This post was almost going to be purely nail polish.  I had all my pictures ready to go and hoped to get my hauls of November posted in a timely manner when I had a surprise before work.  I was on the phone when my husband walked in with an ARMLOAD of packages, both the look on his face and his all-encompassing gesture saying "all this stuff is for you..."  Poor guy.  I was only expecting one package, but everything I bought in the past two weeks showed up together, haha.  And because I want to keep things by month to the extent possible (and one box had a giveaway prize in it!) I'd rather take more pictures, type more, and post late.  =)

   One of the first things to show up was my Cherry Culture order.  The eyeshadows are already put away so I'm snagging my picture from Instagram to show you those. 

   Nyx Single Eye Shadows clockwise from top: Cherry, Irises, Luxor, Seafoam Green, Baby Blue, Dust Sparkle and True Taupe in the center.  The Jumbo Eye Pencil is Black Bean.

 

   I was really happy to grab some of L.A. Colors' new glitter polishes, I've worn 3 already!  You can see my post of swatches here.

    From left to right: Candy Sprinkles, Broken Hearted, Glitter Bomb, Flurry, Tinsel and Cocktail.

   I picked up three new Milani polishes, as well. These are packed with glitter! My camera couldn't pick up all the sparkle and especially vibrant blue and purple glitter.

    Left to right: Lavender Fizz, Twinkle, Pink Flare.  They are all "One Coat" glitters.

   The highly anticipated Color Club collection of Halo Hues - holographic beauties - were released and I couldn't resist snagging a couple, as well as two other Color Club polishes from my wishlist.

   Left to right: Diamond Drops, Halo-Graphic, Harp On It, Wild At Heart.  ...Actually, every one of these polishes is technically a holo, cool!

   I also managed to get my hands on some of the new China Glaze colors from their Cirque Du Soliel and fall and winter releases. 

   It's A Trap-eze! is another glitter-in creme polish.  Looks fun in the bottle.  Pizzazz looks a lot like the glitter in It's A Trap-eze! with a clear base instead.  Interesting...

   Glistening Snow and Hello Gorgeous!  Absolutely loving the look of these microglitters...  Need to wear these soon!

   Here is something that is not make-up!  I'll have a review up on these soon so I'm not going into detail, but if you couldn't tell they are a set of mini camera lenses.

   At last I found a bottle of Wet 'n Wild Black Creme.  It was the only bottle in CVS, too!  I hope it is as good for me as all the race reviews make it out to be!  I also picked up Sparked.  Don't know if I really needed another pink-and-silver glitter, but I imagine it would make an awesome gradient.

   Pure Ice is releasing new colors!  I liked the unique mix of colors in Treasure Hunt, I just hope it didn't get it's name because of the effort required to get those diamonds out of the bottle!  Can't wait to try this one, either.  Here is a collage I made with pictures on my phone.  =)

   Then, the mail came...

   Maybe I should have broken this up into parts 1 & 2?  Haha, no worries, I'm not showing each individual item.  First off, I took advantage of the Zoya Dream Box offer to snag their new holographic microshard colors.  This picture doesn't do them justice.

   Blaze, Storm, Aurora...  They are better than I imagined!  But that is typical of Zoya.  By the way, they will be doing flash promos again soon, and they were a steal last year.  You have to sign up NOW to qualify for them.  Hurry and make an account!

   I sniped an eBay auction for a new stick of my favorite deodorant.  Pure Vanilla by LAVANILA.  Good stuff!  Mini review: it's natural, smells nice when I sweat, and it doesn't ruin clothing or leave residue.  Oh, plus it goes with most of my perfumes.  I have several by LAVANILA, and a few other vanilla fragrances, too.  =)

   I made my first purchase from My Beauty Addiction on etsy.  Just one group photo for all this stuff now because I will be picking it apart on the blog later.  Still, look, colors!!

   And finally, I'm so honored to have been chosen as a winner in Smashley Sparkles water marble contest!  That's right, my Citrus Splash marble was actually deemed worthy of a prize!  I was in third place, which originally didn't even exist, haha.  OverallBeauty generously provided the prize.  She included a cute little glass file, too!  But I'm not going into a whole lot of detail here, I'll make a separate post once I get to try my polish from Naild'It.  Thank you Kim, thank you Smashley!!

   My first bottle of Naild'It polish: Summer Lovin' Melon.  Can't wait to swatch it!

   So, this ended up being a lot of stuff, but very little was impulse buys thanks to crazy sales.  In fact I was pretty "meh" about most of the sales that went on!  How about you?

   My last Sephora order included the new Nails Inc. color Whitehall, which is probably the least logical color name to give to a polish that is not white in any way.  I also picked up Houses of Parliament.  (Two days later the set of all 3 colors was available and I wanted to scream.  >_<)  Anyway I was really looking forward to what I've heard are great polishes and the easiest-to-use wave-creating magnets.  I fought with them and this is all I got:

   Somehow this photo actually makes them look better (yes, better) than they did in real life.  They barely responded to the magnet.  It's not like I don't know how to use them - I have LCN and Layla magnetics and do just fine with them.  The formula on these was really weird.  Not opaque in one coat because they went on so patchily, self-destroying and prone to unpaintable bald patches if you tried to even things out.  After a couple fingers I changed tactics and went for one thin coat to be followed by a thicker coat, and then create my design...

   That didn't work either!  As soon as a second coat hit these it was like it became instantly tacky and non-magnetic.  My thumb was a very sorry case, I should have took a photo - only one small stripe down the middle had any magnetic design at all.  I did throw a top coat on these which had no effect on the polish design, but realized after two minutes that I was not going to wear this out in public looking like such a sorry mess.  I took it off.

   As for the magnet caps themselves, they just seem okay to me.  They are easy to place over your nails but nothing ground-breaking in my opinion.  With my LCN magnets I often rest the end of the magnet on my cuticle in the same way; likewise the Layla cap magnets are very friendly to being used the same way.  If anything I'm wondering if I got dud magnets and plan to test them with my other polishes.  Or it could be dud polish, as it barely reacts to a magnet being held directly against the bottle, regardless of what brand it's from.

   So I'm thinking this polish isn't the greatest.  Sad, considering how great magnetics should be.  Hopefully it was just a bad first run of it.  The other swatches I've seen Online of this Nails Inc. line are really beautiful and that's why I jumped on these colors.  I plan to try using these again and if they work any better for me I will post an update.

A review of the fragrances by LAVANILA from their Mini Roller-Ball Set

Vanilla Grapefruit
   Notes: Sparkling Grapefruit, Cedarwood, Lime, Madagascar Vanilla

   Citrus and vanilla are not things that I would normally think of pairing together, but with the mix of cedarwood added and my personal liking of grapefruit, I was game for this scent.  Upon application it blossoms into a tangy, citrus-and-woods filled bouquet with the base of vanilla in the background.  The juxtaposition of scents is intriguing and I find myself sniffing it repeatedly as it changes and settles on my skin.  Each note is distinct and genuine.  This is a long-lasting scent and by the end of the day I smell the vanilla base note holding out.

   I feel that this scent is a great way to shake things up in my routine of fragrances.  I also believe that this is a unisex scent and feel that it smells the most mature out of the four in the set.  I picture old estate libraries with polished wordwork when I smell this.  Wearable at any time of year, especially good in a professional setting or the great outdoors.  Can be worn by man or woman, probably not as appealing to the younger set.  LAVANILA's Vanilla Grapefruit in a word: interesting.


Pure Vanilla
   Notes: Madagascar Vanilla, Tonka Bean, Rich Heliotrope

   First off I do want to know why there is more than just vanilla in "Pure Vanilla".  Aside from that, it does live up to it's name and smells just like real vanilla.  I adore this scent and most other people do to.  There is a faint floral note from the heliotrope when you first apply it, but throughout the day what you will continue to smell is the vanilla.  It is comfortingly foody without being too gourmand.  Yes, this perfume captures the note of vanilla perfectly.  It is never too strong but is warm and delicious treat when you get close to it.

   I want to keep this fragrance in my collection for layering, as I find it to be long-lasting on my skin and very complimentary.  Just like vanilla in baking it's one of those yummy key ingredients that you'll want to keep on hand.  I think of baked goods and high-end scented candles when I sniff this.  Especially nice for cool weather and appropriate at all times.  Can be worn and enjoyed by people of all ages.  LAVANILA's Pure Vanilla in a word: basic.

A review of the fragrances by LAVANILA from their Mini Roller-Ball Set

Vanilla Coconut

   Notes: Young coconut, Tahitian Tiare Flower, Madagascar Vanilla

   This promises to be a yummy tropical scent.  In the bottle it smells mostly like coconut, though you can tell vanilla is in there too.  I was immediately reminded of a coconut-scented My Little Pony I once had, but LAVANILA is much more authentic.  I was the least excited about this fragrance out of the collection as I often feel coconut is too overpowering.  When I applied it I was pleasantly surprised.  The coconut settled down into a warm, subdued but recognizable scent, and the vanilla came through beautifully to balance it out.  I could smell this hours later when I was looking for it but it never hit me in the face.  Eventually I mostly smelled the vanilla base note.

   I'm not sure if I will repurchase this, but I can see it being a dream come true for anyone who likes coconut.  I will use the mini roller that I have, at least.  It's a very real scent that is unique in my collection and not off-putting to wear.  It brings to mind beaches and tasty little deserts.  Works for any time of year, especially summer, and would fit in with casual settings nicely, yet not be out of place anywhere else.  LAVANILA's Vanilla Coconut in a word: pleasant.

Vanilla Lavender

   Notes: Spanish lavender, Violet Leaf, Rose, Madagascar vanilla

   Lavender is a calming scent, yet this is no boring sleepy perfume.  On the whole this perfume comes across as having a soft floral sweetness.  The lavender is mixed in with the other floral notes to create something very springy and bright.  I'm picky about flowery perfumes; they can sound so good but smell cloying on my skin, or turn powdery.  I never had that issue with this fragrance, as it truly smells like fresh flowers.  The vanilla comes through after the floral notes have faded, which takes a few hours.  It is a very pretty, feminine perfume.

   After a full day at work I couldn't tell it was on my skin any more.  It might not be the longest-lasting perfume, but it's enjoyable from top notes to dry-down, so I'll definitely wear it and reapply if needed.  I'm happy to have found a floral perfume that I truly like.  I picture old-fashioned garden parties when I smell this.  Perfect for spring and any formal occasion.  Anyone could wear it.  LAVANILA's Vanilla Lavender in a word: lovely