Author: Lara
Sephora Favorites Hello! Greatest Beauty Hits (and more)
Ooooh! Sephora Sale on Sale! An extra 20% off sale items…so tempting.
I’d been eyeing the newest Sephora Favorites Hello! Greatest Beauty Hits set. $8 on sale is better than $10…but $6.40 is even better. I was most interested in Sol de Janeiro Cheirosa ’62 Eau de Parfum – it was so summery. Also in the set: It Cosmetics Lash Blowout Volumizing Mascara; Tarte SEA Jelly Glaze Anytime Lip Mask in “Strawberry Jelly”; BareMinerals Gen Nude Powder Blush in “Call My Blush”; First Aid Beauty FAB Pharma Arnica Relief & Rescue Mask; and Sephora Collection Ultra Glow Serum: Glow + Strengthen Vitamin C Serum. As usual, the set comes with 15% off vouchers for each product – I might actual used the Cheirosa ’62 one.
While browsing the sale section, I found a few other smokin’ deals. I splurged on a Fresh Rose Hydration Skincare Essentials Set ($55, down from $63 – $44 after discount). I also picked up the tarte SEA Yours & Mine Quench Lip Rescue Duo ($17, down from $19 – $13.60 after discount). I really like the Lip Rescue I got in the Give Me Some Balm Set – all the mask wearing has dried out my lips! The Milk Makeup KUSH Triple Brow Pen ($11, down from $22 – $8.80 after discount) was a bad purchase. The first time I used it, it was GREAT. The color “Dutch” was a perfect match to my brows and each stroke was like a little hair. The second time I used it though, it did not work at all. It’s like all the color went out of the pen after one use! Ugh, if I wasn’t so lazy, I’d take it back.
For my samples, I got Kiehl’s Calendula Water Cream and amika Flash Instant Shine Mask.
I made this purchase in 2020, but it wasn’t enough to put me into VIB status – I still needed like $65, but I didn’t want to buy something dumb. I feel like such a peasant.
Semi Santa
Santa, I’ve been a good girl all year and have worn my mask and washed my hands SO MUCH…it’s time for more soap!
I only got 13 soaps at the Semi-Annual Sale, not many at all! When I put them under my sink, they didn’t even fill up the whole soap section.
I meant to get $40 of stuff, so I could use my $10 off $40 coupon, but I ended up with about $80…oops. Some of the soaps were 50% off ($3.75 – not a great deal) and some were 75% off ($1.87 – much better). I also got 8 Wallflower Refills ($3.50 each) and a few body scrubbers.
A light haul…I’m sure I’ll be back before the sale is totally over.
Goodbye 2020!
Although I’m not feeling very festive, my nails sure are…
After Glisten & Glow Ridge Filling Base Coat, I started with two coats of Color Club “Get Lost”, from this month’s ipsy bag. It was more streaky than I would like, but I made it work.
My friend Brittany inspired me with just a touch of glitter on my nails, no one has time to scrape of individual pieces of glitter with a butter knife…I used a recent Walmart clearance find – Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear “Confetti Craze”. It’s very similar to Sinful Colors “Pride”, so I guess I didn’t need it…but it was only $1.
I did get a proper matte moment with Glisten & Glow Matte Top Coat. I opened a new bottle and it was oh, so nice.
Goodbye 2020, don’t let the door hit ya where the good lord split ya…
December 2020 Allure Beauty Box – Hello Hibernation!
Okay, this is more like it!
I’ve been threatening to cancel my Allure Beauty Box for several months now, but the December box was full of really good products!
The STAR of December’s box was the Ciate London Trend Edit Palette ($24). This is a beautiful eyeshadow palette full of rich browns and spicy shimmers – I’m a sucker for a red shimmery eyeshadow! Just this palette is worth the cost of the box!
Also in this month’s “Hello Hibernation” box: Mudmasky Leave-Me-On Winter Mask; Caudalie Vinosource S.O.S. Thirst-Quenching Serum; ByMe x MyBeautyBrand Black Liquid Eyeliner; La Roche-Posay Retinol B3 Serum; and Cetaphil Deep Hydration Healthy Glow Daily Cream (this is a rich, thick face cream – I prefer to sleep in it, than to wear for daytime).
In addition to the normal box, there was a special “Beauty Loot” pouch, just for me! Inside the pouch was a deluxe fragrance sample of Proenza Schouler Arizona! It’s a mature and mysterious scent – it reminds me of Neiman Marcus for some reason…
Keep kissing my butt, Allure – I like it!
The Allure Beauty Box recently increased their price from $15 to $23/month. They also offer an option for $250/year – a savings of $26. Sign up via my referral link.
Santa Claws
I decided that my nail stains (thanks “Sour Apple Killer”) had grown out enough to try to attempt a sheer glitter polish, so I decided on Sinful Colors “Santa Claws” for my official Xmas manicure. There’s a slight rose gold cast to the base, so it hid the stains somewhat.
This is two coats of “Santa Claws” over Glisten & Glow Ridge Filling Base Coat and under Sinful Colors Radical Matte Top Coat.
I’ve been obsessed with matte nails the past several months, and let me just say it…I am VERY disappointed in Sinful Colors Radical Matte Top Coat. It is neither radical, nor very matte at all. I’ll be going back to my trusty Glisten & Glow Matte Top Coat – it’s the best I’ve used, so far.
December 2020 Ipsy Bag – Home for the Holidays
Well of course, I’m home for the holidays – we cannot go anywhere!
I cannot stop stroking this month’s fuzzy makeup bag – it’s like a pink sheep!
I am loving getting a Color Club Nail Polish every few months – this month, I got “Get Lost”, a creamy powder blue. Lily already snatched it to use – I hope I get to use it soon.
Also in this month’s bag: Feel Enzymatic Exfoliating Cleanser (I love the almond-y scent); Goldfaden MD Facial Detox Clarify + Clear Mask (I LOVE this mask – it’s got a hint of tingle and it made my skin AMAZING); IBY Beauty Lush Eyeshadow in “Yoga Pants” (A perfect “lazy” eye shadow – a single swipe across the eye and you’re done); and Kensie Life Beat Body Lotion (the only product in this month’s bag that I haven’t sampled yet).
This might be the best bag I’ve received all year. I did not select a product this month, but their picks were perfect for me.
I subscribe to the basic ipsy bag for $12/month. If you’d like to try Ipsy – click here. I’ll earn 250 points if you sign up through my referral link.
Le Tits Now!
Why “let it snow” when you can “le tits now”?
I occurs to me that the blue I used – Sinful Colors “Zzzapped!” – is pretty close to Jeopardy Blue. What a happy accident…thinking a lot about losing Alex Trebek (and Sean Connery, too I guess) this year.
This is two coats of “Zzzapped!” over Glisten & Glow Ridge Filling Base Coat. For a the snowy nails, I used Funky Fingers “Elsa”. I guess I am still stuck on matte nails – I topped them all with Glisten & Glow Matte Top Coat.
Super Skin Surprises
I don’t know that I would’ve paid $12.99 for the Ulta Super Skin Surprises Set, but 50% off ($6.49) is just right.
I was drawn to the set for the Jergens Rose Body Butter. It’s got a nice, light rose scent, but it STILL smells unmistakably like Jergens Lotion. I do NOT especially care for that Jergens scent, so I will not be purchasing this body butter when I run out.
I just finished off the Pacifica Kale Lip Balm that I kept in my office, so I replaced it with the Thayers Organic Slippery Elm Slip Balm in “Peppermint Stick”. I love how smooth and wintery it makes my lips feel.
I have no desire to darken my skin, so I gave the St. Tropez Self Tan Purity Vitamins Bronzing Face Serum to my kids. Then slathered it on their faces and to be fair, they did start to look like Oompa Loompas. All kidding aside, my son got compliments from girls and they wanted to know what products he was using, so apparently, this stuff works.
I have been using the Curel Set, which includes Curel Moisture Facial Lotion Enrich and Curel Intensive Moisture Facial Cream. I am much two lazy to use a two product regiment every night, but this one isn’t too bad. I like the way my face feels the next day after using it.
Also in the box: Garnier Micellar Cleaning Water All-in-1 Cleanser & Waterproof Makeup Remover (I like this for pre-cleaning before face masks); Neutrogena Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelette Single; and No7 Laboratories Dark Circle Corrector in “Light/Medium”. A great box, all things considered.
This is the order that put me into Diamond status for 2021, but the rest of my order was gifts and stocking stuffers, so I’ll keep them private.
Rainbow Nuts
China Glaze “Rainbow” is soft baby pink when topped with a matte top coat, but before the top coat, it was white with a flash of rainbow opalescence. I love a versatile polish!
I started with Glisten & Glow Ridge Filling Base Coat and two coats of “Rainbow”. For accent nails, I used one of my favorite glitter toppers, Funky Fingers “Son of a Nutcracker”. I finished with Glisten & Glow Matte Top Coat.
This polish combination reminds me of The Last Unicorn.
The Morning After
Context Skin Nail Lacquer “The Morning After” was included in my November ipsy bag. It’s an inky blue/black…very sophisticated.
This is two coats of “The Morning After” over Glisten & Glow Ridge Filling Base Coat and under Glisten & Glow Top Coat. The polish was a bit sheer, but came through with almost full coverage in two coats. I was surprised at how long this polish lasted. Usually dark polishes chip fast, but this one really clung to my little fingers.
This blue-black reminds me of Wonder Woman. Not Wonder Woman in the movies or TV show, but Wonder Woman in the comic books. Her hair was always highlighted in blue, which confused me as child.