Recent Beauty Buys

These past couple of months I haven't really bought anything to really call it a "haul". Just a few things here and there. We've just been trying to save every penny for a house. We've been looking for a home since February, but no luck yet. The great thing about not finding something right away is that we can save even more. Now, we're getting fidgety though and hope to find our first home at least by the end of the year. Anyhoo...I did pick up some new things this past weekend.

NYX Matte Bronzer (Medium)

I've been on the hunt for a good bronzer for some time now. I just can't find one I really enjoy. Then I saw a review over at Makeup and Beauty Blog for NYX new bronzers and was really interested. It's a matte bronzer (they come in shimmer too) and have three shades to choose from (Light, Medium, Deep). I swear the medium is not as dark as it looks above. Plus, at ULTA they had samples that you could try to find the shade that works best for you. What I want most in a bronzer is a matte shade that will look natural. This seems to fit the bill, I'll report back though!

Have any of you tried NYX brand? What do you like, what should I try and what should I avoid? I never have, I was interested in their lipsticks, but ULTA was out of all the ones I was interested in. Poo poo.

TRESemme Salon Silk Serum

I've used TRESemme products for years, they're really light weight and don't leave much build up. I saw this at Target and scooped it right up. The summer heat combined with my 2x a week hair washing ritual has been leaving my hair a bit dry and frizzy. I thought this might be similar to the Paul Mitchell Skinny Serum, which I've used for years, but the TRESemme is a fraction of the cost. This product is supposed to calm and smooth frizz while also detangling and conditioning hair. I'm sold. So far I really like it, but will also review soon.

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Sunkissed

To add to my ridiculous nail collection, I wanted a summer orange. Again, this image is not totally true to color. If you Google the shade you can find really great swatches, but I didn't have time to contact the people for permission to use their photos, sorry! Here's a link for a great swatch though. I first had planned on getting Essie's Fear or Desire from their Summer 2012 collection (see that swatch here), and this is an EXACT dupe! For reals, I had swatched them side by side and couldn't tell a difference. Whatsoever.

Maybelline Great Lash Lots of Lashes

Ulta had Maybelline's Great Lash varieties for $1.99!! I scooped up two! I've used this mascara for a while now, I really love the wand. As some of you may remember, I've been on the hunt for a good mascara. I rarely use this one alone, but always combine it with my mascara of the month club (I've been switching so often). The cone shaped brush really helps you get the small lashes and makes your lashes super long. It kind of gives you the spiky mod look which I really like. This is perfect paired with a full mascara because it really accentuates your lash length.

Goody Wave Creator

Now, I didn't buy this, but I'm SO intrigued. Have any of you tried this curling iron? I've seen it a lot in magazines and have been interested in it for over a year, but I first saw it this last week in Target. I wonder how your curls would look.

What have you been picking up lately? Any new summer items?