$20 Bath & Body Works Haul

 

I recently went to Bath & Body Works (again) because I had a $10 off $30 coupon that was about to expire and I NEEDED to get a back up of my new favorite candle.

2 for $25 candles - Still really annoyed they are 2 for $25 now but I saw that they brought it back down to $22 recently for a “limited time.” We will have to see what they deal is next time candles go on sale again. I got Raspberry Peach Macaroon (my new favorite) and Cinnamon Sugared Doughnut (a favorite from last year) So glad they brought this one back! Both are very sweet hence why they are a part of the Sweet Shop Collection and they smell delicious!

5 for $5 packetbacs - I was down to one hand sanitizer so I picked up 5 more which were: Lemon Meringue Tart, Cherry London, Stress Relief Eucalyptus Spearmint, Pink Diamond, and Strawberry Cheesecake. Love these! They’re such a good deal and work so well!

Sephora 3x the Points Haul

Yes another Sephora Haul. This time it was 3 times the points on fragrances.

1) Sephora Favorites Prelude To A Kiss Fragrance Sampler For Her - I always get these samplers because they’re a great deal, you can try a bunch of perfumes, and you get a certificate to redeem a full size. This set came with 6 (they usually come with only 4) samples: Chloé: See By Chloé, Gucci: Gucci Première, Giorgio Armani: Acqua Di Gioia, Marc Jacobs: Honey, Viktor & Rolf: Flowerbomb, and Ralph Lauren: Romance. I’ll probably end up getting my favorite - Flowerbomb lol It’s worth $29 and this set is sold for $24 - so I’m saving 5 bucks and I have these samples for traveling.

2) Fresh Sugar Lychee Rollerball - I’ve always wanted to try this scent so I decided to get the rollerball to see if I like it. And verdict is: I love it! It does smell like a delicious cocktail. It’s fruity and warm. This will definitely be in my purse for the Spring & Summer. This was $22

I had a code for a free sampler bag of 7 perfumes and I chose: The Sophisticate. This came with: Elizabeth and James: Nirvana Black, Elizabeth and James: Nirvana White, Tocca: Cleopatra, Paco Rabanne: 1 Million, Lancome: La Vie Est Belle, Gucci: Gucci Guilty Black, and Bvlgari: Mon Jasmin Noir.

The 3 samples I chose were: GLAMGLOW Brightmud Eye Treatment, GLAMGLOW Youthmud Tinglexfoliate Treatment, and Algenist Advanced Anti-Aging Repairing Oil.

Forever 21 Iconic Aviator Sunglasses

I went shopping with a friend on State Street in Santa Barbara yesterday and of course we went into Forever 21. I always get sucked into their accessory section. The first thing that popped out at me were these aviator sunglasses that look really similar to a pair of Ray-Ban aviators that I’ve been wanting for months now.

They are the Iconic Aviator Sunglasses in Gold/Blue, but they also look purple and green in some lights. The Ray-Ban sunglasses I want are the Aviator Flash Lenses in Green and are sold for $160. My Forever 21 knock-offs were only $5.80! Although it’s a fact these aren’t going to last as long as actual Ray-Bans, I’m sure as heck going to try! I can’t wait for the summer to wear these at the beach and/or Vegas! lol

bathandbodyworks.com Haul (ft. free candle & hand soap!)

 So I recently received a code from Living Social for a free candle and free shipping on a purchase of $25 or more and I just had to take advantage of the deal.

I had just run out of Wallflower bulbs so I decided to go ahead and stock up. I decided to take advantage of the 6 for $24 deal and chose: 2 Watermelon Lemonade, 2 Pineapple Mango, 1 Cheers To Capri, and 1 Rio Glow. I’ve only had Pineapple Mango in the past and it’s such a delicious scent. I’m excited to try the new scents. I’ve smelled them in store but never owned them before.

I only needed to spend $1 more to get free shipping but I chose the Wallflower fragrance bulb 2-pack in Pumpkin Cupcake because this is one of my new favorite scents. I discovered it this Fall and now I can’t get enough. This 2-pack was on sale for $6

The free candle I chose was Sydney Harbor. I smelled it in store before but decided to get 2 other candles when there was the 2 for $25 deal but soon regretted not picking this up. So glad I got this for free.

I was surprised to see that I got a free foaming hand soap. At first I thought I got it as a mistake but it was on the packing list and said it was free. Score! It is in Kitchen Lemon and I’ve owned this scent before and I loved it!

February 2014 Birchbox

 

I was really hoping the February Birchbox would have been Valentine’s Day themed but instead they teamed up with US Weekly and did an award show themed box, which is ok too. All the products this month are meant to make you red carpet ready.

1) Beauty Protector: Protect & Oil - This oil is supposed to protect your hair against UV rays, heat, and breakage. I think this would have been better suited in a summer box since it’s finally started to get cold in California and I am staying indoors! But I do love hair oils so I’ll see how it goes. Full size is 4oz & $21.95. This sample doesn’t have a size listed on it but I’m going to guess its 0.25oz, which would make the Birchbox Value: $1.37

2) Dr. Brandt: Pores No More Pore Refiner - This refiner works as a primer as well and it claims to minimize pores and absorb oils for a matte finish. Having super oily skin, I hope this works! Full size is 1oz & $45 (yikes!) This sample is 0.25oz. Birchbox Value: $11.25

3) Juicy Couture: Couture La La Malibu - This smells amazing!! I’m definitely going to buy this one. It smells better than the original and is inspired by SoCal, which is where I’m from. It has mandarin and pink sugar but it smells like summer to me. I can’t wait to own it! Full size is 1.3oz - 2.5oz & $52 - $72. Sample is 0.05oz. Birchbox Value: $1.72

4) Ruby Wing: Color Changing Nail Polish in Kitten Heels - I’ve never had a color changing nail polish so I’m really excited to see how it works out. I love this hot fuchsia shade and it’s supposed to change into a deep magenta in the sun. The full size is 0.5oz & 10. This sample is 0.25oz Birchbox Value: $5

5) 32 Oral Care: Effervescent Breath Crystals with IsoVoxy - I’m really interested to see how these work. They’re basically crystals that you swish in your mouth to get fresh breath. I received Honey Mint & Peppermint. Full size is 15ct & $9.99 Birchbox Value: $3

Total Birchbox Value: $22.34 (This is probably the lowest valued box I’ve received in 2 years. Last month was in the $20s and last year my boxes ranged from $30-$40 - so far I’m not impressed this year)

Ulta Friends & Family Haul

This post is a little late but this is what I picked up from the Ulta Friends & Family event a few weeks ago. With the Friends & Family coupon you got 20% off including fragrance.

This first thing I got was Giorgio Armani Acqua di Gioia Eau Fraiche. I got the smaller size since I have so many perfumes right now but this is seriously one of the best perfumes I’ve ever smelt. It has one note: jasmine. It’s the perfect scent. I got the 30ml for $40 with 20% off came out to $32

The next items I got were all dry shampoos. I got my holy grail Batiste for dark hair. I usually buy 2 of these since they’re sometimes buy 1 get 1 half off but these weren’t on sale so I just got one with the discount came out to $7.20. I decided to try the Salon Grafix dry shampoo for dark hair again. I tried this years ago and liked it so I decided to give it another shot. These were buy 1 get on half off so with the discount these came out to $4.80 each.

Lastly I wanted some make up remover wipes since I would be traveling and I chose the Olay Wet Cleansing Towelettes. This pack has 30 cloths and was on sale and with the discount came out to only $4!

Sephora 2x the Points Haul

So Sephora recently had a promotion going and it was 2 times the points on all their skincare products. I’ve had my eye on a few skincare items so I figured it would be a good time to rack up the points since I love their 500 point perks.

The first thing I got was Bobbi Brown: Hydrating Eye Cream. I’ve heard nothing but good things about this eye cream so I decided to finally purchase it. I’ve always used dark circle eye cream because I have raccoon eyes, but since I’m getting older I’ve noticed that my under eye area is changing and not for the good! It definitely is not as youthful looking anymore and I’m starting to see a lot of fine lines. Hopefully this works for me too! This was $49

The second thing I purchased was GLAMGLOW: Youthmud Thinglexfoliate Treatment. I’ve also heard and read amazing reviews on this so I decided to try the smaller jar first since they have so many options to choose from. I definitely want to try all of them. I wish they all had this smaller size. This is 0.5oz and $19 while the full size is 1.7oz & $69. I can’t wait to see this mask clear up all of my pores.

I also had a code for 2 free deluxe sized samples so I chose Nude ProGenius treatment oil since I can’t get enough oils and Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara since I’ve had my eye on this for a couple months now.

The 3 free samples I chose were Gucci Guilty Black, Ole Henriksen Truth Serum, and Soap & Glory Righteous Butter.

LUSH Valentine’s Day Products 2014

I went a little crazy this year and bought the ENTIRE Valentine’s Day collection from Lush this year. I just love hearts and pink things.

1) Tender Is The Night massage bar - They had this one last year and I’m so happy they brought it back this year! They even made it bigger this time around so I am very excited about that. It smells like candy and jasmine. It has vanilla, jasmine, and ylang ylang in it.  This was 2.1oz & $11.95

2) Close To You massage bar - This smells just like Snow Fairy! If you missed Snow Fairy during the holiday season, definitely pick this up. It’s a very soft massage bar and melts much faster than the normal massage bars. This is meant to be squished to evenly distribute the fondant center. This was 1.5oz & $7.95

3) Love Locket bath bomb - This is a giant bath bomb! It has a secret bath bomb in the center so you can choose to break the heart in half to reveal it so you can have 3 separate baths or just use the whole thing at once. This was 9.5oz & $10.95

4) The Kiss lip gloss - This is a very pretty pink but it has a strong silver frosty sheen which sometimes I’m not crazy about but it is very moisturizing and feels amazing on the lips! This was 0.2oz & $9.25

5) Prince Charming shower gel - I love this pink shade and this smells like chocolate to me but there isn’t any chocolate in this. It mainly has marshmallow & pomegranate in it but it also has vanilla and almond. This was the smallest size 3.3floz & $9.95

6) Neon Love soap - This is a really lightly scented soap and smells a little fruity and also fresh. It mainly has passion fruit but for some reason I feel like it smells like strawberry yogurt. I really like it and I adore the cute white hearts in it. I got a 0.30lb piece & it was $9.42

January 2014 Empties

For someone whose new years resolution was to finish more products I didn’t do a very good job the first month lol Hopefully this means a lot more empties in February!

1) Big Sexy Hair Root Pump Spray Mousse - I’ve had this thing since forever! It lasted a really long time! You only need a little bit and 70% of the time I didn’t blow dry my hair so that really contributed to me taking forever to finish this one. I love this stuff! I’ll probably purchase a smaller, travel sized bottle. It gave my hair so much volume so it really does work.

2) Orofluido Elixir - This hair oil probably lasted me a little over a year and it made my hair soft and smell like vanilla. I would probably repurchase this, if my other oils I have in my collection aren’t as good as this one.

3) LUSH Ocean Salt - my holy grail exfoliater. This was my last back up jar but I have seriously gone through maybe 15 jars of this stuff. It gets rid of all the dead skin on my face and smells like a salty, citrus cocktail. I will obviously repurchase this again but it is expensive so I’ll be using some drugstore exfoliaters in the meantime.

4) Bath & Body Works Travel Sized Body Lotion in Amber Blush - I was not a fan of this scent. It’s a sickly floral scent and doesn’t smell like amber at all.

5) Almay Clear Complexion Makeup in 240 Beige - This foundation was alright. It covered pretty well but I didn’t notice a change in my complexion. I wouldn’t repurchase this.

6) Bath & Body Works candle in Black Tie - I am devastated that I don’t have a back up of this one! They better bring it back next year! It smells like a really hot man lol It’s one of those cologne like scents and has green sage, sandalwood and tonka bean.

7) Victoria’s Secret Sanitizing Hand Gel in Love Spell - I think I bought this so I could get free shipping from victoriassecret.com It is $3.50 and now that I think about, that’s kind of ridiculous for this little thing. Bath & Body Works’ hand sanitizers are much better in my opinion and they’re cheaper!

8) Missha Misa Moisturizer sample - I did not like this. It was way too thick.

9) Missha Cell Renew Snail Skin Treatment sample - This made my skin feel nice but I could not handle the smell! It was a very fake fruity medicine scent. It literally makes me sick.

10) Missha Cell Renew Snail Essential Moisturizer - This luckily didn’t have that awful scent but this did nothing for my skin.

11) Dior Addict Eau Sensuelle deluxe perfume sample - This just smells like baby powder to me, which I sometimes like but I’m not going to purchase this.

12) Clairol Colorseal Conditioner - I dyed my hair in January and finished up this conditioner that came with it. I love the conditioners that come with hair dyes because they make my hair really soft and makes the color last.

13) Lancome Hypnose Star mascara - This is a pretty good mascara and I have another sample of this so I’m excited for that. I would purchase this once I finish more mascara samples.

14) Josie Maran Illuminator - I got this as a part of a 500 point perk from Sephora and it lasted a really long time! I got really into highlighting this winter and this was a gorgeous golden shade. I would purchase this.

15) J.R. Watkins Hand & Cuticle Salve - I got this in a Birchbox and it lasted a really long time - mainly because I didn’t like it. It was extremely greasy and smelled awful. BUT it did really help my dry hands and cuticles. I wouldn’t purchase this though because it was too much work. Everything I touched became greasy and gross.

16) Tarte Smooth Operator deluxe sample - I personally like the Make Up Forever HD powder better. But they are basically the same product. The only difference is the Make Up Forever HD powder feels more finely milled.

17) Bath & Body Works Wallflower bulb in Cinnamon Sugared Doughnut - So happy this came back this spring. I love this sweet scent. It smells exactly how it sounds.

18) Bath & Body Works Wallflower bulb in ‘Tis The Season - My favorite holiday scent! I will forever repurchase this one every year. It smells just like Christmas.

19) Bath & Body Works Wallflower bulb in Cinnamon & Clove Buds - I really liked this scent but it was so strong! I put in the downstairs living room and I could smell it throughout my entire 2-story house. I guess it’s a good thing though!

20) Sheseido Facial Cotton - I love these cotton pads. Yes they are ridiculously priced but I split them in half and that makes them last forever. I have one more back up pack and I will probably repurchase them again during the Sephora VIB sale.

21) Maybelline Dream Matte Powder in Honey - I’ve gone through so many of these that I have lost count. This is an amazing powder that keeps me matte and really sets my foundation. I’ll definitely be repurchasing this in the future.

January 2014 Favorites

2014 is flying by already! I can’t believe it’s almost mid-February and my January Favorites are super late. My new years resolution is to finish more products and for some reason I decided to start off with all my minis and deluxe sample sizes so my favorites are looking a little tiny lol

1) One of the 3 full sized products in my favorites is the Bath & Body Works Triple Moisture Body Cream in Merry Marshmallow Kiss. This was part of the holiday collection and honestly I’m not sure if it would make a come back next year. It does NOT smell anything like marshmallows. It’s literally a berry scent. I like it because it’s fresh and fruity but I really wanted it to smell sweet. They definitely need to change its name.

2) Lady Gaga Fame - I kept this in my purse all month and I’m almost done with it. It’s a really good touch up scent during the day. It’s a musky scent, which I love. The staying power isn’t that great but everyone always compliments me when I put it on.

3) Dior Diorshow Extase mascara - I have so many samples of this mascara, I decided to try to use most of them up. This mascara gives a really natural look to your lashes. I personally like a clumpier look but this still gave my lashes some volume. If you don’t like clumpy mascaras and want a good natural everyday look, this would be perfect for you.

4) Vivo Per Lei Diamond Collection: Green Diamond Collagen Renewal Serum - I got this off of Groupon and it is normally $500 and I got it for like $25. It is an amazing serum! My skin feels so soft and looks more radiant and I know it’s thanks to this serum. I will definitely be keeping my eye out for more products from this brand on Groupon.

5) Josie Maran Argan Oil Hair Serum - I love this brand and I love this product. It really makes my hair soft without making it look greasy. I would definitely consider purchasing the full size once I finish up more oils in my collection.

6) Marc Jacobs Perfection Powder in 300 Beige - This is a very lightweight powder perfect for setting foundation and touching up. I’ve noticed the reviews haven’t been so great because it’s not a full coverage powder. I personally like that it’s not full coverage because I don’t want it to look cakey. If you’re looking for a good setting powder, this one is amazing!

7) Benefit Hula Bronzer - I can’t believe I didn’t try this bronzer sooner! I never used it because I thought it would be too light for me but it’s actually perfect right now with my winter skin. I will definitely buy the full size once I finish up more of my bronzers.

8) Maybelline Baby Lips Dr. Rescue in Soothing Sorbet - I finished up 2 Baby Lips in the past and decided not to purchase them again but I received this for Christmas and I must say this formula is way better than the original. It’s definitely more moisturizing and I like this hot pink shade. It’s very subtle but bright, if that makes sense lol

9) It Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye in Neutral Medium - I forgot where I got this sample but this concealer is amazing! It’s very full coverage and really covers up my horrid dark circles. Again, I am purchasing the full size once I finish more concealers.

10) Benefit High Beam - I used to never highlight since I have oily skin but luckily this winter my oils calmed down a little and I’ve been obsessed with highlighting. This is the perfect pinky pearl shade. This sample size is going to last me forever! lol

Another Lush BOGO Haul

The other day I went to Lush with my sister in law and I saw that they still had a few soaps left over from the Boxing Day Sale. Since I ordered all of my products online on Boxing Day, I wasn’t able to pick up any soaps.

The first soap I picked up was Noriko and it had tofu, rice, and sake which all help dry skin. It is infused with the rose and ylang ylang fragrance so it can make you feel like you’re in a Japanese garden but it smells like a fresh floral to me. Like when you go to a flower shop and pick flowers from the fridge lol This is a 0.415lb piece and was $13.03

The soap I got for free was Miranda and it has kiwi and bergamot to revitalize the skin. This is a really fruity soap and smells like fruit salad to me and it has some exfoliating seeds in it so I really like using it in the Spring time. This is a 0.330lb piece and was priced at $12.61

Lush Replacements

So if you saw one of my Boxing Day Lush Hauls, you would know that a bath bomb arrived broken and got all over the place. I emailed customer service with photos of the Fizzbanger bath bomb, which about a 1/3 had broken off, and resulted in yellow powder getting everywhere. They were super sweet and e-mailed me back saying they would replace that bath bomb and send me another Red FUN because yellow powder had seeped through the packaging and stuck onto the actual product. I actually started using the original Red FUN I first received and it works perfectly.

When I opened the box I was happy to see that Fizzbanger was completely in tact. I was shocked that they sent me such a big Red FUN replacement! The original one I got was only 100g and my replacement was 250g. I am very impressed with how they handled this. They also sent me a sample of the “Figs & Leaves” soap, which was a nice surprise. I must say Lush is an amazing company with excellent customer service! Not only in stores, but on-line as well!

Bath & Body Works Candle Haul

So I went to Bath & Body Works recently to smell all of the new Spring 2014 scents and I was so overwhelmed because there were so many amazing scents and I seriously could not make up my mind. Two things before I get started. 1) Each candle is now $22.50 and 2) candles are now 2 for $25 ugh! I remember when they were $19.50 each and 2 for $20, then they raised them to 2 for $22. At this rate they’ll be 2 for $30 before we know it!

The first candle I got was in the sale section and it was Buttercream Mint. This was an exclusive candle for Black Friday and I totally regretted not buying it back then! It totally reminds me of a candle they had a few years ago which was Marshmallow Peppermint. This candle has buttercream, mint and caramel. Marshmallow Peppermint had peppermint, marshmallow and vanilla but they smell so similar! I LOVE the mint green color and the design of the label. This was on sale for $8 and I had a 20% off coupon so this came out to only $6.40!

The 2 candles I got for the 2 for $25 deal were London Calling Tea & Lemon and Raspberry Peach Macaron. London Calling Tea & Lemon smells exactly like how they describe it. It has tea, lemon, and sugar. This is seriously one of the best scents Bath & Body Works has ever come out with. It smells so good! Raspberry Peach Macaron is my new favorite candle. Hands down. I’m going to get back ups as soon as they’re on sale again! It has raspberries, peach, and almond cream. It’s sweet, fruity and also has that bakery scent. I can’t wait to burn this! With 20% off these ended up being $10 each (yay! back to normal lol)

Lastly I also had a coupon for a free travel sized item so I chose the new scent: Velvet Sugar. It’s supposed to smell like red velvet, plum, musk, jasmine and strawberries. I mainly smell the strawberry and plum notes. I wish it smelled more like red velvet. And since it has the name “sugar’ in it, I wish it smelled more sweet rather than fruity.