Victoria's Secret Cyber Monday Sale Starts NOW

Attention Victoria's Secret shoppers!

Now through 11:59PM PST 12/1 when you spend $10 or more on the Victoria's Secret site, you will receive two Secret Reward Cards in your order (in other words, you'll get the two cards inside your package when it arrives) when you use code SECRETBONUS. These two cards will be worth $10, $50, $100 or $500 off your next purchase and you MUST redeem both cards between December 4 and December 19 either in-store or online. What's great about this deal is that even if it's just a $10 card, that's like getting your original $10 order for free.

NOTE: I'll be adding this deal to my Cyber Monday Beauty Sale Round-Up which, by the way, I'm still adding to regularly--definitely keep checking back throughout the day tomorrow because I won't be doing seperate blog posts about each new deal that comes through.

Keep reading for more info and restrictions...

Bath & Body Works and Victoria's Secret Semi-Annual Sale Reminders

Here's your friendly reminder about the BBW and VS Semi-Annual Sales that are starting in-store this week:

The Bath & Body Works Semi-Annual Sale is already going on online HERE, but it starts in-store tomorrow, June 9th. This sale runs through July 6th and Bath & Body Works runs different types of deals throughout the course of the sale. To keep track of them, I recommend getting on the Bath & Body Works email mailing list HERE (scroll down to the bottom right side of the page) and you'll get emails throughout the course of the sale alerting you to the new deals.

If you want a preview of the scents that are coming back this time around, click here to check out my original post. Also, keep an eye on the Retail Me Not Bath & Body Works page here  for coupons you may be able to use in-store and/or online during the sale.

It's official: Victoria's Secret to stop selling makeup, sweaters and dresses

I posted earlier today about the start of the Victoria's Secret Semi-Annual sale, and in that post I mentioned that I had heard from a number of you that Victoria's Secret may be discontinuing their entire cosmetics line (makeup and nail polish). Well, thanks to reader @OhhSuzannah on Twitter for sharing this link--it's official, folks:

From the Columbus Business First Business Journal, May 22, 2014

(read full article HERE)

Victoria's Secret Semi-Annual Sale info

So I mentioned last week that the Bath & Body Works Semi-Annual Sale starts June 9th (click here to see the list of scents they're bringing back this time around), but I also wanted to mention that the Victoria's Secret Semi-Annual sales starts IN-STORE on June 10th. And it started online today:

UPDATE: It's official. Victoria's Secret is going to stop selling makeup, sweaters and dresses.  You may have noticed that, over the past several weeks, all Victoria's Secret makeup has been on sale in-store for 30% or 40% off, and online right now all cosmetics are 30% off. 

I'm wondering if, when the SAS starts in-store on June 10th, we'll see an even deeper discount on makeup? I guess we'll have to wait and see. As I mentioned in this post, it will be interesting to see if the discounts will get deeper and deeper until they sell off all of their inventory, or if we'll eventually see their cosmetics at discounters like Ross, Marshalls, TJ Maxx, Big Lots, etc. Only time will tell!

New Glitter Polishes from Victoria's Secret

Remember last September when I posted that sneak-peek at the new Victoria's Secret nail polishes? I'm sure some of you have already spotted/purchased these new offerings in stores (they're not yet available online as of the time of this post), but did you know that VS is also releasing new glitter polishes?

A huge thanks to my pal Halifax of Sparkled Beauty for the heads-up that Victoria's Secret has four glitters in their new polish range, as well as some metallics. Click here for a peek.

A kind reader on my original post said that these polishes retail for $12 each, although she was able to get them during a sale for $10 each (I haven't been in a VS store for a while so I cannot personally confirm).

Thanks so much, Halifax, for the heads-up about these!

Sneak Peek: new Victoria's Secret Nail Lacquer Collection

A huge thanks to reader Annette for letting us know that Victoria's Secret shared a pic on their Facebook page of the new VS Nail Lacquers. According to VS, they're now available in-store, but I don't yet see them on the Victoria's Secret website:

image source: Victoria's Secret Facebook page

The new Victoria's Secret Nail Lacquer Collection

This is a big change from the old VS Beauty Rush polishes, which you can see in my Victoria's Secret Outlet haul post from 2010. 

Have you spotted these in stores yet? Also, if you haven't seen the Beauty Rush makeover or the new VS Pro products yet, check 'em out here.

Thanks again for the heads-up, Annette!

More pics (with swatches) of the Victoria's Secret The Nakeds Palette

 image source: Victoriassecret.com

In case you're new to this, let's get you up to speed:

I did a post last week containing a comprehensive list of dupes for the Urban Decay Naked Palette. In that post, I originally shared a pic of the OUTSIDE (see above) of the new Victoria's Secret The Nakeds Palette. Because, for some weird reason, the VS website doesn't have pics of the inside of the palette.

But then, many readers shared with me that there WAS a photo on the internet of the OPENED palette, so I updated my original post with that link.

BUT NOW, I have a link to share with you containing even MORE photos of this palette, including swatches! Reader nyckimbo let me know about her blog post, so I'll be sure to update my original post with a link to her blog post, so that all of the information is in one, tidy little place for your reference.

Thanks so much, nyckimbo, for sharing your post with us!

Victoria's Secret Beauty Clearance Sale online now

I haven't been to my local Victoria's Secret lately, so I do not know if the Semi Annual Sale is now going on in-store (if you know, could you leave a comment to confirm?), but I wanted to give you a heads-up that the sale is now ONLINE, and there are lots of beauty deals to be had:

In particular, the Beauty Rush sale is offering some VS cosmetics for $3.99 each (regular price on these is $7) but it looks like certain shades are selling out quickly so hop over there if you want to stock up.

In fact, two of the Wet/Dry Shadows that I reviewed here a few years ago (Gold Rush and Bronzinger) are still available for $3.99. Gold Rush in particular is a gorgeous shade that I highly recommend.

Click here to view all of the beauty products that are currently on clearance.

Free Victoria's Secret Pink Tote with any Pink purchase

With the holidays rapidly approaching, it's time to start thinking about getting the maximum amount of presents with our dollars, right? So I wanted to make sure you knew about this deal:

 

 image source: victoriassecret.com

Receive a FREE Victoria's Secret Pink Tote with ANY Victoria's Secret Pink purchase. Click here, add the bag to your cart (you can chose between pink or black) and then be sure to enter code PINKTOTE11 at checkout for the price ($15.50) to be deducted!

 If you're unclear which products qualify, you can see the list here and yes, it includes beauty products!

Victoria's Secret Semi-Annual Sale online now

I'm not sure when the Victoria's Secret Semi-Annual Sale starts in-store, but it started online this morning!

Click here to see the beauty deals

A few stand-out deals:
Beauty Rush Baked Shadows $3.99
Beauty Rush Bronzer $3.99
Also, all of the Secret Moments body products are on clearance for $3.99 each

If anyone knows when this sale begins in-store, please let us know. Thanks!

My Bath & Body Works and Victoria's Secret Outlet Haul

Before I show you the little goodies I picked up yesterday, I want to mention that the lovely Amber over at BeautyJunkiesUnite just reviewed one of the e.l.f. Luscious Liquid Lipsticks that I've been raving out lately. I pretty much begged her to get one the other day, but since she IS the Beauty Junkie, I didn't have to twist her arm too hard! :) So please be sure to click over and see the beautiful shade she purchased. Now I want that shade too, darnit.

OK, now on to the haul pics! If you're a faithful reader of this blog, you know that I usually don't post haul pics of products unless you can easily get the same products in your area, BUT, I do take exception when I encounter incredible deals. So if you're not fortunate enough to live within driving distance of a Bath & Body Works Outlet or a Victoria's Secret Outlet, I'm sorry to tantalize you! But on the other hand, if you do live within driving distance of either of these outlets, consider this inspiration to pay these stores a visit soon. There are TONS of great deals to be had!

Let's start with the BBW Outlet:

Bath & Body Works Outlet at the Las Americas Premium Outlet
(located literally footsteps away from the San Diego/Tijuana border)

For those of you who have never been to a BBW outlet store, imagine walking into your local BBW store and discovering that it's now twice the size it used to be. Then imagine that EVERYTHING is either 50%, 75% or 90% off. THEN imagine that, in addition to new products, you spot old favorites and long-ago discontinued seasonal products lining every single shelf, including Slatkin, CO Bigelow, etc.? Now you know what it feels like to walk into a BBW Outlet. It is paradise for BBW lovers. It's a goldmine for finding products from past collections (heck, they even had tons of Tutti Dolci Mango Sorbetto Body Wash at my BBW outlet, and that collection came out years ago!).

Despite my yearning to buy every single thing I saw yesterday, here's what I ended up getting:

Clockwise from the left:
Orange Sapphire Hand Cream
$5 (retail: $10)
Winter Indulgence Warm Vanilla Sugar Foaming Shower Mousse
$1.99 (retail: $14)
CO Bigelow Vitamin Mentha Tinted Lip Balm in Poppy Pink Mint
$1.99 (retail: $7.50)
Nutcracker Sweet Body Lotion
$1.20 (retail: $12)
True Blue Spa Shave the Day Shave Cream
$1.50 (retail: $6)
Signature Collection Home Fragrance Disc in Wild Honeysuckle
$0.49 (retail: $1.50)
Slatkin & Co Home Fragrance Disc in Fresh Balsam
$0.49 (retail: $1.50)
Slatkin & Co Home Fragrance Disc in Creamy Nutmeg$0.49 (retail: $1.50)

Total before tax: $13.15

I paid less than the retail price of the Shower Mousse alone and got eight products! Yay!! Believe it or not, the thing I'm the most excited about is that darn Nutcracker Sweet lotion. I love anything pistachio-scented and I never did get one of these when they were first released, so imagine how happy I was to find a shelf full of these with a big "90% off" sign next to them!

Moving on to the Victoria's Secret Outlet, here's what I purchased:

They had bins and bins and bins of Beauty Rush goodies with a big sign that said "5 for $5". I'm sorry, but who can resist a $5 for 5 deal??

Clockwise from the left:

Acai Berry & Magnolia Body Lotion
$1 (retail: unknown--no price tag on this tube)
Beauty Rush Nail Paint in Velvetini
$1 (retail: $7)
Beauty Rush Nail Paint in Red Hot
$1 (retail: $7)
Beauty Rush Luminous Shadow in Brown to Earth
$1 (retail: $7.50)
Beauty Rush Cream Shadow in What a Blush
$1 (retail: $7)

They also TONS of the Double Balmsticks for $1 but they only had the flavor Pina Colah Di Dah so I skipped it (I'm not a huge pina colada scent lover).

I'm hoping these work out for me--I don't have much experience with Beauty Rush makeup (I only own some of the baked shadows, which I love). Believe it or not, I'm the most excited about that little tube of lotion. I loooove anything acai-scented and I had been so curious about how the combo of acai and magnolia would be. Yesterday was my first time sniffing this scent and I LOVE it.

Oh! And I also bought these body mists:

Merry Vanilla Twirl and Gilded Ginger Creme Body Mists
$2.25 each (retail: $9 each)

I'm sorry but $2.25 for a full-size body mist? Are you crazy? Of course I had to get these. They had tons of seasonal products reduced down to 75% off, but these were my weaknesses. Did you pick up any of these when they were released during the holidays? When I read the descriptions of the scents, I knew they had to be mine. Merry Vanilla Twist is a combo of "Creme Brulee, Vanilla and Starfruit." Hello!! I don't care if it's summertime, I am wearing this baby TODAY!

So my total for the Beauty Rush stuff and the body mists before tax? $9.50. I pretty much got the entire purchase for the retail price of just one of the body mists. Not bad at all!

If you would like more information about anything I purchased, just leave a comment on this post and I'd be happy to answer your questions.

Do you live near a BBW or VS outlet store? If so, do you shop there often? If you don't live near one of these outlets, do you live near another type of outlet store (like CCO) that you like to visit for great beauty deals? I'd love to hear from you! Oh, and BTW, there is also a CCO in the Las Americas Outlet, but I had to stay faaar away from it because I knew I'd be in trouble if I even so much as looked in the window. :)

Sale info galore!

I've got so much sale info that I want to tell you about right now that I can hardly keep it all straight! So let's get right to it:

1) The infamous Bath & Body Works Semi-Annual Sale ends this SUNDAY, 1/17. So if you haven't popped into your local BBW lately to check out all the crazy deals (the deals are ALWAYS better in-store than they are online), now's the time to do it.

2) The Yankee Candle Semi-Annual Sale ends this MONDAY, 1/18. There are tons of deals to be had and if you order online, it's $5 flat rate shipping.

3) The Victoria's Secret Semi-Annual Sale is still going on (in-store and online) but for some reason I can't seem to find an end date. I get their emails and mailers but they seem to be very mysterious about when it ends. If you know, please leave a comment here because I have a feeling it should end right around the same time as the others...but I could be wrong.

4) Every time I post about BeautyTicket.com, I get an overwhelming response from you ladies about how you looooove Smashbox (and of course you love BeautyTicket's insanely low prices on Smashbox goodies!). Since I love Smashbox too, I wanted to remind you all that BeautyTicket has a code right now for an extra 15% off on any Smashbox purchase:

Happy bargain shopping, and of course I'd love to hear about any and all great deals you snag! I'm trying really hard to be good but this lippie is calling my name!

Review: Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush Wet/Dry Eyeshadows

Well if you read my earlier post about how I scored five of these Victoria's Secret Wet/Dry Eyeshadows for free, then I'm sure you can understand my excitement about getting this package!

First I'd like to say that I was impressed with how VS packages their makeup. They wrap each eyeshadow separately in tissue paper and then put each one it its own tiny little box (and it's not a flimsy box either--very sturdy cardboard). There was no way for these shadows to break or crumble so bravo, VS!

So let's take a look at what I got:

Clockwise from the top: Blueray, Espresso Lane, Hot Ginger, Bronzinger, Gold Rush

Blueray

Espresso Lane

Hot Ginger

Bronzinger

Gold Rush

Swatched dry:

Blueray, Espresso Lane, Hot Ginger, Bronzinger, Gold Rush

Swatched dry (different lighting):

Swatched wet:

Swatched wet (different lighting):

As you can see, these shadows have very good pigmentation even when swatched dry, and I was pleasantly surprised with how soft the shadow is (some baked shadows are hard and difficult to pick up with your brush). This shadow is very easy to pick up with a brush and it applies very smoothly. My favorites of the bunch are definitely Hot Ginger, Bronzinger and Gold Rush. These three shades in particular are simply stunning in person and Hot Ginger sort of looks like a cross between Stila Kitten and Oasis and I just adore it.

I combined all five shades into one look so that I could test the staying power (note: I also used Espresso Lane to line my eyes). I didn't use any primer and I applied these dry.

These pics were taken 10 minutes after application:

And these pics were taken 5 hours later:

As you can see, the shimmer faded (especially in the brow-bone area) but there was very minimal creasing and I was quite surprised to see that the little pop of blue that I added to the center of my lids was still there! Usually that little pop of color is the first thing to go.

All in all, I am quite happy with the performance of these shadows when used dry and I cannot wait to try them with a mixing medium and also with an eyeshadow primer. I would definitely purchase these when VS is having a 5 for $20 sale (or for free if you have a GC, of course!).

[Halifax--you asked me to compare these to Milani Runway Eyes Wet/Dry Eyeshadows, but I'm afraid I can't do that. I thought I had at least one Milani Wet/Dry shadow in my stash but it turns out that I don't, so I didn't want to buy one just for the purposes of this review. Sorry about that!]

How I got five Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush Eyeshadows for free...

Sometimes it pays to NOT order things online! My dear reader and fellow blogger Halifax was telling me about the new Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush Wet/Dry Eyeshadows and how they're on sale right now for 5/$20. I took a look at them online and all of the shades looked gorgeous, so I knew I had to get down to my local VS to see them in person.

But last night I got an email from VS that started the usual way their emails start: "Save $20..." Now, I must admit, I usually hit delete on these emails because the catch is that you have to buy $100 worth of stuff to save the $20. But for some odd reason I decided to open this particular email and I couldn't believe my eyes. This was one of those "We've missed you" type of emails that companies send when you haven't ordered from them for a while. And guess what? There was NO catch! Victoria's Secret sent me a $20 gift certificate code, no minimum purchase required, good for everything except clearance items and it expires tonight. So basically they said, "Here's $20 and you've got 24 hours to spend it."

It was a no-brainer that I was going to get those Beauty Rush 5/$20 eyeshadows and luckily I ordered just in time because the colors are selling out quickly. Here's a pic of two of the shades:

So after I placed 5 eyeshadows in my cart, I entered the GC code and all I ended up paying was $8 for shipping and handling. Outstanding!

So the moral of this story is, register to receive Victoria's Secret emails and DON'T buy anything for a while. You'll probably end up receiving a gift certificate from them eventually!

I'll review these goodies once I receive them, but in the meantime, have any of you tried these eyeshadows? I'd love to know your thoughts.

Victoria's Secret Semi-Annual Sale Starts today

The mother of all SAS's for me is always Bath & Body Works, but I've got to say that lately I've been giving a teeny bit more love to the VS Semi-Annual Sale.

One great beauty deal you should know about (online and in-store):

Warm Coconut, Soft Raspberry & Fresh Cherry Blossom scents are designed to be worn alone OR mixed together to create your own version of VS Love Spell. I love this concept and I can't believe these didn't sell well when they launched (or at least that's what I'm assuming since they're now $1.99).

body mist for $1.99 (retail $9)

body wash for $1.99 (retail $9)

body lotion for $1.99 (retail $9)

That's the only super fantastic deal I see online today, however you know that the real deals are always in-store, so get on over to VS this weekend if you're a fan.