Category: Face
HUGE Ulta Haul
Those “gift with purchase” deals get me every time. Last week, Ulta was offering a pink plastic Beauty Bag, filled with samples – free to Platinum Members with a $60 purchase. There just happened to be $60 of stuff I needed…a back-up Urban Decay Naked Skin Ultra Definition Finishing Powder in “Medium Light”…2 more Freeman Beauty Masks that were BOGH (I’m a total mask addict now) – Avocado & Oatmeal Clay and Golden Grain Brightening…5 Ulta Brilliant Color Lip Glosses on sale for $3 each – “Rich Plum”, “Toast” (a back-up), “Spice”, “Guava”, and “Cupcake”…and I broke down and tried Poo-Pourri in “Rosy Cheeks” (I tried it earlier today – although I didn’t smell poo-poo, it seemed to be a mostly non-offensive load – more research is needed).
Inside my beautiful pink bag (perfect for my upcoming Vegas trip): Lancôme Defincils Mascara in “Black”; Ulta Sweet Fantasy Vanilla and Caramel Silky Smooth Body Lotion; it Cosmetics No-Tug Waterproof Gel Eyeliner in “Black-Brown”; Juice Organics Brightening Shampoo and Conditioner; Dolce & Gabbana “light blue – Sunset in Salina” (reminds me of my mom – smells a little bit like “Lauren”); it’s a 10 Miracle Leave-In for Blondes (I gave away the last one I got, but I’ll give this blonde version a try); Thierry Mugler “Angel” (I think a friend of mine wear this – so I never will); Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion (I have SO many samples of this shit); Whish Body Butter in “Almond”; Biolage Matrix Exquisite Oil; dermalogica Ultrasmoothing Eye Serum; Laura Geller Baked Liquid Radiance Foundation in “Golden Medium”; Juice Beauty Stem Cellular Booster Serum (good stuff – I used up my last sample); Kate Spade “Live Color Fully” (I might actually wear this one); Benefit It’s Potent eye Benefit cream; and a mini Ulta Brilliant Gloss in “Toast” (I guess I didn’t need that back-up I ordered?). Gee, I’ve got finger cramps from typing.
Two more samples came with my order – HASK Coconut Monoi Oil Shampoo and Conditioner and Cargo HD Picture Perfect CC Cream. I also used my $3.50 coupon. Excited to play with my new stuff!
Target Beauty Boxes – Back to School 2015
More Target Beauty Boxes – and just a month after the last duo! This month, there were 2 “Back to School” Target Beauty Boxes – just $5 each. Of course, I ordered both of them.
Inside the “Honor Roll” Box: a Bathery Delicate Pouf (they’re not quite as good as the Bath & Body Works ones, but not bad); John Frieda Luxurious Volume 7-Day Treatment; Olay White Strawberry Body Wash; NYX Butter Gloss in “Strawberry Parfait”; Goody Ouchless Elastics; Cover Girl Outlast All-Day Primer; and Burt’s Bees White Tea Facial Wipes (I hope these don’t burn my eye area like the Cucumber Sage ones I got in my December 2014 Allure Box).
Inside the “Head of the Class” Box: Goody Ouchless Elastics (I’m glad I got a pack of these in each box – now that my son’s hair is longer than mine, elastics are in short supply in my home); a Bathery Pumice Stone; Hollywood Fashion Tape; Cover Girl Colorlicious Lip Gloss in “Give Me Guava”; wet n wild Max Volume Plus Mascara (another mascara to throw in my box); Herbal Essences Wild Naturals Illuminating Dry Oil Spray; and Yes to Cucumbers 10-count Wipes.
A great value for about $10. I used my Target Red Card to get my 5% off – it’s just 50 cents, but every little bit helps.
Beauty Box 5 – Summer Night Out
I might actually use every single thing in my Beauty Box 5 this month!
Inside this month’s “Summer Night Out” box: OFRA Lip Gloss in “Truffle”; OFRA Lip Liner in “Spicy”; Nanacoco Nail Polish in “Orange Wonderland” (it’s really more sparkly/rusty); Love Life Skin Restorative Night Cream and Intensive Recovery Serum (2 foil packets each); and Pur~lisse Flash tattoos (I’m about to get another REAL tattoo, so maybe I’ll use these on my wrists?). I also got codes for 20% at purlisse.com and 25% off at lovelifeskincare.com.
Now I just need to plan a Summer Night Out!
July Ipsy Bag – Summer Lovin’
Summer lovin’, happened so fast…Can you believe that summer is already half over?
“Summer Lovin'” is also Ipsy’s July theme. The bag is a bit ugly – I’ll just add it to the pile. There’s some good stuff inside that ugly bag though: Nudestix Magnetic Eye Color in “Gilt” (waterproof and comes with a cool sharpener); Crown Brush Professional Tweezers (the second pair of tweezers I’ve received recently); City Color Cosmetics HD Powder (I’m excited to try this one); Jor’el Parker “Classico” eau de parfum (interesting scent, but isn’t Jo’rel Superman’s dad?); and pūr~lisse pur-bright ultra skin brightening serum (sure, why not?).
I had redeemed my ipsy points for a J. Cat Beauty lip stain, but it didn’t make into this bag – I guess I’ll be getting it next month?
If you’d like to try Ipsy – click here. I’ll earn 250 points if you sign up through my link.
July Birchbox – Go Bold
Birchbox must have heard my whining – my box arrived first this month, even before Julep.
July’s theme was “Go Bold” – which is odd, because this isn’t an overly bold box. Maybe somebody else got some bolder stuff. Inside this month’s box: clariSEA Rapid Detox Charcoal Exfoliant (I’m turning into a charcoal junkie); a 2.5 ox bottle of Davines MINU Shampoo, with bonus foil packs of MINU conditioner and MINU hair serum (I get so annoyed by mismatched sizes in my samples); Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin Liquid (to match the cream I got last month?); Jouer Luminizing Moisture Tint; and stila look at me liquid lipstick in “bella” (sample choice for the month). I take it back – that hot pink lipstick is pretty bold!
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.
Ulta Adventure
Oh the disappointment when one opens up an online order and one of the items is damaged! I ordered 2 NYX AVANT POP palettes (BOGO50%off) – and the “Art Throb” palette was shattered. Luckily, the “Surreal My Heart Palette” was in fine shape. I also ordered a clearance Urban Decay 24/7 Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner in “Woodstock” (hot pink!) for $10 and 2 Palladio lip stains – “rose” and “mocha”.
Because my order was over $40, I got the NYX Beauty Break Set, with Love in Paris Palette in “Merci Beaucoup”, Doll Eye Mascara in “Extreme Jet Black”, Butter Gloss in “Maple Blondie” and Slide On, Glide On, Stay On & Definitely a Turn On Waterproof Extreme Shine Eye Liner. (I like this set better than what I actually paid for.) For samples, I chose skincare and got CoTZ Face Sunscreen and Garnier Nourishing Cleansing Oil.
This morning, I went on an adventure to replace the shattered palette and use my $10 off ANYTHING coupon to get another Urban Decay Naked Skin BB Cream. The Copperwood Ulta didn’t have the paletter OR the BB Cream. I did pick up another Zoya Remove+.
The Willowbrook Ulta did have the NYX palette – phew.
Lily also begged for Sally Hansen “Sweet Nectar”. It was 79 cents on the clearance aisle, so why not. It’s sickeningly orange, but you never know when it will come in handy.
It’s not Saturday without a quick trip to Bath & Body Works. I’d been jonesing to experience the Semi Annual Sale in person, since I’ve been ordering online.
It was a fairly conservative trip – 2 50% off 3-wick candles, plus a metal candle holder. Just 5 50% off Hand Soaps – I just needed enough to use my $10 off $40 coupon.
I need a nap – I am plumb tuckered out.
June Birchbox – Say Yes!
Why is Birchbox all of a sudden taking so long to get here? Is it because everyone I know gets one now?
Instead of picking this month’s curated box from “The Tig” (I was disappointed that it wasn’t curated by Tig Notaro), I went with the regular “Say Yes!” box, picking COOLA SPF Sport 50 in “Mango” (water resistant – yay!) as my sample choice. Also inside my box: Comptoir Sud Pacifique “Vanille Extreme” (not quite Atelier, but similar); Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin Cream (I am starting to love these expensive skin care samples – my skin hasn’t looked this good since the last millennium); Marcelle Waterproof Eyeliner in “Mulberry”; Vasanti Cosmetics Brighten Up! Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator (I got a sample of this in my last Birchbox order – LOVE it); and a SARAHPOTEMPA Darby clip – very bright and 80s.
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.
Beauty Box 5 – Bon Voyage
Oh Beauty Box 5, I was considering canceling you, but you’ve won me over this month and received a stay of execution with this month’s box, themed “Bon Voyage”.
In my “Bon Voyage” box: Urban Decay Perversion Mascara (FINALLY, a prestige product – I wasn’t wowed by this mascara when I first got it, but I find myself reaching for it when I’m going out on the town); Herbal Essences Body Wash in “Honey Smell Good” (and it does); LOL Rotational Eye Shadow in “Splash That Cash” (it should be called “Irritable Bowel Syndrome”, because I’ve seen these exact shades of brown and green in the toilet this past week); Nails Inc. Nail Polish in “Bruton Street” (another fancy brand – $9.50 at Ulta or Sephora); and Simple Skincare Micellular Cleansing Water (a skimpy sample – just a moistened pad – but not a dealbreaker). There was also a $20 off $49.95 coupon for GorgeHair.com, but no way I’m spending that much money on a brand I’ve never heard of.
Keep the good boxes coming, Beauty Box 5!
June Ipsy Bag – Swim Into Beauty
It’s fitting that June’s bag is made of black neoprene to match the theme – “Swim Into Beauty”.
This month brought me an interesting bag: Formula X Nail Color in “Power Source” (fucking neon coral); Befine Cucumber Face Mask; Smashbox Cosmetics Photo Finish Foundation Primer (so…much…primer); it Cosmetics Brow Powder Universal Eyebrow Pencil; and tre’StiQue Mini Shadow Crayon in “Kona Coffee” (I was so pissed when I pulled this out of my bag – I thought the cap was missing, but the cap looks like a pencil).
If you’d like to try Ipsy – click here. I’ll earn 250 points if you sign up through my link.
Target Beauty Boxes – June 2015
So I missed the last Target Beauty Boxes in April – I was too busy sleeping off a hangover in New Orleans…but I got them this time – oh, yes I did.
Again, there were “His & Hers” boxes. His box ($5) was kind of lame – my husband was really disappointed. Whatever, at least I got him a box open…that I opened for him. Inside his box: Gillette Fusion ProGlide Razor (same one as in the last box; it was okay, but no great shakes); Axe Styling Messy Look Gel and Axe Styling Spiked Up Extra Hold Gel (My husband shaves his head and my son has longer hair than me, so needless to say – this stuff won’t get used in our house); Dove Men + Care Oxygen Charge Shampoo (will get thrown in the travel bag); and an Orabrush Tongue Cleaner (now THIS is cool and will get used).
Her box ($7) is decent: Olay Regenerist Luminous HydraSwirl Eye Cream; Revlon Ultra HD Lipstick in “Gladiolus” (the same damn color that came in my Allure Beauty Thrills); Sinful Colors “Boom Boom” (I don’t have this one – YAY!); Cutex Advanced Revival Nail Polish Remover Pads; and Fekkai Blowout (my 3rd can – also received in my February Birchbox and the October 2014 Target Beauty Box).
Both boxes shipped free and I also got a 5% discount with my Red Card. Each box also came with a $3 off $15v Beauty/Personal Care purchase, so even though the boxes were not as good as previous ones, they were still worth it.