Deal Alert! Paula's Choice 2% BHA Perfecting Liquid only $19

Paula's Choice 2% BHA Liquid is the first Paula's Choice product I tried and I loved it so much, it made me want to try more from the brand. Starting today through May 6, the full size is on sale for $19 (regularly $29) so it's a great time to try it (or stock up if you're already a fan!).

The 2% BHA Liquid contains salicylic acid and the first time I tried it, I couldn't believe the difference it made after one use...the rougher texture on my cheeks and chin was softened and my entire face felt soft and smooth. Unlike Alpha Hydroxy Acids that exfoliate the top layer of your skin, salicylic acid is a Beta Hydroxy Acid that works to exfoliate the deeper layers of your skin. Over time, it works to unclog pores, reduce redness, build collagen, and make your skin look more even-toned and radiant. Now that I've been using it for a while, I don't want to be without it...my pores are less noticeable and foundation goes on so much smoother than it used to.

The BHA Liquid feels almost water-light and sinks right in to your skin and you only need a few drops to cover your entire face. I use it after cleansing and before my serums. It also lasts forever..I've been using a small deluxe sample size for a couple of months and it just recently ran out.

If you've been wanting to try Paula's Choice for the first time, this is the perfect product to start with because it makes such a big difference in the way your skin looks and feels (and it works on all skin types).

Grab yours now at Paulaschoice.com

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Academy of Colour Eyeshadow Palette Review

I was at Kohl's recently and the new Academy of Colour Eye Shadow Palette ($10.99) caught my eye while I was standing on the checkout line. It was in those little bins near the registers (not the actual beauty section of the store) and the thing that jumped out at me the most was that the cover art looked just like the Kylie Cosmetics Eyeshadow Palettes. Thinking it could possibly be a dupe, I grabbed one to review here on the blog.

Let's take a look!

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The Balm Balm Springs Blush Review

The Balm makes one of my absolute favorite blush formulas, so when they launched the new Balm Springs Long-Wearing Blush recently, I couldn't resist adding it to my collection. I had planned to hold off on purchasing it until the next 50% off sale but when I saw it in person at Kohl's a few weeks ago, I broke down and decided to just buy it...the peachy rose shade is perfect for Spring & Summer.

Keep on reading for my review and swatches!

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PUR Cosmetics Epic Illusion Cheek & Contour Palette Review

As a total cheek palette junkie, I couldn't resist the new Pur Cosmetics Epic Illusion Cheek & Contour Palette when I saw it at Kohl's recently. The beautiful soft colors just spoke to me and the price was right at only $19, so I grabbed one to try (and of course review here on the blog).

Keep on reading for my review and swatches!

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L.A. Colors Browie Wowie Brow Pencil Review

 L.A. Colors recently sent me a few shades of their new Browie Wowie Brow Pencils to try and I couldn't wait to review them for you guys because they're such a steal! They're only $3 a piece (yes, you read that right) and can be found at stores like Dollar General, Family Dollar, and Kmart as well as on the L.A. Colors website.

Let's take a look!

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IT Cosmetics Naturally Pretty Palette Review

I recently picked up the IT Cosmetics Naturally Pretty Palette during the Ulta sale and I thought this would be a great time to review it since it's currently 25% off at ITCosmetics.com (until 4/28). This palette has been on my wishlist for quite a while now and I'm so glad I finally got the chance to try it. If you like matte eyeshadows, I think you'll really enjoy this, so keep on reading!

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Pretty Vulgar- New at Sephora!

As much as I love new product launches, I love new brand launches even more...especially when their packaging is a gorgeous as Pretty Vulgar's. This new vintage-inspired brand just arrived at Sephora today and will be available exclusively online at Sephora.com and in ten store locations.

I've been scoping out the line on the Sephora website since this morning, and I ended up ordering a few things to try. Here's what jumped out at me...

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IT Cosmetics Friends & Family 25% Off Starts Today

The IT Cosmetics Friends & Family Sale starts today and runs through 4/28/17 at 11:59pm Eastern.
Now is the perfect time to stock up on all of your favorite products or try some new ones!

 I'll be picking up a new tube of the CC+ Cream which is a staple for me, particularly in the summer when I want to make sure I'm wearing SPF every day. I also need a new tube of the SuperHero Mascara which I just recently tried and fell in love with and I'm about halfway through my jar of Bye Bye Makeup Cleansing Balm so I figure I should get another one now while it's on sale.

Finally I've been dying to try the new Confidence in an Eye Cream ($38) and with this sale it's only $28.50!

They're also offering free shipping over $25, 3 samples at checkout, and a cute reusable IT Girl Tote Bag.

Are you shopping the It Cosmetics Friends and Family sale? If so, what are you getting? I'd love to hear about it in the comments below!

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Paula's Choice Skincare Review

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you probably know that I'm a bit of a skincare junkie. As much as I adore makeup, I'm a firm believer in putting my skin first because if you don't have a smooth, even base your makeup isn't going to look the best that it can. That's why I tend to invest a bit more in my skincare routine and I believe it's definitely paid off.

I have always heard great things about Paula's Choice skincare and I was introduced to their 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant in a sample kit back in the fall. I fell in love with how smooth it made my skin and it's become a staple in my routine ever since. That's why I was really excited when Paula's Choice asked me if they could send me some more products to try and review for you here on the blog. Please keep in mind that even though these products were sent to me, I will be giving you my honest opinions, as always.

Let's jump right in!

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Spring Clothing Haul

Spring has arrived in the NorthEast and I was finally inspired to do a little clothes shopping. I still need a few things, but I grabbed several items from some stores at the mall and I wanted to share them with you before they sell out. For reference, I'm 5'5" and about 135 lbs. I'm also pear-shaped so I'm smaller on top with wider hips on the bottom.

Let's take a look!

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bareMinerals Bare Sensuals Eyeshadow Palette Review & Swatches

The moment I saw the new bareMinerals Bare Sensuals Eyeshadow Palette at Ulta, I knew I had to have it. For starters, I love bareMinerals' eyeshadow formula (I think it's so underrated!) and second, I fell in love with the shade selection of pinks, mauves and purples. It kind of reminded me of a grown-up Naked 3 palette without all the glitter!
So I ended up purchasing it last week with my 20% off Ulta Platinum coupon and I grabbed the last one in the store, so just a word of warning...these are going fast. I've been using it every day since then (it was the perfect palette to wear on Easter!) and I couldn't wait to review it for you guys. Let's take a look!

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New Drugstore Makeup For Summer 2017

Photo: @budgetbeautyguru

One of my favorite Instagram accounts to follow is @budgetbeautyguru...she has the scoop on all the drugstore sales and new products. The other day, she posted this photo of a ton of new drugstore releases for 2017...it's overwhelming just to look at (in a good way)!

Let's take a look at what's coming...

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Sephora VIB Sale 2017 Recommendations

The Sephora Spring Bonus 2017 starts tomorrow April 18th for VIB Rouge, April 19th for VIB, and 4/20 for Beauty Insiders. The discount can be used on everything with the only restrictions being Sephora gift cards, Play! Subscriptions, and Flash Subscriptions. Each member level gets different perks so are the details: 

• VIB Rouge: 4/18-4/24 get 15% off all purchases in-store and online (includes JCPenney stores). Code is ROUGESPRING and the code can be used as many times as you want. . *On April 18th ONLY, bring a friend in-store and they will also get 15% off all purchases even if they are not Rouge. You'll also receive a canvas tote bag. 
• VIB: 4/19-4/24 get 15% off all purchases in-store and online using code VIBSPRING. Code can be used as many times as you want within those dates. 
• Beauty Insiders: 4/20-4/23 get 10% off all purchases in-store and online using code BISPRING. Code can be used as many times as you want within those dates. 

I don't plan to go too crazy during this sale but there are definitely some things I have my eye on, so I'll share those items with you, as well as recommend some products I've tried and loved recently. Let's take a look!

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Lorac Pirates of the Caribbean Eyeshadow Palette Review & Swatches

The Lorac Pirates of the Caribbean PRO Eyeshadow Palette launches today at LoracCosmetics.com and Lorac generously sent it to me to review for you guys! I reviewed the Cheek Palette last night and I also have some of the lipsticks that I'll post about later on.

So is it worth picking up? Let's take a look!

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Lorac Pirates of the Caribbean Cheek Palette Review & Swatches

Lorac will be launching a Pirates of the Caribbean collection tomorrow to celebrate the upcoming Disney film and today I have the Lorac Pirates of the Caribbean Cheek Palette to review and share with you. Lorac generously sent me the whole collection so I will also be reviewing the eyeshadow palette and lipsticks in a separate post.

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100% Pure Retinol Restorative Overnight Balm Review

As a self-proclaimed skincare junkie, I am always on the lookout for the newest anti-aging products. When it comes to my skin, I usually look for products that contain the latest advances in skincare ingredients rather than using all-natural formulas. I guess I always assumed that natural products will moisturize but aren't equipped to actually turn back the clock with proven ingredients like retinol and peptides. 

Then I found a new product from 100% Pure turned that thought process completely on its head. The Retinol Restorative Overnight Balm ($48) is a 100% natural formula that contains a whopping 2.5% retinol derived from carrots. 

Let's take a look!

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bareMinerals Invisible Bronze Powder Bronzer Review & Swatches

When you have fair-to-light skin, finding the perfect bronzer can be a challenge...I've had my fair share of formulas that looked muddy, orange, too dark, or made my skin look like it was just plain dirty. So when I saw the bareMinerals Invisible Bronze Powder Bronzer ($28) at Sephora recently, I was pretty sure I had just found my holy grail bronzer.

Keep on reading for my review & swatches!

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April Anti-Haul

It's a new month, so that means it's time for a new Anti-Haul! If you're not familiar with Anti-Hauls, they're about all the products I'm not buying this month. These days, the makeup world is cranking out an insane amount of products and it can be really hard to keep up with every new release. Whether I'm reading other beauty blogs, watching YouTube hauls, or following makeup news accounts like Trendmood on Instagram, it can feel really overwhelming. Sometimes I have to just take a step back and ask myself if I really need that new lipstick or highlighter palette. 

There's no doubt that I'm a beauty junkie and have more products than I'll ever use up, but at the same time I'm not about to go into debt (or drain my savings account) to have all the new makeup. There are other (more important) ways that my money can be spent, so I find anti-hauls to be a much needed part of beauty blogging. Not only do they help me keep myself in check, but hopefully they help you to feel like you don't have to go out and buy every new thing that launches. 

This is not to say that I think any of these products are bad...I'm sure many of them are awesome! They're just not something that I'm personally looking for right now. 

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Flower Beauty Flower Pots Blush Review & Swatches (+ Dupes!)

Flower Beauty Flower Pots Blush ($10) are one of my all-time favorite blush formulas and since I only had two shades in my collection, I decided to purchase the other two...I love them that much! I'm really excited to post an updated review and swatches since my initial review was only for the first two shades I bought. There is also a fifth shade that's exclusive to the Flower Beauty website, but I didn't purchase that one because it's a darker color that looks like it's suited more toward medium to deep skin tones.

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Sephora Collection Contour Blush Palette Review & Swatches

I couldn't resist the new Sephora Collection Contour Blush Palette ($28) when I saw it online last week. Not only am I a total blush fanatic, but the shades are gorgeous so I decided to grab one to review and swatch here on the blog.

Let's take a look!

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Skinfood Egg White Pore Hot Steam & Cool Meringue Pack Review

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you probably know that Skinfood is one of my favorite skincare brands. I've been using their products for many years (I used to order them directly from South Korea on Amazon) and I'm so excited that they're now in all Ulta stores. It's such a great feeling to know that when I run out of something, I can easily just run down to Ulta and pick it up...no more international ordering and waiting a month to get them!
To celebrate the Ulta launch, Skinfood was kind enough to send me two of their newest products to try...the Egg White Pore Hot Steam Pack ($13) and Egg White Pore Cool Meringue Pack ($18). I've been testing them out for the past month or so and I'm ready to share my thoughts with you!

Let's take a look...

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Physicians Formula Butter Blush Vintage Rouge Review & Swatches

Last week, I posted about two new shades of the Physicians Formula Butter Blushes that were launching exclusively at Walmart and I was able to get my hands on one of them to review for you today. My local store had the Vintage Rouge shade (warm coral pink) but not the cooler-toned Rosy Pink so I'll have to keep checking back for that one. 

I absolutely adore the Butter Blushes (and Bronzers) for their soft, buttery texture and beachy, tropical scent, but the previous two blush shades left something to be desired because they were just too light. Even on my fair skin, the Plum Rose shade needed to be built up a lot before it would even show up and the Natural Glow shade was more like a highlighter on me. 

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Makeup Revolution Chocolate Palettes Review & Swatches

Makeup Revolution recently launched some of their Chocolate Bar Palettes at Ulta so I thought I would post a review and swatches of the three that I own and have been using for a while. I actually purchased the Death by Chocolate and Naked Chocolate palettes a while back from the Tam Beauty website in the UK, and then I picked up the Golden Bar palette from Ulta about a month ago. I'm assuming the two I purchased from the UK are the same palettes they're selling at Ulta, even though they've been rebranded (in the UK they're under the I Heart Makeup line, which is part of Makeup Revolution).

Let's take a look!

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Benefit GALifornia Blush Review & Swatches

Benefit GALifornia Blush just launched for Spring 2017 and I couldn't wait to review it and share my thoughts with you guys! It's described as a golden pink blush that compliments all skin tones with a sunkissed glow.

I love Benefit Blushes and collect them all, but this one might just be my new favorite, edging out Rockateur by a narrow margin. The weather in New England just warmed up this week and I'm finally in a Spring frame of mind, so this blush was a welcome sight with its beautiful golden sun pattern stamped into the top and funky boho chic packaging. It also has a summery grapefruit vanilla scent that you can smell as soon as you open the box (it disappears once it's on your cheeks).

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Tarte Friends & Family 30% Off Starts Today + Recommendations

The Tarte Cosmetics Friends & Family Sale is in full swing, with 30% off sitewide (excluding Shape Tape Concealer and the new Magic Wands Brush set). They're also offering free shipping with a $40+ order, so if you've had your eye on anything from Tarte, now's the time to grab it! 

Here are a few recent purchases that I've been really happy with in case you're not sure what you want to get...

Tarteist Pro Palette (Reg. $53, Now $37.10)- This palette offers so much versatility, from your basic neutral shades to deeper, smokier shades. It's mostly matte with four metallic shimmer shades and the formula on both is highly pigmented and easy to work with.

Tarteist PRO Palette

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Sephora Wishlist April 2017

There are so many new launches at Sephora, sometimes it's hard to keep track (their new arrivals page is always overwhelming for me to look at). But after browsing the site for a while yesterday, I was able to narrow things down and focus in on a few things that are on my radar for Spring 2017.
Let's take a look!

1. Sephora Collection Mixology Eyeshadow Palette ($34)- I sometimes get tired of seeing the same eyeshadow palette over and over again (ahem, Naked palette dupes) so when I saw this, it definitely piqued my interest! The Mixology Palette contains six different trios that are meant to be used together (or you can mix and match throughout the palette). I love how they've done all the work for you...it's perfect for those days when I don't want to think about what eyeshadow combo to choose. Each trio has a highlight, crease, and lid shade plus it comes with a double-ended brush. So far, it has a five star rating and the price isn't bad!

2. Sephora Collection Contour Blush Palette ($28)- Speaking of Sephora Collection, this blush palette is one of the prettiest shade ranges I've seen in a while (and I'm a sucker for blush palettes!). It has beautiful Spring-like colors in both matte and shimmer finishes. I was really impressed with their recent highlighter palette (in comes in very similar packaging) so I'm optimistic that this formula will be awesome as well!

3. Juicy Couture Majestic Woods ($130)- I don't normally blind-buy fragrances, but this one is online only and I'm so intrigued by it I just might pull the trigger (good thing Sephora has a great return policy!). Juicy Couture is looking all grown up with this beautiful bottle design and the Majestic Woods fragrance is meant to make you feel like you're in your own fairytale (they also have a rose-scented one but I'm not a fan of rose scents). It's described as an opulent, golden fragrance with warm praline and amber notes, plus majestic woods and patchouli. I love Viva la Juicy Gold Couture and this one sounds like it's along the same lines.

4. bareMinerals Invisible Bronze Powder Bronzer ($28)- For me, there's nothing like a new bronzer to kick off the Spring season! I swatched these in-store and they feel so super smooth, just like the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders. They have four different shades meant to flatter all skin tones and they're not orange at all (I have my eye on the Fair-to-Light version). So far the reviews on these say that they're not overly pigmented, which is a good thing in this case! I'm so pale, bronzer can sometimes go on too strong and look muddy, so I like that this is buildable...that way I can go slow and just warm up my skin as much as I need to.

5. Drunk Elephant nightbright Set ($28)- These two products from Drunk Elephant have been on my wishlist for a while (I know quite a few people who swear by them), but I just wasn't ready to commit to the full sizes until I tried them for myself. The T.L.C. Serum is an overnight resurfacing treatment that dissolves dead skin cells and supports collagen production. The Virgin Marula Luxury Facial Oil is an antioxidant-rich treatment that hydrates without feeling greasy.

6. Tarte Rainforest of the Sea Color Splash Lipstick ($21)- I've been hearing nothing but great things about these lipsticks from the beauty gurus I follow on YouTube, including Tati and Kathleen Lights who have both been raving about these. They claim to be buttery soft, full coverage in one swipe, and super hydrating. They also claim to smooth the look of lip lines, which is something I always need help with. I have my eye on the shade Beach Babe (above)...it looks like a perfect pinky-nude. 

So that's my Sephora wishlist for April 2017! What new products do you have your eye on at the moment? Have you tried anything new lately? I'd love to hear about it in the comments below!

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