Desert Essence Coconut Shine & Refine Hair Lotion

One of my favorite items from Influenster's Naturals'12 VoxBox that I received for free in order to try and review was Desert Essence's Coconut Shine & Refine Hair Lotion.  This extremely coconutty white lotion promises to make your hair healthier and shinier, while taming frizzies and fly aways.  Also, it's very coconutty.  Did I mention that?  In fact, it's so coconutty that I can't wear it around my friend that's sensitive to coconut.

Lypsyl Intense Protection LypMoisturizer



I think it's the little bee-fly hybrid that gets me every time.

 One of the items that I received in my free 2012 Influenster Naturals box in order to try and review was LypSyl's Intense Protection Lypmoisturizer. 

Superfluous ys ahoy!

Covergirl & Olay Tone Rehab 2-in-1 Foundation

When it comes to foundations of this type, I've never been able to get past the whole "it's for gracefully aging women of a certain age" thing that is implied.  At least, it's implied to me.  Is it implied to anyone else?  Nope, I suspect that this one is my own special little hang up.  However, this one I can get away with, because it improves skin tone and helps to increase radiance.  Nope, not calling me old at all.  No way, nuh-uh.

Circus by Andrea's Choice: Ringmaster and Spectacle

I had previously reviewed two other shades in this line, and they didn't fare too well.  In fact, I'd go as far as labeling 'em pretty crappy.  Because of this, I kinda groaned when my daughter and I received Ringmaster and Spectacle in our August Glambags.  Still, I'm a polish fetishist, so I thought I'd give them a chance.  I'm very, very glad I did. 

Sugarpill Limited Edition Pressed Eyeshadow in @#$%!

I have a slight obsession with Sugarpill eyeshadow, and when I learned that a limited edition shade was available at IMATS earlier this year, I really wanted it.  Like oh so badly wanted it.  Alas, I was unable to procure this treasure (or the ones from a previous IMATS).

CIRCUS by Andrea's Choice polish: Reverso and Spectacle

Stock image of the polishes.

I received two of these polishes via my (and technically my daughter's) monthly Glambag subscriptions in the month of July.  I was highly looking forward to getting the polish, because I've been desperately searching for a white polish that I love.  At the time, we were not aware of the alternate color available.  My bag contained the yellow polish, Somersault, and my daughter got the white, Revereso.  These colors won't be available until the fall of this year.

BZZ, Covergirl, and Nostalgia.

I was able to get into BzzAgen'ts promo for Covergirl & Olay's swirly foundation line, Tone Rehab 2-in-1 Foundation.  They will be sending me a free bottle of foundation and a free compact of pressed powder in my normal shade, Ivory, in order to try out and review.  I'll post more on that when I actually get it.

Truthfully, like a lot of people, I've worn Covergirl ever since I started wearing makeup.  It was my first makeup brand, so I've got a lot of nostalgia for both it and Max Factor.  To this day, the smell of both Covergirl's Clean Liquid Makeup, and the old Max Factor pan cakes (do they still make these any more?) are among some of my favorite scents.

2012 Allure Fall Beauty Box Contents

So I've been scoping the 2012 Fall Beauty Box from Allure for sometime.  This goes on sale July 24th at noon EST, and if similar to the other beauty boxes, it will sell out within hours.  These boxes are fantastic buys, touting over $300 in products for $39.99 (plus shipping and possibly tax).  Yep, all the items are full sized.

July 2012 Birchbox run down

This is a quick run down of the box I received for Birchbox's July box.  This box was a co-op with Glamour magazine and run under the heading of "smell it, touch it, taste it, hear it, see it."  I was highly unimpressed with the products in this box.  This box shows that they pay 0% attention to your "beauty profile."  While they can't help that I didn't like the perfume, and that the eyeliner didn't perform well for me, they DO have the information in my profile that 1.)  SUPER DRY SKIN IS MY MAJOR SKIN CARE CONCERN.  2.)  MY SKINTONE IS SUPER FAIR.  Gotta admit, though, I loved the packaging this month. 

Fing'rs Edge Nail Strips

I spotted the Fing'rs Edge nail strips while wandering around my local Family Dollar Store one day looking for my daughter a box of sidewalk chalk.  I had been interested in trying these newfangled nail stickers for a long time, but haven't been able to catch other brands at a cheap enough price point to justify a try-out.  I usually change my nail polish on a daily basis.  Can a person have nail art related ADD?

Product of the Month: Atelier Cologne Vanille Insensee



"He wove through the crowd when suddenly his heart quickened. That scent. It was hers. He had worn it first until she stole it for herself. Now, there she was before him and the magic of years past came flooding back in a moment."

 When I was first given this perfume, I rolled my eyes.  I absolutely despise vanilla based perfume.  One of my worst nightmares is that I'm stuck back in the early 90s, and a horde of female zombies absolutely coated with Coty's Vanilla Fields have me trapped in a tiny room.  The zombie part I can handle; it's the Vanilla Fields that gets to me.  Blegh.  If there's a symbol for everything I never want to be, that perfume may very well be it. 

2012 Influenster "Mom Box" rundown

What do you mean, clean off the table next time?

Here is a quick rundown of the items I received in Influenster's 2012 MomVoxBox. Through their program, I was able to get a whole box of goodies to try and review. Yay!

ImPRESS press on manicure

The promotional image for the nails.  They're nowhere near that dark.

One of the items I received as a freebie to try and review from Influenster in their MomVox was the Impress Press-On Manicure.

The advertisements promise:

• NO DRY TIME!  (It's an adhesive backed plastic fingernail, so why is this an issue?)
• SUPERIOR LASTING SHINE (They are quite glossy and pretty)
• EASY REMOVAL (As long as you're done wearing them. I couldn't get them off without messing up the nail to reposition them)
• LASTS UP TO A WEEK (I've never had press on nails last more than a day - after an hour, the first one fell off.)
  

June 2012 Birchbox

Stock image of my June Birchbox

In June, the theme for the Birchboxes was a travel/summer fun theme.  This is a quick rundown of the box I received.

BIC Soleil Savvy Razors (Bzz Campaign report)

A few months ago, I signed up for a promo company called BzzAgent.  If you are accepted into a campaign, companies send you products to try out, and if you honestly like the products, recommend to people you know.  For my first campaign, I was invited to try out BIC's new Soleil Savvy Razors.

In a nutshell, they're standard triple-bladed cartridge razors.  However, they're made with the idea that replaceable cartridges are friggin' expensive and most people don't buy them. 

June 2012 Glambag (part 1)




♪ Eyeliner and lipstick and bags covered in glitter.... ♪

 

This month was my first ever Glambag, and I was quite excited to get it in.  Included this month were:  Marbella felt eyeliner, NYX round lipstick, Philosophy Take a Deep Breath moisturizer, and Living Proof frizz nourishing styling cream.

MAC x Beth Ditto Pro Longwear Creme in Dear Diary



My glorious stick, in a totally original pose.

  
I do not understand my obsession with bright pink lipsticks.  Currently I own around 7, and I currently wear 0 with any regularity.  Every time I see one, I'm like a magpie.  I have to stop and stare at the shiny.  MUST POSSESS.  It never fails.  The kicker is that they really don't flatter me at all.  I'm way too pale to pull off a shade like this.  Fortunately (maybe?  I'm not sure on this one) that's never stopped me from wearing what I want.  I think this obsession started around the time that MAC launched their super-hard to get Dress Camp collection featuring the drool-worthy (in my not-so-humble opinion) Too Fab.

 

May 2012 Birchbox Glamour Girl box

The subject of whelm.



Pictured above is Birchbox's stock image for the box that I received during the month of May, which was their Glamour Girl promotion.  Like a dummy, I never took a picture of my actual box or any of it's contents, lol.

I don't watch television, so I'm not familiar with the show at all.  If I were to guess, it revolves around late teen to mid-twenties girls living in New York and having a lot drama.  Possibly gossip is involved somewhere.  I was, however, very familiar with the brands that they advertised prominently during the campaign.  I didn't receive any of them, though. 

Hit List

Items that I'm currently drooling for:

This page is randomly updates as I remember too. I'm willing to negotiate and/or trade for anything listed here. :D

Cult Nails:  Deal With It

About Me

Hi there!  I'm Christina/Kirari and this is my blog.  I like to write about beauty items, brag about my latest finds, and get uber excited about upcoming things that I probably shouldn't get quite so excited about.  I'm an early thirties plus-sized pseudo-goth social worker who likes to refer to herself as a drag queen in a woman's body.  Two of my favorite things are dark lipstick and glitter.

I started this blog to collect my thoughts on some of the purchases that I've been making.  I spend a massive amount of money on beauty products every month, lol.  I love bold, daring looks, and I wear what I want.  My makeup is part of my art; I do it because I love it.  I do what I do to be me, not for attention.  If I wanted attention, I'd wear a wedding dress and run screaming down the road with a frying pan on my head.

My opinions are my own.  I don't sugar coat them.  I'm sure I could be bought for the right amount of money, but I've not been offered it yet.  :(  That means that no matter how I obtained the item I review, my review is going to be honest.  Unless there's a serious pile of money.  Then I'm sure I'll talk about miracles while posting pictures of me reclining in said pile of money.

Did I mention that I would like to recline in a serious pile of money?  My contact information is up top.  :D