Stuff I wanna show you!

My mom gave me a gift card for Sephora so I used it... right down to the last dollar! This was an online purchase, by the way...

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From left to right:

Sample of Daisy by Marc Jacobs

Urban Decay Shadow Box

Sample of Tarte ReCreate primer

Down Boy blush from theBalm

Deluxe sample of Tarina Tarantino's primer

I tried everything except Tarina's primer. My daughter somehow got her hands on it and now I have no idea where it is. Boo! I photographed and swatched the eyeshadows and the blush so I'll get that uploaded in a bit. I'm particularly excited to share the blush. I'm becoming quite a fan of theBalm. ;)

Birthday Goodies

So, I turned 22 this past Saturday, the 7th, and I had a very nice birthday with my boyfriend and daughter. Dinner, Netflix, a day of total relaxation -- just what I wanted / needed! I even got a few goodies that I've had on my wishlist for a while. Sorry I didn't post this sooner, but my daughter hasn't been feeling well since yesterday but she's napping now. Anyway, there's just a couple of things, so I'll do my best to keep this short and sweet =)

MAC 239 Brush

I like getting the MAC pamphlets in the mail =)

I feel like there are certain brushes that you just need to have duplicates of. For me, this includes the 239, 266, 168, and I'm sure there's another one that I can't think of at the moment...

NARS Angelika Blush

I had the most difficult time trying to capture the true color of this blush. Angelika is a cool blue-pink cotton candy color that looks very intense in the pan. This was the best I could get it, but the true color is more intense looking than this. 

Again, the true color is more intense. This is a very pigmented blush, so you have to be careful not to apply too much. Sometimes, I like to buff it out with a kabuki brush so it looks more subtle. Also, keep in mind that it doesn't look glittery on the skin!

NARS Lip Gloss in Dolce Vita & Striptease

I got these lip glosses using the code "TEMPTALIA" on narscosmetics.com (expires 8/15). The offer was originally for three individual mini lip glosses, but now they're offering the duo. I knew I'd love Dolce Vita but I was pleasantly surprised that I ended up loving Striptease too. On its own, I could never pull off Striptease because these kinds of neutrals wash me out, big time. When I dab it on my lips over a lipstick, like MAC Lazy Day (LE), I just really love the muted effect it offers. Both colors are beautiful! Also, there's free shipping on any order over $25 using the code, "25FREESHIP".... which almost everything is $25+ so it shouldn't be hard to become eligible (lol).

On a side note, I know a lot of people don't like NARS lip glosses because of the "smell". I'd like to add that I think the smell is so faint, it's dismissable. Then again, when I like something enough, I never let those things offend me.

China Glaze: Ruby Pumps

This color is gorgeous. So unbelievably gorgeous. I haven't tried it out yet, but I'll take pictures when I do.

Last, but certainly not least......

The NAKED PALETTE!

I purchased this online from Ulta last Monday and just got it two days ago. In my opinion, this truly lives up to the hype. The colors are gorgeous. I love neutrals of almost any kind. This palette is fun, the colors are gorgeous, and the possibilities are endless. I'm going to dedicate a whole post to this palette when I get to try out more looks with it and I'll post them. I'll also include swatches in the post as well. I was going to do it today, but my boyfriend and a bunch of guys are framing out an addition to our house so I would've felt a little silly walking around with my camera and an arm full of eye shadow. I did swatch the liners though!

Whiskey on top, Zero on the bottom

Isn't it GORGEOUS?!

MAC Haul

So, I bought a few little goodies from MAC...

Going Bananas (LE) (Frost)

I just got this in the mail today, actually! It's a light, bright yellow -- very frosty and pretty! It's a little more on the sheer side, not very opaque, but has a nice color payoff.

I Like It Like That (Cremesheen)

This also came in the mail today. I meant to get it when the collection was released, but I was more occupied with getting my hands on the MSF's. 

Viva Glam Gaga VS I Like It Like That (Gaga is the top swatch)

I Like It Like That and Viva Glam Gaga definitely belong in the same color family, but they are different. Gaga is a light, bright blue-pink and I Like It Like That is a darker blue-pink. I wore this out for a little bit today and I can say that this is very opaque and it's definitely vibrant and fun. 

All That Glitters (Veluxe Pearl) & Expensive Pink (Veluxe Pearl)

My MA recommended Expensive Pink to me and I love it. I think it compliments All That Glitters very well. I used these two in a smoky eye look by putting All That Glitters on my lid, Satin Taupe on the outer crease and I mixed Expensive Pink with the Satin Taupe. To finish it off, I lined the outer third of my lower lash line with Mystery (using a (219) pencil brush) and I blended it into my upper lash line as well. 

All That Glitters

Expensive Pink

All That Glitters (left), Expensive Pink (right)

Lustering (Lustre)

One swipe on left, three swipes on right

Isn't a gorgeous pink? It's very pigmented, very pretty. A pink like this is meant to be the main attraction to a look so I keep my eyes and cheeks simple while Lustering does all the talking. 

MAC Haul -- Part I

This is a big haul, but only because I'm showing things that I've bought starting on Mother's Day. In May, I got sick TWICE and then my boyfriend and I started moving in to our new house. We're still getting settled, but it hasn't allowed me the time to give this blog some proper TLC. Did I mention that I have a running 11 month old, too?!

Okay, so let's get started... shall we??

Blush of Youth beauty powder, from A Rose Romance. This is limited edition; I ordered this from an online CCO. I love this beauty powder. It's not super pigmented, so I recommend this to fair skin tones. For summer, I like to use Ladyblush (blushcreme) and I layer this on top to hold it in place. I'm NW20, for reference =)

MAC Blushcreme in Ladyblush.

Eyeshadows in Orb (left, Satin) & Mystery (right, Satin)

Eyeshadow in Paradisco (Frost)
I think this would pair very nicely with Coral Crepe (Paint Pot from Pret-A-Papier LE)

Lipstick in Jubilee. This and Hug Me are my perfect nudes; I could never pull off a color like Myth! Sorry for the lousy picture, my daughter slobbered all over my memory card before I could upload the picture from BEFORE I used it.

Viva Glam Cyndi (Lustre). Thank you Cyndi! I've never had the confidence to wear red. That is, until now! This is my perfect red. I see raspberry and perhaps a hint of coral in this lipstick. It's simply beautiful and it wears for while. I even like the subtle stain it leaves on my lips. I couldn't think of a dupe for this. It's incomparable and limited edition. They're still selling these until February or March of 2011 and as always, all proceeds of the Viva Glam lipsticks go directly to the MAC AIDS Fund.

Viva Glam Gaga is a blue-pink lipstick (Lustre) that also supports the MAC AIDS Fund. I la-love this lipstick almost as much as I love Gaga herself. Being completely honest here, it doesn't look even half as amazing on me as it does on her. It is a little hard to wear (this is actually more wearable version of Pink Nouveau (Satin), a color worn by Gaga in her early days), but if you pair it with a black smoky eye, it can add some serious glam to your look. And, even though it's not my best color, I feel so confident whenever I wear it so it deserves its rightful place in my collection!

Paint Pot, Groundwork. This paint pot was a repromote in the Pret-A-Papier collection. No worries, it's permanent. I'm not going into detail about this one though because I'd like to dedicate a whole post to my paint pot collection =)

Blush, Peachykeen (Sheertone Shimmer). What can I say? Peachykeen has my heart. Again, I won't go into detail on blushes either because I'm already writing a post about my favorite MAC blushes.

Blush, Pinch Me. Look sort of familiar?

So, that's all I uploaded for now. I have a few more goodies that I'll save for a part deux.