Thursday, February 25, 2016

US Shopping Haul!!! Huge Skincare and Makeup Shop!

As most of you know I was just recently down in California for a vacation and really wanted to do some makeup shopping. I have never been to Ulta before and we don't have Target in Canada any longer so those were my 2 "must go" places! I was really looking for items that aren't available in Canada at this time (seems a little crazy, but there is so many brands that just don't sell here!!!) Some of the items are available in Canada, but since I don't shop that much I grabbed a ton of stuff! The dollar isn't great right now (although it did go up right before our trip) so I wanted to make sure I was getting good quality items too!! 

All items will be in US dollars for this post, and there was some sales at the stores while I was there in person, but I am just using the website prices! 

Here is a look at what I picked up from Ulta:
US Shopping Haul!!! Huge Skincare and Makeup Shop!

NYX Cosmetics Blotting Papers ~ $3.99 US. NYX Top Selling Blotting Paper: Is the makeup artist secret to blot excess oil and combat shine. Does not clog pores or disturb the makeup look. Can be used during, after and between makeup applications.

These were not on my list to buy, but I noticed that I forgot to pack mine and picked some up - I don't use these too often, but it was so hot in California that I feel like I might have gotten oily and wanted to be prepared.

NYX Cosmetics Hi Definition Photo Concealer Wand ~ $4.99 US. Little wonder the Concealer Wand is one of NYX's best-sellers. The concentrated, emollient-rich concealer formula goes on like a dream, is non-comedogenic and creates medium to heavy coverage. Use the lavender for sallow skin, the green to neutralize redness and the yellow for under-eye darkness.

I have not tried many makeup items from NYX, but if this $5 concealer works I will be happy! This is one of NYX's best sellers and it is well reviewed so fingers crossed! 

NYX Cosmetics Born to Glow Illuminating Primer ~ $13.99 US. Prep and brighten your complexion in just one simple step. Start off your routine with NYX Cosmetics' Born to Glow Illuminating Primer, the next generation of the fan favorite illuminator. This 2-in-1 primer ensures the smoothest makeup application while also delivering an exquisitely radiant finish.

This is a newer item and I thought it would be different to try an illuminating primer - I often use an illuminating liquid mixed in with my foundation, so I would like to see if this has the same effect! 

US Shopping Haul!!! Huge Skincare and Makeup Shop!

Real Techniques Shading Brush ~ $6.99 US. Boost your look with effortlessly enhanced eyes. From subtle to dramatic, this brush is ideal for creating flawless high-definition results.

When I was at Ulta, they were having a buy 1, get 1 50% off sale on all Real Techniques items - I was really hoping to get the sponge, but they were all sold out! I have great reviews about the brushes as well, and I feel like you can never have too many eyeshadow brushes! 

Real Techniques Foundation Brush ~ $7.99 US. Great looks start with a flawless base. The angled cut lets you build the coverage you need for airbrushed, high-definition results allows for high precision coverage even under harsh light with this foundation brush by Real Techniques.

Foundation brushes come in so many forms and this is quite different to the few brushes that I do have - I thought it would be interesting to see how this works! 

It Cosmetics Brushes for ULTA- Airbrush OMG! Foundation Brush #106 ~ $24.00 US. Only at ULTA! Use with any full to medium coverage liquid or cream foundation. Thick, soft, densely packed brush head picks up just the right amount of foundation for an even, airbrushed finish. Quickly and fully cover your entire face with a few strokes of this luxurious brush!

This brush is exclusive to Ulta - and these brushes are so highly reviewed! I really wanted to try an It Cosmetics brush, so I will report back on how it is! 

US Shopping Haul!!! Huge Skincare and Makeup Shop!

Tarte Tartelette Tease Amazonian Clay Palette ~ $21.00 US. Shadow play with this clay-infused, pocket-perfect version of Tarte's best-selling Tartelette Palette. It features four everyday matte shadows paired with two captivating lusters so you can refresh, define and transition your smoldering stare from day to play. The flirty, flattering shades feature lid, crease and highlight pairings so Tartelettes can create modern, alluring looks without the guesswork. Powered by Tarte's signature Amazonian clay formula, you'll get the same pigmented payoff, blendability and weartime as the original Tartelette Palette - all in this chic, petite tease!

I have been really wanting a Tarte palette, so I thought this would be a great way to try some of the shades! The colors are beautiful and this is very compact! I plan on posting a detailed review of this soon! 

Laura Geller Baked Gelato Swirl Illuminator in "Gilded Honey" ~ $26.00 US. Illuminate your natural beauty! This innovative hybrid texture applies like a sheer powder but feels like a cream, creating a translucent wash of luminous color that can be swept all over the face for a lit-from-within glow. A fresh 3-D design captures the look of your favorite Italian dessert, and lasts until the very last application.

This Laura Geller Gilded Honey has been on must get list forever!!! I have been so excited to try this illuminator, which can also be used as a highlighter as well! I will post a review of this as well soon! 

Lorac Pro Palette ~ $44.00 US. Go PRO with the LORAC PRO Palette! Created by celebrity makeup artist Carol Shaw, this PRO artistry palette is packed with 8 shimmer and 8 matte eye shadows in all the shades you need to create the hottest looks straight from the Red Carpet. LORAC's velvety-smooth shadows are infused with soothing botanicals and are ultra-pigmented to perform wet or dry so you can shade, shadow, line and define your eyes, just like a PRO. PRO Palette contains 16 Eye Shadows and a Mini Behind The Scenes Eye Primer for stay-true color that lasts, a PRO must-have!

This was probably the top item on my to-buy list while at Ulta - I have been really wanting to try a Lorac palette! Again, I won't spend much time on this as I also plan on writing a more detailed review on this palettte! 

US Shopping Haul!!! Huge Skincare and Makeup Shop!

Tony Moly Magic Food Banana Cream Foam Cleanser ~ $14.50. Fresh food and magical effects! The moist Banana Cream Bubble Foam Cleanser with banana and honey delivers gloss-full nutrition. (Contains 10,000 ppm of Banana extracts. Nutritive sticky cream bubbles that contain delicious and soft banana extracts to remove skin wastes by touching the skin gently. Honey ingredients inside banana cream provides moisturizing effects when washing the face. Honey extracts leave the skin healthy and moisturized.

I love the Tony Moly banana line - the sleeping pack is probably one of my favorite skincare items! I don't really need another cleanser but I thought this sounded good, so I am looking forward to trying it! 

OPI Hello Kitty Nail Lacquer Collection in "Charmmy & Sugar" ~ $10.00 US. If there's one DNA element that OPI and Hello Kitty share, it's the ability to add happiness and smiles to people's lives. To celebrate this, OPI captures the playfulness of Hello Kitty in Nail Lacquer shades sure to add an extra special spark to your smile - featuring sweet and glittery pinks, bright reds, shimmery white, sunny yellow, with blue and black to add drama. An additional signature shade - Say Hello Kitty - is the ultimate girly-girl sparkly pink, perfect for accenting your Hello Kitty manicure or to wear alone on all ten fingers (or toes!) when you want to turn up the fun quotient to high!

How cute is the OPI Hello Kitty line?! I had a hard time picking just 1 to get! I decided on the glitter polish because it was so pretty! I have already posted a review on this here

Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Complete Coverage Concealer ~ $28.00 US. Cover imperfections without looking covered up. Urban Decay's Naked Skin Weightless Complete Coverage Concealer gives you buildable, even coverage with a luminous, demi-matte finish. Ultra lightweight, this high-tech formula melds like a second skin to give you full coverage in an instant.

This is my holy grail of all concealers - it has been featured on a past favorites post here! So good - I get the shade light medium and it is perfect for my skin tone. 

I picked up a pretty good haul from Ulta; here is a look at what I picked up from Target:
US Shopping Haul!!! Huge Skincare and Makeup Shop!

Sonia Kashuk Domed Blusher Brush - No 29 ~ $17.99 US. The domed bristles of this Blusher Brush are the perfect shape for swirling blush on the cheeks for a flawless flush.

Sonia Kashuk is available only at target (I think, correct me if I'm wrong...) and all of these products came highly recommended for me to try! I needed a new blush brush, so I am excited to try this one! 

Sonia Kashuk Large Shader Brush - No 203 ~ $6.99 US. Ideal for all-over eye shadow application, the large dense shape of this brush beautifully layers color onto lids.

Again, I can always use more eyeshadow brushes!!!

Sonia Kashuk Small Eye Shadow Brush - No 106 ~ $4.99 US. For help applying and blending in those hard to reach spots. The perfect brush for a more controlled eye shadow application.

Again, whoops more new eyeshadow brushes! 

US Shopping Haul!!! Huge Skincare and Makeup Shop!

Sonia Kashuk Eye Shadow Quad in "Fair and Square" ~ $13.69 US. Seamlessly take your look from day to night with the Sonia Kashuk Eye Shadow Quad, featuring four complementary shades to create multiple looks, housed in a convenient palette. Combination of creamy matte shades that allow for high-impact, buildable color and intense shimmering shadows that give the eyes sequin-like reflections.


How pretty are these colours?! I will do a review on these quads with swatches! These eyeshadows were also highly recommended to me! 

Sonia Kahuk Eyeshadow Quad in "Prima Ballerina" ~ $13.69 US. Seamlessly take your look from day to night with the Sonia Kashuk Eye Shadow Quad, featuring four complementary shades to create multiple looks, housed in a convenient palette. Combination of creamy matte shades that allow for high-impact, buildable color and intense shimmering shadows that give the eyes sequin-like reflections.

This a bit brighter of an eye shadow quad than I normally buy, but I thought it would be fun to try something a little different! I do have a review, swatch and makeup look post planned for these quads! 

Essence All About Vintage... Eyeshadow Palette ~ $5.49 US. All about… beautiful eyes! Gorgeous eyeshadow palettes with eight complementing, buildable colors and multiple finishes; satin, matte and metallic effects.

I believe these Essence palettes are exclusive to Target (they have lots of other palettes that are not exclusive). These are colors I do not normally lean towards trying so I thought it would be good to get out of my comfort zone a little bit!

US Shopping Haul!!! Huge Skincare and Makeup Shop!

Pixi Glow Tonic x2 ~ $15 US each. This exfoliating toner helps to brighten the complexion resulting in a healthy glow. Formulated with 5% glycolic acid, Glow Tonic exfoliates, brightens and smoothes the skintone and texture. Aloe vera, ginseng, and botanical extracts work together to nourish and treat your skin revealing an improved complexion. Alcohol-free and gentle on all skin types.

Ahh... this has been on my list for a while and I just received a sample to try! It was so well reviewed and you can't fins it in Canada, that I thought I would get 2! 

Burt's Bees Pomegranate Lip Balm ~ $3.02 US. Give your thirsty lips a whole lot of love with Burt’s Bees® Lip Balm with antioxidant-rich Pomegranate. 100% natural, this sweet, pomegranate scented lip balm hydrates and replenishes dry and lips. Stash this tube in a pocket or purse for anytime lip therapy. Burt’s Bees® lip balms are also available in a variety of other fun flavors. Spread on a little TLC with Burt’s Bees® moisturizing lip balm.

This is my holy grail lip balm - I had just dropped the one I was using open on the plane so I had to run out and get another one immediately. I use lots of other lip balms too but I always have 1 of these on the go! 

US Shopping Haul!!! Huge Skincare and Makeup Shop!

NYX HD Finishing Powder in "Banana" ~ $9.99 US. A lightweight, translucent finishing powder that helps soften the appearance of fine lines and pores. NYX Cosmetics HD Finishing Powder is a silky pressed powder with a fresh, matte finish.

Why have I not used banana powder yet? Apparently this is great for setting under eye concealer and reviews show the NYX one is really good! 

Sonia Kashuk Chic Luminosity Glow Powder~ $12.99 US. Sonia Kashuk Chic Luminosity Glow Powder introduces a new illuminating formula that perfectly captures light for a smoother-looking complexion and lit-from-within glow. The croc-embossed pressed translucent powder combines the best features of baked, powder, cream and fluid formulas to awaken and refresh the skin for a bright, naturally polished finish.

I'm currently using the an Hourglass Ambient light shade as my all over illuminizer and it is like 4x the price of this - I usually use a light dusting all over my face every day so this was a must try for me! 

Essence Pure Nude Make-up in Pure Sand ~ $4.99 US. Purely natural! This light-weight and silky foundation blends easily for a gorgeous barely-there look. The finish is natural and semi-matte.

I really had no intention of buying foundation as I am quite happy with the kinds that I am using right now, but for $5 I could resist giving this a try! I will report back on how it is because I have no idea how the reviews are and bought it on a whim! 

US Shopping Haul!!! Huge Skincare and Makeup Shop!

L'Oreal Paris Brow Stylist Definer ~ $7.99 US. The art of the brow made easy. Shape brows with L’Oréal Paris dual-ended Brow Stylist Definer™. This ultra-fine 0.5mm pencil tip is a perfect tool to recreate tiny brow hair allowing you to precisely draw and shape your brows for a well-defined brow look.

This was also another on the whim purchase - I was helping a friend pick out some drug store products as she doesn't wear makeup too often and I noticed this - I loved how little the pencil was and thought it would be really great to try! I'm really happy with it! 

L'Oreal Voluminous Superstar Liner ~ $9.99. L'Oréal's Voluminous Superstar Liner has precise ink application, just release ink for perfect line control!

Again, this was another purchase where I was looking for some easy to use make-up into products and the brush on this eyeliner looked amazing! And, it is!!! 

All I can say about my make-up purchases is that I am on another no-buy or low-buy for a little while! I may have gone a teeny but overboard but there was so many great products that I wanted to try!! 

4 comments :

  1. Looks like you picked up some good things! I can't wait to read more reviews about them! I just got that little tarte palette too for the exact same reason! lol

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  2. I'm heading to the states next week and I'm excited to pick up some things that I can't get here! Too bad the exchange rate is so terrible as it will definitely limit my spending.

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    1. It is crazy to see how much isn't available here! Happy shopping!

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