I'm kind of a tough person to buy for; I admit it. My mom asked me to get her a list of stuff I wanted for my birthday and I couldn't find a thing. So she ended up getting me an Ulta gift card and holy crap my cart filled up really quick. I also got a few other gift cards so I went a little shopping crazy. And I definitely wanted to share what made it into my cart. I thought I would split this post up since I'm still waiting for a good portion of it. So let's start with Sephora!


I have been eyeing the Bobbi Brown Blush Duos for months and I finally talked myself into the splurge. I actually wanted Plum/French Pink and Tawny/Peony and I couldn't commit to just one so I bought both. They are not quite as big as I thought but there's still quite a bit of product and their size will make it easier to store (which is a huge concern for me). These shades are beautiful. I think I can pair both shades in each palette together to contour slightly or wear them on their own.  They are versatile enough to wear them year around. The blushes are smooth and pigmented. They aren't the slightest bit powdery and blend beautifully. I'm really pleased with this purchase.

Bobbi Brown Blush Duo in Tawny/Peony

Bobbi Brown Blush Duo in Plum/French Pink

I was so impressed with my Becca x Jaclyn Hill Champagne Collection Eye Palette (I got a good one) that I really wanted to try another Becca eye palette. So I picked up the Becca Ombre Rouge Eye Palette. The stock photo on Sephora's website hasn't done this palette justice but customer swatches and videos shows how gorgeous this is. I bought this palette thinking that it will be good for everyday. It absolutely is but it with the darker colors it can so go from day to night really nicely. All the shades are wearable and I love the mixture of satin and matte shades. I also love how compact and sleek this packaging is. I could easily take this as my only palette on a trip or throw it in my purse (you know if I didn't care about it getting scratched up). I can easily make an eyelook with a single shade or two shades or three shades or all five.


I use three sprays every morning when I apply my makeup so it shouldn't surprise anyone that I wanted to use a spray to prep for my weekly face mask. I got a small sample of the Origins Maskimizer Skin-Optimizing Mask Primer in my Sephora Play Box in May and I really felt that it was a nice boost to my routine. Instead of wetting your face with water from the sink you spray your face down with this primer. It helps the mask apply very smooth and even and then rinse off easily. Then it gives your mask that extra hydration and radiance. It basically super charges your normal pampering routine.

I mentioned in my Things I'm trying in June post that I wanted to try the Hourglass Ambient Light Correcting Primer in Dim Light. I got the sample of the shade in Mood Light but I'm not sure that it's the right shade for me so I got Dim Light to compare and contrast the two both with and without makeup. It's supposed to give you a natural glow and blur imperfections. Who wouldn't want that?

I've been kind of on the hunt for the perfect setting powder for my under eyes so I impulse bought the Besame Brightening Setting Face Powder in Vanilla Rose. I've heard good things about this powder and I really wanted to try something from this brand. This shade is supposed to color correct green and bluish tones, so perfect for dark circles under your eyes. The powder is also matte so that it helps brighten without shine. It feels super light and silky. I love that the packaging has an additional plastic separator between the sifter and lid to keep the powder from going all over the place. What I don't love is that the packaging looks and feels like something I would have gotten in a Happy Meal box as a kid. But, what is ultimately going to matter is how the powder performs.


Benefit released a whole new line of brow products as I'm sure you've seen and everyone seems to being going gaga over it. I'm a long time fan of the Benefit Instant Brow Pencil in Medium and suddenly it's not available on Ulta.com anymore so I panicked and added two of my beloved pencils to my Sephora cart, just in case. I had been all gung-ho to try something new but the thought of this being that last one I owned was all too much to bear. I have probably one sharpening left on my current one. So we will see if this gets phased out. If it does, I might need a support system.

This is what a brand new Benefit Instant Brow pencil looks like! No more short squatty little thing.

I got a couple deluxe freebies with my orders. The first being the Benefit Kabrow Cream Gel Brow Gel in Medium. I've wanted to try a potted gel for my brows for a while and I hate the look of the full sized packaging of the Kabrow pot. It just seems so big and bulky, but this one looks nice and sleek and easy to store. So it's kind of a win-win. I get to try something new in packaging that doesn't make me crazy.

100 lipsticks in six different shades is a lot of wrap your head around. It could almost make one crazy. So the Urban Decay Vice Lipstick Sampler is a perfect way to get to try a couple dozen and really help me decided which shades I like and think I need. This is a really cool freebie.

Today's Tidbits

• Hubby refuses to buy me makeup. But, that's okay he got me some really nice earrings from Zales for my birthday. I think I did really well this year. 
• I have a new Ulta opening six minutes from home this weekend. It's the same complex as my Target. Holy crap, that's a dangerous complex!  
• Please ignore the random cat hairs the decided to hang out in a few of these pictures. My cat is normally really good but this time she decided she needed to come hang out in the middle of these shots.