Category: Hair

 
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August Beauty Box 5 – Primped

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Life is like Beauty Box 5 – you never know what you’re gonna get.

August’s theme is “Primped” – and it is an odd, but cool grab bag of products: Donnamax Printed Nail File with Case (very cute – it says, “hey did you just hashtag me?”); Starlooks Luxe Longwear Eyeliner Pen in “Plum”; HASK Beauty Monoi Coconut Oil Nourishing Deep Conditioner (to match the shampoo/conditioner and oil I’ve recently received?); Jerome Alexander Hot Stuff Go Pop Compact (a bright yellow compact with 3 shadows – in colors I would actually use – golds and browns, 3 glosses + applicators); and Pur~lisse Pur~Moist Hydra-Balance Moisturizer.

Good stuff!

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Birchbox Limited Edition – CEW Insider 2015

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I loved last year’s boxes, so I snatched up this year’s CEW Insider boxes as soon as I got the email. Again, $28 for both boxes…but I had $20 in Birchbox points, so I got all this for $8. And since I’m now a Birchbox Ace, free shipping!

The Prestige Headliners Box has these fancy products: Benefit They’re Real! Push-Up Liner (time for a friendly game of eye liner chicken); COOLA SPF 50 Sport in “Mango” (this stuff ROCKS – waterproof protection with NO breakouts); Fekkai Hair Fragrance Mist – “Creme Vanillee” (actually smells good – like Blue Bell Natural Vanilla Bean – craving it so bad now, but I can’t have it); GlamGlow ThirstyMus Hydrating Treatment with a bonus foil pack of PowerMud DualCleanse Treament; Marula Pure Marula Facial Oil; and NUDESTIX Lip/Cheek Pencil in “Blush”.

The Mass Appeal Box has drugstore finds, but certainly not the cheap stuff: Burt’s Bees Lip Crayon in “Sedona Sands” (can’t tell if the color will end up nude or not); Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleansing Cloths; LANEIGE Water Sleeping Mask (Yes!); Olay Regenerist Luminous Dark Circle Corresting HydraSwirl Eye Cream (I still haven’t cracked the jar I got in my last Target Beauty Box); Rimmel Scandaleyes Rockin’ Eyes Curves Mascara in “Black”; and Simple Skincare Ultra-Light Gel Moisturizer (I am loving the new gel moisturizers).

You can still get these boxes from Birchbox – get to clickin’.

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August Birchbox – Candidly Nicole

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It’s not that I give a rat’s ass about Nicole Richie, but the curated box option looked kind of cute. It’s called “Candidly Nicole”, with products picked by Nicole Richie, promoting her reality show. The box itself is the cutest ever – very Betsey Johnson flowery.

Nicole’s box comes with dr. brandt Microdermabrasion Skin Exfoliant; LAQA & Co. Cheeky Lip in “Humble Brag”; OPI “Worth a Pretty Penne” from The Venice Collection (LOVE); Rene Furterer LISSEA Leave-In Smoothing Fluid; and St. Tropez Gradual In-Shower Tan (nope, nope, nope).

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.

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Allure Beauty Thrills – August 2015

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It’s that time again – Allure Beauty Thrills time!

There are a few really top shelf items in this quarter’s box, a few repeats and many items I’m curious about. Inside my box: Yes to Cucumbers Hypoallergenic Facial Wipes (same as in my last Target Beauty Box); Butter London Nail Lacquer in “Violet’s Revenge”; it Cosmetics Hello Lashes Clinically Proven 5-in-1 Volumizing Mascara with Lash Ball Detailer; LANEIGE Advanced Hydration Trial Kit (I loved their water gel sleeping mask, so glad to get more); Milani Color Statement Moisture Matte Lipstick in “Matte Love”; Clear Scalp & Hair Intense Hydration Nourishing Shampoo & Conditioner (I haven’t tried the last set of Clear I got); John Frieda Frizz Ease Beyond Smooth Frizz-Immunity Primer; HASK Monoi Coconut Nourishing Shine Oil; Curel Itch Defense Body Wash (Hmmm…ok); Pureology Colour Fanatic Instant Deep-Conditioning Mask; Redken Pillow Proof Blow Dry Express Primer; Redken Frizz Dismiss FPF 10 Fly-Away Fix Oil-Infused Finishing Sheets (now THIS is a good idea); Sonia Kashuk Nail Colour in “Jewel Orchid”; Arm & Hammer Truly Radiant Rejuvenating Toothpaste, Truly Radiant Rinse (my son can have this), and Spinbrush Truly Radiant Deep Clean Manual Toothbrush; Caress Love Forever Body Wash (I’ve been wanting to try this – it is supposed to release fragrance for 12 hours); Dove Dry Spray Antiperspirant; Dove Purely Pampering Shea Butter with Vanilla Bean Beauty BarJergens BB Body Perfecting Skin Cream (Ugh, they keep sending this shit and I keep giving it away); BAN Total Refresh Cooling Body Cloths (I could have used these today at the Snake Farm); The Revlon ColorStay Collection –  ColorStay 16 Hour Eye Shadow in “Romantic”, ColorStay Overtime Lipcolor in “For Keeps Pink” (like the Molly Ringwald movie?), and ColorStay Gel Envy Longwear Nail Enamel in “Cardshark”; Suave Professionals Luxe Style Infusion Smoothing Light Weight Weather Proof Cream; and Aloxxi Texturizing Spray.

The box is still just $45.95 + $10 shipping – even if I only used half of it, it’s worth it.

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HUGE Ulta Haul

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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!

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Smoky Naked

The new Urban Decay Smoky Naked Palette launched back on July 12th at Ulta, so I’ve been watching the mail every day since I ordered it that morning. Yesterday, it finally came! I guess I could have gone to the store that morning, but I didn’t want to risk having to go store hopping.

It’s everything I hoped it would be. A full range of 12 matte and shimmery shades – I used it for the first time this morning (“Combust” on my lid, “Whiskey” on my crease, with “High” as a highlight) and the result was perfection. The shades were slightly less buttery than my other Naked palettes, but nothing I couldn’t work with.

The best part? I had $53 worth of Ulta Points saved up – so it was only $1. I’d been saving since around Xmas – so worth it. For samples, I got Laura Geller spackle Supercharged fortified under make-up primer and HASK Mint Almond Oil Thickening Shampoo and Conditioner.

On top of that, this was the purchase that put me over the top on Platinum Status for 2016. Mmmm…

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Target Beauty Boxes – Back to School 2015

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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.

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July Birchbox – Go Bold

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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.

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Vice Deal

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Sometimes, Ulta has an offer I can’t refuse. The Urban Decay Vice Ltd Palette for $39 (normally $58) was an offer I couldn’t refuse, especially with a $10 off ANYTHING coupon.

When I opened the palette and ooohed and ahhhed over the colors, I excitedly told my husband that there’s a color called “Backdoor” and it’s BROWN! My son said, “But our back door is white?” I hope he stays young and naive forever.

I also got Urban Decay Naked Skin Beauty Balm in “Medium”. I had been searching everywhere for “Light” – in several stores, online, but no luck…except on the Urban Decay site and they won’t give me points. Luckily, I tried “Medium” this morning and it looked exactly the same on me as “Light”. So, I dunno what the point of having two colors is.

My samples were a tiny little card with a smidge of Benefit The POREfessional (insulting!) and Biolage keratindose Shampoo and Conditioner.

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June Birchbox – Say Yes!

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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.