NYC Blush Sticks,Ulta and Essence Eye Shadows & Orly

I had mini baby haul to celebrate the end of the semester (for the majority of my classes). I allotted myself about $15 or so, and this here is what I ended up with. Last night I grabbed two NYC Blushable (that's not even a real word! >:(  ) Creme Sticks in Wild Berry and Pink Flash (the two LE shades). I used a coupon and it was BOGO1/2 at CVS, so I paid about $4 total.

Direct swipes, unblended.

Please ignore the stray sparkles! They transferred from my sleeve.

They're awfully bright, aren't they? Don't be scared, though fabulously pigmented, they blend out smoothly so if you're going for a kiss of color, you can get that too. I have a hard time describing how the finish is, because they don't exactly get powdery for me... it just kind of sets so that it doesn't move anymore (great staying power!) yet isn't cakey nor is there visible drying, somewhat emollient still. I also love the packaging, the twist tube means it'll be easier to keep clean, and you get a huge amount. I wish stores near me sold the rest of the permanent ones, because I'm definitely wanting more!

This morning, after getting an 'A' in Sculpture, I went and spent about $9 at Ulta. I went because I was primarily interested in getting Ulta brand eyeshadow in Twilight (after a friend raved about it and insisted I needed it) but didn't know if I wanted to get 3 more, since they were B2G2F.  Luckily for me, digging through the clearance shelf yielded that same Twilight- but in different packaging for 99 cents! Since I'm depotting it, I don't care too much about the gross lilac plastic it's housed in. I can't even really describe this shade. It's the darkest taupe I own, with frosty reflection but somehow very unique- I don't think I've stumbled upon anything quite like this before!

Messy NOTD- Orly Mirror Mirror x2, Seche Vite Top Coat

I don't know if I've mentioned this, but I've been on the lookout for a creme medium gray nail polish. I'm not sure why to be honest, but I found Orly Mirror Mirror which matched my criteria exactly for $5.
I think this may be my first NOTD, I'm terrible with polishes! You'll have to excuse my wretched cuticles, they're still recovering from working with plaster and clay, which is terribly drying. 

Last but not least, I wanted to test out the new Essence line at Ulta. I believe it's from the UK, correct me if I'm wrong. They boast good quality, bright colors with ridiculously cheap prices (we're talking Wet'n'Wild cheap). The whole line felt a little tweenish to me, but hey- you know me, I care about what's on the inside, not marketing. I liked that the shadows had testers, and I was immediately drawn to Metropolitan, one of the few sparkly shades. Added bonus- 36mm size, perfect for depotting! It's a chocolate brown with gold glitter. Actually, too fine to really be called glitter, too big to be called shimmer... gold glimmer, then. Its really finely milled and very smooth, but without a primer, creases like crazy on my oily lids. Big thumbs up, I'll be picking more up next time!

All in all, not too shabby for a $13 dollar haul, right? I'm starting to get more into nails, I'll see where it takes me!

Just a reminder, my giveaway is still going on! Enter here.

All items featured were purchased by me, for my own use.