Makeup Haul!

So, I've been studying and working hard lately for a test, and as of yesterday, I am officially free! So what did I do today, on my first day of freedom? Naturally, I went on a shopping spree!!!

Here's my haul!
From left to right, we have: MAC lipstick in Strawbaby from the Fafi Collection, Trio of Sephora Shimmer Lip Glosses, Clean and Clear Steam Soft In-Shower Facial, and NYX Eyeshadow in Midnight.

Wee! Let's kick things off with some reviews and thoughts!

1. MAC Lipstick in Strawbaby
Now, if you're an avid follower of the MAC collections, you might be confused on how I bought this lipstick seeing as how it was part of the Fafi Limited Edition Collection that was released in the spring of last year. I totally found a gem of a store today, and that store is called the Cosmetics Company Outlet. These stores are located all around the United States, usually in outlet malls. Best part? They sell high end cosmetics for a quarter of the price. Not to mention, because they're an outlet, they often get cosmetics that are from seasons past, things that may have been discontinued or limited edition. So if you're kicking yourself for not buying something from a collection, check this place out. They had a ton of MAC cosmetics from old collections like Alexander McQueen, Emanuel Ungaro, Sonic Chic, Blue Storm, and etc. They also had Smashbox, Bobbi Brown, Lancome, Clinique, and many other high end cosmetics for super cheap!

P.S. I bought this when the collection first came out, and I love, love, loved it. It's this truly unique shade that's a berry rose color with blue, green, and red microglitter. It's super pretty, unique, and gives your lips a very just-been-kissed look to them. It is my HG lipstick, and I hardly used it because I didn't want to run out (do you guys do that too?). But now, I no longer have to worry!

2. Sephora Lipgloss Trio
Okay, technically, I didn't buy this. My bday was earlier this week, and I'm sure I've mentioned it before, but I'm a Sephora Insider, meaning that I get little perks like this! If you're a Sephora Insider, you not only get free gifts/samples when you garner enough points, but they give you nice little free gifts like this for your birthday! I don't know how good the lipglosses are, but the colors look pretty, and it was free. Can't complain! If you're not a Sephora Insider, become one. Immediately. There's nothing to lose!

3. Clean and Clear In Shower Facial
I love this cleanser/facial. You put it on your face in the shower, soap up your body while the facial opens your pores and cleans them out thanks to the steam from your shower, and you wash it off. It makes my skin feel smooth and clean and tingly, just the way I like it.

4. NYX Eyeshadow in Midnight
So as a lot of you ladies may or may not know, NYX is a makeup line that is extremely comparable to MAC in terms of pigmentation at a quarter of the price at your local drugstore or ULTA. Well, I decided to check this out, and I am not disappointed. From reading reviews at makeupalley and other makeup blogs, I was really interested in this color because I need a better black eyeshadow and because this one is truly unique. It's a great blackened green color with silver and gold reflects. It's absolutely stunning, and I am so impressed with how smooth and well pigmented it is. I can't wait to line my eyes with it, I know that extra dimension and flash of green will help my brown eyes pop! And ooh...smoky eyes have suddenly gotten a lot hotter.

Thanks for reading, and if you guys have any suggestions on makeup I must have, please let me know. It's unfortunate that I'm happily addicted to makeup!

Oily Skin Woes and Product Review: MAC Blot Powder

Before I get to my review, I think its only fair to describe my skin and situation to you guys a bit. Maybe some of you can sympathize, but I have oily skin. I mean, super oily. Like, press a blot paper to my forehead, and the sheet becomes clear. Swipe my hand across my forehead, and there's a thin sheen of oil on the back of my hand now. Sorry for the gross imagery!

So as you can see, I'm always desperately looking to control my oil production. I don't wear foundation, but I do spot conceal and use Stila Illuminating Powder Foundation to set it.

That's Stila Illuminating Powder Foundation above, and while I adore it because it matches my skin perfectly and give my skin a great luminous look, it doesn't do such a great job of controlling oil. After two hours, I have to powder my skin again, and unfortunately, it starts to feel and look cake-y on my skin after the second application.

So I decided to invest in MAC Powder Blot (21$)


The purpose of this powder according to the MAC website is, "A unique pressed powder designed primarily to provide shine control without adding any noticeable colour or texture. Sets foundation, finishes faces." As you can see, the product comes with this awful puff that sucks.

There are very limited color options: Light, Medium, Medium Dark, Dark, Deep Dark because its not supposed to add any noticeable color. The makeup artist at MAC recommended that I get Medium, which is actually a pretty light shade, and I'm starting to regret it because the fact of the matter is, it does deposit a bit of color. I'm going to have to blame that on the puff it comes with though, which picks up way too much powder and makes my face look washed out.

On the flipside, it does do a pretty good job of controlling oil. After applying this powder, my skin looks really matte and healthy and grease-free. On me, it lasts about four to five hours before my skin starts to get a bit shiny, which I'm fine with, since the powder doesn't cake or sit on my face. Also, I tried applying the powder with a sponge instead of the awful puff it comes with, and the sponge is ten times better. With a sponge, the powder isn't visible on my face, so if you're planning on buying this, toss out the puff because it's useless and picks up way too much powder.

On the whole, I didn't fall instantly in love with this powder, but I think it does a good job of doing its purpose: controlling oil. It hasn't broken me out (yet), and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it doesn't. I think I just have to keep playing around with it a bit, but I think this product has a lot of potential to possibly reach Holy Grail status!

Mac lip Conditioner in Hello Kitty!!

I can't tell you how much I love MAC. Good quality makeup. All their eyeshadows are highly pigmented, their lip stuff is awesome and so much more. I can go on forever, but I think we can all agree that MAC is the best or at least one of the best. This Spring season they collaborated with the Hello Kitty brand and damn do I love it! I totally love Hello Kitty, my check card and credit card has the Hello Kitty design. This new lip tint conditioner is simply the best. Sometimes when you're on the run and you don't have time to put on lipstick or have dry lips, but need color, this is the definitely a good solution. I really love lip tints and stains because they last a long time. Just dab it on and then you're good to go!