Tag: tarte
January 2020 Allure Beauty Box – 2020 Vision
It’s only January and I’m already sick of the “2020” puns. Lordtttt help me.
This month’s Allure Beauty Box is full of beauty innovations. Some of these were so good that I snatched them up and took them to the bathroom immediately!
The evening I got the box, I broke open the Kate Somerville Exfolikate – I love getting any Kate Somerville sample I can. I also started using the Philosophy Renewed Hope in a Jar Water Cream – it smells SO good and I love what hyaluronic acid does for my skin.
Also in this month’s punny box: tarte Gifted Amazonian Clay Smart Mascara (SMART mascara? PUHlease…); Akar Skin Pure Lip Restoration (this definitely will be going to Vegas with me); Vitabrid 12 Dual Drop Serum (interesting); and Naturelab Tokyo Perfect Shine Oil Mist (I really liked the Naturelab Perfect Shampoo and conditioner in September’s 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.
December Sephora Play! – Award Worthy Beauty
The last Sephora box of the year contains “Award Worthy” beauty products. These products haven’t actually won awards…but are worthy of an award? Sure, ok…
I just tried that new Anastasia Beverly Hills Dip Brow Gel in “Dark Brown” last week – I’d gotten a sample in the Ulta Cyber Monday Bag. It’s…different. The product is a lot like mascara – it sticks to the little invisible baby hairs on your face and turns them into eyebrow hairs, so you have to be very careful and precise in application. I was not precise and ended up looking like Brooks Shields. It was very odd, but fairly realistic, at least compared to the current gradient brow trend, which I HATE. With a little practice, I think I could become good at applying the Dip Brow Gel. Or maybe a lot of practice?
Other “Award Worthy” products in December’s box: Urban Decay All-Nighter Long-Lasting Setting Spray; Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Cream Shadow Stick in “Golden Pink”; Tarte Rainforest of the Sea – Drink of H2O Hydrating Boost Moisturizer; Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Bum Bum Cream (I love this stuff, it smells good enough to eat); and Living proof. No Frizz Nourishing Styling Cream.
Sephora Play gives you 5-6 prestige samples a month, for just $10! You can sign up at sephora.com/play. I just noticed that this month’s box did not include a 50 point Play! Pass – rude.
I did NOT hit Sephora Rouge status this year, the first time in…5 years! My total spend was $525, so at least I made VIB status. All of my discounts in 2020 will be 15% instead of 20% and with my first order, I’ll order Sephora Flash, which is now $15 (up from $10).
December 2019 Ipsy Bag – Shine On
Shine on? Well, I certainly will try…
I did not miss the product choice window this month – I selected BELIF The True Cream Moisturizing Bomb. I’ve gotten this sample at least a dozen times from different subscription boxes and purchases and it is a really good moisturizing cream.
Also in this month’s silver pleather bag: FLUIDE 7-Free Nail Polish in “Strut” (I love a good gunmetal nail polish); Aromatica Rose Absolute First Serum (looking forward to trying this serum in my favorite scent); Beauty for Real Lip Gloss + Shine in “Sunlight”; and Tarte Amazonian Clay Waterproof Bronzer in “Park Ave Princess” (what is the point of waterproof bronzer???).
An interesting box, but the products seem more summery than wintery – maybe they know I’m in Texas and it is currently 75 degrees outside?
I subscribe to the basic ipsy bag for $12/month. If you’d like to try Ipsy – click here. I’ll earn 250 points if you sign up through my referral link.
November 2019 Allure Beauty Box – Thanks a Whole Lot
November’s Allure Beauty Box focuses in on skincare (and other products) you can be grateful for.
I literally TORE into the e.l.f. Poreless Putty Primer. I used it before going out and it made my skin look flawless. I used it under a powder foundation, but I bet it would also do great under a liquid foundation. At $8 at Ulta, it’s on the more expensive end of e.l.f. products, but compared to any other brand – it’s a steal!
Also in this month’s box: tarte Color Splash Lipstick in “yachting” (full size!); Freeze 24-7 Anti-Aging Eye Serum (I keep being unimpressed by eye serums, but by the time I need them it will probably be too late); Curology The Cleanser; Vichy Double Glow Peel Mask; and Bliss That’s Incredi-Peel Pads (Hmm, 2 peel products this month).
My skin is looking forward to being pampered and exfoliated!
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.
October 2019 Sephora Play! – Your Beauty Recipe
Better late than never, aight?
A very odd Sephora Play! box this month – there doesn’t seem to be an overarching theme, other than pieces you can mix into your beauty routine. The first sample I tried was the dpHUE Apple Cider Vinegar Hair Masque. I was worried that it would have a vinegary smell, but the smell was rather light. I used it in the shower, so I probably only left it in my hair for 5-7 minutes – but it made my hair feel really nice and silky.
I also tried the Tarte Quench Hydrating Primer – Rainforest of the Sea Collection. I wish there was more in the tube, because it was really nice. There was only 2 uses in the tube!
Also in this month’s box: Shiseido WASO: Clear Mega-Hydrating Moisturizer; Origins Dr. Andrew Weil for Origins Mega Mushroom Relief & Resilience Soothing Treatment Lotion (Is that name long enough for you?); Youth to the People Superfood Antioxidant Cleanser (why is it in a tiny glass bottle?); and Urban Decay All Nighter Long-Lasting Makeup Setting Spray.
Oh, something new in this month’s box – instead of a 50 point Play! pass, this box came with a code for 20% off any foundation, tinted moisturizer, BB or CC Cream. If I didn’t just get the 20% holiday bonus, I’d definitely use it!
Sephora Play gives you 5-6 prestige samples a month, for just $10! You can sign up at sephora.com/play.
Sephora Play! June 2019 – Destination Beauty
What a coincidence – this month’s Sephora Play! box is stocked with travel essentials and we leave on a 10 day road trip across America in a just a few weeks. (Driving from Texas to New York state counts as across America, right?)
I swear, I JUST used up my last sample of Farmacy Green Clean Makeup Removing Balm – literally 3 days ago. (I got a sample in my March ipsy bag.) The texture is dreamy smooth and it really does remove makeup quickly and completely. I’m still getting used to applying to my dry face and then emulsifying, but I am getting there.
Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask in “Original Berry” is another product I’ve tried before and used up (August 2018 Allure Beauty Box). As much as I hate applying lip balms with my finger, I did not mind so much with this one.
Also in this month’s Play! box: tarte babassu foundcealer skincare Foundation SPF 20 in “16S” (curious about this Frankenstein product); Herbivore Rose Hibiscus Coconut Water Hydrating Face Mist (I’ve found that these face mists work GREAT at removing liquid lipstick – wow!); Sephora Collection All Day Hydrator – Hydrate & Glow; and Klorane Anti-Pollution Shampoo and Conditioner with Aquatic Mint (weird).
I feel like this is a high value box with products I’ll actually use – good job, Sephora!
Sephora Play gives you a lot of bang for your buck each month. Sephora Play is only $10/month. You can sign up at sephora.com/play.
April 2019 Ipsy Bag – Bloom
Oh ipsy, you give me months and months of great bags…and then you confuse me with a bag of bizarro products.
The only mainstream brand included is tarte – it’s a sample of tarte base tape hydrating primer. It must be a new product? I’ll give it a spin I guess.
Also in this month’s super cute lemon bag: Law Beauty Essentials 100% Vegan Nail Polish in “PURRRRPLICIOUS” (fooled me with a bottle that is an exact dupe of Butter London’s); Vasanti Contour Eyeshadow Brush; Jelly Pong Pong Cosmetics Lip Oil in “Watermelon” (it’s like a watermelon Jolly Rancher); and 111SKIN Y Theorem Repair Serum Nac Y2 (I do not understand the name on the tube – I am doing the best I can).
If you’d like to try Ipsy – click here. I’ll earn 250 points if you sign up through my link.
March 2019 Ipsy Bag – SHEro
When I first started with ipsy, I felt like the brands were amazing, but as the years went on, there were more and more weird brands and less prestige brands…but now ipsy is getting better again! The last few months have had better brands and better products overall – good job, ipsy!
This month’s “SHEro” bag is rose gold (my current fave metallic), embossed with “and off she went to change the world” – I love it. So, I have at least half a dozen samples of Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Bum Bum Cream and I STILL have not tried it. I’ll try it, I promise.
Also in this month’s bag: Tarte Maneater Voluptuous Mascara (will probably get sold on Poshmark); Ciate London Mini Lip Lustre in “Wildfire” (this color is fire); PUR Afterglow Mini Highlighting Skin Perfecting Powder; and Farmacy Green Clean Makeup Meltaway Cleansing Balm (I am not all in on cleansing balms, BUT I found that they are GREAT for melting longwearing liquid lipstick).
If you’d like to try Ipsy – click here. I’ll earn 250 points if you sign up through my link.
First Sephora Haul of 2019
It was an amazing test of willpower to wait until January 1st to place a Sephora order. The 1st was the final day of the “Sale on Sale” – 20% off Clearance items, but I didn’t want to make the same mistake as last year and place an order too early.
I only wanted one thing from the Sale Page – the tarte Let’s Flamingle brush Set. Do I need more makeup brushes? No. Do I want makeup brushes shaped like flamingos and pineapples? FUCK YES. I wasn’t feeling the original $44 price, or even the $25 sale price. $20 seemed like the right place. I haven’t used them yet, but I’ve unboxed them and they are soft and uber-fluffy.
I also picked up Fenty Beauty by Rihanna Mattemoiselle Plush Matte Lipstick in “Flamingo Acid” ($18). Are you sensing a theme here? I’d been coveting the shade since it dropped as part of the 10/10 set – but I wasn’t about to buy 10 tubes of lipstick for just one shade. Luckily, they just released them all individually. I busted it out today – it is absolutely the perfect winter shade. It makes me look really white, but hey – I AM really white.
I’m super bummed that Sephora is still only offering two samples per order. (They’re also changing up the Rouge Benefits for 2019 – ugh, now I’ll have to pick between makeovers and free shipping – you cannot have both now.) I had picked a Jo Malone sample, but of course I didn’t get it. I got AmorePacific The Essential Creme Fluid and Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder. I absolutely HATE powders on a postcard. Ugh, Sephora – get it together.
$952 to Rouge.
Sephora Play! December 2018 – Cheers to Beauty
It’s only the 3rd – late, but not too bad.
December’s box is really light – all of the products are very tiny. I am most excited about the Fresh Sugar Lip Caramel Hydrating Balm. If my nose was working, I’d tell you how good it smells. Unfortunately, you’ll just have to pretend I told you it smells just like a yummy caramel swirl. I am religious about using heavy balms and masks on my lips every night, so this will be put to good use immediately.
Also in this month’s box: Too Faced Primed & Peachy Cooling Matte Perfecting Primer (the insert says it smells like peaches & cream); Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes 4-in-1 Mascara in “Black”; MoroccanOil Treatment (for hair); and Sephora Collection Rouge Gel Lip Liner in “Nothin’ But Nude”. As a bonus, they added a sixth sample to my box – Stellar Cosmic Face Powder in “Haze”. (I had no idea what this product is, so I had to look it up on Sephora’s site – it’s a mattifying translucent finishing powder – NICE). Not horrible products, but nothing really exciting either.
Another month without a fragrance sample. So sad.
I kind of miss the fabric pouches that used to come with the box. I mean…I don’t do anything with them, but I don’t do anything with these weird ziploc pouches either.
Sephora Play is usually my favorite monthly beauty box. Sephora Play is only $10/month. You can sign up at sephora.com/play.