This Week's Beauty Purchases!

It's been quite a productive week in beauty buys for me. I haven't had a chance to try everything out yet, but I figured I'd introduce all of the products and we can go into them a little further later on. Let's get started!

NARS Bronzing Powder in Laguna: After a less-than-stellar experience with Too Faced Peach Leopard Bronzer, I thought I'd try this cult classic. I detest super-shimmery bronzers, but the shimmer in this bronzer is almost undetectable; it just imparts a radiant glow. The shade "Laguna" is good for my pale winter skin. Maybe I'll try "Casino" in the summer time.

Maybelline Volum' Express the Colossal Cat Eyes Mascara: Is it just me, or are long product names super annoying? Regardless, I have mixed feelings about this mascara. The curved brush doesn't really do much for me as far as volume, but it helps with curl. I think layering this with another mascara (probably my favorite L'Oréal Voluminous Carbon Black) would look nice. My only issue is that Maybelline mascaras are a real pain to take off.

Essie Nail Polish in Bahama Mama: If you're trying to get in on autumn's oxblood trend but don't want to take the full dive, this is a great way to start. I thought this color would just be a deep fuchsia, but the deep burgundy/maroon color is much more than that. Pretty and rich, perfect for fall and winter. 

Mary Kay NouriShine Plus Lip Gloss in Café Au Lait: I got this lip gloss for free with a top I purchased from Lulu's. Honestly, I thought the gloss I received was a sample size, so I reordered it thinking the retail size would be bigger. I was a little disappointed to find out the petite container is what you get. This gloss is nice and moisturizing, and the color is a great neutral for every day. Would I pay $14 for it again? Probably not. 

Oribe Maximista Thickening Spray: I am so excited for this product, and I haven't even tried it yet. I absolutely loooved Oribe Dry Texturing Spray. Maximista is a "thermal-protective body-builder," and I think using it in conjunction with Oribe Crème for Style will give fantastic results. Did I mention how amazing Oribe products smell? Mmm!

Real Techniques Powder Brush: This is my first Real Techniques brush, and I think it's great. Right now I use an Ecotools Bamboo Bronzer Brush to apply bronzer, and I think it's a little too heavy-handed. For a lighter bronzer application, especially on my pale autumn/winter skin, I think this fluffy brush will do the trick. I had a coupon at Ulta (yay!) and was able to get this brush for around $7 USD. Quite a deal for such a fabulous brush. Now I really want to try the Expert Face Brush. It's supposed to be great for foundation.

YSL Rouge Volupté Lipstick in #001 Nude Beige: This lipstick is creamy. Too creamy? It's too early to pass judgement. The color is a beautiful pinkish-nude, and the packaging is luxe, to say the least. It's a great match for my NARS Fantasia Lipliner Pencil.

Phew! That was a lot. I'm very excited to get better acquainted will all of these products, and I'll definitely keep you posted on what I'm crazy about and what is underwhelming. Have you tried any of these products? Let me know in the comments. Until next time! Xx

Luxor The "Wet" Brush

My hair is not particularly tangly. On a bad day, I've got to tug a brush through my hair extra hard, but usually it just glides right through. I'm lucky that way, I guess.

My sister Melissa, on the other hand, has hair that gives me nightmares. I swear, she spends a half hour combing her hair out after she washes it. It looks painful. I've read about "The Tangle Teezer" a million times, and it looked like a beacon of hope in a sea of knots and tangles. I am just too lazy to order one, however, and decided to purchase The "Wet" Brush by Luxor instead. We carried them in my salon for a short period of time (I mean short...I'm talking a week or so), and I'll be honest: the packaging was hideous. It looked like it stepped straight out of the 90s. I took a chance though, and I'm so glad I did.

After washing my hair last night, I could tell it would be knotty upon brushing. Imagine my delight when this brush glided through the tangles like a hot knife through butter. It was magical. It felt great on my scalp, through my ends, everywhere. I knew this brush got my seal of approval when Melissa loved it too. Her testimonal: "It rips through tangles but didn't make my damaged ends break off." I probably wouldn't use the word "rip," but hey. It combats tangles like Dwight D. Eisenhower! (Stupid joke, I'm aware.) The best part is, it's cheap as heck. You can buy it here for less than $7 USD. I recommend this brush even if your hair isn't a knotted mess. It's a great brush, and it's gentle on the hair. My one caveat? It isn't the most effective brush on dry hair. When hair is wet, I give it two thumbs up.

Have you tried The "Wet" Brush yet? Do you swear by another brush or comb? Leave comments below and tell me what you think! Xx

Sigma Beauty brush

I am so excited because I just received my first Sigma Beauty makeup brush!! I read reviews about these brushes so I was really looking forward to ordering one.  I placed my order for the Duo Fibre F50 brush on Tuesday, and I received it today! Talk about fast shipping. I am definitely interested in ordering more. I haven't used it yet, but I'll let you know how it goes as soon as I do.