Showing posts with label perfume. Show all posts
Showing posts with label perfume. Show all posts

Friday, December 13, 2013

Ulta Under $30 Holiday Gift Guide


The countdown officially begins and we now have less than two weeks before Christmas (is it just me or does December 1st seem like it was just yesterday?) but, if you're anything like myself, you're still in the midst of holiday hubbub and shopping. We all know that sometimes curve balls can be thrown our way so what happens when you've picked out the ultimate gift for someone and it sells out? Or maybe you just have that one person in your life that is almost impossible to shop for, yet you want to give them more than a gift card? While gift cards are wonderful and they are the safest route, I'm sure we all enjoy personally picking out gifts and watching our loved ones faces light up.

To ease the mountain of stress that is holiday shopping, I've created two gift guides (Ulta & Sephora) for the beauty lover in your giftee (and yourself!). My goal was to not only provide a list that was wallet friendly but to also find products that provided a lot of options and that's why 90% of this list are sets, that way not only does this usually mean greater savings but this way, your giftee is bound to find something that they love.

As always, before giving any gifts, especially food items, make sure that the person receiving your present isn't allergic to certain ingredients. We all want to surprise our loved ones but not at the cost of a hospital visit, when in doubt, always ask!

Keep in mind that A LOT of the items on this list are on sale right now but I've listed the non sale prices.


Ulta $5.00 off $10.00 coupon
(Valid now until December 24th)

Happy gift hunting!



Real Techniques Brush Sets
$17.99 - $19.99

Smashbox Wondervision Travel Brush Set
$19.00

Japonesque Complexion Trio
$25.00

Stila Tools Of The Trade
$28.00


The Body Shop Perfumes
$12.00 - $22.00

Philosophy Mini Purse Sprays
$15.00 ea.

Clinique Mini's
$15.00 - $30.00

Calvin Klein Mini's
$17.00 - $20.00

Coach Rollerballs
$22.00 - $25.00

Estee Lauder Mini's
$24.00 - $30.00

Dolce & Gabbana Rollerballs
$25.00 - $27.00




NYX Love In Rio Eyeshadow Trio
$5.99

NYX Love In Paris Eyeshadow Palette
$9.99

NYX Enchanted Kiss Butter Gloss Set
$9.99

Ahava Bright & Merry
$10.00

BareMinerals 4 Pc Gift For Lips & Eyes
$10.00





Ulta 13 Piece Makeup Bag
$12.99

Stila Portrait Of A Perfect Cheek
$16.00

Stila Portrait Of A Perfect Lip
$16.00

Urban Decay Travel Trio
$19.00

Smashbox Try It Kit
$19.00

Tarte Thoughtful Treasures Best Sellers Kit
$19.00

NYX Haute Jersey Leopard Couture Palette
$19.99

Too Faced Beauty Blogger Darlings
$20.00

Ulta Fabulous Favorites Collection
$20.00

BareMinerals Smokey & Sultry
$20.00

Smashbox Wondervision Lip Gloss Set
$24.00

Lorac Rockin Red Hot Mini Lip Gloss Collection
$24.00

Ulta Just In Case Blockbuster
$24.99

NYX Butt Naked Eye Color Kit
$24.99

Urban Decay Naked Basics
$27.00

Benefit The Sizzlin Six
$27.00

NYX Makeup Artist Kit
$29.99

Ulta Get Ready For The Party Color Collection

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Thursday, January 17, 2013

Birchbox January 2013

There comes a time, in Birchbox world that you finally get that one box that you were coveting. I'm happy to say that this happened to me this month. It's the first box of the new year and Birchbox couldn't have gotten off to a better start in my book, let's just hope it stays that way! Since it is the new year I am surprised that Birchbox didn't feature more festive related items. Even though I was lucky enough to receive the box that I did, a lot of others seemed to be quite underwhelming. There is one critique I have though and that is, Birchbox, PLEASE stop with all of the perfume samples. I absolutely LOVE perfume and even I'm tired of it. Hear us out and try to incorporate new and exciting things. Now, with that said, this month I received box 1:

  • TheBalm "Put A Lid On It" Eye Primer
  • Fresh Lotus Face Cream
  • Harvey Prince Skinny Chic
  • Ojon Damage Reverse Instant Restorative Hair Serum
  • Alessandro Nail Polish "Blue Lagoon"

I'm not sure how I feel about the eye primer quite yet. While it is a wonderful primer and it did hold my shadows, I don't know if I like it more or less than my trusty Too Faced Shadow Insurance. The reason being, the texture throws me off a bit. It's not oily but it is sticky which I guess is a good thing because it holds my shadows beautifully. I will most likely purchase a full size when my shadow insurance runs out. Full size retails for $18//0.40 oz of product (Shadow Insurance has 0.35 oz)

I really, REALLY like the Lotus moisturizer. It was light, non-oily/greasy, it sank into my skin quickly and it has anti-aging properties. I honestly can't ask for more in a moisturizer. While it didn't make my face feel especially soft like my Ahava, it did moisturize quite well and it didn't leave any type of residue. The smell is also quite pleasant, it reminds me of cucumbers! Now, the card claims that this is supposed to provide moisture for 24 hours and while I definitely did not experience that, it is a good moisturizer nonetheless. Full size retails for $42//1.7 oz of product

I love the smell of the Skinny Chic perfume, I compared this to DKNY Be Delicious. This perfume is very light and fresh, more so than the DKNY but I'm sorry to say that I will not be purchasing this because I don't like the marketing for this product. For a company to market a perfume that boasts "skinny is chic" and  saying things like "to keep you feeling young, slim and beautiful" and "we empower women to feel young, happy, slim and beautiful". I cannot and will not support that. A company is not empowering anyone if they are marketing a perfume in relation to weight or size. If they had simply left out the slim and skinny nonsense then the message would be great. This perfume has notes of green apple, sweet mint and warm amber. Full sizes retail from $21-$55

I was so looking forward to the Ojon oil but it was without a doubt a big let down for me. If you've been following my blog for awhile then you know that my hair is extremely dry and I have to pretty much work overtime to keep it moisturized. Hair oils seem to be the only product that keep my hair nice and hydrated, Organix Extra Strength Argan oil being my favorite. I used the Ojon oil while my hair was still damp and let me say, this oil did absolutely NOTHING for my hair. It didn't moisturize, hydrate or even at the very least make my hair soft. If anything, my hair felt crunchy and dry after using this which absolutely boggles my mind.  I ended up having to use double the amount of Organix than I normally use just to reverse whatever this did to my hair. Full size retails for $25// 1.7 oz of product

This was my first time ever trying Alessandro polish and well, in my opinion the formula isn't anything special. According to Birchbox, this is supposed to be to be a super opaque polish and it just, isn't. The formula was extremely streaky and applied unevenly. The polish was also a bit sheer and I had to use two coats, almost three, it did dry pretty fast though. I'm not in love with the color but it does look better in person, I will continue to use this until it runs out but I wont be purchasing. Blue lagoon is a very muddy dark greyed blue. Full size retails for $12// 0.34 oz or product

Overall, I enjoyed this box. While a couple products were a definite no for me and all of the products were very tiny, I enjoyed trying them out nonetheless and that's really all that matters.

Much love xo

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Thursday, December 13, 2012

FLO Perfume Atomizer- A Review

Sweet babycakes, I am so excited! I have been dying for a perfume atomizer for quite awhile now but I never got around to it. I had my eye on the Travalo brand but I could never seem to track one down in stores and I didn't want to pay shipping for one item. Once I found out that Ulta sold this brand, I was ALL over it! This nifty little thing is by the brand Flo and retails for $10. Now, right out of the starting gate there is a huge difference between this and the Travalo brand and that is in how the perfume, goes from bottle to atomizer. While the Travalo allows you to take the cap off of your perfume, stick the Travalo on in the caps place and spray the perfume into the atomizer that way, the Flo brand simply has you to spray or pour whatever perfume or body spray into it so that you aren't limited or restricted in any way. Even though this method takes some getting used to and might be a little messy at first, I think that this method is better because with the Travalo way, you run the risk of breaking the perfume cap while trying to remove it, if you have a pour style bottle this would be incompatible or what if your perfume cap simply isn't removable? Either way, they are both good brands and products and it really all falls down to personal preference.

The Flo is incredibly easy to use, even on my first try I had no spilling or leaking whatsoever. Just be sure to have everything properly aligned and it works like a dream and takes less than five minutes. I sprayed about forty sprays and my atomizer still wasn't quite full so about fifty or maybe even sixty sprays should completely fill it up. This atomizer is also airline safe and approved.

My only dislike is that the top cap is very hard to get off but I guess that's also a good thing because at least I know that it's secure and won't come off in my purse. It is also a little difficult to look and tell how much perfume is inside but, after awhile I kind of got the hang of being able to tell.

All in all, I really like this product and I will definitely be purchasing at least one more in the future.

You can check out the brand here
Or purchase from Ulta here

Much Love and Happy Holidays! xo



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