Tag: Victoria’s Secret
75% Off Halloween
Yesterday was the last day of Bath & Body Works’ Semi-Annual Sale, but I snagged this haul late last week, during a lunchtime run to the store in West Oaks Mall. I didn’t even get stabbed!
My primary goal wasn’t even Bath & Body Works Semi Annual Sale – I wanted to check out the Victoria’s Secret Semi-Annual Sale. I don’t need more underwear, but I wanted to see if they had any “Hardcore Rose” Body Wash or Lotion. “Hardcore Rose” is a new scent I discovered – I ordered a $5.99 Rollerball with the pink zebra pajamas I ordered from the Semi-Annual Sale. They did have Velvet Lotion, but no Body Wash, so I skipped buying anything. I did briefly look through the underwear bins, but all that was left was ratty looking thongs. (Besides the Food Court, Bath & Body Works and Victoria’s Secret are literally the only “name brand” stores left in this mall – it’s sad.)
ANYWAY, the lack of traffic meant that there was still Halloween stock left at 75% off, so I snatched up 7 Foaming Hand Soaps and a few spooky Wallflower Refills. I also got Lily a Skeleton Wolf Antibac Holder – it actually howls!
Until next time, dear Semi-Annual Sales!
Thanksgiving Day Shopping
Oooohhh! My Thanksgiving orders came in at the end of last week! I didn’t even wait – I did all my ordering on Thursday. Shipping is definitely getting slower and slower.
Ulta was offering a free 9 pc gift with a $50 order, so you know I hit that shit. The only thing I really needed was another Ulta Ultra Slim Brow Pencil in “Dark Brown” ($10), everything else was just extra.
I do, however, think I’ve found my “forever” shampoo and conditioner – SheaMoisture Peace Rose Oil Complex Nourish & Silken Shampoo and Conditioner (normally $11.49, but on sale – buy one, get one 40% off). This is the scent I’ve been waiting my whole life for – rose shampoo and conditioner! And it makes my hair feel AMAZING. So soft and so shiny. It’s pricey, but I’m not even mad. This is THE ONE.
Oh, I ordered some other small odds and ends for the kids’ stockings. One of those things got me a free sample of Seche Vite! I’ve been wanting to try it for ages.
The free 9 pc bag was full of Ulta goodies: an eyeshadow palette (love the purpley colors), a highlighter palette, a blush brush, a double ended eye liner – “plum” and “blackout”, a Matte Lip Crayon in “Soiree”, an eye liner sharpener, Tinted Eye Primer in “Satin Blush”, and Color Rush Lip Gloss in “Olivia”. Oh, and a $5 off $15 coupon for Ulta products.
I was only a little annoyed that my sample pack was not included in my order.
I also got my Victoria’s Secret order. Someone always ends up with one of their robes as a gift from me – shhhh…don’t tell!
No one wants to see a pile of bras, so I’ll stick to the important stuff.
Since all the lippies were on sale for $8, I added one to plump up my order – I gotta get that free tote bag! I got a Velvet Matte Cream Lip Stain in “Perfection”. Yeah, they transfer onto anything and everything, but they still last all day on my lips.
Victoria’s Secret Velvet Matte
So…Victoria’s Secret is jumping into the matte liquid lipstick game. As I consider myself something of a connoisseur of liquid lipsticks, I had to add one to my last bra order.
Victoria’s Secret Velvet Matte Cream Lip Stain is $14 (practically a steal) and comes in 14 shades. I chose “Obsessed”, a bright cherry red/pink. The formula is thick and smooth, and applies well. The formula is an enigma – it lasts all day – 12+ hours – but it gets ALL over EVERYTHING. It was on my teeth, on my coffee cup, on my fingers…I don’t even know how it got on my fingers. I don’t even know how it stayed on my lips all day, looking good, while simultaneously getting all over everything else.
It doesn’t dry out your lips – no cracking or dryness, but it is truly a stain. After “removing” it for the night, my lips had a faint pink stain (similar to Benetint) for a day or so.
This is a good product – I’m thinking I need to try other colors – maybe a good add when I need to hit a shipping requirement on an order.
Silver Synchronicity
What’s it called when several people, independent of each other, all come up with a similar idea? Synchronicity!
I was in a group text with my cousins, Jess and Beth, last week, and somehow, we all had gray nails on the brain. these are MY gray nails – Sinful Colors “Silver Slivers” from the “Luxe Fragments” Collection. The base is a pewter shimmer, with bright silver shards.
This is just two coats over Sinful Colors Base Coat and under “HK Girl”. It lasted very well.
Do you like the background? It’s the sequined makeup bag that came with the Victoria’s Secret Black Friday Tote. I’m loving the rainbow sequins – I want a polish that looks like this!
Online Shopping Binge
I kind went nuts last week with the online shopping – between Thursday night and Saturday morning , I placed no less than 6 online orders…so many sales and coupons in my inbox…I couldn’t resist.
With the long holiday weekend and biblical flooding, almost all of the packages hit at once yesterday. Instead of half a dozen different posts, I figured I’d stuff most of them into one…
I am fairly shameless, so I’m not going to show the pile of underwear from Victoria’s Secret. Yup, I hoard panties, too.
I had been eyeing the Sephora Sun Safety Kit – I need to protect my easily scorched skin. Inside the kit are 16 different sun protection products in a cute travel bag: – AmorePacific Natural Protector SPF 30, Clarins UV Plus Anti-Pollution Broad Spectrum SPF 50, Clinique Moisture Surge CC Cream Broad Spectrum SPF 30 in Light Medium, Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare Dark Spot Sun Defense Broad Spectrum SPF 50 Sunscreen, Dr. Jart+ Premium Beauty Balm SPF 45, Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment SPF 15, Josie Maran Cosmetics Argan Daily Moisturizer SPF 47, Korres Yoghurt Nourishing Fluid Veil Broad Spectrum SPF 30, Murad Invisiblur Perfecting Shield Broad Spectrum SPF 30, Ole Henriksen total truth eye crème SPF 15, Origins VitaZing Broad Spectrum SPF 15 Energy-Boosting Moisturizer with Mangosteen, Peter Thomas Roth Max Sheer All Day Moisture Defense Lotion SPF 30, Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protection Cream SPF 50+ WetForce Broad Spectrum Water Resistant (80 Minutes), St. Tropez One Night Only in Light-Medium, Supergoop! City Sunscreen Serum SPF 30, and Vita Liberata Passion Flower & Argan Dry Oil Broad Spectrum SPF 50. PHEW – that’s a lot of sunscreen!
For my 3 samples, I chose Viktor & Rolf “Flowerbomb” (spicy and flowery, reminds me of a Victoria’s Secret scent), Maison Martin Margiela REPLICA “Beach Walk” (this doesn’t smell like a perfume – it smells like a thing – LOVE), and dr. brandt Do Not Age. Sephora was also running a Jetsetter deal – pick 3 extra samples – so I got Origins Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask, Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream, and boscia Purifying Cleansing Gel. My face is gonna be SMOOTH.
I can’t say no to Birchbox’s Limited Edition Boxes. As soon as I got the email got the “Under the Sun” ($55) box, I knew I would eventually order it…but not until I got that 25% coupon. 25% off and $10 in Birchbox points and ADD TO CART. Inside the box: Baggu Tote Bag (I had my fingers crossed for this elephant print!), Cynthia Rowley Beauty Beauty on the Go Multi Blush & Bronzer Duo (meh), Laura Mercier Bakes Eye Color in “Cameo” (yasss), Sugarpova Flirty Candy (why does Maria Sharapova sell candy?), Chloe + Isabel Birchbox Exclusive Medina Convertible Pendant Necklace (my favorite part of the box!), Knockaround Premium Sunglasses (silver!), ncLA Nail Lacquer in “Bikinis & Martinis” (it’s the color of bubble gum you’d find stuck under a picnic table), and Supergoop! Skin Soothing Mineral Suncreen with Olive Polythenols SPF 40.
For samples, I got Vasanti Brighten Up! Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator and Sumita Jumon Contrast Eye Pencil. I also finally got my Birchbox Anniversary Keyring (not pictured).
…and today, I got a big box of Deep Cleansing Hand Soap from Bath & Body Works. You know that I start to get the shakes if I have less than 30 bottles under the sink. They were all between $2.75 & $3.25, plus 20% off and free shipping. I threw in a handful of Scentportables for my car for good measure.
I also received my Dream Polish Gem Glam Topcoat in “Lily Flower” – yes, it’s scented! This another popular one on Instagram and it’s 5 free – I can’t wait to try it out.
I am still waiting on my sale order from Delush Polish – that’s the only one that hasn’t arrived. I think I have enough stuff to keep me busy…until next week when all my subscription boxes start rolling in!
First Anniversary!
I can’t believe I’ve been doing this for a whole year!
I really figured that I’d be sick of it by now, but I’m still out there, looking for polish. I happened to be in Lufkin this weekend – visiting my LaLa – and we went to the T.J. Maxx in the Lufkin Mall. They had an awesome beauty selection, but I controlled myself and just picked up a single clearance polish – Butter London “Dosh” for $2! It’s metallic apple-green!
I wish I had more time to poke around at the Lufkin Mall – it was like being back in the 90s. All of the stores had never been remodeled and looked like they did in the 90s. The Victoria’s Secret still had the white molding with gold highlights and the Bath & Body Works still had country wood shelves and cabinets. It was just WILD. They even had a Corn Dog 7! That was my favorite when I was a kid!
Rapture Light
I’ve been wearing Victoria’s Secret “Rapture” since its launch in 1992. Stephanie Seymour was the face of “Rapture” and she was one of my idols in high school. (I totally thought I would be getting married in her mini-skirt wedding dress from “November Rain.” Don’t judge.) Funny, when I was 16, wearing it made me feel all grown-up, but wearing it now…it makes me feel young.
“Rapture” is a heavy scent and it’s easy to put on too much. Victoria’s Secret just came out with a lighter version – “Sensual Fragrance Mist”. It’s in a bottle like a body mist, but you can’t give yourself 8-10 sprays, like a mist from Bath & Body Works. Even though it’s lighter than perfume or cologne, it’s stronger than most body mists. Use with caution!
Regular price is $25, but it was on sale for $15 at launch a month or so ago. It was backordered and I just received it today. Youth in a bottle!
My 1st Birchbox Purchase
Don’t you love it when you get home and there is a stack of shipments? I came home to 3 today…some Victoria’s Secret Yoga Pants, some Julep polishes and a Birchbox order!
My Birchbox points had been adding up and I had $20 in credit, so after hemming and hawing for 3 days, I ordered the Cynthia Rowley Beauty Collection No. 2. It came with Cynthia Rowley’s Eye Shadow Palette – No. 2, Mini Creamy Lip Stain in “Valentine” and Mini Eyeliner in Black, all in a Neoprene Confetti Bag. List price was $35, but I got an email with a code for 20% off of my first purchase. With $20 in Birchbox points, my total was $8 – what a steal! I was supposed to get 2 free samples, but for some reason, I only got one…more StriVectin Night Cream with Retinol. That shit WORKS. In another 10 years, I’m really gonna need it…
Even though I’m excited to try out my Cynthia goodies, it’s bittersweet. I wish I had waited a few days to use my points…I want that Modern Mermaid box in the WORST way. I need more points! Click my referral link – https://www.birchbox.com/invite/5453f – I’ll get 50 points if you join!
The Bath & Body Works Golden Ratio
Bath & Body Works is the ubiquitous center of my beauty routine. Shower gel, body spray and body cream is the holy trinity of my morning and evening ritual. At any given time in the past 20-25 years, I’d have between 3 and 15 different scents going through a rotation, with 90% of those coming from Bath & Body Works. Why?
Sadly, it boils down to quantity over quality. Sure, Bath & Body Works provides good quality product, but its quality would only be mediocre if we were paying full price for it. Has anyone reading this ever paid full price for a product from Bath & Body Works? I may have bought one bottle of lotion as a gift at full price within the last decade. Like many retailers, Bath & Body Works is built upon a model in which the sale price (usually ‘Buy 3, Get 3 Free’) is the putative price. Once a quarter, the store has a big blow-out sale to clear inventory, which is how we hoarders get hooked, often on discontinued scents, the heartbreak of which I’ll discuss in a later post.
After decades of filling my vanity table, drawers and cabinets with as many Bath & Body Works products as I can fit, I’ve discovered the Golden Ratio. 1 Body Spray = 2 Lotions or Body Creams = 4 Shower Gels. It’s that simple. If you are as OCD as I am and want your body products to run out at about the same time, it’s 1 – 2 – 4. The tricky part is price. If you’re trying a new scent, it doesn’t make sense to buy all 6 products in the same scent. (I almost bought 6 Forever Red products until I had the foresight to spray myself first – I had a headache before I could get the bottles in my bag.) I like to buy a spray, body cream and shower gel in a new scent and “stockpile” proven scents for the other 3 products. This can sometimes be annoying when you find a discontinued scent that you like – Paris in Bloom for example. The scent is no longer available and I’m almost out of shower gel…but I have plenty of body spray.
The Golden Ratio also works for Victoria’s Secret products, but I don’t buy those as often. The scents are over-ripe and the product quality is lower.
Future posts will cover some of my favorite scents…leave YOUR favorite scents in the comments!