L'Oréal Miss Candy Jelly Toppers

As you almost definitely know already, L'Oréal has a new LE collection with EIGHT jelly polishes!  [They're calling them "gellie", but in keeping up with my resistance of "creme"...I'm calling them jelly.]  Four light, milky jellies and four saturated, glassy ones.  I haven't been this excited about a drugstore collection in a while!  I literally gasped when I saw Nouveau Cheap's post about them and I bounced from store to store hoping to spot them.  I finally found them, almost a week later, but they weren't on sale!  I was tempted to break every rule I have and just get them at full price, but I held out.  A grueling eleven days after seeing that post, five of these beauties were mine...and for a terrific price too!  Of course...I have a patched nail.  Figures, doesn't it?  I tried wearing Lilac Coolers and Berry Nice over a nude base, but I wasn't thrilled with how it looked.  The obvious answer?  Jelly toppers!  Like I needed an excuse!


Creme de Mint is a light, milky fern green jelly.

Creme de Mint over Sally Hansen Copper Penny and L'Oréal Hyde Park

I was hesitant to buy any of the milky jellies, but I'm SO glad I got Creme de Mint!  The cloudiness of the lighter Miss Candy shades meant I could only do one coat of Creme de Mint.  At first, I was disappointed by that, but I quickly fell in love!  Over a coordinated base like Hyde Park, it unifies the base and glitter and gives it a very 'finished' look without screaming "jelly".  I went a little weird and mattified it on a whim.  Who mattifies a jelly!?  This girl does!

Creme de Mint over Sally Hansen Copper Penny and L'Oréal Hyde Park
*mattified*

Of the five jelly toppers in this post, this was the only one I took up to a full mani.  I was in complete, stare-while-driving, love with this combo!  I didn't care who knew it either.  I got funny looks while taking pics of it while I was out shopping (for my second Helmer!!)...but I couldn't help it!  Look at it out in the sun!

Creme de Mint over Sally Hansen Copper Penny and L'Oréal Hyde Park

Miss Pixie is a very sheer true blue jelly.

Miss Pixie over OPI Pirouette My Whistle and Sally Hansen Blue My Mind
...which stained my skin a little

The darker, sheerer shades in this collection are AMAZING!!  Unlike the lighter shades, you can keep building up with more coats without hiding what's below.  I put one coat of Miss Pixie over the first coat of PMW (which you NEED if you do jelly layering - it was literally made for it), then another coat of PMW and two more coats of Miss Pixie.  The two-toned result shows off the depth and clarity of this ideal jelly.

Miss Pixie over OPI Pirouette My Whistle and Sally Hansen Blue My Mind

Lilac Coolers is a warm-toned pastel purple milky jelly.

Lilac Coolers over OPI I Lily Love You and Planks A Lot

Since it's another of the milky shades, this is also one coat of Lilac Coolers.  It's less similar to the base color, OPI Planks A Lot, than Creme de Mint is to Hyde Park, but it held its own and warmed the cooler dusty lavender up a bit.  Like Creme de Mint in its combo, it also tied the base and glitter together and the result looks more like a single polish than layering.  I really like how the milky jellies do that!

Lilac Coolers over OPI I Lily Love You and Planks A Lot

Berry Nice is a very sheer dark purple jelly.

Berry Nice over Sally Hansen Glass Slipper and Orly Charged Up

More jelly perfection!  This damn combo though....I was about ready to pull my hair out in clumps!  It was so much better in person than my camera wanted to catch.  If you've never worn Sally Hansen Glass Slipper, it's got a mix of translucent silvery-white flakes and miniscule shimmer particles.  The shimmer just wouldn't stop hiding from the camera, and the flakes tried to hide too.  I took over a hundred photos and finally got the best one when I went outside...in the rain.

Berry Nice over Sally Hansen Glass Slipper and Orly Charged Up

I can just imagine the neighbors..."Hun, that weird lady with the long hair is...she's standing in the rain...taking photos of her hand."  And yet my camera still didn't really get it.  Oh well.


Jolly Lolly is a glassy red jelly.

Jolly Lolly over Zoya Chloe and China Glaze High Roller

L'Oréal hit it out of the ballpark with the deeper-toned jellies, they really did!  Jolly Lolly is just as perfect as Berry Nice and Miss Pixie!  At one coat (above) or two (below), it tints what's under it without blotting it out.  Sorry that I look radioactive in the photo above...this might have been even more of a bear to photograph than the Berry Nice combo.  I tried every window and lamp in the house!

Jolly Lolly over Zoya Chloe and China Glaze High Roller

I think my verdict is pretty obvious.  The darker shades are must-haves...to the point that I'm a bit tempted to get Mango Mamma, even though I don't really do orange.  They're just that good!  The milky shades are nice too, but aren't as versatile because more than one coat will muddle all but the boldest glitter below.  Still, I don't for a moment regret getting either Creme de Mint or Lilac Coolers.  They make me wish I liked pink and yellow more so I could justify getting Bubble Trouble and Bananarama Love too.  If you wear the whole rainbow and love layering, I think you need all of them!

My swatching bins are still overflowing with so many gorgeous new things!  This has been an amazing Spring so far, and it's not over yet...

MOAR Team Spirit!

So yeah, this is gonna be a regular thing now. My daughter has games every Saturday, plus a few during the week, all through April and May. Gotta support the team!

Colors Used:

Revlon Dreamer

Hard Candy Sugar Rush

Before you ask, I did not attempt that evil heart tutorial from the Beauty Department. (witches. They have to be.) I got a heart punch from Amazon, and used that. SO MUCH SIMPLER. 100% less cursing involved in these hearts. It's just a little tricky using a punch on tape. I suggest applying your tape to a piece of plastic, like a shopping bag, and then punching it. Unless you enjoy cursing? 

Revlon Chroma Chameleon - Amethyst

Sometimes I shrug off a collection, but keep checking it out until one finally wins me over.  Revlon Amethyst did that.  Don't get me wrong, the new LE Chroma Chameleon collection is gorgeous.  Trouble is, it's highly dupey...and for stuff I already have.  I've looked for comparison photos, but I can't find any.  I still made a list of likely dupes.  It's down below the photos.  Amethyst came home with me because I don't think I have anything *quite* like it.  It's reminiscent of things like OPI Not Like The Movies or Wet n Wild Gray's Anatomy, but seems like it has more oomph.  I almost compared them...but then I didn't.

Amethyst is a purple-to-green duochrome with a slightly metallic finish.

two coats over a nude base

They're not dupes, but Amethyst reminds me of a standalone version of Sinful Colors Bali Mist.  It suffers from the same photographic issue as Bali Mist, also being way more purple than my camera wants to admit.  The shift in Amethyst isn't as strong, but the pigment is denser.  These photos are over a nude base, but you don't need it...unless you have a patched nail like I do.  I'll be so happy when it's gone.  Amethyst applies really well, with minimal brushstroking and patchiness.  At one coat it's a bit too sheer, but you can see it's pretty smooth.

one coat over a nude base

If you've read our blog for a while, you know I love to sponge polishes like this.  So glad I did a third coat that way!

three coats, third coat sponged, over a nude base

Comes. To. LIFE!  Sponging just...wow!  I can't even make words about it.  It makes the shift stronger and adds a ton of shimmer.

three coats, third coat sponged, over a nude base

Keep in mind, it's *much* purpler in person. The pinkie almost gives you an idea of it.  The green flash is beautiful too, not as yellow as some.

three coats, third coat sponged, over a nude base

In very bright light, it does something odd but beautiful.  Most duochromes are a bit sun-shy, but Amethyst takes it to another level.  I think it's because of the dark-ish base.  It's less silver and more purple in bright light too, but the green pretty much vanishes.

three coats, third coat sponged, over a nude base

I wore Amethyst over Jungle too.  I think the effect would be about the same over black as over this blackened green.

two coats over Jungle

The dark base provides a different type of amplification, deepening both the green and the purple.

Amethyst already has a fair amount of oomph, but becomes a shifting, glowing chrome beauty.

You even get a suggestion of the blue hinted at by the bottle at extreme angles.

I mentioned above that the Chroma Chameleon collection has a lot of likely dupes.  Please note that I haven't actually done comparisons and these are all based on bottles, swatches, and suspicions.  Here's my list:

Likely Dupe List:

Pink Quartz:
Maybelline Pink Cosmo, China Glaze Swanky Silk, Deborah Lippmann Sugar Daddy

Rose Gold:
Chanel Peridot and its dupes (OPI Just Spotted The Lizard, China Glaze Rare & Radiant, etc)

Amethyst:
Similar, but not dupes- Wet n Wild Gray's Anatomy, Deborah Lippmann Wicked Game, OPI Not Like The Movies, Sinful Colors Bali Mist

Aquamarine:
MO Aqua Violet

Gold:
Chanel Peridot and its dupes (OPI Just Spotted The Lizard, China Glaze Rare & Radiant, etc)

Cobalt:
China Glaze Want My Bawdy

Topaz:China Glaze Unpredictable, Nicole by OPI Mer-made For Each Other

Tanzanite:
Nicole by OPI Iris My Case, China Glaze No Plain Jane

So...should you get the Revlon Chroma Chameleons?  Maybe.  They're small at 0.29oz/8.6mL and they're pricey at around $8-9, but they are pretty and the formula on Amethyst is really nice!  Many of their probable dupes are brushstroke-y.  If you were only going to get one from this collection, I'd say Amethyst or Aquamarine.  I think you could easily pass on Gold and Rose Gold as they look almost identical and have a dupe from almost every brand.

I've worn some outstanding polish over the past few days and I can't wait to show you!  In fact, I often don't wait and you can get sneak peeks on Twitter...if you're so inclined.

Messy Taping and a Matte Coat

I have been on the search for a good coral polish. I thought I had found it here...but on the nail, this stuff is ORANGE. Like "Wow, your fingernails are very orange." orange. I tried to work with the orange by adding some gold, but my tape was noncompliant. (it's been learning from the kids.)

Colors Used: 

Essence Off to Miami

Sally Hansen Gilty Pleasure

Butter London Matte Top Coat

this color makes me look unreasonably tan. I assure you, I am not. 

The Essence polish was very disappointing this time around. I used it before with great results. But this stuff...man. The brush was really wide, and the polish climbed everywhere. I had to use 3 heavy coats to get to a place where there was no streaking. Adding a coat of SV really helped this stuff out, without it I might never have left it on. 

Then I decided to add tape...and of course my tape refused to stick. So I ended up with this very "rustic" triangle shape. In a fit of desperation, I added a matte top coat. Finally! This color really loves the matte. I dunno what it is, but it's just better this way. I might actually wear it again now. But I'll definitely use a different tape.

NYC Fashion Safari and a Pale Nude Showdown

Today accidentally became NYC day on here, didn't it?  I was gonna post this last week....then yesterday.  Allergy season is kicking my ass!  Last month Nichole did something weird.  She....swatched!  That might be rarer than nail art from me.  Her discovery of a decent pale nude from a bargain brand really caught my attention, so I had to see for myself.  I also did the comparison she wanted...and then some!

Fashion Safari is a light nude cream with peachy undertones.

Two coats!  Not bad at all.  This is a way better nude that I'd ever have thought a bargain brand would make...but it has its drawbacks.  Its undertones are very peachy.  It also didn't wear wonderfully on me.  I rarely get chips or lifting lately, but after 24 hours I had lifting on two nails.  It would have chipped if I hadn't reapplied top coat.  Still, for $2 or less...amazing!!  I will be using this as a base often, I'm sure!

I've worn so many nudes recently that I had to see how they stack up.

I- Revlon Trade Winds * M- OPI Don't Pretzel My Buttons
R- NYC Fashion Safari * P- Revlon Sandy Nude

Nichole suggested Don't Pretzel My Buttons, but once I had them both on, I wanted to see how they compared to two of my favorites.  As you can see, Don't Pretzel and Trade Winds are close, but Trade Winds is sheerer.  Fashion Safari and Sandy Nude are close too, but Fashion Safari is pinker.  Trade Winds is the winner for me, but its cool undertones might be wrong for others.

I'm gonna try to post more than once this week!  I'm also swatching like a woman possessed.

NYC Flowers

You'll have to forgive my blurry picture. My camera really is fading fast. I think I'm going to have to learn to use my husbands fancier camera. Sad day for the Pink Beast (thats my cameras name, by the way)

Colors Used:

NYC In A Minute in MoMa

NYC In A Minute in Manhattan

L'Oreal in L'Orange

Sally Hansen Insta-Dri in Lightening

My first Ipsy Bag!

Last year, I had a Birchbox subscription. I loved getting new goodies every month...but I ended up cancelling it because the boxes quickly became underwhelming. Fast forward a few months, and I found myself missing that monthly infusion of tiny things I didn't need. So last month, I decided to sign up for Ipsy. I got my first box last week, and I think I love it!

The Contents!

Sation Nail Laquer in Love at First Byte

Be a Bombshell blush in Sweet Cheeks

Big Sexy Hair Powder Play

Mica Beauty eyeshadow in Earth

A White (why?) cosmetics bag

it all came in a shiny fuschia mailer. Did I mention I love this color?

 I am not much of a blush-wearer. My face, as you saw yesterday, is pretty rosy on its own. I tested this on my wrist first...Holy Pigment, Batman. You have to use a light touch with this stuff, otherwise you may end up being a clown. The eyeshadow is all shimmer and no real payoff, colorwise. But shimmery/sparkly things are always useful. 

 For Science, I put the blush on my face. It really is a strong blush. I had to buff it into submission with my foundation brush. But I kinda don't hate it. The shimmer is not half as obnoxious as I thought it'd be.

I hate those marks from my glasses.

The shimmer looks less stripper-chic than I thought.

 I also tried the blush on my lips with a bit of balm. It's ok, but a little seventh-grade-frosty-pink for me I think.

 And now, for the part I've been dreading and you have all been waiting for: the polish.

I hate it. 

Ok, lemme clarify here. I actually love/adore the formula. It goes on smooth, with no streaking. There is no obnoxious scent to it and it dries pretty quickly. The brush spreads evenly and easily across the nail with very little effort. I didn't have to do much in the way of cleanup at all. If I come across a different color, I will snatch it up like my life depended on it.

I hated this color. Pictured here is something like 5 coats...and I can still see through it. If my nails weren't so yellow, this might have been a really nice sheer polish for daily wear. I can see one or two coats being really nice for a corporate setting. Very professional. I also think this color would be very flattering on women of color. But not for a pasty girl with deeply stained nails.

 With nothing to lose, since I was taking this stuff off anyway, I decided to add glitter. Isn't everything better with glitter?

Nope. 

Well, it wasn't a total loss. I didn't hate this as much as I thought I would. I bet it would have looked better if I had done polish+glitter+polish+glitter+polish. Still...my first Sation is going in a swap*.

I used Essie's Set in Stones

*If you are interested in this polish, lemme know in the comments or on twitter. I will gladly swap this for an equivalent polish.

My Attempt at the "No Makeup" Makeup Look

It's no secret that I love makeup. It is fun and pretty, and comes in pretty little containers that make me smile just to see them. What most people (who don't actually know me in reality) know is that I rarely wear makeup. I'm trying to change that, because I really do look better with just a little bit of something on my face. Getting older is so awesome. 

So this is me, fresh from the shower with dried-but-not-styled hair.

Seen Here:

Nars Softtouch Shadow Pencil in Hollywoodland

Flawless Definition Volumizing mascara from BareMinerals

Too Faced Shadow Insurance

NYX blush in Taupe

BareMinerals eyeshadow in Satin Ruffle

BareMinerals Original Foundation in Fair

BareMinerals concealer in Bisque

Smashbox Photo Finish Color Correcting Primer in green

Covergirl LipPerfertion Jumbo Gloss Balm in Berry Twist #230

What I look like with all that stuff on my face:

I can fix my hair...sorta. Also, it's green.

I didn't fill my brows at all, because they are pretty dark on their own. But if I am wearing ALL THE MAKEUP, I will fill them in a little bit. It just makes everything look more pulled together.

I used Satin Ruffle all over my eyes. It is pretty sheer, and just has the faintest hint of shimmer. But not so much that it accentuates the crepey skin around my eyes. Then I used a fluffy shadow brush to add a little Taupe blush into the socket of my eye and under the outer third of my lower lash line for a little extra definition. I applied the Hollywoodland at the inner corners, because I feel like that makes me look a bit more awake and refreshed. It's a really great soft champagney gold color that is pretty flattering for most skintones I think. Then I sorta-curled my lashes and applied one coat of mascara to the top and bottom lashes. For my lips, I just used one swipe of the Covergirl stuff. Generally, I'm a hater of Covergirl, but I really like these balm sticks. They last a suprisingly long time.

decent view of the shading on my eyes. I think it looks pretty natural.

Hollywoodland. I really love this stuff.

Sillyness and a Bit of a Rant

Someone I follow on the Twitter (follow me here if you want) posted a link to a slideshow about beauty products that "you never knew existed, but might actually need." Most of them I've heard of, some I hadn't...but one just stopped me dead. I'm not known around here for finding the best deals on things, that is Amanda's department. But I hate spending money for things that I can buy far cheaper elsewhere. This product was one of those things.

I do kinda love that it's pink.

It is a spatula for getting to that hard-to-reach product in those obnoxious little pots. Which, by the way, I never hated so much before I let my nails get long. For $9.99, you get two of them measuring seven and ten inches long, respectively. I suppose that could be handy for scooping lotion of out big bottles. I dunno, I have always let gravity do the heavy lifting in that department. It's also dishwasher safe, which is nice. This product is available at Walmart, so I might have to keep an eye out for it. I'm curious.

But in case you don't have $9.99 to spend on a set of long handled spatulas, there are many other options:

A set of four teaspoons, the kind with the long handle.

A skinny-ass spatula

A pack of 50 cosmetic spatulas. 

500 tongue depressors.

Basically, what I'm saying here is this: This product is completely practical and usefull. I can see a thousand things that it could be used for around my own home. But in the interests of not wasting money that could be spent on polish or make-up, investigate some cheaper options. They are definitely out there.

Revlon Jungle and Trade Winds

Revlon and designer Gucci Westman have been collaborating on seasonal collections for a couple of years now and good things always seem to come from the pairing.  I think I have at least one polish from each of her past collections.  I bought Forbidden from the Shanghai collection last fall to review here, but somehow it fell off my to-do list.  I bought two of the four new ColorStay shades from this year's Pacific Coast collection, Jungle and Trade Winds.  When Emma Stone is the model, I know from past experience that the colors they put on her will flatter me too.  I could never have guessed that something *this* perfect would happen...


Trade Winds is a warm bisque with cool undertones.

Know what else is pale and warm, with cool undertones?  ME!!  Trade Winds matches me so well that it was hard to find a word to describe its color.  I thought I had found my ideal nude in Sandy Nude, but this is even closer!  Compared to this perfection, Sandy Nude looks almost harshly peach.  I found myself staring at Trade Winds many times, just stunned by the perfection of the match.  It's even closer than the photo suggests!  The formula is on the sheer side, taking three coats and still showing a hint of the nail line in some lighting.  I might use four coats if my nails were longer.  Two is plenty for a base for other colors, since it's not streaky.

I've noticed the more I've worn ColorStay polishes that they don't seem to ever fully cure.  They're all still slightly dent-able even days later.  I also get tipwear quickly one some Colorstays (including Trade Winds, sadly) and tip shrinkage if I put something else over them after a day or two.  If you're going to top one of these shades, do it quickly!  It's nothing that will stop me from wearing them though.  I don't use the ColorStay base and top coats, so it may be my fault.  I'm not sure.  I've tried their base coat, and it smells like melted plastic.  I couldn't get past that.


Jungle is a very dark warm-toned green cream.

On me Jungle never looks black, but I can see others having trouble with that.  The application wasn't the best.  It has that odd thick-yet-runny problem that some polishes have.  Little bit of flooding and tiny bubbles.  Nothing too bad, obviously, since you can't really tell in the photo.  This is two coats.  I didn't compare, but it's probably close to OPI Here Today, Aragon Tomorrow and its dupes (I have FingerPaints Tough Art To Follow).  Maybe a little bluer...but I didn't compare.


I did compare Trade Winds and a discontinued Sally Hansen shade, Cafe Au Lait.

Trade Winds * Cafe Au Lait * Trade Winds - three coats of each

They're not dupes, but they're pretty damn close in most light.  Cafe Au Lait is pinker, sheerer, and has a slight shimmer.  Weird little note here...I don't actually own Cafe Au Lait.  I picked up a bottle for a friend who's kinda hoarding it and I'm bad and haven't sent it yet.  When she wondered in writing how close they were, I asked if I should/could borrow a nail's worth from her.  Since Trade Winds *might* be added to the core ColorStay line in the next few months, it could be a good replacement for those mourning the loss of Cafe Au Lait.  The reason for my hunch is that it was spotted in the Target ColorStay core by kristel0106 at the MakeupAlley Nail Board and several previous Gucci Westman shades (and other items like eye shadows) have become part of their core lines....so it looks like my nude might be a permanent shade, at least for a while!  It's also a delightful/scary early reminder that we're coming up on drugstore clearance season again!  Last year's early summer clearance binge was the final straw that pushed me into wanting to blog and tipped me into my frenzy of polish shopping.


Sorry for being gone for almost a week.  I was sick enough to wear the same polish for like six days!  That's almost a record for me.  I did swatch something on Monday, but then I put Trade Winds back on those four fingers...and I only took it off yesterday!  I'm feeling a bit better, but the thing I wanted to post tomorrow will have to wait for Monday...because today's post was supposed to be Monday's.  Erg.  Between feeling crappy and the patch, swatching is haaard right now.

Coconut Oil is Awesome

I like natural-ish stuff. I like DIY stuff. When I can put the two together, I am a happy housewife. Coconut oil is one of those magical things that can pretty much do it all. It's great for hair, skin, cosmetics, cooking, and other adult activities. (I can't vouch for that, but I did read the wikipedia page.) 

Hair Uses: 

Except for the last bullet, because I am obviously not an expert in black hair care, I have tried all of these with great results. You may have a different reaction. Use at your own peril here. 

• As a "hot oil" treatment, you can take a small spoonfull right out of the jar and use it just like that. Warm it up in your hands (it's solid until about 75F) and then apply it to your hair. Wrap your head in a towel and let your body heat help it soak in for half an hour or so. Shampoo and condition like normal, and your hair will be soft and shiny after your shower.
• As a frizz treatment. Take a tiny, tiny amount and warm it up in your hands. Then just smooth it over your hair the same way you would and frizz cream. It'll have the added effect of making your hair super shiny too. But a word of caution: a little dab it all you need. A very little goes a looong way with this stuff.
• More labor intensive hot oil treatments. I love this set of recipes from Crunchy Betty. She's even got some great recipes there for infusing your oil with herbs. Not only will your hair be awesome, but the house will smell delicious!
• According to the internets, coconut oil is apparently brilliant for the hair of people of african descent. I do remember that "african" (I honestly dunno what else to call it.) hair has a much more open cuticle and is therefore more prone to damage. So I imagine that coating it in oil would protect it a bit. I found this article, which seems to support my assumption here. Whether or not it's true, the oil isn't going to hurt.

Skin Uses:

The only thing I worry about with using coconut oil on the skin is that it is pretty high on the comodogenic scale, which means it'll clog your pores. But some people have used it for years with no adverse effects. Your Mileage May Vary. I don't use it on my face at all, so attempt this stuff at your own peril.

• It's almost a no-brainer that coconut oil would be great for removing make-up. Just like olive oil, baby oil, etc. It should remove waterproof mascara and eyeliner fairly easily.
• I found a recipe for DIY eye cream. I've seen this all over pinterest, but I don't personally know anyone who has tried this. I am very prone to millia, so I would never use this on my eye area. But it's definitely an idea that the more adventurous should investigate. Just not me. Ever.
• Body moisturizer. I have tried this before, and was more or less pleased. It definitely softened my elbows and knees, and left my legs very smooth without being greasy. I wouldn't do this if you were planning to be outdoors all day...unless you wanted to see what bacon feels like. I imagine you would fry yourself pretty quickly. I also don't really recommend it for your feet. A product like vaseline does a much better job of softening hard feet that coconut oil did for me...and I even tried the "socks overnight" method. 
• After manicure care. I do this all the time! I just scratch the inside of the jar with my nail, and that is enough to cover my knuckles and cuticles with oil. It heals all the damage that my acetone remover causes. It'll also give your bare nails a lovely shine. Just don't try to use your smartphone or open a door for a while afterwards. You will regret it.
• You could also add a very small amount to your bathwater. Like I mentioned earlier, it melts at a pretty low temperature, so bathwater would dissolve it competely. And a little oil in the bath is so nice, it'll make your skin very soft. Just be careful, it'll also make you and the bathtub slippery. Please don't kill yourself.

As for cooking and cosmetics, well, there are too many uses to list here. Any recipe that you would cook something in olive oil, butter, what-have-you...just use coconut oil. It fries things as well as anything else. In cosmetics, I've only made lip balms so far. But it seems to work very well with beeswax and other oils.

TL;DR is get some coconut oil. You probably won't regret it.

Nail Polish is Good for More Than Just Nails

I have some pretty awesome neighbors. Every holiday, they always have some little treat for my brats. For Easter, they outdid themselves by getting two HUGE baskets full of toys. Quite a few of the toys didn't survive the first day. (I really should volunteer these kids to be QC testers. If they can't break it, it must be invincible.) 

One of the things they were the most broken-up about was the crown. They love crowns. After glueing the jewels in two or three times, I finally gave up. As I was about to throw it out, I spied a nail polish pendant I made...and an idea was born. Why couldn't I just paint the jewels in? Gods know that I have enough polish to paint a small castle. So I did. And I must say, it turned out pretty decent...and kid-proof!

Colors Used:

Sally Hansen Insta Dri Speedy Sunburst

Sinful Colors Let's Talk

Random Color Club glitters I picked up at Ross

the crown, minus the plastic jewels.
That pink spot is my cameras reflection. Yes, my camera is pink.

This is the asshole who kept shaking the lightbox while I tried to take pictures.
She also put a bunch of holes in the paper.

Paint the jewels in. I recommend against using the SC for this.
Not nearly opaque enough.

Add glitter. It's the most important part.