Author: Lara
February Birchbox – Lip Love
“Lip Love” – huh, huh, huh, uh. I can’t even make a joke – I feel too much like Beavis & Butthead.
February is supposed to be a romantic month, so why not have a lip-centered box? Inside Birchbox’s “Lip Love” February box: Acure Organics Purifying Fruit Peel (yes, please); Dr. Lipp Miracle Balm; Manna Kadar Cosmetics Lip Locked Stain in “Rosette” (this month’s sample choice); Oribe Apres Beach Wave and Shine Spray (not sure if I have enough hair left to use this); and Real Chemistry Luminous 3-Minute Peel for Body (I’ve gotten the face version before, not sure how much of my body this peel will cover?).
All in all, a pretty decent box – I’ll likely use all of the products except the Wave Spray.
If you would like to try Birchbox, click on my referral link – https://www.birchbox.com/invite/5453f – I’ll get 50 points if you join.
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!
Black Metals
Thank you Black Moon Cosmetics, for bring back the Black Metals Collection.
Originally launched last fall (October?), the Black Metal Trinity was released as a Limited Edition Set, and included “Immortal” (blackened purple), “Armageddon” (blackened red), and “Sorrow” (blackened blue). “Myth” (blackened green) was available separately. I wasn’t feeling the green, purple or blue, so I passed and it sold out. Fast forward to February and Black Moon Cosmetics has added the collection to their permanent collection AND added a new shade called “Eternal” (blackened rose gold).
I HAD to have “Eternal”. I also added “Armageddon” and “Sleepwalker” (matte blackest black) to my order.
I haven’t had a chance to try “Sleepwalker yet – it’s not exactly an every day shade. “Eternal” looks amazing on – darker than I’d expected, but looked fantastic all day. “Armageddon” is my favorite – the most glittery red lipstick I’ve seen. This is what I WISHED Urban Decay “Trap Queen” had been.
Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene
…I’m begging of you, please don’t take my man. I’ll starve!
Julep “Jolene” – iron ore metallic – is a bombshell, just like her namesake. There’s the barest hint of gold and a rainbow of shimmer reflected in that iron ore. This might be my favorite from this month’s box.
I started with Julep Oxygen Bonding Base Coat, two coats of “Jolene” and finished with “HK Girl”. To be honest, it still looked pristine four days later, but I took it off just now to try something different.
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.
Haute Koffee
Behold…Sinful Colors “Haute Koffee”. Why is this polish called “Haute Koffee”? Coffee is NOT supposed to be this color. Coffee is brown, not maroon. How about “Haute Merlot”?
Regardless of the ridiculous name, this polish is life itself. Perfectly matte, but with a touch of shimmer. This is the best yet from the Kylie “Trend Matters” Collection. I cannot believe I’ve been sitting on this polish since September.
This is two coats of “Haute Koffee” over Sinful Colors Base Coat. I could just stare at it for hours and hours…
Target Beauty Box – February 2017
I’m not exaggerating when I say that this might be one of the best Target Beauty Boxes that I’ve ever received. Lots of goodies in this $10 box.
Let’s see what we’ve got…Soap and Glory Face Soap & Clarity Face Wash (been wanting to try this brand); Schwarzkopf Gliss Ultimate Repair Shampoo & Conditioner (Oooohhh, from Schwarzkopf, makers of my favorite shampoo/conditioner from back in the day – Citre Shine…wish they still made it); Raw Sugar Coconut & Mango Body Wash; W3ll People Expressionist Mascara; Sun Bum Sunless Self-Tanning Towelette (the only product that’s a NOPE); Masque Bar Hydrating Face Mask; and L’Oreal Pure Clay Masks – 3 masks, one with red algae, one with eucalyptus and one with charcoal (I am most hyped about these masks).
Except for that tanning wipe, I’ll be sampling all of these within the next week or two!
I even already used the $3 off $15 coupon! I picked up some Sea Breeze, a new shower cap and mustache wax (don’t judge – PCOS is a bitch). I saved my 5% with my Red Card.
Gold a la Mode
Light glitter is absolutely the best for going on a trip. It lasts well and hides tip wear. I had a short 2 days/1 night trip to Denver for work last week and this was my pic – Sinful Colors “Gold a la Mode” from the “Luxe Fragments” Collection. It’s a very yellowy gold – it reminds me of that Donald Trump idea of gold luxury – so much gold that it goes beyond luxurious and becomes tacky and ostentatious. Not that my nails looked tacky, but this much gold in say…a bathroom? Tacky as fuck.
This is two coats over Sinful Colors Base Coat and under “HK Girl”. It lasted well on my trip, but I noticed something odd. The polish began to darken at the tips of my nails and I have no idea why – al i did was sit in a conference room for two days. It began to look like ancient amber – it was weird, but kinda beautiful. I wish I had taken a pic!
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.
Everlasting Flash – February 2017
Sephora and Kat Von D launched a new monthly promotion for 2017 called “Everlasting Flash” – a different deal on Kat Von D Everlasting Lip Liquids on the first Wednesday of every month. I couldn’t resist this month’s deal – 6 FULL-SIZE Everlasting Lip Liquids in all new nude shades for $99 – normally $20 each, that’s a savings of $21!
I’ve been drooling over the colors since they were revealed weeks and weeks ago. Mostly the darker shades, but I’ll take them all. I even swatched them for you! From top to bottom: “Muneca” (the only one I’ve worn so far, it’s too light for me on it’s own, but looked amazing with gold eyeshadow pressed into it), “Ophelia”, “Ludwig”, “Hawkwind”, “Sanctuary” (I am predicting that this one will be my favorite – it’s closest to my current fave, “Lolita”) and “Crucifix”.
I totally blew my monthly makeup budget on the 2nd of the month.
I don’t know why I keep getting perfume samples on purpose…I have so much, but I just can’t resist them. I used a code to get a sample bag that includes Aerin Lilac Path, Wildfox (I can already tell I like this one), Tory Burch Love Relentlessly (even more!), Prada Candy Florale, Stella McCartney Stella, Chloe Roses de Chloe (I was excited until I found my rollerball in my travel makeup bag – I had lost it over a year ago), Marc Jacobs Daisy Dot, and a mini Smashbox Be Legendary Lipstick in “Legendary”.
For my usual three samples, again, I did not receive what I picked…but I can’t remember what I picked, so I guess not a big deal. I got yet another sample of Skin Inc Pure Revival Peel (they must have SO much of this – I keep getting it), Derek Lam 10 Crosby Drunk on Youth (wore it yesterday – nice and clean scent), and Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Foundation (high hopes for this one – I think I might have picked it).
Looking forward to being tempted by next month’s Everlasting Flash!