Small Ulta Haul

soooooo.....i got a 20% off coupon for Ulta, so technically i was obligated to do a little shopping right!!?? 

i was most excited to go and get the new Benefit cream highlighter, Watts Up. i have had my eyes on it for a whiiiile now, and i was going to get it during the Sephora Friends and Family Sale. but to make a long story short, i decided not to take advantage of the Sephora sale. 

so when i got 20% at Ulta i figured it was a sign that i need, at least, this highlighter in my life....along with some other goodies, might as well.

im so glad i grabbed this highlighter. i am a highlighter junkie, so another highlighter for my collection is probably the last thing i need. BUUUUT, the formulation, and smoothness, and just the overall coolness of the packaging is worth it in my eyes. this is a cream-to-powder product that glides on with such smoothness, no clumping or streaking. its a champagne color that gives off a gorgeous glow. no glitter chunks, but a verrrry slight shimmer, not over powering at all. a very glow from within type of look.

whats super cool about this product is that on one side is the highlighter, and the other is a soft round sponge that is perfect for blending! yay for convenience!!! i love products that i can just throw in my purse and run out the door, user friendliness is key!

Watts Up is also awesome because you can use it alone, over foundations, powders, moisturizers...whatever. even though it is a cream, it dries to a powder finish so its super versatile. it wont end up looking muddy or smudging your already perfectly blended blush or bronzer.

 top swatch is one sweep of Watts Up and Bottom swatch is one sweep of Watts Up blended out with the attached sponge.

so far i am really enjoying this product, it gets an A+ for convenience, smoothness, and glowyness. 

on to the next one....Suzy Loves Cowboys!!!!

a few weeks ago i asked my cousin Jess from Hello, Polish! what she would suggest for a chocolaty brown polish. she immediately directed me to this one!!! i LOVE it!!! it is exactly what i was looking for, and oddly enough i dont have anything close to this color in my collection!!! OPI's Suzy Loves Cowboys is a dark creamy medium brown shade, it literally looks like you melted a Hersey's Bar onto your nails. LOVE IT! perfect for fall. the only gripe i have with this particular polish is its slightly watery formulation. it took 3 coats to get it completely opaque. i dont know if i just grabbed a watery batch or if its just the way this color was made, but i hardly have to use 3 coats with any of my OPI polishes. either way i still love it, im so glad Jess recommended this to me and i now have it snuggled in with the rest of my collection!

just for fun, i snagged this little gift set!

The Tarte Lip Service Limited Edition LipSurgence Collection

The Tarte automatic lip pencils have always struck my interest but i have never bit the bullet and paid the$24- $28 that come along with them. so when i saw that i can try 5 great colors for $29 i screamed "schweeeeeet" in my head (of course)! this set holds a $120 retail value, i got it for $29!!!! INCREDIBLE!

each pencil has .10 oz of product which you twist from the bottom to get more. they are so amazingly smooth and silky. they have a really nice minty scent and they give off a beautiful moisturized looking sheen.

Glitzy, Perky, Flashy, Swank, Dazzled

i believe each of these shades are part of their permanent line and you can purchase each shade individually. in all honesty, im very impressed. i like everything about these lip colors. the packaging is adorable, the scent is very pleasurable, and the shade range is great. they dont feel sticky on your lips and they have no tingle or burn even though they have a minty scent. 

these particular pencils are "lip tints" which, i think, are awesomely pigmented for tints. i love it. Tarte also has matte, sheer, and color/sparkle pencils.

now that i have tried and fell in love with these lip products, i will absolutely be looking into their permanent line.if you happen to come across this gift set i 100% recommend you snag one and try them out!!!

Butter London Stiletto Stick

every time i pass the Butter London display this friggin thing always catches my eye. so now that i was armed with my 20% off coupon, i figured there's no better time then now to try it out.

Butter London says: "Dry, cracked areas will fade away, leaving a silky finish. The instant relief will become permanent with continues use. Its the easiest way to heal your heels! Roll over hard skin areas as often as needed."

 i have only used this once so far, so i really have no true opinions about it yet. it does have a nice clean slightly floral scent. which is kind of a nice change from the stereotypical minty/rosemary type scents that usually come along with foot products. 

the product itself looks like a solid form of vaseline in the packaging. its definitely not as greasy has vaseline, but it does have a slightly greasy feel to it.i suggest slippin on a pair of smoothing socks after applying this.ill do a follow up post about the Stiletto Stick to let you know my thoughts after i give it enough time to form an informed opinion!

has anyone used this before?? let me know!

happy haulage and happy halloween!!!!!!!!

This is Halloween!

Just a fun manicure I did for halloween! Frankenstein and the skull are my favorites!!!

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NOTD: Color Club Flame and Fortune, with a twist.

Color Club Flame and Fortune is a sheer jelly-pink shade with chunky confetti through it. this polish is much easier to work with then Color Clubs Backstage Pass that was in my last nail post. 

this is two coats of Flame and Fortune and i was able to just paint it on as normal, no patting like Backstage Pass, SWEET. 

I tried to capture the confetti bits in this polish, in no way is this a glitter or a shimmer. its legit confetti! iridescent pieces, all different sizes and shapes - its pretty much a party in a bottle.

i wanted a little more craziness for this manicure, i think the confetti put me in a funky mood, so i added a white tip with black dotted details....its kinda like a flamboyant lady bug. and i love it.

Welcome to the Wonderful World of Glitter!

Milani one coat glitter polish is amazing! i picked this shade up the other day, just on a whim. i like greys and deep shades, so one more glitter polish couldnt hurt right!? well, this polish totally exceeded my expectations, i was expecting the regular outcome as with any glitter polish...2 to 3 coats to get a full coverage look. WOW, they were not kidding when they advertise "one coat"!!! i took some pics after i did a light coat on each finger, you can see how super concentrated this glitter polish is, and when you do a heavier coat you literally need only 1 layer of this shade!!! i used this polish on my toes the other day, i HATE polishing my own toes - but times are tough lol so bye bye bi-weekly pedis! you shall be missed. - this polish was a life saver!!! one thick swipe on each tootsie and i was done-zo! schweeeeet. 

Milani One Coat Glitter Polish in Silver Dazzle

CVS $5

two coats of Silver Dazzle

i added some of Color Clubs Backstage Pass to give this look an extra punch. FML when its time to change polishes, this is gona take foreverrrrrr to get off!!! but its super fun!

Backstage Pass is a bunch of chunky hexagonal glitters in a clear base. its got silver, grey, and pink glitters so its super versatile and will look badass over many different colors.

i tried to capture how chunky and big these glitters are, and because they are so oversized it can be a bit tough to work with. rather then brushing on this polish, you pretty much have to pat the brush against your nail to get the glitters spread somewhat evenly. 

once you apply a top coat over this polish it doesnt feel chunky or scratchy at all.  my nails sparkle like crazy in the sunlight, im obsessed with this manicure. it was super fun to do and even though it looks like alot going on on each nail, because the Milani polish was so quick and easy this really wasnt a long drawn out process. SCORE. 

Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadows: Swatches and Love.

 these things are absolutely part of my holy grail products. they are amazing, pigmented - super smooth - soooo long lasting - and ZERO creasing, even without a primer. i got my first pot (RSVP) for free at sephora about 4 years ago as a gift with purchase and i was stunned on how awesome and user friendly these cream shadows are. 

Busy Signal, Strut

RSVP, Get Figgy, Birthday Suit

Skinny Jeans, Stiletto

 they work beautifully as a shadow base, but on their own they are gorgeous. i literally just swirl my ring finger in the pot to get some product, smooth over my lid and blend slightly over my crease, add some liner and mascara and im ready to run out the door. they last ALL DAY, no exaggerations, and the word "creaseless"  in the name is not a lie. i never use a primer when using these shadows, and i have never had a problem with creasing or fading. i think these shadows are a wonderful product to have in your collection, whether your a makeup junkie or just starting out. speaking of which, i myself, started out with makeup using these shadows. they were so easy to use and looked so great, they opened the door to the world of cosmetics for me - and i never looked back! you might be able to see the HUGE dent i have created in RSVP, it was my first and it will always be close to my heart <3

 as you can see these shadows are super creamy, they glide on and stay put. they are also easy to layer or sheer out to your preference. 

Skinny Jeans

Busy Signal

Get Figgy

Birthday Suit

Strut

RSVP

Stiletto

Stiletto, RSVP, Strut, Birthday Suit, Get Figgy, Busy Signal, Skinny Jeans

I use RSVP at least 2-3 times a week, if im not grabbing RSVP on the go, im reaching for Birthday Suit next. both are so beautiful for a quick and easy day look. Skinny Jeans is gorgeous on its own, but when im in the mood for a more sultry look i like to blend some Strut in the outer corner to deepen it a bit. Get Figgy and Stiletto are GREAT for using under purple and pink shadows. they also work great on their own using the same method as Skinny Jeans a Strut. Busy Signal is an incredible chocolatey brown, the shimmers in all of these cream shadows are to die for, but the golden sheen and sparkle Busy Signal has is amazing. 

i 100% recommend these shadows, if i had to choose just one i would have to pick RSVP -  its just so versatile! 

The New Too Faced Smokey Eye Palette

yayyyyy!!! i finally found a window of time that i could actually swatch some stuff and take some pics. SWEET.

so as i have said before, i love the Too Faced Boxed Palettes, i have collected them all so far, but could never bring myself to pick up the original Smokey Eye Palette. the old palette had some nice shades, but none that i could see myself reaching for more then once, it was never my cup of tea.

so when i saw that Too Faced had some out with a new Smokey Eye Palette, i got super excited! the shadows in this palette are all gorgeous and all wearable. suuuuuuuuch an upgrade from the original, in my opinion. 

like all the other boxed palettes, this one comes in, well...a box. 

as you open up the top you will find 9 beeeeeeeeautiful shades and 3 "how-to" cards.

each palette always has a "day" look, a "classic" look, and a "fashion" look. each card will give tips on how to achieve each look. but i like to just do my own thang, and mix and match the colors to create my own smokey eye. 

Day: Firefly, Cloves, Up In Smoke

Classic: White Lie, Nice Ash, Smokin Hot

Fashion: In a Flash, Smoking Jacket, Smolder

most shadows in this palette are frosty, none have chunks of glitter, and only two (smolder & smokin hot) are more on the matte side. 

my favorites in this palette are the three shades going down the middle - Cloves, Nice Ash, Smoking Jacket. all are gorgeous, Firefly is a beautiful highlight color & Smoking Jacket is a rich purple with an awesome duo-chrome sheen. i 100% recommend this palette to anyone, any age, any skin tone. the looks you can create with just one palette is endless. the shadows are super pigmented, smooth and buttery, and so easy to blend. you get a ton of product for under $40, cant beat it.

next time you find yourself at a Sephora or an Ulta, make sure you swatch these yourself so you can experience the awesome-ness.

xoxox ash

old school glam twist

old school glam twist by martiniandglossy featuring flower hair accessories