nordstrom haul

Last September, I went online shopping at Nordstrom because a) there is no way I'm going to spend $36 again on a MAC lipstick (1 AUD is at least 0.90 USD then, now it's 0.967 - the Aussie price for MAC is IMO a rip off), b) based on my calculations, buying MAC and other cosmetics in Singapore would still be a tad more expensive and c) there is no reason why I should wait until December to buy them. So with those justifications, I went on with my shopping spree. :)

I finally received them on Thursday, to my surprise, because I wasn't expecting them until late this week. My Tita Tess mailed them on Friday the week before and it's supposed to get here in 6-10 days. Wasn't sure if that's business days but if it is, I got the package in 4! Impressive! So here's what I bought.  

And the free samples

For the eyes, I bought cheap stuff (NYX). I wasn't ready to invest in eye makeup yet because I don't really know how to apply it properly. I'm slowly getting the hang of using mascara but I only wear this on nights out (which isn't too often!).

NYX Love in Paris, Madeleines and Macaroons

theBalm Tall, Dark and Handsome Mascara. I must admit, I bought this 50% because of the packaging!

I forgot to include the NYX retractable eyeliner in the photos. Last Friday night, a friend taught me how to apply eyeshadow and eyeliner. When Raymund picked me up from her place, he commented that the eyeliner made me look young - he thought maybe it made me look a bit punk (and hence young), but he said it definitely was flattering for my eyes. So yay! Based on the eye makeup lesson we had, it looks like liquid eyeliner is the way to go, at least for the upper lid - it just seems more tricky to apply. With my sensitive, watery eyes, it's gonna be a challenge!

For the face:

NARS blush-bronzer duo (Orgasm and Laguna), Laura Mercier Oil-Free Foundation Primer, Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation and theBalm Tall, Dark and Handsome Mascara (which shouldn't be in this group I guess!). I haven't used any of these! Shelf life! :)

And for the lips! The reason this whole shopping spree started.

 Retro (Satin), Creme in Your Coffee (Cremesheen), Craving (Amplified Creme) and Crosswires (Cremesheen)

I never swatched any of these before buying them. I bought them based on how they look in the MAC website and countless reviews, and also because I want to have a lipstick from each colour group: Red, Pink, Brown, Plum and Coral.

I bought Retro for my mom, but if she doesn't like it I may inherit it. :p I chose Retro because it's a muted peachy-pinky brown, which just may be the colour my mom was asking for. Creme in Your Coffee (CIYC) was a last decision for me - I had my eyes on Twig for the longest time, because it's a pretty colour that might work for me and it's a Satin finish. Satin may be a bit dry but I like it nonetheless, it glides like a dream as long as you've applied lip balm 5 minutes before (from my experience with Verve). I read somewhere that CIYC is a slightly darker version of Twig, so to be safe, I got this instead. CIYC is a creamy mid-tone pink brown whereas Twig is a soft muted brownish-pink. I haven't tried this yet, maybe next month. :) Craving is my fave at the moment. It's described as a saturated burst of plum. Plumful may be a bit more me but I prefer not to have another Lustre finish lippie again (since it doesn't last very long) so I went for Craving, and I'm happy I did! It is so pretty, as long as you don't over do it. You only need very little of this, and with the Soar lip liner, the finish product is just amazing. :) Soar is sort of a neutral lip liner, surprisingly very close to the colour of my lips. I bought it thinking it might work with most lipstick colours. Last but not the least is Crosswires! I already have See Sheer which turned out to be more pink on me than the coral I expected (but a lovely shade of pink nonetheless). Since it's Lustre, it kind of slides off quickly (faster than my other Lustre, Lady Bug - I actually bought the Cargo lip gloss in Rio to help it last longer). So I thought I'd have to have Crosswires. It is a clean pinky orange and on me, it tends to look more pink than orange. I'm not complaining though because I have a 'happy' muted (?) hot pink lippie, and it still looks great. It just means my search for the perfect coral lipstick hasn't ended. :)

My next purchase would be a proper eyelash curler and a pink-red lipliner. And if I feel ready to buy a more expensive eye palette, it might be Urban Decay's Naked/Naked 2 or Lorac Pro.

But yes, I'm a very happy girl at the moment! :)