Tag: Ulta
Ulta Breakout & Chill
I’d been saving The Sign Tribe’s Remove and Chill Nail Enamel Remover ($14.99, $11.99 after 20% off coupon) in my cart for a quite a while, waiting for a good gift with purchase or coupon. I had both, so I ordered!
This product is a game change for anyone who cannot stand the smell of nail polish remover. It’s a cream that you put on your fingernails that melts off the nail polish remover. There’s no chemical scent, it’s just like a super moisturizing cuticle cream. I’ll be honest, it takes a loooong time to dissolve the polish, and it takes a double application because of the thick top coat that I use. I’ve used it twice (on Sinful Colors “I Ain’t Jambalayan” and Sally Hansen “Berry Blue”) and it’s removed all the polish both times, but neither of those are glitters, so I’ll reserve my full judgement until I try it on a glitter and on my toenails. It’s also quite expensive, even compared to my $10 Zoya Remove+.
The other part of my purchase was the Kate Somerville Breakout Fighters Kit ($55). This kit is kind of bullshit, but it’s my own damn fault, because I should’ve checked the sizes it contained. The main reason I bought it was for the 1 oz EradiKate Acne Treatment ($26 alone), because I was close to running out. This smelly sulfur elixir is the only thing that tames the acne on my chest. The kit also contains a 1 oz EradiKate Daily Cleanser Foaming Cleanser Acne Treatment – but I thought it was the 4 oz size, which is normally $38. That means the 1 oz is worth $9.50. The kit also contains EradiKate Salicylic Acid Treatment (0.33 oz) – the full 1 oz size is $58, so I guess this tiny sample is supposed to be worth $19.33. The Kate Somerville Oil Free Moisturizer (which is very, very nice on my face) is $65 for 1.7 oz, so that makes the .5 oz size about $19.12. I still don’t feel like I got that great of a deal, even if it is all worth $73.95 together…boo.
The Skinfatuation gift with purchase was also disappointing – but AGAIN, my own damn fault. I didn’t realize that it was exclusively eye creams, which I barely use and have a shit ton of. The gift includes Skyn Iceland Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels; it Cosmetics Confidence in an Eye Cream (I love the moisturizer, so I bet this one is good, too); StriVectin Intensive Eye Concentrate for Wrinkles; Dr. Brandt Needles No More No More Baggage Eye De-Puffing Gel; La Roche-Posay Toleriance Ultra Eyes Soothing Repair Moisturizer; and CeraVe Eye Repair Cream.
$874 to go until Diamond in 2021.
Instinct + Transformation
Makeup Revolution Palettes at 40% off? Don’t mind if I do!
I’ve had my eye on the Revolution x Alexis Stone collaboration since it launched. I hesitated, not because of the price, but because of the unlikelihood that I would get much use out of it. But FOMO and a great price convinced me. The Instinct Palette ($15, down from $25) is a 28 shade matte palette with a rainbow of colors. Makeup Revolution has really upped their quality – these shadows were super pigmented and wore well without primer. (I did get a little bit of staining with the pink shadows, so be warned.) The Transformation Palette ($9, down from $15) has 7 shimmery shades that can be worn alone or over your Instinct shades, which is what I did.
I also snagged the I Heart Revolution Tasty Avocado Palette ($10, down from $15) and Tasty Hot Dog Palette ($7.49). I know that I look horrible in green eye shadow, but I couldn’t resist that cute avocado packaging. When I tried it out, I wasn’t wrong – my husband refused to go get ice cream with me while I was wearing it. The Hot Dog Palette was a nice surprise – I never knew that mustard and ketchup vibes would look so good on me.
My hair is growing out of control, so I got a few new hair tools – the Pattern Hair Clip ($10) is bigger than the octopus clips I’ve been using and it holds ALL my hair. It’s designed for curly hair, but works just fine on straight hair, too. I also got the Invisibobble Bunstar ($8 for 2). This little sperm-shaped piece of plastic screws in and holds your bun! I don’t exactly understand how it works, but it does.
I also got my son another L’Oreal Colorista Highlight Kit and myself an Ulta Tinted Juice Infused Lip Oil ($4.50, down from $9).
This 5 piece Benefit gift with purchase was the last Beauty Break I’ve seen – two weeks ago. A $60 purchase got me a Benefit makeup bag with my favorite mascara – Benefit Roller Lash, as well as The POREfessional Hydrate Primer, Precisely My Brow Pencil in “Warm Light Brown”, and Gimme Brow Brow-Volumizing Fiber Gel in “Warm Brown”. A $75 purchase got me a Benefit “Laughter is the Best Cosmetic” Canvas Tote. I want more Beauty Breaks – where did they go???
Just $935 to Diamond status!
Orange Capsule
I know it’s super cliched…but this palette is SO PIGMENTED.
This PIGMENTED palette is the Sugarpill C2 Orange Capsule ($42), an Ulta exclusive. This is my first experience with Sugarpill shadows, and I am very impressed. No primer needed with these shadows – they spread on the lid like butter. I was drawn to this palette for one particular shade – that bright turquoise shimmer – “Skyrise”. Even though I loved they way it looked on me, my husband said I look like Mimi from The Drew Carey Show. He doesn’t understand FASHION. Now I want the Pink Capsule Palette!
I also tried out a new brow pencil – Colourpop Brow Boss in “Dark Brown” ($6). It’s a great price, but still not as good my Ulta Holy Grail for a few dollars more. It doesn’t blend as well and fades throughout the day. It’s fine for work, though.
Black Moon Lippies are 30% off ($12.60, down from $18) – I wonder if this means they are dropping the brand? Anyway, I picked up “Warrior”, a Breast Cancer Awareness nude matte.
Oh, and I got a Women Founded Beauty Sample Bag, with it Cosmetics Mini Blurring Foundation Brush; Laura Mercier Pure Canvas Primer, Sweet Spot Labs Vanilla Blossom Gentle Wash (it says “gynecologist recommended”, so I guess it is for my vajayjay?); Benefit The POREfessional, Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream (I’ve tried this before and really like the smell); Sunday Riley A+ High Dose Retinoid Serum; Pattern Heavy Conditioner for Coilies (will be gifted to a curly-headed friend); Sagely Naturals CBD Cream (I tried a previous sample of this while in Vegas, and it TINGLED so bad – I loved it); DefineMe Sofia Isabel Fragrance (an orangey vanilla rollerball); and Drybar Jump Start Quick Dry Blowout Serum.
I was able to use a $3.50 off coupon, leaving me with $1,007 more to get to Diamond again.
Exact Haul
Ulta has a weird purchase requirement for their Spring GWPs – $19.50. Challenge accepted.
Why yes, I do buy a brow pencil with every Ulta order. This time, it was my Holy Grail – Ulta Ultra Slim Brow Pencil in “Dark Brown” ($10). I also got Ulta Juice Infused Lip Oil in “Tangerine” ($9) – this is my absolute favorite way to remove longwear lipstick. No scrubbing, no harsh chemicals – it just melts away. I also got another 4-way Buffing Block ($4) – I go through those like toilet paper.
But that’s $23…until I added a $3.50 off coupon. BOOM.
This Spring’s Gift with Purchase is fantastic. The large white and coral bag includes: BLOOM Eyeshadow Palette (this palette is FANTASTIC – it’s floral shimmers are perfect for everyday wear); BLUSH Cheek Palette (the blush is a dupe for NARS “Orgasm”); Luxe Lipstick in “Nudely Interupt”; Pre-Moistened Makeup Remover Facial Towelettes; Poreless Face Primer; Jelly Gloss Lip Gel; Matte Eye Primer in “Nude”; Maximum Lashes Mascara in “Black” (I really like this mascara – Ulta is on their game); and a Powder Brush. What a great bag!
This is a super small order, but they were having free shipping for everyone that day!
$1,068 to Diamond status!
Birthday Splurge
But is it really splurging if it’s on the sale page?
I hadn’t used my $10 off birthday code at Ulta yet, so I filled my cart on the sale page. Actually, let me back up. I was scrolling the Sephora Presidents Day sale and saw that the Jackie Aina and Carli Bybel palettes from Anastasia Beverly Hills were 30% off, so I decided to redirect that purchase over to Ulta – not only because I have a coupon, but also because I feel like I get more value from being top tier at Ulta than being top tier at Sephora. Also, Ulta has BOMB GWPs.
Ulta didn’t have the Jackie Aina palette, but the DID have the Anastasia Beverly Hills Carly Bybel Palette ($31.50, down from $45). That’s fine, because the Jackie Aina palette looks a little cray. (I was hoping that the Alyssa Edwards palette would be back, but nope.) I only know Carli from the Allure Beauty Box she did last year. I was thinking that the palette would end up being pretty basic, but it’s got a nice selection of colors, with lots of shimmer and glitter. I’m enjoying using it, except that the glitter shades have the fallout from hell. It sprays all over my whole damn face. Primer helps a little bit, but it still gets everywhere. I’m gonna have to work on it.
I also decided to go out on a limb and try the Lime Crime Venus XS Vixen Palette ($10, down from $20). I’ve stayed away from Lime Crime for the most part because the owner was a shitbag, but since selling out in 2018, it appears they’ve turned their reputation around. The XS Vixen is a small red-themed palette. The quality is just OK – it doesn’t blend very well at all and the coverage is splotchy. Looks like I can continue to ignore this brand.
One more sale purchase – an Urban Decay Cosmetics Brow Beater Microfine Brow Pencil and Brush in “Dark” ($10, down from $20). I’m guessing that it’s on clearance because they are discontinuing it…which is fine. The quality is fine, similar to Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz, but still not as good (for me) as the Ulta Ultra Slim Brow Pencil.
I picked up the new Pacifica Sunshine Highs Toning Shampoo & Conditioner ($10 each) for my son’s bleached locks. I got it in preparation for another round of highlights, so probably next week or so.
There was also a free 28 piece beauty bag with a $70 purchase. You know I cannot get enough of those GWPs. Inside this HUGE red bag: Elizabeth Arden Prevage Anti-Aging Daily Serum; LORAC Pro Plus Fiber Mascara (eek, those fiber mascaras scare me); PUR Fully Charged Mascara; Boots No7 Dark Circle Corrector; Mamonde Petal Spa Oil to Foam (I have 3 sample bottles of this now – thanks, Ulta); Living proof. restore perfecting spray; Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in “Patina” (I really like this shade – I wonder if my old one is dried up?); proactivMD Deep Cleansing Face Wash (I used proactive back when it first came out; it worked for a while, but then ate all my skin off); Becca Ever-Matte Poreless Priming Perfector; Clinique Dramatically Different Hydrating Jelly; First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream; It’s a 10 Miracle Finishing Spray; Shiseido Benefiance WrinkleResist 24 Pure Retinol Express Smoothing Eye Mask; Patchology Flashpatch Illuminating Eye Gels (so many damn eye patches – I feel like a fucking pirate); TonyMoly Vital Vita 12 Ampoules Mix & Match Serums; Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder and Glow Powder; DevaCurl Supercream (no curls here, go will give away); Viktor & Rolf Bon Bon; Zitsticka (intrigued); Botanics Simply Calm; Ulta Beauty Matte Black Eyeliner; Biolage Airdry Glotion (what?); Pureology Colour Fanatic; Smashbox Photo Finish Oil & Shine Control; Giorgio Armani Acqua Di Gio; e.l.f. Poreless Primer Putty (oh, this is some GOOD stuff – I like it); Cover FX High Performance Setting Spray and Florence by Mills Clean Magic Face Wash (what does that girl from Stranger Things know about beauty products?) A dang good bag!
$1,088 to Diamond. I better step it up!
Fiddy Cents
Can you believe I got all this for fiddy cents? Actually, it was 46 cents plus 4 cents tax…how on earth did I get a deal like this?
I waited until the very last day to use my 20% off code to get the most bang for my buck. I’d been waiting until I got a code to get the BaBylissPRO Nano Titanium Prima 3000 Styling Iron ($179.95). Angie used it on my hair the last time I got it cut, and I fell in love with the idea of a tool that can straighten or wave my hair. It’s kind of hard to use and I’m still getting the hang of it, but it’s got adjustable temperatures and is difference than other irons I own. And I never, ever, ever would’ve paid full price for it.
I happened to notice several shelves of leftover Holiday Clearance and conservatively picked up a single nail polish – Sally Hansen x Jelly Belly in “Strawberry Cheesecake” ($2.49, down from $4.99).
In addition to the 20% off, I’d been saving my Ulta points for months and months…I’d saved up $144.50! I used them all on this purchase, which is how I got it down to 46 cents.
I also got a surprise packet of coupons for achieving Diamond Status. There was a coupon for ANY full size Clinique foundation, as well as a coupon for $25 off a Salon Visit. I used the Foundation coupon to try out Clinique Even Better Foundation in “Breeze” ($29.50). This is now my “holy grail” foundation. I’ve never had a foundation that blended this well. I applied over Make Up For Ever Step One Primer and topped with Make Up For Ever Setting Powder and my skin has never looked more poreless and perfect. The search is over!
My birthday gift from Ulta was a deluxe sample of Benefit Bad Gal Bang Mascara. I do not particularly like this formula – it makes my lashes bunch up together like Liza Minelli. I can make it look okay if I brush out my lashes, b ut that’s a pain in the ass, so I’ll probably just throw this tube away.
Since I bought this in my Birthday Month, I got double points…so, I guess I got one point. Just $1,149 to Diamond for 2021.
Stay Naked The Fix
So…Urban Decay released a new powder foundation last week called Stay Naked The Fix Powder Foundation ($39). I wanted to give it a spin, since they’d long discontinued Naked Skin Ultra Definition ($36). The packaging is beautiful and matches my new Naked Honey palette. I previously wore 3.5 in the liquid and “Medium Light Neutral” in the Powder, but they redid the names again, so I went into my work Ulta to color match. I ended up with 30CP “light cool with a rosy undertone”. I probably could’ve gotten the neutral undertone and it wouldn’t have made much difference.
Honestly, it feel fairly similar to the previous formulation, maybe a hair heavier in coverage. I’ve tried it with and without primers and although it does give good coverage, it does tend to get heavy across my chin and on the tip of my nose. It also turns my nose pores into little craters almost immediately. I tried using the special charcoal sponge, which is a nice upgrade…but I went back to my Kabuki for lighter coverage.
I am not sure how I feel about this foundation. I’ve still got another Kat Von D Powder Foundation to finish as well as this one before I buy another, so I’ll be switching back and forth between them to determine which one I like best. There’s also a new Makeup Revolution Powder Foundation that I want to try.
Speaking of Makeup Revolution, I also picked up the Micro Brow Pen in “Dark Brown” ($8). I was hoping for a quick, precise brow pen to give hairlike strokes…this shit looks like a sharpie. No shit, I looked like Silky Nutmeg Ganache did my eyebrows. The first time I tried using it, the pen came out dark brown at least. I tried it again yesterday, trying to use a lighter hand…and that shit came out RED. What the fuck is wrong with this product? Fucking waste of $8, that’s what it was.
I also grabbed a half price Hematite Hair Clip from Kitsch ($3.97).
$1,150 to keep my Diamond status.
Naked Honey Diamond
I did it!
What did I do?
Well…I did several things. I bought the Urban Decay Naked Honey Palette ($49), even though I said I wasn’t going to buy it yet. But I had a good reason! I got my hair cut at Ulta the day after Xmas and it put me SO close to Diamond status – only $52 away…so…
Admittedly, the colors are somewhat similar to the Naked 2 palette, but with a bunch of gold shades added. Even so, it’s a good palette. The colors are creamy and blendable, even more blendable that usual! I also like the brush that came with the palette – it’s great for packing color.
Ulta was having a deal offering any it Brushes for Ulta for $5 (regularly $14) with a palette purchase. I got the Airbrush Blending Crease Brush #105. Since it comes with a cap, I’ll through it in my travel bag for Vegas.
I also threw in a few stock-up items – a L’Oreal Colorista Bleach Highlights Kit ($10.99) and a few packs of Exfoliating Cotton Pads ($3.49). Even though I used a $3.50 off $15 coupon, I qualified for the FREE 23 Piece Sparkler Beauty Bag with $70 purchase.
Inside the Sparkler Beauty Bag: Joico Defy Damage Foilpacks with Shampoo, Conditioner, Protective Masque and Protective Shield; NARS Climax Mascara (I’m using it right now – I like it, it’s not clumpy); Rituals The Rituals of Sakura Sensational Foaming Shower Gel; NEST Fragrances Bamboo & Jasmine; Urban Decay Subversion Volumizing Lash Primer; Giorgio Armani Si Passione; Jean Paul Gaultier Le Male; Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in “Dark Brown” (so tiny!); Too Cool for School Rules of Mastic IX Enhancer (you cannot tell by the name, but this is a skin serum); Vichy Mineral 89 Skin Fortifying Daily Booster; Mamonde Lip Sleeping Mask in “Plum Blossom”; Peter Thomas Roth Peptide 21 Wrinkle Resist Serum; First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream; StriVectin anti-wrinkle SD advanced plus Intensive Moisturizing Concentrate; boscia Luminizing Black Mask; Kenneth Cole Mankind Legacy; Grown Alchemist Hydra-Repair Day Cream; Living proof. Perfect hair Day 5-in-1 styling treatment; Phyto Detox Clarifying Detox Shampoo (no matching conditioner – boo); it cosmetics Confidence in a Cream; NYX Retractable Eye Liner in “White”; Smashbox Always On Liquid Lipstick in “Out Loud”; and Benefit Precisely, My Brow Pencil in 4.5 (another so tiny!). The bag it came in was a glittery blue velvet one, and quite roomy. It might be coming to Vegas with me, too.
So yeah, I’m Ulta Diamond for 2020 – that will give me x1.5 Ulta points and free shipping (over $25)…I’m excited to see what kind of points I can rack up.
Rosy Romance
I don’t know why I had it in my head that the 3D nail decals that I had were sweater cables and not flowers – I had convinced myself that I was going to be doing sweater nails. Nevermind the fact that it took my 30 minutes of searching to even find these Sally Hansen 3D Floral Decals, I had to be disappointed that they were not even the right pattern!
Even though I just used it, I pulled out Frida Kahlo x Ulta “Romance” – it really is the perfect red. I started with Glisten & Glow Ridge Filling Base Coat and a single coat of “Romance”. I then carefully placed the decals on my nails with tweezers. I topped with another coat of “Romance” and then finished with Glisten & Glow Matte Top Coat. I really like how it looks with the matte top coat – like I got them professionally done.
I forgot what a pain in the ass it was to get these decals OFF my nails. I was soaking and scraping my nails for nearly an hour!
Starry Frida
I was excited to try yet another red nail polish – Frida Kahlo x Ulta “Romance”.
“Romance” is a great basic red polish. It was not too sheer – full coverage in two coats without a visible nail line. This is two coats over Glisten & Glow Ridge Filling Base Coat.
I was going for a holiday look when I picked Sinful Colors “Starry Eyed” for my accent nails, but it turned out more patriotic. Oops.
I topped my first three nails with Glisten & Glow Top Coat and used Glisten & Glow Matte Top Coat on the last two.
I am in love with how this polish looks mattified – it’s giving me inspiration for another holiday look…