OT: House Hunting

Reason #5846 that i love makeup:

Makeup is so easy to choose. I can see something that is just the right color, just the right product, there is no anxiety or worry. I can even "try it on" first to be sure, if there ever WAS any doubt. Then just hand over the $ and off I go with a new item for my collection. Instant gratification.

If only house hunting was as fulfilling. Instead, house hunting is draining the LIFE out of me. I'm tired of talking about escrow and sq ft and half baths... Short sales, contingencies, foreclosure, PMI, APR and points, origination fees, fixed rates, highest and best. AUGH. I want to pull my newly hi-lighted hair out.

i badly need a new lipgloss, eyeshadow, or eyeliner to make me feel better.

We Have a Walker!

Lately, Shane and I have been seeing if we can get Caleb to walk. I don't REALLY want him to, but he's one now and we keep thinking it will happen anytime. We sit, about 2 feet apart, and take turns trying to get Caleb to walk back and forth between us. He usually gets so excited he just leans forward with all his weight and maybe squeezes a step or two in before he falls into our waiting arms. Secretly, I'm pleased. No need to rush things. I want him to stay a baby for a while longer.

Fast forward to yesterday. Caleb is playing in the living room and we are all busy doing this and that. I walk over to the living room just in time to see Caleb let go of the table he was standing beside, and take about five or six steps before sitting down with his toys. My eyes seriously went wide with complete shock, and I couldn't even speak. LOL! It isn't like this is my first child. I should be used to these monumental firsts, but I am not. at all. Shane comes in from the backyard and I finally manage to blurt out "Caleb just walked!"

We spent the next 15 minutes testing him out to see how well he could do it and how far he could go. He did very well, and walked further and further each try.

So, it seems that, he has graduated from Baby to Toddler. But in my heart, he'll always be my baby, same as my 6 and 8 year olds.

We Have a Walker!

Lately, Shane and I have been seeing if we can get Caleb to walk. I don't REALLY want him to, but he's one now and we keep thinking it will happen anytime. We sit, about 2 feet apart, and take turns trying to get Caleb to walk back and forth between us. He usually gets so excited he just leans forward with all his weight and maybe squeezes a step or two in before he falls into our waiting arms. Secretly, I'm pleased. No need to rush things. I want him to stay a baby for a while longer.

Fast forward to yesterday. Caleb is playing in the living room and we are all busy doing this and that. I walk over to the living room just in time to see Caleb let go of the table he was standing beside, and take about five or six steps before sitting down with his toys. My eyes seriously went wide with complete shock, and I couldn't even speak. LOL! It isn't like this is my first child. I should be used to these monumental firsts, but I am not. at all. Shane comes in from the backyard and I finally manage to blurt out "Caleb just walked!"

We spent the next 15 minutes testing him out to see how well he could do it and how far he could go. He did very well, and walked further and further each try.

So, it seems that, he has graduated from Baby to Toddler. But in my heart, he'll always be my baby, same as my 6 and 8 year olds.

Cute Compacts

Okay, so i know i've said eleventy thousand times that i love my Urban Decay Brow Box because of, well, the BOX that it comes in.


Imagine my excitement when another of my fave brands, Boots No. 7, has 3 different products in similar boxes:

Limited Edition Eyeshadow Trio, $7.99 @ Target

Limited Edition Body Shimmer Block, $7.99 @ Target

Boots No. 7 Limited Edition Lip Gloss Trio $7.99 @ Target

These are a bit bulky for any purse or make up drawer, but i may grab the lip gloss trio just because. ;)

Review: Joppa Minerals

Somewhere i saw a reference to Joppa Minerals and looked them up. They had a sample kit for $0.01 + s&h so i ordered it. The sample kit came with 2 tiny jars of foundation, 1 tiny jar of "finishing silk" (their version of mineral veil), and then 4 baggies of various concealers, bronzers and blush. I did get to select each and every color i wanted for the kit so that was cool. I've had it for a while now and just didn't even know where to begin with it, such small amounts, and in baggies and stuff...

Finally today i gave it a whirl and EWWWW. I didn't even get thru the entire application because it is so chalky and powdery. ugh. it felt AWFUL. Just AWFUL! Even to the touch. Bare Minerals are creamy to the touch. These Joppa Minerals made me feel like i'd just been playing with sidewalk chalk. I seriously had to go wash and put on lotion like, stat, because where i rubbed my finger tips against my hands and everything, just felt sucked up and dried out.

So i give these like, negative 5 starrs.

Seriously.

So bad.

Review: Revlon Beyond Natural Smoothing Primer

Well, this past week, Target had Revlon's new "Beyond Natural Smoothing Primer" foundation primer on sale for $10.89 down from the usual $12-ish. I had Target & Revlon coupons so in the end, i spent $5.89 + tax for a .85 fl. oz. tube of the stuff.

I compared the primer to Smashbox's Photo Finish Foundation Primer.

Side by side my initial impression was that Revlon goes on "wetter" than Smashbox. So I would venture to say that if you have dry skin, or if Smashbox ever felt drying to you, Revlon may feel more comfortable on your skin.

Perhaps because of whatever makes it "wetter", this product also seems much more noticeable on. As in, I am aware of it being on my face for some time after I apply it, like it is thicker or heavier... I've never noticed that with Smashbox.

Second, Revlon's primer is scented, & this feature really bugs me. It is a faint fresh scent, but the idea of adding fragrance to something that you put on your face, RIGHT NEAR YOUR NOSE, strikes me as a bad idea. It's so unnecessary. I wonder if the fragrance will cause any negative effect for sensitive skin users. I would caution you to try it in a small inconspicuous area first, if you have sensitivity to such things.

The first time i ever used Smashbox, i rubbed a bit on the back of my hand at the store. I was like WOW! because instantly, my skin looked smoother, my pores looked way smaller and the effect was dramatic. (Not to mention it felt good on, and wasn't SCENTED!) When i tried the same thing with Revlon, it didn't have that wow factor.

So then I wore the Revlon primer under my minerals yesterday and i just wasn't impressed. My make up stayed put, but Bare Minerals have a way of doing that on their own. The reason i like using the Smashbox primer is because of how great it makes my skin look before and after i apply the mineral foundation. I just didn't notice the same effect with the Revlon primer.

Perhaps Revlon's primer would be better reviewed by someone who uses liquid foundation. It has, after all, premiered along with an entire line of Beyond Natural Skin Matching liquid make up. It's possible that i don't see a dramatic result because it isn't meant to be used with mineral foundation. Then again, neither is Smashbox's primer, yet i love the combo.

So I'm at a loss. I hate to say don't buy it if i just haven't used it in conjunction with the correct products. But i hate to say GO GET IT! when i'm not really impressed by it. I'll say for the price, it isn't a bad product to keep in your arsenal. Especially if you don't want to shell out $36 for the other. If you are simply in the market for something just like Smashbox but with a lower price tag, this isn't it.

ULTA Makes it Right?

(This is an update to the great ULTA Fiasco of 2008.)


Guess what arrived in my mail box:

Guess what hasn't worked the 3 times I've tried to use it online:

Guess what ULTA said after i sat on hold for 7 minutes:


Turns out there is a problem with their website and using gift cards. (ya think?) They don't know when it started, they don't know what the problem is, they don't know when it will be fixed. "Thanks for calling..."

I swear ULTA is like a bad boyfriend that treats me like crap, but i can't break up with. I'm getting there though.

Is it what's on the inside that counts?

No, I'm not about to get all deep on you here. We all know the old saying about beauty being on the inside. (For the record, i totally believe it's what is on the inside that counts most. I am only slightly vain, and make-up is my hobby, not my identity. *end of PSA*)

No, today, i'm talking about packaging. Cosmetic packaging. How often do you buy something just because the packaging was cute or caught your eye? Like i said on the Posh Brush review, i like not only the purpose and quality of products, but the color scheme used to decorate it, the font used to brand it, and on occasion, the packaging.

Take for example, the Urban Decay Brow Box. When i had my brows waxed, Eyebrow Genius used Benefit Browzings on me. And hello, Browzings? Hecka cute name. (That's right, I said "hecka".) I put a Browzing compact into my basket, but quickly ditched it for the Urban Decay Brow Box, because i was IN LOVE with the box it came in, the purple tin decoration on top, the little pop out drawer of brow wax, the miniature brush and tweezers... It was a must have!

Even in the drugstore, i barely glance at Revlon cosmetics, because the packaging is so plain, it looks almost generic or something. But Loreal H.I.P. draws me like a magnet to a refrigerator. When i first ever discovered NYX cosmetics, i loved the presentation. The display was so me - a metal freestanding shelf with swirly accents, everything perfectly lined up and organized, the eyeshadow colors going in order from green to blue to purple to pink to red. I loved the single shadow pots and the fact that the lid was see thru so that when i look into my makeup drawer i can grab just the color i want. All of my Clinique shadows come in slide out or mirrored compact type garb, and it never failed that i grabbed at 3 before finding the one i was looking for. So yeah, I'm a sucker for presentation and function.

What about you dear readers? Do you pay attention to such things? Or am i simply a marketing directors dream come true? A sheeple that blindly follows whatever appears pink and purple before me? Do you have some fave cosmetics that i may miss because the display isn't swirly? Tell me about them. I want to know what else I've been missing out on just because it wasn't shiny or flashy or blinking at me. ;)

Basic Eyeshadow Application

For my first ever eye shadow tutorial, I decided to do what I consider the easiest and most versatile eye. This is basic make up application. No smokey eyes, no upsweeping, not a tremendous amount of layering and blending. Just a few colors, some liner and mascara.

It only takes a few minutes to apply, but delivers a very put together look. My usual go-to colors on a busy day are pink & green, or purple & green. The great thing is, you can use your imagination and many color combinations.

For a subdued look, use neutral colors and minimal liner.

For a fun & vibrant look, use bright colors and colored eyeliner.

For a dramatic look, use dark colors such as black and silver or eggplant, add heavy liner and fake lashes.

Here are the items I used in this video:

Urban Decay Primer Potion

NYX Lime Green shadow

NYX Violet Shadow

Urban Decay Last Call (pink) shadow.

Bourjois Eyeliner pencils:

• Duochrome #61 Vert Doré
• Métallisé #52 Brun Inoxydable

Maybelline “Linen” shadow

Loreal Clean Definition Mascara in Black.

By Request: To some certain special hotties...

Review: POSH Makeup brushes

A while back, Elessa at Pursebuzz alerted her readers that Big Lots had NYX shadows for $0.49. I HATE that store almost as much as i hate Walmart, but for NYX I happily made the trip. While I was there hoarding NYX shadows, i also scored 4 POSH brushes for a total of $10:

Lg. Powder Brush

Purse Powder Brush

Kabuki Brush

Smudge Sponge Duo

Posh's slogan is "You can purchase a more expensive make-up brush, but not a better one." And i think they are right. They use natural and synthetic fibers, and the powder brushes - which i use DAILY - have barely ever shed on me. These are the softest brushes i have ever used. In fact, you can see me using them with my Bare Minerals in this video. Plus, the red and black is different, and i love the font they use for "POSH". LOL. I notice all those kinds of things. All of the brushes come in durable little zip lock style pouches, which are great for travel. I seriously love theses brushes and cannot sing their praises enough. Some of you might find these in your local drug or grocery store. I've not run into them anywhere where I live but you can also purchase them online (and the website says you receive a free gift with purchase). If you do purchase online, use the code "UA123" at checkout to receive 50% off your entire order! Then come back and comment here to tell me which ones you bought and how you like them! :)

How to Apply Bare Minerals

My version of how to apply Bare Minerals/Bare Escentuals. Good music too!

ETA: I should mention that my left eye looks extra dark, and has a big lump on my brow bone because i smacked it against the front door. *sigh* Have you ever read my blogger profile? The worst part of it was i tripped walking up to the front door after jamming to starbucks, and while falling FACE FIRST, i also managed to dump $10 worth of coffee all over the front step. As much as my face hurt, i was crying for my mocha.

Fun Stuff from Dollar Tree

I saw these little boxes and thought they'd be great for organizing my make up collection. Also some LA Color cosmetics that they now carry. If you have a Dollar Tree near you, go get some of these boxes before they are all gone!

I could've been a millionaire

Do you ever have those moments where you say to yourself, "Somebody needs to create *insert invention here* so it would be easier to *insert difficult thing to do here*." I do it all the time. And then one day, somebody does invent it and I say to myself "I could've been a millionaire..."

Well, a company called ColorOn stole another of my brilliant ideas... A nifty little invention that puts your eye make up on perfectly, in one easy step. Or so they say. I haven't tried these yet, but I'm going to have to soon before I'm dead from the curiosity. (These are also available at Sephora.)


Check these out - seriously wild!



As for my last post, I didn't get the video up yet and today is my baby's birthday party. So i'll have it up as soon as i can!

Cool things for $1

I recently went to a $1 store to find supplies for my kiddos' birthday party tomorrow and found some unexpected goodies! I have a little video that i'll try to get uploaded before the weekend! :)

Cara

*Update* Herbal Essence Free Mani/Pedi

I picked up two specially marked bottles of Herbal Essence products (Color Me Happy Shampoo & Conditioner) and went to the H.E. website to get the skinny on the deal. I had to go to another page, tlc-rewards.com, and enter the UPC codes off of both bottles. When i did so, it first came back telling me that both numbers were not eligible for the offer. I sat here scratching my color treated head for a moment, because there is a big HUGE advertisement on the front of both bottles. As it turns out, they are only interested in the main and bigger printed number, directly below the bar code. Not so much the 2 smaller corner numbers that flank the main one.
Anyhoo, once it accepted both UPC's, it instructed me to download and print a pdf redemption form. As it turns out, you need to mail this form in along with your ORIGINAL receipt. No copies accepted. So, if you are purchasing, say a new plasma, and your shampoo & conditioner all in one trip, your best bet is to make them separate purchases. Luckily, my receipt is a mish-mosh of baby formula, mascara and Windex. I'm not having anxiety about giving up the original.


Now I'll take a moment to be a bit of a Debbie-downer. TLC Rewards is a "concierge" service for other companies wishing to run these types of promotions. When I was in the hospital after having Caleb, (my just-turned-one year old. *sniff*) I received a gift diaper bag from Similac, full of samples and coupons. Along with all the loot, was a voucher from Similac, for a promotion run thru this TLC company, and it was meant to treat me to some pampering. The rewards varied from haircut to massage. I chose a massage, OF COURSE, and called the 800 number to set it all up. They said they would call me with a list of participating salons. Weeks went by. I called back. I got a pre-recorded message saying that TLC was very busy and re-organizing their system and to try back 2 MONTHS LATER! As I'm sure they'd anticipated, i got too busy with my newborn, and then eventually lost the voucher. boo hoo. So i'm hoping to have a better experience this time, but I thought I'd pass on the dirt I have on this fantastic concierge service. < / sarcasm>

Review: Boots No7 Mattifying Make-Up Base

I recently received a sample of Smashbox's Photo Finish Foundation Primer. It never dawned on me to use a primer with my minerals, (even though Bare Minerals markets one, duh). so i tried my Smashbox sample and loved it, and used it until it was all gone. A few days later I was making the usual HBA rounds at Target and found a foundation primer by Boots No. 7. I heart Boots, so i snatched it up. Mattifying Make-Up Base, priced just right at $6.99, comes in regular and GREEN, for those needing to neutralize a red face. I chose the regular one and excitedly tried it the next day.

~*~*~*Sound the GONG! We have a LOSER! *~*~*~

This stuff is awful. Plain and simple. Forget trying to BLEND it. It is "Matte" in every way and can't be smoothed on no matter which way you try. It actually freaks me out because it feels like my skin is being tugged and pulled while trying to blend it in. HELLO FUTURE WRINKLES! I didn't see any significant difference in my make up while using this, but i DID flip down the visor mirror in time to see a smear of this stuff that hadn't blended in and was CRUSTY AND WHITE on my face. Take it from me, learn from my wasted $6.99 + tax - it's worthless. Don't buy it.

Similar in appearance to Smashbox's primer is a newbie by Revlon called Beyond Natural Smoothing Primer. It is SO going into my cart next time. Stay tuned!

Foundation Primer

So I was just working on a product review about a foundation primer, and I decided to first write a quickie about what the stuff is for. I, for one, had no clue this was another thing i "needed" as a part of my make up routine. And need is used extremely loosely here, since I of all people know that busy mommies can't be all willy~nilly adding EXTRA "to-do's" to their days. It has to be worth it.

I wouldn't say this needs to be a part of your daily make-up prep, but for outings, extra hot and humid days, special events, date night, etc. foundation primer is a great tool. What it does is, PRIMES your face by reducing the look of large pores & fine lines, and overall smooths your skin before you apply your foundation. So your foundation goes on better, looks more even, and lasts much longer. Clinique makes a product meant specifically for helping to control excessively oily areas on your face, such as your T-Zone.

I recently tried a few products and liked one by Smashbox a lot. That one was definitely "worth it" because besides paving the perfect way for my foundation, it actually felt very good going onto my skin. It's not a lotion, but not a typical gel. Almost like it would be greasy, except it isn't. Does that make sense? :)

There are a few other's I plan to try. A new one by Revlon, and another by Rimmel that I've yet to see in person. There is a rumor floating around, that a particular product made by MONISTAT is an excellent foundation primer! LOL! Supposedly Monistat Soothing Care Chafing Relief Powder-Gel is a surprise foundation primer and women everywhere love it so much, they are overcoming their personal embarrassment to purchase it. I haven't tried it yet, but if you are brave enough to purchase it from the teenaged BOY working the register, print the coupon at the bottom of the linked page to save $2.00 on it!

New Outfit

RSM got a mini-makeover. What do you think?

Why Eyeshadow?

Why exactly am I so amused by new make-up purchases or blending the green and purple eyeshadow just right? Well...

I have 3 little boys and a husband. Even my cat, who was supposed to be a girl, is a boy. I am the only female in a house full of creatures that find most of their humor in bodily function. Being a mom, a stay-at-home-mom to be precise, can be hard. lol. am i putting it mildly? We give up a part of ourselves when we decide to bear children. Before we ever lose sleep, or peace of mind, or sanity, we lose part of our self-image. We donate our bodies to incubate children for the sake of a FAMILY. Our husband's don't have to make these sacrifices - we do. We lose our smooth skin (even IF it had a few rolls) to stretch marks. We develop strange blue veins where they had never been before. Our hips change shape in anticipation of birth and for some they never go back to the way they were. We gain weight. Our boobs expand and then deflate leaving nary a glimpse of their former selves. Then the children arrive. We forget what exactly a good night's sleep feels like, and the circles under our tired eyes tell the world "I'm a parent now". It's no strange occurrence to cook and clean the kitchen before we ever sit down to eat, and to "eat" means to inhale bites of food while nursing a fussy baby, or spoon feeding strained carrots to the kid who's learned how to blow raspberries. Sometimes we aren't allowed time to take a shower. Some days, teeth brushing is replaced with Listerine gargling done at the kitchen sink while making a bottle for Screamy McScreamerton. With great disdain, we watch our husband get up, complain of being tired while he gets ONLY himself ready for work, putting on the clean clothes that the laundry fairy washed, dried, folded, pressed, and hung up for him. He leaves to spend the day slaving away free of poopy diapers, projectile vomit and caked-on cheerios, and when he gets home we listen to him complain about his day, his co-workers, his boss, the traffic, all the while feeling a bit green that he WENT OUTSIDE today. The dinner fairy cooks, serves and cleans up for him, and he eventually crawls into bed not to be bothered again except by his alarm at 7am the next morning.

At about this time, i finally have peace and quiet in my life. My brain is finally clearing of the fog and everyone is asleep. the day is done. stores are closed. it's dark outside. And so i sit wide awake, blinking at the TV wondering what has happened to my life.

In order to make myself important (because I am. Moms of the world - WE are!) i make everyday a little more fun and a little more exciting by pampering MYSELF in the smallest of ways. Scented soaps, colored eyeshadow, flavored lip gloss, beauty treatments of any kind make me HAPPY. Painting my finger or toenails means daddy is on duty for at least an HOUR while they dry. *wink* I can't possibly make a bottle or change a diaper with wet nails. Going on family outings on the weekends means I ABSOLUTELY YES get some extra ME time to get ready and this is where i take some extra time experimenting with new make-up or trying something different with my hair. Somehow make-up has this amazing feature in that it tunes out the sighs of my husband, the whines of my children, the fusses of my infant. My make-up has this fascinating bonus where it LOCKS the door to my bathroom, looks me in the eye and says, "CARA, this is all about you babe". How could I ever possibly break off a relationship with something that treats me so special? I'm not saying that YOUR make-up has the same amazing properties as mine. Maybe the magic is in your book collection, or your shoe-store bag, or your closet collection, or your DVR/Tivo. Perhaps for you it lies in new kitchen utensils, a cookbook, home decorating magazine, or *cringe* scrapbook store. Whatever tricks live in whatever bag, find them and use them. I adore my family, and without them nothing else would be as sweet. But i still require the occasional reprieve, and for me, that trick lives in my make-up bag.

Urban Decay Product Reviews

Urban Decay Primer Potion:
I recently purchased the Urban Decay Primer Potion (UDPP) eyeshadow base and I'm in LOVE with it. If you frequent many beauty blogs or forums, you know that this stuff is a MUST HAVE. (I purchased mine for $16 at ULTA, but it's also available at Sephora or Urban Decay's website.)
This stuff is so awesome that one night i went to bed without washing my face and the next morning i STILL had most of my eyeshadow on. LOL! One bit of caution - it works so well, that blending can be hard with the first shadow that you apply over it. So if you plan to do a lot of blending to the first layers, you may want to lightly sweep a neutral shadow on your lid first. This stuff is like an eyeshadow magnet! If you haven't already heard, the bottle that holds this miracle potion can be a little tricky to completely empty. There are many tutorials out there on this, but here is one that is short and sweet. Just be careful! *Rating ~ 4 & 1/2 STARRS*.

Urban Decay Brow Box:
When I had my brows waxed, Stephanie, (AKA Eyebrow Genius) recommended the Benefit brow kit "Browzings" and it was a great little kit. However, when i was shopping the Urban Decay Aisle, i saw this UD Brow Box and fell in love with it. It is adorable and has everything you need to touch up and perfectly style your brows, and it's available in 4 color combinations. I got mine for $29 at Ulta in "Brown Sugar". I take the little brush and dab it - NOT swipe it - in the darkest color, then one dab in the lighter color, then apply. I follow up with the wax to keep my brows groomed all day. The box has a mirror and tweezers if you need to do any small touch ups, and it's small enough to carry in your purse if you want! (This kit is also available for $29 at Sephora and UrbanDecay.com.) *Rating ~ 5 STARRS*


You may remember from the videos during my trip that i desperately wanted a particular eyeshadow color and couldn't find it in stock. I ended up purchasing a similar shadow by Urban Decay called "Last Call". I LOVE IT TO BITS. It is gorgeous and seriously, it's worth a little extra because UD's shadows glide on perfectly. Well, there is a fantastic deal available at ULTA or Sephora, where you can get the UDPP AND an eyeshadow palette that includes Last Call - all for only $39! (I spent $32 on just my primer and ONE eyeshadow.) The Eyeshadow Ammo kit is $34 by itself! This way you get a full sized Primer Potion and an Eyeshadow Ammo palette of 10 shadows for $11 LESS than if you purchased separately. PLEASE BUY IT! Please someone buy it and tell me all about it. I'd buy it but I recently got BUSTED for my last ULTA shopping spree and am on a NO SHOP until the year 2025. :)

The ULTA Fiasco

Okay, I didn't want to write about this until it was resolved, in order to have a full report on their customer service skills. I finally heard back from them, so I thought I'd explain my earlier post about being furious with them.

What Happened:
In an earlier entry, I wrote about how that when I purchased my Bare Minerals Starter Kit, i decided to buy from ULTA.com because they have a club where you earn points on your purchases. (Sephora has a club too, more on that later.) Since I don't have an ULTA store near me, I had to purchase online, and at that time I signed up for the club, printed my card, and earned points on my first purchase. When I was out of town a few weeks ago and made 3 visits to 2 ULTA stores, I used my printed card to claim points on all my purchases. It wasn't until my 2nd visit to the 2nd store that I and the cashier realized no points had been registering. (Bear in mind that each visit didn't include only ONE purchase. lol. There were MANY purchases.) So the cashier asked a manager who inspected my card and announced that it was "expired". I was confused since points expire once per year but cards do not. Regardless, she said my card was no good, set me up with a new one, and gave me a customer service number to call.

Doing the Math:
When i got home from my trip, I gathered all of my receipts and noticed that the points were at ZERO even for my original online purchase of $68. I totaled everything, did MATH *hurl* to figure out what my points should be, and discovered it should have been in the THOUSANDS.

The Worst Part:
ULTA Club points expire ONCE PER YEAR. And guess when that happens? JUNE. So if everything had worked out correctly, I would have been able to REDEEM my points in-store while i was on my trip. But because of this whole mess, I was going to be out of luck and have to start over from scratch. I was ticked. Call me petty, but this made me pretty flipping mad, and like i said, ULTA got my business over Sephora, over Bare Minerals direct, BECAUSE of this little club. I am a sucker for getting free whatevers by carrying a little card around.

Customer Service Experience:
I called the number I had gotten from the manager and spoke with a woman who CUT ME OFF while i was trying to explain what had happened. I HATE HATE that. Especially since I had 10 minutes of sitting on hold to get my facts straight so I could explain it as simply as possible.
Anyway, she cut me off to ask for my card numberS since i now had two. I had to keep repeating parts of the story out of order because she wouldn't just let me explain what had happened. Finally *I THINK* we were both on the same page and she told me to throw away the new card, it was pointless to worry about the few measly points i had collected on it that day. She then did some searching and found out that even though my register receipts said zero points, i had in fact been earning points on all my purchases with the online card. So now i have two cards with two different amounts of points, and the whole year of earning had expired anyway. GET THIS- then she tells me to throw away the online card - it's no good to have anyway. HUH? So i should have no card? At this point i think FINE, SINCE I'LL NEVER SHOP HERE AGAIN! She keeps contradicting herself a bunch until my head is spinning and i finally get ticked and tell her i want credit for all of my points because that was money i spent and it doesn't matter that their system is all screwy.

Here's where it gets interesting:
She goes on to explain that the online card is good anywhere, but the first 3 digits indicate which STATE i got it in (and it came up as ohio or something...). The in-store card i got is only good for California. So i can use the California card online, but only in California stores. I can use the online card anywhere but wont be sure of my points until i double check them later. "so throw away this one... no that one... well maybe keep them both..."

How they fixed it:
At the end of it all, she tells me she's going to talk to her manager (who conveniently isn't available) and see if she can go ahead and send me a $15 gift card for all of the points on my "online card", and I'll just lose out on the 2 purchases i made on the new "California card". She'll call me the next day to let me know. FOUR DAYS LATER, she calls to tell me the gift card is in the mail. So I'm happy they somewhat resolved it. I'm disappointed that my other purchases didn't count, and that i even used a new card because i was told my other one was no good, because their system is jacked up and didn't recognize that i WAS earning points. I'm also disappointed that they weren't HAPPY to resolve it and I had to get testy on the phone to even get anywhere.

I still don't know which card to keep and which to throw away.

The conclusion:
Overall, they did try to resolve it somehow and I'm grateful for that, even if I'm less than impressed with HOW it all went down. I still love make-up and ULTA is one of my dealers, so I'll make purchases there because ultimately i just want my "fix". The club was a bonus and I'll not be counting on that mattering from this point on.

Sephora:
In the midst of all this, I contacted Sephora to find out about their club. I emailed their customer service thru the website and got a response the NEXT DAY. It turns out that for Sephora, you don't even need a card so there is no confusion on which cards work where. (Although you MAY have a card if you'd just like to have one.) You are in their system by name or phone number and your points are always credited to you the same whether you purchase online or in-store. When you reach a certain number of points, you can redeem them for DELUXE SIZED SAMPLES with your purchases. It certainly isn't store credit like ULTA, but it's still a fun freebie and who doensn't like those? :)

Tell Me:
Do you have any exceptional (good or bad) experiences with either of these stores and their customer service? If so tell me about them! I always try to give people the benefit of the doubt, I try to not be just a complainer, and tell people when I've had a really GREAT experience as well as contacting businesses with the bad stuff. I also like to give people a chance to make it right and in this case i guess they KIND OF did that. I'll still shop with ULTA and I'll anticipate great future experiences.

But I'm definitely excited to give Sephora a whirl and will report back about how well I'm courted by them. ;)

Red White and Blue Eyes

Happy Fourth of July!

Face: Bare Minerals with WARMTH all over face color.
Eyes: Urban Decay Primer Potion, NYX Shadow Pencil in RUST, NYX Single Eyeshadows in Navy and White Pearl. Maybelline Unstoppable Eyeliner in espresso, and Loreal Telescopic Mascara in Black.
Lips: E.L.F. clear gloss.

Free Shipping from Benefit! Four days only!

Benefit is offering FREE SHIPPING from July 3rd thru the 6th! US enter code: JULYFOUR - no minimum purchase amoutn required!
International shoppers use code: INTLSHIP on orders over $100.

While you're there, check out their Beauty School page and be sure to order a free catalog for "powder room" reading! hee hee!

Items to check out -

Brow Zings eyebrow kit. When i got my brow wax at the Benefit Brow Bar, Stephanie used this brow kit on me and it looked great! It also eliminates a step since one of the colors is also the wax. On sale for $22.50!

Boi-ing industrial-strength concealer. Great for dark under eye circles. Available in 3 shades.

Best of Benefit: beauty bag essentials. Cute set of their best goodies. A $65 value, was $46, now marked down to only $34.50! (I'm definitely grabbing one of these!)

Freebies

These are NOT the "free" offers that require you to apply for credit cards and take surveys. These are just a few free samples - straight from the brands, that I thought you might wanna take advantage of. Enjoy!

Sunsilk

Dove

"Sensational" Perfume Sample

John Frieda Weatherworks/Night Serum


I'll add more if I come across any. :)

Make-UpLand?

Okay, I was visiting Disneyland 3 years ago and saw a Sephora in Downtown Disney (can you believe I didn't go in?!?) It was my first encounter with the store however, and somehow I always think of Disney when i think of Sephora. So HOW FUNNY that when i emailed their customer service yesterday, i read a blurb on their website referring to their store employees as "Cast Members". Is it seriously an extension of DisneyLand? Like in addition to TomorrowLand, and Frontierland... Makeupland? Makes complete sense to me. I can't believe Disney didn't think of it sooner.