I'm Melting!

Hello, Fireflies!

Here in Florida, it is a gazillion degrees.  Everything is melting. My makeup, my ice cream, the polar icecaps... usually, it's a bad thing.

Not for Too Faced Melted lippies, though.  I've been coveting them since the first reviews came out, but at $21, they were a little more than I wanted to pay. 

Then, Ulta had a coupon that could be applied to prestige brands, and I bought the two I wanted most:  Fig and Ruby.

Fig is a muted mauve that leans purple.  It's a very wearable shade, but it's not boring.  If you're wanting to try the Radiant Orchid trend, but the idea of bright purple lips is too much, you might like Fig.

I didn't want Ruby.  I didn't.  I have way too many red lipsticks, and I didn't need another one.

Until I swatched it on my hand at Sephora.  Then, I was done.

Ruby is a bit of a chameleon.  It's a bright red, but the pink undertones are strong, so if you only put on a little, it leans fuchsia.  As it wears, you also get that fuchsia stain.  It's unique in my collection of reds, for sure.

Both of these felt great on, with decent staying power.  I like that they 'set' and didn't feel slippery like a gloss, but also didn't feel drying like a matte.  I definitely want more.  I think Melted Candy and Melted Berry are next on my radar.

What is your fave red or purple lippie?

Taupe and Mauve

Today's taupe is a mushroomy-brown with a golden shimmer from L'oreal called Brit Invasion.  If you read the numerous reviews on the beauty blogs about this polish, there are the lovers and the 'meh's.  I'm a lover.  I dig brown, and I dig the golden shimmer.

Gorgeous as it is, I can't sometimes help myself and add a little more.  I thought that Mattese Elite Je' Taime would add to the golden glow, but it pert much took over!  I'm sure with another coat, it would be opaque. 

I love brown and gold together, and this brown-taupe provides such a lovely backdrop for the golden glittery holo goodness of Je' Taime.

Today's mauve starts out with a color I would expect to be a deep brown from the name.  Sally Hansen Insta-Dry in Expresso is either the coffee spelled wrong, or just a cruel trick.  Exmauvo is dumb name, though, so I'll stick with Expresso.

Not that this glitter needed much of an undie.  NOPI Just Busta Mauve is pretty opaque.  I love how all the micro-glitters just mesh right together.  It's mostly mauve, with some glitters in pink and BLUE.  Blue?  Totally unexpected, and yet, it works. 

Are you team Taupe or team Mauve?  Me, I like them both... and I like saying taupe and mauve, too.  Taupe... Mauve...

Bulls-eye!

I am a shameless, shameless copycat.  When I saw this design on Polish Crazed, I had to try it for myself.  I have experimented with dotticures before, but I hadn't seen how to do this illusion of having part of the dots disappear.

Well, I'm going to pull back the curtain, and show you the magic.  Shh, don't tell anyone.

I started with polishes that I pilfered, uh, swapped for, at the CFL Beauty Bloggers meeting.  This is 2 coats of Zoya Megan.  It photographed a little blue, but it actually looked grey with a hint of purple on me.  I love the color, but it's a little stark on me.  I'm a sucker for a mini bottle, though.  Too darn cute.

A little nail art will break up that brightness.  First I added dots of Sephora for OPI On Stage, a mauve color.  I'd never used any of the Sephora OPIs before.  It worked very well for this mani, if a little quick-drying, which is usually a plus.

Then, I added dots of another OPI for Sephora, Metro Chic, a purple-leaning taupe. This color had a little looser formula, a little watery.  You can tell that the dots spread farther, and are a little translucent in places.

Next, every dot got re-dotted with the Zoya Megan, and the illusion begins.  It looks like chunks of the dots are missing.  I liked creating crescent moon shapes, but the bullseye comes from getting the second dot right in the middle.

The illusion is completed when you take a smaller dotting tool and dot the original color in the center of the 2nd dot.  When it's all done and topcoated, you can't even tell the difference between the base coat and the 2nd dot. See?  Magic.
 

Right hand:

Do you like this version of a dotticure?  Are you ready to astound your friends and family with a little magic? :)