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!

My Holy Grail High End Products

Makeup

Primer: The Body Shop Vitamin C Skin Boost

Foundation: Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Full Coverage Foundation

Concealer: Tarte Smooth Operator Amazonian Clay Waterproof Concealer

Powder: BareMinerals Mineral Veil

Lip Balm: N/A

Lip Gloss: Buxum Lip Gloss

Lipsick: Tarte LipSurgence Skintuitive Lip Tint

Lip Liner: N/A

Blush: Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush

Bronzer: Too Faced Chocolate Soleil

Highlight: Stilla All Over Shimmer Duo in "Kitten"

Finishing Spray: MAC Fix +

Eyeshadow Primer: Too Faced Shadow Insurance

Eyeshadow: Lorac PRO eyeshadow

Eye Liner: N/A

Mascara: Too Faced Better Than Sex

Eyebrow Product: Tarte emphasEYES in Taupe

Skincare

Facial Moisturizer: The Body Shop Aloe Night Cream

Facial Oil: Argan Oil

Eye Cream: Tarte Maracuja C-Brighter Eye Treatment

Scrub: dr. brandt Microdermabrasion

Mask: The Body Shop Nutriganics Soothing Mask

Clensing Oil: The Body Shop Moisture White Shiso Cleansing Oil

Body Moisturizer: Josie Maran Whipped Argan Oil Ultra-Hydrating Body Butter

I will add/change this list as things change or I find new products that fit my liking.

 

Friday Haul: Maybelline, Physicians Formula, The Body Shop & more!

Happy Friday! I hope your week was great. I'm back in the thick of drugstore deals this week, so I hope you're ready to shop! I went to Target, CVS, and The Body Shop this week. 

 At Target I was able to get some great deals using the $3 off $15 Beauty purchase coupon that came with my Target Beauty Box. If you follow me on Facebook, you will have seen that I posted a link for you to print off a coupon for $3 off any $5 yes to coupon, and I also posted about Target having a lot of Clearance finds this week as well. So, make sure you are following me! So, here is the deal I was able to get with combining all of these coupons:

Yes to Blueberry Cleansing Facial Towelettes (Bonus Pack) $5.99
Yes to Cucumbers Cleansing Facial Towelettes (Bonus Pack) $5.99
Revlon Colorstay Whipped foundation (Clearance priced) $5.48 =
$17.46
-$3.00 ($3 off $15 Beauty purchase coupon that came with my Target Beauty Box)
-$3.00 (Yes to coupon from here)
-$3.00 (Yes to coupon from here)
-$2.00 (Coupon that I printed for Revlon from here) 
$6.46 for all 3 items!

The first thing I picked up at CVS, was this 2 pack of Maybelline Mega Plush Mascara. CVS has a sale where if you buy $10 worth of Maybelline cosmetics, you get $3 back in extra bucks. I also had a $2 off coupon from the red machine. Here is what this deal looks like:

2 pack of Maybelline Mega Plush Mascara in "Blackest Black"
$9.99 (The extra bucks will still print even though it's a penny off of the $10)
-$2.00 ($2 off any Maybelline cosmetics purchase coupon from red machine)
-$3.00 (Bucks that printed on my receipt for a future purchase)
-$0.99 (10% back for Beauty Club membership - 10% is always taken BEFORE coupons)
 $3.99 - Only $2 per mascara!

Next up, I had to get in on the Physicians Formula deal, where if you buy any 2 Physicians Formula cosmetics, you get $10 back in extra bucks! I had a coupon from the red machine for Physicians Formula, and when I went to Target, I found these fun little pink stickers on Physicians Formula products that said "Buy 1 Get 1 FREE". So, I peeled one off and took it to CVS where I was able to score this deal:

Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips All-in-one Nude pallet for face and eyes in "Natural Nude" & "Warm Nude" $13.99 each...
$13.99 x 2 =
$27.98
-$13.99 (Buy 1 Get 1 FREE coupon sticker)
-$3.00 ($3 off any Physicians Formula cosmetics purchase coupon from red machine)
-$10.00 (Bucks that printed on my receipt for a future purchase)
-$2.79 (10% back for Beauty Club membership - 10% is always taken BEFORE coupons) 
 $1.80 - Only $0.90 for each pallet!

Next, if you follow me on Facebook, you will have seen me post about a Groupon deal for The Body Shop. For $15 you get $30 to spend in store! This is just a straight $30, and if there are sales in store, you can still use the Groupon! This past weekend, there was a sale for "Buy 2 get 2 or buy 3 get 3". So, I was able to get 6 items for the price of 3, plus I used my Groupon to pay for most of my purchase! Here is how it worked

4 single eyeshadows in "Caramel Flirt", "Chocolate Linger", "Coconuts About You", & "Pink Crush" $10.00 each x 4 = $40.00

2 single blushes in "Bubble Gum", & "Ginger" $16.00 each x 2  = $32.00

  $40.00 (eyeshadows)
+$32.00 (Blushes)
$72.00
-$15.00 (Amount from the Groupon)
-$30.00 ("Buy 2 get 2 or buy 3 get 3" sale)
 $27.00 for all 6 items, only $4.50 per item!

This week, had I not gotten any of these cosmetics on sale or used coupons, I would have paid $127.43. Since I was smart about my shopping, I only paid $39.25! What were you able to score this week? Make sure that if you want to get in on any of the Drugstore deals, you shop before Sunday!

HUGE giveaway!

Hey everyone! I started this blog about 2 months ago, and I seriously cannot believe how amazing it has been. I've had a handful of opportunities already, and I'm so lucky to be able to share what I love to do with you. To say "thank you", I've put together a giveaway! Items that are included in this giveaway are:

1. Vanilla Bliss body butter from The Body Shop 6.9 oz. (Full size!)
2. Jesse's Girl eye color collection pallet in "Tickled Pink" (Full size!)
3. elf Small Stipple Brush (I use mine ALL the time!)
4. elf Defining Eye Brush (Seriously use mine EVERY DAY!)
5. Simple Cleansing Facial Wipes 7ct. 
6. épicé Purifying exfoliant 1 oz.
7. Almay makeup eraser sticks 24 ct. (Full size!)
8. Ms. Manicure "File When Ready" mini nail files 3 ct.
9. Garnier Skin Renew Dark Spot Treatment mask 1 ct.
10. Tan Towell towelette 1 ct.
11. J.cat Beauty Sparkling Cream Pallette in "Volta" (Full size!)
12. elf Baked Bronzer in "Maui" (Full size!)
13. elf Shimmer Pallette  (Full size!)
14. Sally Hansen Nail Art Pen in "Black" (Full size!)
15. Suncoat nail enamel in "Sienna" (Full size!)
16. Revlon Colorstay nail enamel in "Bare" (Full size!)
17. ChapStick True Shimmer lip balm in "Botanical Berry" (Full size!)
18. Fekkai Glossing Cream 2 oz.
19. Olay Fresh Effects {Shine, Shine go Away} Cleanser 0.68 oz.
20. L'Oreal Sublime Sun SPF 30 Lightweight Sunscreen 0.5 oz.
21. Victoria's Secret Bombshell Body Lotion 1.7 oz.
22. Almay Soothing & De-Puffing gentle eye makeup remover pads 80 ct. (Full size!)
23. Olay PRO X Spot Fading Treatment .23 oz.
24. Jordana InColor Fabuliner liquid eye liner in "Brown" (Full size!)
25. Burt's Bees Replenishing Lip Balm with Pomegranate oil (Full size!)
26. Three (3) Almay Shadow Softies in "Petal" , "Hot Fudge", & "Cashmere" (Full size!)
27. Nivea Extended Moisture Lotion 1 oz.
28.  Facial Brush from The Body Shop
29. Vanilla Bliss hand cream from The Body Shop 1 oz.
30. Benefit They're Real Mascara 0.1 oz.
31. Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer .25 oz.
32. Mally Evercolor Starlight Waterproof Eyeliner in "Starshine" (Full size!)
33. Yves Rocher deep wrinkle expert care day/night 0.23 oz

PLUS 10 product samples from L'Oreal, Lumene, Proactive, Yes To Grapefruit, The Body Shop and MORE!!!!!

Use the Rafflecopter below to enter the giveaway. Winner will be chosen at random, and will be notified by email from winkypinkblog@gmail.com OR Facebook private message from me personally! Please don't be fooled by scammers! Giveaway ends exactly one week from today, and winner will be notified immediately after!

Congrats to Julia G.!

Thanks to everyone for entering!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Skin Care Week: Review of The Body Shop Nurtiganics Drops of Youth

Hey everyone. I'm not sure about where you live, but here in the mid-west we are still very much in the thick of cold winter weather. So, I thought that being the (hopefully) last weeks of extreme cold, I would do a "Skin care week" to give you ideas and tips for keeping your skin looking and feeling great these last few weeks of winter (and year round, too). To launch skin care week, I'm doing a review of The Body Shop Nurtiganics Drops of Youth serum.

The Body Shop Nurtiganics Drops of Youth is a gel-like serum that is applied to bare, clean skin. Before anything else. I have been using this serum for 3 months now, and I truly believe that it has saved me from many winter woes. Before I started using this serum, it was just starting to get cold here, and my skin was parched. I was scrubbing my face far too often trying to rid it of the scales that seemed to show up every single day. The result was sensitive skin that started to break out really badly. I went into The Body Shop and looked at this product and asked the sales accociate about it. She raved about it and said that I should try a sample. The sample she gave me, lasted about a week with a once a day application. After only 1 week of use from a free sample, I could not believe my eyes. My skin looked so much more hydrated, and I knew it was because of this little gem.

The Body Shop Nurtiganics Drops of Youth is composed of 99% natural ingredients and is enriched with plant stem cells for smoother-looking skin. It is not a moisturizer, though and does not replace your current moisturizer. It is meant to be used under your moisturizer to enhance your skin so it better absorbs your moisturizer.

 This serum applies very smoothly and absorbs very quickly. I can normally put on my moisturizer after only 20 seconds after applying this product. It has a very natural and pleasant smell, that isn't over-powering and dissipates fairly fast. I just applied a drop of this to my hand for the picture you see below about 5 minutes ago, and there is absolutely no lingering scent on my hand.

The Body Shop Nurtiganics Drops of Youth comes in a green tinted glass bottle that has a white plastic cap with a button on top that you press to get the product into the dropper. This makes it easy, since you only need about 1 or 2 drops for your entire face, and the dropper dispenses exactly that amount.

This is definately a product that will have me coming back for more. It retails for $36 for a 1 oz. bottle or $50 for a 1.7 oz. bottle. I purchased my 1 oz. bottle during the black Friday sale at The Body Shop, where everything in the store was 3 for $30. So, I got a great deal, making it only $10. However, I love this so much that I would gladly pay the retail of $36 in the future, but most likely there will be a great sale, so I won't have to.

Smackdown: The Body Shop Lip & Cheek Stain vs. Benefit Benetint

I'm all for a good dupe! Sometimes I literally cannot tell 2 products apart from each other when they are swatched out or applied to the face. And, sometimes there is a definite difference, even when you think things will be the exact same, or look the same when just looking through the bottle or at the pan. Today's smackdown is between The Body Shop Lip & Cheek Stain in Rose Pink vs. Benefit Benetint. Both claim the same thing; that they will give you a rose flush to your cheeks or lips with a staining action. Thus, making it a natural and long wearing product. 

First, lets look at the price. The Body Shop Lip & Cheek Stain is $14 for 0.2 oz. And, Benetint is $30 for .42 oz. (size of Benetint in my photo is not full size). So, really ounce by ounce Benetint isn't that much more than The Body Shop Lip & Cheek Stain. However, The Body Shop has sales on their makeup all the time. I got the full size product that you see in the picture above at 50% off during one of their sales making it only around $7. Where I have never seen Benetint for sale or discounted.

Next, the consistency of the products are different. The Body Shop Lip & Cheek Stain is more of a gel-like consistency, where Benetint is a strait up liquid. It makes me think of cranberry juice, ha. 

The application process is basically the same for both products. Benetint has a brush applicator that you dot on your cheeks, then sheer out with your fingers or a brush, where The Body Shop Lip & Cheek Stain has a doe foot applicator, and instructions are the same. 

Staying power for both products is the exact same for me. I feel like they both last all day when I apply them to my cheeks, and have about a 4 hour time frame on my lips.

The colors for both products are described as a rose tint. They are both red based, but they have different undertones. The Body Shop Lip & Cheek Stain has a more purple undertone, which is better for cool skin tones, and Benetint has a more Orange undertone, which would be better for warmer skin tones. The Body Shop Lip & Cheek Stain definitely looks to me like it is more of a "rose" color like they both proclaim to be.  

I've swatched both products below. Please keep in mind, that I'm very pale, and these are much heavier than I would wear them on my cheeks. The photo is to show you that there is a difference between the 2. 

So, which is your favorite? Does a staining product scare you? Let me know! As for me, I'm more in love with The Body Shop Lip & Cheek Stain. I like the gel formulation, and the application is easier for me than Benetint because of the thickness of the gel. I also think the color is nicer and richer than Benetint.