Prettiest Pretty Princess: Pink Positivity

Today is not my favorite day. It's the twelfth anniversary of my dad's passing, and it really doesn't get easier. On top of that, I got to deal with some less than fun insurance excitement, and the puppy decided to get a tummy bug. It's been a banner day around the Smith house!

To fight the urge to curl up in a sock drawer and sleep for days (points for reference!), I've decided to focus on the positive. I like pink. It's not my favorite color--that's teal, if you were wondering--but it tends to make me feel all bright and cheerful, and darn it, I need that today. So, in honor of pink, I'm pulling out two of my current favorite pink products to review for you. Spoiler Alert: they're both really good.

First up is E.L.F.'s Jumbo Lip Gloss Stick in Summer Nights. This has become my go-to lip product for the Summer. It's so hot and humid that about all I can wear is a little tinted moisturizer and cream products, so the overall look tends to lean towards "farmer's market" or "I've had the flu, and you're lucky I tried this hard". My main goal is to avoid scaring small children, really. Anyhoo, this is the quintessential "my lips but better" lip color. It's glossy, non-sticky, extremely user-friendly, and feels very moisturizing. Yes, there is a little glitter, and yes, you can feel it, but not enough to make it a deal-breaker. The staying power is...well, laughable, but for two bucks and this much pretty, I can re-apply. It's not like you need a mirror (or even a steady hand).

How pretty is that gold shimmer? Oh...I just can't even...

The other product is Zoya PixieDust Professional Lacquer in Miranda. The Zoya site describes it as a "rose sparkle" in Mauve family. I'm describing it as an exact match to the hot pink bows on my favorite Hello Kitty pajama pants. Seriously, though, it's a warm, rosy berry with a freaking ton of sparkle. So much sparkle, in fact, that a male friend who has zero interest in nail polish commented on the sparklies from across the room. That's sparkle.

The wow factor, oddly enough, isn't so much the intense sparkle, but the matte finish and sugary texture. Rather than attempt to describe it (the best I could come up with was "raspberry sand dunes", and that sounds somewhat disgusting), here are some pictures:

Shade

Sunlight

See? It's like having microfine grains of sand glued onto your nails. Doesn't necessarily sound appealing, but it looks beautiful. I keep staring at my nails!

Now, it does chip a little, but touch ups blend in easily, due to the texture. Normally, a top coat would prevent this, but using one defeats the purpose of having a matte finish. I've kept an eye out for dings, and added extra coats as necessary. So far, I'm on day four (and probably coat four), and it still looks fresh and flawless. Two coats for full opacity, quick drying, and relatively low-maintenance. I haven't tried removing it, yet, and I'm anticipating it being a real pain in the rear--akin to removing glitter polish, which is the devil. A beautiful, sparkly, shiny devil--but for the utter beauty that this polish is, the extra effort is totally worth it.

Have a lovely Monday, folks! I'm off to eat a chocolate chip cookie because it makes me happy, and my newest bathing suit is a tankini, so who cares about calories!