Category: Uncategorized
Nichibotsu
Phoenix “Nichibotsu” is from October’s “Natural Phenomenon” Polish Pickup and is inspired by a particular scene in Hunter x Hunter, a popular anime series that I haven’t seen. (My son is a BIG fan.) “Nichibotsu” means sunset in Japanese, and this polish is a multichrome that flashes between bright violet and fiery sunset.
This is my first magnetic nail polish! I’m still getting the hang of it – I don’t think I left the magnet above my nail for long enough, because my thumb and ring finger were really the only ones that “stayed” magentized. I’ll try again soon!
This is two coats of “Nichibotsu” over Cuticula Mic Drop Base Coat in “Melt Down” and under Cuticula Limitless Top Coat in “Champagne Toast“.
Defying Gravity
OPI x Wicked “Defying Gravity” is VERY different than Deborah Lippman “Defying Gravity”. Instead of Elphaba’s skintone (which we saw in “Witch O’Clock”), we get a representation of the night sky. It’s a beautiful midnight blue with silver shimmer.
This is two coats of “Defying Gravity” over Cuticula Mic Drop Base Coat in “Melt Down” and under Cuticula Limitless Top Coat in “Zombie Juice“.
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the second bottle of “Zombie Juice” is not quick dry either. It stayed tacky for at least 30 minutes…ugh. I’ll try it out a few more times to be sure, just in case it’s a fluke interaction with OPI. I better try out “Blackberry Passionfruit” and make sure it’s not fucked up, too.
Instinct + Transformation
Makeup Revolution Palettes at 40% off? Don’t mind if I do!
I’ve had my eye on the Revolution x Alexis Stone collaboration since it launched. I hesitated, not because of the price, but because of the unlikelihood that I would get much use out of it. But FOMO and a great price convinced me. The Instinct Palette ($15, down from $25) is a 28 shade matte palette with a rainbow of colors. Makeup Revolution has really upped their quality – these shadows were super pigmented and wore well without primer. (I did get a little bit of staining with the pink shadows, so be warned.) The Transformation Palette ($9, down from $15) has 7 shimmery shades that can be worn alone or over your Instinct shades, which is what I did.
I also snagged the I Heart Revolution Tasty Avocado Palette ($10, down from $15) and Tasty Hot Dog Palette ($7.49). I know that I look horrible in green eye shadow, but I couldn’t resist that cute avocado packaging. When I tried it out, I wasn’t wrong – my husband refused to go get ice cream with me while I was wearing it. The Hot Dog Palette was a nice surprise – I never knew that mustard and ketchup vibes would look so good on me.
My hair is growing out of control, so I got a few new hair tools – the Pattern Hair Clip ($10) is bigger than the octopus clips I’ve been using and it holds ALL my hair. It’s designed for curly hair, but works just fine on straight hair, too. I also got the Invisibobble Bunstar ($8 for 2). This little sperm-shaped piece of plastic screws in and holds your bun! I don’t exactly understand how it works, but it does.
I also got my son another L’Oreal Colorista Highlight Kit and myself an Ulta Tinted Juice Infused Lip Oil ($4.50, down from $9).
This 5 piece Benefit gift with purchase was the last Beauty Break I’ve seen – two weeks ago. A $60 purchase got me a Benefit makeup bag with my favorite mascara – Benefit Roller Lash, as well as The POREfessional Hydrate Primer, Precisely My Brow Pencil in “Warm Light Brown”, and Gimme Brow Brow-Volumizing Fiber Gel in “Warm Brown”. A $75 purchase got me a Benefit “Laughter is the Best Cosmetic” Canvas Tote. I want more Beauty Breaks – where did they go???
Just $935 to Diamond status!
Chester Cheetah
My nails are…dangerously cheesy!
I had a spark of inspiration to create “Chester Cheetah” nails that actually SMELL like Cheetos!
After Glisten & Glow Ridge Filling Base Coat, I did two coats of Sinful Colors “Cheese Puff”. I didn’t know how the two brands would interact when I topped my nails with Zoya Leopard Spots Topper, but I was pleasantly surprised that the topper not only worked, but crackled even better than over Zoya Pixie Dusts.
I wasn’t exactly surprised that this manicure chipped exceptionally quickly. It was fine though – my fingers were super stinky.
On the Run
I am fully aware of the irony of continuing to buy eye shadow while under lockdown. I get to go to the grocery store once a week and I need to look HAWT when I go…
Sephora lured me in with 50% off the Urban Decay On the Run Mini Palettes ($12.50, down from $25). I’ve been drooling over these little 8 shade palettes. I Selected two of the five: “Detour” (blues and browns) and “Shortcut” (reds and mauves). I’ve had a chance to try both palettes and they are so blendable and smooth. I didn’t even have to pull out the shadow primer. I can see myself going back to these again and again. Now I want to get the other 3 colorways – please go on sale again!
I was able to snag a sample of Lord Jones Royal Oil, basically a CBD Beauty Oil. The only two ingredients are grapeseed oil and CBD oil…I’m hesitant to coat my face in grapeseed oil, as I’m recovering from a breakout. I’ll try it later, I think. I also got samples of Cristophe Robin Detangling Gelee with Sea Minerals and Marc Jacobs Youthquake Gel Creme.
Sephora is offering free shipping while their stores are closed. Don’t threaten me with a good time! Just $281 to VIB in 2021.
January Sephora Play! – Stress-Free Beauty
Oh, no matter how up to date I am on my posts, Sephora Play is always gonna be running late!
January’s theme is “Stress-Free Beauty” and includes products for your relaxation rituals.
So I wonder if Sephora knew that Kat Von D was jumping ship, when they put together this box? Did they know and use it as an opportunity to offload liners with the old branding? Or did was the move truly a surprise? Who knows? In any case, I have another Kat Von D Beauty Tattoo Liner in “Trooper”.
Also in this month’s box: Cover FX High Performance Setting Spray; Glamglow SUPERMUD Activated Charcoal Treatment Mask; Dr. Andrew Weil for Origins Mega-Mushroom Relief & Resilience Soothing Treatment Lotion (I JUST got this in October’s box!); Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer; and Giorgio Armani Beauty Si Passione (gross and stinky).
This box was meh. Sephora – do better!
Sephora Play gives you 5-6 prestige samples a month, for just $10! You can sign up at sephora.com/play.
Since 1969
China Glaze “Since 1969” is obviously a nod to Sesame Street’s 50th anniversary in 2019 and it’s an homage to the street itself.
“Since 1969” is an asphalt shimmer, the very color of Sesame Street. I was glad to use a shimmer polish – my nails sure did need a break from glitters. This is two coats of “Since 1969” over Glisten & Glow Ridge Filling Base Coat and under Glisten & Glow Top Coat. No mattes this time. This polish lasted a really long time and even braved a marathon round of dishes and kitchen cleaning yesterday.
4 down, 8 to go. I am beating Lily at trying them all – she’s only tried one so far!
Party Pooper
I’ve got poop on my fingernails!
I “borrowed” Five Below “Party Pooper” from my daughter. “Santa” was kind enough to leave this cute emoji topper in Lily’s stocking this Xmas. Mommy was just biding her time until she could borrow it…
I started with Sinful Colors Base Coat and two coats of Sinful Colors “No Text Red”. I wasn’t sure what color would accentuate the light colored emojis the best, so I just went with the most basic red I could find. I then topped with a single coat of “Party Pooper” – yes, all these emoji glitter in just one coat! There are smileys and hearts and ghosts and POOPS! I got so many poops on my nails – can you see them?
I had to finished with a VERY thick coat of “HK Girl”. Those emoji glitters don’t flatten on your nails – they stick up a bit, so I just laid it on THICK.
Zoya Cyber Monday Mystery Bag
I am such a sucker for mystery bags & boxes! Of course, I ordered the Zoya Cyber Monday Mystery Bag – it was only $15.
I received a Mini Color Lock System ($20 value) – I had been wanting to try their base and top coats; Qtica Natural Nail Growth Stimulator ($20 value); Zoya Matte Velvet Red Lipstick ($12 value) – too bad, I already have it; and Mini Trio of polishes ($12 value) – “Willa” (AKA “Black Swan”) – a full-coverage, densely pigmented onyx black cream, “Lael” – a deep, saturated red-toned plum purple with a shiny creme finish, and “Rekha” – a bold medium blood red with a glossy cream finish.
$64 worth of goodies!
Wait, What?
Remember that migraine? Turns out it was caused by a raging sinus infection. I finally broke down and went to Urgent Care today and got antibiotics…hoping to be back to normal soon…
Speaking of normal – this paint job isn’t. The colors in the bottle look nothing like what happened on my nails. I’m not complaining – it looks cool…but not what I expected.
Since I was feeling like crap, I did the bare minimum: one coast of Sinful Colors Base Coat, one coat of Sinful Colors “Mint Apple”, one coat of NYC Crystal Couture “Fashion Queen” and one coat of NYC “Grand Central Station”. (Although there’s a bit left in the bottle, I won’t be able to get it out without a fight – RIP “Grand Central Station”.)
“Mint Apple” was much more sheer than I thought it would be. I was surprised that “Fashion Queen” turned straight up gold on my nails – I was expecting a more orange sparkle. Now I know…