Ulta Haul

I did some damage at Ulta. Enough said. Let's discuss...

I should also say that I made this purchase about a month ago. Usually I write about them right after I buy them because I'm excited about new things and like to talk about why I picked things out. This time, I decided to wait until I had used them for a while, so I can still mention why I purchased them, but also talk about how they worked and how I liked them, so you can decide whether you would want to purchase them too. What do you think, do you like the waiting and reviewing better?

Soap & Glory Heel Genius

I am always looking for foot cream. My feet, I'll just say it, are pretty janky if I don't take good care of them, especially in the cold, dry winter. I like a lot of Soap & Glory products, and when I tested some of this in the store I loved the texture. It's not a thick butter, or greasy cream, it's actually more of a gel. I like that because I can put it on morning and night. I struggle with foot products because I like the really thick ones for how moisturizing they are, but I hate the feeling of them during the day in socks and shoes. I didn't think this would be as moisturizing because it's a thinner, gel texture, but it left my feet super soft after only one use even. It absorbs relatively quickly, so you can actually walk around after you put it on, even if you don't put socks on right away, and it doesn't feel all slippery inside socks and shoes during the day. I love this stuff. I have been using it morning and night for a few weeks now and see a total difference. After only a week or so even, my mom commented on "how good my heels looked".  Definitely worth a try if you haven't found one  you love yet, or maybe even if you have.

Tweezerman Brush iQ Mini Face Countour Brush Set

So, NikkiTutorials talked about this set, and I was so intrigued by Tweezerman making brushes that I had to try it (I also wanted another flat brush so it was perfect). The set comes with a rounded, almost pointed face brush, a flat chisel brush, and a sponge. The sponge was meh. If you don't already have a BeautyBlender or Real Techniques sponge, then this isn't bad, but if you do  you'll be using those instead. However, the brushes I actually really like. The pointed one is nice for so many things, blending concealer under your eyes, contouring, highlighting, it has a ton of uses for the whole face. The flat chisel brush is great for contouring, it just makes it so easy. I literally just line it up where I want my contour, drag it to draw the line, then move it in really small motions up and down to blend it a bit, and done. You can also use this with translucent powder under your contour to really sharpen that line if you want a strong contour. They are both pretty soft and blend well, I just wish the handles were a little longer, but I did travel with them last week and it was great to have them so compact! 

NYX Angel Veil Skin Perfecting Primer

Another YouTube recommendation, this one by Kathleen Lights. She talked about this primer recently and recommended it for people who may not usually like a silicon based primer, which is me. I think they always set to the weirdest texture on me. It's like they are slimy and dusty all at the same time, neither of which are good. This one is cheap since it's NYX, so I decided to give it a shot. I do have to say the texture is nicer than a lot of silicon primers, it doesn't feel too slippery or too chalky after you apply it, and makeup goes on top of it very smoothly. My foundation did just glide over it, but I didn't notice that it made my foundation last any longer. I don't have a lot of problems with texture on my skin, but if you do, you may really like this to give you a smooth canvas before applying foundation. 

Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Liner

This is my favorite gel liner out there. I talked about the pencil version recently in my October Favorites, which is absolutely mind-blowing amazing, but I like the gel in a pot style for when I'm doing thicker eyeliner on top or a wing. So many of them seem to drag, or go on chunky, or skip when you're drawing them on, but this just glides on so smooth that it's easy to be precise and clean on the first try. I own the MAC gel liner which used to be my go-to, but this has replaced it, especially at this price. 

Simple Cleansing Micellar Water

I had heard a lot of great things about the Garnier Micellar water, and really wanted to try that actually, but they didn't have it in my store, so I picked this up to try instead. Micellar waters are all the rage right now, and I have to say that based on using this one, I'm not sure why. This did not remove my mascara at all, did not dissolve my foundation, and takes several cotton pads per eye to get everything off, even on light days. I'm going to still try the Garnier one when I find it, to see if maybe this one by Simple is just a bad one before I decide how I feel about Micellar water in general, but we'll see. I will definitely report back if I find and try that one, or any others, because I'm still skeptical. 

NYX Prismatic Eyeshadow in Jaded

Can we talk about this color? I really did not need another eyeshadow, but I saw this and instantly thought "oooo so many holiday looks". This is a metallic, almost duo-chrome shadow that is a true emerald, almost forest, green. I love green eye looks, especially around the holidays, they just feel so festive. I love that this is metallic, and that in the right lighting, it is almost a duo-chrome finish (meaning it looks two different colors in one depending on what angle you look at it) with some bronze in it, as you can kind of see in the photo.

Tarte Lights Camera Lashes Mascara

Another standby product, always in my collection. I wrote about this in my favorite mascaras post over a year ago, and it is still definitely in my faves. There are 3 mascaras I have to own at all times, and this is one of them. It gives you instant, dramatic volume, not a lot of clumps, and you can build it up for even more. It also works well on top and bottom lashes, and doesn't flake off or make them brittle. Need I say more?

Too Faced Hangover Replenishing Face Primer

As I mentioned with the NYX primer, I don't have a lot of problems with texture on my skin, but I do like all the moisture boost I can get before my foundation goes on, especially in the winter when it can really start to clink to dry patches on my cheeks. This is such a nice, softening and moisturizing primer, but doesn't make you shiny by the end of the day and doesn't make your foundation wear off faster, like some moisturizing ones seem to. It smells amazing, like the coconut water that's in it. if your dry, or just like a dewy finish, you will love this. If you are more oily, or like a matte finish, I can't really say because that's not me, but you might like the NYX better.

Tarte At First Blush Deluxe Amazonian Clay Blush Set

I LOVE Tarte's Amazonian Clay blushes. I already own a couple, including the super-cool, self transforming Energy shade I wrote about in my May Favorites. These blushes are just so freaking pigmented, but still so completely blendable. If you could think of every quality you want in a perfect blush and put it in one, Tarte has done it. They also have a great shade range. But anway, this set. The set came with four shades that I not only don't own from Tarte, and a few that I don't own anything like. The four shades include Ecstatic, describes as "matte nude melon", Epic-"matte poppy pink", Embelish-"shimmer plum rose", and Entertain-"shimmer rosy pink". I do like that they included two mattes and two simmers, and that Tarte's shimmers are not really shimmery. They aren't like some that leave chunks of glitter on your face, they have a very fine shimmer that just looks more like a highlight and blush combined, great for when I'm lazy. The shades did swatch a little differently than they looked in the pan. Overall they look "less brown" I would say, which I wasn't totally disappointed about. A nice variety of mattes and shimmers, and a set of a pink, nude, peach, and plum shade in a great formula. If you're in the market for blush, this is a great taste test.