Tag: Ulta
Naked Wild West
When a new Naked palette launches, you know I’ll be there.
Urban Decay Cosmetics Naked Wild West ($49) launched in stores last Sunday, after launching online at urbandecay.com a few weeks ago. I had my husband drop me off while running errands – the store didn’t even have the display set up yet! I had to ask someone and they grabbed one out of the storeroom.
The palette is coppery neutrals with a few blues thrown in, reminiscent of a southwestern color scheme. I’ve only gotten to use it once, but so far so good. The turquoise was a nice compliment to the coppers – I have high hopes for this palette.
It was also the last day of my birthday month – the birthday gift this year was lame…a tiny vial of Dermalogica Daily Exfoliator. Meh. I didn’t even bother getting my Sephora gift. I’m burnt out, I guess.
Because the palette was $49, the salesgirl only let me redeem $36 – she kept looking at a chart and I think it was her first day, because she wouldn’t let me apply $50, even though I’ve done it online several times. I didn’t want to go all “Karen”, so I just paid my $14 or so and left…I am still annoyed though. I should just stick to online.
$1,052 to Diamond status in 2022.
February Diamond Day
I’ve needed shampoo for a bit, but I’ve started waiting until Ulta’s Diamond Day each month, to see what goodies they offer up…
For February’s Diamond Day, they offered the Kylie Cosmetics Birthday Sipping Pretty Palette ($65) FREE with $20 purchase. Since it came out in 2018, they must have had a bunch sitting around – let’s see if I can sell it on Poshmark. I also got a Cover FX Monochromatic Lip Color ($21) FREE with a $25 purchase.
I really like NatureLab.Tokyo Perfect Smooth Shampoo and Conditioner, so I bought a Bottle of the Shampoo ($14) and a refill pouch of the Conditioner ($22). The pouch saves me ~26 cents per ounce – yes, I did the math!
I am forever in search of new acne products, so I grabbed OH K! Blemish Powder ($15). I was expecting a powder, but it’s a liquid! It’s very similar to Kate Somerville EradiKate, but with Calamine instead of sulfur. It does reduce redness and dried out my breakout zones – but couldn’t I just use MUCH cheaper calamine lotion???
I am continuing my obsession with lip balms into 2021 – I got the Ulta Harry Potter X Ulta Beauty Magic Lip Balm Set ($8.99) – a set of 5 magically named glitter lip balms. The balms are supposed to be scented, but I couldn’t smell anything. I gave the lavender (purple glitter) and matcha (green glitter) balms to my daughter and kept blueberry, honey & rose for myself.
Just $1,065 to Diamond in 2022…I better get to shopping.
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!
Super Skin Surprises
I don’t know that I would’ve paid $12.99 for the Ulta Super Skin Surprises Set, but 50% off ($6.49) is just right.
I was drawn to the set for the Jergens Rose Body Butter. It’s got a nice, light rose scent, but it STILL smells unmistakably like Jergens Lotion. I do NOT especially care for that Jergens scent, so I will not be purchasing this body butter when I run out.
I just finished off the Pacifica Kale Lip Balm that I kept in my office, so I replaced it with the Thayers Organic Slippery Elm Slip Balm in “Peppermint Stick”. I love how smooth and wintery it makes my lips feel.
I have no desire to darken my skin, so I gave the St. Tropez Self Tan Purity Vitamins Bronzing Face Serum to my kids. Then slathered it on their faces and to be fair, they did start to look like Oompa Loompas. All kidding aside, my son got compliments from girls and they wanted to know what products he was using, so apparently, this stuff works.
I have been using the Curel Set, which includes Curel Moisture Facial Lotion Enrich and Curel Intensive Moisture Facial Cream. I am much two lazy to use a two product regiment every night, but this one isn’t too bad. I like the way my face feels the next day after using it.
Also in the box: Garnier Micellar Cleaning Water All-in-1 Cleanser & Waterproof Makeup Remover (I like this for pre-cleaning before face masks); Neutrogena Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelette Single; and No7 Laboratories Dark Circle Corrector in “Light/Medium”. A great box, all things considered.
This is the order that put me into Diamond status for 2021, but the rest of my order was gifts and stocking stuffers, so I’ll keep them private.
Perfect Shine Splurge
Back in November, I think when Sephora was offering 15% off, Ulta sent out a $10 off $40 coupon, so why not restock on a few things. Sometimes, there’s nothing like splurging on fancy shampoo & conditioner!
I’d gotten to try NatureLab Tokyo Perfect Shine Shampoo & Conditioner ($14 each) in an Allure Beauty Box last year. I really liked it, but it wasn’t widely available. Fast forward a year and now Ulta carries it – score! The secret ingredient is grape stem cells. I don’t know what those are. I also picked up some a single use conditioners – PURA D’OR Single Use Hair Thinning Therapy Intense Moisturizing Masque ($1.79), HASK Shea Butter & Hibiscus Oil Anti-Frizz Deep Conditioner Packette ($2.99) and HASK Tea Tree Oil & Rosemary Hair & Scalp Treatment Mask Packette ($2.99).
Freeman Masks were on super sale, so I bought a replacement Cucumber & Pink Salt Clay Mask. I also grabbed a clearance China Glaze “Rainbow” for $2.62 and a new Flowery nail buffer.
I definitely did NOT buy that Kylie Cosmetics Velvet Lip Kit in “Bare” – it was a gift with $25 makeup purchase. I now know the secret of the Kylie Lip Kits! The lip liner is one tick darker than the lipstick, so it creates an optical illusion of a fuller lip. The more you know…I tried it out and the color was WAY too light for me. Hypothetically, my lips did look bigger though.
My $70 purchase qualified me for a Hello Holidays Sample Bag – it’s so fancy! Inside the bag: Dermablend Insta-Grip Jelly Primer; Awake Pore Down Tightening Concentrate; Donna Karan Cashmere Mist Towelette (WEIRD); Lake & Skye 11 11 (I could not smell this); MAC Lipstick samples in “Ruby Woo”, “M-A-C Red” & “Cockney”; Too Faced Damn Girl! Mascara; Pravana Color Protect Cleanse and Condition (HUGE samples tubes – will try these out after my next dye session); Philosophy Purity Made Simple Hydra-Bounce Eye Gel; Ahava Dead Sea Water Mineral Body Lotion; Tula Skincare 24-7 Moisture Hydrating Day & Night Cream; Smashbox Photo Finish Primer; Burberry Her; Yves Saint Laurent Mon Paris; NatureLab Tokyo Perfect Shine Shampoo & Conditioner (foilpacks for travel!); Tonymoly Golden Pig Collagen Bounce Mask; Gucci Guilty; AG Haircare Glow Shine Infuse Serum; Lancome Teint Idole Ultra Wear Sample Card (none of these will match me); Beekman 1802 Milk Drops Probiotic Ceramide Serum; John Frieda Frizz Ease Secret Weapon Touch-up Creme; Patchology Little Helper Energy Dietary Supplement Strip (a caffeine strip that melts on your tongue – is drinking a cup of coffee so hard?); and VDL Velvet Blur Primer.
Oh, and if the order looks a little light, it’s because there were a few gifts in my order…
Blonde Life
Okay…I wouldn’t exactly call myself a blonde – but I did get some amazing chunky highlights last week, in preparation for another round of pink dye. I have been saving up Ulta points all year and I decided to get professional lightening done, instead of taking my chances with a home kit. I was able to put $128 in points towards hair services, and it was well worth it. I expected to go pink immediately, but I am liking the white blond streaks around my crown…even if I do resemble Tracy Turnblad.
I grabbed a few items by the checkout – Joico minis were 3/$10, so I got Joico Blonde Life Brightening Shampoo, Conditioner and a K-PAK Hydrator. I also grabbed another 3 pack of Kitsch Masks ($12.99) because they are Lily’s favorite and they keep disappearing.
With this spend, plus the online order I’ll be detailing within the next post or so, I’ve got just $41 to hit Diamond status for 2022!
Edge of Reality
It’s a bit odd that Ulta is now carrying KVD Vegan Beauty, as it’s a Kendo (a subsidiary of LVMH, like Sephora) brand, but okay…
The new KVD Vegan Beauty Edge of Reality Fully Recyclable Eyeshadow Palette ($45) is the first big release since the exit of Kat Von D from the brand. The aesthetic is the same, the quality is the just as nice and frankly, I’m here for a goth-y brand that doesn’t have a nutcase attached. I’ve been using the palette all week and it blends like butter. There is a fair amount of fallout with the shimmer shades, but it’s not too bad – and it gives me an excuse to use the Ulta Makeup Correcting Sponge ($4.99 normally, but $2.50 at BOGO 1/2). This sharp edged sponge is much better than using a wet Q-tip!
The first half of the BOGO 1/2 was a backup Ulta Ultra Slim Brow Pencil – I’ cannot go without one. I also got two more Ulta Foaming Hand Soaps in “Pink Grapefruit” ($6, BOGO 1/2 as well) – they smell SO good. All of these Ulta Collection buys qualified me for a free 10 piece gift. Inside the pink snakeskin pouch: an eyeshadow palette (shimmery neutrals, perfect for the holidays); Luxe Lipstick in “Barely There” (almost too barely there for me – needs a liner maybe?); Mattifying Face Primer; Matte Eye Primer in “Nude”; Shiny Sheer Lip Gloss in “Bare”; New Heights Lifting Mascara in “Black” (will open and try soon); a Crease Eye Shadow Brush; a Flat Precision Eye Shadow Brush; and a Makeup Removing Cloth (I like using these on glittery eye pigment).
Oh, and of course a Zoya Remove+ ($10).
I was able to use a $15 off $75 coupon – MUCH better than Sephora’s 15% off code, which was running at the same time I made this purchase. Just $174 to Diamond in 2021…I’ll definitely make it, because I have a hair appointment next Saturday AND I placed an order this morning…
Forever Flawless
I know I just bought a new eyeshadow palette…but I’ve been waiting literally FOREVER for these two Makeup Revolution Forever Flawless palettes to arrive at Ulta from the UK…and last Monday was Diamond Offer Day, so…
The Makeup Revolution Forever Flawless Flamboyance Flamingo Palette Is a creamy collection of pink and coral eye shadows, with a few pops of blue and glitter. Some of the pinks are VERY bright – be warned. I may have left the house looking like a gay raccoon…The quality is very good. With Makeup Revolution, you never know what you are going to get. Sometimes the quality is rough – basically kitty litter – but sometimes, it’s creamy and blendable like this one!
I also got the Makeup Revolution Forever Flawless Spirituality Palette, which is full of rich burgundies and coppers – it’s very similar to the Kat Von D Lolita Por Vida Palette, but a helluva lot cheaper! These palettes were just $10 each, on sale from $15.
Wearing a mask whenever I leave the house, I’ve been living for balm stains. I had been waiting for the Milani Rose Transforming Lip Balm ($9.99) to come back in stock. It turned my lips a baby pink, with a hint of pearl. It’s okay, nothing special.
I got a few Diamond Freebies with my order – Becca Cosmetics Hydra-Light Lip Plumping Balm and Covergirl Fresh Mascara. I haven’t tried either yet.
$269 to Diamond in 2021. Oh, and my order came with ANOTHER $10 off $40 coupon!
Stoned Vibes
While taking my daughter to Ulta for a back-to-school haircut, I had a moment to go shopping for myself…
Urban Decay Cosmetics just launched the “Stoned Vibes” Eyeshadow Palette ($54) and I had been on the fence about it, but seeing it in person lured me in…well, that AND a $10 off a $40 purchase coupon. I’ve had a chance to sample several of the “stoned” shades and they are very different than what you’d expect. They’re very sheer, but buildable. Be warned, they leave a lot of fallout all over your face. The colors are a nice range of colors, too. I’ve seen a few negative reviews, but it’s kind of nice to see Urban Decay branching out and releasing something different than another Naked palette.
I also scooped up some clearance goodies: a few 75% off Frida Kahlo x Ulta Beauty items – a back-up Blurring Primer and the Beso de Amor Cheek & Bronzer Duo. There were also a bunch of Jelly Belly x Sally Hansen polishes at 50% off – “French Vanilla”, “Jewel Very Cherry”, and the “Hop Into Spring” Duo with “Birthday Cake” and “Jewel Bubble Gum”.
I also bought 3 tiny Conair Quick Smooth Hair Brushes, because they have velcro in them to make your hair smooth. I couldn’t tell a difference, honestly. And, they were $6…and I expected them to be $3 because they were so tiny.
The cashier let me break my purchase into two transactions, so I could use the $10 off coupon on the eyeshadow and another $3.50 off coupon on everything else. Just $299 to Diamond status in 2021.
What’s YOUR Hogwarts House?
You want to cause chaos in your household? Pick up a couple of Hogwarts House Bath Bombs for your kids and watch them freak out when their bath bomb tells them they are in the wrong house. No joke, my little Hufflepuff daughter was scandalized when her bath bomb told her she should be in Slytherin. My Slytherin son wanted to get into HER bath and kick her out, and even a week later, he is too scared to use his own bath bomb. The Harry Potter x Ulta Beauty Mystery Hogwarts House Bath Bombs are $8 each – purchase at your own risk.
The Harry Potter x Ulta Beauty Hogwarts House Lotion ($12 each) is a much safer bet. I got one for each member of the family: Gryffindor (berry vanilla), Hufflepuff (wildflowers), Ravenclaw (cucumber), and Slytherin (raindrops). They all smell very good.
I added a few odds and ends to my order – a China Glaze Striper in “Paint it Black” ($1.05, down from $1.50) and a Marc Anthony Deep Repair Aloe Vera & Jasmine Oil Deep Conditioning Packet ($1.79, down from $2.99).
I got a Clinique Beauty Break with my order, with Clinique High Impact Mascara, Lipstick in “Bare Pop”, and Take the Day Off Makeup Remover. I also used my trusty $3.50 0ff $15 coupon.
Just $418 to Diamond in 2021.