Some more Sally Hansen!

I swear, I buy a new nail polish every time I go to either the drugstore or Target. I just picked up some new Sally Hansen's and I have to say that for a lower-end brand, they have some of the best colors in the game. Sally just don't quit!

Ok, so I just Googled "Is Sally Hansen a real person?" - apparently, I'm not the first to wonder about this! Oddly, there's no definite answer. Yet another unsolved beauty mystery. At least I can feel secure in knowing Mary Kay was REAL.

Anyway, moving on to the first color. This beautiful grass green with a hint of yellow from the Insta-Dri collection is called Just in Lime! - why the exclamation point, I'm not certain.

Just in Lime!

This color is really rich and I could have probably gotten away with one coat but that just feels weird to me. Like the feeling I get when I think about leaving the house without wearing underwear or something...

The formula on this is fabulous; it dries quickly but I still use a fast-dry topcoat, just for the extra shine. It lasted at least 5 days before any chipping started. Do yourself a favor and wear a base coat because this one stains like cray, as greens often do.

The only thing I don't like is the packaging. The stem the brush bristles are attached to is a friggin' nightmare. I nearly always get too much color on it and then need to scraaaaaape it against the bottle opening to get off the excess. Then, I carefully dip the brushtip back into the bottle to get color on it; otherwise it floods my cuticles like a mug.

See Violet Voltage after the cut!

L'Oreal Colour Caresse by Colour Riche

Today I have a review for you of a product I spied at the drugstore recently, L'Oreal Colour Caresse by Colour Riche lip balms.

These are similar to Revlon Lip Butters in that they have a balm-like consistency. I actually thought these were lipsticks and was super-excited over the bright colors, buying them right away without doing any research on them. An impulse buy, as I am often wont to do. Though I was slightly disappointed that these weren't the opaque hot pink and orange lipsticks I was expecting, it's totally my fault for just grabbing them up and buying them without looking at the display.

On the plus side, they are sealed very well so good going there, L'Oreal. 'Preciate'cha ensuring that these are protected from the hands of the uncouth masses, thus preventing me from purchasing a contaminated product!

These have a very creamy, moisturizing consistency and the color payoff is better than I expected after I realized they were balms. They last 2-3 hours as long as you don't disturb them. They seem to be slightly less glossy than Lip Butters, IMO. I actually prefer that. I feel like they last a little bit longer as a result but not by much since they ARE still a gloss.

Blushing Sequin is a sheer, rosy pink with a hint of pinky-purple shimmer.

Blushing Sequin

See Fiery Veil after the cut!

Lush Lacquer Party Hearty review

Hi there! Today, I have a review of another indie polish, this time from Lush Lacquer.

My indie obsession seems to be unending - there are just so many unique colors out there and I'm the kind of person who finds great joy in staring at her fingernails for hours on end. Not such a good thing when you're driving, so I try to keep my adoration limited to stoplights whenever I'm in my car.

The ladies from Lush Lacquer have a fantastic eye for glitter combos and their formula is spot-on. I own several Lushies and Party Hearty is swiftly becoming one of my faves!

Party Hearty has a coral/pink/salmon-colored base with a stunning iridescent gold shimmer. It contains small coral glitter, medium purple, blue and teal square glitter, large purple square glitter and best of all, matte blue hearts. I adore the glitters combined with the base color - the contrast of warm and cool tones balance each other out beautifully.

Party Hearty

It covers opaque in two coats and like most glitter polishes, it's slightly gritty feeling to the touch once dried - nothing a few swipes of top-coat won't fix. The hearts, being larger than the other glitters, will tend to settle a bit but this is to be expected of just about any glitter polish. I was able to get the ones you see in this photo on to my nails with little to no fishing. If you want them on every nail, you might need to dip the brush a few times. Personally, I think the variation of having them on some nails and not others just adds to the uniqueness of this color.

I'm generally able to get a good 3-5 days of wear before any chipping occurs. I've noticed that glitters tend to chip more on me than creams no matter what brand of top coat I use. I think it's because I use my nails for all kinds of things you probably shouldn't (opening soda cans, peeling off price tags), never mind the fact that I use a keyboard at work all day, then add household chores on TOP of all that.

Lush Lacquer is definitely one of my favorite indie polish brands. Karin and Lexi are sweet, super-creative and sincerely value their customers. Give their shop a visit and treat yo self. You know you deserve it, gurrrrr!

Until next time,
xoxo
Mrs. J

NYX Matte lipstick review

Hello, lovelies! I recently bought three of NYX's matte lipsticks and will be sharing those with you today.

I already own one of these, Pure Red, which I bought online. Since I love both blue and orange-based reds, I wasn't afraid of getting something I wouldn't like by buying it sight unseen. I was interested in getting other colors and had done tons of online research, keeping a mental shopping list of colors that interested me. I held off on purchasing them online because I kept hearing that Ulta would be getting them in-store.

One night after going out to eat, I nicely asked (read: demanded) that my hubby take me to an Ulta that I knew had recently opened across the street. Lo and behold, they had them in stock! I was beside myself with joy and quickly snatched up the three I wanted most - Summer Breeze, Indie Flick and Shocking Pink.

When I got home to look at them though, I saw that some careless shopper had already swatched ALL of them. I was irked beyond belief. Damn you for not putting a safety seal on these lipsticks, NYX! I know, I know - I should have checked first. I was just so stoked to have finally found them in person, I didn't even think to look at them. Yet, I'll practically inspect a tube of Cover Girl Lip Perfection with a luminol kit before purchasing it.

After going to another Ulta that following Saturday, I was lucky enough to be able to exchange them for the same colors. Only after checking to make sure they hadn't been opened, of course. I couldn't wait to get them home and start swatching!

You can probably tell by the pictures that these aren't 100% matte. They have a bit of moisture to them, making them slightly creamy but still long lasting. I don't have a problem with them drying out my lips, personally.

They definitely last longer than a moisturizing lipstick; I'm able to easily get 4 hours of wear out of these as long as I don't disturb the color by eating or drinking. They're densely pigmented and I was able to obtain full opacity after 2 or 3 swipes o' the 'stick.

Now on to the colors! Up first is Summer Breeze, a medium-toned blue-based pink.

Summer Breeze

I love this color. Heart it. It's a perfect shade for when you want to wear some color but don't want anything bright or dramatic, or if you just want something casual. I have those moments occasionally.

I like to pair this with a brownish-nude-pink blush, like M.A.C Prism or Blushbaby. If I'm doing a brightly colored eye (I usually wear neutrals), I'll often reach for a nude or a cool pink shade like this for my lips.

See Indie Flick and Shocking Pink after the cut!