Both my birthday and Black Friday happened in November, and I was totally spoiled this year. By my friends and, you know, myself. Because if there's one thing I've learned about myself in the last 31 years, it's that I cannot resist a sale. Discounts are my kryptonite and I have absolutely no willpower when it comes to shopping at marked down prices. (Plus, I got birthday money. Which means more shopping.)
Pat McGrath Labs LuxeTrance Lipstick in Donatella and LaBeija
NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Ginger and Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base
Hourglass Ambient Metallic Strobe Lighting Palette
Violet Voss Taupe Notch Eyeshadow Palette
Huda Beauty Textured Shadows Palette Rose Gold Edition
As any good beauty addict will know, November means the Sephora VIB sale. Now, as I already stocked up quite a bit during October's Friends & Family sale, I didn't go too overboard this time around, but did pick up a few select items (because, you know, it would've been churlish not to). I caved and finally got the two Pat McGrath Labs LuxeTrance Lipsticks that I'd been eyeing but refused to pay full price for (despite how goddamn stunning the colours and packaging are, I do think the brand in general is overpriced), the new Hourglass Ambient Metallic Strobe Lighting Palette that I originally ignored before swatching in person and then totally fell in love with (the original palette is nice but way too subtle for me and this new metallic one is stunning), the new Violet Voss Taupe Notch Palette (I have been waiting for them to finally release a cooler-toned neutral palette), and the Huda Beauty Rose Gold Palette that I had been resisting for the better part of a year (it has somewhat mixed reviews, but I bought one for my friend Shannon for her birthday and actually tried it out on her, and it performs beautifully). I also picked up another tube of NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer and Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base — my holy grail staples that I've been using for a few years now — that I had simultaneously ran out of in the same week.
Huda Beauty Desert Dusk Palette
Anastasia Beverly Hills Prism Palette
Bath & Body Works Aromatherapy Stress Relief Eucalyptus Spearmint Gentle Foaming Hand Soap and Eucalyptus Spearmint Shea Butter Hand Cream
Bath & Body Works Lambie Shea Infused Lounge Socks, Aromatherapy Stress Relief Eucalyptus Spearmint Nourishing Body Cream, and Aromatherapy Stress Relief Eucalyptus Spearmint Candle
Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue Eau de Toilette
Fresh Sugar Lychee Eau de Parfum, Urban Decay Perversion Mascara, and Boscia "Clearly Beautiful" Peppermint Blotting Linens
I also got some amazing birthday presents this year from my friends that showed just how well they know me. My friend Chelsea got me the Huda Beauty Desert Dusk Palette that I have been drooling over since preview swatches were released a few months ago. My friend Shannon got me the Anastasia Beverly Hills Prism Palette that I was hell-bent on getting during the VIB sale (she actually gave me my gift early so she'd beat me to the punch), as well as two bottles of Foaming Hand Soap and two tubes of Shea Butter Hand Cream from Bath & Body Works in my favourite Eucalyptus Spearmint scent. My love for Eucalyptus Spearmint is so well-known, in fact, that my friend Milly surprised me with a birthday gift that included both the Body Cream and the 3-Wick Candle, along with a pair of my favourite Shea Infused Lounge Socks adorned with the cutest fluffy lamb. My friend Amanda, who now works for Shiseido in the Dolce & Gabbana fragrance department, gifted me a bottle of Light Blue (it was my go-to fragrance for years before I started using Fresh Sugar Lychee) after I asked her to get a bottle for me with her discount a few weeks prior. And my friend Viv got me some of my go-to staple beauty products from Sephora, including a new travel size Fresh Sugar Lychee, a tube of Urban Decay Perversion Mascara, and a pack of Boscia Peppermint Blotting Linens in the cutest special deco packaging for holiday.
MAC Snow Ball Gold Face Bag
MAC Snow Ball Pigment and Glitter Kit in Pink and Gold
MAC Oval 6 Brush
On my actual birthday, my friend Shan also gifted me with some of the MAC holiday sets that she knew I'd been eyeing, including the Snow Ball Gold Face Kit, which contains one of my favourite and most-used highlighters of all time, Whisper of Gilt. Not sure why MAC hasn't made this permanent yet as it's been five years since its first launch and people are still going crazy over it, but until then, I need all the back-ups. And this year's version is the most gorgeous I've ever seen it in rose gold packaging and a snowflake imprint on the powder. Plus, it comes with the 140S brush, which is one of my favourite powder brushes (I bought three of them when they launched). She also got me both of the Pigment and Glitter Kits, 'cause she knows my love for eye bling, and she added an Oval 6 brush as well, which is my favourite face blending brush. It was honestly too much from her, but I really, really appreciated it.
Bobbi Brown Bobbi to Glow Highlighting Trio
Philosophy Shampoo, Shower Gel & Bubble Bath in Melon Daiquiri and Señorita Margarita
The Face Shop Chia Seed Fresh Foaming Cleanser and Belif Bergamot Herbal Extract Toner
Illume Sugared Blossom Lavish Hand Cremes
ILNP Nail Polish in Ava, Cable Car, Treehouse, By Nightfall, Cityscape, and West Wing
As for Black Friday, I didn't go crazy but as I mentioned, discounts are my kryptonite, so you know I had to buy a few things. After perusing the Sale section on Sephora's website, I ended up getting the gorgeous Bobbi Brown Highlighting Powder Trio for $64 from $85 (I was actually quite surprised to find it on sale at all, so I knew I had to snatch it up right away), plus two of my favourite Philosophy Shower Gels in Melon Daiquiri and Señorita Margarita for $15 each from $22. The Face Shop was having a 40% discount on everything on Black Friday, so I picked up my favourite Chia Seed Fresh Foaming Cleanser and a bottle of the new Belif Bergamot Extract Herbal Extract Toner, plus a massive glass bottle of Fruits & Passion Cucina Olive Oil Hand Soap and a tube of Nourishing Hand Butter in Lime Zest & Cypress. My current favourite hand cream, Illume's Sugared Blossom, was on sale at Indigo for 30% off, so I bought two more tubes. (I'm not usually that into vanilla scents, but this one is blended with jasmine and sandalwood and it's absolutely gorgeous.) I also got quite a big paycheque from Ebates last month, so I bought a bunch of cool new ILNP nail polish shades from Nail Polish Canada. (While not actually on sale, I technically got them for free and I ordered them on Black Friday, so I'm counting it as a Black Friday deal.) Finally, I also bought a few non-beauty items: the black Babaton Markos Coat from Aritzia at 10% off (not exactly a steal, but I was planning on buying this coat regardless so a little discount was better than none), plus another pair of my favourite Black Pepper Boyfriend Sweatpants and the matching Black Pepper Original Kanga Hoodie from Roots at 30% off.
Now I'm just waiting patiently for Boxing Day.
As any good beauty addict will know, November means the Sephora VIB sale. Now, as I already stocked up quite a bit during October's Friends & Family sale, I didn't go too overboard this time around, but did pick up a few select items (because, you know, it would've been churlish not to). I caved and finally got the two Pat McGrath Labs LuxeTrance Lipsticks that I'd been eyeing but refused to pay full price for (despite how goddamn stunning the colours and packaging are, I do think the brand in general is overpriced), the new Hourglass Ambient Metallic Strobe Lighting Palette that I originally ignored before swatching in person and then totally fell in love with (the original palette is nice but way too subtle for me and this new metallic one is stunning), the new Violet Voss Taupe Notch Palette (I have been waiting for them to finally release a cooler-toned neutral palette), and the Huda Beauty Rose Gold Palette that I had been resisting for the better part of a year (it has somewhat mixed reviews, but I bought one for my friend Shannon for her birthday and actually tried it out on her, and it performs beautifully). I also picked up another tube of NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer and Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base — my holy grail staples that I've been using for a few years now — that I had simultaneously ran out of in the same week.
I also got some amazing birthday presents this year from my friends that showed just how well they know me. My friend Chelsea got me the Huda Beauty Desert Dusk Palette that I have been drooling over since preview swatches were released a few months ago. My friend Shannon got me the Anastasia Beverly Hills Prism Palette that I was hell-bent on getting during the VIB sale (she actually gave me my gift early so she'd beat me to the punch), as well as two bottles of Foaming Hand Soap and two tubes of Shea Butter Hand Cream from Bath & Body Works in my favourite Eucalyptus Spearmint scent. My love for Eucalyptus Spearmint is so well-known, in fact, that my friend Milly surprised me with a birthday gift that included both the Body Cream and the 3-Wick Candle, along with a pair of my favourite Shea Infused Lounge Socks adorned with the cutest fluffy lamb. My friend Amanda, who now works for Shiseido in the Dolce & Gabbana fragrance department, gifted me a bottle of Light Blue (it was my go-to fragrance for years before I started using Fresh Sugar Lychee) after I asked her to get a bottle for me with her discount a few weeks prior. And my friend Viv got me some of my go-to staple beauty products from Sephora, including a new travel size Fresh Sugar Lychee, a tube of Urban Decay Perversion Mascara, and a pack of Boscia Peppermint Blotting Linens in the cutest special deco packaging for holiday.
On my actual birthday, my friend Shan also gifted me with some of the MAC holiday sets that she knew I'd been eyeing, including the Snow Ball Gold Face Kit, which contains one of my favourite and most-used highlighters of all time, Whisper of Gilt. Not sure why MAC hasn't made this permanent yet as it's been five years since its first launch and people are still going crazy over it, but until then, I need all the back-ups. And this year's version is the most gorgeous I've ever seen it in rose gold packaging and a snowflake imprint on the powder. Plus, it comes with the 140S brush, which is one of my favourite powder brushes (I bought three of them when they launched). She also got me both of the Pigment and Glitter Kits, 'cause she knows my love for eye bling, and she added an Oval 6 brush as well, which is my favourite face blending brush. It was honestly too much from her, but I really, really appreciated it.
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