Ulta Haul

Woo Hoo Ulta has NYX, Neutrogena, L’oreal, and Physician’s Formula on sale for 40% off through Saturday July 4. Of course I couldn’t resist and picked up some NYX and L’oreal goodies 🙂

What I Got

NYX Prismatic eyeshadows in Golden Peach and Fireball– A really lovely peachy shade and a red based copper shade. Can’t wait to use Fireball, it’s stunning!

NYX Ultra Pearl Loose Shadow in Orange– A pretty orangey copper shade.

NYX Butter Glosses in Tiramisu and Angel Food Cake-These are both very natural looking shades, with Angel Food Cake being the deeper, mauvey sister of Tiramisu. I know a lot of people love the Tiramisu shade.

NYX Intense Butter Gloss in Toasted Marshmallow– A purple berry shade, super pretty!

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Cannes– A MLBB shade. I regret not getting more of these SMLCs already! This shade really popped out to me, it is very wearable.

NYX Dark Circle Concealer in Medium– I actually already own this concealer in the shade Light and find it doesn’t have as much orange pigment to cancel out my dark circles, so I thought I would try out the Medium shade.

NYX Big & Loud Lash Primer– I’m always curious to try out lash primers in the hopes that it will help me achieve long fluttery lashes. A quick Google search for reviews showed that this isn’t very highly rated, but hopefully it works out for me.

L’oreal Infallible Pro-Matte Foundation 103 Natural Buff– I’ve been curious about this foundation for awhile since many people seem to love it and I’ve got combo/oily skin. I’m really hoping the shade is ok, I tend to always be wrong when picking haha.

L’oreal Miss Manga Rock mascara– I saw Kathleen Lights use this in a GRWM video recently and thought it looked really great on her, so I got it. It will be added to my small pile of unopened mascaras to try out lol.

Swatches

Top Row L to R: Angel Food Cake, Tiramisu, Cannes, Toasted Marshmallow Bottom Row L to R: Fireball, Golden Peach, Orange

That’s it my dears! Did you take advantage of the Ulta sale this week? If not there’s still time! Have you tried any of these products before? If not, what would you most like to see a review on?

Thank you so much for reading! Love you all!

xo Sandy

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Memorial Day Haul: ELF & NYX

So when the Memorial Day sales rolled around, I did some major hauling. ELF had a 40% off sale and NYX had a 30% off sale online, and I did some damage. I ended up getting tons of brushes from ELF but not as much makeup. They were out of two things I wanted- the blush palette in Dark and their new brow pencils. From NYX I only hauled a few things, stuff I have been eyeing for awhile. Keep reading to see what I got!

ELF Haul

Products

• HD Mattifying Balm: I can get such an oily t-zone sometimes so I hope this can help with that!
• Baked Highlighter- Blush Gems: Love the rosy gold shade, although the texture isn’t as smooth as I would like.
• Lip Exfoliator: My lips have been flaky lately and this seems to be a well-liked product for that.
• Lip Lock Pencil: I thought this would be a nice lip primer.
• Matte Lip Colors-Natural and Tea Rose: I was curious to try these Matte lip colors and I’m glad I did, they are so pretty!
• Nourishing Cuticle Pen
• Studio Fan Brush: I decided I needed a proper highlighting brush, this one is a little too floppy though.
• Essential Lip Defining Brush: This will be great for liquid lipsticks that can be messy to apply straight from the tube (looking at you Stila Liquid Lipsticks!)
• Studio Eyebrow Duo Brush
• Essential Eyeshadow Brush: A repurchase, can’t have too many of these! Although it is annoying how inconsistent the brush sizes are, I have 3 and they are all a little different from each other.
• Essential Blending Eye Brush: Another repurchase, great for the crease.
• Studio Contouring Brush: I was particularly excited for this dupe of the Nars Ita brush!
• Essential Concealer Brush: I’ll use this to clean up nail polish around my nails.
• Studio Slanted Eyeliner Brush
• Essential Eye Crease Brush

NYX Haul

Products

• High Voltage Lipstick- Flutter Kiss: A very pretty MLBB shade.
• Intense Butter Gloss- Spice Cake: Love this purple/berry shade! So fun.
• Butter Gloss- Creme Brulee: A nice creamy pink shade.
• HD Blush- Taupe: I originally wanted the regular blush shade in Taupe but they were sold out, so I picked this instead. I hope it will be good for contouring!
• Micro Brow Pencil- Ash Brown: A lot of people say that this is a dupe for the Anastasia Brow Wiz so I was curious to try it. It will also be my only retractable brow pencil so that will be nice. It’s a pretty good color match too.

Swatches

L to R: ELF Natural, ELF Tea Rose, NYX Flutter Kiss, NYX Creme Brulee, NYX Spice Cake

L to R: NYX Micro Brow Pencil ‘Ash Brown’, NYX HD Blush ‘Taupe’, ELF Baked Highlighter ‘Blush Gems’

That’s everything! As you can see, I’m practically swimming in new stuff. Let me know what you would like to see reviews on! 🙂

Thanks for reading!

xo Sandy

Ulta Haul + Quick First Impressions

I couldn’t resist a trip to Ulta this past Sunday since Maybelline, Almay, Revlon, and Physician’s Formula were 40% off. I also found out that red tag clearance items were an additional 50% off April 11-12. Sadly NYX wasn’t included in the 40% off sale, otherwise my haul would have been a lot bigger hehe. 

What I Got & First Impressions

Rimmel Scandaleyes Eyeshadow Paints “Manganese Purple”,”Beige”,”Berry Chrome”,”Peachy Apricot”, “Pomegranate”:These were on clearance and with the additional 50% off they were 65 cents each! Can’t say no to that! These are liquid eyeshadows with a doe foot applicator. They swatch beautifully but actually sheer out quite a bit when blended, so I’ll have to see if I’m able to build these up on my lids without creasing, or if they are better off as eyeshadow bases. I really like the rose gold shade Peachy Apricot, and the berry shades Berry Chrome and Pomegranate. I’m not sure if these are being discontinued maybe? I thought they were relatively new.

NYX Baked Shadow “Sugar Babe”: Another clearance item, which came out to 75 cents. I loved the pinky fuschia color, but unfortunately this doesn’t swatch well dry. I’ll have to try it wet or with a base underneath.

NYX Loose Pearl Powder “Yellow Gold”: This was on clearance and came out to 47 cents. I’ve always wanted to try the NYX loose shadows so I thought this would be a great chance to see whether it would be worth buying other shades. The name describes the shade perfectly-it’s a shimmery yellow gold.The packaging is pretty tiny and it’s hard to get the shadow out because the opening is very small. Only a very small shadow brush would be able to fit through it. The color itself is super pretty and shimmery. It takes a bit of layering to get it to its true color.

Maybelline Brow Precise “Soft Brown”: This is a re-purchase, but I think they may have changed the name of it so I hope the product is still the same. I like how natural this brow pencil looks and how easy and fast it is to use.

Essence Lip Liner “Red Blush”: My fellow bloggers on WordPress have said amazing things about these lip liners, so I decided to try one. I got this red because I was in need of a dark red lip liner, since the ones I have are brighter and more orange toned. It does feel very creamy and pigmented upon first swatch.

Rimmel Exaggerate Eyeliner “Purple Shock”– On clearance, it came out to 75 cents. I thought this purple shade would be perfect for spring. I don’t really have any eyeliner colors besides black and brown, so I thought its time I start using some colorful eyeliner shades. This eyeliner felt very creamy and pigmented when I swatched it, and it was a little hard to remove from my hand so I think it will be long-wearing.

Maybelline Fit Me Concealer “Light”: Another well loved product in the beauty world, yet I’ve never tried it before. It does feel very creamy and the coverage is decent. I think I will exchange it for the shade Fair because Light is a perfect match to my skin, and I was hoping it would be lighter for a brightening effect.

Maybelline Fit Me Foundation Stick 340 “Cappucino”: I’ve read that some beauty gurus and bloggers use these foundation sticks in a darker shade for contouring, so I bought one of these to try that out. I picked a bad shade for contouring, as it’s very orange on me. Has anyone used these for contouring and can recommend a better shade for me to try? That would be so helpful! Otherwise I may end up returning it.

Almay Eye Makeup Remover Pads: This is another repurchase. They are oil based pads and I like to use them for my stubborn eye makeup. I really only need one for both eyes since they are pretty saturated. I do have to go back with a non-oil eye makeup remover since it leaves behind a lot of oil around my eyes.

Swatches

Top Row L to R: Rimmel Eyeshadow Paints Manganese Purple, Pomegranate, Berry Chrome, Peachy Apricot, Beige, NYX Yellow Gold, NYX Sugar Babe Bottom Row L to R: Rimmel eyeliner Purple Shock, Essence lip liner Red Blush, Maybelline Fit Me Concealer Light, Maybelline Fit Me Foundation Stick Cappuccino

Rimmel Eyeshadow Paint Berry Chrome lightly blended out

Photo cred: ulta.com

I was pretty bummed that NYX wasn’t on sale as well, since I was majorly looking forward to buying several things. I was most looking forward to buying the NYX Highlight and Contour Pro Palette, and the Ulta I was at was out of it. So my patience gave out and I went ahead and ordered it online. I can’t wait til I get it! 🙂

If you are interested in the 40% off sale, it goes through Saturday 4/18. Did any of you already indulge in the sale? Let me know what you got! Also, please let me know if there is anything you would like to see a full review on or a look with?

Much love, Sandy ❤

I don’t know what happened but…

…I bought more stuff. I really shouldn’t have but in my defense, it was a long, stressful week for me. So I drowned my sorrows in makeup haha. The worst part is that I have a mental wishlist of more makeup I’m lusting for and will therefore most likely buy in the near future, because when I want something I must have it. Well, it’s ok I guess-sometimes you just gotta “treat yo self” as Tom and Donna from Parks and Recreation would say :).

Image Cred: http://beautybydolly.com/treat-day-san-diego/

This is a collective haul over the past week or so. I went to Walgreens, Macy’s, and Forever 21. Let’s jump right in!

Walgreens

Rimmel was 50% off this week (and through Saturday 3/14) so I did some damage. While I was there I found the Fergie by Wet N Wild concealer I had been keeping an eye out for lately.

Rimmel Provocalips 200 I’ll Call You & 230 Kiss Fatal: I already have a couple of these and love them, so I picked up a couple  new shades. I’ll Call You is a medium warm pink and Kiss Fatal is a purply berry shade.

Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Eyeliner 001 Black & 005 Nude: I don’t have a nude liner and thought it would be cool to try-the nude shade was so creamy and pigmented that I decided to pick it up in black as well.

Rimmel Scandaleyes Eyeshadow Stick 008 Blackmail: I have one of these in a different shade and enjoy it as a base, so I thought the black shade would cool to use as a base too.

Jordana Easyliner Sedona Red: Mentioned these in my February Favorites-I finally found the red shade so I grabbed it. Love these! It’s a bit of a warmer red.

Wet N Wild Fergie Come Correct Celebrity Concealer Fair: I’ve read a couple positive reviews on this so I was excited when I finally came across it. Unfortunately there were only three shades to choose from so I went with the lightest shade Fair. It’s definitely too light for me, and when I went back to get the middle shade so I could mix the two it was out of stock! 😦

Macy’s 

MAC lipstick Craving (amplified): MAC lipsticks are the ultimate pick-me-up when I’m feeling down. This is a lovely mauvey berry shade, and it’s very pigmented and creamy like the rest of MAC’s Amplified finishes.

Swatches: 1) Rimmel Kiss Fatal 2) Rimmel I’ll Call You 3) MAC Craving 4) Jordana Sedona Red 5) Rimmel Scandaleyes eyeliner Nude 6) Rimmel Scandaleyes eyeliner Black 7) Rimmel Scandaleyes eyeshadow stick Blackout 8) Wet N’ Wild Come Correct Concealer Fair

Forever 21

Sheet masks! I’ve never tried sheet masks before so I was excited to come across some at Forever 21. The Lavender Sheet Mask ($1.00) is by the Forever 21 brand Love & Beauty and it’s targeted towards Oily Skin. The Vitamin C Mask ($1.90) is by the brand Baronnes, which is made in Korea according to the package.

Lastly, these cute earrings! They are rose gold with little pearls at the bottom. These were $2.90. I was also looking for cute sunglasses while I was here but the Forever 21 I was at was kind of a mess and only had two styles that I didn’t like. Womp.

That’s it for my haul my loves! I think I will try out one of those masks tonight-I feel like I need it!

Much love,

Sandy

Thrift Store Haul

Hi guys! Today’s post is a thrift store haul. I’ve gone thrift shore shopping with my family for as long as I can remember, and it’s where I buy the most of my clothes. I’m always excited to find some cute things and great deals! I’m not a fashion connoisseur by any means but I do love to shop 🙂Ann Taylor top $2.99

A simple black and white top that will be great for the upcoming spring/summer. Definitely a “goes with everything” kind of top.

J Crew denim top $8.99

This top is brand new! I love denim tops-this long-ish top will go great with leggings for those more laid back days.

Unknown brand necklace $6.99

I love this necklace so much! It’s kind of a pale green color, a great statement necklace.

 Banana Republic too $2.99

Kind of a dressy top-love the necklace design around the collar.I Heart Ronson pants $2.49

These pants were half off so I couldn’t resist. They have a cute floral pattern and a little built in belt. I’m not quite sure what kind of top/shoes I’ll wear it with but I’ll figure it out. 

That’s it for my haul. Do any of you like to shop at thrift stores?

Thanks for reading!

-Sandy

Drugstore Haul! CVS and Walgreens

Hello dears! These are the latest items I’ve added to my makeup collection 🙂 I went to CVS and Walgreens over the last week and this is what I got! I’ll start with CVS-I only intended to pick up a new mascara but somehow I walked out with 3…but but I couldn’t resist! There was a $5 off $15 cosmetics coupon, $5 off Physician’s Formula makeup, and I had a $5 extra bucks coupon.

From L to R: Covergirl Full Lash Bloom Mascara, Physician’s Formula Instant Lash Extension Kit, Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara

I’ve heard great things about the Covergirl Full Lash Bloom mascara and the Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara from Bree on her blog Always, Bree. The wand of the Maybelline mascara looks similar to the L’oreal Butterfly Mascara wand, which I really like, so hopefully I’ll like the Maybelline one too. I’ve tried Covergirl Lashblast Volume and Fusion before and wasn’t impressed, so we’ll see how I like the Full Bloom Mascara.

Close up of Physician’s Formula Lash Extension Kit

The Physician’s Formula Instant Lash Extension Kit drew me in-it’s a two step kit with the mascara and fibers in separate tubes. I’ve never tried lash fibers before so I think it will be an interesting experience. The wand on the mascara is pretty curved so II’m curious how I’ll like it.

Pop-Arrazi Nail Polishes Top from L-R: Shell Me More, The Hue is Blue, Sparkle-Fetti Bottom: Close up of Sparkle-Fetti

New nail polishes! I think this must be a new brand because I’ve never seen or heard about these before this week. The band name is Pop Arazzi, and they were only 99 cents at CVS so I couldn’t pass up trying a few. I’m always attracted to pastel blues and minty greens, so I had to grab those colors (even though I’m pretty sure I own some that are similar haha). I also grabbed a glitter polish that I thought looked cool and I don’t have anything similar-it’s got multi-colored micro-glitters and larger silver hexagon shaped glitters. Has anyone tried polishes from this brand? I haven’t tried them yet but I did notice that they have a pretty strong nail polish-y scent when you open them.

Top L to R: Kiss Trio Lashes Short Combo, Kiss Trio Lashes Short Combo Double Volume Bottom: Kiss Strip Lash Adhesive with Aloe-black

Finally, the Walgreens haul. I decided to try lash trios to see if I’ll have an easier time applying them. I got Kiss Lash trios Short Combo, one regular and one with double volume. I picked up a new lash glue to see if it works any better than the other Kiss lash glue I’ve been using. The new one I got is black and the one I already had dries clear. I’ll find out if I just suck at applying falsies or if the glue is the issue-when I try to apply a full band of falsies the inner and outer corners come loose. I’m not sure if the glue stinks or if I’m letting the glue dry too long before applying them. Haha I’ll get the hang of it one day…

That’s it for my haul! So far I haven’t tried anything yet but I’ll let you know how some of it works out. Have any of you tried these products before-if so, what did you think? Thanks for reading!

-S

Ulta and Walgreens Haul

Left: Jordana Modern Matte 09 Matte Dare, Right: Rimmel Show Off Lip Velvet 307 Metoric Matte

Hello my pretties! I picked up a few new items last week at Ulta and Walgreens. At Walgreens I got a Jordana Modern Matte Lipstick in the shade 09 Matte Dare ($2.49) and a Rimmel Show Off Lip Velvet in the shade 307 Meteoric Matte ($4.79). Both are new to the drugstore. Can you tell I have a thing for berry shade lippies? 🙂

First Impressions on the lippies: There was a nice shade range of the Jordana Modern Matte lipsticks, and while I like the shade I got I really had to build up the color and it kind of dragged on my lips when I applied it. It has sort of a weird texture, more waxy than what I am used to. I guess for the price it’s not bad, but I won’t be buying more of these. I think the Wet n’ Wild matte lipsticks for $1.99 are way better. The Rimmel Show Off lip velvet feels nice on my lips and has great pigmentation but it takes forever to dry down matte and it has poor lasting power. I found the original Rimmel Show Off lip lacquers from last year had the same wear problem. I wouldn’t buy more colors of the Show Off Lip Velvets either.

At Ulta I picked up the new Tartelette palette by Tarte and the Real Techniques expert face brush. I had been debating awhile on whether I should get the Tartelette palette or the Too Faced Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar palette, and I finally decided on the Tartelette palette since I didn’t have an all matte eyeshadow palette. I had a gift card, a 20% off coupon (included prestige brands) and I used up some of my Ulta Reward points, so I didn’t end up spending much of my own money (hooray!). The Real Techniques brush I have been wanting for awhile and I finally picked it up. I think it would be nice for blending foundation or even for a contour.

I also had a coupon for a free Ulta eyeshadow palette as a birthday reward. My birthday was in December so I was definitely late in using it…I just kept forgetting about it! I haven’t swatched the shadows yet, but hey, can’t say no to free makeup!

That’s it friends, my little haul! I’m beyond excited about the Tartelette palette 🙂 I think it will be a great addition to my eyeshadow collection.

Have you tried any of these products? What are your thoughts?

Thanks for reading!

-Sandy