April Pick-Ups & Deliveries: Part II
Posted by
Denise
|
on
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
So, as I mentioned yesterday, I ended up hauling way more beauty products than I had thought. I couldn't help myself, though — Sephora was having their 15% off VIB event, and then my friend who works for Dior told me there was a weekend where she could get 35% off so I should let her know if there was anything I wanted, and then my other friend who works for Estée Lauder told me she was going to the employee store so I should let her know if there was anything I wanted... And, well, you know I can't resist a deal.
Urban Decay Build Your Own Palette (with Breathless Eyeshadow) and Eyeshadows in Bordello, Last Call, and Chopper
YSL Rouge Volupté Lipstick in #10 Provocative Pink and Shu Uemura Rouge Unlimited Lipstick in PK 365
Dior Bird of Paradise Collection Diorskin Nude Tan Paradise Duo Iridescent Blush & Bronzing Powder in 002 Coral Glow
Dior Bird of Paradise Collection Dior Addict Lipstick in 771 Passionnée and 751 Exotique
Bobbi Brown Beach Body Oil ($10 from $40)
Origins A Perfect World Highly Hydrating Body Lotion with White Tea (x2 at $8 each from $31)
Origins Have A Nice Day Super-Charged Moisture Lotion ($10 from $40) and Make A Difference Night Skin Rejuvenating Gel-Cream ($10 from from $40)
I'm going to New York in a couple weeks, so I tried to control myself during Sephora's VIB event since 15% off isn't that much less than the retail prices in the States (especially given that our retail tax is still much higher). I was debating between Urban Decay's Naked2 Palette and the custom palette, and even though the Naked2 Palette is cheaper and you get more bang for your buck, I've been eyeing the custom palettes for a while now. And let me tell you, it took me nearly half an hour for me to even decide on those three shades (I ended up choosing shades that I would use all the time, so cost per use would be lower than, say, a bright turquoise or dark green). The palette actually comes with an eyeshadow already in it (Breathless, a widely flattering medium warm taupe-brown shade), but I ended up loving it so much that it was worth getting for me. I'll probably build another palette when I'm in New York, since they're $4 cheaper per eyeshadow in the US. As for the lipsticks, Shu Uemura is now being carried at more and more Sephora locations, so when I saw that I could get 15% off, I decided to splurge on a lipstick in a gorgeous strawberry pink shade. And I also took the opportunity to replace my YSL Rouge Volupté Lipstick in #10 Provocative Pink that I lost, since getting a small discount is better than none at all.
As for the Dior stuff, I was so, so tempted by the Summer collection that when my friend told me she could get me 35% off, I had to jump on it. I would've bought more, but I'm still trying to budget (admittedly, I'm doing a half-assed job), so I just got my favourite items from the collection. I really wanted both of the Paradise Duos, but at a retail price of $56, I really couldn't afford both even with a discount, and decided I liked Coral Glow more than Pink Glow. Finally, at the Estée Lauder employee store, my friend gets 70% or more off all their brands so, again, I had to jump on the chance. They didn't have a great selection this time around, but I managed to get a bottle of the Bobbi Brown Beach Body Oil (I am now a big fan of body oils, and thought the Beach scent would be great for summer), two tubes of my favourite Origins body lotion, plus the day face lotion I love (I bought it last year and loved it but hated the bottle — however, for $10, I couldn't resist) and a lightweight night cream that I wanted to try a while ago (it's actually discontinued now, but again, for $10, I couldn't say no). Despite all that I spent, though, I am happy to report that I didn't buy any of it at full price, so it's still a win for me!
UGH I CAN'T EVEN AT THIS POST. @___@ !!
ReplyDeleteEveryone and their mother are getting Coral Glow. I *think* I can live without it but it might get to me after a few more reviews. And obviously the Bobbi Brown oil is a kickass deal. I have the perfume and while I like the sunscreenish smell of it, I think the scent is better suited for bath products. Did you see the scrub there? That always looked good to me.
Haha, I apologize for any lemmings you may get from reading this post. :P
DeleteWeirdly enough, I didn't know that there was all this hype around Coral Glow. My friend at Dior gave me a sneak peek at their Summer collection and was like, "Let me know if you want anything," so after strenuous swatching, I decided to get Coral Glow and the two lipsticks from her. I would've gotten the pink one, too, as I mentioned, but it just wasn't in my budget to get both. I might get it in NYC if I end up really wanting it, though. :P
I honestly don't think much of the Beach scent, but I was like, "$10? Why not?" No scrub, but I think they had the body lotion and shower gel as well. I'm thinking if I like the scent enough, I might wanna try them at some point. I think it'd be rather nice for summer, since I hate the beach and all, LOL.
Ahhhhh! This post is amazing. I love bargain shopping.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Liz "Everyone and their mother are getting Coral Glow". Dammit, I want it too! I don't dare to go to the store here for I'm afraid I will buy it. I bought the bronzer last year, in Heathrow duty free. It's such a beautiful bronzer. On me it's not very dark so it's like a nice, beachy glow product. I need to use it more often. The texture is magic!
The bright pink Dior lipstick (771) is gorgeous. I've been bitten by the bright lipstick bug. I wore Impassioned day before yesterday and felt like a million bucks - despite my bad skin. The thing I like most about bright lipsticks is that it takes the attention away from my skin. Argh, my skin has been driving me insane. I think it's because my skin has become less oily lately and my products are all mostly for combination oily skin. Sigh, skincare. The mind boggles.
I'm a bit jealous you're going to NYC :) But, you're awesome so I'll try to overlook it.
I totally agree, the Dior Nude bronzers and blushes do have magical textures. Seriously. So silky soft and smooth!!! I'm actually quite tempted to get the other Paradise Duo now, lol. You should definitely get Coral Glow, though. Think it'd look stunning on you!
DeleteLOL, do you remember last year when you were so scared of wearing bright lips? ;) I'm so glad that's changed, 'cause life's too short to not have fun with bright make-up! Impassioned is gorgeous, for sure. Definitely a huge seller for summer. You should check out MAC's Love Forever! Pro Longwear Lip Creme. One of my all time favourite shades by MAC. :)
And it's really common for skin to be a little haywire this time of year. It's sort of that in-between transitional period between cold and hot weather, so our skin kind of freaks out a bit 'cause it doesn't know what it wants. :P You should try oil-free hydrating products. What skincare do you currently use?
I asked the fiancee to look for Dior Coral Glow - he said they didn't have it at Nordstroms. I shall look for next month. Hopefully they have it in London. *fingers crossed*
DeleteHaha yes, I know. I was terrified of bright lipsticks because I have dry lips. But lately my lips have been better because I've been very diligent about exfoliating and applying lip balm before I sleep so I wake up with much softer, smoother lips. I've also stopped licking my lips - which really helps the longevity of my lipsticks.
I haven't tried Love Forever...noooo. You can't do this to me Denise. I work almost next door to a MAC store. Now I want to go swatch it. Must. Resist. Sheesh. You're evil :(
Thank you for the explanation. I feel a bit better now. I use a lot of oil-free stuff, but my skin is crazy. It's gotten a bit drier now.
OK, so I was in KL right? And my skin was breaking out, so I had to get a new cleanser (Kiehl's Blue range) and then I also got the moisturizer. Now that I'm back in Norway, it's cold and dry. So my skin is quite dry. There's like 50% less oil. I don't know when that happened. I think it was before I left for KL, I was using Clarins Lotus Oil. I have also been incorporating Glycolic acid products into my skincare. It really helps with the bumps I have.
My usual cleanser is rotating between Origins Checks and Balances and Mario Badescu's Glycolic Foaming Gel Cleanser. I also use the Enzyme cleansing gel once in awhile, when I don't want to use the stronger Glycolic Foaming Gel.
I only use Clarins Hydra quench as my moisturizer. Usually the cream version but I switch to gel version in late Spring/Summer.
Oh and I use Alpha-H Liquid Gold once or twice a week, when I'm not using any other exfoliators.
Skincare doesn't make any sense to me :( I took medication for my acne, but I've stopped it now as I feel I'm depending on antibiotics rather than eating clean.
You can't really compare what your skin is like in KL to what it's like in Norway. There's a lot more humidity in KL and it is MUCH drier in Norway. No point in switching around your skincare just for a couple weeks. If you switch your skincare often, your skin doesn't have time to get used to it. When I was a cosmetician, I would see ladies buying a different product every week and then bring it back and say to me, "Oh, it didn't work." But they never gave it a chance, and their skin didn't know how to react to so many different products.
DeleteMake sure you get a cleanser that takes off make-up thoroughly. Origins Checks and Balances is a great cleanser, but it doesn't take off make-up as well as some other cleansers. I usually use a make-up removing cleanser and then follow up with Checks and Balances. Ones to check out: Philosophy's Purity Made Simple, Lancome's Creme Radiance, MAC's Cleanse Off Oil. Your moisturizer is good, and it's good to switch to a lighter version when it gets hotter out, but you should also use a different moisturizer for day and night. In the day, get a lightweight, oil-free one that sits well under make-up. At night, get one that is a little more hydrating, and maybe add a serum. I am a HUGE fan of serums, and I'm surprised not more people use them, honestly. Serums repair the skin and moisturizers protect the skin. Just find one that is good for your skin needs, like uneven skintone or break outs or hydration or first signs of aging or radiance. I love Estee Lauder's Night Repair and Amore Pacific's Rejuvenating Serum.
Your diet only does so much for your skin, in my opinion. It's like when I tell people, "You need to hydrate your skin." And they're like, "BUT I DRINK SO MUCH WATER!!!" And I'm like, "No, hydration for the surface skin cells." LOL.
Yeah - the skin is world's apart in KL vs. Norway. But I had to switch my skincare because it was still winter in Norway and my skin was in pretty good condition - even on the flight as I was using Bioderma to clean it at my seat. But it got really pimply in KL and I meet tons of people when I'm there - mostly relatives, but this time also with wedding planning, there were so many places to go to. I didn't want to look bad. It's quite hard to cover pimples in that humidity..my concealer just melts away.
DeleteI completely agree that it's not wise to switch skincare often but I get really unsure when I'm in KL because I haven't been there long enough (3 weeks this time) to find a regime that suits well for that weather condition. I'm actually quite worried about this because of next year's wedding. I'm not sure how long in advance I should go there to let my skin acclimatise.
I use Shu Uemura's cleansing oil in Norway, but in KL it was a bit weird to apply oil to my already oily skin. I still used it but I think it didn't work as well..not sure why. It feels 'better' when I use it here. Hmm, okay, will start looking for a night moisturizer. I have ANR but it was not working in KL so I've put it aside. Haven't picked it up here again yet. Waiting for my skin to calm down a bit. Looks so much better compared to last week.
Thanks for the tips Denise :) You're always so nice.
I find that in humid weather, you need to find a good primer so your make-up stays on well. The humidity gets up to around 90% here in the summer, and MAC's Prep + Prime Face Protect SPF 50 works really well. My make-up stays put all day long, for up to 8 hours. Also get a good oil-absorbing powder to set all your make-up. MAC's Blot Powder has been my go-to for nearly a decade!
DeleteSERUMS. It's a life-changer, Fieran! Like, for winter, I add on a hydration serum for the day. For summer, I like pore minimizing and/or oil-absorbing serums. :) I also switch to a lightweight mattifying lotion for day and a lightweight hydrating cream-gel for night when the weather starts getting warmer.
Cleansing oils have nothing to do with skintype, really. It's just an effective make-up remover. It doesn't make oily skin oilier. But make sure to follow up with a deep cleanser afterwards. :)
And anytime! I'm full of cosmetics tips, lol.
I'm pretty much exactly the same way when it comes to a deal - which is to say, I get sucked in every time! You picked up some freakin' awesome stuff though Denise and I think you'll love it all, so don't feel badly and just enjoy the heck out of it, eh?!
ReplyDeleteHaha, nothing beats the feeling of getting a good deal, you know? I think even if I won the lottery, I'd still be out looking for bargains... :P
DeleteThank you, Toya! I have been enjoying them quite a bit. ;)