Collective Haul + Review

I'm alive!!! 


Believe it...or not!


My brain has been all a buzz because it's starting to become my favorite time of year: Autumn. The weather is starting to cool down, the breezes are picking up, the leaves act like they're about to turn, and the Halloween merch is hitting the shelves. I have several ideas for Halloween tutorials, and I'm very saddened by the fact that I don't believe that it's humanly possible for me to fit them all in in one month. But then there's always next year, right? The last few weeks in September are going to be a lot of fun as well. I've got a few reviews coming up, plus I'm going to be starting a special makeup series as a lead up to Halloween. Good times, great oldies. 


But, in the meantime, for your viewing pleasure, I've got a haul and some review-age! This is just some of the things that I have accumulated over the last month or so, and they products that I've primarily been playing with.


Disclaimer: I purchased all of these items myself, all opinions are my own. Yadda, yadda.

I freaking love this eyeshadow. I've used it in the crease, as a liner, as an all over shadow, and it's just amazeballs. 'Beauty Marked' is a gorgeous browny/burgundy with tons of crimson glitter shot through; it is a velvet finish. I honestly cannot say enough good things about this shadow. Serious business.

How I came to own 'Sushi Flower' is the same story as with 'Stars n' Rockets': I came in for 'Blanc Type', it was out of stock, I got this instead. 'Sushi Flower' is a lovely cool toned salmon pink, and it is a satin finish. It's a fabulous blending color (I've used it blend out 'Beauty Marked' and various other colors like matte browns), as well as being used by itself. I've even used this color as a blush, and it is quite beautiful.

Let me just be honest here, I love lipstick. I love M.A.C. lipstick. This should be evident by the fact that I bought two lipsticks on the same day.

'Rebel' is a dark purple/berry color, and is a satin finish. It was re-promoted with the 'M.A.C. Me Over' Collection, and is apart of the permanent line. The color is gorgeous, and it is highly pigmented. I do find it to be a bit drying on the lip, personally, and I have been known to swipe 'Skeltrina' by Toki Doki (a tinted lip balm in almost the exact same shade- it's also one of my faves that lives in my purse) over top for some extra moisture. 

'Morange' is bright. Really bright. You are not going to believe how bright this lipstick really is, because the picture does not do the brightness justice. My husband suggested that I wear it the next time we go play laser tag to see if it shows up under the black light. That's how bright it is. So, if bright lip color frightens you, this is not the lipstick for you. Truth be told, it's not an easy color to wear- as is the case with a lot of orange lipsticks. The key is to keep your eye neutral, then you won't look like some sort of day glow clown. But I love this color. 'Morange' is very, very pigmented and is an amplified finish. Its application is smooth, and it is not drying at all.

Let's just take a moment, shall we? Just soak in those big four letters up there.

.......

Yeah. NARS. 

This was my first NARS purchase. Ever. It was also the first time I ever spent $23 on a single eyeshadow. It pretty much gave me heart palpitations. 

NARS is the brand that I always stare at every time I go into Sephora. Usually I go stare at the blushes, swatch them, and walk away. I hadn't ever looked at their eyeshadows before, why I don't know, but I swatched several this particular trip and I now have a running list of eyeshadows that I want. But, 'Strada' was the one that I couldn't walk away from. It was one of those "You had me at hello" moments. 

'Strada' is a beautiful smoky lavender with gold reflects, I don't think I've ever seen another color like it. The texture is so buttery smooth it's amazing, and the color payoff is unbelievable. Yeah. After staring at the swatch on my arm for a good five minutes, I put on my big girl panties and headed to the cash register. 

Consider my NARS virginity officially lost.

There y'all have it, a haul and review all in one fell swoop. But before I go, I'd like to leave you with a little preview of a review to come.

Hehehe...

Later my freaky darlings.

<3