My Birthday (with KeraStraight details) + End-of-the-Month Haul: July

 ---Originally posted on 7/31/11 to Teenage Times--- 

Hello.
                          
   So, yesterday was my birthday. Hooray! With that birthday came festivities, and with those came presents.
 What did I get? Well, aside from Katy Perry concert tickets + meet and greet passes(you’ve read about it here), I got a ukulele(with maracas!), a “World’s Greatest Sister” trophy(hehe), and a gorgeous little ruby ring. My cake was made out of cookie, I saw Crazy, Stupid Love, ate a Mexican dinner, and had a great time.
 
     Also got my all-time favorite Sabriel and cheap shoes at Target (:

    The day before my birthday, I went to Ulta. Not to buy any products, but to get a KeraStraight Smoothing Treatment. What is a smoothing treatment? It’s where your hairdresser basically paints your hair with special product. This product is supposed to make your hair smoother, shinier, and straighter for the next 3-5 months, as well as make it easier to straighten(which is part of my daily routine when school kicks in). My mother had a coupon, and offered it to be part of my birthday. Anyway, WARNING! This is not for the tender-headed! This pulls, yanks, and tears your hair when being brushed at the salon. It’s incredibly painful and time-consuming(THREE AND A HALF HOURS! Of  just sitting there! My hair isn’t even damaged or color-treated, too). I’ll document the wins and fails of this treatment for the next 3-5 months.
    So, maybe I should’ve made a post exclusively for my birthday, but it would’ve been awfully small. So here’s my End-of-the-Month haul for July, made of various little groups of things.

     Sephora

     
   
        What you see here: a StarterKit Brush Set by Sephora(sale: $10 originally: $25); Happy Birthday: Shampoo, Shower Gel & Bubble Bath by Philosophy (free: Beauty Insiders birthday gift), a MiniMergency Kit for Her(no sale: $13); CLEAN Perfume 3-pc set (no sale: $10) 
        I was originally excited about the idea of a TokiDoki sale in the Sephora store. Sadly, it’s online-only, apparently. Figures. However, I did do some major scoring in sale with the Starter Kit Brush Set–I’ve been needing a new eyeshadow brush, and I’ve wanted to try a foundation brush, too (definitely sick of sponges). After more browsing, I found the CLEAN brand of perfume. Oh my gosh, it smells like it sounds. To my surprise, there was a $10 three-piece set. Just what I was looking for!! I can try it without the splurge. Oh, happy happy happy. As we(my mother and myself) were looking through the Beauty-on-the-Go items in checkout, I picked up the MiniMergency kit. It had sixteen little items in it! Whaaaa?! I stared at it blankly for a few moments (trying to decide if I was going to buy it or not), when my mom volunteered to pay for it, stating it was a back-to-school item. It was quite the “Awwww! MOM!” moment. I got my free birthday gift at the cashiers’ desk before we left.
    Ulta
   
    What you see here: Almay Blemish-Heal foundation, Revlon Siren lipstick, Ulta charcoal automatic eyeliner, Ulta camel eyeshadow.
     So I’ve been dying for new foundation, but since I just started using it, I’ll have  to review it later. I got the Ulta-brand eyeshadow in Camel, because I needed a highlighter. I had a coupon, so the Revlon Siren (orange) lipstick was a must. The eyeliner was on sale for $1, so I got it in charcoal. Using it for the first time: It’s the best eyeliner I’ve used to date. No kidding.
     Other little things I’ve purchased recently:

• Seventeen’s Guide to Style
• Rimmel 084 Amythst Shimmer (purple) Lipstick
                     
• U by Kotex wristlet + tin (on sale at Target); the tin is ideal for my iPod.
                      
• Forever 21 Online -Clothes & Accessories, has yet to arrive
• Target shoes on clearance (in birthday picture with ring & trophy)

  That concludes this glorious post.
   xoxo,
       Zoe

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