sparkly nails of the moment.

I took off the earlier nail look today - they'd been on since Wednesday and had started to chip. So now, I have something different. I'd mostly use the holo glitter over darker polishes before, so I hadn't known how red the base really was.

Orly Bonder
Essie Sand Tropez
California Colors sheer red with holographic glitter
Sally Hansen Diamond Shine

Used it! (goodbye, frankenfoundation)

*Murad essential c day moisture spf 30vitamin C spf 30
Got this (sample size) in the Sephora suncare kit. I don't like that it doesn't protect against all UVA rays, but I did really like the texture and the creamsicle scent. Probably will not buy again because I'm not sure if it's as effective as I want.

*Frankenfoundation
This was a mix of three Physicians Formula Mineral Wear products that didn't work great for me on their own: pressed power in Soft Green, translucent facebrightener, and powdered concealer (the one that comes in a little pen brush) . I was having trouble with the two pressed powders, so I broke them up and mixed them with the concealer in a jar. It actually worked ok, but I'm not sad that it's gone or anything.

*Silk Naturals Argan and Goji moisturizer
I very well might buy this again in the winter. It's a nice, basic cream, and a little goes a long way.

(Since Sept. 2, 2010)
161 items gone
60 full size items gone

In other news, I'm on Day 9 of a no-buy forced upon me by utter brokeness, because the training program I'm in doesn't give me my stipend until I'm done.

Nails of the Moment - more neutral fun!

Orly Bonder
Essie Sand Tropez
Sally Hansen Fractured Foil crackle
Sally Hansen Diamond Shine topcoat

Sand Tropez is going to be a big one in my rotation, I think. It'll be a way to wear sheer and clear with sparkles type colors without displaying the white parts of my nails - it seems to be a really nice nude base. I'm not sure I'd ever use it on my own, but I can't wait to put it under some holo glitter!

My nails are tiny - so I don't have much room to work with (or patience for) fancy nail art, but layering different stuff is a good way to get something more interesting without extra effort.

Nails of the Moment! lavender dream

Orly Bonder
Wet N Wild purple pastel
Sinful Colors You Just Wait (pretty pale pink with green sheen)
Sally Hansen Diamond Shine

I just took this off, but had it on from Friday to today.

Used it! (and consolidated a few things)

*Coastal Scents Key Lime shadow sample. A nice pale lime green, not quite as pigmented as I usually like, but maybe that makes it more suitable for professional dress codes.

*UDPP Eden sample decant. I used to think I really wanted a full size of this. Thanks to the nice ladies at Sephora and their generous sample decant policy, now I won't be stuck with something I don't like - this stuff is just way too yellow for my taste, and I end up having to cover the entire application with shadow, which, IMO, defeats the purpose of having a tinted primer.

*Walgreens spray sunblock. No UVA protection! I almost wish I didn't have another one of these lying around - I bought it out of desperation hoping to be able to protect myself during a surprise long drive, but it's not the best. It gets points for portability, but not much else.

*Almay makeup remover wipes. I like having wipes around. They're great for when I'm tired - they make it a lot easier to wash my face because I don't have to be as careful to get all the makeup off. That said, these ones kind of sting.

ES project pan - 15/20
Lip project pan - 6/10

(Since Sept. 2, 2010)
156 items gone
56 full size items gone

Also, I took some products I wasn't crazy about and consolidated them.
I detubed the following: SN Bisou, Crazy Rumors HibisKiss Coral, Morgana Cryptoria Fire in the Sky sample, and tiny bit of homemade lip balm, melted it all together in a shot glass in the microwave, and now I have a single tube of a sheer berry color.

Then, because I got a good deal on some powder dispensing brushes, I mixed a full size of Aromaleigh Ultra Resolution Silica powder - Peaches and Cream, with half a 10g jar of Aromaleigh Divine Radiance powder - Magnolia Blossom, and a bit of zinc powder. It's in my purse now for those "ack! I have shinyface!" moments.

For Sale

Anyone want to buy a very nearly new tube of Urban Decay Urban Defense tinted moisturizer in Bodyguard (the second lightest color)?

I used it on one half of my face. It's too dark. It's the new purple squeeze tube. New, it goes for $30. How does $25 including US shipping sound to anyone?

Help a sister out of a bind!

Non-makeup update!

In other important life things besides what I do with my face, hair, and nails, I started a new training program yesterday that I'm really excited about, and I submitted the second (of three) chapter of my thesis today!!!

Neutral yet funky Nails of the Moment

Orly Bonder
Sinful Colors Nirvana
Sally Hansen Crackle - Antiqued Gold
Sally Hansen Diamond Shine top coat

Job-interview (crosses fingers) appropriate, but the crackle gives it a bit of an edge.

The edges will clean up after I take a shower.

All UDPP and all TFSI - comparison!

I have a full size TFSI, a mini size UDPP Greed, sample decants from Sephora of UDPP Sin and Eden and TFSI candlelight, and I had a sample card of UDPP. So, I did some swatches. On top is Silk Naturals Lime, a matte shade, and on the bottom is Hi-Fi The Hydra, a shimmery blue.

Left to right:
1. Bare skin
2. UDPP
3. UDPP Eden
4. UDPP Sin
5. UDPP Greed
6. TFSI Candlelight
7. TFSI

Out of the "clear" primers, I like TFSI better - I think it does a better job enhancing the shimmer shade.

I do not like Eden too much - it leaves a much too yellowish cast for my taste. I'd like it better if it were a very pale peach.

Out of the "gold" primers, I like UD Greed better. Candlelight seems to wash out the shimmer shade too much, and even if it does make mattes a little sparklier, it also makes them paler.

Sin is a unique shade, and I like it. It washes out the colors more than Greed, but I like it on its own as a quick and easy work cream shadow. I have the shadow pencil in the same color, but that creases on me a little - but if I had the primer for my lids and the pencil for the lower lashline, I'd look a lot more awake in not a lot of time.

Out of the six of them, TFSI, Greed, and Sin are the ones I think are worth having.

So there's my thoughts on the eye primer leaders.

Monster Used-it post!

*L'Oreal Ever Strong shampoo and conditioner samples - rosemary and juniper.
These made me smell like dude. I'm not a dude. I wasn't wowed enough by the formula to overlook the dude-smell.

*Lumene Eye Makeup Base
I got this in a swap a while back, and it lasted me almost a year - it's a thicker consistency than TFSI or UDPP, and a bit more sticky. It worked pretty well, but it was a pain in the ass to use later - I had to cut the squeeze tube open and put it in a jar because it got too thick to squeeze out. Then, because it was in a jar, it got super thick and hard to spread.

*Aromaleigh heels on fire hi-fi matte sample (dark bubblegum pink)
I did like this - it worked with a duo-fiber as a blush, too, which I thought was nice. If I could find a somewhat less bright version of this, that might be good.

*Liza's Lotions Un-Clog Me Mask
I have mixed feelings on this. I used it three times because that's how much I got out of it. Once, it seemed to provoke my pores to create more oil. I used it last night, and when I woke up, my forehead and nose weren't shiny at all. I think it might just be my inconsistent skin, though.

*Giovanni Smooth as Silk shampoo sample packet
Hard to lather, smelled nice, wouldn't buy.

*Giovanni Root 66 conditioner sample packet.
Seemed to work fine, but not wonders or anything.

*Sample card of UDPP
These are really one-time use things, because the stuff dries out after the first use. I'm still on the UDPP/TFSI fence.

ES project pan - 6/8
Lip project pan - 1/5

(Since Sept. 2, 2010)
152 items gone
54 full size items gone

Darling Girl Haul!

So, as you may know, I broke my no-buy with a Darling Girl haul, made twice as large by the generosity of Just Peachy's Jill, my no-buy buddy. Here's pics of (almost) everything, plus the three items I had from my first Darling Girl mini-haul last fall.

Last fall, I ordered two eyeshadows and a blush - Wicked, Chocolate Cosmos, and Impetuous. All wonderful. A month or so ago, I got a sample pod of Midnight Train Aqua Liner in a swap. I ordered four shadows (petit size), a cream blush (sweet coron), two lip balms (chocolate orange truffle and caramelized mango), a dry oil spray (citrus green), a lip scrub (chocolate orange truffle), the glitter glue, and Mermaid Tails aqua liner.


All - left to right
Top: Mermaid Tails Aqua Liner; Midnight Train
Middle: Wicked; Chocolate Cosmos; Chimera; Belle
Bottom: Clusterfluff; Magic Dragon; My Little Pony; Polaris


Left: Impetuous blush. Right: Sweet Coron Sweet Cheeks Cream blush.

The shadows are beautiful and creamy. The texture is wonderful, and everybody needs My Little Pony, especially if you're a fan of Urban Decay's Asphyxia - this is a paler, less pink version of that - lavender with a pale green sheen.

The lip balms are flavored, but not in an overpowering sort of way. I like the two I picked. I'm undecided on the lip scrub - I think I like it, but the grains are super huge.

I haven't had a chance to use Sweet Coron or the glitter glue yet.

Mermaid Tails is BEAUTIFUL. I love it. Flat out.

The dry oil is harder to use than I wanted it to be - you really can only get a nice, fine mist out of an aerosol can, and an indie company just can't do that. The oil itself is very moisturizing and sinks in fast.

Have you tried Darling Girl? What did you think?