realtechniques

Haul – Ulta (January 2019)

Ulta – home to the things I can’t find at Sephora. Generally, the folks at my local Ulta aren’t very friendly so I usually choose to shop at Sephora (and the prices on most items are the same). I found most of these items at the Ulta we visited in Chicago but a couple were at my local Ulta.

Morphe 9G Palette – Oh My Gorg

I love these $12 palettes from Morphe although I’m really selective about which ones I buy. In this case I loved the two purple/burgundy/wine shades and the two greens. So, over half the palette was shades I knew for certain I’d use. Just not brave enough yet for the yellow.

Setting Spray and Face Mist

If you saw my Sephora Makeover post you know about my love affair with the cherry setting spray from Urban Decay. I found another one, also on sale for $10.50 and snatched it up. I also found some face mist from The Body Shop in the clearance bin in the scent Mandarin Energising. It smells amazing! I love to use the face mists (I also have the lavender Mario Badescu one) in the morning and evening when I’m not wearing make up.

Dry Shampoo and Makeup Sponges

If you saw my last post on my TJMaxx haul you saw I also have a love affair with dry shampoo. There used to be a styling product from Aquage that I loved (and was discontinued) but since I know I like the brand I decided to give their dry shampoo a shot. Now, I have (or did have) a fair number of the mini makeup sponges but they keep going missing. While I’ve accused the cat I haven’t found her stash so I was forced to buy more.

Tarte Shape Tape

After finding the Tarte foundation at Sephora I wanted to pick up a slightly lighter shape tape from Ulta to use on my under-eyes. Fun fact: the numbering and shade system on the Amazonian clay foundation does not match up to shape tape. So I just had to guess, unfortunately.

Haul – TJ Maxx (January 2019)

I always forget that TJMaxx sometimes has heavily discount makeup, skin care and tools from brands that I frequently purchase. Now, you do need to price compare a bit because I have seen TJMaxx selling items for the same price as you would find at Sephora (that’s rare though) and you have to check the product, specifically palettes, for damage and people “swatching” products. I found most of these at the TJMaxx we visited in Chicago but a couple were at my local TJMaxx.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Subculture Eye Palette

When this palette came out I convinced myself I didn’t need it because too many of the shades just wouldn’t be wearable. But, as my eye looks have expanded, I regretted that decision and by that point it was no longer available at Sephora or Ulta. I was thrilled to find it at TJMaxx for $20 and it was sealed up so I knew it hadn’t been “swatched.” I almost missed it at TJMaxx because it was over near the registers, not with the other makeup.

Real Techniques Lip Set

I’ve actually never seen lip brushes from Real Techniques before, I think because my local Ulta doesn’t carry them. Although I rarely use a lip brush to apply lip product, I do have a few small pots and samples of lip product to try. So this find was perfect.

Urban Decay Primer Potion & First Aid Beauty Kona Eye Stick

One sample size find was Urban Decay’s Eyeshadow Primer Potion in the original shade. Historically I’ve used the eyelid primer from NYX which has worked well. So I only wanted a sample size to see if the Urban Decay primer would work BETTER. We shall see. The other eye product find was a Kona Eye Stick from Hello FAB (aka First Aid Beauty). The cool thing about this is not only does it hydrate and de-puff your dark undereyes, it also primes that surface for makeup. Double win!

Dry Shampoo

My hair is loads of fun. Dry for most of the shaft but the day after washing my scalp gets oily. Washing it everyday is out of the question so I use dry shampoo in between. I love the Batiste brand and that is what I generally use so I picked up the cherry scent for a change. I also picked up a sample size of dry conditioner from DryBar. Historically, I haven’t had the best luck with straight dry shampoo from DryBar so I’m hoping this dry conditioner will work better on my hair.