Category: Face
April 2020 Allure Beauty Box – Spritzed Up
Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb is far from one of my favorite scents, but I’m impressed by the size of the sample included in this month’s “Spritzed Up” box. It’s not one of those stupid little vials – this is a Deluxe Mini with 7 whole mL! I may have to give it another try…
Also in this month’s box: Thrive Causemetics Lip Filler Long Wearing + Plumping Lip Liner in “Valisia” (I actually tried this one out – it’s okay, but there was no plumping to be had); Eva NYC Mane Magic 10-in-1 Primer (I like this brand, but I haven’t done my hair since…Vegas?); Lué by Jean Seo Balance Hydrating & Calming Serum; Dr. Jart+ Cicapair Tiger Grass Color Correcting Treatment (I’ve gotten this in a couple different Sephora Play! boxes – it’s nice); Akar Skin Balance Toning Mist (I’m not a toner girl, but the smell of this one brings me back – it reminds me of when I thought I was making “perfume” by letting rose petals ferment in water bottles – that sounds negative, but it’s not, it’s a really earthy scent); and a Pūrlisse Watermelon Energizing Sheet Mask (Yes, I have enough sheet masks to wallpaper my bathroom, what’s one more?)
Kind of a grab bag of items this month – I like it.
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.
April 2020 Ipsy Bag – Full Bloom
April’s ipsy bag is super bitchin’! I love the big wooden ring on the zipper and the soft lavender flowers.
For this month’s product choice, I selected Oryza Beauty Foiler Alert – Metallic Eye Shadow in “Rosé”. I have not tried it yet – maybe for my next video conference? I also haven’t tried the Araceli Beauty Ojos Perfectos Gel Pencil Eyeliner in “Black/Negro”.
I have been able to try the rest of the products in this month’s bag. I used the Ahava 24K Gold Mineral Mus Mask over the weekend. Even though it didn’t clear my pores as well as traditional mud masks, it made my skin so soft and glowing.
I’ve also been using the MURAD Nutrient-Charged Water Gel as my go-to moisturizer – it smells WONDERFUL. I’d actually pay for this one.
Stay tuned to see Context Skin Nail Lacquer in “Slow Down”.
I subscribe to the basic ipsy bag for $12/month. If you’d like to try Ipsy – click here. I’ll earn 250 points if you sign up through my referral link.
Product Review – Janet Sartin
I love Janet Sartin products. It’s not super well known even though it’s been around for some time. My mom used these products, the smell is a comfort to me, but I completely forgot about it as an adult. They are from a company in NYC, they have one very well known spa. Products can be purchased there or online. One day, I will go to the spa! Anywho, I’m slowly adding more and more to my skin care from Janet Sartin. It’s not cheap, but it’s well worth it. Here are some of the products I’ve grown to love and use.
Gentle cleanser: This stuff trumps any and all makeup cleansers I have ever used! I don’t use it to remove eye makeup, my eyes are insanely sensitive, but it works for that too. I will use a normal makeup wipe and think everything is off, use this cleanser and realize I still have so much product still on my face. It’s unbelievable how clean your face is after this. You don’t need much, just enough to slightly wet a cotton round and all your makeup is off! I also love the smell. It’s $37 for the 6oz bottle, it lasted me 3 months. So the price point isn’t bad at all!
Skin Application liquid: I call this miracle in a bottle. I don’t know what this crazy stuff is but you put it on a zit and by morning it’s half the size, if not gone. If you happen to pop that Zit and use this, that thing is nothing but a little spot in the morning. I get a small 2oz bottle and I used it nightly, and in 3 months; I still have about a month of it left. If you don’t have tons of zits but just that fun once a month face issue, this bottle will last you at least a year or more. The 2oz bottle is $26, again for the amount of time you’ll have this, not so bad!
White astringent: I use this about once a month, when I get a little cluster of acne or if I notice I have some super oily spots in the summer time. I apply it to my little acne area and in the morning it’s pulled up all the impurities and most them acne is gone or brought to the surface so you can apply the skin application to get it gone. It helps pull out the nasties in your face and balance the oily areas. A 2oz bottle lasts me 3 months. A 2oz bottle is $26, again, great value.
Green tea purifying mask: I’ve been wanting to try this mask for a while so I was super stoked when I got a full size jar with my last order! It comes with a silicon brush, which I love because they are easier to keep clean. The mask is definitely matcha green! Applying was awesome, it’s super thick. I used what I thought was a lot, on my face and neck, but it didn’t even make a dent in the amount that’s in the jar. My face felt refreshed, smooth, clean, glowing, I absolutely love it! It retails for $49, yes not cheap, but this will last you a while! As a matter of fact, I’m about to use it again this morning!
Happy buying! Take a look into Janet Sartin products. You don’t be disappointed.
On the Run
I am fully aware of the irony of continuing to buy eye shadow while under lockdown. I get to go to the grocery store once a week and I need to look HAWT when I go…
Sephora lured me in with 50% off the Urban Decay On the Run Mini Palettes ($12.50, down from $25). I’ve been drooling over these little 8 shade palettes. I Selected two of the five: “Detour” (blues and browns) and “Shortcut” (reds and mauves). I’ve had a chance to try both palettes and they are so blendable and smooth. I didn’t even have to pull out the shadow primer. I can see myself going back to these again and again. Now I want to get the other 3 colorways – please go on sale again!
I was able to snag a sample of Lord Jones Royal Oil, basically a CBD Beauty Oil. The only two ingredients are grapeseed oil and CBD oil…I’m hesitant to coat my face in grapeseed oil, as I’m recovering from a breakout. I’ll try it later, I think. I also got samples of Cristophe Robin Detangling Gelee with Sea Minerals and Marc Jacobs Youthquake Gel Creme.
Sephora is offering free shipping while their stores are closed. Don’t threaten me with a good time! Just $281 to VIB in 2021.
March 2020 Allure Beauty Box – Spring Vibes
Oh come on Allure Beauty Box – you gotta do better than this!
I hate when Beauty Boxes just throw a bunch of random old products in a box together. I got Floss My New Favorite Lip Gloss in “Lax” in last June’s box. Don’t even get me started on the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in “Zero” – I think I have about 12 of these.
I wasn’t upset to get Mamonde Red Energy Recovery Serum – I’ve been wearing it every morning after my show. I’m not sure what it is helping my skin recover from, but it feels nice.
Also in this month’s box: Rodial Glamolash Mascara XXL; Dr. Botanicals Lemon Superfood All-in-One Rescue Butter; and Lapcos Ceramide Firming Mask.
Okay Allure Beauty Box – you’re on warning! No more crappy boxes or I am gonna have to cancel!
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.
Orange Capsule
I know it’s super cliched…but this palette is SO PIGMENTED.
This PIGMENTED palette is the Sugarpill C2 Orange Capsule ($42), an Ulta exclusive. This is my first experience with Sugarpill shadows, and I am very impressed. No primer needed with these shadows – they spread on the lid like butter. I was drawn to this palette for one particular shade – that bright turquoise shimmer – “Skyrise”. Even though I loved they way it looked on me, my husband said I look like Mimi from The Drew Carey Show. He doesn’t understand FASHION. Now I want the Pink Capsule Palette!
I also tried out a new brow pencil – Colourpop Brow Boss in “Dark Brown” ($6). It’s a great price, but still not as good my Ulta Holy Grail for a few dollars more. It doesn’t blend as well and fades throughout the day. It’s fine for work, though.
Black Moon Lippies are 30% off ($12.60, down from $18) – I wonder if this means they are dropping the brand? Anyway, I picked up “Warrior”, a Breast Cancer Awareness nude matte.
Oh, and I got a Women Founded Beauty Sample Bag, with it Cosmetics Mini Blurring Foundation Brush; Laura Mercier Pure Canvas Primer, Sweet Spot Labs Vanilla Blossom Gentle Wash (it says “gynecologist recommended”, so I guess it is for my vajayjay?); Benefit The POREfessional, Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream (I’ve tried this before and really like the smell); Sunday Riley A+ High Dose Retinoid Serum; Pattern Heavy Conditioner for Coilies (will be gifted to a curly-headed friend); Sagely Naturals CBD Cream (I tried a previous sample of this while in Vegas, and it TINGLED so bad – I loved it); DefineMe Sofia Isabel Fragrance (an orangey vanilla rollerball); and Drybar Jump Start Quick Dry Blowout Serum.
I was able to use a $3.50 off coupon, leaving me with $1,007 more to get to Diamond again.
March 2020 Ipsy Bag – Celebrate You
I am all out of order this month – I barely know what day it is or what subscriptions I’ve gotten!
This month commemorates Ipsy’s 100th Glam Bag! I haven’t been a subscriber since the start, but I’ve gotten at least 60-70 of those bags. This month’s bag is one of the more homely color schemes – teal and chartreuse.
I love clay masks and I was expecting the Generation Clay Brightening Purple Clay Mask to be BRIGHT PURPLE. It was not. It was nice on my skin and made it soft and silky, though.
Also in this month’s 100th glam bag (with a bonus 6th product!): Luxie Beauty Periwinkle Pro Precision Tapered Brush; Awake Lip Therapy Mask; Mischo Beauty Nail Lacquer in “Unbroken”; Tatcha The Dewy Skin Cream (my product choice this month); and Belle en Argent Lip Luire Gloss in “Jealous of Us”.
I subscribe to the basic ipsy bag for $12/month. If you’d like to try Ipsy – click here. I’ll earn 250 points if you sign up through my referral link.
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.
Target Beauty Boxes – March 2020
For the third month in a row, Target gave us two Beauty Boxes this month!
The “Spring Break” box knocked it out of the park. The star of the box is a FULL SIZE Schmidt’s Rose & Black Pepper Natural Deodorant, which retails for $7.99 on its own! I’d gotten samples of Schmidt’s previously, and it left my pits red and irritated. I gave this one a shot and I’ve had no redness or irritation. I am in love with the peppery scent!
Also in the “Spring Break” box: Thayer’s Witch Hazel Alcohol-Free Toner Facial Mist; Nexxus Therappe Ultimate Moisture Shampoo; Nexxus Humectress Ultimate Moisture Conditioner (this scent brings me back to my childhood, when my mom would buy this conditioner and I would sneak it); Not Your Mother’s Clean Freak Unscented Refreshing Dry Shampoo; OGX Refresh & Restore + Coconut Miracle Oil Dry Shampoo (do I really need two more dry shampoos?); and Cetaphil Daily Facial Cleanser. This is a fantastic box!
The other box was themed “Dermatologist-Trusted Skincare” and included: La Roche Posay Touleraine Hydrating Gentle Cleanser; CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser for Normal to Oily Skin; CeraVe Eye Repair Cream; Vichy Aqualia Thermal Rich; La Roche Posay Anthelios Tinted Mineral Suncreen – SPF 50 (this stuff is really good – I’ve sampled it before); CeraVe AM Facial Moisturizing Lotion; Vichy Mineral 89 Eyes; and Vichy Mineral 89. This is a great, high end box!
Each box was $7, with free shipping, plus 5% off with my Target Red Card. (Strangely enough, no consolidation discount was offered with the March boxes.) Both boxes came with $3 off $15 coupons, and THESE coupons have an extended expiration date of 6/30/20. I should have no problems getting to use both these coupons!
Target Beauty Boxes – February 2020
Target made me go full “Karen” this month, I almost had to ask for a manager.
I was late to order the February boxes, because I was in Vegas. I went to order the boxes mid-month and Target’s website was telling me that there was a $25 minimum order for free shipping now – the hell? I poked around and there were comments on My Subscription Addiction describing the same issue. I chatted into Support and the agent was…less than helpful. He just kept quoting that I had to meet the threshold, even after I told him that I’d been buying individual Target Beauty Boxes for YEARS with free shipping. I politely bid him adieu, asking him to please refer this issue up the chain, as I wouldn’t be purchasing any more Beauty Boxes until it’s been fixed.
Turns out it must have been a temporary glitch. I went back and checked my shopping cart and I was able to complete my order with Free Shipping, and NO issues. As a matter of face, Target’s site even offered my a $1 consolidation discount, if I’d agree to slower shipping in fewer boxes. Now, I have NO illusions that the fix had anything to do with me or my chat into Support. It HAD to be a coincidence…right?
In any case, I snatched up both February boxes. The “Pucker Up” box was solely lip products. The star product is the St. Ives Passionfruit Lip Scrub. While not as sweet and tasty as Jeffree’s, it close. It left my lips soft and smooth and wasn’t nasty and greasy like the wet n wild scrub. Also in the lippie box: TwelveNYC Perfect Pout Cooling Gel Lip Mask (I keep forgetting to put in the freezer, so I can try it); Dr. Bronner Lip Balm in “Peppermint” (I bet it’s as tingly as the soap); Burt’s Bees Moisturizing Lip Mask; Milani Bold Color Statement Matte Lipstick in “I am Confident”; Burt’s Bees Lip Shimmer in “Peony”; and Soap & Glory Sexy Mother Pucker Lip Plumping Gloss in “Plums Up” (this STINGS like Lip Venom – and there is no tint to the gloss – BOO.) This box was a great value!
The other box was “Self Love” themed, and included Que Bella Radiance Boost Shimmering Cream Face Mask; Pacifica Island Vanilla by Pacifica Perfumed Hair & Body Mist; Aveeno Moisturizing CICA Balm (I brought this to work to use and it was…slick – I swear, it left like lube on my hands); Yuni My OM World Calming Aromatherapy Body Mist; Village Naturals Therapy Aches and Pains Muscle Relief Mineral Bath Soak (will be handing off to one of my kids); Masque Bar Silver Foil Pearl Peel Off Mask; and TwelveNYC Bright-Eyed Cooling Gel Eye Pads (again, someone remind me to put these in the freezer).
Each box was $7, with free shipping, that $1 Consolidation discount plus 5% off with my Target Red Card. Both boxes came with $3 off $15 coupons, but they expired 3/1. I had only gotten the boxes 2-3 days before that and I did not have time to use them.