Hi everyone!
The holiday season has really got me in the mood to buy things. It's practically the only thing I love about the holidays, because of all the sales! I haven't really hit up the stores yet for clothing simply because the sales are exponentially better after Christmas (: Regardless, there's been so many makeup sales and new products emerging ever since Black Friday, and lucky me, one day I found $50 in my wallet (no, I'm serious - one day, I had no money, the next, I had $50...weird, right?) and made some extra money from babysitting and then I found $100 in the bag of reeds I bought at the music store for my alto sax... THESE DAYS HAVE BEEN GREAT! :D So I've been buying up a storm, and here are some things that I've bought: (so I'm kinda haulin' ova here... WOO!)
NARS Danmari Palette, $65, available only at Sephora stores and sephora.com (Limited Edition)
This was the first thing I bought at Black Friday, and I was so happy to see that there was one left when I walked into Sephora (I mean, hello, you've got a recipe for destruction when you have the equation NARS blush + 6 of them + palette + limited edition + Sephora + Black Friday. That definitely equals destruction! (: Anyway, this palette is spectacular. The colors are very nicely pigmented and work well on all skin tones. It's such a great buy, especially because these are NARS's best-selling blushes and normally, they are $26. You get 3/4 of the product in here so you are saving a TON of money. ($107 value.)
Tip: Sometimes, I like to use the Hungry Heart Highlighter in my inner corner or on my lids to give them a really nice sheen!
Tarina Tarantino Eye Dream Hyperliner,
in Sparkling Ammunition, $15, available only at Sephora stores and sephora.com
I picked up this eyeliner because I saw Temptalia's review on it, and it seemed worth a shot. My Maybelline Master Drama liner broke (the twist-cap wouldn't go anymore, the only downfall of the product - if you want to see a review click
here. This liner is a khaki-olive green color with gold and brown shimmer in it. I love the color payoff of this, and I used it recently in a video (actually, the past post!) and it really lasts long and is super pretty. They are $2 cheaper than the Urban Decay 24/7 liners, (which I absolutely love too) so can I get a WOOP for that? If you want to try something that, depending on the color, has similar or better payoff, try the
NYX Slide on Pencils ($7 on Cherry Culture) which are very nice as well.
MAC Eyeshadows in Satin Taupe and Sketch, $15 each, available at MAC counters and maccosmetics.com
From Left to Right: Satin Taupe; Sketch
I love these eye shadows! I bought Satin Taupe on Black Friday and Sketch yesterday. I've been trying for so long to get dupes for these eye shadows but I eventually you just gotta get the real deal. I used Sketch today and it looks so cool with my green eyes, and it really made them pop! I don't know if you can tell in the picture, but Satin Taupe has a purpley undertone which makes them really nice on my eyes. They are perfect as a crease color and even an outer lid color.
INGLOT Freedom System Eyeshadow, (5 Pan Palette) $10 for palette, $5 per eye shadow, total of $35, available at INGLOT Stores and inglotusa.com (or inglot.com for international buyers, select your country there)
From Left to Right: Shine 08, Matte 390, Pearl 399, Pearl 419, and Pearl 422
When I was in New York City at the beginning of the month to see the Radio City Christmas Spectacular and go to Madame Tussaud's wax museum (hope I spelled that right, haha) I found the INGLOT store in the middle of Times Square, right across from M&M World and nearby the MAC Store and Forever 21. I could not pass up the idea of actually seeing possibly one of my favorite eye shadows ever in person, since my 10 pan palette was bought online pretty much blindly. My mom and I spent literally 45 minutes swatching all the gorgeous colors - if you've never been to a MAC store or INGLOT store, it is a makeup lover's paradise - and I should've taken a picture of my hand because it was covered in eye shadow! Anyway, I managed to whittle it down to these 5, and I love these so much. The Freedom System is an amazing innovation, and if you want, I could do a whole info video about INGLOT eye shadows. A great value, tons of product, the freedom of choosing what you want to buy, and an amazing eye shadow to boot, this is one of my favorite purchases I've done.
From left to right: 045 Cotton Candy, 085 Sugar Plum, 035 Candy Apple, 075 Lollipop
Full review on these
here.
These are such a great value for some sheer yet pigmented lip color. I heard they are very similar to the MAC Sheen Supreme Lipsticks. Candy Apple isn't a super sheer red color, which is great because if I really want to layer it on, it will be really red and give a great pop of color to my lips. When I did the review, I only had two, but I bought another 2 more and I definitely want to get more! They come in 20 colors so there's something for everyone! (Also, when did Emma Stone become the spokeswoman for Revlon?! I clicked on the website and there she was! Awesome, I love her!)
I wanted to get a darker lipstick for just some reason and this one seemed really nice. It's more of a berry than dark red, which was disappointing because I wanted a darker red lipstick, but I actually do like it because I don't have any berry lipsticks. The Lip Perfection line is one of my favorite drugstore lipsticks because they are so pigmented, moisturizing, and smooth to apply.
Maybelline Eye Studio Quad in Green with Envy, price varies (I think it was $7), available at most drugstores and maybelline.com
I was so drawn to the colors in this quad - a very unique color selection that have excellent color payoff. A few years ago I remember using the Maybelline quad in Purple Icon all the time when I was in 7th grade (: These are a great pick if you want really nice eye shadow that is pigmented (that last shade is amazingly pigmented for such a dark shadow, and the lighter colors are not sheer in the slightest) but not very expensive, I recommend looking at the Maybelline quads like these (the singles and duos are great, too!)
While this is quite expensive for a drugstore foundation, only a few dollars away from matching some high end foundations, it is an amazing foundation. I'm shade 512 classic ivory and it matches my skin tone exactly! This is my favorite foundation ever now. I can layer it on but it won't feel like I'm wearing anything on my face! I love the mousse texture because it is so lightweight and it makes my skin look airbrushed. Love!
And finally...........
I've cracked, you guys. I actually bought the Naked 2.
OK, YouTube, thanks for convincing me to purchase this! I actually secretly entered giveaways (omg what if I won them but I already bought this a few hours ago because it was back in stock omg) but I cracked and I bought this palette, for a few reasons:
1.) TAKE A LOOK AT MY NAKED PALETTE RIGHT NOW:
You think you love your Naked Palette? I'VE DONE IT! I'VE HIT PAN IN EVERY SINGLE EYE SHADOW IN HERE! I call this a win!
2.) I don't own too many cooler shades, which is what the Naked 2 is mostly.
3.) I own Chopper e/s, which I absolutely love and need to repurchase it and it's in the palette!
4.) I figured that, since it's in such high demand, if I ever want it in the future, it's best to purchase it now.
I will definitely be doing a review and comparison when I receive it in the mail!
Oh, and part of my Hanukkah present this year is...
The Amazon Kindle, $79 (with special offers, I suggest you get them, they aren't annoying at all), available at amazon.com and wherever Kindles are sold (office stores, mostly)
I usually pledge to read the printed word because I love the feeling of turning pages and finishing a book, but I gotta say, this simple Kindle e-reader is awesome! To get books in 60 seconds (
Hunger Games trilogy, what?!) and recommendations and just have all the books there is amazing. I love it! I hope to get a skin on
Decal Girl! They have beautiful skins there (:
Whew, that took forever! What did you buy on Black Friday/this holiday season? What's on your wishlist?
Sara x
