Sephora and Beauty.com Sale Hauls

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!

Operation Use It Up

Completed a bumper crop of empties this month!

1. Acca Kappa Calycanthus is a lovely uplifting white floral fragrance with dominant notes of jasmine. It is the first fragrance I've used up in years. I purchased this about four years ago in Kuala Lumpur, and it's been a perennial favourite since then. Always soothing and comforting.

2. Peter Thomas Roth Max Complexion Correction Pads contain 10% glycolic acid and 2% salicylic acid to help prevent blemishes. Drenched in a sweet peach scent, it also has a terribly high alcohol content at 46% but it didn't irritate my skin. I didn't find it to be a wonder product in terms of preventing blemishes though. There was quite a bit of liquid in the pot, which helped to ensure that the pads did not dry out over the three months that it took me to use them up.


3. RMK Creamy Soap N cleanses thoroughly but it does leave the skin feeling stripped, so I use it only once a day after using a cleansing oil to remove makeup.

4. Mario Badescu Seaweed Cleansing Soap had an odd scent and thick texture that I never got used to. It doesn't strip the skin but other than that, it was pretty average. I ended up putting generous dollops of it on my Clarisonic Mia to use up the giant bottle. Ingredients list below.

5. Astalift Priming Lotion is one of my favourite toners. It feels ever so gentle on the skin and doesn't leave it feeling sticky. I will re-purchase this but first I need to use up the other toners in my stash. Ingredients list below.

6. Lush Ayesha: Reviewed earlier here. I like this for detoxing and clarifying the skin. The pot looks tiny but it provided eight applications for me. The only downside is that you have to use it up within a month as it does not contain preservatives.

7. Brewed from beer, Lush Cynthia Sylvia Stout shampoo is supposed to help add shine and tame hair that is prone to frizziness. It doesn't lather that well but it doesn't strip the hair like Lush's shampoo bars usually do to my hair. The scent does take some getting used to but I didn't hate it. Ingredients list below.

8. Lush Glogg shower gel is inspired by the traditional Swedish brew with cinnamon and mulled wine scent. The wine note literally made me gag every time I used it. It has just been brought back under Lush's Retro programme but I would never touch this stuff again!


9. Philosophy Bridal Bouquet was much more pleasant to use but the sweet floral scent seems a bit bland and much less memorable than Senorita Margarita. Ingredients list below.

10. Dove Indulgent Nourishment Body Lotion with Shea Butter is an effective hydrating lotion that helped to stave off the dryness without leaving any greasiness or stickiness on the skin.

11. L'Oreal Elseve Liss-Intense Serum Anti-frizz works well for taming my hair but the 50ml bottle lasts less than a month for me with daily usage.

12. Wen Sweet Almond Mint Cleansing Conditioner is a shampoo-and-conditioner in one that came in a UK Glossybox. It feels like a conditioner as it doesn't lather, which is an extremely odd feeling to get used to. I wasn't impressed by this, so I won't be purchasing it.

13. L'Oreal EverPure shampoo is sulfate-free but it lathers extremely well. It did leave my hair feeling a tad dry though, so I doubt I will repurchase this. Ingredients list below.

14. Kenzoki Ice-cold Eye Cream is great for plumping up the eye area without making it feel greasy. It absorbs easily and doesn't result in milia for me.

15. K-Palette Lasting 2Way Eyebrow 02 is a daily staple that I've used up countless times. Quick, easy and stays put no matter how many times I blot my skin.

16. Josie Maran Bearnaked Wipes have a refreshing grapefruit scent. This works well for taking off light makeup but I still follow up with a face cleanser to ensure thorough cleansing and reduce the likelihood of breakouts. Ingredients list below.

17. Sana Esteny Salt Wash is a great exfoliating scrub with a sweet blackcurrant scent. It feels invigorating and the scrub particles don't melt away quickly. I would re-purchase it if I come across it again.

New Beauty Brands Coming to Singapore

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.

Josie Maran Argan Oil Hair Serum

After using up my Anna Sui Hair Treatment Oil, I've been using the Josie Maran Argan Oil Hair Serum daily over the past month. I purchased this in the US several months ago, where it retailed for US$30. Right now, I'm about 90% of the way through the bottle.

The star ingredient in Josie Maran's products is argan oil, which is supposed to be a superior source of antioxidants, vitamin E, and moisture. According to the ingredients list (at the bottom of this post), it also contains several other beneficial oils, like jojoba, grape seed, olive, bergamot and geranium. The hair serum is touted as providing extraordinary shine and long-lasting rejuvenation, as well as "UV shield". It is free of alcohol, parabens and synthetic fragrance.

My hair is currently about 15cm below the shoulder and quite dry, after my last self-dye job in April with Liese Bubble Hair Color. I try not to dye my hair more than once every 6-10 months, so as not to overly-damage my hair. I also never blow dry it. Instead, I simply let it air dry and in the mornings, I just apply the hair serum along the length of the hair with my palms and some styling gel or wax around the fringe and crown to tame the flyaways.

After my hair has air dried, it looks very frizzy. It's not tangled though and I have no problems running my fingers through the length of my hair without having to use a comb.

As my hair is quite thick, I usually have to use about 7 or 8 pumps of the Josie Maran hair serum to make my hair look presentable. It does a decent job of calming the frizziness, making my hair feel smoother and much more manageable without feeling greasy. It adds a bit of shine, but I would not describe it as being "extraordinarily shiny". The geranium and bergamot scent is quite subtle and I can't really smell it unless I sniff my locks closely. After working the serum through my hair, I simply rub my palms over my arms to absorb any serum remaining on my hands.

The serum has a thicker consistency than the Anna Sui hair treatment oil. Overall, I still prefer the Anna Sui hair treatment oil to the Josie Maran serum as the Anna Sui oil makes my hair slightly glossier with a lesser amount of product. Also, I prefer Anna Sui's rose scent but fragrance is very subjective. The Josie Maran serum does keep my hair from frizzing up for a whole day but that's about it. If I bun it up in the morning after applying the serum, my hair gets nice gentle curls when I let it down after a few hours.

The ingredients list from Sephora.com: Cyclomethicone (and) Dimethicone, Phenyl Trimethicone, Cyclopentasiloxane, Organic Argania Spinosa (Argan) Kernel Oil, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Fruit Oil, Geranium Maculatum (Geranium) Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E Acetate), Ethylhexylglycerin, Caprylyl Glycol (and) Phenoxyethanol (and) Hexylene Glycol

Josie Maran Argan Oil Hair Serum

Josie Maran Argan Oil Hair Serum (US$30) was another purchase from my honeymoon in Hawaii back in April. My hair is straight, thick and dry, thanks to two dye jobs within four months for the pre-wedding photo shoot and then the actual wedding. Since the wedding, I've not dyed my hair again in order to let it recover. Usually, my hair is quite manageable as long as I use a good conditioner like Shiseido's Tsubaki or Kao Essential Damage Care. Most days I don't even use a hair brush as my hair does not get tangled. I also don't blow-dry or use any heating tools on my hair.

I haven't been using the Josie Maran Argan Oil Hair Serum daily so I can't say that it has performed miracles for my hair. When I do use it, it makes my hair feel extra silky and soft but without feeling greasy or weighed down. Just two to three pumps is sufficent for my hair, which is currently about two inches below the shoulder. I like the fact that after I've smoothed the serum through my hair, my palms do not feel greasy at all.

The serum is scented lightly with geranium and bergamot, which I found soothing without being too cloying or generic. Josie Maran uses argan oil in almost all of their products, from the eyeshadows to the skincare.



As you can see from the ingredients list, aside from argan oil, the serum also contains several other essential oils. For ladies who prefer to avoid silicone in their haircare products, you would probably want to avoid this hair serum as the top two ingredients are silicone-based.

While I was in New Delhi in June, I came across this L'Oreal Smooth Intense Instant Smoothing Serum which also contains argan oil. I'm not sure if this is available in other countries as it is manufactured in India. It costs about S$10 for 100ml, which is much cheaper compared to the Josie Maran version.

Looking at the ingredients list, the two serums do share some common ingredients but the L'Oreal version has fewer types of essential oils in it. The L'Oreal serum also has a thinner consistency and the generic scent that is typical of L'Oreal haircare products but it does a decent job of de-frizzing my hair and making it more silky. The Josie Maran serum is definitely the more elegant formulation of the two but that is only to be expected given the price difference. I do like the Josie Maran serum a lot but I will probably re-purchase it only when there is a discount.

P.S. Right now, you can get 25% off your order at josiemaran.com with the code 'dailycandy'.

Josie Maran Natural Wonders Powders Palette

There seems to be an avalanche of gorgeous, eye-catching palettes this spring all competing for one's wallet. Josie Maran Natural Wonders Powders Palette is sparking another lemming in me. It is an Argan-infused, all-in-one powder compact with five eyeshadows, two blush shades, and a bronzing powder for glowing radiance. For those who are picky about the ingredients in their cosmetics, you would be pleased to know that this palette is formulated without parabens, sulfates, synthetic fragrances, petro-chemicals, phthalates, GMOs or triclosan. And it is priced affordably at just US$35.