Forever21 Jewelry Haul

Oops. I fell down on my blog job and didn’t tell you guys about the nutso deal Forever21 had going on a few weeks ago: BUY ONE GET ONE FREE JEWELRY.

KABOOM. I know. My brain exploded too when I saw it. Don’t worry, I think I bought enough jewelry for all of us to share. I’ll link to everything that’s still up on their site so you can get in on this madness too!

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Forever21 does this weird thing where they nail every trend every season and this season is apparently all spikes and studs and geometric stuff. And I bought it all.

stud hoops, geo rings (similar), rabbit ear rings (similar), studded cuff, heart shades (similar), mustache studs

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These are still in the package here because they came with a couple of the “jewels” broken off. No worries. A little (lot) super glue and they’re brand new.

drop down earrings

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triangle geo necklace, pyramid stud cuff (similar)

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triangle bangle

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Since working in a daycare I’ve realized I don’t have that many studs. Fortunately, F21 sells like giant packs of them for no money. This way the tiny babies won’t rip my earrings out and leave me with no lobes. (Another irrational fear.)

buncha studs

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When I bought the lightning earrings I must’ve not read the description carefully. It’s an earring and an ear cuff. Which I’m cool with, but just wasn’t what I thought. So FYI…

heart studs, lightning stud and ear cuff, spike studs

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These… oh these… they’re so beautiful.

pink studs (similar ish)

Did you get in on this secret sale? I really hope they do it again because I’m dying for some kewl necklaces. Everything I got this round turned out to be really great!

Happy Hump Day! Weeee! Finally back to work for me. Kicking this strep’s buttttt.

xx

Beauty Tuesday: Hautelook Haul Laura Gellar Beauty

Happy Tuesday!

Since following Beauty Broadcast on YouTube and learning of Laura Gellar’s baked products, I knew I had to try them somehow, but paying 30+ for a powder foundation or blush? No, thanks. But Hautelook came to the rescue just like always! I bought her Balance-N-Brighten powder foundation in regular/medium (only shade available) and an NYC kit that included a Blush-N-Brighten in Berry, mini size of Real Deal Concealer in medium, and a Light Beams Ultimate Shine Lip Gloss in Passion Fruit.

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This is the Balance-N-Brighten in regular/medium. There are five shades available: porcelain, fair, regular/medium, tan, and deep. It’s normally $33, I got it for $17.50 on Hautelook, and is sold at ULTA and lauragellar.com. This product is baked on a terracotta tile and is swirled with multiple shades including some yellow. Blended all together it gives a nice color. The regular shade is a pretty good match for me but might be a hair too dark. I have noticed that it seems to cling to the Real Deal Concealer, which is too dark for me, when I put it over top. I have not tried it with a lighter concealer but I have learned to put whatever concealer I’m using on top of the foundation. It has great coverage and is best used with a very dense brush. I have worn it alone and it has decent staying power without any touch-ups, but I’ve used it more on top of a liquid foundation and it lasts just fine.

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This is Blush-N-Brighten in Berry. It retails for $31, but I got it in a kit with two other products for $21! I am so in love with this blush! It is the perfect amount of gold shimmer. Some less expensive blushes can look very sparkly but this gives such a perfect glow! I love just staring at the gorgeous swirls of color. After I first opened it I couldn’t stop looking at it and even shoved it in my sister’s face for her to appreciate. She didn’t.
There are shades of gold, berry, and purple (but not too purple!) in this. It isn’t a super concentrated berry shade but it gives a great flush of natural berry on the cheeks. I have even used it on top of other berry blushes to give it a more natural glowy look. The staying power is great with this and the product will last me a long time!

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This is the Light Beams Ultimate Shine Lip Gloss in Passion Fruit. Alone it retails for $17. It’s a great mauve-berry color with some shimmer in it. It’s great for a natural look or layered on top of another deeper lipstick. I don’t find it to be particularly unique, but it is a nice shade. The formula is pretty great as well. It’s a little thicker but not sticky which allows it to last longer. I’m not sure if this is full size, but it’s not the biggest gloss I own. It’s a squeeze tube format applicator which I don’t mind, but it does take me a second to make sure the color is evenly applied on my lips.

Laura Geller Beauty | Shop Real Deal Concealer

THIS. Oh. This Real Deal Concealer in medium retails for $22 full size (.7 oz). This is the most FULL coverage concealer I own. It is ridiculous. It takes the most miniscule amount to dab on a problem area and it.is.gone. However, this shade in medium is too dark for me so I have to layer a lighter one on top or make sure and blend it in really well underneath some powder. To me, the price is absolutely worth it. For the coverage and amount you get, it’s a steal. The mini size I have will last me forever! If you’re looking for something that can handle all of your issues, this is it. For real.

 

So there you go, guys! Hope you enjoyed this mini haul and that you learned a little something. Let me know if you have any questions in the comments!

 

 

Happy Tuesday!

 

x

Mini Haul: Sephora and Hautelook!

Hey all! I’d been eyeing a couple of these things and then others were just impulse buys. 🙂 Thought I’d let you see what I got and see some swatches!

First up: Hautelook! This was an impulse buy, plain and simple. I’ll blame Emily from Beauty Broadcast for this one. 🙂 I saw her wearing it and just had to buy it! For only $9 it was a steal. I didn’t expect the pallet to be this big! The shades are about 1.25″ squared. Nuts, right?! It’s a pretty pinky neutral pallet with beautiful dark browns thrown in. So there’s a wide variety of looks you could get with this pallet. However, the lip glosses in the bottom are rather sheer, so don’t expect much color punch from them.

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SWATCHES! Starting from the top left and going down.

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These shades aren’t sheer, but by their color they blend into my skin tone. On the eyes they would show up more but could be used as a faint highlight on the brow bone or a transition shade around the crease.

Here are the middle cheek, highlight, and bronzey shades.

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That last shade looks a bit reddish for a bronzer, but used lightly to warm up the skin tone instead of contouring I think it would work really well! The blushes and highlights are just fresh and beautiful pinks and champagnes.

Here are the other shadows on the right side going down.

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Hello smokey browns! These are buttery and soft and very pigmented. That last bronzey brown is gorgeous.

Here are the lippies!

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Like I said, pretty sheer but could work for a natural fresh and flushed look.

SEPHORA! These two Urban Decay pallets had been on my radar for a while and I finally bought them! They were so cheap and Sephora always offers great samples so I couldn’t pass it up. 🙂 Plus, for my birthday they threw in some great Benefit samples!

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This is the Urban Decay Deluxe Shadow Box. I can’t wait to come up with some bright looks with this!

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This is Urban Decay’s Ammo Pallet. It’s on sale right now for $10 at Ulta and Sephora, but Urban Decay repackaged the same shades and is reselling it for over $30! Get it while you can!

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Holy samples! I chose only a few and the Viva La Juicy, Marc Jacobs, and YSL were all bonus! Can’t WAIT to delve into those YSL lipstick samples! That Marc Jacobs DOT perfume is delicious and I’ll be putting that on my wishlist. 🙂

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Happy Birthday to me! Sephora included a great sample size of Benefit’s Watt’s Up (a champagney cream highlight) and their classic They’re Real! mascara. Can’t wait to try both of these!

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This is a strange product. It’s simply called Cool Fix. I had no idea what it was when I chose it as a deluxe sample but I’m glad I did! It’s an aftershave product that fights ingrown hairs and razor burn. I’ve used it once and it actually works! Pretty cool!

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I only chose this because it was on sale and I needed to reach the $25 mark to get more samples. 😛 This is Sephora by OPI in Give Peach a Chance. I was hoping it would come out more nude, but I still love it!

So there’s my haul! Mini haul actually, but I can’t wait to try these products out! Yay new makeup! 🙂

Happy Tuesday!

Haul: Walgreens + ULTA

Hey-oh! A while back I hit up ULTA (if you’ve never been, go!) and bought a few things then a few days ago I spent my graduation money on some things in Walgreens! So here’s what I got along with my thoughts on some of them.

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-Wet N Wild eyeshadow trios in Knock On Wood and Silent Treatment ($3)
The pigmentation on these is amazing. I started getting hooked on Wet N Wild after Emily of Beauty Broadcast raved about them over and over. The texture is so velvety and soft and not at all flaky and cheap!
Here are some swatches:
Left is Knock On Wood and on the right is Silent Treatment.

eyeshadowNext up!
-Jordana eyeliners in Blue Devine and Mint ($2)
I own some of Jordana’s lip liners and they are excellent. Creamy and super pigments and long wearing. I have them in Sedona Red and Tawny, a nude color. These liners seem to be very similar and I can’t wait to try them more!
-NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk ($6)
I bought this after my younger sister bought it and I used it a little. 🙂 It’s a great base for eyeshadow. Be sure to pat off the excess though to prevent creasing.

eyeliner

Mascaras!
-Revlon Lash Potion ($5-8 depending where you buy)
I haven’t used either of these mascaras yet, but if I’m honest I bought this one solely on the packaging and name. 🙂
-Maybelline The Colossal Volum Express ($5-8 depending where you buy)
My younger sister has used this and likes it and I liked the brush so I’ll give it a go!

Revlon brush on the right and Maybelline’s on the left.

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Lips!
-Rimmel London Show Off Lip Lacquers in Stellar, Nude Eclipse, and Apocaliptic
I.LOVE.THESE. It is literally like a melted lipstick. They are not sticky at all and even though they are very rich and opaque they are easy to apply without a mirror. Please try them if you get the chance! At $5 a piece you can’t go wrong!

L to R: Stellar, Apocaliptic, Nude Eclipse

lips

-Jordana lip liner in Baby Berry ($2)
Like I said about the eye liners, the creamy texture is easy to put on and the colors look good on all skin tones.
-Maybelline Baby Lips in Strike a Rose ($3)
These are basically a tinted lip balm. They are very moisturizing and come in a variety of colors. This color is from their new line with a neon yellow, neon green, and a very purple purple! Yikes! I’ll be trying them. 🙂
-Revlon Lip Butter in Strawberry Shortcake ($7)
These are a more sheer and moisturizing lipstick. They have a little shine to them and are super easy to apply. I also have one in Raspberry Pie!

L to R: Jordana lip liner, Revlon Lip Butter, Maybelline Baby Lips

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Face!
-Rimmel Stay Matte Powder Foundation in Buff Beige ($5)
I stole this powder from my sister when she came home from college and loved it so much I bought my own! It’s great for topping off a foundation and keeping my skin matte most of the day.
-Burt’s Bees Cuticle Balm ($6)
I love the smell of this and can’t wait to use it!
-Burt’s Bees Sensitive Facial Wipes ($5)
I’ve tried a couple other facial wipes and they really messed my skin up. These have not! They won’t take off all of my makeup though, so keep that in mind. I like to use them for wiping off excess makeup or hand swatches or after a day at the beach.
-Yes To Cucumbers Sensitive Moisturizer ($15)
I LOVED this in the beginning. It doesn’t smell like cucumbers unless you push your nose right against it, hah. I don’t have the best luck with moisturizers, but this one worked pretty well!
-Studio 35 Beauty Blending Sponge ($5)
BUY THIS. I kept hearing about the Beauty Blender and how amazing it was but didn’t think it was anything better than a regular sponge. My sister bought this one and I’ve used it the past few days and can’t live without it. It blends the foundation in so much better than my fingers and the finish is so much more natural.
-Wigo Teasing Comb ($4)
This is great. It’s easy to use and I don’t feel like I’m raking hard on my hair when I use it.

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So that’s it! There’s my haul! I hope you found some good things to try! I can’t wait to use these things more and let you know more information then.

Have a good day!

xx