Sparkled Beauty

We had some snow early morning yesterday, March 31 means nothing, doesn't it? At least temp has risen above zero at least during the day for a change.

I didn't plan on doing a FOTD this week, but after putting on Sonia Kashuk Satin Luxe lip colours SPF16 in Spiced Berry, I couldn't help it. The name fits perfectly!

Satin Luxe has become my favorite formula among the 4 lines I posted about. It feels so light and moisturizing, and the colours I picked are all great. Spiced Berry is pigmented and dark enough to my liking.

I also have Make Up For Ever Step 1 Skin Equalizer Smoothing primer (review coming soon) and Pro Sculpting duo in #1 Pink Beige on, but the effects are not easy to see :)

I totally go back to basics on the eyes, literally, with:
- Elf smudge pot in Back to Basics as base
- Quo Back to Basics palette
- Rimmel Scandal Eyes waterproof kohl kajal liner in Light Blue
- Annabelle Smoothie eyeshadow pencil in Mauve-tion
- Marcelle Xtension Plus + Pro Lash Growth Complex mascara in Black. 

Other products on the face:
- Make Up For Ever HD Invisible Cover foundation in 123
- It Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eyes full coverage concealer in Neutral Medium
- Make Up For Ever Artist eyeshadow in I808 (from Desire Me Cheeky blush trio) as blush
- Wet n Wild Color Icon brow & eye liner in Mink Brown.

Can't wait for this super long weekend to start. I just want to sleep off this winter weather.

So I went back to Target for more Sonia Kshuk at 50% off. Most items had safety wraps, which was great but made it hard to judge the colours, despite the colour indications on the tubes.

With Target accelerating all store closures to mid April, I figure swatches might be helpful when you go shopping.

The 2 chubby (twistup) pencils are the Lustrous Shine lip crayons in Orchid and Dahlia, 0.08oz/ 2.3g, reg. $8.99 each.

The other 3 pencils are the Velvety Matte lip crayons in Poppy Nude, Rosey Nude and Mulberry Nude, 0.08oz/ 2.3g, reg. $7.59 each. These do not twist up.

The textures stay true to the product names. The Lustrous Shines are glossy and smooth while the Velvety Mattes are quite matte (not full on though). Both are easy to apply, not drying and comfortable to wear.

Pigmentation is excellent! The Lustrous Shines appear brighter than how they look in the tube. The colour indications on the packaging fit between the bullet colours and the swatch colours in most cases.

You would be surprised to know my favorite colour among these 5 is Mulberry Nude, lower right corner :)

On to the lipsticks.

I got 4 Satin Luxe lip colours SPF16 in Pink Buff, Currant, Red Orange and Spiced Berry, 0.12oz/ 3.4g, reg. $9.99 each.

With a typical lipstick size but squared (and a bit bulky) tubes, these lipsticks have similar texture as the Lustrous Shines above, but not as shiny. I reach for them most often.

I ventured to nude territory with this line. Red Orange is undeniably beautiful but Currant is a nice nude for pigmented lips like mine. And Spiced Berry is totally on trend. I am not sure about Pink Buff on me just yet :)

I even went to sheer territory with the Shine Luxe sheer lip colours in Sheer Pink Lust, Sheer Plum and Sheer Rouge, 0.09oz/ 2.7g, reg. $10.99 each.

Still the squared (but thinner and longer) tubes, these have the most product inside the packaging and the highest price point among the 4 types of lip products in this post.

The tube colours are definitely not an indication of how they look on the lips, due to the sheer finish. Sheer Pink Lust would not show up much on me and the other two give a slight hint of colour only. I will repeat myself though to say these lipsticks feel nice on and wear comfortably.

Phew, that was a lot of colours. It will boil down to your preference in textures and finishes in a lip product to pick a favorite, but I hope the swatches are helpful.

Here is a FOTD with Spiced Berry, I love this colour!

I finally made it to Target to get some exclusives before they are gone for good.

I knew that I wanted some Annabelle makeup items that are only available at Target:
- Big Show lipshine (Satin finish) in Kiss Me, $9.49 (prices are before 30% discount)
- Skintrue blush in Sunset Glow, $8.99I wanted Vintage Rose but there was none left
- (Not an exclusive item but I want to stock up) Skintrue foundation in Medium Beige, $8.99.

I also missed out on the eyeshadow palette in Bling Me Out and Skintrue translucent setting powder, among other things.

Marcelle also has some exclusive products or exclusive (larger) sizes of current products, worth a browse too.

On to Sonia Kashuk. I am sad that we are going to lose our access to this brand :(

I got:
- Shine Luxe lipsticks in Sheer Pink Lust, Sheer Plum and Sheer Rouge, reg. $10.99 each
I don't normally go for sheer lipsticks, but this is under the influence of Emily Eddington's Emily awards :)
- Velvety Matte lip crayons in Poppy Nude and Rosey Nude, $7.59 each
- All Covered Up concealer in Sand, $9.99. Another Emily awards item

Can't pass on her brushes:

- The Golden Age 4-piece brush set (Holiday collection) with a smudge brush, angled eyeshadow brush, blush brush and eyeshadow brush plus a clutch, reg. $21.99
I wanted the 10-piece Holiday set but it was sold out way before the closing announcement. I didn't even see it in person
- Brush Couture 5-piece brush set, $16.99
There were still a few other brush sets, full sized and travel sized, and individual brushes but I didn't want to go overboard.

Here are current discounts on items at Target liquidation sale, if you need some reference. Some necklaces I found were 30% off the last ticketed price (not original price as they said), so scan them if you are not sure. All purchases during the liquidation sale are final, no exchange/ refund!

I hold off purchases on housewares and things with 10% discount right now, except for a few small Dollar Stop items. Valentines' chocolates would probably be on 50% today but we are stormed in since yesterday.

It was bad, you guys. It snowed, then changed back and forth to rain with strong wind. Shoveling was brutal, but I had to do it in the rain or all that slush would freeze with the big temperature drop later in the day. Buses were cancelled, stores/ restaurants were closed. And today is Family Day in NS, nothing opens either.

I am so sleep deprived today but won't complain as we had a really nice (but busy) weekend. I missed Super Redemption at Shoppers but did manage to grab a few things here and there. 

Our local Marshalls opened on Thursday, I went check out the beauty section. It was not as big as I wanted but I still came home with a bunch of stuff I couldn't find at my Winners.

Start off with 2 UK skin care brands. Dirty Works had almost the whole facial skin care line on the shelf. I grabbed the Pore-fect facial Hot Cloth cleanser, $6.99 (reg. $12). The muslin cloth was included in the box too, very convenient.

I heard good things about Good Things products (see the pun? lol), so I picked up the Deep Clean Blackhead exfoliator with fruit extracts (Papaya & Licorice), $6.99 (reg. $12).

Originally decided to skip on this Good Things Manuka Honey creamy cleanser with Royal Jelly & Beewax, $5.99 (reg. $10) but I went back and got it after realizing how many UK bloggers raved about it.

Product selection from the brand is also quite extensive - masks, facial wipes, face creams, etc.

A little lonely on the side is Bourjois Rouge Edition lipstick in 08 Rose Studio, $8.99 (reg. $20). Most lipsticks in store were still untouched, considering it was the opening day, but I am scared for their fate as time goes on. No seals to protect them from swatchers in store.

Moving on to the higher-end skin care brand that I haven't tried anything from - Rodial.

There were about 5 different products from the brand on the shelf. I chose Glamtox cleansing balm, $24.99 (reg. $50) and Dragon's Blood cleansing water, $14.99 (reg. $36).

Not that I need more face cleanser/ makeup remover, but I couldn't help wondering if these rival the products I have and love in my stash. At a discount, the idea of testing them out seems to be better justified :)

A number of Laura Geller Blush-n-Brighten baked cheek colors were there too. Can't say that I came across the brand before around here.

Most boxes were sealed so I had to shop blindly, in terms of colours. Came home with 3, don't know if I will keep them all, but for now, here are Boysenberry (the only "Sugar free" shade, i.e. matte), Golden Apricot and Berry, $14.99 each (reg. $31).

If you have any of these shades, please let me know how they are and if I should keep them. If you tried others, let me know your favorite shade too.

I did well at Lawtons too. It turned out to be a L'Oreal-extensive haul with the 40% off sale and a few products on clearance for half price (marked with a * below)

I got:
- Infallible Silkissime silky pencil eyeliner in Cobalt Blue, reg. $11.99
- Miss Manga mascaras in Indigo and Turquoise*, reg. $10.99 each
I heard the colours are not very visible on the lashes but still fun to have
- Glossy balms in Baby Berry and Pink Me Up*, reg. $11.99 each
- Pop balm in Wild Lily, reg. $10.99, and
- Color Riche Fixing & Unifying eyeshadow primer, $11.99
Primer in the pen form? Exciting!

I am playing catch-up with L'Oreal new products right now, you see?

Last but not least, the hard-to-find Sonia Kashuk (LE) 15-piece brush set at Target, $39.99.

Sonia Kashuk 15th Anniversary collection was supposed to hit Canadian Target stores a few weeks ago but it took me 3 trips to see the price tag up on the shelf. A SA found one for me from the back room.

Other hauls include a few Illmasqua blushes from the 25% off sale on The Bay, OCC lip tar sets from Sephora sale page and a Makeup Revolution order. What did you haul last weekend?

As a beauty blogger, I constantly build a wish list of things I saw on other blogs but can't really get my hands on.

Sonia Kashuk, a exclusive brand to Target, is always in that list of mine. And what not helping is she is having a fabulous holiday collection, starting with this Twist of Fate Brush Set. The Muse has all the details, so if you haven't already, go over and read her review. I'm just stating my thoughts (or a rant, so to speak) about it :-)

First, SK is known for great quality brushes that don't break the bank. Around November last year, I was browsing Target website just for her brush sets for fun and thought they would make such nice gifts for Christmas.

Second, the design is elegant, black and silver, twisted handles. The case itself is already a selling point, not mentioning what inside.

I mean look at the brushes, don't you want them all already? And for $19.99, I'd be in Target in a minute the moment these are available in store if I could.

I always wanted to try SK brushes, and this set has typically everything a newbie would wish for:
- Powder blush brush
- Foundation brush
- Blending brush
- Eye shadow brush
- Smudge brush, and
- Dual ended lash/brow groomer.

Wow, could I have one please! Target, do you deliver, lol?

Lucky you guys in the US who can get your hands on one of these, plus other items SK has for this holiday. I'm normally not big about Christmas but holiday makeup collections are so exciting, don't you agree?

Photo credit: musingsofamuse.com