Tag: MILK Studios
SpongeBob Ulta Haul
I know it’s dumb…but I am a SUCKER for collections in PR Boxes. Half the time, I don’t even use half of the items in the collection, except for an initial swatch. I expect that to be true of the Wet n Wild SpongeBob Squarepants PR Box ($75). I was a bit disappointed in the outside box itself – I was expecting sturdier carboard – so it will probably end up in the bin. Inside the PR Box: Underwater Wonder Liquid Blush in “Rock Star” (it’s VERY pink, but flattering on me); Double The F.U.N. 2-in-1 Liquid Eyeliner & Stamp (OMG, the stamp is in the shape of the background flowers in the cartoon – like a rickie tickie stickie – and coincidentally the same shape and size as the tattoo I gave myself in high school that I lost in my reconstructive surgery…BREATHE); Splash On Waterproof Mascara in “Deep Dive” (I won’t be using this – will probably end up with Caty); Bikini Bottom Cooling Lip Oil in “Thar She Blows”; Bikini Bottom Cooling Lip Oil in “I’m Ready”; Bikini Bottom Cooling Lip Oil in “I Wumbo, You Wumbo”; F.U.N. Eye & Face Palette (I’ve used this and I admit – blue eyeshadow is not my friend); Always Looking Up Mirror & Keychain Set; Squidward Makeup Sponge (Besides the eye stamper, this is the other thing I wanted most); Serving Up Smiles Eyelash Curler – SpongeBob; Kelp Shake Dual Phase Dewy Setting Mist (another giveaway); and SpongeBob SquarePants Face & Body Gems (I threatened my daughter to wear these to the Stray Kids concert – I did NOT call her bluff). I am NOT disappointed with my purchase.
I was looking for Tree Hut “Tangerine” Body Spray to match my Tangerine mood, but they don’t make it. I had to settle for Tree Hut Serum-Infused Hand Wash in “Tangerine” ($6.99). It’s a bit pricy, but I find solace in the fact that this bottle is 11oz versus Bath & Body Works 8.75oz bottles.
Since Lily actually needed the serum and not the moisturizer I got last time, I got her Peach Slices Snail Rescue Intensive Serum ($17.99) and Peach Slices Snail Rescue Blemish Busting Toner ($13.99). Since she isn’t interested in makeup, the least I can do is provide her with decent skincare. Oh, and I also switched her over to the shaving oil I like. I let her try mine and she liked it, so I got her Tree Hut Moisturizing Shave Oil in “Electric Beach” ($10.99).
There was also a birthday gift in this order (not pictured, of course), which pushed me over the threshold for THREE gifts with purchase. The free gift with $75 purchase was not that impressive. It included Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protector Lotion SPF 60 (I take it back – I needed this badly); NOYZ “Detour”; Proactiv Green Tea Moisturizer (this stuff is still around?); NYX Duck Plump in “Clearly Spicy” (my third sample); and Anastasia Beverly Hills Lash Sculpt Mascara.
The Platinum & Diamond Exclusive Step Up 14 Piece Gift with $90 purchase was more impressive: megababe Blade Bar (YES, another one!); Tiffany & Co. “Tiffany & Love for Him” (this smells good enough that I passed it over to my husband to try out); Yves Saint Laurent “Black Opium”; Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray; Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye Supercharged Gel-Creme; Dermalogica Dynamic Skin Recovery SPF 50; TheraBreath Deep Clean Oral Rinse; Cetaphil Hydrating Foaming Cream Cleanser; COSRX Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser; Clinique Acne Solutions Clinical Clearing Gel (for the girl child); smashbox Photo Finish Primerizer+; Good Molecules Niacinamide Brightening Toner; Vanicream Gentle Facial Cleanser; and Natasha Denona Golden Palette Eyeshadow in “Oro” (it’s a bit crushed, so I am scared to open it).
I managed to fill my cart to just over $185 to get the Diamond Exclusive 36 piece beauty bag. I usually don’t luck into these, but I was getting a pedicure and was feeling bougie. In addition to the clear orange makeup bag, it included Jean Paul Gaultier “Le Male Elixir Absolu” (not bad, but since my FiL wears Le Male…I’ll pass); Shiseido Benefiance Wrinkle Smoothing Eye Cream; Kylie Cosmetics Matte Liquid Lisptick Card Sample in “Koko K”; Prada “Paradoxe”; COSRX Master Patch Intensive (an 18 pack – that’s $5 worth); Boots No7 Lift & Luminate Triple Action Serum; Milk Makeup Hydro Grip Gel Tint Sample Card; bareMinerals BarePro 24HR Wear Skin Perfecting Matte Liquid Foundation Sample Card; tarte Shape Tape Contour Concealer Sample Card; Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful Skin Foundation Sample Card; Drunk Elephant C-Luma Hydrabright Serum; Camille Rose Moroccan Pear Conditioning Custard; Lancome UV Expert Supra Screen Invisible Sunscreen Serum; Sol de Janeiro Bom Dia Bright Cream (just a packet instead of a pot, but I’ll use it); Ralph Lauren “Polo”; Valentino “Uomo Born in Roma”; Valentino “Donna Born in Roma Extradose”; Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb; Burberry “Goddess”; Kate Somerville ExfoliKate; Clinique Moisture Surge Body Hydrator; Paco Rabanne “Invictus Victory Elixir”; Givenchy “Irresistible”; belif The True Cream – Aqua Bomb; Method Island Mist Body Wash; COSRX The 6 Peptide Skin Booster Serum; e.l.f. Thirst Burst Drops; Dior “Miss Dior”; Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Night Oil; Round Lab Birch Juice Moisturizing UVlock SPF 45; Dolce & Gabbana “Light Blue”; Starface Hydro-Star Patches; Indie Lee Brightening Cleanser; Lanolips 101 Ointment; Earth Harbor Naturals Siren Silk Multi-Tasking Hydration Cream; Drunk Elephant Mello Marula Cream Cleanser; Marc Jacobs “Perfect”; NYX Blur Screen 30 Primer; Good Molecules Hyaluronic Acid Serum; CeraVe Ultra-Light Moisturizing Lotion; Carolina Herrera “Good Girl” (I think this is the stripper perfume); NYX The Face Glue Gripping Primer; Mugler “Alien” (Nooooooo); Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream; NYX Face Freezie Cooling Primer; DHC Super Collagen Cream; and DIME Luminosity Eye Serum. Phew, my fingers and eyes are tired!
I used a $20 off coupon and $17.50 in Ulta points on this order. I wish my coupon had been 20% off instead of $20 off $100…but I DO have an actual 20% coupon that is valid for the next 10 days…what should I fill my cart with?
Ohhhhhhh, we’re (almost) halfway there….$445 to Diamond in 2026, living on a prayer…
Disco Bum Bum Haul
Don’t come at me for spending $64 on sunscreen, just because you know I never go outside anyway…for those few occasions I do step into the sunlight, I want to be assured that I don’t burst into flames AND smell good, so I decided to try out Sol de Janeiro Rio Radiance SPF 50 Body Spray ($32). and I thought my Lala would like it, too. I’ll let you know how it goes the next time I get to visit the farm.
Tell me why I paid $2.49 (down from $4.99) for essence My Heart Beats Disco Glitter Switch Liquid Lipstick? Because it’s a better formula than Urban Decay’s Vice Liquid Lipstick “Trap Queen” ($18) which was basically the same concept?
It was free Ulta gift with purchase time, so I got another Ulta Ultra Slim Brow Pencil in “Dark Brown” ($11) and Ulta Weightless Water Lip Stain in “Sangria Splash” ($11 – I think this is the only color I didn’t have already) to meet the $19.50 threshold. I chose the coral flowered bag, which contained an Eye Shadow Palette; Matte Lip Cream; Shiny Sheer Lip Gloss; Inner Glow Eye Primer; Soft Glow Poreless Face Primer; New Heights Mascara; an Eye Shadow Brush and Makeup Sponge. I kind of hate that they don’t put the lippie color anywhere on these packages – what if I wanted a buy a full size?
There were a lot of other freebies when I placed this order, too. I got a free Sol de Janeiro Bum Bum Cream with the $40 purchase above. I got a free 13 Piece Clean Ingredient Sampler with $85 shipped purchase, which came with Sol de Janeiro Beija Flor Elasti-Cream (cannot really smell it until I fully recover from the ‘rona); Good Molecules Yerba Mate Wake Up Eye Gel; Manyo Pure & Deep Cleansing Foam; belif The True Cream; Peach Slices Snail Rescue Intensive Wash-Off Jelly Mask (I’ll save for Lily, since she uses this brand); NOYZ Sh**ty Day; Peach & Lily Retinal For All Renewing Serum (keeping for myself); Living proof. Perfect hair Day high-shine gloss; Vanicream Gentle Face Cleanser; Drunk Elephant Lala Retro Whipped Cream; Briogeo Farewell Frizz; Innersense Sweet Spirit Leave In Conditioner; and Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Framboos Glycolic Night Serum. I also got a free mystery gift with…I have no idea what I bought that gave me this. The mystery gift mostly dumb card samples: tarte Creaseless Creamy Concealer; Clinique Moisture Surge Active Glow Serum; Milk Makeup Hydro Grip Gel Tint; Ilia Barrier Build Skin Protectant Cream; Yves Saint Laurent Y; Tiffany & Co. Rose Gold (I actually have the full size, so I ain’t mad); and NYX The Face Glue Gripping Primer.
Since I splurged, I used the remaining $53 in Ulta points I had built up, as well as a $3.50 off $15 coupon, so I got all this for about $32.
Around $710 to Diamond in 2026…can I do this?
November 2022 Glam Bag X – Becky G
Sure, I’ve heard of Becky G…DISGUSTANG!
I kid, I kid…I know she is a music person of some sort. She’s the curator for this quarter’s Glam Bag X.
I am on the fence about my product choices this month. I really like the nail polish set that I picked – Lights Lacquer Nail Duo in “Mila” and “I’ll Be Home”. This brand is new to me – it’s from a YouTuber named Kathleenlights. The lippie I picked it mid – Kenia Ontiveros Beauty Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick in “Pink Vibes”…but the lipstick isn’t pink – it’s more of a terra cotta? I haven’t had a chance to try the Balance Me Tri-Molecular Hyaluronic Serum yet.
So. Too Faced has been on my “no buy” list since the brand was outed as SUPER TRANSPHOBIC, not to mention RACIST. I just don’t feel the need to give them my money…so I was super disappointed to receive the Too Faced Sweet Peach Eye Shadow Palette instead of one of the Tresluce Beauty palettes. Oh well. I’ve been using it this week, and it’s fine I guess…but only two of the shades are peach? The shades in this palette are super confusing to me – why so much purple? The peachy scent is nice, at least.
Also in this quarter’s Glam Bag X: F.A.R.A.H. The Skin Retreat Set (looks like magic wands for my face – I haven’t played with them yet); Herbivore Botanicals Pink Cloud Soft Moisture Cream (this one has a slightly dank odor – like mushrooms or something?); Kate Somerville DeliKate Soothing Cleanser (it’s VERY creamy); and Milk Makeup Rise Lifting & Lengthening Mascara (my daughter tried to steal it, but I wouldn’t let her have it).
A great bag this quarter and I’ll use at least 75% of it!
I subscribe to the basic ipsy bag for $13/month and Glam Bag X for an extra $43/quarterly. If you’d like to try Ipsy – click here. I’ll earn 250 points if you sign up through my referral link.
Sephora Favorites Hello! Greatest Beauty Hits (and more)
Ooooh! Sephora Sale on Sale! An extra 20% off sale items…so tempting.
I’d been eyeing the newest Sephora Favorites Hello! Greatest Beauty Hits set. $8 on sale is better than $10…but $6.40 is even better. I was most interested in Sol de Janeiro Cheirosa ’62 Eau de Parfum – it was so summery. Also in the set: It Cosmetics Lash Blowout Volumizing Mascara; Tarte SEA Jelly Glaze Anytime Lip Mask in “Strawberry Jelly”; BareMinerals Gen Nude Powder Blush in “Call My Blush”; First Aid Beauty FAB Pharma Arnica Relief & Rescue Mask; and Sephora Collection Ultra Glow Serum: Glow + Strengthen Vitamin C Serum. As usual, the set comes with 15% off vouchers for each product – I might actual used the Cheirosa ’62 one.
While browsing the sale section, I found a few other smokin’ deals. I splurged on a Fresh Rose Hydration Skincare Essentials Set ($55, down from $63 – $44 after discount). I also picked up the tarte SEA Yours & Mine Quench Lip Rescue Duo ($17, down from $19 – $13.60 after discount). I really like the Lip Rescue I got in the Give Me Some Balm Set – all the mask wearing has dried out my lips! The Milk Makeup KUSH Triple Brow Pen ($11, down from $22 – $8.80 after discount) was a bad purchase. The first time I used it, it was GREAT. The color “Dutch” was a perfect match to my brows and each stroke was like a little hair. The second time I used it though, it did not work at all. It’s like all the color went out of the pen after one use! Ugh, if I wasn’t so lazy, I’d take it back.
For my samples, I got Kiehl’s Calendula Water Cream and amika Flash Instant Shine Mask.
I made this purchase in 2020, but it wasn’t enough to put me into VIB status – I still needed like $65, but I didn’t want to buy something dumb. I feel like such a peasant.
Sephora Play! February 2019 – Lovestruck Beauty
Oh hey – I’m still doing February stuff. Shut up, I haven’t even received any March boxes yet.
This month’s box is all products I’ve received before – or at least, similar products. Like the Bite Beauty Amuse Bouhce Lipstick in “Rhubarb” – I’d received not the lipstick, but a pencil in “Rhubarb” in my 3rd Play box.
Also in this month’s box: Milk Makeup Mini Blur Stick (I have a full sized one I use all the time – this will be great for travel); Fresh Rose Face Mask (I haven’t used up the first one of these I got); Wander Baggage Claim Gold Eye Masks (yup, have bunches); Caudalie Vinosource Moisturizing Sorbet (love the way this one smells); and Stella McCartney Stella (have a full size).
A great box because even though they aren’t new products to me, they are products I’ve enjoyed.
Sephora Play is a really good subscription box with high-end products. Sephora Play is only $10/month. You can sign up at sephora.com/play.
Sephora Play! Smarts – Complexion Your Way: Matte
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On the second weekend of Sephora’s ROUGE BONUS 20% off sale, they dropped new Sephora Play! Smarts boxes – Complexion Your Way ($20), with a choice between “Matte” and “Dewy”. Of course, I chose “Matte”.
The star of this box was the Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r Matte Longwear Foundation + Primer. The sample card came with Primer and three shades of foundation. Amazingly, the lightest shade, “150”, was the near-perfect shade for me. There was just enough in the pack for a thin full face application (with a Beautyblender). It was BEAUTIFUL, especially topped with the Cover FX Perfect Setting Powder, also included in the box. This will definitely be the next foundation I buy.
Along with a nifty netted zipper bag, the “Matte” box had It Cosmetics Confidence in a Cleanser Skin-Transforming Hydrating Cleansing Serum (love this cleanser); Clinique Chubby Stick Sculpting Highlight; Smashbox Photo Finish Pore Minimizing Primer; Peter Thomas Roth Hungarian Thermal Water Mineral-Rich Moisturizer; and Sephora Collection Beauty Magnet Concealer Brush. I will use all of these, immediately.
I added another purchase to my order – the Ellis Brooklyn Bibliotheca Discovery Set ($20), a fragrance sampler that includes six of the brand’s set. Can you believe that the one I originally received was totally evaporated??? I was SO pissed. I called Sephora immediately and they sent me a new one, no questions asked. Luckily, it was fine…and I got two more samples. Oh yeah, did you hear that Sephora only gives two samples per order now? There will be riots in the street!
Back to the Ellis Brooklyn set…it was utterly disappointing. I really didn’t like any of the scents enough to buy a full size. I had especially high hopes for “Rrose” – I love a good rose, but it was bland. “Raven”, “Myth” and “Sci Fi” were the best of the bunch, but didn’t last long enough for me to get a feel for on me. “Rives” was straight up POISON that gave me a headache (probably the lavender). I wore “Fable” today and I cannot even remember what it smelled like. I am utterly disappointed in this set. I was hoping to find another high quality niche brand to love, like Atelier or Replica, but every formula was weak and was gone within 10 minutes. FAIL.
Oh samples! In the first shipment, I got foundations – Milk Blur Liquid Matte Foundation (3 shades on a card) and Giorgio Armani Face fabric Second Skin Makeup (4 shades foil packs). The second shipment gave me another sample of Ellis Brooklyn Myth and Dior Joy. Oh, joy.
Just $44 to Rouge!
YAYROUGE, Part 1
It’s that time of year…the Sephora Spring Bonus discount is here!
This year, VIB Rouge gets a 15% discount not one weekend, but BOTH weekends. I hit my closest Sephora during lunch on the first day of the sale. (Only 14 minutes from my office to Sephora!) I was after this year’s Sun Safety Kit, but the store had already sold out…I’d have to check online.
I wanted the gift with purchase, so I wandered around, looking for a summer skin product. I tried new foundations from Sunday Riley and First Aid Beauty, but was unimpressed. Then I came across Milk Makeup Sunshine Skin Tint SPF 30 in “Fair” ($42). I tried it on my wrist and it actually blended into my skin, instead of just sitting on top. What the hell. I bought a tube. 15% made me not feel bad about it. I tried it both days this past weekend and it is more similar to a BB cream than a foundation, but it evened out my complexion without looking thick. AND I didn’t break out. This foundation will be my summer jam.
Not only did I get a cute “Lips” Card Case, but I got a sample bag. Inside the special sample bag: Buxom Big Tease Plumping Mascara; tarte Drink of H2O Hydrating Boost; Clinique Beyond Perfecting Super Concealer Camouflage + 24-Hour Wear; Beauty Blender Liquid Blendercleanser (it works SO much better than Baby Shampoo); Caudalie Vinopefect Radiance Serum; Josie Maran 100% Pure Argan Oil; Algenist Genius Ultimate Anti-Aging Cream; and Fresh Umbrian Clay Purifying Mask. Yeah, it’s mostly foil packs, but it’s high end brands.
Oh, I also got to smell REPLICA Music Festival, which is purported to smell like patchouli and “fresh bud”. I’ll be damned if it didn’t smell just like a hippie that hadn’t bathed in a month.
…and then I started ordering online….
Sephora Play! July 2017 – Beauty Staycation
Getting my last July box in right at the last minute…
July’s theme is “Beauty Staycation” and the pink gingham bag says “Glamp Out!” I prefer glamping to camping any damn day.
So pumped to get another sample of Boscia Charcoal Pore Pudding – I got a sample last year and it was a really good mask. Also in this month’s box: bare minerals Gen Nude Matte Liquid Lipcolor in “Swag” (every brand is coming out with one right now); it Cosmetics Superhero Elastic Stretch Volumizing Mascara (I don’t know if I want my eyelashes stretched); Milk Makeup Cooling Water (not sure about this – it seems to be a “cooling” moisturizer stick?); Briogeo Rosarco Milk Reparative Leave-In Conditioning Spray (not a bad leave-in – I’m still working on the bottle I got a few years ago); and Atelier Cologne Orange Sanguine (I have several of these, but it’s good).
Even though the box contains several products I already have or have had, not complaints from me – it’s alll good stuff.
If you haven’t signed up yet, get to it. This is by far the best subscription box I get every month. Sephora Play is only $10/month. You can sign up at sephora.com/play.
Lara & the Holograms
Birchbox sends you an email saying that I have $19.50 in points that are in danger of expiring…what do you do? WHAT DO YOU DO?
I…get on the site and starting shopping immediately. I settle on a Milk Makeup Holographic Stick ($28) – just $8.50 after my credits. Imagine my surprise when I opened up my box to fine 2 Holographic Sticks! (Birchbox must like to send me two of things.) I guess it’s Sally’s lucky day – she’ll be getting the other one!
I also used a code to get a free Tony Moly Nose Pack. I’m guessing it’s like a Biore Nose Strip?
To be honest, I’ve been a bit bored with Birchbox, since they ended their original points system. I admit it was a pain in the ass to review all those products, but it was worth it for those sweet, sweet points. I’m not saying I’m gonna cancel, but it’s a possibility.
Friday was a Good Day…
…I didn’t have to use my AK. Oh, and I received boxes from Sephora AND Ulta.
I broke down and decided to order the Milk Makeup Blur Stick ($36) – I had to see what all the fuss was about. The fuss is warranted. I’ve been using it almost every day since I got it. It’s like a giant chapstick for your face. It’s really weird rubbing a giant chapstick on your face, but you get over it when you see what it does for your skin. It makes all of your pores absolutely disappear. I don’t know where they go – and I do not care. For reference, it’s very similar to Benefit The POREfessional, with the added bonus of not having to get it on your hands. This is a must have product.
My excuse for ordering was to get my Sephora Birthday gift – I chose the Tarte Set with Amazonian Clay 12-hour Blush in “paaarty” and Tarteist Creamy Matte Lip Paint in “Birthday Suit”.
I used a code to get a fancy Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Set with Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Recovery Complex, Advanced Night Repair Eye and Revitalizing Supreme Light Global Anti-Aging Creme. (Why do all these products have such long names?) For my three samples, I got one thing I chose – Clinique Foaming Sonic Facial Soap – and two I didn’t – Calvin Klein Deep Euphoria and Skin Inc. Pure Revival Peel.
Wednesday is the best day to order from Ulta, because of the special Beauty Breaks. I’d been shuffling things in and out of my basket for three weeks, waiting for a good Beauty Break. Imagine surprise when my order arrived on Friday – just two days later.
The Beauty Break that got me was the e.l.f. Beauty Break, with Illuminating Primer, Poreless Face Primer, Moisturizing Lipstick in “Ravishing Rose”, Lip Exfoliator in “Sweet Cherry” (I’ve been using the last one I got to exfoliate after liquid lippies) and a Complexion Brush. I also got a free Deluxe Sample of Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion (the best one I’ve used) and drybar Hot Toddy Heat and UV Protectant. My sample pack included Olay Regenerist Moisturizer and H2O+ Beauty Elements Keep It Fresh Face Cleanser.
OH! I bought some stuff, too! I had to get my hand on the new Urban Decay Vice Liquid Lipsticks – I got “Conspiracy” and “Amulet”. Although the lipsticks are thinner than Jeffree or Kat’s, they go on smoothly and the colors are unique. I must have MORE…I also grabbed a backup Zoya Remove+ and a Japonesque Solid Brush Cleanser (replacing the one from my ipsy bag that I used up).
Such a good day!