Category: Face
Target Beauty Boxes – April 2017
I skipped last month, but April’s boxes were so nice, I had to snag them both.
The box on the left is the “regular” box, which includes: La Roche-Posay Toleriane Purifying Foaming Cleanser (fancy); Sally Hansen Double-Duty Base & Top Coat (it’s not quick dry, so I doubt I’ll use it for anything but a base coat); HASK Argan Oil Repairing Deep Conditioner; Dr Teals Lavender Foaming Bath (I don’t have a bathtun!); eb5 Facial Cleanser (Yeah, more cleanser!); Rimmel Colour Precise White Eyeliner (this has me both excited AND scared – what crazy looks can I do with this?); and Banana Boat Dry Balance SPF 50 (ooooooh, matte sun protection).
The box on the right is the “natural”box, which includes: SheaMoisture Kukui Nut Facial Cream Cleanser + Face & Neck Cream; Juice Organics Deluxe-Size Volumizing Shampoo & Conditioner; Burt’s Bees White Tea Extract Facial Cleansing Towelettes (I hope these don’t burn like the other ones do); Hello Extra Whitening Pure Mint Flouride Toothpaste; Yes To Tomatoes Detoxifying Charcoal Mud Mask (So excited to try this); ACURE Pore Clarifying Red Clay Scrub; and Raw Sugar Lemon Sugar Body Wash.
Wow, both boxes are amazing!
Each box was $7 and came with a $3 off $15 coupon. 5% off with my Red Card, too!
Everlasting Flash – April 2017
I am going to tell you a tale of some of the best customer service I’ve ever received. Without fail, Sephora has provided excellent customer service – and this time, I didn’t even know I needed customer service!
Last Wednesday, I decided to take advantage of this month’s Everlasting Flash Deal and get early access to one of Kat Von D Cosmetics new line of Everlasting Lip Liners ($18 each). The deal was for “Lolita”, so of course I had to have it. I also ordered one of the new Everlasting Lip Liquid Shades ($20)- “Miss Argentina” (in homage to the character from Beetlejuice). The very next morning, I noticed an email that my order for “Lolita” had been resubmitted. Weird. I didn’t really think about it much, but on the way home from work, I got a call from Sephora Customer Service. It seems that they accidentally sent me a “Lolita II” Lip Liner instead of “Lolita”, so they sent me the right one as soon as the error was discovered. When I asked what to do with the “Lolita II”, she just…to just keep it. THEY LET ME KEEP IT…free ya’ll. I think I even got points for it.
…and this is why I LOVE Sephora. Rouge for life.
Oh yeah, for samples, I got a card with Urban Decay Optical Illusion Complexion Primer (I’ve been wanting to try this so bad!) and 2 shades of Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Ultra Definition Makeup (shades are 2.5, 5.0 and 8.0 – I wear 3.5, so not very useful), Shiseido Benefiance WrinkleResist24 and Belif The True Cream – Aqua Bomb (one of my faves). I also used a code to get a deluxe sample of Kate Somerville EradiKate Acne Treatment (this shit is powerful and turned my skin into lizard scales after a single use; it’s 3% sulfur, so I’ll be saving for BAD breakouts).
The 15% off spring event is next week…need to dig through the couch for change…
March Ipsy Bag – Tres Jolie
March’s ipsy bag is beautifully color-coordinated – from the pale pink bag with a rose gold zipper to that snail thingy (more on that later) to the nude lippie. And the bag is super-sized – perfect for liners or brushes.
So about that cute little snail…it’s Ladykin Affinitic Snail Cream. It’s literally 80% snail secretions. And I am supposed to put this on my face. For wrinkles. For what it’s worth, I looked it up on Amazon and it had some legit good reviews…so I’ll give it a shot. But…snail slime…on my face.
Also in this month’s “Tres Jolie” bag: Cake Desserted Island Supreme Body Mousse; Elizabeth Mott Blending Brush (the Elizabeth Mott All Over Shadow Brush I received a few years ago is still my favorite lid brush); tarte cosmetics tarteist quick dry matte lip paint in “rosé”; and Doucce Freematic Eyeshadow in “Marisa” (for the record, I HATE the name “Marisa” – my college boyfriend cheated on me with a homely (and possible homeless) skag named Marisa).
Great bag this month! I’ll let you know if the snail trail kills me.
If you’d like to try Ipsy – click here. I’ll earn 250 points if you sign up through my link.
March Birchbox – Pretty Mighty
Leave it to Tracy Flick to deliver a perfectly color-coordinated Birchbox. March’s “Pretty Mighty” box was curated by Reese Witherspoon and her “lifestyle brand” Draper James. I have no idea what a “lifestyle brand” is – maybe it’s her “goop”?
In any case, she did a great job on this month’s box. For my sample choice, I chose Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream – I got it in last March’s Birchbox and used it right up. Also in the box: Cargo Swimmables Water Resistant Bronzer (why???); Coastal Scents Revealed Smoky Eye Shadow Quad (2 tiny eyeshadow samples from the palette, but love the rose gold and taupe); Dr. Jart+ Dermaclear Micro Water (I am so confused about all this “special water” I’ve been getting – how does “hydrogen mineral water” remove makeup when regular water doesn’t?); and Davines Oi All in One Milk, plus samples of Davines Oi Shampoo and Conditioner (man, I wish I could afford full sizes of Davines).
Thanks, Reese!
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! March 2017 – The Gleam Team
Strangely enough, I received my Sephora Play before my ipsy and Birchbox this month…so I won’t be lagging a month behind for once.
We’re back to a white cotton bag this month. I still haven’t figured out what to do with all these pouches. Maybe use them for panties and socks when I travel?
I was drawn to try Chloe Fleur de Parfum immediately – I love Rose de Chloe so much. It’s not bad – there are rose notes, but they’re buried under the lemon verbena. Unfortunately, it gave me a headache within 90 seconds of a light spray on my arm. Boo!
Also in this month’s “The Gleam Team” box: GlamGlow GLOWSTARTER Mega Illuminating Moisturizer (I can’t get enough GlamGlow); Bobbi Brown Long Wear Cream Shadow Stick in “Golden Pink” (weird product); Benefit Cosmetics Watt’s Up! Cream-to-Powder Highlighter (another weird one); Living proof Full Dry Volume Blast (I think I’ve gotten every single Living Proof product available over the past several months); and Josie Maran Surreal Skin Argan Finishing Balm (another confusing product – instructions say it can be used as a primer or a finishing balm – wot?).
Very weird products this month – and NO lip products. Boo!
If you haven’t signed up yet, JUST DO IT. 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.
Sephora Play! February 2017 – The Soft Side
The first thing I noticed about February’s Sephora Play…that blush pink bag. It’s so soft and silky, I just wanted to rub it all over my face. I guess that’s why this month’s theme is “The Soft Side”?
Right off the bat, I am NOT excited about Too Faced Lip Injection Glossy in “Milkshake”. If I wanted to have my lips burnt off my face, I’d use Taco Bell Hot Sauce – it’s free. I won’t let that ruin my excitement about the rest of the box: Tom Ford Neroli Portofino (not a fan of Neroli – it gives me a headache); Clinique Pep-Start Hydroblur Moisturizer; Origins GinZing Refreshing Eye Cream; Sephora Lashcraft Length + Volume Mascara; and Bite Beauty Multistick in “Cashew” (I’m supposed to use this on my eyes, cheeks AND lips – won’t I end up monotone?).
Although I am not happy with everything in this month’s box, there’s still lots to love!
If you haven’t signed up yet, I suggest you sign up TODAY? 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.
February Ipsy Bag – Much Love
I’m loving the February Ipsy Bag – “Much Love”, in fact.
Inside this month’s cute little denim bag: Trust Fund Beauty Nail Polish in “$12 Latte” (It’s actually darker than a latte – more like $12 Mocha); NYX Butter Lipstick in “Lifeguard” (Yup, Baywatch red); BellaPierre Cosmetics Volumelash Waterproof Mascara (Ugh, hate waterproof mascara); Hikari Cosmetics Cream Pigment Eye Shadow in “Latte” (Oooooh, another latte – it’s going straight into my Z Palette…speaking of Z Palette, they’re in the middle of a controversy for being assholes on social media – I won’t be buying another one, but I already gave them my money for this one); and BeFine Food Skin Care Gentle Face Cleanser (I’m running low on cleanser samples, so this came at a good time).
Another great bag this month!
If you’d like to try Ipsy – click here. I’ll earn 250 points if you sign up through my link.
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!
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.