Category: Body
June 2023 Ipsy Bag – Ready, Set, Play!
I am so behind…more time in the office, less time in the house, ugh…
I haven’t touched a single thing in this month’s ipsy bag – not a thing! My product choice this month was Frank Body Rosehip Body Scrub & Cleanser – it looks like it would be a good pouch for travel, so I think I’ll wait until my next trip (Reno in July) to try it out.
I also got: Adesse New York Nail Polish in “Bellini” (very, VERY pale pink); BareMinerals Complexion Rescue Natural Matte Tinted Moisturizer in “Vanilla” (I have been wanting to try this – going into the office more might be a good excuse); Dito ICE CREAM Liquid Lipstick in “Lucky”; and WingMe Cosmetics 03 Small Shading Brush (that’s right – another FUCKING eye brush).
This month’s brands seem a bit off, but there is a good mix of products…plus a super soft and squishy bag.
I subscribe to the basic ipsy bag for $13/month and Icon Box (formerly Glam Bag X) for an extra $43/quarterly. If you’d like to try Ipsy – click here. I’ll earn 250 points if you sign up through my referral link.
Summer Fun Ulta Haul
I must be depressed…I’ve been shopping an awful lot lately. Hmmm…oh well, I’ll feel a lot better if my skin looks nice.
I cannot believe I am saying this…but I cannot WAIT to get an ingrown hair, so that I can try out the Fur Ingrown Microdart Patch ($22.40, regularly $28). I am a longtime sufferer of ingrowns on my bikini line – I am thrilled to find out if these little patches can ease some of my pain! Updates to come…
Speaking of skincare, I wasn’t thrilled with the wet n wild micellar water I got recently, so I picked up Garnier SkinActive Micellar Cleansing Water with Rose Water ($11.99). I also want to save the planet from my cotton pad habit, so I also got Garnier SkinActive Micellar Cleansing Eco Pads, Reusable, 3 Pack ($11.99). I also received a gift with purchase: a Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water deluxe sample.
I did splurge a little bit…I got the limited edition Fenty Beauty by Rihanna Poutsicle Hydrating Lip Stain in “Fuchsia Wife” ($27). I know that’s a lot for a lippie, but I really liked the color name. I was hedging my bets in hoping that the formula is similar to Colourpop Glossy Lip Stains – and it is, although at a premium price. I’ve worn “Fuchsia Wife” a few times and that stuff stays on like crazy! No regertz.
My $60 purchase garnered me ANOTHER gift with purchase – a suncare sampler: Ulta Beauty Gradual Self Tan Facial Mist (gifting to the daughter); Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protector Lotion (this shit is BOMB); St. Tropez Luxe Tan Tonic Drops (gifting to the son); CeraVe Facial Moisturizing Lotion; COOLA Organic Makeup Setting Spray; La Roche-Posay Anthelios UV Correct Daily Lotion; Avene Solaire UV Mineral Multi-Defense Sunscreen Fluid; Jack Black Double-Duty Face Moisturizer (gifting to son); and Dermalogica Daily Moisturizer. Ain’t NOBODY gonna burn in my house.
$667 to Diamond Status in 2024.
May 2023 Ipsy Icon Box – Anastasia Soare
Anastasia? Of Anastasia Beverly Hills? That’s a really BIG name to start off Glam Bag X’s new identity as Icon Box. Anastasia Soare is definitely an icon – a BROW icon.
I am absolutely OBSESSED with Anastasia’s contribution: the new Anastasia Beverly Hills Primrose Palette ($55). I missed it when it dropped in 2021, so it’s a not a new product at all, but it’s new to me and that is all that counts. I love a good 10 shade palette, but I really appreciate it when a brand give you HUGE pans of your base colors. The shades are neutral, yet bold and maintain the high quality that I expect from ABH. I will struggle not to use it every day for the rest of 2023.
I am also obsessed with one of my product choices – Pat McGrath Labs LiquiLUST Legendary Wear Lipstick in “Rose Divinity” ($32). It’s a metallic mauve and I LOVE it. My other product choices were Grown Alchemist Polishing Facial Exfoliant ($65) and Kate Somerville Dry Skin Saver ($56). I admit, I haven’t had a chance to try either – soon!
Also in my Icon Box: Alamar Cosmetics Alamar Essentials Eye Trio Brushes ($18); Volition Beauty Golden Eye Brightening Serum with Vitamin C + Niacinamide ($40); MAC Magic Extension 5mm Fibre Mascara in “Extensive Black” ($26); and Skin Inc Body Sculpt Fit Serum ($32.50). I haven’t tried any of these products either…I know, I’m slackin’.
All together, my box was worth $324 – not bad.
I subscribe to the basic ipsy bag for $13/month and Icon Box (formerly Glam Bag X) for an extra $43/quarterly. If you’d like to try Ipsy – click here. I’ll earn 250 points if you sign up through my referral link.
Diamond Freebie Haul
I love the first Monday of every month. Not because it’s a Monday, but because that’s when Ulta has their “Diamond Love List”, which is full of exclusive deals and freebies for Diamond Members!
The best part about the “Diamond Love List” is getting to try new products before the official launch. Fresh Rose & Hyaluronic Acid Lightweight Moisturizer ($46) is a lighter version of the Rose Deep Hydration Face Cream that I love. I’ve been using it under my makeup and I love how light it feels. It’s a bit pricier than Oil of Olay, but those are damn near $30 now! I’m getting uncomfortably close to 50 years old, so it might be time to splurge a little bit…I mean, it’s not La Mer.
My hair needs more than a sample pack of deep conditioner, so I splurged on Joico K-PAK Color Therapy Luster Lock ($38.50). It came with a gift with purchase – a free shower cap and hair wrap set. Who doesn’t need an extra shower cap and hair wrap?
What else did I “add to cart”? Aquaphor Touch-Free Healing Ointment ($9.99) is THE BEST. Smartypits Natural Deodorant Sample Pack – Sensitive Skin ($10, down from $20) – I couldn’t pass up this set of 4 trial size deodorants. So far, I’ve only used “Rose Lavender”, but it hasn’t irritated my skin. I also picked up a few more Flowery Nail Buffers, at 40% off. I also got a pair of Diane Daisy/Clean-Cut Shear 5” ($8.79, down from $10.99) for Logan. I caught him cutting his hair with kitchen scissors!
My order also contained a birthday gift for my sister…not pictured.
…and now for the free stuff! I got an exclusive Clarins 4 piece set with my $35 skincare purchase: Clarins Double Serum Eye; Extra-Firming Neck & Décolleté; Total Cleansing Oil; Extra-Firming Night Cream; and Instant Smooth – that’s five things! I also got a free mystery gift with select hair care purchase: it Cosmetics Confidence in a Cream Anti-Aging; Biolage Strength Repairing Spray; Love Wellness Call Me Collagen; Drybar Liquid Glass Shampoo & Conditioner; Verb Ghost Shampoo & Conditioner; Ouidad Water Works Clarifying Shampoo; Living proof. Perfect hair Day 5-in-1 Styling Treatment; and it Cosmetics Bye Bye Lines Serum. Last, but not least, I got a Platinum & Diamond Exclusive 11 piece gift with $35 hair purchase: Biolage All-In-One Multi-benefit Spray; Olaplex No. 6 Bond Smoother; Living proof. Perfect hair Day Enhancing Treatment; Batiste Dry Shampoo; Bed Head Master Piece Hairspray; ANOTHER Love Wellness Call Me Collagen; Better Not Younger Wake Up Call Volumizing Shampoo (but no conditioner?); Virtue Healing Oil; OUAI Treatment Masque; and Curls Blueberry Bliss Reparative Leave-In Conditioner. My hair is so lucky!
On top of all those freebies, I was able to use a $10 off $50 coupon…just $718 to Diamond in 2024.
PEEP My Skin Haul
YASSSS! I was hoping for more textured PEEPS polish to go on clearance after Easter and I was able to snag another Sally Hansen Insta-Dri x PEEPS Nail Polish Duo Pack for 30% off ($8.39, down from $11.99). This Pack includes “PEEPS Classic Chick” and “PEEPS Cotton Candy”.
My dermatologist suggested benzoyl peroxide for my bacne, so I snagged CeraVe Acne Foaming Cream Cleanser, which happened to be 20% off ($15.19, down from $18.99). I haven’t started using it yet – I wanted to wait until after I washed my sheets, so I could make sure my dirty sheets weren’t making it worse. I washed my sheets TODAY, so tomorrow will start my bacne attack.
They were a whopping 60% off, so I grabbed Ulta Beauty Milky Toner ($4, down from $10) and Shine Bright Exfoliating Face Polish (also $4, down from $10). The Face Polish smells go good!
The weirdest thing – there was a random extra item in my box: Flower Blush Bomb in “Cinnamon”. I would never order this product – so weird. The sticker price is only $11.49, so I don’t feel bad about keeping it. I’ll maybe give it to my daughter or my nieces.
No other freebies, but I did use a $3.50 off $15 coupon. $856 to Diamond in 2024…
21 Days of Beauty x 2
I never think I am going to see something I want during Ulta’s 21 Days of Beauty Sale…and then I always do. This time, I ordered two different times!
The first order – I forget which day of the sale it was – had two products I wanted for 50% off: Zitsticka Goo Getter Surface Zit Hydrocolloid Patches ($8, down from $16) for Lily and it Brushes for Ulta Brush Bath Purifying Solid Brush Cleanser ($11.50, down from $23). I haven’t used the brush cleaner (maybe this weekend), but Lily has been using the zitstickas and loves them. I saw her putting on on her tush the other day…I also added Megababe The Geo Deo ($14) to my order, because I wanted to try it out. I don’t like it as much as Rosy Pits, but it is a nice basic “clean” smelling deodorant.
The second order…how could I pass up half price Ulta Ultra Slim Brow Pencil for half-price? They were $5, down from $10, so I bought two, “Medium Brown” and “Dark Brown.” Then I just threw some stuff into my cart…a tgin Honey Miracle Hair Mask Packet ($2.99), because I want to use it with the tgin shampoo and conditioner I just got off Amazon…Sally Hansen Insta-Dri x PEEPS Nail Polish Duo Pack ($11.99), which also came with a free Tumbler full of PEEPS lip gloss…Cetaphil products were BOGO 40% off, so I got Extra Gentle Daily Scrub Exfoliating Face Wash and Gentle Skin Cleanser Face Wash For Sensitive Skin.
$886 to Diamond – I better get a move on!
The Dregs
When you hit the Bath & Body Works Semi-Annual Sale a few days before the end, you save yourself A LOT of money…that’s because all that’s left are the dregs and there are not many good deals!
I only spent about $14 – I bought a couple of “Strawberry Poundcake” Shower Gels at 75%, a “Vampire Blood” Single Wick Candle, and some sour goo lip gloss for Lil. I didn’t even get to use a coupon!
December 2022 Ipsy Bag – Oh What Fun
Oh what fun it is to…open up an ipsy bag tonight!
My product choice this month was Ahava Cactus & Pink Pepper Hand Cream. It’s on the coffee table, where I can reach it any time…because I have basically lived on the couch this week. I am not sick – I am on vacation.
Also in this month’s velvet color-block bag: Ciate London Wonderwand Mascara in “Black Magic”; Juliette Has a Gun Magnolia Bliss (I don’t care for magnolia – it’s too old lady for me); Pure Brazilian Leave-In Conditioner; and Sophia + Mabelle Watermelon Lip Slick – Fruit Lip Oil (I’ve been using this to remove liquid lipstick – it’s great for that).
This month’s bag is sorta so-so. Not bad, but nothing to get too excited about, except for the had cream.
I subscribe to the basic ipsy bag for $13/month and Glam Bag X for an extra $43/quarterly. If you’d like to try Ipsy – click here. I’ll earn 250 points if you sign up through my referral link.
Fresh Cyber Monday Haul
I didn’t go TOO crazy on Cyber Monday…well, maybe a little.
I mostly bought gifts, so not sharing them in this post…but I did get a little something for myself…Fresh Beauty was 25% off, so I got Fresh Sugar Strawberry Exfoliating Face Wash ($24.75, down from $33) and Fresh Sugar Balm Gift Set ($13.87, down from $18.50). This qualified me for a free gift from Fresh – a makeup bag with 4 samples: Fresh Rose Hydration Cream (LOVE); Fresh Soy Face Cleanser; Fresh Black Tea Age-Delay Eye Concentrate; and Fresh Sugar Advanced Therapy Lip Treatment. I admit, I kind of enjoy buying Sephora-owned products from Ulta…
Oooh, another gift with my $90 purchase! Inside the (mostly skin stuff) Cyber Monday bag: No7 Menopause Skincare Nourishing Overnight Cream (HOW DID THEY KNOW I’M OLD???); MAC fix+ Magic Radiance; Love Wellness Bye Bye Bloat (again, how did they know my digestive tract is all broken?); Peach & Lily Glass Skin Refining Serum (I love this stuff); Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream; it Cosmetics Confidence in a Cream (I love this stuff, too); Better Not Younger Bounce Back Shampoo & Conditioner; Ariana Grande God is a Woman; Tom Ford Noir; Givenchy Gentleman (a good friend of mine wears this – it’s nice); Olay Regenerist Hyaluraonic +Peptide Hydrating Gel; Clinique Moisture Surge 100H Auto-Replenishing Hydrator; Kate Somerville ExfoliKate; Tula Skincare the cult classic purifying face cleanser & 24-7 moisture hydrating day & night cream; Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion; Giorgio Armani My Way; a Zitsticka; It’s a 10 Miracle Leave-In Product; IGK Pay Day Instant Repair Shampoo & Conditioner + Cash In Instant Repair Serum; Too Faced Lady Bold Lipstick Sample Card; NARS Concealer Sample Card; Keys Soulcare Let Me Glow Illuminating Serum (I also love this stuff); Anastasia Beverly Hills Crystal Lip Glow in “Glass”; Fresh Rose Deep Hydration Cream (even more stuff I love); and Laura Mercier Pure Canvas Primer.
I got so much stuff that I was able to use a $10 off code AND qualify for Diamond in 2023 – that’s it, I’m in!
Miscellaneous Ulta Haul
Really…I just needed shampoo. I’d had my refill of NatureLab.Tokyo Perfect Smooth Shampoo ($23) in my cart for weeks…I just added stuff slowly until I had enough junk for free stuff!
I had seen KVD Beauty Everlasting Hyperlight Vegan Transfer-Proof Liquid Lipstick in “Velvet Cloak” ($23) on insta…I was transfixed by the color. It’s a new shade, not a renamed shade from Kat Von D. I was SO right – it’s gorgeous on me. It’s not quite “Lolita”/”Queen of Poisons” – but it’s close. Speaking of lippies, I also got Ulta Weightless Water Lip Stain in “Very Berry” ($6, down from $10). This formula doesn’t bleed quite as much as the Revolution version – I love it!
For funsies, I added a bunch of other sale stuff to my cart: a HASK Color Care Color Protection Deep Conditioner ($1.79, down from $2.99); 2 packs of Exfoliating Cotton Rounds ($2.09, down from $3.49); Ulta Crystal Aloe Scented Gel Hand Wash ($2.10, down from $3.50); Ulta Soft Cotton Scented Foaming Hand Wash ($2.10, down from $3.50); J. Cat Beauty Curl & Lift-Up Eyelash Comb Curler ($2.39, down from $3.99 – for Lily, because curled lashes are all the rage with high schoolers these days); 2 EcoTools Bath Poofs ($2.39, down from $2.99); an Ulta 4-Way Buffing Block ($2.40, down from $4); Freeman Refining Pink To Green Color Changing Clay Facial Mask ($3.49, down from $4.99 – this mask pissed me off…it did not start green, nor did it turn green – BULLSHIT MARKETING); Freeman Soothing Pumpkin Mud Facial Mask ($3.49, down from $4.99 – it smells like pumpkin pie); and a wet n wild Ultimate Brow Micro Brow Pencil in “Medium Brown” ($3.59, down from $4.79 – not bad, but has a reddish tinge that looks cheap).
I used a $15 off $75 code and GOT a nice gift with purchase. Inside this positively BURSTING 20 piece “Little Luxuries” sample bag (free with my $80 purchase): Benefit The POREfessional Super Setter Long-Lasting Makeup Setting Spray (I have so much setting spray, I could paint my house with it); Urban Skin Rx Retinol Rapid Repair Treatment; Clinique High Impact Mascara; IGK Pay Day Instant Repair Shampoo, Conditioner & Cash In Instant Repair Serum; Vichy Mineral 89 Booster; Giorgio Armani Acqua Di Gio; Tula Skincare Take Care + Polish/Take Care + Nourish; olaplex No. 8 Bond Intense Moisture Mask (ooooh, this is the good stuff); Curlsmith Bond Curl Rehab Salve (sending to my niece, Curly Sue); Sexy Hair Imperfect Nectarine Strengthening Mask; Gucci Flora Gorgeous Jasmine; Urban Decay Wild Lash Vegan Mascara; Good Molecules Silicone-Free Priming Moisturizer; Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder; La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Matte Moisturizer; Mugler Alien Goddess; Giorgio Armani Si Passione; Buxom Wanderlust Blush Card; Kylie Cosmetics Matte Liquid Lipstick Card Sample in “Mary Jo K”; and Viktor & Rolf Good Fortune.
Just $119 to Diamond in 2023…almost there!