Tag: Sale
Soap, Soap, Soap!
So, I’ve been sitting on my hands all day, trying not to order goodies from Bath & Body Works. The entire store is Buy 3, Get 3 and the Black Friday bag looks really good…but you and I both know that the Semi-Annual Sale will be better. I can wait 30 days, can’t I?
Last Saturday was a killer deal though – $2.50 Hand Soaps! The limit was 15, so 15 was how many I bought. Most were Xmas scents, but I stocked up on some “Rose Water & Ivy” as well.
They let me stack coupons, so I got to use a $10 off and a free item coupon. I wanted to get another “Rose Water & Ivy” Body Wash – but it’s off the shelves. The Fuck? Same for “Black Peony”! I was going to settle for “White Citrus”, but they had everything BUT the body wash. I gave up and picked out a Body Wash for my husband – he got Aromatherapy “Stress Relief” – he likes those mint and eucalyptus body washes, but I cannot STAND a minty bunghole.
The receipt said I saved $83.50 – not bad!
Ulta Friendsgiving
Ulta is luring me in with their Friendsgiving sales and coupons and gifts with purchase…it’s not even Black Friday yet and they’ve got me placing three orders within a week or so!
After the purple shampoo sample I picked up for my son in my last order, he asked me for more. I decided to get him a full size bottle, but I chose a cheaper brand – Clairol Shimmer Lights Purple Shampoo for Blonde & Silver Hair ($9.99). I don’t feel like it worked as well as the Joico – his hair almost seemed to have a pinkish tint – I accused him of using my Overtone Conditioner, but he said it was the Shimmer Lights. I’ll continue to monitor his hair situation.
Sally Hansen products were 40% off! I grabbed a few Hard as Nails Xtreme nail polishes for $1.79 – “Heart of Sass” and “Rockstar Pink”. I also got one of the Jelly Belly x Insta Dri polishes – “Hot Buttered Popcorn” – for $2.99. My daughter actually BROKE her last nail clippers with here thick ass nails, so I got her another nail clipper ($1.79). Almost out of habit, I added a Zoya Remove+ Nail Polish Remover ($10).
I cannot pass up a 50% off lippie – I limited it to one – NYX Soft Matte Metallic Lip Cream in “Rome” ($3.50, down from $7).
So Ulta was giving a gift with purchase for a $17.50 purchase, so I looked around to see what I could find…I immediately put a Lash Separator in my cart ($9). I hate the tarantula mascara look and this little gadget is great at separating the clumps. I cannot believe that I’ve gone 30+ years of using mascara without it. I grabbed a Matte Metallic Liquid Lipstick in “Golden Age”, rose bronze with pearl shimmer, ($4, down from $9). I also got Juice Infused Lip Oil in “Sweet Rose” ($9) – this stuff is GREAT for removing liquid lipstick. The oil does NOT smell like roses though – it smells more like olive oil – why?
The gift with purchase came in a very nice black patent vinyl bag and included these Ulta products: Luxe Lipstick in “Mischevious”; Pack of 5 Pre-Moistened Makeup Remover Facial Towelettes; Hydrating Face Primer; Jelly Gloss Lip Gel; Tinted Eye Primer in “Champagne”; Bold Ambition Mascara in “Jet Black”; an eyeshadow brush and a cheek brush. The bag didn’t come with an Ulta coupon!
Oh hey, I don’t even really like MAC products, but this Beauty Break was super cute because of the HUGE lipstick-shaped carrying case. It also came with 3 minis – Matte Lipstick in “Sin” and two lipglasses in “Wildchild” and “Oyster Girl”.
No special coupons, but I was able to use old faithful – $3.50 off $15.
$376 to Diamond status…
The Lolita Por Vida Palette
Ohhhh…Kat Von D‘s newest palette might be my favorite ever. it launched in early October, but I knew that my 20% off was coming, so I held off on ordering it. Say hello to “Lolita Por Vida” ($49.50).
I’ve used this palette every day for the past week and I am in LOVE with it. I’ve sampled all but 3-4 of the shades and they are all supremely blendable. The absolute best shade is that rose gold glitter, “reina”. It gave me full coverage in one swipe, with NO PRIMER. The fallout was minimal and it stayed all day. The one downside is getting the glitter off – it’s nearly impossible. I used liquid soap, a makeup eraser, but finally had the best luck with micellar water on a cotton pad.
I also picked up a Lock-It Powder Foundation Refill in “Fair 120”, since I hit pan on my current one. The refills are just $23, compared to $36 for the full compact – that’s a great deal. More makeup brands should do this!
So…I’ve been feeling a bit weird about continuing to buy Kat Von D’s makeup – I’ve been feeling uncomfortable about her anti-vaxx statements and other recent missteps. But then when I think about it, are there any celebrities who are not batshit insane? And are there any beauty influencers that are not batshit insane and/or soulless shills? I guess I am erring on the side of assuming positive intent – maybe Kat is just ignorant of the science behind vaccines and NOT blatantly disregarding the health of her child?
I actually got both of the samples that I chose: Dior Miss Dior Blooming Bouquet and philosophy Amazing Grace.
$485 to Rouge status…I’d also used my code for Xmas shopping, but I don’t think I’ll be getting to Rouge for next year.
Ulta Persistence
Ulta had been sending me emails with a 20% off code for at least two weeks – sometimes two a day. They knew I would break down eventually…
I’d been pining for Black Moon Cosmetics “DeVille” ($18) since it launched, but I’d been waiting for Ulta to carry it, so I could get the points. It is the perfect, metallic red. I might as well throw all of my other red lipsticks in the bin – this one is PERFECT. Who am I kidding, you can never have too many red lipsticks. I also picked up Black Moon “Haunting” ($18), a deep purplish brown. Ulta, please pick up the rest of the Black Moon line!
I also decided to try out Mandelic Acid 10% from The Ordinary ($6.80). I’ve been reading about fungal acne and wondering if that might be a factor in the breakouts on my chest. Several articles indicated that the antibacterial properties of Mandelic Acid are a miracle cure, so why not try it. I’ve only been using it for a few days, so it’s too soon to tell…
We put highlights in my son’s hair again, so I picked up a Travel Size of Joico Colors Balance Purple Shampoo ($4.99) to tone down some of the brassiness. I also wanted to try an Eyeshadow Stamp ($4.20, down from $6). I forgot that I ordered it and haven’t tried it yet.
When I ordered, the Beauty Break gift with purchase was a 9 piece bath sampler, which included Soap & Glory The Righteous Butter; Iroha Nature Hand Mask Repair Gloves (I am excited to try these – we are barely a week into cold weather and my hands are already dry and cracked); YUNI Shower Sheets (a huge wet wipe?); bliss That’s Incredi-peel; The Body Shop Drops of Youth (I’ve been wanting to try this!); Megababe Deodorant Wipes (so does Ulta think I am stanky?); Ahava Time to Clear Purifying Mud Mask; Start Happy Geranium & Peppermint Body Wash; and a NEST Fragrances Body Mist Collection (4 fragrances: Bamboo & Jasmine, Ocean Mist & Coconut Water, Ginger & Neroli, and Grapefruit & Verbena).
$419 to Diamond status.
Kat Von D Fire Sale
What can I say – I love a good sale.
It looks like Sephora is offloading lots and lots of Kat Von D’s old products. Most of last year’s palettes are half price (or less). I already have all of the ones on sale, except for the Vegan Palette – no thank you. I did, however, pick up the 4 remaining Everlasting Glimmer Veil Liquid Lipsticks for $5, down from $22. I got “Thunderstruck” – champagne with pink and gold glimmer, “Starflyer” – lavender with iridescent glimmer, “Reverb” – cobalt with blue glimmer, and “Televator” – bright grape with purple glimmer. I also picked up the Kitten Mini Studded Kiss Vampira Ombre Set for $7, down from $18. Two mini lipsticks, in “Vampira” and “White Out”. I’ve only used “Thunderstruck” and “Starflyer” so far – I need to get to work.
For samples, I picked (and received) Kate Somerville EradiKate Salicylic Acid Treatment and Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream. I also used a promo code to get a deluxe sample bottle of Kate Somerville Bio-mimicking Peptides Serum.
So, my total order was $27…$581 to Rouge in 2020.
Mostly Purple Haul
The fact that most of the products in this order were purple was entirely coincidental!
The intentional part of the order is the purple hair dye – I’m sampling a few different semi-permanent dyes to see if I can get my hair purple enough to claim the title of MEGA-MOM. I mean, dying my hair school colors would make me the MEGA-MOM of the year, right? I picked up a sample packet of Lime Crime Unicorn Hair in “Pony” for $2.50 (I have reservations about Lime Crime, but since they’ve sold out, I’m less concerned about supporting the questionable creator) and Keracolor Travel Size Color + Clenditioner in “Purple” for $8.99. I’ve only tried the Keracolor, but it did NOTHING to my hair. I only left it in 5 minutes in the shower, so I am going to try it again for 30 minutes before making a final verdict…but I’m not optimistic. I may have to break down and try Manic Panic – but I’m hesitant to stain every single thing I own.
The other purple products I picked up: Zoya Remove + (always needing this) and Nexxus Frizz Defy Active Frizz Control Shampoo and Conditioner. I’ve had a bad case of the frizzies lately, so decided to try these while they were 40% off. What I don’t understand is why the Conditioner is so much more than the Shampoo, $19.99 ($11.99 on sale) for the Conditioner, versus $13.99 ($8.39 on sale) for the Shampoo. Fingers crossed for smooth hair soon.
I also picked up some other 50% off products – my holy grail eyebrow pencil, Ulta Ultra Slim Brow Pencil in “Dark Brown” ($5, down from $10) and a wet n wild Megalast Liquid Catsuit Metallic Lipstick in “Life’s No Pink-Nic” ($2.49, down from $4.99). The lipstick looks reddish in the tube, but is a dusty rose/copper – neither of which are pink, as the name implies. So confuse.
I got two different sample bag with my order, a hair sample bag and a brow sample bag. Inside the hair sample bag: HASK Cactus Water Shampoo & Conditioner (excited to try this); Alterna Haircare Caviar Anti-Aging Replenishing Moisture CC Cream; Wella Professional Invigo Volume Boost Crystal Mask; Seed Phytonutrients Scalp & Roots Oat Mask (WEIRD); System Professional Smoothen Shampoo Hair Structure Softener (WHAT THE FUCK DOES THAT MEAN? This product scares me); Curlsmith Scalp Stimulating Booster; and Macadamia Professional Essential Repair Daily Deep Conditioner. Inside the brow sample bag: Urban Decay Brow Endowed Brow Volumizer in “Brown Betty”; Benefit Precisely, My Brow Pencil in “3.5 Neutral Medium Brown”; Tweezerman Micro Mini Tweezer (OMG, it’s miniscule); Covergirl Clear Brow Setting Gel; Anastasia Beverly Hills Clear Brow Gel; and essence lash & brow gel mascara style & comb. What am I going to do with all this clear brow gel???
No good coupons when I ordered, just the usual $3.50 off $15 coupon. $460 to Diamond status.
Julep Labor Day
I didn’t realize how much I’d been missing my monthly Julep boxes…back on Labor Day, I got an email with a killer sale – 50% off polishes, plus an additional 60% off $35 orders. Since I was previously a Maven, I had to “reactivate” my Julep account – they basically reset everyone’s account when they dismantled the Maven program. When I logged in, it said I didn’t qualify for the 60% deal…but my previous Maven status gives me 25% off, plus activating gave me an additional 35% off, so it worked out to 60% off anyway. Long story short, I got 6 polishes for a few cents less than $20 – a killer deal!
I picked up the “Surreal World” 2 polish set, which includes Bombshell “Azalea” – pink sunrise holographic microglitter – and It Girl “Bri” – Purple Ember Holographic Shimmer. I picked just one from the Intention Collection, “Growth” – sprouted green creme. (I have no idea what that means.)
I wanted to get the whole Zodiac Collection, since I already have “Virgo” (for my mom) and “Taurus” (for my sister), but they didn’t have them all still available. I was able to get “Stirring Sagittarius” (my husband) – introspective mauve iridescent – and “Passionate Pisces” (both my kids) – shimmering seaside sunset metallic. I was irritated about not being able to get an Aquarius polish, but I was able to get one from the newer Birthstone Collection – “Bernadette – Black Onyx for February” – black onyx birthstone microshimmer with silver glitter.
I’ve been getting emails that Julep is now being carried at Target – I’ll have to check it out.
$5 Friday
I know I said I’d use up what I had before I bought more…but $5!
Last Friday, I got that magical email from Bath & Body Works that “selected fragrances” were on sale for $5 – shower gel, body cream, even fine fragrance mist! When I got there, it was all the new scents! It was Friday – I had the beginnings of a migraine – so I treated myself to a full set of both “Midnight Peony” (the muskier sister to my old favorite “Peony”) and “Rose Water and Ivy” (maybe my new favorite – it’s very similar to the long discontinued “Delicate Petals” from Victoria’s Secret).
I also had a coupon for a free item up to $14, so I got a “Hello Beautiful” Shower Gel to fill up my travel size bottle. So that was 7 products for $30 – that’s a smoking deal!
I also sampled another new scent that I’m adding to my wishlist – “Kaleidoscope”. (It wasn’t on sale, or I would’ve gotten it.) The main note is pink pepper – I have no idea what that really is, but it’s spicy and I love it. I think Tory Burch also has Pink Pepper, because that’s what it reminds me of.
One Last Semi-Stop
I controlled myself so well…until Sunday, the very last day of the Semi-Annual Sale. I found myself at the mall, killing time while Lily was at a birthday party…
The pickens were pretty slim on the last day of the sale….but there was plenty of $2 and $3 Hand Soap. I picked up 12 – 10 for me and 2 for my big sis, because they match her kitchen.
I used a $10 off $30 coupon – all this was just $23 AND CHANGE!
Just 6 more months until the next sale…
Deja Ulta Haul
I am getting serious deja vu from this Ulta Haul – oh yeah, I did a haul like this almost exactly a year ago.
I decided to use my 20% code to stock up on L’Oreal Colorista Semi-Permanent Hair Color for the kids ($10.99 each) in “Red”, “Maroon”, and “Burgundy”. I also picked up a L’Oreal Colorista Highlights Kit (also $10.99). Will I ruin my hair? Maybe…but maybe it will look amazing? The color isn’t important – I just need to process it to pick up the pink dye I’ll add to it later…
In addition to the hair dye, I grabbed one of the cute little I Heart Revolution Donut Palette ($7) – of course, I got the “Chocolate Dipped”. I also grabbed some sale NYX lippies – Liquid Suede Metallic Creme Lipstick in “Acme” ($2.09, down from $2.99) and Lip Lingerie Glitter in “Eurotrash” ($5.25, down from $7.50). I am a bit disappointed in the Lip Lingerie Glitter – it is more like a glossy paste than a long lasting liquid lipstick – but I am IN LOVE with the Liquid Suede in “Acme” – it is perfect!
I also continued my experimentation with hair dissolving chemicals by picking up Nair Glides Away Sensitive Formula Hair Remover with Coconut Oil for Bikini, Arms & Underarms ($8.99). I haven’t tried it yet, but hopeful.
I got a HUGE Beauty Break with my $65 order – a 14 piece Fresh by Day Summer Sampler. Inside the sampler: NEST Grapefruit & Verbena Fragranced Body Wipes (weird); Soap & Glory Flake Away Body Polish (oh, it’s for your legs); Vichy Purete Thermale One Step Cleanser for Sensitive Skin (a positively huge 3.3 oz tube); Bed Head by TIGI Queen Beach Salt Infused Texture Spray (another full size product); Clean Rain; eyeko Yoga Waterproof Mascara (nope); Alterna Caviar Anti-Aging Replenishing Moisture CC Cream; MAC Prep + Prime Fix+ Setting Spray; PUR Lit Mist; Pacifica Indian Coconut Nectar Body Butter; Bare Republic Mineral Sunscreen Lotion with Diamond Dust (a shimmery suntan lotion – crazy); Poo-Pourri “Lavender Vanilla”; Mamonde Petal Spa Oil to Foam (I LOVE the way this smells); and CoTZ Face Moisture Mineral Sunscreen. A great set of summer samples!
I got a second 20% off code after this order, but it expired yesterday. Oh well…$522 to Diamond status.