so like I said... (pt 1)

I finally got my package in the mail on Thursday!!!! It contained two pairs of shoes from Urban Origanal that I had been waiting for to complete my round of birthday gifts. I wasn't completely thrilled with the length of shipping time, but the prices on the shoes are pretty sweet! If you don't mind waiting, check out their site by clicking the link above. These pairs were something that I was treating myself to, so I wanted to make sure it was all here before I got started...


...shall we begin?

Okay, first up we have the makeup stuff. I went to Ulta a few days before my birthday because my flyer came in the mail and I was too eager to just wait to use it! I ended up getting some nice deals though... If you purchased an Ulta item you got one free and for buying a $10 Ulta brand item, I got another one for free as a gift. I chose two Ulta mineral powder eyeshadows in Indigo and Moss, and Ulta's Showstopper Lashes mascara in Jet Black. Instead of paying $10 each, it was like I got three for the price of one!

They also had a special going where if you bought two Essie polishes you got a top coat or their new 'Matte About You' mattifier for free. I got the mattifier because I've been wanting to try it with a navy polish I got a while ago. I'm not exactly partial to blue lacquer, but I thought the matte look might be a trend to check out! The Essie polishes were in Sugar Daddy (a sweet, dainty pink) and Over The Top (a tough, edgy gunmetal). They couldn't be more opposite (they are not pictured because I forgot. Tee hee!)! ;)

Finally, I grabbed two palettes. The first being a glitter cream palette by NYX in Paradise. I've been wanting to try glitter liners, but I thought this option made more sense. One glittery liner or 5 cream shadows for the same price??!
The other was POPbeauty's Pin Up Pop palette. It comes with 12 baked shadows in three groups of four, in order for you to be able to create your own spins on the classic 40s face. I will review this soon...

Walgreen's always has some cool Wet N Wild stuff, so I got one of their Idol Eyes cream shadow pencils in Envy. I didn't see much else, so I continued on.

Next stop was Meijer. Every so often I will go in there to see the clearance markdowns... I found a mosaic bronzer by Black Radiance (one of my favorite brands btw...) in Bronzing Shimmer. Guess what else??? My favorite cheapie gloss in Cherry Berry Kiss by Bonnebell!!! In one of my previous posts I mentioned that I broke mine, so 'yay' for finding another!

On my actual birthday, the BF took me shopping, (what girl doesn't love that???) and of course I ran to the mall to go into Sephora. I got a Nars blush (which he gifted, because I couldn't bring myself to splurge...), a new UDPP and my free birthday treat, courtesy of Sephora, a trio of their Super Shimmer Lip Glosses!

The next spot we hit was MAC.
Now, before y'all go crazy, reminding me that this blog is for us frugal recession-concious fashionistas, let me tell you that I just got brush cleanser! It was $11 for 8 fl oz. It's supposed to be disinfecting and quick drying, therefore being a pretty decent purchase. And guess what?! If you turn in three empty MAC containers (...of their affordable brush cleansers, right?) you get a free lipstick for recycling! Now you know I wasn't gonna steer you wrong as far as the wallet goes, right? Right!

Stay tuned for part two of my great, big birthday haul! ♥

woo-hoo for besties!

Bestie: 1.) your best friend, 2.) the one who knows just what you need before you do!

Okay, so this is a little random seeing as it happened a couple of months ago, but who cares?! I thought this was a little story worth sharing. Some time ago, me and my girl went on a little shopping trip. I don’t know why we always end up in a store, but we always find a deal too. This wasn’t long after New Year’s when the holiday stuff went on sale. My bestie called me and suggested we go get into some fun (or trouble, if that’s what you want to call it…). She told me she wanted to take me someplace she knew I would like, but couldn’t remember the name of the store. Whatever though, cause I was down for the ride anyways. Lo and behold! When we got there I found out that she meant ULTA! Only this one was at the new Hamilton Towne shopping center! I was just too pleased… Not only did she unveil a new Ulta location, she also introduced me to way better stock! While in there, we both decided to purchase the Ulta holiday shadow box set. This has got to be one of the coolest things ever! The set is like one large palette …only in a box. It houses 56 mini shadow rounds (pearl, matte, shimmer), 15 lip gloss shades (sheer and opaque), 4 small blushers, applicators, two eye/lip liner combos and 3 application brushes. The best thing though? The little magnetic palette… you can interchange or customize it however you want. And for all you MACaholics, you might even be able to find some dupes for your favorite shadows or the ones you don’t have yet in something like this! For these pretty, pigmented colors I’d say a $10 well spent! Still, don’t take my word for it, see for yourself!

…now you know why she’s my BFF! ♥

freebies

Who isn’t psyched for free stuff???!! Uhhh… Nobody! I was so pleasantly surprised yesterday. I tend to frequent Sephora and Ulta. Usually, I am on the prowl for a deal/sale, but this time I went in for something specific. I was going into Sephora in order to purchase the Juice Beauty Clear Skin Kit. Scandalous Beauty had been talking about their products for a while and seemed genuinely pleased. Normally, I wouldn’t spring for anything more than my beloved Biorè line, but sometimes my skin needs something new in order to jumpstart a response. I’ve got these stubborn little blemish scars that have just refused to go away!! Arggghh… Anyways, as I am always out to save some change, the kit was totally the more affordable option. Purchasing those products on their own would cost me close to $70 or $80 bucks easy and the kit is about $40.

But, that’s not the best part! (I’m getting there, I promise…) You know those free, little cards we all sign up for, along with email alerts? Well, I didn’t realize how many points I had racked up! It was enough for a free sample and there was small group to choose from! I chose the mini Lorac TANtalizing bronzer. How ‘fabulous’ is that??! Next, I sauntered across the street to Ulta to use my 20% off coupon… and that’s right, you guessed it! MORE free stuff! They were having a ‘buy 2 get 2 free’ on some of their items. I zoomed in on the NYX display and got these…

I am already in love with the lip (freebie #1) and eye liners. The felt tip on the eyeliner makes for total precise application which is awesome! The package insisted that it was as exact as pencil and as intense as liquid. So true! The mascara is pretty nice too. I’m all about volumized lashes, but I don’t know that it lives up to my other favorites. Hmm… I think I’ll be comparing later on to see. The lipstick (freebie #2) is nice and creamy, but I don’t know what to pair it with yet. I sense some new combos coming about…