Christmas NOTD 3: Gingerbread Men

This design turned into a fail. It was supposed to be gingerbread men, but they look more like amorphic alien blobs. That sometimes happens when I try to freehand nail art. I might try these again; I haven't decided. Anyway, I wanted to share this anyway because I like the idea of gingerbread men nails, even if it didn't turn out so well.

I used Ardene Barely There as a base, Rimmel Hot Cocoa for the gingerbread men, Wet n Wild Black Creme for the buttons, and SH Xtreme Wear Blue Me Away for the eyes. I forgot mouths, which is another reason they look so wrong. :/

This is what a month's worth of nail polish hauling looks like (part two)

In part one, I covered my Orly, OPI, and China Glaze hauls, so here are my drugstore nail polishes from the past month. I'm going to blame most of these purchases not only on good sale prices, but also airmiles.

First up: Rimmel 60 Seconds. My sister and I had both been eying Grey Matter for a while. As I'm sure you all know Xtreme Wear Wet Cement isn't available in Canada (grrr) and I'd been searching for a grey creme. So, when Pharma Plus had Rimmel cosmetics on sale (plus 25 airmiles when you buy three), I bought Grey Matter, Red Carpet, and Night Before. I told my sister that I would franken a dupe for Grey Matter then give her the original. That was silly of me because 30 seconds after opening the bottle I knew I couldn't give it up. So, I had to buy another for her, and remember it was a buy three deal so I had no choice but to choose two others. ;) This time I chose Rapid Ruby and Deliciously Dark. (Up to 50 airmiles, for anyone counting)

Pharma Plus also had NYC cosmetics on sale (again, 25 airmiles when you buy three) so I bought pretty much every colour they had. For under $2 each, and the formula is pretty good, I figured this was a good time to stock up. Most of their colours are pretty basic but I did get a few nice pinks and reds.

Top Row: Lincoln Center, MoMA, Penn Station. Middle Row: Greenwich Village, Mulberry Street, West Village. Bottom Row: Manhattan, Park Avenue, Wall Street. These pics are probably the least accurate in terms of colour, but I'll have swatches coming up for each. (75 airmiles)

That's it for the bonus airmiles. Now I have to decide if I should spend them or save up for something extra-special. Do any of you collect airmiles? What have you redeemed them for? I have to admit I'm a bit of a sucker for rewards programs, though the only thing I've actually traded in points for was a CD years ago.

Back to the nail polish. The rest that I bought last month were pretty much just random drugstore polishes that caught my eye. SH HD DVD, Wet n Wild Megalast Bite the Bullet and Under Your Spell, SH Xtreme Wear Pink Boa, SH Insta-Dri Petal Pusher, SH New Lengths Ceramics Urban Chic. I also bought a black crackling polish on eBay and a random iridescent sheer at a dollar store. The final two I'd been considering  for ages but put off because they're a little expensive for how much you get and I'd heard the formula isn't great. On the other hand, I've been craving colour-change nail polish. So I finally let myself buy them during one of Claire's perpetual BOGO 1/2 off sales. After a fair amount of debating, I settled on Wild/Calm and Mellow/Crazy. 

That's it. All my nail polish from the past month. After seeing it all laid out here, I've decided it's time for a low-buy. I'm only allowed to buy polishes if they are either on an amazing sale or limited edition. I wouldn't want to miss out on holiday collections, of course. But I definitely do have to slow down the spending.

Review: Rimmel Colour Rush Trio Eyeshadow

Rimmel Colour Rush Trio Eyeshadow in Maritime. Photo is with flash. Swatches on the left with primer; on the right, without.

Overall, I didn't like this eye shadow. Although the colours look really nice in the pan, they aren't well pigmented. Even with primer, these shadows are too sheer for anything but a very subtle shimmer. That said, they do blend well. I prefer brighter, more pigmented colours, but if you're just looking for a hint of colour it might be for you.

I also bought Spices, a neutral trio. None of the colours even showed up on my (very pale) skin.

Would I buy again? No.