What Did I Buy at the Sephora & Ulta Spring Sales?

Am I the only one who hoards an Ulta or Sephora gift card waiting for the 20% off or VIB sale email to come through so I can finally spend it? Haha hopefully some of you beauty addicts understand the happiness of having both! I luckily had an Ulta GC this weekend when it was time for the sale and headed to both stores with two of my also beauty obsessed friends which resulted in this haul. I asked on Instagram if you wanted to see this post and got a 100% response of YESSS so here we are! I will be filming a first impression on a lot of these and posting that this week so look for that if you're curious about my thoughts on these!

First up was Ulta. I often take the opportunity to stock up on some things for my kit when I have discounts, so you'll see some of the purchases below are for that. If it's for my kit I'll denote that in case you want to know!

In the back row (from L to R) you'll see I bought the Morphe 9B Palette, the Morphe 35O Palette (kit) , two shades of Tarte Shape Tape Concealer (kit), Morphe M530 Contour Brush (kit), TooFaced Hangover RX Primer (kit), The Maybelline by Face Studio Master Strobe Liquid in Light, NARS Power Matte Pigment in Walk This Way, the Morphe M459 Flat Contour Brush, a multipack of Ardell Demi Wispies (kit), and a multipack of Ardell 110's (kit). 

Close up of the 35O Palette!

Close up of the 9B Palette!

At Sephora I got the Fenty Beauty Lil Match Stix Duo, Fenty Beauty Match Stix Matte Skinstick in Amber, Milk Holographic Stick in Mars, and the Sephora Collection Colorful Blush in Too Hot! No. 7. 

Did you guys shop the sales? If you did, what did you get? If you want specific reviews on some of these products let me know! I'll be sure to Instagram story the exact products I'll be using in the First Impressions video, so be sure to follow me over there @andreafontanabeauty. 

Have a beautiful week,

Andrea

Dre Does a Colour Pop Cosmetics First Impression

Chances are that if you keep up with the social media beauty world you've at least heard of Colour Pop Cosmetics and maybe even own a few products. I kept seeing the brand popping up on Instagram and after talking with a client while working for Benefit (Hi Michelle!) I decided I needed to browse the website more in hopes of buying a few of my own products.

Let me set up the scene for you later that night. My friend and I whom are both makeup addicts, open a bottle of wine and begin discussing recent new product launches. I mention that a client had earlier talked about how much she was obsessed with her recent Colour Pop purchases and after a quick refill of the wine glass and browsing of the iPad, I had my own Colour Pop order on it's way to me.

Warning: Drinking and browsing makeup is dangerous. Whoops...

Fast forward to 2 weeks later, and I had a pretty little box in my mail. I will say, it took FOREVER to get here. I placed my order, was told it shipped a few days later and after receiving a tracking number, my package mysteriously stopped updating. It was supposed to get to my place on a certain date and when that day came and went, I was getting worried. I was warned from my client that their shipping takes a long time so I'm not sure if this was a delivery service issue or a Colour Pop Cosmetics error, but it took over 2 weeks to get my products. I don't mind this as long as they update the information so I don't think my package has been lost.

Regardless, I received my package and I have been so happy. I only purchased the Super Shock Shadows because they were the thing I was most intrigued by and only 5 DOLLARS A SHADOW!! However, now that I am so happy with them I can see myself trying other items as well.

The reason that these Super Shock Shadows are so unique is the texture and formula of the product. It is unlike any product I have ever felt. It's as if the shadows are a cream, mousse, and powder hybrid. They don't feel wet at all like a cream, yet blend so effortlessly. The only thing I was worried about with them was creasing. I was not expecting them to stay put since they blended so easily. Boy was I wrong though! They lasted all day and are so easy to work it. I love how the company sends a few info cards on how to best apply the product depending on the result you want. I used both my fingers and synthetic brushes as recommended by the info cards and was really happy with the result!

As you can see below I stuck with my usual warm neutrals because when I'm testing out a new type of product I like to stick to shades I know I will use so that I will actually test them out a lot.

 

 Truth (Satin Finish):

 

I <3 This (Metallic Finish):

 

Desert (Satin Finish):

 

Amaze (Metallic Finish):

 

LA LA (Ultra Metallic Finish):

 

Girl Crush (Matte Finish):

 

Game Face (Ultra Metallic Finish):

 

Mittens (Matte Finish):

 

(None of these swatching pictures having any filters in order to show the truest shade of the shadows).

I will say that I love the satin, matte, and ultra metallic finishes best. The metallic finish is less pigment and more glitter as you can see in the swatches, but the ultra metallic looks more like a foil and is very pigmented. Overall, I can see myself using every color I got frequently and would recommend them all!

Have you tried anything from Colour Pop Cosmetics yet? I'm looking to purchase the new blushes and highlighters soon, and obviously some lip products because who would I be if I didn't! haha 

Have a beautiful day,

Dre

Dre Does A MAC Haul

So I'm back and here with a MAC Haul which was technically purchased a few days before the end of 2914. The only reason I'm telling you this is because I have decided to go on a 100 day No Buy, that started on January 1st. So far I'm 12 days in and have been successful so here's to hoping I can make it until April! I encourage you to join me! I am only buying necessities in all aspects of life, not just beauty. Obviously if I run out of my mascara I can go buy another but no trying new things until the 100 days are up! Wish me luck because it's already painful and it's only week 2...

Back to the MAC Haul. I wanted to share it because I can't stop using these products since I bought them. Two were repurchases but the other three were new to me and I'm obsessed.

If you've been reading my blog for a while you know that my absolute holy grail undereye concealer is the MAC Pro Longwear Concealer and I was out of my winter shade (NC20) so I picked it up. I like the slight yellow tone to correct the purpleness of my dark circles. I also had to pick up a new tube of All Fired Up because it decided to go swimming with a load of my laundry and it's a must have color for me. I always get complimented on it when I wear it so it never fails me in completing my look. I love how it's the perfect mix between red and pink without being too bright. It's a retro matte finish like the cult classic Ruby Woo, which I love so go swatch it sometime and you'll see what I mean. Now I've been digging nudes of brown and mauve recently so after swatching Spice, Cosmo, and Kinda Sexy, I knew I had to take them all home. I love the amplified finish of Cosmo and I wear it at least a few days a week right now. I also love how Spice can add a brown tone to any lipstick if you put it on underneath.

I'm going to be doing a makeup look soon for you, showing you what I've been doing almost every day for the past few months, but you can probably guess that Cosmo, Spice, and Kinda Sexy will be involved in it. 

Let me know if you have any requests or ideas for me to conquer in the next couple of weeks! 

Have a beautiful day, 

Dre

Dre Does a Beauty Haul

Hello there beautiful people! I hope you had a fantastic thanksgiving if you celebrated and spent a lot of time with family and friends. I have so much to be thankful for including all of the support I get from all of you! 

Within the last few months I have been shopping mostly for Christmas presents but couldn't pass up the discounts I get as a ULTA employee to pick up some products I have been eyeing. I also managed to accumulate a lot of ULTA rewards points in the process and desired to cash them in for some items for my makeup kit that I knew I'd eventually want and use. I wanted to share them so that if you have questions, want reviews or tutorials, I can help! 

First up were my favorite eyeshadows from the drugstore aisles, the Loreal infallible Eyeshadows in Iced Latte, Bronzed Taupe, and Smoked Plum. I already have Amber Rush and have mentioned how much I love it, so I figured I would pick up some new shades while I had the extra discount.

As a Benefit Arch Expert and long time Benefit lover, I am always excited to see what Benefit comes out with for the holidays. I snagged my Cheeky Sweet Spot Box O' Blushes right when it first came out because not only is it an amazing deal but it is so adorable. You get 6 of Benefits Box O' Powders (including Dandelion, Sugarbomb, Hoola, Coralista, Rockateur and even Bella Bamba which is now discontinued), a mini brush and a small pan of Watt's Up highlighter. It all comes in a beautiful tin and lifts up and can be reused later! 

I knew that the original Lorac Pro Palette was a classic that I needed for my kit so I picked it up when I redeemed points. I love that it has one row of matte shadows from white to black, and a row of shimmer and satin shades from light to dark.

I found it the absolute best coincidence that I had tons of points to redeem the day that ULTA launched the Anastasia Contour Kit in stores. I have a very warm and golden undertone so this is perfect for my skin tone and I had been dying to try it. I've been using it a lot so expect a review soon!

The only Naked palettes I have had for the past few years have been the original and the Naked basics palette (original as well) and I decided to pick up the Naked 3 with my points because the colors are unlike anything I have already. This is the perfect bridal palette so I'm excited to add it to my kit. 

Yes another contour kit...haha I couldn't help it though because the tones are much cooler than the Anastasia one and that dark shade at the bottom allows for contouring a larger range of skin tones so I had to pick this one up too. The It Cosmetics My Sculpted Face Palette is so buttery and smooth and makes blending a breeze so in the ULTA shopping bag it went!

Lastly, we have the only skincare item I bought, but a great one at that. If you've been reading my blog for awhile you know I love the Dr. Brandt Microdermabrasion scrub so I decided to try out the Dr. Brandt pores no more Vacuum Cleaner for blackheads and congested pores! I've done it once and so far I like it so look for a review on this too! 

Reminder, this was not bought all at once and while I did use my own money for all of it, I did buy most of it either during the ULTA employee sale or redeemed with an amount of points that I'm too embarrassed to share with you...haha. If you're not already an ULTAmate Rewards member what are you waiting for? It's a ridiculously amazing program! 

Remember, all questions and ideas could be turned into future blog posts! So comment, share and ask away my beauties! 

Have a beautiful day,

Dre

Dre Does a Fashion Haul

I had some time to kill the past two nights and somehow ended up in both Forever 21 and H&M on separate nights. While I didn't get much, I did find some good things so I figured I would share because I love both the items and the prices!  WARNING: I live in black clothing so that's 99% of what you're about to see. I just can't help it guuuuuuys! 

First up, H&M! I did get a lose v-neck black sweater with quilted leather paneling on the shoulders but I can't find a link online so sadly I can't show it to you! It's my favorite piece that I got though and I highly recommend browsing your local H&M to find it. It is long and covers everything to wear leggings so I'm excited to add it to my fall wardrobe! 

I saw this pencil skirt and immediately fell in love. At $17.95 and the perfect fit, I couldn't pass up a pencil skirt with the perfect leather detailing. I can't wait to style it! 

This was another basic that I couldn't pass up because a black circle skirt is a fashion must have. Once again at only $17.95 you can't beat H&M's stylish pieces at a fraction of the cost.

The following night I stopped in Forever 21 and like usual I tried a million things on but only ended up liking a few. 

This sweater was only $19.80 and super comfy and soft. I bought it in a large mainly because I couldn't find any smalls or mediums but I really liked how baggy and loose it was on me. It screamed fall and I love the lace trim on the bottom. It gave me an excuse to buy another comfy cream colored sweater so I can't be mad about that!

Next, I bought this simple black dress for 3 main reasons. First it was only $13.80, but it also fit really well. Since I am the definition of an hour glass figure, it's really hard to find dresses that are fitted enough in the waist without being too small everywhere else. I also loved that I could wear a regular bra with it because that's just 100% necessary when you are too well endowed! Also, it is not this short on me because I don't have 2 mile long legs like the model sadly...

So that's what I picked up this week! Let me know if you got any good finds recently for fall! 

Have a beautiful day,

Dre