Monday, October 4, 2010

K2K's Drugstore Binge...it happened.

I have insomnia. I've had it all my life. In the last year or so I've found some drugs that work beautifully, helping me to sleep at night without being habit-forming. However, if I miss the time I need to take them, I just skip it because taking my pills late makes it hard for me to get my booty up for work in the morning - consequently I get no sleep.

Such a sleepless night occurred recently, and I had this itch - nay, urge - to buy polish. I had secretly been lusting after a couple of drug store beauties, but I didn't want to stray from my very strict "brand rule". (Created to limit my spending, and, more importantly, so all the bottles look pretty and uniform in their little box...Yeah.) I broke down - for the first time, really - and drove around the town(s) like a madwoman.

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Mystic Lilac:

(in normal light)


(washed out, but you can see the green shimmer nicely here)


Murky lavender with a very interesting green shimmer. Pretty, unique, but it might be a little too "My Little Pony" for me? I know its really popular, and I can see why, but I'm not totally feeling it for some reason. I honestly thought this would be my fav of the bunch.


Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Purple Gala:

(two-finger swatch!)


(check out how glittery this is - wow!)


Dense but fine purple and gold glitter in a purple base. Totally not me, but kind of appealing and definitely fun. The fine grain of the glitter makes this one much more wearable, but like ML, it also reminds me of the days of Lisa Frank and I'm not sure if I can pull it off!


Maybelline Express Finish Gray-T Glamour:


(OK I swapped for this one - I went to like 4 drugstores this fateful night trying to find it. I was in a frenzy of rage.)

I've been looking for a good grey, and I had high hopes for this one. While I do like it - and I really like that it has a little secret shimmer - it is probably a little too blue-toned for my taste. (Keep in mind everything turns bluer on me...I was hoping it would look gorgeous like it did on Adrienne here, but no dice.) This will stay in my arsenal until a better grey comes along.

Drugstore binge verdict? Meh. I know I can't judge all drugstore polishes by these 3, but the brushes on both brands annoyed me - not the brushes themselves, but the wands pick up so much product, making it difficult to get the right amount of polish onto your nail. Also, even though I used my normal base coat/top coat combos, my Gray-T Glamour full mani chipped on day 2. Lamesauce.

This kind of feels like the morning after a night out. I drank too much, ate greasy food, and now I've woken up and I'm not sure if I regret the whole thing, even if it was fun. I figured, for a couple bucks each (I think the Xtreme Wears were $3 a pop?), I could try them out, and if I fell in love, fab - if not, then I can just swap them or give them to someone and I'll still have gotten my moneys worth. Still, I'm not sure I'm going to do this ever again...I feel a little full and bloated.

What do you think of my drugstore binge? Do you have a 'brand rule' or any rule you stick to in order to limit your spending?

kittytokaren