On the Eleventh Day of Christmas…

Hi Pretties!  Are you enjoying the holiday season?  I am!  I’m especially enjoying all of the baked goodies that go along with Christmas!  I’m sure I’ll regret that in a few weeks when my pants are uncomfortably tight!  But enough about me… on to the good stuff!  Sing it with me!  On the ELEVENTH day of Christmas, Sephora gave to me… Stila Eyes are the Window Shadow Palette – Mind!  Such a great palette, and one I haven’t really heard much about.  This palette has all matte shadows, which is super duper exciting.  We can’t look shiny and shimmery all the time, can we?  This palette of goodness is full of gorgeous neutrals that are ideal for day-to-day wear – working women of the world, this one’s for you!  Now, I know what you’re thinking, “just what I need, more neutrals!”  Well, ‘A’ of all, there is no such thing as too many neutrals, and ‘B’ of all, there are some colorful surprises to be found in this palette.  I’m obsessed with the rusty orange shade called Perception – so different from anything else in my arsenal, and the deep plummy purple shade called Thinker is my jam! Love smudging it along my lash line. As far as texture, some shades are a bit powdery, but most have a nice texture and blend easily.  Keep in mind that the pigmentation, while good, is not the BAM-in-your-face pigmentation that you find with brands like Urban Decay.  Rather these shadows are perfect for giving you a wash of color but can be built up for more oomph.  As for the longevity, I think its fairly good – I would recommend a primer, especially if you have oily lids like me.  All in all, a solid addition to my embarrassingly large palette collection (Woe to me for my makeup addiction! I’m one sick cookie!)  This palette retails for $49.00 and can be purchased from Sephora, Ulta, or the Stila website.  I didn’t swatch all of the shades – just a select few – but if that’s something you’d like to see, let me know in the comments!  Hope you’ve got all of your shopping done!

On the Twelfth Day of Christmas…

Pretties!  I’ve missed you!  Where in the world did November go????  Sorry for the radio silence… my day job has been demanding of late, and the only thing I’ve wanted to do when I got home was face-plant into my bed!  I didn’t even have time to share my VIB Rouge haul with you guys!!!  Rather than do a belated haul post, I thought I would just give you a glimpse of some of the new things I’ve purchased this holiday season that I’m LOVING!  As it is nearing Christmas, let’s be cliché and have a 12 days of Christmas theme!  With that said, (all together now!) on the TWELFTH day of Christmas, Sephora gave to me… Laura Mercier’s Mini Caviar Stick Eye Colour Quartet!  Disclaimer:  this 4-piece Sephora exclusive set is unfortunately sold out online (although the similar 6 stick set is still available here and here as of this posting).  However, I love these things so much, I am willing to incur the wrath of my Pretties to tell you about these sticks of goodness!  I’m  usually not one for cream eye shadows, but these could convert me.  They’re just easy, you know what I mean?  Creamy, pigmented, and blendable… a few swipes and some blending with my finger or a brush and I’m set.  I love products that simplify my mornings!  Very versatile as well – you can pick one for a wash of color or put multiple ones together to create a full look.  I’d say they’re relatively long-wearing – even with my oily eyelids!  All in all, I’m super-duper pleased with this purchase and will be adding other colors to my wish list!  If you’ve never tried these before, get thee to a Sephora or Nordstrom, ASAP!  The individual caviar sticks are $28 apiece, which sounds a bit steep, but you get a good amount of product and a little goes a long way!  If you’ve tried these, let me know what you think and what colors I need to add to my collection!  Also, let me know if you’d like to see some pictures of how I’ve been wearing these.  Hope everyone is having an enjoyable December!

Holy Haul, Batman!

As any accountant will tell you, the first week or two of the month is always a beast.  I’ve been working really hard closing the books for October, and I thought I deserved a little treat… several little treats in fact.  Thus, I bring you my first ever haul post.  I definitely spent all of my fun money for the month, but I had a blast doing it!  Here are the goodies I got:

Charlotte Ronson for Sephora – All Eye Need “Nicole” Palette

One of the ladies at Sephora was wearing this gorgeous copper color on her eyes. I loved it so much, I had to have it for myself, so she directed me to this little palette. It’s part of the Charlotte Ronson for Sephoracollection, and I’m so excited to try it! It usually retails for $22.00, but I had a 20% V.I.B. coupon, which made it an excellent deal! I couldn’t pass up 4 eyeshadows (2.4 grams apiece) for $18.00!

Real Techniques Brushes by Samantha Chapman

I’m a huge fan of the Pixiwoo sisters – I love watching their video tutorials! I also have a bizarre fascination with their accents and British slang, but that’s another story. I’ve been dying to try their Real Techniques brush line, so I picked up these at my local Ulta. The brushes I bought retail for around $8.00 or $9.00, and have gotten great reviews. I hope they meet my expectations!

Stila Seeing Stars Smudge Stick Waterproof Eyeliner Set

This is one of the fabulous holiday sets that are available at Sephora right now. I’ve never tried Stila’s eyeliner before, but I absolutely LOVE these colors! I’m especially excited about the olive color – I think it’s called Moray – and the beige color, which is Angelfish.  Assuming the quality is up to par, this is a GREAT value: five full-size eyeliners for $32.00 (one Smudge Stick retails for $20.00).

Eyeko Skinny Brush Mascara, Anastasia Brow Wiz, and Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer

Now, these three products have a lot of hype, and I’m excited about trying them. The Pixiwoos have used Eyeko mascara and Anastasia Brow Wiz in a lot of their videos; hopefully, they live up to their reputations! One of the Sephora sales ladies recommended the Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer – it’s suppose to be great for oily skin. The Battle of the Shine is a continuous one for me, so I hope it works!

Well, those are the high points from my epic haul! I got a few other goodies, and I’ll be posting reviews soon! If you have any opinions about these products, hit me up in the comments – I’d love to get someone else’s take. Happy shopping!