Category: Makeup
Midweek Target Haul
Sometimes it takes a midweek Target haul to get through a rough week.
I actually had a purpose for this trip – I needed some benadryl cream. But to get to the benadryl cream, I had to walk through the beauty section. I noticed an endcap of bright fuchsia cosmetics on clearance – it was an e.l.f. cosmetics collaboration with fashion designer Christian Siriano. That collab wasn’t even on my radar – how did I miss it? It had to have come out within the last two months?
I didn’t pick up the makeup bag – lord knows I have enough of those – but I did grab the e.l.f. Christian Siriano Eyeshadow Palette ($8.40, down from $12) and e.l.f. Christian Siriano Liquid Matte Lipstick in “Fuchsia” ($4.20, down from $6). The eyeshadow quality is about what you’d expect from e.l.f – meh. The first day, I tried it without primer and although it went on smoothly and blended well, it was very pastel – hardly any pigment. It also faded quickly – it was almost all the way gone when I arrived home from work. The second day I tried it with a primer and had much better results. As soon as my husband got home from work, he said I look like Divine, which is kind of what I look for in a bright colored eye shadow (I was wearing fuchsia on the lid and green in the crease). The lipstick lasts as well as NYX or Wet n Wild, so not bad, but not as high quality as Jeffree or Kat Von D. Good purchases!
I also picked up Love Beauty & Planet Shampoo and Conditioner in “Murumuru Butter & Rose” ($6.99 each). Although I love the SheaMoisture Peace Rose Oil Collection, I don’t know that it is helping my hair much. It’s a bit more pricey ($11.49, but usually BOGO half off) and really, if I get my hair smelling rosy for cheaper – why not? I’ve gotten several Love Beauty & Planet samples in beauty boxes and they shampoo/conditioners seem pretty decent so far. I also have come to the conclusion that I will never find one shampoo/conditioner and stick with it – I’m always looking for a better one.
OH, and I remembered to use my $3 off $15 coupon from this month’s Target Beauty Box. It was even easier since I already had it added to the app.
Sephora Play! May 2018 – Beauty Goals
May’s Sephora Play! box marks the 2nd anniversary of the service and they’ve “compiled the beauty products that have stood the test of time with their incredible formulas and cult following.” (Yes, I snatched that quote directly from the box insert.)
Even though I’m not much of a highlighter girl, I’ll add a bit to my cheeks and browbone when I want to look fancy. I’ve been wanting to try Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed Highlighter in “Champagne Pop” – it really is a cult favorite, at least on Instagram.
I’m not quite as excited about the rest of the box – only because I already have loads of these very same products, not because they products are bad. I have at least 7 or 8 Kat Von D Tattoo Liners in “Trooper” and probably 700 samples of Benefit The POREfessional. I use these products – but just not as much as I receive them. I have never tried Bumble and bumble. Thickening Volume Hairspray – but I use hairspray maybe twice a year?
I am looking forward to trying Sephora Collection Mud Mask Purifying & Clarifying – I love me some mud masks.
My lil sis is getting the Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb – it’s one of her favorite scents.
The denim pouch is also cute. Someone help me figure out what to do with all these pouches I’ve been getting – I’ve used them for panties when I travel, but I could use help figuring out to do with the rest of them.
If you don’t get Sephora Play, join up now. Sephora Play is only $10/month. You can sign up at sephora.com/play.
Freebies
Soooo…I ordered a birthday gift for my sister from Sephora, but I’m really excited about some of the freebies I got.
I used a promo code to get a deluxe sample of Aerin Mediterranean Honeysuckle. I don’t have much experience with Aerin fragrances, but this one is AMAZING. My husband smelled it and actually said, “Now that smells YUMMY.” That is high praise from a man that gags from most fragrances. I wore it on Monday and spent some time outside in the grass and I felt like I was being attacked by bugs. It’s an ultra-realistic honeysuckle scent.
I also used 100 points to get a deluxe sample of Boscia Pore Pudding – I love that shit!
My usual three samples were Chloe Fleur de Parfum (not as good as Roses de Chloe, but I like it); Guerlain Abeille Royale Youth Watery Oil; and Sephora Collection 10HR wear perfection foundation ( 3 shades – ivory 10, beige 25 and walnut 33).
Just $529 until…
May 2018 Ipsy Bag – Go There
Go there? Go where?
There is wherever the summer takes you and this month’s ipsy picks are designed to go with you. I thought the bag was covered with cute passport stamps, but upon closer inspection, I realized they are postmarks – Par Avion, etc.
The first product that caught my eye were the face masks – Fresh Garden Açai Berry Calming Mask and Pomegranate Firming Mask – they were too big to fit into the ipsy bag. Also in this month’s bag: NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in “London” (Ooooooh, I don’t have this one); SLMISSGLAM Sparkle Everyday Glam Beauty Sponge; Tarte Cosmetics Smooth Operator Amazonian Clay Finishing Powder (Another good one); and Sugar Cosmetics Arch Arrival Brow Definer in “Taupe Tom”.
Not a bad little bag this month – almost a full face’s worth.
If you’d like to try Ipsy – click here. I’ll earn 250 points if you sign up through my link.
Kat Von D – 10th Year Anniversary Collection
I’ve been waiting months and months for this…and on Cinco de Mayo, Kat Von D released her 10 year Anniversary Collection. It’s everything I thought it would be and more.
The 10th Year Anniversary Eyeshadow Palette ($52) was the first thing into my cart. I am blown away by the quality of the shadows. I tried it yesterday, without primer and it was ultra, mega, SO pigmented. Although Kat excels at matte eyeshadows, I’m really drawn to the transformer shades in this collection. I did a look centered around “Alexandra” (rose gold glimmer) and it matched my rose gold hair perfectly. When my husband got home from work last night, he actually said my makeup looks cute…and he NEVER says that. Literally, the best I can hope for it, “You look nice,” but usually I get “What is wrong with your face?”
So, this palette gets the husband stamp of approval – that’s even higher praise than “Jeffree Approved”!
I also picked up the 10th Anniversary Lipsticks – Everlasting Glimmer Veil in “Gold Skool” ($22) and Studded Kiss Lipstick in “Santa Sangre” ($19). I wore “Gold Skool” with “Lolita II” Everlasting Lip Liner yesterday and it KILLED. Now, the $64,000 question – how does it compare to Jeffree Star “First Class”? The two aren’t even really similar – “First Class is a black-leaning metallic, while “Gold Skool” has more of a glittery gold dust finish. Not dupes at all!
I dropped $93, but I didn’t even get the whole collection. There’s also a brush set ($125), a highlighter ($30), an eyeliner ($20) and a traincase ($150). I wanted them all…but I also wanted my family to eat this month. I am VERY happy with my purchase and I am confident when I say that Kat Von D has overtaken Urban Decay as my favorite cosmetics brand.
Since I have Sephora Flash, I broke my order up into two orders, so that I could get double samples and use two promo codes. I got my doubles AND Sephora still sent it all to me in one box. Winning!
I used a promo code to get an Amore Pacific Set, which includes Vintage Single Extract Essence, Botanical Radiance Oil and The Essential Creme Fluid. I also used a code to get a fragrance sample bag with Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb, Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium, Stella Peony (the one I wanted to try – need to buy it); Philosophy Amazing Grace Ballet Rose (another love); Giorgio Armani Sky di Gioia, Chloe Fleur de Parfum, Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau So Fresh AND Urban Decay Troublemaker Mascara. Nice!
For my sample picks, I got 2 Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade (each sample card had 4 colors AND a tiny brush – been wanting to try this so bad!); Urban Decay Vice Special Effects Top Coat (includes 4 colors – “Fever”, “Reverb”, “Ritual” and “White Lie”); and Clinique Moisture Syrge 72-hour auto-replenishing hydrator. Wait! That’s only 4 samples! They screwed me!
But…only $568 until Rouge…I might do it!
May 2018 Birchbox – Soak in the Sunshine
Ugh, Birchbox – what is this weird shit?
I mean, I picked the curated box, so I knew what I was picking – but it’s weird. The Whal Myung Skin Elixir is throwing me off – it looks like some illegal product you get from a back room in a massage parlor. That, of course, means it is probably FIRE – or will will set my face on FIRE.
Also in this month’s “Soak up the Sunshine” box: Wander Beauty Catch the Light Highlighter & Glowtion (love me some glowtion); KNC Beauty All Natural Collagen Infused Lip Mask; OUAI Volume Spray; and Georgette Klinger Coconut Cleansing Milk.
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! April 2018 – Insta Beauty
I am fully aware that I am prone to hyperbole…but…this month’s Sephora Play box might be the best box I’ve ever received. I say that not because the products are good or high dollar, but because there are several BRAND NEW products that I’ve been wanting to try.
I just saw It Cosmetics Bye Bye Pores Pressed Poreless Finish Airbrush Pressed Powder in an Ulta circular. I wore it this morning, over only moisturizer and…WOW. It’s translucent and adds no color, but it adds a soft focus veil that is hard to beat. I think I need to buy a full size!
I have also been curious about Urban Decay Hi-Fi Shine Ultra Cushion Lipgloss in “SPL”. I am not in a glossy lip phase, but who is to say that glossy can’t come back in 2018?
Also in this month’s Insta Beauty box: Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Perfector in “Shade #6” (fingers crossed that it matches my skin tone); Fresh Lotus Youth Preserve Rescue Mask; Peter Thomas Roth Skin to Die for No-Filter Mattifying Primer & Complexion Perfector; and Miu Miu L’eau Rosee (I have a deluxe sample of this and I wore it ALL winter).
Again, I will use every single one of these products!
If you don’t get Sephora Play, join us for Festival Fun. Sephora Play is only $10/month. You can sign up at sephora.com/play.
April 2018 Ipsy Bag – Social Butterfly
LOOK at this month’s ipsy bag – rose gold butterflies! I’m dead.
The Pretty Woman Nail Polish in “Girl Boss” was the first product that caught my eye – it’s a dusty rose that matches the bag. Also in this month’s bag: Firma Beauty Angled Blender Brush; Ciate London Starstruck Double-Ended Stamp Liquid Liner (well, if I want to look like Kat Von D); Bubble T Cosmetics Lemongrass & Green Tea Stimulating Hand Cream; and Hempz Herbal Lip Balm (tee hee – hemp).
A solid bag, if a bit on the hippy side.
If you’d like to try Ipsy – click here. I’ll earn 250 points if you sign up through my link.
Lippie Love
I wasn’t in Ulta to buy something for myself. I was there to look for Sally Hansen Nail Art Markers for my friend, Starr (sometimes you gotta get punk on the subway). I found those easily, but I was lured in by the NYX gift with purchase…and one more 20% off coupon burning a hole in my pocket.
With a $20 purchase of NYX products, you’d get a pleather lip-shaped bag, with three free products: NYX Matte Liquid Liner in “Black”; NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in “Copenhagen” (so goth!); and NYX Suede Lip Liner in “Copenhagen”. That’s a great gift with purchase. I decided to try a bunch of new products, for better or for worse. I got a NYX Precision Brow Pencil in “Soft Brown” ($9.99) – I’d previously used the Micro Brow Pencil and I thought this would be as good, but I don’t like it as much. It is hard to use and makes my brows look fuzzy. Then I grabbed NYX Slip Tease Full Color Lip Oil ($6.99), which felt great on my lips…but got on EVERYTHING. It did not last through a Freddy’s Steakburger. It also bled like a mofo. Lastly, I tried the NYX Powder Puff Lippie in “Moody” ($8.49). This one also went on soft as velvet. It transfered a little, but not too bad. It didn’t bleed, but didn’t apply with a crisp line either. It also lasted most of they day – super pigmented. This is the only product I’d buy again.
So, after this last shopping spree, only $132.01 to go until Platinum. Lily needs a haircut…
YAYROUGE, Part 2 & 3
Yeah, I paid $8 for dental floss. Technically, $6.80 with my 15%…I tried out Cocofloss in “Cara Cara Orange”. Yeah, I know it’s dumb – it’s not even as orangey flavored as I hoped. But I was just so damn salty that the Sun Safety Kit sold out.
For samples, I got Cover FX Shimmer Veil, Tory Burch Tory Burch (I forgot that I love this), and Versace Bright Crystal (my lil sis likes this one). I didn’t pick any of these samples…
My other order makes a lot more sense. I knew I would be getting the Sephora Favorites Give Me Some New Lip Kit ($28, $23.80 after discount) sooner or later. I kind of miss the lip shaped box. I wanted Smashbox Always On Metallic Matte in “XO, Vlada” so bad – and it’s full size! It’s a beautiful copper and lasts all day. I wore Huda Beauty Lip Strobe in “Snobby” to the dentist and it lasted through the whole cleaning. The dentist even complimented it! Also in the box: Marc Jacobs Beauty Le Marc Liquid Lip Crayon in “Night Mauves” (also full size); treStiQue Mini Plumping Lip Balm in “Barbados Berry”; and Fenty Beauty by Rihanna Mattemoiselle Plush Matte Lipstick in “Candy Venom” (gonna try this one tomorrow).
For samples, I got Smashbox Photo Finish Lid Primer, Woman by Ralph Lauren and Yves Saint Laurent L’Homme. Again, I did not pick any of these samples.
Just $708 to Rouge for 2019. I don’t know if I can do it!