Victoria's Secret mineral eyeshadows in Coco and Luxe

Long time no post, guys!  I'm so sorry.  I had no idea what I was thinking last semester when I thought I was busy- looking back, it was nothing compared to this semester.  I have project after project, friends, and a new boyfriend to keep me preoccupied.  That's college for you! :)  I'd be lying if I ever said I didn't like it, though, because being in school and doing what I love gives me so much satisfaction.
Anyway, I actually have a few posts that I should have gotten to before this one, but I'm so excited about getting new makeup that it couldn't wait.  Do you realize how long it's been since I've gotten new makeup?  Since I bought the Revlon Age Defying concealer during the CVS beauty clearance sale, which was over a month ago (which I reviewed here!).  And for me, that feels like.. forever.
I had $25 left on a Victoria's Secret in-store credit, so I decided to stop in today and finally spend it.  I bought these two eyeshadows, another eyeliner and lipgloss, the latter two I will review at a future time!

Victoria's Secret mineral eyeshadows in Coco and Luxe

Left: Coco, Right: Luxe

What they are:  The box says, "mineral-enriched powder shadow that offers luminous color and a silky, lustrous finish."  

Price:  $5.00 each/.12oz, originally $10 (I'm not sure how long the $5 promotion will be going on but it has been since around Christmas time)

Luxe:  Medium pinkish taupe with sheen

Coco:  Warm medium bronze with sheen

They also come in Smolder (navy blue), Bubbly (cream), Coquette (rose pink), Divine (purple).

Left: Luxe, Right: Coco

Formula:  I love love Victoria's Secret eyeshadows.  These two from the mineral line have the same velvety soft texture and pigmentation as the rest of VS's "silky" eyeshadows.  They swatch beautifully, and though they are soft, they aren't chalky at all.  The swatches below are each one swipe- these are a dream to work with!  Such smooth color.  They also blend easily, so you can soften the lines of your color without totally washing it out.

I love the finish of Luxe and Coco, and the rest of the colors in the minerals line have the same.  They have an almost-shimmer sheen to them, which gives them a little extra something.

The only thing to be careful about with these is that they do break easily, so don't drop them!  When I worked at VS, we would frequently have to "damage out" eyeshadows because they would fall on the floor and crumble inside the box.  You'll be fine as long as you don't drop them on your bathroom floor. For traveling, just make sure to pack them in a tight spot or at the bottom of your makeup bag.

Left: Luxe, Right: Coco

Wear/quality:  I haven't tried these exact eyeshadows on my eyes yet, but in my experience with VS eyeshadows they wear exceptionally well with a primer underneath (I have one in the color Beloved, which is a deep muted olive green with gold shimmer).  I don't experience any fading or creasing, as long as I use primer- there's never a time I don't wear primer, though!  I like to consider Victoria's Secret makeup as high-end quality in disguise.  It's in an "in-between" market that is really geared towards women of all economic statuses, but the makeup seriously rivals other department store brands.  Luxe and Coco are smoother and more pigmented than some of my MAC shadows and are $9 cheaper!  

I just love that both colors are super easy to use and beautiful at the same time.  

The quantity is also good for what you pay for, even at the normal price of $10 (which again, I'm not sure if they are going to be $5 from here on out or if it's just a promotion).  These contain 0.12oz, compared to MAC eyeshadows with 0.05oz. 

Pros:

-Great pigmentation

-Long-lasting

-Affordable/value (double the size of comparable eyeshadows at an affordable price)

-Easily blendable

Cons:

-The line (as a whole- a total of 6 eyeshadow colors) doesn't feature much variation; they have the same finish and there isn't a large range of colors

If you're in the market for some new eyeshadows, I say definitely give these a look.  The $5.00 price tag and amazing quality makes them worth it!

Have you tried these VS mineral eyeshadows?  Anything else from Victoria's Secret lately?  

Free shipping over $25 at Victoria's Secret!

Hey guys, I just wanted to give you all a heads up about an offer I just got an email about.  Victoria's Secret is offering free shipping on any online orders over $25, now through Sunday the 23rd.  They almost never do offers like this, so if you've been wanting to order anything online recently, now's the time!  Unfortunately the eyeliners I talked about yesterday aren't on the website anymore, but they still have a lot of sales/clearance from the Semi-Annual Sale.
Have a great afternoon!

Victoria's Secret eyeliner in Dark Forest and an easy "no-makeup" look

Happy almost weekend, everyone!  I go back to school on Saturday and I could not be more excited.  Two of my best friends are picking me up when I arrive at the airport, which is just another thing I seriously cannot wait for.  I've missed them so so much!  (Speaking of them, they were interested in looking at my blog for the longest time, and I finally gave them the link the other night.  I am typically pretty shy/embarrassed about blogging- I don't tell anyone- but they really boosted my confidence!  I'm so grateful for such supportive friends!)

Anyway, today I have a couple different things to share with you.  I was going to make a separate post with the look, but none of my pictures really turned out right.  So, it gets to be combined with my review of the Victoria's Secret eyeliner.  

Let's get started!

Victoria's Secret eyeliner in Dark Forest

(click to enlarge!)

I finally picked one of these babies up!  Let me tell you, working in the beauty side of Victoria's Secret means I have plenty of chances to play with the makeup (well, I'm technically "done" working there for now, as I'm going back to school).  I want to start off this review by saying how great most of it really is!  It feels to me like the status lies somewhere between drugstore and high-end, while the quality is definitely high-end.  The prices are affordable, though, and I think a lot of people either overlook or don't recognize the makeup enough.  

The eyeliners were one of the first things I tried out and instantly fell in love with.  After working there for over a year, I'm embarrassed that I only now own one.  But I digress.  Let me finish telling you about why I love it.

The Victoria's Secret liners are a mere $10.  That's really not bad considering L'oreal HiP eyeliners of this kind are $9.99 (Walgreens) and Covergirl Liquiline eyeliners are $8.99 (Walgreens).  To me, even though they are a dollar or two more expensive than other drugstore offerings, I'm not really comparing the two since they aren't in the same "league", if that makes sense.

You get 0.04oz of product, which is pretty standard in my opinion for a pencil of this type (UD 24/7 have the same).  One end contains the pencil, and the other has a sponge smudge tip, which is just your average sponge.  Not like the Covergirl smudger- but it still gets the job done.

Swatches

Dark Forest is a blackened forest green with a soft metallic finish.  I love the way this looks against my green eyes. 

If you're an Urban Decay 24/7 liner lover, I think you'll love these too.  They have that same creamy consistency and stay-put quality in a pencil form (and are similar to other drugstore brand varieties, like Covergirl Liquiline eyeliners which I reviewed here, although these are creamier than the Covergirl).  Their pigmentation is also really nice; I get full color in one swipe along my lash line.  

The lasting power is AMAZING.  The swatch on the right, above, is after rubbing my finger back and forth.  These eyeliners don't budge, and there is hardly any difference between the two swatch pictures!  Now, I haven't fully tested how long these last on my eyes without a primer, but I did try it out last night and it didn't move after 3-4 hours until I removed it.  

I was curious to see how my swatches would hold up against water, even though these don't claim to be waterproof.  Let's see:

And that was after mild rubbing trying to get it off of my hand, too.  Only some fading going on there.

Overall, I think these are seriously a great item to try out if you like eyeliners that are:

- Creamy

- Pigmented

- Long-lasting

- Smudge-able

- Affordable

(Side note:  I purchased this with my own money.  Although I work for Victoria's Secret, my review isn't bias or sponsored.  All opinions are 100% what I feel is true about the product.)

And finally, onto my quick and easy "no makeup" look.  I had to get ready quickly this morning (I overslept and my mom and I had plans to go out to lunch), so I figured what better time to do minimal makeup?  I wish the rest of my pictures had turned out, but I just couldn't capture this very well.  

Face:

- Neutrogena oil-free moisturizer for sensitive skin

- Victoria's Secret Mineral powder in Light 30

- ELF Studio Complexion Perfection (the VS powder has some shimmer to it, so I added this to tone it down)

- NYC Blushable Creme Stick in Plaza Pink 

- Benefit High Beam (on cheekbones, along bridge of nose, brow bones)

Eyes:

- VS Pro eyeshadow primer

- Nude matte eyeshadow from Coastal Scents 88 Matte palette (as allover wash- my eyelids get a little red in color so this evens everything out.  If I had a pigmented nude eye base, I would use that!)

- Medium brown eyeshadow from 88 Matte palette (pressed into upper lash line)

- MAC Eye Kohl in I Get No Kick (along upper and lower lashlines and inner corners)

- Physicians Formula Organic Wear mascara in Black

Lips:

- C.O. Bigelow Rose Salve 

My main focus was creating glow-y skin and brightened eyes.  I nixed foundation and just buffed in a face powder, then used a cream blush on the apples of my cheeks.  I highlighted my cheekbones, brow bones, and the bride of my nose with a liquid highlighter like Benefit High Beam.  

My eyes were kept really simple with two coats of mascara, a brightening eyeliner along the lower lash line, and a matte nude eyeshadow to even out the area.  I just applied the medium brown along my upper lash line to give a little depth!

Have a great night, guys!  Thanks for reading.  :)

A few recent purchases (makeup, skincare, fashion)

So, the plan was to do my 2010 favorites post this week.  The problem is I just realized that the majority of my makeup I left at school, and I won't be going back for another two weeks.  That one will have to wait a little while, I apologize, but I will get to it!  I know I've been enjoying reading everyone else's.  For now, I thought I'd do a quick post of a few new things I've gotten (And some much-needed!):

Makeup-

 

I've been REALLY frugal with buying makeup recently, because there are a few more "investment" type things I want and I can't justify buying makeup when I could be saving (Although I really want the new Too Faced Romantic eye palette- so pretty!).  

Victoria's Secret mineral pressed powder- I picked this up in the store last week when we marked a few things 75% off (usually beauty things go on sale a little before Semi-Annual sale starts).  Half of it is glittery and half is just a normal powder.  It's OK, but I'll probably just keep it for when I run out of my Bare Minerals mineral veil.  It's not very pigmented.  

Wet 'n' Wild Morbid nail polish- I picked this up on a whim at Walgreens.  It's so dark compared to what I usually wear!  But pretty, nonetheless.  

Covergirl Lash Blast Fusion- I've wanted this for the longest time!  I loved the way Lash Blast Volume worked for me, so this is a welcome addition to my makeup collection.  Expect a review shortly, as soon as I've had more time to play with it.

Skincare-

Aveeno Clear Complexion daily moisturizer- I got this at Target last weekend, and so far it's not anything amazing.  I'm going to keep it around for the spring, because for now I think I need something heavier (my skin gets so dry in the winter).

(Not pictured:) Aveeno Daily Moisturizing body lotion-  My dad has sworn up and down by this stuff for years, and finally I bought a bottle last week.  It's amazing!  I work out at night, and usually when I get to the gym I notice that my legs are on the dry side.  I applied this around 9am a few days ago, and when I went to the gym that night (around 8pm), my legs still looked moisturized.  I also love the smooth texture/how easy it sinks into my skin.  It's a little pricey at about $8 a bottle, but it's so worth it in my opinion. 

Fashion-

Victoria's Secret cotton t-shirt- Got this for $9.99 on sale yesterday during the Semi-Annual sale.  These are so soft and really flattering.  I got it mainly for sleeping/working out in.

Charlotte Russe tank tops- These were 2/$5 during their after-Christmas sale.  Score!  I really needed some more layering tops.

Forever 21 necklace and scarf- These were purchases made with a Discover gift card I got for Christmas.  The necklace is so girly and pretty, I love it!  And the scarf has this "destroyed" kind of look because of the frayed ends.

American Eagle coat- I needed a new winter coat so badly this season, and I saw this one a few months back when they first got it in stock but I worried it wouldn't be warm enough (it doesn't feel that heavy).  After looking for about three months with no luck (and having tried this one on again two more times), I decided to get it.  Here's the best part:  it was marked down on sale for $99, and then all redline items were an extra 30% off.  I only ended up paying $70 for it!  Awesome deal, especially when I was ready to fork over upwards of $200 for a good coat.  

The North Face hat- I also needed a warm hat, and I didn't want anything too out there or obnoxious-looking.  This was a little more than I wanted to pay ($30), but it has an inner lining around the ears that I know will be nice.  In Chicago I have to walk everywhere, so everyone wears hats, gloves, scarves, the works!

What have you guys purchased recently?  Anything with Christmas money or gift cards?  (Speaking of gift cards, I have to use up my Sephora one still.  I'm thinking of getting UDPP, but I'm unsure of which packaging to get.  I was thinking of seeing if my Sephora-which is inside a JCPenney- has the XL size, and if they do, I'll decide between that or just splurging on the Professional size.  I'm also not sure if I should get the original version or Eden.  I love that Eden conceals areas on the eye as well as primes.  Any thoughts?)

Review: Victoria's Secret VS Pro Eyeshadow Primer

This post is long overdue!  I knew the day I first gave this a full try that it was good, although I suppose an extra few weeks didn't hurt.  I usually have the problem of reviewing things too soon.

Anyway, this is the VS Pro eyeshadow primer from Victoria's Secret.  I hear about this left and right from the girls I work with, and like I've said before, they all love it.  So I decided to give it a whirl.

Price: $8.00 for 0.28oz

When you compare it to the similarly-packaged Too Faced Shadow Insurance, you are getting less product (Too Faced has 0.35oz but is $18.00). 

However, this is a much better value than Almay Bright Eyes eye base, which is about the same price ($8.99 at Walgreens) and 0.22oz.  

Formula: This is a very lightweight liquid that dries down to an invisible finish.  That's about how much I use for each eye- you really don't need much at all!

I'll show you my pictures taken in the morning/at night, and then I'll tell you what I like and dislike about  it.

AM:

PM (About 12 hours later):

(.....I can't wait until the swelling in my cheeks goes down.  It might just be me, but even from these pictures I can tell my face looks swollen!)

As you can see, this primer does its job- and in my opinion it does it well!  I really like that you don't need much product to cover the area, and it dries down to a finish that doesn't change the look of your eyeshadow.

Pros:

-Inexpensive and readily-available (To those of you who live in the USA)

-Eyeshadow adheres to formula and stays until you take it off (12+ hours- I've slept in mine on accident a few times and it lasts until morning)

-Squeeze packaging and flexibility allows you to get the last of the product out

Cons:

-Some might just as well pay more for cult-favorites like UDPP or Too Faced Shadow Insurance, which at $18.00 gives you 0.35oz of product

-Formula is invisible, so it doesn't work to correct imperfections on the eyelid

-Doesn't dry instantly- I find it takes me about 10-15 seconds.  This doesn't bother me as it's enough time to work with both eyes, but for some it might be a problem.

Overall, if you're in need of a new, inexpensive eyeshadow primer, Victoria's Secret has a hidden gem.  I'm getting a backup for mine before I'm officially "done working" for the summer!

Collective 'Haul': Random Goodies- Updated

Update:
So, I had a chance to try out the: Covergirl & ELF quads and B&BW Dark Kiss.  I am in LOVE with Dark Kiss- it smells so "expensive" and dark and mysterious!  The Covergirl quad is so pigmented!  I'm really impressed with this.  And lastly, the ELF quad isn't too pigmented like I said towards the end of this post, but it makes a really pretty neutral eye with a nice shading in the crease (Using the dark mauve color).  I'll try to do an EOTD soon with both of these.
-------------

I haven't done much heavy makeup buying the last week or two, but these are some random things I've purchased.  I keep going into Target or Walmart or wherever I am and only buying one little thing.  There hasn't been too much drugstore makeup that's screamed for my attention!

Top: Victoria's Secret Secret Garden hand & body creams in Luscious Kisses and Sweet Surrender

Middle: Maybelline single eyeshadow in Amethyst, Bath & Body Works lotion in Dark Kiss, ELF eyeshadow quad in Matte Mauve, Sinful Colors nail polish in Fiji

Bottom: Covergirl eyeshadow quad in Tropical Fusion

The VS hand & body creams I have wanted for so long!  Luscious Kisses has valencia orange, coconut and tonka bean; Sweet Surrender smells like jojoba butter.  

This Maybelline Amethyst eyeshadow is a really pretty purple.  If you have green or brown eyes, I think this would look gorgeous on you!  The pigmentation is also really nice.

Dark Kiss is the new scent from Bath & Body Works, so like with all their new scents, you can "preview" it in a travel size.  This is the $1 lotion.  It has black raspberry, plum, amber, vanilla bean, and balsam.  Very fall/winter.

This ELF Matte Mauve eyeshadow quad I've wanted from the website for a long time, but just never got.  I found it at my local Dollar Tree today!  They have a bunch of other ELF items, along with some Max Factor eyeshadows, Almay Pure Blends eyeshadows and lipglosses, and other new things.

Sinful Colors is on sale at Walgreens this week for $.99.  I picked up the color Fiji and really like it so far!  

Lastly is the Covergirl eyeshadow quad Tropical Fusion.  I stayed away from this because of my past experiences with poorly pigmented Covergirl single eyeshadows.  However, this one was just calling my name so I decided to try it.  Look how pigmented it is- at least for being Covergirl!

Obviously it's not crazy-pigmented, but for what I expected, it performed great.  I can't wait to try this on my eyes.  

Swatches of Maybelline Amethyst and ELF Matte Mauve:

The lowest performer in this group is definitely the ELF quad.  I thought this would be just as nice as my other quads, but it just failed in comparison.   

I'd highly recommend the VS Sweet Surrender hand cream.  Actually, any of the three in this collection are really moisturizing and light (There's one with cocoa butter and one with shea).

Thanks for reading!  And thanks also for bearing with my random posts.  I know I said to expect normal posting to resume, but my sister was here and we were spending every last minute together. 

Tomorrow I get my wisdom teeth out, so as long as I'm awake and not feeling terrible, I should have lots of time to post.  :)

<3

New Wet 'n' Wild ColorIcon Eyeliners + VS Eyeshadow Primer

I'm sure most of you have seen the Wet 'n' Wild 'Craze' LE displays at your drugstores, but I've only seen a couple in my area (Which I attribute to living in the middle of nowhere in the Midwest).  They've all been random and different.  This is the first display I've seen at my Walgreens- the rest were at ShopKo.

(Sorry for cell-phone picture quality!)

This was just a tiny stand next to the Jordana/Sinful Colors products, but I've never seen these particular Craze products before.  They are duo eyeshadows!  I didn't pick any up just because none of the colors jumped right out at me, but I'd love to hear if anyone else has seen or tried these.

Onto the Wet 'n' Wild Craze products I did purchase: their new, reformulated eyeliners.  This was a similar display to the one I saw at Walgreens, except it was at ShopKo and there were just eyeliners.  I'm sorry I couldn't get a picture of this- employees kept walking by and I got paranoid.  

With these reformulated eyeliners, Wet 'n' Wild came out with some new colors.  I think there are four total, but I purchased the three that looked prettiest to me: Olive, Purple, and Amethyst.

(To the far right is another new addition to my eyeliner family, Rimmel Exaggerate eyeliner in Emerald Sparkle.  It has great staying power!  It lasted through my sweaty workout last night!)

(Olive, Purple, Amethyst, Rimmel Emerald Sparkle)

I just applied Olive to my upper lashline about a half hour ago, and I have Amethyst on my lower.  So obviously I can't yet give you a full review, but expect one to come.  I think these shades are SO gorgeous, wearable, and they apply really smooth.  Has anyone tried Wet 'n' Wild H20 Proof pencil eyeliners?  Possibly the hardest eyeliner ever?  They are about 1,000,000 times creamier than those.  

(Olive, Purple, Amethyst, Rimmel Emerald Sparkle)

So definitely expect an update when I've had time to fully review these.  At only $.99 a piece, I had to at least try them.

Onto what I purchased at work (Victoria's Secret)- Victoria's Secret VS Pro Lasting FX eyeshadow primer.

This retails at $8, and all the girls I work with constantly rave about it.  I should note the ones I'm thinking of aren't too into makeup, so I don't know if they've used other eyeshadow primers before, but I decided to finally see for myself.  It's a liquid cream texture that blends colorless.  It seems kind of oily, so I don't know how this would work on those with oiler eyelids.  Mine are on the dry side so I don't think this will be a problem for me.  I re-did my eye makeup and used this a half hour ago, so I'll let you know how this works for me too.  :)

Ingredients:
Isododecane, Cyclopentasiloxane, Talc, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, Polythylene, Tryhydroxystearin, Disteardimonium Hectorite, VP/Eicosene Copolymer, Beeswax (Cera Alba, Cire d'abeille), Dimethicone, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Isopropyl Lanolate, Propylene Carbonate, Silica, Phenoxyethanol, PEG-40 Stearate, Polybutene, Methylparaben, Mica, Butylparaben, Ethylparaben, Isobutylparaben, Propylparaben,, Titanium Dioxide, Iron Dioxide.

Tried any of these?  I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Perfume: My Favorite Warm Winter & Light Summer Picks

Since I started working in the beauty side of Victoria's Secret, I've come a long way in the world of perfume!  I never used to wear it let alone think it was at all worth my time.  But now I just love it.  Wearing something that smells good makes me feel 100 times better.  It's the perfect way to complete my "look", if that makes sense.

I'm very seasonal with my perfume; I have a hard time wearing heavier scents right now, or lighter scents during the fall/winter.  These are my top picks for perfumes I like in the spring/summer, and then ones I can't get enough of during the colder months (And no surprise- most of them are either from VS or B&BW).  I tossed in a couple of my favorite lotions, too, because I can't get enough of them.  :)

Light scents for warmer weather

(Descriptions talk about the products above from left to right):

Coconut Lime Verbena from Bath & Body Works is an old favorite.  I love this travel size of the lotion too, because it fits perfectly in my purse.  

Fresh. Sugar Lemon perfume was featured in my June favorites post here.  It's such a citrus-y, summery scent.  

Victoria's Secret Dream Angels Heavenly Flowers perfume is a discontinued scent that was brought out this spring.  A big reason it's popular is because it smells similar to Heavenly Bloom, a discontinued scent from 2009.  I personally like Bloom better, but this is a nice alternative and smells, well, like the title: Flowers!

VS At First Sight body spray is part of the Secret Moments collection.  It has notes of "romantic violet and bergamot", and when I spray this I just feel like summer.  I often overlook this scent.  I love it, but don't reach for it as much as I should.  

VS Very Sexy Now 2010 perfume is seriously so YUMMY.  That's one of the best descriptions of it I can give.  It has notes of frangipani nectar, jungle lily, and purple orchid.  The perfume doesn't hang onto my skin for too too long, maybe 3-4 hours tops, but I enjoy it all the same.  One of the best Very Sexy Now's I've smelled.

Warm scents for cooler weather

(Descriptions from left to right):

Sensual Amber from B&BW is one I like to put on right before bed, after I take a shower.  It's one of my favorite "relaxing" scents.  I hate to say it, but between Victoria's Secret Amber Romance lotion and this one, I have to choose Sensual Amber.  I swear I'm not a traitor!

Victoria's Secret Parfums Intimes Velvet body spray is my "go-to" warm, winter scent.  I'd get the perfume in this if I had some extra money!  My mom got me a gift set with the four different scents included in the Parfums Intimes collection for Christmas, this one included, so that explains why it's so small.  It has notes of amber and blackberry in it, and it's just divine!  On me I smell more of the blackberry than I do the amber- probably my favorite part about it.

VS PINK Warm & Cozy body spray has "toasted vanilla, pink peony, and raspberry" notes.  Normally I dislike peony, but you can't really smell it in this spray.  Another favorite of mine from the PINK body collection is the Sweet & Flirty (The purple logo).

VS DA Heavenly Kiss perfume is one I just bought today!  We had these at our semi-annual sale, and there were some leftover.  It's an older one that was discontinued, but gets brought back for the sales.  It's an early birthday present for myself that I got so my mom can gift it to me later, haha. It has vanilla, red berry, freesia, and jasmine in it.  In my opinion, it's versatile enough to be worn all year round.  My current favorite!

VS DA Heavenly Enchanted body spray was probably my 2nd favorite behind Velvet last fall/winter.  It's limited edition as well, unfortunately, but is really nice and warm.  It has notes of amber, raspberry, and coconut milk.  

Have you tried any of these scents?  What are your favorite for the different seasons, or do you wear whatever you feel like no matter the time of year?  

Thanks for reading!

Randoms

1) On a completely unrelated topic, look at what happened to my new Victoria's Secret eyeshadow palette (The one I purchased at the Semi-annual sale and did my most recent purple EOTD with):

!!!!!!!!

It fell out of my makeup drawer and hit my tile floor!  I was so mad.  Luckily it's not completely destroyed...

2) And another stupid thing I did on Tuesday, but just noticed it while I was in the shower this morning:

LOL.  So there I was at Target, thinking, "I need new shampoo.  Oh!  I should try the new Pantene stuff."  So I decide to get the kind for fine hair (I probably should've gone with the kind for medium-thick hair, but I wanted the volume stuff), and I'm looking at the different types.  They have one to get "Fragile to Strong" hair, and another to get "Flat to Volume" hair.  I don't know how I ended up with THESE, one Fragile to Strong conditioner and one Flat to Volume 2 in 1.  I never use 2 in 1, haha.  Whoops!  

3) Anyway, I'm going with my boyfriend to his hometown today/tonight.  It's out in the country, but it's also on a lake, so we're going to go swimming/to the beach and stuffs.  This is the first time so far this summer that I've really had to "summer-proof" my makeup.  Unfortunately I don't have waterproof mascara, but I'm wearing my Maybelline Mineral Power powder foundation on my face, Benefit High Beam on my browbones and cheekbones, and then just some eyeliner (My trusty Clinique Quickliner) along with mascara.  

I rarely wear this little makeup, and I practically ALWAYS wear eyeshadow.  But I think it'll do me just fine considering it's going to be 90+ degrees and 70% humidity.  Lovely!  :)

4) This didn't occur to me until today, but has anyone ever tried using paint brushes as makeup brushes? I wouldn't like throw out all my makeup brushes and only use paint brushes, but maybe having a few to complete my collection.  There are a few kinds of brushes I would like to have but don't want to dish out $$ on (Hobby Lobby has some decent prices, so I was thinking of checking out their selection).  Have you ever used paint brushes for makeup?

5) I achieved Carpenter Bee status on BzzAgent, haha!  Woopee!

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

EOTD: Shimmery Purple and First OOTD! (Pic heavy)

I haven't done a look on here in awhile.  That wasn't on purpose at all, I just wasn't doing anything too interesting (I've been getting a lot of use out of my E.L.F. Nouveau Neutrals eyeshadow palette, if that gives you any idea of the eye looks I've been doing!).  This EOTD actually isn't too exciting either, but I haven't worn purple eyeshadow in awhile and I was missing it.  It used to be the color I'd wear on a daily basis.
This look is using my Victoria's Secret "Savage Beauty" mineral eyeshadow quad in Safari Chic (See this post for pictures and swatches).  That quad was actually my main motivation for doing a purple EOTD, so I'm glad I had it handy!  A note about the eyeshadows, before I continue:  they aren't that pigmented.  I'm pretty disappointed, as I thought they were more intense, but unfortunately I have to re-apply the color to my eyes several times to achieve my desired pigmentation.  They sure are pretty, though!

(Excuse my eyelashes, too- this is the result of a failed attempt at using The Falsies mascara, so I added about three others on top of it LOL)

(Bad angle on my nose, whoops!)

What I used

Eyes:

-E.L.F. All Over Cover Stick in light beige (I've been seeing how this works as an eyeshadow base, because I couldn't put up with how badly Almay's eye base was drying out my lids.  The E.L.F. doesn't work THAT well, but it's not too bad either)

-VS eyeshadow quad in Safari Chic- the dark purple, light purple, and shimmery champagne for a highlight

-Wet 'n' Wild Idol Eyes eyeliner in Dark Brown

-Maybelline The Falsies mascara (Review to come!), along with Covergirl LashBlast and Maybelline Colossal Volum' Express

Face:

-Maybelline The Eraser treatment makeup in Buff Beige

-N.Y.C. Translucent Mosaic face powder

-E.L.F. Studio blush in Mellow Mauve 

Lips:

-E.L.F. Hypershine lip gloss in Blossom

Now onto my OOTD.  I've never done one of these before, just an FYI, lol.  I'm wearing a few things I got in the cities last weekend, though (Actually everything except my flip flops and tank top).  

(A better picture of my shoes- that's Sinful Colors Mint Apple on my toes, if you're wondering :)

Tank top- American Eagle

Cardigan- Heritage 1981

Scarf- Wet Seal

Pants- Heritage 1981

Flip flops- AE

I wish the weather would stay warm here.  It's not cold exactly, but the sun hasn't been staying out for too long either.  :(

Thanks for reading!

Victoria's Secret Semi-Annual Haul #1

I say "#1" because I'm sure this won't be the last of my hauling, haha.  I work there, so we just go nuts over these sales (And it's so hard to work around the products and not end up buying most of it!).
I actually did pretty good not spending much; my total was only $50.  Which is quite A LOT for me, but for how much I expected to spend today, I'm ok with it.
Everything I bought besides the swimsuit (All the beauty products) were either 75% or 50% off.

-Savage Beauty mineral eyeshadow quad in Safari Chic- Regularly $15, on sale for $3.75.

-Naturally VS lotion in Honeysuckle & White Patchouli- Regularly $12, on sale for $3.00.  (I love this lotion!  It's so soft and light.)

-PINK lip glosses in Plum Berry (light pink shimmer) and Cherry (Red)

-Matching bikini top & bottom- Regularly $24.00 each, on sale for $12.99 each.

-Vertical cologne 1.7oz- Regular $44.00, on sale for $11.00.

(I felt very generous today and decided I'd buy my boyfriend a little present for being so wonderful :)

If any of you are familiar with the Savage Beauty limited edition makeup line, it also had a mineral bronzer, called Wild Thing.  I found ONE last one in the bottom of the bin this morning and snapped it up, but then later realized it was far too brown for my light skin.  Too bad, because it was also $3.75 and super gorgeous!  

It's funny, because at the beginning of my shift I had a HUGE bag of beauty goodies I thought I'd buy, and by the time I left I had second thoughts about most of it.  LOL.  Goes to show that impulse buying leads to a lot of things you probably don't really need.

Oh, and before I end this, I wanted to show you swatches of the eyeshadow quad and lip glosses.  

Safari Chic

Isn't it pretty?  I tried this on my eyes back when the collection first launched in our store, and the colors are really pretty on.

Plum Berry, Cherry

These are flavored, and like the Beauty Rush 2/$12 and 5/$20 lip glosses, they seem to last quite awhile. I removed mine after trying it out because it was time for lunch, otherwise I'd tell you for sure.  :)

Have you hauled anything from all these recent sales?  I've noticed a lot of "SALE" shopping bags around in my mall, so I know VS isn't the only one going on.  I'd love to hear any goodies or deals you've found!  

Reminder and FYI

The Victoria's Secret Semi-Annual Sale starts tomorrow, June 15th!  Shop early- most stores open at 8:00am.  I'm super excited!  I love sales.

And FYI, my camera died last night (I seriously go through AA batteries every few days with this camera, is that how most digitals are?), and I haven't been able to get new batteries yet.  I need to stop by the store soon.  Batteries are just something I hate spending money on, you know?  They're not cheap cheap either.  Anyway, just a little heads-up as to why I won't be posting my own pictures today.
Thanks for bearing with me!

Here are some cute kitties to entertain you :)

This Makes Me Happy...

Today, I discovered a less expensive version of one of my favorite (high-end) fragrances, Viva La Juicy by Juicy Couture.  It is Victoria's Secret's Supermodel fragrance!
Now, this one isn't new to me.  I've been a long time fan of Victoria's Secret perfumes, and I tried Supermodel what seems like ages ago.  But it wasn't until today that I realized how much it reminds me of Viva La Juicy.  This is so awesome, guys!  I just can't rationalize spending $65+ on a perfume, let alone over $50, and since Viva La Juicy is $85 for 3.4oz, it's just completely out of my budget.  I do know that there are retailers that sell it for less- I think Gordman's has a decent price- but usually the size is much smaller too.
Supermodel is $39 for 1oz and $49 for 2.5oz.  It's not exactly the same fragrance, obviously, but I spritzed my wrists with each one today and they were quite similar (At least enough to save some money).
I'm going to wait until VS's semi-annual sale this summer to see if it maybe goes on sale, but if it doesn't, I still think I'll be eager to try it out.

What is your favorite fragrance?  Have you ever found near-dupes for it?

(PS- Expect a haul post either tonight or tomorrow morning!  I have some new goodies.  I need to stop spending money now, goodness!)

(Photos from http://www.victoriassecret.com and http://www.sephora.com)