sally hansen Archives - Macarons & Mascara

One of my favorite things about season changes is being able to buy new shades of nail polish that go with the season. In my opinion, any time is a good time for buying nail polish, but new seasons make it even more exciting because I can’t wait to see what shades brands put out. The one thing I love more than pretty nail polish is affordable pretty nail polish, and I know I’m not the only one who gets a little stingy when it comes to spending money! So I have found some really pretty nail polishes that are super summer-worthy and cost less than $5.

1. Sally Hansen Hard As Nails in ‘Hot Tamale’ – $2.99

Wow, this is the most flavorful red-orange I’ve ever seen. The only time I ever wear orange nail polish is for Halloween, and I usually don’t like red-orange as a color at all, but this nail polish was just so appealing because it reminded me of all the colorful fruit pictures I’ve been seeing on Instagram for the summer. If this nail polish were a fruit, it’d definitely be something citrus-y and refreshing!

2. Sally Hansen Hard As Nails in ‘Coral Reef’ – $2.99

This color kind of reminds me of Patrick from Spongebob! It’s a really pretty pink that’s perfect for a playful day at the beach because it isn’t too light and it’s also not a hot pink (for some reason I don’t find hot pinks too appealing). Like all other Sally Hansen Hard As Nails products I’ve tried, the quality of this one is really good — not thin and watered down, but not thick and globby.

3. Wet n Wild Wild Shine in ‘Lavender Creme’ — $0.99

I like nail polishes from the Wild Shine collection because I find that the quality of the polish is pretty good for just a buck! The shades are all really pigmented, so I really only use two thin coats of polish. Plus, as the name suggests, it has a nice glossy finish, so I never feel the need to put on a top coat for shine. The color of the bottle isn’t exactly true to the color you get on your nails (the bottle color is just a teeny bit darker and prettier in my opinion), but nevertheless this is definitely a hot color for a summer party!

4. Jesse’s Girl in ‘Jasmine’ – $3.99

First thing’s first, I had no idea that I shared a name with this shade until I just checked the name on the bottle! Anyway, I honestly have never heard of Jesse’s Girl brand cosmetics before (I found it at my local Rite Aid) and I was just so taken with this light, minty color that I had to buy it! This cool color will definitely keep you cool for the summer because it’s just so chill and casual and wearable at literally any event — party; barbeque, outing with friends.

5. Salon Perfect in ‘Gone Sailing’ – $3.99

‘Gone Sailing’ is seriously the perfect name for this shade because it truly makes me feel like I have the sea at my fingertips. Okay, maybe not the entire sea, maybe just my own underwater kingdom. The color is gorgeous and so mermaid-like (and why wouldn’t you want to channel your inner mermaid for the summer?). Unlike the other polishes on this list, this one actually has no type of shiny finish whatsoever; it’s completely matte!

So these are some great summer colors if you’re on a budget, and they’re definitely my favorites this season! If I had to pick just one to crown my absolute favorite of the summer, it would definitely be ‘Jasmine’ because the mint color is so refreshing!

If you want to see more of my favorites, check out this list of products I totally fell head over heels for in May!

What’s your favorite summer nail color?

So back in May I bought a couple of products that I really needed/wanted and let me tell you, they’re pretty damn awesome. Like these products literally give me life. Okay, well they don’t exactly give me life, but I do get really excited when using them. So I decided to write a post about their awesomeness! Alas, my May Kiss List was born. Maybe you’ve read my January Kiss List and loved it so much that you’re excited to see what products I’ve listed this time. So without further ado, I give you the best of my May purchases.

1. Too Faced Melted Matte Lipstick in ‘Lady Balls’ — $21

I love red lipsticks, and I had been using this fantastic red lip creme from Tarte for many months, but then I ran out and really needed a new red lipstick (that particular shade was limited edition). So I went looking around at Sephora for my new red lipstick and I swatched ‘Lady Balls’ and fell in love!

It’s literally a bright, cherry red color — perfect for getting dressed up or if you just want to make a bold statement (which I pretty much always want to do). This is from the Melted matte collection, which is great because matte is my favorite lip finish. I also love that it goes on soft and really smooth — no yucky, sticky feeling at all! I have worn this lip color for more than 12 hours and haven’t experienced fading, creasing, or dry lips (which can sometimes be an issue with a lot of matte lipsticks). The applicator tip gives me ample control when I’m trying to get every application perfect (or as close to perfect as I can get it!) Bottom line, I hope this lipstick never gets discontinued ever, because I have literally found my red lipstick match made in heaven!

2. ELF Face Primer — $3

Cosmetics from ELF are one of my favorite finds because they’re great quality and super inexpensive — just ask the gel eyeliner from ELF that I use basically every day. Anyway, I picked this up at CVS Pharmacy one day because I really wanted to start using primer again. I’m actually really picky when it comes to making primer purchases because I have oily skin and wear medium coverage foundation, so I hate using primers that make my face and foundation noticeably oily. It was really cheap so I went for it and I was NOT disappointed.

When applying this primer, you get a sort of silky feel that gets worked into your skin really quickly. Two pumps is usually enough for my entire face and I don’t wait for this dry because I never feel like I need to. I have worn this under foundation for 13-14 hours at a time and I have rarely felt the need to blot or reapply my makeup. A definite favorite!

3. ELF Eyeshadow Primer — $1

I love doing fun eyeshadow looks but sometimes my eyeshadow fades throughout the day. Despite this I’ve never felt the need to purchase eyeshadow primer, but since this was only $1 I decided to go for it. I love that the product is actually white because when I rub it on my eyelids it leaves a light, white base, so if I want to do an extremely bright and vivid look all the colors show up nicely. My eyelids don’t feel oily and I haven’t experienced any creasing so far. I definitely think that this eyeshadow primer is great if you’re looking for something extremely affordable or if you’re an eyeshadow beginner.

4. Urban Decay Perversion Mascara — $21

OH. EM. GOD. Mascara is probably the makeup product I’d never leave home without, so I’m really picky about which ones I purchase. My eyelashes are naturally long and curled, so I hate mascaras that make them look clumpy and spidery. I do love getting a “fake eyelashes” look, but without too much drama. I started off by buying a sample sized mascara and I loved it so much that I bought the full-sized one.

Perversion from UD doesn’t clump my eyelashes together and it also doesn’t cause any flaking. Plus, removal is pretty easy — I just gently wipe it off with makeup remover wipes so that I can start again fresh the next day. I also really love the wand itself because I hate wands that are so small and sparse that you could literally count the number of bristles on the wand. This is definitely a fantastic mascara!

5. Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Hardener — $3.99

It’s weird how I pay attention to my nails every single week, but I don’t actually pay attention to them. Basically, I’m a huge fan of nail art so I paint my nails all sorts of designs, but I don’t usually think twice about caring for them the way that I should. I use a base coat and that’s about as careful as I am. But I was at Rite-Aid one day and my eyes glanced over this nail hardener. It was only $3.99 so I decided to go for it. It promises to strengthen your nails and reduce chipping and breaking, which sounded like a great idea to me. In the past my nails have broken much more easily when they got really long, and so far I haven’t experienced any breaking or chipping since using this.

Be warned, however, this product does NOT promise to grow your nails faster, so don’t expect it to!

I would totally repurchase every single product on this list because, well, they’re great!

What are some of your favorite makeup products from May?