Haul: My Ulta Goodies

About a weekend or so ago, the Mister and I went to Freehold Raceway Mall and I saw the ginormous Ulta they had in there (queue the heavenly music). I have to admit, I am jelly of those who live so close to the mall as it has a Sephora and Ulta both. Anyway, my loving Mister took a seat in the waiting area and I ran in with glee to look at all the goodies Ulta had to offer. I didn't end up buying too much, I'm still trying to not purchase a ridiculous amount of products that will end up sitting in my drawer. Keyword, trying.

Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge: Being such a fan of the Beauty Blender (I have the pink and black one) I wanted to add a low budget and affordable version to my stash. I had heard a rave review from VintageorTacky on YouTube and she stated it was comparable to the BB sponge. I have tried it and do enjoy the results from it. When damp, the sponge balloons to about twice its size which is pretty fun. As to which I like better, I'm still not too sure yet.

Real Techniques Powder Brush: Who can have enough powder brushes? I'm not going to lie, I'm lazy when it comes to washing my brushes and will just use all my clean ones until I'm forced to wash them, I know it's terrible but I'm betting a lot of girls do it! 

Real Techniques Mini Trio Set: I got suckered into this small adorable set while I was waiting in line. I have been looking for an ideal travel powder brush to throw in my travel makeup bag and I think I found it. Plus it's pink! The other two brushes were bonuses for me.

OPI Natural Nail Base Coat: I was in need of a new nail base coat, and decided to try the OPI one. Usually I stick with very basic drugstore versions like Revlon and Sinful Colors but I decided to try the OPI version instead. 

Smashbox Mini Full Exposure Palette: How friggin cute is this!? I'll admit I got suckered waiting in line (damn those compulsive buys) but seriously, this is truly the perfect travel size palette. The original large full exposure palette came out when it was the Naked 3, NARSissit, and Lorac Pro craze (and of course I own all three), so I couldn't justify purchasing another $50.00 palette with similar colors. I feel this is the perfect compromise and absolutely perfect for someone who loves neutrals. Yes, the glitter shadows do have some fallout but I apply those with my fingers gently patting down on my lid and find that to be the best answer. Another plus for me is that the six shadows are exactly what I would have chosen out of the 12 from the normal palette.

Flowery Quattro Four Way Buffer: And lastly I picked these up because a girl can never have enough nail files lying around! lol

Hope you enjoyed my mini haul. I will be posting my first empties post in a few days, it took me forever to accumulate some for a substantial post! Anyway happy Thursday!

My Back 2 MAC Pick: Faux

I had finally accumulated enough empties to bring back to the MAC counter at Macy's for their Back 2 MAC recycling program. I'm sure many of you already know about this, but if you don't I'll give you a brief description of what it is. Back 2 MAC is a recycling program in which you can give back six of your empty containers (with certain exclusions) to a MAC store, counter, or online and receive a free lipstick or eye shadow in return. From what I understand, you can only choose an eye shadow from the store. Also the containers you bring back don't have to be fully empty, any expired makeup just sitting around can be brought back too. For full information check out MAC's website here. 

So knowing that I was going to get a lipstick, I browsed online at MAC's collection of lippies to ultimately decide what shade to get. I didn't want to pick a color I would never wear, to be honest, I have a few already that are just collecting dust, so I wanted to get a color that I would wear often and finish. In the end I was torn between Brave and Faux. I know these two have been all the craze everywhere because of Kylie Jenner so I had hoped that these shades would still be available. Of course when I got to the counter Brave was sold out so the decision was made for me to get Faux.

Faux is described as a mauve, muted pink and is almost an identical match to my natural lip color. I find it to be a great color for every day and also for work. I was a little hesitant to get this lipstick because it is a Satin finish but after trying it on in the store, I was sold. It felt very comfortable and easy to apply.

I really enjoy the fact that MAC does this and will continue to use the program. Hope you guys enjoyed my mini post! Talk to you all very soon.

Review: Benefit They're Real! Push-Up Liner

So I jumped on the Benefit They're Real! Push-Up Liner wagon and decided to get it about a week or so after it was officially released. I was originally on the fence about the product but was eventually sold when I saw a few gurus talk about it on YouTube. Now that being said, I'm going to tell you flat out I don't love it. I don't hate it either but it's nothing mind-blowing or holy grail material.  

According to Benefit, the They're Real! Push-Up Liner is an innovative liner that is "the first foolproof and budge-proof gel liner in a pen. This eyeliner’s soft AccuFlex™ tip is custom-angled to draw an easy line. Its flat, wide guard gently pushes lashes aside to get close to lash line. A gorgeous way to open up eyes, this matte black gel formula won’t dry out, and its cutting-edge tip ensures a precise line every time."

Sounds great right? While the tip of the pen is pretty unique and nifty, there is something off. It sits perfectly on my lid but when the actual gel liner is dispensed, something goes wrong. The gel product itself is very nice but it begins to pill and ball up while you are trying to line your eyes. Now some people may think that it's because that's old liner I need to wipe off. I tried it and still have the same results. I even tried to draw some on the back of my hand before applying it to my lid and I found that to be the most successful method. Even then the liner still balls up. 

Another gripe I have about the Benefit Push-Up liner is that it skips over itself if you try to reline an area. The gel starts to pull on my lid and I sometimes end up with patches. There have been a few times where I've gotten so frustrated that I've used my Stila Waterproof pen liner to go over the patches. Now for a liner that boasts ease and quickness, doing all these extra steps goes against these statements.

The last vice of this product is trying to get a cat eye with this. According to Benefit, you can "stamp" a line and then easily draw a cat eye perfectly every time. Now, maybe I'm inept but I my cat eye lines never come out even on each eye and I end up over drawing and will usually have this super thick, dramatic look. Not that I mind it, but I don't want to look so made up all the time.

Now there are some things I do enjoy about the liner. The first this is the staying power. This liner does not budge from my lids until I remove it which is great for people with oily or hooded lids. Another thing I enjoy about the liner is how black it is. The black is supremely matte and well black. As I stated, I do enjoy the tip and how flexible and comfortable it feels I just wish the after gel product would work more cohesively with it to create that smooth and beautiful line we are all looking for.

Benefit's They're Real! Push-Up Liner 

All-in-all Benefit's They're Real! Push-Up liner failed to really impress me. I understand that there may be a learning curve for new products and I really gave this a chance. I think multiple uses for over two months would suffice as enough time to learn how to use a product efficiently. It's highly unlikely I would repurchase this product. Did this product work out for you? Please let me know your thoughts!

June Favorites

June has certainly flown by and it makes me a little sad because I love the summertime! This month's favorites have all been about neutrality (nothing new there) and longevity. As of late I haven't been feeling the heavier foundations and often find them too thick and a bit cakey on me. I've also been about skin care as well. For some odd reason, the area around my nose and mouth were drastically drier than the rest of my face, I blame hormones but I still wanted to fix so I've been pretty focused on that. 

I'm also going to change up my favorites. Instead of just beauty favorites, I'm going to add a game, book, and/or television/film favorite just change it up a little bit. Anyway enough of my rambling, onward! 

Beauty Favorites:

1- Makeup Forever Face & Body Foundation: I forgot I had this in my stash and wanted to try it out again. I'm more tan and my MAC Face and Body is too light to match me. This is a great foundation that doesn't feel heavy and gives me a glow. It would be a definite repurchase. Very similar to the MAC version so if you have one or the other you're fine. 

2-NARS Laguna Luminizer: I picked this up at the beginning of the month and love it. Sometimes I mix it with my foundation or apply it as a normal bronzer. It is a bit pricey but it was worth he purchase for me.

3-NARS Light Reflecting Setting Powder in Crystal: Holy Grail status. I love this stuff. I haven't tried the loose version, but I've only heard good things. I only lightly apply this to my t-zone and love the finish it gives. The feeling of my skin is smooth and looks poreless. 

4-NARS Narissist Eyeshadow Palette: I love this palette. It's been loved or hated. At the pricepoint, I would say you better be sure you love it. It's probably one of the more expensive palettes I've bought to date but it's so practical it's perfect for me. 

5-MAC Pedro Lourenco Nude Quad: A limited edition and spur of the moment purchase. I had a MAC gift card given to me as a birthday gift and I finally decided to use it. I told you my favorites would all be about neutrality! Seriously this is a beautiful quad and probably one of the best ones MAC has created. All four shades are pigmented smooth and apply like a dream. If you can still get your hands on this, I highly recommend you do!

6-Caudalie Beauty Elixir: I got the smaller size to try out before I invested in the full size. I'm not too keen on the smell, it's a bit too herbal for me but my skin feels so hydrated and smooth I bypass that part. The scent does dissipate so as least I'm not smelling it all day. I apply it both day and night and will most likely get the larger size and add it permanently to my skincare routine.

7- Urban Decay Chill Spray: This is great to freshen my makeup up and to set it. The All Nighter version is better for staying power but I decided to try this out instead because it is made for normal to dry skin. 

Book Favorite:

-Insatiable: Porn - A Love Story by Asa Akira: This was dirty, raunchy, and informative. It was definitely a fun read and a great way to look into what a life of a porn star is like. If you do plan on reading this, go in with an open mind, it's definitely more graphic than 50 Shades of Grey.

Television and Film Favorites:

Penny Dreadful: So me and the Mister binge watched the entire first season on demand and really enjoyed it. We are both fans of the old classics like Dracula, Dorian Gray, and Helsing so this was right up our alley. Plus Eva Green is phenomenal in it. Highly recommend and I can't wait for season two. 

Edge of Tomorrow: Time travel films often have plot holes but this one manages to get by without it. I know here are a lot of Tom Cruise haters but the film itself is excellent. A definite sleeper hit for this summer's blockbusters.

Game Favorite:

Child of Light: Ohmigod this game. It's a downloadable game available on Xbox 360 and One and the PS3 and PS4. Probably the best $15.00 I've spent on a game. The artwork is beautiful, story is solid, and the music!!! I'm going to the perfectionist and get all the trophies because I love this game so much. 

Phew, what a long entry! I hope you enjoyed the post and also your holiday weekend! Please if you can leave your thoughts about me adding the entertainment part to my favorites.