Target & Ulta Haul - My 1st Cosmetic Haul Blog Post

Warning :: This is a super long blog about inexpensive cosmetics. :)

Last night, me and a couple of my favorite co-workers had a girls night doing nails, hair, and makeup. I love our girls nights! It's good to know you have friends, married or not, that will always take time after work to hang out every now and then. You should never be too busy for your girlfriends! Anyways, this girls night just happened to fall the night before payday, so, I just had to make a trip to Ulta and Target to get some new cosmetics while I was in Gastonia the next day.  I'm pretty excited about my new random items, so I thought I'd share them with you! :) Let me know if you've ever tried any of this stuff, and send me any suggestions you have for next pay period! ;) I know my next big purchase is a Sigma Essentials Brush Kit. I can NOT wait for this, but, that'll be coming in a few weeks. For now, I bought 13 inexpensive items to try! :) 

#1 :: e.l.f. Studio Makeup Mist & Set - $3 

Ashley, who basically needs to just needs to become a cosmetologist, was using this setting spray. She swore by the stuff and showed us a "before" and "after" of what the stuff does. The BEST thing about this stuff was that it was a whopping $3 at Target! It's worth that just to try! I'm horrible at explaining things, so I'll copy & paste to you the website description of the stuff.

"Wish you could have a product for your makeup like Hairspray is for your hair? Well…keep your makeup staying in place all day with a radiance boosting invisible hold with our new Makeup Mist & Set. The invigorating mist moisturizes and soothes the skin with key ingredients Aloe, Green Tea, Cucumber and Vitamins A, C & E. The lightweight, comfortable and alcohol free formula improves makeup wearability and prevents color from running or fading."

She just sprayed some sprays on our friend's face, told her to keep her eyes closed, fanned her face for a couple seconds, and was good to go! I can't wait to try the stuff on myself. Remind me to let you know how I like it. [Y'all know I'm bad at following up.]

#2 :: John Frieda Frizz-Ease Shampoo and Conditioner - $5.39 each

Y'all know I'm all about trying new hair products lately, especially after my "body wave" incident. I saw this at Target for $5.39 and it had 30% more (13 oz. versus the normal 10 oz.) and each [I got the shampoo & conditioner] came with a free trial size Frizz-Ease product! That's a great deal!! Plus I need an alternative shampoo to switch up with my current K-Pak shampoo & conditioner. I got the trial sizes of the Frizz-Ease 3-day Straight Semi-Permanent Styling Spray & the Frizz-Ease Moisture Barrier Firm Hold Hairspray. 

#3 :: e.l.f. Luscious Liquid Lipstick - $1

For only ONE dollar, it's worth it to try! I'm always looking for cheap lip color to stash here & there. I got two shades, Pink Lemonade and Baby Lips. 

Top: Pink Lemonade
Bottom: Baby Lips

They feel a bit sticky (on my hand) so my guess is less is best! My guess is this $1 lip color is like a gloss that [hopefully] lasts longer than usual. We shall see.

#4 :: NYC Matte Me Crazy Mattifying Top Coat - $1.99

I've been browsing the selection of NYC nail polishes when I'm at Wal-Mart or Target lately. I'm fascinated by all the NYC-related polish names and y'all know I love me some NYC. I saw this Matte Me Crazy top coat and for less than $2 I just had to try it. I've been wanting a mattifying top coat, just to play around with polish colors. Here's a blog that reviewed the polish & provides a pic to show you the difference in matte polish and...regular polish?

Here's the pic

#5 :: Lip Smacker's Strawberry-Scented "Liquid Lip Smacker" - Super cheap

This is just my to-go-to, super-cheap, make-me-feel-like-I'm-a-kid-again lip gloss. I always buy it when I see it sold individually. It's a decent gloss and smells ohhh soo good. :) Can't beat the price either!

#6 :: e.l.f. Studio Blush in Tickled Pink - $3

"The soft sheer texture blends into the skin for a silky finish. Designed to be worn alone or layered for more depth. Highlight your complexion with a subtle healthy glow!"


#7 :: e.l.f. Studio Contouring Blush and Bronzing Powder duo - $3

"Create a healthy and natural glow all year long. The Blush highlights the cheeks to add a flush of color, while the Bronzer accents and contours cheekbones for beautiful definition."

The only mistake I think I made was buying a blush that almost matches the blush here in this duo.  Ah well, it was $3. Lesson learned! :)

See?

#8 :: e.l.f. Studio Angled Eyeliner Brush - $3

"This new anti-bacterial, synthetic-haired Taklon brush is softer and more absorbent and can be used with wet or dry products. Be a professional makeup artist and create a flawless look with this e.l.f. Studio brush! This thin pointed brush creates even and accurate color application in one fluid movement. The perfect angled tip of the brush provides exact placement for concentrated color right up to the lash line. Use to apply eyeliner for perfect color application."

I'm going to try it with my new matte black eyeshadow (#11) for my lower lash line which is such a pain for me! Wish me luck!

#9 :: e.l.f. Waterproof Eyeliner Pen - $1

"Get no smudge with no-budge eyeliner, which creates a fabulous and fresh look of precision that lasts for hours. The smooth pen applicator easily glides on color for very fine to bold lines for effortless beauty."

For one dollar, why not try? I'm always looking for a new favorite eyeliner, especially for those lower lash lines! I'll have to try this tomorrow while I'm laying out by the pool :)

#10 :: Maybelline Eye Studio Master Shape Brow Pencil - $6.99

I THINK this is what Ashley had. Either way, I wanted to try it. She swears by visible eyebrows, but I'm so afraid I'll look like I was meant to have a unibrow, but just waxed my brows! [Do you know that look?] I'll have to try it with and without my Anastasia Beverly Hills brow stencils from Ulta and see if I have a clue what I'm doing.

#11 :: L'Oreal Hip Matte Shadow Duo in Dashing - $8.49

I really wanted a matte black eyeshadow, and went straight for the single eyeshadows in the NYX brand today at Ulta, but the one that the store had was broken [dumb] so they directed me towards this product. Hey, I mean, it's two colors instead of one, and I still have my matte black, so, I'm not too upset that $8.49 was most expensive thing I purchased today. :)

#12 :: NYX Eyebrow Cake Powder in Brunette - $5.99 ($4.50 on sale with the BOGO 1/2 off)

I'm not gonna lie. I accidently bought the Auburn/Red shade today, but will exchange it for the Brunette next time I'm in Gastonia. I previously got the Dark Brown/Brown shade(s) for Christmas, but the brows are just too dark and out-there-screaming for my liking, so I'm going to pipe it down a notch and see how much I like this "visible eyebrows" look.

And last by not least...

[Lucky] #13 :: NYX Collection Noir Skinny Black Liner - $5.99 ($4.50 on sale with the BOGO 1/2 off) 

Ah, what the heck? Ulta had NYX items at Buy One Get One 1/2 off and as I've said a couple times already in this blog post alone, I'm looking for the perfect eyeliner for my lower lash line! "Skinny" sounds like what I'm looking for, so, why not?

That's a lot of makeup! And the most expensive thing I bought was $8.49! I think I racked up and did well! Now it's just time to play in all my new makeup & see what I love, what I like, and what I can live without.

Thank you for surviving this long blog post...
I hope you got some suggestions of your own to try and again, if you know of anything that you love that's inexpensive, let me know! I'm always loving to try new things! :)

♥,
Nicole