30 Days: Day 22

I applied for the Critical Language Scholarship for this summer to study in Turkey, and recently heard that I didn't get it. Not particularly surprising, given how competitive it is, but still. It's never fun to hear you're not good enough for something! So I'm going to make myself feel better by doing the 50 Random Things tag (and making it part of 30 Days, because why not), as seen on Eye Heart It [and Rocaille Writes, though I wrote this before I read hers!]. I'll try not to repeat too many of Larie's, though I may have been primed...LET'S DO THIS.

1. I'm lactose intolerant.
2. But I loooooove dairy. I use lactose-free alternatives when possible, and yogurt with live cultures is okay, but there is no good replacement for cheese. So I buy lactase in bulk from Costco and live with the occasional upset belly.
2. I have a history of nigh-unsolvable illnesses. Migraines in middle/high school due to TMJ, CFS from high school on, and now a very uncooperative digestive tract (IBS, which means "hell if we know why you're in pain!"). Not to mention anxiety and depression of varying degrees...needless to say, I am very pro-medication.
3. I love babies. Like, way more than is normal.
4. I hate birds. Goddamn crows.
5. I teach English to international students. And I love teaching slang!
6. Sushi is fantastic.
7. So is tea.
8. Caffeine upsets my stomach, but I sometimes drink decaf coffee, as it still has some energizing power. Black tea in smaller doses tends to be okay, though.
9. I hate buying clothes. I do most of my shopping online, but even that is somewhat unpleasant. And returning the clothes that don't fit is a pain in the ass.
10. I like music that's upbeat and/or involves harmonicas, banjos, or clapping. Slow, sad music makes me sad, and I don't usually want any help in that department.

Manicure Monday: A Giveaway. CLOSED

Giveway time!! It's a small prize, but I think it's pretty great nonetheless. Unlike usual, though, this one requires a bit more on your part!

The Game

Think of a polish you own whose name doesn't quite fit. Take a picture of yourself wearing the polish and post it in the comments with the name it has, and the name you think it should have. You may also use a photo from online, but if you do so, please be sure to include a link to the original post. Post as many entries as you have ideas! Entries posted after 11:59 pm PST on Monday, Feb. 3 (one week from today) will not be considered.

I would love to take credit for this idea, but it was all Z. She also proposed an example entry that was way better than anything I could come up with (good thing I'm not competing for the prize, eh?), to give you an idea what I'm looking for:

frrom The PolishAholic

Name: Belugaria

Better name: PMS

The Prize

One (1) bottle of Maybelline Lavishly Lilac, one (1) bottle of L'Oreal Sexy in Sequins, and one (1) bottle of Illamasqua Baptiste, as well as some other surprise bits and bobs.

Top to bottom: 2 coats Baptiste, 1 coat
Sexy in Sequins without top coat (not
fully dry, either), and 3 coats Lavishly Lilac

The fine print: Open to US residents only (sorry, my beautiful international readers; shipping is too expensive to your locales!), must be 18 years or older. Use an email address you check regularly so I can contact you if you win!

I look forward to seeing your ideas! Good luck :-)

Clinique Chubby Stick Intense in Mightiest Maraschino Review and Swatches

Another lippie post! I'm on a kick.

I placed a rather sizable order at Sephora during the VIB sale, and decided to use some of my points to pick up a mini Mightiest Maraschino––we all know how much I love my lippies, after all. After my Givenchy Violine Précieux didn't wow me, I figured I might as well give this a swatch, fully expecting it, too, to fall short of my expectations.

Turns out, I should've put my money towards the Chubby Stick Intenses, because damn, son, this is some good shit.

Le Métier de Beauté Framboise Crème Lip Crème Review and Swatches

I love the LMdB lip crèmes. Like, if I could own them all, I would. Even the brown ones. As it is, they're $36 apiece, so I've managed to resist most temptation. However, when I had a coupon and gift card for Birchbox, I decided to pick up Framboise Crème (the other choices being Chocolate Crème and Toffee, and as much as I would love to own the full range, I figured I'd get more use out of a red, because the 8 reds I already owned weren't enough? My logic can sometimes be faulty, I admit).

Manicure Monday

My friends and I came up with New Year's Resolutions for each other, ranging from the absurd (A has to pet 365 dogs) to the pragmatic (T has to cook using an ingredient new to her at least once a week). The boy has to leave a review for a game before he can purchase any more (his Steam account is just ridiculously overstocked), and I have to wear all my polishes (not just new ones!) before I can repeat any, though I am allowed to re-wear things so long as the manicure contains at least one polish I haven't yet worn. So y'all will be seeing some polishes I've featured before, as well as some new and exciting ones, and I'm hoping the exercise will result in a sleeker, better polish collection.

Essie On a Silver Platter* and Sephora+Pantone Rose Dawn
My NYE mani was a great way to start the year. I layered Essie On a Silver Platter (my Christmas gift from Z!) over Sephora+Pantone Rose Dawn (one coater! which I could have sworn I'd reviewed, but apparently not...). The contrast of warm rose under the blue holo hexes and gold shimmer was really, really pretty (and actually reminded me of the guest post Z did for my birthday!). I would totally re-wear this if I could, but alas, it will have to wait. Also, I was going through a rebellious phase and didn't want to photograph with a real camera, so you get crappy phone pictures.

in sunlight

Too Faced Boudoir Eyes Soft and Sexy Eye Shadow Collection Review and Swatches

Look! I'm reviewing something that's not a lippie! *pats self on back* I picked this up during Sephora's F&F because I wanted a cool-toned palette of "neutrals", since I gravitate towards those shades during winter and felt a lack in my collection.

Influenster Jolly VoxBox Review and Swatches

I signed up for Influenster in August and proceeded to not log-in again for another, um, 3 months. Somehow, they still thought I was a good candidate for the Jolly VoxBox (I'm great at filling out questionnaires!), so I gleefully received these goodies (for free, but all opinions are my own! Which you could probably figure out on your own after reading my comments, as they are not all favorable...):

Puffs Plus Lotion tissue 10-pack* 

(though the card in my box says I should have received 

the lotion-free kind, I'm not complaining)

These tissues are a welcome addition to my purse, now that we are solidly in winter cold season. They're soft, smell vaguely medicinal, and are very very lightly moisturizing, enough to keep my nose from getting chapped from nose-blowing. I can't say I would purchase them myself, because I am extremely cheap when it comes to some things (like tissues, for example) and would never opt for brand name when store brands are the same thing, but I'm certainly happy to have these!