Showing posts with label Haul. Show all posts

Stella May I know what you got from Mario Badescu?

 Of course you may. Today I wanted to share a little haul of some items I picked up at Mario Badescu. This was back during Black Friday, but I don't have that special gift with purchase that came with. On to the haul!
 So when I purchased this order I had just about run out of face cleansers and toners. That's why nearly everything here is a cleanser or toners. Starting at the top right:
  • Facial Spray with Aloe, Herbs and Rosewater. I believe they have officially discontinued their Rosewater only spray and replaced that with this one. It's been awhile since I have used that but on first initial spray it feels the same. Mister is a big fan of this and if I can get him to moisturize that's a win for me. 
  • Special Healing Powder: I've mentioned it a few times now but I am quite oily skinned, so I am always looking for products that can control that or at least minimize the look of it. I'm hoping that I can use this as a final step in my night time routine and I won't look like an oil slick head in the morning. 
  • Alpha Grapefruit Cleansing Lotion: I picked up this and the other three chemical exfoliating products to help brighten and clear my skin. It says it's a cleansing lotion, but I will be using it like a toner. The step right after I have cleansed my face. 
  • Enzyme Cleansing Gel; I couldn't chose between a cream or gel cleanser and that's why I picked up two. Both aren't very foamy and will sting your eyes! 
  • Glycolic Acid Toner: Again with the exfoliating toners.. but in a pretty bright blue color! 
  • Facial Spray with Aloe, Herbs, and Rosewater (4 oz. travel size): travel size of the spray, for on the go of course. 
  • Glycolic Foaming Cleanser: Although this says foaming, I don't find that it foams that much. I have only used it a few times, and the cleanser only foamed when I used it with a Clarisonic. (Which I don't recommend as it is quite stripping. I found my self with a peeling nose the next morning!) 
Also with the order came some samples. What's nice is that you can pick a sample for any of their products!
This is the Kiwi Face Mask. I haven't used it yet, but it smells so fruity and looks pretty cool with all those seeds. I will be using my face brush method to apply this as this is in a pot.

That's it for my little haul from Mario Badescu. This brand is also sold at Ulta in case you want to test our some of the products in person. (Also this is not a sponsored post, I don't even think the company knows I exist, other than me purchasing their products.)
At First Blush, Beauty, Haul,
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Stella May I know what new board games you have?

Of course you may, Me and Mister are still on the board game obsession train. & We recently added to our collection! Here's what we got:
This is 7 Wonders Duel. Most of the time we play with just the two of us. We came across this game (in my hours of researching the board game forums, I'm telling you, I am obsessed!) and this one is so highly rated. It's the two person version of the original 7 Wonders game. We don't have and haven't played that one but I insisted that we get the Duel version first anyways. Why? Because we are more likely to play two person that any other number. And while the original 7 Wonders can play 2-7 people, this version is made for 2 and rates even higher than the original! We got this game from Barnes and Noble. (Really good game selection there!)
Rivals for Catan Deluxe. This is again the two person version of an already popular game, Catan. I remember when it used to be called: Settler's of Catan, now it's called Catan. We got Rivals for Catan Deluxe since it was on sale at Target! This deluxe version comes with some extra promo cards that were exclusive to the board game conventions (can you just see my geekiness coming through?). It's not rated as well as the other two games me and Mister got, but since Mister just played the original Catan and really liked it, we thought why not pick it up while it's on sale.
The last game we got is the King of Tokyo. This particular version you see above is exclusive to Target. The gamemakers switched out one of the characters with the cute pink Baby Gigazaur you see on the top middle of the box. So Baby Gigazaur is an exclusive character to Target. King of Tokyo is the only game that is not limited to two persons. It's also a very quick, dice game. So far we don't have a board game where we can throw dice, and I think there's just something about chucking dice that makes it so satisfying. This game is made by the same maker as Magic! The Gathering, but I don't think it's anything like that trading card game.
Are you getting on the the board game train yet? I think they are really making a comeback and there are so many different types out there! Me and Mister are slowly building our collection and it's almost taking up the shelf. I think we can fit two more, and after that I do a collection/organization post, 
links: other board games we have Carcassonne Ticket to Ride 
Board Games, Games, Haul
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Stella May I know how you control your shine?

Well of course you may! This was a little something I picked up at Sephora recently. I have quite the oily skin so I am always on the lookout for something to control that. I don't mind a little shine, I know that matte skin is just not achievable for me, so I have embraced the little shine. Most days though, especially with the humidity here in the south, I will just look like a grease ball.
I first spotted this online and it was out of stock. Doesn't that just make you want it more? That's what happens to me anyways. This is the Dinoplatz smart blotting paper. What made me impressed with this first is the encased mirror. It's a good sized, not-warped mirror too! Most blotting sheets come in a paper envelope, and they almost always end up getting smushed in my purse.
Then it was the sponge that intrigued me. I thought it was like the beautyblender blotterazzi, which did nothing for my oil. But instead of the sponge absorbing the oil, it is actually used to pick up the sheets.
 And it picks up just one sheet!
There's a little adhesive strip on the puff that picks up the sheets. It's also kind of like a post it, in that if it loses it's stickiness (which is inevitable since you are putting oil onto it) you can just peel it off and there's a fresh one! There are 5 extra adhesive strips included.
All this is enclosed in a pretty sturdy plastic container. All in all I am pretty impressed with the little thing. I haven't even mentioned the cute little dinosaurs roaming the city on the front!
Last week's beauty post I shared the Sun Safety Kit, but since I had two Play Pass cards (from the monthly subscription) I picked up two items. You can't use the cards in the same transaction, so I just picked this up at the doom aisle. And I'm pretty happy with it too!

I hope you are enjoying my weekly beauty posts! I have been using the tag for a little while now, so maybe some of you might have noticed it. Without further ado, I will be posting At First Blush Wednesday posts weekly now! #AFBxSMI
At First Blush, Beauty, Haul,
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Stella May I know how you feel about the newest Jaclyn Hill's palette?

Of course you may. I could not resist getting the newest Jaclyn Hill and Becca Cosmetics newest collaboration. It's just so pretty! For this week's beauty post, I will be unboxing and giving my first impressions on the Becca x Jaclyn Hill Champagne Collection Face Palette. I am already a big fan of highlighters and her Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed in Champagne Glow is one of my favorites. 
First thing to note is this palette came way better packaged than the single Pressed version. Mine had arrived cracked, but Sephora sent me a new one promptly so it was all good. The palette came in bubble wrap and the box was cushioned with thicker cardboard. While this looks metallic, the palette is made of plastic. A hardy plastic with some weight to it. The shiny gold is very prone to fingerprints. 
Inside, you get a sample packet of the Becca Backlight Priming Filter. (It's the same one that was inside the Play by Sephora Box this month. (Click here for that post)That's the small vial you see on the right. ) It's a very small sample, only 0.05 fl oz. 
For size comparison, I placed the original Champagne Pop highlighter on top. It's a pretty big palette, about the size of my hand. 
On the back you have a clean representation of the names and description of the shades inside. 
What's included: 
  • Rosé Spritz Luminous Blush 
  • Amaretto Mineral Blush 
  • Pamplemouse Mineral Blush 
  • Champagne Pop Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed 
  • Peosecco Pop Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed 
total weight: 0.72 oz.
 (I can't find the information about the individual weight, but Jaclyn mentioned that the highlighters are about 2/3 the size of the full sized ones. Full sized Shimmiering Skin Perfectors are 0.28 oz) 
Swatches from L-R: Full sized Champagne Pop, Champagne Pop in Palette, Prosecco Pop, Rosé Spritz, Amaratto, and Pamplemousse.

At First Blush (teehee, Mister's pun), I find that my two Champagne Pops are not the same. The standalone one is more golden and not as shimmery, while the Champagne Pop in the palette in more silvery and much more shimmery. The Prosecco Pop in the palette is closer in shade to my standalone Champagne Pop, they are both very gold. Rosé Spritz is so pretty. It's probably my favorite to look at. It's meant to be a highlighter and blush combo. I see of it as a blush topper or to be placed at the apples of the cheeks. The last two blushed are both matte. Amaratto is a sienna brown shade. I think it will be good for a neutral everyday shade. I would also use it to blend my bronzer with my blush together. Pamplemousse is a bright coral blush shade, that I think is perfect for the upcoming summer months. Overall the the palette is very warm toned and all the shades are very pigmented. I am usually heavy handed with cheek products, so pigmented products are not always the best for me. (I know it's such a contrast to what other beauty bloggers want.) My little tip? I use a more loosely packed brushes to help me combat that. 

Did you also get the palette? How are you using it? What do you think about the controversy about Becca making a quick buck and putting out a sub par palette? (I think this blog explains it well.) It's making me question the brand, so as always my indecisive self still ll can't decide if I am keeping it. I originally thought since it was such a limited edition product it would be a good investment, but then the company's behavior and how the product is still in stock makes it so I might not keep it. 

Let me know what you think. Comment below! 
At First Blush, Beauty, Haul,
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Stella, May I know how you score deals at Target?

 Of course you may! The best deals are always found at the end caps. In each section of the store (kitchen, home decor..) there is a dedicated end cap full of clearance items.
 The items will be mismatched and they should be marked with a clearance sticker. But don't think that's the last stop! Especially if you like the product, you should always take whatever item to the price scanner. Sometimes it will ring up lower!
These cute mules were marked down from $34.99 to $10.48 on the tag. It didn't scan any lower at the price scanner, but it did on the cartwheel app! Target has this separate coupon app that adds additional savings to selected items. I always use it as there is almost always a 5% savings on Target's own brand (Market Pantry, up&up). The app has a scan feature that makes it super easy to check if any of your items has a corresponding coupon. When I scanned these shoes they were 25% off! That's just too good of a deal to pass up!
This post has nothing to do with Target, it's just some tips I use whenever I shop there. Also this weekend I had my first comment! I'm sorry it took me a little too long to respond (as I didn't see it), but I promise to do better! Comment below with your favorite Target tips!
Fashion, Haul
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Stella, May I know what you hauled for your planner needs?

Of course you may! This is my first haul, and I don't plan on having much more as I don't really like the idea of showing you what I bought without trying them out first. What if I bought it but then never used it. Then there wouldn't be a point sharing it! I decided to make an exception since these are this year's version of my beloved planner. I had thought that it was a nice collaboration between Day Designer and Blue Sky when they first released about this time last year, but then nothing came out during the end of last year for a traditional Jan-Dec planner. Then I saw someone posted about them on instagram that my beloved planner was available, I made a beeline to Target to find them. And here's what I bought!

Here are the two planners. I couldn't decide between the two so I thought I should pick them up now and decide after flipping through them some more. The gold spotted one is a daily planner, while the white floral one is a weekly planner. 
Besides the planners, I also got some to-do note pads and a ruler. The note pads are from the Bull's eye Playground (dollar section). They always have some cute matching designs of note pads, pencils, page flags, and other stationary goods. I was looking for magnetic pads, so I can stick them on the fridge. The ruler is the only thing in this haul that I am able to link to on the Target website. It's from the threshold office line. I have wanted a 12 inch metal ruler for awhile but I haven't been able to find any without that cork backing. This one doesn't have it and the numbers and lines are etched in, so I don't have to worry about it rubbing off.

There is also a conversion table on the flipside of the ruler. It's also etched in!
Be sure to come back tomorrow for the follow up planner post!
links: ruler planner (it's not on the target website, but it is featured on the Blue Sky website), gold spotted planner white floral planner 
Haul, Planner
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