Category: Face
Product Review – La Mer Moisturizing Cream
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It’s been a while since a mysterious sample made its way into my mailbox…
A week or so ago, I received a fancy green box in the mail – it contained a tiny little sample pot of La Mer Moisturizing Cream. The cream has a rabid celebrity following – it’s widely known as being a part of Kim Kardashian’s ridiculous beauty regimen. I used it for 4 days (that was all that was in the little pot). Spreading it on my face was not unlike spreading cold cream cheese on my face – it was THAT thick. The smell was not unpleasant, but it was a bit weird. Unfortunately, I haven’t noticed any major differences in my skin – the fine lines are still there, yet moisturized? I was afraid the thick formula would clog my pores, but I didn’t get a breakout, so that’s good. It’s a perfectly good moisturizer.
Ultimately, it’s a bit – no, A LOT – too expensive for me. $175 for a single ounce! It’s a perfectly good moisturizer, but hardly worth the price.
I think I solved the mystery of how it appeared in my mailbox – the fine print mentioned Conde Nast, so I’m going to assume it’s a perk from my Allure Beauty Box. Thanks, Allure!
In case you’d like a little background info on the Estee Lauder-owned La Mer, here’s a good article from Vox that describes the hype behind La Mer and their current lawsuit in China, regarding their outrageous skin claims.
November 2018 Allure Beauty Box – Mask Anything
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Holy cow – this month’s Allure Beauty Box is almost ALL masks! Well, except for the gold encrusted Invisibobble…
The masks in this month’s box are Lapcos Pearl Brightening Metallic Sheet Mask (never heard of this brand); Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Jelly Sheet Mask (or this brand); Kocostar Rose Lip Mask (or this brand); Glamglow Supermud Clearing Treatment (yay – Glamglow is good stuff); Patchology Flashpatch Rejuvenating Eye Gels (I’ve gotten these in a sample bag before, but never used them); and Starskin Exfoliating Double-Layer Foot Mask Socks (never heard of this brand either, but been wanting to try foot peeling socks).
Also included in this month’s box – a code for $10 off any beauty purchase at Anthropologie. Yeah, not gonna use that.
My skin is really looking forward to this box!
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..
Sephora Play! November 2018 – Merry and Bright
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This is an…interesting…box.
First off, Commodity Gold straight up smells like donkey ass. Unwashed donkey ass. Someone come take this shit out of my house.
Everything else is less controversial. I’m a big fan of Philosophy Purity Made Simple Cleanser. I’m also happy to get Laura Mercier Translucent Setting Powder, Sephora Collection Cream Lip Stain Liquid Lipstick in “Pink Tea”, and Lancome Hydra Zen Anti-Stress Moisturizing Face Cream. I was, however, really confused when I looked at the Christophe Robin Cleansing Volumizing Paste with Pure Rassoul Clay and Rose Extracts. At first, I assumed it was another mud mask…great! Then I read the directions – this shit is for your hair. What? I’ll let you know.
Sephora Play is THE best beauty box I receive every month. 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!
ROUGE BONUS
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Oh, Sephora…you really do spoil me. This past weekend and now this weekend, Sephora is offering 20% for Rouge Members. You know I took advantage the very first day of last week’s sale – I had to get that sample bag!
I really wanted to smell some Ellis Brooklyn scents, but they didn’t carry them at my local store. Boo. I had a hard time coming up with something I needed/wanted – until I noticed how many shades of lippies that Kat Von D is discontinuing. I was vaguely aware, but not fully – they are getting rid of about a third of their shades of Studded Kiss, Everlasting Lip Liquids, Everlasting Glimmer Veils, and Everlasting Lip Liners. I decided to grab an Everlasting Lip Liquid in “Underage Red” ($13) – you know, because the name pisses so many people off. I also got an Everlasting Lip Liner in “Misfit” ($11) – a darker maroon. I’ve gotta say, the two of these colors together is stunning. I’m very happy with my purchase.
So…that sample bag…so packed full! It included Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Eye Color (in little weird plastic pots); Urban Decay Cosmetics Naked Skin Ultra Definition Liquid Makeup (2 shades); NARS Power Matte Lip Pigment in “American Woman”; Tory Burch Eau de Parfum; Kiehl’s Creamy Eye Treatment; Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Bum Bum Cream; Kiehl’s Ginger Leaf & Hibiscus Firming Mask (excited to try this); and Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer.
Just $86 Until ROUGE for 2019. I will do it!
October 2018 Allure Beauty Box – Fall Update
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It has started…the busy season. The kids have a shit-ton of activities, the holidays have started and work is a clusterfuck. I’m sure I’ll catch up – sometime in January.
Ooooh, another full box from Allure this month. The theme is “Fall Update” – a box full of fall products. I immediately perked up when I saw a very large tube of Sunday Riley Ceramic Slip Cleanser and Sunday Riley Good Genes Lactic Acid Treatment. I feel like I’m getting Sunday Riley in every box these days. I ain’t complaining.
Also in this month’s box: Hourglass Caution Extreme Lash Mascara in “Ultra Black”; Yves Saint Laurent Matte Liquid Lip Stain in…no idea, the writing is way to small to tell what shade it is; Caudalie Vinopure Skin Perfecting Serum; First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream; and BKR Paris Water Balm.
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..
Naked Cherry
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Would you believe that this entire Ulta Haul cost me a mere $1.87? The magic of Ulta Platinum points, baby.
I really hadn’t been saving up points for very long – I used up most of my points just six month ago on a Beachwaver. Through strategic use of points promotions and my Ultimate Mastercard, I’d managed to accrue over $100 in points in a short period of time! By stacking a 20% off code, I was able to conserve precious points – I only used $70.50 in points this time.
I exhibited extraordinary willpower in not purchasing the Urban Decay Naked Cherry Palette ($49) at launch. I knew I had the points though, so I just bided my time until I got the code. I also splurged on matching Vice Lipstick in “Devilish” ($18). I’ve been using the palette for the past 3-4 days and it is the same buttery formula that I’ve grown to love through all the Naked palettes. There’s a variety of matte and shimmer shades that work very well together. I won’t be the first to point out that the palette seems a little bit like a rehash of the Backtalk palette – but so what? The Backtalk blushes work really well with this palette, so I call that a win. I heartily recommend the Naked Cherry palette, especially when it’s free.
I added a few other fun things to my order. I’d been wanting to try a bubble sheet mask, so I got an Ulta Revitalizing Bubbling Sheet Mask ($3.00) and since they were BOGO 40% off, I got an Ulta Age Defying Matcha Mud Mask ($1.80). Ulta also came out with Aromatherapy Fragrance Rollerballs ($12.50) – I got the “Uplift” Coconut Rose scent. I absolutely love the scent – it reminds me of the Renaissance Festival for some reason – but it doesn’t last very long at all. Kind of a bummer. I also got a Scunci No-Slip Octopus clip ($5.99) – this is hands down the best clip to hold your hair and not look like a lazy hot mess. I need like 5 more.
In addition to waiting until I got a 20% off code, I also waited until Beauty Break Wednesday. The Hempz Beauty Break included three full size products: Hempz Cinnamon Sugar & Vanilla Butter Creme Herbal Body Moisturizer, Hempz Star Jasmine & Vanilla Herbal Foaming Body Wash, Hempz Original Herbal Body Butter and a travel size Star Jasmine & Vanilla Herbal Moisturizer. Wow!
They didn’t give me any samples though…bummer.
Only $430 until Diamond status…
Sephora Play! October 2018 – Scary Good Beauty
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Scary good beauty? Count me in!
I am always happy to get products from First Aid Beauty. This box has First Aid Beauty Coconut Water Cream. I love smelling like a coconut.
Also in this month’s box: Urban Decay All Nighter Long Lasting Makeup Setting Spray (I keep getting this and I never use it – I need to stop being so lazy); Benefit Gimme Brow Brow-Volumizing Fiber Gel (I’m too far gone for this); Anastasia Beverly Hills Banana Stick Contour (interesting – I might give it a spin); Caudalie Vinoperfect Serum; and Kat Von D Saint & Sinner Eau de Parfums (two fragrances is a good deal, even though I already have them).
I guess the switch to ziploc baggies is a permanent one. That’s OK – I have at least 2 dozen fabric pouches that I don’t know what to do with.
Goshdarnit! I went to Sephora today and I forgot to use my Play! card. You’d think I’d be better than this by now.
Sephora Play is THE bestest box I receive every month. Sephora Play is only $10/month. You can sign up at sephora.com/play.
October 2018 Ipsy Bag – Ipsy After Dark
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This bag! I must work it into the rotation immediately! Blood red pleather, embossed with a stunning masquerade mask – I love it!
Other than the bag, the first thing that I noticed about this month’s products was the MAC Little Lipglass in “Love Child”. Even though I have not been loving glosses lately, I am digging the shimmery plum color. My lips look the best in plums and fuchsias.
Also in this month’s bag: Naked Cosmetics Loose Pigment in “Heavy Metal HE-03” (I’ve gotten a bucket of pigments and shadows from Naked Cosmetics and never played with them – I need to either try them or trash them); Murad Essential-C Cleanser; Eyeko Skinny Travel Size Liquid Eyeliner in “Carbon Black”; and a Beau Gachis Eyebrow Brush (oooooh, another one – when it rains, it pours).
A so-so set of products this month, but the dynamite bag makes up for it.
If you’d like to try Ipsy – click here. I’ll earn 250 points if you sign up through my link.
Target Beauty Boxes – October 2018
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Two boxes for two months in a row? Yes, please!
The “Hello Bright Eyes!” box is ALL eye products – I have two of them! The product that excited me the most was the Sonia Kashuk Brow Line + Fill Brush with Spoolie. I don’t have a full size Brow Brush – I’ve been using the tiny brush that came with an ABH Dip Brow Sample. This product alone is worth the price of the box. Also in this box: Acure Radically Rejuvenating Under Eye Hydrogel Mask; Lumify Eye Drops; Covergirl Get in Line Liquid Eyeliner; and Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara Mini. This box is the total package!
The other box is “Hello Autumn Groove” – products for the changing seasons. I squee’ed when I saw the Olay Total Effects Whips Moisturizer – I love this stuff. The Love Beauty and Planet Coconut Water & Mimosa Flower Shampoo and Conditioner also went straight into my shower. Also in this box: Tom’s Luminous White Toothpaste with Flouride (not a fan of this stuff – tastes weird); bliss Makeup Melt Dry/Wet Gentle Jelly Cleanser with Rose Flower; and Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion.
And you cannot really see them in the picture, but even the boxes themselves are fancy. They have designed on them, kind of like Birchboxes.
Both boxes had the usual $3 off a Beauty/Personal Care purchase of $15 or more. (I already used one of them yesterday – both my kids were out of shampoo/conditioner…and OF COURSE they each demand a different brand.) Each box was $7, with free shipping and 5% off with my Red Card.