Beauty Skeptic

China Glaze Diva Bride

February 16, 2023October 1, 2018 by Beauty Skeptic

China Glaze Diva Bride - Gelaze

China Glaze Diva Bride in their Gelaze formula might have dethroned as my go-to nude-pink nailcolor. I’d been wearing a lot of OPI Bubble Bath; it’s a nice, effortless neutral that looks good with everything. As it wears down/away/lifts/chips, it does so gracefully and without making it glaringly obvious that attention is required. I enjoyed it apart from three caveats

Accessibility
Price
Coats to Opaque-Enough

The Caveats

OPI Gelcolor lacquers are technically pro-only – so getting your hands on one as a plebe is a difficult task if you don’t know a licensed beautician. I have no idea how much they cost a pro; I know on the diverted market I can get them for anywhere between $15-20, and then there’s the question of whether you’re getting legit product or not (I’ve lucked out so far). It requires three coats to the minimum level of opacity I prefer.

China Glaze Diva Bride Mitigates Bubble Bath’s Caveats

Is the Cosmetics Company Outlet Legit?

September 28, 2018September 28, 2018 by Beauty Skeptic

This is a legacy post that has been given a facelift! Content is the same but may have been edited for clarity and readability.

In early April, my husband and I went to one of the outlet malls near us to do some minor clothing shopping. Having never been there and not wanting to waste time perusing stores that weren’t interesting to us, I printed a map beforehand, looked up the listing, and marked off the stores we wanted to check out. While I was going through the list, one caught my eye even though it was entirely off-base in terms of the purpose of our trip: The Cosmetics Company Outlet.

What Do they Sell?

A quick-and-dirty search revealed precious little other than The Cosmetics Company Outlet carries discounted MAC, Clinique, Estee Lauder, Bobbi Brown, and some others. As these brands are traditionally not available anywhere except brand counters, sites, and sometimes at select Ulta and Sephoras – I was immediately skeptical. Like what is this, some flea market-esque booth peddling otherwise semi-exclusive wares?

Are the cosmetics for sale within legitimate?

Diply Hairstyling Hacks

August 24, 2020September 26, 2018 by Beauty Skeptic

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

Through some flavor of social media, I came across this article from Diply. Most of the, “hacks,” this Diply list offers, though, are fairly common knowledge for those interested in beauty. Nothing groundbreaking or inventive. Tips on how to use bobby pins, curl with flat irons, etc.

Nonsense

Then I reached the third page and saw number 8. See for yourself.

Diply Hairstyling Hacks How the hell is this a hack? It’s been a few years since I’ve had bangs, but washing my whole head would be easier, quicker (drying might take longer, but still!), and result in less mess. Suuure, wash your hair in the sink, they say. It’s easy, they say. Is it effortless the same way the ladies in skincare commercials wash their face at the sink, splashing water everywhere like a damn Magikarp?

Worth it? Ecolips Lipscrub

September 24, 2018 by Beauty Skeptic

Eco Lips Lipscrub, Vanilla Bean, $3.97

It is plenty easy to exfoliate your lips. You can gently do so with the terrycloth of a towel or washcloth. Some people use their toothbrush (for me, this is too abrasive). You can make your own scrubs with sugar (I usually do). Sometimes, though, its nice to just grab a finished product and not think about getting out oils and sugars and mixing and cleaning up. I found myself in one of the beauty aisles in Wal-Mart and spotted a pot of Ecolips Lipscrub for under $5.

August 2018 Favorites

September 19, 2018September 19, 2018 by Beauty Skeptic

OPI Red Hot Rio, $8 / 2. Drunk Elephant Marula Oil, $80 /
3. Perricone No Eyeshadow Eyeshadow, $35 / 4. Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Serum, $21

On top of coming in later than usual, my dang graphic had issues – thanks for bearing with me. I’ll update with a picture later. :) For details on my August 2018 Favorites, follow the jump!

Adventures in Balayage

September 18, 2018September 17, 2018 by Beauty Skeptic

A peek at some of my balayage highlights.
Excuse my comically bad lighting that does not fully showcase how awesome my hair is.

After lengthy consideration, I decided to go forward with balayage highlights. I went for a consultation on September 13, which is where I gathered my information on how to prepare for my balayage highlighting appointment. Balayage isn’t something new, even if it is a new-ish trend in the United States; but I could swear, of all the haircolor techniques out there, this one was made with me in mind.

I did extensive research and chose a charming salon in my area, had a really positive consult, and was ready. By my September 20 appointment, I was rarin’ to go.

So, Tell Me What you Want

To my consult, I brought the following three photos, found on Pinterest, for inspiration:

Adventures in Balayage - Inspiration

Clients get caught up in trying (and failing) to describe what they’re looking for. Pictures help. But you know what else really helps? Explaining and or showing what you definitely, under no circumstances, do not want. Most balayage highlights create a lovely, ombre effect on the hair – but not all ombre hair is balayage. For me, “ombre,” leaves a sour taste in my mouth. Search Google Images for, “Ombre hair,” and you’ll see what I mean. Severe, harsh transitions. Lines, even. I want nothing about my hair to be harsh, and I grew out a misguided hair choice once before and dealt with awkward lines. Never, ever again. Balayage is french for, “sweeping,” and damn it, that’s what I want. Lines of demarcation are the enemy.

Decisions, Decisions

Armed with those three photos my colorist and I made some decisions together. Notice how I said together? It should be a joint effort. Most of these decisions took place during my consultation. But if you and your colorist don’t agree on the course of action – say, you want X and she thinks you ought to do Y? You’re going to have a bad time. As a client, you should have realistic expectations and asks for your colorist. She or he may well seem like a wizard, but it isn’t magic.

Based on those photos, my expression of my #hairgoals, my habits, and prior aversion to color we decided:

As far as color goes, the third option made the most sense to emulate. After all, it’s easier to make more changes down the road than to go, “Shit, I don’t like this as much as I thought I was going to!”
Overall placement somewhere between the 2nd and 3rd photo.
To place more product at the ends to concentrate a little more blonde color there (like the 2nd photo).
…But to overall play it a little safe.

It can be a little intimidating to be in the chair, but when you’re spending money on these services, it’s worthwhile to be 100% sure you’re on the same page. If your stylist or colorist is worth a damn, she or he WANTS to produce results you’re happy with. If the salon you’re working with is not eager to work to that goal, find another salon. Seriously.