2018 Ulta Birthday Gift

If you're paying attention, you might've noticed that I love a birthday freebie. Okay, I love pretty much any freebie, but all the better if that freebie is a useful beauty product. Much like Sephora, Ulta Beauty offers an annual birthday gift for rewards members (free to join and worth it if you shop there with any frequency). The 2018 Ulta birthday gift is a lip kit including the following:

• Ulta Beauty Juice Infused Lip Oil in Cranberry + Pomegranate {.15 fl. oz.}

• Ulta Beauty Lip Mask in Cranberry + Pomegranate

2018 Sephora Birthday Gift (psst...it's free!)

A major perk of having my birthday in January is being among the first to receive the free annual Sephora Birthday Gift. It almost makes up for the fact that I can count the number of birthday parties I've cancelled due to snow on more than one hand. Almost. Inclement weather aside, my January was certainly brightened by this gorgeous gift. As usual, Sephora is offering two options for your birthday gift selection:

The best birthday email in your inbox

BEAUTY: Sephora Birthday Gift 2017

"It's the most wonderful tiiiiime of the year..." No, not Christmas, you fool - free Sephora birthday gift time! This year, Sephora Beauty Insiders (you just have to sign up!) choose from two options: a blush and liquid lipstick set from Tarte or a moisturizer - errr, "creme sorbet" - and serum set from Caudalie.

I chose the makeup set. Duh. What it includes:

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in Paaarty {0.05 oz}

Tarteist Creamy Matte Lip Paint in Birthday Suit {0.034 fl oz}

Some festive fine print.

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in Paaarty (L) and Tarteist Creamy Matte Lip Paint in Birthday Suit (R)

As is typical of the free Sephora birthday gift, these items come in very neutral shades that almost anyone with any skin tone would probably be able to use. Even though they are simple rather than wild shades, I do find both of these items very pretty and I'll definitely be using them.

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in Paaarty

Of all makeup items to receive in a mini size, blush is probably the best because a full size blush lasts approximately 12,000 years according to my experience. Seriously, though - it just never runs out! Even though this one is smaller, I'm sure I could use it daily for quite some time.

I'm very picky about blush colors, and I was pleased to see Paaarty is right up my alley - my alley being anything this isn't too pink. It has a matte finish, with not a hint of sheen or glitter. 

The shade is a dusty rose with a hint of orange. It's about as close to neutral undertones as it gets; at first I was positive I saw a cool toned rose, but then couldn't deny the inherent bronze-ness.

The formula is butter soft and picks up nicely in both the swatch AND on a blush brush. You know how some powder makeup looks amazing when you run your finger through it, but ends up weak when you apply it with a brush? This doesn't do that.

Tarteist Creamy Matte Lip Paint in Birthday Suit

This little tube is adorable! It's the perfect size to slip in your pocket or bag, but it also feels like I'll get a decent amount of use out of it, too. It has an ever so slightly angled doe foot applicator, which works nice to apply this mousse-like formula. It is opaque in one coat.

As far as I can sniff, there is no discernible scent and the packaging is plastic with gold accents.

The shade - oh, the shade! For me, this is a perfect cool toned nude lip color. The perfect nude varies person to person, but I'm always hunting for almost purple-y pink-browns, and this shade delivers on that spotlessly. Even if this isn't your nude, it could still be a great neutral option for you.

I found this extremely comfortable to wear, despite the matte dry down. It almost felt like a regular lipstick, but resisted transfer during a kiss test. It didn't stand up to eating like I would've liked, though nothing besides Rimmel Provocalips ever has for me, but it stays put nicely otherwise.

Swatch of Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in Paaarty (top) & Tarteist Creamy Matte Lip Paint in Birthday Suit

I'm a Tartelette, apparently.

The Verdict: This is a great set for travel or everyday use, and if you have the opportunity to pop into a Sephora this year, I'd definitely recommend picking them up for free. You deserve it, birthday girl. 

Will you be getting this free birthday gift from Sephora? What is your perfect nude lip color? Are you more of a matte or glittery blush person?

BEAUTY: Ulta Birthday Gift 2016

Just like our old pal Sephora, beauty hotspot Ulta loves to dish out annual birthday freebies. Honestly, I'm usually much less excited about Ulta's birthday offerings than I am about Sephora's, which is exactly the inverse of how I feel about each store in general. It's a confusing time. This year, though, Ulta is kinda going all in and giving us a deluxe sample-sized tube of Benefit Roller Lash.

Isn't she lovely?

If this was, like, a year ago, I probably would've freaked out over this gift because I was very much in love with Benefit mascaras, and very much averse to shelling out the $20+ they wanted for them. In that time, I haven't lost love for Benefit, but rather gained the knowledge that my kinda-long-but-very-straight lashes need, nay deserve, a waterproof formula, which is able to keep a curl all day and use my lash length for something more useful than poking me in the eye over and over again.

The thing is, though, Benefit actually claims that Roller Lash works without a lash curler, and can, in fact, curl your lashes all on its own, lifting them up and holding for 12 hours. This is all due to the "Hook 'n' Roll" brush, which features "tiny custom-designed hooks to catch, lift and curl even short and straight lashes," according to Benefit. Try not to think of tiny hooks going into your eyes, okay?

They also say that it contains conditioning ingredients (B5 and serine), is easy to remove and has the ability to "super-curl," which sounds to me like the lead character in a beauty-themed hero movie, and I'd like one ticket, please.

To see how it compared to my usual lash curling routine, I applied 2 coats of Roller Lash,

without curling my eyelashes either before or after:

Top Row: bare lashes  //  Bottom Row: 2 coats of Benefit Roller Lash mascara

Up close, you can see that this is a somewhat clumpy formula, which I actually don't mind. It definitely gave my lashes more curl than they have with a regular mascara sans lash curler. I pretty much always curl my lashes first, so to see any root lifting from just the wand alone is pretty remarkable to me.

The mascara is very black and seems a bit lengthening perhaps, but in a negligible amount. The big draw here is the curling effect, which I agree is impressive, but ultimately I'd just rather use an eyelash curler (I love my Japonesque Power Curl) and a cheaper mascara. I get better results from my current favorite drugstore formula, and the difference in price could legitimately buy me a fancy Italian dinner. Yes to linguine, no to expensive mascaras.

Okay, just don't call me 'birthday curl' again.

I'll definitely use this tube up, but I won't purchase the full size. If you can visit an Ulta, make sure to ask about Ultamate Rewards and how you can get a free birthday gift when your big day rolls around!

Have you tried Roller Lash? What's your favorite high end or drugstore mascara? Please entertain me with tales of your best birthday freebies.

BEAUTY: Sephora Birthday Gift 2016

Awww yeah - it's that time once again! New year, new free Sephora Beauty Insider birthday gift!

This year, Sephora gives you a choice for your birthday freebie: a skincare set including Fresh Soy Face Cleanser and Rose Face Mask, or a cute little Marc Jacobs cosmetics set. 

Decisions, decisions...

I went the makeup route, because duh, and the set includes a black eyeliner pencil and a rosy nude lipstick. Specifically, you'll receive the Marc Jacobs Highliner Gel Eye Crayon in Blacquer and the Le Marc Lip Creme in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. The eyeliner is 0.01 oz and the lipstick is 0.03 oz.

I'm pretty happy with this set overall (I mean, it was free so I'd be kind of a jerk to complain), and I'll actually use up both products, which is nice. I have many black eyeliner pencils in my life, but I can see a spot for this lil' guy to work his way in. The formula is very creamy and smooth, and it glided easily on my waterline without hesitation or the pigment weakening. The darkness you see in the swatch (below) is what you'll see on your eye. 

I'd compare the velvety feel of the pencil to Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencil in Perversion, as both are incredibly black and almost shockingly smooth. Yes, shockingly. I guess I'm easily shocked?

One note - you CAN sharpen this eyeliner, despite its plastic/metal packaging. Some people assume these can't be sharpened (like NARS lip pencils or NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils), but they can if your sharpener is sturdy enough. I use the NARS sharpener, which is only $6 and honestly life-changing, assuming your life only needs changing in sharpening-related matters.

This lipstick is a sleeper hit; at first, I was like, 'oh cool, another pinky-nude, whatever' (side note: when did I get so spoiled and jaded about free designer lipstick?), but once I applied it I was surprised how much I loved it. The color is more pink on my lips and reads as more of a standout shade than you might assume by looking at the tube. It's just really good! It would also work nicely on a large spectrum of skin tones, I think.

The tube if small, but not flimsy so it's perfect to throw in your purse. It also has a satisfying 'click' when you close it, and I love nothing more than a satisfying click, lipstick or otherwise.

It goes on opaque in one creamy swipe, with a satin finish that lasts for hours, provided you don't eat or drink anything, making it the perfect lipstick for both fictional characters and ghosts. Humans will probably have to reapply every few hours.

Swatches: Marc Jacobs Le Marc Lip Creme in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (top) and Marc Jacobs Highliner Gel Eye Crayon in Blacquer

Marc Jacobs Le Marc Lip Creme in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang on my lips

Are you looking forward to the Sephora Beauty Insider birthday gift this year? Any other awesome birthday freebies you'd like to share with the class?

BEAUTY: Ulta Birthday Gift 2015

In case you missed it, I recently shared my joy over the 2015 Sephora birthday gift (NARS lip pencils!) and I thought you might also like to see my free birthday gift from Ulta. Much like Sephora, once you're signed up with Ulta Rewards (a free service which gets you points for dollars spent and fun coupons) you will receive a coupon for a free birthday gift during your birthday month. The gift for those with birthdays in January, February and March 2015 is the Ulta Complete Eye Palette in Indie:

Oh, why thank you, Ulta!

Last year, Ulta gave out a free full size CK One mascara for every birthday, so this year is a bit of a departure in that they seem to be changing the gift up quarterly. Not sure what the idea behind this thinking is, or if they'll actually follow through with it, but every source I've seen has specifically listed this gift as intended for those with birthdays in January-March.

The good news is that if you like this eye palette and happen to have a birthday outside of those months, you can purchase it outright for $12.00 here. {Side note: last year's mascara gift was valued at $18.00 for those counting at home.}

This palette has a mix of 4 shimmer and 1 matte shades (only the medium brown is matte). The texture is smooth and blend-able, and pigmentation is very nice. None of these shades is patchy or sheer, and there are enough colors to create a nice brown smoky eye situation. Overall, this was a nice, albeit kinda boring, gift. But, hey - free eyeshadow is free eyeshadow, right?

This palette reminds me of one of my drugstore favorites, Wet n Wild's Silent Treatment, which I swatched here a million years ago.

SWATCHES: Ulta Complete Eye Palette in Indie

ON MY EYES: Ulta Complete Eye Palette in Indie

To get this gift from Ulta you WILL need a coupon they send via email (unlike Sephora, where you can just walk in and ask). I got mine on my birthday, so expect it on or around the big day. For those of you with birthdays later in the year, make sure to sign up for Ulta Rewards now and wait to see what your gift will be...I hope I'm not jealous of it!

Do you get free birthday gifts from Ulta? What other awesome free birthday finds have you scored?

BEAUTY: Sephora Birthday Gift 2015

Ahhhhh, the new year. Rebirth, fresh starts, lofty goals...and the new Sephora Beauty Insider birthday gift! In case you've been living under a beauty rock (sounds glamorous btw), each year Sephora gives out a free (uh huh, free) birthday gift to Beauty Insiders during their birthday month. Every year there's a new item and, while there have been some dream gifts in the past (my Benefit Watt's Up mini is a treasured friend), I think this year tops them ALL. Allow me to introduce the...

NARS Mini Lip Pencil Duo!

Okay, I know, I know, but we need to keep it together so that we can learn more. Ready?

 In this duo, you will receive:

NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Cruella
NARS Satin Lip Pencil in Rikugien

 Cruella is .06 oz, compared to the full size version of .086 oz.

Rikugien is .05 oz, compared to the full size version of .07 oz.

 Cruella is a deep blue-based scarlet red with a perfectly matte finish.

Rikugien is a dusty rose pink with a somewhat shimmery satin finish.

With flash, so you can really see the shimmer on Rikugien

 These are not twist-up, so you'll need a wide sharpener when they dull down. NARS sells one for $6 which I might pick up because I don't want to ruin my nice pencils with a cheap-o sharpener.

Swatches: NARS Satin Lip Pencil in Rikugien (top) and NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Cruella (bottom)

 These pencils are incredibly easy to apply. They glide on SMOOTHLY and give full opaque color in one swipe. The staying power is impressive and they never feel heavy or drying on the lips. Since they give you a neutral nude shade and a bright red, you can get a ton of use out of this duo.

On my lips: NARS Satin Lip Pencil in Rikugien (top) and NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Cruella (bottom)

NARS Satin Lip Pencil in Rikugien

NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Cruella

It maybe goes without saying, but these products are impeccable. NARS doesn't play around with quality, which is probably why the full size of these pencils go for $26 apiece (excuse me while I cry into my Maybelline coupons). Scoring these for free is a victory, and it's super easy to do so:

• If you're not already, sign up to be a Sephora Beauty Insider. It's free, and just means they'll give you a card that will track what you buy and how much you spend, so you can earn points to get other free stuff throughout the year.
• During your birthday month, either go to a Sephora store and ask for your free birthday gift (you DON'T need to buy anything) or make an online purchase from their website and ask that they send the birthday gift too (you DO need to buy something).
  
  
  Here's some more info about this whole Beauty Insider business in case you need it.

Do you usually get the free Sephora birthday gifts? Have you ever tried a NARS lip pencil? Do you have a December birthday and are now crying that you have to wait almost a year to get these? (p.s. sorry from all January babies)