Thursday, April 30, 2009
LUSH Easter Haul
Now I don't celebrate Easter myself, but I'm totally in a celebratory mood if there's a 4-letter word involved: SALE! I went into my local LUSH store yesterday on my day off and happened upon 2 tiny baskets hidden away below one of the least prominent shelves in the store, and in those baskets? LUSH bath bombs in easter egg shapes for $1! I completely cleaned them out, and also got the huge pink easter egg filled with soap and I think a massage bar for $5 (original price $29!). I do so love a good deal. I did leave a couple eggs and the bunny ones (since how on earth was I going to explain the eggs to my husband? Let alone a little bath bomb (not like he knows what that is) bunny. But they smell delicious and all for about $15 I got 9 bath bombs and a huge bath bomb to use bits of pieces of filled with other LUSH goodies! If you have a local store, I do recommend stopping by to pick these cheap goodies up before they are all gone. Pictures to come!
Monday, April 27, 2009
Sephora Haul & Review
I of course succumbed to the Sephora 15% Beauty Insider sale I posted a little while ago. I received my package quite awhile ago but I only recently got a chance to really open it up and see how everything was.
Looks great, right? I ordered the Tarte Spring Greening Reusable Palette and the Are You A Scweppicure? Kit (the lipbalm is going to my husband and I'm keeping the bag). The Tarte palette is Limited Edition and Sephora claims it is worth $95. I was really excited about opening it up and was sorely dissapointed. You'll see why. In general, I've been pretty impressed with Tarte's LE palettes. Most of the time you get at least 1 full sized product in them, if not more, and generally the eyeshadow palettes are full sized... I'm going to dissapoint eve
ryone and tell you that the eyeshadows in this palette are tiny. Super tiny. As much as I love the idea of the cute little carrying case, the kit would likely be mutilated in my bag, I can just see it slowly ripping to shreds. And the lipglosses are equally as tiny and actually in mine they look 3/4 of the way full. If that weren't enough, the lipglosses don't have names - the description says they are all new shades but are they permanent or LE with the case? Who knows! See the picture on the right to see the size of the palette in relation to a nickle.
Apparently these eyeshadows are new (LE?) minerals eyeshadows. I found many of the colors rather unremarkable. I haven't even tried the lipgloss but see the lipgloss tube on the right that looks slightly used - never touched by my lips at least? I suppose these eyeshadows are nice colors for spring but I found a few of them to be rather chalky (almost like Tarte's old formula of eyeshadows) especially the purple shade and even when I first opened up the palette, I noticed a bit of shadow around the edges. Swatches below. I think I'll be returning this. Unimpressive.
To the left we have the top 2 shade on the right 2 fingers (I should have done swatches backwards in retrospect but hey, jeweled thumb is new so I have some learning to do! Get it jeweled thumb with eyeshadow? Isn't it catchy... ok maybe it's not as entertaining as I think. Onward. The bronze shade 2nd row on the left is the finger farthest to the left.
On the right we have my actual thumb with the very pale pink shade which goes on more of a neutral beige bordering on pink.
And to the left we have the bottom 2 shades. The purple on the left is actually several layers of the purple shade. I really had to dig my finger in there and if you notice the top of my finger is kind of bumpy? That's the layers of the shadow. I found the purple shade the chalkiest of them all, which is a shame because it is beautiful. There is a subtle blue iridescense to it that is really quite pretty.
So that's the palette. Do I think it's worth $96? Considering the shadows are quite a bit smaller than full sized Tarte shadows, not really. Not unless the bag is suddenly worth $40!It is a nice palette if you are really looking for something travel worthy and are into the shades and are new to Tarte too sheer! For someone like me that has many of Tarte's palettes in addition to several individual eyeshadows, I'm not sure it's worth keeping, even at 15% off.
*Edited to Add*
I actually tried swatching they eyeshadows with a brush and they were so sheer it was almost laughable. You could barely see any of the colors, and then I tested the glosses just to make sure I definitely didn't want it, none of them showed up on my lips. So I sent it back today (4/29).
Well, first of all, here's the box filled with my goodies.
Looks great, right? I ordered the Tarte Spring Greening Reusable Palette and the Are You A Scweppicure? Kit (the lipbalm is going to my husband and I'm keeping the bag). The Tarte palette is Limited Edition and Sephora claims it is worth $95. I was really excited about opening it up and was sorely dissapointed. You'll see why. In general, I've been pretty impressed with Tarte's LE palettes. Most of the time you get at least 1 full sized product in them, if not more, and generally the eyeshadow palettes are full sized... I'm going to dissapoint eve
ryone and tell you that the eyeshadows in this palette are tiny. Super tiny. As much as I love the idea of the cute little carrying case, the kit would likely be mutilated in my bag, I can just see it slowly ripping to shreds. And the lipglosses are equally as tiny and actually in mine they look 3/4 of the way full. If that weren't enough, the lipglosses don't have names - the description says they are all new shades but are they permanent or LE with the case? Who knows! See the picture on the right to see the size of the palette in relation to a nickle.Apparently these eyeshadows are new (LE?) minerals eyeshadows. I found many of the colors rather unremarkable. I haven't even tried the lipgloss but see the lipgloss tube on the right that looks slightly used - never touched by my lips at least? I suppose these eyeshadows are nice colors for spring but I found a few of them to be rather chalky (almost like Tarte's old formula of eyeshadows) especially the purple shade and even when I first opened up the palette, I noticed a bit of shadow around the edges. Swatches below. I think I'll be returning this. Unimpressive.
To the left we have the top 2 shade on the right 2 fingers (I should have done swatches backwards in retrospect but hey, jeweled thumb is new so I have some learning to do! Get it jeweled thumb with eyeshadow? Isn't it catchy... ok maybe it's not as entertaining as I think. Onward. The bronze shade 2nd row on the left is the finger farthest to the left.
On the right we have my actual thumb with the very pale pink shade which goes on more of a neutral beige bordering on pink.
And to the left we have the bottom 2 shades. The purple on the left is actually several layers of the purple shade. I really had to dig my finger in there and if you notice the top of my finger is kind of bumpy? That's the layers of the shadow. I found the purple shade the chalkiest of them all, which is a shame because it is beautiful. There is a subtle blue iridescense to it that is really quite pretty.
So that's the palette. Do I think it's worth $96? Considering the shadows are quite a bit smaller than full sized Tarte shadows, not really. Not unless the bag is suddenly worth $40!
*Edited to Add*
I actually tried swatching they eyeshadows with a brush and they were so sheer it was almost laughable. You could barely see any of the colors, and then I tested the glosses just to make sure I definitely didn't want it, none of them showed up on my lips. So I sent it back today (4/29).
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Forgotten but Not Lost Products
Does anyone else have any products they kind of wish they would lose but don't have the heart to throw away? Those products that sit in your makeup bag unused. The ones you don't even want to swap because you can't imagine anyone liking them? The ones that you occasionally pull out and see if your dreaded hatred for them has changed, just to see -- and then become just as begrudgingly annoyed that you ever purchased them? Some of them were just so cheap and of course too good to be true. Some of them you received as extras in swaps and don't have the heart to toss or add to your swaplist and some you pulled out of the clearance bin saying maybe.... And of course there are the ones that are just awful, that maybe one day you will make some sort of concoction to make them wearable and beautiful, but you never do?
When I first got this, I thought, Ah! A brand I know! This is probably a good amount of money at Sephora or toofaced.com, I mean, of course I'll like it. I pull it out of the box to reveal a long thin pencil type thing and open the cap to view a brand new brush applicator (well at least they weren't lying about BNIB, I exclaimed!). I was excited. The product inside looked like a pretty darker coral pink with a sheen. I later learned this "sheen" was frost. Even when swatching it, it didn't seem too bad, but boy was it sticky! I am not a fan of sticky glosses, but I may be able to adapt based on color and wearability. Smell was slightly strange but pleasant, sugary with maybe a hint of a fruit flavor? I put on my lips and was horrified. Looking back at me was a PPP with awful frosty orange lips. Now, I could maybe see this working on someone with no pigmentation on their lips, or possibly someone with a deeper skintone, but for me, it looked awful, and the pearly pinkness was nowhere to be found. Frost, and orangey muddy frost at that. And the stickiness. Oh god, even after trying to get it off, I was left with a sticky layer of glitter on my lips! Awful! And then again, after brushing my teeth, a sticky substance was left on my lips. It didn't fade till the next morning.
I know I have products like this lurking about in my bag(s). Oh did I hate to put that extra "s" in there!
For instance, Too Faced Kiss Sticks lipgloss in candy kiss. This I received in a random Ebay lot. You know the ones where they light up your interest with a list of possible lines and products you can get and then send you awful ones? Yeah, I learned my lesson and don't recommend them, even if the price seems right, it usually is too good to be true!
When I first got this, I thought, Ah! A brand I know! This is probably a good amount of money at Sephora or toofaced.com, I mean, of course I'll like it. I pull it out of the box to reveal a long thin pencil type thing and open the cap to view a brand new brush applicator (well at least they weren't lying about BNIB, I exclaimed!). I was excited. The product inside looked like a pretty darker coral pink with a sheen. I later learned this "sheen" was frost. Even when swatching it, it didn't seem too bad, but boy was it sticky! I am not a fan of sticky glosses, but I may be able to adapt based on color and wearability. Smell was slightly strange but pleasant, sugary with maybe a hint of a fruit flavor? I put on my lips and was horrified. Looking back at me was a PPP with awful frosty orange lips. Now, I could maybe see this working on someone with no pigmentation on their lips, or possibly someone with a deeper skintone, but for me, it looked awful, and the pearly pinkness was nowhere to be found. Frost, and orangey muddy frost at that. And the stickiness. Oh god, even after trying to get it off, I was left with a sticky layer of glitter on my lips! Awful! And then again, after brushing my teeth, a sticky substance was left on my lips. It didn't fade till the next morning.
Of course, I was lucky enough to receive 3 of these. Lucky me! Remember, don't trust those fancy attention getting lots on Ebay, just don't! Or maybe I got an old one (just read some makeupalley reviews and they are all pretty favorable), but with no offensive odor to be found, I thought I was fine. Or maybe my pigmented lips just can't take it!
What are some of your Forgotten but Not Lost Products?
Stay tuned for my next awful product that I twistedly make myself keep!
What are some of your Forgotten but Not Lost Products?
Stay tuned for my next awful product that I twistedly make myself keep!
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Review: Revlon Mineral Finishing Powder
I just want to send a shout out to mother earth for bestowing upon us Earth Day... I mean, really the sales this year have been pretty awesome. Even Walgreens followed suit.
They sent out an e-mail this morning for 15% off your entire purchase (excluding a few things but not makeup!) and 20% off all Walgreens products and a free earth friendly shopping bag with any purchase. I was itching to get out of the office to go but of course I didn't leave till 6:30pm so I was worried the bags would be gone and everything I went for would be picked over. Wrong!
I was able to grab 2 of the new Revlon Colorstay Mineral Finishing powders. Revlon is buy 1 get 1 free this week and I got 15% off. Both of them cost $11.89 (not too shabby since they retail for something crazy for Revlon like $14).
These have been compared to MAC Mineralized Skinfinishes, so I was anxious to get my hands on them since they are of course LE. I picked up 2: Brighten & Sunkiss.
Brand Description:
"All over enchancing color in a talc-free mineral formula with Colorstay longwear."
Packaging:
Right off the bat, I noticed these were on the large side. The rounded powder is encased in a square box (about 3"x3") with a clear cover and flips open. At least they are stackable? The product inside is actually pretty decent about 1/3 of an ounce or 8.79 grams.
Color:
010 Brighten: Swirly darker pink, lighter pink and white with shimmer. The colors have a slight peachness to them in the pot but it doesn't strike me as either cool or warm.
030 Sunkiss: Swirly dark brown, a lighter brown and tan with shimmer. The lighter brown seems neutral but as with the name, it leans to the warm side.
They also make a matte shade but it looked way too dark for me and who wants MSF without shimmer?! Ok, I'm sure some people do, but I'm all about the luminousity baby!
Texture is a little less creamy than MSFs and they deposit less color on first swipe so this is probably good for the general drugstore market. I personally don't mind this as I don't want a face full of shimmer!
"Swatches" if you can see them anyhow. Sunkissed is on top and Brighten is on the bottom. You can only barely see the very subtle pink tint.
In general, I find these pretty nice. Though I really think Revlon is off their knocker with pricing these at $14 a piece. At least they are $11 less than MAC's version and sales and coupons come out often.
♥ jeweled thumb
They sent out an e-mail this morning for 15% off your entire purchase (excluding a few things but not makeup!) and 20% off all Walgreens products and a free earth friendly shopping bag with any purchase. I was itching to get out of the office to go but of course I didn't leave till 6:30pm so I was worried the bags would be gone and everything I went for would be picked over. Wrong!
I was able to grab 2 of the new Revlon Colorstay Mineral Finishing powders. Revlon is buy 1 get 1 free this week and I got 15% off. Both of them cost $11.89 (not too shabby since they retail for something crazy for Revlon like $14).
These have been compared to MAC Mineralized Skinfinishes, so I was anxious to get my hands on them since they are of course LE. I picked up 2: Brighten & Sunkiss.
Brand Description:
"All over enchancing color in a talc-free mineral formula with Colorstay longwear."
Packaging:
Right off the bat, I noticed these were on the large side. The rounded powder is encased in a square box (about 3"x3") with a clear cover and flips open. At least they are stackable? The product inside is actually pretty decent about 1/3 of an ounce or 8.79 grams.
Color:
010 Brighten: Swirly darker pink, lighter pink and white with shimmer. The colors have a slight peachness to them in the pot but it doesn't strike me as either cool or warm.
030 Sunkiss: Swirly dark brown, a lighter brown and tan with shimmer. The lighter brown seems neutral but as with the name, it leans to the warm side.
They also make a matte shade but it looked way too dark for me and who wants MSF without shimmer?! Ok, I'm sure some people do, but I'm all about the luminousity baby!
Texture is a little less creamy than MSFs and they deposit less color on first swipe so this is probably good for the general drugstore market. I personally don't mind this as I don't want a face full of shimmer!
"Swatches" if you can see them anyhow. Sunkissed is on top and Brighten is on the bottom. You can only barely see the very subtle pink tint.
In general, I find these pretty nice. Though I really think Revlon is off their knocker with pricing these at $14 a piece. At least they are $11 less than MAC's version and sales and coupons come out often.
♥ jeweled thumb
Josie Maran Cosmetics
Run do not walk to http://www.hautelook.com/ (if you need a referral link, let me know so I can e-mail you - leave your e-mail address in comments over course) where they have Josie Maran Cosmetics for up to 60%! Sale runs for another 37 hours. Shipping is extra but it's still a great deal. Josie Maran is usually pretty expensive with eyeshadows and gloss for $20 - on Haute Look they are $8. There are also some great sets if you are new to the brand.
If you weren't aware Haute Look is a site that runs sales for only 2 days at a time. This may seem weird, but they are able to rotate stock very fast and have some of the latest cosmetics, skincare and fashion brands on site. Right now, you can also get discounted BCBG Max Azria (one of my faves) as well. The only thing I wish they would change is you can only checkout with items from the same sale. So if you wanted both Josie Maran items and BCBG, you would have to do the checkout tango twice. Ah well! With prices this good, I sure can't complain.
Don't forget about the 20% Fresh sale too! And the Allure Beauty Box is finally live! Yay for Earth Day!
♥ jeweled thumb
If you weren't aware Haute Look is a site that runs sales for only 2 days at a time. This may seem weird, but they are able to rotate stock very fast and have some of the latest cosmetics, skincare and fashion brands on site. Right now, you can also get discounted BCBG Max Azria (one of my faves) as well. The only thing I wish they would change is you can only checkout with items from the same sale. So if you wanted both Josie Maran items and BCBG, you would have to do the checkout tango twice. Ah well! With prices this good, I sure can't complain.
Don't forget about the 20% Fresh sale too! And the Allure Beauty Box is finally live! Yay for Earth Day!
♥ jeweled thumb
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Fresh Sale
Just got an e-mail from Fresh (some of the most luxurious skincare and cosmetics there is - with a price tag to match!).
Celebrate Earth Day with 20% off some of their best sellers. Sale includes these 7 products:
- Soy Face Cleanser
- Brown Sugar Body Polish
- Sugar Lip Treatment SPF 15
- Sugar Eau de Parfum
- Sugar Acai Age-Delay Body Cream
- Creme Ancienne
- Supernova Mascara
Code is EARTHDAY. Code is good only April 22nd (tomorrow). One per customer.
Free shipping automatically on orders over $50 and 3 samples with every order.
♥ jeweled thumb
Monday, April 20, 2009
Allure Beauty Box
A few weeks ago, a mysterious e-mail showed up in my inbox from Allure Magazine regarding their beauty box. This was the first time I was able to order before they were sold out. This year, they didn't really tell you what you were getting, but the price was nice, $14.95 including shipping although signing up to get the box itself was a bit of a chore - it was all done through text messaging.
This is the ad that they put out about it, vague, right?
LIMITED EDITION VOTE BEAUTY! BALLOT BOX
Limited edition. Exclusive. Full of your favorite brands.
Get your Vote Beauty! Ballot Box, valued at $110, for only $14.95. Each box contains products from brands such as Alterna, Anastasia Beverly Hills, ARBONNE®, AVEENO®, jane iredale – THE SKIN CARE MAKEUP®, Jergens®, JOHNSON’s Baby Oil, Lubriderm, and NIVEA®.
Ok, so what actually came?
Lubriderm Intense Skin Repair Body Lotion 3oz
Nivea Kiss of Moizture Essential Lip Care .17oz (full size)
Johnson's baby oil 4oz
Arbonne Virtual Illusion Makeup Primer 1floz (full size - worth $28 alone!)
Alterna Caviar volume shampoo 1.7oz
Alterna Caviar volume conditioner 1.7oz
Anastasia Go Brow Brow Kit in a Pencil (full size worth $21 alone!)
Aveeno Daily Moisturizing lotion 1.5oz
Jergens naturals hydate moisturizer 1oz
Jane Iredale eye gloss in grey silk .15oz
Quite a lot for something that was $14.95 including shipping!
If you missed out on this box, I hear there is another one that will be available beginning April 22 (in 2 days!). It will be significantly more money (2x) and will be more focused on sun care.
The Allure Beauty Box will go on sale starting at Noon EST, April 22.
The cost is $39.99 ($150 value) and $5 from each purchase is donated to The Skin Cancer Foundation.
http://www.allure.com/beautybox09/ (not live yet)
• Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Fix
• Arbonne No Sun Intended Bronzing Powder
• Aveeno Continuous Protection Sunblock Lotion with SPF70
• Ban Vanilla Twist Antiperspirant
• Burt's Bee 25th Anniversary Beeswax Lip Balm
• Coppertone NutraShield Faces SPF 70+ with Dual Defense
• Garnier Nutritioniste Skin Renew Anti-Sun-Damage Daily Eye Cream SPF 15
• jane iredale - The Skin Care Makeup Facial Blotting Papers
• Jergens Natural Glow Foaming Daily Moisturizer
• John Frieda Sheer Blonde Go-Blonder Shampoo and Conditioner
• Healthy Sexy Hair Soy Tri-Wheat Leave-in Conditioner
Also, a year's subscription to Allure is included. In the past, there has been a $12 refund offered to get back the "free" Allure subscription offered with this promotion.
I'm contemplating this other box, especially for the 70 SPF sunscreen which is so hard to find and I don't currently get a subscription to Allure. This would be the perfect excuse, I mean opportunity to get one! Just don't tell DH!
♥ jeweledthumb
This is the ad that they put out about it, vague, right?
LIMITED EDITION VOTE BEAUTY! BALLOT BOX
Limited edition. Exclusive. Full of your favorite brands.
Get your Vote Beauty! Ballot Box, valued at $110, for only $14.95. Each box contains products from brands such as Alterna, Anastasia Beverly Hills, ARBONNE®, AVEENO®, jane iredale – THE SKIN CARE MAKEUP®, Jergens®, JOHNSON’s Baby Oil, Lubriderm, and NIVEA®.
Ok, so what actually came?
Lubriderm Intense Skin Repair Body Lotion 3oz
Nivea Kiss of Moizture Essential Lip Care .17oz (full size)
Johnson's baby oil 4oz
Arbonne Virtual Illusion Makeup Primer 1floz (full size - worth $28 alone!)
Alterna Caviar volume shampoo 1.7oz
Alterna Caviar volume conditioner 1.7oz
Anastasia Go Brow Brow Kit in a Pencil (full size worth $21 alone!)
Aveeno Daily Moisturizing lotion 1.5oz
Jergens naturals hydate moisturizer 1oz
Jane Iredale eye gloss in grey silk .15oz
Quite a lot for something that was $14.95 including shipping!
If you missed out on this box, I hear there is another one that will be available beginning April 22 (in 2 days!). It will be significantly more money (2x) and will be more focused on sun care.
The Allure Beauty Box will go on sale starting at Noon EST, April 22.
The cost is $39.99 ($150 value) and $5 from each purchase is donated to The Skin Cancer Foundation.
http://www.allure.com/beautybox09/ (not live yet)
• Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Fix
• Arbonne No Sun Intended Bronzing Powder
• Aveeno Continuous Protection Sunblock Lotion with SPF70
• Ban Vanilla Twist Antiperspirant
• Burt's Bee 25th Anniversary Beeswax Lip Balm
• Coppertone NutraShield Faces SPF 70+ with Dual Defense
• Garnier Nutritioniste Skin Renew Anti-Sun-Damage Daily Eye Cream SPF 15
• jane iredale - The Skin Care Makeup Facial Blotting Papers
• Jergens Natural Glow Foaming Daily Moisturizer
• John Frieda Sheer Blonde Go-Blonder Shampoo and Conditioner
• Healthy Sexy Hair Soy Tri-Wheat Leave-in Conditioner
Also, a year's subscription to Allure is included. In the past, there has been a $12 refund offered to get back the "free" Allure subscription offered with this promotion.
I'm contemplating this other box, especially for the 70 SPF sunscreen which is so hard to find and I don't currently get a subscription to Allure. This would be the perfect excuse, I mean opportunity to get one! Just don't tell DH!
♥ jeweledthumb
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Another Sephora Deal (For Beauty Insiders Only)
So generally Sephora only has 1 big sale the entire year (what is better known as friends and family). I suppose thanks to the economy this is no longer the case.
Beauty Insiders only will receive an e-mail with a 15% coupon and/or code to be used in stores or online (I received my code yesterday). I don't know if the code is good for one use or not, but it seems pretty cryptic and it says "one merchandise transaction" so unfortunately I won't be posting mine.
*VALID NOW THROUGH APRIL 21, 2009, AT 11:59 PM PST. Apply your 15% off promo code to one merchandise transaction, and it applies to entire purchase. Offer may not be applied toward previous purchases, egift certificates, gift cards, shipping, or taxes. Return of discounted merchandise will be for the price actually paid. Not valid for cash or cash equivalent. Not responsible for lost or stolen promotion codes. Offer valid for Beauty Insiders registered before 4/14/09 only. Offer not valid in Canada checkout on sephora.com, only in Canada retail locations. Featured products not available in all Sephora retail stores or in all Sephora inside JCPenney locations.
TO REDEEM ONLINE: Enter promotion code ***** in the promotion code box on the billing page during sephora.com checkout to receive your 15% off discount.
TO REDEEM IN STORES:Email with barcode must be handed in at time of purchase. Sephora reserves the right to end or change this promotional offer at any time.
Happy Shopping!
<3 jeweled thumb
Beauty Insiders only will receive an e-mail with a 15% coupon and/or code to be used in stores or online (I received my code yesterday). I don't know if the code is good for one use or not, but it seems pretty cryptic and it says "one merchandise transaction" so unfortunately I won't be posting mine.
*VALID NOW THROUGH APRIL 21, 2009, AT 11:59 PM PST. Apply your 15% off promo code to one merchandise transaction, and it applies to entire purchase. Offer may not be applied toward previous purchases, egift certificates, gift cards, shipping, or taxes. Return of discounted merchandise will be for the price actually paid. Not valid for cash or cash equivalent. Not responsible for lost or stolen promotion codes. Offer valid for Beauty Insiders registered before 4/14/09 only. Offer not valid in Canada checkout on sephora.com, only in Canada retail locations. Featured products not available in all Sephora retail stores or in all Sephora inside JCPenney locations.
TO REDEEM ONLINE: Enter promotion code ***** in the promotion code box on the billing page during sephora.com checkout to receive your 15% off discount.
TO REDEEM IN STORES:Email with barcode must be handed in at time of purchase. Sephora reserves the right to end or change this promotional offer at any time.
Happy Shopping!
<3 jeweled thumb
Monday, April 13, 2009
GWP
Or "Gift With Purchase" used to be one of my favorite things, but I've noticed brands have been getting a little greedy and trying to trick us consumers to buy product to receive little sample products or bags they don't actual sell and are somehow worth $40!
However, right now I'm going to show 2 decent GWPs at Sephora (one of my favorite places to shop and work for that matter).
Entering the code PHL31 will get you this trial-size set containing a full regimen for all skin types, with your merchandise purchase, while supplies last. This set includes a 1oz Purity Made Simple cleanser, 0.4oz Hope In A Jar moisturizer, 0.25oz Hope In A Tube, 2 dual packets of Microdelivery Peel, and a packet of Micro Delivery Wash (Sephora claims this is a $65 value).
HOLY COW! This sold out in 48hrs! Entering the code BEAUTYGEMS will get you a collection of treasured favorites, including BADgal Blue, the brightening blue mascara; Bathina Pink Satin Shower Cap; Rush Hour, the instant makeover for lips & cheeks; and California Kissin', smile brightening lip shine; all tucked inside a luscious Lana makeup bag. A $141 Value, free with any Benefit purchase over $35, while supplies last.
Now while you can buy any Benefit product that attracts you, I highly recommend getting a set if you are new to any product, especially full size sets - more bang for your buck! I bought this set to redeem the GWP deal - I couldn't pass up the cute magnets really.
The set includes 4 full size products in an adorable little bag: 2 creaseless cream shadows in Birthday Suit ($18) and Skinny Jeans ($18), 1 lipstick in Lady's Choice ($18), 1 Talent Brush ($18) and 3 adorable magnets for $38 ($72 value without the cute magnets).
I'll post my review when I receive both!
However, right now I'm going to show 2 decent GWPs at Sephora (one of my favorite places to shop and work for that matter).
Entering the code PHL31 will get you this trial-size set containing a full regimen for all skin types, with your merchandise purchase, while supplies last. This set includes a 1oz Purity Made Simple cleanser, 0.4oz Hope In A Jar moisturizer, 0.25oz Hope In A Tube, 2 dual packets of Microdelivery Peel, and a packet of Micro Delivery Wash (Sephora claims this is a $65 value).
HOLY COW! This sold out in 48hrs! 
Now while you can buy any Benefit product that attracts you, I highly recommend getting a set if you are new to any product, especially full size sets - more bang for your buck! I bought this set to redeem the GWP deal - I couldn't pass up the cute magnets really.The set includes 4 full size products in an adorable little bag: 2 creaseless cream shadows in Birthday Suit ($18) and Skinny Jeans ($18), 1 lipstick in Lady's Choice ($18), 1 Talent Brush ($18) and 3 adorable magnets for $38 ($72 value without the cute magnets).
I'll post my review when I receive both!
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Some Of My Favorites
Considering I'm fairly new to this blogging hemisphere, I want to give a taste of where my interests lie. Particularly my favorite brands and where to find them and how to save money.
Some of my favorite brands are:
In terms of fashion, I'm a huge fan of Ann Taylor Loft, Banana Republic (when I can afford it!), Old Navy and places like Filene's Basement, Loehmann's, Marshalls and Tjmaxx where I can get designers like Max Studio and BCBG at a fraction of their original price. I have a pretty diverse taste of fashion and especially have a weakness for shoes.
Speaking of shoes, DSW is having a Spring Sale on their clearance shoes. Online, you get an extra 30% clearance shoes with the code SPRING30 and free shipping on orders over $29 with the code FSDSW. Clearance shoes range from $9.99 all the way to several hundred dollars, but they are all discounted. One of the main benefits of ordering online is you can return in store and the shoes that arrive at your doorstep are generally at least 10x in better shape than at store - most of the time they haven't even been touched.
I picked up these pretties with the 30% off and free ship code:
Corso Como Fabiana slides in red
Gorgeous.
Can't wait for spring to actually... spring to wear these babies.
<3 jeweled thumb
- Ebates - Ebates has saved me a large amount of money since I became a member in 2005 and they have a slew of cosmetic companies and fashion brands participating. Thanks to their special daily doubles, I've managed to pick up items for a fraction of the retail cost.
- http://www.retailmenot.com This is another amazing site, but particularly for its' coupons. It's mostly consumer driven which means you can get some of the best selective deals on the net!
- http://www.ebay.com If you're careful, you can snag amazing deals on Ebay (and you can now get 3% back through ebates on the site). You do have to keep an eye out for fakes and sometimes when a deal looks too good to be true, it is. But so far I have no had any problems and I've been an Ebay member for quite some time.
Some of my favorite brands are:
- Clinique - an oldie but goodie
- Urban Decay
- Becca
- L'oreal (I know shocker! Drugstore makeup!)
- Bare Escentuals
- Stila
- MAC
- Prescriptives
- Shu Uemura
In terms of fashion, I'm a huge fan of Ann Taylor Loft, Banana Republic (when I can afford it!), Old Navy and places like Filene's Basement, Loehmann's, Marshalls and Tjmaxx where I can get designers like Max Studio and BCBG at a fraction of their original price. I have a pretty diverse taste of fashion and especially have a weakness for shoes.
Speaking of shoes, DSW is having a Spring Sale on their clearance shoes. Online, you get an extra 30% clearance shoes with the code SPRING30 and free shipping on orders over $29 with the code FSDSW. Clearance shoes range from $9.99 all the way to several hundred dollars, but they are all discounted. One of the main benefits of ordering online is you can return in store and the shoes that arrive at your doorstep are generally at least 10x in better shape than at store - most of the time they haven't even been touched.
I picked up these pretties with the 30% off and free ship code:
Corso Como Fabiana slides in red
Gorgeous.
Can't wait for spring to actually... spring to wear these babies.
<3 jeweled thumb
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Intro
I am hoping to start this blog as a way to get my creative interests into my life; namely makeup, fashion, art, jewelery and my other artistic endeavors. I am also a big fan of saving money, so that will definitely be a focal point for this blog. I recently got married and was able to DIY a majority of the wedding. I don't even want to think how expensive things would be had I not.
Reviews, beauty & fashion deals and step by step DIY instructions will be what this blog focuses on.
Welcome!
Reviews, beauty & fashion deals and step by step DIY instructions will be what this blog focuses on.
Welcome!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)