Australian Care Package with Diary of a Beauty Padawan!

Early in my blogging days (like, way back when I did my Hunger Games posts), I had this lovely Australian reader named Shae. Little did I know at the time that Shae would become a great friend of mine, and then go to create her own blog, Diary of a Beauty Padawan! While she and I have both been incredibly busy due to our college schedules, we still occasionally like to freak out and fan girl over the newest beauty products, and some country-specific brands that we love!

This isn't necessarily a beauty swap, like our last post together was, but more of a care package from her to me, filled with all kinds of Australian makeup goodies! I thought I'd type up a post giving you my first impressions of the fun things she sent me.

The first thing that caught my eye was the Sunset palette by Chi Chi. Chi Chi is known for having gorgeously pigmented, affordable eyeshadow palettes, and this is now the second one I own! The first one was the Chi Chi Brights palette she also sent me a while back. When she asked which one I wanted and gave me the choice between two, I'm pretty sure my exact words to her were "The Sunset one speaks to me on a personal level." And it is even more stunning in person!

The eyeliner she sent me was kind of a joke, because of the name, but it is truly a gorgeous purple liner -- which is perfect for my hazel eyes. This specific eyeliner, appropriately named "Beauty School Dropout," was sold in a limited edition set, and unfortunately is no longer sold. Hopefully they'll come out with it permanently though, because this color is gorgeous!

The next bunch of eye products she sent my way were from a few different brands. The black liner on the left is by Model Co, and is called the Eye Define Crayon Liner. While, yes, it is just a basic twist-up black liner, the coolest part about it is that it comes with a built-in sharpener! Never will you be condemned to a dull line with this liner, because the sharpener pops right into the cap. The swatch for this has been included with the Chi Chi liner above.

The Face of Australia Colour Max "Gold Mine" quad is a simple little neutral quad that is just perfect to throw in your bag and go. It's got 4 neutral shades ranging from light to dark, and is easily blendable! These shadows aren't crazy pigmented, but if you're on the go, you might want the forgiveness that these shadows give. 

Lastly for the eyes are these two neutral cream shadows by Australis. But don't be fooled into thinking they're just ordinary cream shadows. These cream shadows pack a serious punch, and are super metallic! I was actually really surprised when I dipped my finger in them, because I wasn't expecting a cream product. But as soon as I swatched them, I knew they were magic. 

Now moving onto my favorite part -- the lips! The two on the left took me by surprise, because they look like the cult favorite Lip Butters by Revlon, but they're in blue and silver! While it looks like Revlon Lip Butters have been discontinued in Australia, we can still get them here in the United States, but not in these blue and silver shades. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depends on how you look at it), these two shades don't come off as opaque as some of the Revlon Lip Butters often do, but rather are more of a sheer, shimmery formula, that I didn't bother swatching because it really doesn't pick up as much of a color. 

The Face of Australia Lip Paints are very intense (but somewhat messy) liquid lipsticks. You really need very little product to apply these, which I totally forgot when I went to swatch them, which resulted in messy swatches. I think these have been discontinued, though, as I can't find them on the FOA website. However, I love the pigmentation and shine of these lip paints, and they stain your lips, so even when they wear off, you're still left with some color!

And onto the last few products! The first product is by a brand called Boe Beauty, and this particular lip gloss is no longer sold on their website. But I can tell you that it smells like peaches! It is relatively glittery though, and a little bit grainy, but if you can get past that, it smells really, really good and makes your lips look super plump! 

Next are the Velourlips Matte Lip Creams by Australis in "Grandmaster Pash" and "Los Angel-es." "Grandmaster Pash" is part of their AC❤ME collection, which is really interesting because, while the product is matte, it also has like a metallic sheen. It's kind of hard to describe, and something you may just have to experience for yourself! In terms of color, it's a super wearable brick red shade. "Los Angel-es" is a super bright bubble gum pink, not for the faint of heart! I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to pull this color off (but you know I'll try), but I don't have anything like this in my collection! 

Also from Australis are the Colour Inject Lip Gloss and the Cray For Colour Lip Gloss Crayon. I didn't swatch the Colour Inject Lip Gloss because it is very sheer, with just a very subtle hint of color, but the Lip Gloss Crayon is super pigmented but still hydrating! The shade she got me is called "Twisting Roses," and is an orangey red shade that is super fun for spring.

That's all for this post! I'm hoping to get a tutorial up using a few of these products soon. Is there anything you'd like to try? Anything you want to see a tutorial for? Let me know in the comments below!

Again, a HUGE thank you to Shae for sending me all these products! Go over to her blog and send her some love for me!

- D. 

Milani & Rimmel Haul

The other day, I had a few different coupons for CVS, so of course, I had to step in and take a look -- especially since I had been eyeing the new Milani Color Statement Moisture Matte Lipsticks. I love Milani's traditional Color Statement Lipsticks, so I was super excited for yet another drugstore brand to come out with a matte formula! I also had a couple of things that I actually needed to stock up on too, so I got those while I was at CVS as well, and I thought I would share it!

Starting out with the "boring" stuff, I had to get some face products from Rimmel. Well, really, I only bought one of the items in the picture. My Revlon PhotoReady Translucent Finisher is on its last legs, and I decided to finally try a new powder! I've used the Rimmel Stay Matte Powder on other people when I've done hair and makeup for various musicals, and I've always been happy with how it performed (buh dum tss). I finally decided to give it a try to myself! I've always been a little turned off by the packaging, but I figure, for the price, I might as well give it a try!

The other two things from Rimmel that I got were my favorite Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer. Like I said, I didn't actually purchase these -- Andrew did. When I was back home, every single time I tried to purchase a new one, they were out of stock in my shade! And there's no place nearby here in North Carolina that sells it. So when I received a care package from Andrew the other day, I saw that he had sent me a new one, plus a backup! I had already bought the Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in an attempt to replace my Rimmel concealer, so I'll have to use that up before opening one of these, but I'm so glad I have extras now!

For the most part, I don't tend to purchase single eyeshadows. But I had heard good things about the Milani Bella Eyes Gel Powder Eyeshadow, so I thought I'd give it a whirl. The colors I purchased are Bella White and Bella Caffe, which are both a Satin-Matte finish. I would definitely say they lean more toward matte, but they are incredibly pigmented! It applies especially well with your fingers. For a matte, drugstore shadow, I'm totally impressed, and I'm definitely going to have to get my hands on more of these, especially since they have so many colors!

I'm so excited about these lipsticks! I literally sat in my room playing with them for an hour or so before I realized I should probably stop procrastinating and just do my homework... Anyways, the new Milani Moisture Matte Lipsticks are phenomenal. They're super creamy and apply like a breeze, but have that lovely matte finish after being on the lips for about 30 seconds. The shades I purchased of the Moisture Matte Lipsticks were "Matte Diva," a super vivid fuchsia color, "Matte Confident," a deeper, blue-toned red (think MAC's "Russian Red," but easier to apply!), and "Matte Orchid," which is similar to "Matte Diva," although a bit more deep and muted.

I also picked up one of their classic Color Statement Lipsticks in "Nude Creme," because my nude lipstick collection is pretty sad (as in, I have like, one or two nudes), and a Color Statement Lipliner in "True Red," because for whatever reason, I completely forgot I had just bought a red lipliner from NYX. Whoops.

What have you purchased lately? Is there anything in the drugstore that you have your eye on?

- D. 

Sephora + Ulta Haul

Recently, I've bought a couple of things from Sephora and Ulta. Of course, being a broke college student, I should know better. Buuuut...obviously makeup is my weakness. And if we're being honest, I'm pretty excited about the free stuff I got as well, so I'm including that in this haul as well!

First, let's start with a couple of things I got from Ulta.

As I was scouting the drugstore aisle, I spotted this bright teal gel liner from NYX. My first thought was, "That would make my eye color pop so well!" And then I saw the name of it, which just so happened to be Danielle. Of course, I automatically assumed it was meant to be, and picked it up. It is absolutely gorgeous and wears beautifully as well.

I think I spent all spring and summer looking for the perfect muted melony coral color. I found a few, but they all just came off too orange, and most other came off way too pink. Essie's "Haute as Hello" is the perfect in between! Despite how much I've been wanting it to be fall, I have been wearing this polish as a last hurrah for the summer. Mostly since I have been looking for this exact shade all summer long!

I had heard such amazing things about the Maybelline Color Tattoo Leather collection, so I had to try it! I decided to pick up a neutral color that could be used as an all-over cream base, I picked up the color "Creamy Beige," which dries down to a satin, kind of brown, kind of taupe color, and is perfect for all over the lid!

Sephora was having an amazing sale, where select items were up to 50% off! I was in desperate need of a new body scrub, so I picked up the Soap & Glory Scrub 'Em and Leave 'Em Body Buff. This scrub is normally $25, but I got it for a total steal at $15!  It isn't the classic pink scent, but very similar, with just a hint of musk.

This is probably my favorite item in this haul! Sephora was selling limited edition OCC duos, with a full sized lip tar and full sized nail polish! I picked up the set in "Black Dahlia," for only $15! This is seriously the best deal ever, considering the full size of the lip tars are normally $18, and the full size of the nail polish is normally $10! Unfortunately you can no longer purchase this set.

Of course, I also have to talk about free stuff. They had a promo code for a deluxe sample size of the Caudalie Vinosource Moisturizing Sorbet, so of course I grabbed that. I'll probably save it for when the weather gets cold and dry, since my skin hasn't been particularly dry as of late. With my Beauty Insider points, I also grabbed a sample size of the Benefit The Porefessional, which everyone raves about but I have yet to try. 

That's it for this haul! Sorry I've been so AWOL lately, life has been so hectic! I do have a few posts planned, so keep an eye out for those!

- D. 

PHAMExpo Haul!

I know I'm dishing these PHAMExpo posts out fast, but I am just so excited about it still! I'm currently painting my nails with one of the polishes I bought and I've already used some of the products that I purchased at the show. I unfortunately didn't do any swatches (except one), but that's because I'm actually planning on doing a big review of some of these products!

Like I said in my last post, I did some damage...But I am so, so excited about these products! I'll first cover the products I didn't take photos of. 

At Real Techniques, they were practically throwing their accent brushes at us! They told us to take as many as we liked, so I grabbed 5 of them. Sam and Nic were absolutely lovely and took time to talk to every single person who came to their booth, and their crew was so funny! Unfortunately, they weren't selling their brushes at the show, which is a bummer because I was really hoping to pick up a second Expert Face Brush, as well as their Miracle Complexion Sponge.

From Morphe Brushes, I grabbed a pencil brush and a dual-ended brow/spoolie brush, both for $3. Their booth was absolutely packed, so I got in and out as quickly as I could.

Finally, I got a Beauty Blender + Solid Cleanser pack. The discount I got on this was absolutely crazy. Online, this pack retails for $32.95, but at the show, I got it for only $15.99! Of course, I used it as soon as I possibly could, so it's currently in my bathroom drying.

China Glaze, one of my favorite nail polish brands of all time, had the most amazing deals. The one I took advantage of was the 6 for $15 deal, which is insane, considering China Glaze polishes are usually $6 a pop! 

From left to right: "Black Diamond," a gorgeous dark slate gray color with a light shimmer; "Up All Night," which is like a cross between a deep navy and an electric blue; "Four Leaf Clover," a creamy, blue-based green that is right up my alley; "At Vase Value," almost a dupe for Essie's "Mint Candy Apple," although just a tad greener, and is the perfect minty blue-green color; "Sneaker Head," a vivid cross between a neon pink and a bright red; and finally, "Passion For Petals," a gorgeous dusty rose color. 

With the 6 for $15 deal, I got to choose between a top coat and a base coat, in which I chose the Strong Adhesion Base Coat. The lady was also super sweet and threw in their Matte Magic top coat!

Next, from Lime Crime, I got one of their opaque lipsticks and one of their Velvetine lip colors. Initially, when I saw the Velvetine lip color in "Salem," I thought "Why would anyone buy a brown like this?" But then the woman at the counter layered it with the opaque lipstick in "Poisonberry," and it created the most incredible oxblood color that I know I will be wearing nonstop this fall! Their opaque lipsticks were $16 as opposed to the original price of $18, while their Velvetines were full price.

I noticed the Model in a Bottle booth and had to stock up. They recently repackaged their product, and I much prefer this packaging. I always get the Sensitive Skin Formula, because there is less fragrance in this formula. This stuff is great because it really helps to keep your makeup in place! I believe their show price was around $15, as opposed to the full price of $21. 

From Anastasia Beverly Hills, I got two products. The Anastasia Clear Brow Gel, which is a repurchase, for $14, and the ever-so-coveted Contour Kit, with which I am absolutely OBSESSED. I used it for the first time in a tutorial that will be up later this week, and it works some serious magic! I am just so obsessed with this that I'm thinking about purchasing a second one and doing a giveaway. Let me know if you think I should in the comments below!

Finally (well, actually, it was the first booth I went to), I picked up 10 shadows and 4 pigments from Makeup Geek. Their prices were the same at the show as they were online, but of course, you actually got to swatch them and really get a feel for them before purchasing! Marlena's team is so sweet and she is without a doubt one of the sweetest people I have ever met.

From left to right: "Corrupt," the blackest black shadow I have ever had the opportunity to swatch. Seriously. You have to have this in your collection. "Envy," a gorgeous, deep blue-green color with some sparkle; "Sea Mist," essentially the lighter version of "Envy," but with less blue; "Simply Marlena," a super bright matte pink with just a hint of glitter. One of the less-creamy shades in the collection, but it makes up for it in pigmentation; "Cosmopolitan," a beautiful coppery shade that is one of the creamiest shadows I have ever touched; "Unexpected," a perfect taupey brown color that is fantastic for really defining the crease; "Cinderella," a very light, shimmering pearly pink that I couldn't resist getting despite having a million different shadows in my collection that look like this; "Beaches and Cream," a matte warm nude color that is fantastic for a brow highlight and probably the creamiest matte shade I have ever swatched; "Shimma Shimma," a frosty champagne color that looks absolutely stunning on the inner corner; and "Rockstar," a super shimmery silver shade that stays very neutral rather than blue, like many silvers tend to lean. 

These shadows are worth all the hype. That's all I have to say. I am going to do a full in-depth review with swatches and everything, but seriously, these are worth every penny, with quality that competes with the best and prices that are totally comparable to drugstore! 

The pigments: "Liquid Gold,"  the most insanely metallic and pigmented gold color I have ever seen, it runs a little bit olivey rather than yellow, which in my opinion makes it a bit more flattering than most golds; "Insomnia," this crazy cool color that I wish I knew how to describe is kind of brown but kind of teal but kind of blue and all kinds of unique that will guarantee you'll be asked, "What eyeshadow are you wearing?"; "Vegas Lights," another copper (because I love copper, what can I say), that is insanely metallic and smooth; and "Sweet Dreams," a pinky beige color with a satin finish that would be amazing as a brow highlight. 

And that's everything! I feel like I've been rambling on forever, but there were so many great deals at PHAMExpo that I couldn't resist so many of these items. Luckily, I told my boyfriend the most I was willing to spend for the entire day, and he kept the money safe in his wallet so I wouldn't start spending like a madwoman (even though you would think I did anyways)! 

- D. 

Collective Summer Fashion Haul + Try On

To kick off the summer, lots of stores have started having some fantastic sales. Since I'm moving soon to a much more humid environment than I'm used to, I need some different clothing to better suit my new weather conditions. On top of that, I've recently realized I need to stop fighting my body type, and I have decided to kind of re-vamp my wardrobe to better suit my shape. (Look at me, justifying my shopping addiction as always). Here are just a few things I have picked up in the couple of months to add to my summer wardrobe! Also, please excuse my dead grass. We're having a drought here in San Diego!

At Aeropostale, they've been having one of their awesome "Up to 70% off" sales. With this sale, a lot of the clearance stuff gets even cheaper. I mean, come on, you can't beat crop tops for less than $5! I really love boxy crop tops and stripes, so I picked up a striped cropped tank for only $4.99, and a striped cropped burnout tee for $5. Plus, Retail Me Not currently has an exclusive 25% off online/20% off in-store coupon (expires 6/25/14), so take advantage of it while you can!

Since I am leaving for school soon, I needed to pick up a good laptop/school bag. I didn't want to get anything that was obviously a laptop bag, and I needed something big enough to also carry my books. After hunting for a little bit, I decided on this cute faux leather tote bag with zipper detailing from Forever21. In addition to the bag, I picked up these basic high-waisted cuffed denim shorts. I have been on the hunt for the perfect pair of high-waisted denim shorts that were a medium wash with no distressing. Apparently that's a hard thing to find because it took ages, but it must have been meant to be, because these were the last pair and they fit me perfectly! I also needed some basics, so I picked up two v-necks in white and black, as well as a black racerback tank. I got these a size up from what I normally would because Forever21's basics almost always shrink for me.

Because I recently donated quite a few of my old cardigans, I also picked up this oatmeal cardigan from their Love 21 line, which I think will be absolutely perfect for cool summer nights or when the weather is transitioning into fall. It's super cozy and incredibly soft!

Lastly from Forever21, I bought two pairs of sunglasses. One pair of thick-rimmed ombre sunglasses, and a pair with a square frame and gold accents. I purchased two different pairs because I've had some horrible luck with sunglasses lately. Recently, I broke one pair of sunglasses, and then managed to lose another pair within two weeks. The fantastic thing about Forever21 sunglasses is that they are so affordable, and I won't feel so guilty if something bad happens to them!

This next piece is something a bit trendier than I would normally buy. Recently, I've been seeing kimono cardigans every where, and I love how they dress up any lazy day outfit! If you follow me on Tumblr, you'll know I had some drama with a kimono that I bought from Cotton On (never again), so I ended up going to Charlotte Russe and finding this navy floral kimono which I love! I think kimono cardigans make outfits so easy. Just some jeans or shorts and a basic tee, a kimono on top, and you're all set. I'm a sucker for anything that makes my lazy outfits look a little more put together, and this definitely does the trick.

From H&M, I picked up two pairs of pants. The first pair is just a basic pair of black high-waisted skinny jeans. I know these jeans are going to be a staple in my wardrobe year-round, and they make me feel so confident! The second pair I picked up is a pair of khaki mid-rise twill skinnies, which were on sale for $10. They're definitely quite a bit different from what I would normally wear, but with all the dark colors I tend to wear for tops, I thought they would be perfect to help lighten up my wardrobe a bit!

Of course, I had to stop by Target, but here I had two very specific items in mind. I needed a new pair of basic black flats, because I ripped through my last pair after wearing them to work every day for over a year, and a new bikini top. These basic black flats by Merona were not my first choice in style, but they were so comfy and looked better on my feet than they did in the box (plus, nothing bothers me more than toe cleavage, which these shoes didn't have. you know, when the front of your shoe doesn't quite cover your toes all the way and you see the little lines between your toes?), so I settled on these. I've also been wanting a vintage-style swimsuit for a very, very long time. Probably since I was a junior in high school, actually. With the summer on its way, and with my upcoming move to a warm and humid climate, I have a feeling I'm going to be spending a bit more time in the water than usual. I picked up this basic black bikini top, which I plan to pair with some high-waisted bikini bottoms from Unique Vintage.

Last but not least, of course, I could help but stop by PINK to check out their Love PINK Sale, which is essentially their version of the VS Semi-Annual Sale. PINK and Victoria's Secret are the only stores where I can find my size (having a small rib cage with a bigger bust sounds like a blessing, but I promise you it's not), so every time they have a sale, I have to take a look! PINK's Wear Everywhere Lightly Lined bras are my absolute favorites, so I scouted the sale bins to find these two bras. Unfortunately, I can't find the sale price online, so you'll have to go in store to see what you can find! The black and white bra cost $15.99, and the muted lime green bra cost $14.99. If you have a hard-to-find size like me, I definitely recommend checking out this sale before it ends! 

And just for kicks, enjoy a photo of my boyfriend attempting to walk my cat on her leash in my backyard ;)

Let me know in the comments if you decide to hit up any of the awesome summer sales that are happening right now. I'd love to see your picks! 

- D.

p.s. On Sunday, June 29th, I will be at PHAMExpo in Pasadena! If you are going to be there, let me know in the comments! :)