NYX PEARL MANIA HAUL+swatches & Mac dupes

Cherryculture.com had these NYX pearl mania for $1.99(still on sale) & I wanted to try them. They are soft & very pigmented. I think I can just wear these alone on the eye w/some liner & it would look great. NYX products are really nice & affordable.

L-R Purple, Black,Nude, Walnut

L-R Walnut,Nude,Purple & Black

The colors all look like they can be Mac dupes. L-R Mac Dupes for Tempting, Grand Entrance, Lotusland, Knight.

I really can't wait to try these. They don't have chunky glitter & are finely milled. The one thing I hate is how messy they are. They just go everywhere, so I may transfer them.

What is your favorite NYX product? What other colors do you suggest or are great dupes?

SEPHORA FRIENDS & FAMILY HAUL

My haul has finally arrived! I got the Too Faced World domination & Stila for Christmas gifts, yes I have already started shopping. The MUFE Smokey Lash is my fave. My eyes are so sensitive & I have not had 1 problem, knock on wood.

But my fave is the Tarte Treasure Trove! I love all the gaudy jewels & silver!

Look at all you get! The colors are Super. There are Matte(which I have been loving) & shimmer.
Closer look at the eye shadows. The 2 top tears are shimmer & the bottom is all matte.The top is the glosses(they're OK, I'm a germaphobe) but the blush, bronzer & highlighter, LOVE!!
Dis you get anything from the FF? I am thinking of the BM kit still, I'm not sure!?! Thoughts on it?

Are you Christmas shopping yet? I see the decorations are going up!

GREAT DEAL ON E.L.F. at TARGET!

I found this E.L.F palette at Target for $5! It's called The Beauty Encyclopedia. it comes with 2 cream shadows, 12 eye shadows, black pencil, & an eye shadow brush.

This is w/out a flash. It's a great neutral/smokey eye palette. Perfect to go from day to night. It's slim packaging perfect for the purse or travel. This would cost $16 if purchased separately.
The colors are super pigmented and creamy. This was just 1 swipe.

They had a bunch of other packages from the $1 line, but a lot of it was already sold out. I may have to check another Target to make sure I'm not missing anything.

what do you think of ELF products? I haven't tried the studio line yet. Is it good? Which products are good?

SHOPPING in LA HAUL

My was visiting and one of the places we always go shopping in LA at Santee alley. They had some great deals & beautiful things. Santee Alley in in downtown LA & they have a bunch of little stores where you can find things for cheap. They have beautiful shoes, bags & jewelry. The last time I was there they had straighteners & clipless curling irons for $25. The shoes, boots & purse that came out as the fall trend were already out this summer. They also have tons of $1 jewelry.

I bought this purse for $25. It has a long & short strap & I love the details.

There was this guy there who was selling the CoastalScents palettes & he had these singles & the case. I picked my own colors for $18. I figured if the CS shadows work, these would be good too. When I go back, I'm going to get the blush palette.
I think these may be the Hot Pots. They are so pigmented & creamy. LOVE!
This jewelry is $1 a piece, The 2 stacks of bracelets $1 also. I always stock up when I'm there.
All the sunglasses were $5. Don't forget to negotiate. Usually if you get more than 1 thing, the price goes down. The shoes are $5-30. I need to get some more shoes!! they also have NYX for 30-50% less.

Have you been to the Alley? What is your favorite bargain find?

MAC BABY GOTH GIRL DUPE -SINFULCOLORS($2 Walgreens)

I read so many reviews that Mac Baby Goth Girl was OK or they returned it so I passed on it. Then I was at Walgreens & I found this color & it looks so close. I love the color. It's perfect for the fall/winter. It isn't dark & it looks like Baby Goth Girl. There's glitter in it, but it's not the kind you can never take off!

Sinfulcolors - Rich in Heart- $2

Mac Baby Goth Girl swatch

I think with all polishes you need a top coat for it to stay on longer, even the OPI. It's a great color for a great price.

What is your favorite polish color right now?

H&M BRACELETS & SEPHORA FRIENDS & FAMILY ORDER

I was at H & M the other day & I came across this beautiful bracelets set. You get the whole set for $13. I loved the BOHO chic look. I wore them with a plain white V & jeans. Looked so nice.

Here they are all together.

This is them separated. I think you get a lot of bracelets for the money. You get wear them separate for another look. The gold one look antique, don't they?

Also today I placed my Sephora friends & family order. I got a couple Too Faced packages for X-mas gifts & the Stila lip glosses. For myself i bought the Tarte Treasure box. I saw it at Sephora & it has 32 eye colors(matte & shimmer) 16 Tarte glosses, 4 blush, a highlighter & bronzer. It's a $668 value for $52. Tarte is also an all natural brand. I wanted one of the palettes, & it was $44, so when i saw all this, I was super excited. Look how pretty the packaging is.

So what is on your Sephora list or wish list?

MAC HOLIDAY COLLECTION 2009 HAUL & MAC DSQUARED

I headed over to Mac today for the Holiday 2009 launch. I was a little disappointed again.

I ended up with only 2 things. I bought the eyeshadow palette in Smoke & Mirrors and a

Dsquared greasepaint stick in V.

I love this paint stick. Look at the color, royal purple w/black. This won't budge at all. It's better than the shadesticks & paint pot. It's a great base or just lid color.
They had 6 palettes. I chose this one because i know i can use all the colors. What i noticed about this years & last years palettes is that the eye shadows are chalky.
What i really noticed is the size of the shadows. i feel like they are 1/2 last years shadow size. Here is last years smokey palette. The size looks smaller, is it?
What i loved most was the bags that the kits came with. They were really pretty, but i already had a lot of the colors they put together. The one thing i did like though was the blush/highlight/bronzer combos. I already had those colors, but i was leaning towards the pink one.

I'm done with this collection. I really wasn't too excited with it or the size or the texture of the shadows.

What are your thoughts? Do you like anything or are you getting something from the collection?

MY NEW FAVORITE LIPSTCK - long wearing & from the drugstore!

Boots No7 Nude 15 Stay perfect

I was at Target and found this Boots lipstick on sale for $4.50. I always wanted to try Boots, but never did. I LOVE it, even more then Mac lipsticks. I think Mac has great lipsticks, but not so long wearing, this stays on. I put it on & it was glossy at first, but the color dried & still looked moist & really pigmented.. What I love is the color sticks on the lips & lasted through a coffee & water. I am always having to reapply, & I didn't need to.

It reminds me of Mac Shy Girl & Honey Love.
I want to try more of the lipsticks & other products because I like the staying power of this.

Can you recommend some of the products you've tried?

3 MAC PRODUCTS I MISSED OUT ON - TAG

There is a great Tag going on YT. What are the 3 Mac products you missed out on? I always think about what I should have bought or missed out on. I guess if I never really wanted them is one thing, but I wanted these & swatched them & never bought them. I had them in my hands.

Manish Arora

This one really got me mad. I thought they had released it at all the Mac stores or Pro stores. I picked out everything I wanted & even put it in my basket online. I go to my Pro store & what, no. It's only online!! Came home & it was all sold out! The colors are not my fave, but I love fashion & makeup, I really wanted this. I am a packaging whore.

Cult of Cherry Collection

Spiced quad- I swatched this 10x's & I didn't get it. These are my colors, why didn't I do it? Now they just cost too much on ebay.

Barbie Loves Mac

Hello it's Barbie & Mac having a love affair. This was when I was a Mac virgin still. I looked at it & just loved all the Barbie logos, but I didn't know a thing about makeup. I wouldn't even swatch them because the girls at my Mac counter scared me!!

Now I tag all of you!

What are your 3 regrets? Tell us below or let me know your link!

BEAUTY TIP FOR BREAKOUTS

A friend of mine went to the dermatologists & he noticed she had a breakout on her shoulders. He didn't know what it was from, but he did give her a suggestion, antibacterial bar soap to shower with. He said that breakouts have bacteria & this may just calm the ones on her shoulders. It worked for her.

So when i just went to get my hair done I bought new shampoo & it started breaking me out on my shoulders & upper back. I bought this Safeguard because it had no perfumes in it. It was actually hard to find one that said antibacterial & no scent. I have to say it has helped. The redness went down & so did the bumps. I haven't tried it on my face though. I just got a couple of spots under my chin, so I may have to.

( I am not a DR., this is just what worked for me. Try at your own risk)

What is your cheap beauty remedy or beauty tip?

HARD CANDY @ WALMART (Mac Dupe Alert & swatches)

I've been watching a lot of drugstore hauls & fave on YT, & found out they are selling Hard Candy at Walmart. They are $6-10 $ have the cutest (or tackiest) packaging. I think I was slow on this because a lot of things were sold out-gone!

I bought a lipstick in Fire Alarm & Shadow Stick in whimsy. I wanted to try more, but I thought i would start w/these 2.

Top- Whimsy is a shadow stick or base. I am going to also use it as a cream blush-Pretty!

Bottom- Fire Alarm lippi- it's like a lipstick & gloss in one- no need for a gloss
I wanted too show how whimsey looks as base. It actually brings out the sparkle in the Mac shadows.

L-R Whimsey, Nocturnal, Sketch, Da Bling

The colors look so vibrant. I think I will still use a paint pot first because the whimsey is very creamy & it may crease.

Fire Alarm is the same color as Mac Hue lipstick.

Top - Bottom Mac Myth, Fire Alarm, Hue
I was so excited for the Fire Alarm because I needed a new Hue. I love the colors of both. I have to try the shadow stick to see if it will crease. I hope not because They had other pretty colors. I wanted to try the baked shadows, but they only had a few left, & not in my colors. I read great reviews on the mascara too. They had them in every color.

Have you found the Hard Candy at Walmart yet? What have you tried?

What is the best dupe you have found?

MAC HAUL - ONTARIO MILLS CCO

Last weekend I was at the CCO in Ontario Mills, & I was shocked. They had all the new collections there. So if you get a chance, it is a must visit.

I finally got my hands on the Magnetic Fields eye shadow. It is so pretty, & I was sad I missed out on it. They also had tons of Hello Kitty. I got the lippi in Brew. I was thinking about this when the collection came out, so I guess I'm glad I waited. The last thing is a pigment in Gold Mode.

(L)Gold Mode pigment (R) Magnetic Fields I thought is was more brown. but it looks gray/purple.
I have to say, I am not a huge pigment fan. It's really messy. You get tons of product though.

I haven't been excited about the Mac launches, but after seeing all the collections at the CCO, maybe I'll take another look if they there. I think it's easier to spend 30% less on something that you aren't too excited about.

What do you think of pigments? How do you put them on? Which is your favorite?

CHAROLETTE RUSSE HAUL+ ABOUT MY AGE

I was at the mall and went into Charolette Russe, & was really excited by all the beautiful clothes. They have must have changed buyers because the clothes were really beautiful. Also, if you have a student ID, you get 10% off your bill!

I got this gorgeous headband for $4.80. I already wore it out, & it looked great with a loose black tee, long pearls & dark skinny jeans. It just dressed up the look. This is my new hair color. A dark brown after years of highlights. I do love the color.

I bought this grey & black long cami shirt. I've been seeing a lot of lace this season. It's lands in the middle of my thighs, so I was thinking of leggings for this. Any suggestions on how to wear this?
I also wanted to talk about something else. I have been reading/hearing comments about people being & looking old, or being too old to do blogger/YT. Even on Twitter, I saw someone saying she's probably old & looks like she's in her 30's. I am in my 30's & I am a mom & wife. I don't think/feel I am old though. Age is what you make of it & so is your life. I watch some of the most beautiful women on YT, who are in there 30's, & I think they are gorgeous! I love makeup & dressing up. That hasn't stopped because I'm in my 30's. I love it more now. So, I guess I just wanted to say that I hope we could appreciate each other, no matter what age we are!

What do you think about this?

MY NEW FAVORITE BLUSH + MAC DUPE

My favorite new blush is Sally Hansen inspired by Carmindy in Dusk brunette. I picked it up at CVS for $9 because it reminded me of my favorite all time blush in X-Rocks by Mac. It's so pretty & pigmented. It stays on all day!

This is Dusk Brunette next to Flirt & Tease & X-Rocks at the end. They are all similar, but the Sally Hansen is more color & less sparkles & glitter.
These are the 3 together. The Dusk Brunette is the same color as the MAC Flirt & Tease & sisters with the X-Rocks. Which makes very happy because it's 1/2 the price & X-Rocks is limited edition.
I going to have to try some more of these blushes. The staying power & pigmentation have me sold, plus it's usually BOGO at Ulta.

What other products are worth trying from this line? Any blush recommendations?

SEPTEMBER FAVORITES

September flew by. I blinked and it was gone. I'm excited about fall though. Boots, sweaters, jeans, & leggings!

I haven't bought a lot this month either. I think I'm more into the clothes right now.

EYES

I have been revisiting NYX lately. I have so many beautiful shades from them, but Beauty Queen is my fave. Also the ELF shadow brush & Mac 224 are the 2 I use everyday. I put on the Beauty Queen with the e/s & blend it w/224, liner & mascara, that's it.

HAIR

I have had highlights for the past 3 years & now I am all one color. (I'll post a pic) My hair is so dry. I use the BIOSILK from the middle of my hair down. It's the only thing that makes it look shiny. Sometimes I'll just use a little of the Frizz Ease only at the ends of my hair. When my hair was healthier I only used the Frizz Ease.
FACE

I pulled out an old ELF product. The blush in Flushed & I love it. I use it w/the 187 brush. I wanted something like Nars Angelica, but didn't want to invest the money. This is making me happy. Also the Laura Geller in Pink Grapefruit. Both of these have staying power, too. My new foundation Maybelline 24hr has been good too.

NAILS
Any color by LA Girls is great. They have a great brush & pigmentation. Just make sure you use a top coat. This is the one that matches my purse!! It's in Groovy.

I haven't been in love with any makeup lately. I'm also trying to use what I have.

Have you been going through your makeup stash? What have you rediscovered?