Author: Lara
6 Walgreen’s Trips
I’ve been waiting for Walgreen’s to have another Sinful Colors sale…this week, they brought back the 2/$3 sale, which is NOT the same as $1.50 each.
There were just 2 polishes I wanted – “Let Me Flamingo” and “Bye Felicia!” – mostly because of the names. It should be simple, enough, right?
On Wednesday, I ran to the Walgreen’s by my work during lunch…couldn’t find either.
There was another Walgreen’s 10 minutes away, so I checked there, too. It was one of those fancy Walgreen’s with the upgraded beauty section…again, nothing. They even had the PRIDE display that “Bye Felicia!” – but none of the PRIDE polishes. Oh well, back to work.
On Thursday, I took my daughter to the Orthodontist and hit the Walgreen’s there. (There really ARE Walgreen’s everywhere.) Success as I found “Let Me Flamingo”, but no “Bye Felicia!” Lily wanted some polish, too. She picked out “Forever Pink”, “No FIlter” and “Curry Up” (which was on surprise clearance for 49 cents). She even paid for them herself!
After dropping Lily off, I hit two more Walgreen’s on my way to work. Still…no “Bye Felicia!”, although I did find a clearance essie “Belugaria” for $2.12 at the last one. A small win…
Flash forward to today. After Lily’s gymnastics class, I decided to run into Walgreen’s (yes, the SIXTH one) to look for Coconut Water. Sally has been raving about it and sampled three different kinds…unfortunately, Walgreen’s only had the worst one – Vita Coco. I grabbed it and the Delish (store brand). I agree with her assessment of the Vita Coco – thick and a bit oily, but still not bad. I have high hopes for the Delish, since the label doesn’t list any added sugars. I’m not a convert yet…there’s a possibility that it gives me the trots…not that it takes much.
ANYWAY, this Walgreen’s also had my beloved “Bye Felicia!” in all it’s yellow glory. YASSSSS BITCH. I also picked up “Vacation Time”, because DUH. Lily had to get more polish, too – “Cloud 9” (another surprise 49 cent clearance) and “GoGo Boy”. She’s a chip off of the old block.
I’m done for real now…although I know where a 7th and 8th Walgreen’s are…
Sephora Play! June 2016 – The Minimalists
What am I gonna do with all of these white canvas bags Sephora is now sending out in their play boxes? Ideas, anyone?
This month’s products are intended to help you create an easy summer routine, with that lovely cliche…less is more. Maybe. we’ll see…
The first thing I noticed in the box was the bright fuchsia bottle of Tarte Tarteguard 30 Sunscreen Lotion. It’s not waterproof, so I’ll try to figure out a time to try it out. Also in this month’s box/bag: bareMinerals Bareskin Sheer Sun Serum Bronzer (hmmm…maybe I can use for contouring); Benefit They’re Real Mascara (drowning in mascara right now, but this is a good one); Bumble and bumble. Don’t Blow It (H)air Styler; Becca Backlight Priming Filter (I probably have samples of this already, but haven’t tried it); and Tocca Florence Eau de Parfum (Bergamot and Violet – a bit too “mature” for me).
If you haven’t signed up yet – what are you waiting for? This is by far the best subscription box I get every month. Sephora Play is only $10/month. You can sign up at sephora.com/play.
June Ipsy Bag – Rebel, Rebel
Rebel, Rebel…your face is a mess…
I love the graffiti print bag – it would make a perfect pen/pencil bag…if I was gonna share with my kids…and I’m not.
Let me dig in my bag…I got 12 Benefits Instant Healthy Hair Treatment (I’m still using the one I got in a Birchbox last year); Urban Decay Eye Shadow in “Fireball” (a rusty orange – this should be interesting); Seraphine Botanicals Happy Hibiscus Blush (looks like sparkly bronzer); Doucce Boombastic Lash Volumizer Mascara; and Japonesque Solid Brush Cleaner (I’ve wanted to try one of these).
Another month that I’ll use every product – SCORE!
If you’d like to try Ipsy – click here. I’ll earn 250 points if you sign up through my link.
Sugar High
So…Sinful Colors is getting into the texture game…let’s see how they do.
This is Sinful Colors “Sugar High”, a blurple sugar-textured polish. The polish itself is blue, but the shimmer is purple. For some reason, it reminds me of the blue fairy in Pinocchio.
The texture is super-fine, more similar to Julep’s micro-glitter than Zoya’s pixie dusts. I started with Sinful Colors Base Coat and then did two coats of “Sugar High”. The coverage is more sheer than I expected – you can see than visible nail line. The polish adheres well, no chips after 24 hours.
Now I need to hunt for more polishes from the “Sugar Crushin'” Collection…coincidentally, Walgreen’s is 2/$3 this week.
Mannequin + Rose Matter
Seriously, Jeffree Star needs to to STOP releasing new lippies. My pocketbook is feeling the pain…
Jeffree Star Cosmetics launched these two new colors on Wednesday, June 8th. My order shipped on Friday, June 10th and were in my mailbox by Monday, June 13th. His team is getting speedy.
I would have posted sooner, but I wanted to wear both shades for a day before writing…
“Mannequin” is a medium nude, a shade between “I’m Nude” and “Celebrity Skin”. It’s perfect for my skin tone – it looks my skin, but better.
“Rose Matter” is a rosy Flamingo coral on me. It doesn’t look quite the same as pictures I’ve seen online, but it looks like it belongs on me. It’s a bit similar to “Gemini”, but with cool undertones.
No more new colors for at least a month, Jeffree!
Veronica is a Gemini
It doesn’t matter how shitty today has been…My lips and nails match perfectly…
It turns out that Julep “Veronica” – modern mauve creme – is an almost perfect match to Jeffree Star Cosmetics “Gemini”. I had no idea…but I was looking for a “normal” polish to wear today, since I was meeting my new President and VP at work today. (Sometimes I pretend to be a regular person…shhhh, don’t tell.)
I used Julep Oxygen Bonding Base Coat. The first coat of “Veronica” was a bit streaky, but it improved with the second coat. The second coat had a few thin streaks, but nothing too horrible. It may be because this is a positively ancient polish – I got it as a freebie two years ago – and it was probably already a year old then. I finished with “HK Girl”.
I think I’m going to find polishes to match ALL of my Jeffree Star lippies…
June Birchbox – Everyday Magic
I’m ready to perform some “everyday magic” with this month’s Birchbox.
No curated box this month – I wanted the sample choice. I hadn’t yet gotten the Goof Proof Brow Pencil when I chose Benefit Gimme Brow Brow-Volumizing Fiber Gel in Shade 3 for my sample choice this month. To be honest, I’m scared of how it will look with fiber gel in my brows. My eyebrows are fairly sparse – they need volume, but…scared! I’ll report back when I try it.
Also in this month’s box: Balance Me Congested Skin Serum (hmmmm…); Kiehl’s Rare Earth Deep Pore Daily Cleanser (I LOVE anything that promises to clean my crater pores); Oribe Dry Texturing Spray (?); and The Beauty Crop PBJ Smoothie Stick in “Raisin the Roof”.
If you would like to try Birchbox, click on my referral link – https://www.birchbox.com/invite/5453f – I’ll get 50 points if you join.
Naveena
I have so many teal polishes, but I didn’t have teal jelly…Julep “Naveena” from this month’s Julep box fixed that right up.
I started with Julep Oxygen Bonding Base Coat. I painted two coats of “Naveena” and then finished with “HK Girl”. My first impression was that “Naveena” has more coverage than a jelly – it’s more of a crelly, creme jelly. Two coats gave nearly full coverage, but my nail line is still quite obvious. The coverage wasn’t exactly streaky – it was more like watercolor paint, settling around the edges, with thin spots in places. There was strong shrinkage around the edges after topping with “HK Girl”, but nothing awful. I also noticed a plague of bubbles underneath the “HK Girl”. They weren’t there last night, but maybe I put on the top coat too soon?
When I googled “Naveena”, I found an Indian Slasher film actress…I didn’t even now that they watched horror movies in India. I need to get out more…
The Triumphant Return of Peony
I tend to get really excited about the Bath & Body Works Semi-Annual Sale…but this time is different…it’s like a dream come true.
We all have discontinued scents that we pine over. For my mom, it was Love’s Baby Soft Lemon. For my husband, it’s the original formula of Van Cleef & Arpels Tsar. One of mine is Bath & Body Works Peony. (Some of the others are B&BW’s original Rose and Cedar & Clary Sage; and Victoria’s Secret Delicate Petals and Secret Charm).
The last time I was able to buy it was in 2004, when I was pregnant with my son. I loaded up at a Semi-Annual Sale. My stock had lasted well into 2009, because I remember having some left when I moved into this house. I’ve been holding onto that last quarter inch of Fragrance Mist, wearing it a few times a year.
On Sunday, one of my dreams came true – Peony is one of Bath & Body Works’ flashback fragrances.
Since I happened to have a 20% off + free shipping code from my last online order, I went ahead and used the website. Flashback fragrances are $3.75 – whoa! I loaded up and got 4 Shower Gels, 2 Body Creams, 2 Fine Fragrance Mists and 1 Lotion. I’ll probably get more before the end of the summer…
I wasn’t exactly running low on Hand Soap…but I bought 24 anyway because they were on sale for $3 each…and 20% off made them $2.40. Plus, I didn’t have to carry them out to my car. I was a bit disturbed when I opened the box – it looks like they just dumped them in there…but they all look intact.
There were 3 different coupons in the box…I’m predicting another haul before the end of the sale…I’ve got a whole ‘nother month!
Target Beauty Boxes – June 2016
One for me and one my man…
My box was $10 and loaded to the gills: Pantene Expert Intense Hydration Shampoo (a HUGE bottle – but no conditioner!); SheaMoisture Fruit Fusion Creme Rinse (I guess I can use this with the Pantene Shampoo); Pixi Mesmerizing Mineral Duo in “Apricot Glow”; Laneige Water Bank Serum (love Laneige); S.W. Basics Exfoliant (Um, basically granola); L’Oreal Paris True Match Cushion Foundation in “Nude Beige”; L’Oreal Paris Revitalift Volume Filler Cream (what will I be filling with this?); Soap & Glory Righteous Butter Body Cream (yum); Yes to Cucumbers 10-count Facial Wipes (How many of these do I have now?); CoTZ Face SPF 40 (coming to Mexico with me); and e.l.f. Lip Kiss Balm in “Bare Kiss”.
His box was $5 and not nearly as full: Nautica Life Cologne (husband said NOPE); got2B Glued Spiking Glue (husband shaves head, son has long hair); Marlowe No. 142 Men’s Shave Gel; Axe White Label Night Body Wash; Old Spice Hardest Working Deodorant; Dove Men + Care Complete Care 2-in-1 Shampoo; Nivea Men Creme (moisturizer?); Schick Hydro Men’s Razor; CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser Bar (the box opened slightly and left soapy flakes all over the inside of the box); and Remington Beard Boss Beard Oil (husband said nope, but I’m gonna make him try it). With all these travel sizes, he’s ready to travel, too!
As always, I got 5% off with my Target Red Card and a coupon for $3.50 off any beauty purchase of $15 in each box. I also remembered to use the $3.50 off coupon from last month’s box – SCORE!