The Messy Vanity: My Big Birthday Haul!

It's finally here! The birthday haul I've been talking about for weeks. There are so many amazing products to go over I don't know where to begin. So I'll start with the first gift I received. I came in a big bag filled with Girhardelli chocolates and Benefit Cosmetics! Let's begin...

I haven't tried either of these yet. There are quite a few of these "birthday haul" products that I am saving for a relaxing spa day at home. These are just a couple that are being reserved for that day.

Next up... Not one but TWO of my favorite Benefit Mascaras

Badgal Lash Mascara

Benefits Total Moisture Facial Cream - That's it! I've finally found a replacement for the Lancome Age defying cream that I can no longer afford. At $110 a pop, I can honestly say, I will NOT be purchasing that anymore. Benefits Total Moisture Facial Cream makes my face feel silky smooth and soft with no oily buildup.

Groovy Kind-a Love Make up Kit- This kit is filled with amazing Benefit products like the POREfessional face primer, Benetint, 4 beautiful neutral eyeshadows, They're Real Mascara, 2 shimmery cheek powders and a double sided sponge tip applicator. I'm not gonna lie, I'm kinda disappointed, I mean c'mon Benefit...A SPONGE TIP APPLICATOR!?!? Why not a brush? I just don't understand it.

And finally, a super cute Benefit Travel bag. This is going to come in handy for the occasional weekend getaway.

Now onto another great brand... NYX!

From BlueScandal.com (a great site to get all of your beauty needs PLUS they have great sales!) I got a couple of things I've been wanting to try out. The first is the Highlight and Contour Powder.

I've got to admit, I my high hopes were quickly shot down with this one. The contour shade was just way too sheer and the highlight did nothing. Bummer :( That's ok. It will be on standby for emergency situations.

Also from BlueScandal, the NYX Makeup Setting Spay in Matte Finish.

Again, another product I have high hopes for. I haven't given this one a try yet. My fingers are crossed.

From Ulta.com , I bought 2 NYX Glam Shadow Sticks. One in Wicked Onyx and the other in Elegant Marble

Wicked Onyx is a deep slate gray and Element Marble is a rose gold. I used the Wicked Onyx on my lids to help create a smokey eye. Throughout the day, it ended up leaving crease lines on my lids but next time, I'm sure setting it with a similar shadow will help to set it into place.

Next up....

SPASPASPASPA

Some of my best friends pitched in and got me the gift of all gifts! It came complete with 2 bottles of wine, a gift card, Victoria's Secret bra and a few great "spa" items.
The first items are from Burt's Bee's. Its the Mango & Orange Sugar Scrub. It smells so good and I can not wait to use this. I've used sugar scrubs before and I absolutely love the way they make my skin feel. Being that this one is Burt's Bee's brand, I'm pretty sure it's going to be what I expect and more.

Next up from Burt's Bee's is the Baby Bee's Skin Cream . I tried to link to the Burt's Bee's site but couldn't find this product so Amazon.com it is.

I am loving this cream! Its the perfect remedy for my "winter skin".

I was also gifted a product that I've been interested in trying for a really long time now and that is a solid shampoo. If you don't know what a solid shampoo is you can find a lot of information here.

I was given a Dr. Bronner Magic Soap.

This is an all in one head to toe all natural soap. I've used it once on my face and thought it was great. Left my face smooth, clean and not at all dry. I'm really interested to see how it will do on my hair.

Speaking of hair, also in my gift bag there was a super cute aztec print paddle brush.

While doing some online shopping at Ulta, I noticed that they had all of their Sexy Hair products on sale... JACKPOT! So I took this time to get a few products that I hadn't yet tried. Healthy Sexy Hair, which is a great leave in conditioner that I love, love, love! Silky Sexy Hair shampoo which smells amazing and I was really impressed with how my hair felt after using it. Finally, I picked up the Curly Sexy Hair Curl Powder Spray Foam. I haven't used it yet and am wondering how something can be a powder, spray and foam all in one. Needless to say, lookout for a review on this one for sure.

Also from Ulta, I got the Lorac Rockin' Red Hot Pro Set. I had been dying to get the Lorac Pro Palette and when I saw it on sale, I knew it was a sign that NOW was my time to get it. It looks like it is no longer available on Ulta.com so I will link it to the Lorac website where I purchased the new Rockin Red Hot Liquid Lustre set. Four gorgeous shades that come in little dropper bottles. What can I say, it intrigued me. I had to know what these are all about. The colors go great with most of my go to shades so I'm hoping this product does what it promises and turns my look up a notch.

I was able to create this fall looking using the Lorac Pro palette which comes with an entire row of matte shades and an entire row of shimmer. PERFECT for Mixing and Matching.

My final stop online was at Sephora. I'm not going to lie, I got some pretty amazing items here. There was the amazing Buxom Serial Kisser mini lipstick palette. It has 5 beautiful, creamy and wearable shades that are buildable to create the color deepness that will complete your look.

I had been wanting to try Eyeko brand liner, so as I was looking for it, I came across something that I had forgotten all about, the Draw-The-Line Sephora Favorites kit. What's not to love about 6 new high end liners. Seemed like a no brainer to me.

Some of the other products I picked up from Sephora were the Lorac POREfection Mattifying Primer, Tarte Amazonian Clay Airbrush Foundation and the Bare Minerals Stroke of Light mini kit.

And I certainly cannot forget the gorgeous Too Faced A Few of My Favorite Things Palette which I have already done a tutorial on. I bought it from Sephora but since it was limited edition, they are no longer offering it. Here is another look I created with this palette.