Walgreens, CVS And Wal-Mart, Oh My!

I did a little bit of shopping today.

I really shouldn't have, but it's been eating at me.

My fiance doesn't read my blogs, so he'll never know!

Walgreens:

Lashes for $1.09 & Sinful Colors in Pink Forever

CVS

$1.94

Wal-Mart

Nicole by O.P.I Gone Wishin'

Wet n Wild Spoiled Brat (the black is actually shimmery)

Some nail files.

And the shatter/crackle nail polish obsession begins..

Ever since buying OPI Silver Shatter last week, I've made a habit of staring at my nails for long periods of time.  This developed into a minor obsession with everything shatter nail polish (I mean, the beginning of an obsession).  My boyfriend has since heard all about the different shatters I've seen online- he moved me home last weekend and was here this week- so last night, he suggested we go over to Walgreens and see if the Sally Hansen crackles were available.  Before I continue, I have to mention how adorable he is about my love affair with makeup/nails.  He always shows what seems like genuine interest in my nails (I'm sure he could care less but he sure acts like he cares when I change them!) and wants to see them.  I've always been a little shy/embarrassed about having makeup as a hobby, but it's great that he doesn't see it as a silly thing.  Anyway, I just thought it was the sweetest thing that he was more than willing to go look at nail polish with me last night, haha.  This whole shatter nail polish craze has gotten me back "into" nail polish- and I'm so glad!

So my Walgreens had the new Sally Hansen crackle overcoat nail polish display, and originally I picked up Antiqued Gold.  I actually got home and realized that I didn't like it as much as I thought I would, so today I returned it for Ink Splatter, which is a plain black.  I decided to try it with a few different shades:

Sally Hansen Crackle Overcoat in Ink Splatter

Thumb- Hard Candy Sky (pale blue with faint micro shimmer)

Index- Icing Mint 2 Be (pale mint- leans green)

Middle- ELF Moonlight (metallic silvery beige)

Ring- Revlon Lilac Pastelle (light lilac- leans pink)

Pinky- Wet 'n' Wild Shield (Craze LE- metallic shimmery antique gold)

Before last night, I totally wasn't sold on the idea of a black shatter.  I didn't look twice at OPI Black Shatter.  I'm definitely in love with this one, though.  It works on so many colors!

The brush is really thin making it a little difficult to apply, but the formula is thin enough that it's workable.  Sally Hansen Antiqued Gold was thicker and was definitely tougher to apply than Ink Splatter.  I'm still trying to get the hang of applying shatters- they're tricky!  I think I did my pinky the best in the swatches above, but thankfully this finish is pretty forgiving.  

Anyway, have you tried these new drugstore crackle polishes?  

Beauty Haul For The Day!

I totally did a little tiny bit of shopping today!

It has been a while since I have, so I guess it's okay...

AND 2 of my items were completely free :)

I had two coupons I got in the mail for these free products...

Now if any of your read my previous post on the L'Oreal Sublime Mousse Color, you'd know I was pleased :) About a month ago John Frieda had a survey going on their Facebook, and I completed it, so I got this free!

Also, on Facebook, I entered the free product giveaway thingy, and I got chosen to get a coupon for any new Suave Professionals. I have severely thin, limp hair, so I am trying this one.

These are my new nail polishes :)

Sinful Colors:Black on Black, Claire's: I luv the 80's,

Claire's: Black Crackle, Sally Hansen Crackle: Fuchsia Shock

AND since I got my fake nails off, I decide to try this....

Hope it works :)

Hope you enjoyed my little haul...haha

Mini haul on a snowy day & first thoughts!

Today after work, I decided it was time to get myself over to Sephora (inside JCPenney) and use my $25 gift card.  That kind of 'ignited' the shopping bug inside of me, which led to a trip to both Walgreens.  I'm so pleased with the things I got and I hardly made a dent in my wallet!

I was pretty sure I wanted to buy UDPP with my Sephora gift card, but I didn't know what size/type.  I had severe hang-ups about the packaging of the original size (I've read negative review after negative review), so I was going to get the professional size.  What I didn't realize is how HUGE that thing really is!  So inconvenient for traveling, but I was ready to put up with it.  That is, until the SA asked if I was finding everything OK and told her my dilemma.  She showed me the original/sin duo (which I didn't think they'd have in store), and explained that the applicator is 'bent' to help with the awkward packaging (which I also had read in reviews but hearing it from the SA sold me apparently), so I grabbed it.  Two UDPPs, full size, for a little more than the price of one!  Well, $8 more to be exact; the duo is $26.  But with my gift card I only paid $2 and some change out of pocket.  I'm so pleased.

Next, I stopped by the fourth Walgreens I've been to in the last 2 days in search of the new Wet 'n' Wild products.  Success!  I knew what I wanted (Silent Treatment), and the only thing they didn't have in stock was all of the eyeliners (they had Olive and Purple, which I have already).  I got Silent Treatment eyeshadow trio, and Princess bronzer from the regular line.

These eyeshadows are soo buttery and pigmented!  To me, they feel even more so than the old trios.  Get this one, fellow neutral-lovers.  It's the most neutral of the new trios.

I had read good reviews about the Princess bronzer, and since I'm in need of a new bronzer (one that isn't too crazy shimmery), I figured I'd get it now while it's 50% off at Wags.  It's so pretty!

That is one 'heavy' swipe of my finger- this guy is pigmented!  But don't be alarmed, because he's gorgeous used with a light hand and blended in.

Stay tuned for some looks utilizing these products!  I'm especially excited to use the UDPPs- I tried out Sin using the Wet 'n' Wild trio, and I'm loving it so far (except blending was a little hard.  I don't know if it's the UD or WnW yet).

Thanks for reading!

Black Friday Hauls! (Makeup, Bath/Body, Clothes)

Black Friday could very well be my new favorite day of the year.  Almost better than Christmas- you just don't see these kinds of deals on a regular basis!  And it wasn't until I started working in retail that I realized just how many sales go on.
So obviously I did a little shopping, first Friday morning at 3:30am with my cousins, and then Friday afternoon/today with my mom of course (she's my favorite person to go with!).  It's just not the same by myself.  This was the first year I woke up super early and braved the crowds, too.  Let me just say it isn't worth it for me!  My cousins and I stood in lines at Target and Kohl's that wrapped all the way around the stores.  It was beyond insane, and the things I bought I could have gotten any other time.  But hey, you live and learn.  :)
Shopping Friday afternoon/today with my mom was the most fun.  The clothes she bought for me as intentional Christmas presents, but then decided I could just have them now.  Mom, you are seriously too good to me!
(I think it's because I'm home on break and have been gone all semester.  She did the same thing when my sister was away at school!)

Anyway, here's everything I got (It looks like so much!  I'm telling myself it's OK because I've been really strict with my purchases the last couple of months.. haha, oh, rationalization).

Target: (not pictured- Maybelline Mineral Power Powder Foundation- I needed another!) Aveeno Positively Radiant moisturizer SPF 30, Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash scrub, Yes to Carrots Pomegranate lip butter, Secret Fresh Effects Cucumber Aloe deodorant/body spray (came as a set), Venus razor refills

Walgreens: Maybelline Mocha Velvet blush (on clearance for $2.99 and I used a $1 off coupon from redplum.com, making it only $2!)

Dollar Tree: NYC Deep Plum liquid eyeliner, Almay Pure Blends mascara, Maybelline Pink Halo Dream Mousse eyeshadow, Revlon Tempting Teal matte eyeshadow

A few quick notes- I'm currently suffering from severely dry lips and heard good things about these Yes to Cucumber lip balms.  My first impressions of it aren't the best, but I'm hopeful!  Also, the NYC liquid eyeliner and Almay mascara are going in the trash- thankfully they were only $2 total from the dollar store.  I used to love the Aveeno Positively Radiant moisturizer when I was younger, so I'm excited to try it again.  And I'm LOVING the smell of the Secret deodorant/body spray!  Usually I dislike "fresh" scents, but I'm a fan of the quality of these deodorants and Target had bonus packs of deodorants and body mists for only $3.99.  This one is lovely.  I used to use the "coco butter kiss" scent, but grew tired of it.

Bath & Body Works: I haven't been to a Bath & Body Works in FOREVER!  They don't have one near me in Chicago, so I was just so anxious to go shopping.  I used my coupon for a free item up to $13 with a purchase of $10+, and got the Dark Kiss body lotion+spray.  I bought these in the mini sizes when they first came out and I repeatedly get compliments when I wear them.  I wanted the eau de toilette but didn't want to spend more money on perfume, because when I was at working at Victoria's Secret I bought...

(I forgot to take a picture, sorry!)

VS Shine Pink perfume!  It was on sale for 50% off, so I only paid $15 after tax.  I've loved this one ever since it first came out, but couldn't justify buying it.  It has peach and tiare flower in it- a lovely fruity-floral.  

Hollister: The leather jacket and ruffled cardigan are from here.  I've steered clear of Hollister for years, and it wasn't until I somehow came across the website that I decided I needed to give it another shot.  If it weren't for the logos splattered across half of the clothes I would have totally bought more!  The jacket was a great deal, though- $50- half off of the regular price of $99.

Charlotte Russe: The jeans I got along with a skirt, lace top, and two pairs of tights, but last few are getting wrapped up for Christmas.  :)  I really needed a new pair of jeans, so I hope these last a fair while!  Charlotte Russe had everything 25-50% off, so they were discounted a little. 

The lace print headband I got from Target.  They have a lot of cute, girly ones!  

Whew!  Thanks for reading, guys.  Unfortunately I left my camera at school (I used my mom's), so no makeup swatches/pictures.  I tried to change my mom's camera's settings but I just couldn't get it right.  

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving/shopping time!  The weekend isn't over yet, though, and Cyber Monday is around the corner.  And my bank account hasn't been totally emptied.... ;)

Wet 'n' Wild LE Holiday Craze eyeshadow palettes (I FINALLY found them!)

Oh man you guys, I've been looking for these Wet 'n' Wild Color Icon palettes ever since the very first pictures went around (When there was word they were only at Meijer grocery stores- which are in my area but not close enough for me to access).  Ever since then, my sole purpose of going to Walgreens and CVS was to find them!  They were part of the only LE display I was really interested in.  So, you can imagine my excitement when I saw the WnW 'Holiday Craze' display at my local Walgreens this afternoon.  These two palettes, Snow Sprite and Sugar Plum Fairy, were the only ones left- and conveniently the ones I wanted most.
I took a picture of the barren display.  Hopefully you can see these two sitting by their lonesome:

But anyway, here are a few pictures/swatches for you to refer to incase you've been searching high and low like I have.

Left: Sugar Plum Fairy, Right: Snow Sprite

They all come with a matching Color Icon eyeliner (I have the full-sized purple one- these seem to be the same as the ones that were 'released' this summer with a new formula and colors)

Sugar Plum Fairy:

Swatches: (far right is bottom row, middle is middle row, far left is top row)

The lighter colors didn't show up too well for me, especially the top right cream-colored shade.  It's almost identical to my skin tone.

Snow Sprite:

Swatches:

This palette showed up much nicer for me than Sugar Plum Fairy did.  They're both equally pretty, though!

Eyeliners: Purple, Silver

Have you guys seen these popping up around your area?  I'm interested to see the other two in person, even though from swatches I've seen online I don't know if I'm in love with the colors.  

Off to take a test now :/  Have a good evening!

I've been away... and a few new things

I'm so so sorry I haven't blogged this week!  School picked up a LOT late last week, and then this weekend my boyfriend and parents came to visit me.  This week I've been feeling kind of "off" (I'm still trying to figure out what I'm doing wrong), so all of that combined led to the infrequent posting.  I hope you guys understand!
This weekend was a great time spent with my boyfriend and parents.  My boyfriend has never been to the city before, so it was a nice change of pace for him especially.  Here are a few pictures:

This was at the Buckingham Fountain in Grant Park

Looking down from the Sky Deck on the 103rd floor of Willis (Sears) Tower- I almost got sick, lol!

On a river boat tour that went out on Lake Michigan

We took a TON of pictures, but I won't spam this entire post.  I'm happy I finally got to do more tourist things!  And it was the first time I've been on the lake, so that was beautiful.

Anyway, I've inadvertently put myself on a shopping ban of every kind the last week or two.  I really didn't mean to, but there hasn't been much that isn't ridiculously out of my price range that has "spoken" to me.  Haha.  I shop by the motto that if you don't get that excited feeling when you see something, it's not for you.  

This weekend, though, I took a much-needed trip to Target.  I picked up Maybelline Full 'n' Soft mascara, and Garnier Nutritioniste Moisture Rescue gel-cream moisturizer (I had two coupons- a $2.00 and a $1.00, so in total I got it for about $4!).  Afterwards I went to Walgreens where they have select Wet 'n' Wild products 50% off.  I've been looking for darker lip color, and being $.49 I thought the Silk Finish lipstick in Dark Wine would be a good place to start.  I seriously love this color!  I'll feature this in a look sometime soon, don't worry.

(I'll also do some kind of review on the Garnier moisturizer once I've used it awhile)

I also got this cute knit hat from Forever 21 tonight... just because.  :)  I definitely don't need it or anything, just felt like buying myself something.  Hey, it's been a rough week!  ;)

Thanks for bearing with me, again- I know my blog has been ridiculously slow!  And I've fallen behind with responding to comments, but I read each and every one.  You guys are awesome.

<3

Best Makeup Deals of the Week!

Hey guys, today I'm going to do another small post about some great deals I've seen so far this morning.  It's a typical Sunday morning for me to devour my favorite drugstore/makeup websites for the new ads, coupons, and deals of the week (Specifically Target/coupons, CVS, Walgreens, ULTA, Sephora, Redplum.com, and Coupons.com).  I've seen some pretty good deals so far, most especially at ULTA, so I thought I'd let you know about some of them.

ULTA

- Revlon, Maybelline, NYX, Physicians Formula 40% off

- ULTA brand buy 3 get 3 free

- OPI, Essie, China Glaze, Piggy Polish, CHI Orly BOGO 50% off
(Click HERE to print off a $3.50/$10 purchase coupon!)

Walgreens

- Wet 'n' Wild 50% off (Great time to stock up if you want to try some of these products! See my label "Wet 'n' Wild" for a bunch of posts)

- Revlon BOGO 50% off

- Neutrogena BOGO 50% off

CVS

- Covergirl BOGO 50% off

- Covergirl Clean foundation $4 each

- Revlon Double Twist mascara and Colorburst lipstick $7 each

- Revlon Custom Creations foundation $12 each

- Revlon spend $15 get $6 ECB

- Rimmel Lash Accelerator $8.99 get $2 ECB

- Physicians Formula bronzer or powder $5.99 each

- Sally Hansen BOGO 50% off

If you have any other good deals/coupons you'd like to share, feel free to add them in the comments!  

Maybelline Haul & First Impressions (Walgreens)

This is an awesome week to stock up on both Maybelline and Revlon products if you need to!  They are 40% off at Walgreens, so it's also the perfect time to use any coupons you may have.  Redplum.com has printable coupons for $2.00 off any Maybelline foundation or lip product, and both of the Walgreens near me have LE displays that have $1.00 off tearpads for either any Maybelline product or any eyeshadow/eyeliner.  I took advantage of both in this haul!  I'll go into more detail about how I paid for everything at the end.

(Left to right: Expert Wear eyeshadow trio in Charming Cobalt LE, Color Sensational lip gloss in Shimmering Sands, Instant Age Rewind Double Face Perfector in Light, Unstoppable eyeliner in Sapphire) 

Cobalt Blue eyeshadow:

(lid, crease, highlight)

I first saw this trio over in Gianna's post, and then I saw it in person sometime last week.  I wasn't really feeling it for it's retail price of $5.99, but with the 40% off deal plus the $1.00 off tearpad coupon on the LE display, I thought just under $3.00 was reasonable.  The only complaint I have about this trio is the pigmentation.  It's not terrible, but it's not fabulous, either.  

Swatches of Shimmering Sands lip gloss and Sapphire eyeliner:

I'm excited to wear this lip gloss.  It's a pretty, shimmery nude color, and my guess is that it isn't too pigmented.  It will probably be a good one to keep in my purse- goes with everything, easy to apply.

The Unstoppable eyeliners have become an underrated favorite of mine.  I have another in the color Jade, which is a deep forest green.  They really do stay put but you can easily smudge them if you're going for that kind of look.  Sapphire is a not-quite navy blue; I'd say it's a touch brighter than what I'd define as "navy".  Different than what I was expecting, but still nice nonetheless.  

Double Face Perfector concealer/highlighter in Light:

!! This is the one I was most excited for.  I know Jamie has raved about this duo, so I've been waiting for a good sale to go out and try it for myself!  I tried it out just a bit ago and the concealer is really pigmented and covers all my imperfections.  I hope I still like it after using it awhile.

Here is the breakdown of how much everything cost me before tax, including the 40% discount and coupons:

-lip gloss: $3.89 ($2.00 off any Maybelline lip color from Redplum.com)= $1.89

-concealer/highlighter: $5.87 ($1.00 off any Maybelline cosmetic tear pad coupon from LE display)= $4.87

-eyeliner: $4.79

-eyeshadow trio: $3.59 ($1.00 off any Maybelline eyeshadow/eyeliner tear pad coupon from LE display)= $2.59

Total: $14.14

Chicago has 9.75% so obviously I had to pay that, but it was only a little over a dollar.

I still have my $2.00 any Maybelline foundation coupon waiting to be used.  Any recommendations?  Anything else I need to try?  Or if there's anything here that I bought today that you love, definitely leave a comment and let me know!  I love hearing what you guys like/dislike.

Have a great day!

$0.49 Chex Mix!?

This is a crazy good deal, but it's super easy and didn't require much detective work on my part to find.

Here's how to get Chex Mix for less than $0.50!

1.  Head over to one of these sites to print off a coupon for $0.50 off 1 bag of 4.5oz or larger bag of Chex Mix (which is basically the standard size bag)
- Coupons.com
- Allyou.com
2.  Get yourself over to Walgreens and pick up a bag- they're on sale for $0.99 this week!
3.  Take your bag to the cash register, hand the cashier your coupon, and dig in your pocket for two quarters.

And there you go!
Being a college student on a tight budget, I'm totally stocking up this week.  Unfortunately my printer gave me problems so I reached the print limit on Allyou.com (I clicked it too many times), but for anyone else it should work fine.  There was another of the same coupon available on Smartsource.com this morning, but it's not showing up for me anymore.

Good luck!  Happy Chex Mix!

Maybelline Dream Smooth Mousse foundation

Happy birthday to me....!   Haha.  Finally!  It feels like I've been waiting/anticipating my 19th birthday for a long time.  My friends are going to a school thing during the day today, but later we're going to a really amazing true Chicago-style pizza place.  Yum.

Anyway, the Maybelline Dream Smooth Mousse foundation was one I heard both good and "meh" reviews about.  I really had no intention of buying it, especially since I'm not too into foundation, but I found it on clearance at Walgreens for $4.99 this week and decided to try it.  Besides, I've been curious about this line ever since Maybelline came out with it.

I'm actually coming around to it quite a bit!  I was going to do a full review on it, but decided against it.  I've said time and time again that I'm not keen on foundations, so I don't consider myself "qualified" to write you a review of this.  I thought instead I'd just give you a run-down of what I like/dislike about it.

So enough talking, let's begin!

The packaging is a little bulky IMO; it's a thick plastic jar with a top that lifts up to reveal the sponge applicator.  You have to unscrew the lid to get to the foundation.

I got mine in the color 200 Creamy Natural.  It's kind of hard to tell what the color looks like from the jar (As in when you're in the store), and after looking at the shades available online I was surprised to find this was 3 away from the lightest shade.  Anyway, it looks a lot darker in the pan than it does on my skin, but's actually a pretty close match for me (Which was hard to believe- I thought I was lighter than this!).

Anyway, here is a swatch of the product- one light swipe of my finger.  You can tell how pigmented this stuff is:

It has that awesome mousse consistency that I wanted to try so badly!  Now, I haven't tried many medium-full coverage foundations, but I'd say this lies within the light to more medium range and is pretty buildable.  Does that sound about right?  

I used my ELF Studio powder brush to apply it, and was able to use a small amount for a fairly light application.  This is great for me because I hate foundations that 1) feel like you have makeup on, and 2) look like you have it on.  I'm trying to just get used to having more than powder on my face, too.  This has been fairly easy to get used to so far.

Here's a picture of what it looks like on me, after applying powder:

I'm just thankful that it gives me pretty natural-looking coverage.

I do notice a little fading at the end of the day, however I was doing comparisons after my gym workout, so maybe I should have checked how it looked before sweating!  I did read that this was a problem for some people though.

I'm going to keep using this for awhile, especially since I've been breaking out more and need heavier coverage than I used to. 

Have you tried this, or are you using it currently?  What are your thoughts on it?  Feel free to expand in the comments!

I Found It! Sally Hansen Hidden Treasure

You guys, Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Hidden Treasure really suits its name.  Don't you think?  It's definitely a hidden treasure in my opinion.  It was always sold out at my Walgreens when the LE collection was available.  The first time I saw it in person was a few months ago at Walmart, although I didn't buy it because I was really tight on money and spending $7 on a nail polish still felt like too much.  However, after that, I knew that if I saw it again I needed to buy it.  Pictures of it online just looked too beautiful not to!
So when I found it today at Walgreens, I snatched it up.  It was just sitting there by itself on the shelf next to the Revlon Just Add Sparkle LE collection.  I used my $.50/1 Sally Hansen nail polish coupon from Redplum which helped a little, too.
Time for pictures!

This one really is ridiculously hard to capture in pictures- I know people had said that, but I didn't realize how true it was!
I swatched this over five nail polishes: Rimmel Violet Metal (thumb), ELF Innocent (pointer), ELF Moonlight (middle), Wet 'n' Wild Through the Grapevine (ring), Revlon Lilac Pastelle (pinky).

Over Wet 'n' Wild Through the Grapevine

(Blurry, but it shows the different colors in different lights!)

Over Rimmel Violet Starlet

I'm really glad I just got this.  I kept telling myself I did "need" it because it would be too "flashy", but it's really not.  And I can't wait to pair this over a nude nail polish- it'd be the perfect way to make nude nails more interesting!  

I'm sure a lot of you own this already- how do you like it?