Blog Sale| I'm having a blargh sail?!

Hello everyboday.

After two months of grueling hard work and hours wasted at the post office for online swapping, I've managed to pare it down to mostly essentials and some high end delights. However, I still have quite a lot of things that came from swap or my own stash that I'm not 110% in love with. A lot of these items are like new or lightly swatched, and of course, genuine. And sanitized. That would be important. I'd love to sell them off as easily as possible, so I've made a list of things I no longer need. I'll update this list by either adding new items, deleting sold items, or adding perks and extras. Shipping is a flat 4 dollars for me (if you buy multiple items we can work out a deal) and is US only. I'm also trying to get rid of a lot of drugstore lip products, so you'll see a few surprises in your package too!

You can use Paypal and email me at minhvn29@gmail.com to inquire more about these items. Here goes nothing!

Makeup Forever La Boheme Palette, one shade swatched twice, rest is untouched. 39 retail. Asking 30. 

Urban Decay Glinda Palette, also comes with lip pencil (swatched once), purple shade used twice, all other shades lightly swatched/untouched. 49 Retail. 40 Asking. 

NARS eyeshadow duos in Sandra, Carmargue, and Wicked. Please look at pictures for conditions. All were received in swaps. Shadows are like new or lightly swatched. 34 retail each. Asking 25 for each, or 60 for all. 

  Sandra.

   Carmague.

  Wicked.

Tarte Natural Cheek Tint in Achiote. Received in swap, I swatched twice. 26 Retail. Asking 15.



Urban Decay Glide on Cheek Tint in Score. Lightly used. 24 retail. Asking 15. 



NARS blush duo in Albatross and Orgasm. Lightly swatched twice. Like new. There is a chip at the top right of the packaging, cosmetic flaw only.  41 retail. Asking 35. 



Stila It Girl Palette 2 (Eve, Kitten, Americano). Like new, each shade used once. 14 retail. Asking 7. 



Rock and Republic Saturate Eyeshadow in Carat. Used about 5 times total. No dips or dents. About 85% to 90% left. 15 retail. Asking 7. 



MAC Prolongwear blush in Stay By Me. Like new, swatched twice. 25 Retail. Asking 18. 

Bare Escentuals Buxom Lip Gloss in Samantha and Full on Lip cream in Berry Blast. Used 4x max. 22 retail. Asking 12 each.



Estee Lauder lipstick in Pink Parfait and a small Shiseido extra. Please see pics for condition. 26 Retail. Asking 12 for both. 



Marc Jacobs Woman EDP, 3.4 oz. About 95-98% left. No changes in scent, received as gift from aunt. 96 Retail. Asking 75. 



Well, that's all I have at the moment. Here is my swap list if you're interested and would like me to private message pictures.  Email me at minhvn29@gmail.com. Keep in mind that this isn't even a fourth of my swap list! D:

MAC Foundations

-Studio Sculpt NC20 (about 75%-80% left) this runs a little darker than a true NC20 imo, I used it when I was NC25 in everything else
-Studio Sculpt NC30 (about 75 to 80% left)
-Studio Fix Fluid NC30 (about 50% left) comes with pump but no lid.
- Mineralize Moisture NC30 (about 75% to 80% left)
- Face and Body C2 (about 50 to 60% left) (this comes in the huge pro size bottle)

Also....this problem:

Revlon	lip butters lot	Lipstick
The Body Shop	Strawberry Body Butter	Lotions/ Creams
NARS	Satin lip pencil Yu LN	Lipstick
MAC	Studio Fix C40	Powder
NYX	Soft Matte Lip Creams	Lipstick
NYX	Butter Glosses	Lip Gloss
Urban Decay	Primer Potion in Eden	Eye Primer

BeneFit Cosmetics	High Beam	Highlighters
Becca	Loose pigment in Odette	Eye Shadow
BeneFit Cosmetics	BN Hoola Bronzer	Bronzers
Rimmel	Stay Matte in Sandstorm BN	Blush
NARS	BNIB E/s duo in Isolde	Eye Shadow
BeneFit Cosmetics	Porefessional BNIB	Primer/ Corrector
LORAC	Pro to go LNIB	Palettes
Clarisonic	MIA	Misc Beauty Tools
Sigma	E05 eyeliner brushes 2x	Makeup Brushes
BeneFit Cosmetics	Watt's Up	Highlighters
E.L.F.	Glow Powder	Loose Powders
Lancome	Definicils BN	Mascara

Shiseido	Ultimate Sun Protection Cream+ Broad Spectrum SPF 50+ F	Sunscreen
Urban Decay	LN Mildew, Flipside	Eyeliner
Marc Jacobs	LN Enamored Hi-Shine Nail Lacquer lot	Polishes
Make Up For Ever	HD Blush #3	Blush
Becca	BECCA Ever-Matte Poreless Priming Perfector LN	Blush
Vichy	Dermablend LN 35 Sand	Liquid
Revlon	Balm stains lot	Lip Liners
Urban Decay	LN Heavy Metal Eye Gel in backstage	Eye Shadow
Smashbox	Hydrating primer BN	Primer/ Corrector

 

BNIB: brand new in box, BN: brand new, lot means you should ask me about the colors, LN: like new, etc...

Hope you guys are enjoying your weekend!

Be

First Look| L'oreal Le Matte and La Laque.

I finally have ventured outside of my 10 mile zone to another Target in search of these mystical lipsticks. And they are indeed mystical. I hadn't been able to find them for the past few weeks, even though it's been out for at least two months now. Such is the life of limited edition items; they get clamored over by crazy makeup enthusiasts and disappear, never to come back.

Ah, but I've finally found them. Here are some swatches and pictures for your enjoyment. You may live vicariously through me.

From left to right: 414 I Lacque You A Lot, 413 Lacque-onic, 409 Matte for Me. Below, the order is reversed.

 

Matte for me is a blue based pink, in the same family as MAC's Girl About Town/Crosswires/Impassioned.

Lacque-onic is my favorite, a true red with a shine. 

I Lacque You A Lot is an orange-red that seems similar to MAC's Lady Danger with a shine. 

None of the colors are particularly wearable for every day (work/school) unless you're the adventurous type, but they are beautiful nonetheless. They remind me of NARS' matte and satin lip pencils with a much lower price point, and dare I say they are much less drying? I'd love to pick up even more, but I received the matte shade in a swap and only found the other two at Target. Also, I believe they retail for about 8 to 10 dollars (if you can find them, try to buy a few just in case!)

All three shades are very opaque and pigmented, long wearing, and not prone to bleeding or drying. The matte shade applies like a satin and dries down to a matte and wore down to a light stain after three hours. The La Laques are a little more prone to feathering if not laid on top of a liner, but they do not slide around.

The only downside is that they smell rather outdated and "drugstore", which is a given. I really hope that these are just L'oreal's way of testing the waters before jumping in with a more extensive collection.

Have you been able to find these at your local drugstore or Target? I think most people are having good luck with Target. Let me know what you think!

Be

Swap Haul| Priorities, Be. [Part One]

With a new-found interest in swapping my makeup for "essential items", I've neglected the voices in my head telling me to go shopping. With the post office a block away and the Internet at my disposal, I've picked up so much good stuff by swapping away makeup that's been sitting at the back of my drawer (or fridge) for ages.See? Told you I'm on a low-buy. Just a high swap :D I also have to validate it by deluding myself that post office stamps are not worth real money.

This post covers the first half of swap items that's arrived within this past two weeks. Most of these items are lemmings, rather than essentials. A lot of these items are those I've always wanted to try but don't have the funds to do so.

Ready for some serious eye candy?



 



In no particular order: NARS Eyeshadow Duo in Sandra and Wicked, Becca Loose Pigment in Odette, Bobbi Brown Eyeshadow in Taupe, Kevyn Aucoin Celestial Bronzer, Buxom lipgloss in Samantha, Benefit's Girl Meets Pearl and Watt's Up samples, Urban Decay Revolution lipstick sample in Catfight, NARS Albatross/Orgasm duo, Stila It Girl palette (for the iconic Kitten!), Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner in Perversion (backup number 4), Clinique Moisture Surge, The Balm's Frat Boy blush.

I don't mean to brag, but that is some seriously savvy swapping *pats self on back* At the same time I've managed to clear out all extra samples, try out new ones, hoard up on high end items, and stock up on skincare. I would have never been able to afford Kevyn Aucoin, but with a little fancy fingerwork and shameless swap list browsing, I've been able to find quite a few gems.

The only downside is that swapping isn't open to completely everybody on MakeupAlley.com I think you have to had been a member of their site prior to a certain date? Ah well. Exclusive makeup illuminati circle is exclusive. It does frighten me when someone asks to swap and I have to look through 30 pages of items. Crazy makeup lady, is that you??

Ah well, time to get back to job hunting. That's all for today, folks!

Be

First Look | MAC MUFE NARS

Summer is here! I do have a few items from a recent haul to show you, and since these are mostly new to me, I'd like to also give you my first impressions of the products.



This is my small after-vacation haul. I planned to pick up a few thicker opaque concealers for dark spots, as I don't have dark circles unless I have been up for 2 days straight. Even then, I am fortunate enough to not deal with severe raccoon eyes. I do have Maybelline's Age Rewind concealer in Medium, but I suspect it is for undereyes as the formulation is not as creamy and stay put as I like for acne scars and blemishes. I also picked up Makeup Forever's Aqua Rouge out of curiosity and their iconic HD Foundation in my summer shade. Lastly, thanks to recs from essiebutton, I decided to give MAC'S Crosswires a chance.





This is MAC's Studio Finish concealer in NC30. I like that it's in a pot, but this could get unhygienic very quickly. The color match is spot on, the formulation is thicker than cake batter, and it seems to cover everything with ease. This retails for 18 dollars.





Next is NARS's Radiant Creamy Concealer in Ginger. The lighter choice seems like a perfect match for NC25, but I already have a concealer for the winter. This color is also a great match for NC30-NC35, and I believe it can be used as both an undereye or blemish concealer. The formulation is a creamy liquid that is not too thick and spreads easily on the face. The doe foot applicator is precise, and the packaging is very purse friendly. This retails for 28 dollars. Yikes!





This is Crosswires from MAC. Yowza, it's a bright watermelon pink! I expected much less pigmentation from a Cremesheen formula, but it's a pleasant surprise. This color fares better alone on the face, being much more pigmented and brighter than I thought. It retails for 15 dollars.





This needs no further introduction; it is Makeup Forever's HD Foundation in N123. I am usually N120 in the wintertime (for NC20 to NC25) but I needed a much darker shade for my new tan. 123 actually looks much darker and more golden than 127 while they are the same shade. I would say this fits an NC30 to NC35. I have had a great experience with this foundation especially for photography. It is a thin formula with medium coverage and long lasting capabilies. Sadly, it retails for 42 dollars.







Lastly, this is MUFE's Aqua Rouge in 18. I would say that this is the high end equivalent of the drugstore color/gloss duo pens. However, the gloss is very hydrating and essentially seals in the color for hours. My one gripe is that the product smells like artificial lychee glue. Nasty. On the positive side, 18 is a wonderful coral-orange that is lovely for summer. This sucker lasted through a meal at a burger joint. And if you know me, I don't eat my burgers like a lady. If you want long lasting shine and color that won't dry out your lips, this is absolutely wonderful if you can stand the smell. This retails for 24 dollars.

That is it for my first look post, I hope you found it helpful. If you would like an in depth review on any of the products above, please leave a comment and let me know!
I also have made a recent, mind BLASTING discovery and would love to share that with you if you're interested. It involves a very inexpensive brush...

Anyway, have a nice days guys! I'm back to packing my things for a move to LA and donating old clothes/shoes to Goodwill. I'm not sure if anyone wants to take my makeup, but I could have a blog sale if that's a way to get rid of the clutter.

Bye!