J Crew Polka-Dot Scarf

I love polka dots and when I saw this polka dot scarf on the J. Crew website, I fell in love. I saw it in store in late summer and it was stunning. I did not know why I didn't get it in store that time. Guess it was just too warm outside and didn't feel like grabbing a scarf.

Saw the scarf a few times online and even on sale, I didn't bite. 

When the cooler weather hits, I started to look for this scarf and of course, it was sold out online.

Thanks to ebay, I finally got it.

J. Crew wool polka-dot scarf (here)

I love the pink dots on burgundy. Very soft but the fabric is thinner than I thought.

The scarf is going to be worn a lot this fall/winter. Most of my coats are dark colors and this would add some color to the boring blacks and grey.

The combination of pink dots on burgundy is so cute, which reminds me of the cashmere sweater that I tried on in store.

Collection cashmere polka dot sweater (buy here)

I thought I saw this on sale the other day or was I mistaken? Maybe another color.

Chanel Illusion D'Ombre in Emerveille

I rarely buy high end beauty product, knowing there has to be a drug store dupes.  But when I saw Chanel illusion d'ombre in Emervelle, I knew I would have to cave in.

Chanel Illusion D'Ombre (buy here)

Emerveille

A beautiful illuminating eyeshadow. The texture is very creamy. Just a bit shimmery. Comes with this little brush. You can either apply it as a cream shadow or as an eye liner.

For my other 2 brands of cream eye shadows, I apply just with my fingers. But with this, I would need a brush for more even application. 

The most amazing texture. Very cushiony. A bit like a mousse texture. 

Side by side: Maybelline Barely Beige (Fall 2012 limited edition) and Chanel Illusion D'Ombre in Emerveille

I am drawn to lighter cream eye shadows as I use them mostly as a base. With the Chanel Emerveille, I wear it as a base and apply Urban Decay Half Baked or Chopper(from Naked Palette 2). Then use Busted (also from the Naked Palette 2) for my outer corners and crease. Very pretty and wearable. Perfect for fall. 

This retails for $38 in Canada. I got mine at the Bay. 

Sephora Favorites In the Glow set

Went to Sephora to pick up a few things. One of them was the Sephora Favorite In the Glow Set.

In the Glow set (buy here) CDN $54

I am not sure if this is still available online. I checked the availability at the store I was planning to visit and took a while for the staff there to locate this set. It is not displayed in the store yet for some reason. Don't know if it is just that store or maybe they are saving for later dates closer to the holiday season.

This set contains:
- 0.13 oz Benefit High Beam
- 0.08 oz Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzing Powder
- 0.17 oz Tarte Natural Cheek Stain in Flush
- 0.07 oz Stila Convertible Color in Peony
- 0.11 oz Tarte Amazonian Clay 12 Hour Blush in Splendor
- 0.106 oz Lorac Perfectly Lit Oil-Free Luminizing Powder in Spotlight
- 0.02 oz bareMinerals All Over Face Color in Pure Radiance
- 0.14 oz Laura Mercier Shimmer Bloc in Golden Mosaic
- 0.08 oz Nars Bronzing Powder in Laguna

I am most excited about this set as there are a few blushes that I have wanted to try but not sure if I would like it enough to buy full-sized. Also, love to try the Nars bronzing powder in Laguna as this is one of the beauty products that I constantly hear about. I have swatched it many times in store before but not convinced that I need another bronzer. So getting this in the set is very exciting for me to finally own it. 

Lorac Perfectly Lit Oil-Free Luminating Powder in Spotlight

Laura Mercier Shimmer Bloc in Golden Mosiac

Swatches. Only one of them seems very shimmery to me, which I don't think I would use too much.

Tarte Amazonian Clay blush in Splender

I love Tarte Amazonian Clay blush and this one would be my third one. I have Exposed and Doll Face already. Splender seems to be another very wearable color. I think is very close to Exposed, maybe just a bit lighter. 

NARS Bronzing Powder in Laguna

I have been wearing this for the past week, almost every day. Totally understand why so many rave about it. 

Tarte Natural Cheek Stain in Flush

I am very excited to try this as my other cheek stain is Benetint. Very different color and looks a bit purple pinkish tone to it.

bareMinerals All over face color in Radiance

Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzing Powder

I have this in full-sized already and absolutely love it. Just the rich chocolate scent would impress you already. The matte finishing and the shade is perfect for me.

Stila Convertible Color in Peony

This can be used as a lipstick or cheek stain. I have been using this as a cheek stain for the past few days. Very pigmented and it has more of a coral touch to it. Guess the camera didn't pick the color up too well.

Overall, very happy with this set. Think it is a good value for all the products and great way to try different brands in smaller sized.

Another Lush Haul

Ever since I got my hands on my first Lush product, I knew that I would be buying a lot from then on. I was the type of person who do not splurge on bath products. I had been using Dove body wash for the longest time and was happy with it. Spending money on bath products is new to me.  But then if I could splurge on beauty and clothing items, why not on bath products to really pamper myself?

I was not a bath person, always a shower gal. I didn't get a lot of bath products on my first few orders as I did not know how often I would find time to take a bath at night. But let me tell you, when you come home from a stressful day and nothing beats it to have a long, relaxing hot bath with Lush products. That is something I really start to enjoy, especially with the cooler weather. 

I am out of the Lush fresh face masks and I know I will have to pay a visit to Lush. Just happened to be on the day of my visit to the first store at Markville mall, they are out of the masks I want to try. Instead, I got bath bombs. 

My first bath bomb - Fizzbanger 

My bathtub at home is not a huge one and I only used half of this and it is enough. Good that I watched some videos on youtube as to how to split the bath bomb in half. Using a screwdriver and a hammer makes it easy. If I hadn't watched the videos, I would probably have attempted to cut it with a sharp knife and with not much luck doing the job. 

Rose Jam Bubbleroon

I have used Yuzu and coco bubbleroon and that has been my favorite so far. It is a bubble bar and it is very easy to split in half and crumble under running water. Of the few bubble bars I have tried so far, the bubbleroon has been the most moisturizing. So I'm excited to try the rose jam bubbleroon. Love the rose scent.

2 of the Green bubbleroons

I have tried this before and the scent of this is very refreshing. The sales associate said to try the Grass shower gel if I love the Green bubbleroon. I sniffed it at the store and yes, it does smell exactly like grass and I am not sure if I like the scent in the shower gel. 

Yuzu & Coco bubbleroon

This is by far my favorite bubble bar. If you like citrus, orange, coconut scent, this one is calling for you. 

Aqua Mirablis butter

When I got this from my last online order, I wasn't too sure if I would like the scent as I read that not a lot of people are fans of the scent. I love the scent. Exactly as described, almond and cocoa. Very moisturizing as it is a body butter. But it got some texture in it so great for exfoliating and yet gentle enough for everyday use. I am getting another one for my shower in my Toronto home. Definitely have to get the body butter tin as it melt on contact with water.

Since the store at the Markville mall was out of Love Lettuce fresh face mask, I went to the other store at Upper Canada Mall the next day.

Butterball

This is one of the smaller bath bombs and I think I would just use the whole one in one bath. Smell so buttery and full of vanilla. 

Honey B bath bomb

I love combination of honey, lemon and orange. Excited to try this out.

The sales associate told me some bath bombs are easier to break in halves than others. So I made sure the ones I got are easy enough to break. I wanted to try the Sex Bomb as so many rave about it. Maybe next time. 

Lemony Flutter

A cuticle butter which smell absolutely amazing. I don't have particularly dry cuticles. But the winter is approaching and my hands are so dry. This one is very rich in texture but not greasy as Vaseline. Fast absorbing, which I like the most. 

I got a couple of samples of their hand cream: Handy Gurugu and Helping Hands. Both feel very rich when I tested in the store. I want to try them before I decide which one I like better. Also got a sample of Mask of Magnamity. The sales associate recommended this to me as I told her that I don't have a Lush store near me. As much as I love the fresh face mask, it would be hard for me to get at times. She recommended this as this has a much longer shelf life. Smell very minty and refreshing. 

Catastrophe Cosmetic & Love Lettuce

I used up my Catastrophe Cosmetic a couple of weeks ago and was so eager to come to town to get some more. My last one was ordered from UK website. I guess with the approaching winter months, I could place orders on the UK website. They have to be used up usually within 3 weeks. I got my last order within 4 or 5 business days so left me plenty of time to use up. I have asked a few sales associates if I could freeze the fresh face mask. I get different responses. Some say yes and some say with it frozen, some ingredients may be broken down and may not have the intended results. Have you freeze your Lush fresh face masks? Do you recommend it?

J. Crew Haul (part 2)

Cafe capri in silky dot in size 4 (buy here)

I am drawn to anything polka dots. When I saw this online, it seems interesting since it is silk. I was wondering if it would feel like wearing silky pj pants. I love cafe capri but not a big fan of the silk ones. As the fabric is so thin, it shows every lump and bump. Pass for me.

Tippi sweater in colorblock stripe in size 4 

(currently sold out online)

I love this tippi. The stripes are not overpowering. I can wear it with jeans or dress it up with a darker colored pants. This gorgeous sweater can be seen on 1 more Shopping Bag and Sequins & Stilettos.

Jaspe scoopneck popover in size S (buy here)

The fabric is very soft and I like how the sleeves can be rolled up for a more detailed look. Unless you want to layer it with a shirt underneath, I would definitely size down for this one.

Silk boy shirt in French hen (buy here)

When the French hen sweater comes out, you are either a fan of it or hate it. I cannot say that I hate it but thought it is too much for a "grown" woman to have a hen on the sweater. The younger crowd can pull it off and certainly not me. The French hen boy shirt is however much more subtle and cuter in my opinion. Much more wearable. This is a size 4 and I feel there is a lot of room on the shoulder and on the bust area. I would say this blouse fits big. So if you want a tighter fit, definitely size down.

Peter Pan collar sweater in size M(buy here)

Yes, I have decided I want this sweater. Same story with the French hen sweater, you either love it or hate it. I think the Peter Pan collar is quite cute and I tried this on during my last visit at the store. But at $102.50, I wasn't going to bite. But it is on sale in store now for $60 so taking this home with me for sure.

I have a coupon for "when you buy $150, you get 20% off total" with my previous online order. I believe the coupons were sent out with Canadian orders. I wasn't sure if I could use it in store. Checked with the sales associate and she said no problem, they would honor the coupon in store. So I got a lot more than I planned to but I am happy to get the 20% off, making this haul a much sweeter deal. 

J Crew Haul(part 1)

Yes, made it to the city and my first stop was at Yorkdale mall. There will be a new store opening up at Eaton Centre downtown this week and another store at Fairview Mall at the end of month. Yay, so excited. That means if I can't find one item at one store, I can always hop to another store. Also, the first factory store will be opened at Vaughan Mills some time this month too. My poor wallet!

I made my list before I went to the store which makes it so much easier to concentrate on the pieces I want the most. I find every time I go, I'm overwhelmed and always forget to try on pieces that I see on the website. 

Snowcap quilted jacket puffer in size S (buy here)

The puffer is slightly thicker than I thought. It comes also in red and black. But I like the olive color the best for fall as it goes well with pretty much all colors.

This is a size small and I thought maybe I can size up to a medium. I tried on the medium and the shoulder is just too big and the length of the sleeves are too long. I would probably just wear a thin sweater or a tippi underneath most the the time, so I think the small should be fine. I zipped it all up to make sure I can still breath.

Collection cashmere polka dot sweater (buy here)

I love the pink dots on the burgundy sweater. The cashmere is ever soft. I think it is much softer than the cashmere cardigan I got from last winter. They don't have the size small available so I tried on the medium instead. I just got the same pattern scarf on ebay. I believe it is currently sold out online. So I didn't bring this home as much as I would like to.

Stovepipe trouser in wool check in size 4 (buy here)

I just love check pants. They are so easy to wear and versatile. This one is particularly nice as it is fully-lined. I like everything about this pants except the price. For $188, I think the price is quite deep for a pair of wool pants. So I passed.

Cafe capri in wool (retro jade) in size 4 (buy here)

Don't think I would normally grab this color. But since I have my retro jade/navy stripe rugby top on, I grabbed that and surprisingly love the color. I don't have any pants of that color. Online it is still $104.99(Canadian website) but it is on sale for $49 in store. What a big price difference! Of course, I wouldn't pass on a great deal.

No. 2 pencil skirt in double serge wool in size 2 (buy here)

Since I was trying on the retro jade cafe capri, next I grabbed the retro jade No. 2 pencil skirt. They don't have my regular size 4 but I got the size 2 to try on and it fits. So I think you can easily size down for this skirt. I never own a wool pencil skirt before and read reviews that this year the fabric is much thinner. To me, it is ok. But if I have previous seasons to compare, I would probably prefer the thicker fabric. Pass for me.

I have other reviews too so stay tuned for part 2.