Category: Face
Sephora Play! October 2017 – Complexion Companions
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know.
Sephora must have heard my complaints last month – fragrance is back. This month’s fragrance is Chanel Gabrielle. It’s an old fashioned scent, reminiscent of Estee Lauder – maybe White Linen or Joy.
The rest of the products in this month’s “Complexion Companions” box are…you guessed it…for your complexion. I am most excited to try Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder – it’s insta-famous. Also included: Becca First Light Priming Filter Instant Complexion Refresh (I think I tried a sample of this before and it broke me out?); Make Up For ever Ultra HD Skin Booster Hydra-Plump Serum, Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Invisible Cover Foundation in R230 (I’m betting it’s too dark, since I use 115 in their Cover Stick); and Cover FX Custom Enhancer Drops in “Moonlight” (Hmmm…).
A very interesting and cohesive box this month.
I am SO proud of myself for remembering to grab the Play! card when I went to Sephora Friday – I got my 50 points!
Do yourself a favor and sign up NOW. This is by far the best subscription box I get every month. Sephora Play is only $10/month. You can sign up at sephora.com/play.
I Remembered!
Guys! Guess what! I remembered to use my $3 off coupon from this month’s Target Beauty Box!
I had a nasty, nasty breakout last week, so I went looking for a face wash with sulfur in it. It was a total fail, so I guess I’ll have to break down and pay $38 for EradiKATE. Ugh. Sulfur WORKS THOUGH guys…in the meantime, I went ahead and decided to try Shea Moisture African Black Soap Clarifying Face Wash & Scrub ($9.99). I’ve read good thing about it online, so I thought I’d try it.
I also picked up Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Moist ($2.99), which I got a sample of in a box back in my June box. My son uses it, so I thought I’d try it out – it makes my hair feel like doll hair! It says to use it once a week, but I dunno…it might get used every time I wash my hair.
Oh, and I can’t run out of my Dip-its and cotton rounds – gotta have ’em.
I ordered the November box yesterday…another coupon is coming.
October Birchbox – Behind the Scenes Beauty
…And I’m back to the curated box option this month.
Really, I wanted the Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate. Kiehl’s is really good stuff! I’m also happy to try the Matrix Biolage R.A.W. Uplift Shampoo and Conditioner – matching deluxe samples of each! No foil packs!
Also in this month’s “Behind the Scenes Beauty” box: [comfort zone] Hydramemory Cream Gel and Stila Cosmetics Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner (I feel like I have at least 6 of these).
Quite a good box this month…keep it up, Birchbox!
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 Box – October 2017
So, I went to go use the two coupons I got last month and they had expired the previous weekend. Ugh. So I checked the mail on the way to Target anyway and behold…this month’s box had arrived. I didn’t end up using the coupon though – Target was running a deal with a $5 giftcard with a $20 Beauty purchase – not stackable.
Anyway, what an odd collection of items in this month’s Target Beauty Box – “Cooler Temps”.
The first thing that caught my eye was the Maui Moisture Shea Butter Shampoo. I absolutely HATE getting a shampoo without matching conditioner, but I can use this with some of the hair masques I’ve been collecting. Also in this month’s weird box: Masque BAR Wrinkle-Reducing Mask (yes, please); e.l.f. Wax Brow Pencil (wonder if my husband will let me use this on him?); Neutrogena Nourishing Eye Liner in “Spiced Chocolate”; L’Oreal Extraordinary Hair Clay System (skeptical, but at least I got both shampoo and conditioner pouches); Raw Sugar Lemon Sugar Hand Wash (odd); and Rimmel Matte Liquid Lip Color in “Be My Baby” (rusty peach).
$7 for this box, which feels like a but much for what I got…unless I remember to use my goddamn coupon this month!
Sephora Play! September 2017 – Fall Into Beauty
You’d think that I don’t LOVE my Sephora Play, the way I’m always late in posting about it. But I dooooo love it – in fact, it’s probably my favorite monthly box! I’m just lazy-ish.
First off, the pink satin bag is adorable – reminds me of the Pink Ladies. Rattling around inside this month’s box: Urban Decay VICE Liquid Lipstick in “Amulet” (fuck, I already have a full size of this shade – it’s my favorite from the line though); IGK Hot Girls Hydrating Shampoo & Conditioner; Benefit Gimme Brow Brow-Volumizing Fiber Gel (I’ll try it, but I don’t think I have enough for the fibers to stick onto); Algenist POWER Recharging Night Serum; Belif The True Cream Aqua Bomb (yassss); and Sephora Waterproof Contour Eye Pencil in “Black Lace”.
No fragrance this month – what the fuck is up with that, Sephora?
If you haven’t signed up yet, you are missing out on the best subscription box out there. This is by far the best subscription box I get every month. Sephora Play is only $10/month. You can sign up at sephora.com/play.
Ulta 21 Days of Beauty – Day 19
I think it was Day 19…whatever, the 21 Days of Beauty were September 3rd to 23rd and on the 21st, I found something to order.
I have a hard time passing up the chance to try new foundations for 50% off. I decided to try Laura Geller Balance-n-Brighten Baked Color Correcting Foundation in “Medium” for $16.50. It’s a swirly dome, with streak of gold. I feel like this foundation makes my face matte, but luminous at the same time. It’s really nice, actually.
I also picked up a full size China Glaze “Let Your Twilight Sparkle” ($7.50) for my daughter – she actually used up the entire mini bottle already! Oh, and a Zoya Remove+ ($10).
For freebies, I got Ulta Beauty Radiant Skin Collection Warming Charcoal Cleanser and Sleeping Cream, NARS Velvet Matte Skin Tint in “St. Mortiz/Medium 1”, and Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer.
I got free shipping with the day’s deal. I used $23.50 in Ulta points (I still have $50 left) and a $3.50 off coupon, so my order was only $7.58!
September Ipsy Bag – Like. A. Boss.
Check out this bad ass, black leather spiked pouch. Don’t worry, no animals were harmed in the making of this pouch – it’s faux.
This month’s theme is “Like. A. Boss.” While the bag is BOSS, I’m not so sure about the contents. The products are ColourPop Cosmetics Ultra Glossy Lip in “ipsy VIP” (it’s weird shade of pink – I don’t know how to explain it – like tongue colored); NEOGEN Dermalogy Real Flower Cleansing Water – Calendula (weird); Eva NYC Zero Gravity Volume Powder (again, no idea what to do with this); Smashbox Cosmetics Photo Finish Radiance Primer (Hmmm, this one might be good); and P.R.M.I.T BeautyGELlusion in “January (Capricorn)” (not a fan of gel polishes – they’re so squishy and weird).
Kind of a weird dud box this month…
If you’d like to try Ipsy – click here. I’ll earn 250 points if you sign up through my link.
Target Beauty Boxes – September 2017
Do you like my new picture background? I had been using my ratty old IKEA coffee table, but I switched it up when I got this new Sugar Skulls throw from Kroger. It may be displayed as Halloween decor, but for me…it’s year-round decor.
Two generous “New Leaf” boxes were available this month, so of course I snagged both. How could I not?
The box on the left included Acure Ultra-Hydrating Shampoo & Conditioner (yassss); Simple Micellular Water (I thought this stuff was dumb as first, but it’s great for cleaning up shadow fallout); up & up Premium Cotton Round (I buy these three packs at a time, but hey, happy to have 2 more); Covergirl Total Tease Mascara; Garnier SkinActive Moisture Bomb; NIVEA In-Shower Body Lotion (WHY does this exist?); and Sensodyne ProNamel Strong & Bright Toothpaste.
The box on the right included Pretty Animalz by Look Beauty Panda Calming Facials Sheet Mask (adorable!); Curls Blueberry Leave In Conditioner (another one to set aside for my curlytop); Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Moisturizing Body Lotion (I HATE the way cocoa butter smells – gave to my son); St. Ives Invigorating Apricot Scrub (my favorite); Curls Unleashed Curl Defining Creme (setting aside); Chapstick Hydration in “Blood Orange” (YUM!); and SheaMoisture Argan Oil & Argan Milk Shampoo & Blowout Creme.
Two AWESOME boxes this month…and the next one drops Monday, I think.
$7 each this month, plus free shipping and 5% off with my Red Card. And that means TWO $3 off $15 coupons. I am trying to use up all my shampoo samples, but I am running low on face wash, so I’m thinking that’s what I’ll use it on.
Saint AND Sinner
When Kat Von D’s new Saint & Sinner Eyeshadow Palette ($62) dropped last Wednesday, I debated for about 30 seconds before I went ahead and ordered it. I wasn’t about to risk it selling out like I did with the Mi Vida Loca Palette…that I bought for my ex-BFF, but she did not buy for me.
ANYWAY, this palette has been a long time coming and it’s absolutely GORGEOUS. It has 24 new colors, modeled after stained glass windows. The Saint side has more muted, natural colors…while the Sinner side has bolder, darker colors. I’ve already worn it a couple of times and have been able to pull from both sides. So far, my favorite is “Rapture”, a transforming pink shimmer from the Sinner side. (I just had to wear it on Saturday, but The Rapture never came – boo.)
So I noticed that there are shades called “Sanctuary” and “Crucifix” on the Saint side…my next task will be to see how they match up with the “Sanctuary” and “Crucifix” Everlasting Liquid Lipsticks. My eyeballs tell me that they match up to the colors, but I have to test them to be sure.
The somewhat random colors remind me of the Urban Decay Vice palettes. I get all excited about them when I get them, but they’re all stuck in a drawer, barely used. I’m feeling like the colors here are more usable together and I won’t set it aside, but only time will tell.
For my regular three samples, I got Caudalie VineActiv Glow Activating Anti-Wrinkle Serum, Ole Henriksen Sheer Transformation Perfecting Moisturizer and black Up Perfecting Mattifying Primer. I’m going all out on skincare these days.
In my quest to never have to buy shampoo again, I used a promo code to get a sample bag of hair samples: Alterna Caviar CC Cream 10-in-1 Leave-In Hair Perfector; Alterna Caviar Anti-Aging Smoothing Hydra-Gelee Nourishing Hair Perfector (why does Alterna have such long product names?); amika Nourishing Mask; Klorane Nourishing Leave-in Cream with Mango Butter; IGK Hydrating Hair Balm; DevaCurl Melt Into Moisture Matcha Butter Conditioning Mask (will be setting aside for a curly-headed friend); rahua Omega 9 Hair Mask; Briogeo Don’t Despair, Repair! Deep Conditioning Mask; Verb Ghost Shampoo & Conditioner (I have a mental block against this Austin-based brand, but maybe I’ll try it); OUAI Repair Shampoo & Conditioner; and Living Proof. Perfect Hair Day Shampoo & Conditioner (if I ever win the lottery, maybe I can afford to exclusively use this brand…until then – samples it is).
Oh, and I just saw today that Kat Von D has a DIVINE palette coming out. I told the husband and he is LEGIT scared…he should be.
And only $221 until ROUGE. I can do it!
September Birchbox – Your Time to Shine
No curated box for me this month, I instead went for sample choice. I chose Daily Concepts Your Facial Micro Scrubber for my “Your Time to Shine” box. I don’t know that it will measure up to my Clarisonic, but I’m willing to give it a shot.
Also in this month’s box: Lollia by Margot Elena In Love Eau de Parfum (an old fashioned smelling floral – needs more rose for me); Briogeo Rosarco Milk Reparative Leave-In Conditioning Spray (unfortunately, the bottle opened during shipping and soaked the inside of my box – ugh); Pixi by Petra LipLift Max in “Honey Sheen”; and Lord & Berry Glow Strobing Pencil (interesting idea – I’m thinking this would be good for highlighting the inner eye).
Interesting box – only one repeat.
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.