Tag Archives: samples

Oct8

Clinique Love Pop Lipstick Swatch

Posted on October 8, 2022 by lifewithlilred

Hello!! This past week, we had a day full of visitors at chez parents. My aunt dropped by and she bequeathed some makeup and skin care samples for my sister and I to enjoy. As luck would have it, Kristen and my nieces came over shortly after and I divided up the loot. Skin care for me and makeup for Kristen. Of course, I had to ask her if I could swatch the Clinique Love Pop lipstick before she could take it home lol check it out:

While I was snapping some pics of this new lippie, my Val Gal came up to me and asked why I was taking pictures of lipstick. Haha! I explained to her that her TT’s job is sometimes showing off products so people can decide if they want to buy it or not. She seemed to get it and was happy to get a story read to her as I finished up. 😀

The Love Pop color is the perfect raspberry hue and it is oh so pretty. However, it is not the shade for me. With really vibrant hair, I have to be careful of the lip color that I choose to avoid looking clown like. As much as it pains me to admit it, I am no longer a red lipstick girl and muted nudes are my new go to’s.

BUT, if my hair situation was different, I would be so rocking this lippie! It is such a lovely shade for fall and will look stunning against autumn blue skies and the changing leaves. The Love Pop color features deep pink undertones with the smallest touch of purple and will be great with a jewel toned top to reflect all of the rich colors that fall is known for.

If you are on the prowl for a raspberry tart pout, then Love Pop is the hue for you. Myself, on the other hand, loves the Bare Pop and just might have to give it a try!

What is your favorite lipstick? Did you buy new makeup if you made a drastic change to your hair? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun19

Sephora Haul

Posted on June 19, 2022 by lifewithlilred

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Hello everyone!! Sephora always gives the best birthday gifts to their Beauty Insider members and, shockingly, it had all but slipped my mind until I got a reminder email. I didn’t feel like going to the mall just to pick up one thing, however, so I took care of it online. Although I have plenty of the couple of products that I purchase through Sephora, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to buy more to reach the fifty dollar free shipping mark.

Happily, I discovered that they were doing free shipping on all orders when I got on their website! Rather than get more stock pile products, I purchased one small item so that I could get all of my freebies. This haul costed me three dollars in total and it was money well spent! Check it out:

The Haul:

Sephora brand cleansing wipes
Ilia birthday gift – FREE
Tatcha water cream – FREE
Maison Margiela Replica sample – FREE
Sulwhasoo renewing cream sample – FREE

Prior to shopping Sephora online, I never quite understood people’s obsession with it. When shopping in store, you miss out on so many amazing deals and while I would make in store purchases, I never felt like I was getting a lot of bang for my buck. And, at over twenty five dollars for a tube of Better Than Sex mascara (Still worth it!) I couldn’t help but feel like I was getting ripped off.

Fast forward to my first online order and I was like “Oh… I get it now”. Sephora offers some of the best online deals that I have ever seen and I always feel good about what I bought because I get so many freebies. This little haul is a shining example of that and it costed literal pocket change. You just can’t beat that!

I got a sample jar of Tatcha moisturizer with my Beauty Insider points which I am excited to use. And when you shop online with Sephora, you are allowed to pick out two free samples to complete your order. I went for the Sulwhasoo cream as well as a fragrance sample. My best friend, Lea, and I recently had a conversation about wanting to try a more long lasting perfume so I couldn’t not get a new fragrance to test out. Unfortunately, Replica wasn’t a winner but, hey, it was worth a shot.

We will unbox the Ilia birthday gift after checking out my new nails tomorrow so keep it posted for that. In the meantime, give Sephora’s website a look through and see which freebies you can snag for yourself! 😀

What is your favorite fragrance? Which store offers the best in store or online deals? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar13

Sephora Haul

Posted on March 13, 2022 by lifewithlilred

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Hello! I don’t shop with Sephora often but, whenever I do, I make sure that my purchases are made online. Sephora’s online promotions pale in comparison to an in store shopping experience and I always receive lots of free goodies with a fifty dollar purchase so that I qualify for free shipping. And, we all know that that isn’t hard to do!

It had been a while since I restocked my Better Than Sex mascara and I was almost out of the tube that I have been using. I spent fifty-four dollars on my order and got all of these freebies to show for it:

The Haul:

2 Better Than Sex mascaras by Too Faced
PeterThomasRoth Water Drench moisturizer (Free with my Beauty Insider points)
Fresh Sugar Lip Mask (Free with my Beauty Insider points)
Farmacy Vitamin B Night Mask (Free with twenty-five dollar purchase)
Clarins serum and moisturizer sample (Free with any purchase)
Herbivore Pink Cloud moisturizer sample (Free with any purchase)

Other than Bath & Body Works, I would definitely say that Sephora has the best promotions to give you the most bang for your buck. And, it should because the products are expensive! The Better Than Sex mascara is the only “high end” makeup that I use and it is a whopping twenty-seven dollars per tube. Being able to test out all different kinds of brands and products FO FREE really helps to soften the blow for high priced purchases.

During my online shopping with Sephora, I usually find something that I can use my Beauty Insider points with and typically use my rewards for skin care. While they have free makeup and hair care available, I don’t do my hair and makeup every day, more like once a week, so a trail size mask or moisturizer makes more sense for me. I went with the Fresh Sugar Lip Mask, which I can’t wait to try because my lips are always in a permanent state of chapped. I also cashed in for the PeterThomasRoth Water Drench moisturizer for something different during my skin care routine.

Sephora also offers a plethora of Beauty Deals online and you can get a free trial size product with a twenty-five dollar purchase. Like free shipping for fifty dollars, this is not difficult to get and just one Better Than Sex mascara got me over the twenty-five dollar mark. I chose the Vitamin B night mask from Farmacy for this freebie because it has been a while since I had a new Face Mask Festivities on my page. Keep it posted for a review on this mask soon!

Finally, with every online purchase you can pick out two free sample products which is a nice touch. I always go the skin care route for these samples too and ended up with two moisturizers and a serum sample. With all of these freebies combined, it makes every online order with Sephora well worth it and I feel like I got a deal for how much I spent.

Of course, it’s always fun to poke around in store at Sephora and see everything in real life. I recommend going home and ordering the products you have your eye on online, though, so you can score a great deal too!

Which store offers the best promotions? What are your thoughts on any of the products in my haul if you have used them? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jul27

Face Mask Festivities: Korres Pomegranate Ahas & Enzymes Resurfacing Mask Edition

Posted on July 27, 2021 by lifewithlilred

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Face Mask Festivities: Korres Pomegranate Ahas & Enzymes Resurfacing Mask Edition

Hello and welcome to another new edition of Face Mask Festivities compliments of my Sephora Haul! The best part of online shopping with Sephora is all of the freebies and promotions on the site and during my last haul, I received five items FO FREE. This never happens when shopping in store and I feel like I get so much more bang for my buck when I need to restock my beauty must haves.

Today, we are going to be discussing the Pomegranate Ahas & Enzymes Resurfacing Mask by Korres. This mask is made for people with oily or combination skin and, despite having normal to dry skin, I figured it couldn’t hurt to try! Now, let’s get to it:

My first impression of the Korres Resurfacing Mask was how good it smelled! I caught a strong strawberry scent and was reminded even more so of them by the crushed pomegranate seeds. This mask had a sandy texture, applied easily, and dried quickly so if you use it, you do not want to have it on more than the recommended time. I had the mask on for roughly three minutes before washing it off and that was plenty as my skin started feeling slightly tight.

Although I don’t have oily skin, I do sweat a lot in the summer because my apartment is so hot which is why I thought the Resurfacing Mask could still be beneficial. I was right on the money because my skin both looked and felt much better after using it. My skin had a nice glow to it thanks to the exfoliating pomegranate seeds and it didn’t look as shiny, either. Any tightness I felt also dissipated as soon as I put my serum and moisturizer on.

I wouldn’t be able to get away with using the Korres Pomegranate Ahas & Enzymes Resurfacing Mask regularly as it would really dry my skin out. However, I can definitely see how it would be great for people with oily or combination skin and recommend this mask if you have that skin type. It had a wonderful scent, worked quickly, and had instant results. It doesn’t get much better than that!

How would you describe your skin type? Which products benefit your skin the most? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jul7

Sephora Haul

Posted on July 7, 2021 by lifewithlilred

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Hi! During my birth month of June, I love taking advantage of all of the free birthday gifts from the various rewards programs that I am signed up for. Between mine and Johnny’s double birthdays and our wedding this past month, I had all but forgotten about getting my freebie on until it was almost too late. While I missed out on the day of my birthday freebies, I placed an order with Sephora just in time to receive my gift from them.

I was in desperate need of more Better Than Sex mascara and I also bought two eyeshadow palettes to play around with. The palettes are absolutely fabulous so be on the look out for swatches soon! Equally as fabulous, is the fact that I also got five free items with this order. 😀 Check out my Sephora Haul:

The Haul:

2 Better Than Sex mascaras by Too Faced
Le Macaron palette by Violet Voss
Rare Beauty palette by Selena Gomez
LANEIGE birthday gift set (FREE!)
Innisfree Pore Clearing Clay Mask (FREE!)
GlamGlow BrightMud exfoliating treatment (FREE!)
Volition Snow Mushroom Water Serum sample (FREE!)
Korres Pomegranate Resurfacing Mask sample (FREE!)

It took me a while to get hip to Sephora and I could never justify buying anything from there while shopping in store because they never have any promotions. Online shopping, however, is a totally different story! Sephora offers free shipping with purchases over fifty dollars, two free samples per order, and promotional freebies with purchases over twenty-five dollars. I don’t order with Sephora very often but I make the most of it whenever I do, as you can see!

Multiple free items per order make me feel like I am getting way more bang for my buck and I cannot wait to pamper myself with all of my new face masks. I am also very excited to test out my new palettes. After getting my makeup done professionally for my wedding, it inspired me to be more adventurous with my makeup. It will be fun to try colors that are way different than the three that I alternate between (lol) and I know my sister will be proud because she always makes fun of me for that. 😀

Tomorrow, we are going to take a closer look at the LANEIGE birthday gift with three test size products. Then, it will be onto Face Mask Festivities and eyeshadow swatches galore! Keep it posted. ❤

Which store offers the best online promotions or rewards programs? What are your thoughts on any of the products above if you have used them? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Nov6

Elizabeth Mott Pop! Goes The Shadow Swatch In Gunmetal

Posted on November 6, 2020 by lifewithlilred

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Elizabeth Mott Pop! Goes The Shadow Swatch In Gunmetal

Hello everyone! It has been a while since I’ve swatched much of anything because I haven’t been wearing a lot of makeup this past year. Due to COVID, I pretty much only go to work and that’s it besides for a monthly grocery shopping trip and getting my nails done. In fact, makeup has been one of the last things on my radar, considering more than half of my face is usually covered by a mask!

Despite not “throwing paint on the old barn” as often as I once did, I am the first to admit that testing out different shades of makeup is a lot of fun. So, I was very thankful to my sister, Kristen, for bestowing some of her makeup hand me downs on to me – some of them were brand new! 😀

Today, we are going to be swatching a very cool gunmetal eyeshadow by Elizabeth Mott. And, can we please talk about how cute the name “Pop! Goes The Shadow” is? Adorable! Take a look at some pics and let’s discuss:

^^^ The top heart is the eyeshadow while wet and the second one is when it’s dry.

Wayyyy back in the day when I was an Assistant Manager at The Body Shop, they had a cream eye liner that I loved in silver. I wore it all the time and the compliments on the bold color never ceased. Although this gunmetal shadow is not nearly as shocking, it still reminds me of one of my makeup OGs and I was just tickled when trying it out. And, the answer is: YES. I do plan on wetting this eyeshadow and wearing it as a liner, of course.

I am a fan of this Elizabeth Mott eyeshadow but, my one complaint is that the color (On my skin, at least) has a lot of brown undertones. This definitely took away from the “wow factor” of a pure gunmetal grey and I wish that it applied more true to the color in the second picture seen above. This is not to say that I didn’t like it, though! It applied easily, washed off easily, and who doesn’t love a lil glitter?! ❤

What is your favorite brand of eyeshadow? Which makeup brand has the best packaging? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun29

June 2020 Finishes Pt. 1

Posted on June 29, 2020 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!! I have a theory that June seriously dragged because of my family vacation to look forward to at the end of the month. It made each day feel like a lifetime… Maybe that explains why I have so many empties that I had to break my normal monthly finishes post into a part one and two!

The real reason, however, is that I haven’t been wearing makeup in quarantine. Therefore, I’m using twice as much skin care per month because I have a fresh face to apply a nighttime routine on. I can definitely notice the difference in my skin from the daily double whammies of moisturizers and serums. Now, maybe I’ll be more motivated to take my makeup off at night post quarantine. Maybe!

Lol, let’s take a look at these skin care empties and discuss:

Would I Use Again?

Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair moisturizer: NO
SkinLab Lift & Firm moisturizer: YES
SkinLab Lift & Firm Eye Gel: YES
Biossance Vitamin C & Rose Hip Serum: YES

Why/Why Not?

Neutrogena Moisturizer: My mom gave me this moisturizer when I was running low at home and holy wow is this stuff powerful. Of course, this product was made with more mature skin in mind and at twenty-six, mine just didn’t meet that mark. After a few days of use, my skin was SO dry and red that I had to put olive oil on it just to breathe some lift back into the painful, burning dryness.

Once I realized it was way too strong for my skin, I mixed a bit of it into my normal SkinLab moisturizer and that felt much better. Waste not, want not as the saying goes. I can’t say I recommend this product for anyone in my age range but I think it would be fabulous for those with more mature skin.

SkinLab Moisturizer: My Lift & Firm moisturizer felt like absolute heaven in comparison to the Neutrogena one! So rich and insanely hydrating, my skin was drinking it up after being so dried out. It takes me one month to finish one jar and I always plan on using it again. In fact, I need a restock soon!

SkinLab Eye Gel: And, as you know, I am all about the SkinLab Eye Gel too. It takes me at least three months to finish one tiny jar and I can’t picture my skin care routine without it, either.

Biossance Serum: I received this little vial of serum as a freebie during my last Sephora haul and, if given the opportunity, I would use it again. My skin looked radiant and felt so nourished after each use. My only qualm, though, is that it never fully sank into my skin and it left a somewhat greasy residue. This is not ideal, especially in the hot summer months. It took me a week and a half of twice daily use to finish the sample.

Now you know all about my skin care empties for the month! Do tune in tomorrow to learn more about the rest of my June Finishes. 🙂

Which products have you used up this month? Have you tried out any new skin care recently? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun21

Milk Makeup Lip + Cheek Stick Swatch In Werk

Posted on June 21, 2020 by lifewithlilred

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Milk Makeup Lip + Cheek Stick Swatch In Werk

Hello! During my last Sephora haul, I ended up with a ton of freebies which included my Beauty Insider birthday gift. This year, there were three options to choose from including some body lotions and hair care. Obviously, I went for the makeup and got a mini Kush mascara and Lip + Cheek stick by Milk Makeup.

I have never used anything by Milk before, but you can never go wrong with a new mascara or a color you haven’t used before for your lips and cheeks. Upon first glance, the Lip + Cheek stick seemed like a color that would be too dark on me. But, after swatching it, I think I will stick to wearing it on my lips instead of the cheeks.

First, take a look at some pics and we’ll discuss further:

After swatching my new Lip + Cheek stick, I realized that I liked the deep apricot hue that it would deliver. I also realized that I just really don’t like stick blushes. I have always been a powder blush girl and this product feels so chapstick-y to me that I really don’t think I have it in me to swipe it over my cheeks! After rubbing it in, the balmy feeling subsided but that initial unpleasantness makes it a no from me, dawg, on anything but my lips.

Is Werk my favorite shade in the world? Hardly. But, it will be nice to keep a mini lip color in my bag for when I feel like I could use a little something something. Do these samples make me more inclined to purchase full sized products by Milk Makeup? Not particularly. At the end of the day, though? You can’t beat free, even if the products are not your favorite!

Which birthday freebie did you get from Sephora? What are your thoughts on Milk Makeup? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun19

Huge Sephora Haul

Posted on June 19, 2020 by lifewithlilred

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Hello! I don’t shop in store with Sephora often, unless I plan on purchasing new makeup. Normally, I just get everything I already know I like online because they have amazing freebie deals and free shipping with a fifty dollar purchase… Which, let’s be honest, is not hard to do!

This past online order, I really needed more of my favorite hair product: IGK’s Mistress Hair Balm and I also was in the mood to order some treats. So, I decided to scour their sale section and ended up with some darling new fake eyelashes, a face mask, a butt mask (lol!), and a whole lot of freebies. Check it out:

Okay, let’s start out by addressing the elephant in the room: THE BUTT MASK. I did not go on Sephora’s website specifically to buy this! I was literally one dollar away from free shipping and didn’t want to make a huge purchase, so I bought the mask on sale for four bucks to get me over the limit. I’d be a liar if I said I wasn’t curious and obviously I’m looking forward to using it. Since when is there a beauty product just for the booty boo?!

Anyways, I planned out this purchase to get the maximum amount of freebies, as you can see. Not only did I get my birthday freebie by Milk Makeup but I also got eleven additional samples with a twenty-five dollar purchase and two extra ones just for online shopping. It was a great deal and I have been enjoying testing out all of the high end skin care I got samples of.

It has already been established that I’m looking forward to trying my face AND butt mask but I think I am the most excited about my new eyelashes. The Museum Of Ice Cream and Sephora collab introduced the world to the most adorable, feather adorned fake eyelashes I have ever seen. Of course, there’s nowhere to flaunt them now but once I get my hair done it’s photo shoot time so be on the lookout to see a super funky and cool MOTD!

How do you get the best deals when shopping Sephora? Which beauty products do you love to treat yourself to? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar17

Mary Kay Mineral Eye Color Swatch In Moonstone

Posted on March 17, 2020 by lifewithlilred

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Mary Kay Mineral Eye Color Swatch In Moonstone

Hi! At the bridal expo my bestie and I attended they had so many damn vendors I thought we were never going to get through them all. And, of course, it wouldn’t be a bridal expo without your friendly neighborhood Mary Kay representative breathing down your throat. But, they had freebies! In their little goody bags, there was the lip gloss sample you saw yesterday and a single use eyeshadow application that we’ll look more closely at today:

Let me start off by saying, that I have never seen an eyeshadow sample like Mary Kay’s before. The makeup was protected by a thin sheet of plastic and, once peeled off, you could help yourself to the eyeshadow underneath. I thought this was so clever and it’s a great way to test a color out without committing to the purchase. And, god forbid you end up not liking the color you buy!

Having said that, this eyeshadow sucked lol. At first glance, it looks like this pretty pale yellow mixed with fairy dust. Then, on application, it just looked white with a ton of shimmer and I would never wear anything like that… Even when I was a teenager I didn’t wear anything like that! It also wiped off completely with one gentle swipe of a dry paper towel, so do with that info what you will.

Although I wouldn’t wear this as an eyeshadow, I thought it might make for a pretty highlighter. But, that’s what buying a highlighter is for! I give this Mary Kay Mineral Eye Color in Moonstone a big fat WHOMP WHOMP and I can guarantee you that you would have better luck with makeup from the dollar store.

Which brand of makeup do you find overrated? How do you rock a shimmery MOTD? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

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