cosmetics – Page 8 – Forty, Flirty & Fabulous

Ulta 21 Days of Beauty — Fall 2019 Haul

Hi all! 21 Days of Beauty is now over — so sad! I did enjoy shopping over the last three weeks stocking up for fall.

As I gathered everything I purchased, I realized I got much more than I did in the spring. I picked up items I wanted to try and items for an upcoming Instagram giveaway. It’s hard to pass up such great deals! And, I have purchased great drugstore items from Ulta’s Fall Haul this week and will probably pick a few up next week, too!

I love shopping at Ulta this time of the year, and I have been racking up the points! I will probably do a points haul at the end of the year.

I picked up:

Benefit Cosmetics Precisely My Brow Pencil Ultra-Fine Shape & Define

Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm

Clinique Moisture Surge 72 Hour Auto-Replenishing Hydrator — 1 oz

Kylie Cosmetics Bare Velvet Lip Kit

Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Cucumber and Green Tea

Mario Badescu Facial Spray With Aloe, Herbs and Rosewater

Urban Decay Online Only Travel Size Summer Solstice All Nighter Long-Lasting Makeup Setting Spray

Origins Fresh-Faced Faves Set

Kopari Coconut Lip Glossy in Clear

Too Faced Natural Face Highlight, Blush and Bronzing Veil Face Palette

MAC Cosmetics Lipstick Cream in Creme In Your Coffee

The items I’m most excited to use are the Benefit Precisely My Brow, the Origins set because it has a full sized eye cream and the Kopari Lip Glossy. A lot of this will go in my giveaway. I haven’t decided if I’m going to keep the Too Faced palette. It is so pretty!

Did you pick up anything during the sale?

Allure Beauty Box September 2019

Hi all! I just received my September Allure Beauty Box. The Allure Beauty Box is $15 a month. And you receive deluxe and some full size products. Not bad!

Here’s the September box:

NatureLab Tokyo Perfect Smooth Shampoo and Conditioner
Acure Brightening Facial Scrub
La-Roche Posay Lipikar Eczema Soothing Relief Cream
Ciaté London Dewy Stix — Full Size!
Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Dolce Vita — Full Size!

The Nutrafol Core For Women is a bonus item.

These are the two makeup items I got in my box this month. I’ve never tried a NARS lip product, so I’m excited to use this. I really like the shade.

I’ve heard a lot about the Dewy Stick and it is really nice. It gives a glow without shimmer and it doesn’t emphasize texture.

Here’s a closeup of the skin and hair care. The Nutrafol is a bonus. I don’t take supplements so I will pass it along to someone. I will keep the shampoo and conditioner for traveling.

I’m also going to try the Brightening Facial Scrub. I don’t have a scrub right now and need one. I’ll give the Eczema cream to my daughter.

This was a pretty good box. I’ll use at least half of the products. I liked getting two full sized makeup product, too! Do you get Allure Beauty Box? What did you get this month?

Ipsy Glam Bag Plus Review — September 2019

Hey all! It’s time for my September Ipsy Glam Bag Plus review! This is a subscription box that will always include 5 full-sized items. And the items included are mostly luxe or higher end items. This is such a great value for the high quality items included.

I have pretty much enjoyed this subscription. I have been debating keeping it because a lot of times. Unless I get tired of it, I think I’ll keep it until at least the end of the year.

Here’s what I received for September:

This is what I received in my main box:

Nomad Berlin Underground Eyeshadow Palette — $37
Ciaté London Extraordinary Translucent Setting Powder — $22
Wander Beauty Frame Your Face Micro Brow Pencil — $21
I Dew Care Disco Kitten Illuminating Diamond Peel-Off Mask — $23
Ofra Cosmetics MADISON MILLER Miller Squad Midi Palette –$35

Total — $138. Pretty good for spending $25. Last month my value was over $200, though…but I guess each month it varies.

I’m excited to try the Ciate powder. I’m saving until I am out of my current powders. I also am so happy about the Wander Beauty brow pencil because it’s in my shade!

I have tried the I Dew Care mask, but I don’t think I need a full sized one.

I also added on three products — the Too Faced Damn Girl Mascara mini, Ofra Cosmetics MADISON MILLER Smiley for Riley Lip Gloss, and a full sized Thrive Causemetics Liquid Lash Extensions Mascara. I added on a mini of the Thrive mascara last month and LOVE it! So when I saw that the full size was available this month, I had to get it!

Here’s close ups of the palettes I received:

I do follow You Tuber Madison Miller, and I’m happy to have received this from her collab with Ofra. This is really pretty. I love the blush, but wonder if the highlighters will be too dark for my fair skin tone. I’m going to try it and see. Here’s swatches:

The highlighter on the left may work. If not, they will make pretty eye shadows.

This is a really cool palette, but I don’t know if I will keep it. It’s mostly shimmers, and I like a few more mattes in my palettes. I will either give this as a Christmas gift or a part of my next Instagram giveaway.

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I think this is a pretty good month. I’ll use the face palette, the powder and the eyebrow pencil. I will probably give the mask and palette away. I am really happy with my add-ons. Next month, I’ll be trying Ipsy’s new subscription, Glam Bag Ultimate instead of Glam Bag Plus, so stay tuned for that review!

Do you get Ipsy Glam Bag Plus? What did you get in your box this month? Are you going to try the Ultimate next month?

BoxyCharm BoxyLuxe Subscription Box Review — September 2019

Hi all! I received my September BoxyLuxe! This is my fourth one. I’m so excited! I’ve been a subscriber of BoxyCharm for over two years. The regular BoxyCharm box is $21 a month. BoxyLuxe is a once-a-quarter upgrade option you can add to your existing $21-a-month Boxycharm subscription. So for an additional $28.99, you’ll get the Luxe items, and be paying a total of $49.99 for that quarterly box.

I saw the spoilers for this box, I just didn’t know what variations I would get. I did get to pick some of the items I would receive, which I really liked.

The theme for this month is All Access. There’s a good mix of makeup, skincare and hair care this month. Here’s what I received:

Spongelle Mani Pedi Treatment–$18
Clean Skin Water Bottle Infuser –$17.95
STILA Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in Patina Shimmer — $22
IGK Hair Mistress Hydrating Balm — $29
Tarte Clay Play Face Shaping Palette — $45
Sutra Beauty 32mm Clipless Curling Iron — $65
Glow Recipe Pineapple-C Bright Serum –$49
Dr. Brandt Hydro Biotic Recovery Sleeping Mask –$52
Hank & Henry Beauty Liquid Liner in Blickity Black — $20

Total — $317.95! That’s so good for spending $49.99.

Here’s a closer look at the items I received:

I’m not the biggest fan of sleeping masks because they can be heavy and sticky. I’m not sure if I will keep this one or give it away.

The Pineapple-C Bright Serum was one of the items I chose. I’m almost out of my current Vitamin C Serum so I’m excited to have a new one to try. I have tried this a couple of times already and it does give a nice glow.

Everyone received the Mistress Hair Balm. I’ve tried this and am enjoying it. It smooths my frizzies and leaves my hair soft and shiny.

I haven’t tried the curling iron yet. This is an item I got to choose — it was between this and a brush set. I’ve never tried a clipless curling iron before so I’m curious to see how it works.

These two items were another variation I chose. I have never tried an infuser water bottle before, so that will be interesting. And, I love Spongelle products!

Every charmer received the eyeliner in black and the lipstick in one of three shades.

I don’t wear liquid eyeliner, so I will pass this one along. I love the lipstick shade. It will be pretty for fall.

I know this palette has been around for a while. It was a variation. At first I wasn’t blown away by this, but I decided to keep it. I’m recently starting to get into matte shadow looks and I like these shades a lot. I think it will be perfect for fall.

I’m pretty happy with this box. I will use almost every item. The only products I probably won’t use is the eyeliner and the sleeping mask. As good as that is, I think the only item I am really thrilled about is the serum. I really loved my June BoxyLuxe because I loved every item in the box. I’m hoping I’m more excited about the December BoxyLuxe!

Do you get BoxyLuxe? What did you get this month?

Shop My Stash — September 2019

Hi all! It’s time for my September Shop My Stash! It’s a little late this month because I was away because of a family emergency.

I’m always excited to play with new (again to me) products that I either haven’t used in a while or haven’t used much at all! My goal is to get more use out of the products I have and to see if they are something I want to keep.

This month I have chosen products that will transition nicely from summer to fall. I took the eye shadows and powder/blush palette with me on my trip last week and I did a lot of looks with them.

Urban Decay Naked Reloaded — I received this for review in April. I used it in April and May, and then I purchased some new palettes in the summer and I haven’t used it in a while. I really love the natural shades in the palette. It’s so good for every day looks.

Urban Decay On The Run Mini Palette in Shortcut — This is also a nice everyday palette, but is pinks and mauves, not neutral browns. You can make a really pretty matte look, or I use a shimmer on the lids and darken the outer corner with Back Alley or Rendezvous for dimension. I have been using this a lot, too.

IT Cosmetics Hello Cheekbones Contour Palette — I haven’t used this bronzey contour and highlighter palette a lot, so I’m happy to get some use out of it. The shades are really nice on my skintone. It comes with a brush that sweeps across both products at once for an even application.

Jane Iredale Limited Edition Snap Happy Makeup Kit — I’ve had this since last year. I used it a bit when I received it, and really liked it. But it kind of got lost in my collection. I used it all last week and found that I love the translucent powder and blush a lot. It’s a really silky formula. I used the shadows once and am going to use them more.

The final two products are a lip gloss and lipstick.

Pur Cosmetics Light Up High Shine Lip Gloss in Focused — Unfortunately, I can’t find this on the website or Ulta. It came out earlier in the year and must have sold out. It’s a pretty shimmery gloss and it lights up and has a mirror! Fun!

MGS Accessories Matte Liquid Lipstick in Posh — I think fall is a great time for pigmented liquid lipsticks. I don’t usually wear them, but I thought I’d give this a go since I love the shade and it looks amazing combined with the gloss.

I’m excited to use these products more this month. Do you do a Shop your Stash?

Shop My Stash August 2019 Results and Monthly Empties

Hi All! I’m back with my August 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 August.

I am very happy with all of these products. I used them all a fair bit, and really enjoyed them.

Here’s photos with the palettes open:

I have decided to keep all of these products as I got good use out of them this month and I really like them all.

The Benefit Hoola bronzer worked for me when I had a tan. I’m kind of letting it fade so it’s becoming too dark for me. The Galifornia blush is so pretty, great for summer looks. I’ll keep these and give them a try again in the future.

The Em Cosmetics Infinite Lip Cloud in French Nude is so gorgeous. I wore it on it’s own and with a gloss over it and I like how it looks both ways.

Here are the palettes I focused on this month:

I used this Huda Beauty Coral palette a few times this month and really enjoyed it. The two shimmers are so gorgeous, and I enjoyed using them with the browns and coral mattes. This is a very nice quality palette.

The BH Cosmetics Desert Oasis palette was my most used one this month. I really love this palette and tried to use most of the shimmers in it, because they are just so stunning. I love how the mattes Canyon and Dune are larger pans because I did use them with almost every look. I also used the highlighters as highlighters and eye shadows.

I’m really happy with the products I used and had so much fun with my makeup this month. Now on to my empties:

Last month I had a ton of empties, but I still think I did pretty well this month. It’s mostly skincare with one hair care and one makeup item.

I will definitely repurchase the Lancome Cils Booster and the Pixi Glow Tonic Cleansing Gel. I really love both of those products.

I can also see myself repurchasing the Klairs Everyday Sun Protector SPF 50, the Laneige Bright Dew Original Essence and the L&I Apothecary Rose Facial Toner .

I also enjoyed the Briogeo Rosarco Milk.

I am not a fan of the heat, so I’m happy that summer is almost over. I love fall!

What products do you love to use out of your stash?

August 2019 Beauty Favorites

Hi all! It’s almost September, which means it’s time for my August favorites!

Below are my beauty faves for August. As usual, If I have reviewed them before, I will include the link, if not, I will link to where you can purchase:

I have really been into skincare the last few months, and I have been continuing trying out new skincare and loving it!

I also have been loving a few makeup products, and some of them have been favorites before:

These are the skincare products I’ve been enjoying this month. I purchased the Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Pink Juice a few weeks ago. It’s so refreshing! It’s a bit sticky, but works nicely under makeup.

The Skin & Co Truffle Therapy Face Toner is amazing! It tones my skin and gives me a glow, but doesn’t irritate my sensitive skin. I’m almost out of it. You can purchase it and other amazing items from Skin & Co here, and by using my code LORENA20, you’ll get 20% off your purchase! It is an affiliate code, so I will get something if you do buy!

I am also loving the Pixi Beauty Retinol Eye Cream and the Emma Hardie Lift & Sculpt Firming Neck Treatment. The eye cream smooths the area and really helps with fine lines, and the neck cream firms my neck!

I believe I’ve had the beautyblender Bounce foundation in my favorites before this year. I had a lighter shade. This is 2.5 and it’s my summer shade. I have fallen in love with the foundation all over again! It’s so long wearing, even in the summer heat.

I have also had the Urban Decay Brow Blade and Brow Finish in past favorites, but have been using them again recently and love the look they give to my brows. I prefer more natural browns, but I can get a more dramatic look with the Brow Blade if I want.

The Em Cosmetics Infinate Lip Cloud in French Nude is in my August Shop My Stash I don’t usually wear liquid lipsticks, but I really love the formula of this one. It feels really light on, but it does dry down matte. And luckily, it’s not drying on. I really love the shade, too!

I purchased the NARS Summer Lights Face Palette in June as a birthday gift to myself and have been enjoying using it. I have used all of the shades. The bronzer is a little light, but it’s a gorgeous transition shade for the eyes. The highlighter is very glowy and the eye shadows are very pretty.

That’s my August favorites. Bring on September! What have you been loving this month?

Allure Beauty Box August 2019

Hi all! I just received my August Allure Beauty Box. The Allure Beauty Box is $15 a month. And you receive deluxe and some full size products. Not bad!

Here’s the August box:

Primera Alpine Berry Water Cream
Nuria Defend Triple Action Eye Cream (full size $40)
Erno Laszlo Multi-Task Eye Serum Mask
Benefit Cosmetics They’re Real! Lengthening Mascara
Laritzy Liquid Beams in Topaz (full size $22)
MakeUp Eraser MakeUp Eraser The Mini in Black
Cargo Essential Lip Color in Palm Beach (full size $22)

This is such an affordable box and it always introduces me to new brands, which I like! This month, I received three full sized items. I will use everything except fr the lip color, which is too bright for me. I may pass along the Laritzy liquid beam to my daughter.

I item I’m most excited about is the Nuria eye cream. It looks really nice.

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Do you get Allure Beauty Box? Did we get the same products this month?

Ipsy Glam Bag Plus Review — August 2019

Hey all! It’s time for my August Ipsy Glam Bag Plus review! This is a subscription box that will always include 5 full-sized items. And the items included are mostly luxe or higher end items. This is such a great value for the high quality items included.

I have pretty much enjoyed this subscription. I usually only use a couple of the items I receive each month, and so I’ve been debating keeping it. Unless I get tired of it, I think I’ll keep it until at least the end of the year.

Here’s what I received for August:

I realize this is a lot of products for an Ipsy Glam Bag Plus — I got three add-ons this month. Those are the top three products and I’ll talk about them later. Here’s what I received in my basic box:

Total — $204.50 — Wow! That’s an amazing value for a $25 box.

They usually have a little booklet, but this month it was a fold out card. It does give details of all of the products I received.

The product of these three I’m most excited about is the Purlisse Blue Lotus Moisturizer. I am almost out of my current SPF moisturizer, so this came at a great time!

I have quite a few peel off masks I’m not using, so I will probably gift this one away. I do want to try other products from Hey Honey. It looks like a great brand.

I have been wanting to try the foundation. The shade is Light which might be a little dark one me normally, but it might be a good summer shade.

These brushes are gorgeous! I’m excited to use them. From top to bottom is 10F Concealer, 65EM Mini Shading, 105E Pencil, 15E Angled Brow and 35EM Mini Tapered.

I LOVE the handles! It’s like a mermaid icicle! LOL!

I am so glad I received this gorgeous palette! I’ve used it a couple of times already and love it. I’ve never tried a palette from TheBalm, I’ve only had a small sample of the Mary-Lou Manizer highlighter. I was going to swatch it, but forgot, so I’ll do a palette review for it.

These are my three add-ons this month! I usually don’t do add-ons, but these were $3 each and I have been wanting to try the Coco Cabana Cream and the Thrive Causemetics Mascara. So far, I am LOVING the mascara. It’s a fiber mascara so it doesn’t smudge.

I might try the gorgeous Pixi blush or I might save it for a giveaway…we’ll see!

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I’m really happy with this month! Last month’s box was also good, so I’m on a roll!

I’ll use the palette, the brushes and the moisturizer. I might try out the foundation and will probably give the mask away. I am also happy with my add-ons.

Do you get Ipsy Glam Bag Plus? What did you get in your box this month?

BoxyCharm Subscription Box Review — August 2019

Hey all! I recently received my August BoxyCharm! I always watch for the spoilers so I basically knew what I am getting. There were a couple of different variations this month. Read on to find out what I got (and if I got the variation I wanted)!

I’ve been subscribed to BoxyCharm for almost two years now and really enjoy it. BoxyCharm is just $21 a month for 4-5 beauty items, most of them full-sized. It is a nice way to try new makeup and beauty tools.

My version is 2. This month I received:

Wander Beauty Glow Ahead Illuminating Face Oil ($42)
Ace Beauty Glimmer Eye Shadow Set ($25)
Tarte Big Ego Mascara ($23)
Becca Cosmetics Hydra-Mist Set & Refresh Powder ($39)
Steve Laurent Lip Liner in Chic ($15)

The total of this box is $144. Not bad for only paying $21!

I have been wanting to try this since it came out! It’s a powder that contains water. A lot of people say that it feels wet when you apply it. To me it just feels really cooling. I have tired it. I find that it’s not great for under the eyes, it cakes up. But a light layer can set the rest of my makeup and it looks really natural. I’m going to continue testing it out, it’s so much fun to use!

This oil and the powder were two items I think everyone will get this month. I already have a few oils I’m not using, so I will probably give this away. Plus, I think it has shimmer or glitter in it and I don’t enjoy that in my skincare.

So the big variation this month was either this mascara or the Peach & Lily Glass Skin Refining Serum (which is what I wanted). I did get a deluxe size of this mascara with the tarte Unleashed palette I recently purchased. It’s okay. It gives a lot of volume, but it smeared badly under my eyes. So I will be giving this away and I am envious of those who received the serum!

The top photo is the nude lip liner and the bottom are shimmery shadows. I’ve used the lip liner a couple of times. It’s pretty hard, so I hope it will soften up. I do like the shade.

The shadows I received are in the shades Iced Latte and Cotton Candy. They remind me of Colourpop Super Shock Shadows. The texture is the same. Here are swatches of these products:

The shades of these eye shadows are so pretty! My only issue is that there is a lot of glitter in them. I don’t know if you can see that, but here are specks of glitter in each one. While I love metallic eye shadows, I’m not the biggest fan of glitter in my shadows. I’ve worn the pink one (Cotton Candy) and it is gorgeous on. My only issue is that I have glitter all over my face. Next time I wear them, I’ll put on a glitter glue first and see if that helps. If not, I’ll pass them along to my daughter.

This was an okay box for me. Not as good as the last few BoxyCharm’s I received. But I will use the powder — it kinds of makes the box for me. I also will use the lipliner and hope it gets softer and I might continue to use the eye shadows. The face oil and mascara will be given away.

What did you get in your BoxyCharm this month. If you got the serum — lucky dog!!!

I’m really looking forward to my BoxyLuxe in September. I hope it’s as good as the June one.