Recently, both Sephora (USA) and Beauty.com ran their 20% off sale events so I broke my no-buy to pick up some holiday sets. If you follow the MakeupAlley boards, you would have seen that the Sephora sale was a mess of poor communication and mismanagement, resulting in much unhappiness and board dramas. Rouge members got early access to the sale from 6-9 November, while VIB members could shop the sale from 13-16 November. Some Rouge members were unhappy that they could not shop the second sale for VIB members, so Sephora ended up making an exception on a case-by-case basis for those that complained.
I'm a Rouge member but sat out the first sale. On the last day of the VIB sale, I happened to drop in at my local Sephora and got drawn in by their wealth of Sephora Favourites sets. The Skin Wonderland (U.P.$68 with a value of $228) looked especially tempting with their array of 16 deluxe samples, mostly from high end brands. The SA readily agreed to give me the 20% off, so I ended up adding a few other items to my basket.
Some of these products are my tried-and-tested favourites like the Jurlique Rosewater Balancing Mist, SKII sheet mask, Kate Somerville ExfoliKate, Caudalie Divine Oil and Fresh Soy Face Cleanser. Also included are some much newer products that I've been wanting to try sch as Sunday Riley Good Genes Lactic Acid Treatment, REN Keep Young and BeautifulInstant Firming Beauty Shot and Nude Skincare ProGenius Omega Treatment Rescue.
The Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit palette (U.P. $80) gets a lot of flack for containing less product (0.294oz) than one full-size Ambient Lighting Powder (0.35oz, $35). However, for someone who hasen't hit pan on any powder product in a decade, having a variety of shades to play with makes more sense. $80 is certainly a tad overpriced, but at 20% off, it becomes more palatable.
The Josie Maran Argan Enlightenment Illuminizing Trio (U.P. S$26 with a value of $44) contains deluxe mini sizes of the three illuminizers that she had earlier launched for Fall 2015. Again, it's a great way to sample the different formulas, and the generous sizes means that these can last even the most heavy-handed strobing devotee a long time.
From Beauty.com, I purchased several of Anna Sui's Holiday 2015 offerings as I loved this year's sets, especially the Makeup Box which is a relative steal at $22.
It's sturdy and well-made, with an embossed pattern on the lid. Anna Sui sold a black version some years ago, which had an additional inner tray that is lacking in this white box. That black case has held up very well over the years without any rusting or dents, so this white box leaped to the top of my holiday list.
The Moisturizing Care Kit (U.P. $20) is a nifty little set containing a tri-layered Nail Care Oil, Rose Hand Cream and lip balm.
Below is the Holiday Snow Collection 02 Thawed Heart (U.P. $59), which turned out to be much less orange toned than it looked online. The lipstick and blush usually retail for $30 and $36 individually. The box is surprisingly hefty and solidly constructed. This has sold out on Beauty.com.
The Paul & Joe holiday makeup coffrets were an easy pass for me, so I settled on one of their Luxurious Bath & Body Collection 01 Columbine (U.P. $50), which has a sweet floral aroma composed of notes of citrus, black currant, rose, jasmine and amber. This has also sold out.
Finally, these are the free birthday gifts from Ulta (the Bare Minerals Marvelous Moxie lipgloss) and Sephora (NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Cruella and Rikugien, plus a Larger Than Life eyeliner pencil).
Ulta also gave me a $10 voucher which I used together with my points to redeem this Tarte Total Lip Service set.
My apologies to my regular readers for the long absence of review/haul posts aside from the updates on upcoming collections. Most of my days are taken up with my son, plus I have been blessed with the surprise of being pregnant with twins. Although I'm only 16 weeks along, I look more like I'm 6 months pregnant. My makeup purchases have drastically reduced as I hardly have the energy to put up makeup most days, so this is the first year in many that I've skipped getting the Suqqu and Addiction coffrets (which were much less impressive compared to previous years). There's a long, long road ahead, but I'll still try to post here whenever I find something worth sharing.
Thanks for reading!
The Urban Decay Vice Palette will launch officially in Singapore only in November but this Saturday 6 October, you can snag it exclusively at Sephora Ion from 2pm and 6 pm at the pre-launch event featuring UD Global Makeup Artist Eric Jimenez. Singapore's own makeup maestros Larry Yeo and Ginger Lynette will also be at the event.
The Vice Palette is jam-packed with 20 brand new eyeshadows, making it a positive steal at S$88. On top of that, it also includes a cruelty-free Good Karma double-ended Shadow and Crease Brush. What's more, there will be a gift with purchase of over S$120. I do not have the details of the GWP yet, but it will probably be a selection of UD samples and minis. If you are a UD fan, you will not want to miss this event!
This week's photo challenge started by Yumeko focuses on makeup colors.
1. Black
I don't buy black eyeshadows that frequently but I do have plenty of black eyeliners: Stila Sparkle Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner in Sequins, Pixi Endless Silky Eye Pen No.1 Black Noir, Addiction Eyeliner Pencil 101 Sleepless Nights (from the holiday coffret last year), L'Oreal HIP Intense Eyeliner #320 Dark Sky, MAC Superslick Liquid Eye Liner Marked For Glamour. The three powder eyeshadows are Kiko Colour Sphere Eyeshadow #26, L'Oreal Color Infallible #23 Black Onyx and Addiction Crow. At the top right corner is Addiction Eye Lacquer WP in Black Swan.
2. Brown
Quite a few classics here: Dior Impression Cuir Leather Couture and Iridescent Leather quint, Lunasol Ocean Scene Eyes EX01 Shelly Ocean, Majolica Majorca Powder Heat Metallic and Majewel, L'Oreal Color Infallible #33 Tender Caramel and Stila Custom Color Blush in Self-Adjusting Bronze.
3. White
White was the hardest colour to put together but I managed to find some in my stash eventually: Majolica Majorca Snow Carat Powder, Majolook (Line Impact) SV801 and Majolook (Illuminate) WT951, Essence Crystalliced Liquid Highlighter, MUFE Lab Shine lipgloss D0, three Paul & Joe eyeshadows and Eye Gloss Duo B 001, and Catrice Eyeliner Pencil C01 Morning Dew (from the Floralista collection). The Anna Sui Protective Loose Powder 001 technically isn't white but the pretty pot was perfect for this pic.
4. Orange [since Sephora named it color of the year this year]
By sheer coincidence, I just received three Sephora + Pantone Universe items, which were recently put on sale. The lipgloss set is now only US$14 (down from US$20) while the blush duo is now US$18 (down from US$26). Both are made in the USA. Despite Sephora being a French company owned by LVMH, the Sephora stores in France never stocked this collection, which is a pity as I think it was quite nicely done.
I like the sleek i-Pad white packaging of the lipglosses and the vibrant shades, but the one shade that I've tried so far (Tangerine Tango Opal) applied less smoothly than what I'm used to with Dior or Paul & Joe glosses. The bulky packaging was also quite unnecessary and bumped up the shipping costs by quite a bit. The eyelash curler (US$13, reduced from US$18) comes with two refill pads.
5. The most popular color amongst your makeup collection
While I have a soft spot for emeralds and teals, recently cool mint has looked very appealing, starting from the Lancome Vert Tendresse palettes for spring and continuing with the packaging of the Paul & Joe Midsummer Night Dream collection for summer.
Do also check out the marvellous Drivel About Frivol's take on this challenge! If you would like to join in the fun, just leave a comment on Yumeko's post and here with a link to your blog post, and I'll be sure to check it out!
Sephora Singapore is now stocking Stila, according to their latest e-mailer. The prices at Sephora Singapore look reasonable, as the In The Moment palette is S$55 versus US$39 (about S$49.50) on Sephora.com, excluding US sales tax.
Sephora is gearing up to introduce another two exciting brands to Singapore: Philosophy and the eco-friendly Josie Maran. See a preview of Josie Maran's cover shoot for Elle Singapore on her blog and a pic tweeted by Her World. Philosophy launches 27 April. Aside from their famous skincare products like Purity Made Simple, their popular shower gels will also be available. The shower gels reportedly will retail at S$29 (versus US$16 on www.philosophy.com) with only a part of the range available.
The magnetic nail polishes by Nails Inc are also now available at Watsons Vanity Box in select stores, according to Her World.
Urban Decay's Naked 2 palette launches on Saturday from 3pm to 5pm at Sephora Ion with a special appearance by Eric Jimenez, Urban Decay’s Worldwide Retail Director and Global Makeup Artist. With each purchase of Naked 2 (S$80), you can get a deluxe sample of Eyeshadow Primer Potion. Do also check out Makeup Stash's ode to Naked 2!
Here's the batch of products that I managed to use up this month.
1. Paula's Choice Targeted Acne Relief Toner: This fragrance-free, colorant-free toner contains 2% salicylic acid for combating acne. It didn't sting my skin and it worked very well for me in terms of keeping large, cystic acne at bay although I still get whiteheads and blackheads. Will definitely re-purchase!
2. Vidal Sassoon Treatment: This rinse-off deep conditioning hair treatment left my hair soft and easy to manage, although it did not make any significant improvement in the dry condition of my color-treated hair.
3. Dove Nourishing Oil Care Express Treatment Conditioner: I found this to be more hydrating than the Vidal Sassoon Treatment and it helped to tame the frizziness without weighing my hair down. It was also intriguing in the way that it always squeezed out of the tube with a golden "ribbon" of treatment cream.
4. Bliss Ingrown Eliminating Pads: This contains 6% glycolic acid and 2% salicylic acid to help prevent ingrowns, plus lavender oil and green tea to soothe the skin. Sadly, these overpriced pads did not seem to make any difference in the rate at which I get ingrown hairs on my legs.
5. La Roche-Posay Physiological Micellar Solution: This gentle non-oily lotion helps to remove light makeup without any oily residue but it does not remove waterproof mascara well.
6. Eye makeup removers by Etude House and RMK: Both bi-phase removers worked well to remove waterproof mascaras without stinging the eyes.
7. Jurlique Rosewater Balancing Mist: Horribly expensive but I adore the rose scent, which works wonders as a mood-lifter and for relieving dry, parched skin. The rose scent also lingers for quite awhile but without being overly cloying.
8. Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil Premium A/I: This whisks off all traces of makeup in a jiffy but I prefer the lighter formula of the Fresh Gentle Cleansing Oil (pink).
9. Perricone MD Firming Facial Toner: This paraben-free, non-drying toner is supposed to help restores skin’s natural pH balance and delivers anti-aging, skin firming benefits thanks to ingredients like DMAE and alpha lipoic acid, an anti-inflammatory antioxidant. I liked how it left my skin feeling refreshed without any tightness, but I didn't notice any significant skin firming effect.
10. Sephora Smooth Nail Polish Remover: Very affordable and works well to remove most nail polishes quickly, although glitter polishes require more soaking time.
Managed to use up several full-size products this month.
1. Olea Essence Olive Soap Scrub: I picked up many months ago on a trip to Israel. I love the lemongrass scent but it is quite watery, so I usually have to use a huge dollop to get sufficient scrubbing action for the whole body.
2. Tsubaki Damage Care Conditioner: This works very well for my dry, dyed hair and I've re-purchased it countless times.
3. L'Oreal Color-Vive Conditioner: This is supposed to help maintain the colour of dyed hair and contains UVA and UVB filters for sun protection. However, the redness of my recent home dye job still lost much of its vibrancy in less than three weeks. In terms of moisturising my hair, it was barely average.
4. Biotherm Biopur Gentle Purifying Lotion: This purports to help refine skin texture and brighten the complexion with a combination of saponine water, witch hazel and oil-regulating copper and zinc. Although it refreshes the skin without stripping it, it did not help to reduce the oiliness of my skin.
5. REN Rosa Centifolia Facial Cleansing Gel: This is a very gentle, watery gel cleanser that I like to use in the mornings. It cleanses without stripping the skin and has a lovely soft rose scent. The only thing I don't like about it is the bulky plastic packaging. It is rather expensive at around S$53 at Escentials in Tangs but a bottle lasted me just over three months with daily use. I will probably re-purchase this. Vivawoman has reviewed this too.
6. Maybelline Make Up Remover Eye & Lip: This bi-phase remover worked well for taking off eyeshadow cleanly with one swipe of the cotton pad, although liquid eyeliner and waterproof mascaras require a few more passes. It didn't sting my eyes and it is very affordable at less than S$10 but the relatively puny amount of product (70ml) means that BiFesta Cleansing Express Eye Makeup Remover works out to be better value for money.
7. L'Occitane Plum Blossom Polishing Shower Gel: Enriched with almond shell granules and plum blossom extract, this shower gel/scrub provides an effective exfoliating action that leaves my skin soft and smooth. I also find the sweet plum blossom scent to be nicely relaxing and non-generic.
8. Coast To Coast Rainforest Clarifying Facial Cleanser: This has a strong scent of the essential oils. It rinses off easily and leaves my skin clean and supple without any dryness but I don't notice any significant effect in helping to prevent acne or oiliness. I usually use this at night with my Clarisonic Mia to thoroughly cleanse my skin after using a cleansing oil to remove makeup.
9. Daiso Sponge Detergent: I've recommended this several times on the blog as it's cheap and effective for cleaning both sponges and brushes. It works very well on getting powder foundation out of makeup sponges, but I've noticed that it doesn't seem as good in removing liquid foundation as the sponges often still contain minor traces even after a thorough washing with a generous amount of the detergent. Recently, when when it was re-stocked at Daiso in Ion, I quickly snapped up another five bottles.
10. Sephora Waterproof Eye Makeup Remover: Although this bi-phase remover took off eye makeup effectively and quickly, it stung my eyes occasionally when I pressed the cotton pad against my lashes to remove mascara.
11. The Body Shop Mango Shower Gel: I found the sweet mango scent generic and it was slightly drying on my skin. I would not re-purchase it as I much prefer the Body Shop's Earth Lovers range.
12. The Body Shop Mandarin & Tangelo Linen Scented Candle: With a burn time of up to 40 hours, this candle lasted me for about two weeks with nightly use for two to three hours. I find it reasonably priced at S$29.90 and it has good throw. The slightly sweet citrusy scent is comforting without being cloying.
I wandered into Sephora at Ion today and was surprised to discover that Sephora had brought in Tokidoki's blinged-out 24 Karat holiday collection! Aside from the Pittura Brush Set (S$59) and Medium Bag (S$39), there was also the Rollerball set (S$25) of six mini fragrances. The 24 Karat Skate Deck Eyeshadow Palette is not in stock yet. There were also holiday sets by Kat Von D Tattoo Chronicles Candelabra Edition, Rollerball Set and Painted Love & Foiled Lipstick Set, Hello Kitty Noir Eyeshadow and Lip Gloss Palette, Too Faced and Urban Decay holiday palettes plus tons of Soap & Glory bodycare gift sets.
I was most excited about the Pittura Brush set, which I've been wanting ever since I saw them online. Initially, the Sephora staff said that it had already sold out but subsequently, one of them managed to find just two sets remaining and very kindly passed me one! Needless to say, I was immensely overjoyed and grateful.
The set contains Ciao Ciao Star Powder Brush, Latte Eyeshadow Brush, Adios Star Smudge Brush and Unicorno Eyeliner/Lip Brush, all of which are made with synthetic hair.
Love the charms dangling from the brushes!
There were still plenty of the makeup pouches in stock. The pouches all have different placement of the characters, so it took me awhile to select one which featured my favourite characters like the pegasus and less of the tattooed girls.
The interior is lined in a cheery bright pink.
I also picked up the POP Beauty Glitz Blitz Kit of three eyeliners in Black Blitz, Brown Brilliance & Wine Wink, after reading about them on Lovely Day. This was priced very attractively at S$23, which means you are getting three eyeliners for the regular price of one.
