Clinique Chubby Stick Intense in Roomiest Rose Review and Swatches

I liked Mightiest Maraschino so much that I paid full price for Roomiest Rose. A wise choice?

Manicure Monday

I've been steadily making my way through my polish stash, as decreed by my new year's resolution. I only took pictures of polishes/combos I haven't featured on the blog; ones I wore but have already reviewed were Color Club Miss Bliss (whose original photo is subpar, which should really teach me to read my own posts), which I wore with only 1 coat and it was almost completely opaque, and the whole mani took me about 7 minutes; Zoya Blaze, which is just ridiculously gorgeous; Milani Hi-Res, which chipped in less than a day (though I'm not convinced that's not due to my top coat, so I'm reserving judgment until I can try it with another); Zoya Godiva, which was another super speedy mani; China Glaze Ahoy!, which reminded me that I'm not crazy about CG's brushes but I love that particular shade; and Zoya Avril (which, goddamnit, I've never shown on its own, but I was like "oh I know I've already talked about it on the blog so I won't bother taking pictures" and PAST ME WHY ARE YOU SUCH A DUMMY), which is a really pretty pink-leaning neutral creme, opaque in 2 coats.

Now then, for the manis I actually managed to photograph!

Zoya Aurora and Zoya Carly

I wanted to see if I liked Aurora better than the first time I wore it, so I did a combo mani with it and Zoya Carly (opaque in one coat!). And I do like it more! It has a springy feel to me, even though it's not a pastel, and I like the subtle holo. It can stay. For now.

Skincare Saturday: Rainshadow Labs QVMT Moisture Treatment for Sensitive/Acne Skin

I have incredibly persnickety skin, and always tread lightly when it comes to introducing new things, as it often decides it is having none of that, thank you very much, and rewards me with a fresh batch of blemishes. But there comes a time in every girl's life that she realizes she is a) running out of her trusty Amber Cream, and b) wanting to try to actively help her (gradually showing signs of age, poo) skin, rather than just not piss it off. And so I started trying to inspire myself to do the natural diy skincare thing, to little avail––turns out I suffer from a severe case of laziness, who knew?.

However! I read a post from Liz about an anti-aging moisturizer from Rainshadow Labs, and was intrigued by the natural ingredients (long ingredient lists can be scary, but less so when they're all natural oils and extracts), ridiculously low price ($3.95 for an ounce), and fact that everything is produced here in Oregon. I spent some time browsing their extensive website, and finally settled on a few products to try. Shipping was around $11, but three samples were free (this isn't advertised anywhere on the site, so I'm not positive if this is a normal occurrence), so I ended up with 7 or 8 1-2 oz jars/bottles of various potions for around $30. 

I've spent time testing most of the products, but will focus on them one at a time, since to do otherwise would surely result in thousand-word-epics that no one would want to read. (On the upside, now that I've given the whole spiel about the company, I shan't need to repeat it!) Today's product: QVMT Moisture Treatment for Sensitive/Acne Skin.

seen here, after a few weeks' usage

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!