Birthday Haul (part 1): otherwise known as "I didn't need any more makeup"

Ok, I know I haven't given this blog the attention it deserves. So, my most recent haul has inspired me to come back and talk about the pretties - ALL THE PRETTIES!! This is part 1 of my birthday haul. There is still another Sephora order and a Fyrinnae order and whatever fun stuff my family decide to gift me with :-P

First of all, the Too Faced Palettes are very nice. I don't know why I never gave them a look before. The first one is called "Glamour To Go" and it's in pretty black ornate packaging. Very Anna Sui-ish! The 8 eyeshadows are easy to wear as they're nice midrange colors that blend well. Other than the pink and white (obviously intended as highlights) you could use any shade as an all over lid color.  In the slide out tray below there is a blush, highlighter and bronzer. The blush is pink enough for my cool complexion and the bronzer is subtle enough - you don't have to worry about that oompa loompa look!

Secondly, Glamour To Go II is a similar quality. Smooth, non-chalky colors in a range of easy to wear colors. There are shades of brown, tan and greys with a  pale pink and creamy yellow thrown in for easy highlights. In the tray below you will find 4 lip colors and a lovely pink blush. Again, I am pale and cool tones, but I can wear this palette.

Next item I ordered was the Stila "Love at First Blush Palette". I missed out on the one last year that had the gold overspray so when I saw this one I had to have it. There was also an option to order it with 2 coordinating lipglosses, but those glosses just aren't applealing to me so I went with the blush on its own. The surface of the blush has layered heart in relief and 3 separate colors. In the middle of the pan is a candy pink color (no sparkle). The bottom of the palette has a more vibrant pink tone and the top of the pan features shimmery lavender hearts. Using the right blush brush you could absolutely control what color or colors you put on your cheeks. I've been leaning towards using the middle and bottom color as my blush with the lavender as my highlighter,.

To wrap up today's haul I'll just mention that this year's Birthday Gift at Sephora is very nice. I'd always meant to try Fresh lipbalms and I can report I'm smitten :)  Lastly, I got a mini Shiseido lipstick and it's really all that. The color is RD305 which looks like a darker red in the tube, but goes on my pigmented lips as a more berry tone. Now I'm going to have to give Shiseido a chance. **grumble**

Until later, kittens. Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the pudding

Allure Beauty Box

For some reason (uh, stress), my sleep has been even more messed up than usual. I fell asleep last night (I have no idea what time) and woke up about 4am. Despite my best intentions I haven't been able to sleep since. It's funny feeling cold in the morning, pulling on more clothes and piling on the blankets only to start peeling them back off and changing repeatedly as the day becomes oppessive. My computer is telling me it's 80 degrees, but it's pretty damn sunny and fairly humid. I've had a headache off and on for the last day or so and I swear I'm dehydrated. Of course, I drink more than any one person should have to so there's not much more I can do.

The buzzer rang this morning and since I wasn't expecting anything it was a BIG surprise when the UPS man brought an uber-heavy box up the stairs. He handed it to me and I almost dropped it the weight was so surprising. I brought it in the house, still wreaking my brain and could not figure out what would be so heavy, make the kind of "thunk" noises it did and arrive out of the blue. Well, I slid my scissors under the tape and SUPRISE!! My Allure beauty box!! I 100% forgot about it. As I unpacked item after item I was just amazed at the good value it is. The funny thing is, I don't need body wash, or facial cleanser, or hair products for blondes. Aside from the things I don't NEED, the items that are left are worth so much more than what I paid. Squee!! Already have some of the hair products in my hair. I'm tempted to try a facial cleanser, but I'm really trying to use things up so I don't have dozens and dozens of bottles hanging around. I will try some of the ROC facial products and probably wear the NYX lip cream. I hope this isn't a color I already have. Can't be certain because I've misplaced the 2 I just bought. d'oh!