Quick Review | NARS NARSissist Dual Intensity Eyeshadow Palette

NARS eyeshadows have always been so beautiful to me. Every time I looked and swatched at Sephora I felt like I was going to lose myself in a world of ecstasy! The pigmentation and color range is just unbeatable! Unfortunately, the singles are VERY pricey, nearly $30 a pop! *sigh* A girl could only dream.

When I saw a whole palette full of them in TJMAXX I KNEW I needed to get it! It was meant to be! Sadly, the $50 price tag was WAY out of my league at the time! Even though it was $30 off the original price, that wasn’t much help for someone that didn’t have $50 for eye shadow anyway.

You can imagine how disappointed I was. 

I researched online for it and learned that it was a limited edition palette that released in 2014. Even though that’s a while back, it doesn’t take away the fact that it’s a gorgeous palette, so it’s not like I still didn’t want it. Unfortunately I couldn’t find it anywhere else! *cue devestation and sad violin music*

However, I guess it was destiny, because a while later (and after I started making my own money again and wouldn’t have to ask my mom) I saw it for sale online! It was marked down even more than I saw at the store! It was 100% authentic because they showed proof of purchase and live swatches! 

You’ve really got to be careful buying some things on third party selling sites like eBay or Poshmark: scammers love to lurk around those parts! 

The seller didn’t want it anymore because she was allergic to them. I was so excited I was going to get eight GORGEOUS NARS eyeshadows for practically a bargain! I was elated I actually got my hands on the beauty! 

Here he is!

SWATCHES!!!

I mean COME ON!! 😍😍😍

Even on my fingers they were stunning! But of course you never know until you try them on the skin. I think this photo says it all.

I’m still playing around with it and trying new combinations with other palette colors since there are no matte shades in this. The wear time is definitely impressive, phenomanel to be honest! I haven’t tried them wet yet so I can’t imagine how stunning they’ll look then! 

I plan on sharing some looks from this palette in the future in mini tutorials. Make sure to follow my Instagram (@hellohaneef) to see the sneak peeks there first! 

It’s funny: when I first started out I wasn’t much into shadows. Now I love playing with them and creating looks. I’m not an eye shadow palette junkie or anything though. Ima lipstick junkie!

What are your thoughts on the look of this palette? Isn’t it a stunner? 😍 

Do you enjoy NARS shadows?

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ULTA Beauty Review: Matte Lip Creams

I recently purchased some ULTA Matte Lip Creams (retail for $9 each) from Ulta.com. I was in need of some fall lip colors to get myself more in the mood. They were on sale: buy two get two free, so I thought it was a good time to try them out.

I got four colors: Courageous, Passion, Stirring, and Allusive.

Here are arm swatches for each:

Left to right: allusive, stirring, passionate, and courageous

Initial thoughts when I first got these were that the colors were absolutely gorgeous and the pigmentation of the lip cream was impressive. Applying them on my lips was hassle-free and I loved the creamy, satin like feel. However, I was worried for a moment that these wouldn’t truly fit the matte definition as tt takes quite a few minutes for the lip cream to dry to its matte finish. Once it dries it doesn’t feel like you’re wearing anything. It doesn’t dry out my lips or feel tight and uncomfortable like other matte lip formulas.

They are not smudge proof, although they pass the kiss the back of my hand test. They do have a staining affect to the lips so the color will still be quite pigmented after eating and drinking. They come off very easily with a makeup remover wipe.

The lasting power of this formula is great. You can most likely get through the entire day with these with minimal touch ups! You’ll mostly need to touch up the inside of the lips after eating or drinking.

While darker liquid lipsticks tend to have the issue of being patchy or difficult to apply,  I don’t notice patchiness or unevenness of the dark colors allusive and stirring when applying them. I’m happy that isn’t an issue. I cannot stand patchy lip products, especially when they’re a gorgeous color.

I am pleased with these lip creams. I’m not sure if I will repurchase these because they are a bit more expensive than what I’m used to paying for drugstore priced lipsticks. However Ulta usually has awesome sales on their website that mark down the price considerably. When they have a good sale I’ll more than likely purchase them then.

I recommend the Ulta matte lip creams and give them a 8/10 rating.

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Mini ULTA Shopping Spree

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The Fall season is here so y’all know EVERYBODY has got a sale of some kind going on. I don’t believe any girl can resist a sale, and ULTA recently had one; therefore I had to take advantage! I honestly never buy any makeup or beauty related products that don’t have some kind of sale or deal attached to it. 

I’ve been doing a little “treat yo’self” haul lately from different stores and brands. I may not have spent hundreds of dollars like other bloggers, but I’m very happy and excited about the things I’ve got and I’m going to be reviewing all the products soon. 

Today is especially about the package I got in the mail today from ULTA! ULTA reduced their free shipping minimum requirement and had lots of deals with their house brand of makeup. I didn’t get much but I just wanted to share what I got! 
First up is probably the one I’m most excited about: Urban Decay All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray!

I know, I know, I am SUPER late on the All Nighter train, but I really haven’t had any money to do any makeup shopping at all for a long while, a few months actually. Also to be honest, I just can’t bring myself to spend over $30 for a setting spray no matter how long it’s going to last me. Some people claim that it costs less money to get the full size bottle (which ironically costs more money) because it’ll last you a long time, but if you don’t have it in the first place, you don’t have it. Doesn’t make sense to spend $36 on a setting spray if you don’t have the $36 to spend anyway right? 
Anyway, I decided to get the travel size bottle because I’ve become extremely fascinated with setting sprays and face mists and just skin care in general. My Loreal Infallible Makeup Extender Spray is starting to run low as well as my Mario Badescu Aloe and Rose Water Face Mist. I thought it was time to add a new spray to the bunch. Since the travel size Urban Decay All Nighter was close in price to the Loreal Infallible one, I thought it the best time to give it a try! I can’t wait to put it to the test and see if it’s worth the hype!

Next I got a contour brush from ELF. This is my very first contouring brush *gasp* and I love ELF’s brushes so much that I already have high expectations for this one. I used to think highlighting and contouring was some silly fad, but when I tried it for myself I understand the purpose for the technique. It really helps structure the face and create some dimension. Plus I have really chubby cheeks that I find so annoying and my parents find so adorable (how typical) so I like to carve them out a little bit so my cheeks look less, well, chubby. 

I got four of ULTA’s matte lip creams. It’s Fall so we all know warm mauves and dark vampy shades are in! Deep, dark, and bold shades are my favorites anyway so I’m very excited to start wearing these.

lightest to darkest: Courageous, passionate, stirring and allusive

 

The swatches are opaque and smooth so I’m looking forward to seeing how they wear on my lips. They don’t dry very quickly so something tells me they may not be transfer proof, which is something I check for to count a lipstick as perfect, but I don’t think it’ll bother me much. The colors are so pretty and compliment my dark skin tone very well. We’ll just see how it goes!
Lastly I wanted to mention the free samples they gave me. I received a sample of the It Cosmetics CC + Cream with SPF 50 in Medium!

Yeaaaahhhh… not my shade 😂😫

Obviously I won’t be able to put that to use! 😂 

 I also got a sample of the Murad Essential C-Day Moisture Broad Spectrum SPF 30. 

I’m very excited to try a Murad product. I’ve heard nothing but great things about the brand. 

I will be back soon with my reviews on each of these products! Until then, Aribaderchi! 👋🏾💕

Influenster Pep VoxBox Preview

Hi girls! 👋🏾

I am very excited about the package I received last Thursday: the Pep Vox Box courtesy of Influenster.com! 

As a member of Influenster I periodically  get a large box of goods ranging from beauty to lifestyle and food for free in exchange for my honest opinion. I’m thrilled every time I get an email letting me know that a box is on the way! I’ve been able to try many amazing things thanks to this company and it helps me save a few bucks by allowing me to try something before I consider purchasing it. As bloggers, we all know beauty products add up quickly, and who else hates spending money on a product they wished they never bought? 

By the way: You can check out Influenster.com and join FOR FREE! There’s absolutely no catch, no fees, and no follower or subscribers requirement! You don’t need to be a blogger or vlogger either. If you’re an average every day girl who just loves trying new things and giving quality feedback, that’s all it takes to become a member!

All of the products are generally full sized, as they are this time. This Pep VoxBox from Influenster has an impressive assortment of things from brands like Simple Skin Care, Max Factor and Pure Ice to name a few. Here are all the products that were included:
Pure Ice Shine Gel Tech Color Patent Pleasure and Lock It Down Top Coat 💅🏾

Simple Cleansing Facial Wipes 😁

7th Heaven Tea Tree Peel-Off Face Mask 😝

Brew and Renew Coffee Pods ☕️

Max Factor Mascara and Eye Liner 😍

Lastly a coupon for Land O’ Frost Deli Snackers 😋 

 
 I’ve already tried about three of these items and so far I’m quite impressed! Stay on the lookout for my full reviews on all of these products! I bet we’ll all walk away with a few new favorites! 💕

Beware of Avon: How Their Lipstick Destroyed My Lips!

As a makeup enthusiast and absolute lipstick junkie, this post definitely hurts to write! Avon has such a good reputation. They are really such a classic, traditional, and sophisticated line of beauty products that has been around generations. I don’t know anyone whose grandmother didn’t have a couple of Avon lipsticks on their dresser tops. Unfortunately for me, they are the absolute worst lip sticks I have ever used!

Some of my family members were Avon ladies, and they shared the catalogs with every woman they knew.

 

The catalogues were filled with wonderful products that looked so interesting and pretty and like they’d definitely be a great addition to your makeup and skincare collection. My mom and I looked over the booklet, and since the prices were fair and she wanted to support she ordered a few things. She got some assorted lip products, two hand creams, and a foot cream.

 

Out of all the products I got two lipsticks, a lip balm, and the foot cream, because Avon’s lotions are absolutely wonderful in my opinion. However, their lip products had a horrid effect on me. I got two of their Extra Long Lasting (which they really weren’t by the way) lipsticks, a pretty nude pink and a shiny red. The first thing that threw me off about them was how sheer and glossy they were. Since they were advertised as long wearing, the formula didn’t feel like a long lasting lipstick at all. I didn’t mind too much though because the colors were just so pretty and they smelled like cherry candy!

Anyway, after about two days I noticed my lips began to itch and feel really dry. I assumed that maybe it was due to the recent change of the seasons and an overdue lip treatment. Oddly, no matter how much Vaseline, coconut oil, or lip balm I slathered on, it didn’t make the intense dry and chapped feeling go away.

Then, I noticed that salty foods irritated my lips terribly. Eating a few chips or French fries didn’t bother me at all the week before. Soon after, my lips began to swell and started chaffing and peeling profusely. Certain parts darkened considerably, and blisters formed! I was terrified! What in the world was happening? Was I now allergic to a certain food or spice? I couldn’t figure it out, until I realized that it had to have been the lipsticks! I’d never had an allergic reaction on my lips as severe as this until I wore that lipstick from Avon. Thankfully the Aquaphor lip treatment my mom purchased for me from Shoppers healed my lips almost instantly.

I know for a fact it was the Avon lipstick because I even tried a chubby stick that my mother got. She swatched it and didn’t like the color, so I asked her for it and she gave it to me. I assumed that maybe it was a specific ingredient in those other lipsticks that caused the reaction, and that since this was a totally different product it should be fine. Boy was I wrong; it happened all over again, almost with a vengeance. It took a little longer for my lips to heal after that time, using the same Aquaphor treatment.

 

Since that horrific experience I haven’t ordered any makeup products from Avon. Unfortunately, their lipsticks are a huge miss for me, and I won’t be purchasing any more in the future. I’m still a big fan of their lotions and body care items. Please let me know if any of you have been through a similar situation.
Thanks for reading! Have you ever had any allergic reactions to a brand’s beauty item? Did you reach out or warn family and friends? Let’s chat in the comments!