Delightfully Decadent December Hauls 2023

[JoSometimes]

T’was the week before Christmas and all through the malls, BIC’ers were shopping and collecting their hauls…

Happy December to everyone! There will surely be plenty of delightfully decadent December hauls as we all get ready for the holidays. Whether they’re gifts from loved ones or something for yourself, show of your holiday hauls for everyone to see!

Happy birthday to all the December babies! (If you’re like some of my relatives, I’m sorry you only ever got one present at this time of year… You are still very special!)

And Merry Christmas, Hanukkah Sameach, Habari Gani, and Happy Holidays to everyone!

[CookieGirl1]

@greeneyedgirl107 I LOVE the Redken All Soft Heavy Cream.

[greeneyedgirl107]

@CookieGirl1 as do I!  I do want to try OUAI Treatment Mask for Thick Hair 8 oz/ 236 mL tho.

[CookieGirl1]

@greeneyedgirl107 I tried the OUAI Treatment Mask for Fine and Medium Hair 8 oz/ 236 mL and I didn't have great luck with it but I know that it's a fav for a lot of people so you should definitely give it a go, just to satisfy your curiosity 🙂

[greeneyedgirl107]

@CookieGirl1 very interesting!  Thanks for letting me know.  Now I don't have as much FOMO.

[curlychiquita]

Redken is a great brand, @greeneyedgirl107. Boo about the low quality hair bow.

[faeriegirl]

@greeneyedgirl107   The all soft conditioner is my favorite so I really need to try the heavy cream.

[CookieGirl1]

@faeriegirl It's SO good.  I can use that one on my fine hair and unless I'm using it repeatedly for days on end I don't find that it weighs my hair down at all so I normally use it at least two or three times per week (I'm a daily hair-washer).  If you tend to appreciate some silicones in your hair products to give that "slip", I think you'll like it.

[faeriegirl]

@CookieGirl1  It sounds perfect! I just ordered some and I can’t wait to try it!

[CookieGirl1]

@faeriegirl I hope you end up liking it!

[greeneyedgirl107]

@faeriegirl I highly recommend it!!!

[WinglessOne]

@greeneyedgirl107  Aw, sorry the headband’s a fail. But hooray for Redken! 

[greeneyedgirl107]

@WinglessOne yes!  I missed out on the 10x points on Redken earlier in the year so I had to get these as I was running low.

[jaaayp]

@greeneyedgirl107 I'm glad I read this because that brands headband in cheetah print is in my ulta cart rn 🤣

[greeneyedgirl107]

@jaaayp I have the one in cherry and it's great.   It looks like the ones that are fuzzier or more terrycloth like are higher quality.   Idk @ the faux fur ones.

[WinglessOne]

Happy birthday to all my fellow December babies! And if you share my birthdate: happy solstice! Here’s part of my Black Friday + Cyber Monday/Week/Whatever sales spree.

Fenty: 

Because I really needed MORE lipstick, yep, uh-huh… sigh…GWP. The mirror’s bigger than expected but I like it anyway.
Quick notes (no swatches yet):

Spoiler

Fenty Beauty by Rihanna Slip Shine Sheer Shiny Lipstick 09 Bubble Rum and Vamps Who Brunch - the latter is a backup (my old bullet’s about 50% used up). It’s one of my favorite comfy sparkly sheer lipsticks ever.

Fenty Beauty by Rihanna Poutsicle Hydrating Lip Stain Zesty Bestie - added this bring my order into GWP range. I do like the Poutsicle Stains, so I’ll use this shade.

Fenty Beauty by Rihanna Gloss Bomb Cream Color Drip Lip Cream Mauve Wive$ - the shade I kept thinking I already had but couldn’t find in my hoard so, I dunno, maybe I have 2 of ‘em now. 😅 

The other 2 items I ordered went OOS before my order could be fulfilled. That’s probably for the best since they’re both lipsticks, which I do not need more of and had no business buying any of. 

GWP - I really just wanted the first 3 items on this list:

• Fenty Beauty by Rihanna Slip Shine Sheer Shiny Lipstick 01 Quartz Candy 
• Fenty Beauty by Rihanna Fenty Icon The Fill Semi-Matte Refillable Lipstick Frreak-Went-Flyer with Fenty Beauty by Rihanna Fenty Icon The Case Semi-Matte Refillable Lipstick (I planned to gift this away since I already have this shade) 
• Compact mirror (not the LED version but does have good magnification) 
• Travel bag 
• Samples of Fenty EdP and Cookies N Clean Mask 

NARS: 

BECAUSE I REALLY NEEDED MORE LIPSTICK…GWP. Also shown: the sample card of Colorfix shades that came with my Danessa Myricks order. Those will be handy for travel.
Quick notes (no swatches yet):

Spoiler

NARS Afterglow Lip Shine Gloss Aragon - a shade that’s being discontinued. When I shop a NARS sale, I usually start on their Last Chance page—even if the sale promo doesn’t apply to those products. That’s where I found Aragon. Anyway, I wasn’t a big fan of NARS’s old gloss formula (aside from the old Triple X clear gloss, which I love), but I think they reformulated for this “Afterglow” line. I figure it’s time to give it a shot. 

NARS Afterglow Lip Balm Turbo and Wicked Ways - pretty sure I tried a different shade once upon a time and found it too sheer. But these 2 looked promising and the sale price made me chance ‘em. 

NARS Afterglow Liquid Blush Wanderlust - I wish NARS would add a lilac shade to their other liquid blush line. This Afterglow version’s quite glowy, which isn’t a bad thing. But these blushes are quite sheer. On my skin tone, it’s more plum berry than lilac purple and requires lots of building up. It might be a good base for a powder blush, so I’ll try that next. 

NARS Mini Dolce Vita Blush Duo - sure, I already have a full sized Dolce Vita powder blush, but this is a mini and minis are great for travel, and someday I’ll travel again. (A NARS full size single blush compact is also very easy to travel with, but this is a mini.) And it’s good to have a Multiple version of this shade. 

GWP: tote bag, because why not. 

Danessa Myricks and LH Cosmetics: 

Okay so, *technically* this isn’t lipstick per say. 😄Linda Hallberg makes good liners.
Swatches & notes: 

Spoiler

Danessa Myricks: 

• Danessa Myricks Beauty Infinite Chrome Waterproof Micropencil Eyeliner shades Charoite, Amethyst, Lilac Quartz, Morganite, and Opal - expanding my family of these eyeliners. As always, I love their thin shape and fine tip. I can very easily get into my tight inner corner space with these liners. 
  
  
• Danessa Myricks Beauty Dewy Cheek & Lip Palette Dew It Flirty - I love my Dew It Undercover palette so much, I brought its companion home. I took swatch photos but the lighting’s too far off on ‘em to digitally temp/tint correct, so I might retake photos later. 
  
  
• Danessa Myricks Beauty Colorfix Eye, Cheek & Lip Cream Pigment - Nudes Collection Nude 6 - I couldn’t remember which nude shade I’d swatched at Sephora and liked (shoulda took a picture or at least noted it on my phone). Turns out it wasn’t 6, but I’ll still get some use out of this shade, either on its own or as a mix-in. 
  
  
• Danessa Myricks Beauty Yummy Face 1.0 All Over Complexion Brush - For Foundation, Blush, Bronzer & Powder - decided to see for myself if this brush really does that “picks up enough product without absorbing it, and blends effortlessly” magic I keep hearing about. Since I don’t do liquid foundation, I’ll test it with a tinted Yummy Skin Balm in the middle of my face, as well as some cream blushes and Hourglass’s skin tint. It does feel very soft and doesn’t seem like it’ll splay or flop around too much. 

LH Cosmetics: 

• Crayon, shades Grey Core, Risha, Zaniah, Nugget, and Siren - Linda always offers B4G1 on her Crayons, so this was me buying another bundle of 5 during her sale. I managed to pick shades I don’t already own. These will all be used as eyeliners. If there’s one I want to pair with a lipstick, then I’ll buy it again and dedicate the new one to lip duty. 
  
  
• On Set Long Lasting Setting Spray - forgot to photograph it. Apparently I’m testing all of the new-to-me setting sprays now, even though it’s been years since I last used one. 🙃 

Risha’s tip broke mid-swatch, hence the mess.

Viseart:

Just ignore the 3 lip items, okay?
Swatches & notes:

Spoiler

Grande Pro Empty Palette - my second one. I might move some Viseart palettes into these empties.

Coyish Etendu - could no longer resist this sparkly iridescent beauty. Definitely want this and my full size Coy palette together in one empty palette.

Fleurette Bisous - had travel on the brain when I added this to cart. The 2 matte shadows are that buttery, smooth, gold standard Viseart formula. And both shimmers are quite nice. The 2 blushes remind me I should use my full size Viseart blush palette much more often.

Moisture Boost Oil Lip Shine, shades Coyish, Spritz, and Plumeria - you know what, this might be a lip oil I actually really like. (I do also like Ami Colé’s.) Gotta do a full day wear test to be sure. But a couple nights ago, I wore Plumeria for about an hour before washing my face and it didn’t bleed, feel sticky at all, or dry out my lips. 

Violette_Fr: 

Okay but see, one of these lipsticks is very special.
Swatches & notes: 

Spoiler

Baume Shine Universal Highlighter - possibly the best stick highlighter I’ve ever swatched. It feels emollient but not oily/greasy, and it is dewy shiny. Not space beacon shiny though, nor chunky glittery. It’s more of a subtle radiance that glows when it catches the light. This is the kind of highlighter I’ll strategically use to mask shadows in the hollows of my face (tear thoughs, outer corner of eyes, etc.), in addition to more traditional placement.

Bisou Balm shade Guimauve - my second shade of this sheer matte lipstick. No lip swatch photo because I was hypnotized by the next item (didn’t wanna remove it): 

Petal Bouche Matte shade Amour Fou - what in the lipstick witchcraft is this? This liquid matte feels very comfy and lightweight on my lips (atop my usual lip balm, of course), even through it dries down completely. That alone is an astounding feat of magic, considering how extra finicky/cranky my lips are about dryness. And even after dry-down, Amour Fou somehow looks… I don’t know how to explain it other than “rose petal plush.” It has a weirdly wonderful level of opacity I can play with to create a subtle gradient or strategically add depth. My lip swatch photos do little justice to this perfect red rose lipstick. Absolutely perfect. And y’all, I never get this excited over a liquid matte. Witchcraft, I tell you! 

[Sunnysmom]

Have the best bday month @WinglessOne ! 🥳 🥂 These are fabulous hauls! I will never stop singing the praises for Violette either!! Stunning on you!! 🤩 Of course you need more lippies!! 😬

[WinglessOne]

Thanks @Sunnysmom ! Did you ever get one of Violette’s liquid eyeshadows? I remember you were considering it. I might buy a matte shadow to give the whole line a second chance… I mean, maybe the matte formula doesn’t dry down as fast as the sparkly formula, and I won’t know til I’ve tried both. 😄 Wish I’d made this decision during her sale. If you do ever try one, I’d love to hear your thoughts! 

[Sunnysmom]

I did not @WinglessOne but wishing I had tried one during her sale as well! Ugh. Soon. We will compare thoughts! Even tho it’s not the same vibrant blue I really like #MERIT Solo Shadow Cream-to-Powder Soft Matte Eyeshadow Midnight . Have you tried it yet. Oh and the Le Rouge Francais blue liner is cool when you spread it around the entire lid, from our last discussion on it.  😊

(Also, my hubs shares a holiday bday, on the 24th, and he feels exactly as you do! 😭 I think he wins in the end tho because I always overcompensate with his birthday first and then don’t even think about Christmas until the 25th which is the opposite of what I’ve always done growing up! Oh well. But he still talks about how it was growing up… pick a present they would say! Aww. Not ok for you guys! Childhood trauma! 😭) 

[WinglessOne]

@Sunnysmom  I haven’t tried Merit’s eyeshadows yet. In fact, I don’t think I’ve tried any Merit products yet, which is funny because I’ve swatched a few of ‘em in-store several times. Not sure what keeps me from buying though… I might be too drawn to other brands’ wider shade ranges of everything Merit offers. Someday I’ll buy a Merit product to test, though. Someday! 😄 

Oh man, “pick a present” is the worst. 😞 Some adults think it’s a positive way to give a 2-in-1 gift, kinda like “see, you get to open a present early.” But nah, little kids see right through that. I think my parents did that to me only one time; they never did it again and, from then on, made an effort to separately celebrate my birthday in some way. Can’t say the same for some of my other relatives though. 😒 Give your husband my condolences, and wish him a very happy early birthday from me! He’s lucky to be married to someone who understands and overcompensates on his birthday. 😂❤️

[Cissy63]

@WinglessOne  Oh such wonderful hauls!  Your new Viseart palettes are so pretty 😍.  Your swatches show so beautifully!   And the Violette_fr liquid lip is just so beautiful on you ❤️.   Have fun using all of your new items!

[WinglessOne]

Thank you @Cissy63 !