Haulin': Sally Beauty Supply and Sephora

Seeing as how yesterday was payday, I spent my Saturday like any other normal college kid would.

I went shopping! And I picked up some super-cool things to share with you all =)

My first stop was Sally Beauty Supply. This awesome chain offers beauty and cosmetic products that are somewhat equal to their salon counterparts at a fraction of the price because there are no super-fancy names stamped on them. Recently, I spent the $5 it costs to join their Beauty Club which is a special rewards program that actually saves you about 10-15% on each item you buy at the store. I originally only went into Sally today to find a good damage repair shampoo as my hairstylist told me that with my constant bleaching and coloring, my hair was becoming dry and brittle. I was totally fine with that, until she tried to sell me a $24, 7 oz. bottle of name-brand shampoo. Umm... I don't think so!

So I went to Sally's and found this awesome product:
In all honesty, this product wasn't THAT new (I already had bought and fell in love with the brand's 2 Minute Repairing Mask). Since I loved it so much, I figure the shampoo must be awesome too. Aphogee's Shampoo for Damaged Hair cost $7.39. I'll try it out tonight and let you know how it goes.

I then walked down the nail polish aisle and these two products caught my eye:
Beauty Secrets' Base Coat (left) and Top Coat (right) came highly recommended from numerous Youtube makeup gurus and nail salons, so I knew they were the real deal. Each bottle cost $2.79. I just tried them out this evening (as I painted my nails with OPI's Teal We Meet Again) and they worked like magic! I especially impressed with the top coat, which helped my nails dry in thirty seconds.

Recently, I really needed a new pencil sharpener for my eye pencils. So, I picked this one up at the check-out counter:
I really like that it has an attached piece for all of your pencil shavings. At $2.99, it was slightly pricey, but it looks like it will work much better than my current sharpener.

I also got a strange impulse to buy this:
It's a 'Lip Crayon', which basically means it doubles as a pencil and lipstick. I bought one in the shade Coral Shimmer for $1.89 and so far, I really like it! It's a peachy-nude, slightly on the orange side, but still very wearable. I'll probably layer lipstick on top of it to ensure that it stays on for longer and doesn't make my lips look dry.

After Sally's, I drove over to Sephora. I originally intended to only buy this:
When I got my Urban Decay Naked Palette, it came with a mini Primer Potion and I fell in love with it. So, I went back to Sephora today and shelled out the $18 to buy a full-sized one. I think it's a smart buy, though, because it works so incredibly well and really holds my eyeshadow in place all day.

I also grabbed this in Sephora:
Though I have been cleaning my brushes weekly, I've been scared to clean them daily because the formula could dry them out and destroy the quality of the brush hairs. This brush cleanser ($6), however, is mild enough to use every day, so I will test it tomorrow and let you know how it goes!

And then my FABULOUS boyfriend bought me the COOLEST Valentine's Day gift ever:
Uh-huh. That would be the Nars Orgasm blush/Laguna Bronzer ($40). I AM SO EXCITED! For those who don't know, this duo is famous for being suitable for practically ANY skin tone (okay, maybe not Laguna. It can be a bit too dark for some skin tones. But Orgasm is definitely appropriate for everyone). I've been lusting after it forever and my darling boyfriend knew it would be the perfect Valentine's Day gift for me. How cute is that?!

So that's my haul! I did do some other shopping, but it was for clothes, so that doesn't really fit on this blog. Have you bought anything super cool lately? Share it in the comments!

Get the Look: Pretty in Pink (and Purple!)

Berry tones are always popular in the fall and winter when it comes to makeup looks. It warms up the face (which could lose its natural tan) and helps your skin radiate with warmth.

Please excuse my messy hair and gym clothes. I was on my way to Tai-chi class but wanted to make sure I got a picture of my makeup before I worked out. :)

Eyes: For this look, I chose to feature purple eyeshadow, but you could really do a pink or warm maroon as well. After priming the lid, I took Wet n' Wild's eyeshadow in Kitten ($0.99 at Walgreens. What a steal!!) and applied it with a stiff, flat brush all over the lid. I really like this shadow because it has a gold shimmer running through it that, when the light hits it just right, makes it look like you actually applied two eyeshadows: a purple as a base and a gold on top. After packing on the eyeshadow to reduce fall-out, take a fluffy dome brush and blend out the edges into your crease. You can add a highlight on your brow bones and in the inner corner of your eyes with a silver eyeshadow if you want. Apply concealer AFTER your eyeshadow in case of fall-out from the purple shadow that would make any under-eye circles look darker and more apparent.

Lips: I'm loving lipstains at the moment because the require minimal upkeep throughout the day and give your lips a gorgeous color for quite some time. For this look, I used Revlon's Just Bitten in Passion ($8.99 at CVS, but was on sale for buy one, get one 50% off), which gave my lips a delightful, berry-pink color. Make sure you apply a good lipbalm on top of the stain, though, because stains can dry out your lips: a major no-no for the winter. Revlon's lipstains come with a great balm on one end and the stain marker on the other.

Face: I would recommend a peach-tone blush for this look because any blush that's more pink or rosy will make your face look to red in the winter cold. A peach blush will still add a warm pink tone to your face, but won't look too over-done.


And there you have it: a pretty, girly look that is 100% perfect for everyday wear this winter. Enjoy!

Get the Look: Earthy Eyes

Recently, I've really been digging blue and green eyeshadows. I think it perfectly compliments my skin tone (olive-beige) and blonde hair. At the same time, you can easily adjust the pigmentation to better match your own skin tone/hair color.

Eyes: Pack a light or lime green eyeshadow like mark.'s I-mark in Dragonfly ($5.00) all over the lid, up to the crease, using small patting motions to reduce fall-out (loose eyeshadow bits that fall onto your upper cheek bones and smudge terribly). Then, with a stiff dome brush, apply a darker, foresty green eyeshadow like mark.'s I-mark in Retro Peacock ($5.00) in a soft v-shape in the outer corner. Blend the area where the two meet with a softer, feathery brush to reduce harshness. Line the upper lids with your favorite black eyeliner as tightly as possible. You want the green to stand out most! Then, curl your lashes and apply a fun, night-out mascara like Maybelline's The Falsies Mascara ($6.99) for thick, dramatic lashes.

Face: Conceal any imperfections, especially dark under eye circles that will distract attention from your gorgeous eyes and can make your skin look hallow. You can use a bronzer to lightly contour your face, but don't do anything too drastic. Gently blend a pinky-peach blush into your cheekbones like mark.'s Good Glowing Blush in After Glo ($7.00).

Lips: Go for a soft, neutral pink gloss like mark.'s Lots of Lacquer in Rush. Wipe away any gloss that strays from your natural lip line and your look is complete!

Tag, you're it! Products I regret buying

In all honesty, I don't really regret buying any beauty products, because I feel like they each serve some sort of purpose and while they might not necessarily work for me, they could definitely work better on someone else. So, with that in mind, these are a list of products that I didn't exactly love..

1) Urban Decay's Cream Shadow in Delinquent ($17.00 at Sephora)
This eyeshadow looked great in the tube and DID serve as a great base coat for really dramatic, purple smokey eyes, but I got this weird tingling sensation on my lids whenever I used it. It didn't necessarily hurt, but it certainly didn't feel great! Honestly, I don't reach for this product very much because it feels so weird. The packaging also kind of sucks because while you can easily get the product out the first time or two, it seems to clump at the bottom and then you actually have to squeeze the tube to get it out... it just gets really messy. I think for the price, it wasn't worth it.

2) Laura Geller's Lipstick in On Stage ($15.50 on her website, but I think I bought it on clearance at Sephora for $5 o5 $6?)
I bought this lipstick in hopes of a great, night-out-on-the-town, bright red color and it delivered on that end. However, I find it to be pretty drying and it almost seems to flake off? Not cool! I do still use it on occasion, but it's not my number one red lipstick. I don't think I'd really recommend it.

3) Buxom's Travel In Style Lipstick and Lip Polish Duo ($18.00 at Sephora)
I really bought this set because of the beautiful coral-orange lipstick that I fell in love with in the store. Needless to say, I hated the gloss when I got home because it was gooey and gross (also wasn't a huge fan of the plumping formula. I knew it was a plumper in the store, but I don't think it really did much for me and I found it sort of unrealistic) so I used just the lipstick with another gloss over it. But then, like a week after purchasing the set, the lipstick broke! The whole pigment stick fell out of its holder and got stuck in the super-thin cap. I was pretty upset. So overall, I just had bad experiences with the set, but I'd consider buying the lipstick on its own if the manufacturer could create a new packaging for it.

4) mark.'s Shimmer Tubes Hook Up Gel Blush in Rose, Peach, and Bronze (I think these were $2.00 a piece? I bought them in the last chance section and they return every once in a while)
I think these are gorgeous colors, but they're just totally sheer as blushes. I love the concept and the formula, but they don't show up at all on me (except for the bronzer, which for some reason looks like dirt). As I'm typing this, though, I think I'm going to experiment with them as eyeshadow bases or highlighters, so I'll get back to you when I do that!

5) e.l.f. Essential's Hypershine Gloss Box ($5.00)
These glosses were too sticky and gooey for me. The colors are gorgeous, but the formula was not for me and the applicators were not fun either. They got really messy and gross.

6) BonBon's Eyeshadow in Copper and Purple ($0.99 at Walmart)
These shadows were just too powdery for me. It didn't matter how I applied them, they always got messy and were more hassle than they were worth.

7) Almay's Nearly Naked Cover Up Stick ($6.97 at Walmart)
Too creamy and oily. This concealer creased on my skin so quickly and never stayed put. I like the pureness of Almay's products normally, but this concealer just did not work. I also had it in my purse for about a week and it melted and got super-messy.

What are some products that you're not a fan of? Are any of the products I dislike ones that work for you? Let me know!

Survey! Would you rather...

#1. Would you rather go out with messy hair and nice make-up, or nice hair and no make-up?
I pretty much always go out of the house with nice makeup and messy hair. Lol.

#2. Would you rather shave your eyebrows or have your eyelashes fall out?
Eek! I don't pencil my eyebrows OR wear fake eyelashes, but I guess for safety reasons I'd rather shave my eyebrows. Eyelashes are super important because they protect your eyes from debris and dust. So, for the purpose of this question, I'd learn to pencil in my eyebrows.

#3. Would you rather be forced to shop at only MAC or Sephora for the rest of your life?
Sephora! MAC is overpriced and kinda snooty. Sephora also carries many different brands of makeup which I feel gives you more variety.

#4. Would you rather wear the lipgloss/lipliner look or 80's perm?
I'm pretty sure I could rock the 80's perm =P Lol.

#5. Would you rather leave the house with an obvious foundation line or overdone blush?
Overdone blush, for sure! That can always be blended out or you can go for the prima ballerina/baby doll look. A foundation line doesn't work on any one.

#6. Would you rather wear MC Hammer pants or biker shorts in public?
Probably MC Hammer pants since those are kinda chic right now (Harem pants, anyone?).

#7. Would you rather have a bad orange-y spray tan or really weird tan lines that can't be covered?
I'm used to weird tan lines because of swim team. One piece bathing suits that have criss-cross straps never line up the same, so I was constantly rocking the octopus arms across my back.

#8. Would you rather have a bad haircut or bad hair color?
Bad hair cut. That can be covered up a number of ways and you can always get extensions. At the same time, with products like Developlus's Color Oops ($12 at Walgreens), you never have to have a bad hair color again!

#9. Would you rather have youtube or twitter taken away forever?
Twitter. It's pointless to me. Youtube, on the other hand, I could not live without.

#10. Would you rather give up using makeup brushes or mascara?
Honestly, mascara. I forget to put it on some days because I'm really fortunate to have naturally long eyelashes. And something just grosses me out about touching my face with my hands, so I always use makeup brushes.

I want to see what you have to say! Leave your answers in the comments, please!