Drunk Elephant

Bigs and Littles

July 2nd, 2019 by Karen 8 Comments

biolage matrix equisite oil — Big things and little things

Sometimes you need a little…and sometimes you need a lot, which is why I grabbed two liter-sized bottles of shampoo and conditioner last weekend, along with a gaggle of cute skin care minis.

Ulta is having a liter-sized sale right now on select brands of big shampoos and conditioners. I popped over there yesterday and grabbed these GINORMOUS bottles of Matrix Biolage ExquisiteOil Micro-Oil Shampoo and Conditioner…

The shampoo usually sells for $28, and the conditioner for $33, but I got them for $15.99 apiece.

What a steal!

I’ve never tried them before, so I realize that this could have been risky, but Ulta has a generous return policy. Both the shampoo and conditioner are silicone-free, which my hair usually likes. Plus, back in college I used Biolage all the time.

I took both for a spin last night, and this morning I woke up to soft, bouncy hair! Paws up! 🙌

The Drunk Elephant face cleanser and moisturizer came in a Sephora VIB birthday gift set. I actually went in last Friday to restock a bottle of Kate Somerville Anti-Bac for the gazillionth time, and the MAC minis are limited edition scented versions of the classic Fix+.

mac fix plus setting spray cucumber — Tiny!

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A Sephora VIB Sale Strategy (and a Skin Care Haul)

November 13th, 2018 by Karen 27 Comments

kate somerville skin care — New from Kate Somerville

I have revised my plan of attack for the Sephora VIB sale, because, let’s get real…only a few of the items I want are things I can’t function without (I’m talking to you, Kate Somerville Anti-Bac Clearing Lotion). Most of the things are things I only want because they’re on sale… I’m 100% my mother’s daughter that way (“It’s on sale? BUY IT. Don’t you ever pay full price, ever!”).

But really, how much do I actually need another bronzer, all-matte neutral palette or another coral lipstick?

Not much! LOL. But I still want them all, especially with new makeup coming out every five seconds, so I gotta check myself before I wreck myself…

How do I weed out unnecessary or spur-of-the moment purchases?

On the very first day of the sale, I put everything I want to buy into my cart, and then I wait… And wait. And wait. I let it all simmer there, brewing and stewing (and taunting me?). Then, juuuuust before the sale ends, I’ll see what’s left in my cart, and most of the time when I do this, there are things that have sold out, which whittles the list down, and from there I reevaluate what’s left and see what fits into my budget.

This tactic reduces the likelihood of me getting a whole bunch of things I mostly only want because they’re on sale.

sephora vib haul — ‘Twas a skin care haul (regular prices shown)

Um…but K-Dawg, does this actually work?

Dude, it totally does! Forcing myself to wait and really think about my cart and the grand total $ staring back at me helps…because I know who I am, and I’m a spur-of-the-moment shopper.

Waiting also forces me to look around at what I already have in my stash.

For this last sale, I knew I needed another bottle of Kate Somerville Anti-Bac, sunscreen/face moisturizer for winter (ugh, dry skin), an eye cream and some chemical exfoliators for mature skin, because every morning lately when I wake up and look in the mirror, instead of seeing my face, I see freakin’ Gollum’s!

What my heart was telling me I wanted, though, was a bunch of makeup — a Charlotte Tilbury palette, Shiseido eyeliners and eyeshadows (they recently revamped their entire makeup line, and it’s supposed to be REALLY good), some Charlotte Tilbury blushes and bronzers, and a Dior foundation.

OK, and maybe a few other things were in there too, ha ha ha. You know me too well!

Step 1: Shopping my own stash

The Charlotte Tilbury palette ended up being sold out, but everything worked out because I rediscovered my BECCA Chrissy Palette, which more or less serves the same purpose. I’m a little sad panda, 🙁 but if the CT palette is still around for the next VIB sale and I’m still lusting after it, I’ll get it then.

becca chrissy teigen swatches — Hello, old friend…

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The Summer of Skin Care! Thoughts on Drunk Elephant C-Firma Day Serum, Shaba Complex Eye Serum, Lala Retro Whipped Cream and Umbra Tinte Physical Daily Defense

June 28th, 2017 by Karen 14 Comments

drunk elephant skincare review top — This particular elephant is not drunk

The summer of skin care is in full effect! — and I’m currently using and loving the heck out of products from Drunk Elephant.

You’ve probably heard about them already. They’ve been makin’ major waves lately, and it seems like everyone is talking about them (including me!).

For the record, this Drunk Elephant did not have too many Coronas. It’s a cruelty-free brand out of Texas, and I really like their no-nonsense, balanced approach to skin care.

Here’s some cool backstory on their website, but, basically, they see themselves as a “clean” skin care line, rather than a “natural” skin care line, and they incorporate both natural and synthetic ingredients, but the synthetic ingredients are things they believe are effective but aren’t going to disrupt the way your body is designed to work.

And their name, “Drunk Elephant,” comes from an ingredient they use in several of their products called marula oil. Legend has it that when elephants eat the fallen fruit of the marula tree…the fruit ferments in their tummies and gets them completely crunked!

Cheap drunks, those elephants.

drunk elephant k after 2 months — My bare skin

C-Firma Day Serum

The product that lured me into loving the line was their C-Firma Day Serum ($80), which contains 15% l-absorbic acid, ferulic acid and vitamin E.

I heard it was comparable to Skinceuticals CE Ferulic, which I used for years to mellow out my pigmention probs, but I stopped using it when I got pregnant with the Coywolf.

Dude…sh*t is crazy expensive. It works, but dropping $165 on a bottle of CE Ferulic got old real quick.

C-Firma costs half as much ($80), which, I mean, isn’t exactly budget…but it’s A LOT less expensive than Skinceuticals.

Anyway, I’m into it — so much so that I plan to snag a refill when I finish this bottle, whenever that happens…and I have no idea when it will happen because the bottle is opaque to prevent light from breaking down the Vitamin C.

But good luck figuring out how much is left in there, LOL!

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Sephora Adventures: Bumble and Bumble Sunday Shampoo, Drunk Elephant Tinted Umbra Tinte Daily Defense, and Pinrose Perfumes

May 23rd, 2017 by Karen 7 Comments

sephora adventures with connor — Practicing her #RBF

I swear, my last trip to Sephora was Connor’s idea. If she looks a little crabby in this picture, it’s because she’s practicing her #RBF (resting baby face).

I went to grab a couple things I’ve been wanting to try from my lust list, and speaking of that, that list has been exercising my wallet in ways I did not anticipate, LOL!

First, there’s this clarifying Bumble and Bumble Sunday Shampoo.

I had a a lot of product buildup in my hair after using a Klorane shampoo and mask, and Sunday Shampoo, which I used on Saturday (such a rebel!), got my hair feeling normal again. Buuuuuut, I still think I’m going to return it, because I read on the Sephora website (and don’t ask my why this didn’t sink in beforehand) that it isn’t recommended for color-treated hair, which I have.

Oh, well… It was fun while it lasted.

I do like the idea using a clarifying shampoo every so often to remove buildup from dry shampoo and other hair products, so I’m thinking about exchanging it for a shampoo by Briogio, a natural hair care line at Sephora, called Be Gentle, Be Kind Green Tea Clarifying Shampoo. It’s $24, so about the same price as the Bumble shampoo, which is $25, but it’s supposed to safe for color-treated hair.

I hope it smells good. 🙂

Also, while I was there, I picked up a tube of new Drunk Elephant Umbra Tinte Physical Daily Defense Broad Spectrum Sunscreen SPF 30 ($36) with 20% zinc oxide.

Zinc oxide usually leaves a white cast on darker skin, but this one doesn’t! It’s really neat. I thought it would be too deep or peachy for me, but it isn’t. I can’t see it at all, which is great, and there’s no white cast! I used it on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, and my skin really likes it so far. It has a light mousse-y texture, so it absorbs quickly, and I don’t have to sit there working it in for days and days. Plus, it isn’t sticky, so it doesn’t leave my neck feeling gross, and it layers under foundation well.