beauty – Page 3 – Luv Saving Money

Rituals – The Ritual of Advent Countdown To Christmas Review and Unboxing

I was so excited to be chosen for the Rituals – The Ritual of Advent Countdown to Christmas calendar. I love advent calendars anyway. I think it adds just a little more excitement to the holidays, especially when they have amazing treats in it like this advent calendar does.

A Little About Rituals

Rituals is a unique luxury lifestyle brand that focuses on ancient traditions for the body and home. It’s already a leading bath and body brand in Europe. They encourage you to slow down moments for the mind, body, and soul. The products range from candles, mineral make up, natural skin care, Soulwear, and more.

Rituals opened its first store on Amsterdam’s Kalverstraat. After that they opened in London, Madrid, Antwerp, Paris, Lisbon, Berlin, Stockholm, and New York. Now Rituals has more than 600 stores, more than 2000 shop-in-shops, and 4 city spas in 27 countries worldwide. In the US they have 18 stores spread throughout New York, New Jersey, and California as of 2018.

About The Ritual of Advent Calendar

This is a 24 day advent calendar with 24 products to experience. These are not tiny samples but rather travel size and full size products to enjoy. The Ritual of Advent Calendar can be purchase for $74.50 but has a product value of $145.50.

This advent calendar include 24 little luxuries including 4 candles that act as advent candles. The box itself is attractive and decorative. It would be a nice addition to your holiday decor. The outer box look ready to gift complete with gift tag and bow.

When I took the advent calendar out of the outer box I could already smell the amazing scents coming from the products. These are not cheap fragrances.

I did an unboxing video with the help of my daughter. I unboxed the first 7 days of the advent calendar. I you don’t want to see the products because you’re planning on buying this calendar you might not want to watch it. It would be a spoiler. The back of the box does list the product the box contains but it doesn’t say which days.

First 7 Days Unboxing Video (spoiler alert)

Where to Buy

Ritual of Advent Calendar:

Lord & Taylor – Ritual of Advent Countdown to Christmas Calendar

Rituals.com

Individual Rituals products:

Rituals at Ulta

Rituals at Macy’s

Rituals.com

This advent calendar is an amazing value for a luxury brand. Whether buying this to use as an actual advent calendar or gifting as a Christmas present I’m sure it would be loved. Who doesn’t want luxury pampering products gifted to them?

Check out more products from my Holiday Guide this year by clicking the Holiday Guide tab at the top of the site!

Thanks to Tryazon and Rituals for selecting me to participate in this Tryabox sampling. This post also contains affiliate links. I will get a small commission from sales made through my links.

Spend $10 or More at Sephora Get $10 Cash Back

Holiday sets, sales items, whatever you want as long at you spend at least $10 at Sephora you can get $10 cash back. That’s like free make up or free gifts. Or at least a really nice discount. This deal is for new TopCashBack members only.k

Step 1:
Click Here to Get Started. Join TopCashback and signup for a FREE account if you haven’t already.

Important: Check your email to confirm your email address. Click on the link in your email to authenticate your new account.

Step 2:
Click on the pink “Get Offer Now” Button

Step 3:
Add anything from Sephora totaling $10.00 or more to your cart and head to checkout. You must spend at least $10.00 to get this deal.

TIP: Want to purchase more than $10.00? Make a second transaction instead of adding more to an existing cart to maximize additional cash back.
Do not close the window, open any new tabs, or use non-TopCashback approved coupons while checking out.

Step 4:
Pay $10.00 or more. That’s it! The $10.00 will post to your TopCashback account within 14 days, and the amount will become payable. Cash back can be credited straight to your checking or PayPal account.

Note: Transactions must contain at least $10.00 worth of purchases to ensure the $10.00 cash back is credited to TopCashback accounts. Transactions may initially track lower, but within the 14 days after purchase it will be uplifted and turn payable at the amount of $10.00. Transactions may take up to 7 days to appear in your TopCashback account. The deal is open until 11:59pm PST on 11/11/2019 or until supplies run out; whichever happens first; applicable for purchases made directly after clicking through TopCashback. Only one TopCashback account is permitted per member.

ERA Organics Organic Rose Water Review & Giveaway

As part of the beauty category of my holiday guide this year I’m bringing your a beauty product that multitasks.

I use a rose water product already as a toner and even a make up remover depending on what kind of make up I have on. I love the smell of rose water and I love how gentle it is on my skin.

ERA Organics Organic Rose Water is a step above what I normally use. First of all it’s organic. It comes in a convenient spritz bottle making it easy to apply.

ERA Organics products have a 60 day money back guarantee. They’re made in America. They’re also cruelty free, dye free, gluten free, paraben free, perfume free, and no harsh chemicals.

Some uses for rose water:

toner
setting spray
soothing dry skin
giving your skin a refreshing feeling especially in hot weather
helping to calm irritated skin
spritz into dry hair
light rose scent
I personally use rose water to help remove light make up (doesn’t work as well on water resistant or heavy make up)
hair refresher

The ERA Organic Organic Rose Water has an amazing rose scent that lasts long then my typical rose water product. I had never add rose water to my hair but a couple spritzes gave my hair an amazing scent and made me feel refreshed.

This doesn’t really surprise me though. I’ve used a number of other ERA Organics products in the past. They’ve all been high quality and worked well. ERA Organics also offers baby products and men’s products.

GIVEAWAY

Entry -Form

I received the above mentioned product sample in order to complete this post. No other compensation has been received. Any opinions expressed are my own.

80s Girls A Freaking Out Barbie X Caboodles Collab!

I loved my Caboodles in high school. I honestly don’t even know why I got rid of mine. When caboodles became more widely available again I’ve had my eyes on them. I couldn’t decide what size or color to get. But this newest collab just made it easy.

There are several different shades and color combos of pink like the shimmery pink one above or the hot pink one pictured below. Ulta has a hot pink and white Barbie caboodles.

I remember my caboodles was dark purple. It was a decent size and held a lot of stuff. If I remember correctly it even has some silver glitter in it.

Did you have a Caboodles?

It doesn’t seem that every store that sells caboodles, has the Barbie Caboodles though and one of them are already sold out on Caboodles site! While stores like Target, JC Penney, Kohl’s and other retailers sell Caboodles not everyone has the Barbie version.

This could be an amazing gift for the beauty lover this year. Grab a caboodles and hid some beauty blenders, nail polish, nail file, etc in it for a super fun gift!

This post does contain affiliate links. I will get a small commission from sales made through my links.

Beauty Tips On A College Budget

Living on a college budget is going to be difficult in pretty much every area of life (hence the ramen stereotype).
That said, budgeting living is no reason to drop the ball on your beauty routines. After all, confidence is a huge part of success, so looking your best will help you to feel and perform your best as well!
Here are some tips for maintaining those beauty goals while on a tight college budget.

Question the Price Behind Branding
There is a balance to be struck between cutting corners to lower costs and inflating prices because of aesthetics.
Of course, you don’t want to only choose the lowest prices with everything you buy, particularly when it comes to beauty. Sure, 99 cent shampoo costs virtually nothing and will last about as long as luxury brands, but it will also damage your hair.
That said, many brands and ventures are able to hide behind presentation as they upcharge you. Make sure you aren’t just paying for advertising and aesthetic, because there is almost definitely going to be a cheaper alternative that offers the same quality.

The best way to do this is to search for reasonably priced ventures and products and then looking for the specifics (this may take a little research).
For instance, know what ingredients you should be looking for (or avoiding) in your regular skincare, hair and other beauty products. For ventures like med spas, research the specific treatments you are looking for so you know how to narrow down your options based on service,
knowledge and testimonials rather than biased advertising.

Make a Spa at Home
Facials, luxurious baths, mani-pedis and other relaxing treatments don’t have to be found at day spas – they can be found right in your own home!

Even if you live in a small apartment or dorm with several roommates, it’s more than possible to set up a relaxing self-care station for yourself. All you need to do is set aside a specific block of time and stock up on any necessary materials like nail polish, face masks, wax or any other treatments that interest you.

If you are looking for some DIY fun, you could even make your own facials, scrubs, bath bombs and plenty of other spa-day must-haves. The important thing to remember is that this is your time, so structure it however you want and maybe even put together a playlist to really get yourself in the mood for some pampering.
Best of all, since you are doing all of it yourself, you will be paying a fraction of the price that it would cost to go to a professional. A good rule of thumb is that if you can do it yourself, it could be fun (and economical) to try!

Take Advantage of Free Consultations and Offers
For the things you just can’t do at home (medical procedures, professional insight, etc.), make sure you are taking advantage of special offers and free consultations so that you are getting the best deals and service possible.
Luckily, for ventures like med spas or dermatologists, most places will offer those consultations to help evaluate your specific situation and give you invaluable advice.
By taking advantage of things like this, you will make sure that you aren’t wasting money on the services you are saving up for. After all, for more significant needs, it may take some time and planning to pay for it with a college budget.

Dr. Sarah Bennett, a naturopathic doctor in Scottsdale with a med spa of her own, pushes her free consultations more than anything:
“I always try to get those brief meetings with potential clients for a number of reasons. Firstly, it makes it possible to determine whether we make a good match or whether I can help direct them to more appropriate assistance. Secondly, it gives me the chance to really evaluate the individual and give professional advice on treatments and solutions. Lastly, though, I can really
work with the person and their specific situation so that we can be honest about the “less fun” matters like money and availability. That way, I can really work with them and help them get the services they need on the budget they have.”
Since most places will have special deals or, at the very least, free consultations, you can probably rule out any ventures that don’t as an easy process of elimination.
After you’ve done that, feel free to book some of those consultations to get advice on how to proceed with your financial and personal situation.

In Summary
No one likes budget planning, especially when they are tight on cash and have academic responsibilities that make it harder to boost income.
That’s no reason to let your self-care and beauty routine take a backseat, though. By questioning the branding of your products and services, doing all that you can do yourself at home and taking advantage of special offers and free consultations, you’ll be able to keep up with your appearance and maintain your confidence.
For more great articles on budgeting, be sure to look through our other posts!

About the Author

Katherine (Tori) Lutz is a graduate of Florida State University and current student at Columbia University. Professional, she is a writer and editor with a great deal of freelance experience surrounding articles, marketing, and other various areas. She currently lives in Brooklyn, New York, and hopes to one day be a journalist.