#theordinary – Forty, Flirty & Fabulous

Ulta Haul — Treating Myself for Valentine’s day!

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!

Here’s what I picked up:

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?

2019 Annual Skincare Favorites

Hi all! I’m back with the second part of my 2019 favorites. This one will be mostly skincare, and maybe a hair care product or two!

Check out my first favorites post that’s all about my makeup faves and one big foundation fail here.

Now on to the skincare goodies:

I have been loving the products above — and more. I will probably have more than one favorite or some runners up in some areas. And as for cleansers, my favorites aren’t pictured because I used them up and haven’t repurchased yet. I have so much skincare that I have purchased, received in subscription boxes or PR that I really want to use up before I get more. Unless, of course, it’s a category that I have completely run out of.

So, starting with cleansers, my favorite this year is the Pixi Glow Tonic Cleansing Gel. This cleanser is so refreshing! And it cleans my skin without leaving residue and without drying out my skin. I also enjoyed the Skin & Co Truffle Therapy Whipped Cleansing Cream. It’s very creamy and removes makeup without irritating my eyes.

For eye cream, I currently love the Origins Ginzing Refreshing Eye Cream. It brightens dark under eye circles. I also really enjoyed the Derma E Hydrating Eye Cream for intense moisture when my eyes need it!

This is my second full size Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask. And I will continue purchasing it. It hydrates my lip so well. I use it at night, and sometimes during the day, too! My favorite day lip balm is the Kopari Coconut Lip Glossy. It’s so moisturizing, which I need as my lips get very dry.

Derma E Skin Restore Advanced Peptides & Collagen Moisturizer — This is hydrating, plus it has tons of anti-aging ingredients so it helps with lines and wrinkles.

Laneige Water Sleeping Mask — This is my last step at night. It locks in all of my other products and my skin is insanely hydrated in the morning.

These are my fave serum’s and oils from 2019:

Farmacy Honeymoon Glow Serum — I use this a couple of times a week to resurface my skin. It contains a 14% AHA/BHA/gentle flower acids blend, Hyaluronic Acid, Salicylic Acid and a proprietary honey blend.

Innisfree Intensive Hydrating Serum — This is such a beautiful hydrating serum. I use it day and night before other serums and moisturizers. I also really enjoyed The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5. It’s such a lovely hydrating serum and keeps my skin moisturized all day.

Glow Recipe Pineapple Bright Serum — This is such a nice Vitamin C serum. I use it each morning and it brightens my skin. It does have a very strong ripe pineapple scent, but it goes away.

Pixi Jasmine Oil Blend — I’ve had this for over a year and have just used it up. A little goes a long way. It’s very hydrating and is nice to use at night

These are my two favorite hair products from this year:

IGK Mistress Hydrating Hair Balm — I apply this balm two ways — on damp hair then I comb through it. Once it’s dry, I apply a bit more. It makes my hair so soft and I love the coconut scent.

Cloud 10 CBD-Infused Glossing Mist — I love this for two reasons: It makes my hair shiny and healthy looking and it smells amazing. Oh, I guess three reasons — the benefits from the CBD oil!

So that’s it for my 2019 favorites! What were your standout skincare products for 2019?

I’m so excited for a new year and new favorites. Bring on 2020!

Shop My Stash December 2019 Results and Monthly Empties

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

I’ve had a lot of fun playing with these products this month! And I have definitely decided to keep all of these products!

I usually wear a lip pencil and lip gloss everyday, but I do enjoy these lipsticks. They are matte, so I wear a gloss over them. They are very long wearing.

Here are the palettes open:

The ABH Sultry palette was my favorite product in my stash this month. I haven’t really used it much before this month. I love it! It’s so gorgeous. All the looks I made with it have been every day looks with a touch of glam. The shimmers/metallics take all looks to the next level! I used most of the shades in this.

I also used the Urban Decay Elements palette a few times in December. I like this palette, especially the purples and bronzes. I don’t really wear the blues, greens or the matte pink. The gold in this palette is so gorgeous! I’m going to keep this for now, but if it takes me until next holiday season to use it again, I will pass it on to someone else.

I used the highlighters in this Ofra x Madison Miller palette a lot. I would often forget to wear the blush, but when I did, I liked it. It’s not my favorites shade, but it blends out nice and wears well. The highlighters are so glowy! I will keep this and see if I reach for it.

Now, on to my empties!

I have a good amount of empties for December. Mostly skincare as always.

Out of these products, I can see myself repurchasing the Smashbox Primerizer (on sale) and the Ordinary Hyaluronic acid (when I am needing it). I have other hydrating serums that I am using now. The Primera water cream was nice, but I have a lot of moisturizers open and in my stash, so if I purchase it, it won’t be for a while. The Meaningful Beauty SPF moisturizer is okay. It’s a bit greasy and I’d like to find a less heavy sunscreen this year.

I LOVE both of these mists. The Skin & Co one is great for setting makeup and the Botanics mist is one I use after washing my face as a toner. I’m not going to purchase new ones write now because I have lots of mists to use up.

The Primera essence is so lovely! I may be repurchasing it. I have been working on the Soap & Glory Righteous Butter for a long time! I do like it, but don’t have to have it. I’m using other body creams right now.

December was another successful Shop My Stash and I used up lots of good products!

I’ve decided I’m going to do the same style Shop My Stash this year. From time to time I might add in some complexion products. We’ll see. I was thinking of doing a Project Pan, too. But I’m not sure. What do you think? Do you shop your stash or do Project Pans?

Giant Ulta Points Haul!

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.

The other products I got are the Morphe X Jeffree Star JS4 Fly High Brush ($10 USD), Morphe Highlight & Contour Beauty Sponge ($8 USD), The Ordinary ”Buffet” ($14.80 USD) and the Peter Thomas Roth Mask MashUp ($25 USD) which is unfortunately no longer on the website.

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?

September 2019 Beauty Favorites

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

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

My favorites this month include a good mix of makeup and skincare, plus a hair care item!

I’ve been trying out loads of new skincare the last few months and love to spotlight my favorites each month. Plus, a few of these favorites are from subscription boxes.

I received the Glow Recipe Pineapple-C Bright Serum in my BoxyLuxe for September. I use it every morning after cleansing and toning.It really brightens my skin!

The Primera Alpine Berry Water Cream is so hydrating.

The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid 2% Emulsion has made such a difference in my fine lines.

I purchased the Smashbox Primerizer during the spring Ulta’s 21 Days of Beauty. I didn’t want to wear it in the summer heat and humidity, but now that it’s cooler, I’m really enjoying this. It smooths and hydrates the skin. Perfect before foundation to create a moisturized base.

I also got the MAC Prep + Prime Fix+ Scents in Creamy Coconut in the Ulta’s Spring 21 Days. I only have about a third of this left. I like the soft coconut set and it performs just like the original spray.

The IGK Hair Mistress Hydrating Balm was also included in my September BoxyLuxe. This is a gorgeous balm that works to smooth damp or dry hair. I use this every day to tame my frizzies.

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The Wander Beauty Frame Your Face brow pencil was in my September Ipsy Glam Bag Plus. The shade is Dark Brown and it works well for me. The pencil is a bit of a dry formula and takes a little pressure to use, but I like the effect I get with it.

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This pretty face palette is the Ofra x Madison Miller Miller Squad Midi Palette. I also received this in September Ipsy Glam Bag Plus. The blush is really nice for fall and I enjoy the highlighters, although they are very similar to each other.

I’ve had the Sigma Beauty Enchanted Eyeshadow Palette for a couple of months. I’ve posted about it on my Instagram (fortyflirtyfab), but I haven’t reviewed it here yet. I do plan on reviewing it soon. It is unfortunately sold out on the Sigma Beauty website, but I have found it on Amazon here.

This is a stunning palette! You can create ethereal or even very dramatic looks with it. The shadows blend nicely. Some of the shimmers need to be built up, but that’s fine with me.

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July 2019 Beauty Favorites

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

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

Like last month, I don’t have a lot of color cosmetic favorites. I’ve been really into trying out new skincare.

In my last month’s faves, four of the products were from my June BoxyLuxe. It was such an amazing box! None of these products are from my July subscription boxes. I did like some of my Ipsy Glam Bag Plus this month and couple of Boxycharm products. I am still testing them out, so maybe we’ll see them in my next month’s favorites.

These have been my favorite skincare this month. Two are from Skin&Co Roma. I reviewed them here. The Whipped Cleansing Cream is amazing! My skin instantly looks smoother after washing. I’ve never had a cleanser improve the appearance of my skin before. I also love the serum. It’s creamy and sinks right into the skin. It also instantly hydrates and I love it!

You can purchase Skin&Co Roma items 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 also reviewed the DHC Urumai Cream this month. It’s a beautiful hydrating cream that I love to use at night. It hydrates all night and when I wake up my skin is soft and glowing.

I purchased some The Ordinary skincare from Ulta a few weeks ago. This is my first time trying products from this brand and I am enjoying them! I’m especially loving the Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5. At first I thought it might be breaking me out, but it wasn’t. It’s very hydrating, but a little sticky, so I apply it after toner and layer on other serums (like the Skin&Co Roma one above) so I don’t have sticky skin when I go to bed. It really helps in hydrating and plumping up my skin.

These products are a bit more makeup-y. I purchased the MAC Prep + Prime Fix+ in Creamy Coconut during the Ulta 21 Days of beauty spring sale this year. I love purchasing staples like sprays. primers and powders during the sale. This was half off! I started using it when I ran out of my regular Fix+. It works the same, it just has a soft coconut scent.

I got the NYX Pore Filler primer last year. I just used up my Cover FX pore filling primer so I’m giving this a go. It works pretty well to fill in my pores. I use a more hydrating primer, then this one in my t-zone.

My favorite recent purchase is the PÜR 4-In-1 Love Your Selfie Longwear Foundation & Concealer. I haven’t reviewed this yet, but I might do a review soon. Would you like to see that? I can say that this foundation works so well for me. It is full coverage, but melts into the skin and looks so natural on. The shade I have is LP4. It’s a little light for me now, because I have a bit of a tan, but will work will for fall and winter.

My Buxom Lip Creams are in my Shop My Stash for July. This is the shade Hot Toddy. I have been wearing them a lot, especially this shade. They are so shiny and just a little bit tingley.

Last but not least is a fun new palette. My friend Angie gave me a gift card to Ulta for my birthday, and I picked this up! It’s the Tarte Unleashed Eyeshadow Palette. I love the shades in these — the names are so fun! And it smells amazing!

Have you tried any of these? What products have you been loving in July?

Skincare Sunday — The Ordinary Haul

Hi All! Happy Sunday! I can’t believe the weekend is almost over. It goes by so fast!

I recently picked up a few things at Ulta online. I was so excited to see that the Ordinary skincare is now available (at least online) at Ulta. I hadn’t tried anything from the brand before. I do know that the brand has been at Sephora for a while now, but I’m more of an Ulta shopper.

This is a very affordable brand and the reviews I’ve seen have been really positive. Here’s what I chose to start with (yes, I’ll be buying more in the future) and the info from the Ulta website:

Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 ($6.80 USD) — A hydrating formula with ultra-pure, vegan hyaluronic acid. The molecular size of hyaluronic acid determines its depth of delivery in the skin. This formulation combines low-, medium- and high-molecular weight HA, as well as a next-generation HA crosspolymer at a combined concentration of 2% for multi-depth hydration in an oil-free formula. This system is supported with the addition of Vitamin B5 which also enhances surface hydration.

Granactive Retinoid 2% Emulsion ($9.80 USD) — a stable serum of a next-generation retinoid active that achieves better reduction in visible signs of aging than retinol – without irritation. It combines two forms of next-generation retinoid actives in a combined concentration of 2% by weight.

Key Ingredients:

Solubilized Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate is a highly-advanced form of retinoid which is, in fact, a non-prescription ester of all-trans direct retinoic acid that offers a multi-fold better effect against signs of ageing than retinol, retinyl palmitate and nearly all other forms of non-prescription retinoid.
A sustained-delivery form of pure retinol in a protective capsule system which supports both the delivery and the effect of Solubilized Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate.
Both forms of retinoid used avoid the irritation associated with retinoid (including retinol) use while delivering better visible results against signs of ageing.

Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution ($8.70 USD) — The Ordinary’s Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution exfoliates and tones with 7% glycolic acid, amino acids, aloe vera, ginseng, and tasmanian pepperberry. Glycolic acid is an alpha hydroxyl acid that exfoliates the skin. This 7% toning solution offers mild exfoliation for improved skin radiance and visible clarity. The formula also improves the appearance of skin texture with continued use. With its a studied tasmanian pepperberry derivative, this solution helps reduce irritation associated with acid use. This derivative is of plant origin and varies in colour seasonally and this colour variation may be apparent in the formula from time to time. The formula is further supported with inclusion of ginseng root and aloe vera for both visible radiance and soothing benefits. This pH of this formula is approximately 3.6. Glycolic Acid has a pKa of 3.6 and pKa is the most important aspect to consider in formulating with acids. pKa implies acid availability. When pKa is close to pH, there is an ideal balance between salt and acidity, maximizing effectiveness of the acid and reducing irritation. Higher pH numbers in such a case would increase salt which counter-intuitively would make the formula even more irritating than if the formula was more acidic.

I chose these products because I love hyaluronic acid to hydrate, I’ve been wanting to get into using retinol and I heard the every anti-aging regime should include glycolic acid.

I have already tried the hyaluronic acid and the retinoid. The retinoid is very gentle, but I think the hyaluronic acid broke me out. My face was red and splotchy the day after I tried it.

I’m using up other toners now, but I will try the Glycolic Acid toner in the next month or two.

Have you tried any products from The Ordinary? What’s your favorite? I’ll be picking more up so I want to know what to get!!!