Today was the start of the Bath & Body Works Semi Annual Sale in stores so naturally, I grabbed the toddler in the morning for a quick jaunt to the nearby mall. I just finished burning all the glass candles that I had shipped over from Geneva, so it was a good time to restock.
All these candles were $10 originally and currently at 75% off. In fact, four of these rang up at an astonishing 50cents each at the register. According to the SA, these would be the ones that were released quite some time ago. To top it off, I had a $10 off $40 coupon, so they were even cheaper than 50 cents *score* I didn't pick up any of the 3-wick candles, which were 50% off, as BBW puts these on sale regularly in my area at least every other month.
The handsoaps were $3 each (originally $6.50), including the new American Summer collection. So much cheaper than the Singapore sale price of 2 for S$12 or 5 for S$25. We go through at least two bottles per month. Thanks to the super cheap candles, my items initially rang up at just over $39, so I grabbed an extra bottle of Island Margarita hand soap (which smells divine) to make the $40 minimum for the coupon. All in all, my haul of 17 items was just US$31.61 with 'savings' of $71.50. When the SA told me how much I had saved, I went 'Yes!' with a small fist bump. She chuckled and gave me another $10 off $40 coupon, plus a free signature item with $10 purchase for July. BBW really knows how to keep the customers coming back.
This was an earlier haul of the Coastal Summer collection two weeks ago, with a BBW voucher for an extra 20% off sale items. So we're well stocked until the next Semi Annual Sale at least.
Mummy's little helper keeps taking the cap off and blowing at the wick :-)
These are the three new Gradation Eyeshadow quads #58, #59 and #60 (5700yen) that Cosme Decorte will be release for Fall 2015. Pic from Nao.
I haven't purchased anything from Cover Girl since my experiments with their Lash Blast series of mascaras a few years ago. This past week, I've been testing out their two newest summer releases, the Super Sizer Mascara and Outlast Stay Luminous Foundation. Both were relatively inexpensive. The mascara was about US$6 while the foundation was going at between US$10 to US$11 in the supermarkets and drugstores.
The Super Sizer mascara promises to increase lash volume by 400%, with its unique lash styler that is wider at the tip than the base. I purchased this in the shade Black Noir but it turned out to be not as jet black as my usual Japanese mascaras.
The brush was easy to use and pulled out of the tube cleanly without excessive product on the bristles.
This did provide good lengthening and definition as well as holding up the curl of my lashes. However, it was slightly prone to clumping. If over-layered, my lashes would stick together. It did perform well in adding definition to my almost-nonexistent lower lashes. There was no smudging or flaking. There are also no fibres in this mascara. All in all, this was a decent performer for the price.
Below is the ingredient list. This is made in the USA.
I had high hopes for the Outlast Stay Luminous foundation based on initial raves on MakeupAlley. Upon application, it looked pretty good too. The finish was not overtly glowy, just a healthy satin finish without any powdery dry down. This was easy to blend, provided light to medium coverage and did not pool in the pores. My shade was Buff Beige, the third lightest shade of the 6 shades currently available.
However, four hours later, I caught my reflection in the car mirror and was taken aback by how much it had oxidised until my face was significantly darker than my neck (by at least 2 tones). This was, simply put, a deal breaker. There is also an odd artificial scent that is noticeable upon application but dissipates soon after. I couldn't see myself using it again (after testing it out for 5 days) and so I returned it for a full refund at Walgreens with no questions asked to my surprise. Americans are so fortunate to have stores that take back used cosmetics. Nowhere else have I encountered such a generous return policy.
Other products used for this look include Suqqu Blend Color Eyeshadow EX22 Yukiichigo (from Holiday 2014) and YSL Glossy Stain #201 Dewy Red. I'm tempted to pick up more of the Pop Water Glossy Stains but I'm restraining myself as I have about a dozen Glossy Stains still begging for more love in my drawer.
Here are the details of the Les Merveilleuses by Laduree Fall 2015 collection which will be released in two parts.
24 July
1. Cream Cheek Base (4200yen): #6 Flamboyant (clear red), #7 Groseille (coral orange) and #8 Airelle (bright pink)
2. Shimmering Pressed Powder 103 Astre Sacre (10g, 6000yen, LE): Contains champagne gold pearl and soft focus powder for absorbing oil and concealing pores.
3. Lip Stain (6g, 2500yen): Liquid rouge for juicy looking lips. Contains smoothing oil, silicon oil, smooth fit powder, damask rose and centifolia rose extracts. In 5 shades. #1 Prune (rich bordeaux), #2 Groseille (fresh orange), #3 Peche (pink beige), #4 Camelia (fresh red pink) and #5 Romance (powdery pink)
4. Body Treatment Oil (150ml, 4800yen): Composed of 70% olive oil, this can be used as a hydrating body oil or massage oil.
4 September
1. Cream Foundation SPF20 PA++ (28g, 5200yen): In 3 shades, #10 Aurore (light beige), #20 Ble (beige) and #30 Ambre (medium beige). Contains deeply hydrating amino acid color powders. Fits closely to skin without any powderiness or sinking into the pores. Composed of 60% water-based ingredients and four types of hydrating elements.
2. Translucent Makeup Base N SPF30 PA+++ (30g, 3800yen): Formulated with a smoothing emulsion and UV cut powders.
3. Mat Rouge (2500yen): 101 Force (coral orange), 102 Vie (peach beige) and 103 Gloire (cherry mauve)
4. Makeup Pouch II (2800yen)
Here are more details of the Three Fall 2015 collection, Somewhere Inbetween, out on 12 August in Japan. All products are permanent.
1. 4D Plus Eye Palette (6200yen): In 4 variations. 01 Close To Your Heart (smoky brown with gold), 02 Song Of Silence (taupe grey), 03 Transcend Time (chic elegant red-toned brown) and 04 Army Dreamers (smoky gold and khaki). The oil glue cream base wraps the eyelids in a thin oil film, allowing the powder shades to be layered effortlessly on top for expressive smouldering eyes. The four shades in each quad presents a different texture for a play on light and colours.
2. Shimmering Lip Jam (3000yen): #12 Infant Kiss (pure nude pink), #13 Silence Says (clear red), #14 Wear The Sunset (lively bright coral) and #15 Dreamers Awaken (polished pink)
3. Refined Control Lip Pencil (2500yen): #4 Into the Fresh (coral beige), #5 Among Angels (pure refreshing pink), #6 My Lionheart (clear vivid rosy red) and #7 My Nostalgia (elegant burgundy)
4. Nail Polish (1800yen): #25 October Sun (pure red), #26 Arrow of Desire (mysterious hazy pink), #27 Song of Dusk (misty lavender), #28 Wanderlust Wave (storm grey), #29 Dive Deeper (warm charcoal) and #30 Before The Dawn (moody dark raspberry)
The base makeup collection will be released on 16 September.
1. One Love Puff (700yen)
2. Structured Foundation Brush (5000yen)
3. Ultimate Diaphanous Loose Powder (Colorless) (17g, 5000yen): Formulated with 8 botanical oils and oil control powder, this paraben-free finishing powder is as fine as powder snow to help keep skin feeling fresh and polished.
4. Complete Harmony Foundation SPF35 PA+++ (28g, 6500yen): Contains smoothing powder, oil control powder and 'stretch skinny veil' to smooth out skin unevenness. Contains 7 botanical oils including yuzu seed oil and acai fruit oil. Free of UV absorbers.
5. Advanced Harmony Primer SPF22 PA++ (30ml, 4500yen): Composed of 86% ingredients of natural origin with 7 botanical oils including yuzu seed oil and acai fruit oil, plus oil control powders. Available in 2 shades, Elegance (more glowy and hydrating) and Confidence (more refreshing texture) Free of UV absorbers.
Kate will release its Fall/Winter 2015 collection on 1 August in Japan. It includes:
1. Trap Impact Eyes: For creating gradational effects along both the upper and lower eyelids to make the eyes look larger. In 5 variations. (1600yen)
2. Double Line Faker (1000yen)
3. Mineral Film Powder Foundation: Powder foundation that softly covers the skin in a light veil. In 3 shades (1500yen)
4. Mineral Film Powder Foundation Case (400yen)
5. Mineral Mask BB: BB cream that hydrates, provides coverage and acts as sunblock and primer. In 3 shades (1500yen)
6. CC Lip Cream: 4 shades (480yen)
7. CC Lip Treatment: 2 shades (800yen)
8. Designing Brow N Set I: 2 shades, includes brow brush (1200yen, Japan-exclusive starting 1 Sep)
9. Designing Brow N Set II: 2 shades, includes brow brush and a comb brush (1200yen, available in other Asian countries outside of Japan starting 1 Sep).
Each season, it seems like more brands are diversifying into makeup. First, it was luxe fashion brands like Burberry and Gucci, with H&M about to jump on the wagon in a major way. Nail polish brands like Butter London and Ciate are also getting into the game. I chanced across the Butter London makeup display at Ulta and these Lippy Bloody Brilliant Lip Crayons caught my eye.
Priced at US$20, these aren't exactly cheap but they swatched very nicely with a slick finish. As usual, I went for the darkest berry shade and the most vibrant one, namely Ruby Murray and Ladybird.
These are made in Germany and come with an sharpener built into the cap as well as a pick for cleaning the sharpener. While the sharpener and pick do come in handy and help to justify the higher price point compared to the average twist-up lip crayon, they also make the crayon longer and clunkier than those by other brands. It would have been good if the sharpener could be stored separately.
Butter London describes these as having the intense shine of a gloss plus highly pigmented colour with the full coverage of a lipstick, boosted with mango seed oil and marula oil for moisturising benefits, plus niacinamide to help maintain the skin barrier.
I was happy with both the shades I picked. They glided onto the lips without dragging, while providing enough control for precise application. They were superbly comfortably to wear and did not feel drying even after a few hours. They do come off at the slightest touch though, so they are not smear-proof but this is to be expected of glossy shades. The colour payoff was impressive, with Ladybird being slightly more opaque than Ruby Murray. The wear time was excellent, and it was easy to wipe these off after a meal without the need for the frantic rubbing required by Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick.
Pic below shows Ruby Murray.
Pic below shows Ladybird, a bright tomato orange.
Ingredients list below.
With my purchase, I received a deluxe sample of their Iconoclast Mega Volume Lacquer Mascara, which promises a 300% increase in volume. The brush design reminded me of Givenchy's Phenomen'Eyes Mascara. This turned out to be pretty average with nothing much to justify the price premium over drugstore options so I will not be investing in a full size.
