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Best beauty products, reviewed!

Best beauty products reviewed (intro image)

That's right, everything is reviewed with nothing spared! Mascaras, eye liners, lip glosses... oh my.


Introduction

OK, I’m going to start off by saying this: I need help.

That’s right. When it comes to beauty products, I’m a total girlie-girl. I love it all.

Hand lotions, bubble baths, hand sanitizers, makeup & cosmetics, face cleansers & moisturizers, perfumes & fragrances, lip glosses, nail polishes, hair care… oh my!

I also have to admit this: I’m very discriminatory as to what kind of beauty products to buy and use. I usually have a tendency to lean towards the higher priced, specialty brands vs. going for what’s available at the local pharmacy or Walmart. For example, my favorite makeup & cosmetics brand of all time? Smashbox.

Smashbox makeup photo collage

Photo collage of makeup products from my favorite cosmetics brand, Smashbox

But as you all probably know by now… just ’cause I prefer higher quality, that doesn’t mean I’m willing to spend a fortune! In fact, I religiously follow the frugal living path in order to justify my shopaholic obsession with purchasing beauty products.

Natalie Dee comics - bath products intervention

This comic is a 100% complete and accurate reflection of who I am. You should see my office at work... I have a line of Bath & Body Works lotion bottles so long it takes up the full depth of my desk!

So when it comes to beauty products, there are a few things that I intend on accomplishing within this blog. It’s true that I’m a shopaholic for for all things beauty… in fact, I make regular trips to my neighborhood Sephora several times a month. It would only make sense for me to write product reviews of all the beauty products that I’ve tried out! My goal? To come up with the ultimate “Best Beauty Products” resource guide. Oh, and of course, I also plan on blogging about amazing beauty product frugal deals that I come across.
Image sources: Illustration used in “best beauty products, reviewed” intro image by Kat Chadwick, courtesy of TheDesignFiles.net, tweaked by Karina of KnittingandPurling.com. Images used in photo collage of Smashbox cosmetics courtesy of BuzzBeauty.com, Amazon.com, Perfumezilla.com, Sephora.com, Parfumy.com and Smashbox.com. Comic courtesy of NatalieDee.com.

You’ll find below a list of all Knitting & Purling blog posts pertaining to all things beauty. Enjoy!

Blog Reviews of the Best Beauty Products

S’mores with your bubble bath, anyone? With Philosophy’s Melting Marshmallow Shampoo/Shower Gel/Bubble Bath, you’ll feel positively ooey, gooey & downright toasty!

2011
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Philosophy Melting Marshmallow beauty products

Introducing Philosophy's "Melting Marshmallow" beauty products...


Introduction

Without getting into details, work has been pretty crazy these past couple of weeks! Lots of stuff have suddenly happened in my industry, and we’re just trying to make sense of everything.

What does that translate to? Well, yesterday I found myself struggling to relax after work… my usual combo of watching TV with my hubby/playing with our pet bunny/knitting (see, I can multitask!) just wasn’t working. What I needed was a nice, warm bubble bath.

Welcome to another entry in the “A Girl’s Love Affair With…” blog series. This time? The girl (myself) is in love with bubble baths!

Style post bulletin board - Philosophy Melting Marshmallow beauty products

Today's featured top fashion find: Toasty & deliciously scrumptious Philosophy Melting Marshmallow beauty products!

Philosophy Melting Marshmallow Bath and Beauty Product Review

I’ve already blogged before about my love of bubble baths, and how excited I was to be able to have more of them in our new apartment.

Back then, my scents du jour were Bath and Body Works‘ Japanese Cherry Blossom, Warm Vanilla Sugar, and White Citrus.

Since then, I’ve had the chance to restock my supply of yummy scented bubble baths. I stopped by Sephora last December during their Boxing Week sale event, and was pleasantly surprised to discover a whole bunch of their holiday-themed beauty products were heavily discounted. So what did I do? I proceeded to buy out every clearance-priced Philosophy bubble bath product, of course… one of each type (you know me, and my love of sales!).

Philosophy Crispy Marshmallow Bars bubble bath

Just to clarify, my new "Melting Marshmallows" bubble bath is different from this "Crispy Marshmallow Bars" bubble bath from Philosophy

Anyway, I’ll blog about the other scents another day… but today I wanted to showcase Philosophy’s Melting Marshmallow Shampoo/Shower Gel/Bubble Bath.

Like I had said before, this is a Christmas-only item… not to be confused with Philosophy’s regular Crispy Marshmallow Bars Shampoo/Shower Gel/Bubble Bath (which I’ve never had the chance to try, but I’m pretty certain I’d love it as well if given the opportunity to give it a test run!).

Anyway, back to using Philosophy’s Melting Marshmallow in a bubble bath! I have to admit, it is a tad weird experiencing this ooey, gooey, and downright toasty feeling of being at a campfire and wishing you were roasting s’mores… but at the same time, feeling positively relaxed while soaking in a hot bubble bath. Also reminds me a bit of making Rice Krispies squares Strange, but definitely not a bad thing!

P.S. Who doesn’t like Rice Krispies squares?!? I’ll tell you, two words:

Where to Buy Philosophy Melting Marshmallow Sets Online?

Here are a few sample online stores that currently sell Philosophy Melting Marshmallow gift sets…

Image sources: Images courtesy of Philosophy.com, tweaked by Karina of KnittingandPurling.com.
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The best way to get comfy? If you’re a “21st century homemaker” like myself, then a hot bubble bath with a back issue of Martha Stewart Living magazine, of course!

2010
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Martha Stewart Living Magazine - January 2010 cover

January 2010 cover of the Martha Stewart Living magazine

Want to know what’s the best cure if you’re in need of comfort? If you’re a domestic homebody like myself, then nothing calms your nerves and relaxes you more than settling into a hot bubble bath with a good back issue of Martha Stewart Living magazine. Mmmmm.

That’s right. It’s time for another entry in my “A Girl’s Love Affair With…” blog series. This time? The girl (myself) is in love with bubble baths!

Ever since my husband and I moved to our new apartment, I’ve been enjoying more bubble baths. Before, at our old place, it would be a hassle to constantly keep our tub at a “spic ‘n span” level of cleanliness (And I refuse to bathe in a tub that’s not sparkling clean. I swear, I’m not anywhere close to being a Germaphobe… but something about taking a bath in a dirty tub just sounds too gross for words).

But now that we’ve moved to a condo that comes equipped with not one, but two bathrooms (each one with its own bathtub!)… well, let’s just say there’s nothing standing in the way anymore between me and bubble baths whenever I please!

Bath and Body Works bubble baths

My favorite Bath & Body Works bubble baths du jour: Japanese Cherry Blossom, Warm Vanilla Sugar, and White Citrus

I’ve always been a SUPREME fan of Bath and Body Works’ Signature Collections of hand lotions, body butters, anti-bacterial hand soaps, anti-bacterial waterless hand sanitizers (both regular- and travel-sizes), “fragrance mists” & “fragrance splashes,” candles, plus “Wallflowers” & “Scentbug” room scent diffusers.

Now that I’m capable of taking bubble baths any day of the week, I can add Bath and Body Works’ Signature Collections of Bubble Bath & Soaks to my list!

My current Bath & Body Works scents du jour?
Image sources: Bath and Body Works bubble bath images courtesy of BathandBodyWorks.com, with collage image compiled by Karina of KnittingandPurling.com.
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Frugal shopping continued: Smashbox cosmetics sale… and happy Cyber Monday, everyone!

2010
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Dork Tower comic - Cyber Monday

It's that time again... the Internet version of Black Friday!


Introduction

Happy Cyber Monday, everyone!

For those of you who haven’t already splurged enough on Friday (or through the weekend), Cyber Monday is here for you to spend a lil’ more! Today is the day where retailers are officially given free rein to go all out offering online sales… that is, if they haven’t already used the excuse of “Black Friday” to start pumping out online offers since Friday (and, as previously mentioned in my Black Friday blog post, there has been a growing trend over time where more and more stores are opting for the latter scenario).

As with Black Friday, I once again went through the process of mining through Cyber Monday email offers from my favorite retailers. However, this year I didn’t notice any Cyber Monday deals that were particularly enticing… that was a bit disappointing. But maybe it’s for the best, considering how much money I ended up spending later that evening at a cosmetics warehouse sale!

Lisas Cosmetics beauty products warehouse sale flyer 2010

It's almost Christmas... time for another Lisa's Cosmetics warehouse sale, with savings of up to 80% on my favorite makeup brand, Smashbox!

Every year around Christmas time, there’s a cosmetics warehouse sale in town that offers amazing prices on brand name makeup such as Smashbox and Elizabeth Arden, and ridiculously low prices on fragrances, nail polish, shampoo, skincare, hair dye products… basically anything you can think of, they have it there on sale at warehouse prices!

I dropped by after work with my mom to check out the sale, and basically walked away with $150+ worth of cosmetics and nail polish. Eek! And that’s with all the nail polishes being only $0.99 each. Although, it should be noted that I did end up buying bottle after bottle after bottle of every single nail polish color that I could get my hands on. I mean, c’mon, $0.99 each!! Plus, I’m currently all about changing nail colors every couple of days for kicks, so this is a great way to do that while staying frugal. So yeah, even though the items were dirt cheap, everything does add up.

Tracy Reese for Sally Hansen 2009 salon nail lacquers

Sally Hansen's "Salon" nail lacquers were only 99 cents each at the cosmetics warehouse sale!

Although it should be noted that most of the items that I bought were Smashbox makeup products, and even at “warehouse prices” Smashbox cosmetics are significantly pricier than most of the cheap stuff that they also offered, like $1.99 for all makeup items from brands Anabelle or Red Earth. I personally swear by Smashbox makeup through-and-through, and refuse to wear the cheap stuff… which is why this sale was perfect for me.

So even though I didn’t technically take advantage of any official Cyber Monday deals, I did end up walking away on Cyber Monday having my need for retail therapy completely satisfied… just from going to that cosmetics sale!

Here is a summary of some of the great beauty finds that I walked away with today. Consider it an “unboxing” of sorts. Enjoy!

List of Smashbox Cosmetics, Purchased at Warehouse Prices Today…

Photo collage of Smashbox cosmetics purchased at the warehouse sale

My Cyber Monday? I celebrated with a Smashbox cosmetics shopping spree! Check out some of these great beauty finds...

Note: Images in the photo collage that correspond to the bulleted list below are arranged clockwise, starting from the top left)

  1. Smashbox Eye Shadow (35mm Shimmer Color)
  2. Smashbox Eye Shadow (Green Room Color)
  3. Smashbox Contour Brush #11
  4. Smashbox Lip Gloss (Heat Color)
    5. Photo collage showcasing Elizabeth Arden cosmetics purchased at the warehouse sale

    My "Cyber Monday" shopping trip also included some Elizabeth Arden cosmetics!

  5. Smashbox Eye Shadow Trio (Film Star Eye Shadow Color Palette)
  6. Smashbox Function5 Self-Adjusting Powder Foundation (Light L1-L2 Color)
  7. Smashbox Lipstick (Candle Color)
  8. Smashbox Muse Lip Paint (Virtuoso Color)
  9. Smashbox Eye Shadow (Dream Color)
  10. Smashbox Eye Shadow (Butter Color)
  11. Smashbox Photo Finish Lipstick with Sila-Silk Technology (Beautiful Color)
  12. Smashbox Lipstick (Candid Color)
  13. Smashbox Soft Lights Highlighting Powder (Lens Color)

List of Elizabeth Arden cosmetics, also purchased at warehouse prices…

  1. Elizabeth Arden Lash Optimizer Primer with Conditioners
  2. Elizabeth Arden High Shine Lip Gloss (Pink Pout Color)


Where to Buy the Cosmetics Mentioned in This Blog Post Online?

Here are a few sample online stores that currently sell the Sally Hansen, Smashbox and Elizabeth Arden makeup products mentioned above…

#1) Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure (In a Variety of Colors!)

#2) Smashbox Eye Shadow (35mm Shimmer Color)

#3) Smashbox Eye Shadow (Green Room Soft Sparkle Color)

#4) Smashbox Eye Shadow (Dream Soft Sparkle Color)

#5) Elizabeth Arden High Shine Lip Gloss (Pink Pout Color)

Image sources: Cyber Monday comic courtesy of DorkTower.com. Warehouse sale flyer image courtesy of LisasCosmetics.com. Images used in photo collage of Sally Hansen nail polish courtesy of BellaSugar.com. Images used in photo collage of Smashbox cosmetics courtesy of BuzzBeauty.com (1, 2, 5, 9, 10), Amazon.com (3, 8), Perfumezilla.com (4), Sephora.com (6), Parfumy.com (7, 11), Unknown (12) & Smashbox.com (13). Images used in photo collage of Elizabeth Arden cosmetics courtesy of Beauty.HSN.com & Shop.ElizabethArden.com.
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