I would tell you my 40th birthday celebration is over, seeing that it was about 30 days ago and all, but it’s not.  Nope, I can stretch a birthday out for dayyyyyys, so it’s Vegas all next week to commemorate this milestone like a proper lady.  May or may not involve male dancers.

Just kidding.  But it will definitely involve shopping.  And my husband’s credit card.  Weeeee!

See below for the last bit of damage with said credit card:

I love all of that.  That = happiness to me.  Did I need all of it?  Is the sky blue?  Don’t ask stupid questions.  Let’s begin!

Cashed in 100 Sephora points for the tiny Givenchy Le Rouge lipstick in the shade Rose Dressing.  Even despite it’s miniature stature, it comes housed in a black box to make you feel like a fancy lady.  I’ll be honest when I say I didn’t even care what color the lipstick was; I just needed that box.  You know, so I could apply lipstick in public like a damn professional.

Lucky for me, the lipstick isn’t a horrendous pink.  It’s not fuchsia or magenta or anything loud like that.  It’s nice.  The formula is very creamy, kind of matte but reflects a bit of light.  I’d buy a full-size.  Not because the full-size comes in a leather tube.  But probably.

And of course I can’t sit around listening to every beauty guru on YouTube sing the praises of MAC Pro Longwear Concealer, and then somehow not go buy it.  I bought mine in the same NW20 shade that is my foundation as I felt that makes the most sense.  The coverage on it is really, really good.  I’d say a healthy medium at the least.  I don’t have massive dark circles, but I don’t have the undereye of a 14-year-old either (sadly).  This concealer brightens me up and makes me look awake and fresh.  A little goes a long way, however, so don’t overdo it.  Unless you like cakey.  Cakey, not cake, cuz that’s two different things and cakey is bad while cake is fantastic.  And now I would like a piece of cake, so what was I saying?

Oh yes.  I am happy I got this concealer.

Picked up a tube of the Lust for Lacquer lipgloss by Marc Jacobs.  I chose the shade Shooting Stars because it seemed like a neutral but not a nude, which tends to wash me out.  Also it is a full coverage gloss instead of a sheer, which is what I prefer.  What is the point of sheer gloss I ask you?  Anyone? Anyone?  No, no one knows the point.  Unless you are a 10 year old playing in your mommy’s makeup, no one knows the point.

But, back to the issue.  I really like this lipgloss.  It’s very shiny and the color is beautiful. The only issue is when the gloss starts to wear off, it leaves behind pieces of glitter on your lips.  It’s not the worst thing could happen, but just wanted you to be aware.  It doesn’t go away gracefully.

Another lipgloss found its way into my basket – this time in the form of the Hourglass Extreme Sheen in the color Siren.  I didn’t even know if I wanted another lipgloss, but this vibrant red orange caught my eye.  I swatched it and knew immediately I had to have it.  It’s the color of fire, or a maple tree in the fall, or the sun as it nears the edge of the Earth.  I’m not kidding you; it’s gorgeous.  It goes on super metallic, but it does simmer down pretty quickly.  It’s creamy, opaque and long lasting.  I highly, highly recommend – this color or any color for that matter.  It’s officially one of my favorites.

After talking myself out of purchasing an Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush, I managed talk myself in again.  The price isn’t that desirable ($35), and despite your impression of me, I can stall a little bit when it comes to price.  But since it was my birthday and since someone else was paying for it, I went ahead and picked one up.  There are six colors, and I decided on Mood Exposure, which is a soft plum.  Now, you may have heard about these blushes and the magical powers with which they have been infused; however, I didn’t notice anything spectacular happening upon my face that I couldn’t have achieved with my NARS Orgasm blush.  But if you are the type that is influenced by fancy words such as Photoluminescent, then by all means.  I do admit I like fancy words too.

Having said all that, though, I do like the blush.  The color is pretty and it does impart a bit of a sheen, which is most likely the magic I was talking about.  It lasts for a long time on my cheeks, and even looks better as the day goes on.  I like the premise of these blushes, how they are mixed with the Hourglass ambient powders to create something unique.  I see how you can get sucked in by something like that.   Out of 681 Sephora reviews, 481 are 5 star.  So see?  I clearly have no idea what’s fabulous.  I need another one to be sure.

Picked up the new Ole Henriksen Pure Truth Melting Cleanser because it’s an orange gel that looked fun to play with.  That’s not a typo.  (I am a child.)  It starts out as a gel that melts into an oil as you massage it into your face.  Then you add water to it and it turns milky.  So of course after all that I had to throw it in the basket.  I was about an inch away from finishing up a cleansing milk and absolutely couldn’t wait to be done with it.  But then the cleansing milk kept replicating itself cuz it took about 2 more weeks to empty it.  Urgh.  Finally though – I started using the melting cleanser and lemme just say the idea of it is better than the reality.  The gel part is fun if you’re big into texture like I am.  It does melt nicely onto the skin, but once it turns to oil it loses that thick consistency and then I’m just over it.  The milky bit is a non-event.  However, most importantly, it breaks up the makeup like a champ so I suppose it you buy products based solely on whether they work or not, you’ll like this one.  I, on the other hand, just like things that look pretty.

Treated myself to a bit of luxury as well.  Passed the Chanel counter on the way out the door when the Les 4 Ombres quadra eyeshadows stopped me in my tracks.  The one in the display was the Tissé Gabrielle, and it was absolutely stunning. Shades of grey and mauve.  They look very sparkly in the pan, but when applied to the eyes they shimmer but not in an overly glittery way.  Like I could wear it to work and not feel flashy.  But that’s coming from the girl who wore a record in her hair in 7th grade, so you can’t always measure wearability by me.

I dunno, guys.  I just really loved this quad.  Out of all my luxury quads, it’s my favorite.  Maybe because it goes well with my brown eyes.  Maybe because the name Chanel makes me feel like a princess.  Maybe because it’s the latest one I bought and therefore the most new and exciting.  Whatever the case, I am happy I picked this up.  They blended well, and the term ombre really suits the shadows as they are all (with the exception of the white gold) variations of taupe/grey.

The Chanel lady also tossed in a set of freebies in the form of a serum, foaming face wash, and eye cream.  I’ve used them all but the serum, even though I’m most excited about the serum.  It’s next, though, as soon as my current serum is empty.  I’ve got about an inch left in the bottle, but we all know how long an inch can last.  What I have tried – and still currently using – is the face wash, or face mousse as Chanel likes to call it, is wonderful.  It’s a pearly white, moussey consistency (aptly) that smooths over the face nicely.  The smell is pure luxury, like perfume but a clean, fresh version.  But the best part is wiping it away.  It comes off so perfectly and completely and leaves behind soft, moisturized skin.  Like, I’ve never had a cleanser do this.  I want to buy a full-size, but it’s $45 and I’m not sure cleansers should cost this much.  I dunno, but I’m really really thinking about it.

The eye cream is okay.  The tiny sample tube has lasted me a month so far because you need so little of it.  I think there would be great value in your money here if you have a thing about eye creams.  Unfortunately, I don’t, but of course I can never love anything that makes economical sense.  So I am going to enjoy this while it lasts as I know I won’t repurchase.  It is a pretty thin eye cream, but I prefer thicker.  Although it does sink in super fast, and that’s important to me.  However, I don’t have a love affair with eye cream, so I’m just gonna move on with my life now.

Here’s what I got with the gift card my sister gave me:

It’s the Guerlain Tenue de Perfection foundation and IT. IS. LOVELY.  First of all, the packaging.  Looked not-so appealing on the website, but in person – Ack!  This speaks luxury at top volume.  The bottle is super heavy glass and feels so substantial in your hand.  The cap is black plastic, however, the top of the cap is inlaid with a gold Guerlain logo that’s so so so pretty.  I chose this foundation because for one I didn’t have to pay full price ($61) due to the gift card, and two, there is a color match for me based on the Color IQ scan Sephora did for me last fall.  I am in the shade 13 Rose Naturel, and it fits me perfectly.  The finish is matte, and the coverage is almost full (on me).  I love everything about this foundation.  Everything.  My face looked the most flawless it’s ever looked, and that’s saying something as I don’t ever look flawless.  I prefer this foundation over every single one I own, even the Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk, and that hurts me a little to say that.  In fact, if something happened to this foundation due to theft, damage or natural disaster, I wouldn’t blink an eye to repurchase immediately.   So now you know the depths of my love.  It’s a pretty big deal.

Last bit of the birthday haul has arrived.  It’s the free mascara Ulta gives you:

Yes, the quality of my photos surprise even me.

So if you’ve ever been curious about the CK One mascara, let me ease your mind.  This is an average one.  I’ve had worse and I’ve had better.  Which is pretty much the definition of average.  (Shhhhh, I know.)  The wand on this one twists up and down to give you two styles of lashes: up for length and down for volume.  I admit it did make a difference when I applied both wand versions.  But how annoying is it to do all that? (Very.)  Just give me a wand that does both, please and thank you.  The result, like I said, was average.  It didn’t make me wanna stare at myself in the mirror very long, let’s just put it that way.  On the bright side, it’s free.  The day I start complaining about free stuff is probably the day the Universe stops giving me free stuff, so we don’t wanna put all that negative energy out there no do we?  No, we do not.

Okay, friends.  You’ve made it through all three parts of my Birthday Haul (assuming you’ve read part one and two).  Give yourself a little pat; you deserve it.  I’m gonna go read a book, eat some Cheez-Its and zone out.  Var var busy, as you can see.