The Great ColourPop Experiment

Last year, I discovered the magic that was Kat Von D's Everlasting Liquid Lipstick and my life was changed. It happened, like most things in my life, because of Broadway. I found out that Jasmine Cephas Jones used "Outlaw" for her role as Maria Reynolds in Hamilton and immediately had to acquire this magic because I had been dying over it for MONTHS. 

(Related: If anyone knows what lip shade/brand Jessie Mueller was wearing for her Waitress performance in the Tonys last year, PLEASE FIND ME BECAUSE I NEED TO KNOW AND THE INTERNET HASN'T HELPED ME YET.)

Anyway, so yes, Outlaw became my signature red (and I LIVE for red lipstick). The only thing I don't love about it is that it isn't really everlasting; I can't drink when I'm wearing it and it gets all over everything and the fact that it's decently drying. What a bummer. 

Fast forward to a few weeks ago when ColourPop had a sale where their lip products were $4 each. I had inherited a few Lippie Sticks from them when one of my friends ridded out her makeup stash (shout-out to Emily for the endless supply of products that I will forever receive with gladness) and I liked the feel and the shades that they had, so I was totally down to spend $4 on a few good shades. 

I got a pink, a red (more on this later), a black (WHICH I HAD NEEDED AND I LOVE SO MUCH), and a primer. 

I wasn't in the habit of using lip primer, but let me tell you, it was simply magic. I tried it along with one of my new lip paints and was amazed at the staying power. My lipstick did not budge and did not dry. And it was MATTE. Glorious. 

This prompted an experiment. 

What if I tried the primer with my Kat Von D? Would it work? There was only one way to find out. 

So I went about my day and if you think that lipstick is going to keep me from eating tasty things, you are out of your mind. It was a normal day. I ate lunch per usual, drank coffee, and drank water. I didn't have high expectations, but I did a couple check-ins with a mirror front-facing selfie cam throughout the day and was surprisingly okay. 

The end of day test was amazing. 

There was fading on the inside of my lips, but the outside looked fine. A little duller, but still true to color. The dryness was still there, but it was more manageable. There was a moisture barrier if you will. I didn't feel like I could literally reach up and peel off the lipstick. 

It was great. 

The primer's become a daily staple and I'm super pleased with it. It works better with some lipsticks and paints than others, but overall, I like it. 

As an added bonus, I did a swatch test with the red lip color. In the picture below, the top swatch is ColourPop and the bottom is Kat Von D. They're almost exact duplicates with a $16 price difference. I am sold. 

So yes. ColourPop. They always have sales. Their colors are on point. And their primer is literally magic. What else could you want for $4?

Ulta3 Nail Colour

 I didn’t used to care about my nails at all. Then one day, my best friend introduced me to SimplyNailogical on YouTube, I learned quick cheats to do my nails in all kinds of fun ways (EASILY!) and became a manicure convert.

Because of my love of nail polish, my Ipsy bag typically includes at least one nail polish type product in it. For my first two bags, I received muted tones (soft pink, nude beige) so I was psyched to find that I had a glorious, fiery red in the September bag.

Full disclosure: I’m a China Glaze/ OPI girl traditionally because that’s what I can find at Ulta Beauty on most days for $10 and less and also, both brands go on super smooth. Ulta3 is an Australian brand (which I’ve found is true for most of the best brands, e.g. Fun Lacquer, Picture Polish, etc. What’s up with that, Aussies?). Typically I don’t get to try any of those brands because shipping is positively outrageous so I went into this prepared to be wowed and, quite honestly, inspired to spend all the money on shipping.

I slapped on some nail polish last night with the typical regimen, but I left out the top coat because, one, I wanted to see how it wore on its own and two, it was late and I was feeling lazy, to be honest. However, most of my nail polishes have gone the no-top coat route at least once and are good for a couple of days before they start to chip. Not so for Ulta3.

The chipping was immediate, the first bits sloughing off during my morning routine. As I’m typing this, three of my nails have at least half of the polish chipped off. That’s insanity. I’ve had drugstore brands that have lasted longer than that. The color is phenomenal, but that’s hardly helpful if the color won’t stay.

Tarteist Lash Paint Mascara

An ode to mascara.

Oh mighty mascara.

You raise my eyelashes so they can stand on mountains

And also so that they can pick up a stiff breeze on said mountains

Eyelashes for days.

Amen.

 

If you’ve discussed makeup at all with me, you know that mascara is my go-to and my number one staple. I got pinkeye last summer and was devastated not only because, you know, pink oozing eye, but also because it meant that I had to discard ALL OF THE MASCARA.

Imagine the joy when I got my September Ipsy bag and found Tarteist Lash Paint. I’ve used Tarte before; I have a liquid lip color from them and was excited to try out their mascara. When I put it on, I was instantly in love. My eyelashes extended to my eyebrows (note: exaggeration, not actual fact) and they were beautiful and thick. I was so pleased.

For about two hours.

Ipsy described the mascara as long-lasting, but this wasn’t the case for me at all. The days that I tried out the mascara were humid and hot and I sweated a lot. Unfortunately, my mascara didn’t run, it pooled. It gathered into a dusty line at the base of my lower eye and made me look like I’d lost a fight. My friends noticed it too. Argh!

I’m waiting for some mascara that I ordered from Mary Kay to come in and am using the Lash Paint in the meantime. To be fair, without the sticky humidity, I’ve not noticed as much gathering at the base of my eye, but it still doesn’t stay put.

Maybe it’s my body chemistry; I’m not saying this won’t work for everyone. But I certainly won’t spend money on this product. Tarte is still a great brand and I highly recommend their lip color. If you have a subscription to a makeup box or something like that, it’s worth using from time to time if you don’t need long wear. But that’s all that I can recommend myself.