Tag: Bare Minerals
Wicked Ulta Haul
As soon as Ulta dropped all of the Wicked Movie Collab products…I knew I was in trouble. I tried – TRIED – to be conservative, but I don’t know if I did a very good job, especially since it was Diamond Love List Monday…
Right off the bat, I knew I had to get the OPI x Wicked Nail Lacquer 12 Piece Mini Pack ($49.99). I hate paying full price for nail polish, but I just couldn’t risk it selling out before I got it. The set has 12 mini polishes, 6 for Elphaba and 6 for Galinda. I am really looking forward to trying them all out. Ariana Grande’s r.e.m. beauty released a bunch of matched sets and lipsticks, but I was drawn to the r.e.m. beauty x Wicked Ozdust Eyeshadow Palette ($55). I am impressed by how creamy and blendable the shadows are. The glitters really pop! I even got a gift with purchase – a full size Midnight Shadows Liquid Eyeshadow. I wasn’t paying attention and thought it was a lipstick – which actually looked amazing after I wiped most of it off and applied lip stain on top of it. It made my lips look like stained glass – new favorite lip look! I’m sure I’ll be picking up more Wicked Collab stuff, but this is it for now.
It’s been a while since I’ve gotten hyped up about Urban Decay, but the new Urban Decay Cosmetics Moondust Space Cowboy Glitter Eyeshadow Palette – Limited Edition ($49) caught my eye. Yes, I know it’s basically just a few shadows pulled from Naked palettes in a fancy package – SHUT UP. I have only gotten to use it once, but I ended up with nice results, so no regrets. Oh, and I also got a Platinum and Diamond Free 5 Piece Gift with $35 makeup purchase, which came with an clear vinyl crossbody bag (perfect for stadiums with a clear bag rule); Urban Decay All Nighter Long Lasting Makeup Setting Spray (ugh, I have so much of this); a card sample of Urban Decay Moondust Eyeshadow in “Space Cowboy”; Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in “Zero”; and Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion in “Original”.
I added a few more random items to my bag: an EcoTools Exfoliating EcoPouf Loofah ($2.99); L’Oreal True Match Super-Blendable Powder in “C1 Alabaster” ($6.49, on sale from $12.99 – Ulta’s site told me which shade to use based on the shade I wear in Infallible, but it’s a bit light on me); and Thayers Alcohol-Free Witch Hazel Facial Toner in “Rose Petal” ($10.95).
All this got me a Free Platinum & Diamond Exclusive 28 Piece Gift with with $150 purchase – woo hoo! First off, this gift came with a gorgeous chocolate velvet cosmetic bag. Inside the bag: COSRX Master Patch Intensive; Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour HydraPlay Skin Perfecting Daily Moisturizer; Morphe Mini Continuous Setting Mist; Maybelline The Falsies Lash Lift Mascara; Sol de Janeiro Cheirosa 48 Perfume Mist (Awww, I already have one of these); Chloe Intense; Olaplex No. 7 Bonding Oil; Frank Body Glycolic Body Scrub; bareMinerals Complexion Rescue Blonzer (uh whut? It’s blush and bronzer, oh); Estee Lauder Revitalizing Supreme + Night Power Bounce Creme; e.l.f. Power Grip Primer; Benefit The POREfessional Super Setter Long-Lasting Makeup Setting Spray (ugh, more???); Wella Ultimate Repair Miracle Hair Rescue (again, more???); Clarins Total Eye Lift; Polite Society Greatest Lashes of All Time Mascara (braggy a bit?); Dime TBT Cream (what even is this?); Eau Thermale Avene Cicalfate Intensive Skin Restorative Serum; megababe Le Tush Clarifying Butt Mask (literally laughed out loud); tarte tartelette XL tubing Mascara; Charlotte Tilbury Exagger-eyes Mascara; Florence by Mills Floating Under the Eyes Patches; CeraVe Acne Foaming Cream Cleanser; OUAI Leave in Conditioner; Buxom Plump Shot Collagen Infused Lip Serum; e.l.f. Skin Holy Hydration Eye Cream; pixi Glow Tonic; NOYZ Lost + Found; and Vichy Mineral 89 Fortifying and Plumping Daily Booster. Damn, my fingers are TIRED.
I should feel worse about randomly spending $150+ without a good coupon or sale…but I don’t, because I used the last $30 of Ulta points I had saved up.
Fire Fighter Ulta Haul
I was sitting in my local Ulta a few Saturdays ago, waiting for the bleach to process, and texted my daughter to find out if she needed anything from Ulta. She said no, then I told her to ask her dad…she told her to tell me to get more lube. I could feel her CRINGING through the phone. I was relaying this to my stylist…and she was like – WE SELL LUBE? I pulled up the app and showed her all the different options, and as I was scrolling, I saw the Smile Makers “The Fire Fighter” ($60)…since I had a 20% off coupon that was about to expire, I decided to splurge on my vajayjay with “The Fire Fighter”, as well as Unbound Jelly ($18) and Unbound Jolt Enhanced Stimulating Water-Based Gel ($24). Let me tell you, “The Fire Fighter” is one DAMN fine machine. Reach out for more details…
Even though summer is almost over, I occasionally shave in the winter…I love rose scented bath stuff, so Tree Hut Moroccan Rose Bare Moisturizing Shave Oil ($12.99) and Moroccan Rose Foaming Gel Wash ($11.49) were a no brainer. I even got a free Tree Hut Shower Sponge with my $20 purchase.
My purchase qualified me for a free Platinum & Diamond Exclusive 12 Piece Skincare Gift with $60 purchase, which came with Real Techniques Real Clean XL Makeup Remover Wipes; COOLA Sun Silk Drops Sunscreen; bareMinerals Ageless 10% Phyto-Retinol Night Concentrate; Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair; Cocokind Resurrection Polypeptide Cream; Philosophy Hope in a Jar Smooth-Glow Multi-Tasking Moisturizer; Perricone MD Cold Plasma+ Sub-D/Neck; Urban Skin Rx Even Tone Cleansing Bar; Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion+; Sun Bum Sunscreen SPF 30; Juice Beauty Green Apple Age Defy Serum; and Sol de Janeiro Bum Bum Body Firmeza Oil. I will use every single one of these!
Getting my hair done, plus this haul, leaves me with just $63 til Diamond in 2025.
June 2023 Ipsy Bag – Ready, Set, Play!
I am so behind…more time in the office, less time in the house, ugh…
I haven’t touched a single thing in this month’s ipsy bag – not a thing! My product choice this month was Frank Body Rosehip Body Scrub & Cleanser – it looks like it would be a good pouch for travel, so I think I’ll wait until my next trip (Reno in July) to try it out.
I also got: Adesse New York Nail Polish in “Bellini” (very, VERY pale pink); BareMinerals Complexion Rescue Natural Matte Tinted Moisturizer in “Vanilla” (I have been wanting to try this – going into the office more might be a good excuse); Dito ICE CREAM Liquid Lipstick in “Lucky”; and WingMe Cosmetics 03 Small Shading Brush (that’s right – another FUCKING eye brush).
This month’s brands seem a bit off, but there is a good mix of products…plus a super soft and squishy bag.
I subscribe to the basic ipsy bag for $13/month and Icon Box (formerly Glam Bag X) for an extra $43/quarterly. If youβd like to try Ipsy β Β click here. Iβll earn 250 points if you sign up through my referral link.
First Ulta Haul of 2023
Well…that didn’t take long. The first Diamond Offers email arrived on January 2nd and I jumped right on it!
I wasn’t planning on getting the Urban Decay Cosmetics Naked x Robin Eisenberg Eyeshadow Palette ($27, down from $54), but half price made it a lot more attractive. Initially, I was put off by the lack of “naked” colors in a “naked” palette, but I was pleasantly surprised by how wearable these bright shimmery colors are. There are several color-shifting duochrome shadows, which are like catnip to me. I can see myself wearing this one quite a bit!
I didn’t want to forget to redeem my Diamond gift of a free Clinique Foundation, so I guessed at my shade and chose Clinique Beyond Perfecting Powder Foundation + Concealer in “0.5 Breeze” (normally $36). I chose correctly and this is a GREAT powder foundation – not cakey at all. Since all Clinique was 25%, I also picked up a back-up tube of Clinique Almost Lipstick in “Black Honey” ($16.50, down from $22). I never thought I’d be a Clinique girl like my mom, but here we are.
I threw some fun clearance items into my cart – a few $1.25 nail polishes, Nailtopia “Carrot Cake” and “Blueberry Milk”. I am out of samples of micellar water, so I am trying out wet n wild Makeup Remover Micellar Cleansing Water ($4.99).
I got a few different freebies with this order. I received a BareMinerals Platinum & Diamond Exclusive 4 Piece Gift with $35 makeup purchase, which includes Ageless 10% Phyto-Retinol Night Concentrate, Prime Time Original Foundation Primer, and Mineral Veil Finishing Powder in a very nice Makeup Bag. I also received an Exuviance Diamond & Platinum Exclusive! Free 4 Piece Gift with $25 purchase, which includes Deep Clean AHA Cleanser, Glycolic Expert Moisturizer, Overnight Transformation Complex, and A.G.E. Less Everyday Moisturizer. My skin is gonna look AMAZING.
Just $1,149 to Diamond in 2024…
First Ulta Haul of 2021
Remember how excited I was about NatureLabs.Tokyo Perfect Shine Shampoo & Conditioner? Turns out that it was the wrong product. I had sampled Perfect SMOOTH Shampoo & Conditioner. Oops. I bought a bottle of the NatureLabs.Tokyo Perfect Smooth Conditioner ($14) and I like it much better than the Perfect Smooth. Ugh. I’ll buy more Shampoo, I guess…
I am a sucker for Urban Decay foundation. Every time they release a new one, I’m all over it. Their newest is Urban Decay Hydromaniac Glowy Tinted Hydrator Foundation ($29). I was expected something like a tinted moisturizer, but it was a medium to full coverage foundation. I just put on on my face with my fingers and was like…oh NO. I grabbed my Beauty Blender and buffed it out. It gave nice, smooth coverage. If I left my house more than once a week, I’d use the hello out of it.
I also added a pack of Kitsch Face Masks ($12.99). My kids like these masks best, so I keep on buying them.
A few nice Platinum/Diamond freebies came with this order. I got a Too Faced Damn That’s Sexy Mascara set with my $25 makeup purchase and a deluxe sample of BareMinerals Original Liquid Foundation in “Fairly Light 03”. I haven’t tried either yet.
$1,145 to Diamond for 2022!
Sephora Favorites Hello! Greatest Beauty Hits (and more)
Ooooh! Sephora Sale on Sale! An extra 20% off sale items…so tempting.
I’d been eyeing the newest Sephora Favorites Hello! Greatest Beauty Hits set. $8 on sale is better than $10…but $6.40 is even better. I was most interested in Sol de Janeiro Cheirosa ’62 Eau de Parfum – it was so summery. Also in the set: It Cosmetics Lash Blowout Volumizing Mascara; Tarte SEA Jelly Glaze Anytime Lip Mask in “Strawberry Jelly”; BareMinerals Gen Nude Powder Blush in “Call My Blush”; First Aid Beauty FAB Pharma Arnica Relief & Rescue Mask; and Sephora Collection Ultra Glow Serum: Glow + Strengthen Vitamin C Serum. As usual, the set comes with 15% off vouchers for each product – I might actual used the Cheirosa ’62 one.
While browsing the sale section, I found a few other smokin’ deals. I splurged on a Fresh Rose Hydration Skincare Essentials Set ($55, down from $63 – $44 after discount). I also picked up the tarte SEA Yours & Mine Quench Lip Rescue Duo ($17, down from $19 – $13.60 after discount). I really like the Lip Rescue I got in the Give Me Some Balm Set – all the mask wearing has dried out my lips! The Milk Makeup KUSH Triple Brow Pen ($11, down from $22 – $8.80 after discount) was a bad purchase. The first time I used it, it was GREAT. The color “Dutch” was a perfect match to my brows and each stroke was like a little hair. The second time I used it though, it did not work at all. It’s like all the color went out of the pen after one use! Ugh, if I wasn’t so lazy, I’d take it back.
For my samples, I got Kiehl’s Calendula Water Cream and amika Flash Instant Shine Mask.
I made this purchase in 2020, but it wasn’t enough to put me into VIB status – I still needed like $65, but I didn’t want to buy something dumb. I feel like such a peasant.
February 2020 Allure Beauty Box – On Holiday
February’s Allure Beauty Box is a hodgepodge of items – some makeup, some tools, some skin stuff.
This first product I noticed was Olay Regenerist Retinol 24, which I had just finished off from last month’s Target Beauty Boxes. It was a great night moisturizer and I’ll be using this one up, too.
Also in this month’s box: Wander Beauty After Hours Highlighter (aren’t we OVER highlighters, yet?); an NYX Cosmetics Multi-Purpose Buffing Brush; BareMinerals Skinlongevity Vital Power Infusion Serum; Belif: The True Cream Aqua Bomb (finished the sample I got in December’s ipsy bag LAST NIGHT); Honey Jarret Super Beau’Tea Mask; and Cargo Cosmetics Essential Lip Color in “Santa Fe”.
A so-so box with really good products and really mediocre ones.
The Allure Beauty Box is $15/month, but they give you $5 off your first box. They also offer an option for $150/year β a savings of $30.Β Sign up via my referral link.
More Ulta Friendsgiving
So I received my second Ulta Friendsgiving order right before Thanksgiving, but I’ve been sick AF since Monday…the whole damn house needs to be quarantined!
So many good sales before Black Friday and Cyber Monday! What could I pick up to get me to $65 for that 23 Piece Friendsgiving Beauty Besties Beauty Bag???
I had been drooling over the Hask Rose Oil & Peach Shampoo and Conditioner ($5.99 each) since I saw them at Walgreen’s a few months ago. I knew they would eventually show up at Ulta, so I waited. It sounds weird, but the shampoo is more rose scented and the conditioner is more peach scented – why? They are a more budget-friendly choice than the Redken and Nexxus products I’ve been buying lately and work just as well. They smell less salon-y, too.
I noticed that Mamonde Petal Spa Oil to Foam Cleanser was half off ($10.50, down from $21) AND came with a free gift! I’ve gotten several samples in beauty boxes and really like the scent, so I splurged. The free gift was three samples: Mamonde Petal Spa Oil to Foam Cleanser, Mamonde Rose Water Toner, and Mamonde Plum Blossom Lip Sleeping Mask. Since I cannot resist anything rose, I also picked up the new Biore Rose Quartz + Charcoal Pore Refining Scrub ($7.99) – it’s very gentle.
I hadn’t gotten my first Friendsgiving order yet when I placed this one, so I ended up adding two more Zoya Remove+ ($10 each) to my cart – oops!
Inside that hot pink sequined Beauty Besties Bag: ANOTHER Mamonde Petal Spa Oil to Foam Cleanser (happy to have it for travel); Redken Color Extend Magnetics Shampoo & Conditioner (I just used up a full size of the conditioner, but still have some of the shampoo left); Maybelline The Colossal Mascara; Yves Saint Laurent L’Homme; Anastasia Beverly Hills Lip Gloss in “Moon Jelly”; Giorgio Armani Acqua di Gioia; Prada Candy (2 of these, so Lily got one); bareMinerals Complexion Rescue Sample Card; it Cosmetics Blurring Foundation No 101; Benefit The POREfessional; Philosophy Purity Made Simple 3-in-1 Cleanser for Face and Eyes; Peach & Lily Glass Skin Refining Serum (looking forward to trying this); Paradoxx Secret Weapon Conditioner (why is this hair conditioner in a little metal tin that will immediately rust in my shower?); Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara; Ulta Beauty Sugared Vanilla Moisturizing Body Lotion; Moschino Toy 2; Ulta Beauty Charcoal Nose Strips; La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Moisturizer; Bed Head Small Talk; Love Wellness Lights Out Dietary Supplements (ooooh, sleeping pills that probably won’t work on me!); John Varvatos Eau de Toilette; Elizabeth Arden Advanced Ceramide Capsules; and Hempz Pink Pomelo & Himalyan Sea Salt Herbal Body Moisturizer. Phew – my fingers are tired. These are really good samples – I will use at least 75% of them!
In case you are noticing that the math doesn’t add up, there were a few other items that I added to my cart that will be Xmas gifts. Shhhh…don’t tell!
I got to use a $10 off coupon, in addition to the many sales. Just $319 to Diamond…
Sephora SUMMER SAVE
It’s that time of year again…Sephora’s end-of-summer sale event – 20% off!
I had been keeping Rosebud Perfume Co. Rose & Mandarin Lip Balm ($8) in my cart for my next order, so I finally got it! It’s subtle scented and very slick – I’ve been using it before bedtime.
The email with my promo code showed me the new Moroccanoil Color Depositing Masks, so I ordered two Minis ($7) – “Aquamarine” and “Hibiscus” – I’ll have to wait another few weeks until my hair fades more, but I am excited to try them.
Not impressed by her latest launches, I did order one of the new Kat Von D Kitten Minis – Crush on Blush – Highlighter + Blush Duo ($22). The blush shade is “Nova” which matches my fave lipstick “Lolita” perfectly – it’s a better match than my actual “Lolita” blush. I’ve been using the highlighter, “Gammaray” for eyeshadow – I LOVE it.
I wasn’t planning on getting a new foundation, but I was poking around on the site and came across bareMinerals Blemish Rescue Skin-Clearing Loose Powder Foundation for Acne Prone Skin in “2N” ($29). When I opened it up, my first thought was FUCK, it’s too dark. That’s what I get for letting the site choose for me – I had them match the last foundation that I felt was a really good match for me, Fenty Beauty in “150”. Once I got it on my face, it wasn’t really too dark – darker than my usual, but not too dark. This is a full coverage powder – more full coverage than I am used to, so I may save it for special occasions and not wear it to work every day. It wears okay, but I feel like it oxidizes by the end of day – maybe not the best for summer sweating.
Again, I got neither of the two samples I picked. Instead of REPLICA Whispers in the Library, I got Lancome La vie est Belle. Instead of Glamglow Waterburst, I got Clinique iD Dramatically Different Hydrating Jelly. Boo.
I know if probably doesn’t seem like it, but I’ve really reduced my spending this year. This order doesn’t quite get me to VIB status for 2020 – my total spend year-to-date has been $338, believe it or not. Another $662 just isn’t in the cards this year, unless I win the lottery!
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 havenβt 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 upΒ atΒ sephora.com/play.