Category: Hair
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.
August Birchbox – Easy Does It
Yup, I had to get the curated box again. It’s like I just can’t handle surprises anymore…
I’m a big fan of the stila liquid lipsticks, so I mostly chose it just for the stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in “Aria”. I thought it would be a dusty red, but it turned out to be more berry – I love it. Also in this month’s box: Dr. Jart+ Water Fuse Ultimate Hydro Gel (I’m about to use up all my Water Drop, so woo!); Living proof. Restore Mask Treatment; pur-lisse Blue Lotus Seed Mud Mask (yasss); and amika Bombshell Blowout Spray (my 3rd or 4th one).
Box is somewhat mediocre, but enough to get me through. I heard that Wal-mart is in talks to buy Birchbox…if that happens – I don’t know if I’ll keep it. Hmmmm….
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! August 2017 – The Innovators
So at first, I thought this box was called “Makeup Geek” because of the bag – but it’s really “The Innovators”, so let’s see what innovative products Sephora wants me to try this month…
First off, we’ve got the world’s tiniest beautyblender – beautyblender micro.mini. What is this, a beautyblender for ants?!?!?! Also in this month’s box: Clinique HIM Dual-Ended High Impact Mascara & Primer Duo; Hourglass Vanish Seamless Finish Foundation Stick in “Shell” (hyped to try this – maybe I could take a few hours and apply it with that beautyblender?); Burberry “My Burberry Black” (spicy jasmine and rose – not bad); Alterna Haircare CAVIAR Anti-Aging Miracle Multiplying Volume Mist; and Korres Golden Krocus Ageless Saffron Elixir Serum (knowing how expensive saffron is, I am interested to see how this works).
Yet another great box – I feel like it’s worth much more than $10!
If you haven’t signed up yet, you are insane. 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.
Target Beauty Box – August 2017
Another month, another Target Beauty Box.
The “Hello Routine” Box has a little bit of everything: Herbal Essences Argan Oil Shampoo (but no conditioner – assholes); up & up 25 ct. Facial Wipes (Beauty Hack – I use these to clean up eyeshadow fallout under my eyes before doing my foundation); Dove Dry Spray Invisible Deodorant (giving to my son); Biore Deep Cleaning Pore Strips (Just one strip, but with a Limited Edition Pattern); SpaLife Nourishing Facial Mask (always welcome); and Garnier Clearly Brighter Daily Scrub (and scrubs are always welcome).
Another good box. I wish I didn’t have to go to the trouble of ordering these each month and they just showed up on their own…
So $7 again this month, plus free shipping and 5% off with my Red Card. And another $3 off $15 coupon. I am so proud of myself that I actually used the coupon from last month’s box – I bought some OGX Bamboo Fiber-Full Shampoo and Conditioner, plus some up & up polish remover. Go me!
Sephora Play! July 2017 – Beauty Staycation
Getting my last July box in right at the last minute…
July’s theme is “Beauty Staycation” and the pink gingham bag says “Glamp Out!” I prefer glamping to camping any damn day.
So pumped to get another sample of Boscia Charcoal Pore Pudding – I got a sample last year and it was a really good mask. Also in this month’s box: bare minerals Gen Nude Matte Liquid Lipcolor in “Swag” (every brand is coming out with one right now); it Cosmetics Superhero Elastic Stretch Volumizing Mascara (I don’t know if I want my eyelashes stretched); Milk Makeup Cooling Water (not sure about this – it seems to be a “cooling” moisturizer stick?); Briogeo Rosarco Milk Reparative Leave-In Conditioning Spray (not a bad leave-in – I’m still working on the bottle I got a few years ago); and Atelier Cologne Orange Sanguine (I have several of these, but it’s good).
Even though the box contains several products I already have or have had, not complaints from me – it’s alll good stuff.
If you haven’t signed up yet, get to 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.
July Birchbox – One-Two-Punch
Another month, another curated box. The theme is “One-Two-Punch” – quick solution products.
I’ll be honest, I picked the box purely for Kiehl’s Rare Earth Deep Pore Daily Cleanser – I got in a Birchbox last summer and I really liked it.
Also in this month’s box: Juliette Has a Gun Anyway (citrusy and clean); Oribe Matte Waves Texture Lotion; MAC Cosmetics Prep + Prime Skin (I have a full size – maybe I should revisit it now that my skin is healthier); and Beautaniq Beauty Blush Serum.
An interesting box and my skin is looking forward to trying some new products.
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 – July 2017
Hot damn! Another badass $7 box!
Even if I didn’t want any of the other products (but I do), I would’ve gotten it for the Acure Day Cream. I’ve gotten it in several Target boxes – it smells SO good and doesn’t break me out.
Also in this month’s “Hello Fireworks” box: Conair Cashmere Headwraps; e.l.f. Illuminating Mist & Set; Neutrogenaa Hydro Boost Water Gel (Ooooooh, I like Water Gel); John Frieda Frizz Ease Touch-Up Creme (I think I have some of this – if so, it’s good stuff); Neutrogena Towelettes (I’ve started using these to clean up eyeshadow fall-out – it’s a magic life hack); Secret Clear Gel Deodorant in “Cool Waterlily” (I don’t care for gel deodorants, but free is free); and Que Bella Mud & Peel-Off Mask Duo (yassssss masks).
So $7 this month, plus free shipping and 5% off with my Red Card. And another $3 off $15 coupon. I am bummed that I didn’t get to use the two I got with last month’s boxes.