December Hauls
In attempts at a fresh start for the new year, I thought I would share my December haulings today instead of the first Sunday of the next month as I normally do. It just feels right to end 2017, beauty-wise, with an accumulation of the little things I got and with a hopeful spending goal for 2018—scale it down unless "absolutely necessary" and even then I have to share my detailed reasoning for the hoarding.
(This post will be a practice of sorts since I have been pretty inconsistent with how detailed I get in hauls as of late.)
I know, I know. I stocked up on enough skincare to last me most of 2018 in the last few months. But everyone has been raving about Sunday Riley and Drunk Elephant and curiosity has been slowing eating at me on the inside. The only thing that held me back was their price tag. C'mon!! One bottle of product from either brand is at least USD $50+ (usually edging towards the $80+ mark for the more popular stuff). I have been most afraid of trying anything and actually liking it...all my monies.
When Sephora sent out their emails for the $20 off $50 VIB Rewards at the beginning of the month, I immediately thought of the mini-sized Drunk Elephants duos. Luckily for me, Sunday Riley offered a mini-set at a seemingly reasonable price as well.
Both the Sunday Riley Flash Fix Kit (USD $28) and Drunk Elephant Rise + Glow Duo (USD $23) totaled to USD $51 which was just enough to make the best use of the VIB Rewards. Plus the good thing about Sephora is the Free Shipping minimum of USD $50 is accounted for pre-promo codes. I also had a $25 gift card to spend and ultimately paid $8.75 out of pocket (NY tax included).
I was genuinely surprised when my Sephora orders arrived. Yes, that is right orders with an -s. For two items that could fit into both palms of my hands, Sephora packed and shipped them to me in two separate boxes that were large enough to fit a school textbook inside. Extra much? I was also somewhat expecting the bottles to be larger for some reason. I guess I was comparing the ~$20 price mark to K-Beauty price and sizing.
2017 is the year that I rediscovered coupons and CVS. All the items in the above photo were purchase for USD $5 or less each after ExtraBucks, CVS promotions, CVS brand specific coupons, and of course tax.
Maybelline Super Stay Matte Ink in 15 Lover (orig. $9.79) is one of the two unexpected purchases I made at the drugstores. The other being Lumene. To be honest, I really wanted to try the Maybelline Master Camo Color Correcting Pen in 10 Green (orig. $9.99) and saw that there was a "Buy 2 Maybelline and get $5 ExtraBucks" weekly promo. Since I already had a $2 off 2 Maybelline coupon and $10 ExtraBucks already on hand to spend, why not? I have been feeling a little experimental and also been more into matte lip colors recently. The total turned out to be USD $9.54 for both lip and face items.
With the new $5 ExtraBucks to spend, a $3 off L'Oreal coupon, and a $2 off deodorant purchase coupon, I immediately got both the L'Oreal Infallible Matte-Matic Mechanical Eyeliner in 513 Deep Brown (orig. $9.79) and Crystal essence Chamomile & Green Tea (orig. $5.29) for USD $6.24. I have been in search of a new eyeliner since using up the last of my Korea-trip stock. Deodorant is just a necessity that needs no explanations.
On a separate trip to CVS, the coupon machine spat out another $6 ExtraBucks with an expiration date and a 30% off 1 item coupon so the only natural thing to do was to head towards the beauty aisles. I tried my best not to be lured in by sales (like that BOGO Free Ardell lashes) or more lip products that looked nice but would highly likely be a drawer filler. The most practical decision was eyeliner since that is something I wear on the daily. Revlon's Colorstay Eyeliner (orig. $8.99) seemed to have better reviews compared to the liquid variety under the same Colorstay line so I grabbed Black Brown to try. The CVS location I visited also happened to be clearing out their Lumene stock at 75% off so I added the Lumene Sisu [Urban Antidotes] Defend & Replenish Antioxidant Mist (orig. $25.49) to my bag. That visit's total was $8.39.
And to the end the post with the only beauty item I bought on a whim and not with any kind of deal, Deciem The Chemistry Brand's Heel Chemistry (USD $15). I chanced upon the newly established New York store location in SoHo when Bestie C and I were waiting in line for Prince Street Pizza. I have been meaning to try more of Deciem's products but with the recent splurges I couldn't justify stocking up on even more products because I want to meet that Free Shipping minimum when making an online order. Having a physical location means I can stop by and just pick up any supplements I may need as skin issues come up, knock on wood.
Which is exactly why I walked out with Heel Chemistry. It felt like a "necessary" supplemental purchase since my feet were getting pretty ashy and callouses were quickly hardening even after having only finished peeling from the foot mask one week prior. The box also promised results after 2 weeks of usage. Even though I don't typically lotion my feet, that Before and After photo on the back of the box got me good. Maybe this can, at the very least, help me start the habit of lotioning my soles?
0 comments: