{Haul} Collective: Target, MAC, Sephora, etc.

Hi! Another collective post, this time most of the things I bought during the month of May. And before I begin, I apologize for the poor quality of some of the pictures. I took these pics over the course of a month and sometimes I was in a big hurry:( I will be sure to post clearer pics of the products I review.

1.MAC

MAC Eyeshadow in Satin Taupe and Haute & Naughty Lash Mascara

A couple of things caught my eye at MAC this past month. I've been eyeing Satin Taupe for a while now but never could justify buying it, especially as I've got about a million shades that are exactly like it, but I finally caved and bought it. And I was a bit intrigued by the two in one mascara. I know that Rimmel has one too, but I wanted to try the mac one and see how it compares. I'll be doing a full review soon!

2. Sephora

(L to R) Nars Laguna Body Illuminator (sample), Sephora Professional Mineral Makeup #45 Brush, Sephora by OPI nail polish in Traffic Stopper Copper.

So I finally caved and bought a couple of things I was eyeing at Sephora for a while now. A few months ago I got a large bamboo brush from Eco Tools, but it was a bit big for me and I finally found a smaller brush with the same type and density of bristles from Sephora. I've been loving it for buffing in foundation or cream bronzer. And the bronzer I got because I've been looking for something more natural looking than a powder bronzer. I got a sample of the body version to use on my face because I think the version made for face use is a little too sheer for my liking. I will have a full review soon!

3. The Body Shop

(L to R) TBS Cucumber Cleansing Milk and Cucumber Freshening Water.

The Body Shop had these on sale, two for $10 on all of the originals so I thought I'd try these. They both smell amazing, like the freshest cucumber smell I've ever smelled lol! I'll be doing a full review on these later on as well!

4. Target, Walgreens and the Dollar Tree

(L to R) ELF Complexion Perfection Powder, Maybelline Moisture Extreme Lipstick in Orchid Frost, CoverGirl Nature Luxe Foundation in Flax, Revlon Nail Polish in Copper Penny, and Sinful Colors Nail Polish in Pink.

Of these I was most excited to try the ELF Powder. I actually wanted to try their HD powder because I've heard bloggers comparing it to MUFE's HD powder that costs $40, but I guess Target doesn't carry it. The Nature Luxe foundation from CoverGirl I'm kinda kicking myself about. It cost me $14. FOURTEEN DOLLARS!!! For a CoverGirl Product that is really expensive. When I saw that number ring up I was shocked. I was expecting somewhere in the range of $8-$10, but not $14. I was soooo temped to leave it you have no idea. Oh, and the thing I liked the most from this bunch was the Sinful Colors Polish. I've had it on my toes for the last week and every time I go out in the sun my feet look soooo nice!

(L to R) Almay Moisturzing Eye Makuep Remover, L'Oreal Voluminous Mascara in Carbon Black and waterproof, CoverGirl Nature Luxe Foundation in Flax (don't know why I photographed it twice haha!).

If you read my last post you know I finished my Mary Kay Oil Free Eye Makup Remover, and I decided to go back to my trusty Almay remover. I like it. It does the job. It's cheap. Not much more I can say about it. Full review here! And I accidentally bought the waterproof version of Voluminous. I gave it to my mom and bought a regular one.

ELF Shine Eraser Oil Blotting Sheets

A couple of months ago I finished my favorite blotting sheets from Boscia (lavender scented too!) and just never restocked. I saw these at target and decided to try them. I'll do a review, but for the most part they're kinda average. Not great but not the worst I've tried. They're kinda tiny though.

Plus White 5 Minute Speed Whitening System

I've heard a lot about this whitening system on YouTube from many other gurus and I decided to give it a try. It's only $10 though, so while I was happy it's cheap, I felt a bit hesitant using something so much cheaper than other whiteners that run about $40 and up. I'll do a full review in a bit, but for the most part I have to say I do like it!

(L to R) Cotton Rounds, Queen Helene Mint Julep Mask, Elf Eye Primer, NYC Smooth Skin Pressed Powder in Translucent.

I didn't finish my old Queen Helene Mint Julep Mask, but I'm pretty sure my sister stole it when I was home for the weekend. And I ran out of my Sephora Professionals Eye Primer so I decided to try the Elf Primer before possibly buying UDPP again.

So that's it for now! More to come later!

HAUL!!!

Ok, so not a huge haul, but a haul none the less. I stopped by Target, Sephora, a salon, Marshall's, and the dollar store, picking up these goodies!!!

What I got:
NYC Smooth Skin Loose Powder in Translucent
OPI Nail Polish in Meet Me On The Star Ferry (Hong Kong Collection)
OPI Nail Polish in Extra-Va-Vanganza (Burlesque Collection)
OPI Nail Polish in Lucerne-tainly Look Marvelous (Switzerland Collection)
Sephora Empty Sifter
Jordana Glitterama Eye Liner in Black Bash
Jordana 5 1/2 Eyeliner Pencil in Bloom
Jordana 5 1/2 Eyeliner Pencil in Navy
Bath and Body Works Tutti Dolci Gloss in Tiramisu Venezliano
Rimmel Precision Eyeliner in Navy Blue
Maybelline Mineral Power Blush in Fresh Plum

NOT PICTURED: My birthday was in October so I stopped by Sephora and got my free gift, which I will share and review later!!! Reviews are coming!

Review: 2 NYC Lipsticks!

I strongly feel that NYC is a brand that gets overlooked at times because of how cheap the products are. I think people assume that if the products don't cost much then they must not be any good. While yes, some of NYC products do such, they have a vast array of products that are actually fairly good, among them their lipsticks. I was at Target a couple of weeks ago and picked up two lipsticks to try out.

First one is Caramel:

Caramel is part of the Ultra Last collection. I actually purchased it because it reminded me a lot of a lipstick I've got from Lancome called Natural Glimmer. Both are glimmery bronzes that give lips this gorgeous bronzy/metallic glow.

The next one I got was a red called Retro Red:

Retro Red is from the Ultra Moist line. It's a true, blue based red. I picked it up because I don't really have a true red and it looks awesome under a balm in the summer for that super kissable lip look.

Caramel:

It's a bit more orange in real life.

Retro Red:


Some swatches:

L to R, Caramel (light application), Caramel (heavy application), Retro Red.

Caramel:

I applied it very lightly here. It gives my lips this bare sheen that is soooo pretty! It looks amazing with dark bronze eye makeup.

Retro Red:

I applied it lightly over my C. O. Bigelow Rose Balm for a really moist look.

Overall, my experience with NYC lipsticks has almost always been a positive one. Like many women, I've used NYC products since junior high and I'm proud to say that I still like them, haha! That being said, there are a few warnings I'd like to give out in regards to NYC lip products. First off, beware of shimmer. Many of the shades have very frosty finishes so if you're not a fan of the shimmer be careful when choosing a shade. Also, be careful when opening/closing the lipsticks. One of my pet peeves with the packaging is how the actual lipsticks don't retract all the way into the tube. I suppose part of the strategy there is so that consumers can view the shades more accurately. However, it becomes a problem when I'm in a hurry and end up nicking the lipstick when I open/close it. It's not a major inconvenience, but be careful.

On a more positive note, these lipsticks are incredibly pigmented. I'm not really that big a fan of super dark lipsticks, but for around a dollar they really are pretty good. Especially the red, if you look at the swatch above. It's super vibrant, not sheer, like many other discount lipsticks. Also, the price is great if you are looking to experiment with shades. Again, I don't usually wear red lipstick and was looking to experiment with a lip combo for a summery look. I know that I'll probably never finish the tube so spending close to $10 on another drugstore lipstick doesn't make sense to me. It's a great value to be able to try out a shade for around a dollar.

Now, as for the promises the lipsticks make (Ultra Last and Ultra Moist), while they're not amazing, surprisingly they don't all together fail either. The Ultra Last in Caramel lasted almost five hours on my lips. Granted I didn't eat or drink, but that's pretty good in my book. The Ultra Moist lasted less, but that was because I applied it over a balm for a more watered down effect. While both aren't the most moisturizing lipsticks, neither did they dry my lips out. Of the two Retro Red is the more moist. It has a more creamier consistency and goes on smoother. Caramel is a bit drier in texture, but that does help it last longer on the lips. In general, for around a dollar you really can't go wrong trying out a shade or two.

Info:

Price:

Retro Red: $0.97
Caramel:$1.74

Ingredients:

Retro Red: Ricinus Communis(Castor) Seed Oil, Caprylic, Capric Triglyceride, Ozokerite, Euphorbia(Candelilla)Wax, Ethylexyl Palmitate, Ceresin, Ppg-2, Myristyl Ester Propionate, Beeswax, Lanolin Oil, Peg-4, Diheptanoate, Petrolatum, Hexadecene Copolymer, Coperinicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax, Hydrogenated Microcrystalline Wax. Tocopheryl Acetate, Retinyl Palmitate, Fragrance, Propylparaben, Tin Oxide, Silica. May Contain Mica,Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxide, Red Lake 6, Red Lake 7, Red Lake 27, Blue Lake 1, Carmine

Caramel: Ricinus Communis (Castor)Seed Oil,Octyldodecanl, Tridecyl Trimellitate, Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla)Wax, Tridecyl Stearage, Neplentyl Glycol Dicaprylate, Dicaptrate, Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacladipate-2, Peg-4 Diheptanotae, Polyethylene, Peg-8 Beeswax, Vp-Hexadecene Copolymer, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba)Seed Oil, Beeswax, Tocopheryla Acetate, Propyparaben. May Also Contain Tin Oxide, Silica. May Contain Mica, Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides, Red 6, Red 7 Lake, Blue 1 Lake, Red 27 Lake, Yellow 5 Lake, Carmine.

Disclosure: The products featured in this post were bought by me for the purpose of my personal use. If you have any further questions about disclosure, don't hesitate to ask in the comments.

Summer Nails Part 2 (NYC, Sally Hansen, & Milani!)

Here's another summer nail post! This time, with cheaper nail polish, too.
Left to right, NYC Molten Metal (from an earlier collection, but you can probably find it on ebay/a dupe), Sally Hansen Bronze Ambition, and Milani Electric Pink.

Oh, and FYI, THE PICTURES ARE NOW CLICK-ABLE, SO CLICK IF YOU'D LIKE A CLOSER LOOK AT ANY OF THEM!!!

Ok, first up, NYC Molten Metal:

This is two coats. It's a sheer color, so I would recommend layering it over another color. It looks great over Wet n' Wild's Black Creme. I'll post a pic of the combo later. It is uber glittery! I've noticed that metalic shades always make a big com back in the spring and summer, and this ones a good choice, if a bit annoying to apply due to it's lack of opacity.

Next up is Sally Hansen's Bronzed Ambition:

Now, I'm not a big fan of the Sally Hansen Salon line. I feel that SH puts the word "salon" on just about any crappy nail polish to trick hopeful consumers into snapping them up. Unfortunately, it is true with the formula of this line. The brush is a bit smaller than I'd like, so application is a uncomfortable and streaky. However, every now and then a shade comes along that I just have to get. This polish got my attention immediately. It's a super glitzy, glittery, warm shade of bronze. If you have a tan, this shade will look killer on you! Also, the shimmery shades in the Salon line do apply better than the creme/matte shades, which is a plus. I'd just be careful applying more than two coats. If you absolutely need to, go with super thin coats otherwise you will have a mess on you hands, no pun intended, as these polishes take eons to dry. And I think that SH is phasing this line out (to be replaced with the new Complete Salon Manicure line), so snap this shade up while you still can. I've still seen these in a couple of Walgreen's, so hurry! There's also a silver version of this color if you're interested!

Last but not least, Milani Electric Pink:

This one was actually given to me by a friend, and is A LOT brighter than the picture shows. Think neon. I love this shade for my feet. On my hands it feels a bit too much, but I love how much attention my feet get whenever I wear this color. I always get compliments when I do. The formula is good, too! It dries in a reasonable amount of time and is super shiny. It's usually a lot shinier than the pic above shows. I've had to thin this polish out with nail polish remover cause I've used it so much that it was getting glumpy (is that a word?). Using nail polish remover (as opposed to clear nail polish) detracts from the lacquer shine you'd normally see with the Milani polishes. I highly recommend this polish. I've been wearing it for weeks on my feet!

Oh, and the little red mark is just a small cut :( It hurt like heck when I was cleaning my nails off with polish remover :/ Hope you enjoyed and more to come!

Nail Polish Comparison: Maybelline Unforgettable Red and NYC Burgundy

On the left is Maybelline Salon Expert in Unforgettable Red and on the right, NYC Long Wearing (yeah, right!) Nail Enamel in Broadway Burgundy. Broadway Burgundy was my favorite shade before I got into matte shades. I went through three or four bottles. It's still one of the few shades I've had to repurchase

Swatches in artificial light:

Left: Maybelline Unforgettable Red, Right: NYC Broadway Burgundy

Swatches in natural light:

Left: Maybelline Unforgettable Red, Right: NYC Broadway Burgundy

As you can see from the pics above, Unforgettable Red is warmer than Broadway Burgundy. It's also shearer. Above, two coats were applied without any top coats. Broadway Burgundy is fairly opaque while Unforgettable Red still needs another coat. Of these two I have to favor Broadway Burgundy because of the deeper and cooler color, the pigmentation, and the shine. Unforgettable Red is a bit dull, while Broadway Burgundy definitely has a more lacquer finish. As for formula, Unforgettable Red is thinner than Broadway Burgundy and dries really really quickly, which is a plus. I just wish it was a bit more opaque. Broadway Burgundy is a steal at 97 cents!!! And honestly, NYC nail polishes aren't even that bad. I've tried Sally Hansen polishes with way worse formulas.

That's it for now! Next post will be an eye look!!!