Image from PopSugarWhen I read the title of this Popsugar article on Hair Strobing, my face lit up. In spite of being a boring (mostly) professional, I have a love for glitter – and hey, why not my hair?
Then, though, I read the article itself and took in its photos.
Aside from my No Buy (which has its own underlying motivating factors), there are other factors stopping me from buying certain things. The Hourglass Confession Lipsticks appear to be everything I’ve come to expect from Hourglass. They’re chic, they (purportedly) perform. The pricetag is also in line with what I’d expect from Hourglass. They’re a vision of loveliness, and I’d love to add one (ha, yeah, one) to my collection.
Lipstick is a no-go for me during Invisalign. I’ve slapped it on a few times and it often transfers to my trays a bit. It brushes away easily when I clean the trays but if you aren’t careful you can look a little silly. Most days, I’m too absentminded to want to bother with the vigilance needed, so I’ve been skipping lipstick more often than not these past two months.
I’ve been on a No Buy for the better part of a year. If you’re a regular, you’re probably tired of hearing about it. The truth is, it is an interesting balance – writing a beauty blog without buying product. If you’re sick of hearing it, sorry. If not, carry on.
My eyelash curler broke recently. I’ve had it for years and, frankly, didn’t treat it very well. I didn’t have a backup so I determined a replacement was warranted. Overall life-choices wise, I try to buy the best version of a tool I reasonably can. Ultimately, I decided that I would go for a cult classic – either Shiseido or Shu Uemera. Both are renown for their effectiveness and longevity.
Nail polish was my first (beauty) love. Even though my nail polish wardrobe is smaller these days I’m lame, I still feel a rush of completely ridiculous excitement when I spot a majestic shade. (Zoya Dream, can you stop haunting me? Thanks.) OPI makes my longest-loved (still manufactured) shade, I’m Not Really a Waitress. I don’t really wear it year-round anymore, but it is pretty much the only thing on my nails from Thanksgiving through Christmas. It makes guest appearances throughout the year as the mood strikes. It was on one such mission to plan repurchase and admire swatches of this polish that I noticed that OPI swatches are inaccurate, computer-generated garbage.
Not in that they’re low-quality, shoddy lighting, on ugly nails. No – OPI swatches are flat-out digitally whipped up lies. Not retouched, nay; a fabrication in their entirety.
My beloved, beautifully swatched by Elegantnails.com:
Then, the ridiculous embarrassment provided by OPI themselves:
Amope Pedi Perfect Wet and DryDo you feel like you have more disappointing nail salon memories than relaxing, majestic ones? I know I do! The natural solution, of course, is is to take matters into my own hands – literally. For me, the biggest parts of a pedicure are correcting my eponychium and cuticles and reducing my calluses. Over the years, I’ve used plenty of products: rasps, Ped-Egg-type solutions, those horribly scary Credo blades, pumice stones, Mr. Pumi bars (which are pretty nice for mild cases and daily upkeep). A few years ago, my husband got me a ridiculous powertool shockingly good, albeit occasionally awkward-to-use motorized callus buffer. It is FANTASTIC! (yeah, caps and exclamation points) at removing the bulk of thick, unwanted calluses, but it can leave things uneven in its wake. That’s where the Amope Pedi Perfect Wet and Dry comes in.
Details on my August 2017 Favorites after the jump. One is preeeetty mundane, but is a huge quality-of-life enhancement for me…so I’m excited!