Category: Makeup
March Birchbox – Ready for Anything
This month’s Birchbox has me “Ready for Anything”!
I chose this month’s curated box. Inside the box: PARLOR by Jeff Chastain Smoothing Blowout Spray; MILK Studios Lip Color in “C.R.E.A.M.” (What is this, lipstick for ants?); Smashbox Photo Op Eye Shadow Trio in “Filter” (Pretty browns, but unfortunately, one of the pans is shattered); Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream; and Wilma Schumann Hydrating Collagen Eye Pads.
A cute little box…if I can salvage the eye shadow and figure out how to use that tiny little lipstick.
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.
You Complete Me
My life is now complete…I now own the missing piece in my collection – Urban Decay “Naked 3”.
Our lives haven’t been syncing up lately, so it’s taken a month and a half for my BFF and I to get together and exchange some gifts – I got us matching “Shenanigans” shirts from Victoria’s Secret for us for St. Patrick’s Day and she had birthday gifts for my rugrats and I.
SO happy to finally have “Naked 3”! I broke it open this morning…and even used primer potion like a big girl. The rose gold toned colors complement my skin perfectly. I want to wear this at my funeral.
The World is Not Enough
Obviously, there’s not enough makeup in the United States, so I’ve had to resort to ordering makeup from the United Kingdom to get my fix! Technically, I guess there’s just not enough Makeup Revolution at Ulta, so I had to order from their website to get my fix.
Over Leap Day weekend, Makeup Revolution was offering 20% off orders, so I figured that would be enough to makeup for the $18 shipping, so I ordered £30 of stuff…I ordered the Death by Chocolate palette (one of their 4 tributes to the Too Faced Chocolate Bar palettes); Blushing Hearts Blusher in “Candy Queen of Hearts” (a tribute to Too Faced Sweethearts blush – I love the way this one looks on me); 2 WOW Sticks – “Dreaming” (this one looks like I rubbed Pepto Bismol on my lips – it’s gross and chalky) and “Maria” (this dark wine is a winner and lasts all day); Salvation “Dia de los Muertos” palette (same 18 shadow set up as the other Salvation palettes); “Go to Hell” and “Go to Heaven” palettes (the only palette I’ve tried so far is the “Go to Heaven” – it’s pinky neutral and lovely); Rose Gold Lipstick in “Chaffeur” (a true nude – good for ombre-ing with “Maria”); The One Foundation (need to try, but experiencing a breakout); and Translucent Pressed Powder (a nice basic mattifying powder).
$18 shipping was ABSOLUTELY worth it for all this loot. Shipping didn’t take too long – 15 days, but that’s a loooong time for me. When is Ulta going to get more Makeup Revolution???
Bonus Ulta Haul
For the past few years, I’ve had a ritual. As soon as I find out what my yearly bonus will be, I go online and buy the makeup that’s been on my mind. I only spend around $50 – nothing huge – it’s just a fun, immediate way to celebrate.
This time, I immediately went to Ulta’s site and started adding.
First was another Makeup Revolution Palette and another Salvation Lip Lacquer in “Nothing Like Anything”.
In addition to 3 more NYX Lip Lingerie and another Lip Ombre Duo in “Rags & Riches”, I also decided to try NYX HD Finishing Powder in “Banana”. Yup, I’m gonna try Banana Powder…the Kardashian Holy Grail for contouring. I’m not going to contour, per se…I don’t know what I’m gonna do with it.
There was also a Skincare Beauty Break – it was free, so why not? It came with a Clarisonic brush head (I don’t have a Clarisonic…yet); Mario Badescu Enzyme Cleansing Gel; Clarins One-Step Gentle Exfoliating Cleanser; Exuviance Purifying Clay Mask; and Bliss Fabulous Makeup Melt. My freebies were Benefit Air Patrol and Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer (I think I have enough of this to paint my house now).
I promise – these NYX Lip Lingerie Liquid Lipsticks are NOT all the same color. From top to bottom, they are “Push-up”, “Corset” and “Bedtime Flirt”. The formula is creamy, although a bit drying, and last almost all day
I wore “Push-up” today – it looked great with a dramatic matte eye. It did feel dry after a few hours, so I did a bit of lip balm over it to replenish my lips. It didn’t melt away and didn’t leave any weird residue on my lips.
I couldn’t resist swatching the Makeup Revolution Salvation “New-trals vs. Neutrals” palette. It’s a bit frustrating that all the Salvation palettes come in identical plastic cases…although this palette is matte black plastic and “Girls on Film” is shiny plastic. Other than that, the only way to tell them apart is to look at the stick on the back. This palette also comes with the shadow names printed on the plastic liner – I love that! It also came with a good quality, dual-ended brush – instead of the sponge applicator in “Girls on Film”.
The quality also feels better than “Girls on Film”. I wore it this morning, sticking to the lightest matte and the orangey matte for my crease. It went on flawlessly with the brush and blended beautifully. I’m looking forward to trying the shimmers tomorrow – they look very similar to the UD Gwen Stefnai palette. I’m in HEAVEN…at least until my monster order for the Makeup Revolution site makes it across the pond…
The Makeup Revolution
I’ve been curious about Makeup Revolution since it launched in the US at Ulta last summer. It’s a UK brand, famous for their prestige dupes and ridiculously low prices. Seriously – palettes for $5-$10 and lipstick for $3-$5. I hadn’t gotten around to trying out the brand…until my fellow makeup enthusiast in the UK, Sally, placed an order…then I had serious makeup envy.
I was out shopping with my big sis this past weekend, so of course there was a stop at Sephora and Ulta. I didn’t see anything new at Sephora, but I went directly to the Makeup Revolution display at Ulta. It was pretty well picked clean, but I managed to find a few things…
The first thing I grabbed was the Makeup Revolution Salvation “Girls on Film” palette. 18 eye shadows – 12 shimmer and 6 matte – for $10! The colors are smoky neutrals, leaning towards copper and bronze. It’s not a dupe of any well known products, but it reminds me of the Urban Decay “Mariposa” Palette.
For the last few years, I’ve been dutifully detailing my purchases, but I’ve decided to try branching out and swatching some of my purchases. My palette is no longer pretty after swatching, but I have already used it the past three days, so it was no longer pristine anyway.
After three days, I’ll say that the quality is fairly decent. The shimmers are buttery and blend well. They do tend to fade through the day, but I haven’t been using any primers – they tend to feel heavy and itchy on my eyes when I wear them through the work day. The matte shades aren’t as vivid as I would like, but still better than the usual drugstore or store brands.
I also tried one the Makeup Revolution Salvation Velvet Lacquers in “Vamp” ($5). I wore it today and it applied smoothly and dried matte…but disappeared on my inner lips right after coffee. I tried to perk it up with lip balm, but the balm totally dissolved it, so I had to wipe it off. I am not thrilled with the staying power, but it would work for going out.
I also found a single NYX Lip Lingerie in “Exotic” ($6.99) – just one in the entire store, stashed among the Soft Matte Lip Creams. I grabbed it quick! I wore it Sunday – it is an almost perfect dupe for Kat Von D “Lolita”! It, too faded after a hearty Taco Bell meal…but I was able to revive it with lip gloss. Since it is a lighter shade, it still looked good with gloss on top and didn’t dissolve.
I was rather irritated that the current coupon was 20% off one item – I only got $2 off my palette.
I’ve also been spying on the Makeup Revolution Website…so much more than what launched at Ulta! They have Too Faced Chocolate Bar, Urban Decay Naked/Electric and LORAC Pro dupes, plus well-reviewed foundation. I am having a hard time stomaching the $12-$15 shipping, so I signed up for their emails…hoping for a sale that makes the shipping worth it…until then, I’ll just have to buy EVERYTHING available through Ulta.
Sephora Play! 06 – February 2016
February’s Sephora Play! theme is “Now & Later” – beauty essentials for all day and all night.
As soon as I opened the box, I knew I would be giving the Tom Ford “Black Orchid” to my big sis – Tom Ford is her favorite. She also bought a few Tom Ford rollerballs when we went to Sephora over the weekend. Also inside this month’s box: bareMinerals Pop of Passion Lip Oil-Balm in “Plumberry Pop”; Lancome Drama Liqui-Pencil Longwear eyeliner in “Noir Intense”; Bumble and bumble. Pret-A-Powder (I am intrigued to try this different take on dry shampoo); Make Up for Ever Rouge Artist Natural in “N9 Copper Pink” (this color looks BANGIN’); and tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes 4-in-1 Mascara.
Sephora Play is only $10/month. You can sign up at sephora.com/play.
Summerstash
Oh Nouveau Cheap, you are so dangerous to me…the moment she posted Sephora Favorites Summerstash on sale for $30 (regularly $45), I jumped all over it.
Even though this set came out a year or two ago, I neeeeeeeded it. Inside the sassy gold canvas bag: Buxom Divine Goddess Luminizer in “Venus” (the product I am least likely to use); Deborah Lippmann Nail Lacquer in “Mermaid’s Dream” (yassss); Josie Maran Coconut Watercolor Cheek Gelee; Marc Jacobs Beauty Mini Lash Lifter in “Blacquer”; Make Up For Ever Aqua Eyes Waterproof Pencil (my big sis called dibs); NARS Travel Size “Laguna” Bronzing Powder; Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Stained Gloss in “New Wave” (AND it came with a brush!); stila Cosmetics Magnificent Metals Foil Finish Eye Shadow in “Kitten” (YASSSS); and Urban Decay All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray.
I finally used some points to get some goodies – Buxom Objects of Obsession (500 pts), which includes Mini Vanity Lash Mascara in “Show-Off Black”; Mini Hold the Line Waterproof Eyeliner in “I’ll Be Waiting”; Mini Full-On Lip Cream in “Kir Royale”; and Mini Full-On Lip Polish in “Sophia”. I also got two 100 pt items – Pink Gel Coat Nail Strengthener & Brightener and Liquid Blendercleanser.
I also used a code to get two extra samples – NARS Audacious Mascara in “Black Moon” and First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream – in addition to the three regular samples, Marc Jacobs “Decadence” (smells like the inside of a rich old lady’s purse); Dr. Dennis Gross ferulic + retinol wrinkle recovery peel and Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer.
I may have too much mascara now…
February Ipsy Bag – Pretty in #ipsyPink
Is it me, or are the ipsy bags getting cuter and cuter? My purse is filled with a series of bags, holding all kinds of different things – I can’t figure out what to do with all the cute bags I have. Ideas please!!!
“Pretty in #ipsyPink” is the theme for February and the bag is pixelated envelope – like a valentine, I guess? Inside: MOR Emporium Classics Hand & Body Lotion in “Candied Vanilla” (smells like vanilla pudding – weird); Trust Fund Beauty Nail Polish in “I’m Kind of a Big Deal” (plastic-y pink, but I think I know what I am gonna do with it…); Naked Cosmetics Mica Pigment in “Sierra Nevada #02”; Smashbox Cosmetics Photo Finish Primer Oil (I also got a sample of this with my last Ulta Goody Bag, but I haven’t tried it yet); and Jor’el Parker “Eau So Divine” (not bad – better than the last one I received).
Another decent bag – but I really wanted that Ciate Polish…
If you’d like to try Ipsy – click here. I’ll earn 250 points if you sign up through my link.
Target Retail Therapy
I’ve had a rough week…so a little lunchtime retail therapy at Target was necessary…
I remembered to use my $3 off coupon…I stocked up on up & up dip-its (they’re only $1.49 now!) and got another St. Ives Green Tea Scrub – I’ve been out for a while. My splurge was another NYX Ombre Lip Duo in “Hearts & Spades”. I don’t know where I’m going to wear black and red lipstick to…work? Why not?
I also bought a bunch of hangers…Huggable Hangers were 25% with Cartwheel, but I was so distracted that I forgot to scan the barcode. SONOFABITCH!
February Birchbox – Date Night
Just in time for VD – my “Date Night” Birchbox is here…
I really wanted to try the new Arrow lip gloss that was a sample choice, but since I was in Vegas, I didn’t click fast enough and it was sold out. So, I chose the curated “Date Night” box. Inside: Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tar in “Strumpet” (I’ve been wanting to try Lip Tar so bad!); Cynthia Rowley Beauty Brightening Illuminator (got this in a Birchbox last year); Whish Renewing Mud Mask; amika Bombshell Blowout Spray (I got this just last month!); and Catherine Malandrino “Romance de Provence” (smells like Grandma…not mine, but someone’s).
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.