Lush and Sephora Haul

I hadn't bought anything new since February so it seemed like it was time for a little shopping. I didn't go too crazy but I did pick up a few things.

After exams I like to have a nice long bath to relax and unwind after the craziness of the last term. From Lush I picked up my all time favourite bath balm, Butterball and one I've never tried called The Experimenter. I also picked up a Bubble Bar in The Comforter.

While browsing the Sephora website I saw this Too Faced set and I'm a total sucker for value sets so I just had to buy it. I've never tried any of these Too Faced products but I've heard a lot about them. I actually prefer smaller sized products. I have a lot of makeup so I actually don't finish products very often making this set perfect for me. The set comes with: Hangover RX Replenishing Face Primer, Shadow Insurance, Chocolate Soleil Bronzer, Melted Liquid Lipstick in Chihuahua and Better than Sex Mascara. 

I also got some deluxe samples with my order including a mini Flash Photo Gloss from the Estee Edit and a mini Gravity Mud Mask from GlamGlow.

You'll probably hear about how I get on with these products in future posts.

What have you hauled lately?

Drugstore Dupes

I've gone through my makeup collection and complied a short list of drugstore items that I believe are dupes for high end brands.

Bronzer

NYC Sunny vs. Tarte Park Avenue Princess 

NYC Sunny Bronzer retails for $3 and Tarte Park Avenue Princess Bronzer comes as part of a contour palette that retails for $41. These two bronzers are very similar. Both are matte, slightly orange, pigmented and blend well. The NYC bronzer is more powdery than the Tarte alternative and the Tarte bronzer last longer and claims it's waterproof, but I think for the price The NYC bronzer is definietly worth it. 

Blush

Milani Luminoso vs. Benefit CORALista

 Milani's Luminoso Blush retails for $8.50 and Benefit's CORALista retails for $36. Although not exact dupes these two blushes leave a very similar look to the cheeks. A shimmery coral colour that is perfect for summer. The Milani blush is a little more coral while the Benefit blush is slightly lighter in colour. Both have a lot of golden shimmer throughout. Luminoso's formula is baked so it is a bit drier and slightly more powdery in consistency. If you can't afford to shell out for a Benefit blush I highly suggest you try Milani.

Eyeliner

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide on Eye Pencil vs. Rimmel Scandaleyes Kohl Kajal

Rimmel's eyeliners retail for $7 and the Urban Decay liners retail for $24. I have talked about Rimmel's Scandaleyes liners being a dupe for Urban Decay's 24/7 liners many times before on my blog. Although Urban Decay has a much wider shade selection, the formula's of the liners are very similar. They're waterproof, pigmented, creamy and long-lasting but you can still smudge them out before they set. The two similar shades I used as an example are Roach from Urban Decay and 03 Brown from Rimmel. 

A Cheap Alternative 

The Wet & Wild Palette retails for about $4 while the Lorac Pro 2 Palette retails for $42. These two eyeshadow palettes aren't really a dupe but they are very similar. The Wet & Wild Palette doesn't contain any matte shades and has half the selection of shades as the Lorac Pro 2 palette but there are some dupes between the two. I really love both these palettes. The shadow quality of each palette is very impressive.

Wet & Wild Comfort Zone

Lorac Pro 2

Top - W&W Brown Definer vs. Lorac Cocoa, W&W Browbone vs. Lorac Beige

Bottom Left - W&W Eyelid vs. Lorac Rose, W&W Crease vs. Lorac Mocha, W&W Green Crease vs. Lorac Jade

Do you know of any good dupes?

New Year Sephora Haul

After my computer surprisingly crashed and I had to replace it I am now on a no spending kick until April making this my last haul for a while. This is just a collection of things I picked up from Sephora with a coupon and during Boxing Day sales. I didn't pay full price for any of the things mentioned here. I think all the items are no longer in stock on their website but I thought I'd share anyway because I always like looking at haul posts.

Smashbox Full Exposure Travel Palette

This is a mini of Smashbox's Full Exposure Palette. It's the exact size of my iPhone 4 screen and extremely thin. I especially like the matte shadows included in this palette. The shimmer shadows can be a bit glittery and have some fallout but overall I think it's a great travel palette.

Tarte Tres Chic Park Avenue Princess Contour Palette

I have gotten really into contouring these last few months. I really like this matte bronzer, it runs a little orange but not too bad for my skintone. The blush is a gorgeous pale pink and the highlighter is golden and gives a very subtle shimmer. I will say the packaging, although gorgeous, is very prone to fingerprints.

Sephora Favourites Give Me Some Lip

There were 6 high end lip products in this kit including 1 full sized lipgloss. The products included were the Nars Orgasm Lip Gloss, Buxom's White Russian Lip Cream, Marc Jacobs Lip Vinyl in Kissability, Bite High Pigment Pencil in Meritage, Urban Decay Lipstick in Naked and the full size Smashbox Be Legendary Lipgloss in Pout. I think my favourite from this kit is the Bite Pencil.

Josie Maran Winter Dreams

I may preach too much about the wonders of Josie Maran's Argan oil so I was really excited to try her other Argan products. This is a collection of 5 products including the Coconut Watercolor Eye Shadow in Rio de Rose Gold which I've been dying to try for ages, the Argan Black Oil Mascara, Argan Illuminizer, Argan Oil Light, and the Argan Infinity Lip and Cheek Creamy Oil.

Let me know if there's a certain product you would like me to do a full review on.

Sephora Favorites SuperStars Review - ❄ Blogmas

 I'm doing a review of the Sephora Favorites SuperStars Box that I got for Christmas. Although Sephora might not be available in all countries I believe most of the products included in the box are available in other stores worldwide so I thought this review would be most useful if I reviewed each product separately instead of the box as a collective.

  I'll start with the Anastasia Brow Wiz in Dark Brown. I have this product in Medium Brown and have been a faithful user for a while now. I was excited to get a full size backup and I think the dark brown looks even better on me than the medium brown. This retails for $27.
The Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner in Black has been a hyped product in the Beauty Community for as long as I can remember. It is super black, long wearing and smudgeproof. It has a very fine felt tip which is so important in a liquid liner. Overall I can see why so many people love it. This retails for $26.
Urban Decay's Sin Eyeshadow is also a favourite of many bloggers. I think this shade is included in the original Naked palette but I don't have it so I am very happy to have it as a full size single shadow. This is my favourite type of shade (champagne shimmer) and Urban Decay's my favourite eyeshadow brand. This retails for $22.

Urban Decay Sin

Fresh Sugar Tinted Lip Treatment in Rose. This is my first experience with the brand Fresh. I know my best friend loves these tinted lip treatments but I'm only neutral about them. The packaging is very pretty. They smell amazing, like citrus and they feel nice on the lips but overall I'd say it's a pretty average lip balm. I'll give it more time to see if my opinion changes. This is a mini size but the full size retails for $26.

Very Sheer Rosy Tint

 I've raved about the Josie Maran Argan Oil on my blog so many times so I'll save you all by letting you check out my other blog posts if you want to know what I think. This is a mini size which will be perfect for travel. This small size retails for $20.
*Missing - Benefit the POREfessional. Like I said in my "What I got for Christmas" post, I gave this mini to my mom because I have the full size and she wanted it. I love this primer as it erases the look of pores making my face look flawless. It helps make my makeup last longer. This was a mini and it retails for $12.
Also from Benefit is a mini They're Real Mascara. I wish this had been full size because it is one of my all time favourite mascaras. It gives really full, long lashes without being too clumpy. I really like the unique brush.The formula is kind of hard to remove but I still think it's worth it. It retails for $12.
Formula X Nail Polish in Ignite. Formula X is my favourite nail polish formulation as they last a week or more before chipping. This is a really pretty opaque dark red shade. It retails for $13.

Formula X in Ignite

Chloé Rollerball. This is a really fresh fragrance with notes of Pink Peony, Freesia, Lychee, Magnolia Flower, Lilly of the Valley, Rose, Cedarwood, Amber, Honey. I really like the scent but it seems like more of a spring/summer fragrance. It retails for $30.

Would it be fair to say Nars Orgasm Blush is the most popular blush shade ever? It's a gorgeous peachy pink with flecks of gold. I found this blush to be a little more powdery than my other Nars blush but still very pigmented and long wearing. It is full size and retails for $35.

Nars Orgasm

I haven't tried anything from Bumble and Bumble before but this Surf Spray makes me really intrigued by the brand. The spray volumized my hair and gave it lots of texture. It also didn't smell offense which is huge for me. This is a mini and retails for $18.
Finally the Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream. I was nervous about this shade matching me but it actually wasn't too bad. Because this is a BB cream the coverage is very sheer and natural. It also has a very strong scent of sunscreen. I think this will be perfect in the summer. This is full size and retails for $50.

Overall there was $278 worth of product in this set and at the retail price of $90 that is quite the deal.
What are your opinions on the products included in this set?

My HolidayWishlist

This is a very simple post of all the things from Sephora that are on my Christmas wishlist. Throughout the year I buy most my own makeup but I love holiday time where brands come out with Holiday sets that I can ask for as gifts. My wishlist focuses heavily on skincare because it's expensive and it's not as fun to buy for myself as makeup.

• First Aid Beauty Cheers to Fab Skin
• GlamGlow Gift Sexy
• Nars Audacious Lipstick
• Origins Bestsellers Kit
• Sephora Favorites Super Stars
• Tarte Pin Up Girl Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush Palette

*For anyone that cares, I'll be taking next week off from Blogging so I can focus on my Midterms but I'll be back on Monday November 24th.

Top 5 High End Buys

On Monday I did my top 5 drugstore buys. Today I'm looking at what I consider the top 5 best products to splurge for.

Urban Decay Eyeshadow

In my opinion Urban Decay has the best eyeshadows. They're crazy pigmented, blendable and creamy plus they have a wide range of  colour options. I personally love the Naked and Naked Basics Palettes but most of their individual eyeshadows are very good too. My only complaint is the steep price tag.

MAC 217 Brush

In my top drugstore buys post I recommended the Real Techniques eye brush set however the MAC 217 brush is my all time favourite eyeshadow brush. If I could only have 1 eyeshadow brush, I would pick this one every time. It applies shadow perfectly all over the lid, in the crease and is amazing for blending. If you only get one thing from MAC I highly suggest this brush. 

Anastasia Brow Wiz

I used to only use powder on my brows but everything changed when I got this baby. I find this allows me to be more precise when filling in my brows and it gives a much more natural final look. I was worried the pencil wasn't going to last long because it's fairly expensive for a very tiny amount however I've had mine for months and it's still going strong. The colour is long wearing, especially when set with a gel and the spoolie on the end is awesome.

Urban Decay Primer Potion

I honestly don't know what I would do without this product. I don't even have oily eyelids but I find wearing this primer makes a HUGE difference to the look and longevity of my eyeshadow. I've had my tube for well over a year and I'm not even halfway done so I think it's a really smart investment

and I would highly recommend it.

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12hr Blush

I love Tarte as a brand but I especially love their blushes. Besides the fact that the packaging and design of the product is very cute, I think the colour selection, pigmentation and longevity are some of the best you can get anywhere.

My Huge Chicago Haul and First Impressions

I recently traveled to Chicago and took advantage of lower priced cosmetics as well as Ulta (an American Makeup store). I ended up dropping a lot of money at several stores including Sephora, Walgreens and Ulta. This is the result of my shopping spree...

Eyes

Too Faced Natural Eyes Palette

I have lots of neutral palettes but it was the the mix of matte and shimmer shadows in this palette that really caught my attention. There's everything you need for a full look.  I've really been loving the colours Silk Teddy, Push-Up and Cashmere Bunny. These shadows are really buttery and pigmented and the packaging is really cute. I'll do a full review eventually.

itCosmetics Naturally Pretty Palette

I've had this palette on my wishlist for a long time. I think it is so unique and versatile. All the shades are matte but it includes a transforming pearl shade that can turn any shadow to a shimmer. It also isn't just a basic neutral palette, there are lots of purples and pinks which you don't normally find in matte. I was also beyond impressed with the texture of these matte shadows. A full review is to come.

Lorac Pro Palette 2

I was so happy to get my hands on this newly released palette. It is really incredible! These are considered cooler shades than the original Pro Palette but there are also more than just neutral colours included. Navy and Plum are unique and beautiful matte's while Jade is a very wearable shimmery green. I've also found that Chrome is very similar to M.A.C's Satin Taupe. I've been staring at this palette imagining the possibilities for days. It is just a beautiful palette. I will have looks and a review coming soon.

Sephora Crayon Jumbo in 04 Taupe

Jordana Fabu Liner in 01 Black

Brows

Anastasia Brow Wiz in Medium Brown

I have fallen in love with this product since I got it . I think it has done so much to improve the look of my eyebrows. The colour match is great and I love the spooly at the end for brushing through my brows.

Milani Brow Tint Pen in 01 Natural Taupe

I was intrigued with this brow pen. I've only ever used a pencil or powder. Although the colour match isn't perfect I was pleased with it especially how long lasting it is.

Cheeks

                                                  Urban Decay Naked Flushed - Native

Urban Decay is one of my favourite brands so I just had to get my hands on their new cheek palette. The one I got is just perfect for my pale skin. The matte blush is gorgeous when used with a light hand, the highlight is beautiful and the bronzer is neither to orange or muddy but it has a tiny bit of shimmer. I love the colours and it seems perfect for travel. My only complaint would be that it can be a little powdery.

Milani Baked Blush in 05 Luminoso

I love Milani's Baked Blushed and I've heard so many people talk about Luminoso so I thought it was time I picked it up. All the hype is worth it. This blush is gorgeous. It's not to shimmery it gives your skin the perfect healthy glow.

Lips 

Maybelline Color Elixir in 10 Celestial Coral, Nyx Butter Gloss in Creme Brulee, Nyx Soft Matte Lip Cream in Antwerp, Maybelline Color Sensational The Buffs in 915 Blushing Beige

Bite Lychee and Musk

 EOS Lemon Drop with SPF 15

Nivea Lip Butter in Caramel Cream Kiss

Nivea is my all time favourite brand for lip balm. This one in particular smells so unbelievably amazing.

Face

Rimmel Match Perfection in 120 Ivory

 I've only used this foundation a few times so I don't have a fully formed opinion on it yet but so far I love it. I love Rimmel's Wake Me Up Foundation and I have been dying to try this one but I couldn't seem to find it in Canada. It blends well, it's medium coverage and leaves my skin with a slightly dewy finish. Rimmel's foundations also smell really good.

Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge

I had been wanting to try a sponge to apply foundation instead of a brush. The Beauty Blender is very expensive and I didn't know if I would like applying my foundation with a brush so I though I would start with the cheaper Real Techniques version. I love Real Techniques as a brand and I heard good things about their sponge. So far it seems very good.

Nails

H&M Nail Polish in Baby Blue

Hair

Tangle Teezer

This is a miracle product. I have extremely tangley hair and this just brushes through it like a dream. I found it at Urban Outfitters but if you can get your hands on one, I think it is a lifesaver for anyone with hair that likes to tangle.