Category: Body
Birchbox Limited Edition CEW Boxes
Every time Birchbox comes out with a Limited Edition Box…just take my money. TAKE MY MONEY, Birchbox! With the Modern Mermaid box, I acted like I might not buy it and waited a few weeks. I didn’t even bother waiting to buy the Limited Edition 2014 CEW boxes – I bought them the first day they were available – $28 for both boxes is quite a deal. All of the products were finalists in this year’s CEW Insider’s Choice Beauty Awards.
The Mass Appeal Box contains stuff you can find at any drugstore or grocery store: a travel size Dove Go Fresh Restore Body Wash; a full size Simple Protecting Light Moisturizer with SPF 15; L’Oréal Paris Voluminous Butterfly Mascara (I got one of these a while back in my Target Beauty Box, but I just opened it last week – I love it…it’s better than Urban Decay Perversion!); Vaseline Lip Therapy Rosy Lips (I hate sticking my finger in lip balm); Burt’s Bees 100% Natural Lip Gloss in “Spring Splendor”; and a full size TRESemmé Keratin Smooth Keratin Infusing Serum. What a great box!
The Prestige Headliners Box contains higher end brands: Fekkai Brilliant Glossing Crème; Josie Maran Cosmetics 100% Pure Argan Oil Light (more goat poop oil!) ; 100% Pure Creamy Nail Polish in “Seafoam”; philosophy miracle worker overnight; COOLA Environmental Repair Plus Radical Recovery After-Sun Lotion (I got this in my May Birchbox – love this stuff after a hot day at the pool); and two lifestyle extras – a pocket mirror and pedicure toe separators.
In LOATHE paying shipping, so I added something I needed to my order – another Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in “Soft Brown”. I also got 2 mystery samples that I had already gotten in boxes – a Cynthia Rowley Beauty silver eyeliner (April) and suki “Exfoliate Foaming Cleanser” (June).
Two great boxes…you gotta get these!
July Ipsy Bag – Sensationally Sunkissed
Ipsy came last this month…So slow!
“Sensationally Sunkissed” is July’s theme. I am NOT a sun worshiper, so this month’s bag isn’t quite as exciting for me as previous months. This month’s bag is bright ass hot pink vinyl with scalloped edges – very cute.
Inside this month’s bag: Elizabeth Mott Tints & Sass in “Cherry” (another lip and cheek stain); bareMinerals 5-in-1 BB Advanced Performance Cream Eyeshadow Broad Spectrum SPF 15 (SPF in eye shadow…odd); POP Beauty Sunkissed Bronzer in “Secret Sunshine” (maybe I can use it as blush); Faith Aromatherapy “Citrus-Ginger” Anti-Oxidant Body Lotion (smells so good); and Pur~lisse pur~protect essential daily moisturizer spf 30 (I totally used up the last Pur~lisse I got).
If you’d like to try Ipsy – click here. I’ll earn 250 points if you sign up through my link.
Red Sticker Fever
Yup…I went again. I picked a different location to see what goodies they had left from the massive Ulta clearance…I was not disappointed.
I decided to try Ulta “Citrus Rose” Rejuvenating Bath & Shower Gel ($2.97 down from $9.50). I’m gonna be pissed if I love it, because I’ll never find it again. I also got a compact folding brush for my purse. I’m tired of rushing out of the house and realizing that my children look like Little Orphan Annie.
The best deals were in nail polish. I found Sparitual “Improvisation” ($2.97 down from $12), China Glaze “Bling it on” ($.97 down from $8.50), 2 China Glaze “Scattered & Tattered” ($.97 down from $8.50) – 1 for me and 1 for my BFF because it appears to be a dupe of her favorite Sinful Colors polish, Sally Hansen “Fruit-Ta-Ta” ($1.49 down from $2.99) and Ulta “Pinata Yada” ($.47). Including my $3.50 off coupon, I spent $9.53 at Ulta.
I also stopped by Big Lots to take advantage of their 20% off for members day. Besides Pop-Tarts and Veggie Sticks, I found My Beauty Spot “Lux Velvet Effect Nail Art Kit”. It is supposed to make my nails look and feel like crushed velvet. I am skeptical, yet intrigued. For $2.80, I can take a chance…
July Birchbox – Power Up
I got my Birchbox so quick this month – I just got the shipping notice yesterday!
July’s box is a collaboration with Women’s Health Magazine called “Power Up”. Look how cute the box is – no plain brown box this month! There’s even a card in my box for a free subscription to Women’s Health Magazine. I’ll probably go ahead and send it in, even though I’ll probably never read it. My kids constantly need pictures for collages at school and the only magazines I get are Consumer Reports and IKEA catalogs. Their collages have been pretty lame.
Also inside my box: Cynthia Rowley Beauty Creamy Lip Stain in “Sugar” (I got to pick the color – I love it when Birchbox does this!), Harvey Prince Singular Scentsations “Imperial Gardenia” (It smells SUPER old lady), NAOBAY Body Radiance Lotion (very mild smell, thank GAWD), Number 4 “Super Comb Prep & Protect” (yes! more tiny spray bottles of stuff for my hair), and Real Chemistry “Luminous 3 Minute Peel” (looking forward to trying it).
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.
July Julep Maven Box – The Poolside Collection
Finally…GOSH! At least Julep was nice enough to send me an email letting me know that my box had shipped late…
July brings us “The Poolside Collection”. It turns out that I did sign up for My Maven Customized boxes last month, so I chose the “Classic with a Twist” box, so I could get “Bare Body Milk”. It smells great and is cooling to the skin. I kept “Vicki” – Pink flamingo crème – but swapped out “Kelsey” for “It Girl” “Braiden” – Graphite stardust (textured matte glitter). The “treat” was a few tootsie rolls. Come on, Julep – at least Pixi Stix are REAL candy!
No add-ons or mystery items this month…
I’m so excited to try the flamingo polish!
Not a Julep Maven? CLICK HERE to join! Get a special 5 piece Welcome Box with code SHIPSHAPE!
Soap Addict
As the Bath & Body Works Semi Annual Sale winds down, the deals and coupons get a little better. The best stuff is gone and they want to get rid of whatever is left.
I’ll admit it, I went to Bath & Body Works yesterday and didn’t buy anything. I’m so glad I didn’t, because this morning, I got an email that ALL soaps are $3 today. That’s a sale I can get behind. I’m not even going to list all the scents I got…because I bought 14. That’s right…14. The current coupon is either $10 off $30 or $20 off $50. You know what I did…
In addition to the 14 soaps, I picked up a 75% off “Coconut Lime Breeze” Body Cream for my desk at work, a 75% off “Citron for Men” Shower Gel for my husband (because he always complains that I buy crap for myself and the kids, but never for him) and 2 50% off “Honolulu Sun” Hand Creams for my purse.
$35.15 <throws microphone down>
Modern Mermaid in the Blue Lagoon
I went full mermaid this morning.
Captain Blankenship “Mermaid Mane” Sea Salt Spray in my hair – in a loose, wavy bun. After showering with Bath & Body Works “White Citrus”, I tried Atelier Cologne “Cédrat Enivrant” Cologne Absolue. I played a tense game of “eyeliner chicken” with my Vasanti Kajal Extreme Intense Eye Pencil in “Electric Navy” – luckily I won. (“Eyeliner Chicken” is when you keep putting on more eyeliner, trying to get it even. You know you’ve lost when you look like a raccoon.) The most important part was my mermaid manicure…
This is RUFFIAN “Blue Lagoon”. As beautiful as it is, it is a very unforgiving polish. I got full coverage in one coat, but it shows every imperfection. I have a few peeled tips on my right hand and they show. I also gave Sally Hansen “Diamond Shine” another try as a top coat…it didn’t dry fast enough and I got a few bubbles. Next time, I’ll use a faster drying top coat to try to avoid the bubbles. “Diamond Shine” can kiss my ass.
Saturday Shopping Fun
Another Saturday, another shopping marathon with Lily.
First stop was Ulta. I needed another Zoya “Remove +”, because I finally created my dream nail polish remover system. Last week, I bought another up&up “nail polish remover dip-it”. I emptied it and refilled it with Zoya “Remove +” – this is the absolute best way to remove nail polish. It’s soft and gentle and doesn’t smell like Chernobyl.
I also picked up Ulta “Ultimate Brunette” Shampoo and Conditioner. I exclusively use John Frieda “Brilliant Brunette”, but I wanted to give Ulta’s version a chance – it was $4.99 and BOGO. With my $3.50 off coupon, this purchase put me at Platinum status – $400.89 to be exact. Woo hoo!
After McDonald’s, my Eye Doctor and Rack Room Shoes, we hit Bath & Body Works for my 3rd round at the Semi Annual Sale. Mini Candles were 5/$10, so I picked up “Beach Cabana”, “Pink Petal Tea Cake”, “Fresh Picked Strawberries” and 2 “Red Lava Guava”. I want to exfoliate, so I grabbed a 75% off “Apricot & Honey” Body Scrub. 3 more 50% off Hand Soaps (NOT AntiBac) – “Sea Side Bloom”, “Endless Summer” and “Honolulu Sun”. Last, I let Lily pick another travel body spray – 75% off – she chose “Tokyo Lotus & Apple Blossom”. This week’s coupon was 20% off $25, so I got all this for about $20. I’m running out of room for soap.
I did manage to go to Big Lots after that (Zone Bars!) and NOT buy any nail polish. We did look…nothing tempted us.
Pretty full shopping day and spent under $100…
June Birchbox – Away We Go
I received my Birchbox yesterday, but I had a birthday party to go to, so…good morning post!
“Away We Go” is June’s Birchbox theme – products perfect for a summer getaway. Inside my box: Coastal Scents “Revealed 2 Eye Shadow Palette Set” (4 shades from the 20 shade set – a little birdie told me that this palette is duplicate for Urban Decay “Naked 3”), COOLA “Tinted Matte SPF 30 for Face”, Joie “Folle de Joie” Eau de Parfum (a very mature scent, but better than that stinky Realtree from my Ipsy bag), Perlier Body Cream “Shea Almond” and suki “Exfoliate Foaming Cleanser (I am an exfoliating fiend, so this will definitely get used).
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. I want that Modern Mermaid box!
Semi Annual Sale: Round 2
Yeah, I totally went back today. My BFF and I purposely ate at the Panera near our office because there’s a B&BW in the same shopping center.
While my BFF filled up a sack with “Carried Away”, I actually branched out and picked up some 50% off 3 wick candles – “Black Sands”, an unforgettable blend of ocean mist and exotic amber finished with creamy cedarwood and “Grapefruit Pomelo”, a blend of tart grapefruit, sweet pomelo and juicy orange. (What is a pomelo?) Since these are usually on sale for 2/$22, I paid 25 cents more each. I also picked up 5/$10 Scent Portables for my car – there are only 4 in the picture, because I immediately popped a “Spring” into my car in the parking lot. I also picked up 2 75% off shower gels – “Morocco Orchid & Pink Amber” and “London Tulips and Raspberry Tea”. Last, I grabbed a “Lemon Chiffon Tart” AntiBac – even though it was $3, instead of $2.50 like yesterday.
I stopped my total at just above $40, so I could use another coupon…the sale runs through the first week of July, so you know I’ll be back…