Massive Buffalo Beauty Haul!

Hello Gorgeous!

If you can't already tell from the title of this post, I went to Buffalo! I usually try to cross the border every year around this time (Canadian Thanksgiving)  because of all the amazing deals happening on Columbus Day in the States! We usually try to stay at least 48 hours in order to fulfill the $800 personal exemption limit that we are allowed. However, due to scheduling, we decided to stay for only 1 night (which allows us an exemption of $200 for 24 hours FYI). 

Because we were only going to be staying 1 night, I made a list of all of the places that were worth going to (Outlets, Walden Galleria, U.S. Drugstores), but I was most excited about going to ULTA considering we don't have one here in Canada. For those of you who don't know, ULTA is an awesome beauty store that sells both drugstore and high-end beauty products (Sort of like a Shopper's Drug Mart meets Sephora, but a million times better IMO) 

If you're interested in seeing what I picked up, as well as the crazy/unfair price comparisons between Canada and the U.S.A, then keep reading! 

Buffalo, NY Beauty Haul

The first place we decided to stop at was Walden Galleria. Although this mall isn't my favourite place to visit, I still wanted to pass through Macy's and go to the Sephora there! I ended up stopping by the MAC counter in Macy's and picked up two things that I have been wanting...

I grabbed a Pressed Pigment in Jet Couture ($21.00 U.S./$25.00 CDN) and a loose Pigment in the colour Rose ($21.00 U.S./$25.00 CDN). I've been wanting the Jet Couture Pressed Pigment for so long, but every time I check, it's sold out. When I saw it I grabbed it without even thinking. I also picked up the Rose Pigment because I saw Ashley Wagner (missashwag on Youtube) use it as a blush and it looked gorgeous! Plus, considering the fact that I saved a whole $8.00 CDN on these purchases made me even happier. 

MAC Pressed Pigment in Jet Couture ($21.00 U.S./$25.00 CDN)

MAC Pigment in Rose ($21.00 U.S./$25.00 CDN)

Swatches (L-R): Rose Pigment, Jet Couture
 

After wandering around Sephora for about an hour, I couldn't really find what I was looking for, so I only picked up a couple of things. I wanted to check out the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette and some of the Holiday Collections, but didn't end up picking anything up considering the VIB sale should be coming up soon. I did manage to grab a couple of repurchases that were significantly cheaper than in Canada. 

Sephora Purchases:
Beauty Blender, UD Revolution Lipstick in Venom, Anastasia Brow Wiz in Medium Ash 

I grabbed another Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in Medium Ash for ($21.00 U.S./$27.00 CDN), although at my Sephora, I've paid up to $30.00 CDN! I picked up the colour Medium Ash opposed to Ash Blonde because I wanted to try something a little darker. I hope it works out okay for my brows. I'll try to post a comparison in an MOTD if you're interested. I also picked up another Beauty Blender ($19.95 U.S./$26.00 CDN). They only had the pink one opposed to the black (which I prefer), but for the price, I couldn't pass it up. 

Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick
in Venom (swatched) 

Finally, I purchased another Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick in the shade Venom ($22.00 U.S./$26.00 CDN). This purchase wasn't that much cheaper compared to the others, but when I swatched the colour on my hand I fell in love. It reminds me a lot of MAC's Rebel, but a little less berry and slightly more plum. The finish is glossy and pigmented, and the texture is creamy and feels great on the lips! 

If you read my previous post about my September Favourites, I mentioned the colour Native as being one of my favourite lipstick shades for the month. So when I saw them for slightly cheaper at Sephora, I had to pick up another, more Fall appropriate shade for my collection. 

Later that night we stopped quickly at Target for some snacks, and I quickly stopped by the beauty aisle to check out the Sonia Kashuk products. Target recently came to Canada, so I wasn't too determined to pick up a lot of things. However, I knew that Target here only carries Sonia Kashuk brushes, so I wanted to check out her cream bronzer which everyone has been comparing to Chanel's SOLEIL TAN DE CHANEL (which I own, and love), as well as her other beauty products. 

I grabbed the Sonia Kashuk Undetectable Cream Bronzer in the shade 42 Rich Bronze ($10.99 U.S.), as well as the Sonia Kashuk Radiant Tinted Moisturizer in Fair ($13.69 U.S.). 

Sonia Kashk Cream Bronzer & Tinted Moisturizer 

There were two shades in the bronzer that I saw (this one, and a slightly lighter, more orange shade). Although I have fair skin, I went for the darker shade as it was more brown. This bronzer is super creamy, lightweight, and super blendable. When I swatched them in store I fell in love! I can't really describe the texture of this bronzer, because it feels almost like a very light cream foundation, but it melts into the skin so easily, creating a flawless bronze look. I would strongly recommend this product. In comparison to my Chanel bronzer, I don't feel that these are the same product, or very dupable in my opinion, because the textures are very different and look different on the skin. However, if you are looking for a cream bronzer that is significantly cheaper than Chanel (I paid about $50.00 CDN for mine), then I would recommend this product if you can get your hands on it. 

Sonia Kashuk Undetectable Cream Bronzer in 42 Rich Bronze ($10.99 U.S.) 

Sonia Kasuk Cream Bronzer in 42 Rich Bronze
Swatched L-R: Heavily, Blended

I also decided to pick up the Sonia Kashuk Radiant Tinted Moisturizer in Fair ($13.69 U.S.) because I always hear Leina (MakeupByLeinaBaaaby on Youtube) rave about this product. The product itself feels very lightweight and smooth, very much like a tinted moisturizer. I know a lot of tinted moisturizers that feel too thick and lean more towards a BB Cream, so I was glad that this particular product felt the way that it did. It too blends very nicely into the skin, and although it doesn't have much coverage, it is quite buildable and is great for days when you don't feel like wearing a lot of makeup. The texture is very creamy, and the scent is not overpowering at all, which I find is the case with some other tinted moisturizers/BB Creams. 

Sonia Kashuk Radiant Tinted Moisturizer in Fair ($13.69 U.S.)

Sonia Kashuk Tinted Moisturizer in Fair
Swatched L-R: Heavily, Blended

The second day of our trip resulted in a trip to the Fashion Outlets of Niagara Falls and of course, ULTA! During our trip to the outlets, I wanted to check out one store in particular, which was the Cosmetic Company Outlet. However, after countless searching, I later discovered that it no longer existed. DID ANYONE KNOW ABOUT THIS? I was heartbroken because I was hoping to get another MAC Studio Finish Concealer for $10.50 as well as some other items (hopefully including limited ones from past collections)...

After that heartbreaking discovery, I stumbled upon Kate Spade and saw that there was a huge Columbus Day sale and that the entire store was 50% off! I so wish that we stayed two days so that I could have purchased a handbag! On the other hand, I picked up this super cute gold bow ring that I have been eyeing for months for $14.00! I was blown away at the price, because when I tried ordering it online a few months back, it was nearly $70.00 CDN after duties and taxes! I also picked up a pair of studded earrings for the same price. (This was by far the best deal of my trip!) If you want to see what I purchased, I will provide the links to them below:

Kate Spade "Skinny Mini" Bow Ring
Kate Spade Stud Earrings (Similar)

After the outlets, I quickly stopped at Rite-Aid to see if I could find the new L'Oréal La Lacque & Le Matte Colour Riche Lipsticks, and to my surprise, they had most of the colours, and they were also on sale, "Buy One, Get One 50% off!" I quickly grabbed four of them (one of which I bought for a friend...HEY GIRL!). For myself, I purchased two of the La Lacque lipsticks, and one Le Matte. These things are awesome! They are SO creamy and pigmented, not to mention easy to apply. The only thing I don't like about them is the smell. They smell exactly like the original L'Oréal lipsticks (which if you're familiar with the scent, isn't that great) Otherwise, they are amazing, and I hope the come to Canada so I can pick up more! 

L'Oréal La Lacque & Le Matte Colour Riche Lipsticks ($7.99) Top to Bottom:
La Lacque in 412 "Lacquer-ized", La Lacque in 414 "I Lacque You A Lot", &
Le Matte in 408 "She's So Matte" 

Top to Bottom: She's So Matte, Lacquer-ized, I Lacque You A Lot 

While at Rite-Aid, I also picked up three Wet n' Wild lipsticks because people are always raving about them! The display was quite empty when I saw it, but I managed to find three colours that caught my eye. Also, for the price (these lipsticks are only $1.99 each!) you can't really go wrong! 

Wet N' Wild Lipsticks ($1.99 U.S.) L-R:
918D Cherry Bomb, 908C Sugar Plum Fairy, 901B Think Pink 

L-R: 918D Cherry Bomb, 908C Sugar Plum Fairy, 901B Think Pink 

T-B: 901B Think Pink, 908C Sugar Plum Fairy, 918D Cherry Bomb  

Finally, the last place we stopped at was ULTA, and this is where most of my purchases took place...

The first thing I picked up was some more Real Techniques brushes. I bought one of them last year (expert face brush) and it's one of my favourite brushes to use for cream products (like my Chanel bronzer), as well as contouring and applying foundation. I picked up the "Core Collection" which includes four full-size brushes and a travel case. This set comes with a buffing brush, contour brush, pointed foundation brush, and a detailer brush. The bristles are so soft and dense. My favourite thing about these brushes are their dry time! I know that sounds weird, but when I wash my expert face brush, it is fully dry within a couple of hours, whereas my Sigma brushes take between 4-6 hours to fully dry (even with the Dry n' Shape) This is probably because Real Techniques brushes are 100% synthetic but either way, they are awesome and super affordable!

Real Techniques Core Collection ($18.99)
Top to Bottom: Buffing, Contour, Pointed Foundation, Detailer

The next thing I picked up was two pairs of Eyelure lashes, because I wanted to try the brand and they were also on sale (Buy One, Get One 50% off). I picked up the Eyelure Naturalites Super Full Lashes in #100, and the Double Lashes in #205 ($5.99 each) I haven't tried these yet but will let you know how I like them. 

Eyelure Naturalites Super Full Lashes (100) & Double Lashes (205) 

While looking at the Anastasia Catwalk Palette (I decided against it because I just purchased the Lavish palette, and bought a different palette instead), I saw that they carried the Anastasia Beverly Hills Hypercolor Brow & Hair Powder ($12.50). I had seen so much hype (no pun intended) about these all over Instagram and thought that I would pick one up just for fun. I got mine in the colour Ultra Violet. I thought that this would be a great way to test out coloured hair, because I've always wanted to put some random coloured streaks in my blonde hair, but I'm too afraid to do that after all of my high school mishaps...I will try to take some pics when I decide to try it out! 

Anastasia Beverly Hills Hypercolor Brow & Hair Powder in Ultra Violet ($12.50) 

One of the things that I wanted to check out while at ULTA was the NYX section, in hopes of finding some of the butter glosses that bloggers are raving about. Of course, when I got there there was nothing left. I even found a separate display with literally two colours left, so of course I grabbed one. I got the NYX Butter Gloss in Maple Blondie ($4.99). There was another more dark peachy shade, but I didn't care much for the colour so I skipped it. I do wish they had more colours in stock because I love this lipgloss! It is very pigmented, super creamy and not sticky at all. It also has a great smell and feels very smooth on the lips. 

NYX Butter Gloss in Maple Blondie ($4.99)

NYX Butter Gloss in Maple Blondie, Swatched 

Another brand that I wanted to check out was the Kardashian Beauty line. (Yes I'm a fan, don't judge) I really wanted to pick up some of the Joysticks that Jaclyn Hill always raves about on Youtube. Unfortunately, they only had a couple of shades also, so I decided to grab two of them. I picked up the Kardashian Beauty En-Joystick Lip Lacquer in 311 Sea Coral and 315 Modern Mauve ($8.99 each). I also picked up the Au Naturel Nude Lip Set in "In The Nude" ($14.99). These lipsticks are amazing! They smell just like MAC lipsticks (Vanilla) and are so creamy and pigmented. I like that you can twist them up and that they are easy to apply. I love both of the shades I picked up, I just wish I could have found more. I also like the nude lip set, although I feel that the colour of the lipliner and lipstick is so similar to Modern Mauve, just slightly darker. I do like the gloss, although I don't think it smells like honey like everyone says. It kind of smells like burnt sugar, which I actually prefer. However, I would rather skip the lip set and spend the money on more Joysticks if I had the chance. There were no swatches or testers of anything in the store, so I just grabbed what I thought would look good. Either way, I am happy that I got to finally try some of these! 

Kardashian Beauty Au Natural Lip Set in "In The Nude" ($14.99) &
Joysticks in 311 Sea Coral & 315 Modern Mauve ($8.99

  

Swatches from Top to Bottom:
Honey Stick Lipgloss, Au Natural Lipstick & Lipliner,
Joystick in Modern Mauve, Joystick in Sea Coral

The final purchase I made was on the Lorac Pro Palette ($42.00 U.S./$55.00 CDN) I've been wanting this palette for AGES, and I am so glad that I got it for $13 cheaper! I know I've been a bit palette crazy this month, so I'm going to have to refrain for a while, but everyone keeps raving about this palette, and with TiffanyD's recent haul and tutorial on it, I had to grab it! The shades are so pretty! very pigmented and creamy. It also came with a sample size Behind The Scenes Eye Primer so I'm excited to try that out as well. 

The story behind grabbing is crazy. I remember walking past it at ULTA and noticing that there was only 1 left on the shelf (Seriously ULTA, stock your shelves!) but for some reason kept walking. When I went to back to grab it (after deciding that I should just get it because I've wanted it for so long) it was gone! Some girl had picked it up and was carrying it around with her. I was disappointed because I asked the sales associate if they had any more in stock (as well as the Lorac Pro to Go Palette), but they had neither. I kept walking around, half-stalking the girl carrying it just in case she put it down, and she did!!! The second she put it down I snatched it up and casually pretended to look at it, and I could feel the regret on her eyes when she saw me pick it up. When she left, I quickly brought it up to the register and paid for it ASAP. I actually felt really bad because she ended up behind me at cash and didn't see that I had bought it yet (it was already in the bag), and I saw her literally run back to the Lorac section to grab it. She actually ran back there thinking that I put it back! In a way, I'm glad that I splurged and bought it so sneakily, but feel bad for making her run back to look for it. Either way, it's mine!!! (I'm sorry to the girl if you're reading this) I'm not going to bother swatching every shade in this palette, because there are TONS of reviews online, so check those out if you're interested. Below are a couple of photos I took for reference. 

Lorac Pro Palette ($42.00 U.S./$55.00 CDN)

Top Row (L-R): White, Cream, Taupe, Lt. Pink, Mauve, Sable, Espresso, Black
Bottom Row (L-R): Nude, Champagne, Gold, Lt. Bronze, Pewter, Garnett, Deep Purple, Slate

Some Swatches (Top to Bottom): Champagne, Lt. Pink, Garnett, Sable 

This concludes my massive beauty haul from Buffalo, NY! Thank you so much for reading! As always, if you would like to see reviews on any of the products mentioned, please leave a comment below. Also, be sure to follow me on Instagram (@abeautybarista) for more photos, as well as MOTD posts! 

XOXO, 
Brittany