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Essie

Essie Gel Couture Labels Only: You Can’t Go Wrong With Secret Shimmer

August 4th, 2023 by Karen 1 Comment

essie labels only top pic
Essie Gel Couture Nail Polish in Labels Only ($11.50), my current nail crush

Happy Friday! I need to paint my nails ASAP with this beautiful periwinkle blue from Essie.

This periwinkle makes me think of this one time when Jen and I were college students, and we were killing some time at a bookstore because we were both singers in her dad’s Saturday rock band.

You know, one of those bands that only played once a week at random functions. I think it was somebody’s sixteenth birthday party.

We were sitting there looking through a magazine… We must have been in our early 20s at the time, and I can’t remember why, but the magazine we were looking through was a wedding magazine.

I remember saying to her, “One day we’re gonna be doing this for real,” and she was like, “Oh, my gawd!” Previous to that, we’d never talked about planing our weddings before. It just never came up.

About my distant future wedding, I distinctly remember saying in that conversation, “I’m gonna have you in a periwinkle dress!”

But things didn’t go down that way. Both she and my BFF Cindy ended up wearing very tasteful dark brown J. Crew dresses to go with our other color, which was Tiffany Blue.

So…periwinkle wasn’t involved in any form or fashion, but I did have periwinkle wedding dreams once upon a time (so random!).

Maybe that’s why I like Essie Labels Only from their Gel Couture line.

essie labels only swatch
Essie Labels Only

The Gel Coutures are GREAAAT. They dry quickly and last a long time, and even among the Gel Couture line, Labels Only lasts longer than some of the other shades do for me. I get a full week’s worth of wear using two layers and the Essie Gel Couture Top Coat (you don’t have to use a base coat with these).

It isn’t just a straight-up periwinkle, either. It has secret pink shimmer, which you can kind of see in the top pic.

You can’t go wrong with secret shimmer, ya know? 🙂

It’s available now for $11.50 at Ulta.

What are you wearing on your nails today?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. TGIF!

There's 1 comment on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Essie, Just For Fun

Happy Friday! Sunscreen, Essie Glitters, the CVS Coupon Skinny and $5 Bike Shorts from Old Navy

April 28th, 2023 by Karen 3 Comments

Girl, first off, happy Friday. It’s a hot one here in Northern California, which is why 1) I’ve spent the morning looking for shorts (hello $5 jersey bike shorts from Old Navy), and 2) I went to CVS to buy sunscreen. While I was there I had the most enlightening chat about sunscreen with another sun protection enthusiast! Gotta love those random beauty chats with strangers.

Anywho, she noticed immediately how I was carrying three bottles of sunscreen (more on this in a second), and I noticed that she had a wide brim hat and oversized sunglasses!

We got to talking about our favorite sunscreens and how we both loved trying them all. I convinced her to try a bottle of Black Girl Sunscreen Kids (SO GOOD), and she gave me the skinny on using CVS coupons.

Oh my gosh, I had no idea that CVS coupons were so good! There was a Banana Boat buy one get one 50% off sale, and I got an additional $2 off coupon on top of that. I ended up getting a $12 bottle of sunscreen for $7!

I also ended up with a 30% off coupon for my next purchase! I’m going to save it for a pricier bottle of La Roche Posay Melt In Sunscreen Milk, which is what the lady who I was chatting with ended up buying with her coupon.

Anywho, side note, all this talk about saving money means I’m officially turning into my mom. LOL!

While I was there, I also grabbed a few things from Essie: a clear Gel Couture Top Coat, two glitters (Birthday Girl and Feel the Fizzle) and a pale creamy pink Gel Couture shade called Fairy Tailor.

I’m going to do this unicorn mani I saw on Essie’s Instagram.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by essie (@essie)

So pretty, right?

It’s been an exciting morning! I can’t wait to see what the rest of the day (and the weekend) has in store.

Hope you’re doing great and that you’re having a fabulous Friday!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 3 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Banana Boat, Black Girl Sunscreen, Essie, Nails, Sunscreen

Checking In: Beauty Deals at Costco, a Truly Game-Changing Tip to Make Life Less Gross, and Missing My Girl

April 13th, 2021 by Karen 20 Comments

pretty purple flower bokeh
From me to you.

Hi there, my friend. This flower up top is for you!

Hopefully it brightens your day a little. 🙂

I went to Costco last week to buy an XXL bag of blueberries because El Hub is convinced that eating copious amounts makes his brain work better. Side note, I’m all for it, because maybe all those blueberries will help him realize that all I want for my birthday in June is expensive Jan Marini skin care, haha! Just for fun last night, I put everything and the kitchen sink from her line in my online cart, and OMG, you don’t even want to know the final price before checkout.

Anyway, Costco. While we were there, I saw some good beauty deals…

First up, this three-piece Essie Gel Couture Polish set for $19.99. It includes two different nail polishes and the awesome Gel Couture top coat. If you bought all three items separately at Ulta, you’d pay $35, so this is a steal.

essie gel couture costco

I’ve got mad love for the Gel Coutures and think they’re among the best things Essie makes. The polishes dry quickly, last a long time, and they’re soooo easy to remove (no special gel-removing accoutrements or any complicated processes with foils). They also have high-shine finish, which I love.

essie gel couture costco 3

FYI, at the Costco in Novato, the color selection’s pretty limited. There are two sets — one with a darker blue and navy (Brocade Crusade and Embossed Lady) in it, and another with a light taupe-pink and dark brown (High Sewciety and Pearls of Wisdom). Still a good deal though!

essie gel couture costco

I also saw a three-pack of L’Oréal Magic Root Cover Up for $9.99. One bottle is usually $9.99 at Target, so this is another great deal. Lots of colors to choose from too.

loreal root cover up costco

Root sprays are basically like concealer, but for your hair, and they’re great for when you’re between coloring appointments. You pick a shade that matches your hair color, spray a little on your roots to hide them, et voila! MAGIC! The color comes out the next time you shampoo your hair, so FYI, they aren’t permanent.

loreal root cover up costco

I used to use root spray back in the day, and the L’Oréal one is pretty good (although the best one, hands down, is Rita Hazan’s). If I were still coloring my mane, I’d definitely be stockpiling.

As you know, we’re all fastidiously washing our hands these days, so, with that mind, when you get a moment, place the following items into the trunk of your car: a big bottle of water, hand soap and a towel. That way, you can always wash your hands — WITH SOAP AND WATER! — when you’re out and about and return to your car.

 water bottle soap trunk car
From now until the end of time, I’ll have water, soap and a towel in my trunk.

I don’t know why I didn’t think to do this until now, but a friend of mine recently told me that she whenever she has to drive to the store or go out into the world now she always washes her hands when she gets back to her car with her portable water and soap, rather than just using a hand sanitizer.

I just started doing it too, and I don’t think I can ever go back to sanitizer alone now, because it feels so good to have my hands clean, truly clean, when I get back into my car. I pop a squat next to one of my tires, and I wash my hands right there in the parking lot. Sometimes people stare…but honestly I don’t even care. To each her own. I feel a little less gross, and that’s all that matters to me.

Connor’s back to preschool this week, and I miss her terribly. We didn’t have the most exciting spring break. There wasn’t any skiing or beaches involved, but it was so nice to do little things with her every day, like going to the pet store to visit the guinea pigs, and going to the park together. We went down so many slides!

Sometimes, I can’t believe that one day she’ll probably live far away from me. For now, at least while I can, I’ll keep sliding with her…

coycoy slide with mama
Best use of a phone camera: taking selfies while you slide down “the big slide” at the park.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 20 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Essie, Hair, Just For Fun, Loreal, Nails

Rainbow Nails and Bright Lips, Funfetti Cake, and the MAC Makeup in “Promising Young Woman”

March 23rd, 2021 by Karen 16 Comments

skittles mani mac all fired up
It’s a rainbow of color

For the record, it’s very, very awkward to take a picture of yourself that has your hands in it and have it look natural! Why do I feel like my paws look bigger than my head here? ?

I haven’t worn rainbow nails in a minute, but I absolutely HAD TO after we rented Promising Young Woman last weekend. It’s a thriller starring Carey Mulligan as Cassie, a young 30-something woman who experiences something traumatic that leads her to drop out of medical school, move back in with her parent and…pursue other ends. I don’t want to give away too much, but it involves some revenge.

Cassie wears a pastel rainbow manicure throughout the movie, and it’s front and center at a few key moments.

I’ve been reading about the styling for the film, and it turns out that the manicure was writer/director Emerald Fennell’s idea, and fun fact for ya — she’s the lady who plays Camilla Parker-Bowles in The Crown!

Symbolically, Cassie’s nails and makeup represent both her armor and a weapon. Her sweet girlishness at times conceals her anger.

I just wanted to wear rainbows on my hands to have a little fun, but I definitely appreciate using makeup as armor.

  • Pink: Smith & Cult Plastic Beach
  • Orange: Chanel Orange Fizz (no longer available, try Chanel Cruise)
  • Yellow: Sally Hansen Lemon Heaven
  • Mint Green: Sally Hansen Prince Char-Mint
  • Baby Blue: Essie First View

skittles mani mac all fired up

Near the end of the film, there’s a scene with Cassie in a candy-colored wig putting on a bright lipstick, and dagnabbit, even without my glasses on, and consequently being half-blind, I knew it was MAC. The movie’s makeup artist, Angie Wells, used MAC All Fired Up Retro Matte Lipstick.

I’m wearing it here with MAC Beet Lip Pencil.

skittles mani mac all fired up
MAC attack!

Speaking of bright and colorful things…I got a gluten-free sprinkle boxed cake mix and a matching sprinkle cake frosting (both by Pillsbury) at Target a few weeks ago to make a cake, and you know what? It was pretty darned delicious. Both the boxed Funfetti cake and the frosting were surprisingly tasty and flavorful (I could really taste the vanilla). The cake was also light and fluffy, and the frosting spread easily.

Everything was so good that I went back to the store and got more for the next time I have to bake something last-minute!

You know that I’m totally 100% down to bake a cake and make frosting from scratch, but sometimes it’s sooooo nice to have something easy around for when you get a hankerin’ for cake.

While we’re on the topic of baking, look what I found at Michaels…

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 16 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Chanel, Essie, Face of the Day (FOTD), MAC Makeup, Makeup, Nails, Smith & Cult, Urban Decay

What Are Your Sanity Savers?

May 19th, 2020 by Karen 17 Comments

essie at the barre me over
Painting paws keeps me sane. I’m wearing Essie Spool Me Over (left) and At the Barre (right).

List the things that are preventing you from standing in your front yard and screaming up into the sky for hours on end while sheltering-in-place!

My sanity savers, in no particular order:

  • Painting my nails (I’m all about #MismatchedMani life right now)
  • Honestly… Carbs. I was eating “lower carb-ish” before the pandemic hit but now I just don’t have the bandwidth for it. Give me all the carbs, please.
  • Speaking of carbs, baking ALL THE THINGS, especially cookies. Funny thing is I bake more now than I did when I worked at a bakery, ha!
  • Cocooning myself into stretchy pants 24/7! My body repels jeans now.
  • A schedule during the weekdays.
  • Working out first thing in the morning.
  • Hanging out with Pretty Girl Rosie, the Torbiest Torbie of the Torbie Girls.
  • Predictably cheesy rom-coms like Bridget Jones’ Diary, and historical period pieces
  • Lists upon lists upon lists.

How about you?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 17 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Essie, Just For Fun

More #MismatchedManis: Essie Gels Coutures and Sally Hansen Miracle Gels in Blues and Brights

May 18th, 2020 by Karen 4 Comments

sally hansen miracle gel fish teal braid mintage
Sally Hansen Miracle Gels in Fish-Teal Braid and Mintage

Mismatched manis should come with a warning: once you start, ya can’t stop.

At least that’s been the case on my end of the keyboard!

I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to go back to wearing a single color on both hands ever again. 🙂

sally hansen miracle gel apollo you anywhere lemon heaven
Sally Hasen Miracle Gel in Apollo You Anywhere and Lemon Heaven
essie beau tie surrounded by studs
Essie Gel Couture in Beau-tie and Surrounded by Studs

I’ve just about #mismatchedmani’d all the colors in my collection of Essie Gel Coutures and Sally Hansen Miracle Gels, which means the next thing to do would be to collect more colors… Right? That’s solid logic in my book.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 4 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Essie, Nails, Sally Hansen

#MismatchedMani Should Totally Be a Thing

April 29th, 2020 by Karen 15 Comments

essie first view labels only

Since we went on lockdown, I’ve been wearing mismatched nails, with one shade of nail polish on the fingers on one hand, and another shade on the other, and ya know what? I’m completely convinced now that the #MismachedMani trend (It’s totally a thing now.) will forever change nail hoarding habits as we know them.

Now maybe, just maybe, I’ll finally get around to wearing some of the nail polishes in my collection that I still haven’t worn?!

sally hansen apollo you anywhere beauty marked

essispool me over at the barre

essie taylor made with love daring damsel

essie preshow jitters wearing hue

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Happy hump day. Here’s an e-hug. ?❤️ How are you doing this morning?

There are 15 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Drugstore Beauty Finds, Essie, Nails, Sally Hansen

Double the Nail Polish!

April 15th, 2020 by Karen 10 Comments

essie beauty nap take me to thread
When you just can’t decide…

Double nail polish! I think we should make this a Spring thing.

Last night I was trying to decide between light green Essie Beauty Nap and mauve Essie Take Me to Thread, and then I was like, “Screw it. If there’s a good time to wear mismatched nails, this is that time.”

So now I’ve got green nails on one hand and mauve nails on the other. ?‍♀️

essie beauty nap take me to thread
Essie Take Me to Thread (mauve) and Beauty Nap (green)

Maybe this way I’ll actually get around to wearing all of the nail polishes I’ve hoarded collected, ha ha!

Who’s with me?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 10 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Essie, Nails

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