MAC Cosmetics

Heya Aspiring Gurus!

I made my first MAC purchase as a reward for having a baby! MAC is expensive, but not as expensive as other brands. I had a positive buying experience online, so I can see myself buying more online. I bought this shade online and it arrived on the third day. I ordered it on Sunday and it was delivered yesterday. I wasn’t expecting it until Friday! What a surprise! This is what I saw:

I was so happy that it arrived! I had to take care of Dean, because I had just come home from work. Once I had him settled in, I opened the box.

There was a lot of tissue paper, but I pulled this out of all that black!

I chose the free gift wrap option, because I wanted to see the type of pride that went into presenting the product and the presentation was amazing! For paying 18 USD for a lipstick, MAC made me feel special, which is what I want a company to do. It just shows respect.

My products were nicely nestled inside of the box.

I chose the Cleansing Oil for my free product sample. It’s a fifth of an ounce, so enough for a couple of uses. If I like it, I would purchase the full size. I need something nourishing to take off my face base that isn’t a pain. Plus, some of them come scented!

I love how this lipstick tube is in the shape of a bullet. I love it! I bought  a Matte Lipstick in the shade Kinda Sexy. Online, it is described as a “neutral pinky rose”.

I have to say that it looks more coral to me. It looks like a neutral coral pink. On me, it is definitely this color and the lipstick smells like vanilla cupcakes when you take a quick sniff. If you sit there and smell it, you can smell that cosmetic lipstick smell lurking underneath. I love the scent though.

As you can see, the color is neutral and looks natural on the lips. I’m wearing a glossy balm underneath it, so if it looks a little shiny, that’s why. It looks coral to me. Correct me if I’m wrong. It is a bit lighter than my natural lip color (I’m not wearing lip liner. That’s my natural color.). I really do love the color or else I wouldn’t have kept it. I wanted something natural and this fits the bill. I like that it’s matte for when I want it to be and doesn’t look drying on the lips.

That’s the full amount of product. It will take me awhile to finish this, but I look forward to buying more. This is a quality brand. Maybe, I’ll get Velvet Teddy next….???

Suggestions anyone???

With Love <3

 

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Favorites: The Makeup Edition

Heya Aspiring Gurus!

This is going to be a fun favorites blog post on makeup. I have so much of it that I do not even know where to start! I am a makeup person, but a minimalist in this department. I usually highlight one or two features and keep everything else natural and neutral. So, let me begin…My top five favorite makeup products are:

1. Liquid Foundation: My favorite liquid foundation of all time is Rimmel London Lasting Finish 16 hr Mineral Enriched Foundation in 103 True Ivory. Wow. That’s a mouthful! I am almost done with the bottle and I remember paying 8 US DOLLARS for this 1 fl oz bottle. I will definitely repurchase this again. It makes my face flawless and lasts all day. I am not the type of girl that brings foundation with her to reapply throughout the day, so I need something with staying power. This is perfect. It leaves a natural finish and is waterproof. I give this 5 out of 5 stars for performance.

2. Cheek Stain: I have recently rediscovered my love for cheek stains. They look natural and last for hours without reapplying. I am currently loving Pixi Sheer Cheek Gel in No. 2 Sun Kissed, priced around 20 US DOLLARS for 0.45 oz. I know this is expensive, but you only need a little bit to pull off a natural look. The color looked totally dark in person, so I had my doubts. IT is sheer, tinted color. This gave me a rosy glow that didn’t look fake. It enhanced the look of my skin. People thought that I looked tanner with this on. This is a four for me, because it does stain your fingers, which I think is a bit messy.

3. Glitter Eyeliner: Who says only teens can pull off this look? I love wearing glitter eyeliner! It cheers me up on dreary days. My current obsession is Too Faced Starry-Eyed Liquid Eyeliner in Super Freak for 10 US DOLLARS for 0.14 oz. I love the purply-pink glitter in this clear liner. I even see hints of green and blue for depth. It is a gorgeous pop of color. The super thin brush allows complete control. I usually line my bottom lash line with this. The bottle itself is cute with a metallic pink cap. It is perfectly girly and the eyeliner lasts through hours of sweating on the dance floor. The most amazing thing? I slept in this eyeliner and woke up with it still applied as when I went to sleep in it. Perfect. 5 stars for performance.

4. Pressed Bronzer: We have all heard about faking a tan and how bronzers can look more fake than real. I love The Body Shop Honey Bronzing Powder in Shade 02 Fair Matte for 20 US DOLLARS for 0.39 oz. This bronzer is matte, so it looks natural and the bronzer has a brown look to it. It was pressed into a cute honey-cone design. I have used it so much, you can barely see it anymore. It is two shades darker than my skin, so it is the perfect bronzed look without being overpowering or too dark. 4 stars for performance, because it can look orange when not blended fully.

5. Eye Shadow: This is a no brainer for most people. Eye Shadow is an essential makeup component. What I am loving for summer is Avon Extra Lasting 16 hr Eye Shadow in Blue Meridian K501 for 8 US DOLLARS for 0.053 oz. I love this blue eye shadow. It is a cream to powder in a sea blue that never creases even without primer. And I have oily lids, too! It comes in a tube like a lip gloss with a wand except shorter and chunkier. The wand makes touchups on the go simple and easy. I give this eye shadow a five for performance.

Some swatches from left to right: eyeshadow, bronzer, eyeliner, cheek gel, foundation.

<——This is when blending all of them.

Now, that you know my makeup favorites, what are some of yours? Please leave a comment or post a blog response and ping it to mine so I can see it. Thanks for reading and following!

With Love,
Hannahxoxoxo

Mega Lush Haul

Hey Beauties!

I went to Lush on Saturday and participated in their cruelty-free kisses event. Although, I declined to kiss the shirt, because I think that is degrading not only to the employee but to the customer as well. The store I went to was super small and in an odd triangle shape. There were six employees milling around, so it was cramped with only a couple of customers. When I entered the store, I was greeted by an employee who was eager to please. She gave me two hand massages to try out two different cleansers. Se even freshly cut up the amount of cleanser I wanted. I was disappointed to only get a month and 1 week supply of cleanser. If I like it, I’ll get a big tb when they get a new shipment that delivers cleanser that is good for three months.

If I order it online, will it be good for three months? Or could I be purchasing something only good for a month?

Anyways, I did not find the smell of the store overwhelming like others have been telling me it would be. It smelled a little herbally, but nothing too intense. It was just a light scent that my brain ignored after a minute or two. I snagged a mini hair product and went directly to sniff all of their soaps. I surprisingly didn’t like any of the cult favorites and settled with an unlikely pretty bar that I was able to cut up into five pieces. I might half them though. They seem big still. I preceded to sniff a majority of the massage bars until I found one that was pleasing. I didn’t know it was edible at the time! I went to cash out and tried the lip scrubs while I waited. I added my favorite one into my bag. I didn’t know about samples. I will make sure I request them from now on. These are my items from my Lush haul.

Aqua Marina
12.76 US DOLLARS
0.22 lb
Expires on August 14, 2013

I have been using this for a couple of days and have been loving it. It reduces irritation and hyperpigmentation redness, not to mention it controls my face from becoming an oil slick. I enjoy the texture that is creamy, but I can still layer the clay on thick. It works with my Clarisonic and I don’t mind the little seaweed bits either. It smells good to me, too. At first, it smelt a little fishy, but now, it just smells calming and fresh. It comes in a sturdy clear container. I wish it came in the black pots as advertised.

Mint Julips Lip Scrub
9.95 US DOLLARS
0.8 oz
Expires on July 14, 2014

First off, I think the packaging is very fancy. The lip scrub is in a glass container, which is quite big in person, not for on the go. It smells overpowering of Junior Mints; however, it is missing a chocolate taste. This really only tastes like peppermint. The scrub has grip and sticks to your lips, but I do wet my lips by licking them first. The scrub is moisturizing with healthy oils that are not too heavy on the lips. I do not find that this makes a big mess or has a lot of fall out, but I do only take a pinch fo each lip. I enjoy licking it off. Some people are grossed out about eating flakey skin, but cells flake internally all the time like your cheek cells and esophagus. It isn’t going to kill me or make me sick by doing it.

Mange Too
10.95 US DOLLARS
3.5 oz

I really like how big this massage bar is and the smell is heavenly. It smells like cinnamon and/or nutmeg with a dash of honey. Again, I do not smell any white chocolate at all. I have not tasted this bar, so I cannot tell you what it tastes like. I love the honeycomb design on the top of the bar and the shape of the bar as well. I look forward to trying out this massage bar the next time I shave my legs. I did not notice this melting in my hands when I handled it and I store this in a sandwich container for now.

No Drought
6.95 US DOLLARS
1.9 oz
Expires on July 28, 2014

I really wanted to try a dry powder shampoo, because most dry wet shampoos do not work on my hair aside from Tresemme. That dry shampoo stinks off hairspray though. This dry shampoo smells strongly of grapefruit and lime. In my opinion, the best of the citrus scents. It seems to be a very fine powder and I cannot wait to try it.

Ice Blue Soap
9.57 US DOLLARS
0.33 lbs

First off, I love what this soap looks like. It’s a minty-oceany blue that attracted me to smell it. Once I smelled the pepperminty salty soap, I was in love. It smells just like the mintiest of gums. I have not tried it yet, but I am excited to. Hopefully, I am not sensitive to it.

That is all I purchased at Lush. Have you bought anything recently at Lush? Feel free to comment.

With Love,
Hannahxoxoxo

My Boyfriend’s 20 US DOLLAR Makeup Challenge!

Heya Beauties!

Okay, I will admit that I had to help my boyfriend with the challenge of buying my makeup. He checked to make sure he was getting mostly sales items, but was completely overwhelmed with all the aisles and choices. His quote: “You really need this much of a variety?” Apparently, the men’s aisle is just a single aisle. Anyways, he didn’t know what most of the stuff was. I assisted him by directing him to the eye shadows, which he picked up two of them that he liked. Next, he asked me if I had an eye shadow brush, because he knows that I hate those foam things and only use them on the go. I said no, so he got me one along with an eye primer. He remembered me saying that I needed one because of my oily eyelids. We then looked at the blushes and my boyfriend picked up one that was a novelty and said it went with my purple personality. He ended up spending 21.50 US DOLLARS, not bad fo a guy without a clue.

I will now list everything he bought with pictures and my first impressions of them.

*Pulling out randomly*

CoverGirl Eye Enhancers in 205 Tropical Fusion
5.29 US DOLLARS
0.19 oz

I really like the bright vibrancy of these colors and the pigmentation in one swipe is great. I will have to build up the bright yellow eye shadow, but as is, it will make a pretty highlight shade for the inner corners. My boyfriend picked the best summer time palette, but I will confess that I will probably continue to use it into the Fall. I like that the foam applicator has a tip on one side. I look forward to trying out these colors tomorrow, because it is too late today. I’ve already done my look! These are powder, shimmer colors.

E.L.F. Studio Eye Primer & Liner Sealer in Clear & Natural
2.99 US DOLLARS
0.09 oz [Primer] / 0.14 [Sealer]

I love the concept behind this duo. I love that I can prime my eyes for shadows or use it as its own color. I really like the liner sealer for turning eye shadows into liner. No more trying to find fun eye liner colors, when you can make your own in colors tat you know you’ll love. I cannot wait to try this! Maybe I’ll use the green from the Tropical palette. My boyfriend just picked this, because it was the only eye primer. So glad he did!

*picked out Mentos*
Opps! How did you get in there?
*coughs*

E.L.F. Studio 84010 Small Angled Brush
2.99 US DOLLARS
1 Brush

I like that this brush is perfect for lining the eyes as well as applying eye shadow. I could use it to fill my eye brows and apply lip color, but I think that I will purchase separate brushes for that. This I will keep for my eyes. I don’t do much smokey eye looks, so a simple brush is what I need. My boyfriend picked this one, because it “looks like it’s for eye shadow, because its small but not too small.” Go figure!

Maybelline New York Dream Bouncy Blush in 45 Orchid Hush
7.99 US DOLLARS
0.19 oz

I like that this color is a purple tinted sheer blush that is a powder, but turns into a cream. I enjoy touching the bouncy texture of the blush, but it doesn’t bounce back up. 🙂 The purple isn’t too purple. It is a purple pink with a pearly shimmer to it that is really a lot prettier in person, hence why my boyfriend thought that this purple would really suit me. I have yellow undertones, so purple really brings my face alive, but too dark of a shade of purple, just makes me seem bruised. I am eager to try this on my cheeks!

CoverGirl Eye Enhancers in 270 Crystal Waters
5.29 – 2.65 = 2.64 US DOLLARS
0.19 oz

I love how pigmented these colors are!!! My boyfriend got this palette, because he thinks that they would go with my grey eyes. Most people call them blue, but it isn’t a true blue color. I honestly only see grey in the mirror like a storming sky. These colors will flatter them and hopefully make them seem more grey by pointing out the fact that it looks less blue with a blue eye lid! These colors also contain shimmer, but I am in love with them. Especially the shimmering green, it looks very lovely! These are no-season colors, which makes them appropriate for every occasion.

Have you had a beauty haul lately? Feel free to link it in the comments sections and questions and comments are always welcome.

With Love,
Hannahxoxoxo

My Ultimate Beauty Stash/Storage

Hey beauties!

I wanted to do a quick post today, since I did a lot of shopping and am a little too tired to do anything too long. I thought that I would show you guys how I store my makeup, skincare, hair care, body care, perfumes, and everything like that. The new stuff that I buy are not organized yet. There are still in their respective bags, until I photograph them to write a haul post. That is soon to come. These pictures will hint where I went. Please, excuse my lack of makeup at thew moment. I spring cleaned a lot of my products that turned funky and now, I have almost nothing. It is a fourth of what I used to have. So sad. But my boyfriend is doing the 20 US Dollar makeup challenge, so I’ll have more makeup. He’s sleeping over tonight and I’m going to have my second glass of wine. If you have any questions about the pictures, products, etc., feel free to leave a comment and I will get back to you.

With Love,
Hannahxoxoxo