What did you get for Christmas?

If you're after the personification of "difficult to shop for", you'll probably see a vague image of me trying to escape the camera. As a result, I usually receive requested gifts within a certain budget, gift cards or "Here's some money, go buy yourself something pretty"

For the past few years, I've spent my Christmas break buying my own presents. This sounds a tad bit sad but to be honest, I don't like wasting people's money on something I'll never use. It's the most logical route, despite the lack of surprise during Christmas season.

The following is a little round up of all the things I've ~ gotten ~ during Christmas. I still have a Sephora gift card and a few other things I have my eye on (*cough* Zara *cough*) so I suppose I'll make it a 2 parter.

I do wish I could keep my dad's camera though as I am back to crappy Iphone quality.

1) Lavender Soap Bar

This is a box of small Lavender French soaps. Smells absolutely amazing, comes in a lovely box and has some beautiful embossed engravings. Far too pretty to use but I can stare at it periodically.

2) Benefit Beauty Bag

I've been eying this for a while but didn't want to buy it. I have amassed Christmas moneyz so I bought it a few days. It's a good sized make-up bag that has the Benefit retro feel. It also comes with this pretty little mirror charm that's an actual mirror on the other side. Granted, it's far too small to be of any reflective use but I appreciate the Cute.

3) H&M Sweater in Blue and Beige

I got this blue sweater from H&M in both navy blue and beige. I didn't show the beige because the color comes off horribly on the iPhone. This sweater isn't meant to be worn with all the buttons done up. I think you're supposed to wear a tank underwear and just fling this on top with the top button done. I bought both in a small and they were quite loose on me when I attempted to wear it as a sweater. It looks fine when there's only one button done so there we go!

4) Zara bright red wool hat

My search for the red hat has finally concluded! I found this at Zara on Queen street for $15, down from $30. It's quite warm and god knows I love the red pom pom.

5) Vieta bag

Found this at Winner's! $75 originally, bought it for $25. I really like it. It's very roomy and has a lot of pockets so you can keep knick knacks organized. It's also extremely sturdy (I should know, I've been abusing it lately) and I love the chocolatey color scheme.

6) Mini Sephora / Mac haul

Nothing too surprising here. I got a Mac Creme Sheen in Double Dare (talked about it in my favorite products post), a set of Harajuku girls Tweezerman Tweezers and Stila's eye shadow in their famous Kitten shade (very. very. sparkly)

7) Lush Dream Cream and It's Raining Men

Once again, nothing too surprising. My second bottle of Dream Cream and It's Raining Men shower gel. Both smell amazing and are extremely moisturizing. The only downside is that I always want caramels after.

8) Clean body lotion in Shower Fresh

Quick backstory, I am obsessed with Clean's Shower Fresh fragrance. Found these at the Winners (also on Queen street) for $6 each, down from $27.

Win, bought two.

9) Mini Shopper's Sale Haul

Nothing too glamorous here. These three of my skin care / makeup staples. Cetaphil Gentle skin cleanser was on sale for only $8, the Neostrata Daytime Smoothing Lotion Level 1 was 30% off (IN YOUR FACE, FORTINOS. Your $40 WAS RIDICULOUS) and the Almay was only $10 (down from the usual $15 - $18).

10) L'Occitane Hand cream

I think this is considered quite ~ legendary ~ in cosmetic terms. Incredibly moisturizing, well packaged, great size for a handbag. The only downside is that I hate the smell. However, I'll bite the bullet for a hand cream that absorbs fast and doesn't leave a sticky residue.

Impromptu Toronto shopping trip

So I got bored on Sunday and decided to go on a quick shopping trip in downtown Toronto. Minus the horrendous traffic (I will never stop harping on this because cars should be flying by now) on the way back, it was terrifically fun and the weather didn't attempt to drown me.

I spent two hours running around the Eaton's center consulting a carefully written shopping list and praying that I wouldn't buy something completely over my budget. If you do read my blog, I did mention some of these things on my weekend surveys (here and here) so I'm quite happy to acquire them!

Sephora

1. Tokidoki Siberia Blush Brush

I've wanted this for a while now because the reviews have been so good (it's also adorable to boot, not sure if you've noticed :p) and I've been looking for an angled blush brush for ages. I was using a Mac #168 for powder blushes but to be honest, Mac brush hairs often irritate my skin so I don't use them as much anymore.

This was sold out at every Sephora I went to and they stock it so infrequently that I was ecstatic when I saw it on the shelf. I did keep it to myself because jumping up and down with Anime tears cavorting down my cheeks didn't seem quite feasible.

I also love the fact that the edge of the brush is tinted pink, it really satisfies my girl senses! ^_^

2. Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge in Powder Pink

I saw this in Lisa Eldridge's "No make-up make-up" tutorial a while back and thought it was the prettiest, natural cheek color. It reminds me of my Mac Blushcreme in Ladyblush but the texture is softer and more blendable. The finish is a bit more matte while Ladyblush veers on the "glowier" side. I think I'll test it out in school lighting next week.

Oh excitement abound.

Also, I love the packaging. Elegant but durable!

Lush

3. Full of Grace Serum

Lush always has some interesting products (I still think their toothy tabs are a bit of a miss). Their serum Full of Grace is actually in "soap" form. To use it, you just have to pour a few drops of hot water over the surface and swipe it over your fingers. I did have one of these last year but it melted over time because I didn't keep it in a container.

I learned from my mistake so I bought a Lush can (it was $2.50) for the serum. I haven't used it yet but I did remember that it was very soothing and extremely moisturizing. I'm really preparing myself for the winter months ahead!

The Bay

4. Origins Mega Mushroom Kit

This was quite expensive but I got an amazing deal on it so I've been left alone by the Budget Fairy for the time being. I originally used the Mega Mushroom face mask but I ran out on Saturday so I went to The Bay to get the full sized tube. However, they had this fantastic deal on the entire kit (which I've always wanted to try but was always too poor to) which included a good sized tube of the face mask.

So the kit includes: The Mega Mushroom advanced face serum, the Mega Mushroom soothing face cream, the Mega Mushroom face mask and the Mega Mushroom face cleanser.

So far I'm really liking it (minus the serum) but I like to do a full month or two before I fully admit to liking a skincare product so I'll definitely do a review if I'm still using it in a month! :)

I also went to Aerie (my future grown-up room shall look like Aerie) but I'm sure no one needs to see the contents of my underwear selection. :p

Online shopping: Luxe Box / Glymm Box Packages

I'm secretly procrastinating from studying. Can you tell?

Remember my online shopping post from September where I talked about my Luxe Box and Glymm box subscriptions? Well, I got my October subscription boxes on Monday so I took some pictures to show what I got from each package :)

I have to say, it was very nice getting presents in the mail, even if you did pay for it yourself. I'm undergoing Hell Week 1.0 (2.0 is in approximately 2.5 weeks) and unraveling these boxes gave me a nice endorphin shot.

Luxe Box October 2011: $11/month

Moroccan Oil

Calvin Klein Euphoria perfume sample

Calvin Klein Euphoria body cream

Olay ProX eye cream

Pur Minerals Primer

Lise Watier Flash Lift cream.

Pros: Over all, I loved the Luxebox. The packaging was beautiful, they had everything wrapped beautifully and they placed black stickers printed with your name on the tissue paper. I think the general quality of what I received from the Luxe Box was higher than what I received in the Glymm box. It also has a higher ratio of things I use. I actually have the full sized version of Moroccan Oil so I love that I have a smaller bottle to take with me when I go home. I've never used a primer in my life so I'm not sure when I'll use the Pur Minerale primer. However, I do want to trial it out on my nose since I get shiny there sometimes.

I'm also using the eye cream (which is really good!) and will be trying out the Lise Watier flash cream tomorrow!

Cons: I've always loathed Calvin Klein's Euphoria. I'm not into heavy, woodsy scents that exude ~ sensuality ~. If anyone wants this, please let me know.

Overall: Love this whole package. Excellent brands, large samples (the Morroccan oil isn't even a sample. It's the smaller version that is retails for around $17 in hair salons) and I'll be continuing my subscription indefinitely! ^_^ I know I didn't like the CK sample but their brand affiliation is promising.

Glymm Box October 2011: $10/month

Lise Watier moisturizing lip stick in Rouge Flamingo

Principessa Lipbalm

Vasanti eye shadow

Caudalie Premiere Moisturizer

Glymm box trick or treat jelly beans (-_-)

Pros: The Caudalie sample was nice, since a full bottle retails for $150. I've been getting dry patches lately and it's quite good for targeting those areas. However, it really is no better than my Neostrata smoothing cream. I've been using it because it's handy and while I am happy that I get to sample an overpriced moisturizer made from grapes from France (I'm being mean here, I've just never tried anything Caudalie), it really doesn't make a huge difference.

Ah, now I sound like a downer and this is a Pro section.

What I mean is that getting a sample from Caudalie is impressive but I feel like they could have saved that money and gave their users better things. However, most of their things were actually full sized! That was nice to see.

Cons: Full sized or not, the quality of what I received was far lower than what Luxe Box provided and has less of things that I actually use (although it isn't their fault). The Principessa lip balm smelled and tasted horrible and the Lise Watier lip stick was the weird glittery product that I'm sure proved to be unpopular amongst consumers. Overall, I got the general feeling that even though they provided full size packages, they were stuff leftover because nobody wanted them.

Also, The glymm box treats were cute and everything but really? -_- (face of disapproval, fyi)

Overall: There have been some past Glymm Boxes on youtube that had excellent products. Perhaps they're having an off month. I think I'll keep my subscription for next month just to see if they improve. If they don't, I'll unsubscribe for December. :)

Requests

If any of my friends/classmates (same thing in my small faculty, really) would like of the following items, please let me know :)

These are:

Calvin Klein Euphoria perfume sample

Calvin Klein Euphoria body cream

Lise Watier moisturizing lip stick in Rouge Flamingo

Vasanti Eyeshadow in Tokyo (pinky brown with gold sparkles)

I've swatched the lip stick and the eye shadow once but that's about it. I promise I won't be passing on any contagion like diseases.

Online shopping Package #1: Kate Somerville

One of my all-time favorite products is Mario Badescu's Drying Lotion. I've used it for years and years and I'm a loyal addict. I use this product like the dermalogical equivalent of Buckley's. It comes in a little glass bottle and has salicylic acid floating on the top and calamine lotion at the very bottom.

I don't generally get very many blemishes (oh god, knock on wood) but I do sprout some blotchy patches or small bumps when I'm stressed out. Badescu's drying lotion is great for clearing redness but I always find that it can be too drying. I read some reviews online and Kate Somerville's EradiKate (the name is adorbs) was said to yield better results without drying out your skin.

It arrived last week and I've attached a picture below. I took a few shots with my iphone but the quality was terrible so I pulled this one up online.

My consensus is that I like this a lot, which is a shame because it was very very expensive and came with a Cost of Delivery that was almost as much as the product. Next time I purchase this, it'll have to be off Amazon or a location that is much more local.

It does work very similarly to Badescu's Drying Lotion but I feel like it just works much faster. I was quite exhausted by the end of yesterday and had a few dry pink patches. I slathered this across the right side of my face and it was completely clear and smooth by this morning.

The downside is that I don't know if this would work on actual pimples. If you have sensitive skin and suffer from pink splotches or uneven skin tone, I would highly recommend trying it! If anything horrific does happen, I will definitely update :)

Shopper's Drug Mart, you are my overlord

I love Shopper's Drug Mart. I've probably spent half my school life squandering away at Shoppers, playing with testers, bartering with myself ("If you don't buy this, I will give you hot chocolate later") and checking out any sales that will entice my Asian Senses.

This week, they had a sale on two of my favorite brands: Bioderma (25%) and Neostrata (20%).

I loitered around playing with testers before picking up my usual suspects and going on my merry way.

Purchased:

Bioderma Crealine cleanser

I always talk about this because it's amazing and I love it to death. I'm running out of my current bottle. I may Ebay it next time to get the fabled (I believe it to be a myth) 500ml from Europe.

The last sentence sounds very pretentious and I swear I didn't do it on purpose.

Neostrata Smoothing Cream Level 1

My old one went bad (the cream became very thin like skim milk) so I had to pick up a new one. This one is much better, the acid is well balanced and the texture is wonderfully fluffy.

IT'S SO FLUFFY

La Roche Posay Physiological Shampoo

While my Asian hair does not need much taking care of, I am very picky with shampoos. Most shampoos smell too strong for my liking and I hate that heavy shampoo smell (I'm looking at you, Dove) that lingers after. I also run into the issue that any trace of shampoo residue can sometimes irritate the skin on my neck.

La Rochey Posay makes really nice skincare products so they're not known for their haircair. However, their shampoo really is excellent. It comes in a huge tube (should last for ages) and it cleanses your hair without making it feel greasy or stripped. It's extremely easy to wash off and the smell is extremely light and clean.

Win!

The good, bad and the undecided

The Good

Etival Oil-Free Care cream

Secret: I hate moisturizers with a passion. Up until a year and a half ago, my skin just never got dry. I used to run every day in sub zero weather in eskimo wear and it just never got dry. When people complained about getting flakey skin during winter, I viewed it as the dermalogical equivalent of Big Foot.

It just did not exist.

Thanks to hormone changes, I am now subjected to combination skin and must moisturize/exfoliate like a crazy mofo or my cheeks will get dry and my blush will look funny. I've spent a good portion of the past year trying to find a good moisturizer.

Trust me, when you've never needed to moisturize for most of your life, the frantic search for a good moisturizer is comparative to finding the shiniest needle in the haystack. Not only is it difficult but it's also subjective.

Biotherm smelled like rotton fruit, Lancome smelled like rancid flowers, Clarins felt like I was putting lard on my face. I could go on.

BUT Etival Oil-Free care cream is extremely light. It smells fresh and lovely, shrinks my pores and gives me a nice glow in the morning. I've used half the jar over the past month and a half so I think I'm pretty safe in giving it a solid A +.

The Bad

Etival Clarifying Cleanser

DEVIL PRODUCT BE GONE. I don't know why I bought this cleanser, to be honest. I've used Cetaphil's gentle skin cleanser since I was 12. I think a part of me (*playing a tiny violin here*) always wanted a three step system but never found the right one. The aesthetic lover in me always wanted to place a three step system on a beveled glass plate, like some kind of a decorative routine.

I used this about 5 - 10 times and every time, I'm left with dry and splotchy skin. I tried very hard to like it so I attempted to use it again two weeks ago. It got worse and gave me little pink patches on my face. Luckily, I have Wolverine skin so they all went down in an hour but I'm basically never touching this again.

Bright side: It does smell gorgeous.

The Undecided

Revlon's colorburst in Papaya and Etival Clarifying Toner

Revlon's Colorburst in Papaya

I don't like talking about my general dislike of drugstore cosmetics because I always come off as snotty and high maintenance. I do have a few products I use occasionally but it comes from years of trial and error. I do believe drugstore eye products (Shadows/mascaras/eyeliners) are a great alternative to Mac or Sephora brands but when it comes to lip and cheek products, I haven't liked anything in years. The reason I tend to veer off drugstore is because I find that their colors aren't very good or they fade very fast and have flimsy packaging. The amount of money I've spent breaking drugstore products could have bought me something solid that I can use daily for at least half a year.

Revlon Colorburst in Papaya is a nice coral pink and reminds me of Nar's Love Devotion. Unfortunately, it lasts about 5 minutes on your lips and you have to constantly reapply throughout the day. While I don't really mind reapplying, the formula also has larger sparkle chunks so after 5 reapplications, your mouth looks like an orange glitter ball.

The one good thing about this is that it adds a really nice kick to an existing lip product and it is a really pretty color. Undecided, will keep in my stash to use sporadically.

Etival Clarifying Toner

I don't usually use toners because 97% of my skin doesn't need it. However, my chin can be a scary place if I don't take care of it so I've been using this toner on my chin only. I'm undecided on this product mainly because it turns your skin (or in this case, my chin) very pink for a good 10 minutes BUT on the other hand, it is very good for preventing breakouts and calming any pink spots. So it's like "Oh god, I look horrific" vs "Oh, look it's morning and the pink is gone"

I would put this on the further side of undecided, more towards the Good.

One thing I'm always going to say: Etival clarifying products smells amazing. If they made a perfume, I would buy it.

Online shopping mini bonanza

So I got my credit card today. Quick back story, I used to have a credit card with a ridiculous limit but my bouts of insane shopping (holy trifecta of Zara/H&M/Sephora) forced my dad to cancel it.

However, after reviewing my bank account, my parents and TD bank have decided that I am much better with money now and can reapply for a new credit card with a $500 limit.

I got it today so of course I hit a pre-made list of things I wanted online but couldn't order. I went through it today and decided on which ones to get.

1. Glymm box - $11/month subscription

Loose box - $12/month subscription

Have you guys heard of Birchbox? For $10 a month, you get deluxe samples of high-end products to try out and from what I've been seeing on youtube, these samples are the travel sizes that Sephora carries. However, they do not ship to Canada (WHY CAN'T WE EVER HAVE NICE THINGS) but I found two replicas (see above!) with very good reviews.

I know I should have chosen just one of them but I went through the brands affiliated with these sites and I think Glymm box has better cosmetic connections while Loose Box carries more skin products. My two favorite things combined! Ah, it's like an ultra sweet venn diagram.

Since I'm a hoarder of things I barely use, I think this is a more economical way for me to discover more things that I like before I invest in a full sized version :)

Once I get my delivery, I'll do pictures and reviews of the things that were sent to me. There are a lot of youtube video dedicated to Birchboxes posts but their Canadian replicants are less popular so this could be a fun little project in the long run. I'm also on a monthly subscription so I can cancel at any time if the first month doesn't go well!

2. Real technique brushes

I usually use Mac brushes (if I use brushes at all) but lately, they've been shedding all over my face and irritating my skin (I haven't touched them in ages) so I've been looking for a new set of brushes to try.

Stila is lovely and I have three of their brushes but quite frankly, collecting their entire set would kill my bank account (one brush retails for an upwards of $50). I've heard very good things about Real Techniques Brushes so I went on a british site and ordered these today.

From left to right ( Blush brush, stippling brush, angled foundation brush)

If you know me well, you would know that I'm obsessed with blush (what's not to love?) so of course I had to order the tapered brush for powders and the stippling brush for creams. The stippling brush can also help out with any light foundation / tinted moisturizer I feel like wearing and the foundation brush quenched my eternal search for an angled brush.

I'm excited for my online arrivals. It's like giving yourself a present!

Back to school mini-haul

After being relatively obedient to my budget all summer (To be honest, I was too tired most of the time to shop), I went on a mini-haul in Toronto before school started. I also had lunch with my old co-workers so it was great seeing their faces again. I missed their sharp wit.

My budget was $200 and I stayed under it by about $40 so WHERE BE MY REWARD COOKIES? I also need to return a dress (made me way too pale) and exchange the red one for a different size but overall, a fun and successful shopping trip.

The only downside was when it rained and I had to cover my hair with a bag from The Bay while running for the TTC. It smelled like wet puppies in there.

Skincare

1) Mario Badescu Drying Lotion: great for any blotchiness. This is my 12th bottle since I started using it 5 years ago. I'm going to need to pay shipping for this during the school year but I may stock up on it at Jacob & Sebastian during an October haul. On the bright side, Badescu ships from NYC so their packages usually gets to Hamilton within a few days.

2) Origins Out of Trouble Mask: Epic mask is flawless in every way possible, tears and possible trauma if I run out of it one day without a backup tube. Sadly, only The Bay (s) downtown carries Origins and Origins.com charges a small country for shipping. This is my 3rd tube in two years. It's great for keeping your pores clean if you use it about twice a week. When I feel stressed or cloggy, I use it everyday for 5 minutes and listen to Enya music while lying in bed.

Lol no.

Makeup

1) Mac Blushcremes in Posey (a rosy red), So Sweet So Easy (Lily Pulitzer pink) and Something Special (a very light peachy pink).

These blushes retail for $26 but Lipstick Nation was kind enough to let me use her Mac Pro card so it came to less than $45 for the 3 at the end. Unless I want to venture into powder blushes (I do like creams more because they give a pretty sheen), I think I should be good for the school year.

They had two more that I was eyeing (Brit Wit and Tea Petal) but the colors were more browny and resembled Mac's Lillicent, which I bought a few months ago before it was discontinued. I do prefer my pinks and reds.

2) Lancome Teinte Miracle in Buff 7 (W). I loved this when I bought it a few months back. Unfortunately, the Shoppers cosmetic ladies were terrible at color matching me. I went back 3 times because the color wasn't right. One of them thought I was the palest shade, the other one gave me one that made me look like Asian Malibu barbie. In the end, I gave up and just returned the whole thing. Quite sad, since I really did like it.

Luckily, Sephora had the perfect shade. Buff 7 (w) melts nicely into my skin and gives me a very glowy no make-up look. It's extremely light coverage, which is right up my alley. I experimented and found that if you use any more than a small dot, it gets oily so a spare dot is more than enough.

Clothing and Accessories

1) Coach Bookshelf keychain

Every year, before I go back to school I buy a little Coach keychain. I've been doing it since 2009 (a little white cupcake) and 2010 (a chocolate dipped strawberry), it's just a little self-imposed tradition. I feel like they're good luck charms because my years do get progressively better.

2) H&M red Jersey dress

This was only $19.99, it's a very simple cut and the red skirt flares out a bit.The color is quite bright but it looks quite nice against my skin tone. I do like the cut and its lack of embellishments. The only problem is that the medium is actually too big (it's stretchy) so I'm going to have to exchange it at the Erin Mills H&M tomorrow. It's loose around my waist and using it a belt makes it look too formal.

Overall, I had a very fun shopping trip! The only downside was that the place I bought Dim Sum from gave me raw Shu mai. My mom gave me antibacterial pills at home, which calmed my digestive system down. If anyone is heading towards Eaton, their new food court looks absolutely amazing now!