Groupon Goodies!

I went a little Groupon happy recently and ordered a bunch of new things with deals I couldn’t pass up. Groupon always has amazing items with great savings but I’m definitely going to try to stay away from the site since my wallet is hurtin’.

1) The first thing I bought was Juicy Couture by Juicy Couture. I have most of the Juicy Couture scents and realized I don’t have the original. Being the perfume addict that I am, I couldn’t pass up this deal. This included the 3.4ox Eau de Parfum & a cosmetic bag. This was originally $90 and I paid $39.99 - that’s a 56% savings! This perfume is fruity and floral. It’s not my favorite Juicy Couture perfume but the bottle is adorable and I’m glad it’s in my collection now.

2) The second thing I picked up was the Vivo Per Lei Green Diamond Collagen Renewal Serum. I needed a serum and I saw that this particular one was worth $500 so I went to check out the website. This company has A LOT of skincare products and everything is at least a couple hundred dollars each! The reviews were good so I decided to try it. It was only $24.99 so that’s a 95% savings! I’ve only used it twice so far and it feels really nice. I’m 26 so my skin isn’t that bad yet but I’m all about prevention!

3) I bought 2 Groupons at the same time and they were the 2-Packs of Batiste Dry Shampoo. You could choose between the Original scent or the Blush scent, and since Batiste is my favorite dry shampoo brand I wanted to try both. This came with a full size and a travel sized bottle. So far I’ve tried the Original scent and I love it! - It’s so fresh and clean. I also used it on my friend when we travelled to San Francisco and she loved it too! These are valued at $12 per 2-pack and I paid $7.99 for each - which is a 33% savings.

4) I got 2 Michael Todd products at separate times. I’ve noticed that they have a different product of his every couple of weeks. You can get a travel sized sample set right now which I kind of have my eye on but again I’m trying to resist! The first product I got was the True Organics Knu Anti-Aging serum. I hear nothing but amazing things on Michael Todd products so I bought this before reading the reviews (they were all positive of course) This is usually sold for $150 and I paid $29.99 - an 80% savings. The last time I got was the True Organics Knu Anti-Aging Eye Serum. This is raved about on Youtube so I had to get it. This is also usually sold for $150 and this was $29.99 as well!

January 2014 Birchbox

It’s a new year and I’m hoping Birchbox will make this year worth it. I’ve been a member since 2011 and last year was definitely a bust! 2013 was a big disappointment after they had a great 2012. We got a ton of full size products back then and I feel like last year was full of foil packets. If Birchbox continues down this past this will definitely be my last year as a Birchbox member.

1) Fekkai Brilliant Glossing Cream - I’ve always wanted to try Fekkai products and I’ve heard nothing but great things about this glossing cream. It says you only need a nickel sized amount to tame frizz and to add shine. I think this is a pretty good sized sample that will last awhile. Full size is 4oz & $19.99 This sample is 1.6oz Birchbox Value: $7.99

2) Nail Rock Glitter - Yay! A full sized product! I got the red glitter and you have to paint your nails with 2 coats then dip your nail to get ultra glittery nails. I’m excited to try this but not so excited about the mess I’m going to make lol Birchbox Value: $6.99

3) Paula’s Choice RESIST Ultra-Light Super Antioxidant Concentrate Serum - I love serums so I’m glad I got this sample. It’s not the biggest, but it does take me awhile to go through serums since I don’t use a lot at a time. I’m excited to see if this does tightens my pores like it claims. Full size is 1oz & $26.95 This sample is .17oz Birchbox Value: $4.58

4) SOAK Handmade Hand Cream in Yuzu - The Yuzu scent is described tart citrus and eucalyptus and these are filled with shea butter, olive oil, and vitamins A & E. But ugh I hate foil packets! These actually have a lot of product in one packet so I’ll either have to use the whole thing on my arms too or keep it around & hopefully it doesn’t get all over the place or dry out. Full size is 3oz & $10. These foil packets are .17oz each x2 Birchbox Value: $1.13

5) Under Armour Braided Mini Headbands - I’m really glad I got this because I’ve been looking for something to keep my hair out of my face when I work out and I actually like the colors! Hopefully this doesn’t slip off or give me a headache lol A 3-Pack is $19.99 Birchbox Value: $6.66

Total Birchbox Value: $27.35 (My Birchboxes usually range from $30-$40 so this is the lowest valued box I’ve gotten in a while) Hopefully next month is better!

Glitter Gradient Nails

If you couldn’t already tell I love me some glitter nails! My nails were done by celebrity nail stylist Stephanie Stone. She’s best known for doing Demi Lovato, Miley Cyrus, Ariana Grande, Kesha, and Shay Mitchell’s nails - just to name a few. She’s super talented and even has her own nail wraps line with NCLA.

For my nails, she used a pale pink called “Cake Pop” by CND and actual gold glitter! I was amazed how she did it and the real glitter really stands out and this picture does not do it justice! We first started with a base coat, did 2 coats or “Cake Pop” on a few nails. Sprinkled gold glitter over the whole nail that didn’t had the pink base and made a gradient glitter look over the pink. We then used a top coat and cured the whole thing. I love gel nails, but don’t do then too often. This is my first time using real glitter so I’m curious to see how long these last - if they’re as good as actual nail polish.

Be sure to follow Stephanie on Instagram & Twitter: @stephstonenails

Lush.com Boxing Day Haul Part 2

So I made a second purchase from Lush.com on Boxing Day because after I placed my first order they restocked a bunch of items and I literally can’t get enough. I have an addiction I know…

The first item I picked up was the Rose Jam shower gel, which is my fave! I’m not sure if they accidently sent me the wrong size because I double-checked and I paid for the smallest bottle, which was $10.95 but they sent me the $19.95 bottle. Not sure if they ran out of the small bottle but I am certainly not going to complain! I also got Santa’s lip scrub because this was one of the main items I wanted to try this year. I love their lip scrubs and this one was cola flavored so I knew I needed it in my life. This was $8.95 but since it was Buy 1 Get 1 Free, I got it for free and only paid $10.95 for both items.

Again, gifts were Buy 1 Get 1 Free as well so I picked up two more:

The one I paid for was the Stardust gift set, which was $55.95. First off I am obsessed with the packaging so I am definitely going to re-use this box. This gift set was full of sugary, sweet scented items and everything is pink! This included: Angel’s Delight soap, Pink FUN. Rockstar soap, Bubblegum lip scrub, Snow Fairy shower gel, Snow Fairy sparkle glitter bar, and Honey Trap lip balm. This gift set has some of my favorites and products I wanted to try. Smelling Angel’s Delight seriously reminds so much of my college days since I always had this. And I’m so excited to see how the Snow Fairy sparkle glitter bar works out.

The second gift set I got was Snap!! and this was normally $45.95. Unfortunately one item arrived broken but I already contacted customer service and they will be sending me a new bath bomb to replace it. Yay! This set included: Fizzbanger bath bomb (the item that broke), Red FUN, Mr. Punch soap, Cinders bath bomb, The Christmas Penguin bubble bar, Happy Hippy shower gel, and Celebrate body lotion. The only items I’ve ever tried from this set was Cinders and a sample of Happy Hippy so I’m so excited to try all the new goodies!

Lush.com Boxing Day Haul Part 1

I finally got my Lush orders in from the Boxing Day sale! I placed my orders on the first day of the sale, which was the day after Christmas so it took almost a full 2 weeks to get my shipments. Lush always has a huge sale after Christmas to make sure they keep everything fresh. The sale is usually Buy 1 Get 1 Free on all of the Christmas items, gift sets, and soaps made before October 1^st of that year.

This year I did not feel like driving to Lush. I’m in between 2 Lush locations - one being about 30 minutes from me and the other being 45 minutes from me in the opposite direction. I usually go to the farther one since they always tend to have more products in stock. This year I actually woke up before 6am to try to just order from the website right when the sale went live and I was actually surprised I was able to get a decent amount of stuff. The reason why I made two orders through was because after I placed my first order, I noticed other items were added to the sale.

Here is everything I got in my first order: I got two gift sets and they were Buy 1 Get 1 Free. I purchased “Treats” which was $44.95 and it included: a 1.5oz Sikkim Girls body lotion, a 0.5oz Gorgeous facial moisturizer, a 3.5oz Snowcake soap, a 3.5oz Gold FUN, a 2.1oz From Dusk ‘til Dawn massage bar, and a 1.7oz Buffy body butter. I am SO happy with everything I got in this set. I’ve tried Sikkim Girls in store and it smells just like jasmine and vanilla, which are two of my favorite scents. I’m so excited to have Gorgeous because it is seriously the most luxurious moisturizer I’ve tried. The full size is almost $90, so I always try to get samples of it lol I’ve tried Snowcake, From Dusk ‘til Dawn, and Buffy before and they are amazing. And I’m actually excited to try FUN because they have so many good reviews and this one smells like Honey I Washed The Kids!

The gift set I got for free was “Winter Garden” and it was being sold for $37.95. This included: a 1.5oz Ro’s Argan body conditioner, a 2.1oz Tiny Hands solid hand moisturizer, a 0.2oz Ultrabalm, a 3.3 fl. oz Rose Jam Shower Gel and a 3.5oz Snowcake soap. Again, I’m really happy with the contents of this gift set. I love Ro’s Argan and Rose Jam and I’m excited to try Ultrabalm and Tiny Hands for the first time.

Stay tuned for Part 2!

My First Rebecca Minkoff!

I’ve wanted a Rebecca Minkoff bag for about 3 years now but could never get myself to actually buy one since they’re so expensive! I knew I’ve always wanted a Mini M.A.C. or a 5-zip Mini and the cheapest ones are $195.

Luckily Rebecca Minkoff would sometimes be on Hautelook - a daily flash sale website where you could get name brand items for up to 75% off the original price. There is a “Nordstrom Rack for Hautelook” section where those items are on sale until they are sold out. They’ve had this Mini M.A.C in that Nordstrom Rack section for the longest time. This was originally $250 and on sale for $125 which was 50% off. I tried to convince myself that it was a good deal but I still couldn’t get myself to pay that much for a purse.

One day they had a flash sale called “From The Vault: Handbag Blowout” and they had this purse listed for $85! I couldn’t resist this great deal so I had to get it. This was 66% off the original price.

Pictures do not do this purse justice. On the site it looked pretty but in person I am so in love with it. It is the perfect navy shade and pink detail. I love the design and the shape and the length and everything about it. I can’t wait to use it for the spring and summer. I am so happy with this purchase!

Be sure to sign up with Hautelook for amazing deals: http://www.hautelook.com/short/1C2Ve

Sephora.com Sale Haul ft. NARS 500 Point Perk

Right after Christmas, Sephora had a code you could use online for an extra 20% off on all the items that were in the sale section. They also had a new 500 point perk set which was NARS so I knew I had to pick that up before it sold out.

The first item I picked up was the Marc Jacobs Lightshow Luminizing Powder in 302 Close-Up. This was unfortunately a limited edition product and is no longer available. It is a beautiful gold highlighter that has more of a sheen rather than shimmer. It’s absolutely gorgeous and seems to be more of a subtle highlight, which is perfect for my oily skin. I love the packaging and the pattern the product has. This was normally $59 and was on sale for $29.50 With the extra 20% off it came out to $23.60

The second item I picked up was the TARTE Maracuja Miracle Foundation 12-Hour Broad Spectrum SPF 15 in Medium. I am in love with this brand and have tried a lot of their products and haven’t had any complaints yet. I haven’t tried this foundation yet but I’ve tried a few things from their Maracuja line, including the Pure Maracuja Oil, which is AMAZING. I can’t wait to try this. This retails for $42 and was on sale for $19 With the extra 20% off it came out to $15.20

I was so excited to get the NARS 500 point perk because I’ve had my points for awhile now and was waiting for a good 500 point perk to come along. This set had a few items I’ve always wanted to try from NARS so it was perfect. It included a Larger Than Life Lip Gloss in Gold Digger, the Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base, an Illuminator in Copacabana, and a blush in Orgasm. I’ve tried the lip gloss and the blush before but I’ve been dying to try the eyeshadow base. These are pretty decent sized samples, especially the blush.

Lastly the three samples I chose were: Lancome DreamTone, Cartier Declaration Eau de Toilette, and Murad Pore & Line Minimizing Hydrator.

Easy Party Nails

When I’m in a time crunch and in a rush to do my nails, I usually resort to my “go-to party nail look” I’ve done my nails like this for so many parties and events because it’s super easy to do and it livens up the nails.

I’ve used so many base colors in the past but my personal favorites are nude shades and black. This time I used Nails Inc. in Chelsea, which is a very deep plum color that basically looks black. I love this shade from Nails Inc. because it only takes one coat to be this opaque! All you have to do is put 1 to 2 coats of your base color and let it dry for about 10 minutes.

You can use any glitter you want but I always end up using gold, since it’s my favorite. This time I used Oscar by Julep, which they created in honor of the Oscars (and I actually used this nail polish with a nude base color for an Oscar after-party last year) You can put as much glitter or as little glitter as you would like. You can also control the glitter by putting 1 or 2 coats, depending how much of the base color you want to peek through. This time I did 2 coats of glitter and did about half my nail. Sometimes I would concentrate the glitter more onto the tip of the nail or bring it down so that only the moon area of the nail is showing.

This makes it extra simple since the glitter doesn’t need to be perfect. It’s not like a French manicure where you need a straight line of color. I personally like the glitter to look a little messy - it makes it more fun.

2013 Favorites

I honestly don’t know where 2013 went. It seriously flew by way too quickly. Fortunately it was filled with holy-grail items and new products! There were new discoveries as well as rediscoveries.

1) Suave Kids Detangling Spray - I know I’m an old person and all but this stuff seriously works. If you have thick, long, knotty hair like me this will save you so much time and pain lol This is my third bottle and it is dirt cheap!

2) Aussie Moist 3-Minute Miracle - I got this because I heard it was a cheaper alternative to my holy-grail Macadamia Natural Oil Deep Repair Masque - and it is! This makes my hair super soft and the packaging makes it so much easier to use.

3) Macadamia Natural Oil Deep Repair Masque - Of course I had to include this. I don’t use it as often as the Aussie one since it is so expensive but it’s such a luxurious treat for my hair. I like it slightly better than the Aussie one but yes they are very similar. I love the way it makes my hair feel and I absolutely love the scent.

4) LUSH Ocean Salt Face & Body Scrub - This is my all time favorite exfoliator. I’ve been using this for years! It is abrasive so if you have sensitive skin, I wouldn’t recommend this - but it does remove all of the gunk from my pores. I couldn’t tell you how many of these pots I’ve gone through but it would probably be close to 15 or 20!

5) JUJU Cosmetics Moisture Lotion - I bought this in Hong Kong and everything on the label is in Japanese - and I seriously can’t find this product anywhere online, which makes me so sad! I use this as a toner and it looks like a thicker water if that makes sense lol It’s definitely not a “lotion” but it makes my skin feel extra clean after I’ve washed my face but also moisturizes it. It’s a very unique product and I hope I can somehow purchase it again.

6) Buxom Full-On Lip Polish in April - I love this product line in general but the shade April really stood out to me this year. I would just put it on top of everything. It’s a sparkly pink that seriously went with everything - it’s also very pretty on it’s own. Also, the plumping effects aren’t too extreme so there’s only a slight tingle if you’re sensitive to these types of products.

7) Revlon Color Stay Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Cherish - This was the year of the pink lip for me. I loved this shade and it lasted a pretty decent amount of time. I would apply lip gloss during the day and would only need to touch the stain up in the afternoon. I can already tell this product is going to last me a very long time. I do want to try the two new ColorBurst Matte & Lacquer Balms now to see how they compare.

8) The Body Shop Deep Sleep Essential Oil - I used to have the biggest problems falling asleep, but now I’ve gotten better with being able to fall asleep at a decent time on my own. I would take sleeping pills in the past and even those sometimes didn’t work! Now, for nights I feel like I wouldn’t be able to fall asleep right away I would use this oil and surprisingly it would work! Now I didn’t fall asleep instantly but I would dose off within 30 or 40 minutes (instead of hours! lol) It’s not the best smelling thing but it’s a calming, earthy scent.

9) Essie nail polish in Cute As A Button - I seriously wore this all Spring & Summer. It’s the perfect pinky peach color and it’s not too bright. It looks amazing on tan skin!

10) NARS nail polish in Bad Influence - I got this on sale at sephora.com so I’m not sure where you can find it but it’s just a taupe-brown shade that I wore most of Fall and will probably wear throughout Winter. I definitely want to find a good dupe for this once I finish it - maybe OPI You Don’t Know Jacques?

11) Clarisonic Mia 2 - Although I just got this a couple months ago - I had been using my bulky Original Clarisonic for years. I love both models but the Mia 2 definitely has better features. I love the smaller shape of it and that it has 2 speeds. I think I’m literally going to use the Clarisonic for the rest of my life. It has seriously changed my skin.

12) MAC Eye Kohl in Smolder - This is my holy-grail black eyeliner. It is so pigmented and easy to use. If this smudges on you just use some black eye shadow to set it. I know I sometimes need to set it in the summer on my lower lash line - but this is so perfect for everything - upper lash line, lower lash line, waterline, and tight lining.

13) MAC pressed pigment in Deeply Dashing - This was a new discovery for me this year and it has easily become one of my favorite products. It is a gorgeous brown shade with LOTS of silver shimmer. If you don’t like shimmery eye shadows, stay away from this one! This is definitely my most shimmery eye shadow and I get compliments whenever I wear this.

14) MAC eye shadow in Woodwinked - MAC shadows in general are amazing but once again Woodwinked is still my all time favorite shadow from them. It can be worn so many different ways. It is shimmery gold brown shade that can be blended out into an almost orange shade. It’s one of those shadows that you can put on your lid and in your crease and it will look like you’re wearing two different shadows. I’ve been wearing this shade since high school and this is probably my third or fourth one of these.

15) Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer - I loved using this for my under eyes since I have very dark circles. This helped brighten that area when I would put this over my regular concealer. I’m currently using the shade Honey, which is a skin tone shade, but I like Radiant since it’s more of a pinky shade and I think I will go back to that one once I finish Honey.

15) Beauty Blender sponge - I started using this in February and I haven’t stopped yet! I’m starting the new year with the new one that is pictured because my current one is stained and not the prettiest. Seriously this is worth the money and will change how your foundation and concealer looks on your skin.

16) Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb - This is my new signature scent and I never would have thought I would like anything called “Flowerbomb” since I’m not the biggest fan of floral scents - but this is seriously the best scent I have ever tried. It’s super expensive so that’s why I bought the travel duo for the fraction of the cost but I will definitely be saving up for the full size! I love that its warm and sort of spicy and it just smells amazing. I can’t explain it lol

17) Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue - This is such a classic scent. I have 2 deluxe sample sizes, a purse spray, and the full size of this. It’s my favorite Spring & Summer scent. It’s so fresh and clean and a bit citrusy. I love it.

18) Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in Dollface - Everyone and their mom has this blush but it is seriously such an amazing product. Again I love this entire product line but like everyone says - Dollface is the perfect everyday pinky shade. It looks so natural and it just looks really pretty on so many skin tones.

19) MAC Mineralize Blush in Fresh Honey - I feel bad including this because it was limited edition but MAC did re-promote it when I purchased it so hopefully they’ll bring it back again! It looks scary in the pan since it’s a peachy orange but it just gives your skin the perfect glow. I loved wearing this in the summer with a tan but I have used this last month in December as well. It’s a pretty neutral shade too so if you don’t feel like wearing a pink blush this is perfect. MAC please bring this back!

Well that was my 2013 Favorites, I can’t wait to see what 2014 brings and I wish everyone a very Happy New Year!