Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Beauty Obsessions

Today I'm going to highlight some of my current favorite beauty obsessions.  Everyone knows how cheap I am when it comes to beauty products and cosmetics.  My motto is "if it's free or on clearance it's for me, especially if I've got a coupon!".

So with that being said, recently I've been pretty successful scoring some great products at 50% off at Ulta or Bare Escentuals by signing up for their emails and rewards/points programs.  Because of such, I have tried lots of new items I never would have wanted to try before (simply due to cost).   So far I have not been dissappointed and honestly can tell a difference in the quality of the products.  Sometimes there is benefit in splurging (a little) on cosmetics.  But that's a personal decision that only you can make.  

So here is my opinion on the items that I've tried, currently L.O.V.E and plan to continue to keep in my beauty toolbox for the time being.

Concealer:
Physcians Formula Gentle Cover
I used to stick to my ol' faithful Wet n Wild cheapo concealer stick until I scored this at Harris Teeter on clearance during super doubles coupons a couple years ago. I essentially got it for free which is great since I wasn't sure I was going to like it.  Fell in love immediately.  It's now a must-have in my beauty tool box. 


Eye Shadow Primers:
Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion
I love it because it makes the Urban Decay eyeshadow last much longer and not "crease" it also makes the colors look brighter

NYX Eyeshadow Base (white)

Love love love it because it can be paired with any eyeshadow and still works well.  I love the white base version because it makes my colored eyeshadows pop even more (see my Urban Decay Shadow Palette below which is full of color!  Pairs very well together to make those colors POP.
Foundation:
Bare Escentuals Mineral Foundation (Matte & Original)
I've tried both versions and love them both.  The mineral veil that goes with it though is a must because it adds that finishing touch.  They even have tinted mineral veil which serves as bronzer essentially which is pretty great too.  I've not used any Bare Escentuals product to date that I didn't love.

Mascara:

It's hard to impress me with mascara because I have naturally long, curly and somewhat thick eyelashes.  I've tried every brand at your typical drugstore or Target/Wal-Mart as well as most brands you can find in high end department stores and have never found one that was like "oh my goodness, this is IT, this is THE ONE!".  Until....now.

Benefit - They're Real 

I tried this at the store (Ulta) with the assistance of a Benefit Beauty Consultant.  I spoke to her in length regarding what I was looking for and how I'd yet to find it and she forced me to let her put this stuff on me.  I agreed and man am I glad I did because it is really perfect for me.  It thickens them up even more and curls them.  I pair it with one light coat of a lengthening & separating mascara (usually Loreal Telescopic) then apply two coats of this magic and bam.  My eyes are FABULOUS! 

Eyeshadow
Anything Urban Decay.  There really is value in splurging.  I've tried every Urban Decay wanna-be that they sell and have to say nothing compares to it.  It lasts forever too by the way which makes the purchase over time not so bad...or maybe that's my way justifying the purchase to not feel so guilty?  Who knows?
Urban Decay Naked 2 Pallette - the basic nude colors are perfect for every day.  The dark smokey colors are perfect for a night out on the town and all in all you can't go wrong with the pallette.  Most of the colors have a little shimmer to them as well which is great and it lasts all day with no creasing if you use a primer base (which you definitely should).

Urban Decay Shadow Box - scored this on a super sale Ulta was having at 50% off and am in love with the colors.  The are pigmented well and when I use my NYX eyeshadow base the colors pop even more. A great pallette for spring/summer when you find yourself wearing brighter colors.

Foundation Primer
Bare Escentuals Prime Time
Love it because it's not overly oily or greasy and it doesn't break my skin out like so many of the other brands do.  It's very light and doesn't make your face feel like plaster.

So that's just my two-cents on what I'm using and love right now.  I'd love to hear if you have products that you swear by so I can try them too!  I'm still in the need for a moisturizer/BB cream that is good for every day use and won't clog pores and break my face out.  Any suggestions?  Seems like the ones that are most highly rated are the most expensive ones from what I've found.

Until Next Time...
XOXO Crazy Jess

Saturday, January 31, 2015

Birthday Freebies!



Everyone that follows me on IG, FB, Twitter or knows me IRL knows I'm obsessed with saving money and love a good deal!  One of my favorite times of the year is the month of January.  Reason number one, the amazing sales!  Everyone is having sales to get rid of holiday items, or last season/year apparel, products etc.  I always score amazing deals with pairing these clearance deals with my coupons.  Reason number two, it's my birthday month.  Most people think women don't want to celebrate getting older.  And yes, you are right.  We don't.  I'm one of those women as well.

Case in point, just today I about had a meltdown when the lady at the ABC Store didn't card me.  So I may have demanded she look at it.  I mean she carded the Duke kids in front of me (they did look 12 though).  But seriously, I'm only 32 lady!  You should beg me to see my ID because in my head I feel like I still look 18!

See what I mean?  Women don't like to talk about getting older and we try to pass of being the same age for about 10 years before we up it by a couple years.  So with that being said and yet again on an unrelated note, I think I'll be 32 for a few more years.  I can probably pull it off.

Anyway, going back to my point.  January is my birthday month.  And because it is my birthday month I get lots of freebies and great deals.  Not only because I'm an avid couponer and sales hunter, but simply just because I was born.  Apparently I'm really important and even major retailers and brands want to celebrate my day of birth.  I don't blame them, I am pretty awesome.  Everyone knows that.

If you are still reading this and I haven't lost you in my narcissism, I really do have a secret to share with you that you should try.  Even if you hate shopping and aren't a couponer nor do you care about sales and getting a good bargain, you should at least think about the perks I'm about to share with you.

So, you know how every time you go shopping or buy something online they always want your phone number or email address to sign you up for their rewards or loyalty program?  Yeah, I know it's annoying.  Sometimes it still annoys me, however the benefits no one ever tells you about make it worth it.

(Note: I'd like to mention that I created a "junk" email account to use for such royalty/rewards programs.  Any time I am asked for my email address I use that one so all my coupons/sales/rewards go to one inbox.  It makes life super easy and you don't have to worry about all that junk being in your regular day-to-day email account inbox).

Back to the point...below I'm going to highlight my birthday freebies that I received during the month of January this year...you know, just for being born and stuff.

Ok so this year:



  • STARBUCKS:  $5.00 automatically gets loaded to my registered Starbucks gift card for me to get a free handcrafted beverage of my choice.  Naturally that ends up being the venti Skinny Vanilla Latte.  I'm so basic and boring it's ridiculous.  
  • KRISPY KREME: 1 free doughnut of my choice.  And yes, I got only ONE!  I was a good girl.  (Every southerner knows Krispy Kreme is the only good doughnut (with the exception of Britt's in Carolina Beach of course).
  • BARE ESCENTUALS: 1 free Bare Minerals Marvelous Moxie Lip Gloss ($10.00 value)
  • ULTA: 1 free Ulta Ultimate Eyeshadow Palette ($12.00 value)
  • BEST BUY: (Almost free) 2 DVDs.   I used a $5.00 Best Buy Rewards Certificate to purchase two of my favorite movies on DVD that were $2.99 each.  Meaning I spent $1.05 and got two DVDs.
  • VICTORIA'S SECRET: Free Bombshell In Bloom Body Lotion. I used my $10 Birthday Reward with a $10 Angel's Reward I had and got that item for FREE! I did happen to have two Rewards to redeem at once, but even if I didn't have the Angel Reward I could have gotten a $10 item for free just with the Birthday Reward.  
Below is a photo of the freebies....I wasn't that annoying person that took a picture of my food or coffee cup though. Please excuse the bowl of fruit in the background.  Sadly that was not a birthday freebie ha ha!

This is just a small glimpse at the free stuff you can score on your birthday....there are lots more.  Like apparently I can get a free burrito or something at Moe's if I sign up with them.  I haven't done that yet.  Maybe next year.

There are always more that I never take advantage of too.  I guess these were just the ones that got me the most excited because the cosmetic brands especially are kind of pricey so I thought it was super cool and I should share this information with you all.  

If you are still reading at this point then you must be super excited about getting free stuff too!  Or you are now at least!  So I'm sure there are countless other birthday freebies I don't even know about yet.  So if you have any that you think I should check out let me know!  Do you take advantage of birthday freebies or just delete the emails as another piece of "junk" from retailers?  I'd love to hear from you so I can score even more freebies next year, you know, when I turn 32 again.  

Until next time....

XOXO 

CrazyJess