Tag: Ulta
I Swear…I Only Went in for a Haircut
Really! I hadn’t gotten my hair cut since February, so I figured it was time…OK, I kind of knew that I would probably buy some stuff if I actual went to the salon in Ulta to get my hair cut. Shhhh,,,
Ulta was running a special on Zoya polish – buy 2, get a free gift – “A Matte Story”, which came with Zoya Matte Velvet Top Coat (I’ve been needing one!) and Whore Red Matte Velvet Lipstick. the two polishes that I got were Zoya Matte Velvet “Harlow” and Zoya “Remy”.
I went to the fragrance section to sample “Stella” by Stella McCartney. There was a placard for it, but no bottles. A clerk offered to go check the back and came back with a single bottle – saying they had discontinued carrying it. I made a split second decision to go for it and buy it…not realizing that it was the $72 50 ML size. Uhhhhhh…I got it anyway and in my excitement, I totally forgot to use my $3.50 off coupon. The blow was softened, however, by a VISA gift card I had gotten as a “thank you” from my AVP last week.
I was so excited, that I opened “Stella” in my car and started spraying. I LOVE the way it smells on me, but I was a bit disappointed in the scent’s staying power. It’s just a few hours later and I can barely smell it on me. I had read online that the new 2014 version has less staying power, so I guess I need to be on the lookout for one of the old bottles. Trader’s Village, maybe – or one of those Indian perfume places?
Halloween is Coming…
I didn’t mean to buy a bunch of Halloween stuff yesterday…but it kind of just happens sometimes.
Somehow, I scammed my husband into letting me run into Ulta before lunch, so I could grab some more Zoya Remove+. (I kind of freak out a little bit if I have less than half a bottle left, plus I didn’t know if the new ad would still have a $3.50 coupon.) After lunch, we all went to Five Below. In addition to Pink Flamingo Duck Tape, I couldn’t resist more Funky Fingers! I got 2 of the 2/$5 Halloween Glow in the Dark polishes: “Oogie Boogie” – iridescent yellow glitter in a neon green base – and “Dia De Muertos” – matte pink glitter in a baby blue base. I also got 3 of the regular 3/$5 Funky Fingers – “Unicorn Farts” – chunky metallic multicolored glitter, “Olaf” – white snowflake glitter – and “Elsa” – white and blue snowflake glitter. (Yes, I bought Frozen nail polish. Suck it.) Everybody got goodies. I got a SHENANIGANS T-shirt for my BFF. My husband got spiderwebs to decorate the house and a football. Logan got a gag gum snapper. Lily got a rubber chicken. Seriously…a rubber chicken. I can’t even explain why.
Five Below and Half Price Books were just too much fun for the family to handle, so while everyone else took naps, I went to Target to buy toilet paper and paper towels. Yeah, that was my plan when I went in there…
In addition to stocking up on John Frieda and Olay, I came across the new Halloween Beauty Books from e.l.f. ($6!) I picked up “Vampire” for my BFF, because the colors will be perfect for her Cruella DeVille costumes. I got “Wicked” for my Maleficent costume. I also grabbed bunch of plastic totes for my hair and face gunk – all of my tiny bottles where overtaking my husband’s side of the sink.
Of course, I got the new Caramel Apple Oreos. They’re just as weird as you would expect them to be. They did not have the Pumpkin Spice Oreos, which is probably all for the better…
Ulta Success!
Any excuse to go to Ulta, right?
I went to a different Ulta yesterday in search of Zoya Remove+ – success! They had a dozen bottles…but I just got one.
I also capitalized on Ulta’s 21 Days of beauty special – Butter London 2 for $15. I picked up “The Black Knight” – black, pink, blue, and silver suspended in a black base – and “Tart with a Heart” – pale pink parade of glitter carries a dash of grey.
I also grabbed a Ms. Manicure Buffing Block from the kiosks by the checkout. I LOVE those kiosks – they’re dangerous to me!
Fuck Traffic, Go Shopping
Right as I was packing up to leave work, my husband called to tell me that the highway was backed up – huge wreck. Sigh. When the going gets tough, the tough say “fuck traffic” and go shopping.
My backdoor route to avoid the highway conveniently brought me right past my Ulta – imagine that! The main reason I wanted to drop by was to pick up a new Zoya Remove+, but of course they are still out. My second choice was Orly Bonder, suggested by Angie as an excellent base coat. We shall see…
Although the clearance section has dwindled, I still had to look. I was excited to find Sparitual “Citrine” Luminary Matte Top Effect for $2.97. I was even more excited when it rang up for $1.49, especially since I paid $12 for “Opaline” several months ago!
Finally, I decided to try eos lip balm in “Blueberry Acai”. Erin raved about eos the last time we had a traffic chat, so I figured now was the the time. I was skeptical of rubbing that huge knob all over my lips, but it felt SO GOOD. I thought I would end up smearing it all over my face like Steve Buscemi in Billy Madison, but it only went on my lips.
The $3.50 coupon is back – I hate those 20% one item coupons! I’ll probably hit another Ulta tomorrow to look for my Zoya Remove+, plus Butter London polishes are 2/$15 tomorrow!
Monsters Ball
Remember when I said “Don’t try all the colors!” Don’t listen to me – I was clearly wrong.
This is a combination of some of the polishes I got in my last Ulta order. I totally feel like Lady Gaga…without the pointy witch nails, of course. I started with Revlon Quick Dry Base Coat and then 2 coats of Pixel “The Midas Touch” on all my nails. The polish was much sheerer than I expected, but dried quickly – leaving only 2 or 3 bubbles. I’ve never heard of Pixel Cosmetics before, but a quick Google told me that it is a newish line, exclusive to Ulta and similar to Prestige or Essence. I used China Glaze “Boo-gie Down” on my pointer and middle. No fishing glitter out of the bottle – it went on perfectly right out of the bottle. I want to put this polish over EVERYTHING to see how it looks. My pinky got China Glaze “Bat Your Eyes”. Again, this is a beautiful polish – black with different sizes of gold glitter. Both China Glaze polishes are from the Halloween 2013 Monsters Ball Collection. I’m excited to see what Halloween polishes China Glaze releases this year – for me…every day is Halloween!
Ulta Makes Me So Happy
I can’t pass up a gift with purchase…I’ll tell myself that it’s virtually the same as the last gift with purchase, but it does no good.
Ulta’s purchase requirements are go strange – $19.50 of Ulta products to get the gift. I got Ulta Oil-Free Makeup Remover, Ulta Precision Liquid Liner in “Plum” (I know, weird), and Ulta Double Duty Lipstain & Blam in “Romance”. The gift is a makeup bag filled with the usual stuff – but DIFFERENT usual stuff. I am most excited to try the Ulta Super Stretch Fiber Mascara and the eye shadow topper…which was unfortunately shattered during shipping…fuck.
I also got the two 97 cent polishes I saw on Nouveau Cheap – China Glaze Halloween 2013 Monsters Ball “Bat My Eyes” and “Boo-gie Down”.
Since I used my $3.50 off coupon, I had to find one more thing to qualify for $25 free shipping. I picked Pixel Lip Tint in “Addictive”, which also came with the choice of a free nail polish – I chose Pixel “The Midas Touch”.
Finally…my free samples. I picked the Variety Sampler again, because I am scared of the perfume samples. I got three little foil packets – Smashbox Photo Finish More Than Primer Blemish Control Salicyclic Acid Acne Treatment, The Body Shop Nutriganics “Drops of Youth” and Dermelect Cosmecuticals Timeless Anti-Aging Daily Hand Treatment. Meh.
The most exciting thing in the box was the new Ulta Catalog – for the 21 Days of Beauty that starts 9/7! So many good deals! Ulta makes me so happy…
Sunday Shopping
Lily and I usually go shopping on Saturday, but since my husband and son went to see Guardians of the Galaxy this morning, I figured why not do some shopping that doesn’t involve school supplies.
I struck out at Ulta. They were out of Zoya Remove+. I was also thinking about getting Michael Kors “Glam Jasmine” now that it’s back…but then I smelled it and I didn’t like it as much as I thought I did. That’s ok – I placed an amazing order online on Friday, so I have that to look forward to.
I fared much better at Bath & Body Works. I had a 20% off coupon, plus a free travel size. I got 2 three wick candles at 2/$22 – “Wasabi Apple” & “Turquoise Waters”. I got 11 hand soaps – 6/$24, plus “Sweet Clementine” on special for $3. I’m not going to go through all the scents I got, but I am really excited about “Brown Sugar & Carrot” – that’s just WEIRD. My total was $49.36, so I went ahead and used the $50 debit card I got from Acuvue for a contacts rebate. I know I threw away 64 cents…sigh.
HEB is becoming my favorite place to find beauty deals. They had $2 off Revlon coupons again AND $2 off Milani. Lily is a bad influence on me. I was trying to decide between 2 Revlon Quick Dry Top Coats – “Hearts of Gold FX” and “Celestial FX” – she asked why I couldn’t I just get both? So I did. I also picked up “Balinese Bay” from Revlon’s Limited Edition Haute Rocks Collection of pebbled polish. I’ve been wanting to try one.
I’ve been eyeing Milani “Sugar High” for a while, so I grabbed it…the multicolored glitter will look great over “Glass Pink”. I also decided to try out one of the Milani Baked Marble Shadows I’ve been hearing about. If they’re anything like Laura Geller Baked Shadows, I’ll love it. I picked “Green Fortune”, which I’m not exactly sure how I’ll wear – it’s green, pink and copper!
My house smells great, my hands smell great, the kids start school tomorrow and I have new polish and makeup to play with. Life is good!
August Julep Maven Box – The Wanderlust Collection
There’s nothing like coming home to a HUGE stack of boxes and mail after being gone a mere 48 hours…
2 zulily boxes, a book from Birchbox, an Ulta ad…and FINALLY, my August Julep Maven Box.
I was supposed to be excited that my Julep dropped DHL and switched to Fed Ex Smartpost, but I didn’t get my box any faster than I had been getting them before.
August’s theme is “The Wanderlust Collection.” I customized my box again this month. I picked a “Smoky Taupe Shimmer” Gel Eye Glider, Boho Glam “India” – Freshwater Blue Shimmer – and Bombshell “Neha” – Sari Magenta Shimmer.
There was NOTHING else in my box – no card describing the collection, no coupon codes, NO CANDY. I’m sorry about complaining about the Tootsie Rolls…Julep, give me my candy! My BFF also reported nothing else in her box. WTF?
After a weekend fishing, I’ll definitely be trying “India” tonight!
Not a Julep Maven? CLICK HERE to join! Get a special 5 piece Welcome Box with code SHIPSHAPE!
Cowabunga!
So I picked the cloudiest day in a month to try out another Funky Fingers solar polish…just my luck.
This is Funky Fingers “Cowabunga”. Indoors, it is bright ass hot pink. For a cheap polish, it went on like a dream. After the Revlon Quick Dry Base Coat, the first coat went down smoothly and almost gave full coverage. I went with a second coat and it was still smooth and even – no pooling in the edges! I used Ulta “Pinata Yada” on my party nails. I finished up with Revlon Quick Dry Top Coat for super shine.
The sun came out for a few minutes and I ran into the back yard and raised my clenched fist up to the sun. I ran back to the porch and took a picture as quickly as I could.
I was hoping for a deeper red, but it looks more like a pinkish tomato. “Cowabunga” is much less impressive than “Gnarly, Dude”, but it still changed. I MUST return to Five Below for more!
Red Sticker Fever
Yup…I went again. I picked a different location to see what goodies they had left from the massive Ulta clearance…I was not disappointed.
I decided to try Ulta “Citrus Rose” Rejuvenating Bath & Shower Gel ($2.97 down from $9.50). I’m gonna be pissed if I love it, because I’ll never find it again. I also got a compact folding brush for my purse. I’m tired of rushing out of the house and realizing that my children look like Little Orphan Annie.
The best deals were in nail polish. I found Sparitual “Improvisation” ($2.97 down from $12), China Glaze “Bling it on” ($.97 down from $8.50), 2 China Glaze “Scattered & Tattered” ($.97 down from $8.50) – 1 for me and 1 for my BFF because it appears to be a dupe of her favorite Sinful Colors polish, Sally Hansen “Fruit-Ta-Ta” ($1.49 down from $2.99) and Ulta “Pinata Yada” ($.47). Including my $3.50 off coupon, I spent $9.53 at Ulta.
I also stopped by Big Lots to take advantage of their 20% off for members day. Besides Pop-Tarts and Veggie Sticks, I found My Beauty Spot “Lux Velvet Effect Nail Art Kit”. It is supposed to make my nails look and feel like crushed velvet. I am skeptical, yet intrigued. For $2.80, I can take a chance…