Ulta Haul!!

Hey, everyone!! I went to Ulta today and got some nice stuff!! Can you do hauls on a blog? Well, even if you normally don't, I'm going to anyways. I'm kinda cheap, so I got a lot of sale stuff...

• NYX Blush in Bourgeois Pig

I've been meaning to get a NYX blush for a while, but never found it necessary. These have been raved about by people like Marlena from Makeup Geek (go check MakeupGeekTV out on youtube, or go to the makeupgeek.com website, you won't regret it). I got a matte shade because most of my other blushes are more shimmery and I think that the color is gorgeous. The pictures are slightly off (actually, my camera was acting up so all of the pics in this post are slightly off and I tried to adjust that with iPhoto, which wasn't much of a help). The actual color is a pink with a slight peachy undertone.

• NYX Fabulous Lashes & Glue in Gold Digger

These lashes are full, plush and gorgeous. It says they can be used up to 10 times, which is nice because you really are getting your money's worth. These honestly are my first falsies because I never have found the need for them before as I was blessed with long eyelashes. However, when I say these on the clearance "display" for $2.29, I knew I needed them. They're full and long all the way through, unlike those lashes that I hate that go long then short then long then short, etc. The lash band is thin and it comes with glue. I thought it was a good deal.

• Covergirl NatureLuxe Liquid Silk Foundation in 335

I got the covergirl Nature Luxe foundation because I've heard a lot of good things about it. Unfortunately, the shade is a bit dark for me, but hopefully the sun will come out soon and tan me up (if that's possible in my SPF 50 ;) ). It was the lightest color in the clearance section, though. I looks light enough in the tube, but on your skin it's much darker, but can easily be blended (I swatched a little on my chin earlier). I'm looking forward to seeing what this can do and if was really worth the hype (the hype may have been from three years ago, but whatever).

• Maybelline Define-A-Brow in Light Blonde

I picked this pencil up because I just ran out yesterday. It's cheap, light enough for my brows, and has a little comb on the end. Also, Diamondsandheels14 & JoshCollierMUA both claimed to like them on youtube, so if you don't believe me, you can listen to them rant about them. I like them because they're available just about anywhere, too. If you're looking for a cheap brow pencil, check this one out.

• Pedicure Set

I got the "Sweet & Shimmer 3-pc pedicure set", also.

It comes with two two separators, which is the main reason that I bought it. I need them if I'm going to do my toes, because for whatever reason one of my toes on one foot, and one foot only, covers about two-thirds of the toe next to it. Aren't feet supposed to be symmetrical? 

Anyways, back on topic, it also comes with a little food grinder  thing. Well, not an actual grinder, but one of those emery-board like things that sort of "exfoliates" the dead skin off. You know what I mean, right? I hope so, because I've never heard of an actual name for those things. It was only $0.49, which probably still is a rip-off, but whatever. 

• Ulta Salon Formula Nail Lacquer

Can I just express my love for these nail polishes. I've tried OPI, essie, Revlon, Sally Hansen, elf, and countless other brands trying to find a nail polish that won't chip on me within two days. Let's just say, I've finally found it. And, I found it for cheap. These nail polishes are amazing, and I absolutely recommend them. The application could be better, but that's not my main concern. Normally, nail polish will chip on me before it's completely dry, which is so annoying. These are cheap, $2 each right now (get 'em fast before they bring the price up). I got a couple a couple months ago, right after Christmas, when I fell in love. I actually had really low expectations for these because they are Ulta brand.

If you're part of the Ulta rewards program and got a reward level, then you can get one free for each level. I got all of these for free (I know, I'm Ulta obsessed). 

I got the shades: Encore Pink, Tutu Cute, Blue Streak, Mint Condition, Fuchsiamania, and Eye Popping Poppy.

I put the shade Tutu Cute on soon after I got home. It's so shiny and it's a pretty shade of purple. I layered OPI top coat over the top, and I should be set for a week. 

Well, thanks for reading!! Feel free to leave a comment. If you want a more in-depth review of anything, simply comment and I'll be sure to do a review!

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Pencil Review

Hi! Today I'm going to be reviewing the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Shadow Pencil. If you have no clue what I'm talking about, picture one of those NYX jumbo eyeshadow pencils. These really haven't been talked about a lot in the beauty community, which is odd.
I have the shade Midnight Cowboy.

Application: It may just be my pencil, or all of them, but I found this slightly tugging on my eyes. The application wasn't good enough for me to stand that. It was very difficult to blend, too. However, it did apply evenly and was fairly pigmented.

Creasing: I didn't wear a primer with this and it lasted a good 8 hours on my eyelids that seem to ooze oil. There was little to no creasing...thank goodness; I wore it out doing things. Creased eyeshadow always makes me feel embarrassed. There was slight fading, but no creasing.

Price: At $20, this pencil is a bit expensive. As I have never used a NYX jumbo eye pencil before, I cannot compare the two. Based on the NYX website, the shades "Sparkle Nude" and "Cashmere" are the most similar, if one is looking for a cheaper alternative

Packaging: The packaging is nice. It's like the 24/7 liners, except it's shorter, fatter, and more colorful. One disappointment was the fact that it doesn't twist up. Sharpening a pencil isn't always the most exciting, quick, or convenient thing to do.

Shade Range: There are twelve shades in total, ranging from black to moss green to baby blue, with neutrals and a lavender in between.

In real life, it's slightly less sparkly and gold, but it is that beautiful.

Overall: I give it 6 stars out of ten for effort. However, it just didn't really work any better than a $1 eyelid primer paired with some random eyeshadow. If you see  a unique color in the collection, then go for it, but if a decent comparison can be found elsewhere, then I'd get the cheaper option. I suppose it's one of those "convenient" things, but so is the Maybelline color tattoo or a regular sweep of eyeshadow. The midnight cowboy shade is GORGEOUS, it's a beautiful goldish-champagne with sparkles and would look great on everyone.

Please excuse my hand in the corner :/ oops!

Revlon Colorstay Foundation

OK, so today I'm going to review Revlon Colorstay foundation.
I got the Combination/Oily Skin formula in medium beige.
It's a very nice drugstore foundation. The color range is alright--the color on my skin is not perfect, but I may play around with the colors (or wait until summer and hope for darker skin). It lives up to its name of Colorstay. It has been a good 10 hours since I applied it, and there is practically no creasing or fading, which is without a primer or powder. It doesn't have much of a fragrance, which is nice. Additionally, my T-zone shows practically no shine, which is impressive because it is not hard for my skin to become extremely shiny, which is not pretty. Many people complain about the foundation breaking them out, but my acne-prone skin has not had a problem. The coverage is medium, but can be worked up to full, for me. I use a sponge for application (I use one from Ulta) and there is no streaking (YAY! I always get streaky applications from other foundations, which is so annoying). One problem I did have was the bottle. It is a liquid foundation, so I'm not the biggest fan of just pouring it onto the back of my hand (it gets all over the edges and into the crevices where the top screws on), which is what I had to do because it didn't have a little pump or anything. Also, my friend had a bad experience with the fact that it's a glass bottle--apparently it breaks easily...

Pros
-No Streaking
-Long Wearing
-Variety of Shades
-Multiple Formulas for Different Skin Types
-Does Not Irritate Skin
-Inexpensive
-Widely Available
-Fragrance Free
-Decent Coverage (Coverage Buildable)
-Easily Blendable
-Lightweight
-Not Cake-y
-Easy to Work With

Cons
-Packaging
-Oily/Combination Formula Clings To Dry Patches
-Not true to color

Naked Palette Review

 Hi, everyone! Today, I'm going to be reviewing the Urban Decay Naked Palette!

This is a pretty famous palette, so you've probably already heard a lot about it (and you're about to hear a lot more). If you haven't, you're in luck!

It comes with 12 gorgeous full sized Urban Decay eyeshadows, which normally cost $18 a piece. If you do the math, that's $216 total, which isn't including the travel/trial sized Primer Potion, eyeshadow brush, or the gorgeous case. 

It comes with an extremely useful mirror, which is great for if you're traveling and there's no mirrors. Also, the words are all in gold lettering, which, while not particularly useful, proves to be fairly adorable. The packaging, as UD puts it, is a "chocolaty velvet case". While it's a nice, dark brown color and has a different texture than most palettes, if not all of them, it does appear to get dirty so quickly. Within a day, you can see everything that has gotten onto your case without a way to clean it. Some may not be bothered, but I wish it had packaging like the Naked 2 palette. 

The colors go from left to right, as follows:

Virgin, Sin, Naked, Sidecar, Buck, Half Baked,            Smog, Darkhorse, Toasted, Hustle, Creep, Gunmetal                Sorry you can't really read the names off the picture; my camera wouldn't focus. 

The brush is nice. It's very soft, doesn't pull on the eyes, and it's sleek looking. The product applies evenly with this, but it's nothing special. 

The first two colors are Virgin and Sin. Virgin is the palette's highlight color. It looks amazing for highlighting the inner corner of one's eyes. Sin is a light, champagne-y, shimmery color. It could also be used as a highlight, if you have darker skin.

Next come Naked and Sidecar. Naked is one of the palette's two mattes. It is great for all over the lid. Sidecar is a gorgeous shimmery, glittery,  bronzy color that looks great on everyone. 

This image features Buck and Half Baked. Buck is the palette's other matte, and it's a darker brown with a slightly red undertone. Half Baked is a beautiful gold color with shimmer. It doesn't have any chunky glitter in it, though it appears to in the image. All ages and skin colors could pull this eyeshadow off.

Smog and Darkhorse are two of my more frequented colors. Though it appears very gold in the image, Smog is a more medium, shimmery brown with gold undertones. This looks good in the outer corner. Darkhorse is one of my favorites. It's just a shimmery dark brown, great for the crease or the "outer v".

Toasted and Hustled are also really nice colors. Toasted, as you can see, is used quite frequently (and it's probably my favorite color in the palette). It's a very unique color, a light to medium brown with pinkish/champagne undertones. On the Urban Decay website, it looks flat out pink, while in real life it looks a bit darker. Hustle is a beautiful, very dark brown. With my fair skin, I find myself using that shade almost as an eyeliner, patting it into my lower lashes and upper lash line. It's a nice way to define the eyes without going overly dramatic.

Lastly, we have Creep and Gunmetal. Creep is a glittery black, and I don't find myself using it all that much. Gunmetal is a shimmery medium silver shade with blue undertones. I actually haven't used Gunmetal on my eyes yet, but I'm sure that some people would look great with this eyeshadow on.

From left to right: Virgin, Sin, Naked

 Sidecar, Buck, Half Baked

Smog, Darkhorse, Toasted

Hustle, Creep, Gunmetal

Overall: I love the palette! It has all the colors you'll ever need to create looks for any occasion. It's a great value, at only $50. All of the eyeshadows are fairly pigmented, with amazing blendability. I give it a 9.5/10, with a half a point off for packaging.

Thanks for reading!