Haul: Target & Lush

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I unfortunately caught a very bad cold over the weekend but I still managed to get in some Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping. I was planning on doing a Black Friday haul but not everything I ordered has come in yet but as soon as it does I'll have one up. So I recently went to two of my favorite stores, Target and Lush, and of course I had to walk out with something.

1. Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Sassy Mauve ($4.99) - I've been looking for more Fall lipstick shades and when Tracy and Stephanie of Eleventh Gorgeous mentioned this one in their Fall Drugstore Lipsticks video I knew I had to have it. I don't have any mauve shades in my collection and this lipstick makes a great new addition! 2. Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Raspberry Pie ($6.16) - Another wonderful Fall lipstick recommendation from Tracy and Stephanie's Fall Drugstore Lipsticks video, this lip butter is a very wearable berry color. I also don't have any deep berry colors in my collection so this makes a great new addition as well. 3. LUSH Ocean Salt Scrub ($21.95) - I got two samples of this wonderful Lush product in my last Lush haul and I've been using a little bit of it every week since. I'm totally in love with it now and I purchased a 4.2 oz size, since it does expire in a little over a year and I only use about a dime sized every week. 4. LUSH Tea Tree Water Toner ($21.95) - I bought the 3.3 fl oz size in my last Lush haul and I've almost used it all up. I love to use this after I take a shower to tone my face. I like to spritz it onto a cotton pad and pat it all over my T-Zone to soak up any excess oils. 5. Pixi Correction Concentrate in Brightening Peach ($15) - This corrector was at the top of my November Wish List because I was hoping it would be a dupe for my much loved Bobbi Brown Corrector ($23). I've only been able to use it once so far but it seems to be like a good dupe, I'll need a little bit more time with it before I reach a decision though but when I do you all will be the first to find out!

Review: Too Faced Shadow Bon Bons Set

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I'm pretty stuffed from the weekend so I figured I'd just sit in bed and type up this much anticipated review. If you recall, the product that I was most excited about from my Sephora VIB 20% Off Haul was the Too Faced Shadow Bon Bons Set ($42). I had never tried a Too Faced product before and figured this set would be a great introductory product to the brand. Included in the set was: 1) Twelve Eyeshadows, 2) Too Faced Shadow Insurance Candlelight Eye Shadow Primer, and 3) Too Faced LashGASM Mascara.

The overall packaging of this product is beautiful, which can be expected from any Too Faced product. All the products come in a lavender felt box with gold writing. When you open the box there is a mirror cutout and all the products. I really like the packaging but I wish it was more travel-friendly because I would totally bring these shadows with me on vacation if I could.

The Shadows:

The twelve eyeshadows are roughly the size of a quarter, which is a good amount and I can see them lasting me for quite a while. I'm not sure how deep the pans are but according to the Sephora website they are .03 oz.

The shadows are all very neutral shades, but they include some wearable colors like purples and pinks. They're highly pigmented and mix and match very well to create a lot of different eye looks. You can follow the included guide or make your own shadow combinations.

The shadows apply on to the lid very easily and blend together beautifully. With the help of a primer they stay on all day and don't smudge, however the color does fade a bit as the day goes on but there's still a very good amount of color there and it just ends up looking like a softer eye look.

The Individual Shades:

Vanilla - A slightly beige-ish white that I like to use as an all over the lid color or as a highlighter. It's color payoff is probably the worst of the twelve but since it's a light shade and isn't supposed to be a stark white I can't really complain.

Cut The Cake - A lavender with silver micro-shimmer that looks very pretty all over the lid.

Framboise - A deep metallic purple that I like to use either all over the lid or in the crease.

Coffee Bean - A matte dark brown, it sort of looks like the color of coffee. I like to use this as a liner or crease color.

Peach Fuzz - A light peach with gold glitters that I like to use as an all over lid color or as a brow highlighter. It's very glittery and very pretty!

Hot Cocoa - A bronzed brown with gold shimmer. It looks wonderful all over the lid.

Candy Rose - A pink with silver micro shimmer. Very pretty and don't worry, it doesn't make you look like your eyes are irritated!

Lovey Dovey - A deep bronze shade with some pink undertones. It's another metallic shade and I love using it as a liner. It looks very sexy when smoked out.

Nude Beach - A sandy gold glitter. You definitely have to be careful of fallout with this one because it's extremely flaky. It's gorgeous however, all over the lids.

Cinnamon Sugar - A gold metallic shade that is beautiful all over the lids.

Marzipan - A dusty beige-ish brown. Probably the second worst shade in terms of pigmentation but it's great in the crease and can be used to tone down the other shades.

Licorice Latté - A brownish black shade with gold glitter. I haven't been brave enough to use it as anything but a liner shade but I can imagine it would go great as a smoky eye look.

LashGASM:

This mascara comes in a plain black tube but the writing and designs on it are what makes it look so pretty. I had never considered trying this mascara before but I figured since it was included in the set, why the heck not? I didn't know a lot about this mascara but it definitely impressed me.

The brush is made of short rubber bristles that easily separate and define all your lashes. The inside of the tube, where the stopper is to wipe off excess mascara, is very tight so it definitely takes off any excess. If you have problems with clumping or messy lashes then this mascara would be perfect for you.

The mascara also helps to lengthen your lashes a bit but I believe it's main focus is to define. I like to use this to define my lashes first then use a lengthening mascara to get incredibly dramatic length. It stays on all day and doesn't smudge or give you raccoon eyes.

Too Faced Shadow Insurance Candlelight Eye Shadow Primer:

I had always been a UD primer potion kind of gal but I think I've been converted. My eyes are very dry and sometimes the UD primer potion accentuates the dryness in my eyes by clumping around any dry skin. This shadow somehow moisturizes the dry areas around my eyes and soaps up the oil on my lids at the same time. If you have drier skin around your eyes I'd recommend the Too Faced Shadow Insurance, but if your eyes are very oily then I'd suggest UD's primer potion.

I'll probably be buying a full-sized version of the shadow insurance once I use up this trial size because it's really great. The shade that was given in the set is a champagne shimmer that reminds me of Stila's Kitten shadow. There's also a translucent shade if you're not interested in a primer with color.

Overall, this set was totally worth the money to me and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who's into neutral shades. If you or whoever you're looking to purchase this set for likes UD's Naked and Naked 2 then they'll definitely like this set. It has similar shades in terms of beiges and browns but it also includes fun shades of pinks and purples.

NOTD: Deborah Lippmann's Sweet Dreams

In a post last week I mentioned that I got my first ever Deborah Lippmann polishes and did a review on one of them, Mermaid's Dream. This week I painted my nails with the other shade I got, Sweet Dreams ($18). This shade is a hot pink with gold flecks that looks gorgeous and very girly on the nails. 

The polish goes on very sheer at first and takes about 2-3 coats before becoming opaque. It dries to a very glossy finish and the gold flecks sparkle in the light.

Between this shade and Mermaid's Dream I would have to say that Mermaid's Dream is probably more unique because of all the different shades and textures, but I wouldn't say I like one over the other because both are amazing. I'm definitely going to be caving in and buying more Deborah Lippmann polishes now because my experience with both Mermaid's Dream and Sweet Dreams was great. I already have my eyes set on Glamorous Life ($16) next!

Sephora VIB 20% Off Haul!

My fellow Sephora VIBs would know that this past weekend was the VIB exclusive 20% off sale. I try to wait all year long for this deal to come out before I buy anything I want from Sephora that I don't need right away. I hope my fellow VIBs enjoyed their 20% off as much as I did because there were some real nice goodies out in stores this year!

1. Urban Decay De-Slick Oil-Control Makeup Setting Spray Travel Size ($12) - I currently have the UD All Nighter Long-Lasting Makeup Setting Spray in the 4 oz. size and I love it. It really helps to keep my makeup looking good all day. However, since I first purchased it my skin type has slowly changed from normal to combination and I seem to have developed the problem of a very oily T-zone. I wanted to try the UD De-Slick Oil-Control Makeup Setting Spray to see if it would keep my makeup lasting longer and control the oils on my T-Zone. Luckily, I spied this travel size version hiding in those boxes at the checkout line and thought it was a sign from the makeup gods. I have a vacation coming up in January with my boyfriend and I had wanted to try this product anyways so I quickly grabbed it for it was the last one!

2. Tarte LipSurgence Collectors Set ($34) - I just tried looking for this set on Sephora's website and it seems it's already gone! I had been eyeing this LipSurgence set for about a month now because I had always wanted to try a Tarte LipSurgence but could never decide on one color. The shades included in this set were: Sweet, Elite, Exposed, Escape and Enchanted. They're all great colors for the Fall and I've been wearing them on my lips ever since I got them.

3. Murad Skin Perfecting Lotion - Blemish Prone/Oily Skin ($33) - I'd been searching for a new face moisturizer for months now since my skin type changed from Normal to Combination Oily and I finally found one I like! This moisturizer was recommended to me by one of the skin experts at the store and when she said it caters to blemish prone and oily skin I was sold. So far I've been really enjoying it and I've noticed my skin isn't as greasy as it would be hours after I apply it.

4. MUFE Full Cover Concealer ($32) - I know this was on one of my wish lists though I'm not sure which one, but anyways, I finally got it! I'd been in desperate need of a face concealer and this one works like a charm. It covers all my blemishes and redness like no other concealer I've ever tried.

5. BareMinerals READY SPF 15 Touch Up Veil ($22) - So I've never had my own pressed setting powder, I always used my mom's, and I finally found it time to buy my own. This product is basically a pressed powder version of the loose powder BareMinerals Mineral Veil and since I like that one I figured I'd like this one as well. It turns out though, that I like this one much more! I'm not a huge fan of loose powders because they're so messy and I like how I can take this pressed powder on vacation with me in January.

6. Boscia Pink Peppermint Blotting Linens ($5) - I have the Green Tea version of these and while I like the quality of the sheets, I can't stand the smell. So I figured this pack would smell much better and boy was I right. I like these a lot better and I'm considering stocking up on them!

7. Too Faced Shadow Bon Bons Set ($42) - This was the product I was most excited about purchasing. This is the first Too Faced product I've ever purchased and I'm glad I did because it comes with 12 beautiful shadows, a primer potion and a mascara. So far I'm really loving this palette because it comes with very pretty neutral colors like purples, pinks and browns. I'm hoping to do a review on this set very soon so keep your eyes out!

What have you recently bought from Sephora? Are you a Sephora VIB as well?

✨ November Wish List! ✨

I'm still staying at my boyfriend's house in Brooklyn while I wait for my heat and hot water to come back on. I'm thinking Mother Nature is not favoring New York City this year because right after our partial recovery from Hurricane Sandy, she decides to throw us a Nor'Easter with lots of snow. Hopefully it doesn't delay my heat and hot water from being fixed!

I ended up only purchasing one thing  from my October Wish List, Deborah Lippmann's Mermaid's Dream, because of all my midterms and while unfortunate, I did end up saving a lot of money. So I guess that means I get to spend more in November right?

1. Pixi Correction Concentrate in Brightening Peach ($15)

I love my Bobbi Brown Corrector in Bisque ($23) because it does a great job of correcting my dark circles. Unfortunately, the price tag is pretty steep. So when I heard about this Pixi Correction Concentrate and how it could work as a dupe for the Bobbi Brown Corrector I had to put it down on my monthly wish list. I've almost run out of my Bobbi Brown Corrector, I'm down to scraping product off the sides of the container, and when I do I'm probably going to give this Pixi one a try. Hopefully it does work as a dupe and I can save a couple of bucks. I've also heard it works as a dupe for Benefit's Erase Paste.

2. Butter London Nail Polish in Knackered ($14)

I always wanted a Butter London polish but I've always been too cheap to buy one. I decided that if I was going to spend the money on one of these polishes then I should at least spend it on a shade that is unique. This shade in Knackered is a duo-chrome with holographic glitter. I've read that it is pretty sheer so I'd probably need to use it as a layering polish but it's so beautiful looking in swatches that I just don't care!

3. Boscia Pink Peppermint Blotting Linens ($5)

Kind of a random item on my wish list but I would die without my oil-blotting sheets and I'm a sucker for anything pink and sparkly looking. I got a sample of the Boscia Blotting Linens using some of my Beauty Insider points and though I can't stand the herbal scent, the sheets work really well to absorb any excess oil. These sheets are supposed to smell like peppermint so hopefully I'll like the scent as well as the quality.

4. Sigma Mrs. Bunny Travel Kit ($65)

I believe this Sigma travel brush kit was on one of my wish lists from a few months ago and I mentioned that I wanted to purchase it for my upcoming vacation to Florida with my boyfriend. I never got the chance to buy it and I kept putting it off because we're going in January, but now that January is getting closer and Sigma does take a while to ship I think it's about time I actually cough up the dough and buy this set.

5. Too Faced Shadow Bon Bons Set ($42)

I believe this palette is relatively new since I have never seen it in stores but I recently saw EmilyNoel83 use it in one of her makeup tutorials and the shades looked really beautiful. It seems to have a lot of shades that I don't have like pinks and lilacs but I'll definitely have to see it in person first before I purchase it. It also comes with a Too Faced Shadow Insurance and a LashGASM Mascara so that's an added bonus.

So what items are on your monthly wish list? Whether it's beauty related, fashion related or even life related, I'd love to know!

Liebster & Versatile Blogger Awards!

Sorry I haven't posted in a while everyone! I'm still without hot water or heat so I've been staying at my boyfriend's house in Brooklyn and traveling back and forth between his home, my home and school. The trains are still somewhat messed up and there's still a gas deficit here so all this traveling takes up quite some time. Hopefully my hot water and heat will be back by the weekend and I can get into the habit of posting regularly again.

But on a happier note, I've been nominated for the Liebster Award by both Jana of BeautyLoveBooks and Becca of Sweet Fig Tree. I was also nominated for the Versatile Blogger Award by Jana again. I'm extremely honored and would like to thank both these wonderful ladies for nominating me. Please pay both of them a visit and check them out, both have wonderful blogs.

The Versatile Blogger Award

Rules:

- If you are nominated, you've been awarded the Versatile Blogger award.
- Thank the person who gave you this award.
- Include a link to their blog.
- Next, select 15 blogs/bloggers that you've recently discovered or follow regularly.
- Nominate those 15 bloggers for the Versatile Blogger Award with a link to their blog.
- Finally, tell  7 things about yourself.

I nominate:

1. Gia of Lovely Serendipity
2. Jayne of Cosmetic Proof
3. Mandy of Make Me Up Mandy
4. Traci of DRINKCITRA
5. Sharina of The Misty Mom
6. Jennifer of Little J's Nail Corner
7. Bon of Life of Bon
8. Ellie of Ellalogy
9. Denysia of Denysia Yu
10. Raych of Beauté
11. Tawny of Beauty By T
12. Sheila of She Is Lovely
13. Canadian Beauty of Canadian Beauty Reviews
14. Lauren of Lauren Schroer
15. Sherry of I AM PISCES

7 Things About Myself:

1. I'm Chinese
2. But I can hardly speak any Chinese.
3. I'm 19 years old.
4. I travel to Disney World and Universal Orlando at least once a year.
5. I've traveled out of the country once in my life to England.
6. I'm a Junior in College.
7. I've changed my major four times in the past year.

The Liebster Award

Rules:

- Link back to the blogger that nominated you 
- Write 11 random facts about yourself
- Answer the 11 questions asked by the blogger that nominated you
- Create 11 questions of your own questions for blogs you would like to give the Liebster award
- Choose up to 11 blogs with under 200 followers to award <3

11 Random Facts About Myself:

1. I love EDM. You can catch me at Ultra Music Festival next year in Miami!
2. I was a ballet dancer for 15 years.
3. I'm hoping to study abroad somewhere in Europe next year.
4. The first beauty product I ever used was lip gloss in middle school.
5. I love video games. My two favorite games are Assassin's Creed and Call of Duty.
6. I'm a shopaholic, my weaknesses are clothing and makeup.
7. My top three favorite YT beauty gurus are: EmilyNoel83, MakeupByTiffanyD and FrmHeadToToe
8. I watch anime. My two favorites are Naruto and Fairy Tail.
9. I love animals! I have a cat named Oliver.
10. My favorite Marvel superhero is Iron Man.
11. I love to karaoke!!

11 Questions from Jana:

1. What's you favorite shop? I'm not sure what my favorite shop is but most of my clothes are from J.Crew!
2. Would you rather make a lot of money or do what you love? I feel like the appropriate answer would be to do what I love but living in NYC it's hard to survive if you don't make a lot of money so unfortunately I'm going to have to be realistic and say I'd rather make a lot of money. You can always do what you love as a hobby and hopefully one day you'll have enough money that you won't have to work and you can focus solely on doing what you love.
3. What's your favorite word? Word.
4. What's your favorite food? Sushi!
5. If you could spend the day with any person in the world, who would you spend the day with? I always get stumped by these questions but I think I'd want to spend it with Beyonce so I can get some tips on how to become one of the most successful women in the world!
6. What do you love most about blogging? I just love expressing my ideas and opinions.
7. What is your favorite place in the world? In my boyfriend's arms(:
8. If you found a genie, what 3 wishes would you make? I'd wish for more wishes of course!
9. What's your favorite TV-show? The Walking Dead!!
10. What's your favorite book and why? I don't really have a favorite book because there are so many great ones out there but one related to beauty would be Beauty Rules by Bobbi Brown because that was one of my first makeup books and it taught me a lot of what I know now.
11. What's your favorite type of shoe? Boots!

11 Questions from Becca:

1. Where would you love to live for a year? I would love to live in either Venice, Paris or London for a year.
2. What song have you had on repeat lately? Whistle (Mike Emilio Remix) - Flo Rida
3. What do you like about blogging? Once again, I just love to express my ideas and opinions.
4. What makeup brand and products do you use most often? I think it'd be Urban Decay.
5. What do you want to do by the end of this year? I want to get through this school semester! I'm having a really tough time and regretting taking a lot of classes I signed up for. I can't wait for next semester.
6. If you were an animal what would you be and why? I would probably be a house cat because I love to lounge around and lie in the sun! 
7. Describe the country/town you live in in 3 words? City. Busy. Alive.
8. What is something you feel strongly about? I feel strongly about women's reproductive rights. I believe a woman should be able to choose what she wants to do with her body.
9. Flowers in hair. Cute or Disaster? Depends on how you put the flowers in your hair, but most of the time I think it turns out cute.
10. What is your dream job? My dream job would be an actress. I've always loved acting ever since I was young and I always dreamed of being an actress.
11. What is something you would try if there was guaranteed no risk involved? I would pursue acting as a career!

Blogs I Nominate:

1. Denysia of Denysia Yu
2. Lauren of Lauren Schroer
3. Dani of My Make-Up and Beauty Obsession!
4. Chelsea of My Creative Side
5. Liz of LiveLizLove

My 11 Questions for My Nominees:

1. What made you want to start blogging?
2. What inspires you everyday to do what you do?
3. If you could have one superpower, what would it be and why?
4. What would be your dream job?
5. If you could have 3 wishes, what would you wish for? (No wishing for more wishes!)
6. What is your favorite food?
7. What 3 places would you travel to first if you could go anywhere in the world?
8. What's your favorite number?
9. What is your favorite fashion trend for the Fall season?
10. What is your favorite makeup brand?
11. What one makeup product could you not live without and why? (E.g., foundation, lipstick, eyeliner, etc.)

Thanks for bearing through this long post but I'd once again like to thank the two girls who nominated me, Jana and Becca!

October Favorites

I have power again! I'm luckily in one of the only two buildings around me that has regained electricity and running water. Unfortunately, I'm still without hot water or heat so I've been boiling water and pouring it into my tub. It's not that bad once you get used to the shivering!

I wanted to take this chance to get my up my monthly favorites. I don't have many this month because I've been too busy with midterms to go shopping but these favorites are all definite favorites and will most likely be my go-to products for a long time.

1. Urban Decay Naked 2 ($50) - I bought the Naked 2 during the second batch of releases when it first came out. I remember when I initially swatched all the colors I was pretty excited to use it until I realized that the colors didn't go together as well as the shades from the Naked palette. The Naked 2 had been sitting in my makeup collection collecting dust for a while until recently when I decided to try it out again. While the colors may not match as obviously as the Naked palette, where typically the shades next to each other will create a great look, if you mix and match colors from all around the palette and even some from the Naked palette you can get a lot of different looks. My favorite shadows to mix together at the moment are: Bootycall all over the lid, Tease in the crease, a light dusting of Verve on top and Foxy as a highlight.

2. NYC Smooth Skin Bronzing Face Powder in Sunny ($2.99) - This product was from my latest Target haul and I already have an in-depth review of it on my blog. As I mentioned in my review, which you can read for more details, this bronzer is extremely affordable and delivers great color for lighter skin tones. A light dusting of this all over the face gives a sun-kissed glow. I've compared it to the Benefit Hoola Bronzer and found that they deliver the same color and pigmentation, with NYC's bronzer being way more affordable and a lot more travel-friendly.

3. L'Oreal Voluminous Full Definition Mascara ($5.84+) - Another product from my latest Target haul, this mascara has quickly become my favorite mascara. I wrote a rave review on it here that you can check out for more details. This mascara delivers lots of length and definition giving the illusion that you're wearing false eyelashes. I can't get enough of it and it has topped even my specialty/department store mascaras.

4. Maybelline Baby Lips in Cherry Me ($2.99) - This product was featured in my I ❤ Fall tag as my favorite lip product, mentioned last month as a favorite and I did an in-depth review of it here. As you can see, I absolutely love this product and can't get enough of it. It delivers a sheer tint of red to your lips giving you a "your lips but better" color. I also love how it does double duty by providing color and moisturization.

A relatively short favorites list this month but I do suggest trying out one if not all of these products. They're all wonderful products and three out of four of them you can find readily available and affordable at your local drugstore.

What were your favorites for October? I'd love to know!