Ulta Haul

I'm a terrible person when it comes to cosmetics. It's still a relatively newfound obsession for me - I used to buy every kind of every brand available until I was about 20. I took almost a ten year hiatus, guys! Go easy on me! So this past year I've kind of been making up for everything I've missed out on, skincare wise. I absolutely fell in love with benefit but there are a few other brands that have my heart as well: tarte, philosophy, Urban Decay, Too Faced...and my secret weapon, Neutrogena. That being said, I don't have a huge budget. So I wait around for great sales, especially stackable ones, and splurge at Ulta/Sephora when they have nice free products or deluxe samples. Two weeks ago, I found some nice deals at Ulta, stacked them, redeemed points, and got my regular moisturizer as well as a new set from benefit for super cheap. Behold the glory!

I bought the full sized Total Moisturizer and the Flawless Four boxed set, then got the deluxe It's Potent! eye cream, moisturizer packet, and the tote bag for free. (The Ultra Radiance spray was purchased in another order.)

These were all free items from my order. An Urban Decay set (Revolution lipstick, Eyeshadow Primer Potion, 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in LSD; and All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray); It Cosmetics CC+ packet and Brow Power brow pencil; Lorac POREfection mattifying face primer packet; and the above shown facial cream, tote bag, and eye cream from benefit)

This is the Urban Decay lipstick. I am NOT normally a lipstick person. I love balms and stains but often feel out of my element (either like an old lady or a stripper) when I wear lipstick. This one was a pleasant surprise. It's their Revolution lipstick in "Jilted" and it's a nice pink with subtle bluish undertones. I felt it went well with my skintone and would be very flattering on a wide range of different skin colors as well.

The benefit products aren't new to me, so I'm not reviewing them here. The It Cosmetics Brow Power brow pencil is nice, but although it says it won't smudge, it definitely does. I've mentioned in earlier posts, but I do have oily skin so that may have something to do with it, but when used without a face primer, it smudged quickly. The spooly brush at the opposite end of the liner is quite nice, though. I have yet to use the other items but I'll review them as soon as I do.

Benefit Reviews: Ultra Radiance, Agent Zero Shine and NEW Roller Lash

My latest Ulta order came on Valentine's Day -- the best and only present I got! Lucky for me, it came with a few freebies so it absolutely made my day.

I ordered Ultra Radiance and Agent Zero Shine and got for free:

• Deluxe sample of Benefit Fake Up
• Deluxe sample of the NEW Benefit Roller Lash
• A bareMinerals bag with blush, veil, lip gloss, and foundation primer. The bag quality as well as the items were nicer than most stuff in my monthly Ipsy bags! Ha!

I absolutely adore the Ultra Radiance facial spray. It works great as a makeup setter or just an overall refresher. I do have oily, sensitive skin and this doesn't bother it at all. It makes my skin feel great and it smells awesome.

I've only used Agent Zero Shine twice. As stated earlier, I do have oily skin. I don't think this will last ALL day for matte skin *but* it did last over four hours and for my oily skin, that's a miracle. I don't mind having to touch up once in the middle of the day. It's also a great product because it's self contained: you open the lid, tap powder into the lid, remove the bottom which is a push up brush, apply the powder, then cap it all back together into one neat little stick. I will definitely use this item regularly.

The new Roller Lash was a hit too. I tried it first without even pre-curling my lashes and was amazed at the results. I've tried many "curling" mascaras and didn't see half the results that this gave me - BUT. It smudged more quickly than my favorite mascara by tarte. Again, I have oily skin. It's a curse and a blessing. All mascara seems to smudge on me more quickly than others. The curling and separation powers of Roller Lash, though, are quite nice.

The FakeUp sample is A.MA.ZING. This little push up concealer stick has a ring of clear, creamy moisturizer around it to hydrate your skin as you conceal. A little goes a long way, much like their Erase Paste. Love it.

I haven't yet used my bareMinerals set but I'm sure it'll happen soon. I'll update you as soon as I do :)

BENE SALE!

Ohhhhh my goodness. Benefit has a ton of stuff on sale right now! You can use the code SALE for free shipping and handling on any order, or use the code HAPPYJANUARY to get a free "Real Turnons" set, which includes watt's up! deluxe sample and a they're real deluxe sample. These are great sizes for makeup bags and last a super long time.

Not only are there a lot of great individual items on sale, but Benefit's famous kits are up there as well as some gorgeous bags if you're behind on your collection. I also spotted a few tools, a keychain pouch, and a ton more. I'm going to need an intervention.