Ugh, I tried to delete a word from my draft of this post, and instead this horrible new-ish WordPress editor deleted my entire draft. So now I have to start from scratch since there is no way to find the draft that I had saved. So irritating.
I Bought This, Affiliate Links
This past year, I haven’t bought a lot of cosmetics since I haven’t been wearing makeup and I have been lucky enough to get skincare products for review. But during the holidays, it’s hard to resist picking up a few things. In November, I bought only a travel size Milk Makeup Kush Mascara and another Charlotte Tilbury Cream Shadow, and I passed on their December sale with the measly 15% off for VIB members. I did more shopping instead directly through the brands themselves or via other online cosmetics retailers like Dermstore, Lovelyskin or Belle Kalista who offered 30% discounts. For some reason, I feel a little better about Ulta and I did a little bit of shopping there during their November Friends and Family Sale and their December month-long sale.
Here’s what I bought:
Mamonde Soothing Rose Treats: I have wanted to try Mamonde rose skincare products since they launched at Ulta about 3 years ago, but I never got around to it. Finally, I sprang for one of their sets, Soothing Rose Treats, that doesn’t seem to be at Ulta.com now. Hmmm. It contained Petal Oil to Lotion Cleanser, Rose Water Toner and Rose Water Gel Cream. So far, the cleanser and toner are my favorites. Although I am a fan of gels, in the winter I need a heavier cream. I will probably save the gel moisturizer for spring. This set is definitely for fans of rose scents.
Tula Protect & Glow Daily Sunscreen Gel Broad Spectrum SPF 30: A friend (Gabrielle, looking at you!) turned me on to this lightweight, chemical sunscreen with additional benefits (it protects against pollution and blue light). So far, I like it! The gel turns watery on contact and is pretty much imperceptible as it dries.
Honest Beauty Creme Cheek Blush, shade Rose Pink: I have wanted to try something from clean beauty brand, Honest Beauty, so I picked up Creme Cheek Blush in Rose Pink.
I have only used it a few times, but here are my initial thoughts: 1. The cream is extremely stiff. It does not apply well with fingers even though Honest Beauty suggests it. They also suggest a sponge, that I haven’t tried yet. I’ve been using a brush, butd it still does not blend easily. 2. Rose Pink is not pink. It’s peach, or if I stretch, I might say pinky-peach. And they also have a peach shade, so I wonder what that looks like.
Urban Decay Heavy Metal Glitter Eyeliner, shade Spandex: I have 3 others: silver, gold and purple. Spandex is supposed to be blue. However, like the pink one that I bought first, it has a clear base with colored glitter. Without a dark base, it doesn’t show up very well.
I returned the pink one and swapped it for silver that shows up on its own big time. I should return the blue, but since I am not going to stores I will keep it. Applying it over navy, gray or black eyeliner is the way to go. The Heavy Metal line is on sale for $15.75 plus 6% cash back on Rakuten on the Urban Decay website.
Lime Crime Venus Immortalis Eyeshadow Palette: I’m a sucker for neutral greyscale shadow palettes, and I had heard good things about this one. It has two champagne shimmers, a bright glittery white, a grey-lavender shimmer, and mattes in beige, deep grey, eggplant, and black. It’s very pigmented and has no fallout. I love it! And it’s on sale now on the Lime Crime website with more than a 20% discount plus cash back from Rakuten.
J. Cat Beauty Dry Makeup Brush Cleaner: I have been curious about this handy-dandy tool for ages, and now I am really glad I bought it. Now that I see what it is, I probably could have made it myself, but it didn’t cost that much. It is a black spongey thing. It is meant to be used on brushes with powder makeup. You swirl the dirty brush in a circular motion, and the powder does indeed come off. I tried it on a couple of brushes that I had used for creams, and it did get most of the cream off, though it made the sponge dirtier than the powder. You clean the sponge with soap and water and allow to dry before using again.
Sweet & Shimmer Sugar Cookie Hand Lotion: In order to get free shipping, I needed to spend less than a dollar. At 49 cents, Sugar Cookie fit the bill. These days, I can never have too much hand lotion. And it does smell like a sugar cookie.
So these are the goodies from my Ulta hauls this holiday season. Have you tried any of these? Did you buy yourself any cosmetics during the holiday sales?
Finally, thank you to those of you who shopped via my affiliate links this holiday season or anytime. I truly appreciate it xoxo
I love Mamonde products so much! That Lime Crime palette is gorgeous– these are the cool shades that I love to wear!
Lola Seicento recently posted…SPACE NK UP TO 50% OFF SALE
I love Lime Crime! Their Velvetines liquid lipsticks are the best thing EVAH as far as I am concerned. As for Sephora… I have not bought a thing from them this entire year.
Alas, I cannot wear liquid lipstick but I have heard that the LC ones are terrific. Thanks for turning me on to the Tula sunscreen:: excellent!
Glad I could rec at least one thing that works for you. Thank you again for the yummy eyeshadows! I’m having fun with them!
xoxo
I hate Ulta’s shipping since I never get to $50. I’ve cut back drastically because of Covid. Why buy if no one sees me anymore? The Lime Crime looks very nice and something I’d use too. I have a brush cleaner that I’ve neglected to use. I’ll try it out.
MarciaF recently posted…KBShimmer Love at Frost Sight Collection – the flakies
Marcia, Ulta’s minimum for free shipping is $35 which is a little more achievable. I have appreciated the free shipping from Ulta that I got during 21 Days of Beauty as a Platinum member, but I am far from achieving Platinum this year. Oh well. Lovelyskin, Dermstore, Skinstore, Belle Kalista, and Lookfantastic with free shipping will get more of my business. I still buy skincare favorites and bath & body products that I love, but I’ve cut back a lot this year too when it comes to makeup.
I ordered 2 honest beauty blushes recently as well and I can’t wait to try them!
http://www.themakeupaficionado.com
Bernadette recently posted…Anastasia Beverly Hills ‘Sugar Glow’ Kit | When a cult favorite is nice but not extraordinary!
I’d be curious to hear what you think of the Honest Beauty cream blush! Mine is stiffer than I expected it to be.