February is a short, but festive month. There’s Valentine’s Day, which brings out all the lovers (as well as more than a few haters). We also celebrate President’s Day that is usually more about finding a good sale and less about celebrating Lincoln and Washington’s birthdays. Most importantly, February is about celebrating Black Americans like the amazing black writers born in February! February 2020 is extra special because this is a Leap Year, so that calls for an extra special fantabulous haul! LEGGO!
Platinum Perks Haul
My favorite day of the month is always Platinum Perks Day at Ulta. Sometimes it disappoints like last month, but sometimes it’s not too bad like this month. The Diamond Gift was was the Sunday Riley C.E.O. Vitamin C Rich Hydration Cream. To receive this gift, I hauled the Vichy LiftActiv Vitamin C Brightening Skin Corrector and the Vichy Minéral 89 Face Serum with Hyaluronic Acid because Vichy was BOGO 40% off. I am finally adding Vitamin C to my skincare routine, and it was time to repurchase one of my new faves. It was also time to repurchase the Carol’s Daughter Mimosa Hair Honey Shine Pomade, so this was the perfect haul for my $25 buy in.
When they added some additional perks later in the day like the PMD Clean for 40% off, I decided to cash in my points for a second Platinum Perks Day Haul. With my points, I hauled the BareMinerals Dew Mist Setting Spray, which was 25% off. I also got the heavily discounted Pür Crystal Clear Iconic Glow Oil along with the Beauty Bakerie Cake Pop Lippie Mini in Skinny Dip, the Beauty Bakerie Instabake 3 in 1 Concealer in Baking My Heart, and the Beauty Bakerie Wake & Bake Face Oil as a gift with purchase.
I think the Pür and Beauty Bakerie Face Oils will make for an excellent primer pair for my matte foundations. Since someone drop a code for the Sunday Riley Cream in the Sephora BIC, I also scored another one of those, and I even got the 34-Piece Beauty Bag! Can you believe I only paid around $10 for all of this?! Yo … this is why Ulta has been my favorite beauty destination for years!!!
The Nordy Club Rocks
Thanks to Clear the Rack at Nordstrom Rack, I scored sooooooo many goodies!!! In addition to a pair of jeggings and a couple of cute sweaters, I hauled the essenHERB Canola Honey Mask, the Philosophy The Ice Cream Man Glazed Body Soufflé, the BECCA Ever-Matte Shine Proof Foundation in Mink, and the OPI Start to Finish Formaldehyde Free Formula. I went easy during Nordstrom’s Double Beauty Points. I only bought the Supergoop! Glow Stick. For this beauty junkie, I call that #Progress.
My (New) Happy Place
One of the best parts of my haul this month was upgrading my vanity area. For almost a decade, this Jackson Vanity I bought on sale at Target was the main focus for my makeup area. I recently felt it was time to get a big girl vanity. After seeing this Black Granite and Gold Metal Celine Desk on super sale at Cost Plus World Market, I knew this would work perfectly as my new vanity. Since my new vanity didn’t come with a mirror, I was on the hunt. Lucky for me, I found the Impressions Vanity Hollywood Tri-Tone Makeup Mirror during a random TJ Maxx adventure. Since the mirror is gold, it goes perfectly with the desk. To store all the makeup I’m not using during the month, I bought the Poppin Slim 3-Drawer Stow Filing Cabinet in Dark Grey at The Container Store. Along with several Made By Design Stackable Bathroom Trays from Target, this filing cabinet is perfect for neatly storing and organizing my mini massive makeup collection.
I also hauled others goodies to go with the new vanity at Ulta like the Sorbus Glitter Makeup and Jewelry Storage Case Top to hold my nail polishes. However, the only polishes that fit in the slots are my Julep polishes, and I recently purchased more of those. I also got the Caboodles Pretty in Petite Case to store my lesser used hair accessories like bobby pins and clips. I scored it for 50% off, so that was even better!!!
Claimed on Clearance
Not only did World Market help me get my fabulous new vanity, they even had some skincare worth trying in the clearance section where I picked up The Créme Shop Dead Sea Mud Mask and The Crème Shop Start Over Firming + Plumping Mask. They both seem perfect for a future masking session!
Speaking of hitting clearance, I can’t go into any Ulta store without browsing the Last Chance section, and my visits this month did not disappoint. I found a great pre-poo treatment to add to the rotation with the Carol’s Daughter Coco Crème Curl Quenching Conditioner. Since I am liking the Coco Crème Hair Mask, I figured the conditioner was also worth a try. I also couldn’t resist hauling the Dose of Colors Liquid Matte Lipstick in Cork because I have never tried anything from the brand. From the pictures online, Cork looked like a great nude lip color for me. I am happy to say the online pics didn’t lie. I love the color, and it’s a very comfortable matte lipstick that doesn’t dry out my lips.
Although I didn’t find the Soap & Glory Thick & Fast Lash Extension and Thick & Fast Super Volume Mascaras in the Last Chance section, they were 75% off, so I think they should count as part of my Bargain Haul. These were actually impromptu purchases I made when I forgot to put on mascara before leaving the house, and I hated my entire makeup look without it. I wanted a tube of mascara to keep in my makeup bag at work whenever I forget about my lashes in the future. I couldn’t decide between the two. Since each tube was less than $5, I decided to get both. I currently have the Thick & Fast Super Volume Mascara in the makeup bag, and all I have to say is the brush on that thing is HUGE!! However, the mascara doesn’t give me the super fat lashes I would expect from a brush that size, but it’s a decent enough mascara for $3.
This Maxxinista Scores BIG!
I am always on the lookout for a deal, and this month’s haul brought me sooooooo many deals!!!! Most of those deals came from TJ Maxx or Marshalls like finding the Hakuho-do + Sephora Pro Otsubu for less than $10!!! I also found the Origins Hello, Calm Relaxing and Hydrating Face Mask with Hemp Seed Oil, which I have been wanting to buy since having a positive experience with a deluxe sample. For weeks, I have been eyeing the Too Faced Razzle Dazzle Berry and Sparkling Pineapple Eyeshadow Palettes during my TJ Maxx / Marshalls visits. I originally wanted the Sparkling Pineapple, but after swatching them at Ulta, the Razzle Dazzle Berry was obviously the better choice of the two.
Even though I swore off foot masks because they never seem to fit my large feet, I could not resist the Dr. Jart+ Dermask Foot Smoothing Mask I scoped while waiting to check out at Marshalls. There were 2, and I obviously bought both of them because the price of both was still half the regular price of one mask at Sephora. I have already used one mask, and I have to say that these may be my new go-to foot masks. I was able to put on the boots without any tugging or ripping, and I liked how my feet felt after having the mask on for a couple of hours. Yes, it took that long to get the full warming sensation.
Discounts (and Points) Made Me Do It
I am honestly addicted to all things beauty, so it doesn’t take much convincing to get me to buy anything makeup or skincare related if it serves a purpose in my collection. Add a good, decent, or sometimes even bad discount to the mix, and I’m automatically sold. This month, Ulta sent me a 20% off everything coupon. I used it to haul the Clarisonic Sensitive Skin Cleansing Brush Head in an effort to find a suitable replacement for my personal fave the original Radiance Brush Head, the SheaMoisture Manuka Honey and Yogurt Hydrate + Repair Split End Balm to use as a moisturizing sealant for my two strand twists, and the Florence by Mills Swimming Under the Eyes Gel Pads to relieve any undereye puffiness before my morning makeup application.
Of course, I am always using Ulta’s $3.50 off $15 to score a good deal. This time around, I used it for the trial size version of the Banila Co Clean It Zero 3-in-1 Cleansing Balm after hearing Susan Yara rave about it, the CND Vinylux Gel-Like Effect Long Wear Top Coat for my CND polishes, the OPI Rapid Dry Spray to speed up the drying time for my self-made manis, and the Florence by Mills One Swipe Glow Wipe Pads to help eliminate the dark spots on my knees and elbows.
If you’re a beauty junkie enthusiast like me, then you are probably not just a Sephora Beauty Insider, you are most likely a Rouge member. I have been Rouge for the past couple of years after an extended hiatus because the program was seriously lacking in my opinion. As Sephora keeps “revamping” the Beauty Insiders Program, they are introducing a cash rewards system in order to make the program a little less garbage. As a Rouge member, I was invited to be a beta tester for the system. For 500 points, I received $10 off a purchase of $10 or more. I used my Beauty Insiders Cash to get the Sol de Janeiro Glowmotions in Copacabana Bronze because I’m ready for summer DAMMIT!!!!!
I bought the To All a Glam Night Fragrance Sampler on Black Friday. That in itself was an epic score because I only paid $15 for it, and it included a $15 gift card to buy a full size fragrance from the set. I haven’t used all the samples, but as soon as I spritz the sample for the Yves Saint Laurent Mon Paris Eau de Parfum, I knew that was the one! Also, Ulta had 5X Bonus Points on YSL fragrances, so it was a double win!!!!!
What’s in your Fabulous February Haul?