RETAIL THERAPY: MAC 'Hey Sailor!', Converse, Ulta and More!

I purchased these items within the last month, which is pretty good for me, considering I have a shopping addiction.  I recently went on a little weekend getaway to San Diego and went outlet shopping, where I purchased a couple of these things.  I am fairly pleased with everything and I think they were pretty good buys that will be favorites for me in the future. 

Real Techniques Stippling Brush

I am a huge fan of the Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman line.  There is no Ulta nearby where I go to school, so when I went to San Diego,  I jumped at the opportunity to go to Ulta to get a couple more brushes to add to my collection.  I already have the 'Core Collection' with the Buffing Brush and I knew that I wanted to get the Stippling Brush, since I heard so many good things about it.  It is actually much smaller than I thought it was going to be.  I wanted to use it for blush, but I feel like it might be too small and dense for me.  I tried it out with MAC 'Fleet Fast' yesterday and picked up a LOT of product, making my cheeks look a little crazy, but I think I'm going to keep playing around with it and try to figure out what works best with what.  I might try this with foundation as well. The quality of this brush is impeccable, though.  It's super soft and the hairs seem to be really amazing quality with no fall out or anything. 

Real Techniques Powder Brush

I've been looking for a new powder brush recently to use with my translucent powder when I set my foundation.  My kabuki brush is too dense and thick, and I wanted something much fluffier and soft.  I saw this and decided I would give it a try. I haven't heard too much about this brush online, but I figured it'd be just as good quality as the others.  This ended out being exactly what I needed.  It's very soft, and not too dense, so it just distributes the powder lightly and evenly.  I brushed this on my boyfriend's face and he didn't want me to stop, so when I say it's soft...I mean it's REALLY soft.

MAC 'Hey Sailor!' Collection

Okay first off, this packaging is unbelievably adorable. Just sayin'. I always love when MAC comes out with new collections.  However, most of the time they sell out before I even have a chance to look.  This time, I think I caught the email early and got to choose what I wanted from the 'Hey Sailor!' collection.  It is a gorgeous collection with lots of nautical themed shades like bright reds and navy blues.  I was really interested in the Suntints, since I missed out on the Tendertones and I thought that they might be similar. The rest of the products, though beautiful, didn't seem too special to me or were too bright for my taste.  

MAC Powder Blush in 'Fleet Fast'

I've been itching to get a new blush recently.  I was looking into getting the Laura Mercier Second Skin Cheek Color blushes, but was unable to find the color I wanted.  When I was looking at the 'Hey Sailor!' collection, I was excited to see this blush. It is described as a pinky golden coral, but I'd say it's much more pink than they let off. It's a bit of a mauvy, bright pink with a hint of coral.  Like I've said a million times, I'm really not a huge fan of pink on my skin tone.  When I applied this yesterday, I was a little turned off by the shade on my face, but that could have also been because I put WAY too much on and sort of looked like a creepy doll. I do think the color is really pretty and I love the finish of it.  I own a lot of shimmery blushes, so it's a nice change to have something more matte. I'm going to play around with it more and see if it works out better when I don't coat my face in blush.

MAC Suntints in 'Au Rose' 

I was super excited to see this product in the collection.  I was sort of bummed that I wasn't able to get my hands on the Tendertones, so I was hoping that these would be a similar kind of product.  I have heard mixed reviews about the Suntints.  Some people love them and find them very moisturizing, but some find them extremely drying and way too sheer.  I agree that they're very sheer, but I like that in a lip gloss. I'm not really a fan of opaque glosses, so this sheer wash of color is perfect for me.  This is a really pretty coraly pink shade with golden shimmer.  I was really drawn to the shimmer in this product because I thought it would be really beautiful for spring/summer.  I find this product to be quite moisturizing.  It gives my lips a really beautiful sheen, but doesn't feel sticky or anything.  It lasts about an hour or two, which is what I expect from a gloss.  I actually really like it, though I'm not quite sure if it's anything too spectacular or out of the ordinary.

MAC Big Bounce Shadow in 'Impeccably Rich'

When I went to the outlets, I was thrilled to see a Cosmetic Company Store there.  I went in and almost directly went to the MAC stand.  I was hoping to get a lipstick, but I walked out with this Big Bounce Shadow.  I recognized the name from some beauty gurus and swatched the color on my hand.  I immediately fell in love with the goldeny champagne color and the amazing amount of shimmer.  I am a huuuuuge sucker for shimmery eye shadows, so I was basically sold.  At first I was a little bit put off by the consistency, which is very liquidy, but it dries fairly quickly to almost like a stain.  It's gorgeous, but quite sheer when you first apply it, so I usually have to be a few layers.  I saw many mixed reviews about this as well.  Many people thought that it creased extremely easily since it is such a liquidy consistency, but I actually found that with a MAC Paint Pot underneath and a light dusting of powder over, it lasted almost all day.

Converse Chuck Taylor Hi Top All Stars in 'Optical White'

In middle school, I probably owned every single color of Converse ever made.  I had a huge obsession with them but unfortunately, I ruined all of them.  I pretty much grew out of that obsession after a while, but I've recently developed a craving for Converse.  It probably has a lot to do with Swedish style.  I recently went on a trip to Sweden and literally, every single person there wears white hi top Converse and they make it look so effortless and cool.  I have been lusting over the idea of owning a pair of white hi top Converse for a while, but refused to pay full price for them when I knew that you could get them for a little bit cheaper at a Converse outlet.  I went to the Converse outlet in San Diego and was so excited to see these there for $45. Maybe not the biggest deal, but still....enough for me to jump at the opportunity to get them.  I basically haven't taken these off since I bought them.  The only thing is that they're SO stark white, it kind of freaks me out.  But with time, they'll dirty up and I won't feel like I'm blinding everyone around me with my feet.

Xhilaration Yellow Crossbody Satchel

So speaking of blinding people...I purchased this neon yellow satchel from Target a couple of weeks ago.  We've already established my love for neon, so this shouldn't be too surprising of a purchase.  I've been wanting a neon bag for a while and for a while, Target had a bunch of neon accessories.  I just couldn't justify spending $30 on a neon bag.  I was walking through the accessories section recently and I spotted this bag in the sale area and nearly peed myself when I saw that it was on sale for $8. That's right...8 dollars. I knew I had to get it.  It's a great medium sized satchel that would look really great in all seasons, whether it is with a fun, bright outfit in the spring/summer or as a pop of color with a neutral outfit in fall/winter.  

xx,

Jordana