeous polish and it lasted on my nails over 8 days without noticeable chipping!
This is two coats of “Blooming Azalea” over Cuticula Mic Drop Base Coat in “Melt Down” and under Cuticula Limitless Top Coat in “Champagne Toast“.
“Blooming Azalea” is also a magnetic polish…but I didn’t remember that when I tried it, so no magnetic fun for me!