The Urban Decay Vice 4 palette is currently marked down to US$39 from US$60 at several US retailers including Sephora and Ulta, so I finally picked it up. With the Ulta 20% off prestige brands coupon for Platinum members, this ended up costing just $31! Perhaps Urban Decay over-estimated the demand for this palette, and hence the deep discount just a couple of days before Christmas.
The Vice series is one of my all-time favourites for their vibrant shade combinations with Vice 4 being possibly the most gorgeously constructed with its multi-hued metal packaging. However, given the plethora of reviews that warned of glitter fallout, it did not seem to justify the original price tag of $60. Moreover, I was less than impressed with the last Vice Limited palette. But for half the original price, it's just too good of a steal to pass up with its veritable smorgasbord of 20 shades.
At Ulta, I also picked up the Becca Radiant Glow Collection which comes with a full size Raspberry/Opal Lip Shimmer Souffle, plus deluxe sample sizes of their popular Moonstone Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed, Opal Shimmering Skin Perfector Spotlight in Opal and Under Eye Brightening Corrector. With the 20% discount, this was just $25.60, a pretty good bargain considering that the Lip Shimmer Souffle usually retails for $25 by itself.
The Stila Shimmer & Shine Deluxe Beauty Set ($20 with a $45 value) is another attractive set of minis of their Magnificent Metals Foil Finish Eye Shadow in Pixie Dust, Huge Extreme Lash Mascara and Lipglaze in Kaleidoscope. I also purchased the Got Inked Cushion Eyeliner in Smoky Quartz Ink and Rimmel The Only One Lipstick in Peachy Beachy ($6.99). Although I've been an Ulta Platinum member for over half a year, I've never received any of their 20% off prestige brand coupons (which are sent out randomly and never to all Platinum members) until this holiday season when they sent me two mail coupons and one email coupon code. I'll probably use the final remaining code to order the new Stila Aqua Glow Serum Foundation.
CVS was running a buy 1, get 1 75% promotion off all Physicians Formula products so I snagged the new Mineral Wear Cushion Foundation SPF50 in Light ($16) and Disco Glam Extreme Shimmer Strips ($12). The PF foundation was supposed to have a $4 instant rebate coupon on the box but this was missing. Fortunately, the cashier was nice enough to enter a store coupon so I received the discount. Elsewhere, these have been sighted with $9 rebate coupons.
Curiously, it is not stated anywhere on the packaging where this is made. The usual suspect would be Korea, given that this has the standard SPF50 seen in many Korean cushion foundations. The cushion plastic insert cannot be removed.
This haul helped to kick me out of my recent funk in which I've just been too lazy and exhausted to slap on anything aside from a cushion foundation, brow liner and mascara. I'm 22 weeks along now with the twins and already can't see below my massive bump. The twins are also kicking away merrily every day. At least I'm almost two-thirds of the way through. Just hoping I can hold them in till 37 weeks and avoid any time in the NICU.
Wishing you and your loved ones a Merry Christmas!
The Stila Summer 2015 collection introduced a new Aqua Glow Perfecting Primer (US$28), Aqua Glow Watercolor Blush (US$26) plus five new vibrant shades of their Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick (US$22). I loved the look of this collection with its unabashedly bold hues and the elegant matte gold packaging that's a welcome departure from the brand's usual boring black and silver. Stila's quality has been highly erratic and uneven, since it left the Estee Lauder stable and changed owners a couple of times, so it's useful to check up on their product reviews so that one can avoid the absolute stinkers like their Eyes Are The Window palettes.
I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the Aqua Glow Perfecting Primer and Watercolor Blush are made in South Korea - yet another indicator of Korea's current influence in the Western beauty marketplace. The Perfecting Primer is a water-based stick primer that helps to hydrate, cool and smoothen the skin while reducing the appearance of pores and redness. The cooling sensation is refreshing and the light balmy formula melds into the skin without feeling heavy or clogging, although the pore and redness reduction effect wasn't that significant. It was a good base for my Innisfree Ampoule Intense Cushion Foundation, but the combination did not offer good oil control (which is not unexpected as the foundation is a more hydrating formula). This would be great for travel, as the packaging is sturdy with an inner plastic cap to help keep the primer from drying out. The gel stick can be a lint magnet though. It has a light aquatic scent that disappears quickly after application.
Below is the list of ingredients, which does include alcohol and silicones. There is also a host of plant and fruit extracts, including lemon, pumpkin, carrot, corn silk and aloe lead.
The Aqua Glow Watercolor Blush in Water Poppy is a cheerful translucent coral red without any shimmer. The waterproof gel formula is also designed to be cooling on the skin with buildable, color-true pigments. The mesh net dispenser is supposed to help deliver the appropriate dose of product for one application, but I usually just take a small dab from the product clinging to the underside of the cap so as to avoid touching the mesh net. The pot comes with a sticker advising one to shake well before opening.
Water Poppy looks very vibrant in the pot but it is actually quite easy to work with as it sheers out nicely to give a healthy, natural looking pop of color. It also layers smoothly without rubbing off the foundation underneath or any flaking. If you are intimately familiar with Korean brands, the Perfecting Primer and Watercolor Blush won't look particularly groundbreaking but they still feel relatively unique and fresh in the Western marketplace.
Below is the ingredient list. This contains carmine, so it's not vegan-friendly.
The Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in Amalfi was the dud of the trio for me. The shocking pink shade is similar to MAC's famous Candy Yum Yum. It dries down matte without making my lips feel uncomfortable or overly dry. However, the shade was too loud for me, even when patted on with a fingertip to sheer it down. The dealbreaker was that it clung way too tenaciously to my lips and required frantic, vigorous rubbing to remove after a meal caused some of it to wear off. If you don't plan on eating, it might suit you for all-day wear.
Swatched below from left to right are the Water Poppy blush (blended out and unblended), and the Amalfi lipstick.
Other product used for this look include Innisfree Ampoule Intense Cushion Foundation #21, YSL Full Metal Shadow #3 Taupe Drop, Addiction Eyeliner Pencil 01 Blackjack, Kate Lasting Eyebrow W BR3 and Butter London Iconoclast Mega Volume Lacquer Mascara.
Over July and August, I managed to use up a large number of products, plus numerous sample sachets during my trip to London. With the last quarter of the year looming, I'm finally starting to see some space in my bathroom cabinets opening up!
1. Lush Almond & Coconut Smoothie: This creamy body cleanser is targeted at dry skin but it turned out to be not sufficiently hydrating for my skin as I still needed to use a body lotion especially on my legs which are prone to dryness. It works up to a gentle lather and rinses off easily without any greasy residue. The vanilla scent is not that memorable. One plus point is that Lush gives you a free Fresh Face Mask if you bring back five of these clean pots in the UK (but not in Switzerland).
2. Lush Ayesha Fresh Face Mask: This is a re-purchase. This mask feels therapeutic and deeply cleansing for my skin, which always looks more luminous and feels ultra soft and supple after using this. One pot has enough for at least 8 uses.
3. Sofina Jenne Lotion I: This is Sofina's skincare line for ladies in their 20s. Lotion I is the "sappari" (refreshing) type for oily skintypes while II is the more hydrating "shittori" type. This did a good job of leaving my skin feeling refreshed and clean, but other than that, I did not notice any special benefits. Love the lacey bottle design.
4. For Beloved One Polypeptide DNA Resilience Lift Toner: This was the most hydrating of the three toners that I used up recently but it also makes my skin oil up a bit faster than the others. It's supposed to be an anti-wrinkle toner but as I do not have any wrinkles yet, I can't say that I noticed any significant change.
5. H2O+ Aqualibrium Marine Toner: This contains provitamin B5, mineral-rich sea salt, sea weed, sea fennel and sea lettuce to nourish and hydrate the skin. It refreshes the skin well but can leave it feeling a tad dry, so if you have dry patches, I would not recommend this.
6. Addiction Eye Makeup Remover: This biphase remover does a good job of whisking off eyeshadows and waterproof mascara without irritating or drying the eyes. It is supposed to be fragrance-free and contains rosa centifolia extract. This was a gift with purchase. It normally retails at 2100yen for 100ml, which is a bit too expensive for me so I'll be sticking with my usual L'Oreal remover.
7. Daiso Puff & Sponge Detergent: For S$2, this is truly the most cost-effective product. I use it weekly to clean my foundation brushes and sponges. It's much more efficient at getting rid of any cream-based products than MAC Brush Cleanser. I stocked up 5 bottles before moving to Switzerland 20 months ago and this is only the second bottle that I've used up. Great stuff!
8. Biore Mild Cleansing Liquid: This removes makeup effectively without irritating the skin and is very affordable, but I find Bioderma's Sensibio to be even faster to use. I usually follow up with a face cleanser just to be thorough.
9. Shu Uemura Cleansing Beauty Oil Premium A/O: This green cleansing oil has the thickest texture in Shu's range and is really more for dry, mature skintypes. Although it works well in terms of removing makeup, I much prefer the lighter pink Fresh version. I wish Shu Uemura wouldn't keep offering only this in their limited edition seasonal collections like the upcoming Murakami Takashi holiday collection.
10. Cleansing Express Eye Makeup Remover: Aside from being very efficient and non-irritating on my eyes, it's also affordable. I would re-purchase this instead of L'Oreal except that it is not available in Switzerland.
11. Anna Sui Rose Hair Conditioner: This leaves my hair soft and untangled. I love the soft feminine rose scent but it doesn't linger strongly on my hair. I would definitely re-purchase this if it were more easily available.
12. Dove Dryness Care Conditioner: This was quite average. It left my hair untangled but not as hydrated as I would have liked.
13. Phyto Phytodefrisant Botanical Hair Relaxing Balm: Both tubes of this were received as part of sample goodie bags from my US online purchases. The clear gel helps to reduce frizz and make my hair more sleek. I don't like it enough to purchase it though.
14. L'Oreal Elseve Nutri-Gloss Crystal Shampoo: This did not make my hair any glossier or shinier but it's still good as an everyday shampoo that lathers up and rinses off easily without drying out my hair.
15. Kose Seikisho Mask White: This sticky thick black mask is not for wimps as peeling it off is invariably a rather painful experience and it takes off fine facial hair (not all but some) along with flakey skin bits and pore clogs. I find Biore strips to be more efficient at pulling out pore clogs but I like that I can use the Seikisho mask all over my face for a thorough de-clogging. I will probably re-purchase this at some point.
16. RMK Gel Scrub: This is gentle enough on the skin to be used daily but I don't find it to be particularly effective. This sample tube lasted just two uses.
17. African Botanics Marula Firming Botanical Body Oil: This is supposed to help firm, tone and nourish. I liked how it moisturised my skin and absorbed quickly without leaving an overly greasy residue but I didn't notice any firming effect (not that I really expected any).
18. Philosophy Peppermint Bark: I had high hopes of this but the mint chocolate candy scent was too heavy on the cloyingly sweet chocolate note and not minty enough for my liking. Like other Philosophy shower gels, it does not leave a strong fragrance on the skin although in the shower, it is rather strong.
19. Philosophy Gingerbread Man: This turned out to be much nicer than I had expected thanks to a refreshing fizzy top note. I would re-purchase this except that I still have more than a dozen Philosophy shower gels to get through.
20. Sally Hansen Fast & Gentle Polish Remover: I picked this mainly because it was one of the cheapest in the drugstore and by a reputable brand. It's alright for the price and still requires some elbow grease to remove glitter polishes.
21. Coast To Coast Rainforest Invigorating Body Exfoliant: This is my favourite product from this brand, due to the wonderful sweet citrusy scent. It gives good exfoliating action too.
22. Stila Lipglaze in Raisin: Very easy to wear berry shade with a bit of shimmer, this feels a bit sticky on the lips. The amount of product is miniscule and one could easily use this up in 1-2 weeks with daily use but at least they are a lot cheaper than they used to be (thanks to being made in China) when Stila was one of the hottest makeup artist-driven brands around.
23. K-Palette Lasting 2Way Eyebrow 02: A daily staple, I've re-purchased this countless times as it's still the most durable and easy to use brow liner for me.
The Boxing Day sales are off to a roaring start here in London. I hadn't planned to shop much on this trip but still, it was difficult to resist picking up a few bargains.
At Fenwick's, I snagged the last Clinique Taste of Honey coffret (£20; originally £30) of four Almost Lipsticks in Black Honey, Luscious Honey, Shy Honey and Flirty Honey, as well as the final bottle of Shu Uemura UV Under Base Mousse Tsuya from the Karl Lagerfeld collection (£16; originally £29).
The Laura Mercier Petite Baked Eye Color Trio in Golden Metallics was marked down to £10, half of its original price.
At Space.NK, I picked up the Stila Seeing Stars Smudge Stick Waterproof Eyeliner Set for £12.50, also 50% off the original price. That works out to just £2.50 per eyeliner.
At House of Fraser, I picked up a couple of Biba tops.
Plus a Ted Baker bag at 30% off.
Stocked up on my favourite Cranberry range at the Body Shop. The shower gel was dirt cheap at just £2 while the hand soap was £2.50.
The coup de grace was finding the Lush Wonderful Christmas Time gift box at Victoria station for 50% off. In the UK, Lush holds a sale only once a year that starts on Boxing Day with their holiday collection and gifts all at half price. Their gift boxes usually sell out incredibly fast so I was ecstatic to discover this. Another Lush store that I visited in Reading on Boxing Day had completely sold out of the gift sets.
My husband has been buying this for me the past couple of years. So glad we decided not to purchase this earlier before Christmas!
Nestled amidst a sea of packaging peanuts are 24 of the limited edition holiday products. It's a generous bounty that can last me well until next Christmas, judging by past experience.
Santa's Sack Bubble Bar.
Sandy Santa Sugar Scrub.
Rocket Reusable Bubble Bar
This winter in London has been one of interminable rain but nevertheless, it's been wonderful being able to spend time with my family in one of my favourite cities and re-charge for the new year. Hope you've had a lovely Christmas as well!
This week's photo challenge by Yumeko is the All Star Makeup edition.
1. The Super Star: Something you have used for over a year and will still be using.
For my daily routine, concealers, eyeshadow primers and eyebrow pen are essential. For these, I rely on Too Faced Shadow Insurance, NARS Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base, Lunasol Under Eye Base, Bourjois Healthy Mix Concealer and K-Palette Lasting Two Way Eyebrow. Of these, I have re-purchased the K-Palette eyebrow pen at least five times. It lasts much longer than eyebrow powder, despite my oily skin, and is easy to clean up if drawn unevenly.
Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick by Kate Moss are hands-down the best full coverage lipsticks by a drugstore brand. The color intensity, shade range and lasting power are well above what one would expect of a budget brand. This October, there will be a new line of matte shades in red packaging. Can't wait to try those!
2. The Fast Rising Star: Something you have used for over 6 months and will still be using.
Technically, I've had several of these products for less than six months, but I find myself reaching for them all the time: Laura Mercier Turquoise Caviar Stick, Tarte Lipsurgence Lip Tint in Spirited, Stila Sparkle Luxe Gloss in Dazzling, Suqqu Nuancing Cheeks EX03 Akanemizu and YSL Glossy Stains. The Physicians' Formula Fashionista palette is a recent acquisition that has worked well for me.
3. The Number 1 Draft Pick: Something you just started using and am loving it.
Ever since I started using Pixi Endless Silky Eye Pens, I have hardly touched my liquid eyeliners. No. 1 Black Noir is as intensively black as Urban Decay Perversion but without the problem of the lead shrinking from the wood. No. 9 Oyster Glow is a staple for lining the lower lashline for making the eyes look more awake. The 2nd Star Twinkle from the Tinkerbell collection is a lovely shimmery olive.
4. The FAIL: Something you tried recently and does not work for you.
Both the Soap & Glory Thick & Fast Super Volume Mascara and Accessorize Lenthening Mascara in Ultra Black failed to impress me. The former felt too dry and did not hold the curl of my lashes well. The Accessorize mascara took several coats to build barely decent length and had virtually zero volumising effect.
5. The Experiment: Something you bought and am going to try next.
Thanks to Mag, I just received the two Majolica Majorca Puff de Cheek in Cherry Macaron and Raspberry Macaron, and the Popping Shower Powder from the Psychedelicious summer collection. From Sephora, I picked up a Tarte Clean Slate Deluxe Primer Trio (US$9) and Stila All Over Shimmer Liquid Luminizer Set (US$20).
My new Shu Uemura palette of shades from the recent Color Atelier collection, consisting of mainly glitter finishes.
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!
