Sunday, March 31, 2013

March Collective Haul Part 2 & First Impressions

*All of these products were purchased by me, other than the samples (which you can always receive for free from MAC)*
The goods!
Hello everyone! This concludes my product haulage for the month of March. I'm really excited about these items, so let's move forward.

From Nordstrom's:
MAC Powder Blush in Style (Frost)
MAC Powder Blush in Style (Frost)
First Impressions:
  • What I paid: $21
  • Why I purchased: I was browsing the MAC counter looking at the blushes, and one of the SAs tried this on me. I've been wanting a true peach blush, not a pinky peach one. This one is more of a coral peach, with gold shimmer. Now I'm not usually a fan of shimmer in blushes; in fact I usually only wear matte blushes and add my own shimmer with a highlighter, BUT I fell in love with it when the SA tried it on me. It just looks so darn summery and glowy that I just can't helping loving it! 
  • Description: Peachy coral with gold shimmer.
  • Such an amazing blush, especially being my first ever MAC blush!
Samples of MAC Mineralize Moisture SPF 15 Foundation in NC 20 and NW 20
The samples
The full size bottle from the MAC counter
First Impressions:
  • What I paid: Free samples from the MAC counter, the full size is $33
  • Why I sampled: This is MAC's brand new foundation, which just came out! The SA was really sweet, and told me that's it's an awesome foundation, especially for dry skin. I don't have dry skin, but I've heard it works wonderful on most people, so I'm happy to try it anyway! I was given two shades, simply because I haven't quite figured out if I'm NW or NC 20 (though I feel like I always get matched up darker than I actually am and could probably go for a NC/NW 15. I'm a neutral tone generally, who leans toward more yellow based foundations, since ones that are too pink look kinda strange on me.)
  • Description: An optical-blurring satin finish foundation
  • I haven't tried a MAC foundation before. I'm kinda nervous to try one simply because my skin doesn't usually like liquid/cream foundations. We'll see how it goes.
From Target:
ELF Studio Blush Brush
My new ELF Studio Blush Brush compared to my old one
ELF Studio Blush Brush 
First Impressions:
  • What I paid: $3
  • Why I purchased: This is actually a repurchase since I LOVE the ELF Studio Blush Brush, and I use it constantly. I wanted another one just to trade off between washing, or specifically, to use with more shimmery blushes.
  • Description: A blush brush from ELF's studio line.
  • This one is strangely smaller than my old one. It still works well, but the shape is different. I'm going to wash it to see if it'll be more like my old one. Either way, I'm still pleased.
ELF Studio Contour Brush
My new ELF Studio Contour Brush compared to my old one
ELF Studio Contour Brush 
First Impressions:
  • What I paid: $3
  • Why I purchased: This is also a repurchase, since I LOVE my old one. This crease brush is the absolute perfect shape for applying color to the crease. It's small enough, and applies color wonderfully. For some reason it can be hard to find a smaller crease brush with this exact shape. 
  • Description: A crease brush from ELF's studio line.
  • The only bad thing about the ELF studio brushes is that the brush ferrule becomes loose over time. My old contour brush is starting to get loose. It's nothing a bit of glue can't handle, so it's no big deal. Plus these brushes are super cheap and do not shed on me whatsoever.
ELF Zit Zapper
ELF Zit Zapper
ELF Zit Zapper
First Impressions:
  • What I paid: $1
  • Why I purchased: This is another repurchase for the third time! This stuff is only a dollar, and it actually works for me. It's no miracle potion, but every time I use it at night (I apply it to all my problem areas) my blemishes look better in the morning. My blemishes start drying out or slightly shrink in size; my blemishes don't always shrink in size every time I use this product, BUT I definitely notice an overall improvement on smaller blemishes. And for one freaking dollar, that is more than awesome. The combination of salicylic acid, tea tree, and witch hazel is a really effective combination on my skin. Plus, this combination of ingredients is in a lot of anti-acne medication, so why not just pay a dollar?
  • Description: A spot treatment for blemishes.
  • The roller ball application isn't the most hygienic packaging in the world, but I only use this on clean skin, so I'm not particularly stressing. Plus I use this product within 2-3 months, so it's not just sitting there building up bacteria for a long time. Also, tea tree is very anti-bacterial, so I'm not even sure the product could grow much bacteria. Are you sold yet? (One dolla, make you holla....jk lol)
ELF Jumbo Lipgloss Stick in Pink Umbrella
ELF Jumbo Lipgloss Stick in Pink Umbrella
ELF Jumbo Lipgloss Stick in Pink Umbrella
First Impressions:
  • What I paid: $2
  • Why I purchased: I really love jumbo lip pencils, so I thought I'd compare it to the lip pencils I already own. Plus, it's only $2! I saw the color Pink Umbrella on a few blogs, and thought it was such a pretty, wearable color!
  • Description: A medium pink with a cream finish
  • ELF can be hit or miss sometimes, but when it's a hit, it is AMAZING! Good job ELF. Way to be cheap and cruelty free!
Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters in Wild Watermelon, Sorbet, Juicy Papaya, and Pink Lemonade
The new Revlon lip butters!
Wild Watermelon
Sorbet
Juicy Papaya
Pink Lemonade
First Impressions:
  • What I paid: $6.49 each
  • Not to be a typical raving beauty lunatic, but the Revlon lip butters are basically my favorite lip products of all time. They are moisturizing, wearable, fairly pigmented, come in gorgeous shades, are a decent price, and have cute packaging. What's not to like? I usually buy these at a discount, but I'd been dying to try the new spring shades, which are in fact PERMANENT! Yipee! I found these in the permanent section of my local brand new Target (which is probably why they weren't gone yet).
  • Description: 
    • Wild Watermelon: A warm pink red. The original shade, Candy Apple (which I own) is redder, more pigmented, and warmer in tone. Cherry Tart (which I don't own) is more pigmented, as well as being a cooler toned shade of red; it also has a bit of shimmer if I remember correctly.
    • Sorbet: A neutral yellow based pink. It is quite similar to Sweet Tart (which I own) from the original lip butters, but Sweet Tart is pinker.
    • Juicy Papaya: A pinky peach. This one might be my favorite. It is most similar to Tutti Fruitti (which I don't own), but Tutti Fruitti is way more orange and more pigmented.
    • Pink Lemonade: A warm soft pink. This one is the most sheer. It is most similar to Strawberry Shortcake, but Strawberry Shortcake is more pigmented, more cool-toned, and much pinker.
  • These are a bit more sheer than many of the original lip butters, but I don't mind since they are so wearable. They all add a pop of color that's not too crazy.
I love all my goodies, and am so thankful to have purchased these products. I know I've been hauling a lot, and I hope you all know that I don't mean to brag or show off whatsoever. I just simply want to give you shopping ideas and let you know what products are great. I don't spend a lot of money in general, except on beauty products, so I allow myself some purchases every now and again. I hope you are all having a great day!

Disclosure: These products were purchased by me for review purposes. I was not paid or compensated in any way. All opinions are my own.

5 comments:

  1. Oh wow, great haul! I never knew that we could get samples from MAC anymore. I remember a few years back, my sister and I were shopping there and they said that they don't give out samples anymore. I wish I had known that they do since I bought a bunch of their products a few months ago. The ELF jumbo lip pencil looks great! I have been meaning to pick up some of those to try out.

    By the way, I nominated your blog for a Liebster Award! To find out all the rules and details, make sure to visit my blog!

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    1. Thank you for the Liebster award! I don't know if you can get samples at stand alone MAC stores, but you definitely can from the MAC counters at Nordstrom's! They've always been more than wllling to let you try something out, especially if they know that you do buy from time to time. Also, the ELF Jumbo Pencil is really great, especially for $2!!!

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  2. Thank you! You also have a great blog!

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  3. I'm NW20 in MAC but I'm also neutral with a slight yellow lean, and have found a perfect match in NARS foundations as they lean a bit yellow; just throwing that out there since it seems like we have similar skin tones! I love the Lip Butters, too! I picked up Juicy Papaya and Pink Lemonade and they are awesome! :)

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    1. That's good to know! I'm going to have to pay close attention to all of your face makeup reviews! I'm new to MAC color matching, so I expected to be an even lighter color match since I'm the lightest or second to lightest in most color ranges. Anything too pink toned makes me look like I'm wearing a mask, so I usually love something neutral to yellow.

      I love the new lip butters too! Juicy Papaya seriously lives in my purse! I think this also has something to do with my peach/coral obsession!

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