2018 Ulta Birthday Gift

If you're paying attention, you might've noticed that I love a birthday freebie. Okay, I love pretty much any freebie, but all the better if that freebie is a useful beauty product. Much like Sephora, Ulta Beauty offers an annual birthday gift for rewards members (free to join and worth it if you shop there with any frequency). The 2018 Ulta birthday gift is a lip kit including the following:

• Ulta Beauty Juice Infused Lip Oil in Cranberry + Pomegranate {.15 fl. oz.}

• Ulta Beauty Lip Mask in Cranberry + Pomegranate

Ulta Juice Infused Lip Oil in Cranberry + Pomegranate

This product is kind of like the grown up cousin to your junior high lip gloss. Where you might've found glitter and stickiness in the old stuff, this lip oil instead provides sleek texture and tangible moisture. Despite the tint, it goes on clear and can be slathered all over without a mirror, so it's great on the go as an elevated version of your usual lip balm tube. The scent is light and pleasant, and it's thick enough so that it doesn't slide all over your lips. I find myself reaching for this frequently since I got it, and would likely buy another tube when it runs out ($9.00 value). Plus, it layers nicely over all those matte lipsticks you've got for a more current glossy finish without acting like a glue trap for your fly-away hairs.

Ulta Lip Mask in Cranberry + Pomegranate

This lip mask is still sitting cozy in its foil wrapper, waiting for a rainy day self-care session, but from the look of it, I can't wait to try it out. I mean, the selfies alone, am I right? The oversized cherry red lips look gummy and pliable, and a floating liquid can be seen in the pouch (I see squalane in the ingredients list). I think combining it with the lip kit from the Sephora birthday gift will make a winning combination!

Have you ever tried a lip oil? Will you be picking up this free birthday gift? Know any other birthday freebies for me to add to next year's list?