Haircut For $10 and a Good Cause

I just want to remind everyone about Ulta's annual Cut for a Cause event.

Every year, Ulta provides different ways for you to support Breast Cancer Research which includes entering to win a bag filled with beauty goodies, directly donating, buying an item with a portion of the sales going to research and the one I like the most- Cut for a Cause.

The Cut For A Cause event takes place at the Salon inside Ulta stores. You can choose from a shampoo and haircut, pink hair extension or a Microzone Express Facial. Each one of these service cost just $10. And the best part is they donate the entire proceeds earned from this event to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

That means all the people working at that time is working for free while giving you the service. This is a wonderful way for the staffs at Ulta and for us to give back because we know they aren't hiding anything or trying to profit from this event.

Of course you can just go up to any register and donate money that way, but cheapos like me, want to make the most of my money. I feel like I am killing two birds with one stone.

The first time I went to the Cut For A Cause event was last year and I found the experience absolutely smooth and hassel-free. I wasn't the first one to get there at the opening of the store and after waiting in line for 15min, I was able to reserve a spot and was told to come back half an hour later.  I was so glad they didn't just have us standing in line at the store. I went shopping elsewhere and came back in 20 min and shortly after, my name was called on the speaker. They gave me a full hair wash, hair cut, and a rough blow dry. The staff was all nice and pleasant. You can read more about my experience from last year here .

This event only happens once a year. For this year, it is happening tomorrow Sunday October 9 from 11am to 6pm. I would get there as early as possible.

And FYI at the cash registers they will ask you for the donation amount and tip amount. I would recommend giving $5 for donation and tipping the staff $5 for their wondering job, making your total come out to $20 for a shampoo and haircut. I find that it's a good deal because many salons I go to charge a minimum of $20 for a shampoo and haircut. But if you have extra cash on hand, feel free to donate more, and it's going to a great cause.

You can find out more about ways to donate for BCRF at ULTA here.

You know where I'll be tomorrow!!: )

I don't know any other company that donates to BCRF like ULTA does. Do you?

Thanks for reading,

VanillaDreamCream

Which Tarte Holiday Blush Collection Should I Purchase

It's not even October yet and cosmetic company have already started rolling out their holiday limited edition items.

Most of the time I gloss over them because I don't usually have money to buy a whole collection of makeup items from the same brand. However the Tarte blushes seem like a good value since I get to try out more colors. Since I never hit pan on any of my blushes anyways, I mind as well own more colors and get a smaller amount.

Win Prizes at Victoria Secret's Sexy Now Event This Saturday!

Victoria's Secret is doing another promotion/giveaway and it's happening this Saturday August 27.

First Macy Beauty Purchase Order Review

In my last post, I shared the amazing deals for the Macy's Black Friday Sale in July. I anxiously anticipated for the order to arrive and finally it came five days after I ordered it. 

I purchased the Tarte Cheeks stain for only $15. It originally retails for $30 so that's half off original retail. This is a major steal in my opinion and I've wanted to try it for forever. There are lots of raves for it's lasting ability and it supposedly makes it look like you are flushing from within. I'll review it after I've fully tried it out.

So what prompted me to write this review was the amounts of freebies I got from this order. Usually at Ulta or Sephora, you'd have to look for special codes, emails, links etc. After I added my items and proceeded to check out, there was a box to click if I wanted a free  Clinique 3 step card sample. Of course, it's free so I checked it and completed the whole check out process. I thought I was only getting the clinique samples because there was no mention of other samples during the entire checkout process.

I was so surprised when the order came, on top of the Clinique 3 step card sample, I got another bag of assortment of samples. 

a closer look at the clinique 3 step card sample

 I got 3 deluxe perfume samples, 2 perfume card samples, and 1 foundation card sample. I remember I bought 12 deluxe perfume sample at sephora for $50. So these are definitely worth some money. 

If it was at sephora or ulta, in order to get the samples, I would have had to hunt down the codes or used points to get samples and then remember to put the codes in during checkout. 

But with macy's beauty purchase, it was so much more simple. Just check the box if you'd like the sample. And they automatically send perfume samples.

Another perk at Macy's is that beauty items ships free so I did not have to find other products (and over buy) to meet the minimum required for free shipping.

I will definitely look out for beauty sales at Macy's going forth.

What recent online purchase that you made were you very satisfied with?

thanks for reading,

Macy's Black Friday Sale in July Special Sale

Macy's Black Friday Sale in July Special is supposed to take place on July 13 through July 17 both in store and online. It's live right now and  I quickly made an online purchase. All purchase are comes with a free gift. You don't get to choose it but I got the clinique three step skincare card sample. All beauty orders has free shipping.

I was interested in the Tarte Cheek stain as it's 50% of retail price. Since I missed it during the ULTA sale, I quickly placed my order.

Certain urban decay brushes are also 50% off.

If you are also a member of ebates, Ebates currently has 10% cashback.

You can check out the full list of beauty sale items here.

Happy Shopping

Victoria Secret Pink Giving Away Headbands

Today only. Members of Victoria Secret Pink Nation can get a free headband.

If you have not signed up for Pink Nation yet, you can sign up here. They usually give out a free panty or item once a year so it's  nice to join.

If you're already a Pink Nation member just sign in and find the free headband banner and either show it on your phone to the cashier or print it out and give it to the cashier.

 

I was there this afternoon and it was quick and hassle-free. I liked the black color more but since my friend got black I decided to get the pink one. However if I still had to choose, I would still get black.

One to each member. Ends tonight.

Just a reminder that this giveaway is at Pink stores and not Victoria Secret store ;)

What freebies have you been getting ?

Beauty Sale Deals for Week of June 19

I always find myself browsing the sale section on Ulta and Sephora.

Once in a while, I would come across a sale deal.

There were a lot of colors before but right now only Tarte's Cheek Stain in Blushing Bride is on sale for $16. I think it's a good deal if you want to try the cheek stain cause it's like 50% off.

There are also many other tarte palettes and Nude skincare has sets that are also on sale.

I've never seen an EOS lip balm for $0.87 before. Not even when the lawsuit was making waves so if you're one of those that has to have every color the Honeysuckle Honeydew flavor is on sale. Right now ULTA has all EOS lip balm on a BOGO1/2 so even better.

Any exciting sales happening this week?

Benton's Snail Bee High Content Essence Review

please ignore the dilapidated Snail Bee High Content Essence bottle, my salicyclic acid spilled over it when traveling

I bought the Snail Bee High Content Essence about 2 years ago when the concept of snail mucin in skincare was all the rage. Of course I ended up getting swept up into the hype and after thorough researching, I decided to settle on the brand Benton.

Benton's Snail Bee High Content Essence is the first "essence" product that I've tried. Prior to this, I've only used toner and moisturizer. It's only been 2 years since I've incorporated layering of skincare in my routine and I don't think I can turn back to just using a moisturizer and toner. Using only two products in my routine seems so foreign to me now.

from left to right: Benton Snail Bee High Content Essence, Mizon Multi Function Formula All in One Snail Repair Cream, Benton Snail Bee High Content Steam Cream, Benton Aloe BHA Skin Toner

I've had the essence for about two years. I use it on and off so if you use it daily, it probably won't last you a year but since I have so many products, I tend to mix and match different products depending on my mood, weather and if my skin is sensitive.

Most essence products tend to be watery and liquidy. The Snail Bee High Content Essence has a texture that's more like a gel and less like a liquid. I would sort of call it a liquidy gel. When you pump this onto your finger, the liquidy gel does not drip down your finger. However this doesn't mean that it's sticky and dries to a hard shiny finish like other gels that I'ved tried in the past. It feels lightly moisturizing once it's smoothed over the face. After drying, it's shinier just like how a moisturizer would look like and it feels just slightly tacky but it's not bothersome like other gel finishes.

I love the packaging for this essence. It's one of the few aspects that distinguishes Korean skincare from American skincare and I wish all American skincare would come in an airtight container with a pump like this one.

Benton Snail Bee High Content Essence

For those who are sensitive to fragrance, this is scentless with no added fragrance.

What makes this essence special compared to other essence is that it is made up of 90% snail extract and bee venom instead of water. The two ingredients are supposed to help heal acne, fade scars, brighten skin tone, improve wrinkles and maintain hydration.

Putting snail secretions on your face sounds disgusting but that slime contains a number of components that's beneficial to the skin. It contains 1) enzymes that gently exfoliates to remove dead skin cells and reduce inflammation 2) hyaluronic acid that holds moisture in skin cells and 3) glycoproteins that improve skin cell communication.

One thing you need to make sure of before using this is to make sure you are not allergic to bees because this essence contains actual bee venom. Bee Venom when used in large amounts can paralyze you but when used in small amounts it causes microscopic tears in cell membrane which stimulates the body to repair itself. That in turn stimulates the production of collagen that strengthen the skin's structure.

You can check out SkinandTonics' post to see the breakdown of ingredients about this product because she definitely does it better than I do.

For me, I felt Benton's Snail Bee High Content Essence helped with healing my acne and reducing my post inflammatory hyperpigmentation. When my skin's all under control, I have no idea if this product would work or not. However last year, on vacation, my skin started breaking out badly from the combination of excessive sunscreen, sweat, increased sun exposure, and sensitivity towards the cruise's complimentary toiletries. The sides of my face  and my chest was all covered in acne. I thought, I am definitely going to scar. So I took specific care to apply the essence on the problem areas daily. At about month later, I suddenly tried to look for the scars and I couldn't find them. I can't even pinpoint where the acne occurred.

The only products I brought with me on the trip were Cerave PM lotion, Benton Aloe Skin Toner, Paula's Choice's Clear Anti-redness Extra Strength Exfoliating Solution and this essence. Of course they all contributed to clearing and helping my skin, but I felt the Snail Bee High Content Essence truly helped reduced all the scarring. Prior to using the essence, my skin always scarred when I get acne. But after using this essence, I found that the post inflammatory hyperpigmentation from acne scarring was reduced. I find that it doesn't help with scars that has already formed but prevents new acne scars from forming.

This product worked for me but since everyone's skin reacts differently. It may not work for you. This is a blogger who got bad results from benton  and I encourage you to check out the opinion on both sides. Skinandtonics says that the natural preservative in the essence is not strong enough during the summer and she advises consumers to not purchase it during the summer months due to unknown storage conditions during warm weather while it's being delivered.

I purchased the Snail Bee High Content Essence with a High Content Steam Cream together at a reduced price on ebay. I tried to look up who the seller was but couldn't the history that was that old.
I will repurchase this if my next snail cream and bee venom cream doesn't work as well as this one. I am planning to purchase Benton's Snail Recover Gel next.

expiration date on the back of bottle

I like how they have an expiration date on the bottle. Benton's site say to use the product within 6 months of opening. Of course I used the product for two years and thankfully nothing terrible happened to my skin.

Quick Summary:

This is clear fragrance-free liquidy gel that has healed my acne and prevented post inflammatory hyperpigmentation. It has a pump to easily get the product out and the gel stays on your finger without it dripping. It feels slightly moisturizing, makes my skin a tiny bit more shiny. It does not feel oily nor tight on my face. If you want something to heal your acne, this is the item that works.

Let me know if you've tried Benton's Snail Recover Gel or if you've tried any of Benton's product or want me to review any of the other products in the photo above. Is there an essence that you're in love with?

thanks for reading,

Vote For Victoria Secret and Get A Forever Sexy Rollerball

The Fragrance Foundation is currently conducting their 2016 Consumer Choice Award. It was announced at certain VS stores that if you vote for VS and show the last confirmation page at the cash register, you would get a free Victoria's Secret Forever Sexy Eau De Parfum Rollerball. The rollerball is worth $18.

I don't know when this deal lasts and if all stores are participating in this giveaway.

Victoria Secret is Giving Away Free Mystery Gift!!! Ends Tomorrow

So I just found out about this Victoria's Secret Mystery Gift offer in my email and made a visit to the nearest store. I'm usually skeptical about these email to pull you into to the store but this is really free- no questions asked. The store associate was really nice about it too unlike my recent trip to another company who were giving away mystery dollars but tried to get me out the door ASAP.

Here's the screenshot of the email below.

You either get a free bra, panty, scent spray or pants.

You don't need a $75 purchase. All you have to do is head to the cashier and ask for a "game piece".

They will give you a card and if you peel the sticky open, you see your mystery prize. There are some restrictions to the prize like for the scent sprays it was limited to only select scents but for the bras there were no restrictions as long as it is under the price stated.

This was such an amazing offer and made me feel better after spending ~$62 purchasing a sports bra and swim bottom during their online sale.

So what are you waiting for? Head straight in and grab a mystery piece before they run out. This promotion ends 4/6/16. By the way, this is only at the Victoria's Secret stores and not the Pink store because my friend went into the Pink store but they aren't doing the promotion there. Although I believe you can bring the card into the Pink store and use it there.

And of course, I can't wait to show off my free bra- the new Body by Victoria Perfect Coverage Bra. It has this ultra soft memory foam and was the only one left in the store with that color in my size.

 I was chatting with the store associates and apparently, the pants are the hardest to come across. So if you got the pants, you're one lucky person.

What goodies did you score at Victoria's Secret?

thanks for reading,

Unboxing and Swatches of the Pur Cosmetics Set : Freedom Collection Inspired By The Divergent Series

The Freedom Collection by Pur Cosmetics is an exclusive Limited-Edition collection of 4 nude essentials that were inspired by the film The Divergent Series: Allegiant.

I ordered this Freedom Collection set last Wednesday and it arrived a 6 days later on Tuesday so I'm quite happy with the shipping. It comes shipped in a box insulated with brown paper and inside the box, you find another box held together by a cute bowed elastics. I like that finishing touch to it. However unlike the Target Beauty Boxes, this box is flimsy so you can't reuse it to store other items.

Home Exercises to Achieve A Better Posture

Get It Beauty Season 2 Ep 8 Recap: Improve Your Posture and Makeup Tips for the Summer

I spend all day on my bed when I am studying and watching TV on my laptop, so I am pretty sure my posture isn't that great. I got interested when Get It Beauty enlisted physiotherapist In Young Ah to  teach the audience how to improve your posture while staying in shape.

However I am skeptic as to if these exercise would work. Like the first exercise you are leaning forward when you squat down and then raise one leg which makes my body all unbalanced. It feels like I am contorting my body instead of improving my posture. However since it's shown on TV and a physiotherapist is showing the exercise, it seems to have credibility. Bottom Line: I don't know if these exercise work. I only saw this from TV and felt that it is interesting so I am sharing it with you guys. Do it at your own risk as I am not responsible for any injuries resulting from completing these exercise.

1. spread you leg shoulder width apart.

2. lean forward and squat.

3. raise your arms when going down.

4. keep you hips straight rise back up and raise one leg

it helps tighten your hips.

I Spy A Shimmer Cube Dupe?

Lancome's My Parisian Shimmer Cube looks incredibly similar to Body Shop's Shimmer Cubes

Was browsing through pinterest when a pin caught my eye. Lancome has released their Spring 2015 Collection "From Lancome With Love" and I felt that their My Parisian Shimmer Cube looked incredibly similar to The Body Shop's Shimmer Cubes.

Target Her Holiday 2015 Beauty Box Unboxing and Review

Unboxing and Review of Target's For Her Holiday 2015 Beauty Box

I was very satisfied with my first beauty box from Target which was back in Fall 2014. I loved basically every item in that box.

This time around, they had two different boxes, one for women and one for men. What made me want to purchase this box was for the Maybelline Push Up Drama Mascara and the Laneige Water Bank Moisture Cream. And when it went live, I quickly added it to my cart and checked out as fast as I could.

Estee Lauder Color Edit Holiday 2015 Blockbuster

Estee Lauder Color Edit: Holiday 2015 Blockbuster

While watching TV, my mom notices an Estee Lauder commercial and asks me about the deal. I missed the commercial but I knew it would show again so when the commercials started rolling, I paid close attention. The first thing I notice is Kendall Jenner strutting around. My mother has no idea who she is and what she want interested in was the Color Edit Holiday Blockbuster set that was being advertised for $59.50. She asked me if it really did cost $60 because there were a plethora of items in that commercial. We decided to test out the set the next day at the counters of Macy's.

When we were at Macy's, we saw that the posters say that the set is with the purchase of any perfume. I was disappointed because I don't use much perfume but when I asked the sales associate she told us that it is with any purchase. Long story short, my mother ending up buying this set for $59.50 after picking up the hydrating toner that she normally uses.

If you do the calculations, it was a really good deal. Just one of the lipsticks itself cost $30. So this entire set was like the cost of 2 lipsticks. I was also pretty amazed at the gold firework design on the palettes.

There are 12 items in this set and if you divide it by the number of items, it's like $5 per item which is cheaper than drugstore prices.

I follow lots of beauty blogs and always look out for sales and deals. I hear about UD, Clinique, Mac, Guerlain and many other brands from bloggers but rarely does anyone mention Estee Lauder. I wonder if it's because Estee Lauder has less PR or if the brand is less geared toward the younger generation so beauty bloggers care less about it.

Anyway let's check out what's inside the  Estee Lauder 2015 Color Edit Holiday Blockbuster set:

The whole set is all packaged  and wrapped up in a red textured cardboard slip covering. Inside is a bright red patent travel case. I don't know who would travel with such a bulky case filled with makeup but I love cases like this to store my makeup. I have a black lancome one and every single time I take it out, my makeup feels so luxurious.