12/29/2020

Guess Who's on the Naughty List

Oh my gosh. Apparently, I didn't hit the publish button during the early morning of the 25th (that's what I get for trying to multitask) because this was sitting in my draft section.

Technically, I'm not late in my Christmas wishes because the Christmas season starts on December 25th.

Therefore, I want to wish you a Merry Christmas!

12/28/2020

Reading is Fundamental...Sassy Pants Polish

Sassy Pants Polish, The Bookish Girl, was its contribution to Hella Handmade Creations September. The polish is Inspired by The Magicians and, after some online investigation, I discovered The Magicians is a young-adult fantasy book trilogy and was adapted into a television series on Syfy.

The Bookish Girl is described as a silver ultra-holographic with assorted fire red holographic glitters and microshreds. The polish also features red sparks, and red-gold microflakies. The abundance of red elements in the polish appears to have altered the silver holographic base, giving it a pinkish hue, especially in person.

I was able to get the perfect amount of glitter and holographic effect in two coats. As with other polishes that are chock-full of glitter, The Bookish Girl lost most of its sparkle and is textured when it dried. Therefore, two layers of a good top coat is recommended. Also, removal of the polish was difficult.

When I saw The bookish Girl, I immediately thought it would make for a gorgeous holiday manicure, and it was the polish I wore on Christmas Eve.

11/29/2020

The Bee's Knees...Melt Cosmetics Digital Dust Duo Swatches

Like bees to honey, the blush fiend in me was immediately attracted to Melt Cosmetics' Digital Dust Duo Blushers.

I LOVE the tan exterior packaging. Part of me likes that the shade is exclusive to these duos, giving them an air of uniqueness. However, the other half wishes Melt would revamp their packing and switch to the tan.

Embossed with a comely pattern of a bee atop a honeycomb, the Digital Dust's come in three gorgeous duos: Buzz Kill, Raw Honey, and Queen Bee.

From left to right: Buzz Kill, Raw Honey, Queen Bee.

Buzz Kill: a medium, pinkish-coral nectar with a golden sheen/ a light, orange leaning peach champagne with silver sparkle.

Raw Honey: a deep, bronzed rosy-mauve/ a medium, rose gold.

Queen Bee: a medium, golden bronze/ medium, golden amber-honey.

Of the three Digital Dusts, the shade Kill from the Buzz Kill duo has the most pronounced specs of sparkle.

These blushers have a baked, gelee-like formula that is intensely pigmented, blends and buffs into the skin seamlessly, and imparts a beautiful luminous finish. Also, the Duos look as pretty on the lids as they do on the cheeks.

Whether each shade is worn individually, layered over one another, or blended together, the Digital Dust Duo blushes are lovely. I wish Melt Cosmetics would expand on the shade range because I definitely want more.

11/24/2020

Turned into a Polish...Chirality Narcissus Immortal

Back in 2019, during Polish Pickup's April Famous Works of Arts theme, I purchased. This is a polish I love to wear during the fall.

The polish is inspired by Salvador Dali's (one of my favorite artists) Metamorphosis of Narcissus, which happens to be one of my favorite Dali paintings.

Narcissus Immortal is an orange blossom-honey jelly. The polish is loaded with various brown, orange, and caramel glitters, as well as a gorgeous contrasting green to aqua shimmer that runs throughout. Also, the polish glows in the dark. I don't really get the purpose of glow in the dark polishes. I mean, unless you're clubbing or are committed to carrying a portable black light with you, I don't understand the function.

The formula is sheer, so the number of coats needed depends on how much of your nail line you want to peek through. After four layers, I was able to mask enough of my nail line as well as get my preferred amount of glitter and shimmer. As with most glitter-filled polishes, Narcissus Immortal had a great wear time, but was a force to be reckoned with during removal.

The influence of the surrealist painting is visible in the polish. However, I also get an image of honey dripping from a honeycomb, or the photograph by Simon Fraser, View of Honeycomb of the Honey Bee (seen in the photos above). Regardless, Chirality produced a work of art with Narcissus Immortal.

What do you think of Narcissus Immortal?

11/01/2020

The Ghost of You...

Happy Halloween!

In case we are not connected via Instagram, here's the look I did to scare those who came rapping at my chamber door this All Hallows' Eve.

List of products used:

Face:

Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer

Surratt Beauty Surreal Skin Foundation Wand in 02.

Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder.

Kat Von D Shade & Light Contour Palette.

Eyes:

B&C Browlash EX Water Strong W Eyebrow in Grey Brown.

Nars Soft Matte Complete Concealer in Custard.

Mac Eye Pencil in Ebony.

Kat Voon D Shade & Light Eye Contour Palette.

Helena Rubinstein Lash Queen Fatal Black WP Mascara.

Lips:

Surratt Beauty Surreal Skin Foundation Wand in 02.

What did you dress up as this Halloween?

9/01/2020

Nothing Else Matte*rs ...Bobbi Brown Luxe Matte Lip Color

Instead of swatching all my Bobbi Brown Luxe Matte Lip Color Lipsticks, I thought it would be fun to showcase my favorite Summer shades: Bold Nectar, Cheeky Peach, Fever Pitch, On fire, Rebel Rose, and Vibrant violet.

I'm very fond of the elegant, weighty, gold packaging of the Luxe Lip Color lipsticks. So, I was pleasantly pleased when the brand revamped the tubes by giving them a matte, brushed metal finish to coincide with the Luxe Matte formula.

The Luxe Matte formula has a velvety-cream consistency that is lightweight, yet dense, with full coverage. As for their longevity, they last for an extremely long time, but not forever. These lipsticks will transfer to the rim of your drinks and wear off with meals. However, they leave behind a pretty stain. So, you don't have to worry about any unsightly patches or unevenness.

From left to right: Cheeky Peach, Bold Nectar, Rebel Rose, Fever Pitch, On Fire, Vibrant Violet.

Cheeky Peach: a bright, coral-pink that I love for both Spring and Summer.

Bold Nectar: a vibrant, slightly cool-toned watermelon.

Rebel Rose: a bright raspberry pink.

Fever Pitch: an intense orangey-red.

On Fire: a blue-toned, vibrant, red with a touch of pink.

Vibrant Violet: an intense purplish-fuschia. I enjoy wearing this shade during Summer and Fall.

All six shades are bold, insanely-pigmented, and I love them!

Have you tried the Luxe Mattes? Are any of these your summer favorites?

8/27/2020

The Sun & Moon to Me...Native War Paints

Native War Paints is an indie polish brand I discovered well over a year ago on PPU (Polish Pickup). Sun and Moon was Native War Paints’ polish entry for Polish Pickup's January 2020 “Written in the Stars” theme.

I failed to capture how gorgeously reflective, and sparkly, the holographic glitters and shimmers are.

Inspired by the Nintendo 3DS video game of the same name, Sun and Moon is a white crelly, brimming with various sizes of navy, pale gold, copper-orange, and deep sky blue holographic glitters as well as blue, green, and gold shifting micro-shimmer. Unique and beautiful, I love the color combination of the glitters in this polish along with the shimmer. This polish is definitely an original amongst my collection.

The first coat was semi-opaque, yielding an extremely generous amount of glitter. There was still some minor unevenness with the second layer, but I was hesitant of going with a third because I didn’t want the finished result looking like lumpy oatmeal. The surface was a little textured, but corrected after two layers of topcoat. Also, removal is a challenge with this beauty.

Have you heard of or tried Native War Paints polishes?

8/13/2020

She's Got Baggage!

For entertainment purposes, I've placed emojis to mark each bag.

These bags (which are much bigger and heavier then they appear) have multiplied like guinea pigs! It started with one bag to house my new beauty purchases. Then, one bag became two, then three, four, five, six, and so on. Now, each bag is organized by season.

I've thought of putting the contents into my collection. But, in all honesty, I don't think I have space. Also, I fear the weight will cause the partitions that sandwich my storage containers to collapse. Does anyone else have this problem?

Now, I'm not saying I'm going on a "no buy," nor a "low buy" (a girl's got to know her limitations)," but rather a "conscious buy." I'm going to try and be more selective about my beauty purchases.

Also, when I started the blog, one of the things I wanted it to be was a beauty encyclopedia of sorts. I wanted to catalog all the beauty products, brands, collections, etc., that I own. So, with work coming to a grinding halt, I want to get this derailed train back on track. I hope you'll enjoy the ride.

How do you store your new beauty purchases?

8/12/2020

I'm Got Candy Galore...Sassy Cats Lacquer Agnes Meet Candy!

A Polish Pickup May 2020 Candy Land theme release, Sassy Cats Lacquer states the polish was inspired by Agnes shoving her face into a bowl of candy, whatever that means. If you know the reference please tell me in the comments because I have no clue.

Sassy Cats Lacquer's Agnes Meet Candy! is a deep magenta base loaded with various shapes, sizes, and finished of pink, orange, purple, magenta, lime green, electric blue glitter.

The glitters distributed while on the nails. However, I applied three coats to get the opacity and depth I wanted from the base color. I wore Agnes Meet Candy! for five days without any wear damage before changing to another polish. You'll need to use your tried and trusted nail polish remover because this polish will not go quietly into the night.

7/08/2020

Oppa Gingham Style...Bath & Body Works Shower Gel

June's Shower Gel was a new scent for me, Bath & Body Works', Gingham.

Gingham's notes are Blue Freesia, Sweet Clementine and Soft Violet petals, and is described as, "A fresh blend of bright florals and a hint of sweet citrus."

The fragrance is clean, fresh, lingers on my skin, and is lovely for the Summer. I've enjoyed Gingham so much that I ordered a few more bottles, along with the handwash.

Have you tried Bath & Body Works Gingham line?

7/07/2020

America F*#k Yeah! Zoya Nail Lacquer

I'm sorry I haven't blogged in over three months, but my laptop died...it literally broke in half. I ordered a new one from the states because I don't like the format of Japanese keywords. However, its arrival was delayed due to COVID-19. The laptop arrived on Thursday, and (in my best Colin Clive impersonation), "IT'S ALIVE!"

In celebration of the red, white, and blue this July 4th, my patriotic weekend mani was Zoya's, America.

America is a bold, bright, glossy, medium, retro-red creme, with a hint of orange-red warmth. In general, Zoya polishes have a great formula, and the application is hassle-free. If your nail line isn't as prominent as mine, you can get complete opacity with one coat. However, I needed two.

It's been a while since I've worn America, but I remember it having a substantial wear time.

America is a beautiful, classic red with a great formula that's a fun shade to wear this holiday weekend.

What did you wear on your nails this 4th of July?

3/19/2020

Lust for Life...Oribe Gold Lust Pre-Shampoo Intensive Treatment

With all the bleaching, heat styling, and other forms of grooming torture, I think my hair must hate me.

Therefore, to prevent my blonde tresses from "going into the light," Oribe's Gold Lust Pre-Shampoo Intensive Treatment has been a staple product in my Sunday haircare regime for the last two years.

Not only is the packaging luxurious, but it's also practical; the tube can be replaced with a refill.

This weekly pre-shampoo treatment is meant to be applied to dry hair. The directions say to use a quarter amount of product, but since my hair is thick and plentiful, I use about a dollar size...maybe a smidgen more.

The treatment has a balm-like consistency that transforms into an oil by emulsifying it between the hands. Using my fingers, I comb the product through the mid-lengths of your hair towards the ends, avoiding the roots. Again, the directions say to leave on for 10-20 minutes, but I leave it on for hours as I go about my household chores, etc. Afterward, I shampoo, condition, and style my hair as usual.

A true godsend, the Gold Lust Pre-Shampoo Intensive Treatment leaves my hair, especially my ends rejuvenated, rehydrated, soft, and shiny. My hair looks and feels transformed and repaired; it's stronger and more resistant to breakage.

Oribe Gold Lust Pre-Shampoo Intensive Treatment contains 4 fl.oz/120ml and retails for $68 and $51 for the refill. I purchase all of my Oribe products from beautylish.com

3/16/2020

This is the Polish...Lauren B Beauty Mulholland Drive

Lauren B Beauty's Mulholland Drive is like an Iris- a beautiful flower, but one that stands out more on the cloudiest day than in the brightest sunshine.

Mulholland Drive is a dark lavender-blue creme, with a glistening finish. In the past month, I've had a little dalliance with this gorgeous shade.

The formula is impeccable, and opaque in one coat. Out of habit (and to comfort my OCD), I applied two coats, and a top coat, in the photo above. Also, Mulholland Drive wears for 5-6 days.

A beautiful shade that suits every season, Mulholland Drive is definitely one of my many favorite shades from Lauren B.

1/20/2020

Apple Cider splash... Philosophy Apple Cider Shampoo, Shower Gel & Bubble bath

I'm back! I was away visiting the clan in the states. Foolishly, I thought I'd be able to blog while in the great ol' U.S. of A., but with my nieces and nephew, I should have known better. Before I post my New Year beauty resolution, I need to get this post out.

Philosophy's jumbo sized Apple Cider Shampoo, Shower Gel & Bubble bath was November and December's body wash. Usually, Philosophy products don't call to me (wasn't a fan of the skincare back in the day), but I picked up a few of their holiday shower gels during my visit last year.

Apple Cider does give me a crisp, spicy apple cider scent, but I also get a hint of caramel apple. I really enjoyed the fragrance for the fall and winter season, and how it filled up my shower room, and lingered. I used this product solely to bathe with (I'm perfectly content with my shampoo & conditioner, and I don't take baths), and I was happy with how well it lathered, and cleansed. My skin felt clean, without any dryness.