"Blue Had Me at Hello" Eyeshadow...Octuplet?

The second Wet'n'Wild palette I grabbed (they were on sale, dammit.) is "Blue Had Me at Hello". It's an...octuplet palette? Is that the right term? I dunno, but lets just call it the Octopus Palette from here on out? It's a really pretty blue-to-turquoise collection...and I love it. I used the three colors on the right all together and it looked great. I did have a flash of "omg am I wearing 3 different shades of blue eyeshadow together?" but I stifled that and went on about my day. Inspired by the whole "30 days of Makeup" thing, I've been trying to wear makeup everyday...even if it is only for a few hours at a time.

the Octopus, it all its glory.

The pigment is about the same as the previous palette. The only disappointments were the deeper colors. There wasn't a huge difference between the navy, the black sparkle, and the matte black. That was a bummer. The sparkly navy was all about the glitter...you definitely need to pat that stuff on rather than brush. It came with a brush and a sponge applicator, but honestly I think those are both throwaway bits. This ran me about $3 as well, and I must say I'm happy with my purchase. It has the same instructional embossing, which I completely disregarded. Though I might try one day to follow the intructions, just to see what hellish concoction I end up with. The internet might like to see that.

swatched with the sponge tip applicator.
On my pasty flesh.

OPI Glints Of Glinda

This post is belated in all kinds of ways.  I bought Glints Of Glinda at the end of February on my first trip to a nail supply store.  Dangerous place for my wallet, but it's an hour away and the drive is horrible.  I perused the whole Oz the Great and Powerfull Soft Shades collection, but Glints Of Glinda was the only one that came home with me.  I keep looking at What Wizardry Is This? when I see it in other stores, but I just can't get behind the whole texture trend.  I might get it if they still have it at the nail supply store when I go next week, but it's not high up my wish list.  I swatched Glints Of Glinda a few times, but I didn't love how it looked on my nails when they were long (a rare right hand sighting).  These photos are from two weeks ago when I still had nubs.

Glints Of Glinda is a light warm-toned beige sheer nude.

This is three coats, I think.  I used a whopping five coats the first time I wore it and it was still nowhere close to opaque.  It applies really well for something so sheer.  Almost no streaking at all, which is impressive.  It's really flattering for my skin tone and would probably look good on most warm-toned people with pale through medium skin.

I really like this as an option for work when my nails are short.  It's a very smooth, simple, clean look and would probably also be nice for an American/soft French manicure on longer nails.

It's another polish I got "stuck" wearing when real life was hectic, so I threw a coat of NYC Shimmer Blast over it to add a little extra interest.  Something completely unexpected happened...

I loved it!!  It's so delicate and 'fairy princess', but I couldn't stop staring at it for the couple of days that I wore it.  I'll be doing this again!  Photos don't really do a great job of showing how it twinkles with every move.  I really love Shimmer Blast and you'll be seeing it again in an upcoming post.  The shimmer shows even better in lower light.

It's so sparkly and...well...cute.  And...I...between this and not hating a yellow and an orange....I...I'm having a bit of a polish-personality crisis!  At least I still hate pink, so that's something.

I'm actually wearing Glints Of Glinda again right now.  It's a good go-to when you need to slap on a couple quick coats of something on your way out the door.  A little sheer at the two coats I'm wearing now, but great if you're looking for a barely-there feel.  I may need a second bottle!

Wet'n'Wild "I'm Feeling Retro" Eyeshadow Trio

With my birthday (woohoo #33!) last week, I went a little nutty with the make-up buying. IT WAS ON SALE! I couldn't help myself. I've been hearing and reading such awesome things about the W'n'W eyeshadows that I had to check them out. I've been enjoying their polishes, so why not the eyeshadow?

This one is called "I'm Feeling Retro". I'm not sure how retro it makes me feel, but its pretty and sparkly. I do have to state, for the record, that I completely ignore the suggested usage that is helpfully embossed into each shadow. I'm too old for a frosty white browbone. I am. It's ok. I honestly prefer it that way. 

it came with a wee sponge applicator and a little brush.
How cute.

 On the skin, I was surprised by the amount of pigment. For a $3 palette, it's pretty decent. With a good primer and/or white base, they show up pretty true. I swatched them using the sponge applicator, because the brush does not pick up anything but sparkles. I especially love the purple shift of the "eyelid" color. (in fact, I'm wearing it now.)

swatched over bare skin

the hilarious little brush.
I'll give it to the kids.

Overall, I give this whole palette a B. It is definitely worth the cost, and is great for color-shy folks like me who want to get their toes wet in the world of OMGCOLOR eyeshadows.

*please bear with me for the next few posts. I've all but given up on my little camera. I switched to my husbands slightly-more-fancy digital camera...and there is definitely a learning curve. So I apologize if the color or focus isn't great. The camera is big enough that I have to use the tripod, which means I have to find a new spot for my lightbox...which means I'm re-learning pretty much everything.

Claire's Splatter Paint

Finally!!  I have wanted something like this for almost a year.  When I first got back into polish, I'd see other people's photos of Lynderella Connect The Dots and just WANT.  There weren't many dupes back then, but in the time since, they're everywhere...and yet they were always out of my reach.  I try to keep my price-per-bottle as low as I can, because I buy so many.  That rules out indies and Sephora X Chaotic.  China Glaze Worlds Away got really awful reviews.  L'Oréal Confetti is Europe-only.  I don't shop at Walmart, so the Hard Candy dupe is off limits too.  The China Glaze Glitz: Bitz N Pieces collection sorta helped soften the craving, but only a little.  Each new option that wasn't really an option only made me want one more...and then I heard that Claire's had one.  Malls are tough to go to when you work nights and live in the middle of nowhere, but I made it to one on Saturday and...MINE!!

Splatter Paint is a mix of various sizes of black and white hexagonal glitter and black bar glitter in a clear base.

over Sinful Colors Why Not

I love it so damn much and want to put it over EVERYTHING!!  I dabbed it on with the brush to keep the bar glitter going in different directions.  The base seems to hold the glitter well and I didn't really need to go fishing too much.  There aren't BIG hexagons in Splatter Paint like there are in some of the others, but I'm fine with that because they're generally a massive pain in the ass to get onto the nail.  This was a very easy application.  It topcoated really nicely too.  I mattified it, but  I don't think it made a ton of difference.

I love it either way!  So happy to finally have a black and white glitter!  I'm such a dork, I know.


I finally got a completely polish-oriented day on Monday.  I painted my second Helmer, swatched, and started setting up a few future posts.  It was bliss.  I only got maybe 5 hours of sleep and I didn't do any Memorial Day stuff, but it felt so good to be "back", even if just for a few hours.  I need more days like that!

Pinspiration: (Probably Not) Vintage Dior

Just when you thought I had abandoned Pinterest...nope. Still addicted. I've also spread the addiction around to friends and family. I'm kinda proud of that.

I saw this dress, with the caption "Vintage Dior, 1960". Now, I have no idea if it's really vintage or not. It looks pretty damned modern to me. Regardless, it's lovely and just begging for a manicure-knock off.

My Inspiration

Source

My Version

Colors Used

Butter London Come to Bed Red

Sally Hansen Navy Baby

 I used the cling-film method on this one. The navy is STRONG. It also got away from me a little, so I added another coat of the red on top of it. I'm actually pretty pleased with this, and after wearing that Sugar Coat polish for so long, it's sweet relief to wear smooth polish again.

My Picks from Sinful Colors Sure Bet/Out Of The Gate Stunning

Another new display from Sinful Colors!  Like last fall's Enchanted/Muse display and early spring's Paparazzi/Almost Famous, this one has two different different names and images depending on where you find it.  At Rite Aid, it's a mouthfull, Out Of The Gate Stunning.  Everywhere else it's Sure Bet.  You can see the displays here and here on Nouveau Cheap.  Unlike Enchanted/Muse, it doesn't have any new shades.  However, if you don't have a Walgreens nearby and have easier access to Rite Aid, you might want to check this display out.  There are a few shades I don't remember seeing there recently (ever?), and they're good ones!  I already had most of these shades, so some of the swatches are from previous posts and my nail length varies wildly.  (I purchased all products shown in this post.)  I passed on Big Daddy and Beverly Hills.


GoGo Girl is a bright 'lipstick red' crelly.

"GoGo" is one word on my bottle (from Walgreens), but two on the bottle I saw at Rite Aid. Weird.  This is one of my absolute favorite reds, and this swatch photo is one of my favorites of the thousands I've taken.  It's on the sheer side and takes three coats, but it glows!  So gorgeous and retro and perfect!


Let's Meet is a sheer bright yellow with yellow shimmer.

over a nude base

I used a nude base for Let's Meet because it's so sheer that I don't think it could ever hide the nail line.  It builds excellently over a base, without streaking or fuss, but you still need to do a few coats to get an opaque result.  This is three coats over a nude base.  I love the shimmer in Let's Meet.  In full sun it's really dazzling!  The yellow itself makes me look a bit corpsey indoors, but not as much as some other yellows.

over a nude base

Exotic Green is a leaf green cream, leaning toward crelly.

I bought Exotic Green when I saw it in the Go Green display for St. Patrick's Day.  It's one of my absolute favorite Sinful Colors shades.  Two to three coats, but so worth it!


Why Not is a bright blue cream.

over a nude base

I have what feels like dozens of shades along the same lines, but Why Not was the first I ever wore and it might be the best.  If you consider yourself a Sinful Colors fan, this is one of the must-haves.  One coat!  A lot of bright blues are messy and streaky to apply, but not Why Not.  The MAJOR caveat here? Staining.  Why Not will turn your whole life blue for days.  Ok, that's a slight exaggeration, but it's up there with San Francisco on the list of polishes that aren't allowed close contact with my nails.  I used the nude base not because it needs one, but to help reduce the staining.  It worked!  My cuticles are faintly blue from removing Why Not, but I need to do a treatment again soon anyway.  It gets a second photo just because I can!

over a nude base

Lavander is a medium periwinkle cream.

-not really this blue-

Not just misspelled (on many bottles anyway), it's also misnamed.  While it is more purple than it looks here (my camera doesn't understand purples and blues sometimes), it's not even close to lavender.  Whatever.  It's an interesting shade, but colors like this can be tough to wear and I'm not sure it flatters me.  I think it highlights the redness of my fingers more than I'd like.  The formula is decent, two coats.


Let's Talk

Holy ancient swatch!  October 24th!  This was one of the base colors I used for Faceted.  My nails weren't just a different length, but a whole other shape.  Oval really is better on me.  I totally see that now.  I thought about reswatching, but then I looked at these and remembered how much my camera hates Let's Talk.  The weirdest part is that it's fairly color-accurate in the bottle and WILDLY wrong on my nails.  Nichole adores it and had much better luck photographing it.  The formula isn't great, but it's wearable.  Expect possible bubbling and a slow dry time...that's how that dent happened.


Bottom line time. (I think I need a name for this section. Suggestions?)  I really REALLY love GoGo Girl and Exotic Green.  I'd call them and Why Not must-haves for any Sinful Colors devotee, with the caution that Why Not stains fiercely.  Lavander and Let's Meet are really nice shades, but not the most skin-flattering for me.  Let's Talk is pretty, but dries very slowly and is a bear to photograph.  I don't love it as much as Nichole does, but I do like it.


In addition to my picks from the two new displays at Walgreens, I also found the elusive Break Away display at a local Wegmans supermarket and picked up a couple of the new core shades at Target.  You will be seeing *tons* of Sinful Colors posts from me in the next few weeks....and belated OPI, new Sally Hansen, a couple from Essie...I have quite the pile...and it's even bigger now!

A Love/Hate Relationship

I finally jumped on the textured polish bandwagon. Sally Hansen came out with "Sugar Coat" polish. I assume it's new, but you'd have to check with the PGS Offical Searcer-Outer-of-New-Things (thats Amanda, by the way). I saw it at Target the other night while I was out shopping with my favorite enabler, and I grabbed a bottle.

I kinda love it. It looks so...different. I love the look of the texture. It's matte, but reflective. It's got depth and character. I don't even hate the blue, which is the oddest thing I've ever encountered. If they made a good fuchsia or a red, I'd be all over that shit.

I kinda hate it. It's gritty. Like sandpaper or a cheap emery board. I had to file the free edge a bit just to be able to live with it. And god forbid you need to fold laundry while wearing it...that is a decidedly unpleasant experience. There is also no eye scratching or contact lens wearing while wearing this stuff. You'll put your eye out, kid.

Color Used:

Sally Hansen Sugar Coat in Razzle Berry

This screams "Cookie Monster" to me.
There might be some kid-friendly nail art in my future.

Wearing Makeup that isn't Boring. It's Hard.

I'm generally not a heavy makeup person. I love colors, but I always shy away from them. I have more than my share, but that's mostly my hoarder tendencies coming through. I saw this tutorial on Reddit and I thought, "Hell, I could do that." And so I did! It was waaay easier than I thought, and I kinda think I did an ok job of it.

Products Used:

Urban Decay Naked Foundation in 01
Too Faced Shadow Insurance eye primer
Random Felt-tipped liquid liner pen from Calvin Klein
Urban Decay Naked eyeshadow palette: Virgin and Naked used
Shany Cosmetics 40 shadow palette: two of the purple shades
Bare Minerals eyeshadow "glimmer" in Ecstacy
Bare Minerals All Over Face Color in Glee Radiance
CoverGirl Clump Crusher waterproof mascara
Bare Minerals eyebrow powder in Brunette
Bare Minerals Mineral Veil
MAC Viva Glam V lipstick (which I don't think was right for this, but whatever)
Urban Decay All Nighter Long Lasting Setting Spray (which I actually like)

NYC Long Wearing Nail Enamel

I like NYC polish, but I feel like I buy them more than I actually wear them.  They caught my eye again when they added several new colors to their Long Wearing line and I accumulated a few.  A couple of these shades have been in my swatching bins for most of this year.  I bought Tudor City Teal because of lacquerlove over on the Makeupalley Nail Board.  I'm not sure how it started, but we've been influencing each other lately and this time it was her turn.  Tudor City Teal just glowed on her and looked so gorgeous that I had to pick it up too.  I swatched it for her and the rest tagged along, finally escaping from the swatching bins!


Tudor City Teal is a medium soft teal crelly.

She was right!  So pretty!  The application wasn't the best though.  It was thick and a bit streaky, but thinning might fix that.  At two coats it was almost right, but I added a third to be sure.


Empire State Blue is a sheer blue shimmer with a hint of green.

two coats over Tudor City Teal

Too sheer to wear on its own, so I layered it over Tudor City Teal.  The first coat was a bit streaky, but the second coat evened out really nicely, with only the minor brushstrokes you'd expect with this finish.


Boat Basin is a true blue cream.

Not a new shade like the other three, but I have moments of madness where I suddenly feel I need EVERY blue cream, and Boat Basin was conveniently at CVS in one of those moments.  I had some issues with application on this one.  Can you see the bubbles?  I'm not sure who's to blame here.  It went on thick, but not one-coat thick, so I added a second and it bubbled.  This is another I'll thin before wearing again.  Still, love the color, especially for $1!


Rock The Party! is a very sheer green-to-violet duochrome shimmer.

two coats over Boat Basin

When I say "very sheer," I mean it!  It's like an even sheerer Wet n Wild Gray's Anatomy.  I doubt you could ever build it enough for it to look like much on its own, but it's terrific for layering.  It goes on very smoothly and evenly.  In person the shift to violet is MUCH stronger than you see here.  My camera always has trouble with that.  You can see it a tiny bit more in this second photo, but it's really a lot bolder.

two coats over Boat Basin

I wasn't completely honest when I said that a couple of these had just been sitting in my bins.  I did swatch them months ago, but for whatever reason, I was never satisfied with the resulting photos.  I like the newer photos of them more, but it does help show off the layering abilities of Empire State Blue and Rock The Party! more than just one combo would.

Empire State Blue over Sinful Colors Innocent

Empire State Blue has a mind of its own, so it's not that changeable when layered.  Over a bright chartruese like Sinful Colors Innocent, it still retains its own look.  It might change more over a drastically darker or lighter base though.

Rock The Party! is far more changeable.  Its base doesn't seem to have any tint to it at all, beyond the shimmer itself, so it doesn't obscure the base color at all.

Rock The Party! over Sinful Colors Sweet Tooth

I loved watching it shift in this combo, again, the result was more violet than it looks here.

Rock The Party! over Sinful Colors Sweet Tooth

Of these four, I think my strongest recommendation goes to Rock The Party!, even though I have similar stuff.  I love its potential.  Tudor City Teal is great too.  I like Boat Basin enough to give it another chance sometime, and Empire State Blue is really eye-catching, but probably not that unique.


Hooray!  I managed three whole posts this week...and I baked a cake and made a taco feast!  Today is Nichole's birthday AND my roommate's.  Happy happies to both of you!

Ipsy Bag: May

I'm still loving Ipsy. I know, it's only my second month, but I'm enjoying it thoroughly. For the price, I think it is much more fun that Birchbox was. Birchbox never gave me two full sized polishes. (Here is my referral link if you're interested and feeling generous.)

This months box contains:

• Zoya Blu
• Juice Beauty Reflecting Gloss in Pink
• Yaby concealer refill in Buff
• Nume Finishing Serum
• St. Tropez Body Lotion (it's a freaking bronzer)
• A decent bag. I like makeup bags

everything all together

 My Thoughts:

I wear Bare Minerals foundation and concealer, so I really don't know if I'll get any use out of the concealer refill. Without a pan to put it in, it's really awkward to use. It is thick, and conceals fairly well. It's just a little too dark for my skin.
The hair serum is thick. I think this stuff has to be used with a light hand...especially if your hair is thinner. And it smells a bit like old-school shaving foam. I didn't really notice much difference after using it, but perhaps I need to re-read the directions.
The gloss is nice. Very light, and with a decidedly citrus smell to it. It has a very pink look in the tube, but on the lips it's like nothing at all. Strangely, it doesn't have a citrusy flavor either. It's ok.
LOLOL self tanner. If I ever use a tanner, I generally use the Jergens buildable one because I am one pale motherfucker. F'reals. And this stuff is BROWN. If you were of a less pasty persuasion, I think it could be a really good tanner for you. It's very thin, which leads me to believe that it would spread easily and dry quickly. Less than 24 hours later, there isn't much pigment left on my hand, but hands get washed a lot more than legs or arms would. I wouldn't buy it myself, but I might actually use it.

the swatchable stuff

the lipgloss. very meh.

 My favorite part! The polish! My stupid camera only got one clear photo, but wow. Am I ill? Not only is it a proper blue, but its a pale blue. And I love it. I actually put it on my toes too, which I never do with light colors. It applies easily, and cleans up beautifully. I totally expected a color this light to behave light a white, especially after using Kennedy. But it's smooth and easy. So weird. Also, it perfectly matches the exterior color of our house. Extra weird.

Oh, by the way, today is my birthday. Hooray!

Sephora by OPI If You've Got It, Haunt It

I like to change my polish daily, but that doesn't always happen.  A couple of weeks ago, I had to take a family member to the hospital and he was in for 10 days.  He's been out for a week now and starting a long recovery process, but doing well.  I went there eight of those days, so I had almost no free time.  I wound up only doing my nails three times.  Of all the polishes I could have gotten "stuck" in, I'm glad it wound up being something as cool as this.  I was giddy when I found it at TJ Maxx!


If You've Got It, Haunt It is a dense mix of tiny black and silver microglitter and small hexagonal blue/teal and orange/green duochrome glitter in a sheer black base.

The problem with a polish this complex is that photos will never do it justice.  With two different color shifting glitters and all of its depth and sparkle, still photos just can't contain it.  Looking at it as you walk, it twinkles and changes and just entrances!  I love the name too, so cute!  Two coats build wonderfully, but I still feel like I should have put it over black.  It takes a lot to gloss it back up.  I used Gelous and a coat of QDTC, but as it dried fully it lost its smoothness and I had to add more Gelous and another coat of QDTC.  Worth it, because a smooth finish enhances the sparkle.

I tried photographing it in every light I could find and none really showed it off at its best.  Damn.

My photos give only the vaguest idea of just how beautiful this polish is in person.  Aaaand...I found another bottle yesterday!  We've already got one giveaway coming up soon, but I'm thinking some lucky person will get this second bottle in July.

Bonus kitty again...Saya was giving me this look while I was trying (failing) to get that perfect photo of this polish.  I had to stop, take a photo, and pet him.

These photos are from almost two weeks ago, when I was still hating how short my nails were.  They're looking *so* much better now and almost back in the range where I like them.  Yay!  As you can see, I've got some of the new NYC Long Wearing shades to show you soon.  See you then!

Short Nails and Wobbly Tape

The short nails. Sigh. To make myself feel better about my poor choices, I decided to do an angled french with the lovely new colors I grabbed at Walmart. Apparently, I have somehow angered the gods of tape, because I can't get a crisp line to save my ass lately. It's beginning to get to me. I think I need to sacrifice something. Who knows? 

Colors Used:

Maybelline Color Show in Mint Mist

Sally Hansen Hard as Nails in Mighty Mango

Sally Hansen Tracy Reese Spring '13

Sally Hansen's been putting out designer collections for quite a while and I think most (all?) of them have had at least one absolutely gorgeous shade to offer.  This year there are a staggering TEN new shades from three designers.  I rushed out and bought Resurrection (which you'll see in a future post) and told myself that was the only one I'd get...but this is yet another situation where I pounced the second the price was right.  This collection has been slowly spreading around and I feel like I've seen it everywhere.  Kmart seemed to have it first around here, and that's where I wound up getting six more of these new shades...all on clearance!  Yay!  Clearance!  Today I'm showing you the three shades from Tracy Reese.  They're the ones we all drooled over last fall, if you remember.


Hot Lava packs gold microglitter into a red-orange base.

WOW!!  I usually detest orange, to be honest, but this...you can't help but be blown away by shimmer like this!  This was the one that dropped all the jaws last fall, and part of me wanted it despite my feelings about orange.  Good thing my clearance gremlins dragged me into Kmart that day!  The formula is good.  This is two coats over Butterscotch, but it doesn't need undies.  The only problem I had with application is fairly obvious; that glitter really wanted to stay on my skin!

It shouldn't surprise anyone that I mattified it.  I like the result, but I think Hot Lava looks better glossy.

Butterscotch is a mustard yellow cream.

Another shade I'd never have bought if not for that clearance find!  Yellows are generally all kinds of trouble.  Butterscotch breaks all of the usual yellow stereotypes.  It's a highly wearable shade, vivid but not garish.  The formula was also amazing for a yellow.  They tend to be streaky horrors, but Butterscotch was amazingly smooth and easy.  This is two coats over Soy Latte because that was the kind of day I was having.  Laziest thing I think I've ever admitted to doing on this blog.


Soy Latte is a muted warm medium brown cream.

Another shade I can wear to work without risk!  Hallelujah!  It's an "edgy" neutral, if that makes any sense.  Reminds me of army uniforms.  The application was good here too.  All Complete Salon Manicure shades I've tried since the reformulation have been good.  Whatever they did, it worked!  Two coats and creamy.


I'd recommend all three of these shades, though I'm not sure any are must-haves.  They're all very good for what they are though, so if you're on the lookout for an edgy neutral, a wearable yellow (I know, right!?), and a dazzling orange, they're the ones I'd recommend right now.  As for finding them... Kmart, Rite Aid, and regional supermarkets seemed to get them first (here anyway) so they're long gone from many of those places.  I don't think I saw them at Target.  Virtually every CVS in my area has them though, so that would be where I'd start if you have all of these options.  They're still findable, one way or another.


I really need to get to it with the swatching, posting, and giveaway preparations!  Our blogaversary is almost here already.  Eeeeek!  Tons of stuff waiting in my swatching bins too....now to find the time...