Thursday, August 7, 2014

Beauty Haul



During the past month, I've been shopping around for a variety of new beauty items for fall. Back to school is approaching, no matter how much we all deny it, and I'm planning on making the best of my college return using these variety of amazing products.

I'll be the first to admit: I'm a makeup junkie. But the feeling of fall makes the desire to buy clothes and makeup and accessories even worse than it usually is, partly because it's cold and I want to cover up in as many cute things as possible, and partly because I want to look stellar upon my arrival to school.


First, I went to WalMart to buy some things before my trip to North Carolina. I needed shampoo and conditioner, and I came out with a bunch of beautiful things. (I did end up with shampoo and conditioner, which you can see here.) WalMart is the only place I can get my precious Wake Me Up concealer by Rimmel, so I stocked up on that and a darker shade of their wonderful Stay Matte powder. These things are cheap, but they work just as well as anything else I've ever tried. After that, I walked around the beauty section to see what I could find.

That's always a bad idea.


I first encountered some intriguing new gel nail polishes on an endcap. Sally Hansen always gives me good results, even if it's not as glamorous as Essie, OPI, or Deborah Lippmann. These gels are no exception. After hearing mixed things about other no light gels like the Bourjois 1 Seconde nail enamel, I was hesitant to give this product a try. Plus, it's an automatic $15 purchase to buy both the color and the top coat.

But I did it anyway, and I'm so glad I did. I got the Miracle Gel nail polish in 230 All Chalked Up and 100 Top Coat. Even though they're a little expensive (though not really, especially for $2 less at WalMart instead of Ulta), they work wonders. I painted my nails before my North Carolina trip, and after ten days of travel and horse show shenanigans, these nails didn't budge. By the tenth day, they started showing wear, but that was the first instance of chipping since the application. I used two coats of color, two coats of top, and a miracle really did happen.

I'm very impressed with these little bits. In fact, I went back to WalMart with a $2 off coupon and bought the shade 480 Wine Stock, which I will be using more into the fall, as it's a darker color. I also picked up the color 340 Mint Sorbet from the Xreme Wear range, which I got for $1 off with a coupon and will be using to end the summer colors strong. I do love me some mint nail colors.

(I picked up that file from a trip to Pick n' Save. Who knew grocery stores were the place to get beautiful nail tools?)


After hearing a lot about the Rimmel Scandaleyes line, I decided to try some things. I saw Zoella use the Kate Moss mascara in her natural makeup video, and immediately fell in love with the huge applicator brush I saw. But it turns out that mascara isn't available in the US, so I had to go for the next best thing: the Scandaleyes Rockin' Curves mascara in 003 Extreme Black, featuring the same Broken Heart applicator that I so loved. Plus, this one is natural fiber, where Zoe complained the Kate Moss one had a plastic applicator... I think it's just a win all around.


Also from the Scandaleyes range, I tried the shadow paint in 004 Peachy Apricot. I've never used anything similar to this at all, but I'm going to try it and see how I like it. The color is a beautiful rose gold shade, so I really hope the product lives up to my expectation of it. The swatch I took seems thick and creamy rather than runny, so odds are I'm going to like it!

The last thing I picked up at WalMart was a lash and brow brush (40155) by Essential Tools. It's definitely not glamorous or anything, but it was cheap, it works well, and it serves its purpose. It was better than buying a whole eye pack for $7 that I didn't really need. Yay!

I next went to Target in Fletcher, North Carolina. I swear, this Target has the best selection of everything--beauty included. I did pick up more than just makeup on this trip, but the other things will be in a different post. There's one thing I really want to show off that I purchased there, but I have to wait!

Anyway, I sat in the beauty isle with two gel eyeliners in my hand, then went with the cheaper one. I will almost always go with the Elf option, since they have reasonable prices and great products. Though trying to choose between a Nyx gel liner and an Elf cream liner was harder than I thought, I'm so happy with my decision on Elf's Studio Cream eyeliner in Black.

Ultimately, my decision ended up on the fact that the Nyx looked like it would be too creamy for my taste. The Elf one looked good, and since it's my first foray into gel liners, the price was definitely right. I love the way this goes on, though, and it pairs perfectly with my new Zoeva angled brush. I wore this to Warped Tour and it didn't budge--even through seven hours of outdoor punk rocking. Long live cat liner that could kill a man!


While staring at the Elf products, I also picked up an Allover Color Stick in Pink Lemonade and a new Lustrous Long-Lasting eyeshadow in 81144 Soiree. Both are a beautiful dark mauve shade, the tint having a little more pink and the shadow having a little more purple in color, and both are beautiful. I wear the tint as a blush underneath powder, and it adds a wonderful flush to my face that's just enough without being too much. Plus, it can blend with a brush in the mirror or a finger on the go.


The eyeshadow is probably my favorite thing I've purchased. The color is perfect, the consistency is workable, and the price is awesome. My only disclaimer is that a primer is needed before putting this on the lids. It's a cream based shadow, so creasing and wear happened when I didn't take the priming step. Otherwise, I love this shadow.

Next, I stopped at the new Nordstrom Rack we now have here in Wisconsin. (This is actually the greatest development in itself, despite its importance to this post--we have no Nordstroms here, so now I can go there to satisfy all of my designer needs. I'm ecstatic.) Even though I saw plenty of clothes, bags, and accesories worth buying, I decided to wait on those and just pick up some beauty bits that I will use a lot.


First, I saw a rack of Stila palettes right as I walked in the door--always a bad sign. They already snared me before taking more than ten steps? Problem. But I'm so glad I found this, because it works like a charm. I picked the Stila Wet-to-Set palette in Desert Sunset, which works with water to create a paint like shadow. I used this at Warped Tour, too, and it didn't budge. I was so proud! Plus, the colors are gorgeously shimmery and eye catching, even though they're nudes.


I also picked up a Nyx matte finish long lasting setting spray, which I have been wanting for awhile now. I've not used this very much, but so far, it hasn't failed me. It takes a lot for my face to stay matte, and this does a pretty good job of keeping it shine free for the longest possible time. I'll have to test it more to see if I'll repurchase, but for the moment, I'm happy.

Lastly (I know, this was a ton) I stopped at Ulta because I had a coupon to use. I have been eyeing up multiple palettes lately, my top picks including the Sephora In the Nude baked palette, the Zoeva Naturally Yours palette, and the Naked 3 palette. But I already have the Naked 2, and the Zoeva brand has a high cost for shipping, so I had to choose between the Sephora and the Lorac Unzipped palette (basically a smaller version of the Naked 3).



After some very hard decision making, I chose the Lorac. I know I'll use all of the colors, there are matte shades mixed in, and there is a perfect shade for my brows. Plus, I got it on 20% off, so I went for it. It comes with a mini Behind the Scenes primer, too, so I'll have something to try other than the Urban Decay primer. I'm so excited!

That was a lot of stuff. I'm aware of that. But I plan on using all of this to make my fall face even better than my summer face. I really don't want to go back to school, but at least now I can rest assured knowing that my makeup bag will be prepared for whatever weather or situation might await me. Now for the countdown to begin...






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