Merry Christmas!! + a major drugstore haul

The Gingerbread House at the Grand Floridian (that's real gingerbread!)

I've been a bad blogger, but I'm back in action! I hope you all are having/had a wonderful Christmas! I didn't have to work today, but I can't take time off between Christmas and New Year's (Disney policy), so I wasn't able to visit my family (one of the very few negatives of the job - otherwise I love it!). However, Dad came to visit for a few days last week, and this morning I got on Skype with Mom and Dad for about two hours! We opened presents, chatted, played with our kitties - isn't technology amazing? I was thinking I'd feel really lonely this Christmas, but Skype definitely saved the day. :)

My Christmas NOTD - Sally Hansen Salon Effects Strips in Peppermint Twist

I'm really excited to show you some of the gifts I received, but my brother's gift is stuck at the post office until Tuesday, so I shall wait (I already know what it is.. hehe). However, after Skype, breakfast, and the Disney Christmas parade, I did go out for a bit on a MISSION (yes, it deserves to be in all-caps) to find the new L'Oreal Infallible eyeshadows and Magic Smooth Souffle blushes. *Sidenote: For those who may be wondering, most CVS and Walgreens stores are open Christmas Day (just not their normal hours). I went to one CVS the other night (see my purchases below), and today I went to three more CVS stores on my hunt. Imagine my elation when I saw two huge displays of new L'Oreal products as well as one for new Maybelline products at last. And the displays were fully stocked!! It was a (drugstore makeup) Christmas miracle. ;)

I swear I walked up and down the aisles for 45 minutes trying to raaaationally decide on what to pick up.  I'd originally thought I'd wanted to try the Colour Riche Balm in Pink Satin, but when I thought, "What are the chances I'll like it more than the Candeur Rouge Coco Shine?" it was easy to pass on it.  For now...

Here's what I did end up picking up, though:

• Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush in 30 Candy Coral and 60 Coffee Cake
• Physician's Formula Happy Booster Glow & Mood Boosting Lipstick in I <3 Nude (odd name, since it's more of a pale pinky coral...) *P.S. I hate loooooooooong product names!!

Dream Bouncy Blush in Candy Coral (left) and Coffee Cake

They're like sponge! Sooo fun to use!

How could I resist that heart print??

I love how the Physician's Formula lipstick looks on! I'm not a fan of the outer packaging (looks cheap, aside from the clear lid) or the scent/taste (again, cheap/plastic-y), but I'm very happy with the shade, formula, and that CUTE heart imprint!!

So I bought the above the other night, and what you see below I picked up on my Christmas Day CVS scavenger hunt. ;)

• Maybelline Master Shape Eyestudio Eyebrow Pencil in Soft Brown (potential MAC Lingering dupe??)
• L'Oreal Magic Smooth Souffle Blush in Angelic and Celestial
• L'Oreal Infallible Eyeshadow in Amber Rush and Bronzed Taupe
• Maybellie Color Tattoo 24hr Eyeshadow in Tough as Taupe and Pomegranate Punk 

L'Oreal Magic Smooth Souffle blush in Celestial, Angelic;

L'Oreal Infallible Eyeshadow in Amber Rush, Bronzed Taupe;

Maybelline Color Tattoo eyeshadow in Tough as Taupe, Pomegrante Punk

(swatched in the same order)

Just from swatching (haven't worn them on my eyes yet), the Infallible eyeshadows are definitely similar to the Armani Eyes to Kill range, and the Maybelline Color Tattoo shadows are more like MAC Paint Pots. If I change my mind, I'll keep you posted! I can't wait to use these! The L'Oreal Magic Smooth Souffle blushes are lovely, too, though I will say I wish there were a wider range of shades - they all looked so similar on the display! Also, while Angelic is matte, Celestial *looks* matte, but actually has sparkle in it (it's weird - it rests on top, while the blush itself looks matte - hard to describe!). It's making me a little nervous looking at it on my hand - sparkly/glittery blushes are not my friend!

MAC Lingering on left, Maybelline Master Shape in Soft Brown on right

These look VERY similar in the swatches. I actually just ran out of my Lingering brow pencil the day before, so this was something I was looking for - I can't believe I found such a perfect shade match! We'll see how it fares on my brows!

I wanted to get these swatches up right away in case you were thinking of purchasing any of these newbies! Obviously, I've only just gotten them, so I can't do any in-depth reviewing just yet, but I will be using them all this week, so I'll let you know how it goes!

Again, Merry Christmas (just 25 minutes left as I'm typing - so sad!) to all of you!

Lots of love,

Jess