A Dupe for the Stuart Weitzman '5050' Over the Knee Boots

While the holiday shopping is doing it's crazy hustle and bustle I thought I should share quickly my adventures on sorting out the Stuart Weitzman '5050' boots. Now these boots have been flashing about amongst celebraties and fashion bloggers alike. And with media pressure like that, I decided I want to spend $598 on a pair of boots too! Though I can't justify the price tag, I was convinced that this is the price you need to pay for the perfect staple boots.

So what happened? I sorted these beauties out during the Bloomingdale's Friends and Family sale.

Stuart Weitzman '5050' boots (image from StuartWeitzman.com)

Reveal: Le Metier De Beaute Beauty Vault VIP Oct & Nov Box

The Le Metier De Beaute Beauty Vault VIP boxes continue to amaze me! The last 2 months' boxes was over my expectations. Here's a recap of the last few month's boxes.

Le Metier De Beaute Peau Verge Dark Spot Corrector

Beauty Haul - Sephora, Bobbi Brown, Ulta October 2013

October! So many sales!!! I have been holding back (somewhat) the whole year, but this month, everything is pretty much out the door.

Sephora had a true Friends and Family sale where coupon codes were only offered to those who recieved a code from a sales associate. Very happy that one of Youtube guru, Hollyannaeree's subscribers were offering her other subbies with unique codes and I was one of the lucky ones. =)

I realized I had to take advantage of it way before the normal VIB sale starts because my wishlist items will just be flying out of my shopping cart! (Not that I didn't spend a fortune during this weekend's VIB sale. Haul to come when those purchases finally come in!).

Sephora Friends & Family Sale Oct 2013

Monthly Empties: Aug & Sep 2013

My long awaited monthly empties! There's so many products to show for Aug and Sep, ironically, there's probably only 2 items for Oct that I see so far. I guess I used up things quick for the summer time.

Aug 2013 Empties

Travel Series: Skincare Essentials for a Carryon Luggage

Hello everyone, I want to share a series of posts revolving around my recent travels to Disney World, mostly around what I packed with me. The first post will of course be all about my beauty essentials. Since we're only staying in Florida for 6 days in its hot summer weather, the BF and I just packed a carry on each. With all the TSA regulations on how much liquids we can bring with us, I thought it'll be nice to share what I have in my carryon luggage.

Toiletries for a Carryon luggage

Daily Skincare Routine

Review: Le Metier De Beaute True Colour Creme Eyeshadows in Champagne Shimmer & Starry Night

I've revealed the lovely September box of Le Metier De Beaute's Beauty Vault VIP here and now's the time for an official review and swatches after testing these beautiful cream shadows.

LMdB Creme Shadows Champagne Shimmer & Starry Night (with flash)

LMdB Creme Shadows Champagne Shimmer & Starry Night (natural light)

Review: Caudalie Pulpe Vitaminée Eye and Lip Cream

Today's post is on the Caudalie Pulpe Vitaminée Eye and Lip Cream. This is probably one of the few products that I've sampled and actually went out and bought the full size afterwards. I originally got this deluxe sample from the Sephora 500 point reward. And to reemphasize how awesome these Sephora deluxe samples are, the sample was half the size of the full size!

But of course this post isn't about Sephora's awesome deluxe samples, but about this little eye cream. I say because this is a pretty tiny bottle.

Caudalie Pulpe Vitaminee Eye and Lip Cream (Image from us.caudalie.com)

Now here for some normal stats:

End of Summer 2013 - Beauty Haul

I haven't been hauling as much as I used to now. Trying to have some more self control on spending and not splurge just because it's a good deal or there's a gift with purchase. You will notice that this haul post is filled with products that are new on the market and intrigued me enough to buy.

Shiseido Benefique Haul

Shiseido has a new line of skincare, Benefique. This line launched in US earlier in the year and is only available at Shiseido boutiques (no department store counters). Don't confused this with the other Shiseido line Ibuki that also just launched this year which IS available at department store counters and Sephora. I bought the Benefique NT Emulsion II (150mL) which is a lotion for dry/combination skin types for $45. Review coming soon!

OOTD: Summer Neutrals with a Splash of Brights

A little late post for summer outfits, but here's a "latergram" of one of my favorite work outfits for summer time.  If you've read my "About Me", you know how much I love the color white and there's no better time to wear white than during the sunny weather.

Work OOTD of Summer Neutrals and Bright Accents

On Me:

Reveal: Le Metier de Beaute Beauty Vault VIP September Box

After last month's super value beauty box, I couldn't help but do a mini countdown to see what awaits in the September box. And this month's box did not disappoint either. It arrived promptly at my doorsteps within the first week of September and that's only because we have Labor Day early this year.

The September box came in the same luxurious black gift box with a handwritten note from the cofounder. =)  I like how personal these packages are.  And I can foresee myself building a collection of these gift boxes! 

Le Metier de Beaute September Box - <3 Your Eyes

And what's in the box? Here's the reveal ::drumrolls::

Swatches: Etude House Juicy Cocktail Gradation Nails in #5 Princess Marry

Long time no swatch! I posted this a few weeks ago on my Instagram (follow @melliescloset if you want to see more daily updates from me) and figure I should show some detail pictures here. I bought this Etude House Juicy Cocktail Gradation Nails set in #5 Princess Marry in my cosme-de haul. For some reason, some of my searches on the great WWW has the set as known as Princess Merry Gold.

Etude House Juicy Cocktail Gradation Nails in Princess Marry

The Etude House Juicy Cocktail Gradation Nails set came with 3 mini nail polishes. Retails about $10. These sets are specially paired together to create an easy gradient nail effect, probably the easiest way to be achieve "nail art" nowadays. The back of the package has a few steps to show you how to get the look, it's quite simple. First step is to use the color #1 (yes each polish is labeled with a number) over the entire nail, step 2 is to apply color #2 from the middle of the nail to the tip, and last is to have color #3 on the the tip of your nail.

True color in indoor lighting

Under sunlight (notice the shimmers)

Princess Marry is a nude/gold set. The base color (color #1) is a sheer nude with micro fine multicolor shimmers. Color #2 is a clear nail polish with gold glitters in different sizes and Color #3 is a clear nail polish with chunky glitter in a uniform size.

Side by Side with Butter London's Tart With a Heart

 Color #2 is a good dupe to the Butter London's Tart With A Heart. Both sport the same glitter with larger random sized glitter spheres. All the glitter sparkle in multicolors with the BL one in a broader, more colorful spectrum. The Color #2 in the Princess Marry set has a more golden base compared to BL.

Natural light

With camera flash

Here's the swatch of the nail polish set with the gradient effect. Personally I love the way the nails look, it's a little more fun yet conservative at the same time. Perfect to wear to work without being too self conscious with people looking at your nails. I would definitely wear a top coat over it, not that the nail polish needs anymore protection or shine, but to smooth out the the roughness of the different texture of glitter that you just layered on your nails. (I'm never going to wear any of those texture nail polishes that are so popular recently. I wouldn't be able to stop myself from constantly touching the roughness of an unsmooth nail.)

With a top coat, this lasted over a week for me! Even better is that because of the uneven look of gradient glitter, you don't have to worry about chipped nails. Personally, I can barely notice a chip on myself with this set on, and chipped nail polish has always been a personal pet peeve. A personal anecdote, I have a little OCD on my nails, they always have to be immaculate and perfect. Cuticles can't stick out and there can't be any dirt in my nails. Haha, I'm so particular with my nails, that I clean my bf's too. =P

I'm very interested in trying the other colors now. But looking at the other Etude House colors in this collection, I don't think they'll work that well at the workplace. I know Jen FrmHeadToToe did a Mani Monday post on the peachy orange set and it was really pretty.

Because this lasted so long on me, this was what I wore on a recent Disney vacation. I'll be doing a post on what I've worn and brought with me on travel soon. Stay tuned.

Dior Diva 250 Point Reward - Aug 2013

I recently mailed in my receipts for the Dior Diva program. For those of you that don't know, if you purchase a certain limit of Dior products from specific department stores & Sephora, you can free goodies from the brand directly. If you're interested to see what I've received in the past, you can check out my posts here and here.

Dior Diva 250 Point Reward

Monthly Empties: July 2013

A little late for a July Monthly Empties post, but I spent a chunk of my August planning and preparing for a week long trip to Disney World with the BF.  His idea to celebrate my birthday no where better than the magical land itself. =)  I want to post up my travel necessities too, so stay tune for that!

Here goes, my July monthly empties (haha, just realize it was all shades of green and blue):

July 2013 Monthly Empties

Review: Le Metier De Beaute Beauty Vault VIP - August Box

I recently announced that I jumped the Le Metier De Beaute Beauty Vault VIP subscription bandwagon. It's a monthly subscription box from the brand itself. Only catch is you have to pay the $348 subscription fee for a 12 month commitment. Which isn't so bad, when you divide it out, it equates to $29/month for deluxe sample size or full size products and new launches from the luxury brand. Though sign ups are limited to the month of July, I think they might be considering additional signups if you email their customer service directly.

Without further adieu, I present you, the August box! It definitely did not disappoint!

Haha, yes it literally is the box!

Monthly Empties: June 2013

Another month and another monthly empties post! At least I'm sort of keeping up. =)

June 2013 Empties

Beauty Haul - Summer 2013

Time for another haul post, I haven't been posting any hauls for a while now but that definitely does NOT mean I haven't been shopping.

Estee Lauder - Beautiful Eyes Set

I bought the Estee Lauder Beautiful Eyes Skincare set for $65 at Macy's during their Estee Lauder GWP event. The set is still available and comes with a full size Resilience Lift firming and sculpting eye cream. I've been looking for a worthy eye cream, I've tried so many and still haven't found a "holy grail". I'm almost done with it, am loving it so far, full review should be coming up soon. The GWP was really nice, not only did it come with a Lilly Pulitzer desinged eyeshadow palette and cosmetic case set, it included a Time Zone face and eye cream as well.

I've made another order at Cosme-de.com! I'm surprise that this company doesn't get more attention then Sasa.com, their shipping to the U.S. arrived in a week! I made the purchase mainly because of the Shiseido Tsubaki Water. The set was $11 at Cosme-de.com, I've used the red and gold Shiseido Tsubaki lines, and really love the red line. Hoping this would work out just as well. =)

The only annoying thing about ordering from cosme-de.com is that when you order final sale items, you have to order a number of other items to checkout. So I picked out a bunch of final sale items as well: My Beauty Diary masks, Etude House gradient nail polish set and blush and The Face Shop cleansing water. If you follow me on instagram, you'll see a swatch of this cute set. =)

Last up is my new Glossybox June 2013, the American Beauty Box. Yup, I fell for it again! Even with the horrible customer service I faced with my first GlossyBox, I decided to cave in after seeing it curated by Dallas Shaw which included a full size tarte cosmetics lipstick. The box was a specially designed by Dallas Shaw and looks so pretty!. This box was supposed to be the June box, but I didn't receive it till June 30! It was unfortunate that there were so many issues with these GlossyBox, but this box was really beautiful. It includes a set of Oscar De La Renta perfumes, a tarte lipstick, a Philips B hair shampoo, a c Booth's facial mist and a Sparitual nail polish. I loved that this box included department store brands. Hopefully review & swatches will be up soon.

That's it for my hauls, I'm already shopping at the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale to haul some beauty goodies. Anybody else shopped the sale yet? What did you get?

New Ways to Connect With Me

Hello lovelies! For those who've been following me for all this time and to those who just like to troll and remain anonymous (you know who you are! ^_~ ), I wanted to share some new ways to stay connected with me!

I'm sure you've heard about it already, Google Reader has officially retired. If you've been following me there, you might want to switch over to Bloglovin! Just click on this cute pink button below or this link here.

I've also created a new Instagram account, you can follow me using my username @melliescloset. Check out the "Connect with Me" section on the right hand side of this blog.

Look forward to future posts that incorporate these Instagram pictures. I kind of like the ease of sharing daily beauty/fashion photos that way.

Here's a few of my Instagram photos that I think you might be interested in. 

FOTD

Here was a picture of all the products I used to achieve my FOTD (face of the day).

• Laura Mercier Secret concealer in #2, 
• Laura Mercier Mineral Foundation in Natural Beige and loose powder in Candlelight, 
• tarte 12-hour Amazonian Clay Blush in Dollface, 
• Wet & Wild eyeshadow in Nutty, 
• and my trusty Missha Style mascara.

FOTD

 Here's another FOTD

• Missha M Perfect Cover BB Cream in #21
• MAC Mineralize Skin Finish in Medium
• Benefit Fakeup in Light
• Nars Concealer in Custard
• Shu Uemura blush in Soft Coral
• L'oreal Infallible Eyeshadow in Iced Latte
• Missha Style mascara

OOTD accent

And here I showed off a bright color accent to my outfit with my H&M bright yellow belt.

I hope everybody has a wonder 4th of July. I'm looking forward to camping out in the heat waiting for the Macy's fireworks to start. XD  Let me know in the comments what you'll be doing to celebrate!

Don't forget to subscribe & follow! There's so many ways to connect with me now. =)

Monthly Empties - April & May 2013

Hello everybody! It's been a while since I did my regular postings. Scroll all the way down if you want to read a quick update from me and see what I've been up to. =) Now since I skipped a month, I present you Monthly Empties for April & May!

I had meant to write a April Empties post, but never got a chance to writing it, so there are individual monthly pictures. As promised in my March empties, this month was emptying bottles of skincare!

April 2013 Empties

Review: Dermalogica Clearing Mattifier

Wanted to share a staple in my daily skin care routine today: the Dermalogica Clearing Mattifier. I bought this a while back from a recommendation from my esthetician after she was clearing my breakouts during a facial. At that time, I was under a lot of stress at work and my skin broke out at its worst in my lifetime. She recommended the Dermalogica Clearing Mattifier insisting that it helps clear new breakouts within 24 hours. Well normally I wouldn't let anyone convince me like that without doing some more actual research on my own, but I was desperate so I gave in a purchase a tube at its original price at $45!

Dermalogica Clearing Mattifier (Stock Photo from Dermalogica.com)

Let's go through the facts:

Project Pan 5 to March Empties

If you remember from my earlier posts, I was working on a mini project pan for a few months. But it started becoming discouraging when I realize I still have products that I didn't hit pan! So instead of project pan, I'm moving on to monthly empties! (Might be two months even, I don't know yet, it'll depend on how much I can empty out first. If there isn't enough to show you guys, then I'll just spill it over the next month.) But at least this way, every so often I'll be showing off products that I'm done with. There's just too many makeup and skincare products in my vanity and bathroom and they seem to only grow with time. Maybe I'll do a post on my current collection, let me know if you are interested.

Anyway, enough jabbering, may I present to you, the March's empties!

(can you spot the GlossyBox?)

qiora Face Cleanser DH Cleanser - from project pan, mini review here. Sadly the sales rep at one of the Shisedo chain stores mention that the entire qiora line will be discontinued! Tempted to stock up now. =(

Nivea Age Defying Q10plus Hand Cream - from project pan, mini review here.

Nivea Soft Moisturizing Creme (not pictured)- from project pan, mini review here.

O'slee Clear Spa Sleeping Mask - I had a full review this mask a while back, I noticed my skin being a lot more dry around the cheek area lately, so thought I'll whip it out and give it a try again. If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook, you'll know about the adverse effect it had on me. Not sure if it was because it was expired or not, when I applied it, it was a little thicker than its usual jelly form, not too crazy though, I didn't give it much of a second thought. The next morning when I woke up, besides it being sticky on my face, everything was ok. But after I washed it off, my face started tingling and there were red patches all over my face, mostly in the T-zone area. Scary! Thank goodness the redness subsided within 2 hours, I had to cover it up with mineral foundation, I just couldn't go to work like that, I looked sick! So that's why it was forcefully emptied. =P I still have another unopened container, hopefully that will be better.

Milky Lips Baby Pink  - One of my favorite tinted lip balms. It looks hot pink in the tube but gives a much muted bright lip effect. One of my favorite lip balms because it leaves the lips looking dewy, hydrated and just the right amount of shine without the overly glossy effect of a lip gloss. I much prefer this over the fresh sugar lip treatments, because the fresh lip treatments can be a little greasy looking on the lips but these just feel like there's water on my lips. Now that I've teased you with its wonders, I really hate to let you guys know that it's actually discontinued. I can no longer find them at my local Japanese markets. If any of you see these lurking around the NYC area, please let me know!

Last up, UDPP.

Urban Decay Primer Potion - I'm not going to do a crazy review, the blogosphere has enough reviews on this little guy. (Enough that most of you probably understood  "UDPP".) This one in the original genie bottle came as part of my UD Naked palette. I do like it because it does help with eyeshadow creasing, but not all, there are times when I still notice some creasing with certain shadows. I don't really notice the difference in terms of color payoff enhancements it gives for eyeshadow though. To me, the color vibrancy looks the same with or without the primer.

That's it for this month, stay tuned for next month's empties, I foresee a lot of products, particularly skincare related. Have a nice weekend!

Review: Physician's Formula Shimmer Strips in Nude Eyes

The Urban Decay Naked palettes became a cult favorite as soon as it launched with everyone sorting out the "no makeup" makeup looks. Every cosmetic brand started making their own version of the "Naked" palette. I personally own the UD Naked palette as well, but I find myself not reaching for it as much as you'd think I would.  As a starter to makeup, I steer away from eyeshadow colors that are too pigmented and bold. And when I do use the Naked palette, I only use the shimmer/satin colors.

Here's a very affordable alternative for those who prefer shimmer/satin colors: the Physician's Formula Shimmer Strips in Nude Eyes.

Physician's Formula Shimmer Strips in Nude Eyes

The Physician's Formula Shimmer Strips in Nude Eyes retails about $10-$12 in drugstores. I got mine for around $5 with the CVS sale and ExtraBucks. It comes with 9 shades that goes from light to dark dramatic shades. There's not that much product at a mere 0.20oz for the entire palette.

The palette has a pink plastic package with a clear window and lace overlay on the entire palette. A little on the princess front, but might be a cute detail for some of you. 

The shades of Physician's Formula Shimmer Strips in Nude

The palette has a magnetic closure that isn't very strong, so I find myself accidentally opening it when putting it away in my vanity table. Comes with 1 sponge tip applicator that I actually do like. It's a thicker foam sponge.

The Box and instructions

This palette claims to be an all in one eye palette with your shadow and liner colors. I don't like how it advertises that it comes with 18 custom shades JUST because you can use the shadows wet or dry. But it does come with a quick instruction on how to put together the "nude eye" look.

From Left to Right: 3rd shade in Trio #1, 3rd shade in Trio #2, all 3 colors from Trio #3

Now for some swatches! I didn't attempt to swatch all 9 shades as the highlight colors in each trio are barely visible in a swatch. These swatches were done with my fingers and I've found that using any other eyeshadow brush gives the same effect. But surprisingly, the eyeshadow colors come out much more vivid when applied with the included sponge tip applicator. You can definitely use these eyeshadow colors as eyeliners to line your eyes.

Each of the shadows are shimmery (well its called shimmer strip for a reason), with glittery particles. If you enlarge the swatches image, you'll see how much glitter is really there. The darkest 2 shades in Trio #3 have the least glitters, you can barely notice them and they're the perfect liner colors! My favorite shadow is definitely the one in the middle of Trio #2. It's a beautiful taupe shadow with a hint of shimmer.

The shadows feel velvety under my fingers and there's definitely no fallout even if all you do is pat the shadows on your eyes with a shadow brush. These shadows does crease on my eyes though. I've tried using both Urban Decay Primer Potion and NARS Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base under these eyeshadows and the creasing problem ceases.

I've definitely been reaching out to this Physician's Formulate Shimmer Strips a lot more than my UD Naked palette. I love that the colors are not too bold but still have the hint of color. I prefer shimmer shadows over matte ones because it highlights and opens my eyes to give a more alert effect.  Maybe I'll post a eye look later on. Let me know if any of you would be interested in a feature of how it looks on me. =)

Thanks for reading!

Beauty Haul - Winter 2012

Wow, I just realized I haven't shared a haul for months! No wonder there are so many haul pictures that are backlogged on my computer. Time to share! I apologize in advance if some of these items are now out of stock as these are from past sale events.

Laura Mercier Haul

Laura Mercier Exclusive Colour Collection

The Exclusive Colour Collection was on sale direct from Laura Mercier for $29! It includes a full size Second Skin Cheek in Sunsoaked Bronze, Baked Eye Color in Aquamarine and Lip Glace in Coral Diamond. Love the set plus I bought the Sheer Lip Color in Kissed Lips which was part of their Summer Collection and was sold out when I was looking.

Laura Mercier Luxe Colour Portfolio

Also direct from Laura Mercier, their Luxe Colour Portfolio was on sale for $49 from $98! Includes 6 eyeshadows, 3 eyeliners and 2 blushes. Also with included are their luxe brushes. The African Violet eyeshadow is soooo beautiful! Swatches to come! I see that this set is now available at Sephora again, but is selling at it's original selling price at $98.

Laura Mercier Colour Preview Collection

I went a little crazy with the Laura Mercier Colour Preview Collection which was on sale at Sephora for $35. Crazy meaning I actually bought 2! Took advantage of it during their VIB sale too. It comes with a full size cheek color in Citrus Spark, eyeshadow duo in Sandstone/Cognac and lip colour in Grapefruit! The colors were so pretty that I just couldn't give it up.

Sephora Haul

Sephora Haul

Another haul from Sephora of their new sale items. The Tokidoki beauty products are being discontinued, they were all on sale for over 40% off. I was looking to get the little cardboard palettes since they were so cute and very similar to the Stila travel palettes. Also picked up some of their sale Hello Kitty items which was a cheek & eye palette. Too many deals!

And last but definitely not least, I bought the cult favorite Cargo blu ray powder! Beauty.com had it in a beautiful set for $42. Comes with a full size pressed powder and foundation/concealer. I've been using the concealer for quite some time now, swatches and review will be coming soon!.

Hope you like my haul updates. Swatches and reviews will be up! Please stay tuned!

OOTD - Outfit of the Day - Valentine's Day

Hello! I hope everybody had a wonderful Valentine's day shared with lots of love with your loved ones! Just wanted to quickly share my outfit from yesterday.

H&M Sweater Dress, Express Flyaway Burnout Cardigan, H&M Foil Scarf, Steve Madden boots, Coach wristlet

The BF took me out to my favorite Japanese restaurant and we finished the night with a super yummy red velvet cheesecake from Junior's!

Review: Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment SPF 15

There's probably a bunch of Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment reviews online since Sephora has been giving these out as birthday deluxe samples to all Beauty Insiders. But I'll like to review them nevertheless.

Compared with a full size lipstick

This is a deluxe sample size product, not full size. But they didn't skimp on the packaging at all. Comes in a hardy metallic twist lock tube to ensure the cap doesn't fly off. The inner tube turns separately to twist the product out. I'm definitely very impress with the packaging. =)

The Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment is a clear lip balm retailing at $22 for the full size. It leaves your lips super glossy without feeling heavy despite the beeswax and other oil ingredients. I don't think it has the 6 hours lasting power as Fresh claims but it stays on long enough and doesn't make any lip color or gloss slip and slide too much. Also comes with SPF 15 which seems to be the new standard for lip balms nowadays.

You can see that the side of the tube nips at the balm stick

It has a citrus scent that smells sweet but not overpowering. Actually it was the scent that jogged my memory and made me consider the Blistex Complete Moisture as a very close dupe. Very close dupe except the Blistex isn't as glossy, but it has the same melt on your lips texture.One huge con with the Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment is that the balm is too soft that the product breaks and smears all over the tube. You have to make sure you don't twist too much product out at once and be mindful of the amount of pressure you use to apply, otherwise the whole tube can break off with application. This is probably my biggest pet peeve with lipsticks. Don't think I'll repurchase, although I have read that the full size is a lot better in that aspect.

Did you get yours at Sephora? What did you think? I haven't tried the tinted one yet. Will see how that works out.

Project Pan 5 - Update

Here's an update to the Project Pan 5 that I started 2 months ago. Refer to the original post for my short reviews on these items.

Project Pan 5 - Jan 2013

1. Physician's Formula Powder Palette Multicolored Blush - Blushing Peach
Looks like I barely touched it! These palettes really do last a very long time, I've been using it every other day now hoping to finish it up, but it looks exactly like it did 2 months ago. =P  It's going to be part of the new Project Pan 5.

2. philosophy on a clear day oil-free foaming acne cleanser
Done! Used up all the cleanser, kind of sad that it's discontinued. On the quest for a new lightweight cleanser again (AFTER I'm done with the rest that I have now. ) 

3. qiora Face Cleanser DH Cleanser
Still working on this right now since the philosophy cleanser is out. Should be done soon!

4. Clinique Take the Day Off Makeup Remover
Done! Trying to compare it with the Neutrogena Facial Towelettes, I think I still like the Neutrogena ones more.

5. Nivea Age Defying Q10plus Hand Cream
Didn't touch it at all! I accidentally tucked this away since I've been renovating my room. Hopefully I'll remember to use it soon.

Since I'm only done with 2 products, here are the next 2 contenders (I don't want to add another 5 to create a never ending list). 

L'oreal Colour Riche Balm lip color in Rose Elixir

L'oreal Colour Riche Balm lip color in Rose Elixir

I don't think I can recollect any one time when I've actually finished a lipstick, hopefully this would be the first one. This lip balm/lipstick came out last year causing a lot of hype along with the Revlon lip butters, but these didn't get as much spotlight as they apply with such a sheer color and really works just like a balm. But they are truly very moisturizing, it leaves a nice moisturized glossy finish. Because of its super sheer color I can apply it very liberally, haha maybe that's why I can actually put it in a project pan. I only have it on this color, I'll want to try the other ones.

Nivea Soft Moisturizing Creme

Excuse the dry hands!

Nivea Soft Moisturizing Creme

This was part of a Nivea set from CVS, I believe it only retails for 99 cents alone. It has a almost non-greasy, souffle-like texture, very similar to the First Aid Beauty ultra repair cream. Excuse the dry hands! But you can tell that the creme hydrates the dry skin immediately. It does have a perfumed fragrance though. Not super great but I like the fact that it is in a small flat container so I can just slide into any compartment without taking up too much room. I might repurchase it later on but not going to sort it out specifically.

Ok, Project Pan 5 will return again in 2 months! Hopefully, I can knock them all out! 

Swatches: Essie, Revlon, Lancome, Laura Mercier

Happy New Year everyone!  I've been itching to post these nail swatches up, but have been too lazy gazy. So here they are!

Essie's Muchi Muchi with Revlon's Stunning

Essie's Muchi Muchi with Revlon's Stunning

Here's I have 1 coat of Essie's Muchi Muchi, which is quite sheer and streaky in 1 coat but I really love the pale pink shade, spiced it up with Revlon's Stunning Nail Lacquer only on a few fingers to make it more unique. The Revlon Stunning polish is top coat of silver glitter with bigger sphere shapes. It is absolutely stunning! (no pun intended ;p ) Only complaint I have is that it was quite hard to pick up the bigger circular glitters with the brush. And as with all glitter nail polish, this was horrible to take off. But it's just so pretty!  What do you think?

Lancome's Vernis in Love in Gris Angora 407N

Lancome Vernis in Love in Gris Angora 407N

No flash

Saw Raeview's review of the new Lancome Vernis in Love and I fell in love with the colors. Picked up this greyish violet color and I was dancing! Perfect fall/winter shade. It's a beautiful creme finish with 2 coats. (1 coat leaves it very streaky). These nail polishes are $15 a bottle and smaller than the regular full size but it makes it a little more affordable to play with. Not like I've ever finished a bottle of nail polish. Plus the polish was quite long lasting (almost a week.)

Lancome's Vernis in Love in Rose Plumeti 300M

Lancome's Vernis in Love in Rose Plumeti 300M

No flash

Here's another Lancome Vernis in Love that I purchase in Rose Plumeti. Color is a neutral pink with a shimmery sheen. Here I have it on with 1 coat. It was a little weird, this dried out to a matte finish. I was slightly disappointed that it didn't have the same jelly like finish as the Gris Angora.

Laura Mercier's Cabana Nail Lacquer

Laura Mercier's Cabana

Here's a throwback from the summer collections, Laura Mercier's Cabana. This was a highly sort after polish when it first came out. The perfect coral red/orange you can find! Perfect jelly creme finish. You have to apply 2 coats for the coral red to show up. I have only 1 coat on my ring finger in the picture and the color looks very washed out. Very long lasting and no chips at all. You can see that the tip wears off first.

Since spring is coming up, what do you think is the new "it" color for spring?