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Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Review: Julep DD crème


Julep's new DD crème arrived on my doorstep just a few days ago ... and look at me, all on the ball, posting a review almost right away. Cue Twilight Zone music. ;)

(Gotta wonder, though: Why "DD crème" and not "DD cream"? Who's going to put the accent mark on there aside from obsessive people like me? Won't people Google "DD cream" instead? And are we supposed to pronounce it with a French accent? Anyway...)

Julep's new "better than BB cream" offering ... Is it really?

Monday, June 3, 2013

Nails: Pastel sparkles

My current nail polish is inspired by an anime I'm watching. (A really really ridiculous one, so I'm not going to say what it is. If you can guess it, then points to you!) That is, the colors are inspired by it, but it's not really recognizable as an anime reference; I was too lazy to do an actual design and I don't have any silver polish right now. Pretty funny, since silver was a staple for me in the 90s. Anyway, the look is a bit unicorn-y, isn't it?

Blue accent nail: Julep Julianne (blue base), Sephora by OPI Hollywood If I Could (glitter). White nails: Sally Hansen Smooth & Perfect Color + Care in color Fog, Sephora by OPI Meet Me at the Disco (glittery tips).

And yes, I've cut my scary-long nails since the last time I posted a nail update! Hurray! No more claws! I decided to learn to play the guitar, so off the nails had to go. Actually, these are grown out a bit too long for guitar. I haven't practiced for a couple of weeks. ;)

The polish is a little bubbly because I forgot not to use the Sally Hansen Diamond Strength Diamond Shine as a top coat (DOH), but it's not as bad as that first fail.

Friday, May 31, 2013

Julep DD Crème snapshot and the results of the Battle of the Facial Moisturizers

I've been quiet for a while, haven't I? Marinating, maybe — since I definitely haven't given up thinking of the things that made me start this blog. ;)

Anyway, I got my June Julep Maven box today and even though the "letter cream" marketing is getting a tad silly (How long will it be before we use up all the letters in the alphabet? Can I get an XYZ cream that will magically fix my car, tailor my clothes, and dust my bookshelves?), I'm pretty interested in seeing how this DD crème compares to my favorite BB creams.

June Julep Maven box (Boho Glam): DD crème, nail color in Lexie (dandelion yellow crème) and Dianna (mint green crème), and some salt water taffy. Om nom nom.
It's supposed to provide anti-aging effects, buildable coverage, and an "ultra-smoothing" finish that minimizes pores and fine lines. If it does those things while matching my skin tone reasonably well, I'll be pretty happy. I'll weigh in once I've tried it. [Update June 8, 2013: I tried it, and the review is here!]

Also, I never did a final write-up on the Battle of the Facial Moisturizers: CeraVe vs. Philosophy, but essentially, I have nothing more to say on the issue than I said in my first report. I kept using it until I got tired of it, but the CeraVe night moisturizer isn't even a pale imitation of Philosophy's Hope in a Jar for me, although the substitution worked for someone else (link opens in a new window).

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Indie cuteness: flower hair pins

It's a bright and sunny morning here, and the mini roses on the porch are in enthusiastic bloom. (Yeah, I know it's almost November. Did I mention the growing seasons are totally backwards in Florida?)

Anyway, it seems like a good time to share my newest flower-themed accessories. They're a trio of handmade polymer clay hair pins from indie shop Raelwear, on Etsy.

Friday, October 26, 2012

Friday Favorites: October 26, 2012

I missed last week, so here are my favorite beauty and fashion picks for the past couple of weeks!



Review: Bath & Body Works Sweet on Paris shimmer mist


Sweet on Paris? Why, yes, I am! And I'm also pretty sweet on the scent from Bath & Body Works, though it's not for those who don't like a good dusting of sugar shock.

According to Bath & Body Works, Sweet on Paris is "an enticing medley of juicy blackberry, lemon meringue and creamy vanilla, inspired by the sweet temptations of a Parisian patisserie." And does the scent live up to the hype? For once, absolutely. It's sweet and sugary without being cloying, and has good staying power, although I get more of the confectionery notes than the fruity ones; for me all that yummy fruit disappears into the very first whiff of the spray and is gone forever.

The shimmer mist version of the scent comes in a cute Eiffel Tower bottle that reminds me of Cinderella's castle at Disney — pointy, pastel, glittery.

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Current nails: melon-y sparkle shatter

Looks like orange nail polish is The Thing around my house lately. This time, I also tried my first glitter shatter polish. Intelligently, I chose an orange-y sparkle to go over orange polish, thinking it might be kind of Halloween-y ... and the result is that you can barely see the shatter effect, except as a freaky uneven texture. (OK, weird textures are kind of Halloween-y in themselves, but not quite what I was going for.)

You're probably thinking, "Duh. What did you think was going to happen if you put orange on orange?" but on the off chance you're not, then hey! Learn from my mistakes. ;)


Of course, the funky shatter polish texture is also preventing me from being able to tell whether there's any bubbling going on with the Sally Hansen Diamond Strength Diamond Shine top coat (which I mentioned fighting with in my last post). Hopefully the third time I try this top coat will be the charm. I may go plain old purple with my next polish adventure, so that the top coat will be able to shine, or not, as the case may be!

These are the two polishes I used: