Tag: Rare Beauty
Bougie Brazilian Ulta Haul
So my daughter makes fun of all the Sol de Janeiro that I buy…she says that I have the taste of an 11 year old ‘Sephora kid’…She’s 18 and it is totally lost on her that these 11 year olds have MOTHERS and THEIR MOTHERS are the ones buying these kids adult products at Sephora and making Tik Toks to monetize their children. All of this is to say…I don’t smell like an 11 year old – these 11 year olds smell like a 50 year old woman!
ANYWAY…Sol de Janeiro came out with a new scent and I purchased it sight unsmelled. Rosa Charmosa AKA Cheriosa 91 is a passionfruit and rose mix, so I was fairly certain I would LOVE it and LOVE it I did. I picked up Sol de Janeiro Cheirosa 91 Hair & Body Perfume Mist ($26) and Rosa Charmosa Dewy Cream ($24) and it’s become my “go to” scent. I bought the smaller sizes, but will be buying larger sizes shortly.
I figured I would keep on going and filled my cart with Sol de Janeiro. I picked up a Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Bum Bum Visibly Firming Refillable Body Cream ($44), Sol de Janeiro Beija Flor Body Collagen-Boosting Elasti-Cream with Bio-Retinol ($48), and Sol de Janeiro Rio Deo Aluminum-Free Refillable Deodorant Cheirosa 68 ($18). I’ll be using the Rosa Charmosa with Beija Flor – they meld well together.
Rounding off my cart, I also got a new lube – Playground Free Love Extra-Gentle Water-Based Personal Lubricant ($18) – because Ulta was out of stock of the other one I like. I also grabbed an Ulta Beauty Magic Marker Lip Stain in “Cocoa Mood” ($11.50) and it’s the Rum Raisin of my dreams. (Remember in the 90s, when Clinique “Rum Raisin” was all the rage?)
My order got me several different gifts with purchase. I got a Cetaphil Facial Cleanser with my $50 purchase. I also got Sol de Janeiro 4 piece gift with my $65 brand purchase, which included a Bum Bum Cream and Body Spray only in the bag – it was missing the Body Badalada Lotion that was supposed to come with it. I am kind of salty about that, because I was looking forward to trying it.
The BIG gift with purchase was the Free Diamond Exclusive 40 Piece Beauty Bag with select $185 shipped purchase, Inside the super cute terry cloth makeup bag was tarte tarlette Tubing Mascara Primer; Osea Undaria Algae Body Oil; deluxe size Prada “Paradoxe“; Peach & Lily Retinol for All Renewing Serum; Milani Conceal + Perfect Blur Out Powder; Briogeo Don’t Despair, Repair!; Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in “Whiskey”; Beautybio The Balance Gel Cleanser; Fresh Black Tea Renewal Serum; CeraVe Invisible Mineral Sunscreen; Supergoop! Dew Screen; Living proof. Perfect hair Day Dry Shampoo (going to the daughter); Verb Frizz Defense Smoothing Spray; Urban Veda Daily Purifying Facial Wash; Cetaphil Nourishing Oil to Foam Cleanser; Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Dewy Liquid Blush; Clarins Lip Comfort Oil “04”; Joico Dream Blowout Glass; Buxom Plump Shot Lip Serum; Origins Check and Balances Gentle Foaming Face Wash; La Roche-Posay Toleriane Purifying Foam Cleanser; Mighty Patch Invisible+ (definitely going to the daughter); Jane Iredale Just Kissed Lip and Cheek Stain; Vichy Liftactiv 16% Pure Vitamin C Brightening Serum; ma:nyo Galac Niacin 3.0 Essence; Sebastian Professional Porion 9 Leave-in Conditioner & Styling Cream; Pureology Hydrate Shampoo & Conditioner (deluxe bottles!); Morphe Solo Artist Priming Cream Eyeshadow in “Mixtape”; Pixi Glow Tonic; L.A. Girl Perfect Precision Lip Liner in “Blushing”; Ethique Beauty Love at First Swipe Scalp Health Mini Solid Shampoo (I’m frustrated with how long it takes to use the Kitsch one I got, but I’ll give this one a try); Sunday Riley CEO Brightening Serum; Hourglass Unlocked Instant Extensions Mascara; Carolina Herrera “La Bomba”; divi Scalp Serum; Rabanne “Million Gold for her”; NOYZ “Detour”; and Estee Lauder Double Wear Smooth & Blur Primer. I am not even made that it’s 90% skin stuff – it will save me a few months of buying face wash and serums.
I had a $20 off coupon code, as well as $20.50 in Ulta points, which is what I used to justify this little splurge. Only $684 to Diamond in 2027.
May 2026 Ipsy Ultimate – Summer Collection
Ipsy is really pushing the Natasha Denona these days…I’m not even mad.
Two of my products choices were Natasha: Natasha Denona My Dream Eyeshadow Palette ($72) and Natasha Denona My Dream Cheek Trio ($48). Be careful with the eye palette – she is SUPER pigmented. I didn’t realize that the cheek trio was a single blush shade and two highlighters – with a cream texture, no less. Even so – I LOVE the blush shade. it applies wonderfully with my usual brush and it reminds me of NARS Orgasm. Definitely a keeper.
I haven’t had a chance to try my other product choice yet – Rare Beauty Find Comfort Bouncy Body Cream – Awaken Confidence ($36).
Most of the other products were really nice: YSL Candy Glaze Lip Gloss Stick ($43 – although I would never spend $43 on lip gloss, I can see why it’s so much – it’s great); BISHA Essential Setting Powder in “Tokyo Translucent” ($40 – perfect for when you don’t want full foundation, but don’t want to be shiny); Ciele The Blush Brush ($32 – haven’t tried it yet); and Dermalactives Resurfacing Honey and Charcoal Mask ($159 – fucking expensive, but it makes my skin butter smooth, so I get it).
The final product is an abomination of god: Makeup by Mario Ultra Suede Cozy Lip Creme in “Nude Suede” ($26). It was like putting concealer on my lips – totally unusable. This one is going in la basura.
Except for the abominable lip creme, this is a really nice box. The box value is $456, one of the higher combinations I’ve gotten.
I subscribe to the original ipsy bag for $14/month (recently increased from $13/month) and ipsy Ultimate (formerly Icon Box, and before that – Glam Bag X) for an extra $60/quarterly (recently increased from $43/quarterly). If you’d like to try Ipsy – click here. I’ll earn 250 points if you sign up through my referral link.
May 2025 Ipsy Icon Box – Erin & Sara Foster
Once again, I find myself wondering who this quarter’s Icon Box curators – Erin & Sara Foster – even are. I did a quick Google and found that they are Podcasters (don’t care) and made a semi-autobiographical Netflix Show (won’t watch). Cool, cool…but then I read farther down the article and figured out that they are just another set of Hollywood Nepo Babies with a record producer father that put them in Jenner/Hadid circles – and he is currently married to that weird American Idol lady. Safe to say they’ve lost what little legitimacy they may have had in my eyes…
ANYWAY, they curated this box and it easily one of the lamest Icon Boxes yet. I’ll start with the one product that is SOLID GOLD – Grande Cosmetics GrandeBROW Brow Enhancing Serum in Clear ($73). This shit WORKS. I do not know that I would pay $73 for it, but I have been using it every night for the last two weeks or so and I already can see a difference in my thin 90s brows. I am so glad I snagged this as one of my product choices.
I admit, I have not tried my other two product choices yet. I selected First Aid Beauty 0.3% Retinol Complex Serum with Peptides ($48) because I will be 50 next year and a facelift is not in my budget. I don’t remember why I picked Drunk Elephant D-Bronzi™ Anti-Pollution Sunshine Drops ($39). It’s bronzer drops that you add to your foundation. I will literally never use this.
What am I going to do with Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Freeze Gel ($26)? I don’t have brows, so I might resell it. I will probably use the Beautystat Universal Triple Action Daily Peel ($29) instead of acne pads. I used the Rare Beauty All of the Above Weightless Eyeshadow Stick in “Integrity (Champagne) ($22) and it was quick and easy…but WAY overpriced. I’ll probably never use the Rodial Plumping Collagen Lip Oil ($38) for anything, except as lipstick remover.
I am absolutely IN LOVE with my final product though – Maison Louis Marie No.14 Icila Eau de Parfum ($93). It is worth every penny of that $93. Notes of ruby red grapefruit, plum and patchouli make this a hit for me. I’ve already used it half a dozen times since it arrived.
Another $368 box…of course, half of it might be going in the trash…
I subscribe to the basic ipsy bag for $14/month (recently increased from $13/month) and Icon Box (formerly Glam Bag X) for an extra $60/quarterly (recently increased from $43/quarterly). If you’d like to try Ipsy – click here. I’ll earn 250 points if you sign up through my referral link.
November 2021 Glam Bag X – Huda
Okay, write this down – this quarter’s Glam Bag X is SO good that I’ve tried every single product in the box…that’s right, every single one!
First off, this quarter’s box was curated by Huda Kattan. Her beauty empire has grown significantly since the Allure Beauty Box she curated a few years ago, although not without a few controversies and product labelling mishaps…
The star of the box is the PMD Beauty Clean Smart Cleansing Device in “Warmth”. I’ll admit, when my husband saw it, he thought it was a totally different type of toy. (I’ll let you know if that pans out – so far, I’ve only used it on my FACE.) I was happy to get this device, if only as a replacement for my Clarisonic. RIP Clarisonic. I loved my Clarisonic, but I am on my last brush head, so I guess my love affair will end when it gets too nasty to use. The PMD device is entirely silicone – no replacement brushes to buy – AND runs on batteries. At ~$60, it’s also a much more affordable solution than the Clarisonic.
The other products that Huda curated for me were: Cela Masque De Glacier Clay Mask (a little goes a long way with this one; there’s a slight tingle as it dries, but nothing serious); Wishful Thirst Trap Juice HA3 Peptide Serum (Wishful is Huda’s skincare brand – this serum feels nice and has a slight tightening effect); Huda Beauty Legit Lashes in “Vanta Black” (this is a double ended mascara – one brush for volume and one brush for length – but spoiler alert – I cannot see any difference between either brush); and Rare Beauty With Gratitude Dewy Lip Balm in “Honor” (I was underwhelmed to receive another clear lip balm…until I tried it – how does this smell like a literal cloud? I LOVE it!)
I got to choose THREE products. I chose Huda Beauty Haze Obsessions Eyeshadow Palette in “Purple” (I wish I would have had this back in October, when I was wearing my purple “BAND MOM” T-shirt every weekend; quality is middling and not very blendable – hard pass on buying more of these); Ahava Dermud Intensive Foot Cream (my feet LOVE this); and First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads (remind my of the Stridex pads of my youth).
At a total value of $323, I am absolutely and totally happy with this quarter’s bag. Wait, since I did not get a bag this month, I guess it is just a box. Whatever.
I subscribe to the basic ipsy bag for $12/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.