Manicure Monday – 11/26 – OPI Infinite Shine Icelanded a Bottle of OPI

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Last week, I took the week off. Between life and the holiday, the need for a break snuck up on me. If you’re in the US, I hope you had a nice Thanksgiving. If you aren’t in the US, I hope your Thursday was pretty badass, too.

Update from my Previous Manicure

Gelaze Recycle wore like a champ. Not a chip or flaw anywhere, didn’t lift. In fact, I had to fight it off my nails yesterday morning in order to do this set. It wore like steel (that wasn’t a grey joke, but do what you want) and I was thrilled; it needed to be refreshed, though, simply due to the amount of outgrowth.

So, yeah, that’s right – I got THREE WEEKS of wear out of that set. Brings a tear to my eye!

OPI Infinite Shine Icelanded a Bottle of OPI

This Manicure – OPI Infinite Shine Icelanded a Bottle of OPI

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I Don’t Get Cleansing Sticks

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Cleansing Sticks

Cleansing sticks aren’t new, but they seem to have had a resurgence. You can find them in a slew of price points from drugstore (St Ives, $7) to prestige (Milk, $26; Origins, $28)

In short, I don’t get cleansing sticks. They seem gimmicky to me, and they present a sanitary/hygiene conundrum.

But, Beauty Skeptic, why do bar cleansers not offput you in the very same fashion?

Well, Dear Reader, the answer is twofold.

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What I Bought at the 2018 VIB Sale

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The November Beauty Insider / VIB Sale is now behind us. What, for many beauty lovers, is a time of spending excess was calculated restraint for me. Although I’ve heavily reined in my beauty spending over the past few years, purchasing a home does a number on your priorities.

Details on what I bought at the 2018 VIB Sale after the jump.

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Bi-Weekly WTF :: Vol 19 – The Intersection of Wellness and Beauty

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“I want to be unhealthy,” said no one ever. There is a reasonable intersection between health and beauty. Healthy bodies with healthy skin, hair, and nails all feel and look better. It just makes sense to start with a foundation of health. Neglecting the former in favor of the latter is counter-productive.

What I do not buy into, however, is beauty retailers and resources pushing wellness products. Sure – you might want to take a biotin supplement for your hair and nails (but be careful). Do you really need to source that from Sephora, though? Sephora’s Inner Beauty section just makes me cringe, frankly.

Earlier in the Bi-Weekly WTF series I expressed my dismay over beauty gurus, “developing,” and peddling their own vitamins/supplements. This is along those very same lines! Just like how I’m not asking a beauty guru or haircare company for advice on car maintenance, I’m not asking them for health advice or products.

The Bottom Line

I simply don’t find it appropriate to buy wellness products from a company that makes hairspray. While our health and wellness impacts both our innate beauty and the resultant efficacy of products we use, Sephora isn’t the place for me to buy it.

Manicure Monday – 11/5 – China Glaze Gelaze Recycle

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China Glaze Gelaze RecycleManicure Monday – 11/5 – China Glaze Gelaze Recycle

Anyone watching V for Vendetta today? I will be! Does anyone actually paint their nails on Mani Monday? I don’t! I don’t tend to do much exciting nail art these days, but my nails are almost always painted. I usually paint over the weekend so they’re fresh for the work week. It follows that I’d start a Manicure Monday series; the content basically creates itself!

Before

The Friday before Halloween, I did a simple black set with Sensationail Midnight Rendezvous (which I used in my glitter gel nail tutorial) On my ring fingers, I slapped a coat of Essie Matte About You topcoat for a nearly-no-effort accent nail. I don’t wear black often, and was initially like, “Ah! This is so stark,” but by the end of the ninth day, I found myself rather fond. Yesterday, though, I decided it was time for a different color.

Surprisingly had a devil of a time removing that set. Usually, I can pop my gel polish off fairly easily, but this took coaxing and inspired a bit of swearing. Anyway, after I removed the black gel, I slapped on some Solar Oil and let my nails rest for a while, lacquer-free, while I got some stuff done around the house.

Picking a Color

I found myself torn between the new-to-me nude shade I wore before Midnight Rendezvous (posted on Insta on 10/14), China Glaze Gelaze Awakening, and what I ultimately chose, China Glaze Gelaze Recycle.

I’ve written about my love of Recycle before. Grey is fantastic for Autumn, absolutely counts as a neutral, and isn’t as harsh as black but is still on the edgy side.

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