What Makes Me Click "Buy"?


I know it can't be just me who window shops online- I'll browse, look at size charts and read reviews, fill up my cart.... and then close the tab without checking out. Sometimes I'll come back to the items later, sometimes I forget all about them or decide I don't *neeeeeed* them that badly and I'd rather spend my money elsewhere. Very rarely do I shop, fill my cart, and then checkout all in one session. I'm actually really grateful for this habit because it means that even though I shop a lot, I don't spend as much and when I am looking for something specific that I need to buy right away, I usually know exactly where to find it (or already have it saved in shopping cart or favorites list somewhere!)

But back to the topic at hand; what makes me take the plunge and press buy right away, without my usual cooldown period? Usually, it's when there's a time limited deal that's too good to pass up- either a significant percentage off (25% off at Michael Kors? yes please!) or a gift with purchase or some other sort of freebie that I really want/need. In the case of the latter, I mentally deduct the value of the freebie (the value to me, not what the retailer says the value is) from the total cost of my purchase before I decide if the overall haul will be worth the money spent.

A couple weeks ago, when the newly revamped Too Faced Natural Eyes palette was launched, I was considering placing an order for the palette from Sephora. It was on my spring makeup wishlist so I'd been thinking about it, and I was really in the mood to try it out. Luckily, I didn't check out because not long after I got an email from TooFaced.com advertising the promotions they were running directly on their company site. They were offering 25% off your total order, a free eyeshadow brush with the purchase of a palette, free shipping with any purchase over $50 AND a free makeup bag with 4 deluxe samples inside. Now that is an enticing stack of discounts and freebies, and I just couldn't resist. So I added the Natural Eyes palette to my TooFaced shopping cart, browsed around, and then also added the Natural Eyes Matte palette to my basket as well. I hadn't even known they were also doing the matte version release, but it looked cute in the photos. I checked out right away, and roughly two weeks later (shipping took foreeeever) I got my package of goodies!







First of all, the shipping box is adorable both on the outside and the inside! I loved how pink everything was, down to the shredded crinkly paper stuffing. The invoice was on top, with all the free samples and goodies directly underneath. The makeup bag was super cute, much nicer than I thought it would be (as so often free makeup bags are more of an afterthought rather than a carefully considered item.) The material of the bag is thick and substantial feeling, almost linen-y, but not too stiff so you can still stuff it full. I like the cute quote (tribute to Mean Girls?) and it's a good size without being too large. The samples inside are fantastic as well- all are deluxe sizes (also known as travel size) and very generous. The Eyeshadow Insurance primer I've been using for years and I'd JUST run out of my previous tube so this new one is just in time. Even the small travel size tube of eyeshadow primer lasts me forever, so this freebie is saving my the cost of having to pony up $20 to purchase a full-size tube! The mascara is also very welcome- I've never tried Better Than Sex mascara but I am a fan of travel size mascaras because by the time you use them up it's time to replace your mascara anyway! The conventional wisdom is to get a new mascara every 3 months, although personally I stretch that out a little longer to 4-5 months and I've never had an issue. The Creamy Peach Oil lip gloss is fantastic- I actually already have this gloss in the same color (Pure Peach, such a pretty color) and I love it. I'll be putting this travel size one away until I finish the one I've got open, but I'm really happy to have a backup for it because it's a great peachy pink color and very comfortable on the lips! It has a nice petal finish, not fully matte but definitely not glossy or sticky, sort of peach fuzz feel. For someone who loves the look of matte lips but seems to be unable to tolerate matte formulas, this product is basically perfect. The dual shade Sun Bunny bronzer is just in time for the start of summer, and the compact is big enough to comfortably dip a face brush into but still small and slim enough to be perfect for travel. I'm not usually a big user of bronzer but maybe this summer I'll try it out. 




The freebie eyeshadow brush is actually something I already have as well- in fact, I have three! My brushes are about 6 years also and they were from a similar free brush with purchase of a palette promotion that Too Faced did. They've held up incredibly well these past 6 years and I still use them today. The brush end is synthetic hair, so it's very soft and easy to wash and care for. I find that the bristles pick up eyeshadow without a problem and blend well too, so for me they've been fantastic brushes to have. The foam applicator end is really useful for placing that all-important inner corner highlight because it's small and just the right shape. Of course the foam applicator does wear out eventually (as you can see on my old brush, all that's left behind is the white plastic nubbin.) However, the brush overall continues to be totally usable and I'm very happy to be adding a fourth one to my trio. One slight difference I'm noticing between my old brushes and the new one is that the older ones were a little more rounded at the tip while the new one is more of a squoval shape. However this is a very minor difference and I doubt it'll affect use.





For this look I used Silk Teddy, Strip Poker, Honey Pot, and Push Up (with brown gel liner and black mascara)

So that was just the free goodies, now on to the palettes themselves! Personally, I never minded the old Too Faced tin packaging. I thought they were pretty cute, and easy to keep clean. However I do know that they had problems staying shut (indeed my Too Faced Peach Palette which has a tin case doesn't stay properly shut), so this new package redesign has solved that issue. These palettes stay securely closed. An interesting next feature of the redesign that I wasn't expecting is the fact that the palettes are domed (both on the top and the bottom), which creates a subtle pillow-like effect. Very cute indeed! This does mean that the palettes take up a bit more room than they would if they were just normal non-puffy rectangle and they cannot be stacked but I appreciate the conscious design choice at play. I really like the colors they've chosen, the lace theme, and the pretty embossing on the shadows inside. Also, please notice that the palette with shimmers has shiny gold plastic inside but the palette with the mattes has matte gold plastic inside. I love it when companies pay attention to details like that. :)





 For this all-matte look I used Nude Goals, Cleavage, and Risky Biz (I was in a rush so no eyeliner, just mascara!)

Performance wise, I'm very pleased with both palettes. I don't have the originals so that I can't do a direct comparison, but I've been using these babies pretty much every day since I got them and I haven't hit a dud shade yet. If you ask me which palette I prefer, I wouldn't know what to say. When I ordered them, I figured I'd end up preferring the shimmers much more than the mattes just because I generally like a bit of shimmer and sparkle in my makeup. However, after trying both of them out, I honestly can't say which I like better! All of the colors are creamy, pigmented, easy to apply, and easy to blend. I love all the shades and finishes, and I find the palettes work well both by themselves and as a complimentary pair. I suppose if I were really pressed to recommend just one palette I'd say the original Neutral Eyes, but only because it contains both mattes (4 shades) and shimmers (5 shades) so it's slightly more versatile than the all matte version. However, I really do love both!

As an aside, I've also discovered that despite the use I've put them through since receiving them last week, I haven't disturbed the embossing on the shadows very much at all. Granted, I have a pretty light touch with eyeshadows and I tend not to press hard on the pans, but I'm really happy that they're still looking pretty and neat. And last (but certainly not least!) here's the cost breakdown of the crazy deal I ended up getting in this order: for two palettes that normally retail at $38 apiece, I ended up paying only $57 in total. Shipping was free, and I got the makeup bag, eyeshadow brush, eyeshadow primer, lipgloss, mascara, and bronzer all for free as well. I think a conservative value for the freebies could be about $20, which would make the two palettes only $37, or $18.50 each! With an incentive like that, no wonder I checked out!

**This post is not sponsored in any way. The links are provided for informational purposes only and do not earn me a commission. **

Comments

Popular Posts