Drugstore, MAC and Ulta Haul + Reviews and Swatches!

Hey everyone! I’ve made quite a few beauty purchases lately and because I won’t be able to do a review on each product I thought I’d combine them all into one haul with a mini review for each one.

Recently I did a big drugstore shopping spree and bought a variety of products. Some I liked, others not so much, and there are more that need a bit more use before I can truly give my opinion on them.

E.l.f. Illuminating Face Primer

 I have been on the hunt for a good drugstore primer (if you know any help a girl out!) so I thought I’d give this one a go. I really like the feel of it but to “illuminate” the skin e.l.f. added a lot of gold glitter to the formula. It’s okay for a night out, but I personally don’t like walking around with flecks of glitter on my nose. I might try some of their other primers because they had a huge variety and I’d love one just like this, minus the glitter!

Revlon Colorstay liquid eye pen

I believe it was RachhLoves that recommended this in a drugstore haul of hers so I wanted to try it. I’m not great with winged liner so I think the long, narrow shape of this makes it easier to do a winged look. It’s a felt tip pen with a nice formula. Unfortunately I’ve somehow dented the felt tip so it isn’t very sharp anymore, but I can still achieve a pretty thin line even with my abysmal eyeliner skills!

 Physicians Formula ArganWear BB cream

 With the summer approaching I decided to pick up something with a lighter coverage than my usual foundations. The adorable packaging of this BB cream drew me in! The color selection is awful but I chose “Light” anyway. I haven’t used this on my face yet but it’s a very thick product, slightly darker than my skin tone, and the product has some sort of moisturizing oil in it because you have to shake it before using it otherwise the oil separates. When I get tan I’ll be able to use this so I might do a full review on it over the summer!

Loreal Infallible Eyeshadow in Amber Rush

 This is definitely my favorite drugstore purchase! The formula of this eyeshadow is silky smooth, extremely pigmented, and it almost feels like a cream eyeshadow rather than a pressed one. The color is also incredible, it’s the most metallic rose gold eyeshadow I’ve ever owned. I think I need to pick up a few more of these, I absolutely love the formula!

 

MAC recently reduced the price of their Pro refill pans from $10 to $6 so I decided it was time to place an order. I picked up three eyeshadows and a lipstick. The shadows are all pretty nice, but not quite as good as I expected considering all I've heard about MAC eyeshadows. They're soft and smooth, but not as pigmented as some of the other high-end eyeshadows I have. That being said I've only tried the Veluxe Pearl and Frost finishes so I'll buy a few more, there's tons of space in my Pro palette! As for the lipstick, I absolutely love MAC's matte formula. It isn't drying at all and the color is lovely.

Eyeshadows

All That Glitters: Shimmery light gold with a hint of pink. Veluxe Pearl.

Patina: Shimmery cool pale taupe. Frost

Woodwinked: Shimmery bronze. Veluxe Pearl.

Lipstick

Honeylove: Matte beige-y nude

 

I also went downstate for Easter and popped into Ulta, where I purchased a bottle of It’s a 10 Leave in Conditioner and the BareMineralsBareskin concealer. I’ve been using the concealer a lot, “Light” is a great match for my skin and the product is really nice for covering blemishes. I even use it under the eyes!

And finally, I made an online purchase of the BenefitCheekathon blush palette. I’d been wanting to try Benefit’s Box o’ Powders for ages, especially Hoola and Rockateur, so when I saw that they were both in this palette, plus three other blushes, I immediately ordered it. I’m going to do a full review on this soon but I love this palette so far! It includes five full size products, four blushes and one bronzer (although I think Dallas is a good bronzing shade). The blushes are Dandelion, Rockateur, Dallas, and Coralista and the bronzer is Hoola. It’s a great deal and I find myself wearing every one!

Overall I'm really happy with my purchases. What beauty items have you bought recently?

Xx Katie