Happy December, beauties! On December 1st, I made my 31st birthday and I couldn’t be more blessed. I spent my day with between quality time with Mr. Right and my beloved Momma. 🙂 Of course, I squeezed in some me-time which ultimately consisted of shopping; both online and in-store. No surprise there!

To be honest, I have been purchasing in the name of my birthday since October, but we won’t bring up old news *Haha* I did take advantage of the Black Friday beauty deals after Thanksgiving. Is it me, or does Black Friday sales seem to be creeping up earlier and earlier in the calendar? I suppose all the brands are trying to one-up each other..I’m not mad at it!

This year, I was able to snag items from a brand that I have been wanting to try: HUDA Beauty. I have heard mixed reviews about their eyeshadow formula but for 50-70% OFF the retail price, it was hard to ignore. Now, I can try this brand without feeling like I wasted time/money if it turns out to be a dud. I purchased the HUDA Beauty Rose Gold Remastered palette for $26 USD (reg. $65 USD) and the Topaz Obsession palette for $10.80 USD (reg. $29) USD) That is an amazing price drop! I was able to swatch these in Sephora and take them home right away. (P.S.- Sephora does price match items that are sold on the beauty brand’s main website cheaper than what’s listed in their store; just show them proof of the web page and price difference!)

One thing that I had to have was the special edition Anastasia Beverly Hills eyeshadow vault that consisted of (2) classic palettes: Modern Renaissance and Soft Glam. The two came housed in a beautiful glitter encrusted keepsake box. I was able to reserve a set for myself at Sephora and picked it up, later. A sweet coworker of mine also gifted me a gift card to UltaBeauty! That place is beginning to be a death trap for me, seeing as it is five minutes away from my work place 🙁 With my gift card I purchased the original ABH Norvina palette, consisting of soft mauve and purple tones.

The last items from ABH I ordered were the Riviera, Sultry, and Subculture from Anastasia Beverly Hills. (I know…I know what you’re thinking!) I didn’t expect to add these to my collection so soon, but with the sale price of $28-35 USD I could not pass it up! These retail for $42-45 each! At this point, I am so done with ABH *Haha* I need not purchase any more of their products for a long time.

Along with those beauty finds I did add a few things to the list from my local beauty supply store, Crown Hair Beauty (which I love; the place is massive!) Three new wigs, lip oil, highlighters, banana setting powder and my favorite…lashes!

It was overall a great birthday and I’ve been having fun playing with my new makeup 😛 Be sure to catch my latest looks using these products on Instagram @todaytamaraforever. Lots of eyeshadow reviews to follow!