Drugstore and Sephora Haul

Yes, yet another (small) haul!

I had to run back to Sephora since I ran out of my eyebrow pencil, and didn't leave with just one thing (but didn't do so bad!) and I also picked up some things at the drugstore section of Bed Bath and Beyond. Just thought I'd share what I purchased with you all :)

I currently use the Freeman Avocado and Oatmeal Clay Mask at least once a week and I really do like how it makes my skin look and feel after use. I noticed that there was a sale going on for the Freeman masks and I grabbed 2!

I really love Real Techniques brushes - absolutely no complaints whatsoever. I decided to pick up one of their blush brushes, since the Sephora one I have has been shedding a lot lately. 

Can you believe I have actually never tried any BB creams?! I have heard good things about the Maybelline Dream Pure Fresh BB 8 In One Skin Cleaning Perfecter. Since I passed the Maybelline section, I picked one up in the shade medium.

First time I saw these lipsticks on display, I got real excited since I love nude shades. Unfortunately I wasn't able to purchase it - because they were all opened, and people have swatched the lipsticks! I HATE that! Fortunately Bed Bath and Beyond carried it, and they were untouched. It's the L'Oreal Collection Privee Colour Riche and I picked them up in the shades Julianne's Nude and Jennifer's Nude. 

Left: Jennifer's Nude Right: Julianne's Nude 

I have a backless top that I haven't been able to wear due to its thin material, and of course, unable to wear a bra. I found this Hollywood Breast Lift Tape - which I'm hoping it gives me some sort of lift and not make me look like I have no bra on. I also got reusable gel silicone nipple covers, because I don't want to show the world that my headlights are on. 

Now, for my small Sephora haul. 

I had to go back to Sephora to get more of the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz. I ran out of the Medium Ash, and since I'm back to being a brunette, this time around I got it in the shade Dark Brown. 

I also got more of the NARS tinted moisturizer in the shade Annapurna, and a bottle of Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray. 

The only thing in the picture that was not purchased at Sephora was the Inglot gel liner in #77 - that was bought in Macy's. 

I should be set for the time being... but knowing me, I won't be able to resist, and i'll pick something else up! 

ByAlegory Acrylic Lipstick Organizer

I brought an Alex 5 drawer system from Ikea a few months ago and have yet to buy bins to store everything properly. The acrylic makeup storage on my vanity was overflowing with lip products, and my lipstick drawer in the Alex system was starting to look like a hot mess!

I recently came across these makeup organizers by a company called ByAlegory. They offer lipstick, lipgloss, and compact organizers make out of heavy duty acrylic - and it is available in a few colors as well. I decided to purchase the pink 24 lipstick organizer, since I wanted a pop of color to stand out against my white drawer.

As soon as I received it, I quickly put in all of the lipsticks that needed to be organized in it!

On one end I put in some of my non-mac lipsticks to show that it also holds other brands of lipsticks just as well (at least the ones that I own). As you know, mac lipsticks all have the same black packaging (except for limited edition) and you don't know what color it is unless you look at the bottom. I put the lipsticks upside down just to see how it worked out. 

The lipsticks tilt over to the side but still did it's job! This is what it looks like inside of my Alex drawer..

Overall I'm happy with my purchase and will most definitely order some of the other makeup storage they have to offer!

Mini Sephora Haul!

So, I went into Sephora a few days ago, and did a little bit of damage! Nothing major, but I definitely walked away with more than just the one item I intended on purchasing.

This is why I originally came in to Sephora, to pick up the Bobbi Brown corrector in Peach. I have dark under eye circles, but lately I feel like they have been darker than usual, and a regular concealer just wasn't doing it for me.

Bobbi Brown Corrector in Peach

After I grabbed that up, I started wandering around, and ended up at the NARS section. I decided to pick up their Radiant Creamy Concealer in the color Custard. I've heard nothing but good things, so I wanted to try it out for myself. 

NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Custard

I remembered that I was running out of my Urban Decay Brightening and Tightening Complexion Primer Potion, and headed over to Hourlgass to pick up their Mineral Veil Primer. I got the travel sized bottle to try out before I committed to the full size one. Also, the full size one is VERY expensive! Again, I've seen rave reviews for this product! 

Hourglass Mineral Veil Primer

I walked over to Too Faced to finally take a look at their Melted Liquified Long Wear Lipsticks. I wanted to pick all of them up, but of course, that wasn't possible. I decided on the shade Melted Nude.

Too Faced Liquified Long Wear Lipstick in Melted Nude

I was also taking a look at their highlighters, and decided to get their Candlelight glow highlighting powder duo. It has two shades, which is Sheer Gold and Gilded Rose. I can never have enough highlighters! 

Too Faced Candlelight Glow

Im so glad I decided to look at the perfume section - I came across a purse sized Gucci Premiere! I have been eyeing this perfume for SO long but I always think twice about it when I have it in my hands, due to the fact that its so expensive. Even better, it isn't in a rollerball form, but in a spray! This perfume smells divine! 

Gucci Premiere

And that concludes this mini haul -Is there anything you would like to see a review on? Let me know below! 

Sigma Spa Brush Cleaning Glove Review

Hello beauties!

So, I don't know why I didn't hear of this glove before I went to IMATS earlier this year. Apparently this glove has been out for a while before then. As I was looking over what I wanted to purchase at the Sigma booth, I saw this brush cleaning glove, and wondered if it was worth it. Since Sigma had 30% off their items, I figured it would be worth a shot. I'm SO glad I took that chance!

Yes, it looks like a rubber oven glove with different textures on it. But you know what? It works.

Gone are the days of me having prune like hands due to deep cleaning my makeup brushes. I used to hate how long it would take as well - making sure the makeup is completely washed off and rinsing them out thoroughly. The spa glove makes life a bit easier! It is also lined on the inside, so your hand isn't actually sticking to the rubber on the inside.

The glove has two sides to it, one side to wash eye brushes..

 And the other side to wash face brushes.

The nubs on each side are different, the side for the face brushes are larger for obvious reasons. A huge plus about this glove is that you are actually using a lot less cleaning solution, as soon as you start moving your brush in a circular motion on the wash section, you automatically see how sudsy it becomes. The nubs do a great job in helping with the removal of whatever makeup is on your brushes, and quickly too.

So what do the different textures do? Here's a little breakdown. First you add the brush cleaner of your choice to the wash section and start swirling it around. You'll see all that buildup come right off!

Next up, its time to rinse. The rinse section is on the top of the glove.

For even more of a deep clean, run your brush through the refine section. In this section, I sometimes notice that there is still some soap that needs to be rinsed off, so I run the brush through the rinse part again. 

To top it off, squeeze your brush through the shape section to remove excess water, all while shaping your brush. 

Now, as far as pricing goes, I do think it is a steep price to pay for it. It is absolutely worth it if you have tons of brushes to deep clean, want them thoroughly clean, and you want to save time cleaning them (I mean, who wouldn't want that?!). I have been using this glove for a few months now and I am completely in love. Pink isn't the only color - Sigma has it in aqua, black, and purple as well (from what I see on the website at the moment, pink isn't available). You can purchase the glove by clicking here.

Do you own one, or thinking about purchasing? What are your thoughts?

How To Pack Cosmetics For A Vacation

Hello beauties!

Since I recently traveled, I decided to share with you what I pack in my makeup bag. I absolutely hate packing! It takes me a few days to plan out outfits and decide if I really need to bring a certain beauty item along or not. I work in the airline industry, therefore I see people that are missing their luggage all the time, so in order to avoid that issue, I manage to pack everything that I need in my carryon bag and in my oversized purse (sounds impossible, but it isn't!) - so proper packing of everything I bring with me is crucial.

My travel makeup bag!

Pack the essentials. I know its hard to condense what you want to bring, but think about the things you will actually use. This goes for clothes, hair products and of course your makeup. I am pretty sure you won't have the time to go through your full routine in the hotel room. I personally want to spend more time being a tourist than spending time putting a full face on!

What activities will you be doing? If you are going to be on the beach most of the time, then its obvious you will not be needing much besides sunscreen. I always bring my Nars tinted moisturizer, It gives me the right amount of color, and it also has SPF in it as well. If you do have a dinner planned out in the evening however, you may want to put a little something on. Make sure you bring a palette with you, with a variety of colors to create different looks. I prefer the Naked and Naked Basics palette - perfect for a neutral eye for the daytime or glam it up at night with a smokey eye. I also bring along my contour kit for a quick contour.

Travel sized items. I cannot stress this one enough! Not only do they save space and are less heavy to carry around, but it is TSA compliant, so you will not have issues going through security with it. Try to get your hands on sample items at Sephora as well. Also, your local drugstore should carry tons of travel sized items such as makeup remover wipes, shampoo/conditioner, soap, hairspray etc. If you want to transfer some full sized products into something smaller, you can buy the empty travel size containers also found in drugstores. For things like shampoo, I put it in a ziploc bag just in case it leaks at some point along the way. Below is just a few of the travel sized items I have.

Left to right: UD All Nighter setting spray, Benefit Watts Up! Highlighter, Benefit They're Real mascara, Algenist moisturizer, Clean & Clear facial scrub, Benefit The Porefessional, UD eyeshadow primer.

These are other things I bring along with me...

Left: Nars Bronzer in Casino Middle Top: MAC blush in Peaches Middle Bottom: Hourglass Ambient Light in Dim Light Right: MAC MSF Highlighter in Soft & Gentile

Left: MAC Pro Longwear concealer Middle: Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz Right: Maybelline Eye Studio gel eyeliner

Multipurpose Makeup. They are a great way of saving space in your bag, and saves you application time as well. Products like Nars The Multiple can be used as blush, lip color, eyeshadow and highlighter. Benefit's Benetint can be used for cheeks and lips as well. 

Lips and blush. Figuring out what blush and lip products I want to bring along is always tough! I always want to bring 5 blushes and 10 lipsticks, but of course that isn't possible. As for blush, I decided on just bringing a color that will compliment many different looks. With lips, thats a different story. Again, think of the activities that you will be doing and bring the appropriate shades. As for me - I bring a perfect everyday pink shade, a nude for that smokey eye, a red lipstick just in case I want to be a little dramatic, and a lipgloss when I don't want to wear a lipstick, but still want a hint of color.

Left to Right: Hot Passion #305 by Cover Girl, Lovelorn and Shy Girl by MAC, NYX Butter Gloss in Peaches and Cream

Brushes. Again, I only bring what Im actually going to use, and I put them in a separate makeup bag. Unfortunately I don't own a brush roll (yet!)

Excuse my dirty brushes! 

And there you have it! How do you pack when you go on a trip?

Vincent Longo Perfect Shine V Gloss in Sexty Review

I'm definitely in love with this shade! 

Perfect Shine V Gloss in Sexty

According to the Vincent Longo site :

"Perfect Shine V Gloss’ full-body, non-waxy formula layers light-catching pigment on lips while it moisturizes, leaving your lips looking camera-ready and feeling soft as silk. The rich, long-wear texture keeps V Gloss’ colour in place throughout the day and into evening. A unique plumper developed from a natural tripeptide fully hydrates the lip surface and volumizes fine lines, so you get a perfect natural pout with superstar-quality sheen every time."

This gloss has a great color pay off and is the perfect shade of pink. I find that it pairs perfectly with a dramatic smokey eye, or can be worn with a softer look. This gloss is not at all sticky (thank goodness) and glides on effortlessly. Sexty did not dry out my lips, but it did settle into the lines of my lips after an hour or so. As far as their claim of it volumizing fine lines - I honestly didn't notice a difference. I was able to get about 2 hours wear before I had to reapply, so the long wearing claim didn't apply to my lips. 

I would recommend this product, because it is such a pretty shade of pink - and no girl has enough pink in their stash! Also because it isn't drying, and that is always a plus.

Vincent Longo Perfect Shine V Gloss in Sexty retails for $22 USD on their website, and can also be purchased at Nordstorm .

DISCLAIMER: I received this as a sample. My review is 100% honest, and entirely my own.

Benefit They're Real! Push-Up Liner Review

I don't think I've ever seen so much buzz for an eyeliner before!

Being that I absolutely LOVE Benefit's They're Real Mascara, I squealed in excitement when I found out that they will release a gel liner pen (don't judge!).

Benefit describes this gel liner pen as innovative, and heres why:

 1 - Its the first ever lash hugging gel eyeliner in a pen.
2 - The innovative AccuFlex tip makes it easy to get close to your lashline.
3 - It is a waterproof, matte black gel formula that doesn't smudge or dry out.

Sample sized

The AccuFlex tip

Now, for my experience with the liner... 

In order for you to use, you must twist the end to dispense the product out. It said it takes up to 10 rotations to dispense product, but it look me like 20 to see it come out the first time.

The formula for this gel is pretty dry and I found that you have to work rather quickly before it sets, because once it dries, it stays put! When applying along the lash line it worked as promised - it lined as close as possible. One thing I did find myself doing was wiping off excess liner off of the tip a few times. The AccuFlex tip does make it very easy to do a cat eye, but the line wasn't as crisp as I'd like. Once my line was drawn I wanted to go over it one more time to make it darker, but it was very difficult, as it skipped along what I had on already. 

So, is it really waterproof? YES! This stuff did not move at all! Even after eye makeup remover, there was still traces of it on my eyelid.

Is it worth it? Only if you aren't good with liquid eyeliner, and also if you want to make a fool proof, quick cat eye look. You just have to work really quickly with this product. This product will retail for $24 USD and will be available in July.

What are your thoughts?

DISCLAIMER: This product was given to me for my consideration. My review is 100% honest and entirely my own.