HAUL-iday!!

Hey guys! I know, I know... 2 posts in one day?! WHAT IS THIS!? 
If you must know, there is a torrential downpour of SNOW and I am currently snowed in and snuggled up with a cup of tea and my MacBook. Over the weekend I took advantage of the end of my no-buy and celebrated by 1. Donating!! I decided to donate some canned food and clothes to the local homeless shelter.  and 2. Shopping!! WOOO! 
Here are the clothes part first (Note: These are all size small.. don't ask why some look like XXS and some look like XXL.  I am awful at photography.  That is my only excuse).

Aldo Hermignonne Sandal

Express Sequin Dress (Which is much more turquoise in person)

Express Red Peplum Top

Forever 21 Polka Dot top 

This is probably my favorite.  It came with a little tie on it but I cut it off, I wasn't a big fan!

AND NOW... Here is comes.. the beauty part!!

So if you scroll back a couple of posts earlier, I had a lot of these items on my wish list.  I am really excited about them!! I have yet to be disappointed with any of them.

1. I put these first because they are the items I'm the most excited about!!! THE URBAN DECAY OZ PALETTES!!! I originally went into Sephora dead set on the Glinda.  But I looked... swatch.. debated.. and I came home with both.  They are INCREDIBLE!! And although they are $49 each, you get a lip pen (similar to the NARS Velvet Lip Pencils), 4 single shadows, 2 doubles, and an eyeliner!! I also love that you can pop out the trays when you're finished and pop in UD single eyeshadows.  I will be posting a few tutorials soon with how-to's using these palettes.  (I also swatched the lip pencils below with the Lipglass.)

2. LaVanilla The Healthy Deodorant- smells SO good!! I highly recommend this. I am even liking this more than my typical Dove Clinical Strength!!

3. MAC LipGlass in Nymphette- Up there with Dior Addict as my favorite lip gloss ever. Not sticky, beautiful color.  Also has a really good vanilla-y smell. :)

From left to right- UD Lip Pen from Theodora, From Glinda, and Nymphette!

4. NARS Sheer Glow Foundation in Deauville- I have found my new staple foundation!! Although I am sad to see my Urban Decay Naked go, I decided to go for this one.  It is much more hydrating.  The only downside is that the ones in Sephora stores don't come with a pump... it is slightly aggravating.  If I go through the entire bottle and still love it, I may be searching for a pump on EBay.  That is one warning that I think everyone should know.. the testers have pumps!!! WHY CAN'T THE BOTTLES!! (Sorry, my mini-tangent is over.) I love this foundation though.  I warm it up on my hand and then apply using my BeautyBlender. It gives  a soft glow and a ton of hydration.

5. MAC Mineralized Eye Shadow in Love Connection

I originally wanted this solely for the lighter, veined color.  It is similar to Stila Kitten, a favorite shadow of mine, so I purchased this one.  The two colors together (the second is a bright gold) are beautiful.  I may have found a new favorite!

Close up:

6. Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer

So, after being on the search for a bronzer for months and after many failures, I finally found my new favorite.  It's soft, blendable, pigmented, and smells like.. wait for it.. CHOCOLATE!! Seriously. Every time I open it I get excited because you just get a whiff of cocoa.  It is perfect, and makes me very happy. I have never been this excited about a bronzer, ever.

7. MAC Mineralized Blush in Amber Glow

I went in for Dainty.  I swatched. Amber Glow caught my eye. Salesperson Amber, not blush Amber, showed it to me as a highlighter and blush all in one.  I took blush Amber home with me. And I love it. :) (One thing I will say- because it is mineralized it isn't as pigmented as MAC's regular blushes and is slightly messier, in my opinion. The color is worth it)!

8. Smashbox Love Me Palette

I LOVE this palette!! It is a close second to the Urban Decay palettes.  The colors in it are soft, really highly pigmented, and so different.  The teal blue is probably my favorite so far.

That's all for today.. I promise!! Next up are some tutorials using these amazing palettes :)

Thanks for reading!

XOXO Lex

Sigma New-ness, Announcements and January Favorites!

Hi, guys! Hope you are all having a wonderful Monday!

Some exciting news.. Sigma (www.sigmabeauty.com) released their eye shadow bases today!! I am so excited, I am ordering as I type! They come in 9 different shades and I have no clue how I am going to pick between them.  They also just released a single eyeshadow collection that I can't wait to try out either.

So, with my January no-buy (which did not go as well as planned.. :/) I rediscovered things that I already had that are amazing.  Here are a few that I have been totally in love with for the month of January.

Trying to go from left to right here, these are the names of the products and a short description:

1. Sephora by O.P.I. Nail Polish in "Chest-nuts About You"! 

This color is a perfect neutral that I feel can be worn year-round.  I love the metallic bronze because it's a shake up from traditional nail polish. I have it on right now! Here's an additional picture, since I don't think the one above does the color justice. 

2. Tarte MultiplEYE Lash Primer

I was definitely one of those people who always said lash primers were so unnecessary. It was until I tried this one that I saw the difference.  No matter what mascara I apply it with, I see a dramatic difference between when I use it and when I use mascara alone.  A tip for those who want to try it: put the primer on one eye, immediately follow it with mascara, and THEN do the other eye.  If you give it time to dry you don't get the full effect.

3/4. Benefit Moon Beam & Benefit Watt's Up!

Highlighters are always a must for me.  I love the way they light up your face and to me, they are just as necessary as bronzer.  They completely change the way your makeup looks.  These two are my absolute favorite.  Moon beam starts out as a golden liquid and then blends into this iridescent golden purple.  Its beautiful.  The Watt's Up is a stick and you have to blend it right away, but I love using this one on the brow bone. It's a really pretty champagne color, which also makes for a great eyeshadow color AND base.  I swatched the two below:

On the left is Moon Beam, and the right is Watt's Up.  (I apologize for the not-so-great swatches... they really are beautiful!! I didn't blend the Watt's Up at all so you could see the true color, but you can see the iridescence in the Moon Beam.)

5. Alterna Bamboo 48-Hour Sustainable Volume Spray

There really isn't much to say about this one.  I use it every day, right before I blow dry.  You can absolutely tell the difference between it and not using any product.  The only downside is that a lot come out with each spritz.. I received this for Christmas and am almost finished with the bottle after a little over a month.  I know I use it every day but still.. I definitely thought it would last a little longer!! It is still by far the greatest volumizing spray I have ever used.  Another great drugstore alternative that is similar to this one is the L'Oreal Ever Strong Volumizing Spray.

6. Peter Thomas Roth Lashes to Die For Liquid Eye Liner

While I am not so sure about the lash-growing benefits, I love this liner.  It is a marker-type that is very fine pointed, but can be turned on its side to draw thicker lines.  I have a verrrryyyy shaky hand when applying eyeliner (especially liquid) and I find this very easy to use.  I have yet to see dramatic results from my lashes, but I definitely see that they are a little thicker than usual.  Results or not, I will continue to use this liner.

7. Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray

When this went on sale for $12 for the EXTRA LARGE bottle on Urban Decay's website, I had to have it.  I am a primer advocate, but didn't realize how much longer your makeup lasts when you apply a setting spray over it.  This one is my favorite, but for those with oily skin, I would suggest the De-Slick (Similar formula, but for oil control).

8. Clinique Butter Shines in 437 "Pink-A-Boo" and 415 "Berry Blush"

I have been totally loving these lately.  They are really pretty, sheer colors that are great for everyday wear.  The pink isn't obnoxious, but is still noticeable whenever you wear it. The berry color is more of a mauve/nude color than a berry, but you still get a tint with it.  They aren't the longest-wearing (they have a similar wear to Fresh Sugar lip treatments) but are really hydrating.  I swatched them below (Pink-a-Boo on the left, Berry Blush on the right):

9. Dior Addict Ultra Gloss Pearl- Shade 157

I am not a big lip-gloss kind of person.  I much rather prefer lipsticks or, if I want some shine, the Fresh Sugar lip balms or the Butter Shines from Clinique.  However, I do love this gloss.  It has a really pretty shine and a slight shimmer to it, and flatters every lip color you try it over.   Not to mention it looks great by itself.  The consistency isn't thick or sticky, and it doesn't wear right off like most glosses I've tried.  I will definitely be purchasing more of these in the near future.

10. Abercrombie and Fitch "One" Women's Perfume

So I will admit, being a previous employee of the A&F company, I am a die-hard fan of their perfumes (and colognes, for that matter... they smell amazing!) They have the perfect mix of florals and freshness.  This one is my favorite of all time.  It has adorable, classic packaging.  The notes in it are Peony, Tangelo, and White Pepper.  Definitely worth trying out.  This will be a long time favorite for me.

And that is my list!! Now that love is in the air for the month of February, what have you been in love with lately? 

 I have a ton of posts coming up soon (Hauls, looks, organization!), so stay tuned!

Have a great night,

Lex