Tag: Gift with Purchase
Mystery Revolution
Honest…I didn’t expect to be placing another Makeup Revolution order so soon. But they offered an Easter Mystery Bag worth £25 with a £30 purchase, plus 20% off for downloading their new app…so…
I ordered on Thursday, March 24th and got a notification that it shipped on Monday, March 28th. I received my package on Tuesday, April 5th. Just 8 days to get from London to me! Sally lives in Scotland and ordered the day after I did and got hers the same day I did – what is that about?
I had to have the new “Fortune Favours the Brave” palette, since it’s unlikely to be released stateside. I am addicted to this palette – I’ve used it for three days straight and haven’t tried any of my other new palettes. The included brush is shit, but the quality of the shadows is top notch. I also got the new “Chocolate Vice” palette. I decided to try the new Lip Amplification in “Epic Love” – I was expecting a dustier rose, but again – bright ass pink. It’s wearable though. I’m not too much of a blush person, but I had to snag two of their newer blush palettes – “Blush Queen”, which is reminiscent of the Laura Geller Baked Blushes I love and “Golden Sugar 2”, which is beautiful rose gold shades.
And then there is the free shit…OMG….so much stuff. I’m most excited about the “Colour Chaos” palette – my husband was horrified by the prospect of me using these bright ass drag queen shadows. Also included in the bag: Ultra Velour Lip Cream in “Move Your Mouth Forever” (nude) ; #Liphug Lipstick in “Let’s Move the Bar” (orange); Radiant Lights “Glow” (an illuminating powder); Amazing Sheer Lip Gloss in “Hey Girl” (peachy); Vivid Blush Lacquer in “O’ Boy” (pink); The One Blush Stick in “Malibu” (rust); and a Mono Eyeshadow in “Adore Moi” (buttery brown).
A lot of interesting stuff to try in the mystery bag – and each one was different. Sally got totally different stuff!
Normally, I like to try most of the stuff I buy before I post, but there’es really too many goodies to try. I’ve let you down…and I am truly sorry for that.
So basically, I ordered all of this quality makeup from overseas and STILL paid less (less than $50 USD with shipping) than buying a single prestige palette – Too Faced or Urban Decay, etc. I am HOOKED on Makeup Revolution.
Ulta Gifting
I placed another Ulta order the Wednesday before last…because there were GIFTS I needed. Really, I had a reason.
Besides the gifts, I also order some stuff for myself – the Makeup Revolution Redemption Palette “Unicorns are Real” and new Lip Euphoria “Fate”. Lip Euphoria just launched and Ulta got it quick – there’s hope!
I also qualified for the Bare Minerals Beauty Break, which included 5 in 1 BB Advanced Performance Cream Eyeshadow; Lash Domination Volumizing Mascara; Lash Domination Volumizing Mascara for Short Lashes (They make special mascara for short lashes? How is it different?); Marvelous Moxie Lipstick in “Get Ready” (I got this in my first ipsy bag – great color!); and BareSkin Sheer Sun Serum Bronzer (weird). I also got some weird samples – Escada “Joyful” and Herban Essentials Lavender Towlette (what the fuck do I do with this?)
And then Saturday, I went to Ulta to get my hair did…and buy some more gifts. All gifts must come from Ulta!
I liked my neon eyeshadow and pink eyeliner combo so much, that I wanted more liquid eyeliner options – red and blue! I got NYX Glam Liner Aqua Luxe in “Azur Glamour” and NYX Vivid Brights Liquid Eyeliner in “Vivid Fire”. They were BOGOHalf and I figured I would try both formulas. I also grabbed a pack of eyeshadow sponges from the bin by the checkout…sometimes the cheap stuff works best.
…and my receipt told me that I am only $5 away from Platinum status for next year. WHOOP!
On Wednesdays, We Order from Ulta
Ulta knows what they are doing, offering their Wednesday Beauty Breaks…I’ll be pondering on whether to order something, I’ll get that email, and I’ve clicked “Complete Order” before I know what hit me…
Since my main purchase was a gift, I’ll show you the stuff for ME that I got. I ordered BOGHalf Freeman Beauty Masks – both new – Banana-Oat Instant Smoothing Mask and Charcoal & Black Sugar Mud Mask. There’s a new Apple Cider Vinegar Mask that I wanted, but it was sold out.
This weeks Beauty Break (free with $50 purchase) was from Laura Geller. It was Baked Marble Eyeshadow Duo in “Pink Icing/Devil’s Food”; Color Drenched Lip Gloss in “Pink Lemonade”; i-care Waterproof Eyeliner in “Charcoal”; and double-ended makeup brush (I wanted this the most!) – all in a cute gold wristlet.
I got nearly the same skincare samples AGAIN – Benefit The POREfessional and smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer. Both are good products – but I have so much! Oh…and I used a $3.50 off coupon to get my total to $50.94 – I’m getting good at this!
Another Sephora Makeover
Back in Vegas this past week – a sort of early 40th birthday celebration. I don’t know if I’ll ever hit Rouge status again, so I’m going to take advantage of the free makeup services while I can. If nothing else, I figured it would be 90 minutes that I wasn’t stuffing my face or losing money in a slot machine.
I scheduled a 90 minute Beauty Consultation with 2 goals – to get better at applying bright eye shadows (unless it’s natural colors, I tend to feel a bit like MiMi from The Drew Carey Show) and to find another BB Cream (since Urban Decay Naked Light has been discontinued).
Tasha started with Too Faced Eye Shadow Primer and a neutral base from the Too Faced Natural Matte Palette. She taught me to start with a matte before adding the color – I had no idea. She then used a combination of Make Up For Ever and Buxom shadows to create this shimmery turquoise look – I felt like a mermaid.
On the BB Cream front, we tried Benefit first – that one was a big fat NOPE. It collected in my pores and made me like I had polka dots. It didn’t work with a layer of The POREfessional either. None of the Bobby Brown colors worked, so Tasha moved on to the Smashbox BB Cream. It was a bit better, but there were still a few odd orange flakes. I decided to wear it for the night before I decided to buy.
I was also excited that Tasha wanted to try the new Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Definer in “Caramel”. I usually use “Soft Brown”, but she suggested trying a lighter color – it looked great on me. She also used Sephora Color Corrector in “Peach” to correct the dark circles under my eyes. Genius.
My final purchases were rather moderate, if I do say so myself. I picked up the Brow Definer ($23) and Color Corrector ($14), but I also grabbed a Travel Brush ($15) since I forgot mine – DOH!. I also decided to purchase the Skin Inc Get Glam Holiday Set ($65), which includes a full-size Skin Inc Pure Revival Peel and half-size Pure Deepsea Hydrating Mask. A Skin Consultant put both on my face before my the makeup and both felt amazing. I don’t usually spend much money on skin products, but I figured I’d give it a spin since I was using my 10% off VIB code.
I also got the Rouge Welcome Kit, which includes a new RED card and special Marc Jacobs “So Rouge” lipstick. Since my birthday is just around the corner, I also got to pick my birthday gift – I chose the Fresh Set with Soy Face Cleanser and Rose Mask. So, so happy with my purchases and gifts!
First Ulta Haul of 2016
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I didn’t think it would be so soon…but here it is – my first Ulta haul of the year.
I had been using John Frieda Illuminating Shine and I REALLY like they way it makes my newly short hair feel. I noticed it was $3 each on Ulta’s site and went nuts, ordering 3 each of shampoo and conditioner. (I guess it is discontinued now – it’s no longer on Ulta’s site. FUCK.) Isn’t that the way it always goes? You find something you like and them BOOM – it’s gone. Ugh. I also got a John Frieda Gift with Purchase – travel sizes of John Frieda Beach Blonde Cool Dip Purifying Shampoo, Smooth Seas Detangling Conditioner and Sea Waves Sea Salt Spray. Of course, I just cut all the blonde off my hair, but these will be good for summer.
I also picked up Urban Decay Loose Ultra Definition Finishing Powder – I’ve been using the Pressed, but wanted to try this. I also got Biore Baking Soda Liquid Cleanser (is baking soda the new charcoal?) – I tried it last night and it was nice. I had been lusting over Nicole by OPI “Pick of the Glitter” for about a month, after spying it in a Walgreen’s display. It was still on my mind, so I broke down and bought it. (It is every bit as good as I thought it would be.)
My purchase qualified me for the Platinum Skin Beauty Break Gift with $60 Purchase – a little plastic makeup bag with NOICE samples. Inside the bag: Dermablend Professional Setting Powder (Pricey); Philosophy Purity Made Simple One-Step Facial Cleanser (going to Vegas with me); StriVectin SD Advanced Intensive Concentrate for Wrinkles & Stretch Marks (Which one should I work on first?); Juice Beauty Green Apple Peel Sensitive (Leave it to Gwyneth Paltrow to make beauty products in the worst scent imaginable); Clarins Super Restorative Total Eye Concentrate; Lancome Renergie Lift Multi-Action Lifiting and Firming Moisturizer; Skyn Iceland Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels; Patchology FlashPath Eye Gels; and Smashbox Photo Finish Primer Oil. This is the best sample bag I’ve gotten from Ulta, I think!
I didn’t get my Variety Sampler though…Bummer.
The Saga of “Give Me Some Nude Lip”
I’m going to tell you a story…it’s a very scary story…but I can promise that it has a happy ending.
The Monday before last, Sephora released an all-nude version of their “Give Me Some Lip” Set – even though it was $28, I had to have it. Inside the all new “Give Me Some Nude Lip” Set: Laura Mercier Crème Smooth Lipstick in “Milky Way”; NARS Lipstick in “Dolce Vita”; Marc Jacobs Beauty Mini (P)Outliner Longwear Lip Pencil in “Prim(Rose) (cocoa spice)”; NUDESTIX Lip + Cheek Crayon in “Whisper”; and Tarte Deluxe Tarteist Lip Paint in “Namaste Nude”.
On Thursday…my box arrived. I gleefully opened the box, carefully peeled the sticker seals from the lip-shaped box…and the contents were FUCKED UP…Noooooooooooooo! There were two Marc Jacobs lip liners and no Tarte Lip Paint. A tragedy. I called Sephora Customer Service…and their computers were down and they couldn’t help me. I called an hour later…and the phone jockey hung up on me. I called right back…computers still down. Finally, a few hours after that – everything was back to normal and I got someone who could help me. She told me that she would send out another one immediately and I could just return this one to my closest store. YES.
So while I waited, at least I had other samples to play with. My order qualified for the free Beauty to Love Sample bag, which came with Becca Backlight Priming Filter (huh?); Atelier Cologne “Mandarine Glaciale” (I have so many samples of this, but I love it); Perricone MD Re:Firm Surface Recovery Treatment; Touch in Sol Feels Like Honey Moon Skin Base (I just tried the one I got in my last Allure Beauty Thrills – it’s ok, but not moisturizing enough for winter); BITE Beauty Agave Lip Masks (I tried the last sample I got a few days ago – feel nice at bedtime); First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Hydra-Firm Sleeping Cream; Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer; and Skin Inc Pure Deepsea Hydrating Mask. I’m glad I got these good samples, because I didn’t get ANY of the ones I picked at checkout. Instead I got Thierry Mugler “Alien” (Smells so gross); Clinique Moisture Surge (I like this stuff); and Dr. brandt Do Not Age Beauty Sleep Serum.
On Saturday, I dutifully delivered my fucked up lip set to Sephora. The return was quick, but then the “Cast Member” decided I need skin stuff and showed me a bunch of skin care stuff and smears some Kate Somerville stuff on my hand. I thanked her and got the hell out of there without buying a thing.
Days passed…On Tuesday, my new box arrived.
I was holding my breath as I opened it…YES! Everything in this box was perfect. I also got three more samples – Lancome Teint Idole Ultra Makeup Stick (I feel like I keep getting Lancome stuff and I should be more excited about it…but I’m not); Prada “Candy” and DKNY “Be Desired”.
I’m going to be taking all these nude beauties with me to Vegas in a few days – I can’t wait to try them all! Good thing I ordered it on the first day it was available…it’s already out of stock! Yay – happy ending!
Ulta Cyber Fundays
The weekend before Thanksgiving/Black Friday, Ulta ran a “Cyber Fundays” promotion with a bunch of stuff on sale, plus a gift with purchase sample bag on orders of $60+, plus $10 off. I decided to knock out some stocking stuffers, plus get a few things for myself. Imagine my surprise when Ulta decided to break my modest order into three different shipments.
The first box was rather piddly – just a travel size Joico K-PAK Deep-Penetrating Reconstructor (my BFF swears by K-PAKs, so I thought I’d give them a try while on sale) and a few stocking stuffers from the 5/$5 Promotion.
The second box was also small – a single lotion stocking stuffer, my variety sampler – Lumene Time Freeze Instant Lift Serum and Burt’s Bees Renewal Intensive Firming Serum – and my gift with purchase…Inside the Berry Glam Beauty Bag: Too Faced Born This Way Foundation with 3 different shades – “Vanilla”, “Light Beige” and “Sand”; Gucci “Bamboo” (not bad, smells like Crystals in Vegas); “Pink Sugar” (too hookery); Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Powder Duo; Pureology Coulour Fanatic Instant Deep-Conditioning Mask; Benefit ThePOREfessional Pro Balm & License to Blot Set; Urban Decay Cosmetics Revolution Lipstick (Card with 4 sample colors); Giorgio Armani “Acqua Di Gio”; Whish Body Butter in “Winterberry” (the last one I got smelled like hot dog water, so I am scared to try this one); It’s a 10 Miracle Leave-In Product (guaranteed in every Ulta sample bag); Ralph Lauren “Romance”; Philosophy Purity Made Simple 3-in-1 Cleanser for Face and Eyes; Ulta Legendary Lengths Lengthening Mascara; Clarins Super Restorative Day; Alterna Haircare Caviar CC Cream (for hair); Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer (I have SO much of this shit); Skyn Iceland Pure Cloud Cream; Nip+Fab Skin Dragon’s Blood Fix Plumping Serum (it couldn’t be worse than the snake venom that nut in Vegas smeared all over my face); and a BUNCH of Ulta coupons.
FINALLY…the third box had the REAL stuff I ordered: John Frieda Liquid Shine Shampoo and Conditioner ($3.74 each!); Joico K-PAK Shampoo (to go with the conditioner); Ulta Rose Gold Palette (been lusting after this FOREVER); Poo-Pourri “Merry Spritzmas” (for my son – at 10, he is starting to get manly shits); eos Holiday Set (also for him), some other stocking stuffers and some nail buffers for ME.
I monitored Ulta’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales and it looks like the Cyber Fundays sale was actually the better deal (for me, anyway). They’re still sending different sale emails every day, though…I may not be done ordering yet!
On a Mission…
When you’re on a mission and you still don’t find what you’re looking for…but still come home with several bags of goodies…
My mission – to find some dupes of Kat Von D “Lolita” (Sephora exclusive) and Anastasia Beverly Hills “Veronica” (Macy’s exclusive). As painful as it would be to spend $20 on a lipstick, it’s more annoying that both are very hard to come by – forever out of stock in stores and online. So I did some googling and found some cheaper alternatives. I hadn’t used my 20% off Ulta coupon, so I went in search of some NYX and Essence dupes. I saw online that NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in “Cannes” and NYX Intense Butter Gloss in “Chocolate Crepe” were close. Nope – no luck. I did, however, pick up another Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in “Soft Brown”, another Zoya Remove+ and Ulta Dual Tipped Foam Applicators (I can’t quit foam applicators). I also hit a Target and HEB looking for NYX, Essence and wet n wild dupes – but no luck.
That was Saturday. On Sunday, I scammed my husband into dropping me off at a different Ulta – I did manage to find NYX “Chocolate Crepe” – but no “Cannes”! I did grab NYX Butter Lipstick in “Pops” – it looks close, too. And then I saw the Fall Ulta Gift with Purchase (a leatherette bag with the usual – eye shadow quads, blush, mascara, polish, brushes, eye liner, lip gloss, etc.)…I picked Ulta Shiny Sheer Lip Gloss in “Smoky” (I thought it would be darker, but it just made my lips vaguely gray and glittery) and Ulta Liquid Liner in “Black Pearl” (Glittery black eye liner is good, but they were out of the Rose Gold I wanted). That was only $19 and I needed $19.50, so I grabbed Ulta Cotton Pads.
Last stop, HEB to grab some soda for my M-i-L…and I found wet n wild Megalast Lip Stick in “Spiked with Rum” ($1.93). Still no “Cannes”, I’ll keep searching, but look forward to some lipstick swatches coming soon…
HUGE Ulta Haul
Those “gift with purchase” deals get me every time. Last week, Ulta was offering a pink plastic Beauty Bag, filled with samples – free to Platinum Members with a $60 purchase. There just happened to be $60 of stuff I needed…a back-up Urban Decay Naked Skin Ultra Definition Finishing Powder in “Medium Light”…2 more Freeman Beauty Masks that were BOGH (I’m a total mask addict now) – Avocado & Oatmeal Clay and Golden Grain Brightening…5 Ulta Brilliant Color Lip Glosses on sale for $3 each – “Rich Plum”, “Toast” (a back-up), “Spice”, “Guava”, and “Cupcake”…and I broke down and tried Poo-Pourri in “Rosy Cheeks” (I tried it earlier today – although I didn’t smell poo-poo, it seemed to be a mostly non-offensive load – more research is needed).
Inside my beautiful pink bag (perfect for my upcoming Vegas trip): Lancôme Defincils Mascara in “Black”; Ulta Sweet Fantasy Vanilla and Caramel Silky Smooth Body Lotion; it Cosmetics No-Tug Waterproof Gel Eyeliner in “Black-Brown”; Juice Organics Brightening Shampoo and Conditioner; Dolce & Gabbana “light blue – Sunset in Salina” (reminds me of my mom – smells a little bit like “Lauren”); it’s a 10 Miracle Leave-In for Blondes (I gave away the last one I got, but I’ll give this blonde version a try); Thierry Mugler “Angel” (I think a friend of mine wear this – so I never will); Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion (I have SO many samples of this shit); Whish Body Butter in “Almond”; Biolage Matrix Exquisite Oil; dermalogica Ultrasmoothing Eye Serum; Laura Geller Baked Liquid Radiance Foundation in “Golden Medium”; Juice Beauty Stem Cellular Booster Serum (good stuff – I used up my last sample); Kate Spade “Live Color Fully” (I might actually wear this one); Benefit It’s Potent eye Benefit cream; and a mini Ulta Brilliant Gloss in “Toast” (I guess I didn’t need that back-up I ordered?). Gee, I’ve got finger cramps from typing.
Two more samples came with my order – HASK Coconut Monoi Oil Shampoo and Conditioner and Cargo HD Picture Perfect CC Cream. I also used my $3.50 coupon. Excited to play with my new stuff!
Perfume Hoarder
When I was a little girl and my mom would take us shopping at Foley’s, my favorite thing to do was visit all of the perfume counters and ask for samples. I would come home with my tiny vials of scented potions…and play. Realistically, I probably smelled horrible, but I felt beautiful.
Fast forward thirty or so years…and I’m still hoarding those tiny glass vials. I actually just cleaned out a drawer in my bureau – and entirely filled it with all those samples that had been cluttering the top. Now I have more to add to the collection…
I had been trying to resist, but I broke down and ordered a rollerball of Atelier Cologne “Mandarine Glaciale” – now my second favorite Atelier. For samples, I picked another Atelier – my first favorite, “Cedrat Enivrant”, and 2 Maison Martin Margiela Replica Samples – “Jazz Club” (I didn’t realize it’s a Men’s Fragrance; It’s strong and smoky – since it made my husband’s eyes water, my son claimed it – a suitable self-defense for jiu jitsu class?) and “Lazy Sunday Morning” (It smells like clean sheets – Mmmmmmm). I also got a deluxe sample of Too Faced Born This Way Foundation in “Vanilla” with my $25 purchase.
I think I’ve gotten my money’s worth of out the $10 Flash Shipping – and it’s only been 4 month. Plus, only $37 to go until I hit VIB status!