Mermaid Scale
It was so nice to come home from Vegas to package of nail polishes from one of my work besties! Of course, I had to pick the sparkliest one for my Xmas nails…
This is Canmake Tokyo “Mermaid Scale”. I have LOTS of Mermaid-themes polishes and I was happy to add this one to my collection. I believe that Canmake Tokyo is sold at places like MINISO and DAISO – I’ll have to look for more. It is not clumpy at all and smoothed out really nicely – I’m a fan.
This is two coats of “Mermaid Scale” over Cuticula Mic Drop Base Coat in “Tropical Oasis” and under Cuticula Limitless Top Coat in “Huckleberry“.
Emotional Metamorphosis
After a few years with Polish Pickup, I’ve noticed that I gravitate towards the same dozen or so makers. I get really excited when I pick out a polish from a maker I haven’t tried before. This is my first polish from Chamaeleon Nails and I’m really excited about it.
I’ve tended to avoid thermal polishes lately because my nails have been fairly short. There’s just no amount of hair & nail vitamins that can keep my nails strong through the winter. But Chamaeleon Nails “Emotional Metamorphosis” has such a strong shift that I thought I would give it a try. I was not disappointed.
It’s giving Glinda & Elphaba, isn’t it? ISN’T IT? (The flakies shift green in sunlight, but it’s hard to see in pictures. Just trust me on this one.) I specifically chose this polish to wear in Vegas last week, knowing I’d be going to see The Wizard of Oz at Sphere. In case you wondered, it was FANTASTIC.
This is two coats of “Emotional Metamorphosis” over Cuticula Mic Drop Base Coat in “Tropical Oasis” and under Cuticula Limitless Top Coat in “Huckleberry“.
Haunted Vibes
I grabbed Emily de Molly “Haunted Vibes” from July’s REWIND, but it was originally from September 2024’s “Vintage Halloween” Polish Pickup. It’s inspired by ‘The House on Haunted Hill’ – and I was almost indignant that a movie I remember seeing in the theater can be considered “Vintage Halloween”…and then I remembered that I’m old as shit. (It came out in 1999.)
The midnight blue and copper combination is giving Guardians of the Galaxy, isn’t it?
I think I FINALLY figured out the key to getting a good magnetic effect with my neodymium magnet! I had been using the flat side of the magnet, but this time – I used the thin edge, and DAMN what a difference! I need to continue experimenting with it, but I think I NAILED IT. (I am so, SO sorry for that pun.)
This is two coats of “Haunted Vibes” over Cuticula Mic Drop Base Coat in “Tropical Oasis” and under Cuticula Limitless Top Coat in “Huckleberry“.
December 2025 Ipsy Bag – Play Beauty Spread Joy
…December has been so busy that I’ve only tried one of the samples!
My product choice this month was Briogeo Hair Care Superfood Avocado + Kiwi Mega Moisture Hair Mask. I picked it because I have more shampoo than conditioner and can use it with leftover shampoo.
The rest of my products were Eleman Beauty The Gel Lip Pencil in “So Sultry”; Ellis Brooklyn “Dear Sky” (wearing it right now – I love this scent on me, very juicy and fruity); Tarte Maracuja Juicy Lip Balm Gloss in “Rose”; and Beauty for Certain Tubing Brow Gel (I shall be gifting this one – I don’t need tubes hanging off my 3 eyebrow hairs).
The bag has bows on it, so I am saving it for my son’s girlfriend – she loves ribbons and bows!
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.
Inner Balance
This polish is giving C-3P-HOE!
Baroness X “Inner Balance” is from November’s Polish Pickup and is inspired by the need to balance emotions within ourselves. The gold with silver shimmer is totally spaceworthy AND holidayworthy. It’s also a magnetic polish, but either it’s VERY subtle or I didn’t leave my nail on the rare earth magnet long enough. I think I’ll try again with the neodymium magnet…
This is two coats of “Inner Balance” over Cuticula Mic Drop Base Coat in “Tropical Oasis” and under Cuticula Limitless Top Coat in “Huckleberry“.
Naked Shaped Black Friday Haul
…before you ask – YES, there were gifts in my Ulta Black Friday Haul. But would I be me if I didn’t pick up a lil’ sumthin’ for myself?
I’ve been eyeing the new(ish) Urban Decay Cosmetics Naked Shaped Multi-Tasking Eyeshadow Palette Cool for a while…and 30% all Urban Decay brought that $56 palette down to $39.20. I absolutely LOVE this palette – it includes 4 cream eye shadows, as well as 5 mattes, 4 shimmers and 1 glimmer topper. I’ve been using the lightest cream eye shadow (“Faux Snow”) as a primer and the rest of the shadows glide over it like butter. I’m considering getting the Warm version the next time I see a sale or have a coupon – it’s the best Naked yet!
Ulta products were 40% off, so I got Ulta Exfoliating Round Cotton Pads ($2.39, down from $3.99) – I probably should have stocked up on a few other things…oh well.
I remembered to use my Diamond Bonus to get a FREE DIME Beauty Hyper Glow Antioxidant + Brighten Serum (worth $32). I definitely didn’t need another Clinique foundation that I would never use. I also used my $25 off beauty services coupon this weekend – feels good to not miss out on freebies.
Speaking of freebies, I got three gifts with purchase with my order! I got an Ulta Beauty Collection Free 9 Piece Gift with select $65 shipped purchase, which includes an eye shadow palette, cream blush, lip stain, lip gloss, Matte Veil Eyeshadow Primer, Matte Veil Face Primer, Makeup Sponge, and Eye Shadow Brush in a Pink Satin Makeup Bag.
Inside my Free 7 Piece Gift with select $75 shipped purchase: CHI Infra Silk Infusion (I just gave two of these to Caty – I hope she wants more); Sol de Janeiro Bom Dia Bright Cream (I don’t have this one yet – yay!); Yves Saint Laurent “Black Opium” (ew); Dermalogica Dynamic Skin Strengthening Serum; Lolavie Glossing Detangler (Barbie is getting this one); Origins Youthtopia Refining Apple Peel; La Roche-Posay Toleriane Purifying Foaming Cleanser; and a green velvet drawstring pouch to put it in!
Inside my Free Diamond & Platinum Exclusive Gift with select $100 shipped purchase: Bioderma Sensibio Soothing Micellar Cleansing Foaming Gel; Gucci “Guilty” (blech); Redken Acidic Bonding Concentrate Shampoo & Conditioner (yay! both!); Virtue Healing Hair Oil; bareMinerals Original Mineral Veil; Sunday Riley Good Genes; Bobbi Brown Vitamin Enriched Face Base; and Olaplex Weightless Nourishing Mask.
Is this my last Ulta order of the year? Only time will tell…how good the sales are between Xmas and New Years.
Polish Pickup November 2025 – Mood Rings & Emotions
“Mood Rings & Emotions” was November’s theme for Polish Pickup. I still have my mood ring from the 90s – it came with my Fossil Mood Watch, which I still have somewhere…because I’m a hoarder – and PROUD of it.
This was a light month – is it me, or do all the polishes just look like a variation of one you already have after a few years of Polish Pickup?
Cuticula didn’t offer a base coat this month, so I decided to try KB Shimmer Fillin’ Groovy Ridge Filling Base Coat ($8.50).
I run through top coats rather quickly, so I got Cuticula Limitless Quick Dry Scented Top Coat in “Vampire Blood” ($10).
Chamaeleon Nails “Emotional Metamorphosis” ($14) is a thermal polish (haven’t gotten one of those in a while) inspired by emotional transformations.
Baroness X “Inner Balance” ($13.50) is inspired by the need to balance emotions within ourselves – and it’s a gold/silver magnetic!
I’ve already tried one of these – review coming soon!
Psychedelic Glow
Cuticula “Psychedelic Glow” is from October’s “Optical Illusions” Polish Pickup. It’s inspired by a flower that looks like it’s moving when you stare at the center of it. But to be fair, when you are on psychedelics – everything looks like it’s moving when you stare at the center of it.
“Psychedelic Glow” is a purple jelly base with pink/green/yellow/lime shifting crystal flakes, and black flakes. The shiftiness is amazing – it was hard not to get lost staring into these nails. I will admit that – like all flakies – the edges tended to lift and chip more than regular polish. It was frustrating, but still looked nice with the edge wear.
This is two coats of “Psychedelic Glow” over Cuticula Mic Drop Base Coat in “Tropical Oasis” and under Cuticula Limitless Top Coat in “Huckleberry“. I was in Washington State a few months ago and had a few different Huckleberry-flavored things and I concur that this top coat absolutely hits that Huckleberry scent.
Turkey M&Ms
The past few Thanksgivings, I’ve done variations of ‘Skittles’ Manicures – a different color on each nail. This year, I went with bold cremes in autumn shades – and the result looks more like a handful of M&Ms. Specifically, I’m picturing one of the weird holiday flavor bags…Pumpkin Pie M&Ms, Pecan Pie M&Ms – you get the idea.
This year’s polishes are ALL Sinful Colors. Can you tell I’ve been missing them?
From thumb to pinky, the polishes I used are Sinful Colors “Candy Coated Mint”, Sinful Colors “Bye Felicia!”, Sinful Colors “Hit the Spot”, Sinful Colors “Hot Toffee”, and Sinful Colors “Raisin the Roof.” I used two coats of each, over Cuticula Mic Drop Base Coat in “Tropical Oasis” and under Cuticula Limitless Top Coat in “Froot Loop“.
Lost to Eternity
Guacamole. FAIRY guacamole is what this polish is giving me.
The fairy guacamole is Pi Colors “Lost to Eternity.000”, which is inspired by the cover of a Star Trek novelization of the same name. I assume it is a time travel story, since the polish is from August’s Time Travel PPU.
This is my first Pi Colors polish and I found it to be a really nice formula – lots of shimmer and long lasting.
This is two coats of “Lost to Eternity.000” over Cuticula Mic Drop Base Coat in “Tropical Oasis” and under Cuticula Limitless Top Coat in “Froot Loop“.