Mini Burlington Haul! Ft. SOLD OUT BH Cosmetics Wild & Alluring PAlette

Ever since the beginning of my torrid love affair with BH Cosmetics, I've been itching to get back to Burlington Coat Factory where I always see tons of their products.

I went on a shopping trip to Burlington recently for some Christmas gifts and I hit the 

​MOTHERLOAD. Or at least I would have, had I had let myself buy all the palettes that I saw.

There were multiples of a lot of things, presumably because they make fantastic gifts. From BH Cosmetics, I saw the Neutral Eyes palette, the Glamorous Blush palette, the Wild and Alluring shadow and highlighter palette and the Wild and Radiant bronzer and highlighter palette. (I would have picked that up too but I don't really wear bronzer since I'm permanently sun-kissed. :D) I also found this gorgeous necklace from Guess and a set of Juicy Couture makeup brushes!

Juicy Couture Makeup Brushes

​I know-after the Unicorn Brushes I bought I said I wasn't going to buy anymore! These were a great price though, so I think I'll give them as a gift.

​(Sidenote: I didn't even think to check but when I got home I realized that I didn't think to check the company's stance on animal testing, so I did a little research. They have banned the use of animals and their skin/fur in the production of clothing and accessories but I'm not entirely certain about Juicy Couture's use of animals when it comes to testing-I've seen conflicting reports.)

So while I won't be purchasing the perfume until I find out for certain about their testing process, the brushes are a go! I wasn't expecting anything out of this world for some reason and I just assumed they wouldn't be very high quality.

​Please listen to me when I say that THESE ARE THE SOFTEST MOTHERFLIPPIN BRUSHES I'VE EVER FELT IN MY LIFE. Seriously. When I closed my eyes I could barely tell I was touching the powder brush-it felt like air. Although the gemstones aren't exactly my style, they're cute and glamorous in a Paris Hilton sort of way.

Rose Gold and Silver Guess Toggle Necklace​

I fell in love with this necklace before I even picked it up. (It was $10! The price tag said to compare at $34 but who knows how accurate that is.) It's a 16" necklace so while it's not a choker, it's definitely on the shorter side. I love charm jewelry and this necklace has three different ones...I sense a favorite necklace coming on! It also came with silver gemstone studs (CZ of course) so I don't need to worry about matching some earrings to it.

Isn't the box so cute? I'm kinda bummed out-I got some blush on mine while I was swatching. :(

​BH Cosmetics Glamorous Blush Palette
($9.99 on www.bhcosmetics.com)
​
I've had my eye on the NYX sweet cheeks blush palette for a while but after watching a couple of reviews and considering the color palette, I decided against it. I'm not sure if there's ever been a blush palette in the history of makeup that was made up of shades that could all be used on any skin tone but the NYX Sweet Cheeks palette is too pricey to only use half the shades. 

The BH Cosmetics Glamorous Blush palette seemed like a much safer purchase to play around with for someone like me who doesn't use blush very often. It gives me a wide range of colors to experiment with at a great price!

I have to say, a couple of these colors don't show up too well (read: at all) as a swatch. The swatches on my arm correspond to the layout of the palette so if it looks like there's a blank space where a swatch should be, it just didn't show up; honestly the first two really don't show up all that well in the photo. I don't really mind it though, since I figured that the ones that don't show up well could be tried out as transition eyeshadows. The one magenta color in the bottom row that I can only describe as "hella pink" is probably the only one I'll never touch. ​

I really, really love the first color in the bottom row; I've always been partial to warm orange-y and peach blushes. This one is so subtle and classy with just a hint of shimmer. Love!

The color payoff was decent although a couple of them came off as slightly ashy. These blushes are true to form for BH Cosmetics, they're sooo smooth and buttery. For the wide range of colors, I'm satisfied, especially since I got this palette for $5 vs the $10 plus shipping on the BH Cosmetics website. I can see myself using it a lot in the near future!

Wild And Alluring Shadow, Blush and Highlighter Palette
​($11.99 on www.bhcosmetics.com)

If you thought I went gaga over the Galaxy Chic palette, then buckle your seatbelts, makeup geeks because I have definitely saved the best of this post for last. The Wild and Alluring palette is my new, new favorite.

Wild and Alluring is very similar in look and design to the Galaxy Chic palette with a couple of differences: the tropical theme obviously and what's included. There are 9 baked and marbled shadows, a magenta blush and a bronze-y gold highlight. If you don't like shimmery makeup this palette is definitely not for you but if sparkle and shine is your thing, you will want to get your hands on this as soon as possible!

​Look. I mean, just LOOK at these swatches.

(Can we all just admit that half the fun of makeup is swatching? You could pull out a color palette for wall paint and I would be like "Mm...that would make a great shadow collection.")

I remember being a tiny bit disappointed that the Galaxy Chic Palette didn't have a green shade but that's all taken care of here. Green is one of my favorite colors and the one in this palette is so pretty!

While that green shade is incredibly beautiful, my two favorite shades are once again, the gold toned ones. I used one as a highlight the other day and I have to tell you-every time I think I've found the most beautiful gold highlighter in the world, I find another. My nose looked like a light bulb! ...which, you know, is not usually a good thing but in this case it is.

​I'm not too sure if the blush will work well on my skin tone but please believe I will definitely try it! If anything, it makes for a beautiful shadow! The highlighter is amazing as well and would likely work well on any skin tone. It tends to lean towards the bronze side so if you like highlighters that are a little lighter it may not work for you but I think it's absolutely gorgeous!

So, if I'm going to be completely honest, I do have to point out a few cons here (but they're not really cons, just things that irked me).

• For some reason, BH cosmetics decided not to name the shades in any of the palettes in the Wild line (There are three others: Wild Child and Wild At Heart which are both baked shadow palettes and then there's the Wild and Radiant Bronzer and Highlighter Palette.) This isn't really a big deal, aside from the fact that it's a nice touch that makes a palette feel more like a high end product. It also makes writing an article like this a little harder when there's nothing to refer to! (I took the liberty of coming up with my own names and put them in the picture of the full palette below-you're welcome BH.)
• Lastly, the biggest thing (which is still not a very big thing) is the formula. When I was comparing the shade Aphrodite from the Galaxy Chic palette and the shade I call Cactus Fruit (third shadow, top row), I swatched one right after the other. Let me tell you, the formula is WAY different. The Galaxy palette shades are so much more buttery than you would expect for a baked palette, which pleasantly surprised me. The Wildly Alluring palette feels just a tiny bit more skritchy and dry which isn't necessarily a bad thing-it's kind of how I would expect a baked palette to feel. Besides, it doesn't affect the pigmentation and color payout at all, so it doesn't bother me.

​Neither of these are a super big deal. I'm still a fan and I will still RAVE about them!

I'm so obsessed with the names I picked out, y'all. I can't even.

​Something interesting I noticed while I was swatching: The Shade that I named "Cactus Fruit" is somewhat similar to the color "Aphrodite" in the Galaxy Chic palette if you're looking at them in dim lighting. They're not identical, though; with decent lighting, you can clearly see that Cactus Fruit is more of brick color while Aphrodite is a deep berry.

​This palette was also super affordably priced; Burlington has it for $6 while it's $12 on Bh Cosmetics website. As a matter of fact, it is sold the heck out as I write this, so I feel incredibly lucky that I got one! ( Also incredibly puzzled-I'm not sure how this palette is sold out on the site when I found literal stacks of it in my Burlington. I saw at least 30. So if you really want one don't be bummed that you can't order it just now; try your local Burlington!)

Guys, I don't know what to say. Every time I buy an eyeshadow palette I always say to myself that now my collection is perfectly balanced and rounded-a good mix of neutrals, brights, mattes and shimmers. THIS should be the last one. I think. Of course I did see the "Escape" palette by Cargo Cosmetics at Burlington and they're cruelty free...it was such a beautiful color scheme too...and somebody has to swatch them...

What kinds of cosmetics have you found at Burlington? Are you in love with these shimmery shadows or do you prefer mattes? Most importantly, how fun is swatching?

Til next time, beautybums!