Haul Winter 2015

          This is a collective haul I have been sitting on for a while and naturally I have lost the paper I have all my notes on, including the prices. We have some new loves and some items I have already passed on. Let's go:

Mally Beauty Lip Gloss

          I got these off Hautlook and while they are not a bad product I just have others I prefer and I will be passing them on to my cousin without really using them.

Nars Lip Crayons

         I got these as a birthday gift from Sephora as a beauty insider perk. Nars is just one of those cult beauty brands and I was thrilled to receive these. The red is a matte finish and it is beautiful, non-drying and long lasting. The pink is a satin finish and not as long lasting but a beautiful, subtle colour. 

Julep Lipgloss

         I have had a couple Julep lip glosses and am a big fan, I can not find this gloss to save my life and it breaks my heart. It is pretty close to being the perfect red gloss, it has enough colour without being so pigmented that if it gets messed up you look like a crazy person.

Julep Break the Ice Full Coverage Creme Lipstick Mini Trio 

          I really enjoy Julep lip products and I truly believe all lip colours should come in mini sizes. How often do you really use a whole lipstick? Plus it fits on your purse or pockets so much better.  The shades are mingle, primp and charm, all perfect for the season. The little box they came in is also super handy as it is magnetic so it stays shut in your purse or travel bag. 

Kat Von D Lock-it Featherweight Primer + Base

           I had such high hopes for this primer but I was pretty underwhelmed, I have not completely given up on it but I was not immediately wowed. I also suspect that it made my foundation oxidize but more research is required for that one. The packaging is on point though. 

Hard Candy Sheer Glow Illuminator

          I really do not know why I bought this, seriously. Not a clue. My only guess is that I was looking at it and Beast hurried me along so I tossed it in my basket instead of putting it back. I have used it a couple time as a liquid highlighter as well as on my arms and chest for Christmas parties. 

Mally Beauty Liquid Face Defender

From the Mally Beauty website- Shaded Liquid Face Defender is a new art technology and formula that takes your makeup routine to the next level. It mattifies the skin on contact, and can be worn under or over your regular foundation. This innovative formula not only blends beautifully to match your skin tone, but it protects your makeup from fading, creasing, and settling into those pesky lines and wrinkles that seem to love to absorb all that gorgeous makeup you put on!

           Well with a description like that how can you go wrong? I do find this helps my makeup blend very easily. I will also wear it under powder on errand days.I don't know that I would purchase it again, maybe if it was on Hautelook again.

Hard Candy 1000 Lashes Fiberized Lash Weave Mascara

          I am all about mascara and have been trying to find one to replace my love, the Two Faced Better Than Sex Mascara. I did really like this mascara but I have to wear my make up for up to 16 hours and this mascara started to bother me around hour 8, not a bad product but I would only use it on days that I wont have to wear my makeup for such a long period of time.

Marcelle XTRENSION PLUS + PROLASH Growlash Complex

           This mascara, however, I do really like; mostly because of the brush. One set of bristles are longer than the rest so they are perfect for separating and defining lashes. I have not noticed much in terms of growth but I am not losing many eyelashes so maybe it is working.

Rimmel Scandaleyes Mascara
           I have a problem, I know this. I do not think I have ever been disappointed with a Rimmel mascara, this one gives great volume and curl. I am not sure what about it makes me think this but I feel it gives a great retro vibe.

Redken Diamond Oil Bulletproof shine, Intense

           Normally I do not use hair oil but I wanted something I could put in my hair as an overnight treatment or the occasional hot oil treatment. This is a lovely product, it has helped repair my damaged ends and smells amazing. I have also used on persistent dry skin patches. In 17 years when I use this up I will repurchase the light version so I could use it during the day as well without it being too heavy.

Redken Pillow Proof Blow Dry Express Primer

          Love. Love. Love. This product smoothes my hair, helps it dry faster and protects from heat damage. I will repurchase this as long as they make it.

Revlon Colorstay Gel Envy in Ace of Spades, Checkmate, and Hold 'em
          I occasionally have to work in a restaurant setting and I think there are not many things that look worse than someone serving your food with chipped nail polish. When I was in the restaurant on a regular basis I discovered gel polish and all other nail polish was ruined for me. It was just so durable and did not chip. Unfortunately I have an awful habit of peeling off my gel manicure rather than soaking it off so my nails got pretty haggard. I decided to give Revlon a shot, not expecting much. Then I fell in love. This product was a life changer, it is the ease of regular nail polish with the look of gel and is quite durable.

Thanks for reading!

A

Check out my last haul

@dirty_cupcake

Primer Showdown

          As I had mentioned in an earlier post I have declared war on my oily skin. I won my first battle when I picked up some Clinique skin care products, I will link that down below. My next mission is primers. I bought four to try out in hopes the would be able to help me fight my oily skin. I wanted to start with drugstore products in hopes of finding the perfect primer without making my wallet cry.

          In order we have Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer, Gosh Velvet Touch Foundation Primer in Classic, Hard Candy Sheer Envy Shine Free Primer, and Rimmel London Stay Matte Primer. I will give you some information about each one, the price, where I got it and why and then give a little review. At the end I will rank each of them 1-4, 1 being the best obviously. 

Smashbox Profinish Foundation Primer.  Full Size $40

          I decided to give this one a try because I have heard so many people on YouTube or different blogs talk about this like it is gelly gold. I did not want to drop forty bucks on it without trying it first so I bought a kit with a few different products from Smashbox in trial sizes. I will link that haul at the end of this post. It is oil free which is great because I have enough of that on my face already. The main focus of this primer is to reduce fine lines and reduce pores so it is not specifically for oil control but it is supposed to make your make up last longer. This primer has won tons of awards including the Sephora Award for Best Primer, one of Marie Claire's "25 Products That Will Change Your Life", an InStyle Best Beauty Buy and Martha Stewart Wedding Big-Day Beauty Awards Winner in 2013.

My Review: I am not one to go against Martha, she is a bad bitch who knows her shit, but this primer was complete crap. At least for me it was, my make up slid all around on my face to the point I could not even blot because it moved all my makeup around. I gave it many chances with different foundations, with and without lotion underneath and on days that required different makeup needs but it failed everyday. One day I wore it to work in the restaurant and near the end of my shift I just took all my makeup off because I looked terrible. I would say this actually made my makeup wear away faster and look worse while it was on my face. I will say that initially the clear gel went on really smooth, made my skin soft and my makeup went over it well. I gave this away to my sister I hope it will work for her, I mean it has won so many awards so it has to work for someone. 

Princess's Review: My sister said she did like it, that it was light and made her made her makeup last

Gosh Velvet Touch Foundation Primer in Classic   $25

          This was recommended to be by a woman in the Shoppers Boutique place, I told her I had oily skin and was considering trying the Smashbox primer but was not loving the price. I feel like she missed the part where I said I wanted a primer specifically for oily skin, this is the classic formula; maybe they have an oily skin formula. The bottle says "...is a perfect base for all makeup. It fills in fine lines and deep pores in the skin, creating a uniform, matt and silky soft surface" It is clear and about the of a gel consistency 

My Review: this was very similar to the Smashbox primer both in formula and effectiveness. The Gosh primer took a couple hours more to melt off my face but was still a disappointment. I did like how it felt going on and my skin looked smoother instantly. By the time I was halfway through my day my foundation was patchy and sliding around my face. I was going to just toss this but since it looked so nice by itself I think I will use it alone when I go to the gym to at least get some use out of it. 


Hard Candy Sheer Envy Shine Free Primer    $7.98
          I just saw this in Walmart and decided to give it a try since it said it will control shine for a matte finish. The back of the tube says : "Prevents oil build up and reduces sine while reducing the need for foundation touch ups. Lightweight primer is suggested for oily, sensitive or problem prone skin"

My Review: I had high hopes for this one since it was meant for oily skin, it had creamy texture and felt nice enough going on. My makeup did not slide around like the first two, it stayed put fairly well but I did have a lot of oil and shine, blotting was a must. Wearing a day lotion or serum underneath this one was impossible. I will use this but I will check to make sure to put blotting sheets in my bag.

 Rimmel London Stay Matte Primer    $9.99

           Another Walmart purchase, you can use this alone, under or over makeup to create a matte complexion that controls shine for eight hours.

My Review: I picked this up because I had tried the foundation from this line and found it was pretty decent for my oily skin. The formula was a little thicker, more like a cream. My foundation looked so natural on top of this. I did still have to blot a little after six or seven hours but there was not as much oil as the rest of the primers above. So while it did not solve all my problems it did perform a miracle: my foundation actually looked good under the fluorescent lights in the basement office! I will keep wearing it just for that. I did find that putting a little of the primer over top of my foundation but under powder did help control shine for a little bit of extra time.

The final standings:

4. SmashBox 

3. Gosh           

2. Hard Candy

1. Rimmel        

None of these were outstanding, I will keep using the Hard Candy and Rimmel primers under my foundation and the maybe the Gosh primer alone for the gym.

I will keep trying new primers and let you know what I think.

Thanks for reading!

A.

@dirty_cupcake

The HUGE drugstore haul where I got some of the primers