Category: Face
Saint AND Sinner
When Kat Von D’s new Saint & Sinner Eyeshadow Palette ($62) dropped last Wednesday, I debated for about 30 seconds before I went ahead and ordered it. I wasn’t about to risk it selling out like I did with the Mi Vida Loca Palette…that I bought for my ex-BFF, but she did not buy for me.
ANYWAY, this palette has been a long time coming and it’s absolutely GORGEOUS. It has 24 new colors, modeled after stained glass windows. The Saint side has more muted, natural colors…while the Sinner side has bolder, darker colors. I’ve already worn it a couple of times and have been able to pull from both sides. So far, my favorite is “Rapture”, a transforming pink shimmer from the Sinner side. (I just had to wear it on Saturday, but The Rapture never came – boo.)
So I noticed that there are shades called “Sanctuary” and “Crucifix” on the Saint side…my next task will be to see how they match up with the “Sanctuary” and “Crucifix” Everlasting Liquid Lipsticks. My eyeballs tell me that they match up to the colors, but I have to test them to be sure.
The somewhat random colors remind me of the Urban Decay Vice palettes. I get all excited about them when I get them, but they’re all stuck in a drawer, barely used. I’m feeling like the colors here are more usable together and I won’t set it aside, but only time will tell.
For my regular three samples, I got Caudalie VineActiv Glow Activating Anti-Wrinkle Serum, Ole Henriksen Sheer Transformation Perfecting Moisturizer and black Up Perfecting Mattifying Primer. I’m going all out on skincare these days.
In my quest to never have to buy shampoo again, I used a promo code to get a sample bag of hair samples: Alterna Caviar CC Cream 10-in-1 Leave-In Hair Perfector; Alterna Caviar Anti-Aging Smoothing Hydra-Gelee Nourishing Hair Perfector (why does Alterna have such long product names?); amika Nourishing Mask; Klorane Nourishing Leave-in Cream with Mango Butter; IGK Hydrating Hair Balm; DevaCurl Melt Into Moisture Matcha Butter Conditioning Mask (will be setting aside for a curly-headed friend); rahua Omega 9 Hair Mask; Briogeo Don’t Despair, Repair! Deep Conditioning Mask; Verb Ghost Shampoo & Conditioner (I have a mental block against this Austin-based brand, but maybe I’ll try it); OUAI Repair Shampoo & Conditioner; and Living Proof. Perfect Hair Day Shampoo & Conditioner (if I ever win the lottery, maybe I can afford to exclusively use this brand…until then – samples it is).
Oh, and I just saw today that Kat Von D has a DIVINE palette coming out. I told the husband and he is LEGIT scared…he should be.
And only $221 until ROUGE. I can do it!
September Birchbox – Your Time to Shine
No curated box for me this month, I instead went for sample choice. I chose Daily Concepts Your Facial Micro Scrubber for my “Your Time to Shine” box. I don’t know that it will measure up to my Clarisonic, but I’m willing to give it a shot.
Also in this month’s box: Lollia by Margot Elena In Love Eau de Parfum (an old fashioned smelling floral – needs more rose for me); Briogeo Rosarco Milk Reparative Leave-In Conditioning Spray (unfortunately, the bottle opened during shipping and soaked the inside of my box – ugh); Pixi by Petra LipLift Max in “Honey Sheen”; and Lord & Berry Glow Strobing Pencil (interesting idea – I’m thinking this would be good for highlighting the inner eye).
Interesting box – only one repeat.
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.
Everlasting Flash – Hazes
I’ve skipped the last few months of Everlasting Flash – either colors I already had or didn’t see myself using…like that set of 3 different shades of gray. But this month was right up my alley.
Kat Von D “Haze” is mauve-y gray, while “Haze II” is the lighter, grayer version. I got both for $36, versus the normal price of $20 each. “Haze” seems like it might be a dupe for Jeffree Star “Androgyny”, but I haven’t swatched it yet.
The best bonus code I could find was for a deluxe sample of Sunday Riley C.E.O. C+E Protect + Repair Moisturizer. For my other three samples, I got Atelier Cologne Clementine California, Pinrose Pillowtalk Poet, and Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation.
Only $283 to Rouge…
August Ipsy Bag – Good Vibes Only
Boo! No more gold mailer!
Yeah, I’m a bit late with my ipsy post. I feel like the ipsy mailer is most likely to get buried in the mail pail – happens every month! For the first time, I’m not excited about ANY of the products in my bag this month. The bag itself is super cute – it’s a unique shape and has a very nice lining. There were also bags that say “Wild & Free” and “Good Vibes Only” – “Peace Love Lipstick” is obviously the best one.
The products I’m not so thrilled about: JUARA Skincare Rice Facial Cleanser (okay, maybe I am a little bit interested in this one); Promise Organic Nourishing Coconut Milk Face Lotion (this brand is new to me); Firma Beauty 103 Angled Contour Brush (aren’t we done with contouring?); Make Up For Ever Excessive Lash Arresting Volume Mascara; and Steve Laurant Precision Tip Liner in “Black” (another new-to-me brand).
It’s not a horrible bag – a good variety of products – but just nothing exciting.
If you’d like to try Ipsy – click here. I’ll earn 250 points if you sign up through my link.
Midnight Mermaid
Ulta is now carrying wet n wild cosmetics – online only. There was a 20% off coupon in my email. What a time to be alive!
I was excited, because wet n wild just released a new collection – The Midnight Mermaid Collection. It’s very similar to Black Moon Cosmetics Cosmic Metals Collection – imitation is the sincerest form of flattery! I picked up almost all of it. I got all 4 of the MegaLast Metallic Liquid Catsuit lipsticks ($4.99) – “Coral Crown”, “Harbor A Crush”, “Siren’s Jewel” and “Sea Seduction”. I only got one of the three MegaLiner Metallic Eyeliner ($3.99) – “Trident’s Shimmer”. I also only got one of the four Color Icon Metallic Liquid Eyeshadows ($4.99) – “Lara’s Necklace”, because DUH. I also picked up the Mermaid Highlighting Bar ($6.99).
I keep saying that I don’t like buying fragrances without smelling them first…but then I keep doing it. After reading the description of Philosophy Amazing Grace Ballet Rose, I went ahead and picked up the mini size for $18. It also came with a 4 oz. bottle of Amazing Grace Shower Gel as a free bonus! I am SO glad I picked it up – it’s now my second favorite rose scent, after Cartier Goutte de Rose.
I also picked up a little something for Lily – the China Glaze My Little Pony 6 pc Micro Mini Kit ($15). It’s a tie in to the My Little Pony movie coming out next month. Maybe the polish will get her over the pain of me refusing to sit through it in the theater. Oh – and my Variety Sampler included foilpacks of Olay Regenerist Luminous Tone Perfecting Cream and Botanics 100% Organic Facial Oil. Meh.
This order did not push me to Platinum Status for 2018, but you know what did? Friday before last, I took the kids to get their back-to-school haircuts at Ulta and I got a cut and color. I was going for a rose gold melt, but my stylist didn’t want to make all my hair fall out by bleaching it too much, so it ended up a pinkish red. I also went ahead and signed up for the Ulta Platinum card, so I could get 20% off all our haircuts. Ulta may be an expensive place to get kids’ haircuts…but at least I ended up with $61 worth of points out of the deal.
Since Hurricane Harvey has had us housebound for several days, I decided to play around with my Midnight Mermaid stuff. On my eyes, I used “Lara’s Necklace”, the green liquid eyeshadow, and “Trident’s Shimmer”, the pewter eyeliner. I LOVED the liquid eyeshadow and may be picking up some of the other colors. I did not care for the liquid line – it was too goopy, especially on top of the liquid eyeshadow. My lips are an ombre of the blue and green lipsticks – “Sea Seduction” and “Siren’s Jewel”, with a bit of the Highlighter in the middle. The lipsticks are just as great as the other liquid catsuits, and the price cannot be beat. It’s a lot for every day (Can you say MiMi?), but just right for the middle of a hurricane.
August Birchbox – Easy Does It
Yup, I had to get the curated box again. It’s like I just can’t handle surprises anymore…
I’m a big fan of the stila liquid lipsticks, so I mostly chose it just for the stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in “Aria”. I thought it would be a dusty red, but it turned out to be more berry – I love it. Also in this month’s box: Dr. Jart+ Water Fuse Ultimate Hydro Gel (I’m about to use up all my Water Drop, so woo!); Living proof. Restore Mask Treatment; pur-lisse Blue Lotus Seed Mud Mask (yasss); and amika Bombshell Blowout Spray (my 3rd or 4th one).
Box is somewhat mediocre, but enough to get me through. I heard that Wal-mart is in talks to buy Birchbox…if that happens – I don’t know if I’ll keep it. Hmmmm….
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.
Sephora Play! August 2017 – The Innovators
So at first, I thought this box was called “Makeup Geek” because of the bag – but it’s really “The Innovators”, so let’s see what innovative products Sephora wants me to try this month…
First off, we’ve got the world’s tiniest beautyblender – beautyblender micro.mini. What is this, a beautyblender for ants?!?!?! Also in this month’s box: Clinique HIM Dual-Ended High Impact Mascara & Primer Duo; Hourglass Vanish Seamless Finish Foundation Stick in “Shell” (hyped to try this – maybe I could take a few hours and apply it with that beautyblender?); Burberry “My Burberry Black” (spicy jasmine and rose – not bad); Alterna Haircare CAVIAR Anti-Aging Miracle Multiplying Volume Mist; and Korres Golden Krocus Ageless Saffron Elixir Serum (knowing how expensive saffron is, I am interested to see how this works).
Yet another great box – I feel like it’s worth much more than $10!
If you haven’t signed up yet, you are insane. This is by far the best subscription box I get every month. Sephora Play is only $10/month. You can sign up at sephora.com/play.
Razzle Dazzle
2017 is Kat Von D‘s year. I feel like she is dropping a new product every other week. Last week, she dropped her new Everlasting Glimmer Veil Liquid Lipsticks ($22). Of course, I wanted all 9 of them, but I controlled myself and ordered the prettiest two. I got “Razzle” – magenta with pink glimmer – and “Dazzle” – crimson with pink and gold glitter.
I LOVE these lipsticks. They’re so comfy and flexible. The glimmer is amazingly vivid and long lasting. I will say that my lips did feel dry and crack-y after eating and wiping my lips with a napkin, but other than that – they felt fine. I think I need more of these…oh, and Sephora is SOLD OUT. They’ll be back in stock on 8/22, so set your reminders…
For my regular samples, I got Lacoste Eau da Lacoste (smells preppy…tossed it to my son…he’ll probably just use it to set something on fire); Dior J’adore (still too floral for me – tossed it to my daughter); and Farmacy Honey Savior All-in-One Skin Repair Salve.
I lucked into a promotion code that provided a 12 sample skincare bag: Tata Harper Clarifying Mask for Blemish-Prone Skin; Hum Raw Beauty Green Superfood Powder in “Mint Chocolate Chip Infusion” (do I look like Gwyneth Paltrow to you?); Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Bum Bum Cream; Kopari Coconut Melt Moisturizer; Farmacy Honey Potion; Dr. Andrew Weil for Origins Mega-Mushroom Skin Relief (but are they MAGIC mushrooms?); Youth to the People Kale + Green Tea Spinach Vitamins Age Prevention Cleanser (ugh); Boscia Revitalizing Black Hydration Gel; Kora Organics Noni Glow Face Oil; Josie Maran Surreal Skin Argan Finishing Balm; Tarte Drink of H2O Hydrating Boost; and First Aid Beauty Coconut Skin Smoothie Primer Moisturizer (I really like this stuff – I already used up my deluxe sample from June’s Play! box). A few things I won’t use, but the rest are great!
Only $329 left to ROUGE…
Target Beauty Box – August 2017
Another month, another Target Beauty Box.
The “Hello Routine” Box has a little bit of everything: Herbal Essences Argan Oil Shampoo (but no conditioner – assholes); up & up 25 ct. Facial Wipes (Beauty Hack – I use these to clean up eyeshadow fallout under my eyes before doing my foundation); Dove Dry Spray Invisible Deodorant (giving to my son); Biore Deep Cleaning Pore Strips (Just one strip, but with a Limited Edition Pattern); SpaLife Nourishing Facial Mask (always welcome); and Garnier Clearly Brighter Daily Scrub (and scrubs are always welcome).
Another good box. I wish I didn’t have to go to the trouble of ordering these each month and they just showed up on their own…
So $7 again this month, plus free shipping and 5% off with my Red Card. And another $3 off $15 coupon. I am so proud of myself that I actually used the coupon from last month’s box – I bought some OGX Bamboo Fiber-Full Shampoo and Conditioner, plus some up & up polish remover. Go me!
Sephora Play! July 2017 – Beauty Staycation
Getting my last July box in right at the last minute…
July’s theme is “Beauty Staycation” and the pink gingham bag says “Glamp Out!” I prefer glamping to camping any damn day.
So pumped to get another sample of Boscia Charcoal Pore Pudding – I got a sample last year and it was a really good mask. Also in this month’s box: bare minerals Gen Nude Matte Liquid Lipcolor in “Swag” (every brand is coming out with one right now); it Cosmetics Superhero Elastic Stretch Volumizing Mascara (I don’t know if I want my eyelashes stretched); Milk Makeup Cooling Water (not sure about this – it seems to be a “cooling” moisturizer stick?); Briogeo Rosarco Milk Reparative Leave-In Conditioning Spray (not a bad leave-in – I’m still working on the bottle I got a few years ago); and Atelier Cologne Orange Sanguine (I have several of these, but it’s good).
Even though the box contains several products I already have or have had, not complaints from me – it’s alll good stuff.
If you haven’t signed up yet, get to it. This is by far the best subscription box I get every month. Sephora Play is only $10/month. You can sign up at sephora.com/play.