So while I’ve been posting one box review after another, it may appear I have not been out shopping for new goodies. Hahahahahaha. Do you even read this blog? Lemme just put your mind at rest.

Birchbox had a little shipping delay and they were unable to get my box out on time with the rest of the world.  They felt horribly guilty (as they should), so I was given $10 worth of Birchbox points to help make up for it.  I will accept your apology, and buy myself this Cynthia Rowley eyeshadow with it:

These shadows were very powdery, but kind of in a good way.  I thought they blended well and looked very nice on my eyelids.  Perfect spring shades, even though we are now coming up on summer.  But who follows tradition?  Not me!  I will wear my white pants in December if I feel like it.  Even though they are a size too small now so probably shouldn’t do that.  White pants are very unforgiving in a lumpy-thigh-skin sort of way.  And if they cling to you like they are holding on for dear life – well, that’s not a look anyone should embrace.  I mean, maybe supermodels, but then after that, NOBODY.

What am I going on about?  I dunno.

Look at this little piece of artwork I made:

I have too much time on my hands.

I saw this beautiful purple and olive green NARS combo at Sephora and knew instantly I had to have it.  If there are two colors more suited for each other than purple and green, please let me know.  But also I have brown eyes, and if I’m not mistaken, purple and green are great complimentary colors for brown or hazel eyes.

Aside from all that, these are nice eyeshadows.  Not extremely pigmented on me, but really, what do I know?  Everyone else in the world disagrees, so take my opinion with a grain of salt. I am very hard to please.  We’ve established this already.

Speaking of pigmentation, or lack thereof, I present to you:

It’s Marc Jacobs blush.  Should be amazing.  Color in the pan looks to die for.  Color on the cheek … not so much.  I swear, I about got carpal tunnel swirling my blush brush over this thing, trying – desperately – to get it to release it’s beautiful lilac pinkness.  I don’t even have dark skin.   In fact, I’m on the lighter side of medium, and this barely showed up on me.  No, I wasn’t expecting straight up purple cheeks, but come on!  You are $30; now dadgum act like it.

If you’re curious, this color is called Outspoken.  And I will say, once I sort of swirled enough of the ribbed impression off the top of the blush, the pigmentation increased a bit.  Not gonna go out of my way to sing any praises or anything, but it did get better.  Thank goodness, because y’all know I can’t be bothered to return anything back to the store.

Next up is this thing:

Now that I am a Sephora VIB Rouge, I get included on the secret emails that promote exclusive freebies with purchase.  Never one to disregard an exclusive freebie, I got a sample of the Dior Dioraddict It-Lash mascara.  I had it for about two seconds before I decided I needed a full tube.  This stuff is awesome.  It fans my lashes out like butterfly wings.  I just love it.  You can get your own tube now; it’s not just for VIB anymore.  And I highly recommend that you should.  Just do what I say.  I am the boss of you.

Along with the Dior mascara, they had another VIB Rouge sample promo going on where I could pick three free deluxe trial sizes of an array of products.  The next three photos is what I chose.

Why would I buy Urban Decay makeup setting spray?  Cuz I don’t own any and I was curious if it actually worked.  So I used it and honestly I can’t tell much because I don’t ever feel as if my makeup has fallen off.  I don’t even know what that would look like.  My face always has makeup on, and it always looks the same all day long.  Do people actually have issues with their makeup just melting away as if nothing ever happened?  Am I being naive?  Am I being a butthole?  Probably both.

I will say, however, that if I use a matte setting powder (currently It Cosmetics Bye Bye Pores) then spray this on, my t-zone oil is less apparent.  Like right now I just came in from outside where it is 90 degrees and hideous, and my forehead, nose and chin feel very dry.  The good kind of dry.  So perhaps there is something to this setting spray thing.  I am going to do a scientific experiment tomorrow and use my setting powder and NO spray and see what happens.  Because before I spent $30 on a full size bottle of this stuff, I need to know if it actually works and it’s not just the psychological brain trickery that seems to haunt me at every turn.

Another sample is this cutie pie:

It’s Benefit Fake Up Concealer.  I got the shade medium and it seems to be a good choice for me.  I have been using it for the past few days, and I may consider buying the full size. I like the way it blends out with my concealer brush.  I probably already have a concealer that does this, but you don’t end up with hoards of makeup with that kind of logic.  So we’re just gonna push that thought out of our heads immediately.  And also, please disregard the fleshy hand.  Who knew you could gain weight there?

You can never have too many cleansers.  Here’s proof:

At one point, I owned the Boscia black illuminating mask, which was a super fun peel-off kind.  Thought I’d give the matching cleanser a whirl.  I haven’t used it yet as it’s in line behind 3 other cleansers, but hopefully I will use it before the end of the month.  One thing to note about this cleanser, and perhaps its most endearing quality, is that it warms up as soon as you put it on your skin.  I used to have a mask like that a long time ago, and I loooooved it.  The warming sensation feels way better than a cooling sensation, so I’m really excited to give this a try.

Big nerd alert.  Sorry.

Okay, this next item is the must luxury of all the items I’ve ever purchased:

Ummmmm, Tom Ford.  That’s almost all I need to say about this, and you’d be nodding your head saying, Yes, girl, I know.  Cuz that’s why you’re reading this blog:  you understand.  But for those that need explicit instruction, I will oblige.

Glossybox had $25 gift cards to Bergdorf Goodman in their May boxes, which I told you about (if you’ve been reading this blog like a proper human being).  Well, I could have gone on their site and found something for $25 and end up getting it for free, but like a true makeup addict, I lose all sensibility and decide to buy something horrendously expensive so I could get a $25 discount instead.  I mean, honestly, when would there be another chance to get a Tom Ford eyeshadow quad for $25 off?  Never.  These things don’t end up in the reject bin.  It was my only chance.

So now I’m feeling pretty good about myself.  I used it once (Silvered Topaz is the name) and it was very pretty as expected.  It now rests inside it’s little brown velvet pouch inside my makeup drawer next to the Dolce & Gabbana and Dior eyeshadow compacts.  Will I use it again?  Probably.  But more importantly, I own it.  And that’s all that matters.

Below is a little Sephora haul:

Do not even ask why I bought that super dark burgundy metallic OCC Lip Tar.  You already know the answer.  In an effort to own all the things I had to get it as I didn’t have any OCC in the stash.  But this color is gorgeous.  I tried it on in the store, and wowza!  If it was October and I had a big ol sweater on, this dark lip would’ve put the entire world in its place.  It’s stunning.  Plus, you only have to use a pin drop in order to get a full application.  That’s not even an exaggeration.  I will own this tube for at least 15 years.  Talk about value for your money.

And if you’re of the curious kind, the color is Black Metal Dahlia.

Next item is the Buxom lip polish in the color Gabby.  I love these things.  I own three now.  They have an addictive cool tingle that feels awesome on your lips in the summer. It literally makes you stop sweating.  They don’t advertise that, but they should.

Ran out of makeup remover, so thought I’d give the Sephora brand a try.  I always get the waterproof version because I feel it gets my mascara off way better than the regular kind.  I’ve been using this for a couple weeks now, and I really like it.  Does a great job.  I think I will most likely repurchase this if I’m already in Sephora and I need some.  However, for about $4 less, Ulta carries the Lumene brand and it works just as good.  Never mind that Ulta and Sephora are in the same mall and I could easily go to either one to pick up eye makeup remover.  I make up my own rules and exceptions to those rules, so just let it go.  It’s a puzzle only I can figure out.

Last item in the Sephora haul is the new Bare Minerals Bareskin serum foundation with brush.  I got a little sample of this and no sooner did I get it on my face was I out the door and standing in front of Sephora about 15 minutes before they actually opened.  This is the most beautiful foundation I own, better than the Chanel (I’m sorry!) or the Shiseido (am I actually saying this?).  I don’t even know if I can explain it properly, but here is my best effort:

If you have normal or dry skin, cancel all your plans today and get to Sephora or Ulta immediately.  If you have slightly oily skin, get a sample first to see how it wears for you.  The formula of this foundation is very liquidy and has a slight slick texture that may seem oily although it’s oil free.  I have an oily t-zone, and I still love it, but I do set it pretty good with my transluscent powder.  If you have oily skin all over, you may not like this.  Again, try a sample and give it a shot.

The finish is just unreal.  My skintone has never looked so even, and I have a very splotchy naked face.  It’s not matte, and it’s not dewy, just somewhere in between.  It’s lovely.  Just lovely.  I don’t even know why you are still reading this and not in your car on the way to the store.  What are you waiting for?!

It does have an accompanying brush that I bought because it is quite unique.  Looks like a flat top kabuki, but instead of it being completely flat top there is a little divot in the center, or a “well”, to drop the liquid into.  I’m not sure of it’s purpose, honestly, so I think you could probably use any brush and get a great application.  I will say that every time I’ve used this brush, it’s shed on me.  Boo.

See below:

It’s a Z-Palette.   At the time I bought this, I had nothing to put in it.  I was just preparing to put stuff in it.  I wanted some Makeup Geek eyeshadows, and all the beauty gurus put them in a Z-Palette.  What’s good enough for them is guaranteed good enough for me.  I’m easily influenced.

So I got my first batch of Makeup Geek shadows:

Picked out these colors cuz I felt they were very summery and fun.  The green is called Appletini, then there is Yellow Brick Road, Last Dance is the purple-y shade, Frappe is a matte brown, and Mango Tango is the coral.  These babies blend like a dream and I heart them sooo much!  And now I’ve addicted myself.  I have 5 more shadows on their way to me as we speak.  In my defense, my Z-Palette holds 27 shadows and hell if I’m having a half empty Z-Palette.  How tacky and gauche that would be.  Pffft.

Last thing in the haul is more eyeshadow palettes because I can’t control my shoppin’ hand:

These are both from Sleek Makeup and they come straight from jolly ole England via the Royal Mail.  Next up:  lunch with the Queen.  I know; so fancy!  Anyway.

These i-Divine palettes are very inexpensive, about $12.  There are several to choose from, and I feel I got the most varied of them all.  The first one is called Snapshot and the second one is apparently limited edition (did not know!) called Lagoon.  I used a few of the colors today, and they seems to be alright.  I did feel like I was blending longer than necessary, but perhaps I was off my game this morning.  But also I was trying to mix a yellow with a teal and a black, so maybe those need extra TLC anyway.  Can’t wait to play around more and try out some very fun looks.  If I go to work looking like a clown, it’s all in the name of research.

That’s it guys.  Ginormous haul.  But I got paid today so don’t worry, more is already on its way.  I waste no time.  In fact, if I’d treat every aspect of my life in the same way I treat my makeup addiction, I’d probably be President by now.

Toodles!