Blogmas 2014 Day 10: Christmas Stocking Nails

Merry Christmas! Well I didn't make the daily blogmas posts but at least I got 10! =)  The last one for this year's blogmas, wanted to show off my Christmas Stocking nails.

Milani Nail Art in White Canvas, Sephora Formula X in X <3 Rouge, Etude House Juicy Cocktail Set #2 color, Sally Hansen Dries Instantly Top Coat, Sally Hansen Double Duty Base & Top Coat

Originally I wanted to do a deep red nail color with a dash of gold glitter nail polish as my holiday nails but I realize I don't have any deep red nail colors. (What happens when you only shop for pretty pastel colors.) The closest I have in red is this classic candy apple red - Sephora Formula X in X <3 Rouge, a freebie for renewing my VIB Rouge status! So I got inspired to recreate this Christmas Stocking nail. Very easy to do since it's just a French manicure especially with the Milani Nail Art that I usually use as the French tip. The little gold glitter rim along the French tip is usually what I do to cover any imperfect lines. You can check out how this method looks on a normal French manicure here.

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

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!

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!

Sephora VIB Haul Apr 2012

So this is a little late in posting but here's to another haul post. I took advantage of the Sephora VIB 15% off discount back in April, even though I really had nothing I wanted, but it's a sale on ANY and EVERYthing that usually never goes on sale, so I splurged a little and hooked myself up with more "value sets".

Benefit's Legally Bronze Set $35 ($105 value)

Benefit's Legally Bronze Set is now out of stock. I've actually seen this for a while at the Sephora site. This set includes a Hoola bronzer, High Beam, Bad Gal mascara, the Gilded Gold Highlighter pencil and a plastic cosmetic bag.

Hoola Bronzer in old packaging

I ordered this mainly because of the Hoola bronzer, a popular cult favorite. The Hoola bronzer is in the old packaging so there's no mirror in the cap. The set also includes a full size High Beam, another cult favorite, but I've tried this in the store and wasn't fond of it. The included Gilded Gold Highlighter Pencil is pretty surprise, perfect for that eye popping effect at the waterline. I haven't tried the Bad Gal Brown mascara yet, but I'm excited as my friend was recommending the Dior Mitzah mascara. I would have liked it more if the plastic bag wasn't imprinted with the palm tree design.

Benefit's The Pretty Committee Set $38 ($86 value)

Benefit's The Pretty Committee Set is $38 but includes a full size Bella Bamba blush, Stay Don't Stray primer, Eye Bright highligher and a deluxe size High Beam. I've tried Stay Don't Stray and Eye Bright samples before and didn't make much of an impression on me. Eye Bright doesn't even work on my Asian yellow undertones. It looks way too cakey.

Benefit's Bella Bamba blush

Can you see the shimmers?

I ordered this set mainly for the Bella Bamba blush. The blush is described as a watermelon pink but it has really pretty shimmers. I love the new packaging! It includes a mirror and a very soft brush, very convenient but not very for traveling because it's still in the signature blush box shape, too bulky to carry around.

Super By Nicholas Perricone First Blush Brightening Serum $24

The SUPER line is getting discontinued from Sephora so the entire line is on sale now at up to 50% off. I picked up this First Blush Brightening Serum. It's supposed to do exactly as it says, to give you a blush. I haven't tried it yet, hopefully it works up to its name!

That's it for Sephora haul, more posts will be coming up soon!

Sephora Beauty Haul July 2011

And hauling I continue.There's been a lot of cool gifts and sales that Sephora was offering this month.

Sephora was giving out a Make Up For Ever deluxe sample set to their VIBs (use code MUSTHAVE) so I made a purchase online right away just to claim this gift. XP

Sephora Haul July 2011

This was definitely just a splurge haul, but I saw the new Stila Travel Palettes in Haute in the Hamptons ($14 for $60 value) and was really tempted.

Stila Haute in the Hamptons Travel Palette

Stila Haute in the Hamptons (Left) and Make an Impression in Moscow (Right)

Stila Haute in the Hamptons (Left) and Make an Impression in Moscow (Right)

I got the Make an Impression in Moscow palette last year and LOVED it. The colors were so pretty and Haute in the Hamptons were very similar. The new travel palettes now come with a powder blush (instead of the cream blushes like last year, thumbs up for me) and a bronzer. The size of the new eyeshadows also look like they are bigger. The new palettes has a smaller mirror but has how-to tips right in the palette so that is a plus for me newbies. ^_^

Caudalie Vinoperfect Beauty on Board Travel Set

Since I got the Best of Caudalie VIB 500 point perk from Sephora last month, I got convinced that Caudalie is a really good brand, so when I saw this Caudalie Vinoperfect Beauty on Board Travel Set, I got it right away. A nice cute set that comes with makeup remover, shower gel, lotion and shampoo. Also a sample size of the Pulpe Vitaminee Anti-Wrinkle Fluid.

Peter Thomas Roth Instant Mineral SPF 30

Next I got this Peter Thomas Roth Instant Mineral SPF 30 because it was a special deal from Sephora, retails for $30 but on sale for $12. This sounded like such a great product! A mineral sunscreen that you don't have to make sure you put on way before sun exposure. I can't speak much for the product, because I returned this to Sephora almost right away. The packaging for this was horrible! >.<  You see where it says, To Close, Pull Here. I was being very gentle and only slight tugging it, when it didn't budge, I pulled a little harder and the whole bottom cap fell off along with all the mineral sunscreen! It was a horrible mess. When I returned it, the cashier was telling me that he uses it all the time and never had a problem. So he took another one and showed me how to close the brush, it look like it worked, but I gave up on retrying, maybe next time.

I also bought the Harajuku Lovers Pencil Case which was $5. I wanted something to hold my brushes when I travel. And I got the Sephora atomizer for $6 to carry in my purse when traveling.

Josie Maran 500 point perk

Josie Maran 500 point perk - What's in the box?

Last but not least, Sephora introduced another highly raved 500 point perk - the Josie Maran Sample Set. Includes a lip gloss, mascara, and the popular Argan oil serums and cleansers. Says on the box that this set has a $45 value. Check out your local store while supplies last!

Dior Diva & Beauty Haul June 2011

Hello everyone! Work has kept me busy and exhausted. I miss blogging so much already!

June might have came and went, but it didn't go without a heavy damage to my wallet. =)

First off, for the freebies.

If you love Dior and have not signed up as a Dior Diva, shame on you! Dior Diva is Dior's loyalty program that rewards their customers with freebies! You just have to save all the receipts of your Dior purchases from major retailers like Sephora, Macy's, or Lord & Taylor. Then depending how much you spend annually ($100, $250, $500, or $1000), you will be rewarded a different gift set of Dior products. Click here for more details.

For 2010, I bought mostly Dior lip sticks/glosses during Sephora's 20% discount events. I reached the $100 mark and Dior shipped me my package within less than 2 weeks.

Dior Diva Rewards Package

Dior Addict Lipstick in 783 Londres

I love the detail of the signature Dior logo in the packaging. =)  It's silly but I admire companies who brand their shipping material as well. My Dior Diva Rewards package came with a travel size Hypnotic Poison perfume, DIORSHOW mascara, Dior Addict lipstick and a mini Dior shopping bag. Not sure what I'm going to do with the shopping bag but it's cute nevertheless.

Next, I had a little haul from Sephora and got some freebies.

Sephora Haul June 2011

I redeem 500-point perk on my Sephora Beauty Insider Rewards. The Best of Caudalie set came with super deluxe sizes! I calculate it to be about a $65 retail value.

Best of Caudalie - Sephora Beauty Insider 500-point perk

This sample set includes the Vinoperfect Radiance Serum, Pulpe Vitaminée Eye and Lip Cream, and the Instant Foaming Cleanser. Sephora sells a similar set called the Beauty Essentials from the Vine.  This perk is sold out on sephora.com already, but do check your local Sephora store if they still have it in stock!

Also received in the mail a postcard from Sephora regarding a free Bare Escentuals sample summer kit. I already use Bare Escentuals, so this was a good travel set to bring with me.

Sephora/Bare Escentuals Sample Set

This set came with the bareMinerals Mineral Veil, foundation, and their new line of Purely Nourishing Moisturizer and baby kabuki brush. Personally, I don't care for the kabuki brush because I think it is a bit rough.

Now for the only paid purchase on the same Sephora visit, haha. I got the Sephora Favorites In the Glow Set.

Sephora Favorites In The Glow Set

This set is a deluxe sample set of all the exfoliating and skincare for bright complexion. I already own the Boscia Black Illuminating Mask and adore it, just thought this will be perfect for travel. The Ole Henriksen Truth Serum Collagen Booster, I also do love from another 500-point perk. I mostly got this kit for the Kate Sommerville ExfoliKate Treatment. Can't wait to try it!

Also bought this Sephora Favorites Sun Safety Kit. Every year Sephora sells one of these kits to allow you to sample a bunch of skincare/sun care products. All proceeds to these kits are donated to the Skin Care Foundation.

Sephora Favorites Sun Safety Kit

Sephora Favorites Sun Safety Kit

Sephora Favorites Sun Safety Kit - with the tote

This year's kit comes with a full size Ole Henriksen Fresh Lips that retails for $10 alone! Also comes with a cute Little Miss SPF tote that will be perfect for the beach. You can check out last year's kit here.

Also went to Lord & Taylor to use up the gift card from the special deal I got from RueLaLa ($25 for a $50 L&T gift card). I was looking for a new eye cream and stopped by the philosophy counter for the eye hope eye cream. It retails for $48 and came with this cute gift with purchase.

Lord & Taylor - philosophy haul

The gift with purchase came with samples of their famous purity cleanser and grace shower and shampoo. I wanted to try out their new hope in a tinted moisturizer and the sales representative was nice enough to give me a deluxe sample to try! She matched me with the light to medium one. We'll see how it works out.

That's it for the Beauty Haul, clothing haul and swatches coming up really soon! I'm totally back-logged. >.<