Beauty Haul 2016

So I thought since traditionally it has taken me quite a bit of time to post something I would share some of the pretty beauty bits that I have picked up. Some a little while ago, some much more recently (as in this afternoon kind of recently). The Sephora VIB sale just started today. It will be going on until the 13th and then it there will be 10% off available to Beauty Insiders. GO GET YOUR SHOPPING ON! 

So anyways lets get into the haul!.. 

I want to start off with the bits I have gotten from the drugstore because I really love them its like finding a real hidden gem. The first I wanted to mention is the Loreal Paris Brow Stylist Definer. I think that this aside from the NYX Micro Brow is the BEST dupe out there for the Anastasia Brow Wiz Pencil. The Loreal one I am liking even better than the Micro Brow because its a little bit more pigmented and less scratchy. The spoolie at the end is also very nice as well. I highly recommend this if you were thinking about the Anastasia Brow Wiz because this is only $8.00!! (BARGIN!) and the two are so incredibly similar. 

The next item from the drugstore I am really kind of obsessed with. The Physicians Formula Butter Bronzer is gorgeous. The packaging is adorable and the formulation is soo unbelievably creamy. Sometimes even when I am not putting on makeup I will open this up just to touch it because it is that buttery and smooth. Its a very subtle color that is mistake proof, very good for natural makeup. It adds a little bit of warmth to the skin. Also, I need to mention that this smells SO GOOD! Like pina colada coconut bliss (if you don't love scented makeup I would steer clear of this product because it is pretty strong in the compact), but I love this product so much. Two thumbs up. 

Next up I have a new primer to play with. It is the Sephora Collection Beauty Amplifier Afterglow Primer I just got this so I have not had much chance to play around with it yet but when I swatched it on my hand it looked very pretty and luminous which was what I was after because I have been in a summery makeup mood lately and I want all that glow. So, if I end up really loving this I am sure it will land itself in a favorites post. 

Next I have two Too Faced Products that I have purchased recently. I have been wanting one of their Love Flush Blushes for forever and a half and I finally decided to pick one up. The one I got is in the shade "I Will Always Love You" (which is great because that is a lyric to one of my all time favorite songs. I will leave you to guess what that is...If you can we are best friends), but aside from the name and the ADORABLE Polly Pocketesque + Bunny PACKAGING I loved the color of this shade which is a beautiful peach shade which I thought was perfect for spring and summer time. 

Too Faced always has the cutest packaging which goes the same with this next exciting purchase The Peanut Butter Jelly Palette I finally got my hands on it. I wanted to pick it up in store and every time I checked my local Ulta it was sold completely out until this afternoon! I saw only one left and practically leaped for it. I am a sucker for warm shades in a palette and this palette has them galore plus some fun purple shades which I don't use often but now that I have this palette I definitely want to try them because they are beautiful. The pigmentation is really wonderful in this palette and the palette itself is very lightweight and slim which makes it really perfect for travel. Also, again this smells wonderfully of cocoa and peanut butter I am so happy to finally own this palette! 

Speaking of palettes I also wanted to show my support for youtuber MannyMUA who brought out his own palette in collaboration with MakeupGeek. It was very difficult to get a hold of which is kind of why I wanted to showcase it here at least once in this haul (it might still be available but I am not sure). I really love this palette a lot. Especially that deep red shade called "Mars" which is RIDICULOUSLY PIGMENTED it's insane! you barely you have to touch it with a brush to get that intense pigmentation. I love to support the creators I watch when they come out with products that capture my interest and this palette is no exception. Congrats to MannyMUA (if you are not subscribed to him already I highly suggest you do so) and may he continue to bless us with more beautiful work just like this palette. 

Only three more to go! I recently got to visit the Sephora in Boston, MA in the Prudential Center and it was literally breathtaking! It was so huge with tons of brands I had only seen online it was amazing. Makeup Nirvana~ I saw that they had the full line of Anastasia Beverley Hills which got me very excited. I of course wanted to try one of their famed liquid lipsticks I chose Pure Hollywood which is one of their lighter nudes. I am really liking this formula a lot. Its not too drying at all which is the winning ticket in my book when it comes to liquid lipsticks and it does not crumble or anything. Very pleased with that one as I am with Anastasia's gloss formula. If you know me personally and my makeup preferences you would know I am not big on gloss at ALL. I hate that sticky feeling and since I have long hair it can spell disaster. However, this gloss that I picked up in the shade Tara really impressed me. Its not a extremely sticky gloss it gives that shiny look which I am starting to like now, also smells like vanilla cake. These glosses are very pigmented, the color I have here is a warm terra-cotta brown which I think is very pretty. I think the price of their glosses is also very agreeable at $16, not bad.. not bad at all. Really, really liking that one lately. 

Lastly, I picked up some new brush cleaner. Again, from Sephora Collection. I used up the Solid Brush cleanser from the Beauty Blender brand and I was going to pick up another when I saw this little one that was only $8 and decided I would try it out and see how it compared. I will let you know how that fares soon in the future. 

And there is my little haul. I feel as though there was a strong theme of scented makeup in this haul. What can I say I am being lead with my nose this year when it comes to cosmetics. Be sure to take advantage of the sale while its still going on! 15% off your entire purchase! I hope that you enjoyed this post! Let me know in the comments below if you did and if you have made any fun beauty purchases lately! 
See you all (hopefully!) really soon! I have been busy getting prepared for my older sister's wedding happening later on this month! Craziness!! 

Hope you all are having a great week (happy shopping!) 

-A 

Caught In The Nude! // Nude Lipstick Collection + Lip Swatches!

Hello everyone! 
So, last time during my makeup haul we chatted about my little obsession with nude lipsticks... Today, I will be showcasing my little (growing) collection of the nude lipsticks I have and I will also be showing you lip swatches so you can see what they look like. Forgive me if the lip swatches are not perfect, this was my first attempt at doing this, however it was pretty fun. I hope you all enjoy it. 

MAC Velvet Teddy

This guy is the nude lip color that started it all. While down on vacation I came across an official MAC store and was very drawn to this particular shade. It was so uncharacteristic of me, I pretty much exclusively wore reds and dark colored lipstick up until that point. I wanted something a little less maintenance than a red, something different for myself. I went for it and for the past four months I have been exploring the glorious land of nude lipstick. It all started with this gem. Not too dark and not too pale, I feel it can look beautiful on many different skin tones. The finish is matte but its not too horribly drying as some other MAC lipsticks can be. Its the perfect everyday shade - no fuss! 





Too Faced Melted Lipstick "Melted Chihuahua" 

In my last post I shared with you this liquid lipstick from Too Faced which I got from the recent Sephora sale. The name of this product is very odd ( I still haven't gotten over that..) but the actual "contents" are great. Its a very pretty color, feels very comfortable on the lips, ( not too drying or too greasy) and wears for a long time. 

NYX High Voltage Lipstick "Stone"

A winner from the drugstore is the recent NYX High Voltage Lipstick collection. Lots of shades with great color saturation. I kept seeing this unique color being rocked by babes and goddesses of instagram and felt the need to own this shade and see if I could rock it myself. The shade "Stone" is an odd sort of taupe, cool toned color. I often enjoy mixing this color in with some of my other nudes to add more dimension. But the swatch down below is the color just on its own. 

Bite Buttercream Lipstick " Moka"

This is a more recent release from Bite Beauty. All of the shades in this range are in a very neutral color range, the packaging is so sleek and the cap is magnetic, ( which seems to be catching on in the beauty world, I like it! Its very satisfying.) The other thing that sets apart this lipsticks than others is that the lipstick bullet is hand-cut and they are all flat. The claims described on the box say that by cutting off that tipped waxy layer you get more moisture and color payoff from the lipstick. The con of that concept however is that it can make this lipstick a little bit tricky to apply. More often than not I will dab the color on with my fingers instead of applying straight from the bullet. ( Out of all the swatches this one was the messiest and I had to clean it up with some concealer). Other than that the color is beautiful and the deepest neutral in this collection. 

MAC Creme In Your Coffee 
 My most recent nude lipstick purchase is MAC's Creme in Your Coffee. Just the name of that lipstick was enough to suck me in, it sounds so aesthetically pleasing. This lipstick is one of MAC's creamsheen formulas which means it provides a little bit more gloss and a little bit more moisture during wear. As far as color goes I think its a happy cousin to Twig but a little less mauve. 

MAC Twig 

Back to when I was in that MAC store on vacation I was also in debate about the shade "Twig". A slightly darker nude with a little more of a mauve tone. It was gorgeous, I was in love with it. But, only walked away with Velvet Teddy at the end of the day. Until, a month later when I went to my local counter and took the plunge. I guess I had to make sure that this "nude lipstick" phase of mine was going to last...( and oh it did! now I own six...)  

- Bonus image of my ridiculous face removing lipstick


What are your favorite neutral/nude lipsticks? Let me know in the comments below! 

See you all soon! I hope you all are having a great week! 
- A