Massive Makeup Haul- Target, Ulta, Sephora, and MAC

This past weekend I went on a massive makeup shopping spree to Ulta, Sephora, MAC, and Target, and I got a ton of products to review for upcoming articles here on the blog.  I want to put together some awesome Top 10 lists on categories like foundations, mascaras, lip products and more, so I knew I needed to have a comprehensive knowledge of the many options out there available.

I'm not going to go into reviews of all of the products that I purchased, as this would be the never-ending blog post if I were to do that.  As it stands, I had to film four different haul videos to get everything up on my YouTube channel!  I'm uploading the first one as I type this, and of course it's super late in the evening because we lost internet for about 3 hours earlier right when I was getting ready to post today's blog.  I probably should have typed this up this morning before starting filming, but I was enjoying my day to sleep in while hubby-wonderful took the boys to school.  (He's seriously just the BEST.)

But here's a rough breakdown of what I got at each place accompanied by photos!  Yay photos!  Make sure you leave me lots of comments below on what products you want to see featured here on the blog or in a video, and of course your recommendations for products I should try before putting together my Top 10 lists at the end of the month.  And of course, when it's done uploading you should check out my first video on my items from Target!  (I'll update this post with links to the other videos as I upload them over the next two days, too.)

Target:
Sally Hansen Lustre Shine- Lava
Sally Hansen Lustre Shine- Copperhead
Wet-n-Wild Fast Dry- Gray's Anatomy
Wet-n-Wild Wild Shine- Caribbean Frost
NYC Precious Peacock
NYC Highline Green
Sally Hansen Hard As Nails- Mint Sorbet
Sally Hansen Hard As Nails- Crushed
Sally Hansen Insta-Dry- Quick Sand
Sally Hansen Crackle- Wave Break (over Mint Sorbet)
Sally Hansen Diamond Strength- Aisle Be There (also swatched over Essie Cascade Cool)
NYX Full Coverage Concealer in Porcelain
NYX Glam Lipgloss Aqua Luxe in Velvet Rope
NYX Glam Lipgloss Aqua Luxe in Glitter Dreams
NYX Glam Liner Aqua Luxe  in Glam Golden
Milani Lipstick in Dulce Caramelo
Milani Lipstick in Nude Creme
Milani Baked Blush in Coralina
L'Oreal True Match Super-Blendable Crayon Concealers in W1-2-3 Fair/Light and N6-7-8 Medium/Deep
e.l.f. Studio Makeup Mist & Set
e.l.f. Studio Lip Balm SPF 15  in Pink
e.l.f. Studio Volume Plumping Mascara
e.l.f. Studio Lip Definer & Shaper
Maybelline  Eye Studio Color Tattoo Eyeshadow in Tenacious Teal

Sephora:

FREEBIES- 500 Point Perk set from Benefit and birthday gift along with a Living Proof hair mask sample
Eyeliner Trio by Eyeko
Too Faced Shadow Insurance Glitter Glue Eye Shadow Primer
Tweezerman Lash Curler
Sephora Liquid Eyeliner in Black
Sephora Flashy Liner Waterproof in Flashy Blue
Too Faced Loves Sephora Set
Charlotte Ronson On-The-Glow Kit

MAC:

I only purchased four things from MAC, but compared with everything else I got I didn't need much!

Products:
MAC Prolongwear Foundation in NC25
MAC Fix+
MAC Pigment in Tan
MAC Select Moisture Cover in NC20

Ulta:

Products:
L'Oreal Infallible Makeup SPF 18 Foundation in 602 Soft Ivory
Revlon Photo Ready Makeup SPF 20 Foundation in 002 Vanilla
Revlon ColorStay Makeup for Normal/Dry Skin SPF 15 Foundation in 180 Sand Beige
L'Oreal Revitalift Miracle Blur Instant Skin Smoother
L'Oreal True Match Super Blendable Concealer in W1-2-3
Revlon Photo Ready Concealer in 001 Fair
L'Oreal Infallible Eyeshadow in Endless Sea and Endless Pearl
Ulta Super Blender Sponge
Nivea Lip Butter Caramel Cream Kiss and Lip Butter Vanilla & Macadamia Kiss
Nivea Natural Volume Lip Care
Maybelline Eye Studio Master Precise Ink Pen Eyeliner in Black
Essence Super Fine Eyeliner Pen in Black
Maybelline
Eye Studio Master Shape Brow Pencil in Soft Brown
L'Oreal Color Caress Wet Shine Stain in Pink Rebellion
Maybelline Color Sensational Color Whisper Lipcolor in Cherry on Top
Revlon ColorBurst Lipgloss in Hot Pink Rose and Crystal Water
Revlon Color Stay Overtime Length Waterproof Mascara
Cover Girl Professional Super Thick Lash Mascara
L'Oreal Double Extend Lash Boosting Mascara
Maybelline Full & Soft Thick & Healthy Waterproof Mascara
Covergirl LashBlast Fusion Mascara
Revlon Lash Potion by Grow Luscious Mascara

As you can see by recurring brand names, L'Oreal, Maybelline, Revlon, and Covergirl had buy one get one half off on a lot of their items, or else that'd be way more money I'd have spent.  Thankfully, I plan when I shop to take advantage of their awesome sales and use my accumulated points for dollars off my total!

Phew!  That was a lot to type up!  Now I'm off to bed before doing a wedding in the afternoon.  Hopefully I've learned my lesson and will type up tomorrow's blog when I get up instead of trying to hope the internet doesn't fail in the evening when I get back from DC.

Don't forget to leave me some feedback on what products you want to see featured and products you think I need to try before I make my Top 10 Lists!

IBS Makeup Haul

Just a taste of my IBS haul!

Last week in my Life Update blog, I told you about my trip to NYC to the International Beauty Show.  Well, today I'm going to share with you some of the amazing things I got on my shopping trip!

There were several nail polish companies there, and I was super excited to see Essie was one of them!  They were only $4 a bottle, and when you bought 5 bottles you got a sixth free.  It was a no brainer to give everyone convenient six bottle boxes to hold their purchases in.  Not all of my colors are shown in the photo, and I plan on doing a separate blog with individual swatches, but it was mostly pinks/purples and fun summery colors.  China Glaze was there as well for even cheaper, and I got two Textured colors, a Holographic color, and a Crackle among the regular colors.

There were very few makeup companies there.  IBS is really more about hair than anything else, and since I haven't started cosmetology school yet, I didn't want to spend too much money on hair products that I can't use to their full potential.  I do a fair job at styling my clients for their boudoir shoots, but next year I'm looking forward to buying some really nice shears and salon equipment for my in home set up.

Just a small sample of the stuff I got from Stila!

However, Stila was there, and they had so many good deals I just couldn't say no to! There convertible colors were 5 for $55!  I mean, really?!  Who could walk away from that?!  I had never tried them, so I was excited to pick up five beautiful colors.  I've used them at a couple of shoots already, and they are so nice.  I love that you can use them for lips and cheeks.  I've got a more in depth review coming up next week on them with some nice swatches, too.  Also in my bag were four more of their stay all day lipcolors, a lip and cheek stain (that I realized after one use I'm allergic to!), and some eye liners.  I love everything from Stila, and could have totally spent a couple hundred more buying one of everything, but I have to save some for The Makeup Show coming up in two weeks!

I also got some lipstick palettes for work from Mehron and some individual pans of my favorite colors for myself in some beautiful bright shades.   I'm one of those customers the people at the booths love.  I walk right up, rattle off all the specific things I need, and just hand them a credit card.  I shop from Mehron once a year, so refilling my favs is always a necessity by the time the shows roll around in the spring.

I can't wait to show you some swatches next week of some loose pigment stacks I got from Color Revolution.  They are so gorgeous!  You can see three of the four stacks I got standing up in the back.

There were lots of booths selling cute beauty industry related jewelry, and I loved this little lipstick necklace so much I couldn't walk away.  Next year I'll be sure to have a bigger budget for the "fun" stuff vs the "work" stuff. 

I'm such a sucker to a live demonstration on myself.  If you can get me to sit down in a chair to show me how your works, I'm already 90% sold.  I barely make eye contact with the people at the kiosks in the mall who want to buff my nails or straighten my hair blah blah blah.  I'm just not interested.  But at big trade shows, I'm there to shop for the best new products for my beauty arsenal, so you've got a pretty good chance of selling me a flat iron so long as it doesn't burn my hair off. And that's totally what happened.  I'm the proud new owner of yet another flat iron! haha.  But this was a fancy one that didn't cost only $19.99 at Target, so maybe I'll actually use it on myself for once.

Another random buy- a ring cleaning kit.  I've bought the solution from a bridal show before, so I know that the nice "professional" stuff is way better than the crap I usually pick up from Walmart's jewelry department, and this set was only $30.  Oh, and it was pink.  It came with a polishing paste, cloth, small basket for soaking, and a large bottle of the solution.

Not shown but also purchased were lots of makeup brushes (like I need anymore... I own over 300 already), a roll up makeup organizer, lash extensions supplies, some skincare from HydroPeptide, and other various makeup supplies like spatulas and metal mixing palettes. 

I got a new bag for my boudoir makeup kit, and after needing to carry it up the six flights of stairs to the studio this past week, and I can tell you it was worth every penny!  Best buy of the show, hands down!

Overall, it was a very successful trip, and I'm so thankful this year I brought a rolling suitcase.  It was a really long day.  I had to be up super early to catch the bus out of Arlington for the four and a half hour ride there, and then didn't get back until after 11 pm that night.  But the deals were totally worth it.  There's very little on my list that I need to purchase at the Makeup Show next month, but I'll still probably bring a suitcase with me anyway.  Inglot is going to be there, and I'm already thinking of the rainbow in my head of colors I want to grab...

Tarte Makeup Haul

I'm totally loving just about everything that I've gotten from TarteCosmetics.com lately, and my recent haul purchases are no exception.  I placed an order online a few weeks ago for some more of their lovely blushes, since all I had was Blushing Bride and a limited edition travel size in Adventurous.

While I was surfing around the site, I found a really cool new product called a brow mousse.  I'd never heard of it before, but you pretty much apply it just as you would a powder.  It looks more like a gel liner than a brow product, and it's super pigmented.  So if you're going to use it be sure to go easy.  I barely touched the brush into the product, and it gave me great coverage.  It comes with a dual ended brush that has the angled applicator brush side and a spoolie for combing the color through the eyebrows and shaping the hairs into place.  Overall, I really really like this product!

I know I've talked ad nauseum about how much I love their Amazonian Clay 12 hr blushes, but the three new colors I got are quickly becoming my go to colors.  I'd heard amazing things about Exposed all over YouTube and the beauty blogging world, so that was definitely on my list.  It's perfect for when I'm doing a monochromatic bronzy look.  Or when I don't really want a lot of "color" so to speak, so not pink or peach, but just a something so that my skin doesn't look naked.  Hope that makes sense to you! haha.  Frisky is a gorgeous slightly warm reddish pink with some subtle golden shimmer, and Amused is a nice candy pink that's not chalky at all.  Frisky is definitely my go-to color these days, as it looks fabulous with my red hair!

What do you think of the Tarte brand?  Any products you love and would recommend?

Huge Ulta Haul- March 2013

I haven't ordered from Ulta in a long time, and let's just say that this time I went a little buck wild.  I had a coupon for 20% off, they had BOGO 1/2 off on L'Oreal and NYX products, freebies from a lot of my favorite prestige brands, and on top of that for using my link through ShopAtHome.com, I got 8% cash back on me entire purchase. Overall I'd say I came close to saving at least $100, including the rebate, coupon, freebies, sales, and free shipping.

My Freebies

It was the perfect opportunity for me to purchase some things that I've been wanting to try, like the Urban Decay Naked Skin foundation.  A girlfriend of mine, and fellow makeup artist, has been using this for a few months and raves about it to everyone that she sees.  I tried it for the first time yesterday, and I can see why. It truly lives up to its name.  It looked like I wasn't wearing anything at all, and it evened out my skintone really nicely.  I won't go into a full review now.  I'll save that for a future post, but I'm really impressed with it after my first test run of it.

Other notable greats were the Benefit Hello Flawless pressed powder.  I've been using the foundation for a few weeks now, and it made my list of March Favorites, so I really wanted to try the powder.  I love it when I can get matching foundation and powder from the same line.  Plus, Ulta was giving away a free 10 day sample of the foundation, so I've got an awesome travel size to take with me.  Yay!  I also got the Fakeup Concealer stick, and I'm still undecided about this one.  It will require further experimentation before I'll make a ruling on it. (I feel like a lawyer here!  I need to lay off the crime dramas on tv I guess. lol.)

I was super excited to see that Ulta was doing BOGO 1/2 off on L'Oreal and NYX products, so I stocked up on things I've been wanting to try.  I read a review of the Infalliable eyeshadows, and from the blogger's swatches, I picked my six favorite colors.  In person, they didn't disappoint.  I did a quick swatch of each color on my arm for you to see how richly pigmented they are.  I love the way they feel so creamy, yet finish like a powder.  I put Bronzed Taupe on my eyelid with some Eternal Sunshine above the crease and on my browbone for a quick eye look while I did some videos, and it's held up really nicely.  The lids have a bit of a glossy look from the metallic shimmer of the brown color, but it's a super quick and easy smokey eye.  I can see this being an amazing shadow base for more intricate looks.  I don't know about the whole 24 hour claim, but after wearing it for nine hours before hitting the sheets, it didn't crease up at all.  I'll definitely be buying the remaining colors the next time I see a sale on them.  I can see them being a staple in my personal makeup bag this summer when I want something quick and easy with lots of impact.

In order from left to right: Liquid Diamond, Endless Sea, Golden Emerald, Eternal Sunshine, Bronzed Taupe, Amber Rush.  Kinda looks like a rainbow, eh?  Totally unintentional! lol.

For NYX, I tried out their HD foundation primer.  I'll need to experiment with it more under other foundations, because under the Naked Skin, it wasn't shown off so to speak.  The foundation was so awesome, it didn't feel like it needs a primer at all.  I was surprised though how thick it was, like a lotion.  And it smelled strongly, almost like cheap sunscreen.  It was also a bluish white color instead of clear.

I also grabbed two of their eyebrow pencils in Auburn and Medium Brown.  Auburn was really red, and the medium brown was too light for my brows.  I'll need to pick up a few other colors to see what works best with my dyed red brows and my dyed red hair.  I may just stick to using my eyeshadow colors for now and avoid pencils.  Red brows are super tricky, and I've yet to find a pencil that I liked as much as a powder product.  Also in the eye department, I got the Faux Lashes mascara.  I'm not a fan of the brush, as it didn't volumize at all, and the formula was very thin.  I barely looked like I was wearing anything, despite the fibers in the product meant to lengthen and thicken my lashes.  I'll have to try again with multiple coats.

I rounded out my NYX haul with two blushes- Dusty Rose and Mocha.  I was shocked at how pigmented they were!  For a drugstore brand, their blushes pack a lot of punch.  I can see me getting more of these down the road.

Now on to the Smashbox purchases.  (Can you see where I'm getting the whole buck wild thing here?)  They had a nice little set with bronze colored products in it, including a bronze blush that has a gorgeous shimmer and is a wearable brown color meant to be a blush not a bronzer.  There was a bronze lipgloss, full size Be Legendary Lipstick in Honey, and a full size Full Exposure mascara (LOVE this stuff!).

There was also a "create your own kit" deal where I got two eyeshadow trios and a dual ended lipgloss for $33.  There Photo Op eyeshadows are pretty amazing and really pigmented.  I got the Fixed Focus and Macro Lens trios.  Gorgeous neutral browns.  I know they'll look amazing with the Hint of Bronze collection.

Their Be Legendary lipsticks are the bomb, and I've wanted to try out other colors (I own Honey already and now have another full size of it from the kit).  But I didn't want to use the testers in the store (I'm a germ freak when it comes to testers after having worked at cosmetics counters) and didn't want to buy the full size colors only to hate the color.  Enter the Be Legendary lipstick palette!  It's got 8 colors in a nifty little travel worthy palette complete with lip brush.  I'm already planning on buying at least one more for my personal use and using this one for my makeup kit.  I can carry 8 shades with me that I can custom mix for my clients, and when I run out I can refill it with a slice off the full size shade.  It means I won't have to carry 8 lipsticks with me on vacation!  Yay!  (Can you tell I'm soooo ready for a vacation?)

Also included in this massive haul were two nail polishes from L'Oreal (I'll be swatching those with another polish later in the month), a bronzer/highlighter duo from Lorac, the Lorac PRO mascara, and a set of 4 mini nail polishes from OPI.  Plus of course my freebies and samples.

I tried to film a haul video for YouTube yesterday, but it was so long I'm either going to have to find a creative way to edit it into three shorter videos or just try to refilm it.

Have you bought anything new lately you're loving?  Share your recent purchases below in the comments section!