Recent Favorites

I know there are "monthly favorites" or "_____'s (insert month) hits and misses" but I decided I'd do a "recent favorites" post.  This is because I always have new favorites since I'm always trying new products/returning to previously loved products.  Having said that, I've used these products every day in the past 10 days. Like most other people, mine consist of both drugstore and higher end products. I've actually done reviews for some of the products, in which case I will link :)

1. Maybelline - The Falsies (flared) waterproof mascara

2. Revlon - Colorstay Blemish Concealer "Fair" [Click here for review]

3. Make Up For Ever HD Primer #1

4. Benefit High Beam  [Click here for review]

5. Urban Decay The Revolution Eyelash Curler  [Click here for review]

6. Lancome - Blush Subtil "Rose Doucer"

7. Cargo - blu_ray Pressed Powder #10

8. ELF - Eyebrow Kit "Medium"

Maybelline - The Falsies (flared) waterproof mascara

Bottle

Wand

I got this mascara for $5 I think. It was on sale and I thought "why not?". I'm glad I got it because I really am enjoying this! The wand is standard in length but "flared" out to give that falsies look for your lashes. Since it is waterproof, it does hold my curls quite well. I don't have trouble removing it and while it's not mind blowing, it does do a good job.  A down side is that it can clump but if you're careful, you will have gorgeous clump-free lashes! 

 Make Up For Ever HD Primer #1

Pump

Not blended

Semi-blended

Fully Blended

Make Up For Ever makes tons of face makeup products and I've only tried two but I'm pleased with both I've tried.  Back in December, my friend got me a $30 giftcard to Sephora and I spent it on this.  I suffer from some redness around my face, especially my nose area but in general, I am a very pink-toned person.  Not in a very flattering way either! So I use this as my primer.  Since it's green, it neutralizes the redness but there are several other colors, including a transparent shade (#0) which is also quite nice if you do not want any color in your primer.  I like it because it's hydrating and it does not have that silicone feel to it.  Not to mention the sanitary pump dispenser! 

As you can see in the last picture, even after it is fully blended, there is some green tinge in it.  The key is to use only the amount you need.  Too much product will leave that green tinge.  But if you are using a foundation on top, it shouldn't matter.  Lately I haven't been in the foundation mood but I'm using this primer, a concealer, and a pressed powder for my face.  It's working pretty well for me! It gives me that "makeup but no makeup" look lol.  In the future, I would love to try the blue shade! 

Lancome - Blush Subtil "Rose Doucer"

No flash

Flash

Swatches 

This blush is from my last Lancome haul and I've been loving it! The color is more like the color without flash.  I was looking for something peachy-pink and I think this fits the criteria well even though it's a bit more on the pink side.  So far, definitely worth the splurge.  I'm surprised by how long it lasts (although I do use a makeup setting spray, sometimes blush is gone by the afternoon) and the shimmer is not as noticeable on my face.  This could be a good or bad thing but I usually prefer only a little shimmer for my blushes.  Too much shimmer can make you look oily!  

Cargo - blu_ray Pressed Powder #10

Back a few weeks ago, I was at the Sephora inside JCPenney's and I saw the entire Cargo line on sale! From my knowledge, Sephora doesn't even carry Cargo so I was so confused as to why this brand was there and on sale! I snagged this HD pressed powder (for $17!) because I've seen so many people rave about this and they're absolutely right! It's feels lovely on my face, with just the right amount of coverage.  So thrilled because I got it for nearly half the price. It's probably going to last me forever too! 

 ELF - Eyebrow Kit "Medium"

I ADORE this brow kit! I got it from Target for $3 I think and I have it in the shade "medium" which matches me perfectly.  I don't know how many other shades they make though, I only saw this shade at my local Target.  Anyway, it comes with a small dual ended brush which I thought was cute! lol. It's actually not as flimsy as you'd think.  But more importantly, the left is a gel to set your brows in place and the right is a powder to fill your brows with.  It's working so well for me and it's only $3! The lasting power is also great.  I can see myself buying this over and over again! 

And lastly... 

My mother made these brooches (among other things) about 25 years ago and she gave them to me when I was really little.  These were my favorite pieces from the ones she had given me, even as a little girl! I had forgotten about these but I rediscovered them a few days ago and I fell in love with them all over again! The color is still the same, and I thought the details were so amazing.  I think I'm going to pass these on to my own children! 

Anyway, what products do you guys use everyday?! Or are you like me? Hopping around from product to product? :p 

Beauty Haul

Hi guys! I've been so busy this past week... it was pretty hectic for me! I hope everyone is well :) I now have a blog sale going on, do check it out!

I spent the day with my mom today and I did some damage :( I didn't plan on spending money at all and I spent nearly.. $120! I couldn't resist it. No excuses. My mom wanted to pick something up from the mall and I tagged along to eye shop at Sephora. It ended up being a lot more than that lol. And then we went to the department store so my mom could exchange something. I passed by the Lancome counter and the SA stopped me to tell me about their promotion. If you spend $39 at Lancome, they give you a free 7-piece gift.  The SA was so good at her job, I wanted to buy everything! I wasn't so excited about the promotion but I fell in love with all of their blushes. I couldn't leave without buying one :(

So here is my small beauty haul!

Sephora:

Tokidoki Rollerball Perfume: Siberia ($7)

Tokidoki Rollerball Perfume: Adieu ($7)

Hello Kitty Rollerball Perfume ($7)

Ole  Henriksen: The Naked Truth ($22.50)

Lancome:

Bi-Facil Eye Makeup Remover ($27)

Blush Subtil: Rose Douceur (it's a peachy-pink) ($30) 

Ahh I couldn't resist the perfumes! They smell so good (fruity lol) and they were on sale! Look at how cute they are! I can always count on Tokidoki and Hello Kitty to have the cutest packaging... I'm probably giving away one of the Tokidoki perfumes. Maybe a small giveaway in the near future! 

Despite the mixed reviews, I always wanted to try some Ole Henriksen products and this kit includes both the truth serum collagen booster and the truth creme advanced hydration moisturizer.  But I am a bit disappointed with the amount of product I get... especially for $22.50! These better be good.. please be good :( 

More interestingly.. my Lancome freebies! 

2 cosmetic pouches

1 High Resolution Refill-3X SPF 15 moisturizer

1 Absolute Premium BX-cream SPF 15 moisturizer

1 Genifique Serum 

1 Blush Subtil in Shimmer Pool Pink

1 Color Design Lipstick

2 Hypnose Mascara

2 Cils Booster XL Mascara Base

These are more than 7 pieces and the SA was very generous with me. I think it's because I said I'd come back and I really did, haha. She told me not to stand her up and I didn't! I also came back with my mom who was wondering where I was and I told her about the promotion. She knew I was hesitating so she told me to purchase everything. The SA gave a few extra things so my mom and I can share them.  I gave my mom the serum, both moisturizers, the lipstick, and the pouch. I kept the mascaras and the blush because she doesn't use them.  I feel like I paid too much for the eye makeup remover but I really do love it so I'm in for a treat. And, well, I will always love blushes so I don't feel that I wasted any money on the blush. I can't wait to review some of these items! I'm very excited to try the blush in Shimmer Pool Pink, I think it's from the same line I bought the full sized blush from. 

Do any of these items tickle your fancy? :) 

Haul!

Hey hey hey! I'm sorry I've sort of been MIA. My classes are definitely more difficult than last semester and I am still trying to enjoy all of this. I still have to go to the doctors, the PO to mail stuff out, and the tailors! - 24 hours a day is never enough for me during the semester :(

But today I decided to set some time aside to blog. Today's post will be a relatively small haul with some first look thoughts. I guess it's a mix of what I received for Christmas from some of my friends/what I bought. Enjoy!



^So I ran out of conditioner and I was at Duane Reade to buy a new conditioner. Before I used Herbal Essences but I didn't really like it. It smelled really good but I didn't feel it did anything for my hair. I was debating between this and an Aveeno conditioner but I decided to go for this one. I think it's better than Herbal Essences but I'm still on the hunt for a really good conditioner. I was sort of disappointed in this but that's because I had high expectations. I mean, THIS is what they claim in front of the bottle:



^Yes, it is moisturizing but I don't know about the "ultra" part and the "luxurious" part. My hair was pretty soft after using it but my hair was always on the softer side lol. Would I rebuy? Maybe. If I can't find something else. For the price (I think it was $8.99) I think it does a pretty good job.



^My friend V got me this super generous Lancome skincare set! It comes with a mousse radiance foaming cleanser (full sized), tonique radiance toner (full sized), and a bonus bi-facial eye-makeup remover (sample sized). It also came with a big makeup bag. It's my first time using Lancome products (I still feel like it's meant for old people lol) but I was very excited when I got this. I haven't used the cleanser yet so I can't really say anything about it but the toner is pretty nice! It has a slight scent to it but nothing that bothers me too much. I find it rather pleasing, actually. But what I didn't really like was the bi-facial makeup remover. It smells like artificial roses. I hate that smell! It was unexpected because I use Clinique's eye-makeup remover which basically has no scent to it. But I will use it nonetheless because it is a great eye-makeup remover.



^The makeup bag is HUGE! it fits all the items with lots of room left over. I'm very pleased with it in general. I really am enjoying this and I can't wait to use the cleanser! If it's anything like the toner, I'm sure I'll like it. But I'm even more touched that my friend V went out to get this for me as she knows I'm interested in these kind of things. She also got the same set for herself and she said it works for her so I'm double happy, haha.



^Starting from the far left: Tarte Amazonian Clay Long-Wear Blush (in the shade 'amused'), Stila Custom Color Blush (self-adjusting shade!), Harajuku Lovers Fragrance (Jingle G), and Physicians Formula Healthy Wear SPF 50 Powder Foundation (in the shade Translucent Medium).

The two blushes are from my friend R. We're both makeup freaks so we got each other makeup this year. I thought it was sweet of her to get me blushes because I'm sort of blush-crazy! Haha. Both blushes are AWESOME and so pigmented, I have to be careful. Expect a review on both blushes soon!

The Harajuku Lovers perfume I got for myself because it was on sale when I popped into Sephora a few weeks back. It was $11 so I thought why not. It doesn't smell as fruity as I'd like it to smell but that's cool because the scent is long wearing. Plus the ridiculously cute packaging!

The Physicians Formula Powder Foundation I also got for myself because it was on sale at Duane Reade last time. I think I got it for a little less than $5 and expect a review for this too because I just think it's so AWESOME! Ahhh! I was worried I got a shade too dark (I originally planned on getting translucent light) but I think it sort of adjusts to your skin as it is a translucent powder. So very glad I got this!

Did you haul anything lately??