Today it was 72 degrees, and I took advantage of that by spending as much time outdoors as possible. Soon it will be spring, that time of year when a randy gal’s thoughts turn to … nail polish and other fripperies.
The new Sephora OPI Digital Diva collection:
Left to right:
Access 24/7 (juicy magenta pink)
Techno Girl (vivid azalea)
Lost Without My GPS (bright vintage orange-red)
I’m Wired (electric coral red)
Hi Def (rich tangerine)
IM Beauty (bright buttercup yellow)
Special Request (modern tangerine coral, not new but an amazing color)
It’s hard to be sure but I think these are all cremes. The first two look brighter and less blue in person, and the yellow is much brighter, more limon-y. Allow me to mention again how criminally off Sephora’s lighting is, and if you’re buying something I strongly suggest you wear it out into the natural light first. Their lights warm everything up and kill the blue tones. I want that Special Request.
Also, continuing with wabi-sabi: here’s a link to what looks to be a gorgeous exhibition of kintsugi (ceramics mending) at the Freer in D.C., and here’s an enthusiastic review from the Wash Post. Weird aside: I threw on one hasty coat of SOPI’s silver-gold Queen of Everything a few days ago for an event. I hate chipped polish, I think it’s nasty. But QoE is wearing off in an artistic way, individual flecks across the nail rather than at the tips. It’s like the gold finish wearing off old lacquerware. It’s strangely beautiful.
Also, I just started Latisse – the eyelash growth topical drug now available via “prescription” (my dermatologist just handed it to me) from Allergan, the company that tipped off the FDA about RevitaLash and Jan Marini using an unapproved drug in those eyelash growth products y’all were loving. Allergan did this so they could rake in the dough themselves, since they held the patent on the original glaucoma drug (I think it´s a prostaglandin analog) with the unexpected lash-growth side-effect, and they were working on bringing it to market for use in eyelash growth. So what do you get for your $140, besides the peace of mind that Big Uncle is watching over you? Well, in addition to the tiny squeeze bottle which except for the label is identical to Allergan´s glaucoma eyedrop bottle, you also get – no kidding – a box of wrapped, single-use brushes for each eye, to use once and discard so that you don´t transmit dangerous eye-to-eye cooties back and forth across the no-man´s-land of your nose. (For that you will have to rely on your mascara, eyeliner, shadow, fingers, etc.) I´ve already blown off their brushes for a thin eyelining brush just for this purpose, and I´m doing the lower lashes in direct contraindication of their instructions, I´ll let you know if my eyeballs pop out or my lower lashes grow so long I have to trim them. I have heard of this with the old JM and RevitaLash, btw. Personally I don´t have issues with length so much as density – mine are long but I have sparse lashes and areas of no lashes on the lower lid. Since the concept as I understand it is a change in the length of the growing cycle of the lashes, maybe this product is better suited for people with dense but short lashes. Here’s a link to their website with some encouraging photos of people with similarly sparse lashes, so maybe I’ll get lucky. I´ll keep you posted on my results.
Zoya has a program in which they will exchange polish for a minimal charge; details are on their website. I frequently buy polish online, and I often end up with multiple bottles from different lines of the same color, so I’ll take advantage of this one. I’m also ready to break into the lighter colors but, here in the Northeast, Winter has yet to give in to Spring, so I’m holding out. I think next week will be the transition week, since St. Patrick’s Day inspires me to wear green, maybe RBL Recycle.
Hi March. My husband has been using Lumigan drops for several years. His lashes were already long and lush (honestly, people commented all the time), but now they are ridiculous. As far as colour change, he has brown eyes to begin with, so it’s hard to tell.
Anyway, about seven weeks ago I swiped one of his bottles (brand new and sealed, of course) and started applying it to my lash line every other night. I’m definitely seeing a difference now. My lashes haven’t got much longer yet, but they are definitely darker and thicker. I would say I still have close to half a bottle left. No side effects at all, but if I start to see an iris colour change, I’ll let you know. Although, I’ve read all the fine print, and it doesn’t seem likely to happen.
I heard about the eyelash stuff and thought about it, but gave up on the idea. Mainly because it’s expensive and will reverse itself in a few months when stopped. I haven’t heard that the eyeliner will change eye color like the drops would, but I would be upset if that happened; nothing wrong with brown eyes but I happen to like mine the color they are.
The color change has been my big “if” and I could still quit. I know, I have nice hazel eyes, I don’t want them a different color either. One of the reasons I’m using my own brush is it’s much more precise and deposits less product (so maybe it won’t work on me either.) When folks were using the JM and RevitaLash it comes with a super-fine brush and worked for them… and most ended up doing “maintenance” like 3x per week. I’ll give it a couple months and see if I notice anything. If I don’t get any new growth there’s no point to it.
How about an eyeBROW growth treatment for those with sparse eyebrows?
I’m totally with you on that, though I saw the most outrageous natural eyelashes yesterday – went to see Watchmen and the ticket-gal, about 18, had this little gamine, heart-shaped face, perfect complexion, etc….and I swear to Floyd her eyelashes were 3 inches long! Not hugely bushy – just long, delicate sweeps. She wore no makeup other than lip balm (she didn’t need to, blast her!) – she looked at me quite blankly for a moment when I gently asked her if they were …..y’know….’enhanced’.
They weren’t.
Quite simply the most gorgeous eyelashes (on a naturally lovely-but-regular looking girl) I’ve ever seen.
Made me feel quite tired.
xo>-)
Girls can have these. My 12-year-old with the hazel eyes, her eyelashes are ridiculous. They’re like … anime eyes. And of course she totally doesn’t appreciate it. She could be an eyelash donor. jealous jealous jealous.
Ah, I’m painting the wet brush on my eyebrows when I’m done with my lids just to dry it off! 🙂 So maybe my brows will grow three inches, wouldn’t that be interesting? Heh heh.
That pale yellow intrigues me. If anyone tries it, I would love to hear how it dries down. I adore very, very pale yellow, and this is the first np I’ve seen in that shade. I’m not encouraged by your words “the yellow is much brighter, more limon-y”. Who am I kidding – I know I’m gonna buy it.
Good luck with the eyes and lashes. I am horribly phobic about my eyes, so wouldn’t try this for anything. But I hope it works for you.
It really is quite bright, not very pastel at all. I think Nubar has a “Lemon Sorbet” that is paler :d/
Thanks for the info. I will look into the Nubar.
Do you nail porn? Allow me to further your addiction. Go to http://www.nailgal.com, they sort by color, people’s photos sent in. Hours of your time, wasted. Unfortunately it’s gold/yellow together but you get the idea. I agree with Louise, the color is MUCH brighter in person. I would buy it if it were the swatch color, that would be really unusual.
Gah! You are evil. Looks like I “need” Rescue Beauty Lounge Square Pants.
It’s pouring buckets here *waves to Musette, one state away* and it feels like early spring. This time of year my addictive personality craves everything: new lipstick, nailpolish, sneakers, purse, those gorgeous saturated color cotton sweaters you see in catalogs, new scents, etc etc. 8-| I saw the OPI South Beach collection the other day and really like Conga-line Coral, which looked meh everywhere I’ve seen it online. In my head I’d fallen for Deco lavender one, but didn’t like it irl. Anyway, I thought of you, M. I will probably pass on new polish & lippies because I need to save $-) and shop my stash.
The South Beach collection was so … random. To be fair, a lot of colors that look better with warmer skin tones. But then in the middle the one purply-gray one that totally belonged in the Paris collection, what’s up with that?!? Is that the lavender you’re referring to? I thought the group was a bit of a hodgepodge.
Hey, March, I was thinking about you and your nails yesterday because I’ve been on the hunt for a perfect Spring Pink — not coral, not brown-pink (though I found a lovely one of those, Revlon Teak Rose), not neon or Barbie, just a lovely blushing rose kind of thing–and yesterday I found a gorgeous one: OPI Hoodoo Voodoo?! [their punctuation, not mine].
I would never have guessed what it looks like on my nails from seeing the bottle, but my beauty store place lets you swatch with scotch tape on your nails in the store. It’s just a beautiful deep rose, perfect for my olive-toned skin, but I bet you could wear it too if you’re doing those corals–it has some orangey undertones to it, especially with only one coat. Now to find a lippie to match…
Oooh, Hoodoo Voodoo. I’ll have to look at that, I’m swatching pinks. Louise turned me on to the tape trick (though I’m just as likely to show up with bare nails and swatch away.) Trying it on the skin is key. Louise and I laugh how different the same colors can look on our hands, although there’s some overlap in terms of what works.
Mmmm…that Special Request looks good. I put Charmed by a Snake on the toes this morning, and I’m loving it.
Everyone’s breaking out the colors! 😡
You are insane! And I do love you so…:x
Okay, that’s it! You were my tipping point! Drama N it is. Just as soon as LS wakes up out there I’m ON IT!
Be careful with that stuff, okay? It sounds incredible but…just be careful, okay? (I know I already said that).
Speaking of eyes, what was that procedure you wrote about for strengthening your eyes – or was it an alternative to Lasiks?
Louise, I’m with you! I have bare nails meself (though I need to put on some clear – my nails are a peeling wreck and oxygen is not their friend!). But even my toes are bare. I’m so wanting pastels but my skin is still too winter-yellow for that.
It’s raining its brains out here – Spring, is this thy sting?
xo>-)
I sleep in hard contacts. That’s the simplest way to put it. They shape the cornea. You go through a tedious two or three week process where they progressively switch the lenses out (multiple trips to the doctor) and then you’re set. Here’s a link. I’m in my third year I think and I love it. Changed my life. I do two nights on, one night off.
http://www.ortho-k.net/
March, I know this will shock you, but I’ve already bought one of the Sephora OPIs-I had too, see, because it was just the right amount to get me free shipping online. See, it saved me money. I got the yellow, which will likely go on the toes. The swatch was way lighter, and while I do wear yellow in the spring, it is pretty saturated. I am also eye-ing Special Request, though I need to really be sure it’s not a dupe of something I already have. There’s a chance of that, no 8-| ?
I’ve had naked nails for 10 days. I am paralyzed between seasons-feel I should still be wearing my deeps, but craving pastels. I may just have to go with a neutral to reflect my indecision-maybe Kaleidoscope?
I’ve heard of the wonderlash med, but had heard that it can change you eyecolor in rare cases 😮 !
I must make time to get to the Freer 🙂
Special Request and one of the other new SOPIs look a LOT alike in the store… yes, I applaud your thrift. 😉
I totally understand on the np dilemma — I’m not ready for my spring pastels either. I’ve been wearing silvers and silvery golds like Queen of Everything. Kaleidoscope would be perfect.
I read the eye-color stuff pretty carefully because it’s permanent if they change. They didn’t have any of that in the studies for the eyeliner, although it can do that with the drops. Granted, it’s a risk I’m taking.
I resolved my dilemna 😕 Starry, starry night just grabbed me with its beauty =d>
Hey, that’s a cool choice for this time of year, isn’t it?