Makeup Withdrawal

Purple Polish Spam

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

I was in a mood to swatch yesterday, so swatch I did. Some of these were untrieds while others were polishes I just had not worn in a while.

Color Club Mystery. Blurple polish, crammed full of magenta sparks. Very pretty and vibrant. Three coats.

Essence Oh My Glitter! Three coats. Perfect light purple with chunky pink shimmer. Three coats. Rumor has it that this polish is being discontinued!

China Glaze Flying Dragon. Three coats. For some reason, this popular neon really did not get along with my base coat of Barielle Nail Rebuilding Protein. It... moved like crackle, in chunks. Weird right? Shown with two coats of topcoat.

American Apparel L'Esprit. Two coats, but you could get away with just one. Great creme formula, so rich and opaque yet streak free.

Spoiled Are Mermaids Real? Three coats. Squishy purple with gold flecks. So pretty.

Technically not a purple but one side of this duo is tinted purple. Essence Colour3 Duo in Midnight Date. Two coats of the dark blue Midnight Date side. Rich, slightly color shifting blue/indigo.

Same color as above, only topped off with the purple tinted City That Never Sleeps side. Sheer (very) purple with green flakes and shimmer.

One of the old Essence polishes. Where's The Party? Two coats. Wonderful duochrome, such a rich formula that doesn't look streaky or sheer.

Wet'n'Wild On A Trip. Great color and formula, three coats. Raggedy ass brush that greatly hinders application though.

LA Girl Rockstar Groupie. Wonderful, wonderful purple. I can't even describe how beautiful this is. Bright purple jam packed with flecks (similar to OPI Ink, but way more intense) that shift from blue to purple to even magenta. Absolutely stunning, three coats.

LA Girl Disco Brites in Hustle. Three coats, very pretty purple that leans blue.

Love & Beauty polish simple called Purple. Leans magenta. Three coats.

Wet'n'Wild Back Alley Deals. One coat over the previous shade of Love & Beauty Purple. One of my favorite glitters.

Hope you enjoyed the purple spam! (I know my friend Sunny certainly will, seeing how much she loves purple polish!). If you have suggestions as to what colors, brands or finishes you'd like to see next, please don't hesitate to let me know in the comments.

Review: Tarte Pure Maracuja Oil

Monday, January 21, 2013

I've wanted to try Tarte Pure Maracuja Oil for a while and a few months ago Sephora had a VIB Tarte perk that included a deluxe sample. For the last six weeks, I've incorporated into my skincare routine and finally feel like I've used it long enough to share with you my experience.

What is this Maracuja Oil exactly? As per the Tarte website, it is the cold pressed oil from the maracuja (passion fruit, if you will) fruit pulp. It ain't exactly cheap; 1.7 oz of Tarte's "miracle" oil will set you back $46. It comes packaged in a glass bottle with a pumping medicine style dropper, which I really like because you can control exactly how much product you're using. The clear oil is rather thin and absorbs quite quickly into the skin, faster than jojoba or olive oil.

The first three weeks I used the Maracuja Oil, I was still living in Minnesota. I would use three drops nightly, rubbing between my hands then massaging it into my skin at night, after my serum (JUJU Aquamoist Hyarulonic Acid Serum) and face cream (Vichy Nutrilogie 2). I definitely noticed a difference. I woke up with very smooth skin with my skin still firm with moisture. It seemed that the oil helped create a barrier between my face and the dry, cold air that leached moisture.

The biggest difference I noticed was after each one of my glycolic acid peels. Usually my skin is red, peely and irritated for about three days afterwards, before peeling and becoming radiant after each acid peel. When I applied the Maracuja Oil on the night of my peel though, I woke up the next morning to skin that was smooth and glowing, like I had skipped those three days of skin hell.

Now that I've moved to California's warmer climate, I find that I have less of a need for the oil. I only use about one drop at night, but I have started to use a drop mixed in with hand cream for my hands as well as body lotion for my frightfully dry ankles with great results. Tarte claims that it is "anti-aging and healing properties for firmer, brighter, and smoother looking skin, and will not cause breakouts", and I can say that for me it did create smoother and firmer skin (by way of helping my skin retain moisture) and it did not break me out, but I can't say I saw any other benefits.

Now... back to the price. I've estimated that over six weeks of daily use, I've used approximately .1 of an oz. A little really goes a long way, I'm not kidding when I say I only use a few drops at a time. I know other companies sell cold pressed passion fruit oil, and if I knew a reputable seller that carried it at a cheaper price, I would probably purchase the "generic" stuff. Since I don't, I think I'll end up buying it from Tarte. It lasts a long time and after trying my deluxe sample, I think that the 1.7 oz bottle now looks huge and could easily last me over two years. Heck, I don't know if Maracuja Oil spoils but it might actually go bad before I finish!

Have you tried the Tarte Pure Maracuja Oil? Or is there another oil in your life that has done wondrous things for your skin?

Product featured was a part of a "Gift With Purchase" purchased by me. For additional information, please refer to my Disclosure Policy.

The Great Wave

Sunday, January 20, 2013

A couple of days ago, I attempted some nail art that was rather challenging, but I liked the results! What I've now come to realize is that the problem with pretty nail art is that I want to keep it on for a long time, which greatly inhibits swatching.

Based off the painting The Great Wave off Kanagawa by Katsushika Hokusai.

I used American Apparel shades in Palm Springs, California Trooper, Factory Grey, Cameo Blue, Raccoon, Essie Case Study, OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls, Wet'n'Wild Black Creme, Le Chat Dare 2 Wear Ocean View, Revlon Royal.

Products featured were purchased by me, for my own use. For additional information, please refer to my Disclosure Policy.

L'Oreal Colour Riche Caresse Aqua Lip Lacquer in #187 Infinite Fuchsia

For a while now, I've wanted to try the Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Pur Couture Vernis A Levres, but was a bit put off by the price. Whenever I had 20% off to use at Sephora, the exclusive shade that I wanted was always out of stock. So I was really pleased to see a drugstore version, the L'Oreal Colour Riche Caresse Aqua Lip Lacquers make their debut in a range of pretty colors and for under $10.

I ended up picking out #187, because I was attracted to how vivid it was (plus Morgan was standing behind me while I looked them over. "Don't get the brown one. It looks like poop. You don't want lips that look like poop." How insightful, my love...).

What surprised me was how light the tube was, I guess I'm just used to Revlon lip products that have a bit more heft, and I haven't bought any other drugstore lip products lately. Something a bit more solid would have been nice. It comes with an applicator that is flatter, shaped like a petal and bent. I prefer this over a traditional doefooted applicator because the point allows for more precise application.

This is two coats of Infinite Fuchsia.

This is three coats of Infinite Fuchsia.

This particular shade transforms like crazy when it dries. In the tube, it is a super bright fuchsia. With two coats, it dries a darker berry. With three coats, it's a downright black cherry color (looks darker than pictured in person). I don't mind the color, I just wish it had looked the way it did in the tube. It does in a lovely sort of way, without much ring-around-the-lips as it fades.

I like this lacquer quite a bit. The biggest perk for me is that I can peck Morgan on the lips without any color transfer, because when it dries, the top of the lip lacquer almost has this clear top coat effect. Sort of like all the color sunk to the bottom, if that makes any sense. Though Morgan absolutely loves bright and dark lip shades on me, he hates not being able to get a quick kiss on the lips or cheek. I'm definitely without a doubt, getting more shades, I just hope that the rest are a bit more true to their in tube color than this one.

Have you tried the new L'Oreal Caresse Aqua Lip Lacquers? Or have you tried the department store original, the YSL Glossy Stains?

Products featured were purchased by me, for my own use. For additional information, please refer to my Disclosure Policy.

A Simple Crowded Dotticure

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Hi there!

At 3 am this morning, after being woken up by a very pesky kitten who has not yet learned that humans are not nocturnal (that fluff ball is lucky he is adorable), I laid awake in bed and planned my next manicure. This may be a weird question but does anyone else take pictures of nail inspiration on their phone? I always find myself taking snap shots of beautiful patterns, color arrangements for future nails... yet few of them actually come to fruition. This set did.

This was a pattern on some lady's shirt, I believe. I can't remember.

I used: Funky Fingers Voodoo, Revon Royal, Sally Hansen Fairy Teal, Sinful Colors Endless Blue, Ulta Lav-ish, China Glaze Flyin' High and China Glaze Papaya Punch. I'm making an effort to use many shades of polish for each manicure now, especially colors like Voodoo that look pretty much like a black creme. I'm mostly doing this because Morgan insisted that it was ridiculous to have as many polishes as I do and I'm hoping that when he sees all the bottles piled up on my desk, my stash will be justified. Fat chance, really!

Have a great day, thanks for checking out this manicure!

Products featured were purchased by me for my own use. For additional information, please refer to my Disclosure Policy.