Birthday & Christmas Beauty Haul!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

It's been a while since I have posted.  It has been a busy couple of months!  

This post will show all of the beauty goodies I received for both my Birthday and Christmas! My birthday is very close to Christmas and so it feels like a week of gifts. I'm very blessed for that. So without further ado, let's get on with it!

First and foremost, Urban Decay's Naked 3 palette was my earliest birthday gift.  I am absolutely obsessed with this palette. I received this mid December and it's been my go-to palette ever since.  In all honesty, this palette is my favorite out of UD's Naked products.  I highly encourage anyone to purchase this palette.  It may become your favorite holy grail product too.  I have yet to find any notable cons about this palette.  It's super pigmented.  The colors are gorgeous, romantic, and sultry. The packaging is the best by far.  It's a beautiful, metal, rose gold case. My most favorite and notable shade within this palette is "Blackheart".  It is a black shade with shimmery, red glitter in it.  I do not own anything that resembles Blackheart.  Part of me really wanted this palette just because of Blackheart. It's GORGEOUS!  I have nothing but great things to say about this product.

These next products come from Sephora and MAC. 

I have tried the Too Faced Chocolate Soleil bronzer and the Better Than Sex mascara.  I have also tried my MAC plum liner.  I had to purchase the liner to put it with my Capricious lipstick since Regina wears these products in Once Upon a Time (She's my favorite!).  As for Sephora's formula X polish, I have yet to try it.  It is a gold flecks polish...it reminds me of the 14K gold polishes that I could never come across.  When I saw this polish, I knew that I needed it.  I cannot wait to put it with Essie's Ballet Slippers. The final gift is the birthday gift that Sephora gave out.  It includes the "They're Real" mascara and "Watts Up" highlighter.  I actually own a full sized Watts Up highlighter.  I really like it, so I now have a little travel size of it.  As for They're Real, I've used it a couple of times.  I had purchased a mini version of They're Real prior to this gift to see if I like it.  I do, but I have purchased some drugstore mascara that works better for me.   

Better Than Sex has been a good investment.  Would I re-purchase? I cannot give you that answer.  I'm on the fence about it.  It's a great mascara.  It makes it look like I've got a million lashes.  However, that's the only noticeable factor about it.  I really like the packaging and the bold name. But I am certain that I have mascara that does the trick at half the price of Better Than Sex.

As for Chocolate Soleil. I LOVE IT. It smells like chocolate, it blends so nicely, and I love the pigmentation.  It is perfect for my skin tone (NC30). I would highly recommend this bronzer to anyone who is looking for a more high end bronzer.  Who doesn't like the smell of chocolate? (Sorry if you don't.)

Next are my drugstore purchases as well as a gift from my best friend.  She has introduced me to the wonderful world of Forever 21 lipstick.  She bought me a rosy shade.  At first it comes onto the lips in a matte but sheer way (IDK if that even makes sense, but it does!)  It is build-able and can end up to be quite a bold and pinky shade on the lips.  I also am a sucker for the packaging.  Maybelline has also released a new line of cosmetics.  I purchased the Master Hi-Light by Face Studio as well as the Master Glaze which is a cream blush stick.  I used both and I love them!  I'm not a high fan of cream blushes, but I really love this blush stick.  I may have to purchase a new one.  As for the highlighting blush, I really love it as well.  I'm quite excited about these products! You can purchase them at CVS!  The other products I purchased were polishes.  I purchased Essie's Ballet Slippers, Maybelline's Crushed Crimson (This is LE), and Sally Hansen's Gold Roses (which I have been wanting for months, but could not find.)

The Smashbox Master Class Palette 2 is amazing. I am so in love with the shadows within this palette. I used it for my Christmas day look and I was obsessed.  This palette gives you 28 shadows, 5 blush shades, 1 bronzer shade, and 2 highlighting shades.  It also gives you 4 gel eyeliner shades.  Prior to using this palette, I heard that the pigmentation was off and that the shadows were chalky. I am going to disagree with those statements.  The shadows were not chalky to me and they did not crease all day long (I used elf primer with the NYX shadow base).  Also, the gel liners do not come off.  I swatched a shade yesterday and I had to really scrub it off of my arm.  Great staying power!  

I own the first master class palette as well and I like that palette as well.  But I absolutely love Master Class 2.  It's amazing. The only con about this is it's packaging.  It doesn't look like it fully closes and I'm trying to determine if I can depot the palette and place it into a Z palette.  For now, I'm just keeping the palette within its box.  Otherwise, I have nothing but positive words for the palette.  

The next two pictures of our my most recent purchases from my Sephora gift cards.  I am addicted to YSL lipsticks and so I purchased my third one (Fuschia in Excess).  I also purchased Philosophy's serum "when hope is not enough".  Nina Dobrev uses this product and I feel like her skin his flawless. So I had to purchase it and try it out myself.  

Finally, these are beauty products that I unwrapped within my Tinkerbell stocking. :)  I got a cute Sally Hansen nail file (neeeeded a new one), elf oil absorbing sheets, an elf shadow palette, 3 UD eyeliners, a mini UD setting spray, and Nivea cream (a great product for the handbag).  I really like UD's eyeliners aside from when they go jagged on me (the pain...).  I've used a setting spray by UD before and I believe it works (I used it for Senior Prom if that tells you anything).  I've never used the oil absorbing sheets or the Nivea cream but I'm excited for them.

There you have it.  That was my big Christmas/Birthday haul.  I'm stoked about everything as usual!

I hope you have a very HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Urban Decay's Mother Lode Vault is Here!

Urban Decay's Mother Lode Vault

The Mother Lode is currently available to purchase on Urban Decay's website.  This is limited edition and includes 68 of their shadows.  This is a pricey item, but if you've been waiting for this product, now is the time to purchase it!

Urban Decay is also selling the limited edition Book of Shadows Vol. IV Redux as well.  I own this product and am in love with it.  This product is also a much more "wallet friendly" purchase.  Check this off of your wish list and get it while it's still available!

Until next time!

November Drug Store Haul!

HELLO BEAUTIFUL

I went home recently and ended up taking a trip to Bed Bath & Beyond as well as Target and picked up some beauty products.  Here are my purchases!

Most of my purchases came from Bed Bath & Beyond.  I was able to pick up a Wet Brush which I had seen on MissGlamorazzi's channel on YouTube.  I have been using the Wet Brush for a couple weeks and I am so in love with it.  It detangles my hair quickly, it does not hurt, and does not pull out my hair. I also feel that I have an easier time styling my hair after brushing through it with the wet brush.

The other product that I have been trying is the L'Oreal Colour Riche Le Matte lip color in "Matte-r of Fact"  unfortunately I could not find any of the Le Laque shades and was lucky enough to come upon this color.  Lucky for me, I am absolutely in love with the product.  It has a decent lasting time span as well as a little bit of a lip stain when the product comes off.  This way, I do not have to touch it up constantly due to the fact that I still have the color on my lips.  I received many compliments at school with this shade.  I wish this product was not limited edition, I would absolutely love to wear more shades of these.

As for the rest of the products, I am slowly but surely trying them out.  I picked up another Maybelline Color Elixir Creamy Lip Lacquer, a limited edition Maybelline blush, a couple Revlon PhotoReady eyeshadow + primer + sparkle which I am absolutely in love with, another Revlon lippie, and of course, more nail polish.  I will forever hoard the lippies and polishes. Fall and Winter are my favorite nail color seasons and so I obsess over any color that I deem fit for the winter and fall.

Speaking of nail polish...I did not stop there!

I always seem to find someone wearing a very bright and fun shade on their nails and I end up complimenting them.  I have been told at least several times that their polish came from Charlotte Russe.  I ended up shopping with a friend at the mall and she wanted to check out Charlotte Russe.  I normally never shop there anymore, but I decided to go with her.  I ended up finding the nail polish section and remembered that they had a great selection of colors.  To my surprise, there was a bogo free deal and so I picked up these two shades.

I had seen these on one of my favorite blogs, Money Can Buy Lipstick, and had to go to two Targets to find them.  These polishes are the new L'Oreal magic topcoat polishes.  Three shades were available, but I just wanted these two.  I have already tried out the top coat with the gold flecks, and I love it!  I cannot wait to try out the other.

It was a successful but dangerous trip home.  I lucked out with finding some of these products.  If you've tried out any of these beauty finds, how are you liking them?

Until next time!

October Favorites!

Happy October!

Last month I was late in my monthly favorites.  This time I am actually on schedule!  Halloween is finally upon us, today I purchased your standard costume makeup for my late notice halloween costume.  I will create a separate blog post on how a procrastinator like myself can throw together a last minute Halloween look with a cute dress and a little bit of makeup.

This blog post will focus on my monthly favorites.

I am going to begin with my favorite lip products and the first favorite it MAC's "Rebel".  This shade is a rich, deep, fuchsia shade that I believe makes for a perfect and bold fall shade.

The next lippie comes from CoverGirl cosmetics.  It is the lipslicks smoochies shade "#2 cute".  This product is great for a person who desires a safe start into a bold lip shade.  "#2 cute" is a deep plum shade that will turn out somewhat sheer when swiped onto the lips.  The beauty of this product is that it is build-able.  A person can either go with a very soft look or a deeper look.  I also do not find this product to be drying.  It feels like butter on the lips!

Moving on to eyes, my favorite look for this month comes from the Revlon Photoready eyeshadow palette in "Bohemian".  This small palette comes with 5 beautiful fall friendly shades.  One could create a very natural smokey eye look or a natural eye look with a pop of color.  The very top color is my most favorite shade out of the palette.  I have created a quite a few looks with this palette, and am still obsessing over it to this day.  

Sticking to eye favorites, Rimmel's "Scandaleyes" waterproof kohl kajal liner is a must have.  I have worn this liner all month and have not had a single problem with smudging.  This product only budges when I want it to budge.  The liner applies on smoothly, and stays all day.  I own more than just the standard black shade of this product and I adore them all.  This product would be one of my holy grail eyeliners.  I hope Rimmel never discontinues this product.

This next eye product is another huge favorite of mine.  It is L'oreal's "Voluminous Million Lashes" mascara.  I normally lean towards Maybelline mascara's but after seeing an advertisement on this product, I could not pass up the opportunity to try it out.  After my first use of this product, I was instantly in love.  What is rather funny is that I had purchased a sample size of Benefit's "They're Real" mascara a few days before the purchase of the million lashes mascara and in my opinion, million lashes wins all the way.  This product really does make me look as if I have millions of voluminous lashes! I love it!

Moving on to face products, Benefit's "Stay Flawless" 15 hour primer is a must have for all makeup trunks.  I used this product on the day of my long flight from California to Michigan to visit my boyfriend, and I did not have to reapply my makeup once.  I adore this product so much that I kept pressing my roommate to purchase this product before she embarked on her trip back Norway from California.  It took me a while to purchase this product when it first came out, but I am so happy that I did.

This next product is my all time favorite drugstore product.  I love Garnier's BB cream so much that I refuse to switch to another BB cream product.  My face is very important to me and to purchase a drugstore face product has now become something I am often reluctant to do.  I feel that if I am to make a major makeup investment, it will be what I cover my entire face with.  I have invested a lot of money into dermatologists, facial creams, facial serums, and facial cleansers to let my face break out due to a bad drugstore cover up.  However, I feel as if Garnier's BB cream not only makes my face look great when applied, but after I take the product off at the end of the day.  I do not feel that I need a heavy cover up of a product.  I just need something to even out my complexion and create a clean slate of a canvas before further makeup application.  Garnier's BB Cream does the job!  I will not ever part with this holy grail of a product.

Last but not lease, another favorite facial product is my 6 Contour Blush palette by Coastal Scents.  I have become fascinated with the art of contouring and this palette comes with 6 highlight, contour, and blush shades.  It is perfect for everyday use and for traveling.  I love this product so much that I want to do a separate blog post on a bigger review.  I recommend this product for anyone needed a starting kit to contouring.

This concludes my October Favorites.  If you have ever tried any of these products or are curious about them, please feel free to leave a comment below!

Happy Halloween!

Bed Bath & Beyond Mini Haul!

I rarely ever shop at Bed Bath & Beyond but today I went out into the city with some friends that I live with and to my amazement, I came across their massive beauty section.  What was so wonderful about this beauty section is that it held cosmetics brands that I cannot find at my local Target, Walgreens, CVS, or Walmart.  Obviously, each of these drug stores sell select products from brands as well as select brands.  However, Bed Bath & Beyond sold brands that I never see anywhere! I have not even seen some of these brands at Ulta.

Another beautiful thing about BBB is that they sell new products.  For example, I have been searching everywhere for CoverGirl's Hunger Games collection. I even wrote a past post on the collection.  I have finally found a small collection at BBB.  

Here are the other items I purchased:

All of these products are fairly new from cosmetics lines such as Maybelline, CoverGirl, Revlon, Sally Hansen, and L'oreal.   From Maybelline, I purchased one of their new Color Elixir shades in "Caviar Couture".  From CoverGirl I purchased Hunger Games glosstini shade "Inferno".  From Revlon, I purchased one polish from the line's brand new polish collection, "Parfumerie Nail Enamels"! Here is a close up photo:

I purchased the shade "Bordeaux" because I am absolutely in love with the shade.  The product claims to have a scent when dry.  Unfortunately, I have a fresh new mani, and so I will have to test this out on my friend.

Continuing on to my purchases, from the Sally Hansen cosmetics line, I purchased two polishes from the brand new Triple Shine collection.  Also from Revlon cosmetics, I purchased one Colorburst lacquer balm and one Colorburst matte balm.  Finally, from L'oreal, I purchased the new "Voluminous Butterfly" mascara. Here is a close-up photo:

I am so thrilled about all of these new purchases and will be testing them out soon.  After I try them out, I will release a blog post on both swatches and reviews.  If you have purchased or seen any of these products, feel free to state your opinion on the products in a comment below!

Until next time!

Luscious Lips

I am super adamant about having soft lips.  I am so determined that I buy tons of different chap sticks, lip therapy balms, as well as DIY lip remedies.  I am currently trying out a few products and one remedy.  I am finding that some work better than others.  Here's what I'm doing.

My mother is a huge fan of Mary Kay products and so MK's "Satin Lips" has been a staple in my lip therapy for years.  At first, this worked very well, however I cannot be so sure anymore.  When I am first using the product, my lips may last two days, but once the third day rolls around, my lips begin chapping once again.  This product works better than the average chapstick, but I cannot say it is the best lip product out there.

My next lip therapy remedy is using a good ol' tooth brush to the kissers.  I will usually do this at night or during the day when I am feeling my lips are becoming super chapped.  I will stick the toothbrush under some warm water, dab my lips to get them wet as well, and then start gently exfoliating my lips with the tooth brush.  After I have exfoliated for a couple minutes, I pat my lips dry and them coat them in Vaseline lip therapy.

The toothbrush does its job, but I am skeptical on how well the Vaseline balm is working on me.  I might as well test out Vaseline itself just to see if it works better.  I have not used it long enough to make a final decision, but so far the balm is not the best thing out there.

Finally, the lush products.  Currently, I am in Michigan seeing my boyfriend.  Although the Michigan weather is normally much colder than California weather, I am finally in a climate cooler than his.  San Francisco is a chilly city to live in, but I love it.  The only problem is my lips suffer.  Yesterday, my boyfriend and I went to the mall out in Somerset where we had lunch with my friend. After lunch, we stopped by Lush where I purchased "Mint Julips" peppermint and chocolate sugar lip scrub as well as "Lip Service" lip balm.

Since I have been using this for a day and a half, I cannot give you the final verdict.  However, my lips are still super soft, smooth, and kissable.  I even tried out the lip scrub on my boyfriend and his sister and their lips have not chapped up either.  Have I found my new lip staple?  Hopefully!

If you've tried any of these products and have an opinion on them, feel free to leave a  comment!

The CoverGirl Hunger Games Capitol Couture Collection

Capitol Collection by CoverGirl

It's been released for nearly a month and I still have not gotten my mitts on them yet!  I have been tracking down release pics of the items as well as found a few videos on YouTube of them. 

The collection thus far is the set of glosstinis, a new and improved flamed out mascara, lipglosses, and nail decals.  I am eyeing the glosstinis, I'm pretty sure that is what I will be getting my hands on eventually.

I'm not aware of if they will be releasing lipstick, but I would love if they did!  If you're interested in seeing more information behind the cosmetics that are going to put the odds in your favor, leave a comment!

September Favorites!

September Favorites

Happy October, beautifuls!  I figured that I should reflect on my favorite beauty items that I have been loving during the month of October.  We have finally entered the fall season, and I love fall makeup and fashion.  This is probably my favorite season when it comes to beauty and style choices.  Also, living in San Francisco always gives me the excuse to stick to my fall wardrobe.  When wearing my Fall wardrobe, I can usually go with fall makeup colors as well.

Let's begin!

Revlon's "Mauve it Over"

This is one of my absolute favorite lipsticks of all time.  It is a "my lips but better" kind of shade.  It is also a matte shade from the Revlon lipstick line.  It is a neutral/everyday shade and I do not think I will ever get sick of it!

Benefit's "Sugarbomb" ultra plush gloss is beyond amazing.  I find this gloss to be the best gloss out of Benefit's line.  I actually like pairing this gloss up with Revlon's "Mauve it Over".  My lips look like perfection with the pair and I will recommend this shade to anybody!

THIS MASCARA IS AMAZING. I also feel as if it is underrated.  Loreal's "Voluminous Million Lashes" is a fabulous mascara from the drugstore.  It makes my lashes look so full and I found that I had absolutely no clumps.  This is my new favorite pick, I find it better than many mascaras such as Benefit's "They're Real" mascara. I am in love!

I am obsessed with all of Benefit Cosmetics' "Rockateur" (their newest Box O' Powder).  I am obsessed with all of Benefit's box o' powders and I make it a point to buy every single one.  I love each shade and I love their staying power.  Rockateur gives my cheeks the perfect rosegold glow.  I am very happy with this purchase, and have been trying it out on my friends.  It honestly looks good on every skin tone.

Mac's Captive is one of the best lipsticks in their collection of shades.  It is a berry shade that can be built up to look edgy and dramatic or applied lightly to give the lips a berry stained look.  It works well on may skin tones, and the fact that it is a build-able color is always a nice factor for me when it comes to lipsticks.  It is one of my go-to lipsticks.

Benefit's Dallas is one of the BEST box o' powders of the whole company's makeup line.  In fact, it is one of their greatest products of all time.  I know so many people that own this particular shade, I have re-purchased this shade, and it never gets old.  It gives me cheeks the perfect glow.  This is a holy grail item for not just me, but many girls.  If there is any blush for you to invest in, it is this one!

Another one of Benefit's greatest products from their entire line.  Hoola.  It is one of the best bronzers you can every get your hands on.  It is the perfect bronzer shade, it is matte, and it blends so well into the skin.  I not only use this on myself, but friends and whomever's makeup I am currently applying.  You cannot go wrong with this product, if is a bronzer "must have".  If you purchase this product, you will not be disappointed, and it will become a holy grail item to you.

This has been my favorite hair product for months!  It detangles my hair, keeps it shiny, keeps it soft, and keeps it looking its best.  I can go a couple weeks longer before having to get a trim when using this product.  I also own the bigger bottle. I received it as a gift last year, and I just hit the halfway mark.  It is one of the greatest investments for your hair.

The Lorac Pro Palette is one of the best shadow palettes you could ever own.  It has both matte and satin finish shades, the color selection can go from day to night.  You can create the perfect smokey eye, as well as an every day look.  This palette holds sixteen beautiful shades, you cannot go wrong with it!  I use this every day!

The Macadamia products are a big hit in the beauty world.  All of my favorite beauty gurus own this product.  This is a new product that I recently purchased, and I am already in love with it.  It keeps my hair looks fresh and healthy, and my hair is ultra smooth after one use.  Your locks are gonna feel so good after trying out this nice deep conditioning product.

Titanium plate straighteners are said to be better for you hair.  Using a straightener daily can take a toll on you hair, and so investing in a good straightener for your hair can change your life! Your hair will thank you..and you'll thank yourself in the long run.  This Babyliss Nano Titanium straightener is somewhat expensive, but it is such an amazing hair tool.  It straightens my hair and it my hair will remain straightened for the rest of the day.  I do regret purchasing this on a whim one bit.  Your hair literally looks like you walked out of a hair salon after using it.

Last, but not least! My Aromatherapy Stress Relief Sugar Scrub.  It makes my body extremely soft as well clearing my senses and relaxing me.  I suggest steaming up your shower, stepping in, and inhaling deeply as you scrub down your body.  I also suggest to use this product during a night time shower, you will sleep like a baby.  Since it is midterm season here at USF, this will be my evening pick-me-up.

There you have it, my September favorites.  Don't be surprised to see these items pop up in future monthly favorites and/or staple items posts.  They're not my "favorite" for nothing!