Holiday Wish List

As i was watching some videos on YouTube today i got inspired to sort of like a wish list of things that i would find as a good deal for a gift to someone or yourself along with certain basic products that might be cheaper to get at another place. I will post the website at the end of each thing that way it can be easier for the ones reading this to purchase. Hope you enjoy! The items will not be placed in any particular order.
1. Nars blush palette ($65)- This item is one that i am still hunting for. I have called the Sephora's around me and they are all sold out. So this palette contains four blushes; two pinks, one peach, one mauve, and a bronzer and a highlight shade. Now Nars blushes can be about $30 for a full size and last you for about a year. They have great pigmentation and will last all day. The blushes in this palette of smaller yet its a product that can last you a long time. I think this is worth the money!...www.sephora.com

2.Sigma Brushes- These i have never tried before but i am dying to make a purchase. Maybe someone might get me this for Christmas...cough cough lol. I have heard nothing but great things from this brand and this might have to be something i buy myself this holiday. The particular set i have my eye on is a synthetic essential kit that contains 8 brushes for $99. I have holy grail brushes that i use everyday like my M.A.C ones yet these are always being compared to those. I think it would be worth the purchase if so many different beauty Gurus say great things about it. sigmabeauty.com

3.Coastal Scents- Now this is a brand that has been around for about 4-6 years that sell good products for a very descent price. My first purchase with them was about 4 years ago and i loved the products. Now there's a lot of different websites that sell the same palettes for about the same price including ebay and hb cosmetics. Yet Coastal Scents is currently have a 40% off sale all makeup! This will be going on until November 24, 2011. I would order a couple of things from here especially one i have been having my eye on for about 6 months which is the smokey palette. It is currently priced at $22.95 and it comes with 36 shades. What i like about this palette is that the colors are grouped so that way any person, even the ones that are just starting with makeup, don't have a hard time picking what shades to combine or the ones that are complimentary to each other. There is also another gift set for $59.95 that has all the to go palettes that contain about 8 colors each i believe. I think this is a steal because if your trying to stock up on various colors and not spend a lot of money this can be the way to do it. coastalscents.com

4. Pure Luxe Cosmetics- This brand sells mineral makeup and is not really known by a lot of people. They are currently having a certain percentage off your purchase until thanksgiving as a "sale". The full jar containers are less tha $10 and have great pigmentation.I have ordered from them before and the shipping is fast. The jars are full and i have no complain. Then again if your not comfortable using pigments/ loose eye shadows this might not be the product for you. pureluxecosmetics.com

5. Glamour Doll Eyes- This company has been getting bigger and bigger as time has gone by. I remember when i first purchased from them and there wasn't really anything on the internet about them. Now there are plenty of YouTube videos on them and plenty of advertisement. So this brand once again carries pigments in full jars or sample sizes. I have ordered from them plenty of times. Always great service shipping is fast and pigmentation is great. They just released a circus collection which i believe comes with 8 eye shadows for $32. Thats a really good price for the product you get. glamourdolleyes.com

6. Mac cosmetics- Well this im sure i dont really have to go into much detail. MAC has great products yet their prices are a bit higher than these last couple of places i have mentioned. I think if i had to get something from here i would go for the brushes since those are never a fail. maccosmetics.com

7. Make up Geek- This is a fairly recent company but i have been following Marlena for such a long time on YouTube  She has just released 8 pre sale eye shadows to her upcoming makeup line and they are $45 for the set. The pigmentation looks great on the site and if you order they will be picking a random person to get $10 free eye shadows when the collection comes out. Perfect gift especially for those just starting with makeup because all these colors are basic neutrals.

8. Ulta- This is not a brand but a store but i figured i really needed to mention this on here. Ulta has some pretty good deals just like Sephora does. They have a point system and they always have certain sales going on. I would check it out online or if theres one around your area.

9. Still Glamorous cosmetics and Raving Beauty- These again both are companies that sell mostly pigments. I know still Glamourous has collection sets for a very good price if anyone wants to check them out.

10. Sephora- now i didn't forget about sephora but figured i should mention that ALL the gift sets that they carry are a great deal. Especially if a certain brand releases a holiday set like i know Lorac, Smashbox, Tarte and others carry. This would also be a great way to get many colors added to your collection at a great price.


Just take into account everything i wrote on here are my picks or my thoughts and opinion on these items. Hope this helps some of you!

Walmart Maybelline set

So this week i decided to stop by Walmart and as i was looking around i noticed Maybelline had 3 sets of a quad, eyeliner and mascara. I figured it was a good price at $10 dollars and i would try it out. So i ended up purchasing it and decided to use it to review it for u guys. So lets begin with the quad that comes in the set. I got the more neutral one and i was not a fan. The base shade has very chalky and uneven. Had tons of shimmer and was not good for anything. The other colors were not as bad as the base color but the pigmentation is very poor. i had to go over with the same color various times and they were not noticeable. The eyeliner was ok not great. I put it on and when i finished my eye makeup the eyeliner was smeared all over the bottom of my eye. The mascara i would say was the best part. I still believe that the Voluminous mascara is the best drug store mascara. I didn't get much color from the mascara or any volume difference. In a way im glad that the kit was $10 because i didn't spend much on a product i didn't love and i cant return. i would save my money and maybe invest it on something else.

Purity Cleanser

When i was younger i was never big on cleaning my face when i used makeup. I would forget sometimes or other times i was tiered and didn't want to get up to do it. I think most of it had to do with financial reasons. i didn't have money to buy any type of cleanser to remove all the makeup. So as i started college and had a job i was able to explore more possibilities. I started with wipes to remove the makeup every night. But one day i ran into a YouTube video about the purity cleanser. I was a bit hesitant to try it because it was really something new that i would try. This one night i ran out of wipes and my last resort was soap. My makeup did not want to come off completely. i knew that the makeup did not come off completely and i needed to fully take it off. After that day i decided to buy a sample of the purity bottle to see how it worked. First thing i noticed was that it cleared my face from all the pimples i had. I only need such little product for my face and i don't have to worry about any makeup staying in my face. It doesn't have a bad smell and it lasts for a long time. Ever since then  i never worry about not having something to remove my makeup. I use a wipe first and then the purity to make sure everything i used that day is off. Great product!

Sephora VIB 20%Off Purchase

I was so thrilled to be getting the 20% off for another year at Sephora. I did want one particular item that i did not purchase because it was not in stock yet i feel it should be included. I wanted the blush palette from Nars but i didn't get a chance to get it. I will be diligently checking online because i want it so bad. So lets begin with everything i purchased. I purchased a couple of palettes including a Make Up Forever, Kat Von D, Stila and Tokidoki. I love all the color pigmentation of them the only one i didn't particularly like because of the packaging was the Stila one. It feels like the box is very fragile and cheap. I got convinced by an associate to purchase the Sephora by OPI hand moisturizer and so far i like it. It leaves my hands feeling soft. In my picture theres a couple of items i have talked about already including some great products along with some misses. So i will start with the re-purchase which include the Sephora mattifying powder and the Cargo mattifier. Some of the misses include the Shocking mascara by YSL and Nars Bronzer in Casino. The bronzer is super dark and makes me look like i have dark pigmentation on my skin instead of a nice glow. I also purchased some tweezerman tweezers in polkadots. They are a bit rough on the skin so im not in love with them but they were something i needed.One of the associates at Sephora was wearing an amazing makeup look and thats what made me buy the single eyeshadow colors from Make up forever along with the gel liner. When i ordered online i had 500 points and got the Laura Mercier items in the back picture and so far im not in love. The tinted moisturizer looks craky on the skin and the primer is not the best i have tried. The concealer is ok great color and goes on great not drying to the skin. And last but not least i bought a refill of the Purity cleanser because i use that every night. I have been using that product for about 2 years every night and i love it. Keeps me from breaking out.

sephora madness

So today was the first day of my 20% off and I had already made plans to go with my other half to an " event" to get a bag. So yesterday I find out that my husband has to work and we couldn't go. So I had just told myself there was gonna be no bag for the third year! I got asked to go into work and I decided to go and buy something to the Jcp sephora and get some items I wanted. I came across this sale section and they had Kat von d palettes there and this particular one caught my attention. I get approched by a sales associate and they tell me the palette is $15. I immediately put it in my bag lol. Once I'm ready to check out the associate gave me a bag....hurrray and I got the palette for $12 after discounts. Here are some pictures the nail polishes were purchased at walmart. Enjoy!

Miss from recent Sephora purchase. YSL Schocking Mascara

So i recently used the 20% off the Friends and Family sale from Sephora. When i get discounts like these i tend to buy products that i would normally not purchase because of their price. I have this way of thinking that some brands have a ridiculous price for their products and i will not pay $30 for a mascara or $56 on a five eyeshadow palette. I know 20% is not much yet when do you see department stores give you a discount on their cosmetics so i try to take advantage. So i made a purchase of 3 things and one of those things included the YSL Schocking mascara. I have heard nothing but good things from YSL mascaras and figured maybe it was time for me to purchase one. So the next day after i received my package i used the mascara. This mascara is supposed to give volume and create an effect like if you have false lashes. After about 3 days of using it i hate it. The mascara has a smell to it ( not a bad smell but its seems like the mascara is scented) and i feel that it makes my eyes water a little. It does not give volume to my lashes. I will be returning this item and getting something better for my money. A better alternative would be the rimmel max volume mascara or the falsies from maybelline.

Cheaper alternative to the Makeup Forever Duo Mat

When I'm in look of a new product i really want to make sure it will do what i want it to do. I tend to go on YouTube and look for the product and listen to reviews or tutorials on the product. I had heard that the Duo Mat from Makeup Forever was a great product and would help with controlling my makeup. The first time i went to purchase it they did not have my color yet the Sephora consultant referred me to the Sephora mattifying foundation powder. Once i ran out of this product i went back and found the Duo Mat in my color. Now let me make clear i am not saying its not worth buying the Duo Mat because it is indeed a very good product. Yet this month i have sort of rediscovered this powder foundation from Sephora and I'm in love. I use it with my MAC foundation and i don't find my skin getting as oily as other times. The price for the Sephora brand is better and i think they last about the same. The color i got matched to is the same to me. So in this case if your on a budget i would go for the Sephora brand instead.