Tag: Eau Thermale Avène
Elven Ulta Haul
I purchased a bunch of e.l.f. products, so it’s an “Elven Ulta Haul” – get it? I crack myself up sometimes, I really do.
I noticed bristles falling out of my favorite kabuki brush, so I’ve been on the hunt for a replacement. (I’m pretty sure that the one I’m using is 10-12 years old.) I’ve gotten several in the past decade, but I think the e.l.f. Cosmetics Kabuki Face Brush ($7) is my favorite. It’s huge and it’s SOFT.
I decided the add a few more e.l.f. products to my cart and I was not disappointed. The e.l.f. Cosmetics Main Stain Lip Marker in “Hotvine” ($5) is the best lip marker I’ve ever gotten – it’s the perfect intensity for lips and it stays all day! It’s still there when I get home from work, imagine that. The e.l.f. Cosmetics Sheer For It Blush Tint in “Burgun-Did That” ($5) is not quite as good, but it’s as good as the Ulta version at half the price so I’ll be switching. I don’t even know if I need more brush soap, but I added the e.l.f. Cosmetics Clean Queen Solid Brush & Sponge Cleaner ($5) to my cart just in case. Okay, not just in case – I wanted the gift with purchase, which was an e.l.f. Cosmetics Flawless Face 6 Piece Brush Collection. I don’t NEED more makeup brushes, but I’ll use these as my travel set. I wasn’t ready to forsake my Ulta eyebrow pencil for e.l.f., so I picked up an Ulta Beauty Ultra Slim Brow Pencil in “Dark Brown” ($6.60) while it was on sale.
I am auditioning new shampoos and conditioners, so I added L’Oreal EverPure Sulfate Free Iron Sleek Smoothing Shampoo & Conditioner ($10.99 each, with 200 extra Ulta points) to my cart. I’ll swap these into the shower when I finish the Pantene Rosewater set I got at HEB.
Thayers was BOGO50, so I picked up a Thayers 80 Hour Hydrating Milky Liquid Moisturizer ($14.99) and a Thayers Oil Balancing Jelly Toner ($7.49) – it was kombucha in it. I’m not used to the jelly texture, but I’m trying…
My purchase got me a few more gifts with purchase. My diamond gift was a Redken All Soft Mask Deluxe sample and I also got a 12 piece gift with my $65 purchase: Vacation Shimmer Oil SPF 30; tarte tartelette XL Tubing Mascara; Eau Thermale Avene Vitamin ActivC9 Serum; Vichy LiftActiv Bonding Serum; Some By Mi Air Fit Sunscreen SPF50; Bondi Sands Self Tanning Foam in Dark (definitely giving this away); belif Super drops Niacinamide Golden Glow Serum; e.l.f. Skin Whoa Glow SPF 30; NYX Butter Gloss in “Creme Brulee”; and La Roche-Posay HyaluB5 Serum. That’s only 10 items, so I am kind of annoyed.
I was already annoyed because the main box was crushed and the Blush Tint and Brush Cleaner were missing, leaving only crushed boxes. Ulta Customer Support was very helpful and sent replacements right away and even included a second free brush set – my heroes!
I’m poor right now, so I used a $10 off coupon, as well as $17.50 in Ulta points. I also had a gift card in my purse, but I forgot to use it…
Just $582 to Diamond in 2027.
Bling Bling Black Honey Ulta Haul
Why yes, that is a super blinged out Clinique Limited Edition Almost Lipstick in “Black Honey”. It was 50% off ($15.50) in this month’s Diamond Love List and my last one was down to a stub, so I JUMPED on it. That was the only thing that I wanted this month…but then I found some other things…
I was in the mood for more bougie bath stuff, so I decided to try out Sol de Janeiro Bom Dia Bright Clarifying AHA BHA Body Wash ($26). It has a little salicylic acid, along with the all the other good stuff and it will help clear up my summer bacne. I sprung for the Sol de Janeiro Limited Edition Perfume Mist Discovery Set ($34), which was kinda dumb in retrospect. I already had 62 and 48. I wanted the 40 to match the body wash, but it isn’t as good as the body wash and 87 is weird, too. Sigh. I guess I cannot be too mad, because I used $50 in Ulta points.
My daughter is into dry shampoo and MONDAY Haircare Brunette Dry Shampoo ($7.99) is cheaper than Batiste or Not Your Mother’s, so I wanted her to try it. I also needed more Unbound Jelly ($18) for…stuff.
In addition to using $50 in Ulta points and a $3.50 off $15 coupon, I got two gifts with purchase! I got Platinum & Diamond Exclusive Free 17 Piece Gift with $85 purchase, which included Good Molecules Pimple Patches (giving to Lily); Redken Control Hairspray; Polite Society Greatest Lashes of All Time Mascara; NOYZ 12:00 eau de parfum; CHI Infra Silk Infusion; Kenra Moisture Shampoo & Conditioner; Eau Thermale Avene Cicalfate Serum; Olaplex No. 4 Shampoo and No. 5 Conditioner (YASSSS); Dolce & Gabbana Devotion; philosophy dose of wisdom dark circle brightening cream; Briogeo Don’t Despair, Repair; Stila Liquid Lipstick in “Mute”; Lolavie Glossing Detangler (saving for my Barbies); Drunk Elephant B-Hydra Intensive Hydration Serum; and pixi Glow Tonic (I have so much of this). I also qualified for a Diamond Member Exclusive! Free 11 Piece Sampler with $100 purchase, that included St. Moritz Tanning Mousse (giving away); le mini macaron Nail Cleanser Pads (pretty sure they are just alcohol wipes); Half Magic Face Gems (hello Gwen Stefani in the late 90s); Olaplex No. 6 Bond Smoother (trifecta!); megababe The Geo Deo (going in my travel bag); Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair; COSRX The 6 Peptide Skin Booster Serum; Living proof. restore conditioner (but no fucking shampoo?); philosophy dose of wisdom bouncy skin reactivating serum; r.e.m. beauty On Your Collar Classic Lipstick in “Lingerie”; and it Cosmetics Hello Results Wrinkle Reducing Daily Retinol Serum-in-a-Cream. WoW! My skin is excited.
Just $762 to Diamond in 2026.
Wicked Ulta Haul
As soon as Ulta dropped all of the Wicked Movie Collab products…I knew I was in trouble. I tried – TRIED – to be conservative, but I don’t know if I did a very good job, especially since it was Diamond Love List Monday…
Right off the bat, I knew I had to get the OPI x Wicked Nail Lacquer 12 Piece Mini Pack ($49.99). I hate paying full price for nail polish, but I just couldn’t risk it selling out before I got it. The set has 12 mini polishes, 6 for Elphaba and 6 for Galinda. I am really looking forward to trying them all out. Ariana Grande’s r.e.m. beauty released a bunch of matched sets and lipsticks, but I was drawn to the r.e.m. beauty x Wicked Ozdust Eyeshadow Palette ($55). I am impressed by how creamy and blendable the shadows are. The glitters really pop! I even got a gift with purchase – a full size Midnight Shadows Liquid Eyeshadow. I wasn’t paying attention and thought it was a lipstick – which actually looked amazing after I wiped most of it off and applied lip stain on top of it. It made my lips look like stained glass – new favorite lip look! I’m sure I’ll be picking up more Wicked Collab stuff, but this is it for now.
It’s been a while since I’ve gotten hyped up about Urban Decay, but the new Urban Decay Cosmetics Moondust Space Cowboy Glitter Eyeshadow Palette – Limited Edition ($49) caught my eye. Yes, I know it’s basically just a few shadows pulled from Naked palettes in a fancy package – SHUT UP. I have only gotten to use it once, but I ended up with nice results, so no regrets. Oh, and I also got a Platinum and Diamond Free 5 Piece Gift with $35 makeup purchase, which came with an clear vinyl crossbody bag (perfect for stadiums with a clear bag rule); Urban Decay All Nighter Long Lasting Makeup Setting Spray (ugh, I have so much of this); a card sample of Urban Decay Moondust Eyeshadow in “Space Cowboy”; Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in “Zero”; and Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion in “Original”.
I added a few more random items to my bag: an EcoTools Exfoliating EcoPouf Loofah ($2.99); L’Oreal True Match Super-Blendable Powder in “C1 Alabaster” ($6.49, on sale from $12.99 – Ulta’s site told me which shade to use based on the shade I wear in Infallible, but it’s a bit light on me); and Thayers Alcohol-Free Witch Hazel Facial Toner in “Rose Petal” ($10.95).
All this got me a Free Platinum & Diamond Exclusive 28 Piece Gift with with $150 purchase – woo hoo! First off, this gift came with a gorgeous chocolate velvet cosmetic bag. Inside the bag: COSRX Master Patch Intensive; Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour HydraPlay Skin Perfecting Daily Moisturizer; Morphe Mini Continuous Setting Mist; Maybelline The Falsies Lash Lift Mascara; Sol de Janeiro Cheirosa 48 Perfume Mist (Awww, I already have one of these); Chloe Intense; Olaplex No. 7 Bonding Oil; Frank Body Glycolic Body Scrub; bareMinerals Complexion Rescue Blonzer (uh whut? It’s blush and bronzer, oh); Estee Lauder Revitalizing Supreme + Night Power Bounce Creme; e.l.f. Power Grip Primer; Benefit The POREfessional Super Setter Long-Lasting Makeup Setting Spray (ugh, more???); Wella Ultimate Repair Miracle Hair Rescue (again, more???); Clarins Total Eye Lift; Polite Society Greatest Lashes of All Time Mascara (braggy a bit?); Dime TBT Cream (what even is this?); Eau Thermale Avene Cicalfate Intensive Skin Restorative Serum; megababe Le Tush Clarifying Butt Mask (literally laughed out loud); tarte tartelette XL tubing Mascara; Charlotte Tilbury Exagger-eyes Mascara; Florence by Mills Floating Under the Eyes Patches; CeraVe Acne Foaming Cream Cleanser; OUAI Leave in Conditioner; Buxom Plump Shot Collagen Infused Lip Serum; e.l.f. Skin Holy Hydration Eye Cream; pixi Glow Tonic; NOYZ Lost + Found; and Vichy Mineral 89 Fortifying and Plumping Daily Booster. Damn, my fingers are TIRED.
I should feel worse about randomly spending $150+ without a good coupon or sale…but I don’t, because I used the last $30 of Ulta points I had saved up.
First Ulta Haul of 2024
I know, it’s kind of hard to believe that I haven’t had an Ulta haul yet this year…to be fair, I ordered back on the 5th of February – I’ve just been busy with work, school, kids, a sick husband, excuses…so let’s get to it!
I am very easily swayed by the monthly Diamond Love List emails…When I showed off my new Drybar The Single Shot Round Blow-Dryer Brush ($108.50, down from $155), he gave me SO MUCH SHIT, since I spent so much money on the Dyson Air Wrap. My answer was that my child stole my Air Wrap and I am too lazy to walk all the way to her bathroom to get it…and my Revlon One-Step smells like burnt dog hair. And really, it was only $25.50 after using $83 of Ulta points…
I was talking to a girl in one of my MBA classes and she said that she would never buy a perfume without smelling it…hi, it’s me – I’m the one who does that, it’s me. I knew that I would LOVE Fresh Beauty Hesperides Grapefruit Eau de Parfum Rollerball ($29) before ever smelling it and I was right. It reminds me of my mom…
Lippies were 30%, so I loaded my cart: Flower Beauty Bitten Lip Stain in “Tempt” ($8.40, down from $12 – it’s very similar to the Colourpop Stain) and KVD Beauty Everlasting Hyperlight Vegan Transfer-Proof Liquid Lipstick in “Ghost Bloom” ($16.10, down from $23) for me; Makeup Revolution Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory x Revolution Brat Lip Gloss ($4.90, down from $7) and Makeup Revolution Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory x Revolution Lip Balm ($4.90, down from $7) for Lil. I also added in Hempz White Peach Rosé & Peony Herbal Shave Gel ($6.49, down from $12.99) because it was half off. A bit disappointing to use, as it wasn’t as slippy as the Caress Body Wash I had been using to shave.
I am deeply saddened that I didn’t get to a salon to use my $25 off beauty services coupon for another year of Diamond, but I did remember to use my free foundation coupon. This year, I chose Clinique Stay-Matte Sheer Pressed Powder Foundation in “01 Stay Buff”, a $39 value.
My $30 makeup purchase qualified me for a 4 pieces NARS gift, which includes NARS Climax Mascara; NARS Lipstick in “Inappropriate Red”; NARS Bronzing Powder and NARS High-Pigment Longwear Eyeliner in “Via Veneto”. I probably won’t use any of it. I also qualified for a free hair gift, but it sold out before I could place my order. Boo.
It’s so rare that I spend enough for the massive gift with purchases…this one required a $130 spend! Inside the HUGE satiny makeup bag: drybar DETOX Thickening Dry Shampoo (giving to my daughter, so I don’t have to buy her some); Urban Decay Glide-On Eye Pencil in “Whiskey”; Shiseido Ultimune Power Infusing Concentrate; Dear Klairs Supple Preparation Unscented Toner (there’s licorice root in it, I’m scared); e.l.f. Liquid Poreless Putty Primer; Hourglass Veil Translucent Setting Powder; Bobbi Brown Vitamin Enriched Face Base Primer; megababe Space Bar (I think I have 3 of these now); Lancôme Cils Booster Mascara Base (and 3 of these); Clinique Almost Lipstick in “Black Honey” (yasss, the one in my purse is almost gone); Eau Thermale Avene Tolerance Cleanser; philosophy Purity Made Simple Pore Extractor Clay Mask; Peach & Lily Glass Skin Face Polisher; Estee Lauder Nutritious Melting Soft Creme Mask; Andrew Fitzsimmons Restructuring 10-in-1 Leave-In Conditioner; NYX Epic Ink Liner in “Black”; Laura Mercier Translucent Setting Powder; Origins Checks and Balances Frothy Face Wash; Bondi Sands Self Tanning Foam (NOPE); Maybelline Sky High Mascara; La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Serum; Pixi Glow Tonic; Supergoop! Unseen Sunscreen; Sol de Janeiro Bum Bum Body Oil; Sunday Riley C.E.O. Afterglow; Dermalogica Micellar Prebiotic Precleanse (precleanse? I ain’t washing my face twice); Living proof. Clarifying Detox Shampoo (but no conditioner?); and Good Molecules Niacinamide Brightening Toner. PHEW, that’s a lot of good samples!
$1,105 to Diamond in 2025…
FabFitFun – Spring 2020
reVive Light Therapy Glo Wrinkle and Anti-Aging Light Device: So while being quarantined and I figured what the hell, I’ll get a FabFitFun box and see what this wand is all about. Well ladies, buy it. Only after using it every day for about a week I’ve noticed my “mom lines” or 11’s as they call them in the Botox world have gone down. I use it nightly in spots I think I need it after I wash and put my serums on. You just hold it in place for three minutes, mind you, you look like a unicorn when taking care of those mom lines, but it’s super easy. True test is what happens after a month of use. But I like it. Worth the price to buy at $68.
WEI Two in one Purify and Glow Mask: One mask looks and smells like honey and brown sugar mixed together. Ya slap that on with your hand because the brush they give you doesn’t work with this mask. Wait five minutes, run it in to exfoliate and rinse off with warm water, it was good, nothing crazy. The second mask is a mud mask, this does work well with the brush, goes oh smooth, definitely tingles and honestly doesn’t smell bad. Made my face feel smooth after i had it on for 20 mins. Takes a little rubbing to get it off, that’s what she said, but it’s mud, kinda expect that from those kinds of masks. Now it retails for $45 for the set of 8 masks. I do one after the other so it’s like $11.25 each set, and that’s not to bad for these masks. Would I buy it again, possibly.
Spongelle Body Wash infused buffer: Honestly no idea how many uses this baby will get. It says multi use but is that 2, 5, 10?? Who knows. I do know it’s smells absolutely amazing! Scent is black orchid, never smelled one but if it smells like this, sign me up for a dozen. But would I pay $16 for this thing……. I don’t know. Maybe if I was on a splurge and saw them I might, but it would I be perfect for a week long vacation. It definitely exfoliates and leaves you smelling sweet! The sponge is hard when dry and definitely has a lot of soap in it.
Whish Blue Matcha Restoring Mask: So the directions say to keep in till it goes white from blue. It’s not really blue, it’s more of a grey. Applied easy with my brush, it doesn’t come with one. It smells great and doesn’t do that flake off thing lots of clay like masks do. My face feels amazing after using it and looks so healthy and glowing, my pores look smaller too. This jar is heavy, lots of product. Always love simple packaging. It retails for $58! Yikes right. But if you look at it in how many times you would get use out of it. It’s pricey but not bad for the amount of mask you get and the results. It would definitely be on my must have purchase list if I have some extra bucks to spend.
Calpak packing cubes: Eh. You get 3 cubes, large, medium and small. They are pretty colored and made ok. They retail for $40, I wouldn’t spend that much when you can get more on amazon for half that price, I have them in purple myself. Cool, yes! Worth the $40 to spend, nope. Save your $ and go to Amazon.
Stone Cold Fox tea towels: Love these! Basic color and design but well made and larger sized kitchen towels. Saving these babies to put out when we redo the kitchen. They retail for $38 for two. Would I spend that on kitchen towels, no, but I do love them and happy I got them.
AG Hair Fast Food Leave in: I’m super weird about leave ins. I have thin hair and lots of stuff tends to weigh it down. This smells great and if you’re heat styling or have over processed hair it’s great! Big tube of product. Retails for $24 and for all the product you get, it’s fantastic. I don’t use a lot of it, so it will last me a long time! Hair didn’t feel weighed down at all.
Avene Thermal Spring Water Spray: I’ve never been a water spray face person. Not sure if I like it or if I don’t. It’s cool. Retails for $14. Says it’s good for sunburns, skin issues, razor burn, diaper rash. I used it after my mask and it felt great. This probably needs to be used more to understand it’s full effect. New to the water spray game I guess. I did use it after I shaved my legs and they felt super refreshed. So would I buy it again at $14, yeah why not.
FabFitFun is delivered quarterly and costs $49.99. You can get $10 off your first box by clicking my referral link.
June 2019 Allure Beauty Box – Refresher Course
Ooooh, now this neon green pouch – I can get behind this beauty of a bag! It’s all slimy inside though – because the Floss My New Favorite Lip Gloss leaked all inside of it. It leaked right through the cardboard box it was in and slimed everything in the bag. Jeez.
June’s theme is “Refresher Course” and includes products that are intended to get you out the door quicker. So, you know I am nuts about eyebrow pencils. I grabbed the one included in the box as soon as I opened it last week – The Browgal Eyebrow Pencil – and holy shit, I have used it EVERY SINGLE DAY. This is a BOMB eyebrow pencil. Even though I get annoyed by the kind of pencils you have to sharpen, this one has a sharpener in the LID – genius! The only con – The Browgal is not sold at Ulta or Sephora, but I can go online – https://thebrowgal.com/. Oooh, and I can use code ALLURE19 for 10% off my order.
Also in this month’s box: Moroccanoil Treatment (I just got this in December’s Sephora Play!); Eau Thermale Avene Thermal Spring Water (eye roll); Context Vitamin C All Day Eye Cream; and SGX NYC The Do-It-All 3-in-1 Dry Shampoo (ugh, more of this shit).
If it wasn’t for that eyebrow pencil, I’d be pissed off about this box. I don’t regularly use ANY of the other product types!
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.
November Birchbox – The Finishing Touch
I am thankful for…my subscription boxes.
I didn’t choose the curated box this month – instead I picked just one product and got this month’s “The Finishing Touch” box. The product I chose was Chella Eyebrow Color Pencil in “Tantalizing Taupe”. I hope it’s not too light for me.
Also in this month’s box: Avène Soothing Moisturizing Mask (I got this in my October 2015 ipsy bag, but don’t think I ever used it); Number 4 Jour d’Automne Smoothing Balm; Supergoop! Forever Young Hand Cream with SPF 40; and TokyoMilk Light “Awaken Within” (a VERY strong jasmine scent).
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.
October Birchbox – Revive and Restore
Sooooo…this month’s curated box is “Revive and Restore”, which I could really use after I was laid out this past weekend with a wicked cold. Did a premonition of my illness make me choose this box???
To be honest, I saw the GlamGlow and immediately picked this box. It wasn’t the GravityMud that I’ve been lusting over, but I’m happy with any GlamGlow product. The green tube is GlamGlow PowerMud Dualcleanse Treatment.
Also in this month’s box: Avene Hydrance Optimale Hydrating Cream RICH; This Works Deep Sleep Pillow Spray (if “this works”, it will be a godsend – I have raging random insomnia); Oribe Gold Lust Dry Shampoo (meh); and MAKE Silk Cream Lipstick in “Magnolia” (so tiny).
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.
September Ipsy Bag – Glamazon
I am LOVING this month’s ipsy bag – top notch products that I will actually use!
The theme is “Glamazon” – too glam to give a damn. Yes, these products are glam to the extreme: Too Faced Lip Injection Extreme (Ooooooh it tingles like Lip Venom – it’s the capiscum AKA the same shit in pepper spray; I just put it on and my husband noticed a difference within 60 seconds…arghhhhhh, it BURNS); Eau Thermale Avène Hydrance Optimale Hydrating Serum; Dr. G Daily Safe BB in “Fair” (So many “Dr.” products these days); Living Proof Perfect hair Day (PhD) 5-in-1 Styling Treatment (I’ve loved the other products I’ve tried); and Dirty Little Secrets Cosmetics Eyeshadow in “Teaser” (orangey tan).
Oh, and did you see that the girls on the bag are YMCAing “ipsy”? So clever.
If you’d like to try Ipsy – click here. I’ll earn 250 points if you sign up through my link.
October Ipsy Bag – Alter Ego
[ipic id=”1095988846210587512″ link=”1″ float=”right” size=”220″ current=”live”]
Ipsy’s October theme is “Alter Ego”, as in transformation. Everyone likes to transform for Halloween…but I like to transform 365 days a year.
Inside my snazzy black vinyl and gold pleather bag: Eau Thermale Avène Soothing Moisture Mask (yassss); MicaBeauty ipsy EXCLUSIVE Cream Eyeshadow in “Bronze”; AYRES ipsy EXCLUSIVE Pampas Sunrise Hand Cream (mmmm…smells yummy and lemony); theBalm Cosmetics Meet Matt(e) Hughes Long-Lasting Liquid Lipstick in “Committed” (excited about this – texture and color); and Coastal Scents Xpress Line Cosmetic Pencil (It didn’t say what color it is, but I am assuming black.)
No offense, ipsy – but these don’t seem like very transformative products. At least not to me.
If you’d like to try Ipsy – click here. I’ll earn 250 points if you sign up through my link.