Lisa's Cosmetics Warehouse Sale 2015 Haul

I haven't been to the coveted Lisa's Cosmetics Warehouse Sale in a couple years, I was enabled to go this year because of Shawna of Spill the Beauty's recent blog post (here)! She took some pretty detailed photos of the items available at the sale, and I suddenly felt like I needed a bunch of things (even though I definitely didn't). 

So I decided I'd go on Black Friday in hopes of everyone being at the mall instead. I've been to this sale twice, once in 2012 and once in 2013. During one of those trips I ended up lining up for 3 hours because I went on the first Saturday morning right when they opened. I wouldn't recommend going on the first day or first Saturday, but during the second weekend the sale should be fairly 'line-free'...but I'm not totally sure about this so take this with a grain of salt! I went on the Friday so I didn't encounter any lines whatsoever and there were plenty of cash registers open. 

My intention was to only pick up a few things, but you know what happens once you get inside these kind of sales.. 

I picked up Kaia Naturals Cleansing Cloths ($2.99), a 2-pack of Scotch tape ($1.49), 6 Colgate toothbrushes for ($8.99), Gypsy Lashes (1.99 each), Febreze Fabric Refresher ($2.99). I was excited to see Indeed Labs products there for such a good price, I picked up their Nanoblur ($6.99). Then my heart skipped a beat when I saw a few St. Tropez products! I re-purchased their Bronzing Mousse for ($30) and a mitt ($5). Lastly, I got a Secret Clinical Gel Anti-Persp./Deodorant ($2.99), and a small box of Crest 3D Whitestrips ($11.99). 

What else do they have? A little of everything to be honest. Lysol wipes, Axe/Dove Men's Body Washes, Deodorants, Axe Body Sprays, Olay facial products, Stila makeup, Annabelle & Marcelle, Joico shampoo/conditioner., Elizabeth Arden, H20, Revlon tools (tweezers, etc), a few drugstore mascaras, Bandaids, a ton of nail polishes, tons of perfume and colognes and gift sets, even boxers, socks, and chocolates. Definitely my favourite warehouse sale, and the only sale I've actually picked up useful products that I'll make use of. Totally worth going to, especially if you are in the area.

Location: *NEW* 135 Commerce Valley Dr. East, Markham, ON

Dates: Nov 20-23, 27-30, Dec 4-6

Hours: Fri 10AM-8PM, Sat 9AM-6PM, Sun 10AM-6PM, Mon (Nov. 23/30 Only) 10AM-6PM

Official Website: Lisa's Cosmetics

See previous Lisa's Cosmetics Sales posts:

2013 Haul

2012 Haul

Sephora VIB Sale Haul

I'm probably what you can call a 'sale freak', and try to avoid purchasing things that I know go on sale, or that I don't necessarily need yet until there is a sale! I actually didn't need anything from Sephora until I saw an email for their VIB Sale (heh). I also purchased a few things from their Friends & Family sale a week earlier, with a coupon I got from a lovely group member in a Facebook group I belong to (thank you Emm!) so I've just combined everything into this post.

A delay was actually put on my VIB order because of such high volume of orders, but I was credited 250 points as courtesy. I still received the order faster than anything I ever order from overseas, so it was really no problem for me.

tarte Brazilliance Skin Rejuvenating Maracuja Face And Body Self Tanner: This seems like a great replacement for my Clarins Golden Glow Booster that I am running out of. It was cheaper and the tan seems to last longer in between use. I like to mix it with a moisturizer for easier application.

tarte Clean Slate 360 Creaseless 12-Hr Smoothing Eye Primer: Haven't gotten a chance to really test this out, but I have no doubts about it. Love tarte packaging and these are actually some of my first few tarte purchases.

Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer in Custard: This is the lightest yellow shade of the Nars Concealer collection and quite dark for the lightest shade. The swatches online look lighter than in person, but I will have to give it a go in the daylight to see if it'll manage to blend in with my skin. I have heard nothing but good things about these concealers though.

Lancome Effacernes Waterproof Concealer in Light Buff: Tried this twice and I'm loving it already. You don't need much, it blends easily and feels so matte on the skin once dried! I didn't think it covered my dark circles as well as it should but more testing will be done :)

bareMinerals bareSkin Pure Brightening Serum Foundation in Bare Cream 05: I bought this on a whim. I haven't tried anything from bareMinerals since their powder foundation first came out and wanted to give this new product a try. The colour was almost right, a bit too yellow, but the texture of this foundation looks terrible on my skin and enhanced my dry spots! Maybe I'm not applying it right? I didn't buy the brush to go with it, and I heard that is the key to this foundation... *sigh*

Nudestix Lip + Cheek Pencil in Mystic: I had to swatch this right when I got it! There is so much hype about these sticks. I'm impressed with the texture and colour payoff, but dislike the taste and scent. I dislike the taste of regular lipsticks and with the high price I would have thought this would have had a better or more fruity flavour to it. 

Urban Decay Pulp Fiction Palette: I managed to snag this palette on sale for $19. I have no idea what Pulp Fiction is about, but since it's such a highly rated movie I've been thinking about watching it. I do however, loveee the neutral matte shades, and after lightly swatching, I'm really impressed with the pigmentation. This palette is so perfect for me because all I ever really use are a highlighter shade, browns, and blacks. I'm surprised I didn't pick it up when it first came out. 

St. Tropez Self Tan Bronzing Mousse: Last of my order, is the St. Tropez Self Tan Bronzing Mousse. I ordered the 120ml first to try it out, and ended up getting the large 240ml size as well. I've recently begun to use self-tanner a few times a week to feel more confident and get over my paleness. I have to say, I don't know why I didn't try the St. Tropez sooner. I tried out different brands thinking they would be better but this is definitely my favourite, and I can see why they price it so high. The only thing I forgot was to get a mitt... after both orders... but luckily I have one that came with a different self-tanner.

I got a ton of freebies with my orders! 3 packet samples are from the Friends & Family Sale, and the rest of the goodies are from the VIB Sale. I unfortunately didn't get the samples I had chosen, but it isn't a big deal as I hate packet samples anyway. I am obsessed with UD eyeshadows, so I finally got to use 500 points on the Urban Decay Urban Obsessions Palette. It was also my birthday last Wednesday, so I finally got the Make Up For Ever Beauty Insider Birthday Gift, featuring a mini mascara and mini lipstick. Sucks to have a late birthday because your Sephora birthday gift comes a month before they bring a new birthday gift out..

Are you a Sephora BI, VIB, or VIB Rouge? What did you pick up? I'd love to see everyone's VIB Haul posts!

Buffalo Haul

I actually got to go across the border to Buffalo, NY, twice this week! Although the first time was for a commercial pickup, and I did not have the opportunity to stop anywhere besides Target... It's too bad I wasn't the one driving hehe. But I luckily got to go back for the weekend :)

*PS. Pic Heavy!*

Anyway, not so lucky, because my company was not exactly the 'shopping' type. Although I did pick up quite a few things I was looking for and many that I cannot get here in Canada.

I did not include the clothes I bought in this post. I will do a separate post where I am able to show how the clothes look on me!

I'll start with my Target purchases!

Sonia Kashuk Satin Luxe Lip Color in Pink Punch: I took a chance with this lipstick and it is quite bright/vibrant on my lips! I do like it however, and I think it looks great when I mix it with a little lighter pink.
Nivea Lip Butter in Vanilla & Macadamia Kiss: I don't like lip balms where you have to use your finger, but I wanted something different. I'm glad I chose this as it smells amazing!
EOS Lip Balm in Pomegranate Rasberry: This was a last minute impulse buy at the checkout! I saw it and had to have it to add to my collection!

Vaseline Cocoa Radiant Vitalizing Body Gel Oil: I saw a vlogger rave about this, I can't remember which one but I had to get it! I love the Vaseline Cocoa scent but I have no use for any of their other products, so I'm glad I found this.
Suave Dry Shampoo Spray: This was a little under $3 which I thought was a steal for a dry shampoo.   I can't wait to get up a review about it!
Hawaiian Tropic Silk Hydration Clear Mist Spray Sunscreen SPF 15: I liked that this said 'clear mist' as I hate having to rub in the sunscreen after I spray it on (even though I know you should anyway). Also I hate the smell of sunscreen, so I figured this to be the best smelling one in the store!
*Bonus* Free Hawaiian Tropic Lip Balm SPF 45: I got a free bonus lip balm with the sunscreen! I will definitely be using this for the beach and tanning.

Curel Hand & Cuticle Therapy and Foot Therapy Set: I heard some good things about this foot cream from those who got it in their Glossybox in the past (I believe). Not sure if I am noticing am improvement yet but my dry spots do feel a bit softer.

Anddd just some snacks! I really do not like the Starbucks Very Berry Hibiscus. There are 6 flavoured powder pouches in this box, for a whopping $7! I like that it is naturally sweetened with cane sugar, but  to me this tastes terrible! There is ginger in it and all I can taste is the ginger. I also learnt after I bought this that green coffee extract is ideal for losing weight, which is not what I want to do! I will be giving this to my aunt, who actually loves the taste of ginger! I had to get the Ice Breakers Watermelon because I haven't seen it in Canada, and these are my HG mints! Also picked up this amazing popcorn! It is a little pricey but the best popcorn I've ever had! I can't even explain, its buttery and salty, but not overly salty. If you love popcorn I'd suggest trying out Pop Secret Homestyle if you ever spot it!

Then I went to Sally's Beauty, mainly to pick up the Wet Brush! I'm so happy I got my hands on one because I haven't seen them in Canada. I love it so far, it easily detangles my hair.

This Palladio Rice Powder and Rice Paper looked interesting, and it was $3 off 2 Palladio products so I picked up both. I also got this $2 Beauty Secrets Non-Acetone Nail Polish Remover. Not sure how well it works but it doesn't have that great of reviews on MUA, oh no!

I went to Dollar Tree and got both of these for $1 each. Sorry the packaging is a bit ugly! I was too eager, and had already opened them!

At the Fashion Outlets Mall, I just picked up this Yankee Candle for $5! It is a decent size, says it will burn for 35-45 hours. I had to be held back from getting anymore!

I tried this Arizona Sparkling Drink before, in Cherry or Rasberry, and it was alright but I didn't find it to be flavourful enough! I saw that they now have a few more flavours, and I got this one. Hey, it was only $.99!

I wanted A LOT of things at Ulta but I limited myself and ended up with only two of these Tree Hut Shea Sugar Body Scrubs. Top is Coconut Lime and bottom is Tropical Mango. Thank you Beauty Box 5 for introducing me to this amazing stuff!

And of course I had to get my 5 for $5 sanitizers from Bath and Body Works! They are 3 for $5 in Canada, so I always try pick some up when I go to the States. They are so addicting!

I hope this wasn't too boring! I didn't really get any makeup products, but I limited myself to things I will use! I will definitely get my clothing haul up soon!

Lisa's Cosmetics Spring 2013 Haul

Lisa's Cosmetics is a 12-day sale which I believe is held twice a year, first in the Spring and again in the Fall! This is my second time attending this semi-annual sale. If your interested in seeing my first haul from November 2012, click here!

For those of you that would like more information on the sale, you can visit the official website here!

The sale is open to the public except for the very first day, which is a friends and family sale. I did not attend that day, although I did go on the grand opening, the following day. I arrived at around 4:30 PM, because I learnt from the last sale that I do not need to go first thing in the morning! I did pick up some new essential items :) 

Be warned! There is only one makeup item in this haul!!

Below is a complete list of what I picked up and their prices:

- Annabelle Smoothie Eyeshadow Pencil In Mauve-tion (Purple) $2

- Marcelle Essentials Gentle Makeup Remover for Sensitive Eyes $5

- Sally Hansen All Day Foot Powder $3

- Softsoap Body Butter Coconut Scrub Exfoliant $3

- Febreze Air Effects Limited Edition Cinnamon Sugar & home $2.60

- Nair Roll-on Wax Milk and Honey $7

- Nair Quick & Easy Wax Strips for Face, Bikini, & Underarms $4

- Colgate Total Gum Defense Toothbrush (x2) $2 = $4

- Reach gentle Gum Care Floss $2

Subtotal came out to $32.52, with taxes $36.75!

I have the Annabelle Smoothie in the blue shade, Acaidasiac, which I love so I was excited when I saw the purple! It appears more vibrant on the skin. I decided to try the Marcelle Eye Make-up Remover as well, hoping that it would take off my mascara more easily!

Just some boring, essentials. I couldn't resist the Coconut Scrub since falling in love with their Vanilla body wash, although I'm sure this can be purchased in stores on sale for about the same price! I went with the Nair wax strips over Veet because they were cheaper, but I regret not picking some of those up too! They were $10 I believe, I'm not sure whether they were the small or large pack however.

Some more boring, teeth essentials. I saw gum defense, and since mine seem to be quite sensitive I picked up 2, in girly colours, so no one gets confused and uses it! And the hidden package is indeed empty, but.. it didn't come like that.. I just already have been using it!

If you have scrolled to the bottom looking for the product list with prices, scroll back up to right underneath the first photo! 

 I was hoping to see some La Coupe there, but no luck again this time around! I refrained from purchasing things I won't use, like anything from the Stila section... There were the usual brands such as H20, Elizabeth Arden, Marcelle, Annabelle, & Schwarzkopf. They had the regular large section of like every perfume ever made, and section with belts, boxers, plain t-shirts. I saw some Joico and Osis, but nothing that I needed. There was no Smashbox this year, however there was Stila. They had a few things from a Winter collection; a brush set, eyeliner sets, a huge palette, and a ton of glosses. I also spotted the 'In the Garden' Palette although I was hoping for the 'In the Light' because the colours would suit my brown eyes better.

What do you think about these prices, amazing, decent, or could be better? If your from Toronto, what did you pick up from this sale?!

Sephora Chic Week VIB Spring 2013 Haul

I'm sure all you beauty gurus know about Chic Week at Sephora! Those signed up as a Beauty Insider (BI), or a VIB (when you spend $300+ yearly) are able to shop a 15% off promotion on anything for 12 days at Sephora in stores in Canada, or both online and in stores in the US! Thursday, April 11th was VIB Early Access Shopping Day where VIB's are presented with a cute tote, and 8 exclusive samples. 

Chic Week is on until April 22nd! Hurry in to your local Sephora if you have any beauty products you've been wanting to pick up!

I limited myself and only picked up 2 products!

I've been wanting to try either the Cake Dry Shampoo or Principessa! I am so glad the 15% gave me an excuse to pick one up. I had been trying it and I actually really like it. I typically only use aerosol dry shampoos, and I find they either a) don't work, or b) work for an hour or so. The only issue is my hair is very dark brown, and this is lighter than that. I have to be careful not to get it on my scalp or it literally looks like I threw a bunch of light brown powder on it. The Cake Dry Shampoo is regularly $18.

I've spotted a similar product at Marshall's actually for somewhere around $10! It was a Cake Strawberry Body Powder I believe, but it said 'can be used as dry shampoo/for hair as well'!

The next product I picked up is the Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette! I love how small, light, and compact it is. I've already started to use it daily. This palette is regularly $32.

I received 7 packet samples with my purchase and although I was expecting 'deluxe sized' I am happy with what we were given! Considering the HUGE line-up to pay (even at 5:30 pm!) I was happy enough to even have gotten the bag of samples because I had assumed they were already all gone. 

What did you pick up for Chic Week!?

L'Oreal Warehouse Sale Spring 2013!

L'Oreal Canada is currently having a Spring 2013 Warehouse Sale, that runs from March 13-30th: every day of the week except for Sundays! I was lucky enough to get a ticket from a fellow beauty enthusiast! The ticket is good for 2 visits for 2 people, with a maximum expenditure of $600 altogether. Of course I knew I wouldn't be spending that much and was hoping to keep it under $80 which I did!

I went yesterday, what I thought was the opening day, however looking at other reviews some got to go a bit earlier, on March 9 & 10. My friend and I actually took public transportation to the sale, which I guess had it pros and cons..... mostly ...cons... Although for one we didn't have to wait in the line to get into the parking lot yay! :D But we had to walk pretty far from the bus stop and it was freezing out! We actually started to run (struggling though) 5 minutes into the walk because we were so cold! 

There was no line to get in since we got there so late at 3pm (result of loafting). I was hoping to take photos there but once inside we were so overwhelmed with beauty products! Also I wasn't sure if we were even allowed to, but I doubt it.

Anyways, here is my haul :) My friend is hopefully going to send me a photo of hers so you can see what she got as well! I'll list prices and full product titles at the bottom.

All in all the sale was not as spectacular as I thought it would be, but I got some good deals! I saw photos of someone who went on the weekend and was able to get a product from the new Garnier line, 'Pure Control' but I didn't see it there. I'm guessing it was either sold out or not yet restocked. 

They had Matrix shampoo/conditioner, Redken, Garnier, L'Oreal, high end perfumes like YSL, Viktor & Rolf, Diesel Loverdoser. There was Vichy, Biotherm, and La Roche-Posay singles and sets at discounted prices but nothing that seemed like an amazing deal. 

Other than that I saw a ton of LOreal Ombrelle sunscreen, a few Garnier skincare products that weren't discounted at all, the dark circle eye roller was the same price on sale at Shoppers.. People seemed to be super excited about the Lancome products I didn't even really have a chance to look at them. I think the sign was $10ish for the glosses, possibly $15 for the eyeshadow quads? Don't quote me on that I just took a quick glance! There was Maybelline Fit Me foundation and powder, however, they only had about 4 colours or so in stock.. most were dark, they also had the Instant Age Rewind foundations in 3-4 colours (dark again) but no concealers *tear*.

I picked up 2 250ml L'Oreal Elnett Satin Hairspray in Strong Hold & Extra Strong Hold. I have a love/hate relationship with this hairspray but it seems to work decently for me, it is light, it tangles my hair if I spray at the ends but otherwise, I think it's alright, and for $3 each why not!

A lot of the Color Show polishes were on display as testers but they seemed to only have less than half of that for sale. I just picked up the colour Onyx Rush which is a dark pretty opaque black with tiny sparkles. They had a rack of Essie polishes with a small selection of colours, the cuticle softener, and I think another base or top coat. I picked up the All in One Base coat, and the colour Navigate Her. They were $6 each or buy 5 get 1 free which would make them $5 each. They had a bigger selection of the L'Oreal 24hr Infallible Eye Shadow but I just picked up 1 in Iced Latte for $4.50. The Maybelline Color Tattoo selection was kind of upsetting. I love these, but they only had maybe 5 colours. I dug in that bin for like 5 minutes too! The lipstick selection was okay overall, seemed like there were a lot of darker colours. I also picked up La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo because I have heard it works well for acne.. it was $15 so it better not break me out! 

Price List:

Essie All in One Base Total Nail Treatment = $6

Essie Polish in Navigate Her = $6

Garnier Fructus Anti-Dandruff Intense Shampoo = $2 (bought for the bf, no photo, sorry!)

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo Double Action Acne Treatment = $15

L'Oreal Color Riche 235 Nude = $2.50

L'Oreal Colour Riche 401 Peach Parfait = $2.50

L'Oreal Elnett Satin Hairspray Strong Hold & Extra Strong Hold (250ml) = $3 (x2) = $6

L'Oreal Infallible 24hr Eye Shadow in Iced Latte = $4.50

Maybelline Color Sensational 815 Tenacious Taupe = $2

Maybelline Color Show Polish in Onyx Rush = $3

Maybelline Color Tattoo in Barely Beige = $3.75

Maybelline Mineral Power Concealer in Ivory light 2-3 = $3.75

My total was $64.47 with tax ($57.04 without) for 13 items! Okay so I think I overspent considering I didn't need or even go into the sale wanting these, but I will use everything I bought except for maybe one (maybelline tenacious taupe lipstick, washes me out), and I am happy I only splurged on one item (the la roche-posay)! If you went to this sale, I'd love to see a link or photo of your haul :)

MUA Haul + Shadows & Heaven and Earth Palette Swatches

As I'm sure all of you may know Makeup Academy had a crazy 50% off sale on their official online store after reaching 50,000 likes on their Facebook page!

MUA's products are super affordable and the only thing holding me back from constantly purchasing is the shipping price. International delivery is £7.50 and once converted to CAD, $11.65. Their 12 shadow palettes are super affordable at £4 ($6.22 CAD). Once shipping charges are added the price increases significantly. To me it is only worth it if you are purchasing a larger order when ordering to Canada.

Anywhoo! I got everything here for 50% off with free shipping! A lot of stuff I wanted was sold out by the time I was able to make a purchase like the brushes, fur effects for nails, and lipsticks. We had to purchase a total of £30 so when 50% was taken off the order amount was at least $23.31 CAD. I spent $25.33 in total for 13 products!

Complete Haul

MUA Heaven and Earth Palette

The colours in this palette are all warm neutrals. There is 9.6g of product in total. This is actually my favourite purchase and I wish I had gotten another palette, for $3 the pigmentation is great! Works best over primer, when I tried the colours without primer I did not think they showed up as well. The only problem I have with this palette is getting it open grr! It's a struggle every time.

Heaven on Earth Palette Swatches: L to R - First 6: Top Row, Last 6: Bottom Row

Swatched over MUA Professional Eye Primer

My camera likes to change the colour of the image on me a lot after the photo has been taken so I took additional close up swatches but I think the image above shows a better representation of the colours.

Heaven on Earth Palette: Top Row Swatches (over primer)

Heaven on Earth Palette: Bottom Row Swatches (over primer)

MUA Eye Shadow Swatches

Swatched over MUA Professional Eye Primer

Top image taken with flash, sorry I will try to retake a photo w/o flash, I had forgotten to take it earlier!

Matte #16: This is a matte highlight colour that reminds me of Virgin from my UD Naked Palette, but without the shimmer. Best to be used when you do not want to draw too much attention to the brow bone with a shimmer highlight. I find it to be a little on the pink side. 

Matte #19: I use this for my eyebrows. I really like it for the crease as well. It works great for both these purposes because it is a matte.

Pearl #9: I love this purple in the pan, but it just doesn't work as well on the eyes. It definitely needs to be built up but has a very pretty shimmer to it. I have to admit, I cannot get this to work for me with a brush. It can be used with a finger but it takes a lot to build up the colour. 

Pearl #24: This colour is a little lighter than expected but I think it would be a nice subtle colour for all over the lid. It kind of seems like a light metallic pink/mauve.

Pearl #13: Like I said about #9, the formula is not as creamy for these purples and definitely need to be built up. I also could not get this to work with my crease brush, so I have yet to actually use this. 

Omg ew the nails! But you can see how pretty the shimmer is here for both #9 and #13.

MUA Pro-Brow Ultimate Eyebrow Kit

Next is the MUA Pro-Brow Kit! I tend to lean towards powder products to fill in my brows because its faster and I don't like it to be very noticeable. 

There are 3 colours, a dark & light brown, highlight, and a wax. 

MUA Pro-Brow Ultimate Eyebrow Kit: swatched over bare skin (L to R: Dark brown, light brown, highlight)

The highlight is similar to the light brown in the photo, but the light brown is slightly darker in person. Overall the colours look as if they can easily work with anyone with dark or light brows. 

MUA Professional Eyes Primer

I have not tried this on my lids yet but swatched the palette and shadows over this, and it really brightened and held onto the pigment of the shadows. Edit: I have tried it on the lids, and I really do not like it! It is a decent primer, but the staying power is terrible! I think it only lasted a few hours before creasing. 

MUA Pro-Base Fixing Mist, & MUA Matte Perfect Loose Powder

I found the fixing mist to make my skin a little too dewy for my liking because by an hour or so it ends up looking like that anyway. I also didn't like the feeling on my face, I felt like I needed to rub it in. The Perfect Loose Powder is mattifying and there seems to be a ton of product in it!

MUA Nail Constellations in Scorpio & Pisces

I had a really difficult time applying this. The rubber nozzle makes it difficult. Also there is a piece of plastic you have to remove before pouring it on your nail, I wasn't careful and popped open the top and the beads went everywhere, all over the laptop! They really are super tiny. Make sure to do this over a box or bowl.

First Attempt (Fail) - 1 Layer of Nicole by OPI Modern Family Collection: Am I Making Myself Claire? & MUA Nail Constellation in Pisces

My first attempt with these as an accent nail. This actually lasted for almost a week with 2 topcoats but it didn't look the greatest because I couldn't apply it properly in the first place. This definitely needs practise and the right technique. Hopefully my next attempt will be an improvement :)

Totally forgot to take a photo of the mascara. But I'll do a review/comparison on it soon anyway!

Did you get anything from MUA lately? I'd love to see other reviews on their products!

December Haul: BNBW, EOS, Barry M, Prestige & Sephora Boxing Day!

Slatkin & Co. Candles: Apple Crumble, Holiday Gumdrops, Oatmeal Macaroon, S'Mores

So, I can admit that I really loafted on getting my hauls up, so I just made it into one big December haul. Missed a few things since I already scattered them around my room, so my resolution! is to get my posts up sooner. I take tons of photos and a month later I don't like them anymore haha. So my aunt got these for me, not sure when, but this is what started my candle addiction...

Which turned into this! I got 5 small candles for $25, and 2 minis for $5, used a 30% off coupon and paid $21 for these plus tax! I thought it was a great deal. I have only used up one so far, the Frosted Cupcake mmm. It probably has another hour left on it. I have to say, they burn for quite a while. They seem to never finish! Which is a great thing! I actually noticed that these are made by various brands, 'White Barn, Slatkin & Co., and Bath and Body Works themselves. I haven't noticed a different in the White Barn or Skatkin & Co. but have yet to try the BNBW Candles! Hope they are just as good.

From L to R: Fresh Sugar Kisses Mini Lip Duo, EOS Alice in Wonderland Lip Balm Set, Bourjois Bio Detox Foundation in N52 Vanilla, Barry M Ultra Moisturizing Lip Paint in 161 Flamingo Peach, Prestige Brow Perfection Revitalizing Clear Brow Gel, Anastasia Want You To Want Me Eye Shadow Palette, Below: (2) Prestige Total Intensity Eyeliner in Deepest Black

Moving on.. I picked up these around the beginning of the month. Actually, most of it I bought online and had shipped to me, I only bought the liners, brow gel, and EOS Alice in Wonderland lip balm set in store (Rexall). 

The Fresh Sugar Kisses Duo speaks for itself.. I loved it so much in my Freebies post that I found and purchased one on eBay! It was pricey.. I wouldn't do it again. Impulse buy. 

EOS Lip Balms from Rexall I am in love with and will be doing a short review on them in my next few posts!

The next two items I had bought online from Asos, the Bourjois Bio Detox Foundation was terrible.. it was hard to apply as there is no silicone in the product so it is difficult to blend.. I managed to blend it at night but tried again in the morning over moisturizer and it completely failed and came right off. Will try it again, and put up a review of this as well as the Barry M Ultra Moisturizing Lip Paint, I love the colour of this but it was not me at all, I took lip swatches and will post a review of that as well.

The Prestige liners and brow gel are from Rexall as well, all on sale, and are definitely my HG products. I could not believe how well the liners work. They are dark, stay put, and glide on easily. Only paid $3ish each. Definitely would recommend. Review coming soon as well. 

Anastasia Want You to Want Me Eye Shadow Palette I purchased from Glymm and only paid $9 in total with shipping. I used my $40 credit from the Glymm Stocking Stuffer I received in December. I may be gifting this product or giving it away because I have enough eyeshadows, but we will see! It is a cute set but very tiny.

I think the best part of the day was certainly the samples. I was not happy with 2 out of the 3 of the products...

L to R: Buxom Lashliner in Sequins and Brush, Urban Decay Eyeshadow in Flash, Tarina Tarantino Eye Dream Highlight Duo in Amber/Elektron

 Buxom Lashliner in Sequins and Brush

Not happy at all with this product. Main reason, (see photo below) is that the product had already seperated from the sides of the container. I believe it is quite old.. some others have recognized the same problem and returned their product. The only problem is that if I return I lose VIB status due to them forgetting to count purchases made in November.. so I need to call them and figure out what is going to happen... 

The product is nice, you definitely need to go over with black shadow or a pencil liner to avoid smudging, it seemed quite sticky. Only problem is I got a small waterline pimple wearing this, so I'm not sure if it's this or the UD liner I was wearing but I'm almost positive it would not be the UD, since this product is visibly old. 

Product has shrunk away from the sides...

Tarina Tarantino Eye Dream Highlight Duo in Amber/Elektron, Urban Decay Eyeshadow in Flash

I love both of these! The Urban Decay is very pigmented when time is taken to apply it, and to me it's quite lighter than the colour in the pan. Now.. the problem is with the Tarina Tarantino duo... uhm... what are those little dots along the edges of the pan? It looks like spilt coca cola or something. These were final sale at $5 each so I'm not sure if it's exchangeable for something else or a credit...not sure what I should do. EDIT: I ended up bringing the Tarina Tarantino duo to Sephora, we found out the gooey stuff around the edges was the eyeshadow itself and they offered to refund my purchase :) 

0_0

But anyway! Here are the swatches. Swatched the duo anyway.

Top to Bottom (swatched over primer): Buxom Lashliner in Sequins, Urban Decay in Flash, Tarina Tarantino in Amber, Tarina Tarantino in Elektron

The liner takes quite a few tries to get it dark, my advice is to take a little at a time and slowly build the colour. 

Ps. Sorry the purple swatch is on what looks like a vein...! :p