Sephora & Ulta Haul!

After three months of using up tons of products, I finally accumulated enough reward money to do some shopping! In case you are curious, in order to curb my shopping and encourage myself to use up things in my collection, I use a reward system where I get $4 for every full size item I finish, $2 for every deluxe/travel size item, and $0.50 for foil packet samples. The rule is I can't buy anything if I haven't accumulated the money to purchase it. On a limited budget, I made use of some of my ULTA rewards as well as their BOGO sale on NYX items to keep myself in check.

The goodies!

As you can see, I went a little bit crazy with lip products but I am super pleased with all of them! The palette is from Mally and it's a blush/bronzer/highlight palette which I thought would be great for travel purposes.

First up, the Mally Shimmer, Shape and Glow palette ($40, 11.4g). I chose the "Deeper" option, but the "Lighter" option is very similar with a more champagne highlighter, a slightly lighter bronzer, and a pink blush. The highlighter is a really nice gold, sort of similar to NARS Albatross. The bronzer is a cool brown with a matte/satin finish, which is similar to Benefit Hoola. The blush is a gorgeous peachy coral with some subtle gold sheen. It's the perfect combo for the summertime!

  

I've been seeing reviews for the Too Faced Melted lipsticks ($21, 0.4 oz) all over the internet, and for once, the nude shade is one that doesn't wash me out! This is a really rare thing, so I knew I needed to snatch this up. This is a browny pink nude and the formula is divine. It's smooth and non-drying with a fuzzy felt tip applicator which makes application a snap.

Believe it or not, these are my very first NYX Butter Glosses ($4, 0.27 oz). The original line didn't have any colors that appealed to me, but NYX recently doubled their color selection and I went straight for two of the nude options, Praline and Ginger Snap. Praline is a pinky brown, while Ginger Snap is pretty much just a brown. I love the texture and scent on these, though they aren't very long wearing. These are perfect to wear on their own, or to pair with light nudes or brights that you want to tone down.

This was a new display in Sephora, and it's called the Luster Matte Long Wear Lip Color ($16, 0.14 oz). It was basically love at first swatch with this product. They are super slick and although they dry somewhat matte, they still have a really nice natural slickness to them and don't look dry. The formula is smooth and moisturizing, and doesn't emphasize fine lines. This color is a fall one, but it was the one I was most drawn to. Who cares about makeup rules, I'm gonna rock this vampy color whenever I feel like it! I hope to pick up some other colors once I use up more products.

I also picked up a Nano lip liner in Chic Choco ($5) from Sephora, but I couldn't get it to stop rolling long enough to take a close up picture. It is however swatched in the picture below :)

Everything in the haul is super wearable, and I have already started incorporating these products into my daily routine!

Deal Alert: ULTA Get Ready for the Party

I stumbled across this boxed set on a display in ULTA and was truly intrigued. I wasn't even aware that ULTA created little packaged sets like Sephora's popular lash stash and fragrance sets, so when I saw it and noticed some great products, I had to pick it up. This normally retails for $30 (while the boxes value is $95) but when it rung up at the cashier, it was only $19! Pretty awesome if you ask me. So, what's inside?

You get 3 full size products and 3 deluxe sized samples. The full sized products include a Butter London glitter nail polish in Rosie Lee (a gorgeous red/pink sparkle), a Laura Gellar City Lights lip gloss (clear with beautiful golden glitter) and a Napoleon Perdis Loose Eyeshadow Dust in Pink Champagne (beautiful metallic pink). I've actually never tried anything from Napoleon Perdis, or the lip gloss formula from Laura Gellar. I own only one other Butter London polish which is a metallic finish, so it's nice to get to try a glitter.

The 3 deluxe sized products included in the set are a Tarte Lights Camera Action mascara, a Pur Minerals bronzer, and a Lorac Behind The Scenes eye shadow primer. I've used a sample of the primer before and love it, so I wasn't unhappy about getting a repeat product. I have never tried the Tarte mascara, but am really excited to since it has so many rave reviews and touts some big claims (400% increase in lash volume). As for Pur Minerals, this is yet another brand which I have never tried, though if you read my blog you know I am a big fan of mineral makeup (Bare Minerals <3).

Below, I've swatched the bronzer, lipgloss and eye dust. Overall, I think this is a great sampling of some good products at an excellent price point. If you're interested in trying some new items, this is a set you should definitely consider picking up.

Review: Smashbox Wondervision Mega Palette

I picked up the Smashbox Wondervision palette during Ulta's black Friday sale (it was on sale for $39 instead of $49), and it's one of the most versatile palettes I own. Normally I dislike giant palettes; I've never been a fan of the 88 or 120 color palettes, not because of quality or anything like that but simply because I'm the type of person who gets overwhelmed by too many choices. It's so much easier for me to look at 20 shadows at once and figure out what to do. I've never purchased a Smashbox palette before because they often have gel liners (cream products) mixed in with their eyeshadows and cheek products. This palette has no liners but contains 2 blushes, 1 highlight, 1 bronzer and 30 eyeshadows with a variety of finishes.

There's a lovely mix of neutrals and colors in the palette, along with every essential matte (all your classic highlight and blending colors) you might need to create a completely neutral everyday look or to make your colored shadows wearable on a day to day basis. The shadows are incredibly pigmented, soft and creamy and housed inside of a thick black case which has a metallic closure and a large mirror. The palette stays propped up similar to the Urban Decay Vice 2 palette which is quite convenient since you don't need to use one hand to keep the mirror up while doing your makeup. It comes with a number of cards to help you build looks, which I don't use, but do value since I certainly understand how a beginner could feel overwhelmed and not know where to start.

The bronzer is matte, making it use-able for contour as well as overall warming up the complexion. The highlighter, which perhaps could be a light pink shimmery blush for those with very fair skin tones, is finely milled and the sparkle is not chunky. There is one pink and one peach blush, which is perfect for going with any look you might create using the eyeshadows.

At the price I picked it up for, I seriously think it was a steal. I would still recommend it at the original price point, and can see this being in my regular rotation through out all seasons due to the different colors in it.

One of my recent looks: Fawn in the crease, Umber all over the lid,  Maize as the brow highlight, Chocolate as the outer v color, Mint as the inner corner highlight, Green on the lower lash line and Black as my liner.

First Impressions: Guerlain

Guerlain

About the Brand: Nordstrom has a really interesting description you can read here which is better than anything I could write up :)

Where to Buy It: Sephora, Dillards, Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus

Price Point: Luxury, comparable price points to Tom Ford and Cle de Peau Beaute.

Why did I try the brand: I went into Saks one day to check out some of the Armani Eyes To Kill eyeshadows and wandered by the Guerlain counter. I sort of impulsively decided that I wanted to try something because I was curious to see if the products were really worth the price point but had no idea what to try. The sales associate recommended I pick out a bronzer since the brand is known for them, so I followed her advice.

Packaging: This seriously might be some of the most beautiful packaging I have ever seen. Guerlain features a chocolate brown and gold color for many of their products and the compact I picked out has a lovely design on top. The top half of the compact has a mirror while the bottom half holds the product. There aren't any brushes or poofs, though I think the eye palettes may have slots for some. The closures on the compacts are magnetic, which is just awesome. There is a good amount of weight to the items, so that may be a downside if you want to travel light.

First Purchase: Four Seasons Bronzer in 08 Ebony, $75

Pros/Cons of First Purchase: Gah, first thing has to be the price. I'm pretty sure this is the most I've paid for a single makeup item thus far, and the realist in me is still flabbergasted that I purchased this. That being said, the product is pretty phenomenal. The powders are very soft and creamy, blending out like a dream. The powders are heavily pigmented so you just need a light hand. There's a good amount of product as well so I know this will last me a long time.

Unique Items/Qualities of the brand: There's a HUGE range of bronzers. In addition to the eight four seasons bronzers, there's also a whole line of terra cotta bronzers. If you are really pale or dark, Guerlain will definitely have an option for you when others dont.

Other Items that caught my eye: Rouge G de Geurlain lipstick ($49.50), Rouge Automatique Lip Color ($35)

Overall First Impression Grade: I'm going to rate Guerlain at an A-. Obviously the price point is sky high which I don't love, but the quality of the products is amazing and each piece feels like you are holding a little piece of treasure. I think that the line has some limitations, particularly with regards to its foundation and concealer selections, but there's a great range of eye, lip and cheek products.

**all pictures from Nordstrom.com