Haul || H&M, MAC, Drugstore..

I recently picked up a few odds and ends on a little mall trip and thought I'd show you all :)

Shoppers Drug Mart

❤ 2 x Maybelline Great Lash Lots of Lashes Mascara - my all-time and only favourite drugstore mascara, and it was on sale ;) so I stocked up, obviously

❤ Rimmel Kate Moss Lipstick in 17 - again, it was on sale, and I'm on a quest for work friendly neutrals that won't wash me out. This one is a pink-nude.

H&M

❤ Mirrored Phone Case - this case is so cute! ..however it tarnished two days after having it on. VERY disappointing. I love how it was mirrored.. I'm not that vain, am I?

❤ Earrings - they were on sale for 3$.. I couldn't refuse, easy as that

❤ Change Purse - with getting lots of change in tips from work I really needed a coin purse for my change, this one is super cute and so soft, I'm in love

❤ Purple Cross Body Bag - another sale item, 15$! I love the colour of this bag as well as the size and amount it holds. I find myself reaching for this bag almost everyday

❤ Silver Statement Necklace - I was lusting over a similar one at one of my other jobs which was three times the price, so when I saw this on sale you bet your bottom dollar I snatched it up!

❤ Patterned Shorts - H&M always has the cutest shorts; majority of them being in the 15$ price range. When I saw these I loved how they could easily be dressed up or down. Hoping to have a styling feature on these babies in the future!

❤ Loose Basic Tanks - I got this shirt in three colours; the striped, black and white. Great basics and wonderful for layering, and at 5$ you can't go wrong! They're so lightweight and breezy. Loved them on my trip to Boston!

And from MAC I picked up three lipsticks:

BRICK-O-LA: an orangey/pinkey/browny red.. if that makes sense. It looks different on everyone, I swear! A girl I work with said it looked brownish red on her, but on me it has orangey tones sometimes, and pink tones others? I don't even know.. either way, I'm in love with it. I love it as an understated, less bold, everyday type red!

REBEL: I've previously owned (and loved this one) but then lost it ages ago on a night out.. I finally repurchased because I missed it THAT much! It's a gorgeous pink/purple and it looks so different and beautiful on every skin tone!

SYRUP: I've heard rave reviews about this one, one of those 'your lips but better' colours which I really need more of for work. This lipstick has now become a staple for me, and I find myself reaching for it most work days.

Brick-O-La - Syrup - Rebel

xLB

Mini drugstore haul!

Earlier this week I had to make a stop at my bank, and half an hour later I found myself walking out of the drugstore next door with a bag full of goodies and no recollection.. OOPS. This happens too often..

I actually needed this magazine for class, so this isn't TOO bad..

Love me some baby lips! So soft!

On the left/top is Coral Crush, and the right/bottom is Peach Kiss

I feel like everyone in the beauty community and their mum have raved about these bad boys, so I had to grab another colour! Revlon Lip Butter in 040 Red Velvet - swatched

And the colour on - couldn't resist a selfie ;~)

Kate Moss for Rimmel lipstick in 04; I loooved this colour on the swatch..

..on my lips, not so much, quite scary upon initial application

But I really liked it once I blotted it down quite a lot, so this will definitely be high maintenance for me

And finally, Maybelline Great Lash Lots of Lashes Mascara; The brush (R) compared to the original Great Lash mascara (L)

The brush is tiiiiiny, so cute! I liked it a lot for my bottom lashes and my harder to reach inner/outer top lashes, but I couldn't use this on the regular, I'm verrrrry particular about my eyelashes, keep that in mind. I like them very full and natural looking and I feel like this didn't really do that enough for me to repurchase, but I'll definitely use this one, and as always I'll repurchase the original Great Lash mascara - it's the drugstore mascara I swear by!

xLB

OOTD + FOTD || 7 February 2013

I'm obsessed with my disco pants.. so glad I took the plunge and bought them. Can't stop wearing!

❤ Alphabet Shirt - American Apparel
❤ Disco Pants - American Apparel

❤ Lips - MAC Russian Red
❤ Face - MUFE HD foundation, Smashbox bronzer, Nars orgasm blush, MAC MSF in lightscapade
❤ Eyes - MAC Carbon shadow, Smashbox full exposure mascara

xLB

OOTD || 30 January 2013

"I'll stop wearing black once they make a darker colour.."

❤ Oversized Velvet Top - Topshop
❤ Disco Pants - American Apparel
❤ Boots - Steve Madden Troopa
❤ Bag - MANGO

❤ Lips - Topshop Innocent

obsessed with the bow on the back

xLB

Clinique Gift Set - December 2012

I got this Clinique gift set from a family friend over the holidays and I absolutely adore it!

The packaging it came in; I saved this box because I couldn't bare getting rid of it, it's so pretty! I might use it for lip gloss storage or something like that, hm...

An outside look at the contents.. 

Take the Day Off makeup remover; I've yet to use this as I have quite a bit of makeup remover left to use.. so we'll get back to this one!

Clinique High Impact Mascara; I've read a lot of reviews on this mascara, and from those you either love it or hate it. For me personally, it didn't do it for me. I like my lashes to be one of the main focuses of my looks, however, they just looked extremely natural and almost as if I wasn't even wearing mascara.. I'll still use this however as it wasn't awful, but it isn't my first choice.

The mascara tube

And the wand; bristles, which I love! 

Butter Shine Lipstick; I'm obsessed with this, I love it so much I actually picked it up in another colour! When you buy it separately it has it's own packaging, so it comes in a silver tube. But I love how smooth it is, super moisturizing and it has a bit of shimmer to it. YAY!

Swatchy Swatch Swatch :~)

Clinique Happy; I looooove the scent of this perfume, I've sampled it several times so I'm happy to have yet another sample of it :) so light and fruity, my favourite!

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

Boxing Day Mini-Haul

Hello hello! Hope you're all having a lovely holiday, I know I am! So today being Boxing Day, and me being off work, I decided to wake up at the crack of dawn and head to my local mall! I'm not super into Boxing Day, especially with online shopping existing, so I wasn't up to driving far.

Unfortunately MAC doesn't have sales, as I'm sure you know, but I had a gift card to use so I figured I'd drop in anyway.

First up I got a Mineralize Skinfinish in Medium Plus. However she ended up giving me a natural instead of the MSF highlighter type thing which I was after, so I'm thinking about going back and exchanging once I got to another mall with MAC in it this weekend (while I'm at work). It's a really nice finish, but personally I don't see much of a difference between this and the SS Pressed Power with the exception of the 5$ price difference and 2g less off powder. Soooo exchange it is.

Next up I had to get a lipstick, me being me. MAC lipsticks are my absolute favourite lipsticks. They're so pigmented and so creamy and I find they have really good staying power and seldom bleed, which is my favourite thing. So this trip I got 'Girl About Town' which is one of the darkest pinks MAC has. It's a blue toned fuchsia which I quite love. It's also a creme finish which is my absolute favourite, I find they have the longest staying power and is very creamy and glides right on!

Next up, H&M. So I went into H&M totally expecting to score, however I was really disappointed in their sales. People at the mall I work at were lined up hours before the mall opened which I don't understand because the sales were absolute rubbish. I felt like I found more accessories than clothes that I wanted, so I only grabbed a few things because I don't need anymore costume jewellery.. but it's a weakness.

These necklaces were 7$ each and are super cute. They aren't long, which I like too. They come to around the collarbone area, I'm sure you'll see them in some OOTD posts once I get back into the swing of things and get back to school!

This sweater was probably my favourite score of the day; it was regularly priced for 30$ and I got it for 10$! It has a boat neck collar and is knit with flecks of shimmer. It's an off-white colour and has a dip hem. It also zips up in the back for about 4 inches. I lovelovelove it, it looks great with my legging type pants and I'm so excited to wear it next semester! 

Next up was Old Navy. In case you aren't familiar with Old Navy it's part of a group which includes other stores like GAP and Banana Republic. It's very budget friendly, I pretty much only go there for basics and the clearance section. Their clearance section is fantastic, so I'd recommend checking it out if you have an Old Navy in your area. I know when I was younger it was very 'uncool' to shop there, so I think they have a bad reputation, however I've noticed a drastic improvement over the past two years or so.

These are pretty ho-hum, just two basic tank tops. I use these types of tank tops a lot since I have quite a few sheer, billowy blouses so these are great for underneath. I got a black one and a white one and they were 5$ each from I believe 10$.

These were another score. Majority of their pyjamas were 70% which was i n c r e d i b l e. The owl ones are fleecy and are so comfortable, I actually got an animal print version for christmas. They were originally 15$ or so, and came to around 4.5$ which was awesome. The ones on the right I thought were so cute! The ones on the right are adorable as well, I am quite the pyjama bottom connoisseur, but prior I didn't own any plaid, oddly enough, so for around 3$ I had to get these! They also have a bit of glitter in them which I love. Unfortunately majority of the pyjamas they had were two sizes bigger than what I normally get, including these on the right. So they'll be quite large, but I'm only wearing them around the house, so who will even know!

I absolutely adore this dress. It's a purple coloured shift dress, and looks super cute belted. I scored this one for 10.99, from 30$ which was great! Again, another piece you'll be seeing shortly in an OOTD once I get back to school.

Last up from Old Navy were these flats. They were regularly priced at 24$ each, and I scored them for 12$ each, so pretty my BOGO free! The first pair are grey, and the second pair are leopard print. I actually own quite a few pairs of shoes from Old Navy because they always have such a great variety at such an awesome price. However, I have a hard time with fit of their shoes, I would be a half size if they did have half sizes, so most of the time their shoes are too tight if I go down, yet too big if I go up. And by quite a lot, oddly enough. HOWEVER these have the elasticized form which makes them fit like a dream! Obsessed with these shoes. They had them in so many colours, so I'm definitely considering going back for more!

Last up was a very exciting (kidding) score. I ended up getting a new filter for my water pitcher for only 6$!!! WOOHOO :D

So it wasn't too bad of a shopping trip, but still kind of disappointing considering all the boxing day hype. Forever 21 has a 30% off sweater online feature going, so I'm thinking of shopping online for some jumpers. Other than that, my boxing day shopping is officially done!

Did any of you brave the malls for Boxing Day shopping? Or shop online? If so, I'd love to see what you got x

xLB