Ulta Haul October 2014

I need to finally post this Ulta haul post, part 3 of my October hauls. I have actually gotten more from Ulta since I started this post, but I can't include here because I've already started my holiday shopping...

Nicole by OPI Gumdrops Nailpolish in Blue-Berry Sweet on You

• This was picked up by the kiddo because it looked nifty. Neither of us have tried it yet, but we're looking forward to it.

Maybelline Eye Studio Color Tattoo Metal in Barely Branded

• I picked this up because of the great reviews all over the blogs/YouTube. Is is commonly called the best of the color tattoos, and color tattoos are frequently called some of the best cream eye shadows. This color actually reminds me a lot of the Shimmering Topaz color from the Ulta line, but they are very different in consistency to the touch. However, it does seem to spread easily with good color payoff. I have still been using the Ulta shadow more, mostly due to the consistency differences, but this one will not be wasted.

Ulta Butter Balm in Luna

• This was first found by the kiddo in August as a sample in a store, but they were unfortunately out of it when we went to purchase. This was our first trip back to Ulta since then, so checked for availability and grabbed it as soon as I saw it. She currently carries it in her school bag every day.

Ulta Twice as Nice Mascara in Jet Black

• I have seen a lot of ads and heard talk lately on the internet about dual-ended mascaras, one sided being for top lashes and the other with a small wand dedicated to the bottom lashes. Ulta had their mascaras on sale, so I thought I would give it a try in a relatively inexpensive way.

NYX Butter Gloss in

• Raspberry Tart
• Madeline
• Creme Brulee
• Praline
• Angel's Food Cake
• Devil's Food Cake
• Red Velvet
• Butter Glosses are very well reviewed among beauty bloggers. They are many people's favorite lip glosses. We had picked one up before this for the kiddo to try (Tiramisu), and really liked it. They smell like sugar cookies, and can be worn as fairly sheer or built up to opaque. I had been looking for the darker colors, which happened to be the newer colors and aren't available pretty much anywhere besides Ulta around here. So as soon as we found the huge NYX display with all of the additional colors, we snatched them up as fast as we could.

Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in

• Sugar Plum
• Fig Jam
  • These also have a huge following online, so I knew I had to try them. When Ulta finally had a significant sale on for Revlon, I grabbed some, and was able to limit myself to only 2 colors. I am actually glad I did. They have a very different feel than I expected. With how glossy and sheer they are, and how everyone calls them so buttery, I expected them to feel much slippery-er on my lips. But they felt like a standard lipstick, and a non-moisturizing one at that, although the texture changes the more times I wear it. Sugar Plum looks really good on the kiddo, so she will be keeping that one, and Fig Jam will be mine.

NYX Soft Matte Lip Creme in

• Cannes
• Monte Carlo
• Addis Ababa
• Prague
• Abu Dhabi
• London
• Amsterdam
  • This also gets very good reviews on the internet, and I had tried it before in San Paulo. I like that one as well, and like the Butter Glosses, most of the colors I prefer are in the newer line that aren't carried in other stores. Yet even at Ulta, these were picked through pretty well, and the only color I could find on my wishlist was Cannes. I was able to pick up all the others I was eyeing online (and on sale!). I have found that I do need to wear a lip balm under these to prevent my lips from completely drying out. They still wear pretty well but do come off easier than if it was applied directly to the lips. I have also applied balm/gloss over these, which 1) defeats the purpose of being matte, and 2) also makes them come off easier. There are differences in application between colors, with some applying patchy while others are completely covering and smooth in a single coat.

Urban Decay Pulp Fiction Nail Enamel in Mrs. Mia Wallace (Limited Edition)

• I have been a fan of Pulp Fiction since it was first released. I saw it in theaters when it was first released, and still watch it routinely when it comes on TV. I first saw this nail polish when I saw a display of the full Pulp Fiction Limited Edition line put out by Urban Decay and loved it. I had read that this was on sale, but it wasn't anywhere I looked. But Ulta was also the only store that I was still able to find it, so I decided to grab it while I still could. I love me a good metallic blood red nail, and this is just gorgeous. And since I am a packaging nut, I got sucked in even more. The matte black box with the movie logo and raised glossy “UD” were eye-catching. But the skull on top pushed me over.

Urban Decay Pulp Fiction Eye Shadow Palette (Limited Edition)

• Righteous
• Tyranny
• Vengeance
• Furious
• Anger
• Dual Ended Brush
  • I know Urban Decay eyeshadows by reputation and by some minimal use of other people's and experimentation at stores. I had also seen this palette when I first saw the Pulp Fiction display and liked what I saw. But I didn't think it was worth $34 for 5 neutral colors, even if they were Urban Decay. I haven't picked up any of their Naked palettes for the same reason. So when I saw it on sale for more than half off at only $16, I briefly debated and then decided to get it.

Smashbox Lashes + Lips

• Be Legendary Lip Gloss in Pink Lady
• Full Exposure Mascara in Jet Black
  • I thought $10 for this set was a really good deal. I almost picked it up when I was at Ulta last week, but didn't see it until after I had checked out. The lip gloss is a light pink, a little lighter than I normally like, but it is sheer enough that it is wearable.

Philosophy Beauty Break Set

• Amazing Grace Shampoo/Bath/Shower Gel
• Amazing Grace Firming Body Emulsion
• Purity Made Simple 3-in-1 Cleanser for Face and Eyes
• The Microdelivery Exfoliating Facial Wash
• Miracle Worker Miraculous Anti-Aging Moisturizer
  • Every so often, Ulta offers Beauty Breaks. They are offered every Wednesday from 10am-2pm with online orders. This time, the Philosophy sample set was the free gift for a minimum purchase of $50 during this time. So far, I've tried the moisturizer and exfoliating facial wash with poor results. See my October Favorites or September/October Empties posts for more information.

Fright Night Claw Polish in Where My Witches At?

• Walking past the display, this brand of VERY bright nail polishes caught our attention. And since they were a reasonable price I figured we could get one. The kiddo found this one hiding in the middle of the bunch, and this bright green will be hard to miss.

Ulta Strengthening Nail Polish Remover

• This is the main reason we made a specific Ulta run. I had run out of nail polish remover, and needed a replacement bottle.

Freeman Feeling Beautiful Facial Masks

• Peel-Off Mask in Cucumber
• Anti-Stress Mask in Dead Sea Minerals
  • The kiddo and I recently tried out some masks I had received in Birchbox. I had forgotten how much I liked them, but remembered that, when I was younger, I preferred peel-off ones. I was able to find these on sale, so grabbed the peel-off and figured an anti-stress one would not go to waste.

Mally Lip Fence Lip Pencil

• I have never used lip liners on a regular basis, so I figured that if I was only going to have one, clear was the way to go. I had a clear one, but when I opened it one day, the clear stick was gone from the mechanical pencil part. I looked for a replacement on the drugstore side, but the only one I could find was a standard pencil and not mechanical, which I prefer. I looked around the higher end products and found this one for a reasonable price.

Samples

• Eva NYC Soften Up Conditioner (packet)
• StriVectin-SD Volumizing Hand Treatment (packet)
• Hada Labo Tokyo Skin Plumping Gel Cream (packet + coupon)
• Three little packets as samples with my order. They'll get added to my pile of sample packets to try when I get the chance.
• I now have 2 coupons for Hada Labo Tokyo products. I am really surprised at how reasonably priced these products are. Since the coupons were at least $3, I expected very high prices. However, at Ulta, the most expensive item was listed, when full price, is listed at $25.