Month: June 2019
Tight Squeeze
Take a look at the next polish from Sinful Colors’ Pride Collection. This is “Tight Squeeze”, a tangerine jelly glitter. It is absolutely fantastic.
I usually badmouth orange polishes, but this one is a beauty. I got full coverage in two coats. I liked it so much that I also did my toes to match.
I used Sinful Colors Base Coat, 2 coats of “Tight Squeeze” and topped with Glisten & Glow Matte Top Coat, except for my thumb and ring finger, which got the regular Glisten & Glow Top Coat. I think I like it better matte than glossy.
Triple Freebie Haul
Not 10 minutes after I placed that last Sephora order, I placed this Ulta order…I had kept adding things to my shopping cart over the past month and when the freebies were just right…I made my move.
The biggest part of my haul was Redken Color Extend Magnetics Shampoo and Conditioner (regularly $20 each, on sale 2/$24). I’d samples this duo a few months ago at my sister’s house – it made my hair feel amazing! The price has held me back – even on sale, this is the most expensive shampoo/conditioner I’ve purchased yet. I’m going to give it a trial before switching for good…
I had sworn off Nair when I was 15 – I tried it once and it made me look like I had leg measles and didn’t melt the hair off. I was swayed by a new product – Nair Charcoal Brighten & Smooth Leg Mask ($11.99). I tested a large patch on my shin and it actually worked this time. I left it on for the 10 minutes recommended and it actually worked on me – I was shocked. It still smells like burning diapers, but it didn’t give me a rash. I am trying my entire leg in a few days – fingers crossed.
I also tried a new deodorant – Meow Meow Tweet Grapefruit Baking Soda Free Deodorant Stick ($14). I know, I know – I’ve scoffed at fancy hippy deodorants for years…but I’d noticed periodic rashes from regular antiperspirants over the last few years, and since my surgery, I’d stopped using them almost altogether. I live in Texas though – I probably should use something. I’ve been using the Meow Meow Tweet and I feel like is working at repelling odor – but it doesn’t stop my pits from getting moist. I may have to start alternating with an antiperspirant to see if that helps.
I’ve been eyeing the Sally Hansen x Jelly Belly collaboration for a while and finally decided to pick up the Sally Hansen Insta Dri x Jelly Belly Nail Color Duo Pack with “Berry Blue” and “Tutti Fruiti” ($7.99).
Ulta was offering a free 3 piece gift with $19.50 purchase – a huge Beach Bag, a Matte Bronzer, and Lip Plumping Transforming Top Coat. I am paranoid about going without eyebrows, so I got a back-up Ulta Ultra Slim Brow Pencil in “Dark Brown” ($10). I also snagged the Mercury in Retrograde 5 Piece Rose Quartz Look Book ($16). I got the set solely based on a lyric from the song “Wasted Youth” by Jenny Lewis – the line about “Mercury in Retrograde” has been in my head for weeks. (The whole album “On the Line” is amazing – you should check it out.) The kit includes Confidence Boost Facial Mist, Be-You-Tiful Cream Eyeshadow (light pink shadow with shimmer), Self Love Lip Crayon (creamy, rosy pink), Crystal Blush (rosy-toned pearl blush), and Rose Quartz Face Gems (54 count). The blush is my favorite part, but I was pleasantly surprised by the cream eyeshadow.
And the freebies…I got a Glow All Day 5 Piece Sampler with my $65 purchase: Murad Resurgence Replenishing Multi-Acid Peel; Peter Thomas Roth Potent-C Bright & Plump Moisturizer; Derma e Vitamin C Concentrated Serum; Boscia Matcha Magic Super-Antioxidant Mask; and Origins Plantscription Anti-Aging Power Serum. I got a Step Up 7 Piece Sampler with my $75 purchase: Skyn Iceland Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels; Botanics Hydration Burst Sheet Mask; Clarins Hydra-Essentiel Creme; Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion; Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair; I Dew Care Cake My Day Hydrating Sprinkle Wash-Off Mask; and First Aid Beauty Pure Skin Face Cleanser. My skin is going to feel FANTASTIC!
Looks like this haul made me Platinum for 2020 – just $733 to Diamond status. I also am up to $53 in points…hmmmm, what do I want to buy???
Sugar Strawberry
I cannot believe I paid $33 for a fucking face wash.
Fresh Sugar Strawberry Exfoliating Face Wash ($33) is a new product and it’s not exactly what I expected. I was expecting a cloying fake strawberry scent, but it was a natural raw strawberry smell – very subtle. The scrub has two different sizes of sugar crystals – it’s very refreshing. The grapeseed oil leaves my face hydrated, but not greasy. I am still not sure I’ll buy it again – $33 goddamn – but I do like the product.
I also picked up another new skin product – Sephora Collection Hemp Mousse Instant Mask ($7). It’s supposed to target blemishes, but I used it and couldn’t really tell if it did anything. Oh, and it vaguely smells like pot, which is weird.
As usual, I stopped by the Sale page…I picked up a Sephora Collection Luster Matte Long-Wear Lip Color in “Magenta Luster” ($3, down from $16). I feel like I got this formula in a Play! box and liked it?
I used a promo code to get a set from Tata Harper – Regenerating Cleanser and Resurfacing Mask. I only got ONE of the free samples I chose at check-out – the Glow Recipe Avocado Sleeping Mask – and I cannot wait to try it. I was so annoyed that a sample was missing, that I contacted customer care. They did give me 200 points, so I guess I shouldn’t complain too much.
$741 to Rouge status in 2020…
Marika
Believe it or not, I still have a bunch of Julep polishes that I haven’t tried yet – at least a dozen or so!
This is Julep Boho Glam “Marika”, stone matte metallic, from the January 2016 box. Yes, it’s been sitting in my “untried” basket that long!
I am out of Julep Base Coats and it looks like they will not be restocking, which pisses me off. I keep checking the site periodically, but no luck so far. I used Glisten & Glow Base Coat, which is fine, I guess. This is two coats of “Marika”, topped with Glisten & Glow Matte Top Coat. I feel like the Matte Top Coat made it kind of cloudy, if that makes sense? I feel like the polish looked crisper and more saturated without the top coat, but what can you do? I went without a top coat for literally DECADES, but now I am a full believer.
Scentporta-yay
As much as I complain about all the retail spam I get – how else would I know about all the good sales? I got an email from Bath & Body Works that Scentportables would be $1.95 each on Memorial Day, so I got my ass in the car!
I threw 10 in the basket, mostly “Rose Water & Ivy”, but a few other scents, too. The store wouldn’t let me stack coupons, so the rest of my haul was a separate transaction, so I could use the coupons I got in the mail – 20% off, plus a free product up to $6. For my free product, I got a travel size Shower Gel in “Hello Beautiful” – that’s the current scent in my travel bag. I also got a few body poofs and Lily is now obsessed with “Black Cherry Merlot” and wanted a Hand Cream – I made her pay me back.
I did not go crazy because I know the Semi Annual Sale is just around the corner…stay tuned for more soap hoarding!
Sephora Play! May 2019 – Beauty BFFs
I am INTRIGUED by the name of May’s fragrance sample – Viktor & Rolf Salty Flower. I know, I know – I need to grow up. I usually like citrus scents, but I haven’t decided how I feel about this one. It’s got a hint of orange, but it’s buried underneath a powdery, old lady smell. I’ll have to wear it a few times to really decide.
Also included in this month’s “Beauty BFFs” box: Benefit Cosmetics BADgal BANG! Mascara (a decent mascara); Smashbox Always On Matte Liquid Lipstick in “Stepping Out” (reminds me of NYX Soft Matte Metallic in “Cannes”); Sol de Janeiro Copa Cabana Cream (smells so good that I want to drink it); It Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye Eye Cream (bahhhh); and Alterna Haircare Caviar Anti-Aging Restructuring Bond Repair Leave-in Heat Protectant Spray.
A good box, with a wide variety of useful products.
Sephora Play is one of the better subscription boxes with consistently high-end products. Sephora Play is only $10/month. You can sign up at sephora.com/play.