Wet n Wild news!

I've got two great pieces of Wet n Wild news I want to share with you in this post!

First of all, I received confirmation directly from Wet n Wild that the special $0.69 Walgreens displays WILL be replenished throughout the entire promotion (now through May 28th). So if you go to Walgreens and see that your display is wiped out, don't worry. It will be restocked. The items in this display are core collection items, so it's not like LE products that are only around for a short period of time. So no stress!

For those who missed my original post on the $0.69 display, here's the official info directly from Wet n Wild:

Wet n wild has teamed up with Seventeen Magazine and Walgreens to provide an incredible deal to all our beloved customers. Now through May 28, 2011, we’re dropping all our hot, trendsetting $0.99 items to a whopping $0.69! As seen in the May issue of the teen-fave magazine, our fan, make-up artist, and celebrity favorite items will be priced for a limited time at JUST $0.69!

This amazing deal includes: 

Color Icon™ Brow & Eye Liner

Color Icon™ Shimmer Pencil

Color Icon™ Lipliner

Dual Pencil Sharpener

Silk Finish® Lipstick

Wild Shine® Nail Color

Next up, my lovely reader Gaby just spotted these adorable Wet n Wild MegaLast polish sets at her local Rite Aid:

image credit: Gaby for Nouveau Cheap

These limited edition sets are $3.99 and they contain five MegaLast polishes AND a coupon for $1 off a Wet n Wild product of $2.99 or higher. So cute! Thanks again, Gaby, for the great pic!

So, are you happy to hear that Walgreens will be replenishing the $0.69 display through May 28th? Are you excited to pick up one of these little polish sets?

Exciting Walgreens news!

 A dear reader of mine, who also happens to be a Walgreens Beauty Advisor, just told me that her store  received coupons good for a FREE box of the new John Frieda Precision Foam Hair Color (up to $12.99, which is the retail price of this product at Walgreens). This is a coupon for a FREE box, no purchase necessary (of course you will need to pay tax). There's no way of knowing exactly when your Walgreens might get this coupon, so if you're interested, ask you local Beauty Advisor if they have it! My reader also told me they have $1 coupons for this hair dye as well.

Also, I can't confirm this, but there's a rumor going around that Walgreens might carry the full Milani line again at some point this year...wouldn't that be wonderful?

CLOSED: Giveaway: Specific Beauty Skincare Package (for tan, olive & brown skintones)

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. PLEASE DO NOT ATTEMPT TO ENTER.

Please note: this is a Twitter and Facebook-specific giveaway. Do not leave contest entries on this post. Please continue reading for further details about how to enter.

I'm so delighted to be able to bring you this very special giveway for all of my lovely beauties out there with tan, olive or brown skintones!

I've teamed up with Specific Beauty to bring you a skincare giveway you do NOT want to miss.

If you've never heard of Specific Beauty before, they're known for their affordable skincare products formulated for those with deeper complexions, and their Skin Brightening Serum won the 2011 Essence Beauty Award for Best Hyperpigmentation Product.

One lucky Nouveau Cheap reader will win a five-piece skincare prize package from Specific Beauty, specifically designed for women with tan, olive and brown skintones:

(1) Daily Gentle Cleanser - an ultra gentle cleanser designed to maintain and replenish the skins' natural hydration.

(1) Exfoliating Cleansing Cloths - dual-sided to carefully exfoliate the skin, while providing a deep clean to remove impurities, all without the need to rinse with water.

(1) Daily Hydrating Lotion SPF 30 - daily moisturizer that provides broad spectrum protection against UVA and UVB rays with SPF 30.

(1) Night Treatment Complex - lightweight skin brightening formula that helps improve skin texture while you sleep.

(1) Skin Brightening Serum - a special multi-benefit complex of licorice, antioxidants, retinol and niacinimide - to provide the skin with the ultimate brightening benefits.

(click image for a closer look at the prizes)

Once again, one Nouveau Cheap reader will win all five of the products listed above!

IMPORTANT!

To enter, you must complete all of the following requirements:

1) Follow @specificbeauty on Twitter and retweet the following message:

Get a complete @SpecificBeauty Skin Care Regimen. RT + Follow @SpecificBeauty & @NouveauCheap #SpecificBeauty

It is mandatory that you follow @specificbeauty on Twitter because Specific Beauty will announce the winner on Twitter and also contact the winner via Twitter!

2) "Like" Specific Beauty on Facebook and leave a comment on their wall. Your comment can say anything--here's an example:

"I'm Sarah and Nouveau Cheap sent me. Please enter me in this giveaway."

3) Contest open to US residents only, 18 years of age and up. Void where prohibited.

4) This giveaway begins now, and will end on Sunday, April 10th at 11:59PM Pacific. Winner will be announced by Specific Beauty on Twitter and contacted on Twitter on Monday, April 11th, 2011.

Best of luck to everyone, and again, please do not leave any comments on this post. If you do, they will be deleted and will not be counted in the contest.

Review: Bath & Body Works Country Chic lotion and Fresh Picked Apples PocketBac

This review would not have been possible without the kindness of the lovely Yuliya, who took it upon herself to send me a wonderful care-package recently.

You see, Yuliya and I go way back: she generously sent me the Benefit To Go Stay Put Kit when I couldn't get it in my area, and as a thank-you, I sent her a little care-package. Well, now she's in big trouble with me, because she sent me a thank-you for MY thank-you, and I'm quite upset about that. I'm not really upset, but she's just way too sweet and good to me, I tell ya!

Look at all the pretty things she sent:

First of all, she gave me her free BBW tote that was available a few weeks back. I love this bag, and I didn't get one myself when they were available, so now I feel like I didn't miss out on anything.

I'm convinced that Yuliya has some sort of crazy "beauty sixth sense" because I don't think I have EVER mentioned to her my love of the brand Pacifica, and specifically their blood orange scent. But wouldn't you know it, she included a tube of Pacifica Tuscan Blood Orange Body Butter in the package, and it smells and feels absolutely divine. She also sent me the BBW products that I'm going to review in a second, as well as two Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear polishes.

This is where her beauty-sixth-sense kicks in again, because how did she know I have always wanted Stobe Light? I don't think I've ever told anyone that! And she also got me their newest taupe, Grey Area, which I've ALSO been wanting.  Are you a mind-reader, Yuliya?

Now, on to my reviews:

 Bath and Body Works Country Chic Body Lotion

(retail: $10.50, 8 oz)

When I first read BBW's description of Country Chic, I knew I was in trouble:

Country Chic - sparkling lemon, wildflowers, and spring woods. It is a Spring/ Summer version of Twilight Woods. 

 I ADORE Twilight Woods (click here for my past review) so the prospect of something lighter, but still in the Twilight Woods family, had me completely giddy.

I'm delighted to say that I absolutely adore this fragrance. When I apply this lotion, I get that nice burst of sparkling lemon in the top note, but as the lotion melts into my skin, the soft wildflowers and woodsy notes really kick in and ultimately there's a sweet, powdery note to this fragrance that really appeals to me. When I was younger, powdery notes in fragrances really turned me off, but now that I'm older, I find myself constantly drawn to them because they're just so soft and cozy. This fragrance is the scent equivalent to putting on your most comfortable PJs on a cool spring evening. 

FINAL VERDICT: If you love light floral scents that have a bit of citrus and a bit of powder to them, I think you'll LOVE Country Chic.

Next up:

Bath and Body Works Fresh Picked PocketBac in Apples

(retail: $1.50, 1 oz)

Yuliya has been raving about the Apples scent in the Fresh Picked Collection for weeks now, and I've been meaning to get my bootie into BBW to check it out. Well, she beat me to it by sending me this bottle, and I have to say, I now understand why she's been raving about it. This is a tart, very crisp, green apple scent that TRULY smells like green apples--not the Jolly Rancher variety, but like a real green apple. I know I get weird looks when I use this because I'm constantly sniffing my hands after I apply it. 

The texture of this PocketBac is great as well--it's not sticky like other BBW PocketBacs sometimes have a tendency to be. I can rub it into my hands and barely detect it in a few minutes (aside from that lovely, mouth-watering scent). 

FINAL VERDICT: If you love the scent of real green apples (not green apple candy) you are going to love Fresh Picked Apples. Trust me--you'll have people staring at you as you sniff your hands uncontrollably!

Another humongous thanks to the lovely Yuliya for the amazing care-package. Girlie, your are far too kind to me!

Do you already own any of the items that Yuliya sent to me? If so, what do you think of them? I'd love to hear from you!

Maximizing my CVS Extra Bucks

I mentioned on Twitter that I felt like I won the lotto when I scanned my CVS card yesterday. The red scanner box printed out my quarterly Extra Bucks ($4), then I also got another $5 Extra Bucks (Beauty Club reward) AND a coupon for $5 off when you buy 2 Revlon eye or lip products. Score!

Since I know I personally love seeing how people maximize their beauty purchases at the drugstore, I thought I'd share how I put my Extra Bucks and coupons to good use yesterday.

OK, here we go:

In my first transaction, I purchased the following items:

John Frieda Go Blonde Controlled Lightening Spray (retail: $9.99)
This is a brand new product that looks like a grown-up version of Sun In--remember Sun In? Anyway, since my hair is pretty light these days, I thought it might be fun to use this for root touch-ups instead of breaking out the usual box of color. It's heat-activated (you run your hair dryer over your hair after you apply it).

John Frida Full Repair Condtioner (retail: $7.49)
I've been wanting to try a product from this line for a while now, and since I'm running low on conditioners, I thought I'd start with this.

Revlon Age Defying Spa Concealer in Light Medium (retail: $10.99)
I've heard so many raves about this one--it's finally time for me to see what all the fuss is about.

Revlon Colorburst Lipstick in Petal (retail: $8.99)
This is one of the new shades from the Colorburst line.

Without sales or coupons, my total for this purchase would have been $37.46.

But now it's time for the magic:

First and foremost, I had an email coupon from CVS for $5 off a $25 purchase, so we can immediately deduct $5 from the total:
$32.46
Revlon is BOGO1/2OFF right now, so that shaved off $4.50:
$27.96
I also had that $5 Revlon coupon from the scanner box:
$22.96
John Frieda shampoos and conditioners are on sale for $5 each this week so subtract $2.49 for the conditioner:
$20.47
I also had a newspaper coupon for $2 off any John Frieda shampoo or conditioner, so subtract another $2 from the conditioner:
$18.47
There was a $2 off instant peelie coupon on the John Frieda Controlled Lightening Spray:
$16.47
I also had a coupon for $1 off any Revlon Colorburst product from an old Sunday newspaper:
$15.47
Then I used my $4 Quarterly Extra Bucks:
$11.47
And finally, I used my $5 Extra Bucks from the CVS Beauty Club.

GRAND TOTAL OUT OF POCKET FOR THIS PURCHASE: $6.47

Transaction #2:

Purex Complete Crystals Fabric Softener in Fresh Spring Waters - x2 (retail: $6.49 each)
I've heard a lot of good things about this new softener and, you know me and gimmicks, so I had to get these.

Dawn Dishwashing Liquid in New Zealand Springs (retail: $1.69)
I'm a sucker for new dishwashing liquid scents, so, well, it was calling to me.

Without sales or coupons, my total for this purchase would have been $14.67.

First off, when you spend $10 on John Frieda products this week (which I did--see transaction #1) you receive $3 Extra Bucks, which I applied to THIS purchase, so that brings my total down to:

$11.67

Purex Crystals are on sale at CVS this week 2/$8 so deduct $4.98 since I bought two bottles:

$6.69

Next, I had two $2 off coupons for Purex Crystals (one I got from the Sunday paper and the other my mom gave to me from her Sunday paper) so that's another $4:

$2.69

The small bottles of Dawn are on sale at CVS this week for $0.99 so deduct $0.70:

$1.99

And finally, I had a P&G coupon for $0.25 off any size Dawn dishwashing liquid.

GRAND TOTAL OUT OF POCKET FOR THIS TRANSACTION: $1.74

The total retail value for both of the above transactions: $52.13

My total out of pocket for both transactions: $8.21

So basically I got everything you see in the above photo for roughly the price of just ONE Colorburst lipstick.

I realize that's nowhere near the level of "Extreme Couponing" but I'm pretty darned happy with my savings and you can totally do this too if you just clip your coupons and watch the sales!

Thanks for reading, and please feel free to share your recent budget-friendly purchases in the comments. I love hearing them!

New limited edition polishes from Borghese and Sally Hansen

Back in the middle of March, my reader Courtney left a comment on my You Tell Me post about some new limited edition Sally Hansen Insta-Dri polishes. She mentioned a glitter polish (bar glitter, to be exact) that I haven't been able to get out of my mind after reading her description. It's called Snappy Sprinkles, which is just an adorable name for a glitter polish, don't ya think?

So anyway, since reading her comment, I've been keeping my eyes peeled for this display and I FINALLY found it the other day at Rite Aid. I'm sure that many of you have already seen it by now, but just in case, I wanted to show it to you because this collection is chock full of pretty springtime colors:

I could not capture the beauty of Snappy Sprinkles in a photo. It's kind of unique because the pink and green bar glitter is floating around in a clear base, but the base looks kind of cloudy? I don't know how to describe it, but it's got this blurry, almost foggy look to it that just captivates me.

Next up, I spotted the new limited edition Borghese collection, which is called Fantasioso. This LE collection contains the new Rapido (fast-dry) formula polishes:

 Castello Blue, Romanzo Pink, Fantastico Lime

Fantastico Lime, Incantanto Purple, Capriccio Blue, Felice Tangerine

What I find interesting about this display is that they put two VERY similar blues in the same collection. I actually prefer Castello Blue (the lighter shade) because it's got a very dusty quality to it--it totally reminds me of faded blue jeans.

Nail polish gals: what do you think of these new LE collections? Do you already own any of these shades? Any must-haves? I'd love to hear from you!

PS: After months and months of lusting after Borghese Stellare Notte, I just have to share with you that I feel like I won the lottery because I stumbled across a clearance bin full of Borghese polishes at Rite Aid and I FINALLY got Stellare Notte for just $2. Yay! Definitely check out the lovely Miss Kellie's swatches to see this little chameleon.

Vincent Longo is on Gilt TODAY

Just a quick heads-up that Vincent Longo is on gilt.com today and, as of the time I'm writing this, nothing is sold out.

I adore Vincent Longo so I'm pretty happy about this, but some of the deals aren't that great, in my opinion. That said, here are the best that I spotted:

Diamonte eyeshadow quads: $15 (retail: $42)

Hydro Sticks: $9 (retail: $25)

Lipliner and Lipgloss duos: $15 (retail: $44)

As with HauteLook, etc., Gilt.com is a members-only shopping site so you'll need to be a member to view the sales. Membership is free, and you're usually approved within 24 hours, so even if you're not interested in this particular sale, it's a good idea to register so that you'll be good to go when the next sale hits.

It's baaack: From the Vintage Vault

Due to popular demand, I have revisited my long-lost stash of late 80s, 90s and early 00s makeup and I'm back for another installment of From the Vintage Vault!

I want to thank everyone who has given me feedback about this series--I had no idea it would be so popular and that you'd all enjoy looking at old makeup as much I do!  For those of you who haven't see my previous From the Vintage Vault posts, you can check them out here.

For today's edition, I bring you these little goodies:

 Max Factor Moisture Riche Lipstick in Indigo Pink

(circa late 1990s)

Do any of you remember these old-school Max Factor Moisture Riche Lipsticks? The cases were dark navy blue and had an oval shape to them. This shade, Indigo Pink, was a FAVORITE of mine in the late 1990s and I wore this baby down to a nub!

Next up, I know these aren't super old, but they're still fun to look at:

 L'Oreal Soft Effects Eye Colour in Sky Blue

(circa 2000)

Remember when ALL L'Oreal cosmetics came in that taupe-colored packaging? I loved this eyeshadow since I recall being a huge fan of baby blue in the late 90s, early 2000s. I know you can still get the Soft Effects shadows on ebay, amazon, etc. and I know they occassionally show up at Dollar Tree as well.

Now for a real blast from the past!

 Fetish Star Power Eyeliner in Bliss

(circa 2000)

Oh Fetish, how I LOVED thee! Please tell me there are some of you who remember this drugstore brand from the early 2000s?? I LOVED Fetish and I remember when you could easily find their products at Walgreens and Sears. I loved that holographic packaging and the shades of their products were pretty fashion-forward for the time. Eventually this brand moved from drugstores to dollar stores, and then  it just disappeared completely. I miss you, Fetish!

That's it for this edition for From the Vintage Vault. Did it bring back any memories for you? Did you own anything mentioned here? Do you remember these products?

Heads up! Target Daily Deals for TODAY: EcoTools and Yes To Cucumbers

My awesome Twitter follower @ayeeRAE just gave me the heads-up that there are TWO beauty-related Target Daily Deals today!

For those of you who aren't familiar with Target Daily Deals, they're online-only deals that are only good for ONE DAY with FREE SHIPPING.

Today's deals (Wed. 4/6):

 (image source: target.com)

5-piece EcoTools Brush Kit for $6.99 (regularly $10.99)

and

(image source: target.com)

4-piece Yes to Cucumbers Skin Care Starter Kit for $12.99 (regularly $19.99)

Once again, these two deals are only good TODAY, 4/6, with free shipping.

Thanks so much, @ayeeRAE, for the heads-up!

The Wednesday Question

Since a lot of us seem to in "blush-mode" lately, I thought it would be fun to ask you this question:

What are your top three favorite drugstore blushes?

This one's pretty easy for me to answer, actually! In no particular order, mine are CoverGirl Simply Ageless Sculpting Blush in Lush Berry, Neutrogena Healthy Skin Custom Glow Blush and Bronzer in Berry Glow, and Milani Baked Blush in Corallina. How about you?

Spotted: new products from Rimmel, NYC, Milani and more (pic heavy)

I've got tons of new products to show you today, from a variety of awesome readers, so let's get started!

My lovely reader Jess is at it again! She spotted the newest NYC foundation recently and it's called Smooth Skin Liquid Makeup:

image credit: Jess for Nouveau Cheap

New NYC Smooth Skin Liquid Makeup

My pal and fellow blogger Carla sent some pics of the newest Rimmel foundation, which I have yet to see in my area. It's called Clean Finish Foundation:

image credit: Carla for Nouveau Cheap

Rimmel Clean Finish Foundation

image credit: Carla for Nouveau Cheap

image credit: Carla for Nouveau Cheap

My wonderful reader Lexi sent this pic of the new Clean & Clear Morning Burst products:

image credit: Lexi for Nouveau Cheap

Clean & Clear Morning Burst Skin Brightening Facial Cleanser

and Skin Brightening Facial Scrub

My awesome friend Rach sent a pic of the newest shades of Milani Liquif'Eye Eyeliners:

image credit: Rach for Nouveau Cheap

And last but certainly not least, the always-wonderful Kimberly spotted a new aerosol mineral foundation at her local Bed Bath and Beyond:

image credit: Kimberly for Nouveau Cheap

Aero Minerale Makeup Mist

(retail: $13.99)

I don't think I've ever seen mineral makeup in the form of an aerosol can before? Have you?

image credit: Kimberly for Nouveau Cheap

image credit: Kimberly for Nouveau Cheap

image credit: Kimberly for Nouveau Cheap

There are four shades in this collection, plus the Hydrating Mineral Primer.

And now I'd like to show you some new products that I have personally spotted recently at Rite Aid:

Clean and Clear Finishes Mattifying Cleanser

and Mattifying Moisturizer

City Colors Luscious Glow Lip Gloss

(retail: $1.99)

If you've been reading my blog for a while, then you know that Rite Aid has recently started to carry some interesting, and very affordable, new products from City Colors (do a search on this blog for City Colors and you'll see everything I've spotted over the past few months).

Now what's interesting to note is that these glosses are part of their Summer Collection, and you can see in the display (above) that there are other products in this collection too, including a bronzer and eyeshadow palette. I have not seen the other new products at my local Rite Aids yet, but hopefully they'll have them soon!

The colors of these glosses are prettier and more multi-dimensional in person.

I want to once again give a HUGE thank-you to Jess, Carla, Lexi, Rach and Kimberly for these incredible pictures and for taking the time to send them my way!

Have you spotted any of these new products in your area yet? If so, have you purchased anything? I'd love to hear from you!

Spotted: New Maybelline Color Sensational High Shine Lipsticks

My awesome reader Jess recently spotted the new Maybelline Color Sensational High Shine Lipstick Collection and was kind enough to share some pics with us! 

As many of you know, I'm a huge fan of the regular Color Sensational lipsticks so I cannot wait to try this new formula. Jess said they retail for $5.99 at Walmart.

image credit for all of the following photos: Jess for Nouveau Cheap

As you can see, there are twelve shades in this dipslay--I'm not sure if there are twelve shades total in this collection--there might be more. We won't know for sure until they make their way to the core collection wall display.

Are you excited to try this new Color Sensational formula? Or maybe you've already tried one? Either way, I'd love to hear from you!

And thanks again, Jess, for the great scoop!

Review: Milani Baked Blushes

UPDATE: To see swatches of five additional shades of Milani Baked Blushes, click here.

Of all the blushes that have hit the drugstore over the past two years, these new Milani Baked Blushes absolutely win the award for most raves and buzz in the blogosphere. All I have to do is whisper "Milani Baked Blushes" on Twitter and I'm flooded with tweets about how much you all love these. And now, I completely understand why.

Milani Baked Blushes

(retail: $7.99, 0.12 oz)

I recently received three of the NINE shades in this new blush range for review, and um, I think it's pretty amazing that Milani has given us nine beautiful shades to choose from. Seriously, each shade is more lovely than the next. Don't believe me? Just click here for proof.

These blushes come in the same style packaging as the Baked Bronzers, although they are smaller than the bronzers.

(Note: I misspelled Corallina in these photos--my apologies!)

Definitely click on the above image to see the beautiful marbling up close. You can really see the gorgeous swirls of color in the picture taken with flash (on the right).

Corallina: true coral with an orange sheen and white-gold sparkle

Rose D'Oro: peach with a flash of rose-gold and gold sparkle

Red Vino: deep rosy-red with a gold sheen and gold sparkle

Note: all of the above shades contain a fair amount of sparkle and Corallina has the most sparkle of the three. But please, for those of you who do not like sparkle in your blushes, I want to be sure you know that this sparkle can be easily buffed away simply by blending this blush onto your skin. If you love the sparkle, don't blend it as much. If you don't care for the sparkle, just blend it a bit more and I find that the sparkle fades away easily. I LOVE that it's versatile in this way--you can really adjust it to your liking.

After going from the Maybelline Fit Me blush that I reviewed here, to these babies, let me just say that there's absolutely NO comparison. Pigmentation is NOT a problem with these; quite the contrary. If you skin is fair, you're going to have to use a very light hand with these because they are loaded--and I do mean loaded--with pigment.

In fact, here's a pic of me taken after the very first time I wore Red Vino:

As you can see, I applied WAY too much, because I was still in the mindset of the Maybelline blush. And when I tried to tone down Red Vino with some loose powder, it didn't even do the trick. This baby is PIGMENTED and if your skin is NC25 or below, this may be too darned pigmented for you. Oh what a problem to have, right? Could ALL drugstore blushes have this problem, please??

So again, if your skintone is light to fair, you seriously will need to use a very, very light hand and a whisper-light swipe when picking up Red Vino onto your blush brush. Trust me.

I also want to point out that you can't really see the sparkle in Red Vino at all in the above pic, because I chose to buff it away. See what I mean? You really can adjust the sparkle in these blushes.

And as for the staying power of these blushes, check this out:

This picture was taken after a very long day, eight hours after applying Corallina. Pretty incredible, especially for my super-oily skin. In fact, most of the makeup on my face, aside from this blush, has faded dramatically, but Corallina is still going strong.

FINAL VERDICT: If you love highly pigmented blushes in beautiful shades, run, don't walk, and check out the new Milani Baked Blushes. The pigmentation, blendability and staying power of these blushes are top notch in my book, and the colors are so pretty I wish I could eat them. Please don't be afraid of the sparkle--I am not a huge sparkle-lover myself and I find these so easy to work with. You can buff away the sparkle as much as you like, as you can see in my pics above. I honestly have not one bad thing to say about these blushes--they are, as the kids say, FULL OF WIN. For $7.99, they're a total no-brainer.

You can find Milani Baked Blushes on the Milani website, CherryCulture, CVS, Target and wherever else Milani products are sold in your area.

Do you already own any Milani Baked Blushes? If so, what shades do you own, and how do you like them? If you don't already own some, are you thinking about picking some up?

A sample of this product was given to Nouveau Cheap for editorial purposes, either directly from the manufacturer or from the agency that works on behalf of the manufacturer. All reviews on NouveauCheap.blogspot.com are the honest opinion of its author and editorial samples do not, in any way, affect the outcome of product reviews.