Birthday Guilt-Free Beauty Haul

It was my birthday and I was in Target, so naturally, purchases are guilt-free! Especially these beauty goodies…

I’ve been monitoring Pixi by Petra and Sonia Kashuk for about a month or two now, as I knew Target carried both brands and they were rather new to me. Pixi does not do any testing on animals, nor do they use any suppliers that follow those practices. I also love the simplicity of the brand and packaging. They don’t try to overdo it and the product is still lovely. Sonia Kashuk, on the other hand, popped onto my radar when I saw the brand won multiple spots out of 31 winners on the CEW Insiders 2014 Beauty Awards. Out of 5 submitted products, they placed 3 winners, and were a finalist for a 4th in the entire beauty industry! Was I missing out on something right under my nose??

Beauty Haul

Pixi Mesmerizing Mineral Palette in Plum Quartz – I fell in love with this $12 palette through Pixi’s instagram page.

As you can see, there is quite a bit of color payoff, which is one of the reasons I had to have it. Plums, pinks, and browns are perfect fall colors, though I like to wear them year-round with my fair skin-tone. I can’t wait to experiment more with Plum Quartz!

(Left to right: Pixi Radiant Rose, SK Bronzer, SK Blush, SK Bronzer/Blush blended, SK Sheer Pink Lust, SK Illuminator [thick swatch], Elf Pink Balm, L’Oreal Paris Doutzen Lipstick)

Pixi Tinted Brilliance Balm in Radiant Rose – this pretty rose hue goes on lighter than the stock swatch indicates. It glides on creamy and has quite a lot of color payoff for being marketed as a “balm.” It’s rather pricey at $14 a tube, but I would definitely try Pixi’s other colors if they were to go on sale after loving this product this much.

Sonia Kashuk Chic Luminosity Bronzer/Blush Duo in Glisten – to the naked eye (and in Target’s harsh florescent light), it was difficult to really tell the difference between the three different $12.99 options–Glow, Glisten, and Glimmer–so I picked the middle option. This was a CEW Winner, and with its two-in-one compact, it’s easy to carry around and mixes like a dream to offer that perfect summer glow.

Sonia Kashuk Shine Luxe Lip Color in Sheer Pink Lust ($10.99) – this was another CEW winner, so I picked up a handsome nudey-pink color to fill in a gap I had in my lippy drawer. I didn’t realize it mimics the texture of a gloss (which I usually avoid), but it was wearable for a few hours before I ended up wiping it off. I won’t knock the product, as I know my comfort level was a bit off.

Sonia Kashuk Perfecting Translucent Illuminator ($14.99) – I own and have sampled plenty of BB and CC creams, but I wanted a cream that just brightens skin tone without feeling like you’re caking on the makeup. I am very pleased at how blendable it was, though the smell is somewhat offputting. The cream is a glistening gold and melts with your skin, so as not to leave harsh toning effects. I swatched a thick layer to show how it comes out of the tube.

e.l.f. Lip Balm in Pink – e.l.f. is another one of those brands that I always overlooked, but after seeing so many positive reviews on beauty blogs, and for how dang cheap the brand was, I figured ‘what could it hurt?’ I have not yet applied this $3 balm to my lips, but the color for the price is about expected.

e.l.f. Lip Exfoliator – if you like brown sugar at all, stop what you are doing and spend the $2 it takes to buy this beauty product. It scrubs your lips as you apply it back and forth, and leaves a soft, waxy texture that you can leave on to keep them moistened. I like to rinse it off, however, and apply lipstick immediately afterwards for a soft, hydrated lip full of color.

L’Oreal Paris Colour Riche Lipstick in Doutzen’s Nude – this was the biggest let down of the beauty haul, at least by first reactions alone. This lipstick went on so wet, and was nearly impossible to get an even coat. The color itself is supposed to be light, but I thought it was almost like a sheer gloss.

What beauty products are you looking to binge-buy soon?!

Don’t forget to enter my giveaway by clicking on the link below! 🙂

XO