Sponges – Home Sweet Phoenix Cove

Ecotools Mask Remover Sponges = $2.64

I am excited for these! Masks are so messy and I know I have a hard time removing them. These sponges will make it so much easier and I will probably do masks more often now. You can reuse these sponges. I’m not sure how long one will realistically last, but since three are under $4 at Walmart, it would be easy to pick up replacements. It’s not that expensive if it works better than a face cloth. I like that you can also use it to make your face wash a bit more exfoliating.

Pantene Dream Care Shampoo & Conditioner = $4.67

I enjoy the scent of these and I will be placing them in my back stock. I am working through my foil packets of shampoo and conditioner right now. Once I finish all of the foil packets, I will move on to these deluxe sizes to make my full size bottle of shampoo and conditioner last a bit longer. My hair needs variety. It gets used to shampoo and then, it will stop working as good. I like constantly changing it up. Everything works on my hair now. It’s amazing. Now, I know if a shampoo stops working, I need to switch to a different one and then I can go back to the other one and it will work again. I never thought hair could really “get used” to shampoo. I think it’s more of my scalp though, not the actual hair.

Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion = $1.18

I will be using this on Dean, because Dean has dry skin on his legs and arms. I like to use more natural products on Dean, besides his really artificial shampoo and body wash. I bought baby lotion for him, but it doesn’t moisturize his skin enough. I’ve actually been using his lotion, because it provides light moisture which is what my oily skin needs in the summer. This has a skin protectant, so it will be good for his skin.

Banana Boat Dry Balance SPF 30 Sunscreen = $1.87

I am happy to have a back up sunscreen for my face for at the pool and for Dean’s face, too. I don’t like having a greasy sunscreen face, so having a separate sunscreen is essential. Usually, sunscreens will have an expiration date, but this one doesn’t. I would assume that it will be good for a year, so I could still use it next year if I don’t finish it. I’ll put it in my back up stash for now. Wow. I say that a lot.

Foil Packet

Lastly, I got this foil packet sample and it couldn’t have come at a better time. My brushes need a deep cleaning right now and I think I’ll them after this post. Baby shampoo is just not cutting it anymore.

The total of this Walmart box is $13.74 and that is over double of what I paid for this box. I will be using everything in this box and I think it was well worth the $5 investment. What did you get in your box?

With Love ❤

Heya Aspiring Gurus!

I just realized that today is my 2nd Anniversary for my blog! I want to take a moment to thank all of my followers (All 164 of you! I’m adding my followers on Bloglovin as well.) for following my blog, liking my posts/comments, and for reading my posts. Without all of my followers, I doubt that I would still have been blogging now. I blog, because I love it. I also blog, because I know people will read it and take it as they wish. I really want to be an author someday and this is a stepping stone to that. So, I want to thank all of you, who by following, are encouraging me to blog and chase my dreams. I hope you continue to chase yours as well.

Now that we have the mushy stuff set aside, let’s get back to the reason why you came here in the first place. I finally got to go to Sephora! It was a magical, if a bit overwhelming experience, which was very similar to my first experience at Lush. I dropped almost 75 USD in one trip! I did walk away with quite a few items though, because one package came with six products. I don’t feel bad though, since Sephora has an excellent return policy. I got a Sephora card while I was there, so I already raked up quite a few points. I cannot wait to go back and buy some more products. I bought skincare items this time around.

The Original Beauty Blender, 19.99 USD

This was a 2013 Best of Beauty Allure Award Winner and I have been wanting to try it ever since Tati from GlamLifeGuru on Youtube has been raving about her beauty blender. I have to say that I agree with Tati! The beauty blender is really life-changing. I love applying my bb cream and foundation with it. (Although, I am currently using my fingers to put on my bb cream, then pressing a damp beauty blender on top to give smoother results.) It blends completely into my skin, while covering up my imperfections. When you dampen the sponge, it puffs up to twice its size. My foundation brush and sponges are getting neglected for this one. Sponges last for six months on average, so I will get good use out of this sponge.

Fresh Hesperides Grapefruit Soap, 8.8 oz for 18 USD

Fresh smells so fresh! I love the smell of grapefruit and I cannot wait to try this soap. Hopefully, it will not cause me any irritation like most products do. If it doesn’t irritate me, I will be buying more Fresh products, even though they are pricey for an occasional treat.

Peter Thomas Roth Acne Kit, 35 USD; Actual Retail Value: 61 USD

I am so glad that I bought this! My skin has been going through a really horrible phase of acne and rough texture. This has been a face saver! It has six different products in it. I have been trying this for a couple of weeks now, so I feel like I can say a few words about each of the samples.

Beta Hydroxy Acid 2% Acne Wash, 2 fl oz

I really like this face wash. It is minimally foaming, which I like. Foaming cleansers are too drying for my skin anyways. I feel like it really treats my acne as well. I will be buying the full size for sure.

Blemish Buffing Beads, 1 fl oz

I like to use this every other morning after the acne wash to really free my pores of oil and to try to prevent my skin from being an oily mess. This is definitely gentle enough to use every morning, but I am rationing it until I can get my hands on the full size.

AHA/BHA Acne Clearing Gel, 0.5 fl oz

I use this every morning after toner but before I moisturize. I believe that this has been the biggest influence on my skin in getting it clear. I use two pumps on my whole face and it sinks right into my skin, so I an only assume that that means that my skin likes it very much. lol.

Max Anti-Shine Mattifying Gel, 0.25 oz

I really did not care for this at all. It is a bit crumbly and the texture is just off putting. I much rather like the Dr. Brandt Pores No More much better, plus it is slightly tinted which I like a lot. I will not be buying the full size of this product, no matter how well it works at mattifying my face.

Therapeutic Sulfur Masque, 0.5 fl oz

I like this mask and I feel like it feels to bring out the gunk in my skin. However, I do not feel like it performs better than my Proactive sulfur masks. I will not be purchasing the full size, but I will be trying another mask by Peter Thomas Roth.

Acne Spot & Area Treatment, 0.25 fl oz

This smells a bit like apple cider vinegar, but with better results for my skin. This shrinks my acne overnight. I cannot rave enough about this product and I will also be buying the full size of this product as well. I mostly loved the whole sample package.

That is all I bought! Have an nice Wednesday!

With Love,

Selena Hannah xoxoxo