A Collective Haul

Over the past couple weeks I have accumulated a few goodies from MAC, Lancome, and Estee Lauder. Lovely little group, eh?

Here are the four cheek products I picked up. On the left is the Estee Lauder Gelee in Shimmering Sands ($42) which is the same formula as the Modern Mercury highlighter that came out a few months back. Shimmering Sands is a unique bronzer/blush/highlighter that can actually look quite natural and reminds me of an actual sun-kissed bronze on the cheeks. I adore it.

Next up is Lancome Miel Glace ($30) which is a well known and loved natural blush. It is in the same family as Douceur by NARS and Exposed by Tarte but lacks that pink undertone.

The two MAC blushes include Full of Joy from the new Tres Cheek collection, a lavender blush with a frost finish (although it isn't very frosty, only a slight sheen). This powder blush retails for $20.00. The second blush is the mineralize blush in Pressed Amber, a part of the Semi-Precious collection that came out last summer. I always meant to pick it up but never did and was lucky enough to see it at a CCO this weekend. It retailed for $23.50 and was only about $16.00 at the CCO.

Swatches from L to R:

MAC Pressed Amber, Estee Lauder Shimmering Sands, Lancome Miel Glace, MAC Full of Joy

The two lip products I picked up include MAC Lustreglass in Pinkarat ($14.50), a longtime favorite which I continuously repurchase. It's a gorgeous gold flecked pink that makes your lips glossy and full looking. The other item was the MAC Reel Sexy lipstick which is an amplified formula and part of the new Reel Sexy collection ($14.50). Reel Sexy reminds me of Jazzed, a creamy peachy orange that is fun for spring.

I also picked up two eye shadows thanks to Back to MAC. I grabbed Digit and Antiqued. Digit is a satin purple tinged frosty white and Antiqued is a veluxe pearl that is a reddish bronze. MAC shadows retail for $15.00.

Swatches L to R:

MAC Pinkarat, MAC Reel Sexy, MAC Digit, MAC Antiqued

Any good hauls these days?

favorites

There are a few lovely things I have been reaching for these days and I thought I would give a little update.

First is the Ralph Lauren Ralph perfume. Notes include apple tree leaves, yellow freesia, Italian mandarin, Japanese loquat, osmanthus, magnolia, linden blossom flower, purple freesia, boronia, musk 2000, and white orris. To me its a bit of a sickly sweet floral but for some reason I still really love it and it sits well on my skin. This 3.4 oz size retails for $67.50.

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Bliss body butter in blood orange + white pepper is one of my favorite scents. I have been thrilled to receive it in various sample sizes (such as this 1.7 oz tube from a Nordstrom sample pack) and haven't had to purchase it recently. I use it often especially for my dry hands and the smell is a light citrus with a hint of sharpness (pepper). The 6.7 oz size retails for $29.00.

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Smarties. Ah the small sweet candy that works especially well in the classroom. I am working with a couple students in particular who are especially motivated by them and I find them strewn in all my school bags and handbags. Ah special education.

Benefit Erase Paste (in shade Medium 02). I wanted something for my under eye area and although I don't have especially dark circles I needed something. I chose this concealer because it has an orangey-pink tint to it, the perfect amount of a built in corrector. It's very creamy, a bit sticky, and doesn't crease which I love. It retails for $26.00.

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Make Up For Ever Smokey Lash was a mascara I initially disliked. It was not dramatic enough (especially compared to YSL Faux Cils Shocking!) and seemed soft and feathery. However, I have used it more and more and find it to be a great alternative for when I am trying to look like myself- makeup free! It retails for $23.00.

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Lastly is a custom made quad I have really been enjoying from MAC. The quad includes Photo Realism, Quarry, Club, and Mystery. The last three are in the permanent range where you can create a quad for $53.00.

For lips I have been adoring my longtime favorite MAC Hue, a creamy pink nude ($14.50) and Revlon Lip Butter in Creamsicle, a peachy nude ($7.49) as well as the EOS lip balm in Summer Fruit (~$3.00). Boring nudes have been my favorite this month obviously!

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I have been also favoring the Make Up For Ever HD powder (here is the small size) which I use to set the middle of my face as as well as my concealer. I think its much better than the ELF HD powder as its finer milled and seems to leave a neat cooling sensation when applied. ($32.00)

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The MAC 109 brush has always been a favorite. It retails for $34.00 and is perfect for foundation, blush, contour, highlighter, powder, all your face makeup needs. Many complain about their 109 shedding but I have not had any issues with it.

And swatches!

Benefit Erase Paste, MAC Photo Realism, MAC Quarry, MAC Club, MAC Mystery, MAC Hue, Revlon Creamsicle.

Random Instagramming...

Reorganizing MAC depots

Cheese and Black Olives- Perfect for finals weekend study sesh.

Happy Hour Mango Margaritas

One Night of ER Charges--- Thank God for Insurance!

Pre-Wedding Picture with my Sis

anothersoul palette

I am sure many of you are familiar with the palettes by anothersoul. She is a wonderful seller on Etsy and the link to her goodies is right here. I had been wanting to try a palette from her for so long but there are just so many options!! I finally bit the bullet and picked a sleek shiny red geometric design she calls Hot Coffee Masala. It is a foil accent on matte finish and retails for $12.99.

As a freedom palette, the inside has a magnetic sheet which enables you to place magnetized shadows in any combination you would like. To try it out I put in my depotted Too Faced Enchanted Wonderland Palette (swatches here) and they held perfectly.

anothersoul has great attention to detail and the palette is very well made and sturdy. 

The palette: 
7" x 4.5" x 1/2"H 
17,9cm x 11.5cm x 1cm H

Magnet area:
5 7/8" x 3 3/4" x 5mm deep
15cm x 9.5cm x 5mm deep 

The color choices are lovely and I appreciate the craftsmanship. Well worth $12.99 and a great alternative to a boring MAC palette.

Look how perfect and snug the shadows fit! <3

This Etsy seller is quick with shipping and includes tracking information. I believe with shipping I paid a total of around $16. She is quick with communication and is always creating new patterns so it's worth constant checking. There is something for everyone and I recommend these to be sure.

Review: MAC Brush Cleanser

One total cramp in my beauty routine is cleaning my brushes. I absolutely HATE to do this and it seems to take forever. However, it's a necessity to prevent muddled colors, not to mention sanitary. I decided for quick spot treatments between deep cleansing I would try out MAC's Brush Cleanser ($13).

There is a fair amount of alcohol in the product which dries out your brushes very quickly which makes it ideal for spot cleaning. On the same note, I think because of this it's important to condition your brushes regularly when you deep clean so that the drying alcohol isn't damaging your brushes.

Here is how I use this cleanser:

Poor some cleanser onto a cotton pad or piece of tissue. I usually use a couple drops, you don't need a lot.

Now you need your yucky brush. Here is one of mine, the MAC 239 which has white bristles, a true test. I had used RBR Bejewlled Skylark this morning for a lovely smokey eye.

"Smoosh" your brush around in the product.

I use back and forth wiping motions. Continue this until the color is clear. I like to finish it by adding a couple more drops of product on a clean tissue and squeeze my brush through it to ensure all the product is out.

Voila! Here is the same brush after this spot treatment. Pretty white if I do say so myself!

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I definitely think this is a worthwhile purchase. It retails for only $13 and is 233 ml, almost 8 ounces. I have used it several times already, cleaning about 10-15 brushes and I would say there is still 95% of the product left. I definitely recommend it for anyone looking for a great quick drying solution between deep cleansing!