Stila, Walgreens, and VS Haul!

Hi ladies! Sorry I haven't been posting very much, I still have some things from Christmas to post about! But seeing as my trip here in the US was cut in half, I've been spending loads of time with family and friends. Also, I had a funeral to go to the other day. =( RIP Uncle Randy. I go back to London tomorrow morning, and when I get there, I have to prepare a presentation and finish my dissertation, so I may not be posting much! Although I'm sure I'll find time to post when I take breaks, hehe.

The other day I went shopping with my mummy and sis. We went to JC Penny and my sister discovered this tiny Sephora section in the shop, and it had loads of makeup on clearance. When I saw the Stila travel palette I grabbed it up because it was only $4.99!! It's usually $10, which is a great price as it is, but I couldn't pass it up for only 5 bucks.

Stila Pretty In Paris Travel Palette No.2:

This is so tiny and compact, AND has a mirror, which makes it perfect for travel. It contains 4 eyeshadows and a lip/cheek cream.

Top Row: Crepe and Cherie:

Bottom Row: Jolie and Chocolat:

Rosebud:

Swatches:

Creamy, pigmented, and gooorgeous!

On the lips:

Then we stopped at Walgreens, because I wanted to check out the Wet N Wild makeup, but I was sidetracked by the amazing clearance sales they had going on. We spent ages looking at all the makeup and picking out what we wanted, hehe. They were pretty cleared out, but I'm happy with what I did find!

Maybelline Mineral Power Finishing Veil Powder in Light:

($4.99)

I wanted to try out a new powder to set my foundation with. Just because when I finish up my Bare Minerals I'm not sure I'm going to be willing to shell out the money to re-purchase, just because I'm not entirely convinced it's worth the money. Because this was one of the items on sale, I figured I might as well give it a shot!

It twists out to reveal a sponge applicator and a mirror, which makes this compact great to throw in your purse for touch ups. I've been using it the past couple of days. I do like it, but I'm not sure if it keeps me oil free for as long as Bare Minerals does. I found that I had to touch up with this powder about 2 hours after I applied my foundation/powder because I was already getting oily. Perhaps that's because of the Photo Ready foundation though, not sure, I'm still just testing a lot of these new products out and don't know for sure yet how I feel about them all.

L'oreal H.I.P Kohl Eyeliner in Gold Kohl:

($3.29) I'd seen this used in a tutorial by one of the Fowler sisters awhile ago, and thought it looked nice. I've been really getting into gold/natural eye looks paired with a pink lip lately, so I thought this would be a perfect addition to my gold family.

I haven't actually tried using this yet, but I'm not sure how easily it will apply. I mean, look at the fall out that occurred when I swatched it. I can only imagine the mess that would make on your eye! We'll see. It's a gorgeous color though. =)

Wet N Wild Mega Last Lip Color in Mauve Outta Here:

($2.99) This wasn't on sale, but come on, 3 bucks for a lipstick? That's a great deal regardless. I've heard soo much about these lipsticks, all good, and was excited to try one for myself. Extremely pigmented and moisturizing for a drug store lipstick. Not sure it's the type of color I'd find myself reaching for on a daily basis, but I am definitely interested in trying out more from this range.

Wet N Wild Mega Last Long Wear Lip Color in Endless:

($1.09) This isn't the type of product I'd normally pick out (I don't really buy into the whole long lasting lip products because they NEVER do last long. You eat something, you drink something, your lip stick is going to wear off, and I'm not sure how any product could stop that, but I digress), but I grabbed it because of the color and because it was on sale.

On one side is the lip color, and on the other, the glossy lip balm. The packaging doesn't actually tell you how to apply these, but I read online that you apply the lip color, and then put the glossy balm on over it. Can't really say yet if it's long lasting, but maybe I'll do an updated review on it. In terms of pigmentation, I'm not hugely impressed, but it's nice for a subtle lip.

L'oreal Bare Naturale Gentle Lip Conditioner in Soft Bloom:

($2.59) Not something I'd ever pay full price for, but it's a nice tinted lip gloss/balm!

Swatches:

(from left to right: Mauve Outta Here, Endless Lip Color, the gloss balm, and Soft Bloom)

FINALLY, I know I know, long post much? But a few days before the JC Penny / Walgreens trip, my sis and I went to the mall to check out the semi annual sale at Victoria's Secret because she has a gift card. Unfortunately, she couldn't find the bra she was looking for, BUT, there was tooons of boxes full of makeup on sale, and of course I spent most of my time looking through them. She was sweet enough to offer to grab me a few things!

I picked out two of the Beauty Rush Luminous Shadows in Gold School and Plum Passion. I wasn't sure if these were cream shadows or what, but was interested in trying them out anyways.

The applicator:

Swatches:

(from left to right: Gold School and Plum Passion) I wasn't sure how I'd feel about these, but omggg, they're so pretty!!! I used the Gold one the other day and loved it. And here's the best part, they were only $1.75 each!

VS Sheer Gloss Stick in Shy:

($3.00) None of the lip colors that were on sale stood out to me, they were all reds or browns, but I did notice this product. I wore it the night after I got it, and I do rather like it. It's a 'my lip but better' kind of color. Once again, I'd never shell out the full price for this product, but at $3, I think it's really nice.

So that's it!! Has anyone else been taking advantage of the sales recently? Do tell!