Tag: Fenty Beauty by Rihanna
Summer Fun Ulta Haul
I must be depressed…I’ve been shopping an awful lot lately. Hmmm…oh well, I’ll feel a lot better if my skin looks nice.
I cannot believe I am saying this…but I cannot WAIT to get an ingrown hair, so that I can try out the Fur Ingrown Microdart Patch ($22.40, regularly $28). I am a longtime sufferer of ingrowns on my bikini line – I am thrilled to find out if these little patches can ease some of my pain! Updates to come…
Speaking of skincare, I wasn’t thrilled with the wet n wild micellar water I got recently, so I picked up Garnier SkinActive Micellar Cleansing Water with Rose Water ($11.99). I also want to save the planet from my cotton pad habit, so I also got Garnier SkinActive Micellar Cleansing Eco Pads, Reusable, 3 Pack ($11.99). I also received a gift with purchase: a Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water deluxe sample.
I did splurge a little bit…I got the limited edition Fenty Beauty by Rihanna Poutsicle Hydrating Lip Stain in “Fuchsia Wife” ($27). I know that’s a lot for a lippie, but I really liked the color name. I was hedging my bets in hoping that the formula is similar to Colourpop Glossy Lip Stains – and it is, although at a premium price. I’ve worn “Fuchsia Wife” a few times and that stuff stays on like crazy! No regertz.
My $60 purchase garnered me ANOTHER gift with purchase – a suncare sampler: Ulta Beauty Gradual Self Tan Facial Mist (gifting to the daughter); Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protector Lotion (this shit is BOMB); St. Tropez Luxe Tan Tonic Drops (gifting to the son); CeraVe Facial Moisturizing Lotion; COOLA Organic Makeup Setting Spray; La Roche-Posay Anthelios UV Correct Daily Lotion; Avene Solaire UV Mineral Multi-Defense Sunscreen Fluid; Jack Black Double-Duty Face Moisturizer (gifting to son); and Dermalogica Daily Moisturizer. Ain’t NOBODY gonna burn in my house.
$667 to Diamond Status in 2024.
August 2021 Ipsy Glam Bag X – Halsey
Soooo…since Ipsy is my last subscription box standing, I decided to splurge and upgrade to Glam Bag X. Glam Bag X is $55/per quarter, or just an extra $43. I guess I could’ve gone with Fab Fit Fun or Boxycharm, but I’ve had such good luck with ipsy that I felt I should try Glam Bag X first.
August’s Glam Bag X was curated by Halsey. I only know a few Halsey songs, but there is one I really like, “You Should Be Sad.” It’s a top tier break-up song – one of the best I’ve ever heard. There were a lot of possibilities for inclusion in this bag and I really liked being able to pick three products.
My first product choice was Prose Hair Perfume in Corsica. It’s a light jasmine scent and I really like it. I also picked RÓEN Beauty Liquid Lip Balm in “Charlie.” It’s more of a gloss than a balm, but it’s not sticky like a gloss and it has really good staying power. My last product choice was the Slinky Stasher – yes, I actually chose yet another makeup bag. I don’t remember what my other choices were, but they must have been lame for me to choose another makeup bag.
The star of the box is the ĀTHR Beauty Moonlight Crystal Palette – I believe everyone got this one. It’s full of beautiful, vibrant purples and greens. I’ve been using it nonstop since I got it. The shadows are high quality and blend like butter. The close runner up was Volition Beauty Yaupon Tea Glow-Awakening Moisturizer – it’s very similar to my beloved Fresh Rose in texture.
Also in the bag: About-Face Light Lock Highlight Fluid in “Fight or Flight” (I haven’t sampled – who needs highlighters during a hot Texas summer?); Fenty Beauty Full Frontal Volume, Lift & Curl Mascara in “Cuz I’m Black” (this is a GREAT mascara – I’ve been using it daily); and Herbivore Botanicals Emerald Deep Moisture Glow Oil (I tried this before bed and my face stuck to my pillow – no thanks).
So far, I am very pleased with Glam Bag X – this is definitely worth $55, although I am skeptical that it is worth the $270 ipsy says it is.
I subscribe to the basic ipsy bag for $12/month and Glam Bag X for an extra $43/quarterly. If you’d like to try Ipsy – click here. I’ll earn 250 points if you sign up through my referral link.
Sephora Favorites POP – Beauty Cred
Well how about that…just a few weeks after Sephora releases a Hello! box, they release a POP box. I feel like they are playing around with price points and configurations to see what performs the best. I am not helpful at all – I’ll buy anything.
The “Beauty Cred” box contains “the next big thing in beauty”…hmm, okay. By far, the best sample in the box is the creamier than creamy Natasha Denona Eyeshadow in “Moonstone”. No wonder she charges $129 for a palette – this is some of the highest quality eyeshadow I’ve ever used. It pairs well with the Fenty Beauty Full Frontal Volume, Lift & Curl Mascara. The brush is super fluffy, but somehow doesn;t leave my lashes clumpy.
Also in this box: Lord Jones High CBD Formula Body Lotion in “Fragrance Free”; Fresh Rose Petal-Soft Deep Hydration Lip Balm (yasssssss, more lip balm); Amika Flash Instant Shine Hair Mask; and Maison Margiela REPLICA Beach Walk fragrance (I swear, I’ve gotten this sample 50 times from Sephora – get over this scent, it’s boring).
The set was a slighty higher price point, at $15, which is still pretty cheap. Oh, and it also came with a bunch of beauty-themed stickers.
I was over the moon to try the other samples I picked for my box. I love the scent of Brazilian Bum Bum Cream and now they have shampoo/conditioner. I IMMEDIATELY used the samples of Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Joia Strengthening Shampoo & Conditioner – it smells AMAZING! Ugh, they are $25 each. I also got a sample of Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant, which I have not tried yet.
$148 to VIB in 2021.
Sephora SUMMER SAVE, Part II
So you know I had to slip another small order in, while my 20% off code was still active…and Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty just happened to drop a new product – the Brow MVP Ultra Fine Brow Pencil & Styler ($20). I know I should be more self conscious of the fact that I have to try nearly every brow product that hits the market…but I DO.
I ordered the MVP in “Dark Brown” – but I feel like it is lighter than the “Dark Brown” I use from Ulta. Even so, it looks shockingly natural – like little baby hairs. I am intrigued by the styling brush – it is NOT another spoolie, but more like an Artis eyeshadow brush – I like how it feels on my face, so soft. I’ve been using it for the past 3-4 days and am really liking it – but I do not know if it will replace my Ulta. I DO like it better than ABH Brow Wiz.
I also ordered a brand new lip product – Urban Decay Vice Lip Chemistry in “Stacked” ($22). It’s supposed to change color to match your own “unique chemistry”. It does have a nice staining effect – it doesn’t wear quite all day, but a good 6-8 hours. I like it, but not sure if I would pay full price for more shades.
Oooohhh…I actually received BOTH of the samples I chose at checkout! I chose a OUAI Treatment Mask (for my hair) and a trio of samples from Farsali – Rose Gold Elixir, Unicorn Essence and Skintune Blur. I wore the Skintune Blur yesterday and I noticed nothing different about my skin – just like I never noticed a difference with the Unicorn Essence. Bah.
$628 to Rouge…
First Sephora Haul of 2019
It was an amazing test of willpower to wait until January 1st to place a Sephora order. The 1st was the final day of the “Sale on Sale” – 20% off Clearance items, but I didn’t want to make the same mistake as last year and place an order too early.
I only wanted one thing from the Sale Page – the tarte Let’s Flamingle brush Set. Do I need more makeup brushes? No. Do I want makeup brushes shaped like flamingos and pineapples? FUCK YES. I wasn’t feeling the original $44 price, or even the $25 sale price. $20 seemed like the right place. I haven’t used them yet, but I’ve unboxed them and they are soft and uber-fluffy.
I also picked up Fenty Beauty by Rihanna Mattemoiselle Plush Matte Lipstick in “Flamingo Acid” ($18). Are you sensing a theme here? I’d been coveting the shade since it dropped as part of the 10/10 set – but I wasn’t about to buy 10 tubes of lipstick for just one shade. Luckily, they just released them all individually. I busted it out today – it is absolutely the perfect winter shade. It makes me look really white, but hey – I AM really white.
I’m super bummed that Sephora is still only offering two samples per order. (They’re also changing up the Rouge Benefits for 2019 – ugh, now I’ll have to pick between makeovers and free shipping – you cannot have both now.) I had picked a Jo Malone sample, but of course I didn’t get it. I got AmorePacific The Essential Creme Fluid and Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder. I absolutely HATE powders on a postcard. Ugh, Sephora – get it together.
$952 to Rouge.
Sephora Play! Smarts – Complexion Your Way: Matte
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On the second weekend of Sephora’s ROUGE BONUS 20% off sale, they dropped new Sephora Play! Smarts boxes – Complexion Your Way ($20), with a choice between “Matte” and “Dewy”. Of course, I chose “Matte”.
The star of this box was the Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r Matte Longwear Foundation + Primer. The sample card came with Primer and three shades of foundation. Amazingly, the lightest shade, “150”, was the near-perfect shade for me. There was just enough in the pack for a thin full face application (with a Beautyblender). It was BEAUTIFUL, especially topped with the Cover FX Perfect Setting Powder, also included in the box. This will definitely be the next foundation I buy.
Along with a nifty netted zipper bag, the “Matte” box had It Cosmetics Confidence in a Cleanser Skin-Transforming Hydrating Cleansing Serum (love this cleanser); Clinique Chubby Stick Sculpting Highlight; Smashbox Photo Finish Pore Minimizing Primer; Peter Thomas Roth Hungarian Thermal Water Mineral-Rich Moisturizer; and Sephora Collection Beauty Magnet Concealer Brush. I will use all of these, immediately.
I added another purchase to my order – the Ellis Brooklyn Bibliotheca Discovery Set ($20), a fragrance sampler that includes six of the brand’s set. Can you believe that the one I originally received was totally evaporated??? I was SO pissed. I called Sephora immediately and they sent me a new one, no questions asked. Luckily, it was fine…and I got two more samples. Oh yeah, did you hear that Sephora only gives two samples per order now? There will be riots in the street!
Back to the Ellis Brooklyn set…it was utterly disappointing. I really didn’t like any of the scents enough to buy a full size. I had especially high hopes for “Rrose” – I love a good rose, but it was bland. “Raven”, “Myth” and “Sci Fi” were the best of the bunch, but didn’t last long enough for me to get a feel for on me. “Rives” was straight up POISON that gave me a headache (probably the lavender). I wore “Fable” today and I cannot even remember what it smelled like. I am utterly disappointed in this set. I was hoping to find another high quality niche brand to love, like Atelier or Replica, but every formula was weak and was gone within 10 minutes. FAIL.
Oh samples! In the first shipment, I got foundations – Milk Blur Liquid Matte Foundation (3 shades on a card) and Giorgio Armani Face fabric Second Skin Makeup (4 shades foil packs). The second shipment gave me another sample of Ellis Brooklyn Myth and Dior Joy. Oh, joy.
Just $44 to Rouge!
YESROUGE, 1 & 2
Sephora’s huge VIB event came a little early this year. From August 24th through September 3rd, with the code YESROUGE, Rouge members are eligible for 20% off anything and everything at Sephora. (VIB get 15% and Beauty Insiders get 10% off.) They changed it up a little bit this year. The code can be used multiple times in store, but only once online. Boooooooo!
Since I could only use the code online once, I tried to fill my cart as full as I possible could. Of course, the thing I wanted most (a limited edition Flamingo print Tangle Teezer for $16) was sold out. I consoled myself by buying a bunch of other stuff that I didn’t need.
It’s a HUGE risk to buy fragrances, scent unsmelled. I’ve been jonesing to try more Jo Malone fragrances, so after flip flopping between Peony and Blush Suede and Red Roses, I decided to go a different direction. Sephora also carries Jo Loves, which is the line that Jo Malone launched in 2011 after she sold her original brand. I chose Jo Loves White Roses & Lemon Leaves – A Fragrance Paintbrush Gel ($55, $44 after discount). This scent is like an avalanche of memories. The scent of white roses brings me back to the courtyard outside the church I attended as a child. Besides my grandmother, those roses were literally the only fond memory I have of attending church. This is the scent of a real rose – NOT rose perfume. My only concern is that the gel won’t last very long – it’s hard to gauge how much product is inside the white plastic tube. Fingers crossed…
I am kicking myself for ordering Kat Von D Everlasting Glimmer Veil Liquid Lipstick in “Wizard” ($22, $17.60 after discount). The price went down to $15 the day after I placed my order. Fuuuuuuuck.
I also added a few nail polish sets from the Sale bin: Nails Inc. Unicorn Nail Polish Duo ($10.50, $8.40 after discount), which includes “Sparkle Like a Unicorn in Dream Dust” (3D high sparkle) and “Rainbow Wishes” (soft rainbow sheen) AND Deborah Lippman The World is Your Oyster Nail Polish Duo ($10.50, $8.40 after discount), which includes “Chantilly Lace” and “I Put a Spell on You”.
For samples, I actually got the ones I selected when I ordered: Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation (4 shades to try!); COOLA Mineral Face SPF 30 in Matte Tint; and Guerlain Mon Guerlain Eua Florale (too much musk with the jasmine – gave me a headache when I wore it yesterday.)
Of course, I did manage to forget something I actually needed for my online order – replacement heads for my Clarisonic.
I headed to Sephora yesterday and quickly picked up a two pack of Clarisonic Acne Facial Cleansing Brush Heads ($44, $35.20 after discount). I looked all around the store and nothing caught my eye (I am biding my time on the Urban Decay Born to Run palette and the Anastasia Norvina Palette.) I was in the checkout maze and something caught my eye…I ended up bringing home the Amika Polished Perfection Mini Straightening Brush ($35, $28 after discount). I wasn’t sure what it would do, but I was looking for something that would give the front of my hair some OOMPH when I skip a day washing. I am just a little bit in love with this device. It heats up quickly and does what it says it does. It made my hair really shiny and smooth, too. Both my kids did their hair with it too and I have to say, I am super jealous of how smooth and shiny is made my son’s long, luscious hair. But then Lily wanted to use it on the cat…Um, noooooo.
I even remembered to bring in the 50 point card from this month’s Play! box. Now that I can get $100 for 2,500 points, I am gonna take advantage!
So after all this shopping, I just have $241 left until ROUGE. That’s just $60/per month, for the next four months. Hallelujah!
YAYROUGE, Part 2 & 3
Yeah, I paid $8 for dental floss. Technically, $6.80 with my 15%…I tried out Cocofloss in “Cara Cara Orange”. Yeah, I know it’s dumb – it’s not even as orangey flavored as I hoped. But I was just so damn salty that the Sun Safety Kit sold out.
For samples, I got Cover FX Shimmer Veil, Tory Burch Tory Burch (I forgot that I love this), and Versace Bright Crystal (my lil sis likes this one). I didn’t pick any of these samples…
My other order makes a lot more sense. I knew I would be getting the Sephora Favorites Give Me Some New Lip Kit ($28, $23.80 after discount) sooner or later. I kind of miss the lip shaped box. I wanted Smashbox Always On Metallic Matte in “XO, Vlada” so bad – and it’s full size! It’s a beautiful copper and lasts all day. I wore Huda Beauty Lip Strobe in “Snobby” to the dentist and it lasted through the whole cleaning. The dentist even complimented it! Also in the box: Marc Jacobs Beauty Le Marc Liquid Lip Crayon in “Night Mauves” (also full size); treStiQue Mini Plumping Lip Balm in “Barbados Berry”; and Fenty Beauty by Rihanna Mattemoiselle Plush Matte Lipstick in “Candy Venom” (gonna try this one tomorrow).
For samples, I got Smashbox Photo Finish Lid Primer, Woman by Ralph Lauren and Yves Saint Laurent L’Homme. Again, I did not pick any of these samples.
Just $708 to Rouge for 2019. I don’t know if I can do it!