Audacious and Atomic August Hauls 2025

[danielledanielle]

 

It's the peak of summer ⛱️

Oooh, bummer

No Sephoria (yet) and school may start soon.

But we're about to swoon

Over your haul

Whether they are are audaciously large

Or atomically small

Holiday sets hitting up your charge 💳

Friends and Family may be at large

For all these gifts, I might need a barge

Three for me, one for you, though

Following that @blackkitty2014 credo

 

Happy Birthday to all the August BIC Babies!

[danielledanielle]

TY for the swatches! I was stalking a Sephora, now I don't have to stalk mine so hard now, 🤣 @itsfi 

[itsfi]

@danielledanielle, I want your local stores to get them too, so I can see your swatches of them. I was going to say "keep stalking" 😂🤣😂 but that doesn't seem right. 

[danielledanielle]

Sentiment heard.  I only stalk in the name of science @itsfi 

[itsfi]

There's really a finite number of occasions or circumstances when stalking might be deemed appropriate. For BIC science seems like one of those occasions @danielledanielle! 😄

[CorgiMommy]

@itsfi those colorfix sticks look awesome, those swatches are gorgeous 

[itsfi]

@CorgiMommy, Danessa Myricks and her team did a fantastic job with these Colorfix sticks; thank you.

[curlychiquita]

Great purchases, @itsfi! It’s a great  idea to break the CL perfumes up into gifts.

[itsfi]

@curlychiquita, the packaging on the CL perfumes are fun and makes a nice decor piece on a vanity or table. I just have to keep my fingers crossed that the scents wear well on the gift recipients. 🤞

[WinglessOne]

Ulta and MAC National Lipstick Day sale:

Not pictured: a backordered MAC lip liner. This might be my smallest ever National Lipstick Day order from MAC.

Swatches & notes:

Spoiler

MAC:

• Powder Kiss Lipstick shades P For Potent and Kinda Soar-ta - now that this formula’s finally really grown on me, I assume MAC will discontinue it soon (based on its frequent markdown price status). 🫠 I still don’t reach for my Powder Kisses as much as other MAC formulas, but I might as well grab these 2 shades while I still can. 
  
  
• MACXIMAL Sleek Satin Lipstick shade Rebel - folks who remember my100 Days of Lipstick Challenge days might recall that the original MAC Satin Rebel is my jam. I’m running out of my last bullet, so it’s time to rebuy in this newer formula. 
  
  
• Backordered: Lip Pencil shade Grape Expectations - kinda surprised I don’t already have this shade. Yesterday I got an updated “in progress” status email; hope that means I’ll get it soon!

Ulta:

• NARS Light Reflecting Luminizing Powder shade Heavenly - the rose gold shade I should’ve bought instead of Total Eclipse, though I can still use that copper shade. 
  
  
• The Ordinary Mini Multi Peptide Hair Density Serum 1 oz / 30 mL - a couple friends keep asking me about this so you know what, lemme see what (if anything) it does for my own thinning hair before I give much feedback. I normally use The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + Hyaluronic Acid Scalp Serum 60ml (mostly in cold weather) which isn’t designed to do anything this serum’s supposed to. 
  
  
• Not pictured: Shiseido Super-Soft, 100% Natural Facial Cotton 165 sheets - restocking my usual nail polish removal pads. Not pictured because I’ve already cut most of the pads into halves and put ‘em in my polish removal container. 
  
  
• GWP: mini NARS Light Reflecting Luminizing Powder shade Eros - who am I to pass up a good mini freebie? While purchasing all these things in-store, I asked about this NARS promo (spend $30, get a free Eros) at the register because it didn’t pop when Heavenly was rung up. None of the 3 sales associates at the counter knew about it, so I had to show one of them the promo signs posted on every NARS shelf. 🤦‍♀️Made me wonder how many in-store customers have missed out on this or other GWP for their qualifying purchases. 

Sephora BI Challenge purchases:

3 challenge tasks done! Holding off on the 4th one til the Rouge Celebration Event, when I can get a point multiplier on Sephora brushes.

Quick notes:

Spoiler

Restocks:

• The INKEY List Mini Oat Cleansing Balm 1.7 oz/ 50 mL - my new habit is rebuying the mini size, to ensure an opened tube doesn’t sit around long enough to develop a very grainy texture. 
  
  
• The Inkey List Hydrating Cream-To-Milk Cleanser - liked the mini enough to buy a full size for my occasional morning face washings. 
  
  
• PATTERN by Tracee Ellis Ross Palo Santo Leave-In Conditioner for Curls & Coils 25 oz / 740 mL - this is the second jumbo bottle I’ve bought in the last 30 days; the first one was a customer service reship. Yes, I’m sure I’ll run through both jumbo bottles before they expire. 😅 My hair would marry this stuff if it could. 

Test subjects:

• PATTERN by Tracee Ellis Ross Shine Spray 4.75 oz / 141 mL - sure, I could just use a hair oil, but maybe this won’t weigh my hair down as much. 
  
  
• PATTERN by Tracee Ellis Ross Mini Palo Santo Curl Mousse for Curls & Coils 4 oz / 118.3 mL - I don’t think I’ve used mousse since the 1980s, so I’m curious to see how my coils react to this one. 
  
  
• PATTERN by Tracee Ellis Ross Juicy & Joyful Mist Spray Bottle - bought in-store to ensure I got a fun yellow one instead of the old white one. 
  
  
• Ami Colé Skin-Enhancing Tinted Moisturizer Medium 1 - the shade I meant to buy a few months ago (when I bought Medium 2 by mistake). I got this store location’s last one; a bittersweet victory. I have a different shade coming direct from Ami Colé, along with a few other things. 

Honestly, I think we need some Sephora merch featuring that “three for me, one for you” quote. 👍

[Sunnysmom]

I missed your NLD haul @WinglessOne , glad I found it! 💞 Love Rebel on you, one of my favs too, so brightening. I was happy-ish and sad to see not much newness for MAC but all for the best for me. lol. The Nars highlighter is stunning on you!  

[WinglessOne]

Thanks @Sunnysmom ! This is part 2 of my NLD stuff. Part 1 is in theJovial July Hauls 2025 thread, courtesy of NARS. There was more MAC I wanted but, thankfully for my wallet, it wasn’t on sale so I skipped it.

I forgot those highlighters are refillable. 🤦‍♀️ I could’ve just bought a Heavenly refill since I already had another shade + compact. Not sure Ulta sells refills though, at least not in-store. I’ll have to remember for later, if I ever fully pan one of these. 

[Sunnysmom]

Thanks @WinglessOne , love both parts and glad you got some beauties! I received that mini Nars in a GWP and it’s a lovely formula. Bummer about the refill, though it’s nice they do it. I seem to forget when brands do that too! 🤦🏻‍♀️

[lmaster]

Fabulous hauls!! @WinglessOne 

[WinglessOne]

Thanks @lmaster !

[faeriegirl]

Beautiful lippies @WinglessOne !

[WinglessOne]

Thanks @faeriegirl !

[Suzanne713]

@WinglessOne  Those Nars Highlighters are stunning!!

And, I hope the mousse works for your curls/coils!

It's so difficult to find a good curl styling product. 

I have extremely curly hair (mix of 3C/4A)...I've been using Dyson Chitosan Pre-Styling Hair Cream for Flexible Hold Curly to Coily Hair, Light Conditioning - it's supposed to be used with a heat styling tool, which is why I bought it...but for whatever reason it works great when I apply it and let my curls air-dry! No crunchy/hard feeling, doesn't weigh down my curls, and my curls form perfectly. 

I also like SexyHair Texture Foam Party.

It does leave a slightly crunchy feel once my curls have air-dried...but a little hair oil and scrunching the curls or just scrunching with no product will get rid of the crunchy feeling.

[WinglessOne]

Thanks @Suzanne713! I keep forgetting Dyson has hair care products beyond tools; thanks for the reminder! I still love my Dyson Supersonic™Hair Dryer + diffuser: my crown section is low porosity and takes hours to air-dry (not too annoying in summer but definitely is in cooler/cold weather), vs. mere minutes with that dryer.

Anyway, sounds like we have similar curl patterns: on that “hair type” chart, I’m mostly 4a with a few 3c sections. I’ll take a look at Dyson’s hair cream. My current holy grails are Pattern’s leave-in conditioner and PATTERN by Tracee Ellis Ross Palo Santo Curl Gel Crème 9.8 oz / 289.8 ml, but I do like to try new-to-me products. Adding Dyson to my Try It list. 👍

[CorgiMommy]

Wow, you have been busy , lovely hauls @WinglessOne 

[WinglessOne]

Thanks @CorgiMommy ! My wallet wishes I’d take longer breaks. 😅

[curlychiquita]

More beautiful NARS! Good luck trying your Pattern hair products, too, @WinglessOne.