Tag: NYX
Ulta 21 Days of Beauty – Day 14
So proud…I made it all the way to Day 14 of Ulta’s 21 Days of Beauty before placing an order!
I had to pull the trigger on trying It Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC+ Airbrush Perfecting Powder SPF50+ in “Light” for half price ($17.50 instead of $35). I’m always on the hunt for the perfect powder foundation. Trying it for the first time this morning, I wasn’t disappointed. This stuff is THICK. I used the included sponge for the first application, over only moisturizer – no primer – and it is THICK. Thick, but not as cakey as MAC Studio Fix. It covers almost as much as a liquid foundation, so I switched to my usual kabuki to buff it out evenly. I’m going to try over a few different primers next – it tended to settle into my nose pores, so I’m thinking that’s the only place I’ll really need it. A good buy!
I also took advantage of an NYX BOGO half sale – I got the Cosmic Metals and Lid Lingerie Shadow palettes (normally $9.99 each). They are like matte/shimmer twins. I wore Lid Lingerie today without primer. Note to self: NYX shadows ALWAYS needs primer. The colors are nice though.
I also grabbed another Ulta Ultra Slim Brow Pencil in “Dark Brown” ($10) – it is my new go to. Also, it put me over the threshold to get $5 off my order. For free samples, I got an Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Powder Duo (I have like 6 of these) and Smashbox Photo finish Foundation Primer (I have like 16 of these). They also threw in a huge sample pouch of DevaCurl Buildup Buster…but I don’t have curls or use a lot of product in my hair.
Free shipping since I got a Beauty Steal, so I didn’t have to hit the $50 threshold!
Review – Wet n Wild Megalast Liquid Catsuit Liquid Lipstick
It’s been a minute since I’ve done a full on product review, but I had ALL Saturday to myself and I had myself a little swatch party…
I’d been considering trying out Wet n Wild‘s new Megalast Liquid Catsuit Liquid Lipsticks since they launched at the end of 2016. I’ve spent hundreds of dollars on liquid lipsticks in the past year or so – at $18-$20 each. Could a $4.99 product really match products that cost 3-4 times the price?
If you’re too lazy to read any further, the short answer is YES. If you’re NOT lazy, I’ll continue.
I started slowly, buying “Give Me Mocha” at Walgreen’s a few weeks ago. I was so impressed with the formula, that I started looking for a few more colors to test. It took a few trips to different Walgreen’s and Targets, but I also snagged “Rebel Rose” and “Goth Topic”, also snagging three more tubes to send to my lipstick buddy, Sally. They started their voyage to Scotland a week ago yesterday – I hope they get there soon!
Let’s start with “Goth Topic”. I’ll admit it, I only bought it for the name. I spent so much time at Hot Topic in the 90s!
I don’t wear dark lipsticks like this much anymore, but back in high school and college, this dark maroonish/brownish color was my jam. It’s the 90s in one color.
I only had one color to compare it too – and it’s not that hot a match. NYX Liquid Suede Creme Lipstick in “Club Hopper”. The NYX lipsticks are only a bit more expensive at $6.99, so it’s not much of a savings, but I found that “Goth Topic” – although thin – gave better coverage than “Club Hopper” and wore off my inner lips more slowly.
I’m suspecting that I’ll rarely wear either of these, unless I want to really annoy my husband.
On to “Rebel Rose” – a dusty rose. I’ll be honest, I thought that I had at least a handful of lipsticks that would match this one, but when I swatched them – they were all a little off. I wasn’t able to find ANY exact matches, but I decided to show off the closest ones I found.
Jeffree Star Cosmetics “Gemini” is somewhat similar, but a bit more Terra Cotta leaning. I suspect that it is a closer match to Jeffree Star “Doll Parts”, but I don’t have that one yet. Soon.
Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in “Patina” is a bit closer, but leans more lavender. I really like the Stila Formula – it’s not as drying as most others.
“Patina” lasts the longest of the three on me. It is also the most flattering, but “Rebel Rose” looks pretty amazing as well.
…and I saved the best for last. “Give Me Mocha” is similar to SO many of my lipsticks – at least a dozen, if not 20. I narrowed it down the the very closest of matches to share.
Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in “Lolita” is my absolute favorite matte liquid lipstick right now. It’s not an exact match, but fairly close. I was hoping that Jeffree Star “Androgyny” (another favorite) would be a dupe, but it leans more mauve.
I found two from NYX that are very close: NYX Lip Lingerie in “Exotic” and NYX Intense Butter Gloss in “Chocolate Crepe”. The Lip Lingerie has the matte staying power, but “Chocolate Crepe” is the closest color match….BUT, it’s not a matte liquid lipstick. The Butter Gloss is a slimy gloss that gets all over the place.
If you want to be a babe on a budget, don’t lose a minute’s worth of sleep over saving a dime (or 150 dimes) by picking the Liquid Catsuit Liquid Lipstick. It lasts just as long as Jeffree or Kat Von D and the colors are decent. It doesn’t smell weird and although thinner, a second coat fixes any thin coverage spots. I just wish they had more colors!
February Ipsy Bag – Much Love
I’m loving the February Ipsy Bag – “Much Love”, in fact.
Inside this month’s cute little denim bag: Trust Fund Beauty Nail Polish in “$12 Latte” (It’s actually darker than a latte – more like $12 Mocha); NYX Butter Lipstick in “Lifeguard” (Yup, Baywatch red); BellaPierre Cosmetics Volumelash Waterproof Mascara (Ugh, hate waterproof mascara); Hikari Cosmetics Cream Pigment Eye Shadow in “Latte” (Oooooh, another latte – it’s going straight into my Z Palette…speaking of Z Palette, they’re in the middle of a controversy for being assholes on social media – I won’t be buying another one, but I already gave them my money for this one); and BeFine Food Skin Care Gentle Face Cleanser (I’m running low on cleanser samples, so this came at a good time).
Another great bag this month!
If you’d like to try Ipsy – click here. I’ll earn 250 points if you sign up through my link.
Target Twelve Days of Beauty Faves
I’m playing a bit of catch up with December right now…or actually November. Yup, I ordered the Target Twelve Days of Beauty Faves Advent Calendar ($24.99) some time before Thanksgiving, although I waited until December 1st to start opening the windows. I meant to open one each day…but I kept forgetting and I had to hustle to open the very last window on December 31st.
Day 1: NYX Extreme Lip Cream in “Nude Peach Fuzz” (formula is great, but the color looks horrible on me – will be giving to my daughter)
Day 2: EcoTools Angled Kabuki Brush
Day 3: Sinful Colors “Silver Flash” (I don’t have this one!)
Day 4: Nexxus Comb Thru Finishing Mist
Day 5: ME! Bath Soap Bomb (I don’t have a bathtub in my new bathroom…meh.)
Day 6: Pacifica Kale Detox Deep Cleaning Face Wash (At least I don’t have to eat the Kale.)
Day 7: Burt’s Bees Lip Balm (I absolutely HATE sticking my finger in lip balm. I just won’t do it.)
Day 8: Mayfair Soap Foundry Body Creme in “Sea Lily Jasmine”
Day 9: Pixi Glow Tonic (Not sure how this oil “exfoliates”, but I’ll bite.)
Day 10: ACURE Day Cream Gotu Kola Stem Cell + CGF
Day 11: Umberto Dry Lifting Powder (Nope.)
Day 12: Laneige Sleeping Mask (This is MY JAM.)
As of this writing, the set is still available – at a discounted price of $14.99. I would have been much happier to have paid $14.99 for the set, as there are at least 4 products that I won’t use and plan to give away. I feel it was overpriced for what was in the set, although I was very happy about the Pacifica, Acure and Laneige products.
Target Beauty Boxes – July 2016
So two boxes again this month…but they are both for ME….
The “Fresh and Fabulous” box has some weird items: Tom’s of Main Peppermint Antiplaque & Whitening Toothpaste (I’ve heard Tom’s has a weird texture, but gets your teeth really clean); Dove Regenerative Nourishment Shampoo & Conditioner (large sample tubes!); Garnier Clearly Brighter Daily Moisturizer (how convenient – I just used up the Simple Gel I was using from Birchbox’s last CEW box); Sweet Spot On-the-Go Wipettes (Nowhere on the package does it tell me what I am supposed to wipe with these – do I use them on my face or my ass?); Umberto Lifting Powder (um, going to gift this); and NYX Butter Lipstick in “Moonlit Night” (love this dark plum color).
The “Simply Radiant” box is a bit more normal: L’Oreal Paris Color Vibrancy Shampoo & Conditioner (more big sample bottles); Dessange Paris Purifying Clay Shampoo (a huge fucking bottle – but NO conditioner – WTF?); Wet n Wild Max Fantastic Mascara in “Black Cat”; Derma e Firming DMAE Eye Lift; Acure Facial Cleansing Gel; and Aquaphor Healing Ointment (this means I need another tattoo).
Each box was $7, so I wasn’t able to use last month’s $3 off $15 coupon…sneaky, sneaky! I still got free shipping and 5% off with my Red Card, though.
Ulta Stars Aligned
The stars aligned to give me a 20% off anything coupon for Ulta at the same time I had enough points on MyPoints (referral link if you’re interested in joining – I’ve been a member for 18 years and have gotten $100s of gift cards) for a $25 Ulta gift card. And on the very same weekend that I was scheduled for a haircut. Did you know that you can use those coupons on salon services? You sure can! (I had set this appointment up three months ago and I couldn’t have planned it better.)
I got there a bit early, so I decided to take advantage of the NYX BOGOHalf sale. For myself, I picked up another NYX Micro Brow Pencil in “Chocolate” (I had been using “Ash Brown”); NYX Sculpt & Highlight Brow Contour in “Medium Beige/Ash Brown” (I used it today – the brow pencil was a little fatter than I like, but I really liked the built in highlighter); another NYX Ombre Lip Duo in “Cookies & Cream” (also used this today – dark brown and nude combo is a bit much for summer, but it looked good on me); and NYX Blotting Powder in “Light/Medium” (I used this over sunscreen moisturizer for oil control – it gave sheer matte coverage with no caking). I also picked up 4 NYX Retractable Eyeliners for my big sis. It is impossible to get makeup in Ketchikan and she liked the one she picked up on her visit a few months ago.
I also grabbed a Freeman Mint & Lemon Clay Mask at 15% off. They are like Pokemon – gotta catch em all.
I ended up saving well over $50 between gift cards, sales and coupons. Go me!
Flawless Ulta Haul
So…sometimes you just wanna buy something,
After perusing the Memorial Day sales…I was just about to place another overseas Makeup Revolution order (since they were giving away £25 Mystery Bags again), but I had a hard time getting my order up to £30. The only palette I really wanted badly was the Flawless Matte…
…and Ulta has it! On Memorial Day, they were giving away a free mystery sampler with a $50 purchase…no brainer.
So, in addition to the Makeup Revolution Flawless Matte Palette ($15), I also picked up a Makeup Revolution Baked Blusher in “Loved Me the Best” ($5) – these seem to be Laura Geller dupes – LOVE.
I also picked up one of the new NYX Liquid Suede Cream Lipsticks – “Clubhopper” ($6.99) and one of the new NYX Plush Gel Lipsticks – “Breakup” ($6.99). I tried “Breakup” today – so smooth and moisturizing, but doesn’t last long on the lips.
How else can I get to $50? 2 bottles of Zoya Remove+ ($10 each) and a pack of Ulta Exfoliating Cotton Pads ($3.49). Done!
That Mystery Bag had some cool stuff: Mario Badescu Enzyme Revitalizing Mask, LORAC Alter Ego Lip Gloss in “Goddess”; Ahava Dead Sea Crystal Osmoter X6; NKD Skin Tinted Tan Mousse (NOPE); bareMinerals Marvelous Moxie Lipstick in “Get Ready” (my third one – I sent the last one to Sally); and Rodial Glamoxy Snake Serum (like that shit in Vegas?).
I also got a free sample of DevaCurl Waves Ahead Loo-Poo Delight – I don’t have curls, but why not try it for free? The free Butter London lippie was sold out. Sad face.
For my regular samples, I got Redken High Rise Volume Shampoo & Conditioner and Garnier Skin Active Clearly Brighter Brightening & Smoothing Daily Moisturizer.
Free shipping for an order over $50, plus got to use a $3.50 off coupon.
So look at that palette…all those warm matte colors…I tore a chunk out of my thumb nail whilst peeling the plastic off – but it was totally worth it.
That Lil
After doing my daughter Lily’s nails for Field Day next week (they had to be YELLOW to match her Field Day shirt), I let her take the wheel and pick out something for my nails. She carefully picked out two of her NYX polishes (from last Xmas) – a bright pink creme and a shimmery fuchsia. (On a side note, I HATE that these tiny polishes do not have names on the bottle. In fact, they likely do not have names at all. The OCD in me cannot handle it.) She demanded that I alternate nails and then do contrasting dots…that Lil has an eye for design!
After Sally Hansen Diamond Shine for a base coat, I followed Lil’s directions. Slowly, I dotted my nails. I tried to keep them neat and geometric, but they’re not perfect. I finished with “HK Girl”. My left hand only smeared a bit on the pinky…but my right hand looks horror show – like a rain of pink and fuchsia comets. SIGH. Patience was never my strong suit.
Maybe I should let Lil pick all my polish looks?
Ulta Gifting
I placed another Ulta order the Wednesday before last…because there were GIFTS I needed. Really, I had a reason.
Besides the gifts, I also order some stuff for myself – the Makeup Revolution Redemption Palette “Unicorns are Real” and new Lip Euphoria “Fate”. Lip Euphoria just launched and Ulta got it quick – there’s hope!
I also qualified for the Bare Minerals Beauty Break, which included 5 in 1 BB Advanced Performance Cream Eyeshadow; Lash Domination Volumizing Mascara; Lash Domination Volumizing Mascara for Short Lashes (They make special mascara for short lashes? How is it different?); Marvelous Moxie Lipstick in “Get Ready” (I got this in my first ipsy bag – great color!); and BareSkin Sheer Sun Serum Bronzer (weird). I also got some weird samples – Escada “Joyful” and Herban Essentials Lavender Towlette (what the fuck do I do with this?)
And then Saturday, I went to Ulta to get my hair did…and buy some more gifts. All gifts must come from Ulta!
I liked my neon eyeshadow and pink eyeliner combo so much, that I wanted more liquid eyeliner options – red and blue! I got NYX Glam Liner Aqua Luxe in “Azur Glamour” and NYX Vivid Brights Liquid Eyeliner in “Vivid Fire”. They were BOGOHalf and I figured I would try both formulas. I also grabbed a pack of eyeshadow sponges from the bin by the checkout…sometimes the cheap stuff works best.
…and my receipt told me that I am only $5 away from Platinum status for next year. WHOOP!
March Ipsy Bag – Hello, Spring
Hello, Spring!
March’s ipsy bag is here to help me say, “Hello, Spring” with an adorable blue and red rose bag. Inside my bag: a Beau Gâchis Paris eyeshadow brush; Starlooks Luxe Longwear Eye Pencil in “Jet”; Marc Anthony Nourishing Argan Oil of Morocco 3 Day Smooth Perfect Blow Dry Cream; Nudestix Lip + Cheek Pencil in “Mystic”; and NYX Cosmetics Liquid Suede Cream Lipstick in “Kitten Heels” (So happy to get this color).
Oh…and I used my ipsy points to get Pacifica Indian Coconut Nectar Body Butter. It smells awesome and matches my bag.
If you’d like to try Ipsy – click here. I’ll earn 250 points if you sign up through my link.