Sephora Haul- UD Book of Shadows 2, Stila Bronzers, etc.

Yay, Sephora haul time! :-) After seeing the preview pics for this gorgeous palette (Urban Decay's Book of Shadows II or BOS2), I knew I would absolutely love it and get sooo much use out of it! (Which is now the screening method I put all of my future purchases through..) During checkout, I noticed that Sephora was also offering a killer deal on Stila bronzers.. $10 for 2 full-sized products that they still sell for $28 and $32 seperately!! The rest of the items pictured are samples that came with the order (the Philosophy set was a special promo that they WAAAAY over-valued at $65.. its not worth any specific dollar amount because they are JUST SAMPLES!???! Its really annoying when places put dollar amounts on samples.. samples are made to be given out for free to entice someone to buy the full sized product or to make sure they like it before purchasing to cut down on returns..just because they've bundled a few of them, doesn't give it a spectacular *value* and especially not a value of $65.. Just my 2 cents...)

View with the top open.. the top part holds a booklet with some fun makeup looks and a large mirror..

A close-up of the shadows.. From top left: Perversion, Gunmetal, Ecstacy, AC/DC

 Nylon, Sellout, Mushroom, Sphynx

 Half Baked, Twice Baked, Midnight Cowboy Rides Again, YDK

Jinx, Flipside, Homegrown, Misdemeanor

24/7 Glide-On eye pencil minis in Bourbon and Zero

Primer Potion mini

Click on the picture for a more detailed look at the shades..

So I've swatched everything but the darker stila bronzer (the top one, gold, is more of a highlighter than bronzing powder) and I have to say that everything looks so gorgeous and shimmery and I can't wait to play around with it and create some gorgeous looks! I will be updating with some FOTD's using this palette very soon!!

What I'm Loving Right Now 9/23

So I, along with I'm sure most of the female population, fell in love with and tried out just about every lip plumper on the market when they came out in full effect a while back... The fondness for them (in my eyes at least) has tapered off a lot, but I'm bringin' em back! My first "recent" experiment with these types of products was DuWop Prime Venom. Of course, I'd tried the OG Lip Venom back in like 1998 or whatever when it first came out, but let that obsession fall to the wayside, along with Smashmouth and chokers :).. But when Sephora offered me a deluxe sample of DuWop's much newer product, Prime Venom, I became intrigued again... This is a product that you *prime* (duh) your lips with before applying lipstick, gloss, what have you. Now, I have been known to partake in a fair amount of pain in the name of beauty, but this stuff (in my opionion at least) is not NEARLY as painful as the original lip venom was. Of course, there is a fair amount of stinging still involved, but I kind of like that.. It lets me know the product is working. And my lips really, truly do look more plump, juicy, whatever adjective you want to throw in here, but they look full and pouty! You want to definitely make sure you haven't been chewing on your lips or have any cracks or excessive dryness before applying though, because just like after eating spicy food, if you have any of the above they WILL BURN. A LOT. Its not a problem though if you keep lips regularly moisturized inbetween uses. ($20, available at Sephora.com or Shop.DuWop.com).

Another product that gives a similar effect, and has more options in terms of shades is another product I've been loving, the Sally Hansen Lip Inflation Extreme! lipglosses. I got the shade Sheer Clear because I figured it would be more versatile to use over other lipcolors. I also have Sheer Cherry, which is a gorgeous happy medium between red and coral, pretty sheer and with some tiny flecks of gold shimmer. The Cherry shade is pigmented enough to wear by itself, and is a beautiful shade for summer. Here's what makes these things tick: (from Sally Hansen's website)
Hydro-Collagen Complex with Marine Collagen and Hyaluronic Acid capture and retain moisture contributing to the immediate dramatic effect.
The Clear color comes in a gold tube like this:

 ...while the Cherry and other shades (Sheer Pink and Sheer Bare) come in a tube with a gold top and transparent base. I'm looking forward to trying these other shades, especially the Sheer Bare. I'm hoping its comparable to Too Faced's Lip Injection in Techno Buff, another one I have but that is too opaque and has too much of an orangey tinge to successfully complete a smokey eye/nude lip combo. I really like these glosses' formula (Too Faced), however the price and the shade selection don't really do it for me. (The Sally Hansen glosses retail for as much as $10 at major drugstores, however, I found these two in a combo pack for $4 at my local Rite-Aid... it pays to shop the clearance section!! And the Too Faced Lip Injections retail for $23.50 on Sephora.com, however the shade Techno Buff is no longer available).

LORAC Sexy Swag Makeup Collection w/ Swatches

Ok, I know I said I was going to try to cut back on the hauling.. However, my mom bought this for me, so technically I'm still being (kinda) good.. I was alerted to this stellar deal by my girls on MUA (they're always on top of the best deals within minutes of them being released) and was going to buy it that day but left the screen up at my moms house and she decided to buy it for my birthday present. Well, I got to her house before she came back today and saw the LORAC box waiting, so I asked her about it and she decided to just give me my present early.. Yay! Lol.. So here's the description from the site:

On Screen Duo Eye Shadow/Liner in "Rich & Famous"

Glam Rocks Loose Metallic Eye Shadows in "Pearl" and "Gold"

TANtalizer Body Bronzing Luminizer

Caribbean Heat Bronzer

Croc Mocktail Lip Gloss Collection

Croc Makeup Bag

All for $29.95? Crazy-good deal.. (still available! :)

loraccosmetics.com

So here's my shot of it:
(You can click on any of my pics below to enlarge them :)

The glosses & swatched:

Irish Coffee, Sugarplumtini, Candy Cane Cosmo, Champagne, Spiced Cider, Mistletoe Mojito

These have great pigment, are all scented (not a cloying scent, but nice and fruity or spicy, depending on the shade), all are shimmery, very flattering and have a tiny mirror on the backside of the gloss. This set is also selling by itself on the site for $7.50!

The Glam Rocks Loose Metallic Eyeshadow in Pearl and Gold:

These are really pretty and remind me a LOT of MAC Solarbits.. they get the texture shown here when blended.. otherwise they are chunky little bits of shimmer.

The Onscreen Duo shadow/liner in Rich & Famous and the Caribbean Heat bronzer, the 3 individual shades from the bronzer and then all swirled together.

So of course, I'm very excited about this collection.. I haven't opened the tanning gel yet, so there's no swatch of that. The makeup bag is *really* cute too, so needless to say, its <3 for this set! I'm thinking about buying this one as well, while its still available:

This set is another awesome deal, $18.50 for 10 items.. You get 3 of their incredible eyeshadows, 2 lipglosses, 2 lipsticks, a baked bronzer, eyelining pen and a brush, all full-sized (with the exception of the bronzer).. Just thought I'd share! :)

Red Lips FOTN

So I haven't really experimented with red lips that much.. I've always thought it looked too severe against my pale skin and light hair, but now I've been playing around a lot with contrast and I'm kinda liking it!

With flash

Without flash

(lipstick is much less orange and photographs more true to life in the first pic :)

Products used:

L'Oreal True Match Concealer in N-1-2-3

MAC Studiofix Liquid in NC15

MAC Studiofix Pressed Powder in NC15

Clinique Color Rub All Over Lustre in Nude Lustre (highlight cheekbones)

a very light dusting of Jane Mineral Blush in Rose Satin

MAC Paint in Untitled

Lancome Powder Pencil for Brows in Taupe

the brown side of Stila Fandango eyeshadow duo

the light brown side of Clinique Strawberry Fudge duo

Lancome Le Crayon Kohl in Black Coffee

TheBalm Overshadow in No Money, No Honey (inner corners of eyes)

Revlon Colorstay Liquid Lipstick in Top Tomato

Elizabeth Arden Crystal Clear lipgloss

For a similar look, check out my YouTube vids (Taylor Swift Allure cover, Pt. 1&2)

Glam Eyes Purple FOTD

This is a really pretty, all out shimmery/glittery look thats perfect for night, even though I wore this look during the daytime..

Face: MAC Studiofix Pressed powder in NC15 applied with kabuki brush (really liking this method!)

L'Oreal True Match Concealer in N-1-2-3

Cheeks: NYC Color Wheel in Pink Berry

Eyes: MAC Paint in Untitled

Benefit Highbrow to highlight inner corner and brow bone

Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy to make loose shadows stick

UD Road Stripe on inner corners

Archetype Cosmetics loose shadow in Fuchsias for Simon on inner 1/3ish of lid

Archetype Cosmetics Oleander loose shadow on outer 1/3ish and on lower lid

Larenim loose shadow in Incantation mixed with Paula Dorf eye transformer over MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack

Maybelline XXL Extensions Mascara in Very Black

VS Beauty Rush lipgloss in Puddin Pie over Merle Norman lipstick in First Kiss

With artificial light..

With natural light...

And I had to showcase this fabulous ring I got in LA a few months back.. Its a spidey with purple rhinestones.. I <3 it. Comment below and let me know what you think of this look!

Fyrinnae Order with Swatches

I was sooo super excited to get this, my first order from Fyrinnae. I have received samples of their shadows before and found 95% of them to be fantastic. Most of them go on very smoothly, have great pigment and gorgeous sparkle. Some of them can be a little chunky but you can still make them work with the right application. So my order consisted of a bunch of their loose eyeshadow samples (which are 1/4 teaspoon for most, 1/8 for others in a little clear jar), their velvet gel silica primer and the pixie epoxy.

The primer is for creating a smooth finish and a *base* for foundation and the rest of your makeup. I've never really used a primer before, however, from what I've heard I will definitely notice the difference for the better. The directions for this product are to use much less than a pea size for your whole face, so in other words, this jar will last me months and months to come. The picture of the product below is from Fyrinnae's website because I couldn't get it or the epoxy to photograph correctly.

The pixie epoxy is a product I am *really* excited about trying out.. its a clear gel that dries slightly tacky (use over your usual eyeshadow base) and is meant to hold on to the pigment in loose shadows so they don't fall out all over your cheeks. The swatches below were patted on over the epoxy and I will say right now the difference was night and day between using the epoxy and not using it. With the epoxy, the shadows came out more vibrant, shimmery, and almost metallic. I will definitely update on whether this product creases after wearing for a few hours.

Now on to the shadows.. I picked out a whole bunch, and from what I gather, they usually send out an extra one as a freebie for their customers to try.. Well, they sent me an *extra extra* freebie because they were having some technical difficulties with their shopping cart when I first tried to place the order and it took a day or so to complete. They wrote a cute apology on the invoice and wrapped the items in the most adorable tissue paper. I really like this company, they have terrific customer service from what I've experienced and will have lots of fun deciding which of these I want to have full sizes of.. Here they are!

Click to enlarge..

From top left: Njordr, Bali Mynah, 1.22 Gigawatts, Nori, Parental Advisory

From bottom left: Newcastle, Boytoy, Arcane Magic-Mystic, Immortality, City Glam-Lights of Las Vegas, City Glam-Lights of Moscow

 Top row: City Glam-Lights of Las Vegas, Njordr, Nori, Immortality

2nd Row: City Glam- Lights of Moscow, Newcastle, Boytoy, 1.22 Gigawatts

Bottom Row: Parental Advisory, Arcane Magic-Mystic, Bali Mynah

Dollar Tree Haul

I rave and rave about the Dollar Tree to all of my friends, family, etc. and this is why! They offer some of the best beauty deals I've seen, some on discontinued or hard-to-find products! Their stock continually rotates to bring in new products, so I always end up picking up a few new things during each trip. The 99cent store is pretty good too, they had L'Oreal HIP lipglosses and Profusion palettes the last time I was there. I guess what I'm saying is don't pass up the store because you think they won't have anything for you or that its all cheap.. The items I got were all sold in drugstores before they were scooped up by the buyers at Dollar Tree. And all of this cost me under $10!!

From top left:

L'Oreal On the Loose Shimmer Powders in Mesmerized and Airy Azure

Maybelline Forever Metallics Metal-Shine Lipcolor in Berry Glossy, Blush Beam, Shell Shimmer

An extra Airy Azure to throw into a swap

Maybelline Cool Effect eyeliner in Chilled Steel

LA Colors 6 Color Metallic Eyeshadow in Dreamy

L'Oreal Hope Eye Sheen Duos in Courage

I won't be posting swatches on these items unless I have a request to, simply because I have no idea if other dollar trees have the same items.