Gel Polish

2015 Favorites

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I’m approaching my annual favorites post a little differently than I did last year. Instead of breaking it down by section, I’m just going to slap all my 2015 Favorites together. I liked plenty of things, but these are what I liked most.

2015 Favorites

Naked2 Basics - Social

Naked2 Basics, $29 – has been my lifesaver. Even when I first swatched it and decided I required it, I didn’t imagine I’d come to use it as much or as often as I did and do. Personally, I think it is superior to its predecessor…but I don’t own its predecessor, so I haven’t run it through the gauntlet, yet.

elftickledpink

e.l.f. Studio Blush in Tickled Pink, $3 – is a very subtle, pleasant peachy-pink hue. I wear it the most of all the blush I own; it’s hard to overdo, and isn’t too much for work.

cremeinyourcoffee_bullet

MAC Creme in Your Coffee, $17 – Such a nice MLBB, it stays and wears away well. Reapplies easily, and has that lovely signature MAC lipstick scent. I will repurchase a billion of these.

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ORLY Gel FX

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ORLY Gel FX (left side)Left side, ORLY Gel FX shades Melt Your Popsicle, Oh Cabana Boy, and Skinny Dip

In my Sally Beauty Haul a earlier this year I bought some new gel polish, including three ORLY Gel FX shades. I’d never tried ORLY’s gel formula before, so this was a trip into uncharted waters.

I am LOVING this formula! Regrettably, I do not have photos or swatches at the moment, but the first application of Melt Your Popsicle (a vivid orange) stuck around for TEN DAYS despite 1) a shoddy, kind of rushed application and 2) me being REALLY hard on my hands.

It’s a really sturdy formula! The only criticism I have for ORLY Gel FX is that, like Gelish, it is best to flash cure every nail or two so the product doesn’t go do what it wants (shrink, move). I ran into a little trouble trying to paint all of them and then do a full cure. It is minor, though, and I’ll take it for how awesome the color is.

As far as this color goes, if you want to really make it pop, apply two coats over an opaque white gel. I’ve done three coats of Melt Your Popsicle, Skinny Dip (bright, pool blue), AND Oh Cabana Boy (vibrant pinky fuschia with shimmer) on its own and my nail line was still visible (it’s kind of a jelly) though the color was pretty saturated. It still looked good, though.

I plan to follow up with swatches of the three ORLY Gel FX shades I own at some point, but I’m not feeling the neons right now. It’s I’m Not Really a Waitress season, after all.

June 2015 Favorites

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June 2015 Favorites June 2015 Favorites
1. Hawaiian Tropic Island Sport Spray Spf 30, $7 / 2. L’Oreal Telescopic Carbon Black, $7 /
3. Equate Sensitive Cleansing Wipes, $3 / 4. ORLY GelFX, $9 / 5. Tip2Toe Electric Callus Tool, $45

This past month was super busy and flew by, but I somehow managed to get my June 2015 Favorites together on time!

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Sally Beauty Haul – May 2015

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It’s been a while since I’ve hauled. I was on a No Buy in April, and was successful. If it’s been a while since I’ve shopped for makeup and hair items, it has been longer since I’ve gotten any nail goodies. Despite my love of polished nails, which existed long before my interest in makeup, I’ve been slacking lately! I’ve just been keeping my nails shaped and tidy, leaving them bare often, being semi-bored with what I did have (listen to my first world problems, waah). I decided I want some more colors, but resolved to wait until Sally Beauty had a BOGO (buy one, get one) free sale.

My patience was rewarded. A couple weeks ago Sally Beauty had a 3-Day BOGO polish (RNP and gel) sale…and I had a 20% off coupon. The hunt began. I originally planned to order online because the two stores nearest me aren’t ultra-convenient, and I don’t really like how crowded the aisles can be AND there’s often only one employee working.

Due to the free ship threshold, I ventured out in person to seek my Sally Beauty Haul. Instant gratification was nice, but waiting 20 minutes for someone to ring me out was not. (Another customer decided to DIY destroycolor her hair for the first time…and instead of doing research, she wanted to play 20 Questions with the employee.)

Anyway, here’s the loot!

Sally Beauty HaulSally Beauty Haul – May 2015
  • ORLY GelFX in Melt Your Popsicle, Oh Cabana Boy, and Skinny Dip
  • Manicure Bowl
  • Nail Brush
  • Harmony Gelish in Arctic Freeze
  • China Glaze Gelaze in Coconut Kiss and Recycle

Total? $26 before tax. Yassss. RNP at regular price wouldn’t be that cheap!

That’s well over $70 of stuff – and I got some tools (that were super cheap, <$1 each).

I don’t get crazy with my makeup, but I do get crazy with my nails. I slapped on ORLY GelFX Melt Your Popsicle right away and am liking it a lot – I really wanted an orange (now I just need a true, non-fluorescent/highlighter yellow). With this Sally Beauty Ha, I’m pretty well set for summer nail shenanigans.

Have you had any beauty hauls recently? How did you do?