Itty Bitty Beauty Haul & First Impressions

Disclaimer: All of these purchases were 100% necessary and justifiable, such having an effortlessly dewy complexion, thoroughly blended concealer, and long lasting lip color... just a few of these products endless benefits :)

Yesterday I made a harmless trip to Kohl's lackluster beauty department, and stumbled upon a few products I have been very much lusting after. Youtube is not helpful in convincing me to stay savvy, and when I hear of a new palette.. well it's just really hard to stay away. 

The Balm "The Manizers:" I went in looking for the stunning highlight trio "The Manizers" by The Balm. Featuring The Mary, Cindy, and Betty Lou Manizer powders, I have very high expectations for these powders due to such rave reviews by every beauty blogger I've ever come across. As expected the powders are soft and buttery in texture, and Mary-Loy gives a perfect pink-champagne strobing reflect without any bits of glitter or sparkle. This is definitely the clear highlight shade in the palette, whereas the pinker shade can be mixed to highlight with or used with a light hand as a blush. I used the bronze highlight and a light layer on top of blush to add a lil glow. I absolutely adore the slim packaging, and especially love the nice big mirror. Perfect for travel.

The Balm MadLash: I got a tester of this mascara around the time Benefit Roller Lash came out and for a while I was switching off between the two. Despite the bigger tube, my Benefit mascara seemed to dry out quicker than the tester of this one did! At a $17 price tag, I decided to try out the larger tube. Many people prefer tester tubes of mascara because they often have a fresher formula because the smaller size allows one to actually finish it timely. However, so far I am loving this formula and brush. With a similar concept to the Roller Lash, it has a curved wand to keep lashes up. Contrastly the plastic bristles are longer and thicker allowing for tons of volume and length. I am yet to see transfer or black fallout so I am quite happy with this purchase.

Real Techniques Ultimate Base Set + Blush Brush: I will say time and time again how much I LOVE Real Techniques brushes. One, they actually last. I bough the face set when i first started watching and reading beauty blogs about 4 years ago and they're still going strong. Nothing I love more than rebutting product I know I love, and these are one of them. The foundation brush is so versatile, as it is used for everything from liquid foundations to cream bronzers and bouncy highlighters. Next up is the concealer brush, a tool my collection has lacked for so long. It makes perfecting your skin so fast, and has a nice dome shape that fits is every crevice. Sponge is so-so, but made up for by the wondrous blush brush. Today I used this brush to powder my whole face, set my eyes, and apply to apply blush, bronzer, and highlight. Cut down my makeup routine to brief 38 minutes !!! Yikes...

Lorac California Dreaming Liquid Lip Set: 10/10. I have found my holy grail liquid lip!!! This lipstick reminds me very much of the Kat Von D liquid lipsticks however far less drying, and don't ball up on the inside of the lip which is a major key. The set was $36, absolute steal, and features 4 shades : Soft Pink, Light Peach, Plum Brown and Soft Mauve. All four shades are super pigmented, weightless, and wearable. Like I said ... 10/10.

Lorac Porefection Foundation in Fair: I have been very interested in the Porefection range from quite sometime. Having tried, and disliked, both the concealer and powder foundation from the range, I went with a lighter coverage option this time around. I was pleasantly surprised by this seemingly sheer-medium coverage foundation. It claims to be a "lightweight formula, a poreless, silky-smooth finish, oil-free, paraben-free, fragrance-free," AND "infused with anti-aging antioxidants of vitamins A and E, olive leaf extract, lemon fruit extract and papaya fruit extract to help soothe, nourish and rejuvenate." Quite a claim, don't you agree? After 8 hours of wear, the satin finish foundation had definite wear but no gross oil patches or huge loss of coverage. From what I could tell, the coverage was definitely buildable and the color match was perfect for me! Being a neutral-toned fair skin, it is hard to find foundation light enough but isn't pink, so I'm super happy with that. It has an almost water like formula and blends in faster any other foundation I have! A could replacement for a BB Cream with all of it's benefits, and I know it's going to be a perfect option going into the spring and summer time.

Overall it was a successful, and somewhat savvy beauty stop....

Let me know if you have tried the fuller coverage version of the Porefection foundation with a dewy finish! Very curious & I am hoping to try very soon :)