Monday, December 28, 2015

Colourpop Cyber Monday Haul

Oh my gosh, I'm sorry it took me this long to get this up. But since it's technically part of what I got for Christmas, the timing doesn't suck too bad. Colourpop's Cyber Monday deal was 20% off the entire site PLUS free shipping! After having purchased from them once before and seeing swatches of their new liquid lipstick shades, I had to make an order.



I got 2 more of their Super Shock Shadows in the shades Girl Power and Central Perk. Girl Power is described as a bright orange matte pressed pigment. I saw this and immediately wanted to put it in my crease. It would be gorgeous all over the lid, but I haven't used it that way yet. Central Perk is a beauty too. Colourpop calls it a dirty maroon with a matte finish. It looks more like a satin finish to me, but who cares! Its perfect in every way.



I finally decided to try out on of their Lippie Pencils. I got mine in the shade Grunge, which Colourpop describes as a matte, cool toned, plum brown. I am so mad at myself for not buying one of these sooner. It has an amazing texture and color payoff. I don't tend to wear lip liner all that often, but I might start all the ones I have are like this one.



So it wouldn't be a Colourpop haul without some Ultra Matte Lip colors! I already have Tulle and Bumble, and I love them way too much. So this time I got Avenue and More Better. Avenue is from the original launch. It's a deep, yellow red that's perfect for special occasions or if you really just like a bold red lip. This is a perfect red for deeper skintones. More Better, on the other hand, is a deep violet wine. It comes off pretty berry toned on me, but it's so bright and gorgeous and fun.




The last 2 products I purchased were highlighters, because duh! I've been super obsessed with highlighters lately, and Colourpop has so many in so many different finishes and shades, and just ugh! The 2 I got are called Butterfly Beach and Monster. Starting with Butterfly Beach, Colourpop calls it a soft peach with touches of gold and silver. Monster is a completely different kind of highlight. It's a light pink with an opalescent duo-chrome. This is so gorgeous on dark skin!

Kiss, Kiss.
-A

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Real Techniques Sam's Picks Brush Set

I'm so freaking excited about these brushes! These are my very first Real Techniques brushes. After hearing such good things about them, and just never being able to get to Ulta, I found them on one of the shopping apps I use called Wish. They have a billion different things ranging from beauty items to baby items, and everything is super cheap. So when I saw this Real Techniques Sam's Picks set, I about died and immediately ordered it.


The set comes with 6 brushes: 2 face liquid/cream product brushes, 2 powder product brushes, and 2 eye brushes. One of the eye brushes is exclusive to this set. I really love that they included 2 of each kind of brush for you to try out.


Starting from left to right in the box are the 2 powder brushes. The first is called the Multi Task Brush. The shape is domed but its flattened on one side from the ferule being pinched. I can see where it got its name. I could see using this brush for bronzer, blush, or just setting the entire face. It has a medium density where you could hold plenty of product on it, but it's fluffy enough to blend with.


The other pink handled brush is called the Setting Brush. This is the one I'm most excited to use! I don't have a designated setting brush, and I've been meaning to get the Morphe M320 to try and just haven't pulled the trigger. This one looks like it's the perfect size to fit under the eye. It's super fluffy without being flimsy, so I have a feeling this will work really well.


Moving on to the orange handled brushes, the first is the infamous Buffing Brush. This is the very first brush I remember hearing about from Real Techniques. I typically use a flat top kabuki, stippling brush, or beauty sponge to apply my foundation, but I'm intrigued by this more rounded shape. I think I'll really enjoy it because it's so similar to a flat top.


Next up is the Pointed Foundation Brush. I assume you would use this to apply your foundation and use the Buffing Brush to blend it into the skin. I don't much care paddle brushes. In the time I've been wearing makeup, I only remember using a paddle brush when I first started wearing makeup. Even then, I preferred to use my fingers because they did a better job. The only way I could see myself using this brush is to apply concealer when highlighting or contouring.


First up for the eye brushes is the Sam's Picks exclusive Essential Crease Brush. Crease or blending brushes are my favorite type of eye brush. They're so versatile and so completely necessary to create an eye look. I find that I buy these the most. This brush is so soft. It would be great for applying a color to the outer corner or directly into the crease because it's so small.


The last of the brushes is one that I already own! The Fine Liner Brush looks like a really skinny pencil brush. It's about twice the size of a typical liner brush to me, but I don't mind that at all. I tend to use angled liner brushes when I apply gel or cream liner, but i do like having the variety because I never know when I'll wanna switch things up.


My final thoughts on this brush set are that it is a really nice set for both beginners and pros. It comes with some brushes you wouldn't get in your standard brush sets.The quality of these is amazing. I love the metal handles and the fact that the ends are rubberized. The bristles are all incredibly soft.

Kiss, Kiss.
-A

Monday, December 14, 2015

Sephora Black Friday Goodies

It has been soooo long since I've placed an order from Sephora. I decided since they had a ton of deals for Black Friday I NEEDED to get some stuff that I'd been dying to try.







I'm most excited for this first item: the Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Opal Glow On The Glow. This set came with a mini pressed Opal and a mini liquid Opal. For a size comparison, the mini pressed is 0.085 oz vs o.28 oz for the full size. As for the liquid version, the sizes are 0.17 oz vs 0.68 oz. These are absolutely beautiful. They give me a really great idea of how the other Skin Perfectors are going to look and perform on my skin. Having these minis really make me want to get the Afterglow Palette!








Bite Beauty is a brand I've heard talked about a ton. Their lipsticks are pretty pricey for me, so when I saw the double ended Luminous Creme Lipstick Duos, I had to get at least one. I actually got 2! I went for both a neutral duo and a deep one. The neutral shades are Pepper and Cafe, while the deeper shades are Scarlet and Mulberry. All four of these are super creamy and gorgeous. It's really nice to get to try out several shades for a really good price. Each duo has 0.05 oz of product, whereas a full size Bite lipstick has 0.15 oz.




Fragrances are some of the most expensive beauty items. I don't typically wear fragrances but I really love some of them, and I've been trying to incorporate them more into my life. Marc Jacobs makes some of my very favorite scents, but I can't justify spending that much money on them because I may not use them very often. When I saw the Marc Jacobs Fragrances Daisy Mini Duo, I practically died! It came with both Daisy and Daisy Eau So Fresh, each 0.13 oz.





From Peter Thomas Roth, I got 2 mask sets. The first is Just Mask It with Cucumber Gel Mask, the Irish Moor Mud Purifying Black Mask, and the coveted 24K Gold Luxury Lift & Firm Mask. In the Mini Mask Magic Kit was another Cucumber Gel Mask, the Rose Stem Cell Bio-Repair Gel Mask, and the Pumpkin Enzyme Mask. Between both sets, I get to try out every mask in the line! Each mini mask is 0.5 oz.



There was only sample I was interested in: the AmorePacific Treatment Enzyme Peel. I've never tried a facial peel before. I won't get a chance to use it any time soon being pregnant, but as soon as I can, it's going on my face.



I used some of my Beauty Insider Points to get the YSL Mascara Volume Effet Faux Cils Luxury Mascara. It was YSL. Need I say more? This sample is also going on the shelf because I don't like to have more than 3 or 4 going at a time and I already have about 15 unopened ones.

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed my Sephora haul. Until next time!

Kiss, Kiss.
-A

Thursday, December 10, 2015

November Ipsy Glam Bag Unboxing

I know this is going up super late, but that's because it got lost in the mail. I emailed customer support, and they sent out a new bag for me. I just got it in the mail yesterday (12-9) and I'm writing this on 12-10 to go live. Aside from shipping issues, I'm stoked to have this bag. That means I get 2 of these this month!




On the theme card this month is Michelle Phan! I haven't seen her on Ipsy promos in quite a while. She looks great in that dark lipstick. Pictured with here is a fellow Ipsy stylest, Jaleesa Moses. 



The very first product I grabbed out of my completely adorable bag is the TreStique Mini Matte Lip Crayon in Chile Red. I didn't think I was going to like this until I swatched it. It really is a bright, true blue based chili red color. I think I only like it because it's matte. If you read my Wet N Wild lippies post, you would know that I don't like red lipstick. This is the exception. 


Also in my bag was a sample of the Smashbox Full Exposure Mascara. I didn't open this or try it out because I have like 10 unopened mascaras in line and a about 3 currently open. I'll probably do a first impressions on this once I do finally open it.



Since we're already on the eyes, let's talk about the Absolute New York Nano Liner. This thing is so bomb! It's incredibly black, it DOES NOT budge, and it has a super thin, flexible tip. And it's water resistant! I am so impressed with this. 



The last makeup item in the bag is the Liquid Gossamer from Jelly Pong Pong in Ethereal. For some reason, I thought this was going to be a high shine gloss, but it's not! It's a gorgeous, super pigmented liquid highlighter! *swoon* It is freaking beautiful! Between this and the Nano Liner, this bag is my very favorite of the year. 


Lastly, I got the Pantene Blowout Extend Dry Shampoo. While I appreciate a bit of variety in my bag, this wasn't the way to go. I don't really have a need for dry shampoo. I've used it a couple times to add volume, but I usually wear my hair natural and I only need a dry shampoo when it's straight or when I've curled it. I'm going to pass this along to someone who I know will get some use out of it. 

Price Summary:

TreStique Crayon - 10.67
Smashbox Mascara - 7.37
Absolute Liner (FULL SIZE) - 9.99
JPP Gossamer (FULL SIZE) - 22.95
Pantene Dry Shampoo - 1.67

Total: 52.65$ USD

Kiss, Kiss.
-A