Friday Haul: Wet n Wild & Physicians Formula!

Hey everyone! I'm not necessarily going to have a fabulous haul this week. But there are some deals to be had at the drugstores so lets get started!

At Rite Aid this week, they have Wet n Wild cosmetics on sale for Buy 1 get 1 FREE! Mix and match!! Awesome awesome price since these are such a bargain anyway. I picked up some more eye shadow trios. These are my all-time favorite shadows from the drugstore, and you cannot beat the value! Sometimes they even have coupons attached to them for even better savings! Here is what I picked up:

$2.99 Wet n Wild ColoIcon eye shadow trio in "I'm Getting Sunburned"
$2.99 Wet n Wild ColoIcon eye shadow trio in "Don't Steal My Thunder"
$0.99 Wet n Wild ColoIcon eye shadow single in "Creme Brulee"
$0.99 Wet n Wild ColoIcon eye shadow single in "Nutty"
-$2.99 (Buy 1 get 1 FREE sale)
-$0.99 (Buy 1 get 1 FREE sale)
 $3.98 for all 4 products!

Next, if you are a CVS shopper, head over and scan your card at the red machine for a $3 off coupon good on any cosmetic purchase of $15 or more! You can combine this coupon with manufactures coupons, and sales for a better value! I decided to get a few Physicians Formula mascaras, and use some peelie coupons that I found on Physicians Formula mascaras that were being sold at Bed, Bath and Beyond. Plus, when you buy 2 Physicians Formula products, you get $6 back in extra bucks. The red machine also printed off a coupon for me a few weeks ago that was good for $3 off any Physicians Formula product!  Here is how this deal worked for me:

$9.99 Physicians Formula CC Curl Mascara
$9.99 Physicians Formula Sexy Booster Mascara
-$3.00 ($3 off any $15 cosmetics purchase coupon from red machine)
-$3.00 ($3 off Physicians Formula coupon from red machine)
-$4.00 (2 $2 off Physicians Formula peelie coupons found at Bed, Bath and Beyond)
-$6.00 (Extra Bucks for buying 2 Physicians Formula products)
-$1.99 (10% back for Beauty Club membership - 10% is always taken BEFORE coupons)
$1.98 for both mascaras!

That is all! Like I said, I wasn't that big of a shopper this week. I did save a lot with this small haul, though. I paid $5.96 for $27.94 worth of cosmetics! I hope this post helped some of you find some great deals on cosmetics!

Review: Stila Color Me Pretty Lip and Cheek Palette

It's no secret that my favorite high end highlighter is from Stila cosmetics. It's called "Kitten" and it's a duo shade compact with 2 highlight shades. I love it so much. So, when I spotted this Color Me Pretty Lip and Cheek Palette from Stila, it looked beautiful. But then, I noticed that it had a shade that was also called "Kitten". Just like my HG powder highlighter, only this is a cream formulation. So, basically all I'm saying, is that I had to get it.

 

This palette has a tin housing that holds 5 different cream shades that can be used for blush or lip colors. The instructions say that for blush, tap it onto cheeks, and for lips, press it on. The 5 shades are:

Kitten: A highy pigmented shimmery champagne

Peony: A dusty rose shade

Gerbera: A sweet rosy pink shade

Rose: A deep mauve shade, &

Petunia: A bright, coral pink.

 

 

All 5 shades have a somewhat dewy finish. Some more than others. And all of them are very pigmented. Peony, Gerbera, and Rose all have a staining effect on my skin and stick around a very long time. Overall this palette is a phenomenal value, and can be purchased at Ulta.com or at a discounted rate right now at beauty.com! It retails for $28 but is $12.60 at beauty.com. For $12.60, this really cannot be beat if you are into cream products. This palette is versatile, and can be used for a variety of different looks on your face as well as lips! I love the formulation and the pigmentation as well.  

My only complaint is that the packaging feels pretty cheap. The tin is somewhat flimsy, but the real problem is the part where the pans are housed. The black part inside is super flimsy and whenever you press your finger into a shade it goes down, and I feel like it's going to break. So, for this reason, I'm giving it 4/5 winks!

Now, I'm sure you are all wondering how the "kitten" shade in this palette compares to the All Over Shimmer Duo. I've done a detailed picture graph below, but as you can see the darker shade from the All Over Shimmer Duo in "kitten" is the exact same shade that is in this palette! The only thing that I can tell as far as when it's swatched, is that the cream formulation from this palette is very shiny/dewy as opposed to the pressed powder found in the All Over Shimmer Duo. I love both equally and I'm so happy with this purchase! 

Review: New York Color IndividualEyes Palette 938 Union Square

Today's review is on a drugstore eye shadow palette that is super budget-friendly, and has everything you need.  The New York Color IndividualEyes Palette in "Union Square" contains 4 eye shadow colors, a primer, and an illuminator.

The eye shadow shades are...

Highlighter: A pale matte yellow
All Over Lid: A matte medium brown
Crease/Contour: A satin finish medium brown
Crease/Contour: A matte plum

Then, there are two creams in this palette...

Primer: A light flesh tone shade that is used for a base under the shadows
Illuminator: A shimmery white shade for use in the inner corner or under browbone

This palette retails for $4.99 and can be found at numerous drugstores. I think this is a bargain for what you get, and the shades are very nicely pigmented and feel smooth. I love how it comes with the primer and the illuminator, and I think this would be a great product to travel with since it has everything you need for an eye look, and the compact is very sturdy.

Overall I don't have many horrible things to say about this palette. It's a great value, and the shades are pretty and pigmented enough for drugstore eye shadows. They last a good while and the cream products are great! This gets a 5/5!

5/5 Winks!

Friday Haul: Revlon, Ponds, NYX and more!

Happy Friday! I hope you've had a great week so far. Today, I'm going to tell you about my shopping trips to CVS, Ulta and Target! I love these posts that save you (and me) tons of money, so lets get started!

At CVS right now, if you buy $10 in Revlon cosmetics, you get $4 back in extra bucks! If you printed off more of the $2 off coupons before they were gone, you can score a great deal on ShadowLinks! I am getting quite the collection of these, so let me know if you want swatches of the ones I have!


$7.99 Revlon Bold Lacquer Mascara
$3.19 x 2  Revlon ShadowLinks in "Gunmetal" & "Onyx"
-$6.00 (3 $2 off  Revlon eye coupons from here - no longer available) 
-$2.00 ($2 off any $10 Revlon cosmetics coupon from my receipt a few weeks ago) 
-$4.00 (Extra Bucks for spending $10 in Revlon products)  
-$1.43 (10% back for Beauty Club membership - 10% is always taken BEFORE coupons)  
-$0.93 for all 3 products!

Also at CVS. Milani Cosmetics are buy 1 get 1 50% off. Milani is very rarely on sale, and I've never seen a coupon for their cosmetics, until one printed for me at the red machine a few weeks ago! I've been waiting for a good opportunity to use this coupon, and this sale was it. So, here is what I got...

$6.49 x 2 Milani Brow and Eye Highlighters
-$3.24 (buy 1 get 1 50% off sale)
-$3.00 (Coupon from red machine)
-$0.97 (10% back for Beauty Club membership - 10% is always taken BEFORE coupons)
$5.76 -- I can't tell you how excited I am to try these!

Now, lets head over to Ulta, where if you were lucky (or, if you are just obsessed with shopping there like me), you got an email to go in and get a free Big Sexy Hair hairspray with any purchase! So, I went down there and noticed that they have Revlon on sale, buy 2 get the 3rd free. This sale makes for free ShadowLinks when using that awesome $2 off coupon that was available last week! So, here is what I got...

$5.99 NYX Dark Circle Concealer
$2.99 x 3 Revlon ShadowLinks in "Melon", "Lemon" & "Cobalt"
$7.00 Big Sexy Hair Get Layered hairspray
-$7.00 (Free hairspray from email)
-$1.19 (20% off 1 item coupon from here)
-$2.99 (buy 2 get the 3rd free Revlon sale)
-$6.00 (3 $2 off  Revlon eye coupons from here - no longer available)
 $4.79 for 5 products!

At Target this week they have a gift card deal where if you buy 3 specific skincare items you get a $5 gift card. Ponds facial wipes, and Simple facial wipes are included in this deal. I'm constantly going through these, so when I got wind of this I was all over it. Here is how the deal worked for me..

$3.79 Ponds Facial Wipes
$3.79 x 2 Simple Cleansing Facial Wipes
-$4.00 (2 $2.00 off coupons for Simple from here)
-$1.00 (Coupon for Ponds from here)
-$1.00 (Target coupon for Ponds from here)
-$5.00 (Gift Card for next purchase)
$0.37 for all 3 wipes! That's like getting each one for only $0.12!

That's all this week! Had I not used any coupons or gotten anything on sale at all I would have paid $63.87 for all these items! But, by shopping sales and using coupons, I paid $11.85! What were you able to score this week?

What's New: Butter London Wink Cream Eye Shadow in “Treacle”

Today I wanted to review a product that I got for free with a purchase at beauty.com. I honestly would have never giving this a second glance had I not gotten an email from beauty.com to get this full size product for free with any $10 purchase. So, I took the plunge. I mean, with free shipping (shop runner) I couldn't go wrong, right? So, I put a Zpalette in my cart, and checked out.

This Butter London Wink Cream Eye Shadow in “Treacle” retails for $18, and you can find it at beauty.com and Utla stores. It comes in a tube that resembles a lip gloss, and the application wand has a doe foot tip for controlled and easy application, just like lip gloss as well.

The formula of this eye shadow is a very thin cream texture. It isn't thick and it sheers out well, leaving a thin layer of extreme, opaque pigment. Once applied, it feels a bit tacky for about 20-30 seconds, but once it dries, it stays put ALL day long! Literally, I think if I slept in this eye shadow, it would still look flawless in the morning when I woke up!

I'm a huge fan of this color, as well. It is a shimmery, golden champagne shade that flatters every skin tone. The line includes 12 different shades, and I'm thinking about picking another 1 (or 3) up! They are sturdy, long-wearing eye shadows, and I'm in love! 

The only thing that I find to be bothersome is the fact that it takes a while to dry for me. I wish it would set a bit faster, and while it's tacky, you can't really move your eyelids around, or it will crease. For this reason, I'm giving it a 4.5 out of 5...

4.5/5 Winks!

Ipsy: May 2014

Have you heard of Ipsy? It's a beauty subscription that costs $10/month and they send you 4-5 products inside of a cute little makeup bag. I've been subscribed to them for a year now, and I always get my moneys worth, with some of my bags valuing at over $50! Plus, it gives me a chance to try things that I normally wouldn't try. I love it! Here is what I got in this month's bag:

First, the bag! OMG I love it! It's a cute natural canvas style bag with a cute leaf pattern on the front and a zip top closure. I honestly think this is my favorite bag so far!

eva-nyc Therapy Session Hair Mask: This is a full size product in this months bag and it retails for $12! I'm always in need of a good deep conditioner.

Hang Ten Classic Sport Natural Sunscreen SPF50: Ipsy is helping me gear up for summer with this product! I can never have enough sunscreen in my life. All 5 people in my family are ghosts, so we go though this stuff fast! This is s deluxe sized sample with 1 oz. of product. The full size is 6 oz. and retails for $12.99

Pacifica Mineral Eye Shadow Duo: I love the idea of this eco-friendly brand. These eye shadows as of right now are an Ipsy exclusive product!

derma|e Microdermabrasion Scrub: Another eco-friendly product! This smells amazing and I exfoliate my face 2x a week, so I go through scrubs fast. This product is 1 oz. which is exactly 1/2 of what the full size is at 2 oz. The full size has a retail of $32.50 so my products value is $16.25!

Olive Natural Beauty Olive Lips Lip Balm: This is another eco-friendsly brand this month, and another full-size product that retails for $5.95. This lip balm smells really good and I love natural products, so win win!

So, the value of this bag minus the eye shadow, since I have no idea how much to value an exclusive item, is $47.19! So I'd say well over a $50 value for the whole bag!

Friday Haul: theBalm, Wet n Wild, NYC and more!

Hooray for Friday! I love the weekends, and Saturday can never come soon enough. Today I'm sharing a great haul with you that includes one of my new favorite brands, theBalm!

Last week I shared a link on Facebook for you to visit thebalm.com for a 2 hour flash sale where everything was 50% off! I don't know about you, but I was all over it and was excited for a good deal on their shadows! Here is how I saved...

$36.00 theBalm Nude 'tude nice palette
$22.00 theBalm Instain Blush in "Argyle"
-$29.00 (50% off flash sale)
$29.00!   I love saving on high end brands!

And, again with the Walgreens this week. Sorry if you hate Walgreens as much as I do. But they had Wet n Wild fergie cosmetics for 40% off this week, and there was a lip color that needed me to try it. In addition to the 40% off sale, you also get 500 points (worth 50 cents) if you buy 2! Here is what I got...

$3.59 Wet n Wild fergie Center Stage Perfect Pout Lipcolor in "Fomo"
$3.49 Wet n Wild fergie On Edge Longwearing Eye Pencil in "China White"
-$2.79 (40% off sale)
-$0.50 (500 points for using your Walgreens card)
$3.69 for both products!

Next, Rite Aid has a great deal on NYC cosmetics this week. They are buy 1 get 1 50% off! and if you get $10 worth you get a $5 up+ reward. This deal has a limit of 2, so you can get a total of $10 back. I had a plethora of NYC coupons laying around, so I decided to do the deal twice for $10 back. However, things got tricky with 50% off the 2nd item, so in order to maximize my savings I had to do a total of 4 transactions...

Transaction #1
$4.99 NYC InividualEyes compact in "Union Square"
$4.99 NYC InividualEyes compact in "Best of Broadway"
-$2.49 (50% off 2nd item sale)
-$1.50 (coupon from here - no longer available)
$5.98

Transaction #2
$2.99 NYC Sparkle Eye Dust in "Opal Sparkle"
$2.99 NYC Sparkle Eye Dust in "Diamond Dust"
$2.99 NYC Sparkle Eye Dust in "Brilliant Sapphire"
$2.99 NYC Applelicious Glossy Lip Balm in "Pink Lady"
-$2.99 (50% off 2nd item sale)
-$3.00 (2 $1.50 off coupons from here - no longer available)
-$5.00 (up+ reward for buying $10 in NYC cosmetics)
$0.97

Transaction #3
$1.99 NYC Liquid Lip Shine in "Nude York City"
$1.99 NYC Liquid Lip Shine in "Brighton Beach Peach"
-$0.99 (50% off 2nd item sale)
-$2.00 (2 $1.00 off coupons from here - watch a video for savings)
$0.98

Transaction #4
$0.99 NYC Dual Pencil Sharpener
-$5.00 (another up+ reward for buying $10 in NYC cosmetics)
-$4.01

So, all transactions combined it looks like this:
$5.98 (Total from transaction #1)
$0.97 (Total from transaction #2)
$0.98 (Total from transaction #3)
-$4.01 (Total from transaction #4)
$3.92 for all 9 cosmetics! That's less than the price if just one of the compacts if purchased alone! Total pain in the rear to do 4 separate transactions, but worth the savings in the end.

That's all! I paid $36.79 for $92.08 worth of cosmetics this week! What were you able to score?

Deals and Steals for online shoppers!

I have been browsing the internet for a few days, and I cannot believe how many great deals are out right now on high end makeup! Sephora, and Ulta both have some amazing things discounted, and on sale!

At Sephora:

This Lash Stash to go set includes 5 deluxe size samples of 5 different mascaras! Alone, this is a hot deal, but it also comes with a coupon for you to get your favorite one after you've tried all of them!

My favorite formula of blush! Tarte 12 hour amazonian clay blush in the shade "Adored" is on sale for $14! SOLD OUT!

Another one of my HG products here! This Too Faced Better Than Sex Masckara is paired with a mini Chocolate Soleil Bronzer. This is only $23, which is like getting the bronzer for free!

At Ulta:

This Too Faced Candy Bar Palette is a cute little travel friendly all-in-one kit that includes an iPhone case! This retails for $25, but is on sale at Ulta for only $15!

I've yet to try these, but this price is tempting! The Stila Stay All Day 10-in-1 HD Beauty Balm Trio is only $12! Marked down from $24.

Are there any deals that you have seen lately? Share!

Smackdown: Yes To Grapefruit Brightening Facial Towelettes vs. Burt's Bees Pink Grapefruit Facial Towelettes

Today, I'll be comparing 2 drugstore brands that have some truly amazing products between them. Yes To and Burt's Bees. They both have some crazy great skincare products, but I'm totally in love with their facial towelettes! Like I use them every single day, or maybe more. Both brands have a grapefruit variety of towelette, so I'll be comparing those today.

Lets start with the packaging, like always. Yes To Grapefruit Brightening Facial Towelettes come in an elongated soft pack with a white plastic compartment that opens to reveal a hole for you to grab a towelette from. Burt's Bees is very similar, only the soft pack is much shorter, so the towelettes are folded a bit more.

Both towelettes have the same citrus type scent to them. They honestly smell the exact same. I'm not much for scents, but I do like the smell of citrus, so I like the smell of these 2 products.

Yes To Grapefruit Brightening Facial Towelettes are much thicker and are textured, where Burt's Bees are thin and non textured. Both feel strong and have never ripped on me while wiping them over my face. And the size is also the exact same.

Yes To Grapefruit Brightening Facial Towelettes retail at $5.99 for 25 towelettes. Burt's Bees Pink Grapefruit Facial Towelettes also retail for $5.99, however you get 30 towelettes. So, Burt's Bees Pink Grapefruit Facial Towelettes are a little less expensive per wipe.

Honestly, the big difference for me with these 2 products boils down to the formula. I think that the Burt's Bees Pink Grapefruit Facial Towelettes are far more gentle and take off oil and makeup way better than the Yes To Grapefruit Brightening Facial Towelettes. I really wanted to like the Yes To Grapefruit Brightening Facial Towelettes as much as the Burt's Bees Pink Grapefruit Facial Towelettes, but for me the Yes to just didn't feel as nice on my skin and caused a little bit of irritation and redness. Please note, that the Yes To Blueberry Facial Towelettes are my absolute favorite facial wipes of all time, so it has nothing to do with the brand.

WINNER: Burt's Bees Pink Grapefruit Facial Towelettes!!!!

What's New: Physicians Formula Natural Nude Shimmer Strips All-in-one Palette for Face and Eyes

Hey everyone, and happy Wednesday. Today I'll be reviewing a new product from Physicians Formula. This is their Natural Nude Shimmer Strips All-in-one Palette for Face and Eyes. They also have a warm version of this palette. This one is more fair-skin friendly, so I like it better than the warm.

The packaging of this compact is rather bulky, but adorable. It has a fishnet design with a little bow where you open it. The flip side of the compact,  holds a mirror with a face brush, and sponge-tip applicator, and a guide for you to use this product. Note: The design on this compact is printed on rather than being an actual fabric material, unlike the "nude" eye shadow line from Physicians Formula.

This product has 12 different shades in one pan, that can be used individually or together to create unique colors. As you can see from the name of this product, it is intended for use on your face as well as your eyes. The guide in the back explains which shades are intended for use on your face and where they should go.  The top row is very light and can be used as a highlight on your brow bone, tops of your cheekbones, cupids bow etc. The middle row is intended for use as a light, shimmery blush and the bottom 2 rows are bronzy shades that can be used to warm the face or contour (if you like shimmery contour shades). All 12 shades can be used as eye shadows, and are certainly pigmented enough to do so.

Below are swatches of all 12 shades for you to get an idea of color payoff and pigmentation. As you can see all 12 shades have shimmer, but none of them are a chunky or glittery. They are very flattering shimmers. And, even on my pale skin, the lighter shades show up very well!

I've also swatched all shades together so you can see what a swirl of your brush could get. I think it's a lovely pink/bronze shade that is very subtle and pretty!

For a drugstore product that had a lot of different uses, I think this is stellar! The pigmentation, and shimmer in this palette rival that of high end brands for sure. So, I give it a 5/5!

5/5 Winks!

Tip Tuesday: An easy way to travel with Z Palette

Do you travel a lot during the summer? I know I do! It's a love/hate thing with me. I'm a total homebody, and traveling really stresses me out with my 3 kids. But, love it or hate it, I do it a lot when my kids are out of school for the summer.

I have been thinking a lot about streamlining my travel essentials, and more specifically, my makeup travel essentials. I really haven't seen an all-in-one palette that has everything I'll need in one place. So, I decided to make one! Aside from brushes and mascara, my customized Z Palette has it all! I'll take you through what I put inside mine, so you can get ideas for if you want to make one! I have a de-potting post here, if you would like to know how I de-pot stuff to put inside my palettes.

1. Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer (travel size)
2. Mongo Kiss Vanilla Honey Lip Balm
3. Lip Stick (sorry, I de-potted this a while ago and don't remember the color)
4. Physicians Formula Happy Booster Glow & Mood Boosting Powder in "Translucent"
5. Physicians Formula Mineral Wear Talc-Free Mineral Airbrushing Pressed Blush in "Rose"
6. Cover Girl + Olay Concealer in "Fair"
7. Lauren Brooke Cosmetiques Pressed Mineral Foundation (sample size)
8. Assorted eye shadows: Top Row, The Body Shop "Pink Crush" & Elf  "Beauty Queen" Middle Row, The Body Shop "Chocolate Linger" & The Body Shop "Caramel Flirt" Bottom Row,
The Body Shop "Coconuts About You" & Elf "What's your name?"


Aside from mascara, brushes, eyeliner and maybe liquid foundation I have everything I need in this travel-friendly compact. The Z Palettes are sturdy enough that I feel like they will travel just fine if you maybe wrap it in some PJ pants or a t-shirt. The plastic top almost feels as sturdy as glass!

TAG!!

Stacey from The Fairest of Them All tagged me, so I'm really excited to answer the questions she posted for me! Thanks Stacey, I love Tags!

1.What is the best and worst about blogging?
The best is when I know I've helped someone save money or helped them find a gem that I love.
And I'd say the worst is taking pictures and editing them. So time consuming!

2.If you could be anyone for a day, who would you be and why?
 I don't think I would be a specific person, but my dream is to be a celebrity makeup artist and travel to exotic locations doing what I love.

3.What is at the top of your bucket list?
To travel with my husband once our kids are grown

4.Something you can’t leave the house without?
NYX butter gloss!

5.What made you choose the name of your blog?
Pink is my favorite color. I don't know, it just came to me one day!

6.What’s one piece of advice you’d give your younger self?
Work harder and don't rush things! Growing up will happen. Be young while you can!

7. Biggest Pet Peeve?
 Talking with your mouth full of food. So gross.

8.Where is somewhere you have always wanted to visit?
 Italy. Venice to be more specific.

9. Top 3 items you cannot do without?
I'm assuming these are beauty items, so I'll say... Mascara, lipgloss, and eyebrow pencil.

10.What is your guilty pleasure?
I'm a total chocoholic. So definitely a good chocolate bar. 

11.Top 5 holy grail beauty products!
NYX Butter Gloss
Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara
Argan Oil
Wet n Wild Eyeshadow Trio in "Walking on Eggshells"
Maybelline Fit Me Concealer

Friday Haul: Almay Wet n Wild, Revlon & More!

Happy Friday! I'm SOOOO glad it's Friday! This was one long week for me. On the bright side, it was a great week at the drugstore! I made a little money on some of my purchases and got some things that I'm really excited for! On to the goods...

 

This week at CVS, when you buy $10 worth of Revlon, you get $3 extrabucks. I had the $2 off Revlon eye coupons from here (you can print 2 per computer, and 2 per device, so download the app on your smartphone!). I got 4 ShadowLinks to make my total over $10, and when I went to the red coupon machine, it gave me a $5 off any 2 Revlon cosmetics coupon! I swear that machine sometimes reads my mind. Here's how it looks...

4 Revlon ShadowLinks in "Copper", "Gold", "Lime" & "Khaki"
$3.19 x 4 - These went up in price a bit!
-$8.00 (4 $2 off  Revlon eye coupons from here - print 2 per computer/device)
-$5.00 ($5 off any 2 Revlon cosmetics coupon from red machine)
-$3.00 (Extra Bucks for spending $10 in Revlon products)
-$1.27 (10% back for Beauty Club membership - 10% is always taken BEFORE coupons)
-$4.51 An awesome money maker if you have 2 computers/devices that you can get the coupon from!

Next, I'm not that big of a fan of Walgreens shopping. They have a way of making me feel like a criminal for using a coupon. Every cashier I've ever gotten has looked at my coupons like I just gave them a foreign document and told them that they had to read it in order to live.  That being said, sometimes I can't not get their deals! This week was one of those times. About a month ago when I was going there every day to get free Almay shadow softies, a coupon printed from their catalina machine for me. It was a $3 off any 1 Almay eye cosmetic product. I've held onto it since I knew it could make for a great deal in the future. This past Saturday, I picked up our mail to find a booklet from Walgreens that had a bunch of coupons to get free points for buying various things. One of those coupons was for Almay. 2,000 ($2 value) points for purchasing any Almay cosmetic or makeup remover. They also have a coupon in their booklets by the register for $2 off any Almay product. So, combining all of these lovely coupons, I got some better than free mascara!

$5.99 Almay intense i-color volumizing mascara in "Sapphire"
-$3.00 (coupon from previous purchase)
-$2.00 (coupon from booklet next to the weekly ads)
-$2.00 (coupon from the mail for 2,000 points on Almay purchase)
-$1.01 a great money maker if you have the right coupons!

Walgreens also has select Wet n Wild cosmetics on sale for 40% off! These are such a great deal anyway, but 40% off is a steal! I found an eye shadow palette that I didn't have, and as a bonus, it had a coupon stuck to it. You can also use the coupon for $1 off from your Sunday paper if you were lucky enough to get it. Here is what this one looked like:

$3.99 Wet n Wild Eyeshadow Palette in "Art in the Streets"
-$1.59 (40% off sale)
-$1.00 (coupon stuck to product)
 $1.39 less than 1/2 of the original price. 

That's all for my weekly deals and steals. After everything is factored, I made over $4 on my beauty purchases this week!
 

Smackdown: Tarte "Park Avenue Princess" Lipgloss vs. Burt's Bees "Sunny Day" Lipgloss

I'm really excited for this smackdown. As you may have gathered if you are a regular reader of my blog, I like my more natural cosmetic products. I definitely have products that are the opposite of natural, and use them a lot. But for my day to day looks, I try to steer it towards good brands.

Two of my favorite brands for natural products are Tarte and Burt's Bees. And when I noticed that they both have a bronzy, shimmery lipgloss I knew I had to compare them. Tarte's "Park Avenue Princess" Lipgloss is brand new for summer. And Burt's Bees "Sunny Day" Lipgloss has been around for years.

I hauled the Burt's Bees lipgloss last week, so I got it for next to nothing (regular retail $8.99) .Tarte's "Park Avenue Princess" retails for $19. Tarte's "Park Avenue Princess" comes in a 0.27 oz. tube, where Burt's Bees is 0.2 oz. So, you're getting a little more gloss with Tarte.

Both of these glosses have a scent, and they smell very similar. A sort of light vanilla, honey smell.  Tarte's "Park Avenue Princess" has a stronger smell, though. The application is the exact same, with a doe foot applicator wand. The shapes of the wands are a bit different, but they feel the same on the lips.

Both of these glosses have a golden shimmer. Tarte's "Park Avenue Princess" has a bit bigger flakes of gold in it. The hue of these glosses is very similar, however, there is clearly more color payoff with Tarte.

We start to run into major differences when we talk about the formulation of these glosses. Burt's Bees is definitely more of a dry formula than the Tarte. Tarte, although is a bit more moisturizing product, isn't terribly comfortable for me since I can feel the gold flakes on my lips, and it's a little more tacky. For those reasons, I think formula wise, I like Burt's Bees better. I've swatched them below for you to see for yourself what they look like. And, although the Tarte clearly has more color payoff, once sheered out on the lips, they look very alike. I'm going to let the Burt's Bees win this one, for better formula and smaller price tag! 

What's New: Ulta Sculpting Palette

I very rarely purchase Ulta brand cosmetics. I have a few things, but to be honest I'm never truly impressed with the stuff I get from the line. Plus, I truly don't see other beauty bloggers and gurus reviewing the line much either, so I never know what to expect as far as quality goes.

When I saw this giant size compact on my last trip to Ulta, I was instantly drawn to it. It's just like the one from it Cosmetics and pixi, but was on sale for only $6.00 (regularly $14.00), and unlike the high price tag of it cosmetics and pixi palettes of the same nature, I could afford this one on the spot!

I went home right away and looked it up on Ulta's website for reviews. At the time, there were only 2 reviews on this palette, both with a 5 star rating. I couldn't find any swatches or videos reviewing or even hauling this product, so I decided to just open it and give it a go.

This palette is comprised of 3 shades in one pan. A blush, a bronzer, and a highlighter. The idea is to use these colors on your face in strategic places to make your face appear to have more definition. Highlighting with the light shade, contouring with the dark shade, and using the blush shade on the apples of your cheeks. I contour/sculpt my face every day, and didn't have an all-in-one palette until now. I must say, it's pretty handy.

There are 3 different colors available for this palette. All 3 of them look similar to me aside from the blush colors being different. The bronzer and highlight shades look very similar. The shade I picked up is called "Rosette".

I've swatched all 3 colors from the "Rosette" palette below to give you an idea of color payoff and pigmentation.  I'm excited to really put this product to the test. It will also be a handy travel item this summer despite it's huge size, it's nice to have all 3 contour shades in one place.