My Birthday Look & Birthday Haul :)

    For my makeup look, I did a black and warm brown smokey using my Anastasia Lavish Palette. Lips are Jordana Balm Stain in Cranberry Crush.

My birthday was on the 14th, and to celebrate I did dinner at Chili's with my husband, mom, stepdad and sister. Fun times :)

A few goodies I picked up at Ulta with birthday money:

Essence Beauty Beats Shimmer Powder in Swag!

NYX Pore Filler (video soon!)

I also picked up the Vice 2 palette with a birthday gift card, which I blogged about here.

Lastly, I also picked up the A Few of my favorite Things kit by Too Faced. So so so pretty! Swatch post to follow!

Later beauties!!

Dollar Tree Finds!

    I wondered on over to the Dollar Tree the other day (I honestly can't remember what for) and I decided I needed a new hair brush, and found some other goodies there also. I thought I'd share what kind of things can be found at the Dollar Tree lately, and a few swatches too!

   The ELF Lip Exfoliator pictured above was actually purchased at Target for $3, not at the Dollar Tree, but I thought I'd include it. Basically it's an exfoliating lip scrub in the shape of a lipstick and it tastes like vanilla. Simple enough.

     I did pick up the hair brush, and also a couple larger clips for keeping my hair out of my face while putting my makeup on, or doing my hair. They came together 2-in-1. 

The LA Colors Rapid Dry Top Coat is a bit of a disappointment for me. It's super runny like water, and it drags through my polish leaving little track marks. It also doesn't dry rapidly AT ALL. Granted it's only a $1, but pass on it. 

     If you watch my YouTube videos you know I am LOVING the ELF Matte Lip Colors. I have 5 out of the 6 available shades now, and found all of them at the Dollar Tree, although they are still available at Target and online. The shade I passed on is Praline because it's just too dark brown for me. The color I did pick up this time is Coral, which I was super pumped up about. It's a beautiful peachy nude color, and reminds me a bit of Just Peachy by Wet n Wild (one of my all time faves!)

   I also found a bunch of the Rimmel Glam Eye quads. I didn't however realize they were quads and not trios, until I was swatching the last one. So the first 2 palettes only show 3 swatches, not 4. Oops! They did have a few more shades available, I just picked up the ones I was interested in. I have worn the gold one already, and it is pretty nice. The only complaint I have is that the little strips of eyeshadow are really hard to get into, even with the little sponge applicator. While it is pretty to look at, the packaging leaves much to be desired in terms of usage. Swatches of everything is below!

Green Park

Royal Tea

Heart of Gold

ELF Matte Lip Color - Coral

Sigma Essentials [Haul & Review]

The Sigma Essentials Kit comes with 12 brushes:

Eye Liner (E05)

Pencil (E30)

Tapered Blending (E40)

Eye Shader (E55)

Large Shader (E60)

Small Angle (E65)

Medium Angle Shader (E70)

Large Powder (F30)

Angled Contour (F40)

Duo Fibre (F50)

Foundation (F60)

Concealer (F70)

This kit retails for $98, but with the code MNSF2013 at checkout you can save 10% on your order.

Clink this link to check out this kit for yourself:

http://www.sigmabeauty.com/Complete_Kit_p/ck001.htm?Click=264104

You can see my full thoughts on these brushes by watching my video, below :)

This post contains my affiliate link, but this post was not sponsored by Sigma. 

More New Shades from Wet n WIld MegaLast Collection

     Yes, I am a hoarder. I also broke my own rule of only buying 7 nail polishes for the entire year. I can't help it!! Wet n Wild MegaLast line is my favorite brand OF LIFE, and when they launched 40 new shades, I almost peed my pants. 

    Here is a quick bottle shot of 4 more shades I recently acquired. (I have a couple more also that I forgot to snap of picture of). I just recorded a video about these new polishes, so look forward to the accompanying swatch post in the very near future!

L-R: Sunspot, Sweet Tooth, Telescope Vision & Dark Side of the Blues

Swatches! NEW LE Maybelline Color Tattoos 2013!!

     ** There are 6 total shades in this collection, I only have 3 of them. There is also a lavender, a white-ish shade, and a sandy shade. **

(clockwise) Cool Crush, Icy Mint & Seashore Frost.

Cool Crush & Seashore Frost are both duochrome shades!!

L-R: Seashore Frost, Cool Crush & Icy Mint

New Wet n Wild MegaLast Nail Polishes!

     These are just a couple pictures of what I picked up. Look for swatches on here and on my YouTube channel towards the end of the month :)

     If you didn't already hear, Wet n Wild completely expanded their MegaLast line. WAHOO!!! You guys know that is my favorite nail polish line of life! Unfortunately within these 40 or so new shades are some from the Spoiled line that can be found at CVS. If you don't have a CVS near you, that may be good news. I find it a little poopy though, I wish they were all just brand new shades. Beggars can't be choosers I suppose. 

     At this moment in time, the only place that has these polishes available is the Dollar General, but they are not exclusive to that store. They will eventually be sold where ever you can find the line. I picked up 4 shades for now, but they are more that I'd like to get. At $2 a pop, I'm surprised I contained myself to only 4 LOL.

Black Light Party, Tulip Season, Young 'n' Cheeky & Sea Change

Haul: Milani Prize!!!!

     A couple weeks ago (right around Thanksgiving) Milani was having a giveaway to celebrate their 10th anniversary. You could enter on Facebook, which I did everyday with no luck, or on Twitter. I only figured out you could enter on Twitter the second to last day, so I did, and I WON!! 

My prize came today, and of course I dug right in! I was super duper excited about this, as there were a lot of products in it I've really been wanting to try out.

Let's take a closer look at what Milani sent me! Keep reading!

CVS Beauty Clearance Sale

     If you are unaware, twice a year CVS has a big beauty clearance sale. They get rid of things that are being discontinued, or need the stock rotated. Most things are usually 50%- 75% off. The thing is, prices and items vary store-to-store. Also, some CVS locations don;t put stickers up on anything, so you wouldn't even know it was on sale by looking at it. This is where the awesomeness of the internet comes in. Nouveau Cheap (awesome blog, if you don't follow her, you SHOULD) writes up a Master List every time the sale comes around. Readers let her know what they find on clearance at their stores, and she compiles it in one easy place. You can read the Master List by clicking it. If your CVS does not have any signs or stickers up, take the items you want to the red scanner, and check the price. That is what I had to do. 

To make a long story short, I wrote down the couple of things that interested me, and headed off to CVS this afternoon. I was really hoping to find the Revlon Colorburst lipstick in Soft Nude on sale, and some of the Physicians Formula gel liners. So what did I end up getting?

Revlon polish in Blue Lagoon - $1.49

Nicole by OPI (Kardashian Kolors) in Paparazzi Don't Preach - $3.99

Milani 3D Holographic polish in HD - $1.37

Revlon Colorburst lipstick in Soft Nude - $2.49

Wet n Wild bronzer in Princess - $1.49

PF Gel Liners for Blue Eyes - $5.49

I also had a $1 off Revlon coupon, bringing my total to: $16.36 (including tax)

I want to also mention that a lot of things on clearance at CVS are also on clearance at Meijer, plus a lot of other great products. So if you don't find what you are looking for at CVS, go check your local Meijer! I picked up the NYC polish in Python from the 2012 Fall Collection for only 44 cents today! I also saw a bunch of L'Oreal Infallible shadows for 20% off at Meijer.

Do you have a CVS? Did you pick up any clearance items? What did you get??

Little Walgreens Haulage

First of all, excuse my leg in the above picture. I didn't realize it was in there until after I uploaded. Oopsie! I took Cooper to school today, then little man and I headed off to do some shopping. First we went to Target...nothing peaked my interest. Shocker, I know. Next we went to TJMaxx, and although they had some 7 packs of Color Club nail polishes, I didn't buy any. I know, another shocker. So off we headed to Walgreens, with the hope of FINALLY finding the new Wet n Wild 8 pan palettes. I have been every where on the search for these, with no luck. Until today! I knew I should have just went to Walgreens first...

Keep reading for more info on what I bought, and the deals I got!

Swatchfest: Tarina Tarantino Emerald Pretty Palette

Oh my goodness, so much to say about this palette that I don't even know where to begin!!

I suppose I'll start off by saying that I've been lusting after this palette for SO LONG. I mean, it's Wizard of Oz themed, and that is hands down one of my favorite movies of life! It's shaped like a big emerald, which is fabulous. The colors in this palette are phenomenal, and I've heard nothing but great things about Tarina Tarantino products.

    Having said all of that, this palette is $38 for 6 eyeshadows. I couldn't really justify that (ok, who am I kidding, I can justify it, but still....) If you have been following anyone on youtube the last couple of weeks, or read Temptalia's blog, you may have heard that Sephora will no longer be carrying Tarina products any longer. (Their contract with each other is up) All Tarina Tarantino products at Sephora are now 40% off!!! Amazing! As soon as I heard that, I knew now was the time to pick this little gem up, for only $22! Great deal. 

   The quality, texture, and pigmentation of these eyeshadows is probably one of the best I've ever tried, if not THE best. They are amazing, just buttery and beautiful. 

Color description will be along with the photos and swatches after the jump, so keep reading!

Swatchfest: Urban Decay Vice Palette

     I was going to say: "Guess what I got?!?" but considering I have to title this blog post, I already gave it away lol. This just arrived in the mail today, and I was soooo excited to see it! I ordered this from the Urban Decay website on Monday, so shipping was pretty speedy.

    This palette contains 20 ALL NEW shades, no repromotes! That is so exciting. I hate it when Urban Decay sticks the same colors in every palette. I already have 2 Blackouts, 2 Half Bakeds, 2 Choppers, etc.  So I was pretty happy that these shadows were all new, and I wasn't getting anything I already own. 

    For my favorites, and least favorites from this palette, stay tuned after the swatches!

Physicians Formula: Haul & Swatches

Hi my loves! 

I went on a search today for the new Maybelline Color Tattoos (I really want the beige one). I searched every Rite Aid & Walgreens in my area, much to no avail. Boo! Then of course I ended up at Meijer, usually I will find things there I can't find anywhere else. Still no Color Tattoos. I did however notice that Physicians Formula was 40% off. I couldn't pass it up. Their stuff is kinda pricey for drugstore, but Meijer is usually the cheapest I can find. So I pick up the things I wanted, all for under $20!

Haul & Swatches: theBalm

Seriously, a haul 2 days in a row?? Yes, for real yo! I ordered a few things from HauteLook the last time the were featuring theBalm. I have been lusting and lusting after these things for SO long. Of course on HauteLook (if you are not familiar) everything is deeply discounted during flash sales. I bought everything at 50% retail, so I'm pretty pumped about that! There is one other blush I really want, super duper bad, but alas! It was not in the sale. Darn it!

I know there are TONS and TONS of swatches/photos/info blah blah blah about all these products online, so I will keep it short and sweet. If you are looking for these items also, keep checking HauteLook, they seem to have a flash sale on theBalm every 5 weeks or so =)

HUGE HAUL!!!

It's my 1 Year Blog-iversary!!! I'm so excited! This has been such a fun year for me. Finding all these new exciting makeup products, the beauty community, making new friends, and finding something I love to do. I want to THANK all of you for all your support. You have all been so amazing, and I appreciate all your kind words and encouragement. Such amazing people I have found. THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart <3

For something fun for my 1 Year post, I have a HUGE collective haul! There will be a video linked at the bottom if you wish to check that out. Below the jump I will have pictures and swatches of everything I got. Enjoy loves!!

GIVEAWAY HAUL!!!!

I just want to thank my lovely friend, Elven Eyes, for having this giveaway! I've never won anything before, so I have been super duper excited! As I stated in my video, she and I actually correspond frequently, so I feel more like I received a very thoughtful gift from a friend. It means a lot to me, so THANK YOU!!! Also, kids thank you for all the bubble wrap, they had a blast ;-)

Watch my video:

Keep reading for more pictures!

Influenster Mom VoxBox 2012 - Open Box

Hi guys! I just wanted to do an "open box" type post for what I received in my Mom VoxBox today. As I just got it, I can't really review anything yet, but will give more detailed reviews as I use things. This is just a fun post =)

Target Beauty Bag & Makeup Haul

To watch the (awkward) video, click below lovelies! =)

Products mentioned:

(Target Beauty Bag)

coupon booklet

Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry Touch Sunblock SPF 70

Tresemme' Split Remedy shampoo

Revlon Lip Butter sample (Peach Parfait)

Aveeno Living Color shampoo & conditioner

Garnier Fructis Color Shield shampoo & conditioner

(Haul)

Essence XXXL Shine Gloss in Forever Rose & Timeless Beauty

Ulta Gel Eyeliner pencil in Majesty (not shown)

Ulta shadow singles in: Seashell, Stardust & Bermuda Sands

Wet n Wild blush in Pearlescent Pink

Garnier BB Cream

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Cherish

L'Oreal Color Riche Balm in Caring Coral 

Blush & Lipstick Haul

I think it's no secret by now that I am a blush hoarder. I just love blush, I can't help it. I have been lusting after the Tarte blush in Exposed for about forever now, so I picked that up a few days ago. I have a couple NYX blushes I also picked up recently, and my very first MAC blush. I am obsessed with the thought of MAC blushes right now. I don't want anything else, just MAC blushes. Yes, I have issues, I understand this ;)

I also picked up a couple more of the Wet n Wild MegaLast lipsticks because I found them on clearance at Meijer for only 49 cents! I couldn't believe it, I couldn't pass it up. 

On to pics and swatches!

Coastal Scents Hot Pots - Info & Swatches

    Hello lovelies! How are you all doing today? 

    About a week ago I placed an order on the Coastal Scents website, and I wanted to share with you all what I got. I was very interested in the Hot Pots, but couldn't find a whole lot of swatches, so hopefully this post is helpful to those of you who are also interested in these eyeshadows. 

Hot Pots are the same size as a MAC eyeshadow, 1 inch. They cost $1.99 each, but some are clearanced at $1.49. The pigmentation and texture of these eyeshadows is AWESOME. They are so soft, silky and creamy. Not at all chalky, or hard to blend. I believe there are 166 (or maybe 116?) shades to choose from, so whatever you are looking for, they probably have it. I love that there is such a variety of matte shades, as that can be hard to find sometimes. Coastal Scents always has a deal going on that states if you purchase 12 Hot Pots, you can get a 12 pot palette for free. I found that to be a deal I couldn't pass up (where else would I put them? lol) The palettes are a little smaller than a MAC palette, as MAC palettes hold 15 shades. The palettes are a nice matte black, with a huge mirror inside, which is nice for traveling. 

All the shades now have names on the website, but on the actual pan they are still labeled with a letter/number system. (Except new shades, which just have the name) What do the letters mean??

M - Matte

S - Satin/ Shimmer

B - Blush

CM - Creative Me shade

ME - Metallic/ Foil

All my palettes are custom palettes, they do not come this way, this is just they way I set them up.

On to the shades I chose, and the swatches!

**VERY PIC HEAVY**

A Ridiculous Collective Haul

    I haven't done a haul post in SO long! It's crazy, and I hate when I do that because then my collective haul is huge. Then I look like a makeup hoarding nut LOL. I did get a lot of things on sale, or with coupons, or things like that. So I guess that makes me feel better about myself ;-)

Bath and Body Works:

Into The Wild body splash $5

Orange Sapphire body splash $3

Twilight Woods, Be Enchanted & Midnight Pomegranate splashes $1.25 each

NEW Pink Chiffon lotion $1 

Face Products:

Maybelline Dream Matte powder

Revlon Colorstay foundation

Hard Candy Sheer Envy primer

Neutrogena Healthy Skin foundation ($2 off coupon)

Wet n Wild 'Reserve Your Cabana' bronzer

*The WnW bronzer is a re-promote of an old favorite 'Acapulco Glow'. This is $3.99 and exclusive to Walgreens. It is much to light to be an actual bronzer. I use it as a face powder and love it, because it has a subtle sheen to it*

Eye Products:

NYX trio: Aloha/Mink/Deep Bronze

NYX trio: Golden/Rust/Walnut   (BOGO 1/2 off @ Ulta)

L'Oreal HIP duo in Bustling (75% off)

Maybelline Eye Tattoo 'Pomegranate Punk'

Maybelline Eye Tattoo 'Bad to the Bronze' (BOGO 1/2 off)

Maybelline Line Stiletto liquid liner

Maybelline Falsies Flared mascara

Nails:

Essie 'Topless & Barefoot'

OPI 'Planks A Lot' Stranger Tides collection(clearance @ Ulta)

China Glaze 'Dance Baby' Electro Pop collection (free)

Milani 'Gold Dust' (75% off)

Seche Vite  (Buy Seche Vite, get a China Glaze free @ Sally's)

Lips:

Milani lipstick 'Sugar Rim' (75% off)

NYX lip pencil 'Rose'

NYX lip pencil 'Nude Pink' (BOGO 1/2 off @ Ulta)

Wet n Wild MegaLast 903C 'Just Peachy' (50% off)

So, now that I've aired it all out there, that's what I have picked up in the last 2 months or so. Any one else get any good deals at Ulta during BOGO 1/2 off? How about the Milani sale at CVS? 

Check you later lovelies!