Unboxing: Fall/Winter 2023 Haul

(Warning: This post is extremely long and photo-heavy.)

So, between my birthday, Black Friday, and the holiday sales in general, I bought a lot of stuff. Like, A LOT OF STUFF.

Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max in White Titanium
Casetify MagSafe Clear Cases for iPhone 15 Pro Max by The Little Red House
(Left to right: Moon Bear with Boba, Red Panda with Leaf, and Happy Octopus with Takoyaki)
Casetify Impact Cases for iPhone 15 Pro Max by The Little Red House(Left to right: Taiyaki with Bunny, Mice with Egg Tart, and Spring Time Bunnies)
Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Generation)
Elago AirPods Pro 2 Strawberry Ice Cream Case Cover
I traded in my old iPhone 13 Pro Max and got a new iPhone 15 Pro Max for my birthday. So obviously, I had to get cases for it. Coincidentally, Casetify was having a 30% off discount for Black Friday, so I bought not one, not two, but six phone cases. (Variety is the spice of life?) Then my colleague wanted to take advantage of a 20% off promotion at Costco on Apple products, but he needed to spend a minimum of $1,000 and all he wanted was an iPad. I figured since I would have to get USB-C adaptors for all my Lightning connectors because of the iPhone 15, it would be easier to just switch all my iPhone accessories to wireless, so I got a pair of AirPods Pro to take advantage of the discount. I actually wasn't going to get a case for it initially, but then I saw this one shaped like an ice cream bar, and that was that. 

Tiffany & Co. Return to Tiffany Silver Mini Heart Tag Stud Earrings
Also as a birthday present to myself this year (and to celebrate my work bonus), I got a pair of new Tiffany Return to Tiffany heart tag earrings to replace my really old ones from 15 years ago. There was no sale or anything. I just thought they were cute.

Fresh Sugar Lychee Eau de Parfum 100ml x 2 and Sugar Lemon Eau de Parfum 30ml
Fresh Sugar Lychee Eau de Parfum 100ml x 2 and Sugar Lemon Eau de Parfum 30ml
Fresh Sugar Lychee Body & Hand Wash and Body Lotion
Fresh Hesperides Grapefruit Body & Hand Wash and Body Lotion
Fresh Milk Bodycare Set: Milk Body Cleanser, Body Lotion, and Hand Cream
Fresh Tea Elixir Skin Resilience Activating Serum, Lotus Youth preserve Dream Face Cream, and Lotus Youth Preserve Eye Cream
Fresh Holiday Gift: Kombucha Facial Treatment Essence, Black Tea Advanced Age Renewal Cream, Tea Elixir Skin Resilience Activating Serum, Sugar Advanced Therapy Lip Treatment, and Soy Face Cleanser
Fresh was having a 30% off sale for Black Friday, so I decided to stock up on my favourite Sugar Lychee Eau de Parfum (I've been using this for a decade so I don't mind splurging regularly, but when it's on sale, I get 2 bottles), a smaller size of the Sugar Lemon Eau de Parfum, plus some of the body products that I would never have considered buying at full price. I also took the opportunity to get some new skincare from them because again, I find their products to be way too expensive to purchase on a regular basis, but I don't feel so guilty when they're on sale. I've used the Lotus Youth Preserve Dream Face Cream before and really liked it, but have wanted to try the Tea Elixir Resilience Activating Serum and the Lotus Youth Preserve Eye Cream for a while, so I got those, too. Because now that I'm 37, I have to PRESERVE MY YOUTH.

Shingmulnara Jeju Sparkling Water Pore Deep Cleansing Foam x 2 and Jeju Sparkling Water Power Whip Cleansing Foam x 2
Klavuu Phytoncide Mild Cleansing Foam and Ariul Apple Cider Fresh Puree Scrub Mask
Numbuzin No. 3 Skin Softening Serum, No. 4 Collagen 73% Pudding Serum, and No. 6 Deep Sleep Mask Serum

Innisfree Black Tea Youth Enhancing Ampoule and Black Tea Youth Enhancing Cream
Which is why I also bought a ton of skincare from Olive Young, because they were having a 25% off sale for Black Friday as well, and I'm basically treating this like Sephora VIB sale. (And since I don't shop at Sephora anymore, I obviously have to take advantage of their sales.) All I'm saying is, with all the money I spend on skincare, I better look like I'm 25 when I'm 40. 

LEGO Botanical Collection Wildflower Bouquet
LEGO Tranquil Garden
LEGO Vincent van Gogh - The Starry Night
LEGO Hokusai - The Great Wave
Knowing my affinity for building LEGO, my friend Ronsee told me that Indigo was selling all LEGO sets at 20% off for Black Friday. I didn't even know Indigo carried LEGO sets, let alone have a sale for them, but I ended up getting four of the ones I'd been eyeing. Crazy that I could get them at Indigo on sale but LEGO itself didn't offer any discounts on these sets at all. (In fact, their Black Friday deals were absolute shit. Bless Ronsee for always looking out for me!) Anyway, at this rate, my apartment will basically become a hybrid BTS-LEGO exhibition soon.

Smoko Souffle Pancake Ambient Light
Smoko Tayto Potato Ramen Vinyl Figurine Blind Boxes
Smoko Tayto Potato Ramen Vinyl Figurine Blind Boxes(Tayto Ramen and Tayto Deluxe Ramen)
Smoko Tayto Potato Ramen Vinyl Figurine Blind Boxes(Tayto Udon and Tayto Cup Ramen)
Smoko Dim Sum Plush Keychain Blind Boxes
Smoko Dim Sum Plush Keychain Blind Boxes(Shrimp dumpling and baked bun)
Smoko Dim Sum Plush Keychain Blind Boxes(Siu mai and molten egg custard buns)
Smoko Dim Sum Plush Keychain Blind Boxes(Xiao long bao and egg tart)
Okay, so those who have been following this blog for the past few years will know that collecting figures has become one of my hobbies. (Perhaps this makes up for all the dolls and shit that I didn't play with when I was a kid because they scared the shit out of me.) Some people spend extra money on travel, some spend it on designer bags or shoes, and I spend it on figurines. (I'm basically living out my childhood dreams.) It started with BT21, but has apparently moved on to whatever the fuck is too cute to resist. Case in point, my shopping spree at Smoko because they were having a 25% off sale for Black Friday and I quite literally bought a total of 27 blind boxes. Potatoes in ramen? Dim sum plushes? HECK. YES. (Except I do feel like those blind boxes are somewhat rigged. Those potato ramen figures? I actually bought a total of 15 of them. I figured that would be enough to collect all 5 versions. Umm, I got 7 OF ONE TYPE. This is how they get you. It's like getting lottery tickets. You always buy more in hopes of winning. But at least I managed to get all 6 of those dim sum plushes.)

BT21 Mang "Hope in Love" Humidifier
BT21 Minini Monitor Figurines(Left to right: Tata, Koya, RJ, and Shooky)
BT21 Minini Monitor Figurines(Left to right: Mang, Chimmy, and Cooky)
BT21 x FRAGMENT Chimmy Graphic Hoodie(Front + Back)
BT21 x FRAGMENT Cube Keyring
Of course, I can't leave out my BT21 items. These were not on sale. They were just cute and I wanted them. (Err... Holiday presents to myself?) I was especially excited about the BT21 x FRAGMENT collection because there hasn't been a streetwear collab with BT21 since the one with Anti Social Social Club in 2018. I only really wanted the hoodies and was set to buy both Cooky and Chimmy, but the Cooky one was sold out almost immediately so I only ended up with the one. At least I got a cute keychain as a gift with it.

SUGA | Agust Tour D-Day The Final Guitar Pick Set
Jungkook GOLDEN Accessory Tray
Jungkook GOLDEN Keyring

That finally leads me to some BTS merch that I had pre-ordered and finally arrived. No sale or anything, just my standard BTS merch ordering. (They're all enlisted in the military now but that does not mean the merch stops.) And with that, my end-of-year shopping haul is complete! WHAT GOODIES WILL 2024 BRING? (Actually, I've already got a few BTS things coming for next year since I pre-ordered some stuff over the last two months... but I digress.) 

I hope everyone has a safe, healthy, and happy new year!

Pick-Ups & Deliveries: Haul No.71

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.