Birthday Ulta Haul

So I mentioned in a previous post that I spoiled myself at Ulta for my birthday and I have been meaning to write about and review the goods I got.  My parents and Daniel's parents had given me a little cash for my birthday and I had been wanting to try some new skincare and make-up products and was looking forward to splurging.  The downside is that after I made the purchases, a bit of Mommy guilt started to settle in.... Just thinking about what I could've bought for the boys or for the house with that money.  Daniel continued to insist that I keep what I purchased and that it was important for me as a Mom to feel good about myself and to get something for myself sometimes.  Why does it have to be so hard? 

Anyways, without further ado, the 1st thing that I got was a Philosophy Skin Care Trial kit.  It came with face wash, a retinol night cream, and a moisturizer.  I have pretty much always struggled with break outs since I was about 12 years old, so I was looking for something to help out with that.  Not to mention, pregnancy makes me break out like a mad woman-- far worse than the puberty break outs.  I was really excited to try this product because it had RAVE reviews online and I have heard many friends talk about how awesome Philosophy is.  I couldn't try the night cream because I am pregnant, but I began using the face wash and moisturizer immediately twice a day.  The 1st week went great-- I noticed my skin clearing up, and it felt so soft.  The 2nd week, things went down hill.  My face started itching like CRAZY all day long.  At first I thought that maybe the facial cleanser was drying my skin out and maybe I wasn't moisturizing enough-- the kit was pretty pricey so I was being very frugal with product trying to make it last.  So I started doubling the amount of moisturizer I was using.  The itching didn't stop.  I couldn't take it.  I had to return the product. When you spend that kind of money on something, it really needs to make you happy and I just wasn't.  Maybe my skin is overly sensitive?

 I took the product back and got a face wash and moisturizer that was WAY cheaper and felt a lot better about it.  It's from "Formula 10.0.6".  I had never heard of the brand but Ulta was doing a buy 1 get 1 free sale on it.  I got the "Best Face Forward" face wash and "Seriously Shine Free" moisturizer.  They are AWESOME!  And they were not even 1/4 of the cost of the Philosophy stuff. 

The other purchase I made originally was for some more make-up.  I wrote a post a LONG time ago about my love of bare minerals and I still really like bare minerals but I was just in need of a change.  I have been swirling, tapping and buffing for a long time and I'm just one of those girls that tends to get a little bored with things after a while.  So after reading reviews and watching You Tube videos of people putting on make-up (because I'm nerdy like that and because I don't spend that kind of money without doing a little research first) I decided to go with make-up by Smashbox.  They have a trial kit called the complexion perfection kit that comes with a primer, foundation, concealer and powder.  It sounded like a great place to start and I really and truly could not be more pleased with it.  It has REALLY awesome coverage, and I feel like it makes my skin look pretty close to flawless when it is definitely FAR from it. 

All in all, I am extremely pleased with my birthday gifts that I picked out, and definitely feel like my new skincare regimen gives me a little more confidence and a little more pep in my step and there is nothing wrong with that.  It's easy to lose yourself when you become a Mom, so it feels really good to take care of myself, and splurge a little on me once in a while... even if that means forcing myself.... and even if that means I have to get over a little guilt in the end.