Dior Addict Gift Set Sephora 500 VIB points perk

I was deeply sadden when I missed this perk last year, so I was extremely happy to see it reappear right around Sephora's VIB 20% sale. I finally got my hands on this with just enough points! I think I have officially been spending too much money at Sephora :| Onto the Dior Addict Gift Set!

This pretty white box was in a clear plastic bag sealed with a label that had the product name and ingredient listing.

Here's the list of products in case the picture is hard to read:

• Dior Addict Eau Sensuelle Eau de Toilette (5ml)
• Dior Addict Lipstick in Dior Kiss 578 (1.4g)
• Dior Addict Bracelet

The bracelet this year is actually different from the pink ribbon one from last year. It is a silvertoned bracelet with lots of different charms attached to it. 

I was surprised at how much I liked this bracelet. At first I wasn't sure if it was going to fit me since most bracelet goes on too big. But wrapping this around my wrist three times and hooking it onto the smallest setting made it work~ Such a delicate, yet playful accessory~

If you are collector and have enough points, you should really check this one out!

Current: On the Go Makeup bag

I was shopping the other day and I thought 'Wow, boy does my purse feel light today!' Turns out, I had left my makeup bag at home. That's when I realized that perhaps I may be carrying too much 'On the Go.' I need to use a smaller makeup bag and reduce the amount of products. So, I down sized to a little clear bag and the rest is history~ Here's what in my makeup bag now~

• Anastasia Beverly Hills Clear Waterproof Top Coat: I might decide to not bring this around anymore since I haven't used it once in the past two weeks~ 
• BareMinerals READY Touch Up Veil in Translucent: I've been using this for a while and I am on the fence with how I feel about this product. 
• blinc mascara in black: a backup I had in my stash for a while that I decide to carry around, it doesn't do much for my short lashes, but it's still better than no mascara and the great thing about it is that it doesn't smudge
• Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in 54 Boy: this is my current fave MLBB lippy! So creamy and moisturizing, I make sure it's in my bag everywhere I go
• Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector in 01: the current balmish lippy I'm carrying, it smells nice and is moisturizing
• Dior Diorsnow UV Shield BB Creme SPF 50 - PA +++ : If I'm in a hurry and have to leave the house without makeup, at least I have some coverage and spf protection 
• ELF Shine Eraser: although the summer season is over (booooh!) it's still necessary to have around when your T zone gets oily!
• Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Flawless Wear Concealer in 02 Light Medium: I find that whatever concealer I've been using lately, touch up for my undereye is always a necessity, curse those dark eyes circles.
• Revlon tweezers: for emergency, and for cuteness~~ the penguins on these always puts a smile on my face
• Sasatinnie Extra Precise Eyebrow Liner in 02 Gray: I cannot leave my house without my brows, if I do I need to fix it asap, so this is my security...
• Sasatinnie Waterproof Retractable Eye Definer with sharpener in 05 Metallic Green: I could technically leave this at home since I discovered...
• Shu Uemura lasting soft gel pencil in 02 M brown: did I say that I don't have a fave liner? Well, I changed my mind after using this... It smudges a little bit (what eyeliner doesn't on these oily lids???) but it's very minimal, and oh so easy to use! Blog post coming up on this awesome find (maybe when I get the black one ;)
• Stila Convertible Colour in Peony: I like this colour for everyday, the colour you see in the pan is not the same as after you apply to your cheeks.
• plus: little Lancome pouch that houses a hair tie, bandaids, mini lip brush and soft picks

When I first started this post... I didn't expect to write so much :|

Here's my makeup bag in the wild! aka on my desk at work

Oops, I just noticed that my Clarins lippy isn't in the pictures... but I assure you, it does all fit into the bag! :)

Week 1: Lippies

I looked at my makeup collection one day and realized that a large majority of my collection remained unloved, so, as a reminder to myself I will post on a weekly basis, 5 different products from one category that I use between Monday to Friday and see how long I can keep this up.

For the first week, I chose to start off with lipsticks. Here are the products that I used:

Left to right with flash: Tarte's Hope and Laura Mercier's Baby Doll, YSL Sweet Fig, Dior Beige Casual, Dior Red Carpet, Lancome Rose Pitimini

no flash

Monday - Tarte LipSurgence Natural Matte Lip Tint in Hope and Laura Mercier Lip Glacé in Baby Doll

• It's always a merp day Monday, so I decide to put a little bit more effort on my lips and used a lip tint and gloss combo. I find Tarte's Matte lip tint too drying so I added the Laura Mercier gloss on top to give it a bit more shine. I'm not a big fan of the minty scent of the lip tint but it eventually goes away~ 

Tuesday - YSL Volupté Sheer Candy #7 Sweet Fig

• Love the smell of this lipstick as well as the neutral colour. I would never have guessed that the colour of this lipstick would be so sheer. 

Wednesday - Dior Addict Lipstick #222 Beige Casual

• I decided to wear darker eye makeup, so this nude colour was perfect for the eyes :) 

Thursday - Dior Addict Lipstick #963 Red Carpet

• Love this bold blue-red, too bad the bright colour does not last long, as I had to reapply frequently to get the vivid colour. I do want to mention I drank lots of liquid this week because of a stubborn cold that just won't go away. I do want to mention that this lipstick does stain so even though it fades quickly, there is always a hint of the violet red on your lips.

Friday - Lancome Rouge in Love #353M Rose Pitimini

• This colour lasted me a good 4 hours before reapplication is needed. The formula is a bit drying but it's nothing a lip balm base can't fix. I still love the rockets popsicle smell of this lippy.

yay! 6 different products used this week~ I guess this is more like a rotation of the week post. :) Let hope I can keep this up. Next week... Eyeshadows!

So, quick question, do you want to see swatches of these products on the lip? If so, please let me know :)

rant: Don't you just hate...

limited edition products?

I don't like reading up on new products only to find out at the end that they are limited edition... The last time I got suckered into buying something limited edition, I still have not used it yet which are the lipsticks and eyeshadow trio from the Paul and Joe 2012 Spring Creation collection (post here) sigh~! And this past weekend because of the Dior's Cherie Bow Spring 2013 collection and some SDM bonuses I  gave in and bought these...

Dior Addict 437 Charmant (LE) and DiorSkin Shimmer powder 001 Rose Diamond (permanent collection, though there were rumors last year that it might be discontinued... clearly, some marketing tactic...)

haul with the freebies

I'm determined not to repeat the mistake I made last year and started using the lipstick this weekend :) Here's some swatches~

left is without lipstick, right is with 437 Charmant

This is a sheer coral, but for some reason looks a lot more girly pink in picture. This lipstick is moisturizing and I like the fact that it gives my lips just a hint more colour.

pretending to be cute~ at this angle my eyes look kinda big...

The purchase with tax was $85.88. I received a 10$ gift card for Tim Hortons and 10$ from Shoppers which deducted the total to $65.88 putting me $2.17 over my MU budget this month :( boooo... I start February with a $97.83 budget~

On a brighter note, I got me some awesome girlfriend. She cheered me up with this love package XD

I really enjoy Bath and Body Works body lotion in Berry Vanilla, however, it is now discontinued, so I was literally quite surprised that she found it for me as well as the Katy Perry Sweetie Pie lashes which I also had rotten luck looking for... I am very lucky to have a great friend in Moose :) 

and... to further distract my reader (you) from the fact that I overspent this month... here's a picture of Aries that I took over the weekend :)

Thanks for reading and have an meowwww day :)

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 :)

Rouge Dior 314 Angelique Beige swatched

I got bored last night waiting for my man to come home for dinner, so I decided to swatch Angelique beige one last time before returning it... Then I got carried away and swatched a few more lippies~ It is so sad that I cannot wear this Dior lipstick since I really adore the colour (a sheer warm beige with a hint of pink.)

Dior - 314 Angelique Beige, Too Faced Naughty Nude, Too Faced Nude Beach, MAC Phlox, L'Occitane Lipstick Pivoine Délicate 02, Kryolan lipstick - Glossybox edition

with flash

no flash

I think I found a dupe within my collection for the Dior, which is the Too Faced Naughty Nude, one of my favourite. At least I know I'm consistent~ hehe... Please excuse the misfit (*cough* Kryolan), but I did warn you I go carried away with swatching XD

--------

Update: Didn't have the heart to return it (plus it's used!) so I kept it :| gonna find a way to wear it eventually!

Birthday Haul 2012 - Addicted to Dior

I spoiled myself rotten this year for my birthday :) I waited until Shopper's had their bonus point redemption to claim some products I wouldn't normally buy otherwise... Picked up two Dior skincare products and quite a few makeup products as well. Voici mon haul!

I splurged on skincare even though I know I shouldn't be trying out anything new for the next month... but the lovely smell and the nice hydrated feeling on the skin made it irresistible  I'm still in the process of testing out the products to make sure my face won't breakout (since their foundation breaks me out after a few hours of use...grr...) 

UPDATE: Both products caused me to break out. I had little pimples around my cheek/jawline as well as increased redness on my face. When I bought it back to Shopper's for an exchange the CSR told me it's my face getting use to the product... but at 65$ each, I don't feel like taking the risk to find out. Also, with the wedding less than a month away, I should not be irritating my skin!

Dior Hydra Life Youth Essential Concentrated Sorbet Essence and Pro-Youth Sorbet Crème

I went crazy with some lippies and a blush... So into nudes lately~~

From the Dior Addict collection I picked up 2 lipsticks, 222 Beige Casual and 530 Bobo, also a gloss in 257 Pink Trench

I also picked up a Rouge Dior lipstick in 314 Angelique Beige (swatched here)

Update: BOOO! I found out that the Rouge Dior formula contains beeswax after my lips started itching after I applied it. So sad because this was such a lovely colour on the lips. As always, I like natural and moisturized looking lips... This made my lips peel :(

Last but not least, I bought my first Dior blush in 533 Passion Fruit. This luxurious blush came with it's own pouch! 

So in total... I spent 140.13$ for 340$ worth of Dior products :) Tell me I did good~ haha...

Brow Pencil

Quick review!

I'm currently in LOVE with my DiorShow brow styler. For someone who tend to have a heavy hand, this is a gift from above! I can fill in my brow with the confidence that it will be the shape and colour that I want. :) I'm not sure how universal the colour is, but it is perfect for me!

Here are some more reasons to lovvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvve this product:

• you can just twist it for more products to come out, which means you don't ever have to sharpen it
• there is a brush on the other end for easy and quick grooming
• the colour is buildable
• it is compact, so that you only need to bring one thing anywhere you go
• looks natural... I've got some spots that are sparse and with this you can't see them and you can't tell it's filled in ;)

There is however, a speed bump (or two)...

• it is pricey
• the packaging is very light... therefore has a 'cheap' feel to it... with that being said, it does not reflect the quality of the product itself!

:) so much for a quick review... Anyways, judge for yourself and try it out! ;)

Splurge: Dior e/s pallette

I got my email for 15$ off @ Sephora last week so I was determined to spend this on something I wouldn't buy at a regular price... but this time... I think I REALLY spoiled myself... :)

After much time going from eyeshadow set to another... I finally picked up the Dior Couture Colour Eyeshadow Palette in "Sunset café"! I have yet to try it out... but I'm really liking the colours I tried!! Maybe I'l wear it tomorrow at our usual meet! Let's see if primer is required :)