Black Friday, Cyber Monday Hauls and Disappointments

I'm back again! Thanksgiving was hectic, as I was cooking all Thursday. I got to break my meat fast for a bit by nomming on some turkey. I hope everyone got to spend some time with other loved ones! :)

I didn't think I spent that much money until I tallied it all up just now, lol. 

Here goes: 
I didn't buy much on Black Friday. I am super scared of big crowds and the cold. Black Friday's for the true fanatics! I stayed warm all day and ventured out to my local stores just to browse around. I picked up the N.Y.C. limited edition rose glosses Rite-Aid. Learn more about the collection here. The collection never showed up in the East Bay, but they found their way to my hometown. I was so excited to find them, because it's been a while since they've been released. And there was still one of each! I felt soo excited... until I got them home and realized that someone broke the safety seal on one of them and swatched it. Gah, but I decided to keep it and sanitize it with rubbing alcohol on the surface. Check the safety seal, it should be on all unopened rose glosses!

After dinner, I check out the local Ulta. They stocked some new Freeman products, so I, of course, helped myself to a new clay facial mask. I glanced over the ingredients for this one and I see no parabens, woot! (EDIT: I didn't looked closely enough, it does. :/) I'll get a new review up for this one soon. 

When I got back to school, I proceeded to haul some L'oreal products that have been heavily discounted. Thanks Gianna and Lisa for the tips! Another thanks to Gianna for alerting me that the new Sally Hansen Nailgrowth Miracle nail colors were available at CVS.

CVS Haul

Here's the breakdown (yes, I made a chart)



I saved tons of money on the L'oreal sale, though I'm not a fan of L'oreal skincare or cosmetics. I've looked through the labels: way too much mineral oil/petrolatum and alcohol. But I'm pretty happy with my purchases nonetheless. Save even more money by printing out some L'oreal coupons. I found mine here. 

I kicked off Cyber Monday with e.l.f.'s 55% off sale on Sunday. It bugs me that it doesn't include free shipping, but $6.95 is manageable. Here's my forthcoming haul. 

The sale has been extended, so you still have a chance to get your haul on! Another way to save money is to spend over $30 on e.l.f., not including tax and not counting coupon savings. You'll then be eligible for a magazine. But if you forgo the magazine, you'll receive $12 rebate back. That's like super savings! Click here for more deets. 

Rants follow

Hard Candy Haul and Review

Ever since I heard about the new items for the Hard Candy line from Gianna, I was psyched about hauling them. Luckily, I was able to pick up everything I wanted. 

My haulage

My eyes were mostly on the duo blush sticks and concealer. I'm a blush fiend and I'm always on the lookout for my nasty undereye circles. 

(L-R) Hide & Glow Cheek Duo Cheek Tint in Pillow Talk, Hot Date, and In Love

When I got to the display, I did not want to choose between the three gorgeous shade duos, so I hauled them all. Typical me. ;)
When I first apply the blush on, it feels sticky, a lip balm-y texture. I kept expecting the blush to sink into my skin into a dry finish, but that never happened. I was so disappointed when I thought I was stuck with sticky cheeks! However, I found that when you blend it in with your fingers, the stickiness subsides. So blending is key to this!

Some Swatches

You get 8g of product per tube, 4g of each color. What I loved about the color range was that it all looked very natural on my cheeks. The vibrant, neon-ish colors are on top and darker, plummier shades on the bottom. In the tubes, In Love looked like a lovely vibrant coral. I wanted it the most coming out of Walmart. But after swatching it, I am far more impressed by the other two shades. Most of all, I loved the darker sides of the duo, which actually aren't too dark for me, like I had thought. Each tube retails for $6. 

Glamoflage Heavy Duty Concealer With Concealer Pencil in Light

I am not sure how to feel about this. This is a super pigmented concealer, so much so a teeny, tiny dot will be enough for your eyes. I totally think people will be able to cover up tattoos with this baby. But on the other hand, this is a bad undereye concealer. It looks fine when I first apply it, but it already settles into my fine lines in as little as five minutes. Yikes! Also, the concealer is formulated with petrolatum and lanolin, which make some people break out. And I am far too vain to use it, if it might make me break out. So, it might be good for covering up scars and tattoos off your face. 

A Swatch

Another tip is that the concealer runs very light, so you might want to go a shade up, if you are a fair-medium. I had to exchange the light for a medium.  The pencil concealer was a perfect match for my skin, you can't even see it! This retails for $6.

 

Glow All the Way Face & Body Luminizer in Doll Face

I randomly picked it up, since I was hankering for a new primer to try out. I had heard about liquid highlighters from Tao. This would be a super cheap alternative to Benefit's High Beam. You get 2.7 oz. for $8, which is a steal compared to High Beam which retails $24 for .45 oz. This luminizer is a pink gel consistency and is super pigmented with fine silver shimmer. You really have to be careful not to overdo. It's easier to work with if you apply it underneath your foundation, so it's more subtle.    

Holy Pigmentation, Batman!

Overall, I really love the blushes and highlighter. I'm still on the fence on the concealer. 

Have you hauled the new Hard Candy too? Let me know your thoughts! :)