Category: Body
Allure Beauty Box – December 2014
Because I knew this season’s Allure Beauty Box would go on sale during my Thanksgiving vacation, I set an alarm on my phone to remind me to jump on the computer and purchase it…again, I was able to get this value-packed box of goodies – over $250 of stuff for $44.95 + $10 shipping.
Is it possible that this box is even better than the last one? Inside: Aloxxi Conditioning Detangler (Lily might be getting this); Bioré Self heating One Minute Mask (I would have tried this out tonight if it wasn’t for a freak mustache wax accident this morning – don’t ask); Burt’s Bees Cucumber & Sage Facial Cleansing Towelettes (I totally used up the e.l.f. ones I got last time, so I know I’ll use these); Cetaphil Intensive Moisturizing Cream; Clean & Clear Morning Burst Hydrating Gel Moisturizer; Colgate Optic White Toothbrush + Built-In Whitening Pen (weird); Colgate Optic White Platinum Whiten & Protect Toothpaste (cool); Curel Skincare Rough Skin Rescue (the only duplicate from the last box – my husband already called dibs on this bottle to take to work); Dove White Beauty Bar (I didn’t know people still used bar soap?); Jergens Natural Glow 3 Days To Glow Moisturizer (I don’t need to be browner, so this will be gifted); John Frieda Brilliant Brunette Colour Protecting Moisturising Conditioner (this shit is my JAM); John Frieda Colour Refreshing Gloss for Cool Brunettes; John Frieda Frizz Ease Nourishing Oil Elixir; Neutrogena Boost Water Gel; Not Your Mother’s Whip It Up Cream Styling Mousse (do people still use mousse?); Organic Doctor Organic Manuka Honey Hand & Nail Cream; Organic Doctor Organic Virgin Coconut Oil Hydrating Radiance Elixir; Physicians Formula Nude Wear Glowing Nude Blush in “Rose” (YES, YES, YES); Rusk Texture Dry Finishing Spray; Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in “Sweet Talker”; scünci Hair Emergency Kit (my purse needs this); Shea Moisture Superfruit Complex Body Lotion; Splat hair Chalk in “Dusty Rose” (why not?); and Style Sexy Hair Dry Shampoo (yes, more dry shampoo).
My only disappointment was that there was no face wash! Now I have to go buy some fucking face wash!
Target Beauty Boxes – December 2014
I wasn’t expecting another Target Beauty Box so soon – the last one came around just 2 months ago! This time, there were 3 boxes to choose from. Of course, I got the regular $10 Beauty Box for myself, but this time – they had a $5 Men’s box. My husband has been envious of all my subscription boxes, and now he finally got one! There was also a natural box, but none of the products interested me, so I skipped it.
Inside the Men’s box: Gillette ProGlide FlexBall Razor – we both use Mach3 and this looks similar; Dove Men+Care Dry Deodorant Spray; Old Spice Swagger 2in1 Shampoo and Conditioner – the last deodorant I bought him was Old Spice Swagger, so this will match; Neutrogena Men Invigorating Face Wash – I don’t think I have ever seem my husband wash his face…at least not like girls wash their face; Proraso Shaving Cream; and AXE Peace Shower Gel – yay for travel sizes!
The Women’s Beauty Box is a major score for $10. Inside: Pixi Endless Silky Eye Pen – maybe this is THE ONE, the one that will give me the correct cat eye; Revlon HD Lacquer in “Petalite” – I am getting overloaded with Barbie pink lip gloss; Clairol Hair Food Thickening Solution – it’s a full size product, but it sounds like a pain in the ass to use, having to put in your wet hair, comb through and then rinse out; L’Oreal Butterfly Intenza Mascara – I love the original, so this one has to be twice as good; Cover Girl Eye Enhancers in “Daring Nudes” – no matter how many expensive palettes I get, I still use these Cover Girl quads weekly; ChapStick Total Hydration Lip Care in “Sweet Peach”; Laneige Water Sleeping Mask; and Boots No7 Protect & Perfect Advanced Serum.
As always, free shipping on these boxes and 5% off with my Red Card. You can’t beat this deal with a stick!
$3 Lotion
I got more lotion for my basket!
A few weeks ago, Bath & Body Works had all of their body lotion on sale for $3. My sister and I went in halfsies on an online order to get 10 of them, so we could also use a $10 off $30 coupon. I got “White Citrus”, “Secret Wonderland”, “Pure Paradise”, “Carried Away” and “Mad About You”.
I am nothing, if not predictable.
Coming Up Roses
So I had $30 in Birchbox points burning a hole in my pocket…and a 20% off coupon code, so I HAD to place an order.
Ever since I discovered Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in “Soft Brown”, I have an almost pathological fear of running out and not having a back-up. Yeah, it’s $21…but it is the only eyebrow pencil I’ve found that doesn’t make me look like Cruella DeVille.
I am always looking for a good rose scent, so I decided to try Jurlique “Essence of Rose” Roll-on Fragrance Oil. It’s a traditional rose scent – my husband wrinkled his nose and said, “Grandma.” Well…tough shit. I also got Jurlique Love Balm in “Rose” – the cold weather is taking a toll on my cuticles and knuckles.
My free mystery add-on was 2 pouches from Hairkop Essences: Treatment Conditioner and Leave In Moisturizing Cream. They both contain Obliphica (Sea-Buckthorn) Fruit Extract. I have no idea what that is and it kind of scares me.
So I got $60 of loot for $10.80. I LOVE Birchbox so fucking much.
November Beauty Box 5 – Gracefully Grounded
Just like last month, I got my Beauty Box 5 on the same day (Saturday) that I got the shipping email. I understand them hedging their bets – why not send the emails a bit later than they day the drop them in the mail? No matter what, I get them pretty quick since they are based in Austin.
“Gracefully Grounded” is November’s theme. Inside my box: L’Oreal Paris Nail Color (Really – another polish without a name? I thought L’Oreal always names their polishes? I call this one Bright Ass Tomato Red…); DenTek Floss Picks + Case (perfect for my purse); HASK Macadamia Revitalizing Shine Oil; Laura Ashley Body Butter in “Cherry Blossom” (Is Laura Ashley still around or is this product left over from the 80s?); and Dove Deep Moisture Body Wash (I got a full size in my Allure Beauty Box, but haven’t tried it yet.)
My BFF didn’t get hers until today – I FINALLY got one of my boxes before her!
Mediterranean Fall
When you get those GOOD coupons in your email…50% off selected fall items, 3 wick candles 2/$22 and an additional 25% off your purchase…you gotta go!
I picked up two candles – “Smoked Berries & Incense” and “Topaz Waters”. I let my husband smell them – he wrinkled his nose and banned them from the bedroom. Awwwww!
I showed restraint and picked up three 50% off hand soaps – “Topaz Waters”, “Moroccan Fig & Honey” (my husband HATED this one), and “Malaysian Pomegranate”.
On a related note, I switched out the summer scent – “Aloha Orchid” – from my powder room and replaced it with a winter scent – “Sparkling Pink Champagne”. My son got really upset – because it didn’t smell as good. Soap is a very divisive issue in our house.
Extreme Bedroom Makeover
So….my nail polish collection has gotten a little bit out of control. I’ve been fine the last few years, storing them in a plastic caddy, but then I filled both sides and had to get another caddy for remover and tools and then even that was not enough. I’ve got polishes EVERYWHERE – on the floor, on my vanity table, still in stacked subscription boxes…not to mention scattered through the rest of the house.
It’s not just the polishes that are the problem – it’s the subscription boxes. Since I’m a hoarder, I can’t throw any of the boxes away because I NEED them. I use them to mail stuff, to put gifts in and I’ve also started covering them with fancy Duck Tape to use for storage. The problem is that I get boxes faster than I can use them. Not to mention all the samples that come in those boxes – they are stacked up everywhere as well.
Again, Angie is my inspiration. I had been really considering getting a HELMER from IKEA (the nail blogger holy grail of nail polish storage), but I don’t quite have THAT much polish. (The first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem. Obviously, I’m not there yet.) Angie suggested getting a RÅSKOG instead – it lets you see what you’ve got. We finally made the long trek to IKEA yesterday and I picked one up – after visiting my grandparents, who are conveniently buried across the street from IKEA. (It’s like they planned it.)
I put all of my polishes into the bottom two trays – including my Julep Color Caddy. I may end up booting it if I run out of room, but it’s so pretty! I tried to clean up the lotions and other stuff on my vanity – I dusted and culled a few old bottles. What I really need to do is clean out the drawers, which are filled mostly with jewelry – important stuff I inherited from my mother and grandmother, but also stupid stuff, like my elementary school jewelry. That’s a project that would take an entire weekend…at the very least.
The vanity itself was my grandmother’s. The finish is horrible – scratched and scuffed – but I don’t have the gumption yet to refinish it like I did my other vanity. (I did a red and black crackle finish on the other one – it’s beautiful, but it was a pain in the ass.) I went ahead and put all my boxes underneath it, I don’t sit at it, so really it’s just storage.
I’m very happy with the result. I expect I’ll outgrow my RÅSKOG soon, but I’ve got room for another…
October Ipsy Bag – Beauty Candy
My ipsy bag is here…later than ever.
This is the first bag that I’ve gotten that I’m totally BLAH about the contents. There were a lot of great products this month – Figs & Rouge, Smashbox – I just didn’t get any of them.
October’s theme is “Beauty Candy” and I received Ayres Patagonia Body Butter (Rosemary to match the shower gel in my Birchbox?); Épicé International Purifying Exfoliant; ModelCo VOLUMEYES Extreme Eyes Mascara (2 ModelCo Mascaras in one month?); Nicole by OPI Nail Polish in “On a Gilt Trip” (I finally received a polish in my bag!); and noyah lipstick in “Deeply Mauve” (this actually looks like a cool color).
I find it interesting that my ipsy bag very nearly duplicates some of the the scents and products in my Birchbox. Food for thought…
If you’d like to try Ipsy – click here. I’ll earn 250 points if you sign up through my link.
October Birchbox – Fanfare
It’s here! It’s here! I’ve been seeing people’s boxes on Instagram for a week!
October’s theme is “Fanfare” – celebrating all the new shows and stuff coming out. Technically, I was watching The Walking Dead a few nights ago and I was actually watching Nail’d while I was doing my nails tonight – shhhhhhh…
Birchbox offered a product choice again this month – I chose Mally High Shine Liquid Lipstick in “Petal to the Metal” – full size! I also got dr. brandt pores no more vacuum cleaner (Excited – I hate my pores); Essentiel Elements “Wake Up Rosemary Shower Gel” (STRONG SMELLING); a sample vial of Harvey Prince “Petaly Noir” (Maybe all of Harvey Prince’s fragrances smell like old lady – This one actual reminds me of Bath & Body Works “Black Amethyst”); and ModelCo POWERLASH High Impact Black Mascara.
Another great box!
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.
Lunchtime Haul
Sooooo…since I picked up the wrong Sinful Colors top coat, I figured I would look for a better one…but guess what? Sinful Colors doesn’t make a polish top coat that’s quick dry. Well damn. That’s okay – Sinful Colors are still on sale…and the Kempwood location already has a Xmas display out!
I picked up “Twilight Twinkles”, jagged gold flakie glitter; “Gilded”, gold and red microglitter (possibly a dupe for Julep “Love”?); “Calypso”, a dark teal creme; and “No Text Red”, a bright red creme (like I need another one!) promoting their “No texting & driving” campaign. (I’m supposed to paint my thumbnail red to remind me to not text and drive. Weird.)
I also bopped over to Bath & Body Works to use some coupons. I used a coupon for a free travel size – but I got the wrong thing! I’m trading out my travel size toiletries from “Carried Away” to “Mad About You”, but I couldn’t remember the last thing I needed. I needed a shower gel, but now I have 2 lotions. Damnit. I also had a coupon for $5 Body Cream, instead of the normal $12.50. At least I got the right scent – “White Citrus”.
I somehow managed to resist the 7/$24 Hand Soap Sale….even though I also had a 20% coupon…maybe next time.