Author: Lara
Well, Fuck You TOO Fed Ex
I was shocked that my poor Ulta order made it through this abuse from Fed Ex…UPS would NEVER.
Really, the main product I was worried about was the L’Oreal Infallible 24H Fresh Wear Foundation In A Powder in “20 Ivory” ($12.74 – 25% off), but I spy no cracks. I would’ve been SO MAD!
I also decided to try Derma E Psorzema Scalp Relief Shampoo and Conditioner ($9.75 each – 25% off) to tackle the heartbreak of psoriasis. It has tee tree oil and tingles. [My late mother LOVED tingly shampoo, especially Nioxin – I feel like she would’ve LIVED for this product.]
I’d been fairly indifferent to the endless Disney Collection from Nailtopia, but I literally screamed when I saw Nailtopia’s Spongebob Squarepants 25th Anniversary collection – and on sale for 30% off. I controlled myself and only picked up “Squidward” and “Golden Pineapple”. Oh, and throw in a new Eco Tools Exfoliating EcoPouf Loofah ($2.99) and Thayers pH Balancing Daily Cleanser with Aloe Vera ($14.99) for good measure.
I lucked into three different gifts with purchase! The Free 11 Piece Back To School sampler with $50 purchase came with Matrix Food for Soft Shampoo & Conditioner (deluxe bottles!); Redken One United Multi-Benefit Treatment; Lancome Lipstick (some random pink color); another Thayers pH Balancing Daily Cleanser with Aloe Vera (going in my travel bag NOW); it Cosmetics Superhero Elastic Stretch Mascara in “Super Black”; NYX Vivid Rich Mechanical Eyeliner in “Always Onyx”; L’Oreal Revitalift Derm Intensives Plumping Serum (hello, travel bag); Maybelline The Falsies Surreal Mascara; La Roche-Posay Anthelios Light Fluid Sunscreen SPF 50; and CeraVe Hydrating Foaming Oil Cleanser. That’s a DAMN GOOD freebie bag! I also got a Kiehl’s Free Set For School Gift #3 with $50 purchase that came with Kiehl’s Truly Targeted Acne-Clearing Solution; Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cleanser; and Kiehl’s Super Multi-Corrective Soft Cream. Last, but not least, there was the Free 13 Piece Mystery Sampler with $60 Ulta Beauty Rewards Credit Card purchase that came with OUAI Leave In Conditioner; Sunday Riley C.E.O. Glow Vitamin C + Turmeric Face Oil; Clean It Zero Original Cleansing Balm; Smashbox The Original Photo Finish Primer (ugh, I just got rid of like…10 of these); Good Molecules Lightweight Daily Moisturizer (travel bag); Grande Cosmetics GrandeLASH-MD Lash Enhancing Serum; Peach & Lily Glass Skin Refining Serum (travel bag – LOVE this stuff); it Cosmetics Confidence in an Eye Cream; La Roche-Posay Toleriane Hydrating Gentle Cleanser (travel bag); Vichy Liftactiv Supreme H.A. Serum; Lancome Cils Booster XL Mascara Base; L’Occitane Dry Skin Hand Cream; and e.l.f. Power Grip Primer. I’ve got a lot of trips coming up and I’m set on samples for my travel bag!
I got my hairs did yesterday and my son and his girlfriend have been using my Ulta account, so only $164 to Diamond in 2025.
Vampire Blood Halloween Drop
Look, I KNOW I am running out of room in my shower for Shower Gel…but I had two free products (up to $16.95 each) expiring in August and I got an email about a sneak preview Halloween Drop (with FREE SHIPPING) and you know the rest.
Ever since getting those “Vampire Blood” candles and lotion from the Winter Semi-Annual Sale, I’ve been wanting more of the scent. I sprung for two Shower Gels, a Body Lotion, Hand Soap (Gel AND Foaming), as well as Car Fragrance Refills. I liked a lot of the scent accessories, but they can all wait for clearance…except the bejeweled Car Fragrance Holder ($11.95) – I couldn’t risk it being sold out next winter. My only regret is that I thought I had added a mini “Vampire Blood” Fine Fragrance Mist to my cart and I did not…sigh.
I snagged a few leftovers from the Summer Semi-Annual – “Calypso Clementine” for me and “Bridgerton Diamond of the Season” for a special someone.
I need to step away from my GMAIL…
Go Ahead and Bite Me
Sinful Colors “Bite Me” is totally different than Sinful Colors “Bite”…and I used the post title on the wrong polish…
How long has this polish been chilling in a cabinet? Only since 2020, not too bad. This polish was not at all what I expected. I was expecting a cold red crème with just a few black glitters, but I ended up with a warm red with gold shimmer and a fuck-ton of black glitter. It reminds me of a smear of dried period blood. Gross.
My only complaint about the polish is the fact that it pulls away from the tip of the nail. Other than that, it’s fantastic.
This is two coats of “Bite” over Glisten & Glow Ridge Filling Base Coat and under Glisten & Glow Glitter Grabber and Glisten & Glow Top Coat.
Cosmic Illusion
See, this is the type of result I was expecting from “Little King Trash Mouth”! I wanted to see a dramatic transition from black to white and this polish BRINGS IT.
The polish BRINGING IT is Colores de Carol “Cosmic Illusion” from May’s Polish Pickup – It Came from Outer Space. For my first use, I wanted to see how many glitters came out of the bottle naturally…because THIS polish came with a little bag of extra round glitters, so I could create my own solar system. How fun!
This is two coats of “Cosmic Illusion” over Cuticula Mic Drop Base Coat in “Melt Down” and under Glisten & Glow Glitter Grabber and then Cuticula Limitless Top Coat in “Raspberry Pop”.
Black Honey Bum Bum
I haven’t bought mascara since…I cannot remember. I don’t remember EVER buying mascara – I get so many samples, that I toss it and grab another sample every few months or so….but then Clinique came out with Limited Edition Black Honey High Impact Mascara ($26). I love Black Honey Almost Lipstick, so I had to try it. It’s a rich burgundy, but it doesn’t read that way on my lashes. My lashes are already black, so it just lengthens them. I feel like this shade might be a game changer for blondes and those with light, light lashes though – it’s basically like a brown mascara.
In addition to the Black Honey Mascara, I wanted to try the new Sol de Janeiro scent, Cheirosa 48. I purchased the Sol de Janeiro Cheirosa 48 Perfume Mist ($24) and I am a bit disappointed in the guava/orchid scent. I expected something sweeter. I guess? It will get used…when I’m not using the JUMBO Sol de Janeiro Cheirosa 62 Perfume Mist ($38). I run through conditioner like it’s water, so I got a back-up Brazilian Joia Strengthening + Smoothing Conditioner ($26), too. Oh, and I got a few gifts with my $60 Sol de Janeiro purchase – a puffy makeup bag and another deluxe sample of Bum Bum Cream.
I grabbed the Revolution Makeup Lip Shift Lip Stain Galactic Sunrise ($8) because it’s a WonderSkin dupe. It works exactly the same, but for just $8. Too bad there’s only one shade. Lily is obsessing over AriZona Green Tea, so I got her Vacation AriZona Iced Tea Lip Balms ($11.99). The Gigi Blow Dry Wax Sticks, Hard Wax Formula ($9.99) is for my mustache. Shhhhh…
Not only did I use a 20% off code for $28.80 off, but I dug into my Ulta Points for $86.50. My total was only $31.59!
$508 to Diamond in 2025.
July 2024 Ipsy Glam Bag – Passport to Glow
I get so fucking annoyed when ipsy send me one of these goddamn pouches…which is dumb, because I literally have enough zipper makeup bags to store makeup for a whole season of RuPaul’s Drag Race.
The past few weeks have been a shitshow (literally and metaphorically), so I haven’t touched a single sample. C’est la vie.
In this month’s pouch, I received Ailovi Soft Matte Foundation in “Nude 01“; First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads (great for travel); Keys Soulcare Protect Your Light SPF30 Daily Moisturizer (one of the few celeb beauty brands that I feel is unique and brings something new to the table); Lithe Beauty Night & Day Eyeshadow Palette; and NEEN Duo Eyeshadow Brush (what is a NEEN?). I’ll try all this stuff later…
I just picked my products for next month’s Icon Box (with Chrissy Teigen and John Legend), so I’ve got that to look forward to!
I subscribe to the basic ipsy bag for $14/month (recently increased from $13/month) and Icon Box (formerly Glam Bag X) for an extra $60/quarterly (recently increased from $43/quarterly). If you’d like to try Ipsy – click here. I’ll earn 250 points if you sign up through my referral link.
The Berry Best
I’ve always been obsessed with blue food. Not foods that are naturally blue, like blueberries…but blue candy and blue soda and blue snow cones and blue cotton candy and blue alcohol. Most of it is labelled as “Blue Raspberry” or “Berry Blue”, but it doesn’t taste like raspberries or blueberries or anything found in nature? What is this magical, laboratory-created flavor??? In any case, Sally Hansen Insta-Dri x Ring Pop “The Berry Best” is the nail polish representation of my favorite flavor.
This is two coats of “The Berry Best” over Glisten & Glow Ridge Filling Base Coat and under Glisten & Glow Top Coat.
I Think I Have an Idea
I googled Rayman to see what it looks like and now I am traumatized. It’s this bean shaped…creature…that has a head, hands and feet. Sounds normal, right? It’s not, because there is no neck, arms or legs. I feel like I am not explaining it right – but I cannot think of another way to describe the main character of these video games…fuck Rayman for the nightmares I will surely be having tonight.
What’s the point? The point is that Fancy Gloss “I Think I Have an Idea” (from April’s Polish Pickup) is inspired by Rayman. So I googled it. And now Rayman is my new sleep paralysis demon. Oh, and did I mention that it’s a really fun thermal polish is peachy pink when warm, but a muddy purple when cold?
This is two coats of “I Think I Have an Idea” over Cuticula Mic Drop Base Coat in “Melt Down” and under Cuticula Limitless Top Coat in “Raspberry Pop“.
Grape Expectations
I’ve been feeling a bit like Miss Havisham these days…so why not “Grape Expectations”?
…I know I am married with two (almost grown children) – I just meant I like sitting around in my dusty-ass house, wearing a dirty wedding dress and eating old cake.
This is Sally Hansen x Ring Pops Insta-Dri “Grape Expectations”. They did a really good job with these polishes – they look like ring pops!
I started with Glisten & Glow Ridge Filling Base Coat, then two coats of “Grape Expectations”, and ended with Glisten & Glow Top Coat.
Bee Balm
By now, it’s pretty obvious that I’m a sucker for clever and/or cute packaging. Bee Balm has that in SPADES. I saw it on insta and I had to order…
…and I might have gone overboard. I cannot STAND paying shipping…so I ordered enough for free shipping. Looks like everyone I know is getting some Bee Balm, too. I got 2 Honey, 2 Strawberry, 2 Peach and 1 Watermelon. They also came out with Pina Colada right after I ordered…but I need to use up some before I order more. Oh, and I ordered extra applicators in case I break or lose them.
The thing is – it’s just lip balm in a pot. I have been avoiding lip balm in a pot, because I hate sticking my finger in it and possibly contaminating it. Bee Balm solves that with a tiny little applicator held in the lid…and it looks just like a honey dipper! Why doesn’t all lip balm in a pot come with an applicator?
My only complaint is that they seem to be using the Kohl’s pricing model – always on sale for 75% off. I’ve only ever seen it for $5, supposedly on sale from $19.99. Sure, Jan. I concede that the “Buy 3, Get 1 Free” sale right now is a smoking deal – that’s $3.75 each! Go jump on this deal RIGHT NOW – https://mybeebalmco.com/ .