MAKEUP HAUL - Smashbox & Stila

I misbehaved a little this week and broke my no-buy rule. I'm giving myself credit for trying since I haven't bought anything fun in over a month? That's still pretty good, right? Right?! :)

As many of you may know, it's hard to resist a good beauty sale especially when Ulta is doing its 21 Days of Beauty event. Their featured products are up to 50% off and sometimes they'll even throw in a little gift if you meet the purchase minimum within a certain brand. I almost forgot that the daily beauty steal for yesterday was Smashbox's Baked Fusion Softlights (reg. $32, sale $16) so I hurried out before the lunch crowd got there. I managed to get the last box for the golden shades called Baked Starburst. It looked a little dark and intimidating in the pan but it seemed to go on pretty sheer when I sampled it. I wasn't sure if Starburst was going to be too dark and if the pink one called Baked Starblush would be too pink on me. That's what happens when you're NC20 like me. The makeup world can get pretty confusing out there if you're not paying attention. I have been keeping an eye out for a highlighter that wasn't too gritty and I was pretty set on splurging on Hourglass' Ambient Lighting Powder at Sephora, but I have been holding back. I'm glad I did because I think Smashbox did a great job with their Baked Fusion Softlights and for a fraction of Hourglass' price! I applied it with a brush at home and it did add a lovely glow to my face. I only did a couple swipes on my cheeks, nose, and forehead. I didn't buy this with the intention of contouring, I just wanted a subtle glow and it delivered!

I wasn't expecting on picking up anything else at Ulta until I saw Smashbox's Camera Ready BB Water with SPF 30 on sale (reg. 42, sale $25 until April 2). I usually don't buy a BB cream, CC cream, or foundation without extensive research. I am not prone to impulse buys! However, it seemed like a really good deal and my quick research on my phone made me say yes to this. I picked up a bottle in the shade Light/Neutral. I didn't know what to expect from the "water" aspect of this even when I tried it out in store. It's hard to really gauge the performance of a product unless I'm at home with my makeup tools. Turns out, it's a nice sheer coverage foundation. It comes with a dropper to dispense the BB water. You can apply with your fingers or a foundation brush. I opted for my brush and it seemed to do a good job of covering my lighter blemishes. This would be good for anyone who wants to cover a few spots here and there and wants a LIGHT feel on their face. This is not cakey at all!

To top it off, Smashbox just happened to be giving a free gift trio with a minimum purchase of $35. It includes travel size versions of their Photo Op Eye Shadow Trio, Photo Finish Lid Primer, and Hydrating Under Eye Primer. I spent $41 on my little haul so I was good to go. The sales associates at my store were not aware of this gift and one of them had to spread the news to the rest of her colleagues. Just a pointer to pay attention to these little things when you're out there shopping. It can get pretty overwhelming with the beauty sensory overload!

Where I live, Nordstrom Rack is only a couple doors down from Ulta so I can't help but check out their ever-changing makeup section. I saw a bunch of little Stila Stay All Day Concealers (reg. $23, sale $7.97) and unexpectedly left with the shade called Hue 05 (matched well with my NC20 skin tone) that comes with its own mirror. Perfect for on-the-go touch ups. I say unexpectedly because my skin is usually pretty well-behaved when it comes to breakouts. I get the occasional one or two breakouts at most every month. I guess my skin is really sensitive cuz I went to get my eyebrows threaded and my forehead was covered in breakouts as if I had gotten them waxed instead. I wanted something with a fuller coverage than my liquid concealer I picked up in Muji when I was in Osaka a couple years ago.

Photos and product details are below. Please let me know if you'd like me to do a full on review with photos of me actually wearing these goodies.

(Ebates links are in this post)

Yesterday's beauty haul still in its packaging

Smashbox Camera Ready BB Water and Smashbox Baked Fusion Softlights in Starburst

Smashbox Baked Fusion Softlights in Starburst

Smashbox Baked Fusion Softlights Claims & Ingredients

Smashbox Camera Ready BB Water's Ingredients Continued

Smashbox Camera Ready BB Water's Claims & Ingredients

Shade in Light/Neutral

Stila's Stay All Day Concealer

Stila Stay All Day Concealer in Hue 05 (I already dug into this. Hello, breakouts!)

Stila Stay All Day Concealer Ingredients

Stila Stay All Day Concealer Claims

Stila Stay All Day Concealer Instructions

Mini Smashbox Trio Gift with Purchase (haven't tried any of these yet)

Have you tried any of these products? Are you eyeing anything at Ulta's 21 Days of Beauty event? Let me know in the comments below! I'm a little tempted by Tarte's Lights, Camera, Lashes Mascara. It's going to be on sale on March 26 for $10. Maybe this will be the non-waterproof mascara that can hold my straight lashes' curls.