Part One
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| 1. Urban Decay: Urban Obsessions, Beauty Insider Reward, 2. Balenciaga: B. Rollerball, 3. Nars: 2014 Holiday Collection Blush in Almería, 4. Too Faced: 5-Piece Bronzer Wardrobe Collection, 5. Nars: 2014 Holiday Collection Hardwired Lipstick in Deadly Catch. |
1. Urban Decay: Urban Obsessions, Beauty Insider 500-Point Reward
This is the Urban Obsessions 500-Point Beauty Insider Reward, I have no idea which month it was supposed to be for because it was snatched up right away online. Luckily, I was in store making the above purchases and saw this when asked if I wanted to redeem my points for anything.
This little palette comes with 4 eyeshadow shades from neutral to smoky. From lightest to darkest, skimp, bust, guilt and oil slick; a travel-size 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Zero (black), and a sample of their eyeshadow Primer Potion.
I'm usually not big on spending my points for perks because I never find anything worth spending my points on, but after seeing this, I knew that I had to get it. First of all, I love Urban Decay products, there has not been a product yet that has let me down and the quality of their products are amazing. Secondly, they're very well-known for not testing on animals and are vegan products, something that I'm very happy about.
When trying out the eyeshadows, they never disappoint! Their pigmentation is amazing and a little goes a long way. Their eyeliner is very well-known as fantastic, this is also the first time I've ever laid my hands on it so I'm really stoked to try it out and see if it lives up to the hype. Something that's already fantastic about it is that it's waterproof which, is something that I really look for in a product. (I'd rather have the product stay on than racoon eyes)
2. Balenciaga: B. Rollerball
When looking for new arrivals at Sephora, the larger version of this perfume caught my eye. It's very different packaging from other perfumes that I've ever seen. As usual, it's a bottle, but the bottle itself is rectangular shape (big whoop) but the way it looks like some type of quartz crystal (I've got a geology minor). The packaging of the bottle got me curious to try this out, so I decided to go with a rollerball version since I've got two more perfumes that I should most probably finish before I decided to get another bottle to add to my collection. Anyways, this smells amazing, it's got notes of: Cashmeran Wood, Lily of the Valley Bell, Violet Green Leaves Accord, Green Edamame Accord, Iris Root, Cedarwood Heart, and Ambrette Seeds (whatever these mean...). But together, it smells close to the Daisy by Marc Jacobs perfumes (one of my favourites) but a bit more woody.
At first, I didn't really think of getting anything from the Nars Holiday Collection. The only thing I really thought of getting was the cheek palette, but I got the cheek palette last year from their Guy Bourdin Holiday Collection so I decided to skip out on it, since a lot of the shades were similar. It wasn't until I got in store and saw this blush and decided to test it out. Nars blushes have become one of my favourite blushes, with their awesome pigmentation and pay off. I first thought this blush would probably be too dark for me, but as the winter months are coming around, it wouldn't kill for a stronger blush. For my type of skin tone, you barely need a lot on your make up brush just to show colour in your cheeks. This would definitely be something I would use on a special occasion, not on a daily basis.
4. Too Faced: 5-Piece Bronzer Wardrobe Collection
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| Milk Chocolate Soleil, Sun Bunny, Chocolate Soleil, Endless Summer. |
I've heard so much about the Too Faced Chocolate Soleil bronzer and seeing that I would be able to try four of them got me wanting to test out all of them before settling on my favourite one. But yes, my favourite one so far is Chocolate Soleil. These do sort of smell like chocolate which, is a bit off putting because my face ends up with a faint smell of chocolate. But hey, chocolate smells pretty good! Something I like about these are that they're so small, you can carry them with you everywhere and there is variety between matte and shimmer bronzers. This set also came with a Too Faced Teddy Bear hair Flatbuki brush, I've heard a lot about their brushes so I'm excited to try their Flatbuki brush as a starter.
Nars has amazing lipsticks. Hands down. One of my favourite brands for lipsticks, they're super creamy and very pigmented. I thought this would be too bright for me at first, but then I realized that every girl should own a good bright red lipstick. This is a crimson red, so although it is a bright red, it is still on the darker side. I've got not much to say about this besides the fact that its creamy, super pigmented and one of my favourites.
Part Two
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| 1. Ole Henriksen: Glow-On-The-Go Trio, 2. bareMinerals: Mineralixirs Cleansing Oil, 3. Hourglass: Ambient Lighting Blush Palette |
1. Ole Henriksen: Glow-On-The-Go Trio
I've always wondered what these wipes were like. Even though its cheaper to get them individually full-sized, I decided I would rather get this trio pack where I can try small packs of each type. All three are different, the orange one is for brightening, it's called 'The Clean Truth,' which, contains 'vitamin C, CoQ10 and black currant oil to rejuvenate and hydrate for radiant, youthful-looking skin.' The purple one is makeup removing, stating that it removes waterproof make up as well. It's known as 'Nurture Me,' containing moringa seed oil, borage seed oil and essential fatty acids to nourish and unveil glowing, bare skin.' And, the last one, the blue one is for oil-free pore refining, known as 'Grease Relief,' it is formulated with glycolic, lactic, and citrus acids to thoroughly dissolve dead skin cells and purifying eucalyptus to absorb pore-clogging dirt and oil for clarified, fresh-looking skin.'
I have yet to try 'The Clean Truth' and 'Grease Relief.' I tried the purple one, 'Nurture Me' and it burned my eyes. Now, I wasn't wiping my eyeballs with the wipe but my eye make up. It started giving some stinging around the eyes and within the eyes. This never happens with my other make up wipes so I don't know if I'll be big on using the purple one, nor the rest of them if this is what happens.
2. bareMinerals: Mineralixis Cleansing Oil
If you've seen my YouTube videos, you'll know that I'm a big fan of the Shu Uemura cleansing oils. Since it began to make an appearance at Sephora, much more cleansing oils have hit the shelves. I started running out of my Anti/Oxi cleansing oil by Shu Uemura and decided it was time to try something else. This is where bareMinerals comes in, they've been releasing a lot of new products and I'm impressed. So, I decided I would give this a go, it's a little bigger than the Shu Uemura bottles (the smaller ones, that is) and a bit cheaper if not the same price. The reviews on this are fairly good so I can't wait to give it a go!
If you've been wondering if I've tried any drugstore ones, I've tried the L'Oreal one and it broke me out and was really sticky so I stopped using it.
3. Hourglass: Ambient Lighting Blush Palette
Luminous Flush, Incandescent Electra, Mood Exposure
I love Hourglass products, their packaging, their quality, everything. I was lusting over this when it was only available to VIB Rouge members (I wasn't VIB Rouge back then), but when it finally hit stores and was available to everyone, I couldn't justify the money to get it. But after reading reviews, and of course, the sale, I decided that I would get it. And boy, have I fallen in love! Besides me getting paranoid with getting fingerprints on the pristine packaging, the blush itself is soft, pigmented AND they feel like pillows if you ever so slightly swipe your finger across them. This is definitely a must have for anyone who's looking for a good blush with variety.
Part Three
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| 1. Dashing Santa Bath Bomb, 2. So White Bath Bomb, 3. Christmas Eve Bubble Bar |
I'm not a big fan of glitter, so pardon the lack thereof. When the Christmas collection from Lush came out, I couldn't wait to try everything that didn't contain glitter. I tried with their Sparkler bath bomb, I really did, but after leaving the bath sparkling like Edward Cullen, I concluded that I was not a fan of the glitter products from Lush, well anywhere actually. So I decided to stick with a limited few that I thought smelled heavenly and would actually enjoy using.
Dashing Santa, smells citrusy, like oranges. And, I, am a fan of citrus products. This is pretty much all I have to say about this bath bomb, besides the fact that I'm excited to break it apart and use bit by bit, also the fact that it's not actually a 'bomb' looking bath bomb, makes me more excited.
2. So White Bath Bomb
Apples. That is all this bath bomb smells like. SprinkleofGlitter (Louise) from YouTube goes crazy over this bath bomb! This is a favourite for many Lush customers so it comes back every Christmas. Theres a surprise pink centre and I'm just SO EXCITED to take a bath with this apple smelling fantastic thing-a-ma-jig. Something else that's fantastic? LUSH PRODUCED A SHOWER GEL VERSION OF THIS LITTLE THING OF HEAVEN!
3. Christmas Eve Bubble Bar
Christmas Eve Bubble Bar, has calming properties, like jasmine and ylang ylang. It's definitely something that I'll be using after I finish my exams this term! It'll be nice to be able to kick back and destress with this bubble bar! Who doesn't love a good bubble bath anyway?
Part Four - Finale
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| 1. Lush: Tea Tree Toner Water, 2. Got2B: Beach Trippin' Waving Spray, 3. Korres: Body Butter in Guava, 4. Tarte: CC Park Ave Princess Coloured Clay Bronzer Blush, 5. Tarte: Lights, Camera, Splashes Waterproof Mascara, 6. Too Faced: Sweethearts Perfect Flush Blush in Peach Beach, 7. Laura Mercier: Smooth Finish Flawless Fluide Foundation in Dusk, 8. Hourglass: Ambient Lighting Palette, 9. Maybelline: Brow Drama Sculpting Brow Mascara in Dark Brown |
1. Lush: Tea Tree Toner Water
I finished up using my Breath of Fresh Air toner and was really liking it but I have always wanted to try the Tea Tree Water so when it was finally back in stock, I decided to get a small bottle of it so I could decide on which one I liked the best before giving in and buying a full bottle. I recently got into taking better care of my skin, and with that came in toner. I never really found a point in using toner throughout my time growing up but now, I realize that it helps with keeping your skin clean throughout the day.
2. Got2B: Beach Trippin' Waving Spray
I remember wanting to try this when it first came out but was skeptical since a lot of the drugstore sea salt sprays haven't impressed me. But after watching a lot of videos and reading a lot of articles, I've given into trying this out. A lot of people have used this product and seem to enjoy using it. So I decided to give it a go since it was on sale.
3. Korres: Body Butter in Guava
To be honest, I wasn't planning on getting this but I was so close to free shipping (always with the free shipping catch), so I decided to give it a go. Back when Korres actually had their little spot within Sephora stores in Canada, I never thought of trying them out, but now that they're so hard to find (occasional Shoppers Drug Mart locations), I've given in to trying them out. Their body butter is something that has been spoken of highly. And well, you can never have too much body butter, am I right?
A bronzer AND a blush in one?! Is it really that good to be true? In fact, it is, because I'm in love with this. I used a Tarte blush way back in my high school days for prom and always liked that they used clay and that it always gave good pigmentation. Tarte has really impressed me over the past few years and I'm a big fan of a lot of their products. This bronzer blush just adds to the list of something that I'm really impressed with, it gives nice pigmentation and I know this is definitely something I'll be using a lot during summer. It's got a few sections that have shimmer which is nice because it gives a little highlighting effect besides the bronzer and blush.
This is hands down, my favourite mascara ever. It was such a disappointment when I got some bacteria in it and started getting eye infections (I know, so gross). But not to fret, of course I'd get myself a new one. This is literally the best waterproof mascara I've ever used, a lot of the times, the only thing I look for in waterproof mascaras is that they hold my eyelashes up (Asian eyelashes hold nothing up). But this has given volume, separated my lashes and is insanely waterproof. The other waterproof mascaras that I've used are barely waterproof, they're waterproof enough to hold my eyelashes up but other than that, with one make up remover wipe, they're gone. With this mascara, I actually have to rub a little bit more to get the product off. I will most likely be purchasing this product in the future again and again.
6. Too Faced: Sweethearts Perfect Flush Blush in Peach Beach
A lot of people have given high reviews on this blush and I wanted to know why. (If you haven't realized, I purchased a lot of cheek products this past month). Well, Too Faced is known for their doll like, feminine products and I really wanted to know what all the hype over this blush was about. It's super shimmery so I wouldn't recommend swiping your brush through the product unless you want your whole cheek to be shimmering. (That's up to you, but not for me) This gives a really nice warm glow and is really good for the winter glow. I really wanted to try their other one, Candy Glow, but thinking about it now, it might be a bit too pink for me.
7. Laura Mercier: Smooth Finish Flawless Fluide Foundation in Dusk
I was browsing through Sephora, keeping in mind that my Urban Decay Naked foundation only had a life span of 6 months, if you may. This is me talking about those little symbols on the back of high-end beauty products letting you know how long the product should last or should be kept before getting thrown out. Drugstore products don't have this which, bothers me to no end. (Thank you Bobbi Brown Makeup Manual for educating me). I did the Colour IQ thing a while ago and seeing as I haven't really gotten that tan nor lightened up that much, I figured I'd be around the same shade (4Y08), I decided to test out the new Laura Mercier foundation because while, I did enjoy the Silk Creme Foundation, it just wasn't something I would be willing to spend my money on. Testing this in store, I really liked how it felt on my skin, it didn't feel heavy and didn't make me look like I packed on a bunch of make up on my skin. Its very light-medium coverage which, is possibly the only type of foundation I can handle, if not no foundation is fine by me.
Unfortunately, the downside to this foundation is its packaging. Upon receiving it, I opened the box at the top, and to my surprise, the foundation bottle was upside down, which, only made me think that it had been opened and used prior to me receiving this. Nevertheless, excitement got the best of me and I decided to test it out on my face, after I opened the product, it was evident that it was not the best packaging since the product had spilled out (you're told to shake the product well, which is what I did). It spilled into the cap and around the nozzle (left picture). My first thought was that I would exchange the product for another one but I read the reviews on Sephora and many other customers had the same problem so I realized I wasn't the only one and could only store this product upside down, just like the way I received it.
8. Hourglass: Ambient Lighting Palette
Dim Light, Incandescent Light, Radiant Light
I always liked this palette since it was released but never really knew why I would need three shades of the Ambient Lighting Powder. But thanks to Ashley, I realized that they were each for different types of lighting. And, now I'm learning which one is best for my occasion and it only makes me more excited to try this out more and find a reason to use it.
As said earlier, Hourglass is one of my favourite brands. They're on the pricier side but from what I own from them, I'm obsessed. Their pigmentation is amazing, packaging is lovely and never lets me down. Once again, this is something that you should own if you're looking for some sort of lighting powder/highlighter.
9. Maybelline: Brow Drama Sculpting Brow Mascara in Dark Brown
I was possibly the most excited person to see this in stores when it was first released. A tinted brow gel by a drugstore brand?! No way! I have been using the Tarte Coloured Clay Brow Gel for the past few months and while I do like it, I'm not obsessed and don't see much of a difference when I use it on my brows versus when I only use pencil on my brows. So, obviously upon my arrival at home, I had to open this and test it out. It definitely puts a lot more product on your brows which, is much more evident in comparison to the Tarte one. The brush is just plain weird, I'm not going to hide it. It's also a larger brush than the Tarte one. This creates some sort of struggle when applying the product, because if I want more product, I would try to use the longer and thinner end of the brush and to brush it out, I would use the ball looking end. This concludes with me getting product around my brows, and its just a weird formatting of the brush, but I figure I could deal with it or figure out some way to handle it.
This concludes my November beauty haul, which, is possibly the biggest haul I'll have all year, seeing as it's almost December. And due to all these new products, I doubt I'll need any more new ones for another year. But alas, here is a blog post (finally!) Sorry I've been away for so long. I'm also in the middle of trying to figure out if I should make a video for this, it'd be about 20 minutes long (ridiculous, I know.)
Anyways, until next time!
- h.
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