My Top 10 Favorite Drugstore Products

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Hey guys! I don't think I've done a post like this on the blog before, but I wanted to share with you what my favorite products to buy at the drugstore are. The best of the best, in my opinion, and what I can't live without. I have a mix of hair and skincare, but the majority is makeup. 

1. Aquation Gentle Moisturizing Cleanser - I had done a review of this along with a couple other Aquation products, but this cleanser is my favorite out of the bunch. It's amazing at removing makeup at night, it hydrates the skin without making me feel greasy, and it just makes my skin feel so good. I always go in with toner and moisturizer after using this, but I can tell that my skin is absolutely loving this cleanser. 

2. L'Oreal Infallible Pro-Matte Foundation - I had purchased this a while ago after hearing some pretty amazing reviews, but put off trying it for the longest time. I picked up the shade 101 Classic Ivory, which was surprisingly hard for me to find at the time. It's like there wasn't a place in the display for it, but I eventually found it at Walmart. I am beyond impressed with how this foundation applies and how well it keeps my skin shine-free. It sort of reminds me of the Make Up For Ever Mat Velvet+ foundation, but much cheaper. 

3. Batiste Dry Shampoo - If you're a regular reader of my blog, you know how much I adore Batiste. I've tried quite a few of their scents, but the Tropical scent pictured is my ultimate favorite. It smells like coconut and the beach, and it's wonderful. It makes my hair feel so much cleaner when I haven't washed it in 3 days, and never builds up to feeling gross like other dry shampoos can. It's the best and there are usually sales going on, which is when I tend to stock up. 

4. Milani Baked Blush - This is probably no surprise, since everyone talks about Milani Baked Blushes, but these are just fantastic! The shade pictured is called Dolce Pink, and it's my favorite one. I wore it on my wedding day and it gives the prettiest shimmery, healthy pink glow to the skin that I can never get enough of. 

5. Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder - This is an old favorite that I will always go back to when I use up other powders. I have quite a few powders in my collection, but this is most definitely my all-time favorite. It keeps me shine-free and never looks cakey. I usually pick up the Transparent shade, but they do come in a range of colors. 

6. Colourpop Super Shock Shadows - Now you can only buy these on the Colourpop website, but at only $5 for each eyeshadow, they're such a steal! The shade pictured is called La La and it's a pretty coppery bronze shade that looks gorgeous over the Maybelline Color Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze. If I could buy every shade of these shadows, I totally would. 

7. Wet N Wild Color Icon Eyeshadow Trios - My love for the WnW eyeshadows trios is massive. I don't own too many, but the ones I have are so gorgeous and the shadows are super pigmented. I have to say though, limited edition trios are not as good as the original ones, and I'm not sure why. Pictured is Silent Treatment, and it's my favorite that I own. They make for such a pretty, cool-toned look that I like to wear for date nights. 

8. NYX Butter Glosses - Again, these are old favorites that I typically use when I have no idea what I want to wear on my lips. There's a huge shade selection, but the one pictured is Cupcake, a bright pink shade that's perfect for Summer. These smell like vanilla and I have quite a collection of these in my lip stash. 

9. Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer - You all had to have seen this one coming! This is my all-time favorite concealer ever. Seriously, I always want to kick myself for trying something new, and sometimes more expensive, only to find that this one is still way better. I usually get the Brightener shade, but I have used Fair. I think the Brightener shade works so much better at masking my dark circles, and the Fair shade is good for spot concealing around my face. 

10. Covergirl Mascara - I honestly have yet to open this Covergirl Clump Crusher Mascara, but I had to picture something in place of my beloved Covergirl The Super Sizer Mascara. I used my one tube up ages ago and haven't repurchased yet, but I miss it terribly. The Super Sizer makes my lashes look fake and I always get complimented when wearing it. It's probably my favorite mascara out of the drugstore that I've ever tried, and I've loved quite a few. 

What are some of your drugstore picks?

July 2016 Favorites

Hey guys! After not doing a favorites post for June I wanted to make it a point to get one up for July. I've started to wear makeup again and taking better care of my skin. I only have a few products to share, so it'll be short and sweet. 

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The first product I have to talk about is by a brand called Aquation. I was kindly sent this Gentle Moisturizing Cleanser, along with a couple other goodies to review and this cleanser has just been so fantastic, I had to talk about it early. I won't get too much into it since I have a review post coming up, but this cleanser removes makeup like a champ, is gentle, and keeps my skin feeling hydrated without being greasy. 

Next up is a product I decided to revisit, the Wet N Wild trio in Walking On Eggshells. I'm trying to make more of an effort to use up products that I've had for a while but rarely used, and this was one of them. I've been so obsessed with the bottom eyelid shade as just an all-over lid color, and it's just stunning. 

My final favorite for July is the Covergirl Lip Perfection Jumbo Gloss Balm in the shade 250. The one gripe I have about these is there is no shade name on the packaging, so I have to search it online, and it looks like this one is called Scarlet Twist. This is a gorgeous shade and has just enough pigment to it, yet it's sheer enough to just slap on and go. I adore these balms so much and I'm actually trying to use this up completely as part of a project pan challenge I'm trying out. 

What were some of your favorite products in July?

What I Got For Christmas/ My Birthday HAUL!

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Hey guys! I hope everyone who celebrates had an awesome Christmas, and has a very happy New Year! December is always an odd month for me because my birthday is on the 8th, so presents that are given to me nowadays are for both that and Christmas, which I'm honestly fine with! Since I'm now 27 (hooray for being in my late 20's now...not!), I never really ask for certain presents anymore. I prefer either gift cards or cash so I can get something I know I'll enjoy and use. I also do treat myself to some things because, why the heck not?! So today I'll be sharing with you what I ended up getting with my birthday/Christmas money!

I had gone to Walgreen's hoping to find new products that I've been hearing about, but had zero luck. They did however have a major clearance sale going on, so I took some time browsing. I picked up the Wet n Wild Fergie Take on the Day Mattifying Powder that was on clearance for just a couple dollars. I'm hoping this is decent, but with it being marked down, it's probably getting discontinued. 

I also picked up one of the Megalast Liquid Lip Colors in the shade Red My Mind. It's a beautiful shade in the package, but that's it. It's an awful formula and flakes off my lips almost immediately after applying it. Luckily, this was just over $1 on clearance, and now I understand why every shade in this line was marked down. 

I've never tried the popular Wet n Wild lipsticks that everyone talks about, so I picked up the shades Smokin' Hot Pink and Cherry Picking. I always thought these were $1.99, but at my Walgreen's they were $2.49. No big deal really, so if I end up liking these, I'll probably buy more!

Burt's Bees wasn't on sale at all, but if you bought 2 of their lip balms, you got 1,000 points so I got the scents Honey and Coconut & Pear. I love lip balms, and Burt's Bees makes some great ones. 

Next up is Sephora! I had gotten the VIB Rouge giftcard in the mail for $25 off of a $50 purchase, and my mom also gave me hers to use as well, so I placed 2 separate orders, but lumped everything together. On one of the orders I had to buy hair ties because I wasn't quite at $50, but somehow I lost them already.

Anyway, I ended up getting the Philosophy Holiday Handbook hand cream set, which has the scents Cranberry Medley, Fresh Cream and Raspberries & Cream. I purchased a set of these last year as well and love them, so when I saw they had another set this year, I knew I had to have it. Fresh Cream is such a light, but amazing scent and I'm very happy to have it in hand cream form!

I have no reason to be buying more eyeshadow palettes, but the Too Faced Chocolate Bon Bons is one I just had to have! I had been hearing about it for months, thought the packaging was adorable, and the fact that it smells like chocolate always seals the deal. I have the other two chocolate bar palettes as well and color selection wise, I think I like this one the most. 

Kat Von D has been killing it with her makeup line within the past year, and everything I've tried so far, I've loved. I bought yet another Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in the shade Bauhau5 and a Metal Crush Eyeshadow in the shade Raw Power. You all know my love for her liquid lipsticks, but I've been dying to try out the Metal Crush Eyeshadows. I was torn between this and the shade Thunderstruck, but went with Raw Power because I love my burgundy's!

The birthday gift this year came from Nars and it included a Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in the shade Cruella, a Satin Lip Pencil in the shade Rikugien, and since I'm VIB Rouge, it came with an extra little sample of their Larger Than Life Eyeliner in the shade Via Veneto. I hear that both of the lip pencils and the eyeliner are great, so I'm excited to try them out!

Last but not least, I made a trip to Ulta. My lovely mother-in-law gave me a giftcard, and my dad gave me some birthday money. I also had the coupon for 20% off, which was good on everything I purchased! I had seen a review on YouTube of the Stila Trust in Love Gift Set, which includes an eyeshadow palette, a deluxe sized lip glaze, and a deluxe sized sample of their HUGE Extreme Lash Mascara. The wand on the mascara reminds me so much of the Too Faced Better Than Sex, which is probably my favorite higher end mascara, so we'll see if the Stila one compares. 

Real Techniques was on sale, so I picked up two of their Shading Brushes. I don't have these yet in my Real Techniques brush collection, but I love the size of these and think they will be good for applying shadow to my hooded lids. 

I've decided I wanted to delve into the world of lip liners, so I went a little ham with what I bought. I ended up buying three Essence lip liners in the shades 15 Honey Berry, 07 Cute Pink and 08 Red Blush. These babies were only $1.49 and with the coupon I had, it made them super inexpensive. I always hear good things about these lip liners too, so I have high hopes. I also purchased two other lip liners, one from NYX in the shade Cabaret, and one from Rimmel in the shade Rapture. The Rimmel lip liner was marked down to clearance, which may mean it's being discontinued. 

Next up is a new Revlon eyeshadow palette called Not Just Nudes, and the one I purchased is Romantic Nudes. They had another one that seemed a bit more warm toned, so the purple-y mauve-y pink shades in this stood out to me more. I love how drugstore brands are coming out with eyeshadow palettes, so I hope this is decent quality. 

The last product was the birthday gift from bareMinerals, and it's a Marvelous Moxie Lipgloss in the shade Birthday Babe. I don't think I've tried these glosses before, but I love the color of this, and it isn't very sticky either. 

That's everything from my birthday and what I got for Christmas! Did you get any makeup/beauty goodies that you're enjoying?

Drugstore Beauty HAUL! Walmart & Dollar Tree

Hey everyone! A few weeks ago after a doctor appointment, I was feeling a little blah, so my husband decided to take me out for lunch before we went about our errands for the day. We stopped at Walmart for some necessities, and the Dollar Tree was a few stores down from where we had lunch. Naturally, I looked at the beauty section in both places and came out with some goodies to share with you guys!

Starting off with Walmart, I decided to pick up the Rimmel Lasting Finish Foundation in the shade 091 Light Ivory. I hear so many people talking about this and how awesome it is for a drugstore foundation. I haven't worn makeup like I normally do lately, so I have yet to try it, but I have a feeling I'll like it. It was so inexpensive too, only about $5 or $6. 

I've been wanting to try the Maybelline Master Conceal Camoflaging Concealer since it came out. I bought mine in the shade 10 Fair, and I think it was the only one that hadn't been tampered with. I don't know what it is about Walmart, but their beauty section always looks a hot mess and tons of products have been broken into. Anyways, sorry for the little rant there. I've heard mixed thoughts on this concealer, and it wasn't too pricey, so I figured I'd give it a try. 

I had also been wanting to try the Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara in the color Blackest Black. The other reviews I've heard have been mostly positive, and Maybelline mascaras are probably my favorite in the drugstore. 

Maybelline had my heart this day, and I picked up one of their newer matte lipstick shades in the color Blushing Pout. This is such a pretty nude-y rose color that I think will look really nice with my fair skin and a simple eye look. I LOVE Maybelline's matte lipstick formula as it's not too drying like other ones can be. 

Now for the Dollar Tree! I love that store so freaking much, it's stupid. Anything I think I need, I immediately go there and see if I can find it. Most times, I can, and I feel so proud to have only spent $1. I picked up one of the English Lavender soaps from Yardley. I honestly don't know how much these are normally, but I don't think they're that expensive. I bought this mainly to clean my makeup brushes with, and I can't wait because this soap smells incredible. 

I never really get excited about L.A. Colors, but I saw a bunch of their Color Balms, and I picked the shade Boom, which looks like a bright red in the tube. I don't expect full-on color from this since it is a balm, but I think it might give a light wash and a bit of hydration. 

I got really excited seeing Jelly Belly lip balms, and picked up the scent Bubblegum. The packaging says this is flavored, and I have yet to try this, but I can't wait to test that claim. No, I'm not going to eat this, but when you're wearing a balm or gloss and accidentally get some in your mouth, it's not very pleasant. I feel like a little kid with this balm.  

Lastly, I purchased two brushes. one is the Wet n' Wild Eyeshadow Brush and the other is an ELF Smudge Brush. I haven't used either of these yet, but the ELF brush is already shedding on me, and I have yet to wash it. ELF brushes aren't usually my favorite, but for $1, I don't care too much. The Wet n' Wild brush feels really nice and there is no shedding yet. I'm hoping to like both once they're washed and used a few times. 

Is there anything you've hauled at the drugstore lately?

Mini Drugstore Haul feat. Walgreen's and Ulta

Hi guys! So I know I'm not really supposed to be doing any beauty shopping for a while but there were some sales going on, and if you know me, you know I love a good sale! Anyway, I did a little shopping at Walgreen's and placed an order online from Ulta. Lets see what goodies I got!

Fist up is Walgreen's. This week Walgreen's has certain Wet n' Wild product for only $2 with your Walgreen's card. I went in really only looking for the Fall 2014 Limited Edition 5 pan shadows. They typically retail for $3.99 which is already a steal, but when I got up to the register, they were only $2 each! I picked up the palettes called Melrose at Night and Smoke and Melrose. They had two other ones, one called High Waisted Jeans which I didn't care for as I don't really like blues on me, and the other one was called Angels in Aubergine, which just looked too harsh for my skintone. Of course I went with the neutral ones, surprise surprise. 

Lastly from Walgreen's, I picked up two of the Vaseline Lip Therapy balms. The first one is Rosy Lips which I had been tying to find but had no success til now and I also picked up the Cocoa Butter one. I was originally only going to buy one but if you bought 2, you got an extra 2,000 points with your Walgreen's card. I'm excited to try these, especially in the Winter when my lips are drier than dry. 

Now we have Ulta, which I'm really excited about. I had heard over and over about these Revlon Colorstay Moisture Stains and wondered what the fuss was about. I don't own many Revlon lip products but was definitely curious about these. I had gotten an email from Ulta saying they had free shipping on orders of $25 or more. Free shipping for Ulta is typically $50 so I always wait for the $25 promo. Revlon also had a buy 1, get 1 50% off deal, which is why I bought four of these, plus I also had the code for $3.50 off of a $10 purchase and I used a bunch of points I had saved up, so with tax everything came to just under $20, and I still got the free shipping! Now keep in mind these typically cost between $7 and $10 depending on where you get them. Drugstores in my area carry them for $9.99, my Ulta carries them for $8.99. I basically got two of these for free! Can't complain about that! Anyways, I picked up the colors LA Exclusive, Rio Rush, Barcelona Nights, and Shanghai Sizzle. I've already tried three of the four and I must say, I'm very impressed! I plan on doing a review of these so I won't go into much detail here, but these are definitely really nice lip products.

That's everything I picked up! What have you purchased recently?

May 2014 Empties!

Hey everyone! I know you all probably thought I died or something, and I felt like I did at one point, but I'm still here! I was actually just really, really sick. I probably had bronchitis or an upper respiratory infection. I've also had some other health issues going on and to make a long story short, I'm doing physical therapy three times a week right now for my back because of a herniated disk and pinched nerves. Needless to say, I've been in alot of pain lately so the blog took a backseat so I can focus on feeling better. Anyways, enough of me rambling, here are the products I had used up in May!

The first product I used up is the Sephora brand Daily Makeup Brush Cleaner. I love using this after every makeup application because I do have oily and acne-prone skin, plus my eyes are sensitive so cleaning all the brushes I use after every use is essential for me. I deep clean about once a month because I do spot clean with this daily.

Next up we have the Bath & Body Works Mango Paradise foaming handsoap. I'm obsessed wit the B&BW hand soaps and I typically only buy them when there's a good sale. I have so many backups of other scents so I'm set for a while. 

Then we have The Body Shop's Cocoa Butter Creamy Body Wash. While I loved the smell of this, I didn't really feel like it cleaned very but it did make my skin feel super soft after using it. I have so many different body washes and shower gels in my closet that I probably don't need to buy any for over a year. I'm thinking once I use up everything, I may go drugstore because it's cheaper and I feel like my skin is extra sensitive to scented products lately. 

The Body Shop's Coconut Body Scrub is one of the most heavenly scented products I own. Its not the most effective scrub ever but I'm just obsessed with coconut. This is in the old packaging before they changed it and I bought it for I think $5. I'm pretty sure I have another one of these but I might not repurchase since I like my body scrubs to have more grit to them. 

I did a review here on this Yes To Tomatoes Daily Pore Scrub, and I still don't like it. I used it up because I hate being wasteful, but I didn't like this. It left a weird film on my face and it was too harsh on my skin. I have no idea why anyone would want to use this daily because of that. I will never in a million years repurchase this.

I absolutely loved the bareMinerals Renew & Hydrate Eye Cream. I also did a review of this product here. This eye cream was so hydrating and felt amazing around my eyes. I'll have to repurchase this once I use up my other eye creams.

Another amazing eye cream I used up is the Origins GinZing Refreshing Eye Cream. I used this in the morning because it has a tint to it to help with dark circles. I noticed a little bit of a difference with my dark circles, but not enough to completely wow me. I mostly loved this because of how good it felt and that it wasn't heavy feeling at all, but still moisturized well.

An odd mix of products here, but I'm throwing away the Soap & Glory Sexy Mother Pucker lip gloss in the color Candy Gloss. I went to use it one day and it burned like acid on my lips. Had to take it off right away because it hurt so bad! I understand plumping glosses have that tingly effect, but I never remember this burning so bad. I admit, I've had it for quite a while, so it probably just went bad. 

I'm also throwing away 2 of the E.L.F. Eyelid Primers because they just suck. I started using one after I used up the rest of my Urban Decay Primer Potion (which is my favorite) and this one does not compare at all. My shadow lasted only about 2 hours before it started creasing and by the end of most days, I barely had any eyeshadow left on my lids. It was crazy so I dug through all my primers and found only one extra one, so they're both going in the trash!

I also used up the Wet N' Wild Megalength Waterproof Mascara. I didn't like this at all when I first started using it, but it grew on me after a while and I liked the effect it had on my lashes. They looked natural but this did give them some decent length. At the end of it's life, it started making my lashes look a tad bit clumpy and it didn't deposit enough color on them either, so it was time to say goodbye. 

I used up a packet of the Barefoot Spa Professional Exfoliating Polish because I did a review of it here. I got two of these packets in an Ipsy bag and I wasn't a fan of this really. The scrubbing particles were so tiny it felt like nothing on my skin. Afterwards, my skin felt softer for some reason but I have no idea why. I'll use up the other packet but I probably won't purchase this myself.

I'm also throwing away this little palette from The Body Shop. It's just called the 01 Eye & Cheek Palette and I purchased this when I started working at The Body Shop about 5 years ago. I had to buy some of their makeup to use when I was working there and at the time, this was great. I used it basically everyday when I was there. I took it out of my stash to use one day last month, and I'm not sure why, but the pigmentation was awful and it blended horribly on my eyes. I never remember that happening back then, but hey, this little guy is almost 5 years old! I'm gonna keep the sentimental side out of this and just throw it away. It was good to me while I needed it.

These E.L.F. brushes have to be thrown out! They're so old and rough and basically not useable anymore. The top one is the Bronzing Brush and the bottom one is the Total Face Brush. I think these came in a kit or something with some face products, but they're so old that I honestly have no idea when I got them. If I can remember, my mom actually got them for me when I was a teenager. Yeah, time to go! I have so many brushes that these won't be missed. 

Well, if you made it to the end, you're awesome! I know this was a super long post, but I sure did go through alot of products! I feel like I'm making a good dent in my beauty stash which makes me really happy! What did you use up in May?

May 2014 Favorites!

Hey everyone! It's been ages since I posted anything, I know, but I've been so sick the past week and a half and I haven't wanted to do anything but lay in bed or sit my butt on the couch watching Game of Thrones. I also still had to work while being sick so that didn't help matters either. Even though I'm still sick, I wanted to share some of the products that I was loving last month.

I only have four products to talk about, mostly because I haven't really tried any new products and partially with me being so sick. When I'm sick, I barely do anything with my skin, so it's not too happy with me right now.

Anyways, the first product I have here is Bausch & Lomb Advanced Eye Relief eye drops for dry eyes. This stuff is surprisingly really good! Usually I only buy the Similasan eye drops because my eyes are really sensitive and that was the only stuff I could use without my eyes feeling like they were being burned. This B&L product does not burn my eyes at all and actually helps with the dryness I get. Plus, this is super inexpensive at Walmart, only about $3.

My next favorite is actually a product that isn't made anymore (sadface) and it's the Covergirl Natureluxe Mousse Mascara in the Very Black color. This mascara is fantastic for my lashes! I love how natural it makes them look, and this color is super black, which I'm a big fan of. I really wish they didn't discontinue this mascara, because it really is nice. I can't remember when I bought this honestly, maybe last year when the drugstores had their clearance sales. I may have gotten this at CVS.

Next up we have one of my favorite Wet N' Wild trios, and it's in Silent Treatment. This little trio makes the perfect smoky look for me. I don't follow the little guide in this and I switch the crease and eyelid shade. The crease shade in here I just couldn't blend out well enough so I use it on my lids and I take the eyelid shade through my crease. Then I use the browbone shade lightly as a highlight and I'm good to go. I wear that look alot to work and I get compliments on it all the time. Great little trio here!

My last favorite is the much talked about Mario Badescu Drying Lotion. This whole month my skin has looked terrible most days, but getting sick and not being able to take care of it normally sent it into a total fit. At the moment, my skin is worse than when I was a teenager. I feel like I can finally take care of it like normal, so I'm hoping it clears up fast. Anyway, this product is a little miracle worker for zits. Pop a Qtip in the jar and then put it on any blemishes, and the next morning everything is either gone or alot smaller than the day before. I've used it quite a few times this past month, but it's definitely gotten a ton of use the past week and a half.

That's everything! I know it wasn't alot, but I totally wasn't expecting to get completely knocked out from being sick. I'm really hoping June is better for me product (and health!) wise! 

What were some of your favorites in May?

Beauty Haul! Featuring BH Cosmetics, Rite Aid, Ulta & More!

Hey everyone! Taking pictures of this haul make me realize I got alot more than I thought! Since I did pick up quite a few things here over the past couple months, I think it's time for a spending ban. I'm giving myself til August 1st, which is just under 3 months. Anyways, lets see what damage I did! ;)

First up is BH Cosmetics! I haven't purchased anything from BH since September of 2012, so I decided it was time for me to buy a few things. The first product I really had my eye on was the Galaxy Chic Baked Eyeshadow Palette. I saw all the prettiness that was inside this palette when it first came out and knew it had to be mine one day! Also, I didn't take any pictures of inside the palettes I bought, so if you'd like to see a full review on anything please let me know!

The next product I purchased is the It's Judy Time Limited Edition Eyeshadow Palette. When I heard that Judy from It's Judy Time on YouTube was making her own palette, I was a bit skeptical honestly. I didn't think it was going to be that special, but when she featured it in one of her videos, I oohed and ahhed throughout the whole video! I'm super excited that I was able to get my hands on this since it is supposedly limited edition. 

I had been thinking about getting some new brushes for my collection and saw this 11 piece Pink-A-Dot Brush set and thought it was adorable! I haven't used these yet, I even still have to wash them, but they seem incredibly soft and good quality. 

BH had this promotion where if you spent $15, you had your choice of one of the three California Palettes for only $4.50! I decided on the San Francisco Palette, as it seemed to be the most neutral. The other two were just not my style. I even did a little searching online and found  10% off code to use on this purchase and saved an extra almost $6! So, basically I got this little palette for free! Plus, I also use Ebates, so I got some cash back as well. Can't beat that! Ebates is awesome! If you do alot of online shopping like I do, you link your PayPal account to your Ebates account, and everytime you shop online, you click the Ebates button and you automatically get a certain percentage of cash back, which really comes in handy!

Next up, I have one item I purchased from Amazon. This is the Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay. I had gotten an email from Amazon recommending some products to try and this was one of them. I have incredibly large pores that get super clogged really easily so I'm hoping this does something for me. It was also pretty inexpensive as well.

I was at Walmart with my husband and mother-in-law one day and while they were getting what they wanted, I pretty much stayed in the beauty area. Maybelline is probably my favorite drugstore brand, and they had a $2 off coupon if you bought two products so I picked up their newest mascara, Pumped Up Colossal in the Glam Black color and a Master Hi-Light Blush in the color Pink Rose. I've been hearing good things about these blushes so I'm excited to try it. Haven't heard much yet about the mascara, but I do have high hopes as they are my favorite brand for mascaras, usually.

Next up is Rite Aid! I was able to get to a Rite Aid when a few of the brands there were 40% off so I kinda went a little crazy! I ended up getting two of the Maybelline limited edition Eyestudio quads in Taupe Tease and Take It Off. If I'm not mistaken, these quads are part of their Spring nude line, but don't quote me on that. Love these quads and I want them all!

Wet N' Wild was not on sale, but I had a $1 off coupon on any of their products so I picked up one of their limited edition 8-pan palettes in Flirting at the After Party. I was so torn on either this one or the other neutral one they have but decided on this since I have so many neutrals in my collection. I've already used this once and I do like it, but I'm not in love with it. 

L'Oreal was also 40% off so I picked up their Voluminous Butterfly Mascara in the Blackest Black shade and a Colour Riche Eyeshadow quad in Cupa Joe. I always hear that there are MAC dupes in this palette, but I'm not a MAC girl so I can't say for sure. I'm super excited to try the mascara because I've heard some pretty good things about it!

Some time after Rite Aid's 40% off sale, Ulta had a 40% off sale on certain brands. Physician's Formula is rarely on a good sale and I really wanted to try their Eye Booster 2-in-1 Lash Boosting Eyeliner + Serum. Anything that claims it can boost my lashes instantly, I'm all over. I've been very curious to try this and I'm excited to see if it lives up to that claim. 

Of course I had to get me some more Maybelline! Since they were also 40% off, I picked up another one of the Instant Age Rewind Dark Circles Eraser, but this time I got the Brightener shade. I typically use the fair shade, but this one is a tad bit lighter therefore it makes my undereyes seem brighter. I now have quite a few backups of this stuff so I'm set for a while. 

I also wanted to try out their Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer in the Ivory shade. They were sold out of the one I actually wanted, but this seems light enough to have a brightening effect on my pale skin. 

I also wanted to pick up another Elixir Gloss and I got the color Signature Scarlet. I already have tried this and it's really pretty! It's not orange at all and is almost the perfect red for me. I have a hard time finding a red that suits me because I'm so pale and my skin is already pretty red, but this one is nice! I definitely want to pick up more of these babies!

These last products I purchased where I work! I've realized that I mentioned me working in retail but I never said specifically where. Not sure why, I guess maybe I thought I wasn't allowed to say where I work, but it's not like I'm giving the specific store I work in. Anyways, I actually work at Macys! Twice a year, Macys has their Friends & Family event. During that time, they have employee appreciation where instead of receiving our regular discount, we get 30 or 40% off of cosmetics and fragrances depending on the brand. This is really the only time I'll buy skincare or makeup there because hey, a girl likes a good deal! 

Now I have two separate pictures because I made two separate purchases within that Friends & Family period. My first purchase was the Origins GinZing Refreshing Eye Cream. I have quite a few samples of this and just love it, but I thought I remembered having a full size already, yet I can't find it to save my life. I decided to just buy another one since with all my discounts, I only paid about $13. This product costs $30 without tax, so I think that's a good deal! I love the girl who works at the Origins counter and she said since I was buying skincare, I got some deluxe samples of the Checks and Balances face wash, Make a Difference Plus Treatment and a GinZing Eye Cream! I love samples, so I was thrilled. 

Hence the reason for me making another purchase! I had read alot about the GinZing Energy- Boosting Moisturizer, but was afraid to try it because I thought maybe it would be too thick for my oily skin. I tried it out first, and am actually happy to report it's a gel like consistency that isn't very thick at all, but still feels nice on the skin! For my samples, I picked A Perfect World Antioxidant Cleanser, and another Make A Difference Plus and GinZing Eye Cream. With all my discounts, I only spent a little under $9 for a product that's normally $26.50.

Since I was on an eye cream kick, I decided to buy one of my favorite night time eye creams, and that's Clinque's All About Eyes. I purchased the larger size that typically retails for $50, but they do have a smaller one that's half the size for $30. The larger size to me is a better deal, plus you don't need to use alot at all. With all my discounts, I ended up paying about $16. Not bad! I usually don't buy this much during the employee appreciation, but I wanted to stock up on things I wanted so I won't have to later on. 

I hope you all enjoyed this haul! It'll probably be my last one for a while unless I run out of things I need, which I don't really expect to happen anytime soon lol

Have you purchased any beauty products lately?

Honeymoon Haul! Cosmetic Company Outlet, Kmart, Walmart, Walgreens

Hey guys! Today I'm going to be sharing with you what I purchased while away on our honeymoon! There were outlets about 15 miles away from the hotel we were staying at, and of course I had to take advantage of that. Also, anywhere I go, I have to find a Walmart or some kind of drugstore. I know, I'm weird. Anyways, let me show you what I got!

So when I was looking up what stores were on the outlets, I saw there was a Cosmetic Company Outlet, so I had to go in there. I was never in a store like that before but have heard of them, so I was definitely curious to see what they had. I went in and I told the lady working there that I had never been in a store like this before. She was very nice and basically said that the brands they have are sold at 20% to 50% less than the original price. They had a decent amount of brands sold there. MAC, Elizabeth Arden, Smashbox, Origins, Bobbi Brown and Bumble & Bumble are just some of the brands they carried. I looked around for a bit and ended up with two MAC products.

The first MAC item I picked up is a Powder Blush in the color Peony Petal. Now before I bought these items, I should mention that I only own two other MAC items, so I know pretty much nothing about the brand. I did have to do some research on the items I purchased and from what I've looked up, this blush is from the Tres Cheek Collection from Spring 2012. I'm assuming that means this was limited edition, unless they re-promote the color somewhere down the road. Anyways, I love this color so much! It's like a baby pink, but just a hint darker. The picture above makes it look a bit darker than it is. When this was out, it cost $20. I paid $14.75 before tax. I don't think that was too bad of a deal. 

The second MAC product I picked up is an Extra Dimension Eye Shadow in the color Warm Thunder. From what I looked up about this, it comes from the In Extra Dimension Collection, also from Spring 2012. Again, I'm assuming this was limited edition and it cost $20. I paid $17.50 for it. Still a bit high compared to the original price, but I'm not complaining too much. This color was described on the Temptalia website as a dirty silver grey. I agree with that, but my eyes also see some blue in it. It's very faint, and could just be my eyes, but I definitely see blue. I think it's really cool that you can find products like this at these cosmetic stores. It may be from an old collection, but for someone who knows nothing about this brand, It's pretty darn awesome!

We then went to Kmart on a different day, just kind of looking around really. I haven't been in a Kmart since I was little, so I was definitely curious to see what it's like now. I knew they had a cosmetics section, so of course I made a beeline there. I saw the Wet N' Wild area and was stoked to find the single Eyeshadows they have! My Walgreen's doesn't carry them, and the Rite-Aid near me only has like 5 colors. This Kmart had, I think, all of the colors, which if I remember correctly was around 15. I've been looking for these two shades because Emily from Beauty Broadcast raves about them, especially the color Nutty. I got Brulee as well because they were actually having a buy 1, get one 50% off sale, so that brought one of the shades down to just $1. Total steal! If you have a Kmart near you, I highly recommend you check it out for makeup.

I kinda went a little shampoo/conditioner crazy at Walmart. The reason why is when I got my hair done for my wedding, the girl said I had really fine, dry and damaged hair. I agree with her honestly, but I had gotten a haircut just a few days prior, so it does feel way better than before. Anyways, she was giving me all these tips and tricks to try (which I already do, but listened to her anyway) so I figured I'd get different shampoo and conditioner. I picked up the Tresemme Platinum Strength Strengthening Shampoo and Conditioner. The bottle says it repairs up to 2 years of damage, so we'll see what happens. Both of these bottles cost $4.48 each.

I also picked up a Pantene Anti-Breakage Shampoo. A co-worker of mine loves this shampoo so I figured I'd give it a try eventually. This bottle was only $3.78. Once I got home and checked my closet with all my hair and body products, I realized I have enough shampoo and conditioner to last me for probably over a year. It may be a while before I start using any of these as I want to use up the products I've had longer. 

I went to Walgreen's last and felt the need to pick up some nail polish for Fall. These Sinful Colors Shine Nail Polish with Gel Tech were on sale 2 for $4, or they're originally $2.99 each. The burgundy color is called Mirror Mirror and looks alot lighter in the picture than in person. The second color pictured is called Shine Divine and is a really pretty dark teal color. This also looks alot lighter in the picture than in person. According to the Sinful Colors website, the Gel Tech technology formula provides opulent, rich color and a brilliant shine finish and they also say it's 5 times more glossy than a patent leather shoe. I was going to paint my nails with something else soon, but may try one of these instead. 

I had a $2.50 off coupon for a Revlon Lip Butter, so I picked up the color Candy Apple. I only have two other lip butters, and I definitely think they're nice, so I'm slowly building up my collection. 

When I was wandering around Walgreen's, something told me to go over to the clearance section and dig around in the bins. I'm so glad I did because I ended up finding some L'Oreal Infallible Eyeshadows in the colors Strawberry Blonde, With A Twist, and Dive Right In. I've been hearing Sam Schuerman on Youtube talk about Strawberry Blonde in quite a few of her videos. I know for sure that color is limited edition, so I'm also assuming the other two colors I picked up are limited edition as well. These were marked down to $4.99 each from originally $8.49. 

Well that's my haul! If you're tired of hearing about my wedding my now, promise this is the end of all the wedding themed posts. I may bring it up occasionally, but hey, who wouldn't when they just got married?! Anyways, I hope you liked what I got, so let me know in the comments if you did!

Wedding Day Pictures + What Makeup I Wore!

Hey everyone! Since I'm finally back from my honeymoon and settled in at home, I thought I'd take the time to show you all some pictures that were taken with my camera that day. I did have a photographer there taking professional pictures, but I won't have those in til at least next week. Anyways, here are a few pictures!

This is one of my favorite pictures of us!

I'm not too sure what was going on here, but I guess David was just being his usual nerd self

Supermodel status (not really). Also, notice the arch in the back? Yeah, it was a windy, but beautiful day

Now I look like a nerd!

I love this picture too. The VW bus is my dad's. It's his baby :)

Another one of my favorites. My dad actually got his picture taken! Miracle of miracles!

The best close-up I could find of my makeup. Looks a bit worn as this was taken a bit later in the day

Makeup I wore:
- Primer: Makeup For Ever HD Primer
- Foundation: Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3 in 1 Foundation in shade 805 Ivory
- Concealer: Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser for Dark Circles in shade 60 Brightener. I just used this underneath my eyes, didn't use concealer elsewhere
- Powder: Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder in shade 001 Transparent
- Eye Primer: Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion 
- Eyeshadows used: Lorac Champagne from the Pro Palette all over lid just up to the crease, Urban Decay Naked from the original Naked Palette blended into the crease, Lorac Sable from the Pro Palette blended slightly into the crease just to darken it up a bit, Lorac Garnet from the Pro Palette blended into the outer V and lower lashline, Lorac Cream from the Pro palette as highlight underneath the brows, Urban Decay Virgin from the original Naked Palette as inner corner highlight.  I completely forgot to fill in my brows and realized that halfway through the reception!
- Eyeliner: Lorac Espresso from the Pro palette blended into upper lashline, Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Eye Pencil in the color 001 black in the upper and lower waterline (This stuff is really waterproof too! I got a bit teary during the vows and this didn't smudge at all!)
- Mascara: First coat, I used the Wet N' Wild Megalength Waterproof Mascara in the blackest black color. Second coat, I used Maybelline The Rocket Mascara in the blackest black color. I wasn't happy with how those two coats looked so I ended up using Maybelline Illegal Length Mascara in the blackest black color last. After that coat, I got the thickness and length I wanted
- Bronzer and blush: Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzing Powder blended in the hollows of my cheeks and a bit blended onto my forehead and jawline, Milani Baked Blush in the color 01 Dolce Pink
- Lips: I always put a lip balm on before I do anything, then on top of that I used L'Oreal Colour Riche Balm in the color 218 Rose Elixer. I topped that off with Philosophy Raspberry Sorbet Flavored Lip Shine
- Setting Spray: Skindinavia Bridal Makeup Finish Makeup Setting Spray. Honestly, I used this after I used my face primer, but I totally forgot to use it after my makeup was finished. I think it still looked pretty nice though by the end of the day, surprisingly. 

Phew! That's alot of makeup for what I normally wear. It took me a good 45 minutes too. I didn't wanna mess up or anything. I'm very happy with how it came out though. Not too shabby for someone who picked the colors as I was going ;)

Potential Wedding Day Makeup!

Hi guys! I had a little bit of time between cleaning my house and getting wedding stuff together to write up a post of the makeup I'm thinking about wearing for my wedding day (in 2 days!!). I'm such an indecisive person so I feel like I'm bringing a bunch with me, but at least I have a few options! So let me show you what makeup I might be wearing!

I'm going to start off with primer, face makeup and my setting spray. I'm bringing a sample size of the Makeup For Ever HD Primer. The primer I'm currently using day to day isn't that great, so I wanted something a bit better. 

For foundation, I'm using the Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3-in-1 Foundation in the color 805 Ivory. This foundation is pretty great. I'm going to be using this along with my Beauty Blender so that should help me create a flawless base to start things off. 

Now for concealer I'm bringing the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser in the Brightener shade and the fair shade. I'm undecided which one I'll use, which is why I'm bringing both with me. I may end up using both or just the brightener. I haven't opened up the Brightener, as you can tell, but that may help me look more awake.

For my setting spray after my makeup is finished, I'll be using the Skindinavia Bridal Makeup Finish Setting Spray. I have yet to use this as well, but I hear so many good things about these sprays, so I have faith it'll work for me. It does say it lasts for up to 16 hours, but our wedding is probably only going to go on for about 4 or 5 hours at the most.

Now for what I'm using on my eyes. I forgot to picture it, but I am bringing the Lorac Pro To Go Palette with me just in case I need it. I did a haul post here if you want to see pictures of it. For eye primer, I'm going with my trusty Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion. I've been using this particular tube for so long, I honestly don't even know. I may have to try and de-pot it soon because I've had it so long and it's getting a bit difficult to get product out. 

First, I'm bring the Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette. The only reason I'm really bringing this is because I've been testing out what I should use for my eyebrows. To be honest, I never fill them in but since this is a big day for me, I'll be using the color Naked2 mixed with a color from the original Naked Palette (I'll say which one soon!).

I will also be bringing the Lorac Pro Palette. I've been loving this palette so much lately, and you can do so many different looks with all the shadows. I'm not sure if I'm doing a completely matte look, shimmery look, or a combo of both yet. Heck, I may even mix shades here with the Naked Palette.

Finally for palettes, I'm bringing the much talked about and loved Urban Decay Naked Palette. I also have the Naked2 Palette, but this shade has the color Naked, which is the other color I'm mixing with Naked2 from the Naked Basics Palette for my eyebrows. I don't have a picture of the colors from the Naked Palette, but there are a bazillion different reviews online, so definitely look it up if you want to know the colors.

The little tube in the middle of the Pro Palette and Naked Palette is the Chella Eyebrow Defining Gel. I'll be using this to set what I did with my eyebrows. I've actually enjoyed using this on its own too. It's helped keep my eyebrows in place when they feel a bit unruly.

These are the cheek products and face powder I'm bringing with me. First off, for bronzer I'm bringing my little size of the Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzing Powder. I'll be using this to contour with. I compared this to the bronzer in the Lorac Pro To Go Palette, and they look very similar in color, but when I swatched them, the Lorac one is a bit darker. Since I'm still a newbie with bronzers, I'll be sticking with this one.

For my face powder, I'll be using the Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder. I should've included this in my face products, but oh well. I tend to forget things sometimes. I love this stuff and have I think two backups. I just hit pan, if you can tell, so this has lasted me quite a while. Definitely my favorite setting powder for my oily skin.

I'm bringing two different blushes because of course I can't decide which one I like better. The first one I'm bringing is the infamous NARS Orgasm blush and the second one is the Milani Baked Blush in Dolce Pink. I've only used this a small handful of times, but everytime I use it, It looks so beautiful on my skin! For me, it could also be a highlighter so I wouldn't need a separate one. 

For mascaras, I'm bringing a few different options. I'm bringing an eyelash curler with me (sorry it's not pictured!) because my eyelashes can be pretty straight naturally. The first mascara I'm bringing is the Wet N' Wild Megalength Waterproof Mascara in Very Black. I'll be using this first on my lashes to help with keeping my lashes curled.

Then I'll be using either the Maybelline Illegal Length Mascara in Blackest Black or The Rocket also in the darkest black shade. I can't tell what it says on the bottom since the print is so small, but I always get the darkest color in any mascara. 

Lips were a challenge for me. I have so many different lip glosses, balms, stains and whatnot. I tried on so many different combinations and didn't want anything that looked too bright or anything that made me look like a ghost. I finally went with the L'Oreal Colour Riche Balm in the color 218 Rose Elixer and I'm topping it off with Philosophy Raspberry Sorbet Flavored Lip Shine. I have to admit, I went with this Philosophy product because it tastes good, and when our officiant says, "You may now kiss the bride," he won't have to kiss anything nasty. 

Well that is everything! I honestly can't believe how indecisive I am with these products. I thought it would be easy, but when you're a beauty blogger with a massive amount of products, it can be difficult to choose. Anyways, if you guys have some insight on what to use, let me know in the comments! 

Talk to everyone again soon!