Black Friday / Cyber Monday Shopping Haul

This year, I did almost all of my Black Friday/Cyber Monday shopping online. Those purchases have been arriving over the past week, and I thought I'd share! I'm not sharing everything, since some of what I bought are presents for people I know read my blog, but I got some great deals on those too.

The Color Workshop Cream Eyeliners – Walgreens, $2

I can't believe I found 4 cream eyeliners (black, brown, blue, and green) and a brush for $2! I even checked with the cashier to make sure I was reading the price right. I figured, at $2, even if it was awful and unusable I wouldn't be out too much money. The brush was crap, so I tossed that out and used my own. I passed the black on to my sister who I know will use it. I have been able to try out all of the other colors once and they seem to be a decent formula that don't run and go on easily. My biggest complaint is the packaging. They come in cheap plastic jars and the lids are very difficult to screw on correctly.

Top Row (left at bottom)

Bottom Row (left at bottom)

Urban Decay Smoked Eyeshadow Palette – Macy's, $20

I recently got my first Urban Decay eyeshadow (Pulp Fiction Palette) and really liked the formula. I had tried to grab another Urban Decay set, but that sold out within minutes. I saw this one for over half off, and at such a reasonable price I couldn't pass it up. I checked both the Ulta and Sephora sites to see how the deal compared, and Macy's was cheaper by at least $5.

Tarte Beauty and the Box Amazonian Clay Eyeshadow Quad in Evoke the Smoke – Macy's, $9

Again, a deal I couldn't pass up. $9 for 4 Tarte eyeshadows was too good to resist.

Top to Bottom: Cute Pink, Endless Purple

Sephora Collection Cream Lip Stain Duo – Sephora, $10

I have one of these in Always Red and it is one of my favorite lipsticks, and definitely my favorite true red. Finding 2 for $10, when 1 usually goes for $13, I thought would be a good deal and I would probably like at least one of the colors. My duo included Endless Purple and Cute Pink. I really like the purple in the swatch and look forward to trying it out.

Too Faced Workday to Weekend Play Eyeshadow Primer Duo – Sephora, $10

While scrolling through the Sephora deals, I saw this and thought I would give it a shot. The champagne-colored primer is hugely popular among beauty bloggers. Some wear it alone as their only eye color. It might be a good way for the kiddo to be introduced to eye color.

Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment – Sephora, Free

This was free with purchase with one of my (ahem) many Sephora orders. Everyone is also always raving about these. This is a sample size. It smells like lemon poppyseed muffins – my favorite!

Top to Bottom: Lolita, Berlin

Kat Von D Lip Love Set – Sephora, $10

This set contains minis of the Studded Kiss Lipstick in Lolita and Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Berlin. Ever since they came in, I have been dying to try the Lolita. It is so my kind of shade! It is kind of a rosy, mauvy, purply color. Berlin is a rather bright orange, although the kiddo thinks there's a lot of pink in there too. The the pink comes through in the swatch, too. I'll have to try it to see how it looks on me.

Tarte Magical Moments Deluxe Best Sellers Essentials Set – Sephora, $10

Tarte is probably the brand I hear most about on the beauty blogs and videos, and from them, the most beloved product has got to be the Amazonian clay blush. So, when I saw that this kit contained one of the famous blushes, in addition to a mascara and lip gloss (both of which are also well-reviewed products in general), I snatched it up as fast as I could. The lip gloss (Magic) is rather light in the swatch, but should come across as almost clear on the lips due to how sheer it was. The blush is also in the color Magic.

Top to Bottom: Fig, Posy Pink

Smashbox Be Legendary Lipstick Duo – Sephora, $10

This set contains, obviously, 2 of the Smashbox lipsticks. This one came with Fig and Posy Pink. Fig is absolutely gorgeous, and Posy Pink swatches much nicer than it looks in the tube.

Smashbox On the Rocks Mini Bestsellers Kit – Macy's, $10

Another Smashbox set for a great price, this one with samples of the makeup primer, under eye primer, and Full Exposure mascara.

Top to Bottom: Barbutan, Currant, Strawberry

Bite Beauty Lush Lip Trio – Sephora, $10

This kit is a trio of Bite Beauty Lush Fruit Lip Glosses. My kit contains Rambutan (peachy nude), Currant (sheer plum), and Strawberry (sheer carnation pink). The Rambutan is actually fairly opaque, especially for a gloss.

Laura Geller Beauty Flawless In A Flash – Macy's, $19

I love this kit more and more every time I look at it! Inside a beautiful pink bag (already claimed by the kiddo) is a 5-piece set with a blush, foundation, mascara, primer, and brush. Both the blush and foundation are swirly and very pretty to look at, soft to the touch, and swatch lighter than they appear in the pan. The foundation is medium, which may be too dark for me usually but I should be able to make it work if I apply it lightly, sort of like a setting powder. The blush is very sparkly and swatches even more so. In fact, the swatch comes across as all sparkle and almost no color.

Various Perfume Samples – Macy's and Sephora, Free

Thankfully, most are in spritz vials. :) Samples include:

• Boucheron Place Vendome
• Elizabeth and James Nirvana White
• Tocca Florence
• Paco Rabanne 1 Million Intense
• Tom Ford Velvet Orchid
• Marc Jacobs Daisy
• Versace Bright Crystal
• Issey Miyake L'Eau d'Issey
• Dolce and Gabbana Dolce
• Marc Jacobs Honey

All in all, I think I had a great Black Friday/Cyber Monday haul.  How was your's?  Did you get any good deals?

Favorites and Disappointments November 2014 – Beauty and More

Here we are, at the end of November, and fully into the holiday season. Where did this year go?

November has been a pretty crazy month around here. I've spent a lot of the month behind a hospital mask, so I've kept my makeup routine fairly simple and the list below reflects that.

Let’s start with favorites first...

Lips: Rimmel Show Off Lip Lacquer in Galaxy

I read great things about this formula from several beauty bloggers, so I decided to try it out. After a thorough review of swatches online, I decided on Galaxy and Solstice. Between the two, Galaxy is definitely my favorite. The formula is nice and rich, applies like a gloss but has the coverage and staying power of a lipstick. The doe-foot applicator has an indentation which grabs the perfect amount of product to complete your whole mouth. Galaxy is mauvy plum with some shimmer, and fades to a nice stain with wear. This has been my go-to shade this month; I have reached for this more than any other because it goes with absolutely everything!

Eyes: Cream Eyeshadow

This month, I've pretty much stuck with a single cream eyeshadow followed by eyeliner and mascara. I've switched up the shadow, rotating through my collection, but the one that got the most wear was Ulta Color Coat Cream Eye Shadow in Shimmering Topaz (second month in a row!).

Face: NYX Cream Blush in Boho Chic

This is a very light pink cream blush which adds just the most subtle but natural hint of color to the cheeks. It helps perk up my complexion and make me look more awake when my skin is on the dull side. It is really hard to mess up when applying thi

s blush, which was perfect for such a crazy month.

Fragrance: Taylor by Taylor Swift

Taylor reminds me so much of my fragrance pick from last month, Killer Queen. The first time I wore it after trying Killer Queen, I swore I put on the wrong one later in the day! Now, it's really a toss-up between the two as to which one I want to wear, and I have to force myself to wear other scents.

Skincare: The Body Shop Vitamin E Intense Moisture Cream

I've been dealing with two very dry patches on my face that weren't healing no matter what I put on them. I had to stop using face makeup for over 2 weeks because all it did was cling to them no matter what I did. I had a Groupon for The Body Shop and had heard great things about their skincare products, so I went in and asked their sales associate for advice. She suggested this product for during the day, and minimally using a night cream at night. She also mentioned that I could use this as a spot treatment if I wanted to use other moisturizers for the rest of my face. And while this hasn’t completely cleared up the dry patches, it has helped calm things down enough that I can wear makeup again. Also, I found that using a very moisturizing concealer like Benefit’s Fake Up is better on those areas than any other product.

Movie: Whiplash

Whiplash isn't the typical movie we usually go to see in the theater. But I had read great reviews, especially for the acting performances, so I took the kiddo to go see it. Briefly, the movie tells the story of a drum prodigy and his teacher who pushes him to be his best using some unusual methods. I thought it was a captivating portrayal of obsession, drive, and bullying from a different angle.

TV: Law and Order: SVU

Every time the hubby is in the hospital, we get sucked into watching marathons of SVU. It's addictive!

Other: The Body Shop, Black Friday sales

On to the disappointments... black eyeliners, eye pencils you have to sharpen

What things did you particularly enjoy this month?  What just didn't work for you?

(Pictures courtesy of Ulta, IMDB, and a few random web images)

Birchbox November 2014

The theme of this month's Birchbox was Giving, with Birchbox donating money to an AIDS charity when photos of the box are shared using a specific hashtag. Also provided was a booklet with gift ideas available through Birchbox to fulfill all of your gift-giving needs.

The kiddo noticed that this month, the full sizes for all but one item in my box is less than $20. I appreciate that, because it really makes me consider purchasing the full size if I like the product.

Looking at the products:

Not Soap, Radio Joy Inducing Body Wash: This body wash has a relatively subtle lemon-dominant citrus scent, and I look forward to trying it. I do wish that the names described the scents better. If when I try the product I do like it, I hesitate to purchase any other scents not having a better description of their aromas.

Tocca Crema Da Mano in Bianca: This rich hand cream has a mild scent, kind of like iced tea with a hint of lemon. Although it is a true cream in that it is thick, it does seem to absorb well.

Juice Beauty Green Apple Peel Sensitive: This product very runny. I just opened the tube to smell and sample it and it came pouring out! From what I can tell, I can't really determine scent. I don't usually use peels, and have not yet tried this one.

Bain de Terre Argan Oil and Passion Flower Color Therapy Styling Oil: This oil has a pleasant scent and is one of the thicker hair oils I've sampled. I will be putting this into the sample pile of hair oils to try, but I should get to it very soon.

Ellovi Tinted Lip Butter: Of all the products from this month's box, I've had the opportunity to try this one the most. Unfortunately, I don't have great things to say about it. I do like that this is an all natural product. This does come across in the product in both the scent and especially texture. The butter is sort of lumpy, which feels odd when applying. The oval shape makes applying kind of awkward. Finally, although this lip butter looks tinted in the tube, the color does not transfer to the lips when applied, not even really in a swatch on the hand.

Justin's Chocolate Almond Butter: I enjoy getting food treats in my Birchbox, and I think my family like them even more! I like that this comes in an individual packet. I'll be tossing this in either my gym bag or my daughter's swim bag as a good post-workout treat.  

Overall, I thought this was a decent box.  Once I have a chance to try out the products more thoroughly, I'll have a better idea.

What did you think of your Birchbox this month?

Ipsy November 2014

The theme of this month's Ipsy is Girl meets Glitter. This comes through perfectly with the bag that was provided by Forever 21 Cosmetics for Ipsy. The sparkles are actually a part of the vinyl meaning they will not flake off. The bag is a little on the small side, but the pink zipper makes for a cute accent.

Temptu S/B Highlighter in Pink Pearl: This is a liquid highlighter of very thin consistency. When first applied it looks very pink but shears out to a subtle glow. Because this is such a thin product you have to be very careful when applying it or too much will be dispensed.

IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye Concealer in Neutral Medium: This product is very thick, and a little goes a very long way. I’m glad I read the description on the Ipsy site for application suggestions, or I likely would have applied WAY too much. Even still, the swatch appears to be pretty dark for me, so I’ll have to see if I can use it at all.

Marc Anthony Oil of Morocco Argan Oil Volume Shine Hairspray: Because this hairspray contains argan oil, it should provide a nice shine. I’m passing this one off to my mom, so hopefully she will report back with her thoughts.

Be A Bombshell Cosmetics Eye Base in Submissive: This gorgeous bronze color can be built up to opaque or sheered out to give just a hint of sparkle. It is the smoother, creamier, “oilier” consistency I prefer in cream eyeshadows because it allows for easier application and blending. The producer indicates that this product can be used either on its own or as a base for powder eyeshadows, which is what I have found with other cream eyeshadows. I am looking most forward to trying this product out!

J. Cat Beauty Wonder Lip Paint in Red Potion: I have heard about these as a dupe of OCC Lip Tars, and was both excited and a little hesitant to try it, especially when I saw the color I received. When this first comes out of the tube, it appears to be blood red. However, as it gets sheered out, it changes to anything from a medium to deep berry depending on how sheer you go. I can definitely see myself wearing this color. The product itself, on the other hand, I’ll need to play around with. Right now, I don’t have a lip brush, which makes this a messy product to use, but it does intrigue me.

All in all, there’s only one product I definitely won’t use that will be passed along and one that may be the wrong color for me. I’ll have to play around with the lip paint and highlighter until I feel more comfortable with them, but I think eventually I’ll like both products. And I can’t wait to use the eye base!

Do you subscribe to Ipsy? What did you think of your box this month?

Experiences with Black Eyeliner

I’ve never been a fan of black eyeliner on me. I wear eyeliner every single day, but I never thought I could wear black. I always thought it looked too harsh, too stark, etc.

Then, for Halloween this year, I decided to go really dark with my eye makeup. I used a shimmery dark grey eyeshadow all over my lids, so the only liner that would look right would be black. I happened to have just received a sample of a black glitter eyeliner in my most recent Birchbox that I decided to keep, thinking I could smudge it down to look gray-ish, so I used that. I also had a black Ulta eyeliner on the other end of the Dark Brown double-sided pencil I have been using that I got free in a sample bag with purchase, and used that on my water line. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised with the look. In fact, I couldn’t take my eyes off my eyes that day! They almost looked to be a different color, just by changing up the makeup. The products themselves, well… I’ll get into that in a minute.

Since then, I’ve been playing around more with the sparkly black pencil eyeliner, and it’s been working out OK. I never really apply it too heavy and really smudge it out, so it almost looks like a dark sparkly gray.

Today, after a request from the kiddo for a black eyeliner look, I decided to take the plunge into liquid eyeliner. I recently had picked up the elf Waterproof Eyeliner Pen at Target. (I didn’t want to spend a huge amount on a black liquid liner not knowing if I would be using it more than once.) After priming my lids and applying my cream eyeshadow, I started in on the eyeliner. A few observations:

• Not sure if the winged look is for me. The skin on my eyelids if kind of crepe-y, and the wing itself was really hard to achieve. Once it was there and I had gotten used to it, especially once the look was finished, it looked pretty decent, but not sure if it’s worth the effort.
• I definitely need eyeliner on my lower lash line. Without it, I don’t look complete. I used the same Ulta pencil from Halloween, and brought it up until it met the wing. Also used it on my waterline.
• Right now, all of the black eyeliners I have SUCK! Today, the waterline was gone within just a few minutes. Within 2 hours, the lower pencil that met up with the wing was completely smudged down my cheek on my left eye. When I went to fix that, the wing came off. That meant the right eye had to go too, and it came off easily. The rest of the pencil under the eye is smudgy and I have to keep checking for raccoon eyes. The glitter pencil (Lord and Berry Sparkle Black Mini Liner) also smudges easily, also noted by my sister.

I will continue to wear the sparkly liner, because I can make that work when I need/want to. Otherwise, I’m going back to my pencils in pretty much every color but black, and passing along any black ones I get to my sister.

Any tips or trade secrets to share about liquid liner? What is your favorite eyeliner?