Category: Hair
May 2018 Birchbox – Soak in the Sunshine
Ugh, Birchbox – what is this weird shit?
I mean, I picked the curated box, so I knew what I was picking – but it’s weird. The Whal Myung Skin Elixir is throwing me off – it looks like some illegal product you get from a back room in a massage parlor. That, of course, means it is probably FIRE – or will will set my face on FIRE.
Also in this month’s “Soak up the Sunshine” box: Wander Beauty Catch the Light Highlighter & Glowtion (love me some glowtion); KNC Beauty All Natural Collagen Infused Lip Mask; OUAI Volume Spray; and Georgette Klinger Coconut Cleansing Milk.
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.
YAYROUGE, Part 4
Here it is, my fourth and final YAYROUGE order!
I’ve been coveting the Shhhowercap for quite a while, but $43 for a shower cap? It was much easier to swallow at $36.55. (Are you laughing at my rationalization?)
I ordered the Shhhowercap in “Minx” – leopard print. I tried it this morning and it’s just as magical as I expected. The cap fit snuggly over my head – I have a big head – but there was plenty of room for more hair. There’s a little rub strip across the forehead and keep it on and prevents any water for getting in. The back is gathered, but no water creeped in there either. It didn’t fall off either. I had no problem throwing my old grocery store shower cap in the trash – this one is a keeper. No regrets!
For my samples, I got Marc Jacobs Shameless Youthful-Look 24-H Foundation; Hermes Un Jardin Sur Le Nil (I LOVE it – why is my taste in perfume so expensive?); and Versace Eros Per Femme (the first Versace scent I’ve ever liked – lemony). I also got the usual Mother’s Day pack of scent cards. I smelled all of them and didn’t care for ANY of them. They were all very heavy floral, old lady perfumes.
Just $671 to Rouge!
Target Beauty Box – April 2018
…ANOTHER Target Beauty Box for April? Wut?
I was still reeling over the first four Target Beauty Boxes that I ordered this month when a fifth became available to order, this one focusing on natural beauty products – “Hello Natural Beauty”.
Inside the Natural Beauty box: Method Experiential Simply Nourish Body Wash (coconut, rice milk, and shea butter); Love Beauty & Planet Coconut Water Shampoo & Conditioner (yassss); SheaMoisture African Black Soap Mud Mask (My beauty buddy, Angie, just suggested this mask to me TODAY); Schmidt’s Rose + Vanilla Deodorant (Looking forward to a rose deodorant, not to mention the SPIFFY name); Nourish Organic Face Lotion; and Weleda Skin Food (lotion, I guess).
I am psyched to try every product in this box – that’s rare!
This box went back to the usual $3 off a Beauty purchase of $15 or more. It was $7, with free shipping and 5% off with my Red Card.
Coconut and Coffee
I don’t usually share every time I go to Target, but this trip actually contained some “share-worthy” products.
I get all kinds of excited every time St. Ives comes out with a new product. I was able to use my Target Beauty Box coupon on St. Ives Energizing Coconut & Coffee Scrub. So excited to try it! But I’m making myself use up the Shea Moisture scrub before I open it…
I also tried L’Oreal Paris Pure Clay Cleanser – Exfoliate & Refine, which is a red clay as opposed to the black clay I have on my sink. Again, I’m forcing myself to use up the old one before I open the new one.
Everything else I bought was much less exciting – Axe Body Wash and Shampoo for the men, Cotton Balls, Toner, Contact Solution and a shit ton of nail polish remover.
I fucking love Target.
Beachwave Me
I have a love/hate relationship with my hair. I’m always looking for the next product/styling aid that will give me perfect hair…I try something new, get excited…then back comes the ponytail.
That being said, my current Revlon curling iron is probably older than my son (13!) and didn’t get very hot last time I tried to use it. I’ve been drooling over the Beachwaver Curling Iron, but at $129 – that’s a steep price for a curling iron! How can I rationalize spending that much money on a styler I’ll use just a few times a year? Well…I found a way.
First, you save up your Ulta Platinum Points for nearly 2 years – the last time I used my points was on the Alice Through the Looking Glass Palette! I had saved $67.50 in points. Then, wait for a 20% off coupon. Last week, the stars aligned and I snagged the Beachwaver S1 Curling Iron for just $35.70. Woo! I tried it out and it’s just as amazing as videos make it look. You literally just grab your hair and press the button and BAM – perfect waves. I haven’t done my whole head yet…but coming soon!
I also found a promo for a free 18 piece Beauty Bag with $30 purchase on RetailMeNot – check out the amazing contents: NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in “Milk” (already have one, but sure); Smashbox Photo Finish Primerizer (have some, but I like it); Bosley Professional Strength Ultra Boost Styling Creme (Bosley, like the hair plug people?); Clairol Hair Food Moisture Shampoo & Conditioner Infused with Honey Apricot Fragrance (Mmmmm); Jimmy Choo L’eau; First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads (huh?); Hempz Original Herbal Shampoo for Damaged and Color Treated Hair; Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium; Philosophy Amazing Grace; Living proof. restore mask treatment; goodol Wash Up Deep Clean Pore Glacial Clay; Nyakio Maracuja & Yangu Soothing Oil; Perricone MD Cold Plasma Face Serum; Rituals Hand Balm in “Indian Rose & Sweet Almond Oil”; Philosophy Purity Made Simple (love this stuff for when I travel); Hey Honey Good Morning Honey Silk Facial Serum; Estee Lauder The Smoother Universal Perfecting Primer; Organic to Green Coco Oil; and a $5 off $15 Ulta Collection coupon! I have finger cramps now!
My usual samples were also good – NARS Powermatte Lip Pigment in “American Woman” and HASK Biotin Boost Shampoo & Conditioner.
I don’t plan on hitting the beach this summer, but my hair will be ready just in case!
oVertone – Rose Gold for Brown Hair
I think I’ve found it – the holy grail of semi-permanent hair color!
Growing up in the 80s and 90s, all we had was Manic Panic. Don’t get me wrong, it did the job…but it was hard to apply and stained EVERYTHING. Good luck not staining your scalp, your forehead, your clothes, your bathtub, your towels – everything. Manic Panic was somehow permanent and not permanent at the same time. Even though it permanently stained everything it touched – it tended to fade quickly (and unevenly) from your hair. I spend more time than I would like to admit with half pink/ half bleached blond hair than I would like to admit. Oh, did I not mention that Manic Panic was useless without bleach? But in your teens and twenties, who gives a shit, right? Hair grows…
Now in my 40s, I definitely give a shit about my hair. Women don’t want to admit that our hair thins, too, as we age – it fucking DOES. (Just ask my husband about our shower drain…) There’s got to be a better way to add adventurous color than bleaching and dying forever…
And then I discovered oVertone. I admit it, I first saw it on Facebook and Instagram ads. They were hyping a new color called “Rose Gold for Brown Hair”, which was my color goal the last time I got my hair professionally colored – and I ended up a bit disappointed. I clicked and the product sounded really amazing – a duo of semi-permanent products that promise to keep your hair bright and tight. I then saw that samples were available, so I decided to try them out…
I ordered samples of “Rose Gold for Brown Hair” Deep Conditioner ($11) and Daily Conditioner ($8). A bit pricey, but if it works and keeps my hair healthy…it will be well worth it. Full Size prices are $28 for the Deep Conditioner and $17 for the Daily Conditioner. If I got two uses out of the sample Deep Conditioner (I used less than half), the full size should last a few months at least.
The sample Deep Conditioner is to be used first – you put it on your hair for 10-15 minutes and then rinse. That’s IT. The Daily Conditioner adds a color boost between weekly Deep Conditioning Treatments. Best of all, no harsh chemical odor – it smells like Wintergreen!
I was surprised at how deeply pink some of my hair turned. This is because I had chunky highlights last summer, so those highlights sucked the color right up. The picture to the left is immediately after application, but I got the perfect rose gold color after the first washing.
In addition to “Rose Gold for Brown Hair”, there’s original “Rose Gold” AND the whole rest of the rainbow: red, orange, pink, silver, blue, purple, teal, green and yellow. I don’t see myself going nuts – it’s taken me nearly 18 years at the same company to dye my hair slightly pink. This is probably as much as I can get away with right now…Baby steps…
The most recent similar product I’ve tried is L’Oreal Colorista…and it doesn’t even come close on quality. It’s ~$8-~11 a tube and even though it promises 4-8 shampoos, it’s gone after a single shampoo. There are lots of other semi-permanent products on the market right now, but I’ll pay extra for oVertone.
If you’d like to try oVertone, this referral link will get you $10 off your first order (and $10 for me, too).
April 2018 Birchbox – Feed Your…
Back to the Curated Box option this month – any time I see Davines, I go for it!
Despite the disparity in sizes, I’m quite thrilled to get a deluxe sample of Davines LOVE Smoothing Shampoo and a single use foil-pack of Davines LOVE Smoothing Conditioner.
Also in this month’s “Feed Your…” Box: Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner in “Black”; jane iredale Just Kissed Lip and Cheek Stain in “Forever Pink”(I got “Forever” Peach a few years ago – it was OK, I guess); Acure Organics Brilliantly Brightening Facial Scrub (Acure is really good); and Clarins Multi-Active Day Cream SPF 20.
A so-so 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.
Target Beauty Boxes – April 2018
What witchcraft is this? FOUR different Target Beauty Boxes this month? (There was an extra box that dropped the last week of March, but since it was all curly hair products, I skipped it.) When it rains, it pours! The boxes have unique designs and a different coupon set-up than the usual $3 off $15 – each box has coupons for the specific products in the box.
I’ll just start with the top left and move clockwise…the “Be You(tiful)” box is the heaviest and highest value box. It includes e.l.f. Gotta Glow Up Tint in “Perfect Pink” (I suspect it’s like the Winky Lux balm); Simple Water Boost Micellular Makeup Remover Eye Pads (itty bitty!); Nexxus Keraphix Shampoo & Conditioner (ugh, the shampoo came open in the box – at least it made everything smell good); L’Oreal Pure Clay Cleanser – Detoxify and Brighten (picked this up several months ago – LOVE it); OLLY Beauty Vitamins; Sinful Colors Nail Polish in “Galac Sea” (Not a dupe!); and Honest Beauty Younger Face Deep Hydration Cream. This box included $9 in product coupons.
Next up is the “Treat Yourself” box. It includes Bodycology Free & Lovely Coconut & Rose Body Butter (smells good); Dr Teals Pink Himalayan Foaming Bath (ugh, I want a bathtub so bad); ME!Bath Bath Bomb (Ditto); Luxe by Mr. Bubble Bath Meltaway (jeez); Burt’s Bees Tinted Lip Balm in “Red Dahlia” (finally, a product I’ll use); Olay Regenerist Whip Active Moisturizer (I’ve been dying to try this); and Honest Beauty Refreshingly Clean Gel Cleanser. This box included $11 in coupons.
Directly underneath that box is the “All the Masks” box. It includes Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Gel Mask; Que Bella Multi Mask Trio; Yes to Carrots and Kale Single Use Paper Mask; Masque Bar Luminizing Charcoal Peel Off Mask; and St. Ives Soothing Oatmeal Sheet Mask (I busted this one out the night I opened the box – I’m still smooth several days later). This box only included a single $1 off St. Ives coupon.
Last, but not least, is the “Wakeup and Makeup” box. It includes Sonia Kashuk Brush Cleaning Wipes; e.l.f. Beautifully Bare Blending Brush; e.l.f. Beautifully Bare Face Palette; Dove Dry Spray Invisible Sheer Finish Deodorant; Dove Dry Shampoo in “Coconut”; CoverGirl Peacock Flare Mascara in “Extreme Black”; and Honest Beauty Refreshingly Clean Makeup Remover Wipes. This box included $5 in coupons.
So…four boxes at $7 each, AND I remembered to use my $3 off coupon. With another 5% off with my Red Card and free shipping, that’s $24.25 for the whole shebang! If I manage to use even half of the $26 in coupons, I’ll be a happy camper.
The Disappointment is Real
One last round of online shopping before I go back to work this week – I’ve been out of the office over ten weeks! I haven’t had that long off work ever, not even after my kids. I wonder if I will remember how to do my “real” job?
I’m not going to worry about that right now…instead, I am going to focus on my intense disappointment over Winky Lux Flower Balm ($14). I was prepared for my lips to turn any color in a range of red to pink to purple, but I wasn’t expecting what I ended up with – which was absolutely nothing. I couldn’t perceive any noticeable change in the color of my lips at all. I just paid $14 for Chapstick.
I filled my baskets with basics (that I actually needed) just to justify that damn lip balm. 2 bottles of Zoya Remove+ Nail Polish Remover ($10) – the best polish remover in the whole world, right Beth? I also noticed that SheaMoisture was Buy One, Get One Half Off, so I ordered back-ups of SheaMoisture Peace Rose Oil Shampoo and Conditioner (normally $11.49).
Oh, I was also able to take advantage of last week’s bareMinerals Beauty Break. I was able to pick my shade of BarePro Foundation. I took a shot in the dark and chose “Cashmere 06”. Also included: bareMinerals Skinsorials Skin Longevity Vital Power Infusion (huh?); Gen Nude Patent Lip Lacquer (color isn’t noted on the vial, but I think it may be “dahling”); Prime Time Original Foundation Primer; and Original Mineral Veil. I tried out bareMineral original foundation when it first launched – ~13 years ago? It somehow made me look older than I was, but now I’m that age, so maybe I should try it again? I’m looking forward to trying these old and new products.
For my samples, I got OGX Orchid Oil Shampoo & Conditioner and St. Moritz Professional Wash Off Tan (nope, nope, nope).
I also decided to bop in to Ulta for a haircut yesterday. I am completely incapable of walking out of Ulta empty-handed.
NYX has really found their niche in liquid lipsticks – they have over a dozen different lines, each of which has a distinctly different formula and feel. Right now, my favorite line is definitely the Metallic version of the Soft Matte Lip Creams. I had to pick up two more, since NYX Cosmetics are Buy One, Get One Half Off. I chose “Monte Carlo” (a pink leaning red) and “Rome” (rosy mauve?). Normally $6.99, the sale made them $5.24 each.
I wish I had figured out about using the Ulta Salon sooner – only $197.67 to Ulta Platinum. I also have $67.50 in Ulta points – I see a splurge in my future…
Sephora Play! March 2018 – Festival of Beauty
Is it me, or is “Festival” the most over-used campaign buzzword in the Beauty World right now? It’s getting to be ridiculous, kind of like “Unicorn”. Don’t get me wrong, I was deep into Festivals and outside concert in my youth. I religiously attended Lollapalooza 1992 through 1995, and various other outside concerts…but back then, the only makeup I needed back then was black eyeliner…
What I SHOULD have worn was sunscreen. I never did and I always got a sunburn every damn time. So it was nice of Sephora to include Murad Invisiblur Perfecting Shield Broad Spectrum SPF 30 | PA+++. The package says invisible SPF, primer and anti-aging treatment in one – I’m sold!
Also in the Festival box: Buxom Plumpline Lip Liner Crayon in “Hush Hush”; Sephora Matte Perfection Powder Foundation in “14 Neutral Linen” (close to the shade I’ve been using – “16 Cool Linen”); Verb Ghost Oil; Lancome Miel-en-Mousse Foaming Cleanser and Makeup Remover; and a tiny foilpack of OUAI Anti-Frizz. Oh, and a snazzy tie-dye pouch that says “Beauty is my Spirit Animal”.
If you don’t get Sephora Play, join us for Festival Fun. Sephora Play is only $10/month. You can sign up at sephora.com/play.