Hi all! Happy Wednesday! I hope your week is going well and that you are staying safe.
Today I have a little Ulta Haul. I purchased a couple of things from the current 21 Days of Beauty sale and a few other fun products. I’m not purchasing as much from the sale as I usually do. It’s because honestly I don’t need a lot of makeup and I’m trying to use some up.
I haven’t done a lot of hauls this year, so it’s exciting to get some new makeup! Here’s more information on the items I picked up:
This is a slow-baked domed face powder with low-level pearlized pigments that provide a dimensional yet natural-satin finish. Can be used to set foundation and to touch-up makeup throughout the day.
I’m really loving this so far. It sets my makeup without leaving my skin looking dry or cakey.
I really like both shimmers. The mattes are nice, too! I want to pick up a couple more of these, but the shades I want are often out of stock. I’ll wait — they are only $3 each!
I saw that a YouTuber I like, Emily Noel, purchased the EcoTools Scented Soap Roses and they looked so pretty that I had to pick them up. They smell so nice!
I am a big fan of the Yes To facial wipes, so I wanted to try out the Watermelon Super Fresh ones. They smell amazing, too!
Have you picked up anything from the sale or are you planning on getting anything?
Hi all! Happy Saturday! I hope you are doing well and staying safe.
Since I’m staying home for the time being, I thought it would be fun to test out some self care items I have recently received for my honest review.
I have been enjoying testing these out. Here’s more info about each product:
Ban Purely Gentle Roll-On Deodorant ($10.58 for 2-pack at Amazon.com) — This deodorant claims to give 24-hour odor and wetness protection. It did last a long time for me and has a unique, non-irritating formula that glides onto skin clear and is less likely to leave white marks under arms and on clothes.
John Frieda Day 2 Revival Dry Conditioner $9.49 USD at CVS.com) — This cool product detangles, defrizzes and adds softness and shine to unwashed hair. A hydrating acai & avocado dry oil blend reignites shine without leaving a heavy or greasy residue or weighing hair down. And it smells so nice!
Daily Concepts Daily Lip Scrubber ($6 USD) — The Daily Lip Scrubber is a silicone lip brush that allows gentle exfoliation and circulation for plump, smooth and soft lips. The handle and the finger hole are designed for convenient use and easy application. It works as the perfect stimulator to increase blood circulation and to remove dry skin.
Multi-Functional Soap Sponge Mother of Pearl ($8 USD) — Clarifying, exfoliating, radiance enhancing, dual purpose soap sponge perfect for clarifying skin. This innovative and multifunctional design is soap infused with a sponge. You can see in the photos that one side is soap and the other is a sponge. It’s perfect for exfoliating face or body depending on your comfort level. There is also a charcoal version ($8 USD).
I am glad I got to try all of these products and I will continue to use the.
What are your favorite or newest self care products?
Hi All! Happy Saturday! I’m back with my February Shop My Stash results! I enjoy dipping into my collection and using products I haven’t used in a long time, or just haven’t given much of a chance.
My rule with this is if I don’t like the item after the month, I will move it out of my collection to make some room and let someone else enjoy it! You can check out my first Shop My Stash post for February.
February may be a short month, but I did get lots of use out of most of these products! The shades were perfect for February and I enjoyed using them!
I made sure to use every shade of the ABH x Carli Bybel palette. I really have enjoyed testing it out more. It’s a good palette. The mattes blend well and I really love a few of the shimmers. I do wish that most of the shimmers didn’t have glitter in them, but they are pretty nonetheless. I also still think Jode and OA are so similar and I wish they both weren’t in the palette. But, I can make some nice everyday looks with this and will be keeping it.
The formula of the Dose of Colors Eyeshadow Palette in Marvelous Mauves is so creamy and pigmented! This is a really gorgeous matte palette. I wore it alone and with shimmers from the Carli Bybel palette (especially Aura). I like this alot and will be keeping it.
I got the QMS eye cream from a Boxycharm and liked it. It’s very expensive, though, so I wouldn’t purchase it again. The Julep Boost Your Radiance Oil is nice, but I haven’t purchased from them in a while, since they ended their Maven program. And the rest of the products were from my The Body Shop Advent Calendar. I loved them and might be purchasing them in the future!
Another successful Shop My Stash on the books! I had so much fun with these products and am looking forward to a new batch of makeup in March!
Do you shop your stash or have a project pan going on? I will be doing my first quarter project pan update at the end of March.
Hi All! January was a looong month! I’m glad it’s over and we are well into February. So I decided to treat myself with an Ulta Haul. This is a Valentines to myself. It helped that I had a 20% off coupon and a Christmas gift card I hadn’t used yet!
I fell for this palette as soon as I saw it online, and love it even more in person! I’m excited that there are neutrals along with the pinks and purples. It will be so wearable for every day as well as special occasions.
Sorry this is a bit dirty, but that’s how it came to me. Maybe the trip was too rough for it! I ams looking forward to using it. It’s so pretty and soft. I think it will be lovely for the spring as well as now!
I have just finished my Farmacy Honeymoon Glow AHA serum and I really loved it. But I decided to try something new. Lactic Acid is supposed to be more gentle but still resurface the skin. Hopefully I’ll love the Ordinary Lactic Acid.
This Milani blush is new and I’m looking forward to trying it out!
My skin has been really dry and I need a new body cream. The Unicorn Fruit Body Butter looks like fun and smells really nice. Plus, I just wanted a new bath bomb and thought this one seems calming.
The NYX lip liner is a favorite of YouTuber Allie Glines, and I really need a new nude one.
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So, there’s my haul. Have you picked up any new makeup or skincare?
Hi All! Happy Saturday! I’m back with my January Shop My Stash results! I enjoy dipping into my collection and using products I haven’t used in a long time, or just haven’t given much of a chance.
My rule with this is if I don’t like the item after the month, I will move it out of my collection to make some room and let someone else enjoy it! You can check out my first Shop My Stash post for January.
I’ve had a lot of fun playing with these products this month! And I have decided to keep all of these products for now.
The Colourpop blush and Milani blusher are both amazing products! They are still fairly new to me, but I now have a good idea of how they perform, and I love them.
I’ve found that I don’t really wear lipstick any more, just liner and gloss. I did wear my MAC Creme in Your Coffee lipstick once or twice. It is nice and I’ll keep it, but I now want to go through my lipsticks and get rid of most of them. I did a pretty big declutter last year of my makeup, but I really want to pair it down to just what I use. Would you be interested in seeing that on my blog?
I used this palette a lot this month! I tried every shade. I’ve found that I like it okay. Many of the shades have to be built up, especially the shimmers. I am okay with building up mattes, but I like my shimmers to be soft and very blingy. I do like the variety of the shades and I made a lot of varied looks with it. I think I’ll keep it for now, but I might pass it on when I declutter.
Urban Decay On The Run palette in Detour – I really love this palette. It’s the opposite of the Emily Edit palette in that it’s very pigmented and easy to use. The shimmers, especially Dash, are creamy and are very blingy! And the mattes are so easy to blend.I am very happy to keep this in my collection.
On to my empties:
I had a lot more empties than I thought I would this month, but I have been trying to go through my products more. So I’m proud of these.
For skincare, I finished the PIXI Jasmine Oil and the PIXI Collagen & Retinol Serum. I’ve had the Jasmine oil for a while, but I concentrated on using it the last few months. I love the scent. I also liked the serum, which was unscented, but I don’t know if it did much to my skin. The Glow Recipe Pineapple Bright Serum was very scented like extremely ripe pineapple. I didn’t care for the scent but I loved the serum to brighten my skin. I would repurchase the PIXI Jasmine oil and the Glow Recipe.
The Laneige Choco Mint lip mask was amazing! I got it in a holiday set with a full size of the berry and another little one. I use the lip mask every day. And I will continue to repurchase them so I always have one on hand. I also used up the Body Shop Fall For Pumpkin body butter I purchased in October and two hand creams, Juicy Pear and Mango, from my The Body Shop advent calendar.
For Makeup, I finally used up the Tatcha Silk Canvas Primer. I’ve had it for about 18 months and have been working on using it up. It’s okay. It works fine, but was really expensive. I don’t know if I’ll purchase again in the future. I also finished my L’Oreal Lash Paradise primer, a deluxe size of the Too Faced Damn Girl Mascara and the Pop Beauty lip liner. I would purchase the lip liner again, I loved it.
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I had fun playing with the products in my Shop My Stash last month. I’ll be posting my new one hopefully tomorrow.
Hi all! I’m back with one of my final gift guides this season. This one focuses on natural skincare and bath and body products. I love to give products that are so good for us and smell and work amazing!
Here’s a few great brands to choose from:
Garner’s Garden Natural Body Oil
With a variety of safe, natural products from Garner’s Garden, everyone can live the naturally healthy lifestyle they deserve. Keep your skin healthy and glowing with a variety of body products from Garner’s Garden! I received some products to review and these are my favorites — plus they all would make great gifts:
Body Butter in Lavender ($15.99 for 10 oz) — This is the most luxurious whipped body butter on the market that you can purchase. Not only does it provide moisture to your skin, but because it is made with beeswax, it will lock moisture into your skin all day long! The body butter is an official product in the Fall 2019 BE KIND. by ellen subscription box.
DIY Detox Face Mask ($5.99 USD) — The DIY detox face mask is made with pure detoxifying bentonite clay, mineralizing kaolin clay, and activated charcoal. It is very simple to use, add three scoops to a plastic or glass container and mix with water until it becomes smooth – then add your favorite ingredient(s) based on your skin type and situation. It is very simple to use this powerful detox mask!
Natural Body Oil in a pack of Citrus, Tangerine and Grapefruit. ($12.99 USD) — This natural body oil has a variety of scents and aromas that will please all of your senses. Each natural body oil includes ingredients such as, rice bran, sweet almond, jojoba, and vitamin E oil that will serve as a moisturizing blend that not only softens the skin but also rejuvenates the natural glow.
Cannabliss Organic Moisturizing Lotion + Revitalizing Serum Gift Set
While many CBD products on the market use cloned cannabis plants which weaken hemp oil’s consistency, Cannabliss Organic takes a “seed to face” approach. They only use certified organic plants grown from seed to harvest each year while using the entire plant to extract the oil. The end result is a highly concentrated form of CBD that provides anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties far more powerful than vitamins C and E. The brand takes their products one step further blending this full spectrum CBD oil with ancient Korean herbs to help the CBD absorb better. Cannabliss doesn’t use any water, chemicals or preservatives in their formulas. The brand uses an airless pump to keep liquids safe from oxidation and bacteria so your favorite skincare essential stays shelf stable. Rooted in everything natural, all products are packaged in eco-friendly PET plastic.
Moisturizing Lotion + Revitalizing Serum Gift Set ($185 USD) — Give glow! This Cannabliss Organic gift set, Beauty is Bliss, contains 50ml age-defying Moisturizing Face Lotion and 30ml Revitalizing Face Serum. Certified vegan. Gentle enough for all skin types.
Purchase at https://cannablissorganic.com/ and Neiman Marcus, Urban Outfitters, Bergdorf Goodman, Dillard’s and other boutique retailers nationwide as well as the Four Season spa in Beverly Hills and the Waldorf Astoria spa in Orlando.
nyl Skincare
nyl® skincare focuses as much on what is not in the products as what is, and have found ways to leave the bad stuff out, leaving only the natural active ingredients in. nyl products are free of man-made chemicals, toxins, parabens, animal products and petroleum products. Everything they make is vegan (we don’t use beeswax), never tested on animals, gluten-free, and contains organic ingredients.
Glitter just makes everything better, including sunscreen! New this year, Sunshine & Glitter is thrilled to announce an entire Reef Safe Biodegradable Glitter sunscreen line! Yaaass! Sunshine & Glitter have something for everyone this season including the already viral Mermaid SeaStar Sparkle. This gorgeous sunscreen is already flying off the shelves and has everyone bringing out their inner sparkling sea diva with mermaid iridescent turquoise glitter that’s eco-friendly and biodegradable.
Above is the Holiday Slay Moisturizing Gold Glitter Body Gel Warm Sugar Cookie Scent 9 oz bottle ($18.95 USD) — Infused with antioxidants and essential nutrients, this magical lotion will leave your skin feeling radiant. PABA & paraben-free. Shake well, apply liberally onto skin & glitter on! For external use only. Moisturizing potion with gold glitter. Made with love in the USA.
Do you like to use natural products and/or give them as gifts? Which brands are your favorites?
Hi all! Looking for some gorgeous fragrance, bath and skincare gift ideas? I was sent these amazing holiday Philosophy products for my honest review.
Philosophy products are amazing quality and smell wonderful! They would make very nice gifts for the beauty lover in your life.
Here’s what I received:
Snow Angel Shower Gel, EDT & Hand Lotion gift set ($35 USD) — A fan-favorite, this transportive scent inspired by freshly fallen snow is perfectly paired and packaged in this holiday gift set to celebrate the season in an eau-so heavenly way. opening with a whisper of fresh air accord, notes of watery melon, jasmine petals and gentle orange blossom settle in its heart, and come to rest atop a warm base of creamy vanilla, rich sandalwood and sugared musk. use individually or layer for an even longer-lasting experience.
6 oz. shampoo, shower gel & bubble bath
.5 oz. spray fragrance
4 oz. hand cream
Miracles All Year Long 3-Piece Skin Care Set ($65 USD) — Experience skin miracles all year long with this skin care gift set trio must-haves for smooth, radiant, healthy-looking skin. Contains:
Purity Made Simple Cleanser
Anti-Wrinkle Miracle Worker+ Moisturizer
Anti-Wrinkle Miracle Worker Primer
Experience skin miracles all year long with this skin care gift set. great skin begins with America’s #1 cleanser to gently dissolve makeup, lift away impurities and gently tone and hydrate, for a comfortable clean that never feels dry. follow morning and evening with anti-wrinkle miracle worker+. the silky texture melts into skin, smoothing fine lines and wrinkles, improving texture instantly and over time. The multi-tasking primer helps blur imperfections, visibly fills in wrinkles and smoothes skin for a more even makeup application and a visible improvement in skin’s appearance. miraculous!
Amazing Grace Two-Piece Fragrance Holiday Set ($50 USD) — Celebrate with a little extra grace! this gift set duo of philosophy’s beloved icon of fragrance is paired just for the holiday in classic 2 oz. and 0.5 oz. sizes, perfect for on the go. great for gifting (or receiving), this fragrance gift set of the whisper-soft floral fragrance is always appropriate—the perfect must-have on every list.
This is my signature scent, so I’m happy to have a refill! It’s so nice to wear everyday. Very soft and feminine.
These are the wonderful Shampoo, Shower Gel, & Bubble Baths. I love these so much and always look forward to what scents they release each season. The scents are Warm Apple Cider Donut and Vanilla Chocolate Crumble. Yum! And the packaging is so pretty this year! They sell for $18 each.
I recommend all of these products for gifts for someone special or yourself (you’re special, too!). Do you love giving bath, fragrance and/or skincare gifts for the holidays?
Hi all! Here’s another amazing holiday beauty gift guide!
Today I have some cool gift sets for hair care and body care. There’s some wonderful travel kits, but each brand has larger sets as well. You can check out the websites listed for more sets for each brand.
Here are my suggestions for those who love trying new hair and bath products:
R+Co BIG TRIP Set ($45, Value: $64 USD) – This travel set includes your must-haves for a voluminous mane no matter the destination – DALLAS Biotin Thickening Shampoo and Conditioner Travel Size, OUTER SPACE Flexible Hairspray Travel Size and RODEO STAR Thickening Style Foam Travel Size.
Purchase at RandCo.com
SEEN Travel Kit ($29 USD) – A customizable trio of travel-sized favorites for great hair and skin on-the-go. SEEN is a dermatologist-designed, non-comedogenic hair line formulated to keep your skin and hair breakout-free Choose your combination of Skin-Caring Shampoo, Skin-Caring Conditioner and Skin-Caring Blow-Out Creme, packaged in a canvas travel pouch.
Available at HelloSEEN.com
Oribe Côte d’Azur Body Travel Set ($25; Value: $35) – Upgrade bath time on-the-go. Lather and luxuriate in Oribe Bodycare collection. Infused with Oribe’s signature Côte d’Azur scent of sun-drenched notes of Calabrian bergamot, white butterfly jasmine and sandalwood. Côte d’Azur Restorative Body Wash gently cleanses skin while adding silky softness. The Côte d’Azur Restorative Body Creme blend of sweet almond, meadowfoam & starflower oils and shea butter smooths, softens while delivering the deepest hydration.
Purchase at oribe.com and luxury stores such as Nordstrom and Beautylish.
Joanna Vargas The Ritual Kit ($47, Value: $52; available at JoannaVargas.com) – This kit includes two of Celebrity Facialist Joanna Vargas’ holy-grail and celebrity-loved products for a complete head-to-toe detox and exfoliation. Begin each morning with a Ritual Brush dry brush session then cleanse with the green tea Ritual Bar.
Available at shop.joannavargas.com
Have you started shopping yet? I’m getting ready to. I’m hoping I find some good deals this year!
Hi all! I recently turned in my Ulta points and did an amazing haul! I got the items above and this advent calendar:
The Body Shop Online Only Essential Advent Calendar ($70 USD) — I can’t find this on the website anymore! So sad! It’s really cute and smells amazing! They still have the more expensive one. The Online Only Deluxe Vegan Advent Calendar. It’s $110. You can purchase it here.
Here’s the calendar open. I’m excited to open this in December!
Here are close up pics of the other items:
The pink bag was a gift with purchase. It’s full of a bunch of deluxe samples.
And I’ve been wanting the recent Anastasia Beverly Hills collabs. The top palette is the Carli Bybel palette and the bottom one is the Jackie Aina palette. I will be doing full reviews of both (and the Tati Beauty palette which I just ordered today)!
From the top is the Tarte Travel Size Timeless Smoothing Primer ($19 USD). Tati Westbrook talks about this all of the time, and I’ve decided to try it out. And I love that it’s in a mini. I always use a pore filling primer over a hydrating one. I’m using up a couple now, but I will try this out once they are used up.
I have also heard a lot about the new Benefit Boi-ing Cakeless Concealer ($22 USD). I purchased it in the shade 2, which may be too light for me. I probably should have got shade 4. But that’s okay, I’ll give it a go.
I picked up two items from Catrice — the Lip Treatment ($7.99 USD) and the HD Liquid Coverage Foundation ($10.99 USD). I love a good lip treatment and I have heard amazing things about the foundation. I picked it up in 020 Rose Beige. I haven’t tried it yet, but I’m hoping it’s an okay match to try. Of course, since I got it all with my points, it’s FREE MAKEUP! It’s not the end of the world if the match for that and the concealer isn’t perfect. I can always mix them with other products.
I’ve been sick, so I haven’t really tried anything out yet, but I might wear makeup tomorrow to try somethings out. This is my largest points haul yet, and I’m so excited about it!
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Have you used any Ulta points for free makeup? What did you get?
Hi all! Today I’m reviewing products I’ve been testing out this fall. I was recently sent these products for my honest review.
They include fragrances, skincare and more that are perfect for this time of year:
Molton Brown Geranium Nefertum Eau de Toilette
Molton Brown Geranium Nefertum Body Lotion
Molton Brown Geranium Nefertum Eau de Toilette ($120 for 3.3 oz and $80 for 1.7 oz). There is a new bottle online, but the one above is the one I have. Discover the empowering allure of this unconventional eau de toilette. Fig leaf accord and bergamot is crowned with geranium and jasmine, while oakmoss accord in the base gives an androgynous scent profile. Housed in a collectible and refillable glass flacon.
Molton Brown Geranium Nefertum Body Lotion ($42 for 10 fl oz) — Discover the empowering allure of this full-size body lotion, in a fragrance comprising fig leaf and oakmoss accord, geranium and labdanum.
This is a part of Molton Brown’s chypre fragrance family. It is describes as beautiful and sophisticated – warm and dry, with fruity floral notes. I think it’s very nice for this time of year. I love the warmth of the fragrance!
Goutal Paris Etoile D’Une Nuit
Goutal Paris Etoile D’Une Nuit ($211 for this 3.4 oz, $133 for 1.7 oz and $92 for 1 oz) — soft & comfortable with notes of face powders and sweet, sensual, seductive notes of lipstick, iris, rose & raspberry. Just a few minutes before heading out to embrace the night. She throws a silk scarf over her shoulder, her bare skin imbued with the scent of makeup. A powdery cloud as elegant as her lipstick with a soft and creamy cosmetic scent that highlights her colorful personality. In just a few moments, all eyes will be on her.
This is a beautiful evening scent! It’s really glamorous. It’s a sultry floral. I will definitely be wearing this all fall and winter long!
C.O. BIGELOW Cinnamon Orange Perfume Oil
C.O. BIGELOW Lily of the Valey Perfume Oil
C.O. BIGELOW Patchouli Perfume Oil
More amazing fragrances are these Perfume Oils form C.O. Bigelow! The are $15 each. The scents I have are:
Cinnamon Orange — A juicy, spicy, zesty scent. Our perfume oils are concentrated fragrances that have a longer lasting scent compared to EDT’s and EDP’s. May be worn alone or combined to create a unique signature fragrance.
Lily of the Valley — A romantic, white floral scent. Our perfume oils are concentrated fragrances that have a longer lasting scent compared to EDT’s and EDP’s. May be worn alone or combined to create a unique signature fragrance.
Patchouli — A seductively warm, earthy scent. Our perfume oils are concentrated fragrances that have a longer lasting scent compared to EDT’s and EDP’s. May be worn alone or combined to create a unique signature fragrance.
IOPE Plant Stem Cell Cream
IOPE Plant Stem Cell Cream ($60 USD) Visibly revitalize and nourish skin with the power of Rock Samphire Plant Stem Cells. Multi-functional anti-aging cream is infused with Plant Stem Cells to deeply nourish, moisturize and brighten the look of skin and address the appearance of early signs of aging. Peptides help replenish for plumper and more radiant complexion, while the soft, creamy texture envelopes skin with vital nutrients.
This is a very hydrating cream, which is what I like to use when the weather get’s colder. It isn’t greasy at all and it sinks right into the skin. Plus, when I use it at night, my skin is so soft in the morning.
Pause Well Aging Hot Flash Cooling Mist ($39 USD) — Hot flashes are the most common symptom of hormonal changes during menopause. While they can’t be prevented, our Cooling Mist provides instant relief from the discomfort of hot flashes by creating the sensation of lowering your body’s surface temperature, cooling and calming skin, reducing redness and evaporating sweat. Formulated with our proprietary Pause Complex, it also helps support collagen production to lift, firm and tone skin, minimizing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. And not to worry: It won’t disrupt makeup or stain clothes.
I’m really liking this spray. It’s so refreshing and minty. When I do get a hot flash, I spray it on the back of my neck and wrists first, then on my face and neck. It instantly cools and makes me feel much better! Even though it’s getting cooler, I still need relief from hot flashes!
What products have you been loving lately? Let me know!
I had ten empties this month! Mostly skincare and body care.
These are the wonderful Shampoo, Shower Gel, & Bubble Baths. I love these so much and always look forward to what scents they release each season. The scents are 
Forty, Flirty & Fabulous 