Birthday Haul 2015

Last month I turned 30.
Along with all my other birthdays, since I'm signed up for quite a few rewards cards, I was drawn into having Birthday Savings at a lot of different places, as well as receiving giftcards.

Here's what I got from...

Sephora



I got the Nars lip pencils as a Birthday Gift from Sephora for being a Beauty Insider.
I also treat myself on my birthday every year to something else from Sephora since I'm already there, and decided to get the Too Faced Natural Eyes palette. It is now one of my favorite palettes I have ever owned, and I find myself using it almost every single day. All the colors are so wearable for my skin tone, and are just gorgeous.
I also picked up a new Urban Decay eyeshadow in Lost, and it goes quite well in my Urban Decay palette.



I purchased Sin either last year or the year before (I honestly don't remember), and it was so lonely. Now it has a buddy, and they look beautiful together.


Ulta


A couple of friends of mine gave me giftcards to Ulta for my birthday, so I decided to use them to get some things I had my eyes on, but never bought with my own money.
The CoverGirl mascara was kind of a dud- it's definitely not up there with my favorite mascaras, or even ones I just tolerate.
The foot scrub and foot balm were a couple of products I had been eyeballing, and when I went in they were BOGO 50% off, so I decided to try them and give myself a pedicure. Okay, a pregnant girl giving herself a pedicure is like the funniest thing, ever. If only you guys could have seen me. I will say both the scrub and the balm worked great, and I'm definitely glad I have them for after my pregnancy, but for now I will either ask my husband for help or leave it to the professionals.
The Morrocan Oil Mask is something that is so incredibly hyped that I just had to give it a try finally. I had been holding out to see if maybe I would receive it in a subscription box, but no such luck. I now know that it's definitely worth the money, and I can see myself saving rewards points to purchase this in the future.
The Eucerin hand lotion is something I always have at my desk at work. It's non-greasy, and unscented. And incredibly moisturizing.
The Covergirl Ink It eyeliner is another thing I've heard a lot about, and even though I didn't really need a new black eyeliner, I bought it. And I'm glad I did- I really enjoy it. It's very black, and does not go anywhere.
And, finally, cotton pads. I bought these because I knew I was getting the Marcelle eye makeup remover in my February 2015 Birchbox, and I didn't have cotton pads.



This is my second Ulta purchase in the month of February. It was only after I bought everything above that I remembered I get a birthday gift with Ulta, but it doesn't come until your actual birthday. So, this year, they gave away that eyeshadow palette (which, okay, that's fine, but I really liked the CKOne Mascara from last year and wish it was a higher-end brand product), and since I'm a Platinum Member I also received $10.00 off anything. I combined that with about $20 worth of rewards dollars, and purchased the Matrix Oils you see above. I had received samples of them from the girl that does my hair at Ulta, and they are pretty great.
I also got a sample of the itCosmestics Universal Brow Pencil from an email coupon- it was free with any purchase.



Overall, other than that Covergirl mascara, I'm pretty happy with all of my purchases. I've been really careful lately to truly think about what I'm buying before I buy it, and if I'll actually use it. I actually impulse buy a lot less now that I do a couple of subscription boxes, and I actually research everything I buy before I buy it, at least in terms of cosmetics. With the kid on the way (and the cost of daycare in the front of my mind all the time), I know I need to watch my dollars as carefully as possible!


FTC: These products were either purchased by me with my own money, with giftcards provided by friends, as birthday rewards gifts for being signed up for loyalty programs, or as a gift-with-purchase. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Target Beauty Box, March 2014

This is a little bit of a late post, but I got the Target Beauty Box!
This isn't a monthly box or anything, but every once in awhile Target puts these out for $5.00. I recommend following the blog My Subscription Addiction because it's her blog that alerted me to this being on sale. The only reason I got it is because it had a couple of products I wanted to try anyway!

On to the box!




It came like this! So cute!



And here are all the products. They're all what I would consider "deluxe" samples, but the smoochies and the mascara are full sizes!



The first product is a full size of the L'oreal Voluminous Butterfly Mascara. I've been using this on and off, and the formula is a little on the wet side, but I enjoy it! It really separates my lashes. I'm not sure it really does that butterfly thing where the lashes are longer on the ends, but as far as mascaras go, it's pretty good! And considering it costs more than this entire box? A definite win!




The second product is the Herbal Essences Naked Dry Shampoo. I was going to be buying this the next time I needed dry shampoo, and now I don't think I will. So far, not impressed! 



The third product is the Toni & Guy Sea Salt Texturising Spray. I've never used a Sea Salt Spray before, and I can't decide how I feel about it. I'll definitely do a review when I figure out how I feel.



And more of this Jergens BB Body! I received a sample of this in my March 2014 Birchbox, but this is actually a bigger sample than what I received. I actually am enjoying this lotion on my legs, but I'm not using it consistently enough to see if it actually does make a difference over time. I need to start doing that.




The last product is this smoochies gloss by Covergirl. It's not actually as glittery coming out as it appears in the package, and I'm surprised also by the fact that it's not an absolutely sticky mess like some of the other Covergirl glosses.



Overall, I'm glad I spent the $5.00 on this! I am repeating everyone when I say I wish Target would make these a regular thing- seriously an amazing deal with some great products!



FTC: I purchased this box with my own money, and I am in no way affiliated with Target. All thought and opinions are my own.

Perfect Palette Tag

I've seen this around YouTube and I thought it would be a really fun tag to do!


1. Best Packaging


I have to give it to the Naked Basics. I love that the mirror stays in place. I love how sleek it is. It's not always easy to open, but I do wish more of my palettes were like this, basically because I can set it on a table and it will stay open.


2. Best Color Payoff


It's a tie between my Lorac Pro Palette, and my original Naked Palette. I feel like the color payoff on both of these is really true to pan.


3. Most Versatile


This definitely goes to the Lorac pro. I can create any look I want with this palette- from super neutral to dark and smoky. Anything I want to do, eyes wise, I can do!


4. Best for Traveling


This is also a tie! If I need to go somewhere, these are the two palettes that I want with me. It's not that the Lorac doesn't have enough mattes- it certainly does! But between the two, I have a mirror that can stay open, and enough of a mix of mattes and shimmers that I can do any look I need to!

5. Biggest Regret


This is also a tie. I may lose seriously blogger cred, but I don't get the love with the wet 'n wild  eyeshadow palettes- at least not this one. I get crazy fallout, the shades are chalky so they don't blend well- I just don't get it! I really need to just purge this out of my collection. I'm willing to try some of the other wet 'n wilds because this could be a fluke, but I regret buying this.
The Cover Girl palette I mainly got for the green and blue, and now I have better quality makeup that I don't absolutely need a white base to get absolute color payoff. I would have to layer so much eye shadow on my eyes to get close to the shade in the pan that it just wasn't worth it. 

6. Best Color Names


Of the palettes I have, it has to be this palette. I think Too Faced really does come up with the funnest names! The names of this palette include Cut the Cake, Hot Cocoa, Lovey Dovey, and Licorice Latte, to name a few.

7. Least Used
I think it's safe to say that my least used is also the ones listed under "biggest regret". I don't use those much because I'm not into the color payoff or the fallout. I really just need to trash them.

8. Most Used, Most Loved, Desert Island
The Lorac Pro! It's listed in several categories, and I am just so in love with it. It's the only palette I own that I can actually see having to replace the whole thing because I will have run out of virtually every shade. There isn't a single shade I dislike in this palette, and all are pigmented and flattering shades for my skin tone. I can get any look I want (as I said above), and I never worry about not being able to come up with one look using ONLY this palette (I usually have to use more than one if I'm using any other palette I own). Overall, this is the palette I will go back to.  


I Tag: Jenna and Allie, specifically, and any of you that want to do it! If you've already done this tag, please feel free to leave a comment to the post or YouTube video, and I will definitely go check it out!


FTC: All products were with purchased by me with my own money or received as gifts. All thoughts and opinions are my own.