Ulta Love Your Skin Event PSA: Algenist GENIUS Ultimate Anti-Aging Vitamin C+ Serum

Just a PSA that the Algenist GENIUS Ultimate Anti-Aging Vitamin C+ Serum is half-priced today ($59 vs. the regular price of $118).  I'm a fan of this vitamin C serum, but refuse to pay the full price.  I originally discovered the GENIUS Ultimate Anti-Aging Vitamin C+ Serum last year during Ulta's Love Your Skin event, and after using the full sized bottle I do think it made a difference in how my skin looked.  

I took advantage of some sample offers on the serum that Sephora was running to tide me over once I used up my bottle, so this offer could not come at a better time!  You can see my full review on the GENIUS Ultimate Anti-Aging Vitamin C+ Serum here.  Ulta also has a skincare sampler GWP offer, although I needed to add something to my bag in order to hit the $70 trigger point. 

Ulta has two skincare box bundles of deluxe sized samples that are currently half price, and I got this one. Considering I also purchased the Bioassance Weightless Hydration Essentials set this week from Sephora in order to take advantage of their 2X points for skincare purchases plus a sample bag,  I should be set all year now!

Products I Purchased in February

I'm on a bit of a self-imposed low buy, largely due to a glut of products and a need to use what I've got instead of continuing to buy, buy, buy. However, I realistically know that I'll want to buy a few things here and there, plus there are always staples that need to be repurchased. So, let's look at the items I purchased in February, and why I did so.

Ulta definitely knows how to entice consumers, as they run sales all the time plus send out coupons. I received a $5 off $10 coupon that I wanted to put to use, so rather than shop online and pay shipping (or more likely, purchase $50 worth of items to get free shipping), I made a trip to the store. I needed shampoo, and was going to pick up some Hask shampoos but these Maui Moisture ones were on sale, so I picked up two. I've been using the Bamboo Fibers shampoo ($8.99) for about 10 days now, and so far so good!

A 40% off Maybelline products at Rite Aid resulted in the purchase of Fool's Gold, one of the new Color Tattoo Eye Chrome Shadows. A review is coming up very soon:-)

stila had a big sale recently, which I didn't pay any attention to until they sent me a 25% off the sale coupon. I've wanted to try the Aqua Glow blushes forever, but wasn't willing to pay $24 for them. They were marked down to $8 and with 25% off, that made me willing to pay the $5.99 shipping charge. I chose Waterlily and Shimmering Lotus, and have only worn each 1x so far. Reviews to come once I've gotten a good feel for them.

So, I purchased something I needed, something I've wanted for a while at a big discount, and a complete impulse purchase. Not too terribly bad, and considering I did not use a 20% off coupon (including prestige brands), pretty darn good. I think I'm going to keep a running tally of my beauty purchases this year, which should be illuminating.  Thus far, January's purchases were $81.40 and February's was $33.97. I'm trending in the right direction :-)

More Black Friday Sales That Got My Money: Tarte. Lauren Brooke Cosmetiques, and Andalou Naturals

Gosh, but the sales have been good this year! I stocked up on some favorites as well as a few Christmas gifts for my mom. Tarte tempted me with 25% off, so I picked up another one of their custom magnetic palettes in Gold Digger ($17). I love the cover design on this one, but seriously, these are as good if not better than Z palettes. While the shape is different, it fits the same amount of product as a large Z palette, and it feels much sturdier. I've now got 3 of them, as I got another of the leopard print design during Sephora's VIB sale. That's how much I like them.

I've gotten to where I prefer using mini sizes of mascaras, as full sized ones tend to go bad before I finish them up. The limited edition Triple Threat Mascara Trio ($18) will be a gift for my mom and includes mini sizes of the:

• deluxe tarteist™ lash paint mascara
• deluxe lights, camera, lashes™ 4-in-1 mascara
• deluxe lights, camera, flashes™ statement mascara

Lauren Brooke Cosmetiques had a 30% off sale, so I picked up what their Creme Foundation in Cool No. 30 (review here). This has become my favorite foundation, with it's skin loving ingredients and smooth finish. I also got the Silk Veil ($18) in medium as a finishing powder for the foundation. It's supposed to be good for normal to oily skin and considering the foundation does best when set with a powder, I'm hoping the two together will be a powerhouse combo. I will report back.

The Lash Conditioner ($12) is something I've used before and really like. It's got new packaging which I think should preserve the formula better. I will do a review on this as well, so stay tuned.

Andalou Naturals makes my go to sunscreen, the DIY Booster SPF 30 Facial Serum ($19.99, review here). For years I was reluctant to wear sunscreen on my oily skin, and this is the first one I've wholeheartedly embraced. Looks like Andalou has redesigned all of their packaging.

I've had my eye on the Turmeric + C Enlighten Serum ($24.99) and this sale seemed like the right time to pick it up. I use turmeric powder almost every day in my morning smoothie, and I'm interested in seeing how this powerful anti-inflammatory works in skincare.

The Kukui Cocoa Body Butter ($13.95) sounds lovely with its argan oil, shea and cocoa butters, aloe vera, Hawaiian kukui and evening primrose oils. Another gift for mom, however, so I'll have to ask her if it's as good as it sounds.

Black Friday Sales That Got My Money: Le Couvent des Minimes

Apparently, Black Friday sales now start way in advance of even Thanksgiving, but that's fine by me. I'm definitely an online shopper as opposed to fighting crowds in stores, plus I like to take advantage of ebates and get a little cash back with my purchases. If you have not signed up for ebates, you really should. Here is my referral code to sign up, just in case (I get referral bonuses that would be lovely to accrue, but you can also go directly to ebates.com to sign up).  Back to the sales that I decided were just too good to pass up.

The first one that caught my eye is from Le Couvent des Minimes, where you can get 30% off if you spend over $50, up to a maximum of $45 off a purchase of $150. No code was required when I went through the email link, but BLACKFRIDAY16 is what was at the bottom of the email if the discount does not automatically show up in your cart. There is also a nice PWP deal on the Sereine Holiday Tote above ($46), making it $15 with any $45 purchase. I got one, along with The Delicateness Kit ($29.50):

The Loving Pouch ($29):

Exfoliating Shower Pulp ($12):

All totaled, I saved a little over 50%, which is not bad. I love Le Couvent des Minimes fragrances and always get compliments when I wear them. I'm wearing the Botanical Cologne of the Missions as I type this up, which is an inexpensive gem that has been described as a "boozy vanilla". Check out Fragrantica for more reviews on it, but it's a definite love for me. A warm weather favorite is their Botanical Cologne of the Minims, which features a bracing blast of citrus with it's grapefruit, blood orange, and lemon top notes. I took advantage of an Ulta sale to pick up the Botanical Cologne of the Morning and the Botanical Cologne of Love (and should be arriving today), so between the two sales I now have all of the fragrances offered. I'll do some reviews soon. What Black Friday sales are you taking advantage of?

Haulin', Haulin', Haulin': What I Purchased During Sephora's VIB Sale

Disclaimer:  I purchased this.

I've been spreading a little too much love amongst various beauty brands/sites lately, so my Sephora VIB purchase this year was modest - in size at least. I decided to focus on a brand I've been curious about for a while but have yet to try, Kevin Aucoin.

I love a good highlighter and Kevyn Aucoin's Celestial Powder in Candlelight ($44) gets good reviews, so why not go all out and get the Contour Book , I asked myself ($65 regularly, $56 with VIB discount)? Plus, the Contour Book actually contains larger sizes of both the Celestial and Sculpting powders and creams than the singles, which is crazy! Crazy good, actually. Here's what you get:

- 0.17 oz The Celestial Powder in Candlelight 
- 0.04 oz The Celestial Powder in Starlight 
- 0.16 oz The Creamy Glow in Candlelight 
- 0.16 oz The Sculpting Cream 
- 0.16 oz The Candlelight Cream 
- 0.14 oz The Sculpting Powder 
- 4 x 0.04 oz Eye shadow in Eye shadow in Brighten (luminous pearl), Starlight (luminous light peach/pink), Cool Tan (light brown), Ruddy Earth (rust) 
- How-to guide

I've just started playing with it so expect a full review in a bit. Initial impressions are positive.

Clinique really went all out with the packaging for their Take the Day Away cleansing balm sample, didn't they? It's larger than the contour book. I'm all for visual presentation but this seems a bit over the top/wasteful considering the size of the actual sample.  

My other 2 sample picks were erborian's Bamboo Waterlock plumping mask and Bobbi Brown's Intensive Skin Concealer or Serum, which I forgot to take a picture of. Honestly, I enjoy choosing samples so much and have walked away from a purchase if the samples were not to my liking. Weird, I know, but they can sway me yay or nay.  

Haulin' Haulin' Haulin': What I Purchased During Ulta's Platinum 20% Off Sale

If you are a Platinum member at Ulta they periodically offer 20% off of most items, including the higher end brands.  The discount combined with 2X points motivated me to spend enough to qualify for platinum next year.  I do enjoy Ulta's loyalty rewards!

After using my samples of bareMineral's Barely Nude 5 in 1 BB Advanced Performance eye cream for the past few months, I decided I needed a full sized one.  Love this stuff for smooth, natural looking color that makes my eyes look refreshed and just, well, better.

I've had my eye on Becca's Radiant Glow collection (an Ulta exclusive) for a while, as it contains several products I was interested in trying out.  A more in depth review will be forthcoming.

Mally's 5 Pc Shadow Stick Extra Collection features 5 new shades not currently available in the regular Evercolor shadow stick collection.  It's a great way to try these shadow sticks at a greatly discounted price, considering the individual ones cost $25 each.

Pur Cosmetics new Eye Polishes with their interesting formula/packaging drew me in, and I decided on the rich bronze/brown Suede to stick my toe in the waters of these liquid cream shadows.

Too Faced's Melted Kisses Sweet Cheeks set seemed like a great way to try the new blush formula as well as acquire two more of the Melted liquid lipsticks.  It's a sweet set :-)

The Bliss Brilliant Butters set will be a Christmas present for my mother, although I may snag the Blood Orange and White Pepper one for myself.  I've always been curious what that one smells like.

Both Bliss and Pur Cosmetics had GWP offers that netted the Big Look mascara and the Triple Oxygen Instant Energizing Cleansing Foam.

I think I've shopped myself out and need to practice self restraint now.

Haulin' Haulin' Haulin': What I Got at Beauty.com's 20% Off Sale

It's that time of year, when every retailer under the sun seems to be having one kind of sale or another.  I've taken advantage of several (Beauty.com, Ulta, Clinique), so let's start the show and tell with Beauty.com's 20% off sale.

I love it when Beauty.com's sale coincides with one of their large GWP's, and this time I was able to snag the Ryan Roche Nudie bag ($152 value).  You had to purchase $125 worth of product to qualify, and I'm liking the streamlined and neutral look of this one.

The contents as listed by Beauty.com (click to enlarge), but I did have one substitution:  instead of the Jurlique Age Defying Oil, I received the Jurlique Age Defying Serum.  I'm okay with that.

Did you know Bliss has a new color makeup line? I bypassed the makeup and instead picked up this brush set ($33.60 with discount). I needed a good travel set and this one fits the bill. I'll report back once I've used them for a while.

I must have been in a brush mood, as I also picked up Tarte's foundation brush "the buffer" (($27.20 with discount). Gah, I love the heft of this one and it's dense brush head. It seems to have good reviews so my hopes are high.

I forgot to include this item in the overall haul picture, but I got my first Z Palette ($16 with discount). I needed something to store my new Makeup Geek blushes in, as they all would not fit in my Book of Shadows palette, which is smaller. They still don't all fit, as the large Z Palette can hold 8 and I have 9 of the blushes. Oh well, them's the breaks. Don't they look pretty?

I have flat out fallen in love with the bareMinerals 5 in 1 BB Advanced Performance Cream Eyeshadows and I feel the need to own ALL of them.  I don't NEED all of them however, so I'm trying to restrain myself.  This time I picked up Blushing Pink ($14.40 with discount) to join it's brethen Barely Nude, Sweet Spice, and Elegant Taupe. They make my less than smooth lids look so much better.

The biggest ticket item I purchased was Origin's Ginger Pleasures set ($46.40 with discount).  I really, really like the Ginger Essence scent, but find it to be fleeting.  I'm hoping layering the various products will prolong the goodness.  I may have to resort to rubbing raw ginger on my wrists if these don't work. I will if I have to. Just a note:  the set description says the perfume is the Ginger Essence Intensified version, but mine is the Ginger Essence Sensuous Skin version.  I'm a bit disappointed about that given I was hoping for something that lasts longer. We shall see.

I've got to say that Sephora's 20% off sale seems rather anti-climatic now, and I'm guessing a lot of these companies time their sales prior to Sephora's for a reason. They snagged me.