Category: Face
August 2018 Ipsy Bag – Selfie with No Filter
For the record, ALL of my selfies are with no filter.
Even so, I appreciate any and all products that help me look my best with no filter, so thank you very much ipsy! Inside this month’s bright orange linen pouch: OUAI Volume Spray (I think I get this product in every single subscription box, every single month); SLSMISSGLAM Rose Gold Blusher Brush (rose gold, my favorite right now); MAC False Lashes Mascara in “Extreme Black” (I liked the last MAC mascara I received in an ipsy bag – I used it all up); Answer From Black Volume Gold Radiance Cream (what a weird brand name – Answer From); and Ofra Cosmetics Eye shadow in “Blue Jean” (another one for my Z Palette).
Not an exciting bag, but not a bad one either.
If you’d like to try Ipsy – click here. I’ll earn 250 points if you sign up through my link.
Rose Gold Haul
Sometimes, it is more satisfying to go shopping in person than placing an online order. Especially when it’s Friday, and work is pissing you off…off to Ulta for stress shopping!
The main product I’d been coveting is the new Ulta Beauty 24k Magic Metallic Peel Off Mask ($14). Of course I picked the rose gold version, instead of the regular gold. I tried it out that night and the mask was really nice – results similar to the GlamGlow GravityMud ($59), at a much cheaper price!
Since Ulta was offering a loaded makeup bag as a gift with $19.50 purchase, I rounded up my purchase with 2 additional single use $3 Ulta Beauty Masks (also on promo for Buy 2, Get 1 free) – “Detoxifying Charcoal” Deep Cleansing Clay Mask and “Strawberries & Champagne” Hydrating Glitter Peel Off Mask. I also added a pack of Exfoliating Cotton Pads and a 6-way Nail Buffer. I even got to use a $3.50 off coupon and still get the freebie.
Of course, I picked the Rose Gold version of the Makeup Bag. Inside this suspiciously familiar bag (which looks to be the same one as a gift with purchase I got in June 2017): On-the-Go Makeup Remover Facial Towelettes; a 6 shade eyeshadow palette; a bronzer/illuminator palette; Limitless Lashes Lengthening + Volumizing Mascara; Gel Eye Liner in “Black Out”; Lipstick in “Stay Fierce”; Brow Tint in “Medium”; Tinted Eye Primer in “Satin Blush”; Matte Metallic Liquid Lipstick (no shade name, but I LOVE the color on me); Matte Makeup Setting Spray; a blush brush, an eye shadow brush and a $5 off $15 Ulta Beauty Coupon. The colors in the shadow and lippies are sunset-y fall colors – I am SO ready for fall colors!
All this…for about $23 – not bad. Just $532.50 to Diamond Status…not likely!
Target Beauty Box – August 2018
So…does my box look a little…wilted…to you?
When I pulled this month’s box out of the mailbox, it was rather moist. I thought it was due to rain earlier in the day…I was wrong. The moist-ness was coming from inside the box! It was the Not Your Mother’s Beach Babe Soft Waves Tropical Banana Sea Salt Spray. The bottle is now half empty and everything in is smells like fake bananas. Bananas. B-A-N-A-N-A-S.
I cannot stand banana scented crap. If Lily doesn’t want it, this shit is going into the trash.
Also in this month’s box: Simple Kind to Skin Cleansing Facial Wipes (great for correcting eye makeup); Acure Brilliant Brightening Day Cream (another great brand); bliss Fab Foaming Face Wash; Eden BodyWorks Coconut Shea Body Lotion; and Schick Intuition F.A.B. Razor (5 bi-directional blades that shave forward AND backward – sounds dangerous!).
Other than the leaky sea salt spray, this is a great value box for $7. As usual, free shipping, 5% off with my Red Card and a $3 off $15 coupon.
August 2018 Birchbox – Snapshots from Summer
Last month, it was the Silicone Makeup Applicator (that I still haven’t tried) that made me keep Birchbox. This month, it was the Birchbox Kabuki Brush…because I need a back-up kabuki brush. Don’t judge!
The rest of this month’s curated box is somewhat lackluster for me. The box included Doucce Cosmetics Cheek Blush in “RSVP” (color actually looks nice); Borghese Advanced Fango Active Mud Mask (What is Fango? Is it like Faygo?); Oribe Featherbalm Weightless Styler (Send me more Oribe Gold Lust Shampoo/Conditioner – if it wasn’t $45 each, I’d use it daily); and Amika Phantom Hydrating Dry Shampoo Foam (um…foam is not dry).
Birchbox…you live one more month.
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.
Vegas – Summer 2018
We did it! The bestie and I lived through a trip to Las Vegas in the Dog Days of Summer!
Seriously, walking outside was like walking into an oven…an oven full of melted plastic tourists. I went several stretches of 24+ hours without going outside, and even then – only at night. It’s 99 degrees outside at night. Anyone who says Texas is a hellscape during the summer has never been to Nevada.
Strangely enough, my skin loved the Vegas weather. Or maybe it loved that I did not go outside and sweat in my car? In any case, the breakouts on my chest and back disappeared and my skin was lovely. Even my hair decided to behave in the humidity-less desert. The one problem I had was my lips – they were so dry that my upper lip felt like it would split at any moment. I brought probably a hundred liquid lipsticks, but I couldn’t wear ANY of them!
Sephora to the rescue! We bopped into the Miracle Mile Location and begged for help with our parched pouts. The castmember immediately led us to try the Bite Beauty Agave Lip Masks ($24). DOH! I still have a sample of this at home and didn’t think to pack it. I also asked to look at some Fresh products, but another lip balm wasn’t going to do the job. She then showed me the Bite Beauty Nude Lip Essentials Set ($15), which came with a mini tube of the Agave Lip Mask and a tube of Amuse Bouche Lipstick in “Pepper”. It was a smoking deal, so I grabbed it. I swore I looked all around for something else to buy, but this location didn’t have any Jo Malone to check out. Another castmember directed me to the Sephora in The Venetian…but that would require too much walking.
The one thing about shopping in-store – usually no samples, but this time we got samples of Drunk Elephant Lala Cream. Nice!
Sally also made a GlamGlow purchase, but gave me her points, so just $384 until Rouge. I just saw that the 20% sale is coming next week – August 24th…is there even anything left I can buy???
Oh, did you know there is a Morphe store in Vegas now? Yup, just a few hundred feet away from Sephora. Sally was finally able to get her hands on the Jeffree Star Blood Sugar Palette, although they were sold out of most of the new summer collection – the Thirsty Palette was no where to be seen and all of the good lipstick colors were gone. We were also able to see the Laura Lee and Manny MUA Palettes up close…ugh, we were not impressed.
I was THRILLED to find that my bestie brought me a gift all the way from Scotland – the new Pressed Glitter Palette from Makeup Revolution!
I’d been seeing demos on Insta for a bit, but I did not realize how much I needed it in my life. There’s a wide variety of fiery pinks, reds and golds…although I’m a bit scared of “Inflamed”, which appears to be red/green glitter.
We tried out the glitters over the Jeffree Star Blood Sugar Palette. We used Urban Decay Primer Potion as a fixative – worked like a charm. The primer kept it from flaking all over our faces.
One caveat…I AM still finding random pieces of glitter on my face…four days later.
I had a fun trip with the bestie – it was our first time spending so long together, but it felt like we’d been doing it for decades. It’s a relief to know that there a like-minded people out there who just want drink ridiculous amounts of rum and people-watch, as opposed to those who want to hump anything that roves into their field of vision. Vacation partners for life!
Flights of Fancy
I’ve been eyeing the Limited Edition wet n wild “Flights of Fancy” set on Instagram for a few months. As soon as I noticed the set hit Ulta for $34.99, it was in my cart and I was checking out before I could talk myself out of it.
What did I get for $34.99? Three Color Icon Eyeshadow Quads – “Stop Ruffling My Feathers”, “Flock Party”, and “Hasta La Costa Baby”. The quality is so-so, but I was impressed by the blendability. Three Baked Blushes – “Don’t Flutter Yourself”, “Hummingbird Hype”, and “Dare to Soar”. Warning, these blushes are SUPER pigmented. I looked like a clown after trying the hot pink one, “Dare to Soar”. Four Color Icon Lip Glosses – “Fly Gal“, “Featherless”, “Pout of Paradise”, and “Shut the Pluck Up” (this one is my fave). Two Liquid Eyeliners – “Gilded Wings” and “Winged n’ Wild”. I am not quite sure how to use the Photofocus Primer Water Spray, but I liked that it went on very thin – perfect for sweating in the summer. Last, but not least, PerfectPout Lip Scrub in “Pecker Up” – it’s watermelon flavored!
I am still super-bummed that I was never ever to find the wet n wild Goth-O-Graphic set at Ulta, so I wasn’t about to pass this super cheap set. It’s definitely worth $34.99 – the eyeshadows and lip glosses are usually $4.99 each, so just those would be $35 by themselves.
So what else did I get? Megababes Bust Dust ($16), because even though my new boobs are a lot perkier than they used to be, it IS summer in Texas. Although it keeps things dry for a bit, I feel like I would have to put it on 10 times a day to get full relief. Ugh. I also stumbled upon China Glaze polishes from their “Shades of Paradise” Collection for $1.74 each – score! I picked up “Ma-Holo at Me”, “Don’t Be Sea Salty” and “Kiki in Our Tiki”.
I got to use a $3.50 off coupon AND got an Estee Lauder Beauty Break with my purchase. Inside the Beauty Break: Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Recovery Complex II, Advanced Night Micro Cleansing Foam, Day Wear Multi-Protection Anti-Oxidant 24H-Moisture Cream, and Pure Color Envy Sculpting Lipstick in “Insolent Plum” – what a name! I did get a sample pack this time, with Clinique Stay Matte Oil-Free Makeup in 3 shades, and Emporio Armani Stronger With You (both the husband and the son passed on it).
So, between this order and THREE haircuts for the family on Saturday, only $554.49 to Diamond Status…Hmmm…maybe within reach?
July 2018 Allure Beauty Box – Summer Essentials
This month’s Allure Beauty Box is FULL. I honestly don’t know how they Jenga’d all these products in here.
Even though it’s a “drugstore” product, I am hyped to get another Olay Regenerist Whip Active Moisturizer (I’ve already used up the one I got in an April Target Beauty Box). It’s so light and airy – I love these whipped moisturizers for the summer.
Also crammed into this month’s box: Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Night Oil (another one I’m excited to try); Feel Harmony Rose Petal Facial Mask (yassss rose); Doucce Ultra Precision Eyeliner in “Blue”; Derma-e Essentials Mineral Powder (I’ve never tried a powder with SPF – interesting); OUAI Haircare Leave In Conditioner; Make Up For Ever Artist Color Pencil in “Full Red” (so, I’m supposed to use this on my lips and my eyes? I’ll look like Pennywise!); and The Organic Pharmacy Antioxidant Lip Balm.
This month’s box also included a $20 off code for Baublebar. I’ve gotten Baublebar codes in boxes before and never used them. I don’t think this time will be different.
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. You can sign up at https://beautybox.allure.com.
Target Beauty Box – July 2018
Hello Rejuvenation!
I will happily take all the rejuvenation I can get – this summer is so hot that a couple of hobbits threw aa ring in my backyard.
I cannot wait to try the Shea Moisture African Black Soap & Charcoal Body Scrub – all the sunscreen has left my back an oozy mess! I don’t know which is worse – sunburn or clogged pores?
Also in this month’s box: Clean & Clear Jelly Sheet Mask; HASK Coconut Dry Shampoo; Nivea Foaming Silk Mousse Body Wash; Up & Up 3 Day Whitening Kit (Oooohhh…for my teefies); TRESemme Repair & Protect 7 Mask; and Acure Brilliantly Brightening Facial Scrub (love this brand).
The box was $7, with free shipping and 5% off with my Red Card. I plan on using my $3 off $15 coupon within the next few days – it expires soon!
Sephora Play! July 2018 – More of the Good Stuff
Lucky Sephora box – you arrived first this month, so you get reviewed first!
I was surprised to see such a tarte heavy box this month – Sephora doesn’t usually focus on a single brand. This month’s box has tarte Amazonian Clay 12-hour Blush in “paaarty” (boo, I got this shade in LAST year’s birthday bonus – it will be gifted); tarte Color Splash Lipstick – Rainforest of the Sea Collection in “Salt Lyfe”; and tarte Deep Dive Cleansing Gel.
Also in this month’s box: Josie Maran Whipped Argan Oil Face Butter; Caudalie Vinoperfect Concentrated Brightening Essence (I am starting to get really excited about Caudalie products – the viney smell is nice); and Rahua Color Full Hair Mask.
No new fragrances again this month.
I promise, this will be the best $10 you’ll spend each month. Sephora Play is only $10/month. You can sign up at sephora.com/play.
Metal Matte Mini
I cannot resist a smoking deal!
The Kat Von D Metal Matte Mini Eye Shadow Palette went on sale for $24, down from $39. Even though most of the shades are dupes from the full Metal Matte Palette, I decided I couldn’t pass up the deal. (When I looked side by side, all of the matte shades are dupes, but three of the metals are new.) I absolutely LOVE the neutral shade combos in this version – I feel like I’ve neglected the original, but will hit pan on this one.
I couldn’t find anything else I needed so I could bump my total up to $25 to use a promo code, so I just went without. I DID find something in the Rewards Bazaar though. I used 100 points on Ole Henriksen Cold Plunge Pore Mask. I checked the ingredients and it has kaolin, so a clay mask.
For samples, I got Miu Miu (not as good as L’eau Rosee, but nice); Fresh Soy Face Cleanser; and Sunday Riley Good Genes All-In-One Lactic Acid Treatment.
$448 to Rouge!