Summertime Haul//First Impressions

This post is beyond overdue but better several weeks late than never, right? ...Don't answer that.

I've been considering attempting a haul for quite a while now, as if I'm some big shot, fancy blogger.  I'm no makeup guru, but I'd definitely consider cosmetic shopping to be my vice of choice.  If I ever get any "extra" cash (that should really be spent on something productive that I can't think of at the time) you can bet that I'm somewhere picking out some new lippies to add to my collection.

Anywho, without further ado, I'd like to share some things with you.

I think my favorite item in this haul is my new Lilly Pulitzer - Large Agenda that I received as a belated birthday gift from one of my besties. It's perfect! (I believe they're having some huge sale as I type this and this print may be sold out, so I've linked to another print in the same size.) Now that I'm back in school and trying out the whole productive, successful, organized woman thing, this agenda is like my new partner in crime. 

It's got plenty of space in the week-to-week sections and the hand painted pictures are super cute and fun.  Paired with my Staedtler Triplus Fineliner Pens I feel extra fancy. Sometime in the further future I hope to upgrade from the 10 to the 20-pack. Colors galore! There's nothing like writing with a super fine tipped pen on crisp, bleached, white paper.  *Stationery-gasm?* 

Moving on to body things!! I picked up some new-ish things I was willing to risk my money on. 

Walgreens had some Sea Breeze discounted so I snatched some up to aid me in my battle against bikini bumps.  I love the smell of this stuff and who doesn't love a tingly sensation? Win-win!  Next up is...*sigh* a product I'm really having some mixed feelings about.  I've been cursed with sweat glands that are always on duty. They never sleep and never slack so I really have to make sure my deodorant game is on point fleek. That said, this Degree DrySpray probably meets all of my "smellgood" requirements, but I'm too turned off by the fact that I nearly have an asthma attack every time I try to use is -- and I don't even have asthma!  It smells great and it's super convenient, but I have to literally hold my breath and then proceed to run out of the room after spraying it otherwise I feel the particles creep into my lungs and the room starts to dim.. *Dramatic much?* I try to support brands that go for the whole "natural" thing, plus Target was giving $5 gift cards with a $(insert dollar amount here) purchase.  I decided to try 2 body washes -- Fabulously Fresh and an Extra Energizing one  :-) Fabulously Fresh is a minty wash that I haven't tried yet, and my Extra Energizing wash is currently in the shower. One thing I didn't consider when I purchased these is that natural, sulfate/phtlalate-free body washes and shampoos tend not to sud.  Suds to me are an indication that I am now clean and permitted to rinse, but without suds....how do I know when to get out of the shower? It has the consistency of a Dr. Bronner's liquid castille soap and the smell is divine, in my opinion, but the lack of "soapiness" will take some getting used to.  My last body product was donated by my mama.  If there's anything you should know about me, it's that I'm a sucker for packaging. Your product can be absolute crap, but if it comes in cute container or design I'll hand over my monies.  Luckily this EOS Hand Lotion is not absolute crap. I believe the scent I have is Fresh Flowers and it's just as fragrant as it sounds.  It actually smells like straight up perfume so I'll definitely be using it sparingly.  

Brands from L>R: Milani//Wet N Wild//L'Oreal Paris//e.l.f.

Yay! My favorite part! Lip things! 

Can you tell I have a thing for matte?

I'm always on the hunt for reds, berries and plums to add to my lippy collection.  Milani Cosmetics has a line of "Color Statement Moisture Matte Lipsticks" that I've been eye-ing.  I chose Matte Iconic, which turns out to be a classic red with a tinge of orange that I'm not fond of, but I'm really enjoying Matte Flirty. It reminds me of my MAC Talk That Talk (may she rest in piece) but the application is much more smoothe.  On to the disappointments of the haul.  I wish you could see the side eye I'm giving them right now.  I saw these lip pens on Tati a.k.a. GlamLifeGuru's YT channel and I honestly don't remember how she felt about them.  I'm thinking I probably heard her say matte and I probably checked out after that because I'm really regretting this purchase.  I bought 2 of L'Oreal's Colour Riche Le Matte Lip Pens and while I love the colors, these make me feel like I coloring with a crayon that was left out in the brutal Florida sunshine.  The color goes on very easily, maybe too easily.  And it comes off easily as well.  The slightest brush against my lips had me looking like a clown and/or Miranda Sings.  I suppose it could be user error.  I might consider trying they again with foundation or lip liner as a base to see if there's any difference, but for now I'm not a fan.  

I haven't tried these out yet but they're lip stains I stumbled across at a CVS from e.l.f. cosmetics. The shades are Pink Petal & Nude Nectar.

(The 2nd photo includes an eyeshadow primer that I'm hoping doesn't suck because my Urban Decay Primer Potion has dried up.)

Lastly, but not leastly, I found these little gems at Walgreens.  I'd never bought any Wet n Wild products before and I was actually quite impressed! This is what I was hoping for when I picked up the L'Oreal Lip Pens.  They have a soft, crayon feel, but I'm not afraid that the color is going to slide all over my face.  I couldn't find link to these (lo siento) and I'm not sure if they're limited edition, but I'd definitely pick up some more in the future. 2 thumbs up!

 (The second photo isn't true to color -- Fashion Darling is closer to a...copper? color and Plumgenue tends toward a purplish.)

These are just a few things I've swiped my card for this summer.  If you have any recommendations, suggestions, questions, comments or concerns please share!! I'd love to read your thoughts! 

Thanks for stopping by.

xoxo, Bee