Ulta Birthday Gift (April, May, June)

Hello again readers!

Ulta did something strange this year for their birthday gifts (or exciting, depending on how you look at it!). Instead of having one product given out all year, they're changing it up. The first quarter of the year, people received this Ulta palette.

If you had your birthday in the second quarter (April, May, or June), you received the Deluxe Size Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Pencil in Voodoo.

It comes in card stock, with details on the liner shades that Urban Decay has in their line.

The pencil is a violet metallic, with orange and violet glitter. I have never been too fond of these pencils, because although they last for a decent amount of time on the lid, they don't last very long on my water line. Even so, I'm happy to have received this for my birthday gift, as I didn't want the palette, and I didn't want what's available for the third quarter gift (A Deluxe Urban Decay Perversion Mascara!) either.

If you got this, did you like it?

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I couldn't find this pencil for individual sale, but it's included in the After Dark Travel Pencil Set, available at Sephora, Ulta, and the Urban Decay site.

Thanks for reading!

Sephora Birthday Reward - Make Up For Ever

Hello again readers!

I was going to post this the other day, but I really wanted to wait until today to post this. This year for your birthday gift, Sephora gave out this box with a sample of the Make Up For Ever's Smoky Extravagant Mascara and Rouge Artist Natural Lipstick in N9 Copper Pink.

They say that these are deluxe samples, even if they look really tiny. They're great for traveling, however.

First off, I hated the mascara with a passion. It has a Christmas tree-shaped wand, which in theory is supposed to coat the little lashes in the inner corner, but elongating the outer lashes dramatically I find it hard to apply to my left eye, because my right hand is the hand I use to apply my makeup with. 

The formula on this mascara was really clumpy. One coat was fine, and any more than that and it was clump city. It looked terrible. I don't know if it was dried out or not, but regardless it was terrible. It wasn't waterproof, and within an hour I had flakes and transfer under my eyes and against my cheeks.

For being so small, this lipstick really did look great packaging wise. I was a little hesitant, because the colour looked to be a really brown-toned red in the tube, but I was pleasantly surprised.

The lipstick turned out to be a dark rose-nude that leans warm, and I loved it! The formula feels creamy, and it wasn't the most pigmented of lipsticks, which worked in it's favour.

I wasn't wild about the mascara, but I really enjoyed the lipstick.

Thanks for reading!

Ulta Birthday Reward - Calvin Klein One Mascara

Hello again readers!

Nothing like being two weeks late for reviews, huh? Well, one of my favourite sayings is 'better late than never', and I stand by that!

This year, Ulta gave out a full-sized mascara as their birthday reward. I was really shocked, and excited to try out this mascara, because I never tried a CK makeup product before.

Calvin Klein One Mascara

The tube is a little... questionable, but sleek. The monochrome mascara packaging is a ringer, and I'm always instantly in love with the smooth plastic that pops up here and there with packaging, even if it collects makeup like crazy.

The cap looked a little strange, but really, it's an odd but amazing feature, the top of the mascara want twists, so you get TWO different mascara wands in one!

If it is relaxed, you get a brush perfect for separating your lashes and creating length.

If you twist the cap, you get a brush that's great for building up volume fast!

The way I like using this, is either go in with the volume mascara wand, and then go in again with the lengthening wand again to de-clump the lashes, or I just use the lengthening mascara by itself.

The formula is strange, as it clumps really easily, even just using the lengthening mascara. I really had to watch how I applied it so my lashes wouldn't get stuck togther. Another thing that's so strange about this formula, is that mine never seems to want to truly dry, until an hour later, then it just feels brittle.

Since it's not waterproof, it's not a mascara that'd ever be my every day mascara, but I really enjoy using it on the days where I just go out for errands. It's a wonderful gift, so don't forget to get yours!

Thanks for reading!

Sephora Birthday

Hello again readers~

I found this little bugger stuck in the archives! 

When I was in Vegas, I was able to go to one of the Sephora's on the strip, to get my Birthday gift. I also bought myself a mini-glass nail file for my bag, but that was just for me. ;)

You get a free little gift with a  highlighter, and a mascara! I was really excited to get this, since I don't get many high-end products. Ever.

Benefit - Watt's Up Highlighter

A little, creamy highlighter. I like the packaging, it's attention grabbing and sleek. However, I wasn't wild about the product. Watt's Up is a creamy stick that you rub against your skin to highlight your features, and it was problematic. The colour isn't terrible, it's a bright champagne, but I wasn't wild about all of the sparkles.

The stick fell out of the packaging, twice now, and I was a little surprised, I thought it would be packaged better, and when I blend out it didn't do much for me at all. I don't feel like rubbing a lot of this on my face, since it is a cream and kind of gets a little greasy. It was fun to try, but I won't be buying the full-sized product. The full-size of this product is $30.

Benefit - They're Real Mascara 

This was what I was most excited about, since a lot of people really enjoy this mascara. 

I was indifferent.

It added volume, and length to my lashes, even curled them! 

Though there was so many things I wasn't wild about it too... First off, the brush hurts. The bristles are stiff plastic, that are great for separating the lashes, but not great for closer to the lash line. I can't get close to the base of my lashes without jabbing myself in the eye/skin at the lash line. It's not pleasant, and though I can get over it, I don't like that it has to happen in the first place.

Secondly, it smears. Throughout the day, I'll find black smudges by the outter corner of my eye, and on my lower lashline. 

I don't mind layering a waterproof mascara over it, but the full-size of this product is also really steep in price ($23), and I don't see myself buying it for myself. It was good to try, and aside from those flaws I like the formula.

Thanks for reading~