Beauty Blender

I recently did a large haul from the Sephora VIB sale. In that haul I picked up a Beauty Blender set. It was such an amazing deal. I HAD to purchase it. I got 2 Original Beauty Blenders and a 5 ounce liquid Beauty Blender cleanser. It's normal price is $40 which is already a great deal. However, I got it during the VIB sale so I got it for $32! The normal price of these items individually would be $58. Because of the sale I was able to get each item for just under $11 a piece.  

Now I will say I am not a huge Beauty Blender fan. I do love them and think that they are great. However, I think that $20 per Beauty Blender is kinda crazy. I really can't justify spending that much on something that needs replaced so frequently. So I only buy one when I can get them on sale or if I feel like splurging for some special reason (like my birthday). Obviously the deal I got at the VIB sale was well worth it. When I can't get the Beauty Blender on sale I use the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge. Which I absolutely LOVE. The price is right, it works amazingly well. Check out my YouTube video on all the different sponges that could be dupes.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEIk82qcfTY

Sephora VIB Sale Haul

So I like every VIB and VIB Rouge member have a haul to share from the VIB Sale that happened. I made 1 purchase online and 2 purchases in store.  I have to admit I bought more than I had originally planed on. I tend to do better making purchases online vs. in store but lets be honest I got sucked in with that 20% off. I did get a few amazing deals and I got all but 1 thing from my original list. I was not able to get a hold of the Tarte Blush Palette. My local Sephora is located inside of a JcPenny and is not very well stocked so they sold out almost immediately...sad panda day.

I did however get to pick up the following:

*Sephora Collection Super smoothing lip balm
*Urban Decay All Nighter setting spray duo
*Sephora Collection Sleeping Mask
*Anastasia Beverly Hills Self-Made Palette
*Rosebud Perfume Company Rosebud Salve
*Laura Mercier Loose setting powder in Translucent
*Becca Champagne Glow Palette
*Too Faced Born This Way foundation in Nude
* Urban Decay Revolution Lipgloss Double Shot Travel-size Duo in Liar and Anarchy
* Kat Von D studded kiss lipstick in Lovespell
*Beauty Blender Duo-including 2 beauty blenders and liquid beauty blender cleanser
*Nars Mini Creamy Concealer in Custard
*Urban DecayTravel-Size Set of 5- Including Perversion, Zodiac, Delirious, Accuse and Muse

I got 20% off of everything, however some deals were just too amazing to believe. My to best deals were the Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray Duo and the Beauty Blender Duo set. The Urban Decay Setting spray is usually $30 a bottle. The duo was originally priced at $39 which is a great deal on its own. I got it for $31, which made each bottle $15.50 a piece....that's 1/2 off!!! So freaking awesome! The Beauty Blender Duo was $40 dollars, it included 2 beauty blenders and a liquid beauty blender cleanser. Normally the cost of these things is $58. I got the set for $32 which makes each item cost about $10.66 each. Even though these deals were amazing my favorite deal by far was the Becca Cosmetics Champagne Glow Palette. I was waiting to buy the palette for the VIB sale and it was in my cart online but I didn't check out fast enough. So I made another trip to my local Sephora to see if they had suddenly gotten one in. They didn't have any but while I was asking the girl that worked there a woman overheard me. She was returning 1 because she accidentally bought 2 online. Talk about some fate, that palette was meant for me :)

Are there any products I picked up that you want to know more about? Are there any products you think I should try out? I would love to hear your comments and suggestions!!!

Favorite Moisturizers

What are your favorite moisturizers? I have very sensitive skin and it feels like it has taken me ages to find the perfect combination. I not only have super sensitive skin but I also have severe eczema and a mild case of cystic acne. For me I needed something that would moisturize but not make my skin more oily than it is. I LOVE the combo that I came up with. 

After I clean and prep my face I use a facial spray by Mario Badescu. It has rose water, aloe and herbs infused in it. It feels great on my skin especially when I am having eczema flare ups. I use it to tone my skin and prep it for my cream moisturizers. It is also a great refresher for later in the day. I then mix two cream moisturizers together. I mix Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentre with NYX Tea Tree elixir. The Lait-Creme Concentre is a thicker moisturizer and on it's own it is way to intense for my skin because I have oily skin. However when I mix it with the NYX Tea Tree elixir it ends up being just right. I love using tea tree because it does wonders for my eczema. So this was perfect it thins out the Lait-Creme Concentre and gives me the added benefit of helping out my eczema. 

I use these moisturizers in the morning before I put on my makeup. I use a medicated one at night that is from a doctor for my eczema. I will also use just the Lait-Creme Concentre on its own at night if I'm feeling extra dry or my eczema isn't acting up.

I doubt that I will be changing up my moisturizers anytime soon. However I would love to hear what other people use. What is your favorite moisturizer? What type of skin do you have?

Morphe Hautelook Review

I have been a huge fan of Morphe Brushes for awhile now. However, I had yet to make the leap into their shadow selection. I knew that it was a product that was a must try because of all the positive reviews and talk on social media. I needed to be a makeup sheep....

So in October Morphe Brushes was on Hautelook (if you don't know what Hautelook is you need to google it immediately). I took the opportunity to place an order. I've ordered through Hautelook before from Morphe and was very impressed. However, there are a few things I don't like about ordering through Hautelook. For one when you are ordering from them they don't give you the name of the brushes. You don't know you are ordering M439 you just get the description Deluxe Round Buffer Brush. So if you are looking for a specific brush this make not be the best way to go. But, if you are just looking to try out some brushes or if you have a brush addiction like I do this is an awesome way to buy. My only other downside would be shipping. Shipping was only $5.95 but it took weeks for me to get my order. However the cost breakdown was amazing!

Now back to the original reason for this post. I was extremely happy with the 35W palette. The shadows are very buttery and blendable. They have amazing color payoff as well. There isn't much fall down either when packing on product. I've used them quite a few times now and I can say that I am quite impressed. I will be buying more palettes from them...quite possibly the illusive 35O palette. I will say if I was given the choice between this palette and some of my other favorite palettes I would would choose this one based on price, but Urban Decay are still my holy grail eyeshadows.

I ordered 8 brushes and a eyeshadow palette for $67 including shipping. The cost and savings breakdown is:

*Hautelook*
35W       $15.00
M439     $10.00
M459     $7.50  
M512     $6.50  
Eye Set  $18.00
    M408
    M135
    M158
    M139
    M433

Total Cost w/ Shipping and Tax $67.37

*Morphe*
35W        $19.99
M439     $13.99
M459     $11.99
M512     $10.99
Eye Set
    M408  $3.99
    M135  $2.99
    M158  $2.99
    M139  $2.99
    M433  $5.99

Total Cost w/ Shipping and Tax $90.72

I saved a total of $23.35 ordering from Hautelook. That's the price of another palette...maybe it's a sign that I need another one?!?!

First Post!!

Hey y'all!!! My name is Nicole and this is my very first blog post!!! I am a cosmetologist and makeup artist based out of Savannah, GA. I am a beauty junkie. I have a hair, makeup and skincare product buying problem. So if there are products that you want to know about just ask. If I don't know I will probably try it just to find out....it's a serious problem but hey it's work related right. I will take any excuse to buy and try products.

On my first post I feel that I need to do a huge shout out to Bullseye lashes! I recently got 2nd place in a contest that they held over Halloween. Well 2nd place prize was a $150 gift certificate through them!!! What! That is just crazy generous! So I spent a little extra and I got 26 sets of lashes! These lashes look and feel amazing. As I use them more I will let y'all know what I think of them. I may even do a giveaway in the future on my Instagram (niknaksbeautyshack) if I totally fall in love with them...and by the looks of it I will!

 Please leave me comments and let me know what you want to see on here and if you have questions. I can't wait to hear from y'all!!!