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Manicure Monday – 3/25/19 – Craving Some Color Haul

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Craving Some Color HaulCraving Some Color Haul

For a while I’ve been in neutral. My manicures, anyway. And I love them. They are chic, effortless, professional, and pretty. They’re still what I reach for the most because they just feel right to me. They’re low-effort but high-polish. My toes were unwaveringly in shades of red since June. I love red, period.

It was winter. It was dreary. On a lark, I did a pedicure at the beginning of January with Nina Ultra Pro Caribbean Blue. For fun. For a shred of liveliness in January. I didn’t intend a matching manicure, but as I executed the pedi I was so thrilled with how it came out that I had to do my nails that way too (using Sensationail Polish to Gel because I can’t be bothered with RnP on my fingers these days). I used to wear a ton of color, used to have a gigantic polish collection that I gradually started to pare back when I started using gel polish.

Inspiration

The two weeks I wore that magnificent blue pearl made me realize I missed having some color in my life. Or at least on my toes and very occasionally (I still try to pretend to be quasi-professional most of the time) my nails. I spent more time than I care to admit (cough, hours and hours) looking at and fawning over swatches. I ultimately purchased five bottles of (regular formula, gasp) polish; I’m calling it my Craving Some Color Haul:

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Soak-Off Gel Polish

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Sensationail Gel Polish Lamp
This is a legacy post that has been given a facelift. Enjoy!

UV gel polish has been pretty trendy for a while now – probably a year and a half, give or take? Though there are many players on the field and the products are more accessible than ever, there remains skepticism regarding the efficacy of the products as compared to their claims – if I blamed anyone for that, I’d be a jerk.

How I Learned to Love the Gel

Here’s some backstory, for you – holiday season 2012 – a friend expressed curiosity in the Sensationail gel system. Her roommate had one of the kits and seemed happy with it, but my friend and I craved a bit more than this flaky roommate’s thumbs-up. We did some research on it and found the promises of:

  • low-odor application
  • zero dry-time
  • up to two weeks of wear
  • a finish that does not wind up dull after a few days
  • and relatively easy removal appealing.

She bit, got a kit, and liked it. After seeing her results, I pined for one, and my partner got me a kit that Christmas.

Most kits consist of steps involving prepping the nail, applying color gel polish in between a base and top coat, and curing after each layer. I find the process takes me about 30-45 minutes, but I’m a perfectionist about it (nails are my thing). While applying gel polish differs slightly, it is no more difficult than applying traditional polish – the major thing is that you must clean up any “oops” areas before you cure, but it is easy enough. There really is no dry time, just a minute or so of cure time per layer (brands may differ).

The real question is does it really hold up?

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Chatter: My Makeup Uniform – Winter 2019

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Chatter

For a long while, I was just throwing concealer on my eyelids, mascara on my lashes, and calling it a day most days. Then, I decided I wanted to try to Project Pan the contents of my Z-Palette. Amusingly, I am not making a ton of progress wearing the contents down. In the process, though, I inadvertently discovered what I like to do on auto-pilot for my eyes. Since my eyes tend to be the longest part of painting my face, this was a game-changer. So now, most weekdays, this is what I do to my face.

Base

I have a complicated relationship with base makeup. I haven’t worn, “real,” foundation in literal years now. In the fair weather months, I don’t bother with it. Between heavier usage of Clarins Glow Booster and my sunscreen-covered skin being incorrigible and taking color anyway, my skin generally looks good. I don’t want to cover up my skin when it is looking good; plus, it saves me steps and product which equal time and money.

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Benefit Roller Lash

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benefit Roller LashBenefit Roller Lash

This legacy post has been given a facelift. Content has been edited for clarity and flow, but the essence is the same. Enjoy!

Benefit Roller Lash may as well be old news, now, but I got a deluxe sample in the Paint it Pink set.

I was prepared to not be impressed. So far, most prestige mascaras I’ve tried haven’t done much for me except my favorite, bareMinerals Flawless Definition. I like they’re Real! from Benefit but not enough to spend $24 on it. By-and-large, the price-per-use of prestige products at their retail prices are rough. When you consider that mascara must be replaced every 3-6 months for performance and sanitary reasons, dropping $20+ on a tube just doesn’t jive with me.

Performance-wise, I was pleasantly surprised.

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Chatter: January 2019 Favorites

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Chatter

I cringed as I typed the title of this post. Seriously. And then I had to stop and think – hell, what were my favorites last month? I had to chew on it. And then, life prevailed and I had a hard time coming up with things, I put it on the back-burner, and here we are at nearly the end of February with no, “traditional,” favorites post.

Sigh.

So instead of the usual spread, here’s a brief, bulleted list:

  • Vaseline. I am not a seasonal pedicurist. Vaseline is inexpensive and unscented; slapping it on under socks immediately after showers and again before bed has kept my feet in great shape in between pedicures. Plus, it has other uses – makeup removal if you’re into that (I’m not), lip balm, addressing extremely disobedient dry patches, etc. (Target)
  • Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Serum. At one point, I tried to switch to Biosilk. But after a calamity, I reverted to Super Skinny. It smells better, feels better on my hair and my hands. (Target, Ulta)
  • Dyson Supersonic. I mentioned buying one of these around the holidays. And, wow – yeah, it’s good. Review coming … well, when I come up for air. (Sephora, Nordstrom, Ulta)
  • Bliss What a Melon De-Stressing Overnight Mask. I don’t do a ton of masks, but picked this up in a recent haul. It applies easily, does not feel gross, and dries down quickly enough not to cover your pillowcase in goo. At $13, it’s inexpensive, too. (Target or Ulta).

Clarisonic Mia 2 Review

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This legacy post has been given a facelift for clarity and readability. Updates have been marked in line. Enjoy! Unfortunately, the Clarisonic Mia 2 is generally not for sale any longer (though I did see a set at Costco recently), but I can confirm that the results I experienced tend to follow several of their other devices. :)

Disclaimer: The following Clarisonic Mia 2 review was written by me and originally published over at the now-defunct Skincare Addiction Blog.

I tend to face ultra-hyped products with a certain degree of skepticism. After all, we’ve all plunked down money for something that just couldn’t live up to the marketing and was too good to be true. That doesn’t mean I am not interested in trying them, but it does mean I take a little more than two-days-worth of convincing before I dub something, “game changing,” or, “holy grail.”

Clarisonic Mia 2 Stock Photo

I wanted to try a Clarisonic for a a while but could not bring myself to shell out for it. I had an Olay Pro-X which was a mere fraction of the price, and when it comes right down to it, how many buttons and internet* and whatnot do we really need in our skincare routine? Eventually, the motor in my Pro-X began to falter – even with fresh batteries and a fresh brush head I had to use it longer to achieve the same level of clean that I was accustomed to. I started looking into the Clarisonic Mia 2, as I tossed around the idea of replacing my 2+ year old Pro-X device. To my delight, my now-husband gave me a Clarisonic Mia 2 as a very early Christmas gift last year (so Clarisonic doesn’t know me).

My Skin

I wasn’t seeking a miracle worker in the Clarisonic Mia 2; I neither believe in miracle beauty products nor have any severe skin conditions to contend with. That said, let’s talk about my skin, about which I have few complaints (back in December 2014):

  • Normal/Oily T-Zone. Cheek dryness during winter
  • Larger pores throughout T-Zone
  • A few Hormonal (cycle-related) blemishes around, “that time”
  • Sebaceous filaments on and just to the area just below and next to my nostrils
  • Occasional flakiness around nose & odd texture (not dryness) between eyes and across the upper-bridge of my nose
  • Not sensitive

The Wait

Although I wanted to gush about it right away, I decided to be patient. I know I tire of reading/hearing how life-changing this new-fangled (and often expensive) product or gadget that the reviewer has had for oh, three days. It may be, but some things deserve a greater level of scrutiny (this isn’t drugstore lipstick, after all) before being published.

Considering that a Clarisonic is an investment item for many consumers, I decided to use it for a whole year before talking about it.

First Impressions

Clarisonic Mia 2 - UnboxedClarisonic Mia 2, unboxed

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