Helena's High School Prom

Oh, how time flies!  My beautiful niece, Helena, attended her senior prom last week and then she graduates from high school in less than 3 weeks!  I can't believe how grown up she is now... 18 years old and ready to take on the world (well, not really)! :)

As her only style savvy Aunt (J/K! LOL), I helped Helena get ready for the big event.  It turned out to be a beautiful, sunny day (after several gloomy, rainy days) and the perfect night to PAR-TAY!

Helena and her prom date, Hnia.

Helena
Dress:  Tadashi (see Twitpic!)
Earrings:  Martin & Osa
Cocktail Ring:  ??? (Express or Banana Republic)
Shoes:  Nordstrom Rack

Hnia
3-piece Suit:  Men's Warehouse










Face
L'Oreal True Match Foundation ~W4 (just a tad bit to even out skintone ~ she already has great skin!)
VS Pro Camouflage FX Concealer Palette
Cargo Blu-Ray Pressed Powder ~ Med/Dark
MAC Mineralize Blush Duo ~ Light Over Dark
Rimmel Lasting Finish Mult-Tonal Blush ~ Pink Sorbet

Eyes
Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Urban Decay 24/7 Eye Pencil ~ Zero
NYX Smokey Eyes Palette
Coastal Scents 88 Warm Palette
MAC Fluidline ~ Blacktrack
Lancome High Definicils
MAC #7 Lashes

Lips
NYX Slim Lip Pencil ~ Natural
MAC Lipglass ~ Bada Boom

I only had 15 minutes to do Helena's hair... I'm no hair stylist, but I think I did an alright job. :)

She wanted a soft, romantic, undone updo.  We randomly sectioned her hair, twisted them back and pinned the ends underneath. 

I used lots of bobby pins (regular and mini sizes) and set it with Tresemme 24 Hour Body Finishing Spray.

(Picture of Helena's hair toward the end of the night.)


Helena said she had a great time (although they missed dinner and swung by Burger King instead) and received lots of compliments on her hair, makeup and dress (thanks to her Auntie! LOL).  I can't wait to do it again... 5 more nieces to go but I'll have to wait 6 years until the next prom!

Tarte Cosmetics from Ideeli

A few weeks ago, Tarte was on sale at ideeli, a sample sale site.  With an in-store credit to spend, I decided to order a few items since they were great deals.  The order was placed on April 24th and I received the final package on May 13th (two sets were shipped separately).

Tarte Vitamin-Infused Lipgloss, regular retail price: $21 each
Liquid Sunshine (nude) and R&R (plum) were sold as a set on ideeli for $14.  For reviews of the lipgloss, check out Sephora.

Tarte hEYE Impact Waterproof Creaseless Shadow/Liner Duos, regular retail price: $36 set
Also sold as a set in Bronze and Plum, these duos were $19.  I swatched these babies at work and I couldn't rub them off (even with a wet tissue)!  For half the day, I was stuck with makeup swatches on my hand.  I would say they are definitely smudge-proof.

Here's a swatch in natural light...

Bronze (top)

Plum (bottom)






Total regular retail price: $78

Total purchase price (including $10 shipping): $43

Total savings = $35!

Sample sale sites are great ways to shop luxury brands at a discount!  Sites that I've also purchased beauty products from include Gilt Groupe (another Tarte sale!) and HauteLook (scored an Emjoi Soft Caress Epilator for $47).  There are a ton of sample sale sites out there now.  Follow them daily as sales change every 24-48 hours.  Good luck!

Oh, how I love Ulta!

I made several stops into Ulta over the past week to check out some goodies.  Armed with coupons and their weekly circular, I think I experienced some savings success (although I'm not quite as good as Nouveau Cheap or Er1ca).

Beauty trip #1:

Here's a breakdown of the goods...

NYX Eyeshadow Palette, regular retail price: $9.99
NYX palettes were on sale for $7.49.  I picked up the Smokey Eyes palette during this trip.













L'Oreal True Match Foundation, regular retail price: $8.99
L'Oreal Studio Secrets Magic Perfecting Base, regular retail price: $12.99
L'Oreal True Match Foundation and Studio Secrets Primer were on sale for 2 for $16.  I picked up the foundation in W4 and the Primer only comes in one color -- pink, which applies transparent.  I had a $2 coupon for each product (total $4), so I picked up both products for $12.

Nivea A Kiss of Moisture Hydrating Lip Care SPF 4, regular retail price: $2.99
Nivea lip balms were on sale for $2.54 each.  I clipped a coupon from All You magazine for buy one, get one free... that's $2.54 for two Nivea lip balms!

Total regular retail price: $37.95

With a $5 coupon from Instyle magazine, total purchase price including sales tax was $18.24.

Total savings = $19.71!


Beauty trip #2:
















After watching Fafinettex3's video, I went back to Ulta for NYX's Jazz Night palette -- sale price $7.49 (reg. $9.99). 

I also picked up three jumbo eyeshadow pencils -- Cottage Cheese, Pots & Pans and Slate ($4.19 each).

Regular retail total for these four products -- $22.56.  I paid (including sales tax) $12.51!  Savings = $10.05! 

There was an Ulta Reward Certificate/coupon attached to the mailer that I had received -- either Level 1 reward or $3.50 off $10+ purchase.  NYX was on sale for buy 2, get 1 free (excluding the palettes).  Redeeming the reward during the NYX promo, I ended up getting three jumbo eyeshadow pencils for the price of one! 


Beauty trip #3:
I purchased nothing during this stop into Ulta, which was the 3rd trip in one week.  My mother and sister wanted to pick up a few things, so I just tagged along -- for moral support. :)


Now, I am officially banned from buying makeup until I have completed "Project 10 Pan" (finish 10 products before purchasing new products).  I've already failed miserably at this Project as I first started it on April 4, 2010.  It is now May 5, 2010.