SHOPPING SPREE - ULTA 20% OFF HAUL

Recently Ulta had a 20% off sale and I was fortunate enough to be able to splurge a little on some items that I had been dying to try. I had considered splurging on makeup but there weren't many makeup items that I really wanted from Ulta. However there were a lot of face, body, and haircare items that I really needed so it was a pretty easy decision as to what I was going to spend my money on.

Now on to my purchases....

Neutrogena makeup remover cleansing towelettes (makeup wipes!) - 

Normally I buy these at my local Target but the last few times Target has been sold out of them. So when I made my online shopping trip to Ulta the other day this was the first item on my list. There are several different kinds of the Neutrogena wipes but I like to buy the night calming ones. I use these right before I go to bed because they do a good job of soothing my tired skin and they work really well at getting any dirt left behind from my makeup too!

These are currently on sale for $6.36 for one pack.

Neutrogena micro mist airbrush sunless tan - 

This next product I had seen advertised and reviewed in a recent magazine article (I think it was Allure or People Style Watch) and according to the writer this is the new "MUST HAVE" product for the summer; a spray tan in a can. I honestly have no clue how well this works or if it will even work. I just bought it as an alternative to sunbathing or forking out the money for a professional spray tan. The latter of which I have seen some really horrible orange looking spray tans. So good or bad I will be sure to follow this up with a review about my thoughts on this product after I have had time to use it.

This is currently on sale for $9.76.

Neutrogena Fresh Cooling Body Mist Sunblock SPF 45 -

I bought this because a common problem that I encounter when applying sunblock is how messy it is. It is hard to apply and once you have finished it is even harder to get the greasy mess off your hands. Which is why I wanted to try this to see if the hands free formula is just as good as the messy stuff! I will be sure to follow up with a review on this product too!

This is currently on sale for $8.49.  

John Freida Brilliant Brunette Color Glaze -

I've used this product in the past and really liked it but then I stopped seeing it in the stores. I honestly had thought it was discontinued so I was pleasantly surprised to find it at Ulta. What makes this product so special is that it helps to extend the life and/or color of brunette color treated hair. First you shampoo your hair, next you will need to use a conditioner, and then you apply the color glaze leaving it on for about five minutes after which you will need to really rinse it out of your hair. The color glaze can be messy but the results are totally worth it.

The cost for this is $9.99 however Ulta usually has John Freida BOGO 1/2 off promos quite frequently so you might get it even cheaper than the current price.

Essie Midnight Cami Nail Polish -

If you follow me on Twitter then you know that I have raved about this polish and how much I love the color. Why the obsession? It all started back when the reality TV show "The Hills" was being aired and the actress Lauren Conrad was sporting a bluish, almost black, colored polish on her nails in one of the episodes. I loved the way it looked on her short nails and I just had to have it. I never could figure out what color it was that she wore in that episode but I think this color seems to be as close to it as I can find.

The cost for this is $8.00 per bottle but Ulta is running a buy two get the third free promo so it will be even less if you take advantage of the current offer that is advertised right now.

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FREEBIES: MY TARGET BEAUTY BAG REVIEW

I love a good deal especially when the good deal ends up being a freebie offer. A couple of weeks ago Target was offering a free beauty bag on their website. The only requirement was to fill out a short survey and then sign up for their e-mail alerts which was optional of course. When I first heard about the offer my first thought was this must be a scam. You know, one of those offers where you have to fill out a bunch of surveys and you never receive the gift. So I was pleasantly surprised when this actually turned out to be legit. The items that I received were trial / sample sized items which are typically big enough for you to try but small enough to leave you wanting for more which make these perfect for travel! The only thing that worried me about this offer was on the Target website one of the disclosures stated that due to demand not all beauty bags will have the same items enclosed. Hmmm, interesting! So I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. Anyway, I made it a point to share this offer with my co-workers so we could compare our items.

Here is a picture of the items that I received in my Target Beauty bag..

And here is a picture of the items that my co-worker received in her Target Beauty bag...

I have listed the names of the items here for you in no particular order:

• Sonia Kashuk makeup bag
• Nivea Express Hydration Daily Lotion
• Pantene Color Preserve Shine Shampoo
• Fekkai Shea Butter Moisturizing Shampoo
• Fekkai Shea Butter Moisturizing Conditioner
• Neutrogena Naturals lip balm
• Revlon Colorburst Lipgloss
• Coupon booklet with over approx. $25 in savings

After my co-workers and I compared our Beauty bags that we received in the mail from Target we realized that everything was exactly the same - same items and same coupons! Pretty cool!

Final thoughts...

1. I love makeup bags and truly believe you can never have enough of them. They are very useful for holding all sorts of items other than makeup too! The Sonia Kashuk makeup bag that the items were packaged in is very nice. The quality of the bag is exceptional, extra roomy and can hold a lot of stuff.
2. The Nivea lotion however has a slight perfume-y scent which according to the bottle is Sea minerals and Lotus Flower. Although the scent is not strong or overpowering it doesn't add to the quality of the product. It actually would have been nice if a more neutral scent had been used instead. But overall the lotion did make my skin feel soft and smooth.
3. I have my hair colored / dyed on a regular basis and in the past I have found that certain shampoos tend to make the color fade much faster. So I have to be careful when using new products. I have had great success with Pantene's Restore Beautiful lengths conditioner so I wasn't to worried about their shampoo. The Pantene shampoo that was sent has a nice clean fragrance (scent) and manages to really clean my hair. In regards to color fading, I didn't notice any which is always a plus but multiple washes is really needed to truly judge whether or not the product speeds up color fading.
4. Even though you should try to wash your hair every other day, I am one of those people who has to wash their hair everyday due to an oily scalp. So when I saw that I had received a sample of Fekkai shampoo and conditioner I immediately put it in my giveaway pile. I have used this product in the past and did not have good results. For me it enhanced the appearance of an oily scalp and I felt that it didn't wash as well as it should. 
5. I love the Neutrogena Naturals lip balm that was included in this freebie. I had never tried this brand or product before so it was a nice change from what I currently use and love - NIVEA A KISS OF product line. 
6. I am not a fan of the packaging for the Revlon Colorburst lipgloss sample because it is hard to actually use the product without making a mess. I found it was easiest to use a q-tip to swatch the product on my lips and even then there wasn't much product to work with. I guess that is why it is considered a sample...ha ha! I would have preferred that the Revlon Colorburst lipgloss sample had come in a mini lipgloss tube like so many other companies package their lipgloss samples. Anyway, overall the lipgloss itself was really nice and not to sticky.
7. The coupon booklet was an added bonus for me because the coupons don't expire until the end of July and there were some products listed in the coupon booklet that I had never tried before. So this gives me plenty of time to try some of them and at a discount as well.

Here is a list of the coupons that I received in my Beauty bag
• $1 on 1 Revlon item (Custom Eyes mascara or Top Speed Nail color or ColorBurst Lip Gloss) (excludes trial / travel size)
• $1 off 1 CoverGirl Cosmetics item (excludes trial / travel size)
• $1 off 1 Olay Facial Care item (excludes trial / travel size)
• $0.75 off 1 Suave Professionals hair care item (excludes trial / travel size)
• $1 off 1 Neutrogena facial care item (excludes cleansing bars and trial/travel size)
• $1 off 1 Nivea Skin Care item (excludes trial / travel size)
• $1 off 2 Hair care items: Head & Shoulders, Herbal Essences, Pantene, Aussie (excludes trial / travel size)
• $2 off 1 L’Oreal hair color item 
• $5 off 1 John Frieda Precision Foam Colour hair color item
• $3 off 2 John Frieda Full Repair hair care items (excludes trial / travel size)
• $1 off 1 TRESemme hair color item (excludes trial / travel size)
• $1 off 1 Aveeno body care item: Skin or Sun (excludes trial / travel size)
• $3 off 1 Nivea body care itemGood-bye cellulite serum (2.5 oz.)
  Sun-Kissed Beautiful Legs moisturizer (6.7 oz.)
  Good-bye Cellulite gel-cream (6.7 oz.)
  Sun-Kissed Radiant Skin (8.4 oz.)
  Skin Firming Moisturizer (13.5 oz.)

• $1 off 1 Burt’s Bees Lotion (excludes trial / travel size)
• $1.50 off 1 Pond’s facial care item (excludes trial / travel size)
• $1 off 1 Neutrogena cosmetics item (excludes trial / travel size)
• $1 off 1 Maybelline FitMe cosmetics item (excludes trial / travel size)
• $1 off 1 Sally Hansen nail item: Color or Care (excludes trial / travel size)

So overall this was an excellent promotion from Target. Would I be more likely to shop there in the future for my beauty items? You bet I would! When a store takes the time to get to know their customers and offer them a chance to try brands / products for free it is most definitely a WIN in my book!

FREE TARGET BEAUTY BAG

So last night as I was online I read about Target's beauty bag give-away. All you have to do is answer a few questions and let them know where to send it and that is all. Sounds easy right? I thought so...Go now and sign up to receive FREE samples and up to $25 worth of savings all in a designer beauty bag from Target. Quantities are limited so hurry on over there and sign up! ♥

Click on this link: TARGET BEAUTY BAG

Here is a list of some of the products you may receive:

• Sally Hansen Nailpolish
• Nivea Lotion
• Revlon Mascara
• Olay Elixir
• Suave Hairspray
• Herbal Essence Shampoo
• Neutrogena Lip Balm