Category: Makeup
Target Beauty Box – April 2016
Last August’s box was also “hello Sunshine”?
No worries, totally different stuff in this box. Inside: Maybelline Dream Velvet Foundation (I’ve been wanting to try this so bad – I hope it’s the one! Oh and a $2 off coupon!); Laneige Water Bank Soothing Mask (ooooooh, I haven’t tried this one before); Pantene AIRspray Hair Spray; Covergirl Colorlicious Lipstick in “Kiss of Peach” (Meh); Hawaiian Tropic Island Sport SPF 30 Lotion (I’ve been using spray sunscreen the past several years, so I dunno if I can go back to the old fashioned kind); Marlowe No. 022 Body Butter (again, I still cannot smell anything); Simple Cleansing Facial Wipes (I wonder how face cleansing wipes would work on your butt? Seriously, I’ll never use them up if I stick to my face…); and CeraVe Healing Ointment.
I’d have liked a little higher end stuff in a $7 box, but it’s not bad. I think I’ll use my $3 off $15 coupon…I’m gonna try.
Beauty in Bloom
The last few Limited Edition boxes from Birchbox haven’t been that exciting…but I was enticed by the “Beauty in Bloom” box. I can’t pass up flowery products.
Inside this flower-filled box: Darphin Intral Toner; Davines Oi/Oil Absolute Beautifying Potion; Jurlique Rosewater Balancing Mist; Laura Geller Beauty Baked True Color Blush in “Maui” (so red – I can’t wait to try it); Lollia Relax Shea Butter Handcreme (Lavender and Vanilla, but I can’t smell anything through this blasted cold); Mally Eye-Amplifying Shadow Liner in “Stone” (taupe-ish); NEST Fragrances Grapefruit Classic Candle (even my husband said this smells “yummy”); NEST Fragrances Indigo Eau de Parfum (I’d been curious about NEST for a while – this one is very exotic smelling, almost like nag champa…but without the weedy undertones); Smith & Cult The Shining Lip Lacquer in “Hi-Speed Sonnet” (so glittery); stila Huge Extreme Lash Mascara; and an Umbra Prisma Tray (I’m not big on gold, but I really like the geometric styling of this jewelry tray). A GREAT deal!
Although the box was $64, I found a 20% code and used $10 in points, so the total was just $41.20.
Oh…in my free sample pack: Cynthia Rowley Beauty Eyeliner in “Silver” (my third one) and Cargo Swimmables Shadow Stick in “Dory” (like Finding Nemo!)
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.
April Beauty Box 5 – Take a Hydration Vacation
This is it – the last straw! As soon as I saw this lame box, it was over. I emailed Beauty Box 5 customer service to cancel my subscription last night.
April’s theme is “Take a Hydration Vacation” and it is full of brands I have never, ever heard of. Inside the box: Soapbox Sea Minerals Body Wash (smells like fabric softener); Jelly Pong Pong Paradise Pigments (hot pink cream blush – just what I needed); Maskeraide All Eyes on Me Hydrating Eye Gels; Chella Passionate Pink Moisturizing Lip Pencil (very pink); and Global Beauty Care Green Tea Makeup Remover Wipes (they send wipes every other month at least). I wanted to love this box – I gave it over two years – but I just don’t.
I’m not sure how many months are left on my subscription, so this might not be my last box…ugh.
Mystery Revolution
Honest…I didn’t expect to be placing another Makeup Revolution order so soon. But they offered an Easter Mystery Bag worth £25 with a £30 purchase, plus 20% off for downloading their new app…so…
I ordered on Thursday, March 24th and got a notification that it shipped on Monday, March 28th. I received my package on Tuesday, April 5th. Just 8 days to get from London to me! Sally lives in Scotland and ordered the day after I did and got hers the same day I did – what is that about?
I had to have the new “Fortune Favours the Brave” palette, since it’s unlikely to be released stateside. I am addicted to this palette – I’ve used it for three days straight and haven’t tried any of my other new palettes. The included brush is shit, but the quality of the shadows is top notch. I also got the new “Chocolate Vice” palette. I decided to try the new Lip Amplification in “Epic Love” – I was expecting a dustier rose, but again – bright ass pink. It’s wearable though. I’m not too much of a blush person, but I had to snag two of their newer blush palettes – “Blush Queen”, which is reminiscent of the Laura Geller Baked Blushes I love and “Golden Sugar 2”, which is beautiful rose gold shades.
And then there is the free shit…OMG….so much stuff. I’m most excited about the “Colour Chaos” palette – my husband was horrified by the prospect of me using these bright ass drag queen shadows. Also included in the bag: Ultra Velour Lip Cream in “Move Your Mouth Forever” (nude) ; #Liphug Lipstick in “Let’s Move the Bar” (orange); Radiant Lights “Glow” (an illuminating powder); Amazing Sheer Lip Gloss in “Hey Girl” (peachy); Vivid Blush Lacquer in “O’ Boy” (pink); The One Blush Stick in “Malibu” (rust); and a Mono Eyeshadow in “Adore Moi” (buttery brown).
A lot of interesting stuff to try in the mystery bag – and each one was different. Sally got totally different stuff!
Normally, I like to try most of the stuff I buy before I post, but there’es really too many goodies to try. I’ve let you down…and I am truly sorry for that.
So basically, I ordered all of this quality makeup from overseas and STILL paid less (less than $50 USD with shipping) than buying a single prestige palette – Too Faced or Urban Decay, etc. I am HOOKED on Makeup Revolution.
Ulta Gifting
I placed another Ulta order the Wednesday before last…because there were GIFTS I needed. Really, I had a reason.
Besides the gifts, I also order some stuff for myself – the Makeup Revolution Redemption Palette “Unicorns are Real” and new Lip Euphoria “Fate”. Lip Euphoria just launched and Ulta got it quick – there’s hope!
I also qualified for the Bare Minerals Beauty Break, which included 5 in 1 BB Advanced Performance Cream Eyeshadow; Lash Domination Volumizing Mascara; Lash Domination Volumizing Mascara for Short Lashes (They make special mascara for short lashes? How is it different?); Marvelous Moxie Lipstick in “Get Ready” (I got this in my first ipsy bag – great color!); and BareSkin Sheer Sun Serum Bronzer (weird). I also got some weird samples – Escada “Joyful” and Herban Essentials Lavender Towlette (what the fuck do I do with this?)
And then Saturday, I went to Ulta to get my hair did…and buy some more gifts. All gifts must come from Ulta!
I liked my neon eyeshadow and pink eyeliner combo so much, that I wanted more liquid eyeliner options – red and blue! I got NYX Glam Liner Aqua Luxe in “Azur Glamour” and NYX Vivid Brights Liquid Eyeliner in “Vivid Fire”. They were BOGOHalf and I figured I would try both formulas. I also grabbed a pack of eyeshadow sponges from the bin by the checkout…sometimes the cheap stuff works best.
…and my receipt told me that I am only $5 away from Platinum status for next year. WHOOP!
One & Done
I was surprised to see the UPS Man pull up today – what was he bringing? Why…it was the Sephora order I just placed on Wednesday – that was FAST!
It’s been available via Urban Decay’s website for a few weeks, but I wanted to wait until either Sephora or Ulta got it – points! Sephora had it first, so I ordered immediately. I’m talking about Urban Decay Naked Skin One & Done Hybrid Complexion Perfector in “Light Medium”. I loved their Naked Skin BB Cream in “Light”, but it was discontinued and “Medium” is a bit too orange for me – unless I kill it with a lot of powder. I was excited to see the range of shades. I was wishing and hoping that that it would be even better than the BB Cream.
As soon as I was done working, I ran into the bathroom and washed my face with Fresh Soy Cleanser. I tried it on my bare skin, with my hands – no primers or moisturizer and…it was okay. It was a bit more coverage than the BB Cream, but not full coverage. It somewhat hid the pores on my nose, but didn’t affect the ones on my cheeks. It seemed to get hung on a few skin flakes. The color was right. I was slightly disappointed, but I think I need to experiment with exfoliation beforehand and maybe spot applying primer or pore perfector. It’s not a trash product, but I’m not convinced that I’ve finally found my holy grail foundation. Sigh.
By the way, my husband HATES my eye makeup today. He said I look like Divine, which I thought was a compliment – he said it is not. I wanted to play with my new Makeup Revolution “Dia de los Muertos” palette – when else am I gonna wear neon yellow eyeshadow, but at home? I layered Urban Decay Liquid Eyeliner in “Woodstock” over it – I LOVE the way the colors look together. I completed the look with Kat Von D “Sexer”. I really need a better lighting set-up than standing in front of my bedroom window…ugh.
Oh…and I also used a code to get a free sample of Boscia Charcoal Pore Pudding Intensive Wash-Off Treatment. Pore Pudding. Heh. Unfortunately, the other samples I chose didn’t make it into the box. Sad clown. I would be more bummed, but it was all foundation samples – that’s all they had this week. Get your shit together Sephora!
Sephora Play! 07 – March 2016
“The Perfection Collection” is Sephora’s March theme – and it is the most perfect box yet. I’ve gotten almost all of these products before…but haven’t tried some of them…yet.
This box gives me my 3rd bottle of Smashbox Photo Finish Primer Oil – I guess I better try it. Also inside this month’s box: Murad Invisiblur Protecting Shield Broad Spectrum SPF 30 (I’ve got another sample of this, but cannot remember if I’ve tried it); Fresh Soy Face Cleaner (gentle and smells like cucumber); Sephora Collection The Perfectionist Airbrush Sponge (looking forward to trying this one); Kat Von D Tattoo Liner in “Trooper” (I’ve got several of these, but I love the cute little mini size); and Maison Martin Margiela Replica “Beach Walk”.
If you haven’t signed up yet – do it NOW. This is by far the best subscription box I get every month. Sephora Play is only $10/month. You can sign up at sephora.com/play.
March Beauty Box 5 – Make Room to Bloom
“Make Room to Bloom” – sure, why not?
This month’s Beauty Box 5 is full of pastels and flowery things: Colour Me “Sky Blue” Fragrance (very strong Freesia scent – reminds me of a stronger version of Bath & Body Works Freesia); Mai Couture Blush & Highlighter Papiers (this is DUMB – tinted paper you rub on your cheeks); Pur~lisse Blue Lotus 4-in-1 Eye Adore Serum (full size is $65 – really?); Glamour Dolls Eye Shadow Duo in “Secret Weapon” (shimmery nude and copper shades); Personail Custom Floral Nail Polish Wraps (very Easter-y); and a bonus temporary tattoo – a rose.
Not a bad box…but some weird stuff, for sure.
March Ipsy Bag – Hello, Spring
Hello, Spring!
March’s ipsy bag is here to help me say, “Hello, Spring” with an adorable blue and red rose bag. Inside my bag: a Beau Gâchis Paris eyeshadow brush; Starlooks Luxe Longwear Eye Pencil in “Jet”; Marc Anthony Nourishing Argan Oil of Morocco 3 Day Smooth Perfect Blow Dry Cream; Nudestix Lip + Cheek Pencil in “Mystic”; and NYX Cosmetics Liquid Suede Cream Lipstick in “Kitten Heels” (So happy to get this color).
Oh…and I used my ipsy points to get Pacifica Indian Coconut Nectar Body Butter. It smells awesome and matches my bag.
If you’d like to try Ipsy – click here. I’ll earn 250 points if you sign up through my link.
On Wednesdays, We Order from Ulta
Ulta knows what they are doing, offering their Wednesday Beauty Breaks…I’ll be pondering on whether to order something, I’ll get that email, and I’ve clicked “Complete Order” before I know what hit me…
Since my main purchase was a gift, I’ll show you the stuff for ME that I got. I ordered BOGHalf Freeman Beauty Masks – both new – Banana-Oat Instant Smoothing Mask and Charcoal & Black Sugar Mud Mask. There’s a new Apple Cider Vinegar Mask that I wanted, but it was sold out.
This weeks Beauty Break (free with $50 purchase) was from Laura Geller. It was Baked Marble Eyeshadow Duo in “Pink Icing/Devil’s Food”; Color Drenched Lip Gloss in “Pink Lemonade”; i-care Waterproof Eyeliner in “Charcoal”; and double-ended makeup brush (I wanted this the most!) – all in a cute gold wristlet.
I got nearly the same skincare samples AGAIN – Benefit The POREfessional and smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer. Both are good products – but I have so much! Oh…and I used a $3.50 off coupon to get my total to $50.94 – I’m getting good at this!