HAUL | Sonia Kashuk, Sephora, and Ulta ♡

I picked up some things with all the great deals going on during the holiday season! I'm very excited to show them to y'all ♡

An overview of all the products I've hauled ≧◔◡◔≦

First up, I have the Sonia Kashuk Limited Edition Eye On Neutral- Matte/Shimmer Palette**. I've been eyeing this palette ever since I saw it on MusingsofaMuse and was so excited to finally try it out. So far, I've only done swatches of it but I am going to start using it tomorrow for sure! It is limited edition, so I'd hurry out and grab it now! The swatches I've done are so beautiful and for $29.99, it's a good deal.

So these are just some things I picked up from Sephora and Ulta. There was a great VIB Sale--20% sale items so I made sure to grab all the Makeup Forever and Tarte eyeliners--some of the only eyeliners that stay put on my oily eyelids. I also picked up the Lorac Unzipped Palette so that I can do the much anticipated comparison between the Unzipped Palette and the Naked 3. （‐＾▽＾‐）

Tarte Skinny SmolderEYES Intense Amazonian Clay Waterproof Eyeliner Trio

Tarte has got to be my favorite high end brand. I love the philosophy behind the brand. They don't test on animals and don't use triclosan, parabens, mineral oil, phthalates, sodium lauryl sulfate, and gluten. I really love the Tarte Skinny smolderEYES liners that I got in another Tarte set called the Stop & Stare 6 piece eyeliner & lash set (unfortunately, the kit was limited edition but I think you can still pick up the liners separately) and so when I saw these liners, I had to get them! 

It came in a set called the Tarte Skinny smolderEYES Intense Amazonian Clay Waterproof Eyeliner Trio. And let me tell you, these liners are INTENSE. While doing the swatches for the blog, I accidentally tapped them on my hand and the spot was intense. I barely rubbed these pencils on my hand and I got a lot of color payoff. These are really creamy liners that pack quite a pigmented punch. I haven't tried these on my eyes yet, but I am really in love with these liners already! Luckily, these shades aren't limited edition and can be found at Tarte. I love that this set also comes with a sharpener because I lose those so often. 

From left to right: Bronze, Gold, and Plum

Update 01/22/14: I'm going to post another swatch photo of the Tarte eyeliners because I realized that the one above kind of looks edited. While it shows the sparkle of each eyeliner well, they aren't really true to color. The one below show how each color looks a bit more realistically.

From right to left: Plum, Gold, and Bronze

MUFE Aqua Eyes Collection

 So far, Makeup Forever's eyeliners are the only ones that stay in my waterline and tightline without moving anywhere throughout the day. I received a mini of the 0L and being thoroughly impressed with its staying power, decided to pick up this set

This set is called the Makeup Forever Aqua Eyes Collection. It contains 2 full size eyeliners in shades 0L (Matte Black) and 2L (Pearly Brown) as well as 4 travel size eyeliners in shades 21L (Dark Grey), 6L (Black with Purple Highlights), 12L (Blue with Green Highlights) and 23L (Champagne). This was such a great deal because each full size pencil normally retails for $19 but I picked up this entire set for $25! ≧◠◡◠≦✌

They aren't creamy and off the bat pigmented as the Tarte SmolderEYES but they have amazing lasting power and decent pigmentation as well as a wide variety of shades. You can line the inner rim 3 times, allowing each coat to dry in between each application for added intensity. All of the shades in this kit are part of the regular range so you can find them at Sephora.

From left to right: 23L, 12L, 6L, 21L, 0L, and 2L

Lorac Unzipped Palette

I've been lemming this product for the longest ever since I first saw EmilyNoel83 do a tutorial on it. For $40, you get 10 shades in shimmering and matte finishes as well as a mini Lorac Behind the Scenes Eye Primer. I haven't done any swatches or anything with it yet but just looking at it makes me happy. I love using pinks and browns on my eyes because it complements my brown eyes nicely without making a major impact like purple or blue would. I'm definitely going to do a TUTORIAL and a REVIEW! You can find yours at Ulta and Lorac!

MUFE All Eyes On You

I went a little crazy with the Makeup Forever eyeliners and this kit, called the All Eyes On You, was such a steal, allowing me to try out the Smokey Lash Extra Black Mascara, HD High Definition Powder, and the Aqua Cream Waterproof Cream Color in #16. This neat little kit also contains 2 full size Aqua Eyes Waterproof Eyeliner pencils in #0L (black) and #21L (dark grey). 

As I've mentioned before, I love the 0L liner so much that I couldn't resist hoarding back ups of this color. Gray is another shade I really love for days that I want subtle liner. I have these swatched above so I thought it be redundant to post them again.

I had a mini of the Make Up For Ever Smokey Extravagant Mascara (that I haven't gotten the chance to try yet) and so decided that it be a great time to try some high end mascaras to see what's the big deal. 

I like using cream eyeshadows on days that I want a simple but bold eye look, especially on days where I don't have a lot of time to get ready. This pink champagne color is definitely a color that I gravitate towards often so I thought this was a perfect time to give these Aqua Creams a try.

The HD Powder is a popular staple in many a beauty lover's collection so including it in this set was a great move on MUFE's part. I'm really excited to use this powder and I'll definitely update when I do. :)

They also included two eye looks called "Soft Shimmer" and "Dramatic Glamour", which is nice. It was hard for me to photograph it but I'll try recreating it for y'all in a later post.  

So I'm not sure if y'all knew but I chopped off my hair recently--about 13 inches worth. It's now grazing the tops of my shoulder and I really love it so far. I won't be doing too much hair styling now since my hair barely grazes the tops of my shoulder, lol, but I had bought these before I chopped it off. >.<

Anyhoo, I picked up the Tresemme Keratin Smooth Heat Protection Shine Spray. I forgot to pack the one I usually use and since Ulta was having a sale on Tresemme products, I grabbed it. The Keratin Smooth line is designed to keep frizz at bay for up to 48 hours, which is a big claim. I don't think I'd need my hair to be tamed for that long but it's reassuring to know that my frizz can be banished for that long should I ever need it to be.

I also grabbed the Tresemme Thermal Creations Curl Activator Spray. My hair curls easily but it is hard to keep a curl. Within two hours, I can see the curls straightening out and after 4 hours, I just have a frizzy, sticky mess of semi wavy ends, which is frustrating because I take the time to section each curl and hairspray it. I've heard about this product a few years back but could never find it at my local drugstores. I finally got a chance to get this from Ulta but now my hair is a bit too short to curl unless I want to look like Shirley Temple. However, I might just give this a try, enduring all the Shirley Temple jokes from my brothers and see how it works.

Split ends are a girl's worst hair nightmare (in my opinion) and so the Tresemme Split Remedy Split End Sealing Serum seems like a great remedy. I don't know if once can really seal up split ends but it can't hurt to try. I don't really have any split ends right now but when my hair grows out a bit longer, we'll see how it goes.

These are just the samples I received from my orders. I really like shopping at Ulta because they have samples with purchase of certain brands, allowing you to try out even more products in addition to the typical three you get with every order. In my order, I got a sample of the Lorac POREfection Mattifying Face Primer. I've been trying out a lot of of primers to see which one can help me control my oil (not struggling with that right now since the cold winter air and heat conditioned air dries out my face so much right now) so I'm curious to see how it works. 

 I've tried a couple of the Body Shop products before so the Shea Body Butter is much needed for curing dry and flaky winter skin.

 I'm definitely interested in trying the Matrix Biolage Exquisite Oil Micro-Oil Shampoo and Oil Creme Conditioner but it might be too heavy for my fine hair but we'll see.

I don't ever style my hair unless I'm going somewhere (which is once in a blue moon lol) but the Ouidad Climate Control Heat and Humidity Gel is intriguing. It's not the right season for me to try this out (as I don't live in a hot and humid climate) but it seems to be some sort of styling gel. I also received the Matrix Biolage Styling Blue Agave Blow-In Control Shape Memory Cream (woo, that was a mouthful). It claims to add body and condition to hair while providing light hold. Looking at the ingredients list, this might not be the best for hair and the Agave Tequilana Leaf Extract is all the way at the bottom so I don't know if I'll use it. 

I'm for sure not using the John Frieda Sheer Blonde Go Blonder Controlled Lightening Spray. I've never ever dyed, permanently or temporarily, my hair and I'm not too keen on starting now. I have a dark brown hair color that I quite like nd this product is not recommended for use on medium brown or darker shades of hair and for blondes only. If you are curious as to how this product works, you spray it on towel-dried hair and style. If you want quicker results, use a flat iron or curling iron after blow drying. The more heat one uses, the greater the lightening effect. If you want all over lightening, highlights, or too blending, this is a product you might want to try. It does contain hydrogen peroxide so I'd be careful using it near your clothes or furniture as it will probably bleach those things. Obviously, use it only on your scalp hair, not on sensitive, irritated or damaged scalp, wash your hands after use, and avoid contact with eyes and other sensitive areas.

The Givenchy Gentlemen Only Eau de Toilette is a typical male scent. It is described as Woody Neo Aromatic. The top note is birch leaf. The heart notes include cedar wood, patchouli heart, and vetyver. The base note is skin accord, whatever that is. It is a nice scent that I can see an older guy wearing, like mid 20's or older. Overall, nice scent but not really something I'd purchase for myself.

So this is the end of my long holiday haul! Thanks for coming by and I'll definitely be posting more swatches of the Sonia Kashuk and the Unzipped Palettes soon!

MWAH Musings ♡

• I've always been a huge fan of One Republic and recently, I've been playing Counting Stars all the time! I really love the melody and Ryan Tedder's vocals just kill it. Hanbyul from Led Apple also has a great cover too if you want to check it out here or down below.

                        

• I've been a little slow in my posts but I've just been dealing with some family arguments. Everything is fine now so the posts will be flowing! 
• I'm working on my New Year's Resolution (even though the first week of the year is almost done but better late than never in my opinion!)

XOXO,

MWAH ♡

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Disclosure Statement: All products mentioned were purchased with my own money. I am not sponsored by any of the companies mentioned above and was not compensated for this post. All opinions are my own. Links are not affiliate links and are provided for the readers' convenience. Products marked with an asterisk (*) were given to me as samples or gifts with purchase. Products marked with two asterisks (**) were given to me by my friends and family.