Ulta, CVS and Marshall’s Haul

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Last weekend I went shopping with a friend of mine. I found a few goodies at Ulta, a few at CVS and a few at Marshall’s for a steal.

 

I got the Makeup Revolution Vivid Baked Highlighter and Too Faced Tutti Frutti Razzle Dazzle Berry palette at Ulta for a total of $22 for both (I used about $18 worth of points and a 20% coupon for non-prestige items).

 

At CVS I had $5 in ExtraBucks I used for the Elf Highlighter and a 40% off coupon I used for the Milani, so it ended up being about $6.

At Marshalls I got the ABH liquid lipstick in Rio for $6 and the ABH Blush trio for $9.99! I also got the other Makeup Revolution highlighter there for $3.99.

 

So far I’ve used the palette for about a week and LOVE it, it has the creamiest shadows and gives the prettiest berry looks! I’ve used the Vivid baked Revolution highlighter a few times and the triple baked once. I’ve used the blush about three times and enjoy it, even used the darker blush as a bronzer a few times and I’ve used the liquid lip once. I haven’t broken out the Elf or Milani yet. I am very pleased with my purchases. For a grand total of about $47.98 I am very pleased with my new goodies.

 

Until next time.

 

XO

-A

MBA Graduation Day Makeup!

 

As many of you may know I received my MBA in Supply Chain Management last Friday! Exciting (scary), isn’t it? So I wanted to share with you the look I came up with for the day. I was also practicing the look that was requested of the bride I worked on the following day, so I was experimenting with neutral shadows; which is actually different for me. I tend to go for whacky colors or plums/pinks if I’m doing a more natural/neutral look.

For the look pictured I used:

I prepped my skin with Algenist moisturizer.

Lancome Teinte Idole Foundation in Light Bisque.

Hourglass Holiday 2016 ambient lighting palette blush in surreal glow and highlighter in surreal light. This made me fall in love with this blush and with hourglass powders all over again; I’m obsessed!

For my eyes I used the Too Faced Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar and the original Lorac Pro palette (which is always my favorite for bridal gigs).

I used the Estee Lauder brow pencil I picked up from TJ Maxx a few posts back.

For mascara I layered Too Faced Better Than Sex and Neutrogena healthy volume.

For liner I used the Physicians Formula pen liner that everyone swears is a dupe for Kat Von D’s Trooper (Spoiler Alert; it’s not!)

For concealer I used Benefit Erase Paste and Maybeline Age Rewinder in the brightener shade.

For my lips I used the Rimmel Provocalips in Wish Upon A Berry. (I am obsessed with these; I swear they work just as well as the Lipsense trend everyone is crazy for now).

I finally set the look with Maybeline setting spray.

I spent the day with my mom grabbing lunch, getting to pick out a new couch (was my graduation present) and hanging out with my mom and fiancé. Then, finally, walking across the stage to grab my…diploma holder. Lol. Since my diploma is being mailed. But, hey, I can now add fancy credentials to my name and say I made it!!

 

This photo shows my makeup at the end of the day; which still looked pretty damn good! If you’re wondering my mortar board says, “MBA, when your B.S. can’t take U further.” Yes I am very proud of it. Lol. I tried to hang it on my desk at work but sadly the rhinestones just started peeling off.

 

That’s all for now!

 

XO

-A

 

February Sephora Play! Bag; Final Thoughts

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It’s been about a month (err a little longer) of having these products so I thought I’d share my thoughts on what I received in my February Sephora play bag.

Sephora Lashcraft Mascara– I LOVE this. It adds beautiful length and volume, I will be using this sample to the very last drop and adding this to my to-buy list.

Origins GinZing Eye Cream- This smells nice, feels nice but I notice no special results with it.

Bite Beauty Multi-Stick in Cashew- This is pretty, a bit of a cream to powder consistency. The shade is nice and the product smells lovely, as Bite products tend to but I am so glad I never bought a full size one of these because despite it being a good, pretty product I am just not drawn to it and often let it sit to the wayside.

Tom Ford Neroli Portifino Perfume- I actually really enjoy the smell of this both in the bottle and on me but I can and will not pay $225 for a bottle of perfume unless I become a millionaire overnight, then who knows maybe I’ll have a ~crazy~ shopping spree.

Too Faced Lip Injection Glossy in Milkshake- This plumps my lips beautifully and has a nice shade but burns the hell out of my lips. I do really like the end result so I’ll continue to use the product but I don’t know that I’d purchase a full size at this point.

Clinique Pep-Start Hydro-Blur Moisturizer- I’ll admit, I’ve only tried this on my hand (this is the result of hoarding too many beauty products) but it has a nice scent and a blurring effect really reminiscent of Benefit’s Professional. I will report back once I’ve tried it on my face but so far no irritation on the skin, which is one of the reasons I seem to always love Clinique skin care.

Too Faced Sweet Peach Glow-Review

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So I’ve had this bad boy for a while now so I thought I’d share my thoughts with you all! I waited in that insane virtual line for hours to get my hands on this only to find out later it’s super easy to get your paws on. This sweet peach glow kit retails for $42 and contains a blush (or blush topper, rather), bronzer and highlighter.

This smells like peach rings candy. While I find this pleasant, I find the chocolate bar and other chocolate scented palettes overwhelming and off-putting so if you’re not into fake peach this is a hard pass. Also, the whole makeup smelling like food thing slightly weirds me out, I always wonder if that means it lessens the life and will expire sooner, maybe that’s be over thinking it but ick!

That being said I really like the blush, I enjoy the highlight and the bronzer isn’t for me. The blush is light and glowy and the perfect wash of peach for my cheeks. It applies well, as the product is not heavily pigmented which I find to be a positive thing for blushes. The highlighter is pretty and gives a natural glow to my face, not quite as subtle as hourglass highlighters but definitely not the crazy glow you get with Anastasia glow kits.

This bronzer could probably be pretty on the right person but for me it is far too orange. I have cool-toned, fair skin and this bronzer gives me more of a soft kiss of Tropicana (no pulp) rather than the sun-kissed bronze I was aiming for.

So if you consider that I’m not really a fan of the bronzer, that’s $15 wasted which is pretty steep. I say if you love this blush color, skip this and scoop up the papa don’t peach blush (which is gorgeous!) and if only the highlighter tickles your fancy, I’d opt for a a single peachy-toned highlighter instead.

Though I am satisfied with my purchase, I’d think this one through before dropping $42 on this baby.

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XO

Amanda

TJ Maxx Haul

This past week I had the pleasure of doing some shopping with my mom at our local TJ Max and found some pretty cool beauty steals!

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Smashbox LA lights blush and highlight palette $24.99

Too Faced Melted Metal lipstick in Metallic Bunny $5.99

Origins GinZing cream eyeshadow in Blue-tiful Burst $11.99

Estee Lauder Double Wear eyebrow pencil duo $16.99

Alba Bontanica fast fix for a pijmple $3.99

Pearl essence Dry Shampoo in Lavendar Fields $6.99 (this smells incredible)

Bobbi Brown Smokey in Seconds kit $34.99 (Includes liner, shadow stick, makeup remover and mascara)

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Close up of the blush/highlight palette

Total Spent: $105.93 Honestly a pretty good haul for the total, I’ll update in a week or so with reviews of these products!

TooFacedXKatVonD Better Together eyeshadow palette review

This collection will set you back a whopping $65 but also comes with a full size Better Than Sex mascara and a full size Tattoo Liner in Trooper. If you account for the cost of these two items in the price then you’re paying $23 for the eyeshadow palette or about $1.91 per shade.

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On the Too Faced side there are six shades: BFF (matte cream), Lovely (matte baby pink), Friendspiration (shimmery brass) , Heart of Gold (shimmery green toned old gold), Power Couple (dark chocolate brown with gold glitter) and Better Together (deep shimmery purple).

I was pleasantly surprised with all of the shimmer shades on this side of the palette. The only two dudes in the whole palette were the two matte shades: BFF and Lovely. They take a lot of building up to get color payoff, whereas all the other shades glide on like butter. The matte shades though disappointing do work if you’re willing to spend a bit of time blending.

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On the Kat Von D Side we have another six shades: Por Vida (matte white), Darling (shimmery grey), Yours (cool-toned deep, matte grey), Devotion (Deep matte black), Swoon (a gorgeous deep red with gold reflects) and Lovestruck (a light, shimmery, peachy gold).

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Ahh all of the shades on the Kat Von D side are honestly stunning. They blend like butter and do not disappoint. They are the exact same quality I have come to expect from Kat Von D. Not to mention the overall aesthetic of this collection is stunning. The two palettes also are connected via magnet and come apart easily if you only wanted to take one side while traveling.

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Overall, I find this collection a great value if you love the mascara and liner that the collection comes with or have been itching to try them. The quality, pigment and lasting power is all here in this little baby. I’d definitely scoop it up if you’re considering it!

 

Face of the Day-New Years Eve

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Here’s What I used to create this look:

L’Oreal Magic Lumi primer.  $12.99

Anastasia Beverly Hills Cream Contour Kit in fair as foundation and concealer.  $40

Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Definer in soft brown. $23

Lorac Mega Pro 3 palette. I used the shades glacier, deep fog and mist. $60

Lancome Art-liner $30.50 and Hypnose Drama Mascara.  $27.50

Besame cosmetics lipstick in American Beauty. $22

Too Faced Sweet Peach Glow for blush, bronzer and highlight. $42

I set the whole face with Urban Decay All Nighter spray.  $15