Pick-Ups & Deliveries: August 2015

You might have noticed that I didn't have a haul for July, and that's because I was being a really good girl and didn't buy anything (that I didn't need). I spent so much over May and June that I was really trying to cut back on spending, and I was trying to keep this more "thrifty" lifestyle until I saw that Ebates was having 8% cash back at Sephora. And that's when my self-imposed ban lifted.

Surratt Beauty Artistique Blush in La Vie en Rose, Ponceau, and Parfait
Viseart Eyeshadow Palette in Neutral Mattes, Sultry Muse, and Bridal Satin
Urban Decay Perversion Mascara, Naked Skin Concealer in Medium Dark Warm, and Matte Revolution Lipstick in After Dark, Bittersweet, 1993, and Stark Naked
I have been eyeing Surratt's blushes for the better part of a year, and I finally caved and bought the three shades that were on my wishlist. I decided that I wasn't gonna wait until the VIB sale because they're just gonna sell out in like, a minute (like last time), so I might as well take advantage of the higher cash back percentage from Ebates. I'm still wavering on whether or not to get the empty palette; they're expensive and not magnetized, but on the other hand, they are cute and given that the blushes are so small and delicate, I kind of do want a palette to put them in. We'll see how much I care about this in like, a month. I also caved and got the coveted Viseart eyeshadow palettes that I'd been contemplating over for the last few months. My first thought was that they are expensive for non-customizable eyeshadow palettes at $80 a pop. But then I realized that it ends up being $6.67 per eyeshadow and it contains a whopping 24 grams of product. So, you know. I bought three. Finally, I got four shades of Urban Decay's new Matte Revolution Lipstick (review coming up), a new tube of my favourite Perversion Mascara, as well as a new Naked Skin Concealer in a darker shade because despite not spending long periods of time outside, I am somehow tanned.
MAC Haute Dogs Mineralize Rich Lipsticks
MAC Haute Dogs Mineralize Eyeshadow Quad in Pure Bred
MAC Haute Dogs Brushes in #161, #139, and #288
MAC Lightful C Marine-Bright Formula Softening Lotion and Essence
I put in an order with MAC to replenish my Lightful C Softening Lotion and Essence (which I still think is MAC's most underrated range of products) and for some of the new Haute Dogs collection. Aside from the lipsticks and eyeshadow quad that I reviewed last week, I also picked up all three of the limited edition brushes that launched with this collection (they are freakin' beautiful, and if you are a brush fiend like me, you need to check these out). Honestly, if there's one thing to pick up from the Haute Dogs collection, I'd say it's any of the brushes, but especially the #139. It's good for liquids or powders, blushes, highlighters, foundations, whatever. It's super-duper soft, more so than MAC's permanent duo fibre brushes, and it gives such a gorgeous airbrushed look. I might have to get a second one... 
Simple Traditions Whipped Soap in Lilac, Blackberry Sage, Caribbean Coconut, Coconut Lime, and Lemongrass Verbena
Hare Polish Nail Lacquer in For Margot Tenenbaum, Bisbee 2.0, Desperately Seeking Blue Skies, Rosa Meditativa, and Attack of the Army from Albiorix
Finally, I did some Etsy shopping! I'm not a hardcore Etsy browser, but sometimes I'll find myself getting sick of what the mainstream retailers are selling and wanting to look at more unique items. You can find some amazing hand-crafted products and help indie retailers along the way, so it's really a win-win. I found this ultra-cute fresh handmade bath and body shop called Simple Traditions, and was immediately intrigued by their whipped soaps. There's great ratings and reviews for them, so I bought five different ones. The texture is amazing (as the name implies, they are whipped, so it's airy and creamy at the same time), the foaming ability is incredible (you know how I like my foam), and the scents are unbelievable. No regrets on the five I chose, but my favourites are Blackberry Sage (fresh, sweet, and tart) and Lemongrass Verbena (smells exactly like a lemon cupcake). So worth checking out if you're interested in some new body products; I can't find any other product like this in regular stores. I also checked out Hare Polish since it's been a while since I last saw their offerings, and ended up ordering five new shades (um, how much do I love the name "For Margot Tenenbaum"?). I get bored of nail polish shades really easily because I find that all companies just end up copying each other so I rarely find anything really unique or interesting in stores. But Hare Polish never disappoints me with their creations.

What did you buy this month? Do you have any favourite Etsy shops?

Hare Polish Nail Lacquer in Cast in Bronze

As some of you might have noticed, I go through phases with my nails and after going a little overboard with the glitters over last winter, I ended up getting so sick of them that I wore cream finishes for about six months straight afterwards. Enter Hare Polish, an indie brand that makes some of the most unique glitter polishes I've ever seen. I bought six shades from their Etsy shop (their stock is constantly rotating, so they don't always have the same shades for sale) and each one marries a gorgeous base colour with contrasting but complementary shades of glitter. Depending on how stocked their Etsy shop is, I'll likely put in another order in the next couple months, but for now, this is probably going to be the last full-blown glitter I'm going to be featuring before the holiday collections roll out, 'cause I gotta give some love to my other polishes, you know? I feel like after giving this brand a try, though, it's going to be hard for me to find a glitter polish that'll truly impress me.

Cast in Bronze is a dusty red-toned violet base with large bronze square and hexagonal glitter, medium bronze glitter, medium bronze hexagonal glitter, and small bronze glitter. It has a thicker consistency that is common with glitter polishes, but it doesn't hinder the application. It goes on smoothly and evenly, without any pulling, bubbling, or streaking. The glitter goes on evenly dispersed, and I had no problems getting the glitter to stay put, either. It has medium pigmentation, and will reach opacity in three medium coats (I used one coat of Dior's Forget-Me-Not beforehand to darken the base so the glitter stands out more). I cannot think of any dupes for this. This is definitely the most subtle shade of the glitters I picked up from Hare Polish, and therefore the least... obnoxious. I love that the jelly base can look more muted and rose-tinted in a certain light, and then brighter and more violet in another. Though I don't typically associate glitters with this time of year, this one is just so appropriate for autumn — like shimmering leaves falling at dusk.

Hare Polish Nail Lacquer in Golden Years

My obsession with Hare Polish and general love of glitter polish is still going strong. I don't think I've been this consistently impressed with a single brand's polish before. As some of you might have noticed, I go through phases with my nails and after going a little overboard with the glitters over last winter, I ended up getting so sick of them that I wore cream finishes for about six months straight afterwards. Enter Hare Polish, an indie brand that makes some of the most unique glitter polishes I've ever seen. I bought six shades from their Etsy shop (their stock is constantly rotating, so they don't always have the same shades for sale) and each one marries a gorgeous base colour with contrasting but complementary shades of glitter. After gorging on so many glitter polishes, it's likely I'll get sick of them in like, a month... but for now, I'm enjoying my blingy nails.

Golden Years is a navy blue jelly base with large gold square and hexagonal glitter, medium gold and iridescent blue glitter, medium navy blue hexagonal glitter, and small gold glitter. It has a thicker consistency that is common with glitter polishes, but it doesn't hinder the application. It goes on smoothly and evenly, without any pulling, bubbling, or streaking. The glitter goes on evenly dispersed, and I had no problems getting the glitter to stay put, either. It has medium pigmentation, and will reach opacity in three medium coats (I used one coat of Chanel's Blue Satin beforehand to darken the base so the glitter stands out more). I cannot think of any dupes for this. This one is a serious stunner — it looks like an epic celestial explosion. It's like a much more vibrant version of Deborah Lippmann's Across the Universe... an Across the Universe 2.0, if you will. Golden Years is by far my favourite of the Hare Polish shades I picked up and one I can see myself reaching for time after time; a definite must-have.

Hare Polish Nail Lacquer in Oceans of Alloys

My obsession with Hare Polish and general love of glitter polish is still going strong. As some of you might have noticed, I go through phases with my nails and after going a little overboard with the glitters over last winter, I ended up getting so sick of them that I wore cream finishes for about six months straight afterwards. Enter Hare Polish, an indie brand that makes some of the most unique glitter polishes I've ever seen. I bought six shades from their Etsy shop (their stock is constantly rotating, so they don't always have the same shades for sale) and each one marries a gorgeous base colour with contrasting but complementary shades of glitter. After gorging on so many glitter polishes, it's likely I'll get sick of them in like, a month... but for now, I'm enjoying my blingy nails.

Oceans of Alloys is a medium dusty peacock blue base with large copper and silver square glitter, medium white square glitter, and small white, silver, and copper glitter. It has a thicker consistency that is common with glitter polishes, but it doesn't hinder the application. It goes on smoothly and evenly, without any pulling, bubbling, or streaking. The glitter goes on evenly dispersed, and I had no problems getting the glitter to stay put, either. It has medium pigmentation, and will reach opacity in three medium coats. I cannot think of any dupes for this. Like Reverie in Rubellite, I think this shade can be worn just as much in the summer as in the winter; it looks like the sparkling reflection of sunlight in a clear blue ocean, but also reminds me of sunlight reflecting off of snow... as well as confetti being thrown at New Year's parties. But, honestly, is there anything more up my alley than a blue polish with tons of glitter?

Hare Polish Nail Lacquer in Reverie in Rubellite

As you may know, I recently hauled a bunch of nail polishes from indie brand, Hare Polish. I was going through a kind of nail polish funk, if you will — a first for me, as I have a bit of a nail polish addiction. I was just bored with everything that was out, and none of the new collections stood out to me. I mean, I love a bright colour for summer as much as the next girl, but how many brights can you wear before fall arrives if you change your nail colour every other day? Thusly, my fascination with Hare Polish, an indie company that makes some of the most unique shades I've ever seen and is solely responsible for rekindling my love of glitter polishes. 

Reverie in Rubellite is a medium-dark raspberry-magenta jelly base with large iridescent orange-red square and hexagonal glitter, medium iridescent orange-red square and round glitter, and fine violet and magenta micro-shimmer. It has a thicker consistency that is common with glitter polishes, but it doesn't hinder the application. It goes on smoothly and evenly, without any pulling, bubbling, or streaking. The glitter goes on evenly dispersed, and I had no problems getting the glitter to stay put, either. It has medium pigmentation, and will reach opacity in three medium coats. I cannot think of any dupes for this. I think the best thing about this particular shade is that it can be worn through summer all the way to winter, because the colours are neither too bright, too dark, or too festive, and it's whimsical without being too girly. It somehow reminds me of flying embers from a bonfire in the summer before dusk, or perhaps Chinese paper lanterns floating in a mid-autumn's sunset. Either way, the effect is stunning.

Hare Polish Nail Lacquer in Hooky at the Hamlet

As you may know, I recently hauled a bunch of nail polishes from indie brand, Hare Polish. I was going through a kind of nail polish funk, if you will — a first for me, as I have a bit of a nail polish addiction. I was just bored with everything that was out, and none of the new collections stood out to me. I mean, I love a bright colour for summer as much as the next girl, but how many brights can you wear before fall arrives if you change your nail colour every other day? Thusly, my fascination with Hare Polish, an indie company that makes some of the most unique shades I've ever seen and is solely responsible for rekindling my love of glitter polishes. The first one I had to try, and the nail polish that originally got me interested in this brand, is Hooky at the Hamlet.

Hooky at the Hamlet is a medium vibrant turquoise-green jelly base with large white square and hexagonal glitter, medium white square and round glitter, and fine white, blue, and purple micro-shimmer. It has a thicker consistency that is common with glitter polishes, but it doesn't hinder the application. It goes on smoothly and evenly, without any pulling, bubbling, or streaking. The glitter goes on evenly dispersed, and I had no problems getting the glitter to stay put, either. It has medium pigmentation, and will reach opacity in three medium coats. I cannot think of any dupes for this; the base colour is brighter and much more blue-toned than Illamasqua's Nomad and Essie's First-Timer, and much more green than Essie's Where's My Chauffeur?, but none of these shades have glitter in them. The effect of the polish is similar to China Glaze's It's a Trap-Eze!, but the colour scheme is entirely different. There's just something super-fun and energetic and happy about this shade, and it edges the line of tacky without going over it. It's like watching dozens of dandelion fluffs floating around in a sea of shamrock... while high on acid.

July Pick-Ups & Deliveries

As it's the end of July, I thought I'd do a cumulative haul post for the month. I ended up doing way too much shopping in the past four weeks, which all started with — what else? — nail polish. I was going through sort of a nail polish funk, during which I was just bored of everything. I'm not sure this has happened to me before, but I guess it was inevitable. Nothing intrigued me all that much anymore; I love brights for summer as much as the next girl, but I had seriously met my quota this season. I'd been intrigued by HARE Polish for a while, though, and figured now was as good a time as any to try them out (love supporting indie brands, too), so I bought six shades that interested me the most. Of course, I saw that A-England also released a new collection inspired by Sleeping Beauty called Burne-Jones Dream, along with a couple of new shades in their already existing collections, and obviously had to get all of them, too.
HARE Polish Nail Lacquer in Hooky at the Hamlet, Golden Years, Oceans of Alloys, Cast in Bronze, Reverie in Rubellite, and Amethystos
A-England The Mythicals Collection Nail Lacquer in Excalibur (Summer 2013 Version); Heavenly Quotes Collection Nail Lacquer in Love is Enough; Burne-Jones Dream Collection Nail Lacquers in Fated Prince, Sleeping Palace, Briarwood, Briar Rose, and Rosebower
While I was walking around the mall one afternoon, I stopped by Lush to pick up a new tub of my favourite Big Shampoo and a small container of Whoosh Shower Jelly (love that ocean smell for summer), and then picked up a few new mascaras as well because despite my eternal love for MAC's Haute & Naughty Mascara, I was in the mood to try out some different formulas (Dior's new Diorshow Iconic Overcurl might actually be my new HG mascara). And, of course, to round out my beauty haul, I ordered a bunch of things from MAC, including new goodies from their So Supreme collection, plus several staple products and a bunch of new brushes. 
Lush Big Sea Salt Shampoo and Whoosh Shower Jelly
Lancôme Hypnôse Custom Volume Mascara in Deep Black, YSL Mascara Volume Effet Faux Cils in High Density Black, and Dior Diorshow Iconic Overcurl Mascara in Black
MAC So Supreme Collection
MAC Cleanse Off Oil, Fix+, Studio Fix Powder+ Foundation in NC35, and Mineralize Concealer in NC30
MAC Brushes: #239, #217 (x2), #227, #116, and #150
Finally, what with all the summer sales going on right now, I couldn't resist getting some new clothes. I was on the Mackage website a couple weeks ago and saw that nearly all their leather jackets were on sale. I'd been on the hunt for the right leather jacket for a long time, but could never find the right fit for the right price. I'd tried on a few Mackage styles at Aritzia, but didn't love any of them enough to splurge $600+ on it. Enter the Liat, a gorgeous bomber-style lambskin jacket. It has everything I want in a leather jacket: a center zip closure, a higher collar, ribbed cuffs and hem, and just the right amount of detailing to keep it interesting. I was worried that it might not fit properly since that's always a danger to ordering clothes online, but the sucker fits like a glove. The best part? It was 40% off. Seriously, it was meant to be. On that note, I also took advantage of Aritzia's Private Sale at the end of last month, and bought three new Babaton tops 'cause they were 20% off. Figured I needed more black in my wardrobe.
 Mackage Liat Leather Jacket in Black; Babaton Julien T-Shirt in Black
 Babaton Willis Blouse in Black; Babaton Ainsley Blouse in Black
Online shopping is just way too dangerous right now.