Haul! Because apparently I can't help myself...

That's right folks! You read correctly. This is in fact yet another haul. This really must end. But I don't know if I see that happening any time soon. Oh well, let's get started! And brace yourself. It's a long post with lots of pictures and words.

The haul is broken into two three groups. The first was bought at the same time, the second is kind of scattered over a couple days, and the third was pretty much at the same time. I thought having two groups was bad, but then I went and spent MORE money. Goodness. That's why this post has taken a little while to get up. I kept going and spending more money. And of course I had to share it with you.

Group 1

E.L.F. Small Stipple Brush

So... I bought this on recommendation from guess who! Yep, that's right. Emilynoel83 said she really likes it for applying cream blush and highlighter because it's smaller. I agree. It is really nice for those jobs and I'm glad that I picked it up. Now I need to see if E.L.F. has a bigger version because my regular-sized duo fiber brush like this is starting to fall apart. It's an EcoTools brush and one of the first I ever bought. I've had it for at least four years, if not six. Sorry those years are kind of jumping about, but I'm kind of foggy on when I really started to get serious about makeup and brushes and such.

E.L.F. Baked Eye Shadow in Toasted

This I bought because Melissa from Melmphs on YouTube said that it was a dupe for Urban Decay's Toasted. I love how the names are even the same. I thought it looked like a pretty color and for $3, why not? It is a very pretty color. It looks a little warmer on your eyelids than in its solid, baked dome form. It works well with blue and green eyes.

E.L.F. All Over Color Stick in Pink Lemonade

I saw this and I thought I might as well pick it up since it's the only one I hadn't bought yet. It is GORGEOUS! Oh my goodness, it is so pigmented. You have got to be careful how much you put on or you'll start looking like a clown or an overly rosy doll. Just a warning. But it is beautiful.

L'Oréal Paris Color Riche Eye Shadow Quad in Cuppa Joe

A little look into my makeup history: one of the first eye shadow quads I ever bought (if not the very first) was the L'Oréal Paris quad in Autumn Leaves (which they still sell, by the way). All the shades are beautiful, but over the past couple of years, the matte medium brown in the quad has become my favorite to use in the crease for definition when I do pin-up inspired looks, or I just need a little definition in general. Since it's only one among four shades, I've been worried about what will happen when I run out (I haven't even hit pan yet, but I'm a worry wart). I don't get too much use out of the other three colors, so I don't really want to keep buying the same quad when I'm only going to use one shade. Every single I've bought is either too dark or too sheer. It's never right. And do you know how hard it is to find a matte shadow in the drugstore? They are obsessed with shimmer!

When I heard that this quad was all matte and the browns all looked so perfect (and who has enough matte cream colored eye shadow? No one!), that I thought I had to pick it up. I had already purchased a Color Riche quad in Blue Haute Couture, so I knew the quality would be good. I've been using this quad for a while, and it is great! Definitely a good standard eye contouring set to have, or if you just like a neutral eye.

L'Oréal Paris Eye Shadow Single in Deep Mocha

I got this single with cheek contouring in mind, not for use as an eye shadow. Bronzers are not really made with contouring in mind, even if they are matte. They're just too warm-toned. Usually anyway, and especially in the drugstore. Also, some are too light and I'm tired of striking out. So I've been looking for cool-toned browns that I think will work as a contour. Unfortunately, in order to get a cool brown, companies usually make them dark. I bought Antique Brown a while ago, and it's even darker than this one. I thought if I used a light enough hand it could work, but it really doesn't. This one seems to work alright enough, and it works well if I combine it with a bronzer like NYC Sunny or my E.L.F. contouring duo's bronzer.

Group 2

Wet 'n' Wild 8 Pan Palette in Blue Had Me at Hello

I finally did it. I finally broke down and bought this palette. So now I have all three 8 pan palettes that they normally sell, along with a limited edition one called Sparkle til Morning. There was a 50% off sale at the supermarket and it's already cheap so I thought I might as well go ahead and get it. The colors are so pretty, and that tealy turquoise was a-calling my name. The silver is beautiful, too. Very pigmented.

Wet 'n' Wild Eye Shadow Trio in I'm Getting Sunburned

And since the sale was so good, I figured I would pick up another trio. Emily did a tutorial recently using this trio along with Walking on Eggshells, and the colors looked appealing. I'm a little disappointed with the pigmentation of the gold shade. I really had to build it up to what you see in the picture.

L'oréal Paris Infallible Eye Shadow in Iced Latté

I'm thinking there was a BOGO 50% off deal going on so I picked up this and the liner. I'd been eyeing both for a while. Iced Latté is supposed to be similar to Stila's Kitten. I thought it would be worth checking out, even if it wasn't quite a dupe. I like light and shimmery shadows. And boy is this guy shiny! I took two pictures to show just how reflective it can be. I love it! It's becoming one of my favorite shadows. It's great for highlighting the inner corner of your eye.

L'oréal Paris Voluminous Smoldering Kohl Liner in Noir

I don't know why, but the smudgy kajal/kohl liners have become appealing to me. They're always linked to words like "smoldering," "smokey," and "seductive." Those words are appealing enough, but there's an added bonus for me because I think I'm slightly partial to words that begin with "S". You can get a normal liner look or smudge it out for a smokey look. It has pretty good wear either way. I wore it to work once and I'm kind of active and this didn't seem to get smudgy beneath my eye. Good staying power! But not waterproof.

Group 3

Maybelline Master Drama Eye Liner in Taupe Takeover

This is another buy on suggestion from Emily. Couldn't help myself. It's limited edition and she said it was great for lining your lower lash line to get a subtle smokey look. I like doing that and a liner is a little bit easier than eye shadow sometimes. It's got great lasting power and it's beautiful--I don't regret!

A word of warning: don't twist it up more than you want to use. It doesn't retract! I wanted to look at the product more than the tiny tip, so I cranked out a lot, only to find that it wouldn't go back down. I ended up smooshing the tip in the lid. Bummer. Learn from my mistakes :)

Ulta Eye Shadow Single in In The Buff

Ulta does this great thing every once in a while where they sell all their products for a really low price. I think it's like $1,2,3,4,5 or something like that. Anyway, the single eye shadows fall in the $2 price range and they usually sell for $6! This is great for me because I really like their eye shadows. I think the sale might actually be every summer, because I think that's when I've seen the sale happen over the past couple years. Always be on the lookout, but really pay attention during the "J" months.

The $2 price time is great for people who want to experiment with Ulta shadows, and they do have samples out to swatch, but I was not going in blind and wandering when I went to buy these. Ulta makes great palettes that contain A LOT of eye shadows along with quite a few lip colors, and usually about three blushes and a bronzer. It's a great introduction to the Ulta line, and it's usually around $20. If you wait until they put out another palette (which they are constantly doing) you can find the "old" ones in the clearance area marked down to around $15.

So way back when I was starting to get into makeup seriously I was babysitting for my cousin and getting a good chunk of money for a young high schooler. I had recently been introduced to Ulta and LOVED it. I would usually spend most of my money there on hair products and makeup. Thankfully my hair product obsession has died down, so I just focus on makeup now. Anyway, back then I bought a palette and it was really nice to see all the colors to use. It was great for a newbie to experiment. I still have that palette, and there are certain shadows that I really like and try to pick up in singles.

In the Buff is one of the shades I really like. It's a nude color with a bit of gold in it. Very nice.

Ulta Eye Shadow Single in Bermuda Sands

This is not one that was in the palette, but on Temptalia's website, she has a very in-depth dupe search and this was apparently an exact dupe for Stila's Kitten. Now, I don't own Kitten, but I was able to swatch it in Ulta one time and compared it to this. I didn't think it was a perfect match, so I didn't get it then, but I thought it was pretty enough to get this time. It's a good nude color that has a bit more of a pink hue. It would go well with a rose gold look.

Ulta Eye Shadow Single in Organza

This is the one shade that disappoints me. It's like there's a hard crust on the top that I need to break through before I can get rich product for good swatching. It might just be that the product is sheer. It is very reflective and pretty, but it's not like the Organza in the palette I have. I'll use it anyway, but it is a bummer.

Ulta Eye Shadow Single in Twilight

Please ignore the face that it is named Twilight. I don't think it's named after the stupid books and movies. I think it suits actual twilight much better. I loooooove this shade for a gorgeous smokey eye. It's kind of grey, kind of purple and its satin finish is just gorgeous! The swatch isn't really doing it justice, honestly. After watching Sherlock Holmes (with Robert Downey Jr.) when it first came out, I would try to recreate Irene Adler's (Rachel McAdams's) makeup by mixing this with Organza in my palette. I had to search for this single for a long time. Every time I'd seen the $2 deal going, it was already towards the end of the sale and this shade was already gone! This time I got to it early enough. Haha, victory!

If you have made it all the way to to end, thank you so much for bearing with me! I hope this was interesting. There are quiet a few mini reviews snuck in here and there. I hope your day is beautiful, and I will talk to you later!

~Stacie

PS After reading over this, my shopping seems to really have been aimed towards dupes for Kitten, haha!

PR: Up and Up Brand Cleansing Towelettes

This is going to be kind of a comparison as well as review, because I've tried two different kinds.

First up, the Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes.

Up&Up Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes

I first bought these a couple years ago. I thought it was a cool idea and that they would be helpful for overnights and when I'm just too tired to go through the whole regimen at night. The description on the side says that they cleanse, tone, and moisturize. I agree. I don't feel a need to add a moisturizer afterward, but I do have oilier skin that some. If you veer more towards dry skin, you might still have to add a moisturizer. But that's still quicker than my normal routine.

These wipes are are supposedly comparable to Neutrogena's makeup removing towelettes. I have never tried those, because I believe that store brands often have stuff that works just as good, if not better. Since I like the Up and Up wipes, I've never felt the need to buy Neutrogena's. They also remove eye makeup, which is nice.

Here's a little picture show of how well the wipes work. Here's me with makeup from the day:

Here's a close up of the darkish eye makeup that was on (the photo doesn't quite do it justice. I sort of hate this camera):

Here's my face after using the cleansing towelette. All squeaky clean!

Here's what the cloth ended up looking like:

Look at all that black! It did a great job of removing my mascara and eye liner. The reason you see a kind of starburst shape of black is because I'd wrap the cloth around my finger and kind of brush it against my lashes as lightly as I could. I thought that was the best way to get all that junk off.

Now for the other guys.

Up&Up Exfoliating Cucumber Cleansing Towelettes

I'm not sure what possessed me to try something other than the plain makeup remover cloths. I probably thought that the others were good, and these would be good too. And who doesn't like a little extra exfoliating power? Well, in this case, I don't. Let's compare the cloth textures:

Makeup Remover Towelettes

Exfoliating Cucumber Towelettes

Do you see those bumps?! They are huge. They're the same consistency as pills on your clothes. They're not quite as large, but it's like that's how they made them. They're too rough for your skin. The packaging claims that the one side that doesn't have bumps is for gently removing makeup while the bumpy side is for exfoliating, but you can still feel the bumps through the smooth side, and it's still too rough. I do not like these, and I will not purchase them again.

To wrap it up: go for the makeup remover kind NOT the exfoliating. Do that, and you're golden :) Thanks for stopping by, and I'll talk to you soon!

~Stacie

The deal on translucent

The purpose of this post is to clear up the confusion people seem to be having about the meaning of translucent. It could tip into rant territory, but I'll try to keep calm. But I've heard several gurus and beauty reviewer bashing on translucent powders saying, "I think it will show up on darker skin or if you apply it too heavily." "It's not invisible!" Wah, wah, wah. All I hear is WAH. Haha, whoops. Did I already start to slip into a rant? Let's get back on track.

Waaaay back in seventh grade, I learned the scale of opacity. It appears that many people were either sleeping during that lesson or skipped class. If you were one of those, or your school simply neglected to inform you, read on!

1. Opaque

The most extreme ends of the spectrum are opaque and transparent. The picture below looks solid pink, but there's actually a black butterfly underneath it. You can't see the butterfly because the pink is so opaque. Opaque materials block your vision. The majority of materials we use in our day-to-day lives are opaque.

2. Translucent

This is where a lot of confusion occurs. Technically, if something isn't completely opaque or transparent, it's translucent. Looking at the picture below, you can see the butterfly, but not perfectly. The pink makes the image look a little fuzzy, and that's a common characteristic of translucent materials. My favorite example is frosted glass. Sheer fabrics are also translucent. You can kind of see what's behind or beneath them, but it's not completely clear.

3. Transparent

Transparent is where you can see everything beneath the material. Think windows and glasses. If there was obstruction to your view, they would be pointless! Below, you can see the butterfly crystal clear.

Comparison

Let's see those levels next to each other.

Okay, now it's really clear what the difference is. But unfortunately, there aren't only three levels in the scale. In real life, it looks more like this:

And that's why there's so much confusion and frustration. Translucence takes up most of the scale. And where do you draw the line to say that something is opaque or transparent? It's really difficult. If something isn't 100% opaque or  transparent, usually people will say that it's pretty opaque, or it's high on the opacity scale, or pretty much transparent. You get the gist.

The word "translucent" encompasses so much of the scale, and that's why the makeup companies use it. They just slap that word in the title so if you think something is too opaque or not opaque enough, they can throw up their hands and say, "Hey, don't yell at us! We warned you and put translucent in the title."

What I'm really trying to get at is that there is no such thing as an invisible powder. If you can see it in the packaging, you'll be able to see it with enough building up on your face. So be careful. Also, there isn't just one shade of translucent powder. I've seen many translucent powders in many shades, so if you're worried about the standard, light-colored translucent powder showing up on your darker skin, get a little bit darker translucent powder that will blend in with your skin better. When buying a powder, it's better to go for a slightly lighter shade than darker. Leave it to bronzer to warm up your skin.

If you're still scared of powder making you look cakey, I've heard that Mally has a clear gel-like product that is supposed to mattify you. It's called the Evercolor Poreless Face Defender. I haven't personally used it, but emilynoel83 has talked about it a bit and seems to really like it. Just keep in mind that it's more expensive than drugstore products. You can watch this video to see what she says about it. The link will take you to the part of the video where she talks about the product, so don't freak out when it doesn't take you to the very beginning of the video.

I hope this was more informative than it was rant-y. Have a nice day!

~Stacie

Why I like the minis at Bath and Body Works

Bath and Body Works Fragrance Mist Minis in Pure Paradise, Rio Rumberry, Capri Seaside Citrus, and Bali Mango

Hey there! I mentioned my love of mini fragrances in a previous post, but I thought I would elaborate a little more in a single post. I think minis deserve their own post. My love of mini fragrances is mostly due to my already large collection of fragrances. Don't remember? Take a look:

There's a lot of full-sized fragrances there. It's going to take me a loooong time use them all up, assuming some of them don't go bad before I can. I don't know how long a fragrance lasts. I've had some for five years and they seem to be fine. Minis are great because it's less product to worry about using up before going bad.

They're also good for another reason. I'm notorious for liking the way a fragrance smells in the store, getting it home, and not liking it. Especially in a BBW, there are a lot of fragrances going on, and I'm not sure if I can  actually tell what I'm smelling. Also, there's an atmosphere in the store that brings my opinion of fragrances up a couple notches. So for the smells that I only sort of like when I bring them home, I thought I would really like and wear all the time in the store. Minis are a great way to try out a fragrance before committing to a huge bottle.

Speaking of trying out a fragrance, sometimes I find that my opinion of a fragrance changes over a period of time. Some of it might be from the change of chemical makeup in the bottle (breaking down over time, for example), and some of it is probably from my likes in fragrances changing. I've heard that as you get older, your tastes change, in clothes, makeup, fragrances, food--pretty much all around. So to prevent that from happening, I'm going to stick to minis for a while.

Minis are also good for seasonal fragrances. I was talked into getting some autumn scents last year that I ended up not wearing all that often. Unfortunately, I bought the big bottles because they were having a Buy 3 Get 3 Free sale (they do that a lot, I've noticed). It was a double hitter for me because not only was I not too crazy about the fragrances, they only appealed to me during the fall and winter months. I don't really want to smell like pumpkins in spring. If only I had gotten minis... I'll know in the future!

I hope this was helpful to you. I think it's a good tip, but that's just me. Have a great day!

~Stacie

PR: Essence Stay All Day Long Lasting Eyeshadow in Glammy Goes To...

Essence Stay All Day Long Lasting Eyeshadow in Glammy Goes To...

Hey all! I was using this the other day, and I decided I should do a review on it. This may end up being more of a warning, rather than a review.

This is a cream shadow that you can find at Ulta or wherever else Essence is sold (I've only seen it at Ulta). I bought it upon recommendation from Emily (emilynoel83). She was going on about how gorgeous the color is and how long-wearing it was, and it was so cheap, too! It is cheap, it is long-wearing, and the color is beautiful. This product may have those things going for it, but there is a problem that outweighs its benefits. Let's take a look at a swatch.

As you can see in the swatch, it has a tendency to clump up. It's kind of flaky when it dries. It makes my eyelids look like dragon scales. I do not like the effect at all. And when I think about it, I'm pretty sure that it was like that from the very first time I used it. It's always had a drier texture to it. There are so many other cream shadows in the drug store--some that are just as long-wearing, if not more--that are creamier that I will not be repurchasing this. If you've had a different experience, I would like to know, because I do like that these are pretty cheap.

This was a pretty short review. I hope it was helpful. Have a great day, and I'll talk to you soon!

~Stacie

PS Sorry that there's all those indentations in the product. Hauls will have pretty, new product pictures, and reviews will not because I have to use a product before I can review it. If I've taken a picture of a brand new product in the past, I'll try to use it in the review so things look as nice as possible. Anyway, the little divets and bumps show off how pretty and metallic the shadow is. I just wish it wasn't so dry!

Another haul?! So shameful.

Just when I think I won't be buying any more... I find something else to get. I think I need to go to Makeupaholoics Anonymous. Seriously, it's bad. But at least it's only three things.

Forever 21 10 Shadow Palette in Brown/Natural

Haha, sorry for the patchwork swatches, but I put them all on my hand hoping I could get them all in one shot, but the light wasn't cooperating, so I had to break up the photographs. I also wanted the swatches in order of how they show up in the package, and I swatched them  kind of stupidly. Sorry, sorry, sorry!

The metallic shades are more pigmented than the matte shades. They also have kind of a weird texture that's somewhere between a spongey, gelly and creamy texture. It's crazy and cool. I just can't get over how pigmented they are! There's a great rose gold for those of you looking for a shadow to follow the trend. I wish the pink in the lower right corner showed up better in the picture because the swatch looked more pigmented. All in all, I like it. The lighter matte shades are pigmented, but they're close to my skin tone, so they're having a hard time showing up.

As a side note, I know I'm calling them matte, because I think they're supposed to be, but the bottom right brown almost has a satiny finish. I think they're supposed to be matte because it says "eye shadow and brow kit" on the box, but I don't know. I'm not going to do my brows with a satin shadow.

This is definitely worth the money. It's only $5.80! If you're looking for it in the store, it comes in a box covered in roses. Very pretty.

NYX Roll On Shimmer in Salmon

I got this because Melmphs said she loved it. I was looking for a rose gold, so I thought I'd go ahead and get it. It was only around $4. I love the color, but I'm not crazy about the huge chunks of glitter. I'm trying to find a way of knocking the glitter off before applying it to my lid, but no luck so far. You probably want a base underneath this to help the pigment stay. I like to use Maybelline Color Tattoo in Inked in Pink. I think that enhances the rosey-ness of the rose gold. Very pretty.

City Color Baked Blush in Guava

I got this from a Five Below store. A college friend told me about them and I hadn't seen them before. When I went shopping and bought the other two items, I saw a new Five Below had been added to the strip mall we were shopping in and I had to go in. My friend had sent me pictures of a bunch of makeup she had bought from a Five Below, and I wanted to see if I could find the same line. I did! So I bought this. I really love the color. I wish it would show up in the picture, but it won't. It really is gorgeous, and it's only $3, so I recommend checking it out (if you have a Five Below near you).

I guess that's all folks. I hope you're having a lovely day, and thanks for putting up with my constant spending splurges. I need to learn some self control!

~Stacie

PR: Maybelline Volum' Express Turbo Boost Washable Mascara in Very Black

Can you believe it? I'm actually doing a review instead of a haul! What a shock. Maybe you should sit back to recover for a few minutes before continuing to read the post. ... Okay, is your heart rate back to normal? Yes? Good--let's get on with the post.

Maybelline Volum' Express Turbo Boost Washable Mascara

This mascara is definitely not waterproof at all. I know they said washable, but dang! It's not even water resistant a little bit. I think it also kind of smudges depending on the weather. If it's a really humid day, don't bother with this guy.

Here I just wanted to put the wand next to the tube to show how big the bristles are. They're not big width wise, but the part of the wand covered in bristles does seem a little longer than some I've used. I know some people don't like a really long-bristled mascara wand, so that's a plus if you're one of those people. I'm not. It's not that I search for a super fluffy brush, I just don't care either way.

I just wanted to take an up-close picture of the bristles because I read in a magazine recently (Allure, Glamour, something like that) that they were raving over a certain time of mascara because the bristles were in a spiral staircase patter as if it had never been done before. Well, this mascara has bristles like that, and I've seen it on other wands and spoolies, too. This was a recent magazine. I don't understand why they were talking like the pattern was a totally new and innovative thing. It isn't. If you're having a hard time seeing the pattern, try clicking on the picture to see it enlarged.

Over all, I'm not impressed with this mascara. I think this will probably be the last Maybelline mascara I try because they've pretty much all let me down. I think the Lash Stiletto kind was pretty good, but I've found better for cheaper.

What the Turbo Boost mascara does for me: Darkens my lashes. There's no clumps (which is good because it claims to be clump-free), but the formula is not buildable. I don't even feel like it covers my lashes completely to the tip. Very annoying. I guess I just need a mascara that provides both length and volume, but this didn't even seem to provide volume. I will not be buying this again. Nope, nope, nope.

Well, I hope this was helpful information. Sorry that my actual opinion on the mascara didn't seem to come until the end of the post! I'm just a rambling woman. I guess it would be good for someone with amazing lashes if they wanted to darken them, but there are probably still better mascaras for that. Just don't waste your money on this one.

~Stacie