Huge Beauty Haul! (Sephora + Drug store)

Hiya everyone!

Over the past month, I’ve done…a LOT of makeup and beauty product shopping, in preparation for my cousins wedding, coming up shortly, iA!
There have been a few things on my mind that i wanted to get, and the wedding is perfect excuse to shop and stock up on products, that i will undoubtedly need, because our desi weddings last like 5+ days, so the constant dressing up and dressing down, is going to definitely take a toll on my skin. So i wanted to get the essentials to hold me down for this mini-vacation/wedding coming up.

I’ll show you guys the big chunk of items i bought first, and break them down, and do a mini review on each of them. And at the end i’ll show you the drug store/skin care things i got as well!

TA-DAAAAA! My bank account is crying a bit since this massive shopping spree….but hey a girls gotta do, what a girls gotta do!

1. Tarte Amazonian Clay Foundation– this was my main goal when i went to sephora, i’ve been using a clinique foundation for 4 years, and have begun to hate it, so i needed a new one. My friend recommended this one to me, since she uses it as well and loves it. So when i went to sephora, i asked the girl to match my skin tone to a shade for this foundation. My shade is: light sand and i can honestly say, i LOVE this foundation. It has full coverage, without looking cakey, and does NOT feel heavy on the skin at all. Which was major for me, since the Clinique one has thicker formula and is too visible on skin. This one–a little goes a long way. It is very easy to blend and combine with other products as well. I’m super happy with this purchase and can’t wait to continue to play with it! If you’re looking for good coverage, and don’t want a foundation that leaves your skin feeling oily or sticky, i’d really recommend this to you!
2. Hoola Matte Bronzer-next up, i needed something for a good/light contour effect. I’m not into the OVER contour craze, nor do i own any contour palettes, so after watching so many YouTubers use this, i knew this would be best for what i was looking for. The small box includes a small brush inside too! LIKE HELLO, WINNER! You don’t need to use any other brush besides the one that comes with it (unless you choose to) so that makes this product even better! I find that after using my Tarte foundation, and contouring with this ever so lightly, it sits on the skin perfectly for the perfect light glow/bronze effect. Again, its very easy to blend and you can intensify or minimize the bronzing effect by how much product you use at a time!
3. Laura Mercier Translucent Setting Powder–again, a very hyped product. I was convinced to buy this after a previous Sephora trip, when the girl helped me with something else, and applied this on after, and it made my face feel so smooth and light and kept my makeup in place! I knew i had to get it then! It is a bit pricey…and that kills me a little bit. It does not come with the applicator brush/sponge thing (which i wish it did) so $38 for just powder, is a bit cry-worthy. But…i figure this is going to last forever, because you only need very little at a time. Just a little bit of this dabbed around the face, and it has the perfect setting effect. This will be good for the wedding, because the makeup will be on for hours, and i need it to stay put.
4. Benefit Cosmetics POREfessional Face Primer–so i have a problem with my pores. Especially in my T-Zone area, and it drives me nuts!! I literally don’t know what more to do to reduce them. But again, I had heard a lot about this product before buying, and applying this before putting makeup on, instantly smooths out my nose area especially. It is supposed to reduce visibility of pores as well, by filling it in with product, and i’m not 100% sure i can agree with that. It does to some extent, but perhaps since my pores are just big, i can’t see the effect of this 100%. It definitely helps and does not harm at all–i just need an overall reduction of my pores in general (anyone have any tips for what to do to reduce pores? i’m all ears!!!). Anyways–if you’re looking for a good primer, this is a good choice because it is easy to apply, a little goes a long way, and it does do a good job of filling in to a certain degree, which helps your look overall.
5. Smashbox Color Correcting Stick-Peach–So as i mentioned in #3, this is what the Sephora girl helped me with on the earlier trip. I have under-eye bags, that are genetic and hideous, so i need everything to reduce them. Color correcting is the latest fad, and i figured i’d give it a shot to see if it works! This is a good stick to start out with i think, because it does do a decent job. I think i may want to try another one/perhaps something with more coverage at some point, because this product needs to be applied a lot + with a lot of concealer on top, to diminish my bags completely. ANY Suggestions of a color correcting product i should use?! I’d love to hear what you use that is effective!
6. NYX Soft Butter Cream | Review–So i included the pictures of my NYX here as well, but i have done a review on them already, so click on the link and check out what i have to say about them!
7. EcoTools Eye Enhancing Duo Set–This was a Wal-mart purchase. I own Eco Tools the complete eye brush set already, but one of the brushes bristles is messed up, so i wanted to get a duo set, which actually includes 4 brushes, because the 2 are double ended! I love that. I can use literally these 2 brushes, for a complete eye look. There is an edge for blending, smudge, shading and shadow, so essentially this is perfect for travelling. I have always liked EcoTools, and it is environmentally friendly + easy to use, and cheap-so it’s a great starter or even expert level use!
8. Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water–I’ve seen SO many YT using this as well, and i’ve been using makeup wipes for too many years…and decided it was time to quit this unhealthy cleaning method. This water is a drug store purchase, and i would recommend it to everyone! It does NOT leave any wetness residue behind (which makeup wipes do) and it takes away all your makeup – especially for everyday use- in a few quick wipes! Only downfall, i tend to pour too much of it out per my cotton pad, so this bottle is like almost done already… And this is too difficult to travel with, because of the huge bottle…so i need to see if they have a travel size.
9. Lastly, the Origins GinZing Refreshing Eye Cream was recommended to me by the girls who work at Sephora. I wanted something for like overall health of my eyes and reducing eye bags, so this is what they recommended. Now i have mixed feelings about this. Let me show you what the actual cream looks like:
   So it is very creamy and looks thicker than it really is. I only need a very small amount to apply and spread under my eyes. It definitely helps moisturize the under eye area, which is necessary as one of the leading causes of bags is the fact that they are not moisturized enough. So in that sense it helps. It also has a ‘brightening’ effect, and almost a glittery/shiney component to the cream, so when you apply it to your under eyes, it gives a very subtle brightening effect. Nothing too magnifying. But overall…i’m not sure what the long term effects of this are. I’ve been using it daily in the mornings, and sometimes i use it at night as well. I’d love to hear anyones suggestions about what to use on under-eye bags, that really works!

So the next few things are skincare things i bought from the drug store:

So the Clean & Clear Pore Cleanser–i bought for another attempt to reduce my pores. I don’t use this daily…because i don’t particularly like using everything too daily because then your skin becomes dependent on it. I use the Clean & Clear face washes already (which i think I’ve mentioned in some previous posts), so i figured i’d stick to their range for pore cleaner as well.
I use it maybe 2-3x a week. I do think after use, my skin feels smooth and free, but obviously by the next 24 hours, that feeling diminishes. Any suggestions for a pore cleanser? I’d deeply appreciate it!!!

And lastly, the Biore charcoal pores strips! I’ve heard a lot about charcoal masks and charcoal cleaners, so i wanted to try strips first to see how they work. It came with like 6 strips, i used one weekly for the past 6 weeks. And i think it def has reduced blackheads on my nose, but i never had that many to begin with. My pores are the major concern on the nose, which can’t be solved by this. It def is a good pore strip though, and takes out a lot of gunk in the nose/t-zone area, so i’d recommend it for anyone whos looking for a quick clean!

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And that’s my haul folks! I’m most excited about the foundation and the bronzer! But i love everything i’ve bought!

Let me know if you’ve used any of these yourself, i’d love to hear your thoughts! And do let me know any suggestions for the pores and under-eye bags. My two biggest issues!

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Until next time, XOXO