Most Satisfying Haul Ever?

Hi, everyone! Makeup haul posts are far from an anomaly on this blog. What can I say? I'm a makeup fiend and eager enabler through and through! Even though the title of this post is phrased inquisitively, it's still making a strong statement. Most satisfying haul ever? What, among my countless beauty booties, could rank this haul at the top of the list? The photo below is some evidence; there are clearly some lovely treasures comprising this bunch. But my superlative claim goes beyond that- below are the reasons why this recent haul might have been my very best!

It only cost $5!
Do not adjust your computer screens. Yes, $5! In a formidable show of patience (and an equally impressive series of strategic shopping sprees), I managed to rack up the maximum level of Shoppers Optimum Points. A first for me! This usually grants $170 of free goodies, but due to their "Spend Your Points" event last weekend, I had $200 at my disposal. I hit that target within five bucks and only had to pay taxes. Not a bad deal at all! 

It is chock-full of stunning Fall shades.
Fall is hands-down my favourite season. The crispness in the air, the changing leaves, the pumpkin spice... everything. While I'm partial to vibrant summery makeup hues, I always look forward to the sultry, sophisticated shades that Fall brings. Plums, navies, taupes- quite sexy, really!

It is a celebration of my finishing my year-long internship!
This past week has marked a major milestone of my PhD career. Aside from finishing my dissertation (which, fingers crossed, will be defended before the holidays!), the final requirement of my doctorate was a year-long clinical internship. A gruelling, endurance-testing endeavour that turned this willy-nilly graduate student into a full-time therapist. It turned out to be a fabulous experience, but finishing up feels like a huge accomplishment!

It saw the end of my lipstick ban.
Most of y'all know that I've been on a self-imposed lipstick-buying ban since February. At that time, I gathered all of my lipstick products and thought "that's enough!" I have to say that I'm incredibly proud that I went a full 6 months without buying a single lip product. I never thought it would be possible! Recent reflections, however, led to the realization that a ban wasn't feeling quite authentic and wasn't actually meeting my real objective of paring down and loving my stash (I've bought, like, 15 blushes this year!). I'll be writing a longer post regarding this choice, but for now, I'm totally owning it :)

As for what I picked up, I went a bit crazy with the Chanel. I snagged two goodies from their Fall collection: Rouge Coco Shine in Aura (a sheer, polished plum) and Le Vernis Nail Colour in Orage (a deep navy-soaked grey). I also chose one of their new reformulated Les Quatres Ombres eye shadow quads in Tisse Rivoli, which features the most beautiful shimmery copper and plum-tinged neutrals. I'd been eyeing it for a few months and was thrilled to finally take it home. 

I also picked up two shades from the range that had been the biggest temptation to my lipstick ban. I'd heard nothing but amazing things about the Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvets and my testing in-store confirmed their worth. Ultra pigmentation, a true matte finish, and an elegant lightweight texture. I opted for two bold stunners, Frambourjoisie (a warm, reddened raspberry) and the instant classic Pink Pong (a cool, ultra-bright fuchsia). 

To round things up, I chose two Fall-perfect shades from Revlon and Clarins. I'm a huge fan of Revlon ColourBurst Lip Butters and Fig Jam had been on my wishlist for ages. It's a warm brownish plum with a sheerness that makes it totally wearable. The final selection was Clarins Ombre Matte in #4 Rosewood. It's a powdery cream shadow with a lovely matte finish. The shade is a neutral to cool taupe that can be worn sheer or built up for some extra smoke. I'm already obsessed!


So there you go, perhaps my favourite haul of all time! Luxurious, yet frugal and perfectly timed. Couldn't have asked for much more!

Have you picked up anything particularly satisfying of late? Any brag-worthy deals or new Fall favourites?

Thanks for reading! xo