Polish Pickup August 2026 – Woodland Magic
August’s Polish Pickup theme was “Woodland Magic” and even though there were loads of cute polishes available – my order was rather conservative.
Rogue Lacquer “Fire Swamp” ($13) is inspired by the titular Fire Swamp in The Princess Bride.
Stella Chroma “Megaloceros” ($13.50) is named after the mountain of King Thranduil, father of Legolas in The Lord of the Rings.
Jior Couture “Sun Water Alchemy” ($15) is inspired by a serene woman in the woods.
Which one should I try first?
Sea Glass
I was inspired by an Instagram account – Vintage Dusties – to pull this polish out of my stash when I saw her swatch it. Lots of her swatches are true vintage from the 60s, 50s and even the 40s – but polishes from the early 00s are now vintage too!
This is Black Radiance “Sea Glass”. I’m guessing I bought it at Walmart or Walgreens sometime in the early 2000s? It’s a swampy green with a strong flash of purple. Most polishes get thicker with age, but this one is super thin. It was fairly streaky and retreated from the free edge quite a bit. I don’t think the formula agreed with the base and top coat, but I honestly don’t remember how it wore when it was new.
This is two coats of “Sea Glass”, over Cuticula Mic Drop Base Coat in “Froot Loops” and under Cuticula Limitless Top Coat in “Pink Sugared Lemons“. This is my first time using “Pink Sugared Lemons” and I really don’t care for the scent. It’s like Lemon Pledge and Pine Sol had a butt baby. I don’t know that I’ll be able to get through the whole bottle, but I’ll try…
Hot Damn Anthurium 2.0
I’m not much of a “plant girly”, so I had to google anthurium…sure enough, this polish looks like anthurium!
Sassy Sauce Polish “Hot Damn Anthurium” was originally part of May 2025’s “Tropical Forest” Polish Pickup, but I picked it up in July’s REWIND. Hence, Sassy Sauce Polish “Hot Damn Anthurium 2.0”. How many red nail polishes can a girl own? I don’t know yet, because I cannot stop buying red nail polish.
This is two coats of “Hot Damn Anthurium 2.0”, over Cuticula Mic Drop Base Coat in “Froot Loops” and under Cuticula Limitless Top Coat in “Vampire Blood“.
Who Are You Calling a Cootie Queen
Remember Orbit gum? I don’t remember the gum, but I sure remember their commercial. For a good clean feeling, no matter what!
Envy Lacquer “Who Are You Calling a Cootie Queen” is from May’s “Vending Machine Snacks” Polish Pickup. It’s a striking magnetic polish, inspired by the uniform of the lady in the commercials as opposed to the gum itself. The magnetic effect was a bit weak, but lovely nonetheless
This is two coats of “Who Are You Calling a Cootie Queen” magnetized with a neodymium magnet, over Cuticula Mic Drop Base Coat in “Froot Loops” and under Cuticula Limitless Top Coat in “Vampire Blood“.
August 2026 Ipsy Ultimate – Fall Collection
I’m still playing catch-up after my vacation in early August, plus moving my youngest off to college…not to mention a bunch of other fuckery…
I was skeptical of the skincare heavy Fall Collection…but my skin says otherwise. I have a whole new skincare regimen!
The skincare products were two of my choices for the box: Elemis Dynamic Resurfacing Facial Wash ($59) and Ilia Beauty The Base Face Milk ($58). I don’t know that my face is exactly “resurfaced” but it’s definitely glowy. The Face Milk took some getting used to, but it’s the perfect amount of hydration for a hot, humid Southeast Texas summer. I also chose NARS Cosmetics Afterglow Sensual Shine Lipstick in “High Gear” ($36), but I haven’t tried it yet.
Speaking of skincare, I’ve also used the Beauty Bio Swipe & Glow Peel Pads ($45). Nothing has peeled? I’ve also been using the Merit Shade Slick Gelée Tinted Lip Oil in “Jeté” ($24). I liked it at first, but I feel like it gums up on my lips and I have to wipe the gunk off and reapply?
I haven’t had a chance to sample the rest of my Fall Collection: Makeup by Mario Master Mascara ($28); Mutha Up All Night Eye Cream ($90 – really?); and Sachajuan Hair Repair Treatment Mask ($39).
$379 worth of products…not bad! I’m thinking I’ll actually try the rest of the products eventually, barring further fuckery.
I subscribe to the original ipsy bag for $14/month (recently increased from $13/month) and ipsy Ultimate (formerly Icon Box, and before that – 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.
Foamy Little Soap Haul
I am so glad I didn’t stock up on $3.50 soap during the last Semi Annual Sale – because last weekend (or was it the weekend before?) they had $2.95 Foaming Hand Soap!
I was able to stack the sale with a 20% coupon, plus a free mini (I wanted “Vampire Blood” Hand Cream, but I had to settle for “Black Cherry Merlot”) and a free full size item (“Vampire Blood” Moisturizing Cream). I picked out 13 soaps, mostly Halloween scents like “Vampire Blood”.
I think $2.36 is as cheap as I am likely to get hand soap these days!
Sky on Fire
I couldn’t WAIT to get Cadillacquer “Sky on Fire” on my nails. Cadillacquer is QUEEN of the glitters.
Although I just picked up “Sky on Fire” in last month’s REWIND, it’s originally from August 2021’s “4 Elements” theme. That was a few years before I became a Polish Pickup regular.
I am thinking I might bring it for my next pedicure? Then it will be someone else’s problem getting all of that glitter off, because scraping off that glitter was a colossal pain in my ass.
This is two coats of “Sky on Fire”, over Cuticula Mic Drop Base Coat in “Froot Loops” and under Cuticula Limitless Top Coat in “Vampire Blood“.
Polish Pickup July 2026 – REWIND
It’s July…or it WAS July…and that means Polish Pickup REWIND!
Cadillacquer “Sky on Fire” ($14.50) was originally from August 2021’s “4 Elements” theme.
Sassy Sauce Polish “Hot Damn Anthurium 2.0” ($14) was originally from May 2025’s “Tropical Forest” theme and is inspired by the anthurium flower.
Cuticula Limitless Quick Dry Top Coat in “Vampire Blood” ($10) was originally from November 2025’s “Mood Rings & Emotions” theme. I absolutely love this scent!
A very conservative order – maybe I’ll catch up soon!
Bloomphoria
Even on vacation, I be doing my nails.
While I was crashing at her place in Long Beach, my friend Diana was kind enough to let me dig through her polishes to refresh my nails after eating three pounds of crab at Quality Seafood Redondo Beach. If you’re not into crab boils, let me tell you…it’s BRUTAL on your nails.
I chose China Glaze “Bloomphoria”, which is a sheer iridescent lilac polish from the Spring 2022 ‘Mystic Bloom’ Collection. There’s a subtle green flash to the polish, but it was impossible to photograph.
This is two coats of “Bloomphoria”, over AND under Revlon Multi Care Top + Base Coat.
Out of the Box, Into the Sun
I just cannot resist a Barbie-themed nail polish.
Technically, Lurid Lacquer “Out of the Box, Into the Sun” is not inspired by Barbie, but by Steven, Ken’s bestie. Specifically, Sun Sensation Steven from 1992. I envy his silver mesh crop top.
I love a good turquoise Baja Blast moment in my nail polish and the iridescent flakies give this polish and unbeatable golden flash. Although it was a bit thick, it smoothed down well and it still looked nice after 7 days of wear. It did not, however, stand up to a 3 pound crab lovers feast on Redondo Beach…but the beach is where it belongs…
This is two coats of “Out of the Box, Into the Sun”, over Cuticula Mic Drop Base Coat in “Froot Loops” and under Cuticula Limitless Top Coat in “Vampire Blood“.