April Empties

Did not finish up a lot of products this month. Did well on the bath products though. I get tired of just one shower gel so I usually have a few in the shower.

Finished 3 of the Lush Shower gel: Prince Charming, Rose Jam & It's Raining Men. Two of them are limited edition. Prince Charming is from their Valentine's Day collection and Rose Jam is from their Christmas collection. I love Prince Charming and I am glad I grabbed a bigger size already. 

Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Cream has been my day cream for a long time. Even though Olay is a drug store brand but the quality is so amazing. Way better than a lot of high end brands. 

Fruit Frappe Grapefruit with Gooseberry Body & Hair Spritz is my all time favorite. I keep one in my car and one in my kitchen. Don't you hate it when you go to a restaurant and when you come out, your hair and clothes smell of greasy food? I spritz a little onto my clothes and hair after I have been exposed to strong food scents and it freshens up instantly.

I didn't think I would be liking the Soap & Glory Hand Food so much. But after I ran out of it for a week, I noticed how dry my hands are and quickly run out to grab another one.

I have a lot of primers and the Smashbox Photo Finish, together with Benefit Porefessional have to be my top few. This one is more silicone-based and definitely help my makeup stay longer.

These two are staples in my skin care routine. Origins Ginzing Eye Cream and La Roche Posay Effaclar A.I. The Origins ginzing is a perfect eye cream in the morning as it is salmon-colored and it helps brighten up my under eye area. La Roche Posay Effaclar A.I is my must-have. Whenever I have a breakout approaching, I dab a few dots of the cream on the problem area and it sooth and calm the area.

Loreal Magic Lumi Primer

Love glowy dewy skin in the spring time. I have oily combination skin and I never thought I would say I love dewy look ever. Yes, there is a difference between dewy and oily greasy look. 

I tried to stay away from products which promise luminous glow. I thought with my skin type, I don't need additional "shine" on my face. But with the right products, the glowy finish could really be pretty.

I recently discovered Loreal Magic Lumi light infusing primer. This has been around for a while but I never thought this would be right for my skin type.

The texture is very smooth and silky. Typical for most primers. It has a pearl finish which gives the skin the glow lumi effect.

I would not say that this primer makes a significant difference in helping my foundation stay longer. But this one does not make my skin oily at the end of the day. I like to use this with my holy grail foundation which is the Marc Jacobs Genius Gel Foundation as I don't need to set it with powder so the pearl glow primer could still peek through. 

Have you been avoiding certain beauty products fearing that they may not work but once you try, you are so happy you did?

Products I won't be finishing up

My make up and skin care collection is slowly taking up a lot of space and I was just doing some "spring cleaning" the other day and decided to part with a few items which have been sitting there for a while and I have no intention of using them up.

Quo Purifying Brush Shampoo works ok but after I use the Beauty Blender solid cleanser and found out how easy breezy it is to get my brushes cleaned quickly and effectively, there is no going back. This brush shampoo is a thicker shampoo and you only need a little bit to lather up. Cleaning brushes is not a fun task. So the less time the better. 

Quo Brush Cleaner was my spot cleaner. I use it mainly to spot clean eye makeup brushes. Just spray a little bit of the cleaner on a piece of kitchen towel and swirl around your brushes and it takes most of the product out fast. Recently, I just prefer to use my solid cleanser to spot clean them. Get the job done fast and more product out of the brushes.

Batiste Dry Shampoo(for dark and brunette). I love Batiste dry shampoo and I have been branching out to try different versions. However, this one I cannot finish. This one is for dark and brunette. I have black hair and don't you hate the white residue left on your hair when you did not brush it through? I spray the dry shampoo to my roots to take the oil out. It does not leave a white or grey reside unlike some dry shampoo. But the dark brown residue is just as annoying. The residue sits on the roots of my hair and hours after, when I touch my roots or scratch my head, dark brown residue would be all over my fingers. 

Bourjois Mineral Matte Mousse Foundation was recommended from a Shoppers Drug Mart associate. She said she has oily skin and this foundation is like a dream. I bought it and hoping it would work for my oily combination skin. I used it a few times and I just don't like the finish. It is not cakey or make my skin oily. Just the finish is quite dull.

L'Oreal Butterfly Mascara (waterproof). I know this mascara is very popular in the blogging world. I like the brush which flares out a bit to give the outer lashes a lift, just like butterfly as the name suggested. But I find the formula does not work well with my stubborn Asian lashes which only a few mascara in the market could hold up curls. Even with the waterproof formula, it is just a bit too heavy for my lashes.

How long do you give your beauty products a last chance before you give up?

IOPE Water Fit Lipstick Forever Pink

This is my first lipstick from the Korean brand IOPE. If you are Asian and you have been obsessed with the Korean drama series, My Love From Another Star, you would know which one I am talking about. 

In the series, the gorgeous Korean actress, Jun Ji Hyun, wore very simple makeup with bold lips. Her porcelain and luminous skin just makes all the lipsticks look absolutely beautiful. I got my IOPE lipstick through ebay as it is quite hard to find Korean makeup where I live.

IOPE Water Fit Lipstick in 44 Forever Pink

IOPE is a higher end Korean brand. The shade is #44 Forever Pink. I don't usually go for bright bold pink color like this but from what I read in the reviews, this formula(water fit lipstick) is a very moisturizing formula and sheer. For brighter colors, I prefer lipsticks to be more sheer and build up if I want to, rather than very opaque.

This is how it looks on Jun Ji Hyun in the drama series. 

The shade Forever Pink is a fuchsia pink shade. From the swatches above, you could see it is quite sheer. This is just one swipe. To me, this is the perfect balance of a lip balm and lipstick. It is so moisturizing but yet still gives enough color payoff. It does not have a scent which I am so happy about.

This lipstick is very easy to apply. It is so moisturizing and has a significant amount of gloss with it that I don't need to apply lip gloss on top. The color is so beautiful. I really like the formula and will definitely look into other shades in this collection. When I go home to Toronto next month, will have to find out which stores carry IOPE and grab a few more. 

Have you every purchased a particular beauty product just because a celebrity looks amazing with it and you have to try it?

Lush Haul

Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter. Did Easter bunny bring lots of goodies to your house?

I have been trying to be good at getting Lush bath products. I only allow myself to buy when I am down to 1 to 2 bath products. I hauled so much in the past few years that I was still trying to use up limited Christmas bath bombs from 2 years ago. 

I was down to my last bath bomb, I had to grab a few.

I got 4 bubble bars this time. Two of them are my regulars and I got 2 of the Brightside which I haven't tried before.

Comforter is one of my favorite bubble bars. I usually split this up into 4 baths. You just break it up into 4 or if you prefer tons of bubbles, you could break it into halves. Run hot water and crumble the bubble bar up and your bath water turns into an amazing pinkish color with amazing bubbles. Comforter combines blackcurrant and other berries. The scent is not too sweet and this is perfect year round.

Yuzu & Coco Bubbleroon is another favorite of mine. This would last me 2 baths. Wonder orange, chocolate, grapefruit all blended together. 

I am craving for citrus scented bath products in the warmer weather and Brightside just screams for my attention. It smells like orange, grapefruit, mandarin to me and I know I will like this a lot.  I guess this is similar to Comforter and I could easily get 4 or more baths out of this giant piece. 

What is your favorite bath scents for the spring/summer?

TopBox April 2014

Got my April TopBox in the mail yesterday. I picked the regular box this month and I also did an add-on to my box. TopBox will send out email monthly with options of a few add ons to your box after you picked your preferred choice of box. 

4 products included:

Miracle 10 Skincare Sunscreen Lotion SPF 30

Thierry Mugler Alien Eau Extraordinaire

Sweet Pea Soap in Honey & Oats

LA Splash Nail polish

I wear facial sunscreen all year around and happy to receive the Miracle 10 Skincare Sunscreen in SPF 30. Will have to test it out if this is for oily combination skin as I prefer a lighter sunscreen applied on top of my regular moisturizer. 

Another fragrance? This has to be my most unwanted product received. I feel like beauty boxes should really try to eliminate sending out fragrance as scents are very individual and of all the fragrance products I received in all my beauty boxes, I never use ONE of them. 

Sweet Pea Soap in Honey & Oats smell amazing. It has some coarse particles so it will be perfect for exfoliating. Can't wait to try this.

This is my first LA Splash nail polish. This is quite a neon pink shade but very wearable. Perfect for summer.

I did an add-on for $9.99 for the 4 Epic Blend lip balms. Epic Blend is a Canadian brand based in Vancouver, B.C. They use all natural ingredients for their lip balms. No gluten, no parabens and no preservatives. I have Green Apple, Cherry, Citrus Kick and Unflavored. Each lip balm has a different color on their label so it can be easily distinguished. I have tried Green Apple and the scent is quite nice. Not overpowering and it is very moisturizing indeed.  These retailed for $3 each so I think it is not a bad deal for me to get all 4 for $9.99.

Ipsy Bag April 2014

I received my April Ipsy bag and let's see what goodies I received:

The bag is very cute for this month with the theme: Beauty Rocks! It is a pretty indigo bag which is quite slim, unlike other bulky bags sent before.

Rainbow Honey Nail Polish in Midnight Fountain 5ml

Dr. Brandy microdermabrasion skin exfoliant 0.25 oz

Cailyn Tinted Lip Balm in Apple Pink

Such a Tease Lashes in So Seductive

Urban Decay 24/7 Velvet Glide on Pencil in Black Velvet

The Rainbow Honey Nail polish shade I was sent is a shocker midnight blue. I think it is only suitable for teenagers :(

I don't know how many tinted lip balm I was sent from Ipsy. This Cailyn one is a nice nude pink/peach tone which I don't mind. It also has a brush applicator but the packaging is just too bulky.

False lashes. Not for me.

The only 2 products I am going to use is the Urban Decay 24/7 velvet glide on pencil and the Dr. Brandt skin exfoliant. 

Guess from the tone of my impression from this month Ipsy bag, you can tell I am not a really happy camper. 

I have not been really happy with the products I was sent in my recent Ipsy bags. Feel like a lot of products are from repeat brands and I don't actually use most of them. So with that said, I decided this is my last Ipsy bag and I just have to cancel my subscription. 

Are you happy with what you get in your April Ipsy bag?

YSL Rouge Volupte Shine in Orange Impertinent

As the weather turns warmer(well, not yesterday when we were hit by a few inches of snow), I tend to go for vibrant lip color. I still wish I could rock bold red colors but I can't. I love coral lip colors for the summer and I picked up a gorgeous coral shade from YSL with the Sephora 15% sale.

YSL Rouge Volupte Shine in 16 Orange Impertinent

It is hard to justify in purchasing a CAD $39 lipstick so with the Sephora 15% sale earlier, I gave myself "permission" to pick up one.

I have another shade from this Rouge Volupte Shine last year and I really enjoy the formula. It is very moisturizing with gorgeous shine finish. Not your typical moisturizing lipstick which does not stay on long. 

It may not look as coral as in the picture shown above. But in real life, it is coral. I have a few other coral shades but they look very orange and too vibrant. This one is not. It has some pink or red undertone to it which balance with the coral/orange shade very well. I feel this shade is very wearable and is perfect for a lot of skin tones. 

Princess Coral Lip Cheek Tint by Shu Uemura

I received this gorgeous coral lip/cheek tint as a birthday gift a few months back from my BFF in Hong Kong. One of the best eyelash curlers I have is from Shu Uemura.  I have never tried cosmetics their cosmetics so I was very excited to try.

I believe the Princess Collectionby Takashi Murakami is a limited edition for the holiday season 2013. Isn't the packaging cute?

I enjoy lip cheek tint which gives a natural and staying power. My other favorites include Benetint by Benefit which is a liquid formula. The staying power of that is awesome but it is quite tricky to apply as you have to work really fast to blend the product. Otherwise, it would be too concentrated. Others are cream blushes and I find they dry out fast and make application difficult after a while.

This Princess Coral Lip Cheek Tint comes in a squeeze tube, just like your ordinary lip balm. The amount of product is easily controlled which I prefer.

The shade I have is Princess Coral which is a gorgeous pigmented coral shade. It may look quite intimating from the tube but when it is blended, it is very nice. I only squeeze half a pea-sized amount and blend it out and it is enough for my cheeks and my lips. A little goes a long way. I have other coral blushes but this one is not too orange. 

I applied this to my cheeks which has an average amount of staying power. Since it is a creamy formula, it is easily blended and give my cheeks a very natural look. As for my lips, I find it a bit drying on my lips and the lasting power is not as impressive as it is on my cheeks. 

Are you a fan of lip cheek tint? Or do you prefer powder formula?

My Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush Collection

There are beauty products which receive so much love in the blogging world. Some are worth the hype and some are not. I fell into the hype of the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush a couple of months ago. They are amazing and since the blush is infused with the popular ambient lighting powder, they give you the prettiest glow, not to mention they have great pigmentation.

From l to r: Radiant Magenta, Mood Exposure, Diffused Heat

My latest " acquisition" is the Mood Exposure. I was contemplating on getting this as I thought it would be too similar to my Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Exposed.

Hourglass Mood Exposure is more into a plum/brownish shade as Tarte Exposed is more on the pink side. As seen in the picture above, Tarte Exposed is closer to Radiant Magenta than Mood Exposure to my surprise. For more swatches and review, go here and here.

All three of the ambient lighting blushes are very pigmented. If you have fair skin, you will have to use a light hand to apply. I use my Sigma stippling brush to apply so it only pick up minimal product and deliver the prettiest pigmentation. 

If you are thinking of getting the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush, I strongly recommend you do a swatch in store. Some shades are quite similar on skin but look so different in pan. These blushes are quite pricey and I am done with splurging on these. Oh well, unless they are coming out with new shades :)

Ditching Sephora for the Bay Haul

Sephora is having its VIB Rouge Spring Social event on(15% off purchase in store or use ROUGETICKET at checkout online). I have been making up my wishlist all along, planning to take advantage of the sale. But with the recent duty charges newly imposed by Sephora (thanks to Writing Whimsy's post), even with my VIB Rouge free shipping, it is not as good as a deal anymore. 

I still placed a small online order with Sephora for a few items which are exclusive but I decided to place an order with the Bay. For those who live outside of Canada, the Bay is our department store. Last weekend, they had a great gift with purchase promo which sealed the deal for me.

Let's go back to my small haul first:

I ordered two products from Kiehl's: Midnight Recovery Concentrate and Eye Alert which is my current current night time routine. I have been trying to order from Kiehls/ca but Eye Alert was not in stock for the past 2 weeks.

I have been curious about this highly-raved Clinique blush for a while and I finally got it. I got the shade, Ginger Pop. The packaging of this blush is so cute and the texture of this is very interesting. It is very pigmented and it feels like a powder blush. But when it is swatched, it feels like it is a cream blush. I thought the shade would be a bit more plum than this but it looks more towards the coral side.

Ever since I saw this Diorshow Fusion Mono Matte in Celeste @ A Delicate Rosie Beauty, I can't stop thinking about it. I love cream eye shadow as a base and most of mine is shimmery. Celeste is a beautiful matte lavender shade. It is a beautiful mixture of pink and lavender and I am more into pink/rose gold eye makeup, this will be perfect. 

Now onto the next part of my haul is my gift with purchase. I am used to Sephora's tiniest one-time-use sample freebies and when I saw this on the Bay website, I was drooling at how much I am getting.

My goodies came in a big black and white chevron makeup bag.

These would be equivalent to 500 Sephora points redemption or even more. It is a 16 piece deluxe sample size of goodies. I got the Lancome's Genefique, Philosophy's Hope in a Jar, Estee Lauder's Night Repair Serum etc. 

Not to mention the shipping is fast. I ordered on Sunday night and I received my order on Wednesday(2 business days). I placed my order with Sephora the same time and it will probably arrive next week(7 business days). No duty charges and I am a happy camper. I am not saying I will ditch Sephora from now on but I will definitely buying more from other retailers on this side of the border. 

For all my Canadian online shoppers, what are your favorite places to shop for your beauty goodies?