Chatter

Discuss: Beauty Blunders

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Not to be confused with one of the best damn beauty tools to exist, the beautyblender…

We’ve all made some beauty blunders over the years; some have had more lasting effects (read: consequences) than others. I didn’t really wear makeup in high school, so I can’t chronicle or demonstrate for you how bad it was. I CAN, however, share other beauty blunders of mine with you.

Maybe it was Mimi-style eyeshadow. Perhaps it was a haphazard DIY haircut done with compromised judgment. Maybe you tanned with the help of Crisco. Perhaps it was an overzealous facial regimen that caused more harm than help, a perm in the 80s, or eyebrows plucked razor-thin.

Laugh at my expense!

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Essie Penny Talk & Other Metallics

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Essie Penny Talk

Essie Penny Talk, $9

I haven’t been buying a ton of nail polish lately, but a few different trusted sources recommended Essie Penny Talk. I saw swatches, really liked it, so I picked it up on sale.

The color is really lovely, but Essie Penny Talk isn’t for me.

Somewhere along the way I forgot how much of a ridiculous pain in the ass frosty, metallic nail polish is. It streaks like a drunkard who managed to get onto the field at a sporting event. I stopped buying polishes like this ages ago; even when I was in the thick of my polish obsession (color changes every 1-2 days, spending hours, etc), I couldn’t get over how annoying application was. Seriously, what’s the secret? What mystical sacrifice is required to get this polish, and others like it, to apply well?

If I didn’t have bothers to give then, I definitely don’t have the time or bothers to give now!

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Off Topic: Candles

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Are you even a beauty blogger if you don’t talk about candles? /s

Anyway, I can’t resist. Not because of the oddly pervasive stereotype that I just poked fun at, but because I really freaking like a few so I’m going to share. I can deviate from time-to-time, damn it. Call it beauty-for-the-home, if you will.

Yankee Candles

I tend to buy a lot of Yankee Candles when they’re on sale. They carry a lot of fragrances that:

  • I enjoy
  • My husband enjoys (or at least tolerates)
  • Do not give either of us headaches

motheroceancandle

Mother Ocean from the Margaritaville collection is … everything. It’s fresh without being overpowering. I think the ozone component is responsible for my obsession with this fragrance. It’s incredible, and if money were no object I’d clear the shelves at my local Yankee store every time I saw it in stock. This is my absolute favorite candle, period. I will grieve when they end the line.

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Manicure Inspiration

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Manicure Inspiration

These days, my manicures are solid colors. If I’m feeling crazy, I’ll have a different-colored accent nail. I just don’t bother with nail art or ultra-exciting manicures any longer (I don’t have time and/or it would be a bit much for work). That said, I do like to check out what others come up with. It isn’t all-art-all-the-time with the following posters – sometimes they just showcase interesting colors and, always, amazing manicures in general. There’s tons of manicure inspiration to be had out there!

Here are my favorites.

On Instagram

Glittr / I want to buy the vast majority of what she posts. There was this amazing holo purple recently called Lei Me Down from Cupcake Polish, and … I need it. In addition to ultra exciting, Glittr also posts manicures that I could pull off at work if ever I found the motivation.

In fact, I didn’t do this on purpose, but these sources are posted in order of how much manicure inspiration I get from them!

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Paradise Lost, Foundation Found

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sephoraserumRIP

My heart hurts. If you’ve been reading for a while, do you remember how over-the-moon excited I was when I found Sephora’s serum foundation? If you weren’t around, the excitement was so intense that it was camping.

But, naturally, all good things must come to an end.

Paradise Lost

I was in Sephora and saw a few of the precious, ridiculously-dropped-topped bottles on their neglected clearance end-cap. I panicked, and rummaged through the bottles to find my shade. I’d settle for not-my-shade-but-close. Nothing. Upon returning home, I raced to the website. Clearanced, $11, my shade and everything close-ish is sold out.

My half-hearted, half-assed search for foundation was reawakened with new vigor. My bottle of Teint Infusion is on its last legs. 

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Labor Day

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I’m giving myself a day off. I hope you have one to enjoy; if not, I hope you have one soon. For today, some more tidbits.

  • The Urban Decay Electric Palette is on clearance at Macy’s for only $24. Tempting.
  • I have a dream that we live in a world where Sephora does Labor Day sales.
  • Speaking of sales, Ulta is doing another 21 Days of Beauty. Today, they have Becca Luminous Blush and IT Cosmetics eyeliner on sale. Truth be told, though, I’m kind of underwhelmed. I will probably pick up two more Clarisonic brush heads on the 16th, though.
  • In 2015 around now, I talked about my experience with makeup sales people. I did visit this past week, though, and had a far more real, sincere experience. Got color matched, got zero false-flattery BS.
  • I tried out the L’Oreal Infallible Pro-Matte AND Pro-Glow foundations. They wear well, but I haven’t found the right colors for me. How I wish drugstore items had testers – they’d probably lose less money if they did (rather than some asshat choosing to treat stock as their own tester).
  • Happily, I can report that my hair is NOT losing its mind after several months of primarily using Tigi Moisture Maniac.
  • The red Stridex Pads are still treating my skin kindly, too!
  • Beauty Retailers are going to start stocking their Holiday 2016 sets soon. How crazy is that? I won’t buy any of the holiday palettes, but there’s definitely value in some of the other kits.
  • I finally remembered to redeem my Play! Pass and got my extra 50 Beauty Insider points.
  • I’m in desperate need of a DIY Pedicure and plan to give myself one today.

If you do have the day off for Labor Day, what will you spend it doing?

Cheers.