Urban Decay Book of Shadows IV

I am a huge fan of Urban Decay eyeshadows.  They are pigmented, creamy and there is a wide range of colors.  My first Urban Decay eyeshadows were the ones from the Naked palette.  Recently, I purchased the Urban Decay Book of Shadows IV ($64) off their website and I also purchased the Naked 2 palette during the Sephora VIB Sale (review to follow).

I had been contemplating this palette for a few weeks and finally took the plunge because the palette was on sale for $29.  The reason I was drawn to this palette was because it has some bright colors along with some neutral colors.  The shadows were creamy except for the colors Midnight Cowgirl and Midnight Rodeo.  These two shades were the most glittery of all of the colors and and thus had the most fall-out with large chunky glitter particles.

April 2012 Birchbox

April is here and that means an April Birchbox.  This month's theme is Natural Wonders.  The products in this month's box look towards Mother Nature for inspiration.

There were a total of six items in the April box:

• Yes to Blueberries Age Refresh Cleansing Facial Towelettes
• Kahina Giving Beauty Argan Oil
• Kahina Giving Beauty Facial Lotion
• Benta Berry G-1 Exfoliating Facial Cleanser
• Wonderstruck by Taylor Swift
• Pur Minerals 4-in-1 Mineral Tinted Moisturizer in medium

 I'm looking forward to trying everything except the Taylor Swift perfume sample (which I have smelled before).  It's just not my taste .

Overall Grade:   B

Butter London :: Tart with a Heart

I've been eyeing Butter London nail polishes ($14) for a while now.  I finally caved yesterday and purchased two of them at my local Ulta .  Tart with a Heart (from the Holiday 2011 collection) was not available on the Ulta website but this was the one color that I wanted for my first Butter London purchase.  I had a 20% off coupon and decided to stop by my Ulta on my way home after work to just browse.

I was super excited when I spotted the last Tart with a Heart on the Butter London display.  I didn't hesitate, I just grabbed it.  My Ulta had quite an extensive selection of colors.  I didn't go crazy because these are the most expensive nail polishes I have ever purchased and they were not on sale.  If and when they go on sale, I will pick up more.  There were two reasons that I caved.  One was because I got the shade that I had been eyeing for weeks now and two, the 20% off coupon took the sting out of the $14 price tag.

Benefit Bella Bamba Blush

Benefit's boxed blushes have always intrigued me.  The packaging is unique and the names of the blushes are cool.  Recently, I purchased The Pretty Committee makeup set (you can read about it here) from Benefit during Sephora's VIB sale and included in the kit was a full size Bella Bamba ($28) box blush.

  

Milani Baked Blushes :: 02 Rose D'Oro && 07 Fantastico Mauve

Here are two more of the colors from the Milani Baked blush collection.  Up until this point, I had owned four of the colors.  You can read about my other Milani Baked Blushes here.   There are a total of nine shades I believe so the only colors that I do not own are 04 Terre Sole and 06 Bellisimo Bronze.  Both of these colors as their names imply are more of a bronzey color and I personally am not a huge fan of bronzers (I own several) and so it doesn't bother me that I do not own these last two colors.

Now on to the two new colors that I acquired about a month ago.  The Fantastico Mauve was on clearance at my local Target and the Rose D'Oro was purchased from a CVS.

My Beauty Diary Black Pearl Sheet Mask

Even though my skin is oily, I still think that it is important to keep it hydrated.  The last thing you want to do to oily skin is to deprive it of moisture because what ends up happening is your skin will just produce more oil to compensate.

I don't think moisture or oil for that matter should be the enemy of a person with oily skin.  Sometimes oil based skin care can be an effective and gentle way to care for your skin.  Please refer to my blog post on the Lancome Huile Douceur oil cleanser here  and my Tarte Pure Maracuja Oil here.

Recently, I started using the My Beauty Diary Black Pearl Sheet Mask ($13).  The My Beauty Diary line of sheet masks is from Taiwan I believe and it can be purchased from several online purveyors specializing in selling Asian beauty products.  I obtained mine from Amazon.

Sephora 2012 VIB Sale

The only time I make a purchase from Sephora is when I have a gift card or if there is a sale.  Earlier this month Sephora was having their annual VIB sale which they dubbed ChicWeek.  I had my eyes on several items but finally settled on Benefit's The Pretty Committee ($38) makeup set and Urban Decay's Naked 2 ($50) eyeshadow palette. 

I debated for a long time over what to get, going back and forth over a lot of products.  I am always a very pragmatic person and I might proudly say, frugal.  I absolutely love makeup but I will rarely pay full price for anything (a feat that I will boast to anyone who will listen, lol).

I find that the best things to purchase during these sales are either brands that don't go on sale at their more traditional outlets or what I call value sets.  The brands I am talking about are, for example YSL, Dior, Nars, Guerlain and Laura Mercier, just to name a few.  During the Sephora sales, everything is on sale, no exclusions.  During this particular sale everything was 15% off.  This is the best time to stock up on high-end brands.   Secondly, the value sets from Sephora are one of the best values around.  Usually, for a very reasonable price, these sets come with several items (they can be full sizes or deluxe sample sizes or a mix of both) which let you try out several items from one brand or a collection of items from several different brands.

Maracuja Divine Shine Lip Gloss :: Peaceful

One of my biggest beauty pet peeves are dry, peeling lips.   I am always on the lookout for something to hydrate and soften them.  Currently I am using the Jurlique Love Balm in Rose ($6.50) that I purchased from Birchbox (I had a $10 credit from them when the Tarte Lip Surgence lipstick came broken in my March Birchbox).  You can read about that unfortunate event here. 

I love wearing lip balm but sometimes I want to wear either a lipstick or a lipgloss instead.  But most of the time lipsticks and glosses end up making my lips more chapped.   The Maracuja Divine Shine Lip Gloss in Peaceful ($21) upon first impression seems like any other typical lip gloss.  It comes with a brush tip applicator and a click pen mechanism to advance the formula up from the barrel of the pen.  I prefer the click mechanism versus the twist mechanism of my Stila Lip Glazes.  The outside packaging is super cute with a vintage floral pattern.

Tarte Airblush Maracuja Bouncy Blush in Shimmering Poppy & Airbrush Finish Bamboo Blush Brush

I am an admitted blush junkie of the first order.  I love my high-end blushes and my more affordable drugstore blushes.  But up until this point they have all been powder blushes.  The Tarte Airblush Maracuja Bouncy Blush in Shimmering Poppy ($25) is my first cream blush.   This item along with the coordinating Airbrush Finish Bamboo Blush Brush ($28) was part of the Miracle of Maracuja 8 pc Skin Smart Collection from QVC which can be seen here.