January Ipsy Bag – All Eyes on You
“All Eyes on You” is ipsy’s January theme…this cute neon eyeglasses bag has mostly eye products in it!
Inside my bag: theBalm Cosmetics Mr. Write (Now) eye liner in “Jack B. Bronze” (interesting); Jelly Pong Pong Fairy Lashes CURL (What a goofy name for mascara); Hikari Cosmetics Cream Metallic Pigment Shadow in “Mink” (I dunno about black eye shadow on my whole eye, but it might make a good eyeliner); Lasting Smiles Lip Balm in “Peppermint Creme” (Obviously, NOT for my eyes…); and Hey Honey Skincare Open Your Eyes Eye Contour Lifting Gel.
What a 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.
HEB Beauty Clearance
I know it might seem like it, but I had slowed WAY down on my nail polish purchase…until this month, anyway. So many beauty clearances, so little time.
I had some time to kill while my daughter was at a birthday party yesterday, so I decided to knock out some grocery shopping at HEB. I meandered into the beauty section with a full cart and found not just an endcap, but a whole table display of beauty clearance. There was a little bit of everything…
I chose three nail polishes – Maybelline Color Show “Midnight Blue” and “Twilight Rays” ($1.48 each), and Revlon Parfumerie “China Flower” ($2.48″). I also grabbed Physicians Formula Extreme Shimmer Eye Liner for Green Eyes ($4.81). I couldn’t resist the green glitter eyeliner…I NEEDED it.
About $10 is a small price to pay for such happiness…
I Got Trouble
It’s a thrill when you you open up the mailbox to find a package you’ve been waiting for…but it’s even MORE of a thrill when you open it up and find a package you weren’t expecting.
I was tickled to receive an envelope from my friend (and most frequent commenter), Luci, sent me nail mail! She had a few polishes that were not getting the proper love at home, so she sent them to come live with me! She sent 2 Deborah Lippmann polishes – “Fashionably Late” and “Ya Got Trouble”, I’m guessing from the 15th Anniversary Set “I’ve Gotta Be Me”.
Which one to try first???
“Ya Got Trouble” was a no brainer. It is a beautiful multichrome that shifts from brown to gold to greenish to purplish. I love how all Lippmann polishes are named after songs. “Ya Got Trouble” is from The Music Man.
I started with Orly Bonder and then painted two coats. The first coat was a bit streaky, but the second one gave full coverage. Finally, “HK Girl” to seal it.
It’s been 24 hours and no major chips…although I have a bit of edge wear on my left hand. It’s not tragic – I can wear this color at least one more day, maybe even two.
Target Beauty Boxes – January 2016
Two Target Beauty Boxes this month…and they’re BOTH for ME! I don’t have to share with ANYONE.
Inside the “Refresh” box: Acure Day Cream (Definitely gonna use this); John Frieda Keraflex Hair Spray; Nivea In-Shower Body Lotion (I do not understand the concept of in-shower body lotion – doesn’t it just end up all over your towel?); Clear Total Care Shampoo & Conditioner (going to my sister); Simple Micellular Wipes (I got these in the last Allure Beauty Thrills – I opened the other day to prep before using my Tria); Marlowe Extra Moisturizing Lotion (smells divine); Nip+Fab Glycolic Fix Pads (it says they “retexture and resurface” my skin – uhhhh, scary); and scünci Braided Elastic Bands.
Inside the “Renewal” box: Caress Love Forever Body Wash; Attitude 2-in-1 Shampoo & Body Wash (What? No.); Laneige BB Cushion (I got this in another Target Beauty Box…and still haven’t tried it. Oops.); scünci No Slip Grip Braided Headband; Degree Women Fresh Energy Dry Spray; Jergens Wet Skin Moisturizer (I am sensing a trend…); Attitude Volume & Shine Shampoo; Revlon Ultimate All-In-One Mascara (Actually so excited to try this that I trashed the old Julep Mascara I had been using up); and Hada Labo Tokyo Anti-Aging Facial Mask (I received one of these in Ulta’s 2014 Cyber Monday bag…again, haven’t tried it yet).
A few repeats…a wakeup call for me to actually use this shit! I don’t believe in New Years Resolutions, but I’m gonna do it!
Each were $7 and each came with a $3 off $15 coupon. Maybe I’ll actually use both this time. At least I managed to use one of the coupons last month…on replacement electric toothbrush heads. So glamorous.
Insane Glitterbomb
Oh. My. GAWD. Are you seeing what I’m seeing? This polish is INSANE. An INSANE glitterbomb.
Julep “Tish” is silver bell full-coverage microglitter. It’s a dense silver glitter, but there’s also a bit of black glitter mixed in for depth.
I started with Julep Oxygen Bonding Base Coat and got amazing full coverage in just two coats. I was expecting a a sandpapery texture, but the polish was semi-smooth. I finished the job with “HK Girl” and it felt sooooo smooth last night – but today, it’s slightly pebbled. Weird.
January Beauty Box 5 – Ev’rythang Done
So Beauty Box 5 has gone full ghetto with the theme for January – “Ev’rythang Done”. Well, okay then…
So, I’m going to get ev’rythang done with Bodipure Keratin Gloves (Intriguing); Nails, Inc. Nail Polish in “Bruton Mews” (a deep, dark green – I don’t think I’ve ever seen a polish this color); Scratch Customer Accent Nail Wraps (These are supposed to work over polish); Novex Bamboo Sprout Deep Conditioning Treatment (I’m skeptical of this one – the foilpack says “bamboo sprouds”); Not Your Mother’s Haircare Plump for Joy Thickening Hair Lifter (Weird); and Salon Grafix Freezing Hair Spray.
After I keratin my hands, I’m going to paint my nails green and put gold stickers on them…then put bean sprouds in my hair…and then time for lifting and freezing. Then ev’rythang will be done.
January Birchbox – Moodboard Your Year
January’s Birchbox issued a challenge to “Moodboard Your Year”, so I declared 2016 as The Year of Creativity. I want to be more creative with my beauty purchases and not just buy the same things I’ve been buying. Don’t get me wrong – I’m not going to stop hoarding…I just want to become more CREATIVE in my hoarding…
Hmmm…How can I be creative with my January Birchbox? I received amika Bombshell Blowout Spray; Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentre (I am happy to get any moisturizer, but the name is grossing me out…I didn’t see embryo in the ingredients, but…); Eyeko Fat Liquid Liner (OMG, it’s like a sharpie!); R+Co. Death Valley Dry Shampoo (Ugh); and TONYMOLY Delight Tony Tint in “Red” (my sample choice for the month).
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.
Goutte de Rose
I had been slacking off on reviewing my Birchbox products the last several months…until there was something I wanted. I got a sample of Cartier Goutte de Rose (“droplet of rose” en Francais) in my November Birchbox and I fell in love. So I steadfastly reviewed my November and December samples and accrued $20 in Birchbox points. I added the $10 off code in my December Birchbox and purchased the 1.6 fl. oz. bottle for $37!
I don’t care if it makes my husband’s eyes water, I smell FABULOUS.
My samples came several days later, in a separate mailer. I got Davines Oi Shampoo & Conditioner (I’ll be bringing these to Vegas with me in less than 2 weeks!) and LAQA & Co. Cheeky Lip in “Humble Brag” – which I had already gotten in my August Birchbox. Oh well…
Obsessed
I am obsessed with Formula X “Obsessed”. I have so, so many dark red/wine colored polishes, but “Obsessed” is the best BY FAR. Urban Decay “Mrs. Mia Wallace” is good, but not as deep. Pacifica “Red Red Wine” is also very similar, but has more of a crusty edge when it dries. “Obsessed” is perfect though – no bubbles, no streaks, just shine. To be fair, they would be very, very hard to tell apart…to the untrained eye.
I applied two coats between Sinful Colors Base Coat and “HK Girl”.
OH! I cut my nails pretty short. The nails on my left hand were all long and strong, but I recently had to cut several on my right hand, due to peeling. I cut my right hand first and was going to leave my left hand long for pictures, but that just felt too weird to have one hand with short nails and one hand with long nails.
I used 100 Sephora Points to get this polish, so does that mean it technically cost $100?
Zap Zap Zap
So…I finally broke down and ordered a laser to zap my bikini line. (I had gotten it done at Sona MedSpa a few years ago, but I figured buying a home laser would be cheaper than paying for touch-ups.) Sephora had the Tria Hair Removal Laser 4X on sale for $399, so I jumped on that deal – they’re usually $449, even on Amazon. So I managed to get a sale price, while guaranteeing at least VIB status for 2017. I’m looking forward to zapping my privates later…
For freebies, I chose boscia Detoxifying Black Cleanser, Kate Somerville ExfoliKate Intensive Exfoliating Treatment and Fresh Black Tea Age-Delay Cream. I also used a code for a fresh deluxe sample of Fresh Soy Face Cleanser. I even used some of the points I’d been hoarding to get Formula X Nail Color in “Obsessed” and more belif – The True Cream Moisturizing Bomb – I love that stuff!
Oh, I was slightly kicking myself when I got my zulily email this morning and one of the deals was the Tria 4X for $389…But I quickly got over it when I remembered my Sephora status – definitely worth the extra $10.