drugstore makeup minihaul

as a lot of you probably know, i am a complete MAC whore. it's my favorite makeup brand and always will be, but i decided to check out some drugstore brands for a while. i had a few things before, but i almost never used them with the exception of mascara because MAC mascara makes my eyes BURN like no other. (anyone else have this problem?)

I've been wanting to try the Loreal HIP eyeshadows for a while and i finally did and i think i'm in love! I got the duo called Platinum. It's a super pigmented silver and a black. now, in the pics that silver showed up like that in one swipe, but the black, it took 3 swipes for me to get it that dark. i'm not too impressed with the black, but I got it mostly becasue I wanted a silver shadow. The silver is a metallic. Very, very shiny and the black is basically matte with few & far between silver glitter in there. I will definitely be wearing this a lot!

Also, i got the new Maybelline Line Stiletto liquid eyeliner and i'm not that impressed. it's super dark which i love, but it's really messy IMO and it's not available in waterproof! boo! It has a felt tip instead of the usual brush and the felt tip gives you a lot more control which I love.

The last thing I got: Maybelline Define a lash eyeliner. just kinda "eh" about this. plain black eyeliner. It came with a smudger on the end which is cool, and it glides on REALLY nice and smooth, but it's just your run of the mill eyeliner i guess.

I will DEFINITELY be getting more HIP eyeshadows! Do you ladies love them too? any suggestions for good colors?

smoky look + nude lips.

it turned out so pretty, imo. the pics don't do it justice!

this look was super easy & inspired by this video:



but i had to subtitute, because i seriously have none of those colors! boo!

i used all MAC products unless noted.

eyes:
the dark part, i used Beauty Marked. kind of between purple & black. super pretty up close though.
the neutral part: Cover Girl e/s quad in Country Woods. I used the last color in the set.
for the white: Sea Myth. I believe this was a limited edition collection because it comes in a seafoam green case instead of the typical black MAC packaging. I got it a few years back.
mascara: my HG, Cover Girl Lash Blast waterproof in very black

cheeks:
Sweet as Cocoa
then a little Ambering Rose on top
and then I used Trade Gold as a highlight (down the nose, across the forehead, TINY bit on cheeks"

Lips:
Studio Tech Concealor in NC50 as a base
and lip glass in Chai



it was super quick & easy!

haul!

forever 21.
b&bw.
vicky's.

<3

from forever 21:
heart pendant
black slouchy beret (got the grey one last week)
brown huge sunglasses
paisley-ish wallet

bath & body works:
black raspberry lotion & body spray-i bought a bottle of this over the summer, but i lost it and never found it! i wore it today and this guy at work told me i smelled like strawberry shortcake, haha. (it doesn't smell like strawberry short cake, lol)
midnight pomegrante body spray-i've been wearing this scent off & on for a while. i've had a few lotions, but this is the first time i got the spray. i actually love to spray it in my hair!
vanilla bean holiday lotion

[**they had a sale! if you bought 1 of their signature scent items, you got one free. the total came to $25.44 and you got a coupon for a free item under $13 if you spent $25 or more! this is how i got the vanilla bean lotion. basically, i got 2 items for FREE!]


victoria's secret-5/$20 beauty rush products. i had to stock up! got my usual "i want candy" and "strawbery fizz" lip glosses, but this time i also got a pina colada scented one. i forgot the name of it, and i'm too lazy to go get it, lol. but it smells nice. and i also got thes lip balm thingies. one is papaya-kiwi & the other is banana berry. i'm not too impressed to be honest. eh, to each her own.

really good nude lip gloss.

i started buying Beauty Rush lip gloss from VS about a year ago, mostly because i'd heard they smell really good, so i decided to give them a shot, thinking they wouldn't even show up, because lip glosses don't really show up on my lips, except for MAC.

Anywho, this one in particular is really pretty. it's called "Slice Of Heaven". in the tube, as you may be able to see, it's like a light tan color with an iridescent pink sheen to it. it's kind of hard to explain. Here's what it looks like in the tube...



and here's how it looks on...



pretty, right? on a scale of 1-10, i'd give it an 8. the only thing wrong with it? it does that gross thing that some glosses do, where it globs up in the corners and turns white. ew! (speaking of which, does anyone know how to prevent that & why it happens in the first place?). anyway, try it & enjoy ladies!

must haves [for the girls]

so, here's a list of 5 things i think every girl should have to bring out her inner diva.

1. some really good smelling lip gloss

i love these. i got them at victoria's secret. the lighter one is "slice of cake" & it smells like vanilla cake with yummy frosting. and the pink one is "i want candy". sometimes when i'm bored i put it on just to smell it. ha. it makes me happy. and well, who doesn't like well-glossed lips?

2. a bright, semi-crazy nail color.

 

this is some cheap junk i got at the beauty supply store. you get 3 for $1 (no lie). it chips like crazy and you have to apply 3 or 4 coats for it to look decent. lol, but i really liked the color. in case you wanna know, it's "santa fe" by missi. eh, what can you expect for 33 cents? ps, sorry i'm terrible at polishing nails. it's all on my skin & ish. pardon my sloppiness... it'll come off in the shower tomorrow.

3. a secret piercing

this is my tragus piercing. it's awesome. i like it cuz it's visible, but not TOO visible. i work at an insurance company, so obviously i can't walk in there with a tongue ring & septum piercing, right? but, my favorite piercing was my belly button. i loved it. i always felt like i had a little secret that no on really knew about it. i always kept cute, sparkly, dangly jewelry in it. but unfortunately, my body rejected it. but i'm gonna get it redone soon i think. it's gonna be my reward after i lose some more weight.

4. a special piece of jewelry

i got this tiffany bracelet for my 18th birthday. i'm 21 now. i ALWAYS have it on. the only time i've taken it off is to clean it and for when my clumsy ass broke it, ha. when i say "special", that doesn't necessarily mean it has to be expensive, because this wasn't that expensive. it's from tiffany & co., yes, but it's silver, it was less than $200. i just think it's really cute. and it reminds me of my mommy everytime i look at it.

& last but not least...

5. some fierce heels!

what really needs to be said about heels? they make you feel cute, taller, flirty & all around more fierce. not to mention they make it look like you spent hours in the gym on your legs cuz when you wear them, your muscles have to flex. i got these from DSW. they're BCBG Girls and they actually came in my size! it's so hard to find shoes to fit my feet. i wear a size 10 or 10.5 or 11. yeah, yeah. don't make fun. but when i find a pair of cute heels that fit & they don't kill my feet & they don't cost a million dollars, i must get them!

 

so, the question keeps arising...

"Are those your real eyelashes?!"

yes, people, yes! they're all mine. well, i guess i can't take all the credit. my eyelashes are naturally kind of long, but not very thick. my secret?
Cover Girl's Lash Blast mascara in Very Black. a lot of people complain about it clumping, but i don't care, lol. the more the better! Seriously, this stuff is great. it has a huge brush & after one coat you're good. but i use like 3 coats, ha. i just can't help myself...



also, no one's complemented me on it,(at least not out loud, hopefully they do internally, lol), but this has been my lip gloss look lately. a nice pink-ish nude. i think it's a good color. i'd consider myself medium brown skinned. i'm an NC or NW 50 from MAC. so, this is what i use...





the bigger one is Beauty Rush lip gloss in "I Want Candy" and sometimes they sell it as "Candy Baby". it retails for about $7 at Victoria's Secret. it smells sooo yummy. i think it's supposed to be cotton candy scented. it's a very sheer light pink. The second one is MAC lipglass in Nymphette, which is a sheer pink with a hint of gold shimmer. It's available wherever they sell MAC products (Macy's, Saks, etc...). That one retails for about $14.50. i know it's tiny, but a little bit goes a long way.
Anyway, first i put on the "i want candy" all over my lips like normal, then i put on the "nymphette". just a tiny bit. i start in the middle and work my way out to the sides.

well, there's a couple makeup tips. more to come. enjoy ladies!