Target Beauty Box

My Target Beauty Box has finally arrived! For only $5 I got all the goodies you see here, that's only $1 per item!

Description from Target:

Beauty Box Includes:

1) TONI&GUY Casual Sea Salt Texturising Spray (2.5 fl oz): Want beachy hair without hitting the surf? Spray from root to tip for salty, sultry texture and subtle, windswept waves.

2) L’Oreal Voluminous Butterfly Mascara (.22 fl oz): Stretch and lengthen lashes for a fluttery, winged-out look with this unique mascara formula and revolutionary asymmetrical Butterfly Brush.

3) Herbal Essences Naked Dry Shampoo (1.7 oz): Give hair a rejuvenating boost with this paraben and colorant-free formula made with natural tapioca to instantly absorb excess oil with less residue.

4) COVERGIRL Smoochies Sizzle Gloss (.44 fl oz): Pucker up. Sheer color meets sizzling shimmer in a moisturizing formula that’s always stunning, never sticky.

5) Jergens BB Cream Light (2 fl oz): Finally, a multi-tasking beauty cream in a quick-drying formula that goes on sheer and delivers visible results in just 5 days.

My thoughts:

I was very excited to see the Toni & Guy spray because a friend was just telling about how awesome this stuff is. I have never been able to get the beachy wave look. My hair is very curly naturally and so when I try to do waves I either get straight hair or a frizzy mess from playing with it too much. I have mixed feelings about this product. On the one hand I got many compliments on my "sexy, beachy hair", but I felt like I looked more like a mermaid that washed up in a hurricane than a sexy siren and one other person agreed with that. I definitely think that for someone with thicker, curlier hair like myself I would probably need a little bit of a smoothing or shine product just to enhance the look. I do think I would repurchase this and with a little practice get the look I wanted. 

I have been trying so many mascaras lately, but I love doing it and finding new favorites. The brush on this mascara is asymmetrical so as to grab every lash. It takes a little maneuvering, but it does work. This isn't my favorite mascara, but I do like it.

 Not all dry shampoos are created equally so I like to try them out whenever I can before buying a full size. My hair is not usually oily, but on occasion (especially if I have a lot of product in my hair) it does get a little greasy feeling. Dry shampoo is also amazing for adding texture. This is the first I've used from a can and I was a little worried that I would end up with sticky or stiff hair, but was pleasantly surprised. My hair still felt soft, but it helped to absorb the oil without making my hair look dull. I was also still able to easily run a brush through my hair.




Lip gloss can be such a hit or miss and I love the color of this one. I heard a lot of people say they found this gloss sticky, I didn't, but I found it a bit too glittery and a bit gritty in texture because of it. This is one gloss I wouldn't repurchase simply because of the texture. It seems a good fit for much younger girls, but I wouldn't recommend it for grown women, if you love glitter (as I do) there are better options.

I have never heard of a BB Cream for the body so this product really intrigued me. It has a very light smell and texture and felt hydrating, but I didn't really see any coverage. I suppose it's meant to be a light coverage to blur any imperfections on the body, I only tried it on my arms, but I suppose it would work well on legs.

Beauty Steal at TooFaced

Just got this in my inbox and had to share! The Matte Eye palette is only $20 until tomorrow!

Image courtesy of TooFaced
 
This a gorgeous palette for day to day that can transition to more dramatic looks. This is almost half price and I highly recommend snapping this one up!

Urban Decay is on Hautelook

I love Urban Decay and I love Hautelook and now Urban Decay is on Hautelook! You can get some seriously amazing deals on shadows, foundations, pencils and more! Sign up for Hautelook for free and snag these amazing deals!

My top picks are Primer Potion and $5 eyeshadows! Also if you've wanted to try some of their foundations this is a great time since they are more than 50% off.

Happy St. Patrick's Day EOTD

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone. I played around and did two quick eye looks, one more bright and the other a little smokier. I used Lime Crime magic dusts, Lunatick Cosmetics, Victoria's Secret loose shadow in Magic Dust and the Urban Decay Black Palette.

theBalm on Hautelook

As we all know by now, I love Hautelook. They have awesome deals and if it's the first time you're trying something it's always good to get a deal. I've scoped out theBalm before and I love their packaging. It's cheeky and fun and they seem like great products. There are some really awesome deals going on right now and I highly recommend checking it out.







My top pick to try is the Nude'tude Eye Shadow Palette for $18. At half off you get 12 gorgeous nude and neutral shades with a good range.

I've spotted this palette before and it is just too cute and so cheeky. I love the pin ups!

Images courtesy of Hautelook and theBalm

If you're looking for more matte shades then Meet Matt(e)! This palette is 9 shades with a little more range, but still fairly neutral and with a matte finish.

 If you're looking for a little more color then check out the Balm Voyage palette with 16 eye shadows in a range of neutrals with some pops of color in pinks, blues and purples. There are also 3 lip or cheek colors with a fun pop of coral and pink.

Too Faced 70% off Sale!

I have been dying to try a lot of Too Faced products and this is the perfect time! Right now there is a sale for up to 70% off including some of their awesome holiday palettes and gift sets.

image courtesy of Too Faced Cosmetics

As soon as my order comes in I'll do a haul post and review. Comment down below which products you're getting or have tried.

Some of the best deals include the All I Want for Christmas set at $25 which includes a full size Shadow Insurance which retails for $20 by itself. You'll also get free shipping over $50.

Sale ends 3/12/14 so hurry over to Too Faced and snag some deals!

Playing with Color featuring Lunatick Cosmetics

I made my first Lunatick Cosmetics purchase a few months ago and I have had such a fun time playing with them. Here are two looks I created with their AlieNEON glitter stacker.

 These colors just pop and are completely gorgeous. These are not subtle looks and that's part of what makes me love these colors. You just want to stop and stare! I used a white base to help the colors to stick and pop even more.

 

This first look I really wanted to showcase all these bright beautiful colors in a rainbow look that transitioned smoothly. The colors blend very easily and that made making this look a lot easier.

 

 This second look is similar to a look I've worn in the past, but updated with the colors from this stack and done a little more dramatically and with more focus on the blue color. This is something that as bold as it is, I would wear out or even to work.

If you're looking for makeup that's out of the ordinary or if you need horror and special effect makeup I highly recommend checking them out. They have very high quality and very good prices.

I'd love to see some of your looks if you've tried them out. Comment below!

Chinovi Cosmetics Review

I am super excited to write up this review. Vanessa of Chinovi Cosmetics sent out a coupon code for 50% off when the Seahawks won the SuperBowl and I took full advantage of that! I was immediately drawn to her OMG (Oh My Gods) collection for 2 reasons: First just look at those AMAZING colors and secondly I am a huge mythology geek! I also purchased Fairy since I was so drawn to it's amazing deep purple shade. I am obsessed with purples! How cute is Vanessa to include a hand written note (a rarity in today's world) and candy?! She's a girl after my heart.

 

Chinovi Cosmetics are all blended by hand and they have tons of vegan options and such a variety that there is something for everyone. On to the goodies!

From top to bottom, left to right: (1st row) Aphrodite, Apollo, Ares, Artemis, (2nd row) Athena, Dionysus, Hades, Hephaestus, (3rd row) Hera, Hermes, Poseidon, Zeus.

 

 

These swatches were done with no base or primer and you can see how well pigmented they are. This is a limited edition collection so get on this one while it's still around! There is such a good variety of colors here. I love that you have a full range from the lighter Aprodite, Athena and Hera to the darker shades like Hades, Hephaestus and Zeus. These apply beautifully and you can do so much with them.

Fairy is the other gorgeous shade I got (they have so many gorgeous colors I really had to restrain myself. At $5 each you really can't go wrong!) Fairy is a beautiful deep purple with hints of indigo and slightly teal blue sparkle. This is going to be a shade I'll be wearing quite often, it's just stunning.

They also gave me two samples in the colors Monsoon and Blame. Monsoon is a rich rusty red brown that I wouldn't normally pick, but instantly fell in love with! Blame is right up my alley, a gorgeous very pale green shimmer, nearly white,with a golden blue green shimmer. It's just stunning.

I highly recommend checking out their website, they have really beautiful products that apply so smoothly and have great pigmentation.

Lorac on Hautelook

As you may know by now, I love Hautelook! You can get crazy good deals on tons of stuff including high end cosmetics. Well right now there is a great offering of Lorac cosmetics on there for 50% or more off! The palettes and collections are the best deals! I highly recommend checking it out. This is great if you want to try a new product, but don't want to pay full price. Hautelook also has tons of fashion items and housewares.

image is property of Hautelook

20% Off Urban Decay

It's that time again! The Urban Decay Friends & Family Sale! I love Urban Decay and this is a great time to stock up. The code is FFSPRING2014 and it even works on sale items and while it doesn't work on Naked3, it does work on the eyeliner vault! Each eyeliner will be $5.90 if you get the vault with this deal and normally they are $19 each.

Image is property of Urban Decay Cosmetics.
Definitely take advantage of this deal!

Let me know down in the comments what deals you scored!

Win a Year of Shu Uemura Lightbulb Foundation

How would you like to win a year's supply of Shu Uemura lightbulb foundation? It's been getting rave reviews and is supposed to give you gorgeous, luminous skin. I'm in! Check out the photo below. How gorgeous is her skin?!

Click here to enter and good luck!

Photo from http://www.shuuemura.com

February 2014 Julep Maven Box

I was really happy with this month's Julep Maven Box, not only did I get my two polishes and beauty product, but there was a bonus polish as well! This is one of the few months that I remembered to log into my Julep account on the 20th to scope out the selection. I was super tempted to do the biggest upgrade since the polishes this month were all gorgeous! I'm attempting to be low buy right now, so I didn't, but this box didn't disappoint.

 This month Julep introduced their new Eye Sheen Liquid Eyeshadows. I thought this would be like some cream eye shadows I have tried in the past, but they are totally different. These are truly liquid and I used a very stiff flat brush to apply it, but you can use your fingers. The pigment is very rich and I had great color density with just one thin layer. It does feel a little funny while you're applying it and as it dries. I kept my eyes closed while it dried because I was afraid of it creasing. Julep included a look card on how to use some of the colors together, but I only got the one so I tried combining it with some other products I already have. My color was warm fig shimmer which is a plummy brown and is really gorgeous on, I think it would work well on any skin tone and it is extremely flattering. It held up really well and didn't crease through the day. It did start to fade along the upper edge by the end of the day (I used no primer to test it.) The following day I tried it with one of my Makeup Forever Aqua Shadow pencils as a highlight in the inner corner and they played well together. I hope the Julep expands their color range with these. I think these would be awesome for more talented makeup artists who create those amazing works of art like liner art.

 On to the nail colors! The photos just don't do them justice. I really loved this month's shades. Can we just talk about the fact that until this month I kept complaining that the Swatch Me was on the top and I had to use q-tips to swatch them... and then this month I figured out that the top pops off... I'm human, I make mistakes.

So first up is Judi! It looks a little bright in the photo, but they call it an English Violet Creme and I would say that's pretty close. This is one of the few Julep polishes I would recommend at least two coats on to achieve the true color. One coat looks fine, but isn't quite as deep as the bottle color.

Next up is Kristen! Julep describes this as a deep sea teal. It's a really gorgeous deep teal color with a silvery microglitter. The picture truly doesn't do it any justice.

The bonus color is Love. I couldn't even find it on the Julep site and I think it may have been for Mavens only. It's a gorgeous glitter shade with microfine pink and champagne gold. I think this would be great alone or over another color. It's just such a happy little glitter polish and I absolutely love it!

Want to get your own Julep Maven Box? Sign up here and take the style quiz!

Le Métier de Beauté Beauty Vault February 2014

I feel like every month of my Le Métier de Beauté Beauty Vault is a present! they always wrap them up so nicely and include a hand written note. I know I mention it each and every month, but it's just such a nice little touch in a time where so few people take the time to do anything hand written anymore.



















This month's box included a Colour Core Moisture Stain Lipstick in Ibiza ($32 value.) The photo doesn't do this color justice, the flash sort of washed it out a bit. It's sort of a warm pink with some coral undertones. I'm very fair so I have to be careful with these sort of shades. Depending on the rest of the makeup determines whether it's hit or miss. I love coral toned lip colors, but they don't always love me.

Also in this month's box were two of their nail lacquers, Riviera and Cocoa Cabana ($18 value each.) Riviera is a punchy red with some slight coral undertones that is pretty universally flattering. Cocoa Cabana is a milk chocolate brown that I don't know what to do with. Brown is one color I've never really rocked, but I'll give it a try.

 It's like chocolate covered strawberries in nail polish form. It might actually make for some cute nail art.


This month's total value was $68. The subscription only opens in July and is $348 for one year of monthly boxes