Sephora VIB Status

So by making $350 in beauty purchases at Sephora this year, I gained status of VIB. It comes with a welcome kit that gives me 10% off, free shipping and a free make over. I'm so excited. I can't wait to schedule my make over. I don't even care if I come out of there looking like a drag queen ( hell some of those men look prettier than I do ). I've never had a make over, other than what we did as practice in beauty school.  Now normally I always fall just short of that, but this year I spent more time on Sephora because I chose it as a reward for weight loss ( yeah me... 78lbs gone in a year ). Now my goal for this was at Christmas time they always send a $15 gift card to regular beauty insiders, and I know they send more to the VIBs. I know I probably spent more than I'll receive, but something about that makes it so attractive! Plus I get other perks like special sales and codes, attending private events, new early releases of products, ect. I would have to spend $600 more to unlock the next level, and honestly that's just NOT going to happen. I love hair and make up, but not to the tune of $1000 a year. Some may call this an addiction. I prefer to call it a hobby. ;) The distinguishing difference is I'm not out on the street corner offering my services for a tube of lip gloss. ;)

Trick Or Treat And I Chose Treat

 

I went ahead and ordered the Lash Stash Kit by Sephora. For $45 this set contains:

- 0.10 oz Benefit They're Real Mascara
- 0.141 oz Blinc Mascara
- 0.2 oz BUXOM Lash Mascara
- 0.14 oz Clinique High Impact Mascara
- 0.135 oz Lancôme Hypnôse Drama
- 0.13 oz Make Up For Ever Smoky Extravagant
- 1 x Sephora Collection False Eye Lashes in Celebrity
- 0.5 oz Sephora Collection Outrageous Mascara
- 0.31 oz Tarte Lights, Camera, Flashes™ Statement Mascara
- 0.17 oz Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara
- 0.06 oz Yves Saint Laurent Mascara Volume Effect Faux Cils Baby Doll

I am always on the search for the PERFECT mascara. I can not wait to try these! I have used Benefit before and like it, but the others are new to me.  I'm also kinda digging the false lashes. I have very long lashes myself, but I feel they are a lot more sparse than I'd like.  I'm on a mission to have sexy eyes. Now lets just hope I don't glue my eyelids shut.

Ulta Redemption

First things first I HATE going into my local ULTA store. The workers there are just rude, condescending, and make me feel like I'm bothering them by asking where certain products are located. I don't take kindly to that, especially not from someone who looks like a back alley version of Ru Paul meets Miss Piggy. I even interviewed for a salon position there, and turned it down because that's not me. While I can be a bitch, I reserve the right on when, where, and how much...lol So with that said,  I ONLY shop online at Ulta. I received an email telling me I had $12 in rewards about to expire  so I though I should probably use them. Plus there was a bonus of a Fekkai kit. So I log on, only much to my dismay the entire site is down. I try and try and nada. I had to send them an email for assistance because it locked me out of my account. I was about to say f*** it because honestly, saving $12 wasn't worth this hassle. Thankfully though I ended up speaking to a Michelle from customer service and she was awesome. In fact she's the only reason I haven't scrapped the store all together.  She fixed my account ( she didn't know what the issue was either but she  cleared out my cart and reset my information ). She also promised me a gift card for the hassle, but I haven't received that yet. So I wasn't able to participate in the Fekkai promotion because of this, but hopefully that gift card does make up for it. But now onto the review.

I absolutely LOVE Coach fragrances. I couldn't decide whether I wanted the regular coffret or the poppy coffret. Honestly I think I'll eventually end up with both. Coach Poppy is one of my all time favorite scents ( smells like marshmallows ). This particular one retails for $38 ( $26 with my rewards...score! ). It contains Poppy Blossom ( very floral yet really sweet at the same time probably from the strawberries, pralines & vanilla ), Poppy Citrine ( Citrus with green tea, very crisp ), and Poppy Freesia ( my favorite of the bunch since it has brown sugar as the base and fruity/floral undertones of apricots & freesia).  The only thing I wish about Coach perfumes is that they had longer lasting power. I usually have to apply twice. You would think with the price tag attached to Coach they would find a way to make that happen. But with these being small, they are easy to transport ( I use a travel atomizer though ).

I also had to spend $50 to get free shipping ( seriously add a few more bucks or shell out the $8... yeah I'll shoot for the add on ). I decided on a new eyeshadow primer trial since I'm running out of my current favorite ( Too Faced Shadow Insurance ). Everyone I know who loves make up as much as I do has sworn by Urban Decay. I have a few of their eyeshadows ( hello midnight cowboy ) but that's it. This set was $16. Comes with the original version which I find is great for natural, neutral shades. It also contains greed, which is gold based and slightly shimmery. Perfect for those who like a little sparkle/glitter/pop. Both create a great base for applying crease free results. I'm still not sure if I like it more, but I definitely like it as much as Too Faced.

Sephora shopping Haul Review Part 2

This is my shopping haul. Again from Sephora, but this time it was online vs in store. Hence all the amazing samples that they include in the purchase. I haven't even began to try all these samples, but as I do I'm sure I'll update. And I'm still kind of wondering how they can afford to give me all these samples online, but act like I'm demanding the world when I go into the store. But lets save that rant for later.

First is the Sephora Rollerball Collection For Her. Now if you're not familiar with Sephora's Collections what they do is take their most popular fragrances, and put together samples ( or in this case rollerballs ) and include a scent certificate for a full size of one of the fragrances sampled to be redeemed later. For $85 this particular set included:
- 0.40 oz Rollerball in Kate Walsh's Boyfriend
- 0.34 oz Rollerball in Giorgio Armani Acqua di Gioia
- 0.34 oz Rollerball in Juicy Couture Viva La Juicy
- 0.34 oz Rollerball in Lancôme Trésor
- 0.33 oz Rollerball in Tocca Colette
Plus the pretty handbag it came in. I have to say so far it's a toss up between Viva La Juicy ( fruity & playful ) or Tocca Colette ( spicy but with vanilla undertones to soften ). I'm still trying the rollerballs to decide which I like. I probably will end up getting one of the other ones all together by the time I actually decide. This is part of what I love about sampling this way. Not to mention kits like this run between $35-85 ( again depending on which fragrances, and what sample sizes ) and totally worth it.  It's usually always like a $100-200 value for far less.

Secondly is the Sephora  Collection BBBuzz. Again same concept of being able to try before you buy. Now I'm a HUGE advocate of bb/cc cream vs foundation. I can not tell you the last time I actually wore anything else. Put on my cream, brush a little setting powder and hello flawless looking skin. For $25 this kit contains:
- 0.35 oz Boscia B.B. Cream SPF27 PA ++
- 0.33 oz Dr. Jart Premium Beauty Balm 45 PA+++
- 0.5 oz Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream Broad Spectrum SPF 35 in Light
- 0.34 oz Stila Stay All Day 10-In-One HD Illuminating Beauty Balm with Broad Spectrum SPF 30
- 0.35 oz Too Faced Tinted Beauty Balm Multi-Benefit Skin Care Makeup Broad Spectrum SPF 20 Sunscreen in Cream
So far the only one I have tried is Smashbox. It's not as smooth application wise as some of the bb creams I have used in the past, but it is longer lasting. I'm almost done with it ( a sample size lasts about 2 weeks ) and ready to move onto Too Faced ( I love their eye shadow primer! ) As I sample the other ones, I will update on which one has become my favorite.

As you can tell I love being able to try the different kits put together by Sephora. I have my eye on the Lash Stash kit for Christmas. $45 for 11 different types of mascara to sample. I'm still on the search for that perfect lash.

Sephora Shopping Haul Review

I am going to review these items I picked up from my latest shopping trip.

First is La Vie Est Belle from Lancôme. Now when I first received the sample I wasn't sure I was going to like it. I normally go for the vanilla/fruity/powdery scents and this is more oriental hippy patchouli. In fact seeing patchouli as  the primary tone made me envision pot smoking and incense burning even if horseface Julie Roberts is their spokesperson. I'm just glad it didn't make me smell like a hooker.  However I have never ever received as many compliments on my scent as I have with this particular perfume. So either a lot of people toke up, or it combines nicely with my body chemistry. Let's hope for the later.  It's  pretty strong so I only use a bit. I probably would never have purchased it outright because it's about $95 but I had one of those Sephora Scent Certificates so it was worth it.

Secondly is the whole bundle of Sephora brand goodies. The eye shadow pallet in primal instincts is to die for. Now this is my second one I have bought ( first one was the nude baked moon shadows ). Hands down best quality eye shadow I have ever used. I will NEVER purchase another brand again. These pallets range in price from $10-30 and worth every penny. I also picked up their 12 hour waterproof eyeliner. Again this is amazing. It goes on smooth like a crayon, but has the look and feel of a liquid. Be aware you will need an eye make up remover, regular face wash will NOT take this off. And for only $9 with a variety of shades you can't beat that.  Lastly the Sephora Lash Plumping Mascara. ehhh... did the job but wasn't totally impressed. It didn't flake nor clump and I didn't have any raccoon eyes but it didn't give me the volume that I wanted either.  For $15 I expected better than drug store quality which is cheaper and gives better results. They also threw in a sample of Kat Von D's tattoo eyeliner pen. The first day it worked great. Then it kinda just dried up. I think it's a fault of the design of the pen. Wasn't impressed at all, and glad that it was a freebie. Would never purchase it outright because it's about $20. Anyone who buys this is probably just doing so because of the name. She should probably just stick to TV & tattoos.

Lastly I picked up my free  travel lotion from Bath & Body Works ( thanks coupons... get on their mailing list for yours ). I chose Cashmere Glow. This is like a swirl of vanilla, brown sugar and caramel all together. It makes my skin smell great, feel soft and supple, and leaves behind just a hint of shimmer/sheen. I ended up going back for the body wash and spray because I'm in love with this scent. I'm layered up like a French whore on the corner of a pastry shop and don't care.


All in all this was a great haul. Out of all my purchases/freebies almost everything was a hit.

Green Mountain Coffees & Fair Trade

Yes, it's that time again. Got a new campaign from bzzagent and I wanted to review it for you, and tell you a little bit about the cause behind it. I tried the Three Continent Blend from Green Mountain Coffees. It's bold, and has a slightly bitter aftertaste, but one that I actually enjoy. It tastes great, and it supports a great cause being "fair trade certified". That means it meets environmental, labor, and developmental standards. So you can feel good about drinking it knowing you're supporting an excellent cause. Also it's not any more expensive that it's standard counterparts but so much better for everyone involved. You can get more information about it at ChooseFairTrade.com

Tru Moo

I just entered to win the Goosebumps Haunted Hollywood Vacation thanks to TruMoo Milk. Do yourself a favor and head over to https://www.facebook.com/TruMooMilk and click on the Haunted Hollywood Sweepstakes.  Then pick up a gallon of TruMoo Milk. It now has 35% less sugar and the same great taste! Plus TruMoo is made fresh from your local dairy and contains NO artificial growth hormones or high fructose corn syrup. That's what makes TruMoo nutritious AND delicious! My kids absolutely LOVE the taste of TruMoo. They have vanilla and chocolate flavors for whichever you may prefer.

Curel Intensive Healing

So first things first I am a bzzagent. I love it. I get to try products and write reviews and spread the word about various things. First up is this campaign. Curel Intensive Healing Cream. As someone who's hands are constantly being abused ( being a stylist, mother, suffering OCD , ect ) my hands were constantly  a painful, chapped mess.  Add in that I have ultra sensitive skin on top of all the mechanical and chemical distress I put my hands through it's just a recipe for disaster. That is until I came in contact with this cream. I slather it on at night ( also putting it on my feet ). I don't have to be one of those weirdos who sleep in socks and gloves because it's fast absorbing and not greasy. My skin doesn't feel like that of a lizard. Now I have hands that are soft and youthful. It uses ceramide therapy, but it honestly is magical. And I'm not really sure what ceramides are, but they must be made of pixie dust and unicorns.

Short But Sweet Introduction

I guess I should tell you a little about me... I'm opinionated about everything. I judge. I'm not quiet about it. I make no apologies. This will be used as my own tool to vent/review/ramble about people, products, places, ect. If you're easily offended, you probably don't want to continue to come here.