Another Haul + Giveaway Preview!

Apologies for yet another haul post, but there are a few exciting things I got this week that I wanted to share. I'm also having another small giveaway and I want to go ahead and show you the the prize (No, it's not all of this haha. Sorry!)

1. Lady Gaga Critical Mass Fashion by Lizzy Goodman

I'm a bit obsessed with Lady Gaga. My boyfriend and I had to go up to North Carolina yesterday, and on the way back we stopped at a big mall in Myrtle Beach. We went in Spencer's and we found this book, which I probably wouldn't have bought if it wasn't on sale for 50% off, but I'm so glad I did. I haven't read much of it yet but from what I can tell it has some awesome pictures which will be great for some makeup inspiration and for making this year's Halloween Costume.

2. Pretty in Pink print by Emma Kisstina

Since I'm somewhat redoing my room, I've been on the hunt for some cool artwork to hang on my walls. I found Emma Kisstin'as Etsy shop and absolutely fell in LOVE. She has the BEST girly prints I've ever seen, it was so hard for me to choose one. Seriously, check out her shop if you like fashion or makeup prints. She even has some amazing Breakfast at Tiffany's prints! I'm going to buy some more makeup ones to hang over my vanity when I get paid again. She was nice enough to send a smaller version of the print I bought to give away to one of you! More info on that below.

3. Urban Decay 15th Anniversary Palette

So I told myself I wasn't going to buy this because I REALLY don't need it, but I follow Christine (Temptalia) on Twitter and she tweeted that it was available on Ulta, so I freaked and bought it. I haven't had a chance to play around with it yet, but they colors look great! The only problem I have with it is the packaging, I kind of hate it! Everybody else seems to love it but it just doesn't work for me. It gets finger print-y so easily and it's driving me crazy. Also the plastic holding/surrounding the colors is purple and mirrored. When I'm trying to look at the colors it makes it hard to see the true color, and the light reflects off of it and I just hate to look at the colors. But it's probably just me being picky.

4. Chanel N5 pocket mirror

Also by Emma Kisstina, I bought a cute little pocket mirror to keep in my purse/makeup bag. I got the Chanel N5 design, but she has some other really cute ones too (Manolos and Louboutins? Yes!)

5. A boring pair of shoes--that were on sale!

I have a pair of black suede flats that I wear to work everyday, but in the middle of my crazy room designing and moving, I've seemed to have lost one of them. The only other work friendly shoes I have are WAYY to small for my feet, and after putting through that torture for one day I was NOT going to do it again. So 15 minutes before work I ran down to Nine West and got these babies on sale for $17! Yes, it did hurt to wear brand new shoes at work, but not nearly as bad as the way too small ones.

Now, the giveaway preview! Official details coming soon!

Emma Kisstina included a smaller version of the print I purchased to give away to one of my readers! I got the medium print of a pink MAC lipstick, so one of you will receive a small print of the pink MAC lipstick. The print is 5.1in X 7.1in (I think? I used a cm to inches converter. 13cm X 18cm) so be on the lookout for details on that :)

Well that's all for now. If you have the UD 15th Anniversary Palette, please let me know if you're annoyed by the packaging too or if it's just me, haha. Also stay tuned for giveaway details!

What the haul?

I got paid this past week, and I was good(ish), I put a portion in the bank and kept out a smaller portion for me to spend. I still have a little left over so I can pay my credit card bill, and buy some pictures for my room (more on that later!). So, this is my haul for the week!

1. Essie nail polish in Borrowed & Blue

I was at Bed Bath & Beyond looking for things to store my makeup in, but of course I got sucked into the beauty section. I saw this polish picked it up immediately. Blue polishes are my favorite to wear, and this isn't like the blues I already have. Borrowed & Blue is like a really nice light sky blue color. I haven't worn it yet since I've been working all week (boo for no nail polish at work!) but I'll post a picture when I try it out!

2. MAC's Melon Pigment

This is actually my first MAC pigment! I was at CCO looking for a blush/other face products but I ended up spending a lot of time looking at the pigments. I thought Melon was a very pretty color, especially for summer. I wore it yesterday and I LOVE it! I appied it using 2 products I got in this haul, the Stila Kitten Smudge Pot and the Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Herbs, and Rosewater. Whew, long name! But more on that when I mention those products.

3. Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Herbs, and Rosewater

This facial spray is very multi purpose. First of all, it smells very pleasantly of roses. I don't normally like flowery smells, but I do like this one. First, I sprayed this on my makeup brush before applying MAC's Melon pigment to my eyes, it works kind of like Fix+ from MAC I assume, though I've never tried Fix+. After I apply my powder to my face after foundation, I spray my face once with this to get rid of that powdery look it sometimes leaves me with. I didn't notice my makeup staying on any less than it would if I just used powder, and it gives you a more dewy look (not oily though!). It's also good just to "freshen up" your makeup throughout the day or just if you are hot and need a good mist! And it's only $7!

4. Stila Smudge Pot in Kitten

My obsession for cream eyeshadows continues. I was originally going to get Benefit's Creaseless Cream Shadow in either R.S.V.P or Birthday Suit, but my Ulta was out of stock of both! So, I ventured over to Stila and picked up Kitten. It's a really pretty champagne gold color. I used this as a base before I applied the Melon pigment to make it stick and last longer.

5. INM Clear Bond Base Coat

I've been out of both my base coat and my top coat for a while now, and since I don't paint my nails very often I never thought to pick one up. I bought this with the Essie nail polish, because when I do paint my nails (especially darker colors) it stains my nails pretty badly and it's a pain to get off! I haven't tried this yet either, but I might post a review when I do!

I know everybody is probably tired of hearing this, but the giveaway ends in 2 DAYS! (on Friday). So enter if you haven't already!

What did you buy this week? Have you tried any of these items? Let me know your opinions!

New Camera & Mini F21 Jewelry Haul

I asked my boyfriend if I could borrow his camera for graduation pictures since mine is awful, and he said yes. I told him later that night after I'd played around with it that I loved it and I wasn't giving it back, jokingly of course. But he said I could keep it because he never uses it. So yay! Thank you boyfriend! <3

Anyway, I seem to get the best lighting in my bathroom during the day, but I'll be moving soon so I'll have to re-adjust to my new place.

Ok, now to the haul. I've spent the last, I don't know how many paychecks on beauty and makeup things. I noticed that I really needed to go shopping because my clothes and accessories were looking kind of drab. Here are a few of the accessories I got at Forever 21, the clothes haul will most likely be coming soon too.

The 3 amigos. Told you it wasn't much. Just 2 necklaces and a bracelet :)

I love this color for summer! I Don't really wear orange clothes but in accessories I love the color! They also had an aqua blue one that I wanted to get and I might go back and get. I rarely buy bracelets because my wrists are TINY and they never fit me, but this one seems to fit pretty well :)

UPDATE: I went back today to get the blue one, and it didn't look very aqua the second time around, just basic blue. But I still got it :)

^tiny wrist :P

I couldn't get a full shot of this necklace because it is super long. The website says 56" approximately. But it is so cute and I love wearing it with the orange bracelet.

And last but not least, this little baby. It is just so cute and pretty! Nothing too flashy but it would add a little something to an outfit, even if it's just a t-shirt.

Hope you enjoyed it! This was kind of a test run for my camera (Nikon Coolpix in case you were wondering). It's not the best camera in the world but it's definitely better than my old one.

And finally, I can say: All pictures taken by me. haha :)

Collective Haul and Review

Hey guys! Sorry for the slackness lately. But this is going to be my first ever haul post! I tried to color code it, but for some reason I'm having text issues with blogger. It won't let me change the color and it messes up when I try to change the size. Anyway, it's a pretty big haul, I got my first paycheck from my new job and kinda went crazy, plus my boyfriend got me a Bath and Body Works gift card :P Anyway, hope you enjoy it!

1. True Blue Spa Refreshing Citrus Body Scrub

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I haven't had a chance to try this one yet, but it feels like it would do a great job exfoliating! It is a sugar scrub with coconut, avocado, almond, and jojoba oil. Just from doing a sniff test it kind of reminds me of a Sprite, you know, like the soda. But it does seem like a nice body scrub.

2. True Blue Spa Nourishing Body Lotion- Tahiti, Sweetie.

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I am in LOVE with this lotion. I had been using this lotion before I bought it this time, but I'm almost out so I decided to re-purchase it before I did run out. This has been my favorite go-to lotion especially during the summer. It has such a nice summery scent, very fruity and coconut-y, even though I don't like coconut I LOVE this scent. It's great to put on after you get out of the shower, because you are supposed to put it on damp skin. Definitely recommend this product!

3. True Blue Spa Silky Smooth Shave Cream

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If you are someone who goes through shaving cream like, every month, this is probably not the best option because it will get pricey. I don't go through shaving cream that quickly, so for me this is great. I used to use the Skintimite line, which I also really liked and was very affordable. I really like the way this makes my legs feel, after I'm done they are VERY smooth and hydrated, and also makes my shave very smooth, no cuts or anything. So basically, if you go through shaving cream often, this is a good special occasion shave cream. If you don't go through it very often, you should definitely check this out!

>4. Fiji Passionfruit Body Scrub

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Another body scrub. I thought having some good body scrubs around would be good for the warmer months to get rid of dead skin cells if I happen to peel from too much sun. I really like this scrub because it's very creamy and not too harsh on the skin, but it does a great job exfoliating. It also has a very delicious tropical scent that isn't too overpowering. I try to exfoliate about 1 or 2 times a week.

5. Berry Vanilla Triple Moisture Body Cream, Body Wash, and Fragrance Mist

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I've always liked the B&BW triple moisture body creams. I was actually drawn to this because I really liked the color of the bottle. When I gave it the good ole sniff test, I realllllly loved the scent too! Its very light and summery, and not too overpowering. If I fall in love with a scent, I usually get 2 or 3 items of that scent so that I can match my lotion to my spray, and so on. The triple moisture body cream is really good for night time because it is so thick.

7. Secret Wonderland Triple Moisture Body Cream, Body Wash, and Fragrance Mist

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Same explanation as above. I absolutely fell in love with this scent when I smelled it, and again was attracted to it because I really liked the cool design on the bottle. It kind of reminds me of the movie Avatar, hehe. I really like using this scent if I'm going out at night, but I also use it during the day as well. Very versatile!

8. Essie's Mint Candy Apple Nail Polish

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I really wanted to include a picture of this polish on my nails like I did for "For Audrey", but unfortunately we can't have nail polish on our nails for work and I had to take it off before I got the chance to :( So to make up for it I will link Leesha's (xsparkage) blog post on it with photos included, here. :) I absolutely LOVE this color. I think it looks a little more blue than the picture on the Essie website. But I am so sad that we can't wear nail polish at work because it is such a great spring color!

9. Vita-C+ Exfoliating Apricot Citrus Scrub

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I found this scrub at Sally Beauty for like $7. I needed a new face scrub so I decided to try this one out because it was cheap and sounded pretty good. It's not good, not bad though. I don't get that "OMG my skin feels amazing this is my new favorite product" feeling after, but it does get rid of dead skin cells and does what it's supposed to do. Wouldn't repurchase, but I don't hate it either.

10. Hemp Argan Oil Body Lotion

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Before I talk about this product, let me just say that I know all of the harmful effects of tanning, read all the articles, etc., yet I can't stop. It's literally addicting. That being said, I try to use the best products possible to try to eliminate some of the potential future damage (i.e., wrinkles) that will come. This lotion "defies aging and leaves skin beautifully soft and bright". Well, not the best moisturizer ever, not the worst either because it left me a bit sticky. I didn't really notice a "refreshed tone" (as it claims on the back), but I can't really speak for the defying age factor because I haven't used it long enough and I don't have any really visible signs of aging on my body yet. The thing I can't get past is the smell. If you've ever used a hemp product, you know what I'm talking about. Not all hemp products smell like this, but a lot do, this being one of them. I have used other hemp products that I've loved, this just hasn't done it for me.

Well that's it for this week, sorry for the lack of variety since it was mostly Bath and Body Works stuff. What have you bought this week that you've loved/hated?