Category: Face
Metal Matte Mini
I cannot resist a smoking deal!
The Kat Von D Metal Matte Mini Eye Shadow Palette went on sale for $24, down from $39. Even though most of the shades are dupes from the full Metal Matte Palette, I decided I couldn’t pass up the deal. (When I looked side by side, all of the matte shades are dupes, but three of the metals are new.) I absolutely LOVE the neutral shade combos in this version – I feel like I’ve neglected the original, but will hit pan on this one.
I couldn’t find anything else I needed so I could bump my total up to $25 to use a promo code, so I just went without. I DID find something in the Rewards Bazaar though. I used 100 points on Ole Henriksen Cold Plunge Pore Mask. I checked the ingredients and it has kaolin, so a clay mask.
For samples, I got Miu Miu (not as good as L’eau Rosee, but nice); Fresh Soy Face Cleanser; and Sunday Riley Good Genes All-In-One Lactic Acid Treatment.
$448 to Rouge!
July 2018 Birchbox – How to Hack Your Summer
You got me another month Birchbox!
I was holding out to cancel until I saw the month’s sample choice. I don’t remember what was in the sample choice, but a product in the Curated Box caught my eye…the Makeupdrop The Original Silicone Makeup Applicator. Yeah, it’s tiny…but once I have a chance to try it, I’ll know whether I should use those instead of Beautyblenders. Too bad it’s so fucking hot outside that I cannot even contemplate wearing liquid foundation. Maybe when I got to Vegas in a few weeks?
Also in this month’s Summer Hack box: Bumble and bumble. Don’t Blow It (H)air Styler; Benefit The POREfessional (I have so much of this shit); Kiehl’s Rare Earth Deep Pore Daily Cleanser (love this stuff); and W3ll People Expressionist Mascara.
I ain’t even mad though – if Birchbox can guarantee me at least one desirable sample a month, I don’t mind keeping it. The first month my options are nothing but shit…I will probably cancel.
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.
Sephora Play! Smarts – Glitter Eyes for Real Life
Every once in while, Sephora Play! puts out a supplemental box that can be purchased outside of the Play! subscription. I’ve passed the last few, due to either duplicative or lackluster products. I did not pass on THIS one.
The “Glitter Eyes for Real Life” box was $20 and the real reason I added the box to my cart was the rose gold mermaid pouch! My daughter is crazy for sequined mermaid fabric – she has a bunch of the pillows and she fusses with them constantly. When I get tired of playing with it, it’s hers.
Also in the “Glitter Eyes” box: Benefit Bad Girl Bang Volumizing Mascara (I just cracked it open today – this is my new go-to mascara); Grande Lash MD Lash Enhancing Serum (if I paint this on my upper lip every night, will it help me grow a John Waters mustache?); Sephora Collection Contour Eye Pencil 12HR wear Waterproof in “Black Lace”; stila Magnificent Metals Glitter & Glow Liquid Eye Shadow in “Kitten Karma” (I just started using the sample I already had and this stuff is the SHIT); Ole Henriksen Banana Bright Eye Creme; and Bite Beauty Prismatic Pearl Multistick in “Rose Pearl”. The kit also came with a set of cards for each product with application tips and eye shadow looks. There’s also a free webcast on July 15th. The box is still available – CLICK HERE.
OH! and I also added a $5 Sephora Watermelon after-sun mask to my cart – I have avoided sunburn so far this summer, but I still feel like my skin is taking a beating. My $25 purchase (and a promo code) granted me an extra sample – Benefit The POREfessional Pearl Primer (interested to try it). My other chosen samples were it Cosmetics Confidence in a Cleanser, IGK Hot Girls Hydrating Shampoo & Conditioner, and Sunday Riley C.E.O. Rapid Flash Brightening Serum.
If you’re interested in finding out about the monthly box, join up now. Sephora Play is only $10/month. You can sign up at sephora.com/play.
June 2018 Allure Beauty Box – Kat Von D
So this is why I signed up for the Allure Beauty Box in the first place – I saw ads about the Kat Von D box and wanted in.
Even though I already own one, the full size Everlasting Lip Liner in “Lolita” ($18) made the box a steal all on it’s own. In addition, the box included a mini Tattoo Liner in “Trooper Black”, a mini Studded Kiss Creme Lipstick in “Double Dare” (I don’t have this one), and a little Travel Mirror (which I also have.)
The box also included a promo code (ALLURE18) that gives you 2 Everlasting Lip Liquid Minis in “Exorcism” and “Nahz Fur Atoo” with a $50 purchase at katvondbeauty.com. It won’t get me to Rouge though, so I won’t use it.
The Ole Henriksen Transforming Walnut Scrub ($28) was a strange add, but I’ll take it – it was full size! I’ve tried it out already and love the way it smells.
How is the Allure box turning into my favorite box?
The Allure Beauty Box is $15/month, but they give you $5 off your first box. They also offer an option for $150/year – a savings of $30. You can sign up at https://beautybox.allure.com.
Platinum Order
Another Ulta order? So soon?
I’ve started doing this thing where, if I run out of something or if I see something I want to try, I stash it in my Ulta account and wait for a gift with purchase to hit (usually the Wednesday Beauty Break). Wouldn’t you know it, my basket got full and there was a NARS Beauty Break the week before last!
This Ulta Haul is pretty boring, to be honest. Just like almost every order, I got a Zoya Remove + ($10). I ended up buying 2 Japonesque Solid Brush Cleaners ($20), because they were BOGO Half. Freeman Masks ($4.29) were also BOGO Half, so I got Anti-Stress Dead Sea Minerals Clay Mask (I’ve had this one before and it’s very refreshing) and Brightening Green Tea + Orange Blossom Peel-Off Gel Mask (this one is new to me). The fun item that I picked up was the Memebox Black Cat Headband ($6). Do I really need a fuzzy headband with cat ears? Yes, if only because my daughter wants to steal it.
The NARS Beauty Break included 4 lip products – Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in “Dolce Vita” (I already have the lipstick); Powermatte Lip Pigment in “Starwoman”; Velvet Lip Glide in “Bound”; and Lipstick in “Orgasm” (which I just got, so I’ll give it away).
No other samples – boo, Ulta! Oh, but this order made me Platinum for 2019.
Queen Bee
I know you’re dying to read how I used my coupons from this month’s Target Beauty Boxes…literally dying.
Something I’ve noticed – it’s impossible to use two of these coupons in a single transaction. I don’t know if the products don’t stack or what, but I had well over $30 of beauty/health/dental/personal care products in my cart (not shown here – Aussie shampoo/conditioner for my son, replacement toothbrush heads and some other crap I can’t remember), but only one coupon would validate. Whatever, Target.
ANYWAY, what you care about is is the Good Chemistry Queen Bee Rollerball Perfume ($12.99) – not the Q-Tips or cotton rounds or mustache wax. I fell in love with the scent, which was included in this month’s box. The notes are black currant, peony and amber. Peony is my second favorite after rose. I didn’t smell any similarity myself, but I noticed that Bath & Body Works “Mad About You” (discontinued) is black currant, peony and vanilla.
May 2018 Allure Beauty Box – In the Fast Lane
Yup, I added yet another Beauty Box Subscription to the mix – the Allure Beauty Box. (This is different than the seasonal Allure Beauty Thrills boxes from a few years ago.) My sister used to get it a few years ago, but ended up canceling it. I was sucked in by an ad for the June box – a collab with Kat Von D. They were nice enough to start my subscription with the May box – “In the Fast Lane.”
Inside my first box: Wander Beauty Baggage Claim Gold Eye Masks (2 sets); Kenra Dry Oil Control Spray; First Aid Beauty Hello Fab Coconut Skin Smoothie Priming Moisturizer (LOVE this stuff); St. Tropez Self Tan Purity Bronzing Water Mousse (nope, nope, nope); and CLE Melting Lip Powder in “Desert Rose” (this is one of the most amazing products I’ve ever tried…this powder absolutely melted onto my lips without a mess and stays PUT – this is the next big thing in lip color).
There were also two new subscriber gifts – L’Oreal Ever Pure Hair Sheet Mask Steam Treatment (weird) and Grande Lips Hydrating Lip Plumper in “Lust Red” (my lips are plenty plump).
The products seem a bit higher end than my other boxes, but that might be because this is a more pricey box. I’ll give it a few months to see how it goes.
The Allure Beauty Box is $15/month, but they give you $5 off your first box. They also offer an option for $150/year – a savings of $30. You can sign up at https://beautybox.allure.com.
June 2018 Birchbox – Warm Weather Pleasures
I am easily distracted by pretty, shiny things. I am seriously considering cutting Birchbox from the lineup…but then I got the email at the end of May with the product choices/curated box and I saw a new kind of beautyblender. Yup, they just reeled me in for another month.
So I selected the Curated Box – “Warm Weather Pleasures” – to get a closer look BeautyBlender Original Foam Sampler. It’s not a full size sponge, just a tiny sliver of one? It’s supposed to grow when you add water, as opposed to the original one that stayed the same size. Well, I am less than impressed – it’s just a sample of a different kind of foam? I was expecting a usable sample.
Also in this month’s box: Red Earth Deep Dive Water Cream (new brand to me); Beautaniq Beauty Glow Serum; Davines SU Hair & Body Wash (I’ll use the shit out of this); and R+Co Waterfall Moisture + Shine Lotion (oh, this is for hair.)
Brand quality/recognition is taking a serious deep dive at Birchbox. The points program is now nearly worthless…just saying…
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.
Target Beauty Boxes – June 2018
My husband got lucky this month – a girly box AND a manly box.
The manly box – “Hello Dapper Dude” – has fancy men’s grooming products. Old Spice Hair Pomade (my husband shaves his head and my son has hair like Lady Godiva, so this will go to my brother-in-law); Cremo Blue Cedar and Cypress Body Wash (I’m not sure that there’s enough for a single shower in this little plastic bottle); Nivea Creme; Dove Men + Care Extra Fresh Body and Face Bar; Method Men’s Cedar + Cypress Body Wash (cedar and cypress again?); and Degree for Men Deodorant. Not a bad box.
The girly box – “Hello Fresh Face” – has product to help you give your skin a break from foundations by highlighting other features. This box has Eylure Accents (nope, nope, nope to fake eyelashes – feels like spiders on my face); Neutrogena Hydro Boost Mascara (interesting); Sleek MakeUP Major Matte Lip Cream in “Daydreamer”; Good Chemistry “Queen Bee” (OMFG, this smells good – it’s black currant, peony and amber and I must buy it immediately!); Garnier Micellular Water (good for cleaning up makeup mistakes); Colgate Optic White Express White Toothpaste; and Up & Up Premium Cotton Rounds. Except for those dumbass fake eyelashes, I’ll use everything in this box!
Two good value boxes!
Each box had the usual $3 off a Beauty/Personal Care purchase of $15 or more – but back to the regular kind of coupon with a bar code, not the one with a QR code like last month. Boo. Each box was $7, with free shipping and 5% off with my Red Card.
Jeffree
Two summers ago, Kat Von D publicly ended her 10 year friendship with Jeffree Star. No need to rehash the messy drama – anyone can google it. The bigger question – who will think of the makeup???
Kat Von D discontinued the Everlasting Liquid Lipstick “Jeffree” in the midst of the feud. But guess what popped up on Sephora’s site on sale for $12? That’s right, and ADD TO CART. Nevermind that the tube is AT LEAST two years old, if not three or four. Oh well.
Although the brand describes the color as “hot pink”, it’s really more of a plastic flamingo pink. It’s super streaky, too. I liked like a weirdo when I wore it. That’s what I get for being attracted to a product just because it’s discontinued.
Sephora also skimped and only gave me two samples in my box: tarte Rainforest of the Sea Water Foundation Broad Spectrum SPF 15 Sunscreen (4 shades to try) and Korres Greek Yoghurt Foaming Cream Cleanser (pretty sure that’s not how you spell ‘yogurt’).
$507 to Rouge…