November Favorites

Can't we all agree that we go through phases of makeup? I have been loving the no foundation natural look for the past few months and still am. Most of the days, I find myself wearing minimal makeup. Just eyeliner, mascara and nude lips.

Tarte Pin Up Girl Amazonian Clay 12 Hour Blush Palette

I picked this up from Sephora Friends and Family sale back in Oct. The shade I love most is Whimsy, which is the lightest pink in the middle of the palette. I have other Amazonian clay blushes but forgot how much I love them. Pigmented and staying power is so amazing. Rarely do I find blush still last on my cheeks at the end of the day and these definitely last all day.

Bite Mix N Mingle Lip Mini in Date, Rimmel Exaggerate Full Color Lip Liner in Eastend Snob

My favorite lip combo for this month. Really enjoying the Rimmel lip liner. Eastend Snob is a very pretty nude your lips but butter type of shade. With a slanted tip, it is easy to line my lips. Top it up with  the Bite lip mini in date, it gives the prettiest nude lip.

Marc Jacobs Highliner Gel Eye Crayon in Sunset

Got this from the 7-piece Marc Jacobs highliner skyliner set during the Sephora VIB sale. The shade I use the most is Sunset which is bronze with slight shimmer. I like to line my waterline which gives the natural look. It is so smooth in application and stays on, even on waterline which is so impressive.

Laneige Water Sleeping Pak

Colder weather is here and skin needs extra pampering and moisture. Laneige Water Sleeping Pak has been used very often this month, usually once or twice a week to keep my skin moisturized. 

Last favorite of this month is not a makeup item. Not exactly sure what this type of earrings are called. Some call these double-studded earrings, ear jackets or two-way earrings. I got this from an ebay seller from Korea which this style of earrings is very popular. I picked this rose gold color with crystals.

This is how it is worn. I rarely wear dangling earrings and often find it boring to wear studs. This type is just perfect for me. Simple style with a twist.

What have you been loving this month? 

Sephora Black Friday Deals

Sephora got me once again. After so many purchases during their Friends and Family and VIB sales, I got a few things from their Black Friday sale. Hopefully my order will be here soon!

Did you go Black Friday shopping? What goodies did you get?

Sephora Black Friday Deals by shoppingobsession featuring a foaming facial cleanser

Ole Henriksen foaming facial cleanser
sephora.com

Bare Escentuals beauty product
sephora.com

Tarte beauty product
sephora.com

Lip shine
sephora.com

NEST Rollerball Trio
sephora.com

Last Sephora VIB Sale Haul

Sephora had its VIB sale a couple of weeks ago and I did my fair share of shopping and took advantage of the sale. I went to my first VIB Rouge Event and it was a lot of fun. But I have a few things I couldn't find in store so I made several online orders after that. I finally got all my orders and I am happy as I heard there was a bit of a chaos with their sale(website crashed on the first day, people's accounts being deactivated, products went out of stock after orders were placed, delay of shipping etc).

L'occitane Voyage En Provence Set

Anastasia Brow Wiz

Nars Audacious Lipstick

Perricone MD No Foundation Foundation Serum

Make Up For Ever Birthday Gift

I love Perricone MD No Foundation Foundation Serum and it is my new holy grail foundation. This is not sold in stores in Canada(just the skin care line) and this foundation is quite pricey so I grabbed one as a backup with the sale.

This Anastasia Brow Wiz is probably one of the most popular and raved products in the youtube and blogging world. I caved in and got this in ebony.

Let me tell you this, this brow wiz is worth every single penny and all the hype. It gives the most natural finish and with short feathery strokes, it really fills my brows nicely and the stiff spooly brush helps shapes and combs my brows.

 Nars Audacious lipstick in Anna

I swatched this lipstick a few times in store and was on the fence about it. Yes, it is so pigmented and creamy. But I don't want to dish out $37 for another lipstick. I was on the last day of sale and I wanted it all of a sudden and of course this shade was sold out. Miraculously, their sale extended for one more day and this shade, Anna, was back in stock and I HAD to get it. Just the cute packaging(square tube with magnetic closure) is worth the hype already. This has got to be the most moisturizing pigmented lipstick I own. Anna is a pretty smoky rose shade. Love it and so glad I got it.

The L'occitane set is going to be gift and I think it is an awesome set for the price.

Last but not least is my birthday gift from Make Up For Ever which consists of a lipstick and a mascara.

I have certainly splurged on makeup over the past month and a half at Sephora. With their Friends and Family Sale in mid Oct, I started hauling and now I am happy that there is no more temptations for me(oh well, Black Friday sale is only a few days away!). Glad all my orders are ok and even though they took more than 2 weeks to arrive, I saved quite a bit with the sale. 

Did you go crazy at the Sephora VIB sale?

Sweater Season Begins at J. Crew

Cooler weather is here and where else to shop other than J. Crew?

Oversize sweatshirt in exploded floral size S

This is slightly oversized and boxy. I still picked my regular size s and it fits right. I like sweatshirts oversized as I like to layer it with a collared shirt sometimes for dressier looks.

Lambswool zip sweater in colorblock in size S

This is currently on sale online. I love colorblock sweaters. But this one does not feel too soft to the touch.

Pierced Pinstripe sweatshirt in size S

Really like the pattern on this sweatshirt and the fit of this. I like J. Crew sweatshirts as they are not your typical casual sweatshirt. Most days, I find myself wearing more sweatshirts with a shirt underneath than sweaters unless it is really cold. 

Blurred ikat top

I was drawn to this ikat top. But when I took it to the fitting room, I realized it has a half-zipper at the back. I don't like back zipper for tops or for bottoms. My hair always gets stuck at the zipper. And for bottom, it is just pure inconvenient. This is in size S and the fit is ok. But when I tried to take it off, I had a hard time. I guess the cut is more slimming for the back and for the arms. Pass on this one. More sweater options here.

Where is your favorite place to shop for sweaters/sweatshirts?

Bath & Body Works Candles Haul

My Bath and Body Works online order finally arrived after almost 2 weeks. I usually get my items from the store but I was almost out of candles which I was desperate enough to place an online order. Usually the order arrives fairly quickly(within 2 business days). But since they changed their carrier and  ship by Global Landmark(which they ship in the States to the border and then change to Canada Post after they cross the border). Anyway, enough whining about the shipping time and rate. Let's get to what candles I got.

This is a mixture of summer, fall and holiday season scents:

Nectarine Green Tea

I got this from their summer collection and really enjoyed it. It is a mixture of white nectarines and green tea. I am a big fan of tea scents mixed with fruits. As this one was in their clearance section, I needed another one as I know the scent is suitable for all year around.

Twisted Peppermint

This is another repeat purchase as I love it so much from last nite. Peppermint scented candles have got to be my favorite Christmas holiday scents. Reminds me of Starbucks Peppermint Mocha.

Pumpkin Pecan Waffles

This is from their fall collection. I am not a big fan of pumpkin. Pumpkin latte and desserts are not my favorite. But when it is mixed with yummy bakery scents, I love. 

Warm Caramel Cider

If you like apple-scented candles, this one is definitely for you. I love apple scents for the fall and this one is perfect.

Banana Nutmeg Bread Pudding

This one is my favorite out of the whole bunch. In a way, it is quite similar to Pumpkin Pecan Waffles. Sometimes when you buy bakery-scented candles and they do not smell like you are baking delicious desserts. This one is just the perfect combination. It really resembles scent of banana bread baking in the oven.

Sephora VIB Sale Haul

I attended my first ever Sephora VIB Rouge event last nite. Sephora has its VIB sale starting Nov 6 and as Rouge members, we were invited to VIB Rouge Holiday Shopping Event the day before and enjoy 20% off everything.

I went to the one hosted at Fairview Mall in Toronto. We lined up outside the store before the event started at 7pm. We get checked in by the staff(we could bring one guest with us).

We were greeted by Hello Kitty at the store entrance when the event started.

Once we got inside, there were mocktails, Godiva truffles and bottled water. We were handed their holiday tote bag and a pamphlet of which brand representatives are going to be present.

The store was super crowded and I managed to stick to my shopping list which I am very proud of. I did not stay there the entire time so I wouldn't know if more samples were handed out later on. 

I was super excited to grab this Marc Jacobs Highliner Gel Eye Crayon set. There were not a lot in stock and none on display at the Marc Jacobs counter and I was told by one of the sales associate that it was sold out. I was so disappointed but then I walked through the whole store browsing the gift set display and found some and quickly grabbed one. 

The packaging is so cute. I have swatched them before and was totally blown off by how pigmented, creamy these liners are. I felt this is an amazing set as all the colors are very wearable.

Bite Beauty Best Bite Remix

Bite Beauty Min N Mingle Lip Mini in Fig/Date

I also picked up another Dior Creme de Rose lip balm. I still have a few other things that I want but they were not available in store. I want to get a backup of Perricone MD No Foundation Foundation Serum. I just started using it and I love it so much. I went to a couple of stores and they only carry the brand skin care line in stores. Went online last nite to order one and noticed their website crashed a few times due to high traffic.

Samples received

Shashi bracelet

Also redeemed 500 perks on this Urban Decay eyeshadow quad and glide on pencil.

Overall, I am quite happy with my first VIB Rouge event. Just wish it was not as crowded so I could take my time to shop and speak to brand rep. 

Do you have a big shopping list with Sephora VIB sale?

*like hauls? see my post on Sephora F&F sale haul*

October Favorites

I tend to stick with my favorites for a while before I switch things up. But I have some new products I tried and also a few old favorites this month.

Urban Decay Pulp Fiction Palette

I am very happy with this palette. I was contemplating on getting the UD's Naked Basics 2 but glad I picked this one up instead as the shades are much warmer and suit my skin tone better. It is still available in their sale section for CAD $19. Such an amazing deal and I have always loved UD's eye shadows.

Benefit Hoola Bronzer

I totally get the hype of this bronzer now. I got this from the Bronze 'N" Dandy set. The shade is just perfect. Not orange and not too dark for fall.

Laura Mercier Caviar Sticks in Amethyst & Moonlight

These are truly amazing eye crayons. I never thought I would fall for shimmery eye crayons. They are so creamy and pigmented. I have never tried any eye crayons which are so easy to blend. The two shades I use the most are Amethyst and Moonlight. Moonlight is a champagne gold shade which I use for the middle of my lids to brighten up any eye look. Amethyst is a chocolate brown shade which I use for my outer crease. I got these together with 2 more shades in a set which I am afraid has been sold out at Sephora online for the past week or two. They are having their VIB sale this week so maybe they  have restocked this if you are interested.

Urban Decay Naked Ultra Nourishing Lipgloss in Rule 34

Nice to re-discover this brownish nude pink lip gloss from my stash. I like apply this on top of some of my nude lipsticks. 

Bite Luminous Creme Lipstick Duo(Lychee/Musk)

I am so into Bite lipsticks and this duo is my go-to these days. Perfect nudes and if I want a bit of color, I apply the UD Rule 34 lip gloss. 

Shiseido Lacquer Rouge in RD529

I got this lip product from the GWP Shiseido set from the Bay a while back. As cooler weather is here, I like to switch things up a bit with darker lips sometimes. Berry is the color I like and this lip product is such a pretty shade. This is a liquid lipstick and just one coat is pigmented and thick enough. 

Have you tried any of these products? 

Sephora Weekender

I have been looking for a makeup bag which could hold my stuff securely. I usually have a couple of bags which make it take up so much room in my bag.

I got the Weekender from Sephora a couple of months ago. It is quite roomy and I like the most about it is it has enough compartments to separate my products for easy access.

Sephora Weekender is from their makeup bag collection. It is in black and in quilted faux leather. It is zippered all around.

There are 3 compartments to hold toiletries, jewelry and makeup. Also there is a makeup brush section with a flap to keep the brushes separate from other compartments so the makeup residue will not be transferred to other items. There is a hook which I find a must-have for makeup bag. 

The toiletries compartment is very roomy. The brush section is limited but I don't usually bring a whole lot of brushes so that is fine.

With the elastic brush holders, my brushes are secured.

As you can see, there is still so much more products I can put in. This is only 1/3 full. 

If you are looking for a good quality roomy makeup bag, I highly recommend this. It is CAD $48 which is not cheap. But I have bought so many cheaper makeup bags before but they are not of good quality and only last a while before the zipper is broken or fabric torn apart.