Ulta Online Haul

Ulta is having their 21 Days of Beauty sale and I couldn't pass up one of the offers, so I made a order on their website. Here is what I got!

Below are the samples that I received as part of this order. You get the choice of a fragrance, skincare or variety packet as an extra with your order. I chose the variety packet and received everything shown below, aside from the fragrance sample, as part of that packet. All three of these products were packaged in a baggie and the fragrance sample was thrown in alone.

 Sebastian 'Drench' Moisturizing conditioner

Smashbox 'Camera Ready BB Cream'

Matrix 'Biolage' Color Care Shampoo and Conditioner

Versace 'Eros' fragrance sample

I love Real Techniques brushes. They are of excellent quality and price. Ulta was having a buy one get one for 50% off sale, so I picked up two face brushes.

 Real Techniques 'Expert Face Brush'

Real Techniques 'Powder Brush'

These were in the sale section on the website.  I think this is old packaging, but I really can't be sure of that.

 Garnier 'Skin Renew Anti Dark-Circle Roller'

Garnier 'Skin Renew Anti-Puff Eye Roller'

I have heard some really good things about this lip stain. I was previously only aware of this brand being sold on QVC and Ulta just recently started selling the brand. It is currently only in select stores, and of the Ulta's that I have been in, I have not seen them sold in store. I also was not able to find on the website where the brand was being sold.

I tried out this product and was really disappointed. The look and feel of this product is of a lip balm. The claim is that the product is fairly clear (it's kind of cloudy or white) and when it is applied, it reacts with your skin and creates a color that is perfect for your skin tone. 

Firstly the physical product was not very well made. I love the design, but the actual lipstick was poorly made. The lipstick does not stand alone in the tube and when I apply the lipstick, the product moves to the wall of the tube. So as I twist the tube back down to put the lid on, the product scrapes all the way down the tube. I have to physically realign the lipstick before putting the lid on. This happens every time I use the product.

Secondly the color wasn't very saturated. I tested out the product on my arm first to see what color it would turn into. I had to swatch it on my arm multiple times before I saw any color. Once it was on my lips, I didn't see any color and there wasn't any longevity of product.

 It Cosmetics 'Vitality Lip Flush' in "Je Ne Sais Quoi"

This is the product deal that I had to take advantage of. I have a Clarisonic 'Mia 2' and you are supposed to replace the brush heads every three months. The 21 Days of Beauty Deal was if you buy three brush heads, you receive one for free. I did the math and figured that this deal would be slightly better for me than a 25% off deal (like a few dollars better).

Clarisonic replacement brush heads in 'Acne' and 'Deep Pore'

...and that's it! That's what I got. 

Julep September 2013

I received my Julep Maven box! 

This box ships out at the first of the month and when I opt in for the month it is always the first beauty box that I receive each month. 

This month's theme is "CityScape" and it was supposed to be inspired by different cities. I received the 'Boho Glam' box this month. 

First Look!

One packet of 'One Step Polish Remover Pad" 

$9.99/$7.99 Maven (for a set of ten pads)

 I have a few of these nail polish remover pads in my supply and I keep hoarding them for emergencies or when I travel. But I tend to keep them in storage, continually thinking that I will need to use them later and when I eventually do end up attempting to use them, they are all dried up and unusable. I need to find a better way!

FULL SIZED "Bare Face Cleansing Oil"I have tried out this cleansing oil a couple of times, but haven't really gotten the hang of it and figured out what is the best way to use it - therefore I have not developed an opinion on the product. 

$28.00/$22.40 Maven Price

This is what got me this month.  I opted in because I have been wanting to try out a cleansing oil, so when I saw that this would be in the box, I decided to have it shipped out this month. 

New Packaging!

'Boho Glam' "Kristy" This is a deep, dark blue color. I applied it on my nails and it looked black -regardless of the lighting or angle. 

'Boho Glam' "Tatiana" Microglitter orange color. 

I painted my nails using both of these colors and I looked like I was ready for Halloween. My nails looked black and orange - despite the claim that Kristy is a dark blue.

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IPSY August 2013

This month I received my IPSY Glam Bag really late in the month.  I am included in the middle of the month shipment schedule and was sent my bag at that time. But upon receiving my metallic foil packet and opening it up I saw that there was nothing inside, except for two postcards. 

Apparently something happened during shipment and my package opened up and my Glam Bag fell out. My mailman delivered me what was left.  I am not sure what happened to my Glam Bag or where it ended up or fell out along the route to my home, but I contacted IPSYcare to see what could be done. 

It ended up taking a really long time for a response to be sent back to me. I sent out two emails through the IPSY website, but wasn't even sure that the first one went through, because I didn't get a confirmation email and wasn't linked to a site that said that the email was sent out. I contacted them again (according to the website you should receive a response from the company within 48 hours. I waited over 48 hours for a response after the first email and wrote them back when I did not receive a response.  

At the same time that I was having issues with my bag, a lot of other subscribers were having issues with their Glam Bags being lost in the mail.  IPSY had some issues with their shipping and a lot of the bags were being shipped late, or were lost, or something, I don't know - I was not one that was affected in this shipping snafu. Needless to say, IPSYcare was being bombarded by other subscribers, letting IPSY know that their bags were affected. So I gave IPSY some slack, knowing that they were having a lot of issues that they had to deal with along with my issue. 

Eventually my bag was reshipped out and I was sent an email letting me know that my bag was coming, but that some of the original products that were in my bag were out of stock and being replaced with a compripable substitute. 

I received the bag at the end of the month and immediately saw what one of the substitutions was.  All of my products were placed in a different bag than what all other subscribers received, granted that their shipment went out as planned.  This is what the August bag was supposed to look like. As I was waiting around for my bag to arrive I checked out some other subscriber's reviews of the bag and for the most part, most subscribers did not like the bag. 

The bag that I received was the July bag. I didn't like the bag when I received it in July and I still didn't like it when I received it in August. Needless to say, I subscribe to IPSY for what's in the bag, not what is the bag.

FIRST LOOK!

0.34 fl. oz. Pacifica 'Alight Multi-Mineral BB Cream'

FULL SIZE NYX blush in 'Desert Rose' This color is a very dark, deep red shade that needs to be applied very carefully on my light skin tone. 

This is the other product that I received as a substitution.  I checked my Glam Room on the IPSY website and it said that I was supposed to have received a City Color Cheek Stain.  I would have liked to try out the City Color brand, as I have never heard of this brand, seen the brand or tried out any of the products before. However, I am horrible at cheek stains so the sample may have been pushed to the wayside as previous cheek stains that I have received have been destined to the bottom of my makeup drawer. 

Noya 'Vanilla Lip Balm' 

Apparently, you could have received either this lip balm or the new Urban Decay 'Revolution' lipstick sample.  I really wanted to have received the lipsticks and was disappointed to have received this instead.  I haven't tried the lip balm, but hopefully it will be nice. 

Michael Todd Organics 'Jojoba Charcoal Facial Scrub' 

If you previously saw my Little Black Bag August 2013 post, you will see that I received a sample with my Little Black Bag subscription.  I could have received either the Michael Todd 'Pumpkin Mask' or the 'Jojoba Charcoal' scrub. I stated in the August post that I would have been happy to have received either one, as I have heard some really great things about Michael Todd facial products, but did receive the 'Pumpkin Mask'.  I was happy to have received this in my Glam Bag and can't wait to try it. 

Pixi 'Lash Booster' Mascara in "Blackest Black"

The thing about sample boxes, that I have recently been noticing is that it seems that beauty companies tend to go on a marketing campaigns and they contact a lot of different subscription boxes at one time. I understand that it's probably easiest for the company to do this at all the same time, with the manufacturing of the product and all the other logistical issues that go along with this campaign. But for the subscribers or multiple boxes, to be receiving products from the same company - often times they receive the same product from various subscription boxes at one time - it can be a little disappointing.  I was happy to have received these two Michael Todd products in the different monthly sample boxes, but I was interested in trying out the brand. For someone that isn't interested it can be a letdown to receive multiple products from the same brand. But this is just something that monthly box subscribers have to deal with and comes with the territory.  That is what I like the best about the subscription box model. I love to be surprised every month with different products to try out. Very few of the boxes let you choose what you receive (Elizabeth and Clarke lets you choose clothing from a selection of their products, Beauty Army has a choice of six samples that will be shipped out to you, etc...)  So I really can't complain, because it's what I signed up for and knew what I was getting into...

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IPSY Referral Link

New Beauty Test Tube July 2013

New Beauty Test Tube is a bimonthly subscription service. 

First Look!

1 fl. oz. Philosophy "Purity" cleanser This is my current cleanser that I use everyday. I wish I had gotten this box before I went on the trip, the bottle of Purity is the perfect size for traveling. 

FULL SIZE Orly nail laquer in 'Haute Red'  This was really weird. The polish was so thin! I have never had a polish that was so thin in consistency like this polish was.

.017 oz. Perlage Illuminating Primer

Your Best Friend (YBF) Cosmetics Automatic Eye Brow Pencil in 'Universal Taupe' This actually worked pretty well. The liner is really skinny, but doesn't break when used. I have dark hair and it worked for my hair color. 

Pantene "Expert Collection" 'Pro-V Age Defy' 3.9 fl. oz. shampoo and 2.5 fl. oz conditioner  I gave these to my sister because they are not color safe. 

2 fl. oz. It's a 10 "Miracle Leave In" in 'lite'

0.6 fl. oz. Tarte "Pure Maracuja Oil" rollerball I really wanted to try this oil out. I have heard some good things about it. Love that it's in a rollerball, which makes application super easy!

Lumene "Pure Radiance Night Cream" I have received a Lumene Day Cream in another sample box, so it will be nice to try out both products as a set to see how it works. 

Moroccan Oil Body Butter I actually didn't know that Moroccan Oil made body products. I'm interested to see if this works as well as their hair products.

  

.25 fl. oz. Boost-it! "Instant Complexion Enhancer"

   

0.21 oz. Dalton "Color Creme lip gloss" in 'Lisa Lou' This is in a shimmery sheer pink shade. 

(2) 0.034 oz. Nip + Fab "No Needle Fix Serum"

I'm really liking the "Bonus Products" that New Beauty is adding to all of their tubes. For the most part everyone receives the same products in each tube, except for the bonus products. As I said in a previous post, it seems like the bonus products are left overs from previous tubes, but since I am a fairly new subscriber I haven't received anything that I have previously. It seems like the bonus products are the smaller, foil packet sized samples, I wonder if they will give out any of the full sized products as a bonus...

Little Black Bag August 2013

Little Black Bag haul. 

August 2013.

Little Black Bag is a different monthly subscription service.  You sign up as a monthly member pick a product each month that varies in price according to the picked item and suggested retail price.  The price you pay is always much less than the suggested retail price, even if you choose the bundle option.  You can choose just the product that you want to purchase or for a little more money you can choose to bundle the item.  This usually includes the main product chosen and in my experience one or two jewelry pieces.  

You can open the bag with various different products ranging from bags or jewelry to beauty products and recently added shoes. Each month VIPS are offered the option to skip the month, or if you do not skip your credit card will be charged $10.00 that can be used in a later opened bag purchase. 

This is one of the more expensive monthly subscription services, but with the option to skip each month and being guaranteed to know what you are getting before it ships, the price is justified for me. After you pick your item and depending on if you choose to bundle or not, the "Stylist Picks" are revealed after purchase.  Then you have a week to trade the products that you choose for other items.  Some people are really good at trading and are able to get really good boxes shipped out.  I wouldn't say that I'm one of those people, but I'm working on it!

This is the second LBB order that I have received and unfortunately I have not been totally satisfied with the products when I received them.  That comes with the territory with online shopping, it's often hard to really get a good understanding of each product when you are looking at pictures on a computer, such as quality or size.  Keep reading to see what surprised me this time.

Bag #1

LaTique 'Rio' Messenger 

I opened my bundle with this LaTique 'Rio' messenger bag.  I though that this would be great for work. I go to a lot of meetings and bring a lot of paperwork to these meetings. I was hoping that I could use this to make going to the meetings a little easier, but when I received this bag, I saw that it wasn't wide enough  to fit a filing folder without bending it to fit. I still like the bag, so I will be using this bag as a purse only. The straps on the front of the bag are for decoration only.  There are magnetic fasteners on the underside of the flap that is used to open and close the bag.  There is a long, adjustable cross body strap attached to each side of the bag.

Close up detail of the rhinestones and studs on the front flap of the bag. During the trading period of this opened bag a lot of people wanted to trade for this bag in this color or the other colors that it came in. I think I remember a yellow and a red version of this same bag on the Little Black Bag site. 

The interior is made out of a dark brown cloth. The inside of the bag has two large compartments separated by a zippered middle pocket.  There is a zippered pocket on the back side of the bag and two slots on the front part.  

The back of the bag has another zippered pocket.  I like the detail on the zipper, it makes it easier to grab when opening and closing the pocket. The bag is made out of black leather vinyl that was made to look like leather. 

I wasn't able to find a website for this brand, but found a link to a site where the bag in all the colors can be purchased. 

Bag #2

Lionel 'Marlene Tote

This bag I had to trade for. I had another tote that I chose for an exchange on the Nila Anthony 'Lace Structured Satchel' that I purchased in my last Little Black Bag Haul.  Link to the last haul blog post here. The hardware on the cross body strap broke so I sent the bag back and asked if I could return it also since I was disappointed in the bag in the first place.  LBB customer service was really nice and allowed me to return the bag. I received an exchange credit and I checked my exchange gallery everyday to see if there was a bag that I wanted to use my credits on.  Once I saw a bag that I liked, I picked it and it went into trading rotation with the Latique Messenger bag above.  I was able to trade that bag and the other items in my bundle to get this bag. I was so happy to have received this bag!

 Close up of the gold studs on both side of the tote.  The bag is made out of faux leather, so its a great vegan bag. Each side of the bag has different textures of the faux leather.  the front side has a softer, almost suede-like feel. The back part of the bag has a zippered pocket and more of a textured leather feel and look. 

The interior is made out of a shiny cloth with one big compartment.  The back side has the Lionel label in metal and a zippered pocket.  The front has two slit pockets.  The top of the bag has a zippered closure, which is great for swaying pickpockets and keeping everything from falling out. 

Little Black Bag usually has promotions on their website with each purchase.  This time it was a sample of a Michael Todd 'Pumpkin Mask'.  I have heard some really great things about the Michael Todd product line, specifically the mask that I received. You could have received this 'Pumpkin Mask' or the 'Jojoba Charcoal Scrub'.  I would have been happy to get either product, but wanted the 'Pumpkin Mask' a little more than the scrub.  I forgot to take a picture of the mask, but this is what it looks like from the  Michael Todd website. I used this already and above all loved the smell of the product.  The mask smelt like I had just smashed my face into a Thanksgiving pumpkin pie.  I looked at the ingredient list and saw why it smelt like Thanksgiving - nutmeg is a product that was added to this mask. I have to keep using the mask before developing an opinion on it, but so far the smell alone makes me really like this mask. Currently there is a promotion for a free Raj Imports headband with every VIB order.

Despite the disappointments on this order, they are not enough for me to want to return the bags.  I have used both bags already and have received numerous compliments on each of them.  I will continue to be a Little Black Bag subscriber and when I can afford it or see a product that I must have I will be ordering again. The trading period is really addicting.  LBB has recently rebranded their site and company and I have heard a lot of complaints that the trading has slowed down and become disappointing since the change.  I did notice a lot less trading this time around, but I was satisfied with the end product that was shipped out.

If you want to try out Little Black Bag for yourself, please use my Referral Link.

IPSY July 2013

This month's theme for is 'Beach Beauty'

First Look!

1.7 oz. Sexy Hair "Soy Renewal Beach Spray"

 FULL SIZED (part of a set of five) POP Beauty  "Pouty Pop Crayon" in 'Coral Crush' I really don't like this color when applied. It's too cool for my skin tone. I end up applying this on my lips and blotting it to a matt color. I feel that the color that ends up after the blotting is much better for my skin tone. I wouldn't say that this product has any amazing qualities or lasting power behind it and I probably will not be purchasing the full set. 

BH Cosmetics eyeshadow sampler

'Hollywood', 'SanFrancisco' and 'Malibu'

Coola Mineral Sunscreen tinted moisturizer.  I really liked that this was a tinted moisturizer. 

Derma E Microdermabrasion Scrub

If you would like to sign up for this sample bag, please consider using my Referral Link!

What did you get in your Glam Bag this month?

Love with Food August 2013

My August Love with Food box arrived!  This is a great box for $10.00 a month. What I like best about this box, is that all of the samples that come in the box are perfectly sized for packing in my lunch  for work.  All I have to do is bring a main item and a drink and throw some samples in the lunchbox and I'm good to go and out of the house! 

First Look!

 As it is every month, each box purchased through the sample program donates a meal to a child in need in the U.S. How great and easy is that!?

 This month's theme is "Backyard BBQ"

 Rip van Wafels Caramel Filled Amsterdam Wafel I have never heard of an Amsterdam Wafel before. 

Sahale Snacks 'Sahale Crunchers' in Cranberries, Sesame Seeds and Honey

 Dizzy Pig 'Dizzy Dust' My sister saw this sample and immediately stole it from me. They BBQ and grill a lot so she said that she could use this spice rub. 

Save the Earth from "Project 7" Mints in Fresh Mint. I love the test tube packaging on these mints.  They taste really nice, but I wouldn't say that I feel a breath freshening effect after the mint dissolves.  The tube states that "Every tray of "Save the Earth" mints plants 10 fruit trees back into the earth." 

 Bops Potato Snack in Sea Salt I was expecting these to taste like potato chips, but they taste nothing like them.  I really enjoyed the sea salt flavor and would be open to try the other flavors. I saw these for sale at a local Home Goods store. 

Aunt Sally's Creamy Pralines in 'Original Creamy' Before receiving this product, I had never had a praline before. This was a really creamy, nutty candy.  There were pecan pieces throughout the product that were really nice in the candy. I don't think I would have been able to eat this without the nuts. 

Snapea Crisps in Lightly Salted I have had these before and usually pick them up from World Market.  It was really nice to get a lunch sized pack.  I really like the flavor of these. 

El Pinto Salsa

I really liked all of the products in this month's box. I"m not sure how they all went with the "Backyard BBQ" theme, but that can be forgiven. 

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