Geographic nails – excellent practice at keeping a steady hand with a detail brush, and a great excuse to just mess around with a bunch of pretty polishes, here OPI’s royal purple, Do You Have This Color in Stock-holm?, Essie’s orchid-hued Play Date and Sally Hansen’s warm pink, No Ifs, Ands, or Buds (am I the last person on earth to resist the Oxford comma? Here it is on my nail polish, for cripes’ sake!)
It’s been a long time since my standing Sunday night appointment with The Simpsons, but man, back in the day, I had a real Simpsons problem. In university when I lived at home with my parents, I’d hog the remote and make them watch two episodes over the dinner hour. They always laughed, but after the fourth time hearing “Yes, Lisa, a magical animal” (my Dad’s favourite, and frequently uttered, quote) they started feeling a bit of Simpsons fatigue. I watched a bunch of season 4 episodes this afternoon for the first time in ages, and they were absolutely hilarious – must add more Simpsons to my life, starting with these nails!
MooScents, wax offshoot of indie bath and beauty maker MoonaLisa, has been creating a bit of a stir among some of my blogger friends lately, enough that I thought I should perhaps check out their waxy wares for myself. And so that’s precisely what I did, checking out a loaded virtual cart stuffed with delicious-sounding goodies when MooScents opened for orders in mid-March.
Bearing a small, yet comprehensive, scent list and a relatively quiet online presence, MooScents doesn’t seem to inspire the same kind of slavish devotion in its fans as some of the other indie wax makers. This means you can actually roll up to their site any old time you’d like, place an order without worrying about everything immediately running out of stock, and then have the beautifully wrapped package in your hot little (international) hands about two weeks later. I suspect that may change, though, as more and more wax lovers come to familiarize themselves with MooScents’ lovely products. For now, though, it feels like a fun little discovery that’s mine, all mine (and one or two chosen friends.) 😉
But before we get to the really good (smelly) stuff, first some administrative details. Problems? I got 99 of ’em, but MooScents ain’t one! This truly was one of the most efficient, friendly and easy online retail experiences I’ve ever had. It was completely unremarkable, actually, save the fact that MooScents (through the e-commerce platform Shopify, which is based out of my hometown) followed up with a confirmation e-mail, my receipt and a thank you note within about 45 seconds of placing my order. Turnaround time was a very decent three days, with the entire transaction (from Moo to you, if you will, or I guess from Moo to me) taking just 10 days. That is quite impressive when you’re talking international shipping (which was a little over $14 for seven tarts.)
My package was also exquisitely wrapped. It sounds silly to get all rapturous about packing materials, but savaged parcels are the bane of any online shopper’s existence. Nobody wants to take possession of a box that looks like it’s been mauled by a pack of terriers. But my MooScents order saw no terriers, arriving in pristine condition, the little clamshells securely nestled among layers of tissue paper, bubble wrap and a smattering of whimsical decorative glitter. Each clamshell was also wrapped in its own small plastic bag, a wonderful, “Why hasn’t someone thought of this before?” touch that kept the saturated fragrances from intermingling while en route. This was the first wax package I’ve ever opened that hasn’t immediately assaulted my nose with the mingled fragrance of nine different Lush dupe scent blends. And whether it’s an intentional move or not, I think it’s a deeply considerate one, taking into account a customer’s neighbours AND postal carrier, both of whom bear the headache-inducing brunt of poorly-wrapped wax parcels. Very nice.
The price point on these clamshells, $5.49 for 3.25 ounces, is on the higher end of the spectrum, a small nit to pick when the other details are so luxurious – a gorgeously textured soy/beeswax wax blend, strong, true fragrances and pretty, eye-catching branding and graphic design. I will absolutely be back for a second order. But first let’s take a look at my, um, first!
Starting off with my favourite, we have Lavender Shortbread, a scrumptious springtime blend of buttery shortbread generously sprinkled with steely lavender buds. A luscious gourmand treat with no trace of artifice – love it!
Next we have Blueberry Black Tea, a wicked strong blend of black tea and juicy blueberries. I don’t get a lot of the blueberry note on cold, such is the nearly overwhelming power of the astringent tea, but we’ll see how she performs once warmed. This is another true-to-life scent; it smells exactly like a freshly brewed pot of tea.
For my husband, who loves caffeine in all its varied forms, here’s Mocha Marshmallow Fluff, a delicious coffee shop blend of creamy marshmallow fluff, rich, dark chocolate and sweet, life-sustaining coffee. This is another hella strong, super realistic scent, with the sharpness of the chocolate and the tanginess of the coffee softened by mounds of creamy, dreamy marshmallow fluff. Mr. Finger Candy approves.
At the halfway mark we have an unexpected favourite, The Rumpkin, another gourmand blend of sweet-and-spicy lavender and pumpkin (scents that are supposedly male aphrodisiacs, no?) There’s something vaguely soap-ish (but not soapy) about this intriguing scent, with its delicious, spicy-sweet herbal notes. I love the colour of the wax – exactly the sort of pale, mauve-y coral you’d get if you mixed pumpkin and lavender – and I adore The Rumpkin’s label. Think I’m going to tuck this guy away until Halloween, where it will join…absolutely nothing else, because I have no other Halloween-themed wax!
Next up we have another contender for order MVP, Mango Lime Smoothie, a lush blend of succulent mangoes and zesty limes, splashed with just a hint of coconut rum. This scent is not as in-your-face as most mango fragrances, but I like its tropical softness very much – another nicely realistic blend.
Second from last we have another fine chocolate fragrance, this time Chocolate Dipped Shortbread. Featuring the same beautifully buttery cookie note as the Lavender Shortbread, the chocolate in this sublimely delicious blend is rich and smooth and not the least bit Tootsie Roll-ish. A chocolate fragrance for chocolate haters.
Finally, we have Strawberry Sugar Shortcake, a super girly blend of sweet strawberries, fluffy whipped cream and flaky biscuits. This is probably my least favourite scent; to my nose, it smells quite artificial. I have noticed that I’m quite off strawberry scents lately; I don’t really seem to care for them from any vendor. Love to eat the delectable little buggers, but I’m really not much for the fragrance any more, or the artificial interpretation thereof.
So there we have it, order one from a terrific, new-ish vendor that deserves every bit of praise it receives for having its act together. So many online businesses don’t, or they excel in one area while majorly bombing in another; MooScents doesn’t suffer from this problem, getting it right straight out the gates on both the product and customer service fronts. I look forward to seeing what other delicious scents they come up with in the future, as I’ll definitely be back.
Tremendously practical, this mermaid-approved mani! That just tends to happen with glitter placement – here using Whimsical Ideas by Pam’s blue holo glitter bomb, Mermaid – but all the same, perhaps next time in the interest of not snagging my nails on absolutely everything I pass, I should scale back a bit? Wah-waaaaahhhhhhhh. 🙂
Another watery water marble, this time a beautiful, holographic, colour-shifting one inspired by the R.E.M. song Nightswimming. Extra pretty in the sun where of course holographic polishes do their very best work, but also so, so lovely in the shade – or at night – where you can really see the ever-changing bends and waves of the multi-chromatic polishes I also used. Enjoy your swim. 🙂
Also Irish (or part Irish on my mom’s side) and totally kissable, thanks to this seasonally-hued lime sugar lip scrub I whipped up today. It’s so criminally easy, it feels ridiculous even including a recipe, but a little instruction is always nice. And so here’s how to make your own delicious, four-ingredient lip scrub this St. Patrick’s Day, or any other day of the week.
Step 1: Round up your ingredients – white granulated sugar, coconut oil, lime juice and food colouring.
Step 2: Gather any utensils you need for mixing – a small bowl, a silicone spatula and a couple of measuring spoons.
Step 3: Add the ingredients to the bowl in the following proportions and stir well:
7 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 1/2 teaspoons lime juice
One (and I do mean one; otherwise, you’ll wind up with neon green lips) drop of lime green food colouring.
(A couple of teaspoons of finely grated lime zest would be a lovely, zingy addition to this scrub that wouldn’t affect the consistency one bit; I would have added some had I any!)
Step 4: Spoon into a small plastic container with a lid (or small lidded jars if you’re giving them away, as I mostly am) and enjoy!
Ah, but how does one enjoy? Simply swipe the scrub onto your mug, buff it about for a bit and then wipe (or wash) it off, before sealing in all that lovely moisture with your favourite lip balm. And if you accidentally ingest it? So what? It’s completely edible, and really rather delicious (although I wouldn’t sit down to a bowl of the stuff, you know?)
So there you have it, super kissable lips just in time for getting your Irish smooch on this St. Patrick’s Day.
Raspberry Pi circuitry nails, for the major nerd in your life.
The major nerd in MY life (Mr. Finger Candy) has been messing about with the Raspberry Pi (basically a super stripped down, build-your-own-computer system) for years now. One Saturday morning three or four years ago I sleepily stumbled out to the livingroom to find my him gone, save for one tiny, computerized, rainbow-flashing display blipping away on the coffee table, repeatedly informing me that my husband was out procuring breakfast and would be back shortly. It was super cute. His nerdery is really quite adorable, even if three-quarters of the time I have no freaking idea what he’s talking about! 🙂
Card suits, for a simple and striking (or is that a strikingly simple?) mani.
I was going to start off this post by noting that this manicure is a lot like a Whatchamacallit candy bar, a chocolate confection that doesn’t quite know what it wants to be (aside from eight different kinds of yummy slammed into one log-shaped delight and smothered in cocoa, that is.)
But that assessment is not a completely accurate one. This manicure is actually more like that time on Friends when Rachel proudly presents the gang with a beef and strawberry pot pie trifle – it was supposed to be one or the other, but owing to an ill-timed flip of a page in the recipe book, it wound up being both. My particular problem is I’m feeling really quite screwed up by this weekend’s time change. MY pages have been flipped, and all day long I’ve been making the silliest little mistakes out of sheer distraction. So what started out life as another Mardi Gras-inspired mani (complete with Harlequin diamonds and the suit of cards in shades of green, purple and gold) became…this? Hey, at least it’s pretty! And that’ll have to be good enough for now.
But I still don’t know what to call it.
So it struck me today that on the cusp of my *cough*(inaudible)*cough* birthday, I’m about 1,000 times lamer than my 70-year-old parents, who are at this very moment partying at Mardi Gras in New Orleans. That’s WAY advanced party studies right there – they may as well be in Ibiza! I’m chuckling at the imagery, but two of us are nibbling on powder-dusted beignets and roulez-ing le bon temps this evening and one of us is reheating last night’s broccoli mac and cheese and watching the final episode of Crazyhead, so who’s winning at life now? (Possibly me; Crazyhead is wicked awesome.)
At least I’ll always have you, nails, this time a simple, but glittery, mani in some very Mardi Gras shades, Whimsical Ideas by Pam’s There’s No Place Like Home, a green and gold glitter topper, over A England’s purple Crown of Thistles.
Finger Candy 