Beauty Bargains! Eco Tools BOGO 50% Off at Ulta

Stopped by Ulta with 2 intentions.  Check out if they had any Eco Tools Pure Complexion Facial Sponges and Tea Tree Oil Shampoo & Conditioner.  And that is all I left with. Ha!  Surprise, surprise.  

I picked up both the Sensitive Skin and Deep Cleansing sponges because it was Buy One, Get One 50% off and if you have the Coupon Sherpa App you can get an additional $3.50 off your purchase of $10 or more.

Cost of sponge: $5.99
50% off BOGO: -$1.50
$3.50 off $10: -$0.63
Total cost: $3.86

I'll have a separate review on these sponges after I've been able to use them for a bit.  If you're looking for a good deal on konjac sponges, head to Ulta!  I have seen some good reviews and some not good reviews on using these sponges and wanted to try it out for myself.

Price comparisons:
Sephora - Boscia Konjac Cleansing Sponge $15
Julep - Konjac Cleansing Sponge $12
Dr. Sponge - Facial Cleansing Sponge $8.50

Ulta Sets - Get Ready for the Party and Summer Glam Beauty Essentials

Kits are a great way to try product in sample or deluxe sample size before you commit to paying full price for a full sized item.  I have always been a fan of sets that include different brands, like Sephora's Lashstash Mascara Deluxe Sampler review here.  

On my hunt for Ulta's Summer Glam Beauty Essentials, I came across this Get Ready for the Part color collection.  The gal helping me out said that this set was from Holiday 2013 and they happened to have a few of these still.  What convinced me was the great price of $19 for a regularly priced $30 kit and the Napolean Perdis Loose Eye Dust in Pink Champagne.  So pretty!

Lorac Behind The Scenes Eye Primer, Butter London nail Lacquer in Rosie Lee, Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes Mascara, Laura Geller Beauty City Lights Lip Gloss, Napolean Perdis loose Eye Dust in Pink Champagne, Pur Minerals Mineral Glow Bronzer

Swatches of the primer, bronzer, eye dust and lip gloss. Flash and no flash.  The primer needs to be more blended in when used.  The other products are pretty sheer, but have a nice shimmer or sparkle to it. 

I still yet have to use these items in a FOTD and will post something as soon as I do.  Did anyone else pick this up during the holiday?  Looking forward to seeing what sets will be available for holiday 2014 for getting and giving!  Use of the mascaras will come when I happen to choose this to use.  I don't like to open the mascaras before actually using since I toss them out after 3 months from opening.  

Pros:  -Great brands

          -Variety of products - lips, tips, cheeks and lashes

          -Incredible value for $19 for 6 deluxe sized products

Cons: None!

Cost: $19 - if you can still find this in your area Ulta store.  I found mine at the Issaquah Highlands Ulta during my lunch break.

Would I recommend this to a friend? Yes!  These sets are great to try new products and/or have smaller items for your purse/travel.

Swatches with flash and without flash of the Porefessional, Cream Eyeshadow.  

I will swatch the bronzer in another post from another kit, but will say that it smells so good like Cocoa Puffs.  Haha!  It will be interesting to see how the two Tarte mascaras I received in these sets will perform since one is the regular formula and the other is waterproof.  The Butter Nail Lacquers might actually be nice together!  Snog as a base with Rosie Lee on top for some sparkle.  

What the website says:

ULTA Summer Glam Beauty Essentials includes 7 must have beauty essentials for a glamorous summer.

An $89 value!

Includes deluxe sizes of:

Anastasia Lash Genius (0.11 oz.)

Benefit The Porefessional (0.1 fl. oz.)

Butter London Nail Lacquer in Snog (0.2 oz.)

Laura Geller Beauty Cool Lids Cream Eye Shadow in Rose Gold Goddess (0.26 fl. oz)

Stila Lip Glaze in Strawberry Lemonade (0.05 fl. oz.)

Tarte Lights, Camera, Splashes Waterproof Mascara (0.16 fl. oz.)

Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzer (0.14 oz.)

Pros:  -Great brands

          -Variety of products - lips, tips, cheeks and lashes

          -Incredible value for 7 deluxe sized products

          -Waterproof items - Lash Genius (waterproof top coat) and Lights, Camera, Splashes mascara

Cons:  -None!

Cost: $28 On sale now for $19 online!  I paid the retail price of $28 and it was the last one at the Bear Creek Ulta in Redmond, WA.

Would I recommend this to a friend? Yes! Another great set to try new products and/or have smaller items for your purse/travel.  

I went to 2 Ulta's in one day during my lunch break to pick these up.  Smh.  The things you do when you need a break away from the office and are on the hunt for something.  

$12.99 Smashbox Bargains! Contour/Blush Cheek Set & Perfect Pout Lip Set

I am a sucker for spotting a good deal. Not only do I snag these for me, but my gal pals as well. ;) A couple of my girls have received these as prezzies from me! I do like Ulta, but not as much as I love Sephora, but there are some redeeming qualities to the store, like these $12.99 Smashbox finds! I picked up the Contour/Blush Cheek Set and Perfect Pout Lip Set. Each of these has a $49 retail value, so these are an exceptionally great deal.
I recently did a review on ELF Contouring Blush & Bronzing Powder which had great color. The difference with this kit is that the blush in Pop is a cream blush. I was surprised at how light and natural the colors were. I'm not usually a fan of cream blush, but the texture is light and would actually do well on my skin during the fall/winter months. Just take a quick swipe of Pop with your fingertips & blend on the apples of your cheeks. The Contour is a light, matte powder that in my opinion, would provide a more natural contour than the ELF bronzing powder. This set also comes with a cute baby kabuki brush that is perfect for sweeping Contour on your cheeks.

The Perfect Pout Lip Set, you already know I had to get because it is a lippy! This set comes with the Perfect Pout Lip Brilliance trio compact, Palm Beach lip pencil and a deluxe sample size of O Gloss. I've already posted about O Gloss in my Smashbox Rapture Lipgloss Collection. The Lip Brilliance compact is slim and has a double ended, retractable lip brush that will fit perfectly in your pocket or in your clutch. These glosses are great on their own, but I would choose to pair these up with a liner since they are relatively sheer. The Palm Beach lip pencil is a pretty plum liner that compliments all of the glosses in this set and would work great on its own with just a clear gloss over it.

Smashbox is a brand that has been growing on me and I look forward to acquiring more products, especially value sets like these, in the near future! I appreciate when high end brands can provide affordable options. What's also great about Smashbox is that they are a cruelty-free brand and their packaging also meets the requirements of the SFI Program. :) A beauty brand that is a friend to animals & earth concious.

Ulta Ultimate Pout SPF 15 - Plumberry

Thank goodness for this fall's trend of dark lips! While I do love my shimmery, sheer glosses, I dig having a haute pucker! My Sissy gave me Ulta's Ultimate Pout SPF 15 in Plumberry last year. I was stuck on either the sheer or bright lippies last year. I think I'll switch it up! Reminds me of my infamous highschool lipcolor - Revlon's Colorstay in Sienna. I don't know how many tubes of that I went through.
Described as, "The NEWS - mega moisture lip color infused with plumping collagen spheres.
The RESULT - fuller, smoother, movie star lips in an instant."

Plumberry is a gorgeous burgundy. I like how this has SPF 15 since most lipgloss or lipsticks don't have any SPF. There are 6 shades to choose from & is priced at $10. The lipstick is smooth and has a pleasant taste & scent.

I should have applied this with a lipbrush instead of straight from the tube. Can you say crooked? Hahah!