Ulta Rewards Redemption!

In case I have failed to share, here is another secret! I always try to shop at Ulta over Sephora when possible. There is only one reason for this: the Ulta Rewards program. This week, I was able to redeem a level 30+ Ulta voucher for six perfumes and a L'Oreal Colour Riche LeGloss lip gloss! Basically, there are two Ulta programs for rewarding spending. With mine, there are redeemable gifts from levels one to six. Six encompasses various options, currently including a Hot Tools gold plated curling iron (my iron of choice, actually!) or a 40 or 45 USD fragrance. Yes, I usually go over that amount and simply pay the difference...more Ulta points! Each other level has different options for redemption.


Reward vouchers come out on flyers quarterly. I highly suggest keeping track of your purchases if you aim to make it to level six to maximize your reward with a fragrance, salon service, or curling iron! Remember: tax is not included! A 300 USD purchase/ point balance equals a level six reward. If you go over, the level climbs, and, clearly, you can redeem for more items! Hooray for over-spending at Christmas and reaping the benefits later.

This round, I picked up a few fragrances I wouldn't usually try, namely, Vera Wang's Lovestruck and Juicy Couture's Couture Couture. To be honest, I may exchange Lovestruck, but I've wanted Couture Couture a while, despite the fact that I do not usually go out for JC fragrances... But I digress.


I restocked on a long time staple, Kenzo Flower. Also, I grabbed Dance with Givenchy by Givenchy. The other two fragrances I grabbed: Flora by Gucci and Versace Crystal Noir.


By the way, fragrances are one of my indulgences. I'll account for my habit by telling you all and myself that I could have far worse vices!

The nitty gritty:
Vera Wang Lovestruck - tropical, fruity, musky - Opens with notes of exotic and juicy pink guava and soothing angelica blossom. The middle notes “bloom” with tones of intoxicating and sensual tuberose with aquatic lotus flower. Precious woody notes and sheer musk form a solid perfume base.

Juicy Couture Couture Couture - white floral, citrus - Top notes are mandarin orange, African orange flower and grapefruit; middle notes are jasmine, honeysuckle and plum; base notes are amber, vanilla and sandalwood.

Flower by Kenzo - powdery, floral, musk - The floral note revolves around parma violet, gentle wild hawthorne, cassis and Bulgarian rose. Its powdery note is composed of voluptuous vanilla, white musk and opoponax with a gentle woody touch.

Dance with Givenchy by Givenchy - - white floral, citrus, woods - dances with accords of jasmine, ylang ylang, apple, mandarin, orange blossom, woods, and musk. 

Flora by Gucci - floral, citrus, rose - Characterized by fresh notes of agrums in the opening, combined with beautiful peony. A heart introduces balanced aromas of rose and osmanthus, while a base is created of patchouli and sandalwood.

Versace Crystal Noir - white floral, spicy - The central note of the composition is mysterious gardenia, fresh, sensual, luminous and creamy. Amber and musk in the base make the scent dark and mysterious.

What are your must-have fragrances? Anything you all are lusting after or interested in sniffing?

Have a gorgeous week! xxo

Most Loved in 2011 - Brushes!

I certainly cannot go without mentioning brushes. I quickly grabbed a handful of faves and put them in a cup for my shabby video. In the end, I didn't end up mentioning them all. I do have quite a few I'm looking forward to trying in 2012, thanks mostly to some lovely YouTubers... You know who you are. Daisy :) Haha.

For now, I want to share some of my favourite and most affordable picks. Newly discovered in 2011 - Sigma and Real Techniques...both excellent, both amazing values.

 RT brushes come in sets. They come in tiny portfolios, which are ideal for travel and storing other brushes as well. They can be connected to others and folded over to hold your brushes upright while you work. The base of the brushes are also weighted and designed so that they can easily stand. These are synthetic brushes and I cannot say enough about the value and performance. My faves are the stippling, powder, and deluxe crease brushes.

I cannot go without mentioning Sigma brushes. While I am not as impressed with all of their brushes as I am with my faves, I find the quality overall to be mentionable and well worth the cost. I adore their blending brushes as well as my MAC and Sonia Kashuk ones. The truly outstanding brushes, however, at least for me, have been the SIGMAX and precision eye brushes. The high definition Sigmax face brushes are so densely packed and lush. To me, they give the most flawless foundation coverage I have found thus far and buff liquids and creams beautifully into the skin. Honestly, I use them for mineral foundations as well. To boot, these synthetic brushes are only 16USD! You can also buy them in face sets, eye sets, or a total set of both. The eye brushes are also phenomenal. In terms of applying a primer or cream shadow, I have come to find them holy grail! The shapes mimic the finger. Need I say more? They blend beautifully, and again, 14 dollars!! AMAZEBALLS!

MAC's 217 (22.50 USD) is still holy grail for me for blending! My favourite angled brush is Sonia Kashuk, available at Target in the US.

If you're interested in the Sigma brushes mentioned, I have a current coupon code (good until 29 Feb 2012) for 10% off: LOVE2012

http://www.sigmabeauty.com/?Click=210291

I highly, highly recommend grabbing maybe one Sigmax face and one eye brush (ideal for applying cream shadows and primers). I also really like their eye blending brushes. 

What are your most reached for brushes?

XX

Most Used Products of 2011 - Hair

Looks gross, right? This is actually a peek inside a jar of Lush Cosmetics' BIG shampoo (24.95 USD, 11.4oz)! I will admit that it took me a while to try this one, but I am so happy that I did. Lush touts this shampoo as one to use for "mermaid inspired locks." I will concur. It is infused with salt, which is actually full of moisturizing minerals and also helps clarify the hair. Think about exfoliating your hair, but try not to get freaked out! It's not at all stripping, lathers well (LUSH shampoos are not free of sulfates), and leaves hair feeling splendidly fresh and clean. BIG is also packed with lime juice for shine and volume (and yummy sniffable goodness) as well as seaweed to soften locks. This jar is really packed with volumizing deliciousness!

 

Antiphilitron is a retro LUSH shampoo. I get it when I can, and I adore it. I really enjoy combining a bit of BIG and antiphilitron in my palm before shampooing. Veganese conditioner is an ideal treat for limp locks. It is lightweight and completely lanolin free. Some ingredients are: lemon juice, lavender, and rosemary. The smell is a bit musky to me, so I would have a sniff before springing for the largest bottle. LUSH liquid shampoos and conditioners range from 9.95 to 29.95 on average depending on size. Also, I cannot neglect to mention LUSH's brilliant solid shampoo bars. I have liked each I've tried. They are a must have for me on short trips, as I never have to consider what fluids I'm packing if I've got a solid shampoo and conditioner bar. Pictured is the NEW! solid shampoo bar (10.95US). It smells wonderfully of cinnamon, and I adore it. Another fave for me is ultimate shine. These bars last longer than you would expect, but again, they are not sulfate free, and I am not sure I would recommend them to anyone with colour treated hair.

Here are some other items I continually reach for through all of my other hair care purchases! An affordable solution for a cleansing shampoo ( everyone needs one to keep a handle on product buildup!) is Redken's cleansing cream. In my experience, it is less stripping than other versions like Neutrogena. That said, for a person without colour treated hair, Neutrogrena also offers wonderful clarifying shampoos.

For years, I have also continually used L'Oreal Professionnel's Serie Expert lines. I regret to tell you lovelies that they have discontinued their soleil line (I loved the UV protectant), but their sister company, Kérastase, still offers a soleil line for both sun protection as well as sun damage. L'Oreal's serie expert line still includes my two top picks: liss ultime and volume expand.

 The volume (green) shampoo is great and lightweight, but in my opinion, the purple bottle is more dynamic, for me. I love both the shampoo and the conditioning masque in the liss ultime line. This line is targeted toward smoothing unruly/curly hair. I have always found that the products, especially the serum, have helped my hair curl. For a person with unruly hair, it may also aid you in smoothing/straightening your hair through blow drying or pressing with a flat iron. This line uses argan oil, olive oil, patented INCELL technology, polytensium (ultra smoothing properties), as well as highly effective anti humectants to help beat frizz in the face of hellish humidity! Liss is definitely FranklyScarlett approved and highly recommended!

 I have to admit that I try to be pretty low maintenance with my hair. I do not stick to any one range of products for styling (or anything else for that matter!), but I do have a few constant faves and raves. Again returning to L'Oreal Professionnel, the Texture Expert styling line has been a wonderful innovation for their company in the last few years. They have products designed specifically for fine/limp, medium/thick, and course/rebellious hair types. Hey, there are some days when I just use the Aussie spray scrunch. It smells delicious, and despite the heavy amount of alcohol present, I love it on occasion. Still, despite the higher price point, L'Oreal's Texture Expert is outstanding. As a person with fine hair, I have to say that it is very difficult to both smooth and volumize hair. This line can really help you achieve both! Standout products for me are: Smooth Essence Weightless Smoother, Densite Thickening Primer, and the Volume Expansion Mousse. A+

I'm still in search of my holy grail heat protectant. I am so happy to have learned from one of you all that Pureology does in fact still have a product out. In the interim, I have enjoyed using CHI's heat protectant and GOT2B Guardian Angel.

That's a (somewhat) brief recap of my most reached for hair products from 2011. What were yours?!

X

 

2011 Standouts! Nails!

 

From left to right: Butter London Toff (a darker, dustier, browner version of rose pink), All Hail the Queen (opaque, holographic beige), and Tea with the Queen (on the pink side of tan, very neutral, but never boring, perfect work, or obviously, tea with the Queen), $14 each

OPI Off with her Red! from the Alice in Wonderland collection, unfortunately limited edition and no longer available, but this tomato-ey red will not be left off my list!

NARS Chinatown (opaque blood red), $17

Illamasqua throb (bright blood red), £13.50

 

 

 OPI Lincoln Park at Midnight (aubergine with a frosty twist)

What were your top varnishes of 2011? Any repurchases? I'm itching for some new hues to try on, lovelies! X