Let’s check out my ColourPop haul from February 2019. This encompasses a couple orders, including ColourPop’s new colorful mascaras.
Eyeshadows
I couldn’t find a great palette with green shadows so I did a “Build Your Own Palette” from ColourPop. I also ordered a couple Super Shock Shadows (Paradox, Liberty and Cusp). The single shadow colors included: Hear Me Out, Get Out, Cute Alert, Pinky Promise, Slay-Farer, Superzoom, Formation, Tiny Tangerines, Sideline, Team Captain, Conjour Up and Wishful Winking. This custom palette has worked out well for me and I love the shadow formula.
Mascaras
I love love colorful mascaras. I have the purple mascara from Nyx as well as a burgundy mascara from a drugstore brand. So, I was excited to see the wide range of colors that ColourPop released. I bought red (Left on Red), purple (Purple Prose) and black (Black on Black).
Lux Lipsticks
The lux cream lipsticks from ColourPop are one of my favorite formulas. They stay on my and don’t feel drying. I love wearing these for work because I don’t have to worry about re-applying. While my local Ulta has a few colors, they were limited and I wanted to round out my collection. From left to right the colors are:
What’s Your Sign
Liquid Courage
21 Questions
Angel City
Y2K
Lippie Sticks
While I know I love the lux cream lipsticks, I’ve been interested in trying ColourPop’s highly regarded lippie sticks. So I ordered a set of them to try out. From left to right the colors are (after the clear lippie primer): Sky Walking
Week before last I was surfing a makeup Facebook group I belong to and someone mentioned that Kohl’s had certain items related to BH Cosmetics Royal Affair line on deep deep deep DEEP discount. The 20 pan eyeshadow palette was $3.60 and the 10 piece brush set was $5. What a steal! I did buy an extra palette for my mom. I had actually looked at this palette before at Ulta but thought $18 was a bit much for the three shades I really wanted (the green ones).
This is a mini-haul item wise but I’m so excited by the products I had to share. I bought these items as gifts to myself for my birthday (aside from the two Sephora makeovers) and Valentine’s Day. I figure when you’re single you’re not buying for a significant other so you can legitimately buy something for yourself. I bought the eyeshadow palette at Ulta and ordered the Hourglass compacts from Sephora online. I got the lipstick using some Beauty Insider points at Sephora.
Urban Decay Born to Run Eyeshadow Palette
It’s a thing – I generally buy myself either an eyeshadow palette or yarn for my birthday. This year – eyeshadow palette. Usually if I buy a nice palette I go for a Too Faced palette but the new Pretty Rich palette isn’t really calling my name. Also, I have a lot of neutral palettes so I wanted to buy one with more variety in shades. The greens in this palette are especially beautiful!
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Mood Exposure
The makeup artist at the Sephora in Chicago used this but I held off buying due to the price ($38 is a lot for a blush!). After looking at a lot of the brands I normally shop for blushes, I couldn’t find a similar plum colored blush. It truly is a unique shade and I already love it.
Hourglass Ambient Bronzer in Radiant Bronze Light
While this wasn’t used in either of my makeovers this year, it was used in my mom’s Sephora makeover (and she bought one). I have very few bronzers (two from Too Faced and a Physician’s Formula one that looks horrible on me) and nothing this tonal so into my cart it went! Radiant Bronze Light is a warm bronze shade fused with Radiant Light to mimic a summer glow.
Colourpop gets an A for packaging, even before you unwrap all the goodies. I had visited the website in the past to buy some of the Disney collection but some of the specific items I wanted were out of stock. I’m glad I circled back because they had all of the collection back in stock. I also picked up some of the lip products I can’t buy at my local Ulta.
Disney Collection
From the Disney Collection I bought the eyeshadow palette and four of the lux lipsticks – Snow White, Belle, Ariel and Tiana. I considered buying Jasmine (because she was one of my favorite princesses) but the color wasn’t something I expected to actually wear.
The variety of eyeshadow colors is unique – there doesn’t seem to be a common theme other than the fairytale names of the colors. However, I look forward to trying to build looks with just these colors. My favorite two are the dark blue in the lower right and the icy blue above it.
ColourPop did a nice job of providing a variety of colors in the Princess line. There are also more pink colors available for Cinderella and Jasmine. The lux lipstick is a very smooth cream that feels hydrating on your lips. The bullet tubes for these are gorgeous – gold with the signatures of the princesses on the exterior of the tubes.
The swatches, from left to right, are Snow White, Belle, Ariel and Tiana. I plan to save Ariel, and maybe even Belle, for work.
More ColourPop Lipsticks
My local Ulta has some ColourPop lip products but the colors are limited and the store doesn’t carry any Ultra Satin lip products. So, while making the Disney order I elected to to grab some lipsticks to try out. From top to bottom the colors and type are:
Ipsy contains five sample sized products that are personalized based on your profile. Products include beauty products with a heavy focus on makeup. The subscription is $10 per month and you also have the option to add additional samples (for additional dollars) and shopping on their website gives you cash back. All together, very slick.
I actually get two Ipsy bags. I originally set up this structure to test out their profile algorithim and see if it really worked. The results have been mixed but I rarely get duplicate items (and when I do, they’re items I like). One bag is intended to be my “makeup” bag and the other is intended to be my skincare bag.
Time to stop yacking and start unbagging! I apologize for the whacky lighting on the photos – I couldn’t seem to get a sunny day for pictures!
My “Makeup” Bag
Overall Bag Impressions: The bag (light blue and white stripes with pink piping) doesn’t really scream January to me but it is stylish. As my “makeup” bag, my profile for this account is focused on receiving makeup items. Usually it’s pretty spot on, however, this month I received a hair care item and nail polish, even though I’ve indicated in my profile I don’t want to receive these types of items. But, since this is a one-time issue, I’m not upset about the items. The nail polish is actually pretty cool but not my color. My favorite item is the Tarte foundation.
Ella Eden Eyeshadow
I received this eyeshadow in the shade “Julia” which is a shimmery light neutral. While I love the look of the eyeshadow, the color is lighter than what I usually wear. The other option you could have received was a burgundy crimson and that would have been perfect for me. But, this will still be nice for a shade to wear during the day to work since the shimmer is fairly subtle. I’ve never used or heard of this brand so I will need to test out the eyeshadow for blending, longevity and fall-out. I will let you know later what I think!
Pure Brazilian Leave-In Conditioner
This leave-in conditioner is designed to control frizz, flyaways and static. I love a good leave-in conditioner but it has to be lightweight and not weigh down my hair. That seems to be pretty hard to find and this appears to be a heavy cream that is applied in a mist. I will report back after I use it a few times.
Nailmedic Nail Polish in Rose and Chill
While I’m not terribly excited to receive nail polish (I rarely paint my nails, and when I do, it’s a dark red), the concept behind this polish is unique. The polish formula is infused with rosehip oil and green tea leaf extract, which is intended to result in strong and healthy nails. If I had received this in a darker color I would likely give it a try. One of my friends has already claimed this – she loves nude nail polish colors!
Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Full Coverage Foundation
I was SO excited to receive this (in both the makeup and skincare bags) as I’ve been trying different foundation formulas recently. Long story short, I need a full coverage foundation that will hide (or at least not accentuate) my large pores. Also, I have some acne scars and redness that the foundation needs to cover. Ipsy matched my shade well (fair sand) too. This matte foundation from Tarte is designed to be long-wearing (12 hours) and has SPF 15. What is your favorite foundation formula?
Belle En Argent Lurie Lip Gloss in Bored Now
This is an ultra-glossy lip “gloss” with a lot of shine. I do like that it includes natural ingredients like jojoba and castor oil. Normally I love receiving lip glosses but this one is a bit lackluster. It really doesn’t have any tint to it but does leave behind a bit of sparkle. In reality I’ll use this more as a gloss topper over a matte lip.
My “Skin Care” Bag
Overall Bag Impressions: I’m pretty pleased with this bag, even though it has more makeup items than skin care items. I also received an eye brush, which I forgot to include in the above photo. I truly liked all five items in this bag and the mix of items so choosing a favorite is too hard. The liquid lipstick is in a color I love to wear and the sheet masks look fun! I know some people dislike receiving makeup brushes but I like building (and adding to) my collection. I use a lot of different colors of eyeshadow so having lots of eye brushes is helpful.
Jeju:En Face Mask Set
These masks are so fun! We received two masks and they’re both very usable despite being different from each other. One is called “You Can’t Handle This Sheet” and is infused with volcanic ash extract to absorb oil and tighten pores (this would be great for me). The other one is called “This Sheet is Bananas” and has hyaluronic acid to hydrate, plump and add radiance. I like using masks (sheet masks, clays, muds and peel masks) but haven’t heard of this brand before. After I’ve had a chance to use one I will definitely report back.
Hola Neon Velvet Liquid Lip in DF
Time to try out this new-to-me brand of liquid lipstick! This waterproof formula is specifically designed to be long-wearing and is supposed to be creamy and moisturizing. That seems to be a rare combination so I’m hopeful the claims ring true. I love love love this color – it’s something I would wear regularly. Here is a quick swatch – it’s a deep burgundy color.
I will report back after I wear it a few times.
Jersey Shore Cosmetics Star Mint Glossy Balm
I’m a big fan of peppermint and a fan of lip balms, so putting them together, while not innovative, results in a product I’m sure to like. The product description does say its infused with moisturizing ingredients like vitamine E and organic peppermint essential oil but doesn’t list other ingredients. As someone who makes lip balms for personal use I would like to know what constitutes the base of the balm (i.e. beeswax, shea butter, cocoa butter).
Slmissglam Eye Brush
My friend also received this brush and said her young daughter claimed this brush as a “unicorn” brush. Apparently I’m a child at heart because I had the same thought. This eye brush is soft and I anticipate that it will be a great blending brush for the eye crease. Per the description, the bristles are synthetic. I’ve never seen this brush before so I will give it a try and report back.
BoxyCharm, which I’ve only been getting for a few months, contains four to five full sized products, per their website. However, I have heard some beauty YouTubers mention that sometimes travel size items are included and this is the first month it appears I have received a trial size item. The subscription is $21 per month and will have a retail value of over $100.
Overall Box Impressions: I was hesitant to subscribe to a box with full sized items because I was worried I would be left with full sizes of items I didn’t love or wouldn’t use. THat hasn’t been the case though – the curation of items in BoxyCharm it top notch. My two favorite items are the Tarte eyeshadow palette and the OFRA liquid lipstick. I received variation 4 (as noted in the corner of my card). If you get this box, which variation did you receive? What was in your box? The total retail value of the box, as noted by BoxyCharm, is $115. That’s a little lower than last month but I will use more of these items than those received last month.
Tarte Rainforest of the Sea Eyeshadow Palette Vol. III
Full confession: I actually saw spoilers for this product. I was so excited for two reasons – one, I don’t own any eyeshadow from Tarte and two, I love nude shades.
There are eight shades, seven of which are shimmer/metallics. I’m actually ok with only one matte shade because the shimmers are very subtle. My first impression is the shadows have good pigment and go on smooth. I swatched the darkest and lightest shades below. The shade closest to the eyeliner is malibu and the shade below it is treasure.
I will review this product in detail, and swatch all the shades, at a future date after I’ve had a chance to use the palette several times. MSRP: $36. Website: https://tartecosmetics.com/
Tatcha Luminous Dewy Skin Face Mask
I’ve never had the opportunity to try a Tatcha product before but my opportunity is here! These are the luminous dewy skin masks and are intended to be restorative and radiant. I’m excited to use one soon given the dry winter conditions. MSRP: $24 (for two). Website: https://www.tatcha.com/
Starlooks Luxe Longwear Eye Pencil
Eye pencils. A common inclusion. . .appears in almost all subscription boxes. I mean, has anyone who receives subscription boxes had to buy an eye pencil? That said, this one from Starlooks is brown, not the usual black. I prefer a brown liner as it produces a bit softer of an effect, so I’m actually happy to receive this pencil.
It went on my hand creamy and consistently, so I think this will be a winner eye liner for me, especially on my waterline. MSRP: $19 Website: https://starlooks.com/
Briogeo Leave-In Hair Mask
This brand is another common inclusion in subscription boxes. This leave in mask is supposed to moisturize and strengthen damaged hair. I’m going to give this product a try, and will report back later. While I don’t have heat damage, I do have very tangle-prone hair and my ends sometimes become split. So, I’m hopeful this will help with that without weighing down my hair. This does appear to be a travel size as I cannot find a 2 ounce bottle of this product on Sephora or the Company’s website. MSRP: $16 (for 2 ounces) Website: https://briogeohair.com/
OFRA Long Lasting Liquid Lipstick
I’m a lipstick hoarder. I admit this. Even moreso if its a non-drying matte lipstick. While this will be the first opportunity to try OFRA liquid lipstick (my Ulta does not carry it and I hate ordering unknown shades online) I have heard so many wonderful things about this product from beauty YouTubers.
I got the color Havana Nights and it is a deep dark saturated red. What colors do you like and think I should try? I will wear this for a full day and report back in a review. MSRP: $20 Website: https://www.ofracosmetics.com/
MooseBeauty 