Category: Makeup
Exact Haul
Ulta has a weird purchase requirement for their Spring GWPs – $19.50. Challenge accepted.
Why yes, I do buy a brow pencil with every Ulta order. This time, it was my Holy Grail – Ulta Ultra Slim Brow Pencil in “Dark Brown” ($10). I also got Ulta Juice Infused Lip Oil in “Tangerine” ($9) – this is my absolute favorite way to remove longwear lipstick. No scrubbing, no harsh chemicals – it just melts away. I also got another 4-way Buffing Block ($4) – I go through those like toilet paper.
But that’s $23…until I added a $3.50 off coupon. BOOM.
This Spring’s Gift with Purchase is fantastic. The large white and coral bag includes: BLOOM Eyeshadow Palette (this palette is FANTASTIC – it’s floral shimmers are perfect for everyday wear); BLUSH Cheek Palette (the blush is a dupe for NARS “Orgasm”); Luxe Lipstick in “Nudely Interupt”; Pre-Moistened Makeup Remover Facial Towelettes; Poreless Face Primer; Jelly Gloss Lip Gel; Matte Eye Primer in “Nude”; Maximum Lashes Mascara in “Black” (I really like this mascara – Ulta is on their game); and a Powder Brush. What a great bag!
This is a super small order, but they were having free shipping for everyone that day!
$1,068 to Diamond status!
Target Beauty Boxes – February 2020
Target made me go full “Karen” this month, I almost had to ask for a manager.
I was late to order the February boxes, because I was in Vegas. I went to order the boxes mid-month and Target’s website was telling me that there was a $25 minimum order for free shipping now – the hell? I poked around and there were comments on My Subscription Addiction describing the same issue. I chatted into Support and the agent was…less than helpful. He just kept quoting that I had to meet the threshold, even after I told him that I’d been buying individual Target Beauty Boxes for YEARS with free shipping. I politely bid him adieu, asking him to please refer this issue up the chain, as I wouldn’t be purchasing any more Beauty Boxes until it’s been fixed.
Turns out it must have been a temporary glitch. I went back and checked my shopping cart and I was able to complete my order with Free Shipping, and NO issues. As a matter of face, Target’s site even offered my a $1 consolidation discount, if I’d agree to slower shipping in fewer boxes. Now, I have NO illusions that the fix had anything to do with me or my chat into Support. It HAD to be a coincidence…right?
In any case, I snatched up both February boxes. The “Pucker Up” box was solely lip products. The star product is the St. Ives Passionfruit Lip Scrub. While not as sweet and tasty as Jeffree’s, it close. It left my lips soft and smooth and wasn’t nasty and greasy like the wet n wild scrub. Also in the lippie box: TwelveNYC Perfect Pout Cooling Gel Lip Mask (I keep forgetting to put in the freezer, so I can try it); Dr. Bronner Lip Balm in “Peppermint” (I bet it’s as tingly as the soap); Burt’s Bees Moisturizing Lip Mask; Milani Bold Color Statement Matte Lipstick in “I am Confident”; Burt’s Bees Lip Shimmer in “Peony”; and Soap & Glory Sexy Mother Pucker Lip Plumping Gloss in “Plums Up” (this STINGS like Lip Venom – and there is no tint to the gloss – BOO.) This box was a great value!
The other box was “Self Love” themed, and included Que Bella Radiance Boost Shimmering Cream Face Mask; Pacifica Island Vanilla by Pacifica Perfumed Hair & Body Mist; Aveeno Moisturizing CICA Balm (I brought this to work to use and it was…slick – I swear, it left like lube on my hands); Yuni My OM World Calming Aromatherapy Body Mist; Village Naturals Therapy Aches and Pains Muscle Relief Mineral Bath Soak (will be handing off to one of my kids); Masque Bar Silver Foil Pearl Peel Off Mask; and TwelveNYC Bright-Eyed Cooling Gel Eye Pads (again, someone remind me to put these in the freezer).
Each box was $7, with free shipping, that $1 Consolidation discount plus 5% off with my Target Red Card. Both boxes came with $3 off $15 coupons, but they expired 3/1. I had only gotten the boxes 2-3 days before that and I did not have time to use them.
February 2020 Sephora Play! – Beauty Soul Mates
Hmmm…I’m getting a severe sense of deja vu with this month’s Sephora Play! box – I feel like I’ve seen all of these products before.
I received the Clinique Almost Lipstick in “Black Honey” just a few months, ago, in November’s box. The Clinique Blackhead Solutions 7 Day Deep Pore Cleanse & Scrub is a new product to me, at least.
I got the Kat Von D Beauty Lock-It Setting Powder in a 500 point bonus, so at least it’s not a repeat. (I noticed that the insert still refers to Kat Von D Beauty, so this was all put together well in advance of the rebranding.)
I received Fresh Lotus Youth Preserve Moisturizer, which is slightly different than the Youth Preserve Mask I received in 2018.
I’m not going to complain about philosophy Purity Made Simple Cleanser – I love it…but I did receive it in a Play! box in 2018.
Last, but not least – Verb Ghost Oil. Yup, you guessed it – 2018.
Even though I’ve gotten almost all of these products before, it’s a good little box this month.
Sephora Play gives you 5-6 prestige samples a month, for just $10! You can sign up at sephora.com/play.
February 2020 Allure Beauty Box – On Holiday
February’s Allure Beauty Box is a hodgepodge of items – some makeup, some tools, some skin stuff.
This first product I noticed was Olay Regenerist Retinol 24, which I had just finished off from last month’s Target Beauty Boxes. It was a great night moisturizer and I’ll be using this one up, too.
Also in this month’s box: Wander Beauty After Hours Highlighter (aren’t we OVER highlighters, yet?); an NYX Cosmetics Multi-Purpose Buffing Brush; BareMinerals Skinlongevity Vital Power Infusion Serum; Belif: The True Cream Aqua Bomb (finished the sample I got in December’s ipsy bag LAST NIGHT); Honey Jarret Super Beau’Tea Mask; and Cargo Cosmetics Essential Lip Color in “Santa Fe”.
A so-so box with really good products and really mediocre ones.
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. Sign up via my referral link.
Birthday Splurge
But is it really splurging if it’s on the sale page?
I hadn’t used my $10 off birthday code at Ulta yet, so I filled my cart on the sale page. Actually, let me back up. I was scrolling the Sephora Presidents Day sale and saw that the Jackie Aina and Carli Bybel palettes from Anastasia Beverly Hills were 30% off, so I decided to redirect that purchase over to Ulta – not only because I have a coupon, but also because I feel like I get more value from being top tier at Ulta than being top tier at Sephora. Also, Ulta has BOMB GWPs.
Ulta didn’t have the Jackie Aina palette, but the DID have the Anastasia Beverly Hills Carly Bybel Palette ($31.50, down from $45). That’s fine, because the Jackie Aina palette looks a little cray. (I was hoping that the Alyssa Edwards palette would be back, but nope.) I only know Carli from the Allure Beauty Box she did last year. I was thinking that the palette would end up being pretty basic, but it’s got a nice selection of colors, with lots of shimmer and glitter. I’m enjoying using it, except that the glitter shades have the fallout from hell. It sprays all over my whole damn face. Primer helps a little bit, but it still gets everywhere. I’m gonna have to work on it.
I also decided to go out on a limb and try the Lime Crime Venus XS Vixen Palette ($10, down from $20). I’ve stayed away from Lime Crime for the most part because the owner was a shitbag, but since selling out in 2018, it appears they’ve turned their reputation around. The XS Vixen is a small red-themed palette. The quality is just OK – it doesn’t blend very well at all and the coverage is splotchy. Looks like I can continue to ignore this brand.
One more sale purchase – an Urban Decay Cosmetics Brow Beater Microfine Brow Pencil and Brush in “Dark” ($10, down from $20). I’m guessing that it’s on clearance because they are discontinuing it…which is fine. The quality is fine, similar to Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz, but still not as good (for me) as the Ulta Ultra Slim Brow Pencil.
I picked up the new Pacifica Sunshine Highs Toning Shampoo & Conditioner ($10 each) for my son’s bleached locks. I got it in preparation for another round of highlights, so probably next week or so.
There was also a free 28 piece beauty bag with a $70 purchase. You know I cannot get enough of those GWPs. Inside this HUGE red bag: Elizabeth Arden Prevage Anti-Aging Daily Serum; LORAC Pro Plus Fiber Mascara (eek, those fiber mascaras scare me); PUR Fully Charged Mascara; Boots No7 Dark Circle Corrector; Mamonde Petal Spa Oil to Foam (I have 3 sample bottles of this now – thanks, Ulta); Living proof. restore perfecting spray; Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in “Patina” (I really like this shade – I wonder if my old one is dried up?); proactivMD Deep Cleansing Face Wash (I used proactive back when it first came out; it worked for a while, but then ate all my skin off); Becca Ever-Matte Poreless Priming Perfector; Clinique Dramatically Different Hydrating Jelly; First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream; It’s a 10 Miracle Finishing Spray; Shiseido Benefiance WrinkleResist 24 Pure Retinol Express Smoothing Eye Mask; Patchology Flashpatch Illuminating Eye Gels (so many damn eye patches – I feel like a fucking pirate); TonyMoly Vital Vita 12 Ampoules Mix & Match Serums; Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder and Glow Powder; DevaCurl Supercream (no curls here, go will give away); Viktor & Rolf Bon Bon; Zitsticka (intrigued); Botanics Simply Calm; Ulta Beauty Matte Black Eyeliner; Biolage Airdry Glotion (what?); Pureology Colour Fanatic; Smashbox Photo Finish Oil & Shine Control; Giorgio Armani Acqua Di Gio; e.l.f. Poreless Primer Putty (oh, this is some GOOD stuff – I like it); Cover FX High Performance Setting Spray and Florence by Mills Clean Magic Face Wash (what does that girl from Stranger Things know about beauty products?) A dang good bag!
$1,088 to Diamond. I better step it up!
February 2020 Ipsy Bag – Feel the Love
As soon as I saw the velvety quilted bag, I snatched it and rubbed it against my cheek – it is so soft and smooth!
For this month’s product choice, I selected PUR Love Your Selfie Foundation in LN2 Fair Ivory. I’ve been pleased with the PUR powder foundation I selected in last month’s ipsy bag, so I figured I’d try the liquid, too. I haven’t had a chance to try it yet, though.
Also in this month’s “Feel the Love” bag: MURAD Renewing Eye Cream (even though I use eye cream almost every day to clean up eye shadow fallout, I have more than I’ll probably ever use); IBY Beauty Headliner Eyeshadow (I tried it out and it’s so-so – it didn’t apply completely smoothly without primer, so I’ll have to try it again with primer); TULA The Cult Classic Purifying Face Cleanser (I’ve been using this one as well – the smell reminds me of a swimming pool, a slightly chemical smell…but not in an off putting way); and It Cosmetics Your Skin But Better Primer + Oil Free (I usually like It products, so looking forward to trying this one).
A pretty good bag, although heavy on the face products.
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.
Fiddy Cents
Can you believe I got all this for fiddy cents? Actually, it was 46 cents plus 4 cents tax…how on earth did I get a deal like this?
I waited until the very last day to use my 20% off code to get the most bang for my buck. I’d been waiting until I got a code to get the BaBylissPRO Nano Titanium Prima 3000 Styling Iron ($179.95). Angie used it on my hair the last time I got it cut, and I fell in love with the idea of a tool that can straighten or wave my hair. It’s kind of hard to use and I’m still getting the hang of it, but it’s got adjustable temperatures and is difference than other irons I own. And I never, ever, ever would’ve paid full price for it.
I happened to notice several shelves of leftover Holiday Clearance and conservatively picked up a single nail polish – Sally Hansen x Jelly Belly in “Strawberry Cheesecake” ($2.49, down from $4.99).
In addition to the 20% off, I’d been saving my Ulta points for months and months…I’d saved up $144.50! I used them all on this purchase, which is how I got it down to 46 cents.
I also got a surprise packet of coupons for achieving Diamond Status. There was a coupon for ANY full size Clinique foundation, as well as a coupon for $25 off a Salon Visit. I used the Foundation coupon to try out Clinique Even Better Foundation in “Breeze” ($29.50). This is now my “holy grail” foundation. I’ve never had a foundation that blended this well. I applied over Make Up For Ever Step One Primer and topped with Make Up For Ever Setting Powder and my skin has never looked more poreless and perfect. The search is over!
My birthday gift from Ulta was a deluxe sample of Benefit Bad Gal Bang Mascara. I do not particularly like this formula – it makes my lashes bunch up together like Liza Minelli. I can make it look okay if I brush out my lashes, b ut that’s a pain in the ass, so I’ll probably just throw this tube away.
Since I bought this in my Birthday Month, I got double points…so, I guess I got one point. Just $1,149 to Diamond for 2021.
January Sephora Play! – Stress-Free Beauty
Oh, no matter how up to date I am on my posts, Sephora Play is always gonna be running late!
January’s theme is “Stress-Free Beauty” and includes products for your relaxation rituals.
So I wonder if Sephora knew that Kat Von D was jumping ship, when they put together this box? Did they know and use it as an opportunity to offload liners with the old branding? Or did was the move truly a surprise? Who knows? In any case, I have another Kat Von D Beauty Tattoo Liner in “Trooper”.
Also in this month’s box: Cover FX High Performance Setting Spray; Glamglow SUPERMUD Activated Charcoal Treatment Mask; Dr. Andrew Weil for Origins Mega-Mushroom Relief & Resilience Soothing Treatment Lotion (I JUST got this in October’s box!); Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer; and Giorgio Armani Beauty Si Passione (gross and stinky).
This box was meh. Sephora – do better!
Sephora Play gives you 5-6 prestige samples a month, for just $10! You can sign up at sephora.com/play.
January 2020 Allure Beauty Box – 2020 Vision
It’s only January and I’m already sick of the “2020” puns. Lordtttt help me.
This month’s Allure Beauty Box is full of beauty innovations. Some of these were so good that I snatched them up and took them to the bathroom immediately!
The evening I got the box, I broke open the Kate Somerville Exfolikate – I love getting any Kate Somerville sample I can. I also started using the Philosophy Renewed Hope in a Jar Water Cream – it smells SO good and I love what hyaluronic acid does for my skin.
Also in this month’s punny box: tarte Gifted Amazonian Clay Smart Mascara (SMART mascara? PUHlease…); Akar Skin Pure Lip Restoration (this definitely will be going to Vegas with me); Vitabrid 12 Dual Drop Serum (interesting); and Naturelab Tokyo Perfect Shine Oil Mist (I really liked the Naturelab Perfect Shampoo and conditioner in September’s 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. Sign up via my referral link.
January 2020 Ipsy Bag – Clean Slate
I am absolutely IN LOVE with this month’s marbled bag. It’s definitely going with me to Vegas in a few weeks – it reminds me of Caesar’s Palace and all the statues!
I don’t recall what all products were available in this month’s sample choice, but I chose PUR 4-in-1 Pressed Mineral Makeup Broad Spectrum SPF 15 in “Porcelain”. I’ve been enjoying the Barbie PUR Palette, so I wanted to test out their other products. It’s a decent powder foundation and the color match is close. I’d probably try to find a pinker shade. The price is slightly better than the Urban Decay and KvD, at $29.50.
The other products in my “Clean Slate” bag were Theorie Charcoal Bamboo Detoxifying Scrub; Pur~lisse Blue Lotus 4-in-1 Cleansing Milk (hmm, another 4-in-1 product); Bellapierre Cosmetics Mineral Lipstick in “Ruby” (I so don’t need yet another red lipstick, so I tossed it to Lily just now); and Ciate London Glow to Illuminating Blush in “Pinch Me”.
A wide variety of decent products this month!
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.