Proof of My Addiction (AKA BIG Sephora haul)

So I've been thinking about how much money I spend on cosmetics. I even had a convo with a fellow beauty hoarder. We've come to the consensus that this is "Collector's Mentality" combined with a little Retail Therapy. Stuff looks cool, we buy it, we admire it, we stash it and we may or may not ever use, or even look at, it again.

Who cares, though? On to the HAUL!

As proof of my above assessment, I bought this sweet lipstick sampler from Kat Von D, and I don't even particularly care for or wear lipstick:

How could I resist? These things are quite tiny, but that's actually perfect because I have yet to ever use an entire lipstick. The only one I know I will NEVER wear is the second one from the left. It's called Backstage Bambi and makes me think of a cheap hooker (as does the word "Bambi", which makes the name perfect). I am going to try to actually swatch all of this stuff later, but I wanted to at least share it now.

Next up, something I have been drooling over since I saw it and also something I will actually use:

Ahh, the Too Faced Sweet Dreams palette. I bought the holiday palette last year... some deal with all kinds of glittery pin-up style fairy ladies all over it... and I use it ALL the time. I think I use that one more than my Urban Decay. One of the shadows, Teddy Bear, is the perfect matte color for my brows.

Anyway, look how AWESOME this is! Some of the colors are dupes from last year, some seem to be exclusive to this palette (unlike last year, they have names instead of just being labeled as "Exclusive", duh) and some are from their new shadow collection (Enchanted Garden or some similar fluffy crap).

There are 15 eye shadows, 2 blushes, a bronzer and their "Candlelight Glow" powder (which I am pretty stoked about because I've been looking for a good highlighter). It also came with a full sized shadow insurance (YAY!!! My other one that I got last year is almost gone). I can't wait to try this!! Particularly, Nice Stems! (the green).

Then I got one of the new Urban Decay travel sized 24/7 Liner sets (The bright one):

I got it mostly for that green one. Forget what it's called but the swatches looked amazing (and it is). Perversion (the black) is a SUPER black matte. I can't wait to try it.

This was my 500 point perk. Boxum Passport thingie. It's in a shiny, pleather looking passport case. It's got a mini lipstick, full-sized gloss and mini mascara. I've been wanting to try their lipstick (and this one is a great nude color). I did try this mascara and I really like it so far. The gloss was a bit on the pink and sparkly side, but I actually liked it, so did my boyfriend, even though he ended up with sparkles all over his face (we kiss a lot, that's why I don't wear crap on my lips, usually).

And last, the only thing I was really disappointed about: LaVanila Vanilla Blackberry. I have 2 LaVanila perfumes and LOVE them both (Pure Vanilla and Vanilla Passionfruit). Awesome Boyfriend calls the Pure Vanilla (of which I also have the body butter and deodorant) "The Secret Weapon". This one? Blech. Seriously, it smells like old lady. I smell some blackberry, no vanilla and lots of old lady. Oh well, that's what I get for buying a fragrance online. I do plan to do a review of my other ones, as I do really really love them. Mostly because they smell good, but also because they are natural, don't smell synthetic and don't make my eyes water.

I also got 4 Illamasqua Polishes: Load, Force, Jo'Mina and Rare. All of which will be reviewed separately (aside from Load, which I did in my last post).

Oops, Honey, I Think I Stuck My Hand In It

Yeah, seriously. I'm not kidding... Why, you ask?? Blame Illamasqua...

Aka Illamasqua Load


Yep, you heard me. LOAD. BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!

It's actually quite a delicious color, even with that name. It looks like butter. REAL butter, not that awful hydrogenated oil crap that your body has no idea what to do with. It's only slightly less yellow than shown in this pic (thanks again, mercury bulbs and crappy Pittsburgh weather!).

Cost: Illamasqua retails for 13.50 GBP on their site http://www.illamasqua.com, I'm not sure of the exact exchange rate of GBP to Dollars, but given the constant and considerate devaluation of the American currency by the Federal Reserve Bank (hyper-inflation caused by printing fiat money), I'd imagine this is quite a bit more than $13. Anyway, it's easier to get some of their colors (like this one) at Sephora.com for $14. I used my FF 20% code to get 4 of these, since I refuse to pay $14 for Polish after my awful experience with paying $18 for Rescue Beauty Lounge. I digress.

What I used: One coat of Nailtek Foundation II, 3 coats of Load (I giggle every time, I swear) and one coat of Seche Vite.

Application: Well, it's white, with a yellow undertone (overtone? - whatever). Application was... well... spotty to say the least. It wasn't necessarily bad, in fact, better than I'd expect for a color like this. It's a little sheer and milky. I think if there had been a bit more pigmentation, it would have applied better, but not looked as awesome - maybe more chalky. This isn't chalky at all. First coat is a streaky awful mess, second coat starts to even out and third coat is absolutely necessary to even everything out completely. You have to be careful though, as there is definitely some balding that will occur if you don't let it dry sufficiently between coats. You don't have to let it dry completely, but I am the Queen of waiting a whole minute and a half between coats and that doesn't really fly with this one.

Dry time: Good on the Polish alone. Faster than most but not super fast and not so fast that you can't apply it nicely. With Seche, it was completely dry within 15 minutes.

Final verdict: A very wearable, flattering, white-ish Polish. The name, for me, makes it even more wearable hehe. Also, unique. I do not own nor have I even seen a color even remotely close to this. Winner!

The Sky is Filled With Pink Stars

Aka Rescue Beauty Lounge Piu Mosso


Read the book Under the Dome by Stephen King and you will understand the reference. (Read the book anyway, it really is "The best yet from the best EVER".)

Cost: $18 @ http://rescuebeauty.com/ - they sometimes run 50% off sales at RBL.

Application: Ugh, I hate to say this... There's an old saying with us nail polish aficionados... "For this price, my nails had better paint themselves!". Sadly, for $18, mine did NOT. The formula wasn't horrible, but from what I have heard of RBL Polishes, this one was definitely lacking. It was ALMOST a one coater (if you did a thick, careful coat, you might pull it off). Pigmentation was wonderful but the polish itself was a little thick and hard to work with. It didn't always go where I wanted it, I found myself redipping in the bottle more often than normal (2x at most for one nail is usual for me) which makes it uneven and lumpy if you're not very careful and it pooled a little on the sides of my fingers... I had a bit of cleanup afterward.

What I used: This is 1 coat of Nailtek Foundation II, 2 coats of RBL Piu Mosso and one coat of Seche Vite topcoat.

Dry time: Totally dry in less than 15 minutes.

Comments: Still worth the $18 for the AMAZING color! It's so dark, yet it glows. I will say it's not an attention grabber from a distance, but up close it's absolutely beautiful.  

Musings: I will probably be lynched by foaming-at-the-mouth crowds of RBL fanatics for the lukewarm review of the formula. Sorry ladies, I have paid $3 for China Glaze Polishes with FLAWLESS formulas... This one just doesn't even come close to an $18 formula. I think I am done with RBL (the other 2 in this collection that I purchased have just as bad, if not worse, formulas), the only other one I might get is Scrangie, cause the color is full of awesome.

What Happens to Your Nails After the Zombie Apocalypse (Also Great for Vampires)

Ok, maybe not... But I got this idea from the lovely Scrangie and while thinking about my makeup for my Vaccinated/Fluoridated Zombie costume, I thought this would be the perfect way to still have well manicured nails (the thought of putting dirt or smudgy stuff on my nails just wasn't flying with me). Have a looksee:

Excuse the background, I actually snapped this with my Droid to send to my friend and my boyfriend and I was extremely impressed with how well it turned out.

Doesn't it look like my nails are sliding off of my fingers in a bloody trail?!?!

Slightly different lighting. Some of these turned out weird because of the damned mercury bulbs in this house. Oh well, just another cause of my Zombification, I suppose. Maybe I'll hang one of those bulbs around my neck as part of my costume. Of course, in my inevitable drunken stupor, I might break it causing all of the party guests to have to flee to the outdoors in the freezing cold and rain for fresh air so they don't get mercury poisoning. Yeah, maybe not...

Much messier than Scrangie's, but I think it adds to the whole "OMG my nails are sliding off of my fingers!!!" look. Besides, this was just a test run and I had about 3 very large cups of coffee. Not conducive to smooth-lined manis, yet something I often do before painting my nails, because being tired isn't conducive to nice nails either.

Mercury lighting.

I did this shot to show how thick the matte polish is. Normally, I find it to be quite a pain, but it works out really well for this look, adding depth to make it look the way I want it (like my nails are sliding off in a bloody trail).

What I used: One coat of NailTek Foundation II, 2 coats of Essie Limited Addiction, 1-2 coats of Orly Iron Butterfly.

Cost: Essie retails for $8 in drugstores, Giant Eagle and on their website, but I think you can still get them at transdesign.com for $4. I got this one as part of a 4 piece mini cube (Winter 2010, I believe) which cost me $17. I got the Orly at Sally Beauty on clearance. I don't know if they even make this color any more, but I do believe it's a dupe for ManGlaze Fuggen Ugly (what Scrangie used in her version). You could also probably use any black with small silver glitter and a matte topcoat just on that part.

Application: I love Essie Polish. Most of them apply beautifully, and this one is no exception. It went on beautifully in 2 coats. The matte Polish is a different story. Mattes dry REALLY fast so you have to work very quickly so as not to drag where you already put Polish. Hence the 1-2 coats for this. Some of them I screwed up and had to fill in a little. Plus, this one is really thick, which helped with only needing one coat, but made it a little harder to work with.

Dry time: Here's the tricky part... Essie isn't the fastest drying polish (it's not bad, just takes a little time) and again, the mattes "dry" really fast... EXCEPT, they're not really dry. I would recommend, since there are so many coats here, allowing the red to dry COMPLETELY before applying the matte. Then, you won't have tacky Polish under the matte which could cause you to really screw it up.

Musings: Limited Addiction is my ALL TIME FAVORITE red. It's a really beautiful blue/slightly brown based classic red almost jelly. Let me explain... Jelly Polishes have a nice semi-transparent, squishy feel. This one has that semi-transparent quality without the squishiness. It's almost like a semi-opaque stained glass. It looks great on my pale skin, but most reds I have tried look good on me; this one just looks REALLY good. It's also kind of a shape-shifter. In some lights, it's an almost vampy deep wine red, in other lights it's a bright, classic (but not pin-up) red. Really awesome. So awesome, in fact, that I bought a full-sized bottle, as my mini is over half gone, and that's with hundreds of other Polishes to choose from.

Oh, I guess I should also mention that this is called a "Ruffian Manicure"... I didn't know brutal people painted their nails... Or horses did. Hm...

First Sergeant Trbo

AKA China Glaze Westside Warrior

Hey, slacker!!! Drop and give me 20!!! This is the Polish I wear when I use my bullhorn to yell at my kids (and believe me, my big mouth doesn't NEED a bullhorn).

Ok, that's not entirely true. I yell at my kids through a bullhorn wearing other Polish colors. I mean, how difficult would it be if I had to change my Polish before yelling at my kids? They'd get away with whatever made me want to yell at them in the first place!!

Cost: $5.99 @ Sally Beauty or $2.99 @ http://transdesign.com/. This is from the fall Metro collection, which is a fantastic collection. All of the polishes I have tried so far from Metro are spot on.

Application: In a word? Excellent. This is a GREAT formula. Because I favor thinner brushes, CG has the perfect brush in my opinion - thin but not too thin, long but doesn't drip too badly and it spreads out perfectly allowing me to get a nice rounded edge at the base of the nail. The polish was just a bit on the thick side, but it wasn't too dry so it spread out nicely. It also allowed for thicker coats.

What I used: 1 coat of Nailtek Foundation II, 2 coats of Westside Warrior and 1 coat of Seche Vite.

Dry time: Because of Seche, it was dry enough to type within 5 minutes.

Musings: China Glaze is really on the mark lately. Getting them at Transdesign, they are super cheap and they perform better than a LOT of higher end Polishes I have tried. 

Don't Shoot, Mr. Cheney!!

AKA Essie Bright Tights


If I were out hunting with Dick Cheney, I would wear this color to avoid getting bird shot to the face. Just sayin.

That being said, if I came across some chick wearing tights this color, I would more than likely point and laugh.... OR take her on the hunting trip with me. Hmmm.


Cost: Essie - retails for $8. Limited availability in drugstores and Giant Eagle, Ulta. Also available online at essie.com and transdesign.com. I got this for 50% at the website mentioned, Essie is 50% all of September.

Application: Well, ...it's a neon. It applied ok for a neon, but typical to neons, it was a little streaky, it pulled and made bald spots in areas and took multiple coats to even out (not entirely, either). It was also very thin, which caused some cuticle pooling. Please remember that I have been described (by my lovely boyfriend) as impetuous, so perhaps if one waits more than 30 seconds between coats, it will apply better :-)

What I used: 1 coat of Nailtek II, 4 coats of Bright Tights, 1 coat of Seche Vite.

Dry time: Neons dry semi-matte and dry quickly. So quickly, in fact, that you have to work very fast when putting it on to prevent it building up over areas you already covered.

Color: Bright, neon, hunter's orange.

Holy Moly, Great Claws of Fire!

AKA Color Club Wild and Willing (over black)

OoooOOoOooooOOoO, sparkly goodness!!!

What I used: 1 coat of Nailtek II, 1 coat of Wet'n'Wild Wild Shine in Black, 2 coats of Wild and Willing, 1 coat of Seche Vite.

Cost: WW Black is $0.99 - seriously, this is THE BEST one-coat, opaque, fast drying Polish I have ever used, for NINETY NINE CENTS, people! It can be bought at pretty much any drug store. 
Color Club is $3 at transdesign.com.

Application: WW Black is a one coat black. Mine is getting a little thick but it still applied well. My only complaint is the brush - it's a little stiff and uneven. CC Wild and Willing is a bit sheer, that's why I used black under it, but it applies well.

Dry time: about 15 minutes or less with Seche Vite.

Color: Again, Wild and Willing is a bit sheer, so it's best to apply over black. Doing so REALLY brings out the duochrome, as well. It's a sparkly coppery color that has a green duochrome flash. I actually bought a backup of this because it is one of my favorites. It looks AMAZING in sunlight!