First Haul of 2013!

Greetings, friends! At long last, I have a first haul of 2013 post for you! YAY! I actually wrote 'First Haul of 2012' first.. I still can't believe it's 2013!! I didn't get this stuff all at once, it's a compilation of 2 shopping trips, as I felt they'd be best together than two separate posts. ANYWAY, here we go :~)

❤ HAUL #1 ❤

Victoria's Secret Haul; Twice a year VS holds it's incredible massive semi-annual sale.. if you're a VS crazed fan like myself, you'll already know about it, if not I'd recommend checking it out.. seriously.

• Purple VS Pink Sweater -- Retails 44.50$ Purchased 21.99$
• Black VS Pink Lounge Pants -- Retails ~49.50$ Purchased 24.99$
• VS Pink tops -- Retails 19.50$-24.50$ Purchased 9.99$
• VS Bikini bottom -- Retails  ~28$ Purchased 9.99$
• Various VS/VS Pink Panties -- Retails 9.50$ Purchased 3.99$
• Various VS Pink Bras -- Retails 29.50$ Purchased 15.99$

Overall, I'd say great savings. I actually go on the first day the sale starts, my best friend and I are that obsessed. I tend to go bathing suit crazy on these things, but I tamed myself this time as it's not exactly swimsuit weather here.. I think bra's were one of my greatest scores; they're so bloody expensive!!

• I also stopped by Target and picked up my own Remington Pearl Ceramic Curling Wand since I live on my own, I figured I needed one for myself ;~) I absolutely adored this wand after buying one for my sister and spoke about it here. 
• I was shopping in America since my parents live close to the border (we're from Canada..) and for the first time ever I had to pay duty.. tear tear. That could have been another bra or two! Grr!

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❤ HAUL #2 ❤

Onwards to the second haul! My best friend and I met up downtown (Toronto -- she's actually in school in Waterloo while I'm in Toronto) for lunch and shopping. I only intended on going to LUSH, but couldn't resist VS Semi-annual for a second run..

I was very good this time.. I only purchased one thing, yay me! Recovering shopping addict right here. The first VSSA I went to didn't have any yoga pants.. this store was loaded. So I couldn't resist picking up a pair! Normally I go for the boot cut ones because I've never cared to try the legging style. They were cheap, so I decided to try em out, boy am I glad I did! I actually wore them to class today and they pass off as regular leggings, but waaaay comfier. I'm so happy, they're so flattering too. Retail: 34.50$ Purchased: 19.99$

Next: LUSH haul! I don't have a LUSH near me.. sad face. So this was the aim of my shopping trip. Once I go to LUSH, I tend to do a haul and not just pick up a few things, because if I'm taking the time to travel down there it's all or nothing!  

All of my goodies; mmm! I also got a sample of the Big Solid Conditioner which I'm excited to try! Bath goodies (L-R):

• Rose Jam; I picked this one up and loved the texture and the scent so I figured, why not give it a go? I also found out upon research that it's good for two baths, woohoo! It's a rose scented bubble bar inspired by macaroons. Basically you just twist and BAM two instead of one due to the 'jam' in between them! It smells heavenly, I can't wait to use it next weekend when I go to my parents' as I have no bath here :~( Retails: 6.25$ which I think is incredible since you get two!
• Tisty Tosty; If I'm being honest I got this one mainly for the aesthetics of it, how cute is it? Heart shaped with little flowers, so pretty! It's a rose scented love potion, and the scent is supposed to give off happy, positive feelings. Retails: 6.35$
• Twilight; this lavender scented bomb is supposed to help you relax and fall asleep, which I'm anxious to see how it works out as I have terrible sleeping patterns. It's also supposed to change colours in a range of pinks/purples so that'll be nice to see as well! Retails: 6.25$

Close up of Tisty Tosty how pretty are those roses!? 

• The Sacred Truth; I really wanted to try a new fresh face mask as I already have two  in my freezer still, so I tried a few in store and fell in love with this one! It's awesome for winter since it's good for moisturizing and fending off the cold weather damage to your face. It's rich in antioxidants and smells like green tea! MM! LUSH fresh face masks are amazing, I'd highly recommend them. If you're looking for help in selecting one send me and email and I'd be glad to help since I've used almost all of them! hahah Retails: 6.95$ 

• Ocean Salt; I am absolutely OBSESSED with this scrub. I'd recommend it to anyone. Honestly, the scent is worth the price tag alone LOL. But actually, it smells so good! It's packed full of citrus notes and sea salt and has avocado to hydrate, and lime and vodka to help attack blemishes. Delicious! LUSH is very natural, which I quite like. I hate putting harsh chemicals to my face, so I like to use products as natural as possible. The change I've seen in my skin since using this is baffling. I purchased the smaller size months ago and after running out recently I decided to go for the big one, I love it that much! Since it is an exfoliator I wouldn't recommend using it every day, I normally do every other or every two days. I'm in love. Retails:  21.95$ (120g) / 35.95$ (250g).
• Whoosh Shower Jelly; I've read so many wonderful things about this and it's always intrigued me, so since I was out of my usual shower gel I figured why not give it a go? I feel like I'm using it wrong so I definitely need to look further into the application of this before giving a proper review.. but the texture is so fun and it smells delicious! This one is citrusy - my fav! Retails: 11.95$ (240g)  

Close up of Whoosh from the label perspective.. I quite liked the alien bit as my roommate and I refer to each other as aliens! haha

ANYWHO that was my haul :~) I'm currently comfy in my VS Yoga Leggings and longing for a LUSH bath after writing this! I absolutely adore the LUSH range and am so excited to have some more LUSH in my place :~) Cheers ❤

xLB

Makeup Haul -- DEC12/JAN13

These were from two recent trips to both Sephora and Mac, I wanted to wait a bit before uploading so that I could test them out in my daily routine before reporting back to you lovely lot :~)

* I actually had some technical difficulties which resulted in this entire post being deleted after quite some time, so I apologize if it isn't as detailed as anticipated, out of sheer frustration :~( let me know if you want anything in more detail and I'll hop right on it! x

My lovely purchases from the first shopping trip :~) I did have quite a few gift cards to spend heheheheh

Here we have my much coveted MAC Mineralize Skin Finish (MSF) in Lightscapade; I'm obsessed with this! It's aimed primarily as a highlighter, It's a champagne colour with a pearl flex and blue veins, so pretty!

Nars Blush in Orgasm (32$); I don't know how I've never owned this blush seeing as it's one of the products/shades Nars is notorious for, but nevertheless, it's now mine! It's a peachy-pink with gold flex.. definitely a reoccurring colour in my collection. It's very pigmented and goes on rather well, although I only like a subtle amount of blush so this one requires quite a bit of blending for me, personally. Other than that, I loooove the colour!

Make Up For Ever Camouflage Cream Palette in No1 (43$); Another product I've been dying for for quite some time. The first three are used for concealer, depending on your skin colour you can blend them and the like, the fourth is aimed at under eye circles and the last one is green to combat redness. I love the consistency of these, I do find the product ends up with a bit of oily residue on it after using it (in the packaging, not on your face if that makes sense..) aside from that, great product. 

Stila Convertible Color in Peony (33$); I've eyeing this one for quite some time, but I'm not too skilled in the cream blush department.. but after swatching one day in Sephora I decided to take the plunge, and I'm glad I did! It can be used for cheeks and lips. (This shade at least) it doesn't have a strong colour change on lips, just kind of one of those 'your lips but better' shades, then on the cheeks it gives off a nice dewy glow. 

Benefit Coral My World (15$); This was one of those purchases that I picked up while in the queue at Sephora. I've been lusting after Benefit's blushes for the longest time, but not quite enough to shell out the 36$, so luckily this came along! Included is the Coralista blush (~1/3 of the full size) and a mini sun beam highlighter. I actually have a set of three benefit tint/highlighters of the same size also picked up while in queue at sephora, and they've lasted me for over a year, so all thought it looks small, a little goes a long way. The blush is a coral/peachy-pink with gold flex, just how I like it ;~) and the highlighter is gold,  which is quite nice as it's different from the usual pearl shades I go to. Perfect for the summer, I love sets like these as they let you try some products and incorporate them into your collection for cheap!

 Clinique Chubby Stick in 15-Pudgy Peony (19$); I'd recently fallen in love with Clinique lip products, so I decided to try this; the fact that it was a super pigmented balm in a bright colour really caught my attention. I love this because it gives you the colour of lipstick, but with the moisture of a balm. It's not an excessively pigmented lip colour, however they do have an 'intense' range if you're looking for more pigment. This satisfies my pigment needs. I'd definitely recommend this, I'm in love. And of course, the colour I fell in love is coincidentally called 'peony' .. can you say meant to be? Or obsession ;~)

First here is the Nails Inc Special Effects Holographic Polish (12$); I've been dying to try a holographic polish for the longest time, so when I saw this I finally took the plunge and purchased. I've yet to try it, but I'm sure you'll see it in a NOTD post in the future :~)

Next is the fresh Soy Face Cleanser* (17.50$); I've been dying to try this cleanser for the longest time, so I was beyond thrilled when I received a sample of it!! I'm OBSESSED with the fresh brand, it's one of my favourites. I've yet to use this, but will be using it tonight for sure! SOOOO excited, eeee!

Here we have the fresh Lotus Youth Preserve Face Cream with Super 7 Complex* (48$); This is another sample I received and will definitely be trying tonight as well with my soy cleanser. As stated above, I LOOOOOVE FRESH :~)

 

Finally, MAC Matte Lipstick in Russian Red (18$); Finally I've bought my very first matte finish from MAC, which is quite surprising as I really dislike glossy finishes.. I've been meaning to buy a red from MAC for the longest time so I was quite satisfied with this one! Deeper reds tend to look better with my skin tone, so it was hard to find one I liked but I'm in love with this one! YAY!

I know this was quite lengthy, but a haul is a haul, thanks for reading! Hope you're all having the happiest of happy new years! Cheers

xLB