Random samples: first impressions

Here's my 2 cents of product samples I've used in the past few months.

Caudalie eye and lip cream - This cream feels so nice and light weight, and does a great job at moisturizing. I've only used it for a week and noticed very slight difference in my dark eye circles. However, I'm not sure if I am willing to splurge $49 on it...

Nars Radiant Tinted Moisturizer in Alaska - I wanted to love this because I've heard so much rave about it, however I can't. Within 3 hours of using this TM I start getting oily on my T-zone and cheeks. This has not happened with my theBalm TM... I like the higher SPF, but I find that it made my skin look more dull despite the oil pool later on.

Dior Hydra Life BB creme - This BB cream broke me out :( I really wanted to like this product, because I wanted to get it when I was in the US, but the results were disappointing. I'm just so glad I got to try a sample of it before purchasing the full size (a whooping $56USD!)

Phyto Phytopolleine Universal Elixir Scalp stimulant - I got this in one of my monthly subscriptions and I really love it. I have troubled skin and my scalp was not spared (please excuse me) but my scalp flakes like crazy! After my first use of this I was extremely happy that it worked so well. I will be purchasing purchased the full size of this product. It has a very strong but not unpleasant smell of eucalyptus and work quite well to maintain a healthy scalp.

Suisse Programme Gigawhite Fresh UV Shield Moisturizer SPF15 - I had a 2ml sample that lasted me 3 applications. This product smells awesome and has a little bit of SPF which I like, however I was surprised to find that it wasn't quite moisturizing enough for me... Certain areas on my face dried up throughout the day. At a whooping 83$ on Sasa, I will not be purchasing~

Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunscreen Lotion SPF55 - This is a nice sunscreen with high SPF and covers both UVA and UVB. It dries non-sticky and smells okay for a sunscreen. I would so purchase this product if I wasn't already overstocked with them :) This is something to keep in mind next summer as it is both waterproof and sweatproof (tested from all the swimming and tubing down while on vacation.)

Apologies for not having any pictures for this post as they are mostly samples, perhaps I should take a pictures of samples before I try them out next time :)

Shiseido Warehouse sale Haulage~

Just a quick haul post with what I picked up from the Shiseido warehouse sale this weekend. Enjoy!

the haul

Clé de Peau  eye colour quad in 1 and 3- $27 each

Clé de Peau cream eye colour in Shade 1 and 2 - $20 each

Nars concealer in Vanilla Honey - $10

Shiseido Hydro powder eyeshadow in H6 Violet Visions - $8 (I think...)

I am wearing the purple in this look. The colour is very vibrant. I applied it with my pinky and was surprised at  how easy it was to work with as well as the colour payoff with so little product. Will for sure pick up some more colour next time. It wore the entire day without budging :)

I also got a quite a few lippies, but haven't had the chance to take pictures, so I will post them up when I have them swatched as well :) Until then... thank you for reading this post!

Other items at the sale:

- Shiseido and Nars foundations for $10

- Joico shampoo (big bottle) $8

- Shiseido's Pureness, Whiteluscent, The Skincare and the Benefiance line as well as the sunscreen line

- various Orlane skincare products

Essentially, there were the same products from last time, pricing didn't increase for Nars or Shiseido makeup, however I'm not sure about the skincare products. The Shiseido face cotton were at $7... One thing that was different this time around, was the Clé de peau products :) I splurged~

Topbox November 2012

Hello lovelies!

I was excited to finally be able to subscribe to Topbox. For the month of November I got box 6 and these were the products I was greeted with.

Topbox November 2012

Contents emptied, what remains is very little packing material... which I liked :) It's a little more environmentally friendly.

The card, simple and sweet. They didn't try to pretend they were personalized~

benefit cosmetics mascara, they're real!

Full size China glaze nail polish in Exotic Encounter

Cuccio Naturale butter, in pomegranate & fig

roberto cavalli, eau de parfum

First impression: not a bad box. I was slightly disappointed to get a mascara... In fact I really didn't need another one... I have too many I can't use up, and I received the same deluxe sample from Sephora that I haven't used yet. Aside from this one thing, I like the rest of the box. I got a very pretty teal colour nail polish that goes perfectly with my wedding theme (as tempting as it is, I doubt I'd wear it for the reception.) I also got a very sweet scented body/hand cream that is just the right size to fit in my mu bag, only complaint about that is the cap, I'm scared that it'd come off too easily and the products gets everywhere in the bag. Lastly, I got a mini parfume bottle, which is a lovely addition to my growing minis. :) For $12(plus tax), this month's box is definitely getting an A from me :) Looking forward to seeing December's.

I heard that there were variance with the boxes, but so far the only difference I've seen around is the MUFE eyeliner as well as a different colour of nail polish... but that's it. What did you get in your box? :)

Swatched: OCC lip tars and YSL Sheer Candy gloss

I picked up these lovely lippies during the VIB sale, just thought I should swatch them and show you the colours. For the OCC lip tars I wanted to show you how little products is needed to get the opaque colour as shown on the swatch. They were not joking when they say the tiniest drop... There was still quite a bit of products left on my fingers after. I'm pretty sure these lip tars really will last me forever...

no flash, from left: OCC Memento, OCC Grandma, YSL Sweet Fig

with flash

no flash: OCC Memento, OCC Grandma, YSL Sweet Fig

with flash

On the Sephora website, Memento is described as midtone pink plum, Grandma is a classic coral and Sweet Fig is a sheer brick red.

Have you tried these products before? Are there any colours you'd recommend I check out or avoid? Share!

Sephora V.I.B. Haul 2012

If there's a sale... I'm there :)

During the Sephora VIB sale I picked up a few things I wanted to try and only 1 necessity can you guess which?

Haul with samples~

What I bought...

Yeps, it was the Claisonic head, 2 pack for $45, at 20% off they cost me 36$ plus tax , not that much of a steal, but it beats paying full price!

I've been dying to try OCC lip tars, and I'm really enjoying them! Kind of surprise at how pigmented they are, since a little dot goes a LONG way and they are extremely opaque and bright. Will swatch when I get a chance. I got them in Memento and Grandma ( the BRIGHT orangey coral on the right)

I don't remember when I first wanted to try out this brand, but I know that after hoping to receive them in my Luxebox and not getting them I decided I must try. So I got this travel size set for $19 plus 20% off. Happy I didn't get them in full size because the eyeliner smudged on me and there was transfer (aka raccoon eyes) within 3 hours... I enjoy the application of the mascara but I'm iffy about the eyeliner. Unlike the eyeliner, the mascara didn't smudge... Should I return the set and just get the mascara? I also find that the eyeliner dries out quickly...

I saw this on Sandra's video and knew I had to try it out. I got the Volupté Sheer Candy glossy balm in 7 Sweet Fig. It's such a lovely red tint! Feels, smell and looks awesome on the lips :) wait for swatches!

 The last item I picked up in the sale was the YSL Anti-Cernes Multi-action concealer in 2 Nude Beige... I purchased only one, but decided I liked both angles so I posted them both up ^_^ I'm on day 2 of this concealer. I enjoy the creamy texture of this concealer, as it does not emphasize fine lines. This product still needs some through testing!

Anyhow that's my Sephora haul~~ What did you get? :)