Recent Shopping Trip

As you may or may not know, I happen to work at a store in a mall which results in quite a few spontaneous shopping trips after work.. so here are my latest purchases for your viewing pleasure!

This one is from my work, EXPRESS, and was regularly 34.90$, then marked down to 19.99$ + 40% off which turned my total into 11.99$!! (My store has a killer clearance sale on right now.. check it.

These short are also from my work. I had been eyeing them since we got them, so when they were marked down in the sale I scooped them up! They were regularly 69.90$ but I got them for 29.99$ + 20% off!

Again, from my work, not something I'd normally get but considering the price I figured it'd be good for lounging about and the like. It was originally 24.90$, then marked down several times eventually to 5.99$ + 40% for a total of 3.59$.. can't beat that!

The colour didn't turn up too well in the picture, no matter what I tried, but it's actually a bit more of a rose gold colour. Anyway, I'm not sure the use I'll get from this however I fell in love with the chain strap. So cute! Originally 19.90$ then marked down to 9.99$ + 40% which came to 5.99$!

I made a stop into Sephora (looking for my prized Origins spot remover which they haven't had for weeks.. grrrrr) when I realized I needed some new top coat. I quite like speed dry ones, I feel if I don't use a speed dry my nails always get messed up, even if I sit them out for over 5 minutes. So I'm excited to try this one!

I saw a tutorial sample of this last time I was in Sephora, but since it was on sale they were all sold out. I was happy when I went to my local Sephora to see it still there, and still on sale for a measly 6$, half price of it's regular 12$. I don't own a glitter that has the long flecks, so I'm quite excited. I love the iridescence too. "Hollywood If I Could" is the name!

I'd been meaning to get a fan brush for awhile, so I was pleased as punch when I saw that this was marked down from 17$ to 13$. It is the Sephora Pro Natural Fan Brush #43. I'm so excited on this one!

When I saw that Bath and Body Works was having a huge sale I had to take a peak! I'm a huge fan of their candles; you get a great amount of scent considering the price. This one is called New York, New York and is apple scented.. get it.. the big apple ;~) hehehehe. I thought it would be good for spring, and it was only 5$ compared to the usual price on this size being 13$!

This is a really lame one, but I was quite excited that white strips are on sale :~) I'm obsessed with having white teeth, so this was the ultimate score for me! YAY!

:):):)
xLB

Sephora Favourites Glitz & Glam Party Sampler

For Christmas my grandmother got me this awesome set from Sephora, which I absolutely adore! It retails for 45$ from Sephora and includes 9 shimmery products. All of them in full size or close to it.

Unfortunately I didn't manage to get a picture before tearing off the packaging and throwing it out (whoops) but I did get a picture of everything in the fabulous bag it was included in; isn't it gorgeous?!

First up was bareMinerals Marvelous Moxie Lipgloss in Trail Blaze (0.15 oz)

From the Sephora website.. "This high-shine, hydrating lip gloss contains a nourishing blend of shea, avocado, and murumuru butters. Achieve fuller-looking, pillowy lips and lasting color with this gentle formula."  This is a full size product and retails for 23$ from the Sephora website. I've yet to try this as I never really use gloss, but  I quite lip the tip of it. It's a nude gloss with flecks of gold for a bit of shimmer.

Next is the Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eye Liner in Starfish (0.01 oz)

I'm not an eye liner junkie in the slightest; I actually use powder for my eyeliner because eye liner just doesn't do it for me. If you're intrigued by this, I'll get back to it on a future post. Anyway! To me, it just goes on like your average eye liner but I love the texture of it and I quite like how it's got flecks of gold in it for a bit of added shimmer, it really makes my hazel eyes pop! It's a full size product as well which is awesome. It retails on the Sephora website for 26$.

A swatch of the eye liner..

And here we have the Laura Mercier Baked Eye Color - Wet/Dry in Black Karat (0.018 oz)

I think this is such a pretty eye shadow, however I'm not sure it's one I'll be getting much use out of it as the only eyeshadows I wear are nudes. It's a charcoal-y based eyeshadow with bits of gold glitter in it. There is quite a lot of glitter in this, and I'd say the ratio of glitter to shadow is in glitters favour. It retails for 27$ on the Sephora website for 0.06, which is three times the size of the included sample. I don't go through eye shadows as a whole, so this still was quite a generous sample that will take me awhile to get through. On another note, I like the packaging on this one more than the full size.

As you can tell by the swatch, it's not overly pigmented but you really get a nice burst of shimmer

Next is the Josie Maran GOGO Instant Natural Volume Argan Mascara in Black (0.11 oz)

To be completely honest, this mascara just didn't do anything for me. personally I quite like my lashes to be very noticeable. This to me just didn't achieve the dramatic look I like. However, if you like a subtle lash I think this would be perfect for you. It's a bristle brush so it grabs all of the lashes, I just wish it had more length/volume. This mascara retails for 26$ on the Sephora website for the full size, which is 0.34 oz. Something I found interesting about this; they've teamed up with City of Hope (a cancer institution) where the Get One Give One campaign was created (get it.. GOGO mascara!) so basically you buy one, they give one to a cancer patient. Limited to a certain unit, afterwards it's 1$ from each mascara. Cool, right? All the more reason to buy :)

And here we have Stila All Shimmer Duo in Kitten (0.09 oz)
This is another generous size, it's half of the retailed size which is 0.18 oz and retails on the Sephora website for 29$. I was quite pleased with these shadows, they're extremely pigmented and I love the shimmer in them. The one on the left works well for a highlighter type shadow.

Some swatches of the shimmer duo; very very pigmented. (The swatch on the left is the shadow on the right, and the swatch on the right is the shadow on the left.. sorry, I didn't think about my finger positioning before swiping, oops!)

Here I have the bareMinerals eye colour in Good Fortune (0.02 oz)

I think this is such a gorgeous colour, reminds me of terracotta, or a sunset. I think I'll get more use out of this as a summer colour as opposed to this season, because to me it seems kind of like a bronzing colour, if that makes sense.. It retails for 16$ on the Sephora website, and this is the full size product.

Sephora by OPI Nail Polish in 'Looks like Rain Dear' (0.125)
This is an opaque gold with a mix of chunky and micro iridescent glitter pieces. I've actually been eyeing this colour for awhile, so I'm glad I never purchased it and that it was included! I don't have a swatch since I only tried it on paper, but the gold is quite opaque, considering it's a glitter polish, and I really like the glitter mix. I'd recommend more than one coat or layering it over another. The full sized 0.5 oz retails for 12$ on the Sephora website, just like their other polishes.

Lorac 3D Liquid Lustre Gold (0.17 oz)

If you like added shimmer, I'd definitely recommend this. The colour is gorgeous and it's something that I feel would look great on all skin tones. It's very pigmented, yet very subtle if that makes sense.. I'm really looking forward to using this on my eyes for New Years Eve :) This is another full size product which retails for 21$ on the Sephora website.

This is the product applied with one drop straight onto my hand.

Annnnd here it is all rubbed in.

This is what my finger looked like after rubbing it in which I thought was really pretty, so I had to include it.

And finally Nars Body Glow (1 oz)

I haven't used this product yet because honestly I don't really know how.. the bottle I received was not mixed in the slightest, I tried mixing it with a toothpick and didn't have much luck, so I don't think I'll get much use out of it. I think it's such a pretty colour though, and it smells so good so I'm hoping I'll get to try it, because the reviews seem quite good as well. This is still a large bottle, yet it's only a fourth of the full size, which is 4 oz and retails for 80$ on the Sephora website.

However, it didn't seem to withstand much travelling.. oops! I read if you place it in warm water it'll liquify a bit, so I'll definitely have to try that.

Overall, I definitely feel like you get the value in this.. I'd value the products as following:

• 23$ - bareMinerals Marvellous Moxie lipgloss (0.15 oz)
• 26$ - Stila Smudge Stick Eye Liner (0.01 oz)
• 9$ - Laura Mercier Baked Eye Color - Wet/Dry in Black Karat (0.018 oz)
• 9$ - Josie Maran GOGO Instant Natural Volume Argan Mascara in Black (0.11 oz)
• 15$ - Stila All Shimmer Duo in Kitten (0.09 oz)
• 16$ - bareMinerals eye colour in Good Fortune (0.02 oz)
• 3$ - Sephora by OPI Nail Polish in 'Looks like Rain Dear' (0.125)
• 21$ - Lorac 3D Liquid Lustre Gold (0.17 oz)
• 20$ - Nars Body Glow (1 oz)
• 142$ TOTAL

DEFINITELY got the product face value and SO much more, which is why I love stuff like this. You get to try a bunch of products and be exposed to new brands for super cheap! 

An added bit of a bonus, I got these glimmersticks from AVON from another grandmother. They're so cute and mini, I'm in love with them :) perfect for travel! xx

xLB