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!
