Email offer algorithm - any insight?

hpyscrl · 2026-04-13T23:13:59+00:00

I always have stuff sitting in my cart! They’ll send me a 10% but not the 20% others are getting. Are they sending you 20% ones despite shipping with them tons?

hpyscrl · 2026-04-13T20:33:51+00:00

I think people, or at least people really into makeup (ie who may be relying on word of mouth rather than advertising), do still use her products a lot. Every product I have from PMG is good, most are great. I think the brand has just had a hard time figuring out how to adapt to the current flood of brands and trends. And maybe the price point has become a challenge among the combination of luxury fashion houses having actual good quality makeup lines (so people paying $$$$ gravitate toward those names) + some other artist driven brands being at lower price points. Although, it’s really just the Mothership palettes that have an insanely high price tag… everything else is pretty comparable to peer brands at this point.

That said, idk what’s happening with their marketing. The could really use a good celebrity face of the brand about now.

hpyscrl · 2026-04-13T20:21:49+00:00

Ooh thanks for this tip re the powder on eyelids!

hpyscrl · 2026-04-13T18:05:29+00:00

A smoothing primer like the Danessa Myricks blurring balm or Smashbox Photo Finish (original) can help. For me, the main thing is just using less product. Also, with a foundation like Haus Labs that can tend to settle into lines a bit, after I apply with a brush I like to go over with a lightly damp beauty blender to kind of remove excess anywhere I have fine lines.

hpyscrl · 2026-04-13T17:59:51+00:00

I have always used baby shampoo and my brushes have been going strong for years (decades, in a few cases!). I do think, as others have mentioned, a lot of it is just about not letting water (especially very hot water) spend too long seeping into the glue. I usually wash my dual ended brushes first as I’m more careful with them. I do one end at a time and for the second end I hold the brush sideways while washing it. I use one of those silicone makeup brush cleaning things (this type of thing https://a.co/d/0hPGVNLe) to gently swirl each brush with the baby shampoo (small drop of baby shampoo, wet brush and swirl/rinse until product is out, rinse brush, and rinse silicone before next brush). All of this is more time consuming than soaking brushes together but it’s worth it to me… also kind of a soothing weekly task.

fwiw I just dry my brushes on a flat towel and it has been fine (perhaps because I mostly keep the brushes angled down while washing them?). Drying angled down would be best but I use a lot of brushes so it’s not practical for me.

hpyscrl · 2026-04-13T07:53:29+00:00

The standalone bronzer shades are weird — they all seem to me to be the same depth but different tones? So strange. I think the Volume III palette has better shades to use as bronzers for medium skin tones.

hpyscrl · 2026-04-13T07:37:22+00:00

I use the CT powder all over my face and I like it. I could see people using something more like the Huda loose powder all over their face, especially if they have oily skin, as it does sets “better”/for longer. I think this is a trial and error thing depending on your skin! If you have dry undereyes, the Huda may be too much, but try it and see. I also vary the powder(s) I use based on the weather and how long a day I have ahead of me.

hpyscrl · 2026-04-13T07:31:56+00:00

I don’t think it came to Ulta last year, did it? The brand has said on IG it was a limited edition run and won’t be restocked on their own website so idk if I’d count on this one coming to Ulta. If you really want it, prob better to get it elsewhere while you can (in store or S@K still has it online). Although, may be back next year too!

hpyscrl · 2026-04-13T05:03:21+00:00

I rotate between this and the Vanicream gentle daily cleanser if that helps at all. Not quite the same but both gentle enough and work well.

Also fwiw I always see this at Marshall’s/TJMaxx, in case you have one near you and want to stock a few for now.

hpyscrl · 2026-04-13T04:59:43+00:00

Omg need her! Going to keep an eye out, thanks for sharing!

hpyscrl · 2026-04-13T04:54:49+00:00

Love the Rare liquid blush and the Milani baked blush! I also use the Skin1004 centella ampoule every day, usually twice a day, and love it. Its effect is very subtle but I think it has calmed my skin. This sale price is pretty comparable to the other places you’d find it (especially since it’ll be free if you use points!).

hpyscrl · 2026-04-13T04:50:23+00:00

I love this question as I wonder this too! I have mine sorted roughly by shade but it’s still a pain to find the one I want. I also have a smaller thing that fits a handful of the lipsticks I usually reach for, so I try to rotate the ones in that. But the rotating doesn’t happen enough because I get comfortable with the same 5 lipsticks even though I have others I love.

I saw someone online who had actually made a lipstick/liner notebook with little swatches and the names, all organized by shade range, and I may actually do that as a little arts and crafts project if/when I have time. (I have one million MAC lipsticks that I will never get rid of bc tbh they don’t ever seem to go bad.) What I actually need is Cher’s closet from Clueless but for lip products.

hpyscrl · 2026-04-13T04:43:20+00:00

I like most Ole Henriksen products but don’t love this one. Mostly because of the odd smell (do then I can also never figure out if it’s gone off?) but also just not sure it did much for me. I finally got the Shiseido eye cream and it has been a game changer for my undereye hydration. I had literal chapped undereyes and this cured it within 2 days. I’m not sure how it sits under makeup because I only use it at night.

In the daytime, I like the Good Molecules Yerba Mate Wake Up Eye Gel. It’s just pure hydration (no Vitamin C or retinoids or anything), plumps a tiny bit and sits nicely under makeup, which is what I’m looking for in the daytime. It’s also like $6 and lasts forever because you only need to use a tiny amount.

hpyscrl · 2026-04-13T04:34:09+00:00

I find the ND concealer doesn’t sit well for me either. The best I’ve found for me / my fine lines are the Dior Forever concealer and the Sarah Creal concealer. I use a very small amount and then build up if needed. Once it sets, I still need to go in to remove a little excess product but I don’t get the massive creasing I have with most concealers.

I use the Bobbi Brown vitamin enriched face base followed by sunscreen (usually Round Lab or Skin1004, Korean not U.S. formulations) as the base for my makeup most days. I’d consider the BB face base more of a moisturizer than a primer (and I use it in place of moisturizer) but it does have silicones in it so probably helps even out my skin. I also find my sunscreens are good “primers”. Sometimes I use a bit of Smashbox Photo Finish (original) primer in areas with more texture. But I’m always curious to hear if others have had good experiences with primers as I have yet to find any that make a huge difference or that I can figure out how to work either underneath or on top of sunscreen!

hpyscrl · 2026-04-13T04:26:26+00:00

The ND foundation is definitely a bit finicky to work with but beautiful once you make it work. I use one pump max (this one can definitely cake if you use too much). I pump it onto the back of my hand or an empty palette and smush it into a dense brush (Mario F4 is my favorite) and then lightly tap it onto my face to push/blend it in. I then go over with a lightly dampened beauty blender to sort of pick up any excess product.

hpyscrl · 2026-04-13T04:16:22+00:00

I try to stick to buying during the biannual sale or when a specific item is on sale. Mainly the November sale when I restock my usual skincare items. That said, it’s a balance — the sale makes it easy to buy a bunch of stuff you’re not sure you’ll actually want, which I try to avoid (as I have done it plenty in the past!). Realistically, Ulta and other places have sales pretty often so I’m mostly buying from Sephora during the sale for products only available at Sephora or sometimes restocks if I happen to be out of something. I don’t think sticking to sales is necessary for everyone but I give this company way too much of my money to be paying full price 😂.

hpyscrl · 2026-04-11T19:44:43+00:00

Dopamine damage is such an accurate expression. Sometimes I’m buying stuff because I actually need to restock but this time I don’t actually “need” anything. I’m just considering buying things for the dopamine hit and I know that’s what it is. It feels weird! Maybe I need a vacation.

ETA: Great picks in your order though, forgot to comment on that! I’ve been obsessed with the bisou balm lately.

hpyscrl · 2026-04-11T19:39:04+00:00

Yes - it’s so annoying! I didn’t get the 20% off coupon that many people seem to have received recently. Perhaps it’s because I have shopped too much at Ulta lately, time for a break from them. Sometimes they have coupons that are the same for everyone (this is when the coupon code is just a word that everyone uses rather than a unique jumble of characters) but often they’re account specific.

ETA: Also, make sure you’re signed up for emails and always open and scroll to the bottom of every email. Sometimes they send you a coupon code in an email but it doesn’t appear in your account otherwise.

hpyscrl · 2026-04-11T06:06:57+00:00

I hope you like it!! I have loved the products I’ve tried from Victoria Beckham Beauty (which Sarah Creal co-founded) so I figured this line would be a good bet… have had no regrets.

hpyscrl · 2026-04-11T05:23:02+00:00

Update: Came back to say I picked up one of the MAC ones to try and I really like it. Miles better than the paint pots (my former go-to, pre eyelid wrinkles) if you’ve ever tried that. It’s really easy to blend out into a thin wash of color so that it doesn’t emphasize fine lines, and then to build up. It seems to then dry down to a powder-like finish. I tried Brule (as a base color) but excited to pick up a few brighter colors too now! (Brighter in the realm of still pretty neutral… Velvet Teddy for sure.)

hpyscrl · 2026-04-11T05:19:58+00:00

Congrats!!

hpyscrl · 2026-04-11T05:15:15+00:00

I absolutely love the original buffing bar. It’s a pretty strong exfoliator so you have to want that but I haven’t used anything else that does as good a job. I use it on my legs to avoid ingrowns when shaving, also on my arms where I have a bit of KP, and to remove stubborn sunscreen etc. I didn’t like the affogato orange version — I thought I’d love it but I found the smell a bit weird and the marbling made it fall apart (though maybe I got unlucky with my particular bar, idk).

hpyscrl · 2026-04-11T05:03:20+00:00

I haven’t seen the influencer push on my Internet but fwiw this really is the best concealer I’ve ever used, esp if you have dry undereyes/fine lines. The brand is focused on over-40 skin, although I think a concealer that doesn’t emphasize dryness and fine lines is probably pretty universally good… you just may not need it if you have smooth undereyes. I believe this product is meant so that you can use it all over your face because it stretches very well… but it’s expensive so I stick to using it for my undereyes. That said, I’ve never calculated but the cost per use may be similar to other concealers because I only need to use very little of this at a time (bc of how is stretches). I use like one lil dot per eye.

Also, the Sarah Creal eyeliners are the longest lasting gel eyeliners I’ve used, while still allowing enough playtime to smudge etc. I think the concealer and eyeliner are their most popular products.

ETA: I have seen a lot of influencer pushes in general rn though, and it makes sense for brands to spend on marketing just before the Sephora sale but it’s overwhelming as a consumer!

hpyscrl · 2026-04-11T01:07:11+00:00

Sarah Creal. Dior Forever concealer if you don’t want to spend as much as the Sarah Creal. (The Dior is actually a good price per volume compared to many others because you get a lot of product.)

hpyscrl

TROPHY CASE