๐Let's all share the love and hauls this month. Please show us your purchases whether it be for yourself, a loved one or a Galentine. ๐
This month we get to celebrate declaring love and affection to the people who make up our support system-Galentine's Day on February 13th. You can catch all the Galentine's Day unboxing on this thread ~โฅGalentine's Day Exchange 2022โฅ~
Also, Happy Birthday month to all the February babies and Happy Lunar New Year! (February 1st).
@Samtian Funny: Fig Jam is a shade I was kinda half heartedly stalking, and I said I'd buy it if I saw it marked way down somewhere. It's turned out to be my second fave of this bunch of shades. ๐ Save the Queen is my third fave. Dragon Fruit's my easy fave. I love all 5, though.
Fig Jam was in a sampler I picked up back in Nov, and I was not excited for it at all...and then I tried it and low-key loved it! Their formula and brush really help me enjoy colors I'd usually ignore in other brands โฃ๏ธ I can't afford to become a Londontown stalker like I am with MT, but ooo boy is the temptation there ๐
@RGbrown Fig Jam is definitely a sleeper shade. ๐คฃ I'm kicking myself for not using Ulta points on more of these polishes when Ulta carried a wider shade range. At least, I'm pretty sure I recall them having more Londontown a while back than they currently do. These are fantastic.
@greeneyedgirl107 I've used it 2 mornings so far. It's more hydrating than I expected, which is a good sign. Temps are supposed to dip back into the 20s (ยบF) again this week and we're under a winter storm warning, so I'll get to see if the Good Molecules essence really helps my skin or not when/if I venture outdoors. And I still need to use it consistently for a few more weeks before making a final judgment. For now, I like it.
@Kim888 This reminds me to investigate KORRES Black Pine 3D Eye-Lift Super Serum 0.51 oz/ 15 m . A friend asked me about it a while back and I said I'd test it (depending on what's in it) if I found a sample somewhere, or if I could get a deeply discounted FS. Note to self! Glad it works well enough for you to be a loved product. ๐ Enjoy your treats!
If I recall correctly, it contains one of the same trademarked ingredients (Beautifeyesยฎ) that's in NIOD Fractionated Eye Contour Concentrate. That's what I use (plus retinol under my eyes). Someone asked me if the Korres product might work as well as NIOD's for a bit less money. The only way to truly know, besides asking the cosmetic chemists who formulated both products, is to test them against each other. ๐ It'd also be interesting to see if the Korres product can produce results similar to the NIOD with fewer ingredients. I wish Sephora carried it in-store so I could ask for a sample. I'll keep an eye out for foils or a very good sale.
Let's kick this off with some polish, shall we? Technically these are January purchases, but since I'm counting them as gifts to myself for my upcoming birthday, February fits better ๐ฅณ
What's Up Nails annual clearance, part one
What's Up Nails annual clearance, part two
Picked up one ILNP and my very first Holo Tacos in a private sale.
Beyond Polish. No haul is complete for me without a generous dose of Morgan Taylor๐
Londontown Lakur via GMA Deals. I was surprised to see a skinny brush in one of these, the shimmery blue on the left. I guess it's an old bottle, I had no idea they used those at some point in the past.
Color4Nails sale; this was my first time shopping there, and I was pleased...would order again and recommend!
HB Beauty Bar, partial shipment. Another first time shopping experience, and it was less than stellar. I wouldn't not recommend them quite yet, but I'm mildly annoyed, with potential for stronger emotions depending on how the rest goes (more deets in the spoiler below). Oh, and no swatch sticks because I somehow let myself run out. D'oh!
I ordered 12 polishes from HB Beauty Bar on the 20th. Their website says 1-3 business days turnaround, but it took over a week. On day 9, I sent an email asking about when it might ship, and got a response that mine was scheduled to ship that day (coincidence? Maybe, who knows...). But before I got a shipping confirmation, I got a brand new order confirmation with a new order number, and it had 2 of my 12 polishes listed, with a price of "free". I'm puzzled at this point, but I file it away without asking what it means, curious where this is going. A few hours later, I get a shipping confirmation for my original order number, and it lists all 12 polishes as being included. Cool, yay, finally.
I got the box today, and it only has 10 of my 12, with the other two noted on the packing slip as being on backorder and they'll ship separately. I have no idea why these two showed up on my shipping notice as being included, and I have no idea why HBBB hasn't come up with a better way to notify folks of this in advance instead of springing it on them when their box arrives incomplete. Plus, one of the shades is an ancient MT from way back in 2013, one I doubt they are going to find more of lying around the warehouse, and one I highly doubt they'll be getting in a new shipment of anytime soon (or ever). So...I'm going to let these two hang out in the ether for a bit before following up on their status, but I'm not sure I'll ever see either of them. And on top of that, HBBB charged my card for the full amount as soon as I placed the order, so I've already been charged for the two polishes I didn't get, and I will be noting how easy/hard it is to get a refund for them if need be.
So...while I don't outright dislike them yet, my experience to date has been mildly confusing and aggravating, and there's still potential for more frustration ahead. Hopefully this resolves itself without too much trouble though!