Mall haul!!

Went shopping this past weekend for my birthday! Finally got up to Sephora and Nordstrom...and I found some happy surprises!

Butter London Macbeth. My very first BL! Saw this at Nordstrom and because of the name, I HAD to have it...I love Macbeth. The color's good too, haha...it's a nice coral. The flash really distorts the color. It's a lot less pink in real life. Ah well. Very excited to try this out.

Nordstrom also had a shitload of new Lippmanns. I guess I can't complain about that, lol. One of the new collections I found was the metallic/prism/whatever they're called polishes...I really like Private Dancer, but that one was all sold out. Swagga Like Us looks pretty much exactly like Chanel Peridot, so skip. That leaves Sugar Daddy, which I was kinda unsure about, but since I read Scrangie's rave about it, I figured it must be pretty good. So of course, I picked this one up! And it is really pretty. Again, can't wait to try this one!

Mermaid's Dream. Oh lord. I put this on my nails a few days ago and I still haven't stopped drooling over it. Freaking perfect. I swear, even though I usually get bored with a polish after 2 or 3 days...I think I could wear this for the rest of the summer and be perfectly content. I don't think I've ever seen a polish this unique and gorgeous.

Another new collection I spotted was the dance-themed glitters...well, I found Flash Dance and Just Dance, but my Nordstrom didn't have Dancing in the Dark, which is one I was looking forward to. Ah well, this is Flash Dance, and it's stunning. Gorgeous mix of pink and purple glitter. Super excited to put this on my nails. I love glitter.

And an awesome surprise...my Sephora has COMPLETELY revamped their nail section, and started carrying tons of new brands. Julep, SpaRitual, Dior...Illamasqua. YES. This is Illamasqua Phallic. This is my second Illamasqua, Baptiste being my first, and I was sooo impressed with that one. So happy that I can now find this brand in store instead of only being able to get it online.

And of course, I can't leave Sephora without a little bit of Urban Decay. The Stash liner that I got in my 15th Anniversary set a long, long time ago (like, a year and half!) was defective, so I only got a few uses out of it before giving it to my sister (haha). I had a mini sample size of it which had run out, so I figured I needed a full size of it. I've never tried Graffiti before, though, so I figured I needed that one too, lol...I didn't have a bright green like it. I wanted to get Deviant also, but I have soo many UD liners already. I'm totally getting that one someday though, ha.

And of course, no trip to Sephora is complete without some Philosophy. Usually I'm good with one set, but I totally needed both of these sets this time. Top pic is the Cabana Girl set, bottom pic is the Italian Soda Shop set. One word: YUM. Not a weak link in either set. Every summer, I ALWAYS have to snag Philosophy's newest coconut set...last year it was Aloha Girl, which was vanilla coconut and was pretty good, but this year Cabana Girl is guava coconut and it's AMAZING. Smells sooo delish. Philsophy's 3-in-1s are good as always, lotion is top-notch like usual, and lip gloss is delicious and perfect amount of color. Pretty sheer, which I like, and nice formula. Not too sticky or anything.

The Italian Soda Shop set...damn, these smell good. I can't pick a favorite. The limoncello is the perfect mix of tart and sweet. To me, it smells exactly like a lemon Pez candy tastes. The strawberry is also really good. And black cherry...I know I had some other Philosophy black cherry scent back a couple years ago and this smells pretty much like that. I love the scent of black cherry. Yum.

Anyways, I guess I'd say my shopping was pretty successful! Now I'll have a couple new polishes to tide me over for a few weeks at least...lol. I'm going on vacation to Cali again this summer (soo excited!) and we're leaving in just a couple weeks, so I'll most likely be picking up some more polishes then. Woo!

Sincerely, Cat

Urban Decay/OPI Holland Haul!

My recent haul from Urban Decay, and a couple polishes from the new OPI spring collec!

24/7 Double Ended Liners set. Includes Uzi/Empire, Zero/Corrupt, and a Grind House sharpener. It's only my fifth Zero pencil, haha. Each color is half the size of a full pencil, so each double ender is the size of a full pencil...0.04 oz or whatever it is. I was really really excited for this because the greatest brown ever (Corrupt) and the greatest silver ever (Uzi) are in it, which were only in the 15th Anni set before. I was kinda stressing about using up my full pencils of those, but now I have these! Lol. And Empire is a new color, I think exclusive to this set for now. It seems nice. I've only really tested it out before, I haven't actually used it in a look, so I probably will soon.

24/7 Liner Duo. Includes full size Whiskey and Flipside, and a Grind House. And now here's my fourth Grind House, lol. This was on sale and it was pretty much like the greatest deal ever...it was only $14 I think! It's a no-brainer...one liner costs $19 normally, and the sharpener is $10...so it's a serious bargain, haha. Plus, I only had minis of Whiskey before (from my original Naked palette that came with the double ended liner, not the brush; and from the 24/7 Jackpot that I got a year or two ago around Christmas time), and I didn't have any Flipside liners, so it's a win-win. Pretty liners, great price. Can't beat it.

24/7 Concealer in CIA. Which is the lightest shade, lol. I bought one of these back in the summer, in the old packaging, and it's just now getting down to a stub, so it's perfect timing that they brought these back. I have to say, this new packaging is soo much more attractive. The formula seems pretty much the same though, maybe a little less cake-y if anything. It's great under my eyes, where it's always really dark. Also good on dark spots. It's nice and light.

Sample of Afterglow Cheek Tint in Quickie. I don't wear anything on my cheeks but maybe I'll get around to using this someday, lol. I was really hoping my free sample would be lip gloss again, but ya win some ya lose some, as they say...

Swatches of liners...Whiskey, Flipside, Zero, Corrupt, Uzi, Empire.

I also went into Trade Secret recently to check out the new OPI Holland collec...these were the 3 that really stood out to me. From left, I Don't Give a Rotterdam!, Dutch 'Ya Just Love OPI?, and Vampsterdam. I like the names in this collec. I've already worn Rotterdam and Dutch (posts coming soon), and I just have to say they're phenomenal. Now I really want the rest of the collec, because I can tell OPI hit it out of the park.

Ugh...why won't that last pic line up correctly?!? What da hecckkk. Lol

Sincerely, Cat

Random looks using Naked 2 palette

Just some random eyes I did recently...I know, they're messy and quick and the pics were taken after full days of wear, but for some reason I just felt like posting them...I kinda like them!

I used

UDPP Original

Verve all over, from Naked 2

Pistol on outer half, from Naked 2

Virgin on inner corner and as highlight, from Naked 1

24/7 liner in Lust (first time using it...really like it!)

24/7 liner in Perversion on waterline (completely worn off by then...lol)

Rimmel London Lash Accelerator Mascara in Black

CoverGirl Lash Blast Luxe in Black Royale (love this!!)

Maybelline The Falsies in Black

Ok...I had like 5 minutes to do my makeup this morning, haha. But I figured I'd use Lust because I got it as a free sample from a UD order back in like November and I still hadn't used it. My go-to purple liner is Ransom, which I love, but I wanted a true purple liner since that one is so blue. This is not it. In fact, this is more of a blurple (blue purple) than purple...ah well. It's gorgeous. It didn't glide on as good as some other shades do (Baked, I'm looking at you!) but it wasn't bad. I think it's just cuz it was the first time using it. Usually with time they get easier to use and less drag/pull-ish.

Also, I just bought Lash Blast Luxe in Black Royale and I heart it! I saw it on Scrangie's blog and she said it was pretty good, so of course I HAD to have it. I seriously get a new mascara like every time I go out. It's ridiculous. This is definitely one of the better ones though. I tried Maybelline Illegal Lengths recently and it is just soo bad. For real. I've used it like 5 times and I think I'm just gonna throw it away. The biggest problem is probably that I accidentally got the waterproof one and I HATE waterproof mascara, but it does like nothing for my lashes. Ugh.

I used

UDPP Original

Chopper all over, from Naked 2

Virgin on inner corner, from Naked 1

24/7 liner in Corrupt (Favorite. Ever.)

24/7 liner in Perversion on lower waterline (looks all gross and worn off after a full day, lol)

Rimmel London Lash Accelerator in Black

CoverGirl Lash Blast Luxe in Black Royale

Maybelline The Falsies in Black

Chopper looks so ridiculously orange on me. Soo unflattering. It's a pretty shade though...I love the glitter in it. And Corrupt...I just love it. I got it in the 15th Anni set last year and I never want to run out. Really wish it was a permanent shade. :(

Speaking of Urban Decay, I just put in an order on their website the other day! I'll post pics when I get it...I'm pretty pumped. I think it'll be here tomorrow afternoon, which is unfortunate cuz I'll be out of town from tomorrow morning until Saturday or Sunday. Lame. Bright side: going shopping Friday...which means Sephora! Yayyyyyy.

Sincerely, Cat

A few Naked 2 Palette looks

Just wanted to post the first 2 looks I did with my Naked 2 palette...

This was my Christmas Eve look. I used:

Verve all over lid and into crease

Pistol on outer half of lid

Suspect on outer half and into crease

Snakebite on outer third and into crease

Busted on outer edge

Ace (from 15th Anniversary palette) on outer edge

YDK, just a little bit, on outer edge

Verve, Suspect, and Snakebite on lower lashline

Virgin (from first Naked) as highlight and on inner corner

Zero 24/7 liner on waterline

Maybelline the Falsies mascara in Blackest Black

...quite a list. Anyways, this was the more grey, or I guess, greige of the two looks I've done. My pictures wash it out A LOT and make it look wayyy lighter. In real life, this was a darker silver. I guess I do have some pictures from my phone that sort of show it..

Well, that's a little bit better! Anyways, that's the basic idea of this look.

This was my Christmas look. I used:

Bootycall all over lid and into crease

Suspect on outer half of lid

Snakebite on outer third and into crease

YDK on outer half

MIA (from 15th Anniversary palette) on outer edge

Suspect in crease

Vanilla (from 15th Anni palette) on inner third of lid

Bootycall, Suspect, Snakebite, and MIA on lower lashline

Virgin (from first Naked) as highlight and in inner corners

Perversion 24/7 liner on waterline

Maybelline the Falsies mascara in Blackest Black

...this was the more gold/less silver look. I really like how this one turned out, but I'm not sure which look I prefer. I really like that the Naked 2 palette has more grey/greige shades, because with my Naked 1, it was like champagne or gold Every. Single. Day. And with Naked 2, you can do gold, or champagne, or silver, or greige...more variety. Gotta love it.

Also, just for fun, here's a look I did a few days before I got my Naked 2 palette, using my Naked 1...

Unfortunately, the pic is really bad, but this look was great. I think I used Sin, Toasted, and Virgin (maybe a couple others...ugh I can't remember!), and Zero on my waterline, and of course the Falsies. But what I really loved about this look was that I used my Radium 24/7 liner from the Electric set. It looked AWESOME. The light blue liner really popped against the shadow...I'll for sure be doing this look again. Love it.

Anyways, that was another long post! Lol.

Sincerely, Cat

Christmas Haul!

Just a few things I got for Christmas that I'm pretty excited about...I'll get right into it! Warning: lots of pics today.

My Naked 2 Palette...which I did already post about, lol. All I can say is...I adore it. The double ended brush is my new best friend. I just...wow. They hit it out of the park with this palette.

Urban Decay Travel Size liners in Naked. I already bought the Electric set a couple months ago, and I freakin love it...love this set too, maybe not quite as much, but still. From left to right, in all the pics, it's Zero, Demolition, Bourbon, Underground, and Stray Dog. Demolition is the only brand new one in the set, but Stray Dog is also an exclusive I guess, since it's only been in the 15th Anniversary set. I had previously had all the others in this set except Underground (but that's not an exclusive...I'd just never tried it haha). Stray Dog was one of my favorites when I first got it in my 15th Anniversary liner set last year. Glad to have another of it, cuz my first one is starting to wear down. Anyways, really like this set.

Philosophy Sugar Plum Frost set. Comes with an 8 oz 3-in-1 Shower Gel, Shampoo, Bubble Bath, and a regular sized lip gloss. This was a surprise to me...I didn't put it on my list, lol. But I really like it...the scent is really nice. Light and sugary and fruity. I've never actually known what a sugar plum smelled like, haha...I guess I do now. My favorite part of this set is that the 3-in-1 has the little shimmery glitter particles in it...so when I use it as a shower gel my skin ends up just a little bit shimmery. Love it! I have to admit though...I don't like this scent as much as Twinkle Berry. I must say that that's one of my new very favorite scents.

China Glaze Holiday Spirits set.

Dorothy Who?

Ruby Pumps.

Frostbite.

Really like this set...not much else to say about it, lol! I love me some glitter, so it should be good for me. I'll try to get around to using these soon. My unused stash just keeps growing and growing :P

Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush lip gloss set...not that exciting, lol, but these glosses are sooo pretty! I don't think the pic actually shows it, but these have the prettiest shimmer in them, especially the one in the middle. These scents are, from left to right, I Want Candy, Cherry Bomb, and Strawberry...something or other, haha. But yeah. Super pretty. And they taste good!

OPI Best of the Best set. I have a couple of these already...so they'll be great for using as franken bottles! The polishes in this set are (left to right, top row then bottom row) Alpine Snow, Bubble Bath, Tickle My France-y, Strawberry Margarita, Cajun Shrimp, Big Apple Red, I'm Not Really a Waitress, You Don't Know Jacques!, Russian Navy, and Lincoln Park After Dark. The variety in this set isn't bad; there's navy and taupe and dark purple...but it's not that great either. Lots of red, pink, etc. Still, not bad!

OPI Avojuice Sweet Sensations set. I just LOVE Avojuices! These minis are awesome: I just throw 'em in my purse, keep one in my kitchen drawer, keep a few on my nightstand...they're great. They smell amazing. The scents in this set are great, as always: Mango, Jasmine, Coconut Melon, Cran and Berry, Vanilla Snowflake, and Winter Huckleberry. I'm a little disappointed that Caramel Cream wasn't included in this set because it's my favorite, but that's okay...I already have a full size bottle of that one, lol. Vanilla Snowflake was the only one in this set I didn't have before, and I love it. I look forward to these Avojuice sets every Christmas. They're great.

Lastly...the Orly Birds of a Feather set. Comes with (from top) Sweet Peacock, Lucky Duck, and Fowl Play. Really like these...again, I have soo many untrieds right now, but I'll try and get around to wearing these soon. Also, in person I just can't get over how much Fowl Play looks EXACTLY like OPI Merry Midnight...it's crazy. But at least I won't have to guard my half-empty bottle of Merry Midnight as closely now, lol.

Wow...that was a long post! Haha. But anyways...

Sincerely, Cat