Tag: Gift with Purchase
Shade + Light Glimmer
Oh Kat Von D, just take all my money…
I told myself that I wasn’t going to order this palette on release day (7/11)…I lied. I ordered it.
Kat Von D Cosmetics Shade + Light Glimmer Eye Contour Palette ($49) is the shiny sister to the original Shade + Light palette, which is entirely matte. I got that palette for Xmas a few years ago and I was not thrilled with it at first…until I learned how to use it. Once I learned how to use it and contour my eyes, I fell in love with it.
I tried it out several days in a row and the quality is fantabulous. It blends well without primer and the variety of finishes are fun to play with. I have not yet used it with the matte version – that’s next on my list. I DID use the eye shadow over lipstick to “glimmerize” a matte lipstick – it looked amazing. Definitely try it.
I’m torn – I have been trying to compare it in my head with the Naked Heat palette…but they are SO different. I couldn’t choose one as a superior palette – they do two different things! Ugh, you just have to get BOTH of them.
One of the hardest parts of placing a Sephora order is picking which promo code to use. I save all of my Sephora emails in a folder, so I can easily access the most current promo codes. I found one for free deluxe samples of Living proof. No Frizz Shampoo & Conditioner. As much as Jennifer Anniston annoys me, Living proof. is one of the best hair lines I’ve ever sampled. I say “sampled” because an 8 oz. bottle is $25. Fuck a bunch of that…unless I win the lottery.
I am obsessed with the perfume samples I got with my order. I’ve been wanting to try Jo Malone for a while and I received a sample of Jo Malone English Pear & Freesia. It is different than any other fragrance I’ve tried. I cannot even explain it. It smells like…luxury. It’s pricey at $65, but not too ridiculous. I want to sample more before I pick this one. The other fragrance I got was Maison Margiela REPLICA Lipstick On. This one blew my mind. It immediately brought back memories of this old Art Deco armoire that my mom had – I believe it was lined with Cedar. This perfume smells like a mix of the inside of that armoire and literally, an old tube of lipstick. I know I am not describing it in the most attractive way, but it’s what I imagine Bette Davis must have smelled like. I might have to sell a kidney for it…it’s $126.
Oh…and a little foilpack of Fresh Lotus Youth Preserve Face Cream.
Just $383 left until Rouge for 2018…maybe I will buy that $126 perfume…
Got Any More of Them Free Gifts with Purchase?
Been a while since I got one of these Ulta Bags – I’ve passed on the last one or two that Ulta offered. But this one looked fairly good…so when I was FINALLY getting my hair cut on Saturday, I decided to indulge.
The 12 products inside the snaky aqua bag: Amped Mascara in “Jet Black”, Full Size Matte Lipstick in “Petal” (limited edition), Full Size Brow Tint in “Medium”, Eye shadow Palette shades in “Lace”, “Charm”, “Nostalgia”, “Vintage”, “Delicate”, and “Seaside” (these shadows are the thing that drew me to the bag), Cheek Palette shades in “Fresh Glow Highlighter” and “Nude Pink Blush”, Eye Makeup Remover Pads, Full size Nude Matte Eye Shadow Primer, Lip Gloss Stain in “Treason”, Dual Eye Liner in “Majesty” and “Smoke”, Blush Brush, and a Cosmetic Pencil Sharpener. The bag also had a coupon for $5 off any $15 Ulta Beauty cosmetics or brush purchase.
So I had to spend $21.50 on Ulta products to get my free little bag – and it was easier than I thought it would be. I’d been wanting to try Ulta’s new Ultra Slim Brow Pencil in “Dark Brown” ($10) – a dupe of ABH Brow Wiz, I’m hoping. I grabbed a nail clipper for Lily, since she was using one of mine; an Ergonomic 3 Way Nail Buffer; some eyeshadow applicators and a couple of packs of Exfoliating Cotton Pads – I can always use more cotton pads.
PLUS, I had a $10 off coupon for my birthday AND a code for a deluxe sample of Benefit The POREfessional AND double points for my birthday month. All in all, I spent about $13 for all these goodies – SCORE!
Lara & the Holograms
Birchbox sends you an email saying that I have $19.50 in points that are in danger of expiring…what do you do? WHAT DO YOU DO?
I…get on the site and starting shopping immediately. I settle on a Milk Makeup Holographic Stick ($28) – just $8.50 after my credits. Imagine my surprise when I opened up my box to fine 2 Holographic Sticks! (Birchbox must like to send me two of things.) I guess it’s Sally’s lucky day – she’ll be getting the other one!
I also used a code to get a free Tony Moly Nose Pack. I’m guessing it’s like a Biore Nose Strip?
To be honest, I’ve been a bit bored with Birchbox, since they ended their original points system. I admit it was a pain in the ass to review all those products, but it was worth it for those sweet, sweet points. I’m not saying I’m gonna cancel, but it’s a possibility.
Mystery Revolution 2: Electric Boogaloo
Damn you, Makeup Revolution Mystery Bags! There was actually a bunch of stuff I’ve been wanting, so it was fairly easy to find £30 (~$42 USD) to get the free Mystery Bag.
The site was sold out of the thing I wanted most – that Unicorn Rainbow Highlighter, but I was thrilled to get the new Golden Bar Palette (which they now carry at Ulta!), the My Sign Complete Eye Base in “Aquarius” (aqua isn’t exactly my color, but I wore it yesterday and I looked like a mermaid – except for the brow powder, which was a complete shitshow) and two of the new Retro Luxe Lip Kits in “Echelon” and “Noble” (also at Ulta) , which are dupes for the Kylie Lip Kits. Having never tried the Kylie Kits, I was impressed with the quality. I haven’t been impressed with Makeup Revolution Lip Products, but these aren’t bad, if a bit sticky. The lip pencils are delicate though – I snapped the tip off “Echelon” the first time it touched my lips. They last well, unless you eat chicken wings.
So far, I’ve been pretty thrilled with the Makeup Revolution Mystery Bags – the 2 I’ve gotten so far have been pretty decent, but this one is fairly lame. I biggest miss is that there was no full-size eyeshadow palette. Inside: Cream Blush in “Rose Cream” (it looks a bit sweaty); Salvation Intense Lip Lacquer in “A Love Like That”; The One Blush Stick in “Matte Rush” (haven’t tried the last one I received yet); Radiant Lights Highlighter in “Glow” (the only duplicate I’ve gotten so far, gonna save for Sally); Baked Eyeshadow in “Electric Dream” (ugh, blue eyeshadow); I ♥ Makeup Lipstick in “Heart is Beating”; The One Foundation in “12” (So…is doing blackface still considered bad taste?); and Liquid Concealer in “Natural” (looks a bit dried up). So…blue eyeshadow and blackface foundation…alrighty then.
By far, the Golden Bar Palette has made me happiest – I find myself wanting to wear it every day. Since I’m a sucker for free – I might take the mystery bag plunge again…if those Horoscope Kits go sale, I’m gonna buy them ALL.
20% off Vice
Anyone else get a 20% off coupon from Ulta the Saturday before last? I found it while we were sitting in traffic, on the way to buy my car…sure as shit, I used it.
I didn’t think to hard about ordering 3 more of the new Urban Decay Vice Liquid Lipsticks – I got “Studded” (a metallic gray-brown recently spotted on Ruby Rose – it’s so hot), “Tryst” (a neon-y pink/red that seems like a dupe for JS “Watermelon Soda”) and “Trap Queen” (I wanted this gold glittery red to be more glittery – a bit disappointed). Very happy to get these for 20% off!
I also added another Zoya Remove+ to put me over the edge for free shipping – I always need it.
There were a few freebies available – I got another tube of drybar Hot Toddy, plus a full size Honest Beauty Truly Kissable Lip Crayon in “Sheer Chestnut Kiss”. In my sample pack, I got it Cosmetics CC+ Cream with SPF 50+ and ogx Quenching + Coconut Curls Shampoo and Conditioner (I don’t have curls, but I love smelling like coconut).
Thank you Ulta!
Alchemy
I thought I did not want the new Kat Von D Alchemist Holographic Palette ($32)…I was wrong. I did want that palette – so very much.
I am also so very proud that I made it 6 days into the year before placing my first Sephora order. So, so proud.
I am still playing with the palette and it has been fun so far. Today at work, a co-worker stopped me mid-sentence, “Wait. Are you wearing green lipstick?” I corrected him – it wasn’t green lipstick, it was red with green on top. (Kat Von D “Plath” with “Green Emerald” layered on top.) It was very…witchy, so I can understand his concern. I need to figure out how to use them as highlighters, but I LOVE them over lipsticks.
I used 100 points to get a mini rollerball of the new Tory Burch fragrance – “Love Relentlessly” – which honestly smells a lot like the other two Tory Burch fragrances I have, but muskier. Oh well. I also used a code to get a deluxe sample of Omorovicza Thermal Cleansing Balm.
I THOUGHT I was getting samples of the new Urban Decay Primers, but it turned out to be samples of the Primer and Ultra HD Foundation, of which I already have full sizes of…oh well. I also got samples of Too Faced Glitter Glue and Korres Greek Yoghurt Foaming Cream Cleanser (why do they spell “yogurt” like that?).
KvD Beauty Addiction
I don’t care if I’m between houses – I’ll just get my Sephora order sent to my in-laws’ house.
Sephora renamed their “Rewards Boutique” – it’s now “Rewards Bazaar” and new items are added every Thursday. The Thursday before last…they added a new 500 point item – The Kat Von D Beauty Addiction Set, which includes Ink Liner in “Trooper”, Tattoo Liner in “Mad Max Brown”, Studded Kiss Lipstick in “Cathedral” (been dying to try), Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in “Vampira” and a “vegan leather” (whatever the fuck that means – vinyl?) makeup pouch. Yup, had to have it…so what can I order to get it???
I settled on the Sephora Z palette ($28) – I’ve got quite a few loose pans of shadows from my sub boxes, I was a bit annoyed when Sally showed me that Makeup Revolution launched their own (significantly cheaper) customizable palette the very next day after my order. Sigh.
I used a code to get Deluxe samples of the two new Elizabeth and James scents – Nirvana Rose and Nirvana Bourbon. I did NOT like either. Per my son, Nirvana Rose smells like hand sanitizer and Nirvana Bourbon smells like a hobo’s asscrack. Maybe they’ll grow on me…
For my three samples, I got Balenciaga Skin (which smells very alcohol-y), Tom Ford Neroli Portofino Acqua (am I allergic to Neroli? I got an immediate headache!), and Hourglass Ambient Light Correcting Primer.
Only $13 away from Rouge in 2017!
Lock-It
That feeling when you come home from vacation to a Sephora box…
I just used up my pressed compact of Urban Decay Ultra Definition Finishing Powder and went to order another one from Sephora…and they don’t stock it anymore. What the fuck? It’s not discontinued, because Ulta and Nordstrom still have it…but I was already on the site and committed to ordering something…so I decided to take a chance with Kat Von D Lock-It Powder Foundation in Medium 52 (there wasn’t an exact match to my Color IQ, so I just took a wild guess). I’d been wearing my MAC Studio Fix lately and decided I needed a slightly darker shade to match my very slight tan…
I tried it out today with just a moisturizer underneath and was impressed at the coverage – very good coverage, but it didn’t cake up on me like the MAC Studio Fix. I think I may have found a new best friend for summer skin. I’m looking forward to trying it with a primer for even better coverage.
I used a code to get a free tarte Rainforest of the Sea Drench Lip Splash in “Cabana Boy” – it’s a beautiful matte mauve, but NOT drying. It felt like chapstick, but stayed almost all day! I did have to reapply after my Whopperito, but that goes without saying.
I used 100 points to try a Milk Makeup Gel Brow Pencil in “Pilsner”. A little of this baby goes a long way – it glides on and stays put. “Pilsner” is the perfect color for me – I got lucky. The full size comes with a spooly end, so I might be switching from Anastasia…if I ever use up all the brow pencils I already have…
I almost forgot my other free samples – Hourglass Immaculate Liquid Powder Foundation Mattifying Oil Free, Lancôme Energie de Vie Daily Aqua-Gel, and Dior Miss Dior Blooming Bouquet (my scent of the day – it wears wonderfully over B&BW Peony).
Only $41 to Rouge in 2017…
Serpentina
Serpentina is mine!
It was supposed to launch on Kat Von D’s site last Tuesday and Sephora on Wednesday…but it launched early on Sephora and then immediately sold out. I was annoyed, to say the least..but then it restocked on Sephora on Wednesday and I was able to snag it. Phew, that was close. I missed out on the Mi Vida Loca palette, so I couldn’t wait on this one.
The Kat Von D Serpentina palette ($45) is inspired by Cleopatra. It’s 9 shadows – two matte, eight shimmer AND a jar of loose gold pigment. I’m scared of loose pigment, but I figure a few Q-tips will save my ass. I haven’t had a chance to try it yet…tomorrow?
Sephora was also giving out five samples instead of three. I picked Bumble and bumble. Surf Foam Wash Shampoo & Conditioner (I used a sample of this on a Vegas trip – it was nice); Tatcha Balanced Pore Perfecting Water Gel Moisturizer; Sol de Janeira Brazilian Bum Bum Cream (the package says Fast-Absorbing Body Cream Tightens and Smoothes Like No Other – so I’m supposed to tighten and smooth my bum bum?); Dr. Jart+ BB Beauty Balm; and Peter Thomas Roth 24K Gold Pure Luxury Lift and Firm Prism Cream (good thing I noticed that the back of the pouch said to use it as a highlighter before I made the mistake of covering my whole face with it). I tried to use a promo code to get a Deluxe belif sample, but it was sold out and I didn’t get shit. So sad.
…only $86 to Rouge Status for 2017.
Flawless Ulta Haul
So…sometimes you just wanna buy something,
After perusing the Memorial Day sales…I was just about to place another overseas Makeup Revolution order (since they were giving away £25 Mystery Bags again), but I had a hard time getting my order up to £30. The only palette I really wanted badly was the Flawless Matte…
…and Ulta has it! On Memorial Day, they were giving away a free mystery sampler with a $50 purchase…no brainer.
So, in addition to the Makeup Revolution Flawless Matte Palette ($15), I also picked up a Makeup Revolution Baked Blusher in “Loved Me the Best” ($5) – these seem to be Laura Geller dupes – LOVE.
I also picked up one of the new NYX Liquid Suede Cream Lipsticks – “Clubhopper” ($6.99) and one of the new NYX Plush Gel Lipsticks – “Breakup” ($6.99). I tried “Breakup” today – so smooth and moisturizing, but doesn’t last long on the lips.
How else can I get to $50? 2 bottles of Zoya Remove+ ($10 each) and a pack of Ulta Exfoliating Cotton Pads ($3.49). Done!
That Mystery Bag had some cool stuff: Mario Badescu Enzyme Revitalizing Mask, LORAC Alter Ego Lip Gloss in “Goddess”; Ahava Dead Sea Crystal Osmoter X6; NKD Skin Tinted Tan Mousse (NOPE); bareMinerals Marvelous Moxie Lipstick in “Get Ready” (my third one – I sent the last one to Sally); and Rodial Glamoxy Snake Serum (like that shit in Vegas?).
I also got a free sample of DevaCurl Waves Ahead Loo-Poo Delight – I don’t have curls, but why not try it for free? The free Butter London lippie was sold out. Sad face.
For my regular samples, I got Redken High Rise Volume Shampoo & Conditioner and Garnier Skin Active Clearly Brighter Brightening & Smoothing Daily Moisturizer.
Free shipping for an order over $50, plus got to use a $3.50 off coupon.
So look at that palette…all those warm matte colors…I tore a chunk out of my thumb nail whilst peeling the plastic off – but it was totally worth it.