Tag: Ulta
National Nail Polish Day 2023
Last June, I wanted the Scünci Pride Claw Clips ($7.99), but I didn’t order them in time and they were sold out. Not this year! One for me and one for daughter. The Great Hair Event was still going on when I placed the order, so I ordered Arctic Fox “Poison” for 50% off ($9.24 instead of $18.49). I intended it for my daughter, and even ordered a Lime Crime Bushy Brow Pencil in “Valentine” ($15)…but it was missing from my order! Then she told me that she has to die her hair back brown for Band…so I guess I’ll use it in my hair? I don’t need the brow pencil, so I just accepted a refund from customer care.
Oh, and I have been liking moisturizing primers lately, so I decided to try Tula Filter Primer Blurring & Moisturizing Primer ($38). I really like it so far – it is very smoothing and as far as I can tell, I am NOT breaking out. It’s a similar texture to Benefit Primers, except it doesn’t roll up into booger particles on your fingers.
Since I ordered this little haul on National Nail Polish Day, I received one of two different samplers with my $50 purchase. Inside the sampler: Flowery Duraboard Nail File 2 pack; Dashing Diva Glow Gel Nail Strips in “Ballet Blooms Mini”; Londontown KUR Perfecting Nail Veil “Shade 4” (‘Nail Veil’ – that’s a new one); Sally Hansen Insta-Dri “Petal Pusher”; Essie “Mrs. Always Right” (it me!); OPI Infinite Shine “Sage Simulation”; and China Glaze “Tropic Like It’s Hot”.
Just $591 to Diamond in 2024.
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.
Diamond Freebie Haul
I love the first Monday of every month. Not because it’s a Monday, but because that’s when Ulta has their “Diamond Love List”, which is full of exclusive deals and freebies for Diamond Members!
The best part about the “Diamond Love List” is getting to try new products before the official launch. Fresh Rose & Hyaluronic Acid Lightweight Moisturizer ($46) is a lighter version of the Rose Deep Hydration Face Cream that I love. I’ve been using it under my makeup and I love how light it feels. It’s a bit pricier than Oil of Olay, but those are damn near $30 now! I’m getting uncomfortably close to 50 years old, so it might be time to splurge a little bit…I mean, it’s not La Mer.
My hair needs more than a sample pack of deep conditioner, so I splurged on Joico K-PAK Color Therapy Luster Lock ($38.50). It came with a gift with purchase – a free shower cap and hair wrap set. Who doesn’t need an extra shower cap and hair wrap?
What else did I “add to cart”? Aquaphor Touch-Free Healing Ointment ($9.99) is THE BEST. Smartypits Natural Deodorant Sample Pack – Sensitive Skin ($10, down from $20) – I couldn’t pass up this set of 4 trial size deodorants. So far, I’ve only used “Rose Lavender”, but it hasn’t irritated my skin. I also picked up a few more Flowery Nail Buffers, at 40% off. I also got a pair of Diane Daisy/Clean-Cut Shear 5” ($8.79, down from $10.99) for Logan. I caught him cutting his hair with kitchen scissors!
My order also contained a birthday gift for my sister…not pictured.
…and now for the free stuff! I got an exclusive Clarins 4 piece set with my $35 skincare purchase: Clarins Double Serum Eye; Extra-Firming Neck & Décolleté; Total Cleansing Oil; Extra-Firming Night Cream; and Instant Smooth – that’s five things! I also got a free mystery gift with select hair care purchase: it Cosmetics Confidence in a Cream Anti-Aging; Biolage Strength Repairing Spray; Love Wellness Call Me Collagen; Drybar Liquid Glass Shampoo & Conditioner; Verb Ghost Shampoo & Conditioner; Ouidad Water Works Clarifying Shampoo; Living proof. Perfect hair Day 5-in-1 Styling Treatment; and it Cosmetics Bye Bye Lines Serum. Last, but not least, I got a Platinum & Diamond Exclusive 11 piece gift with $35 hair purchase: Biolage All-In-One Multi-benefit Spray; Olaplex No. 6 Bond Smoother; Living proof. Perfect hair Day Enhancing Treatment; Batiste Dry Shampoo; Bed Head Master Piece Hairspray; ANOTHER Love Wellness Call Me Collagen; Better Not Younger Wake Up Call Volumizing Shampoo (but no conditioner?); Virtue Healing Oil; OUAI Treatment Masque; and Curls Blueberry Bliss Reparative Leave-In Conditioner. My hair is so lucky!
On top of all those freebies, I was able to use a $10 off $50 coupon…just $718 to Diamond in 2024.
PEEP My Skin Haul
YASSSS! I was hoping for more textured PEEPS polish to go on clearance after Easter and I was able to snag another Sally Hansen Insta-Dri x PEEPS Nail Polish Duo Pack for 30% off ($8.39, down from $11.99). This Pack includes “PEEPS Classic Chick” and “PEEPS Cotton Candy”.
My dermatologist suggested benzoyl peroxide for my bacne, so I snagged CeraVe Acne Foaming Cream Cleanser, which happened to be 20% off ($15.19, down from $18.99). I haven’t started using it yet – I wanted to wait until after I washed my sheets, so I could make sure my dirty sheets weren’t making it worse. I washed my sheets TODAY, so tomorrow will start my bacne attack.
They were a whopping 60% off, so I grabbed Ulta Beauty Milky Toner ($4, down from $10) and Shine Bright Exfoliating Face Polish (also $4, down from $10). The Face Polish smells go good!
The weirdest thing – there was a random extra item in my box: Flower Blush Bomb in “Cinnamon”. I would never order this product – so weird. The sticker price is only $11.49, so I don’t feel bad about keeping it. I’ll maybe give it to my daughter or my nieces.
No other freebies, but I did use a $3.50 off $15 coupon. $856 to Diamond in 2024…
21 Days of Beauty x 2
I never think I am going to see something I want during Ulta’s 21 Days of Beauty Sale…and then I always do. This time, I ordered two different times!
The first order – I forget which day of the sale it was – had two products I wanted for 50% off: Zitsticka Goo Getter Surface Zit Hydrocolloid Patches ($8, down from $16) for Lily and it Brushes for Ulta Brush Bath Purifying Solid Brush Cleanser ($11.50, down from $23). I haven’t used the brush cleaner (maybe this weekend), but Lily has been using the zitstickas and loves them. I saw her putting on on her tush the other day…I also added Megababe The Geo Deo ($14) to my order, because I wanted to try it out. I don’t like it as much as Rosy Pits, but it is a nice basic “clean” smelling deodorant.
The second order…how could I pass up half price Ulta Ultra Slim Brow Pencil for half-price? They were $5, down from $10, so I bought two, “Medium Brown” and “Dark Brown.” Then I just threw some stuff into my cart…a tgin Honey Miracle Hair Mask Packet ($2.99), because I want to use it with the tgin shampoo and conditioner I just got off Amazon…Sally Hansen Insta-Dri x PEEPS Nail Polish Duo Pack ($11.99), which also came with a free Tumbler full of PEEPS lip gloss…Cetaphil products were BOGO 40% off, so I got Extra Gentle Daily Scrub Exfoliating Face Wash and Gentle Skin Cleanser Face Wash For Sensitive Skin.
$886 to Diamond – I better get a move on!
Snow White Ulta Haul
I usually splurge a little bit in March, around tax/bonus time…but this year, I may have splurged a lot, buying the whole Disney Snow White x Colourpop Collection ($104). Wait – since I used $125 in Ulta points on my order, does that mean I didn’t splurge at all? All this only cost $12.43, so maybe not a splurge…does that mean I still get to have a splurge?
At first, I was only going to buy the “Thy Magic Spell” Lip Kit ($20) for myself, which is the Evil Queen themed lip set, with Crème Lux Lipstick in “Evil Queen”, Lippie Pencil in “Jealous Much”, and Lux Lip Gloss in “Queen G”. Then I saw the Snow White themed “Love’s First Kiss” set, with Crème Lux Lipstick in “Snow White”, Lippie Pencil in “Such a Beauty”, and Lux Lip Gloss in “Red as Rose” and I wanted to give it to Lily…and then I saw the whole collection, and said FUCK IT, I want it ALL. My only complaint is that the full collection did not come in a nice promo box, like the Malibu Barbie Collection – but maybe that’s because I got it directly from Colourpop? Whatever, like I need more boxes…Also in the collection: “Dreams Come True” Pressed Powder Palette, Super Shock Blush in “Fair Enough”, Super Shock Blush in “I Wish I Wish”, Super Shock Blush in “Just Rosy”, and “Just One Bite” Lippie Scrub. Surprisingly, my favorite part of the collection is the blushes – they have a springy, almost gel-like texture.
I got the L’Oreal Detox & Brighten Clay Mask ($12.99) because I really liked that line of cleansers…I was disappointed to find that this mask does NOT smell like the cleanser I loved so much. It smells like…well…dirt. The jar was half empty, too – I’ll be lucky to get three uses out of it! It’s probably old stock from the original line – six years ago!
My purse needed a replacement buffer, so I got another Flowery Blue Max 4-Way Buffing Block ($2.99) – these are my favorite.
I have been enjoying the Ulta Weightless Water Lip Stain in “Very Berry”, so I ordered “Mango Dreams” ($10) and “Pink Popsicle” ($10), too. I need to order “Cherry Pie” to get the whole set…or steal the one I stuck in Lily’s Xmas stocking. I paid full price, so I could get an Ulta free 10 piece gift. Inside the bright yellow makeup bag: Poreless Face Primer; Tinted Eye Primer in “Champagne”; Lip Gloss in “Velvet Mauve”; Lip Oil in “Peach” (hands down, the best product for removing longwear lipstick); Maximum Lashes Mascara, 2 Eye Shadow Quads, an eye shadow brush and a makeup sponge.
Speaking of freebies, I was supposed to get 3 more gifts with purchase for National Lash Day, but the initial Lash Day Sampler Pack with $65 purchase went out of stock before my box was packed. Whatever, it was a bunch of fake lashes, anyway. I still got the 6 Piece Lash Day Step-Up Sampler with $85 purchase, which included Clinique High Impact Mascara; Benefit Bad Girl Bang Mascara; KISS Lash Purify Eye Makeup Remover and Lash Cleanser; Grande Lash-MD Lash Enhancing Serum; e.l.f. Big Mood Mascara, and a little Tweezerman Mascara Guard. Time to throw away all my current mascara and switch to new tubes! I also got an 8 Piece Makeup Obsession Sampler with $60 purchase, which included a L’Oreal Blend Artist Foundation Sponge, a Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge; Ulta Juice Infused Lip Oil in “Red Apple”; a Morphe Oval Shadow Brush; Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Eye Color in “Rosegold”; Pro.Conceal White Concealer; Smashbox Photo Finish Illuminate Glow Primer; and Milani Cheek Kiss Liquid Blush in “Nude Flush”.
That’s right…all this for $12.43 and a $3.50 off $15 coupon. And I still have $80 in Ulta points!
$963 to Diamond in 2024.
A Weird Little Ulta Haul
Sometimes I order a few random things, then they sit on my counter for weeks, and then I’m like…OH YEAH!
I’ve been skeptical of the viral Brow Stamping Kits all over Tik Tok and Instagram…but Ulta came out with one, so why not try it. The Ulta Eyebrow Stamp and Stencil Kit is just $16, much cheaper than the $40 sets on social media. The set comes with 4 reversible stencils, a stamp and a spoolie. I’ll admit, the results are pretty good – IF the stencil matches your brows. Only one of the stencils works for me…the rest are too thick and make me look like Miss Trunchbull. You also have to get them EVEN. The first time I used the stencil, I thought I looked good – but my daughter was like, “Why are your eyebrows crooked?” Why couldn’t I tell that they were crooked? I won’t give up my Ulta Ultra Slim Brow Pencil in “Dark Brown” ($10), but I had fun with the stamp.
I wanted to try a better shade than the last one I picked out, so I got Urban Decay Vice Lip Bond Glossy Liquid Lipstick in “Unbreakable” while it was 40% off ($16.20, down from $27). This lipstick is fantastic and made it through a whole Italian dinner!
I got to use my birthday $10 off coupon and STILL got a 4 piece MAC gift with $35 makeup purchase, which included MAC Eye Shadow in “Espresso Matte”; MAC Clear Lipglass; and MAC Matte Lipstick in “Chili”, all in a little pink makeup bag.
$972 to Ulta Diamond in 2024.
Lunar New Year Ulta Haul
The Crème Shop had a cute endcap display of Hello Kitty Lunar New Year stuff, but I passed it by in-store, just to order a bunch online for the kids and I. My son likes Kuromi, so I got Kuromi Fortune Macaron Lip Balm in “Lucky Lychee” ($10 each) for him and I. I got my daughter Hello Kitty Fortune Macaron Lip Balm in “Apple Blossom” ($10) for my daughter. So what if they arrived slightly after Lunar New Year? I’ll save the gift with purchase – a set of 4 lucky red envelopes & stickers – for next year.
I saw an Insta post about how amazing L’Oreal Infallible 24HR Fresh Wear Foundation In A Powder ($15.99) is, so I added to cart. I used Ulta’s Shade Finder to pick “20 Ivory” and it was (shockingly) a perfect match. The Shade Finder on Sephora’s website is shit, but Ulta’s is REALLY good. This foundation has replaced the Clinique I just got as my holy grail powder foundation – it’s smooth and wonderful and reduces redness. We’ll see how it fares when the weather gets hotter, but for now – I love it.
I also grabbed an L.A. Girl Gloss Lip Stain in “Adored” ($5.99) and I love this one, too! I assumed it was similar to the Colourpop gloss stains I was obsessed with last year and the L.A. Girl ones have better staying power AND are cheaper!
Oh yeah, and I got a NARS 4 Piece Beauty Break with my $50 purchase – even though I used a $5 off coupon to drop my total below $50. Inside the gift: NARS High Pigment Longwear Eyeliner in “Via Veneto”; NARS Bronzing Powder in “Laguna”; NARS Lipstick in “Inappropriate Red”; and NARS Climax Mascara. Good stuff!
Just $1,003 to Diamond in 2024.
First Ulta Haul of 2023
Well…that didn’t take long. The first Diamond Offers email arrived on January 2nd and I jumped right on it!
I wasn’t planning on getting the Urban Decay Cosmetics Naked x Robin Eisenberg Eyeshadow Palette ($27, down from $54), but half price made it a lot more attractive. Initially, I was put off by the lack of “naked” colors in a “naked” palette, but I was pleasantly surprised by how wearable these bright shimmery colors are. There are several color-shifting duochrome shadows, which are like catnip to me. I can see myself wearing this one quite a bit!
I didn’t want to forget to redeem my Diamond gift of a free Clinique Foundation, so I guessed at my shade and chose Clinique Beyond Perfecting Powder Foundation + Concealer in “0.5 Breeze” (normally $36). I chose correctly and this is a GREAT powder foundation – not cakey at all. Since all Clinique was 25%, I also picked up a back-up tube of Clinique Almost Lipstick in “Black Honey” ($16.50, down from $22). I never thought I’d be a Clinique girl like my mom, but here we are.
I threw some fun clearance items into my cart – a few $1.25 nail polishes, Nailtopia “Carrot Cake” and “Blueberry Milk”. I am out of samples of micellar water, so I am trying out wet n wild Makeup Remover Micellar Cleansing Water ($4.99).
I got a few different freebies with this order. I received a BareMinerals Platinum & Diamond Exclusive 4 Piece Gift with $35 makeup purchase, which includes Ageless 10% Phyto-Retinol Night Concentrate, Prime Time Original Foundation Primer, and Mineral Veil Finishing Powder in a very nice Makeup Bag. I also received an Exuviance Diamond & Platinum Exclusive! Free 4 Piece Gift with $25 purchase, which includes Deep Clean AHA Cleanser, Glycolic Expert Moisturizer, Overnight Transformation Complex, and A.G.E. Less Everyday Moisturizer. My skin is gonna look AMAZING.
Just $1,149 to Diamond in 2024…
Fresh Cyber Monday Haul
I didn’t go TOO crazy on Cyber Monday…well, maybe a little.
I mostly bought gifts, so not sharing them in this post…but I did get a little something for myself…Fresh Beauty was 25% off, so I got Fresh Sugar Strawberry Exfoliating Face Wash ($24.75, down from $33) and Fresh Sugar Balm Gift Set ($13.87, down from $18.50). This qualified me for a free gift from Fresh – a makeup bag with 4 samples: Fresh Rose Hydration Cream (LOVE); Fresh Soy Face Cleanser; Fresh Black Tea Age-Delay Eye Concentrate; and Fresh Sugar Advanced Therapy Lip Treatment. I admit, I kind of enjoy buying Sephora-owned products from Ulta…
Oooh, another gift with my $90 purchase! Inside the (mostly skin stuff) Cyber Monday bag: No7 Menopause Skincare Nourishing Overnight Cream (HOW DID THEY KNOW I’M OLD???); MAC fix+ Magic Radiance; Love Wellness Bye Bye Bloat (again, how did they know my digestive tract is all broken?); Peach & Lily Glass Skin Refining Serum (I love this stuff); Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream; it Cosmetics Confidence in a Cream (I love this stuff, too); Better Not Younger Bounce Back Shampoo & Conditioner; Ariana Grande God is a Woman; Tom Ford Noir; Givenchy Gentleman (a good friend of mine wears this – it’s nice); Olay Regenerist Hyaluraonic +Peptide Hydrating Gel; Clinique Moisture Surge 100H Auto-Replenishing Hydrator; Kate Somerville ExfoliKate; Tula Skincare the cult classic purifying face cleanser & 24-7 moisture hydrating day & night cream; Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion; Giorgio Armani My Way; a Zitsticka; It’s a 10 Miracle Leave-In Product; IGK Pay Day Instant Repair Shampoo & Conditioner + Cash In Instant Repair Serum; Too Faced Lady Bold Lipstick Sample Card; NARS Concealer Sample Card; Keys Soulcare Let Me Glow Illuminating Serum (I also love this stuff); Anastasia Beverly Hills Crystal Lip Glow in “Glass”; Fresh Rose Deep Hydration Cream (even more stuff I love); and Laura Mercier Pure Canvas Primer.
I got so much stuff that I was able to use a $10 off code AND qualify for Diamond in 2023 – that’s it, I’m in!