Pick-Ups & Deliveries: May 2015

For whatever reason, May seemed to go by way faster than any other month in recent memory. Maybe it's because prom/grad/wedding season has begun and I've been so crazy busy with make-up appointments that it's all been a blur, but it's almost as if we went straight from April to June. Though judging from all the things I hauled, it seems like all I did in May was shop. For blush. A lot of fucking blush.

Dior Diorskin Nude Tan Tie Dye Edition Blush Harmony in 001 Pink Sunrise and 002 Coral Sunset
Kat Von D Everlasting Face Shaper Blush in Bellisima, Por Vida, Love Song, and Heartagram
Urban Decay Afterglow 8-Hour Powder Blush in Rapture and Score
Okay, and a couple highlighters because apparently, I'm in a cheek phase right now. I'm not usually into Estée Lauder, but we all know my sick obsession with these liquid-powder hybrid formulas (e.g. MAC In Extreme Dimension, NARS Dual-Intensity, etc.), and when I saw the Illuminating Powder Gelée that they released for this year's Bronze Goddess collection, I had to snatch it up. It's a beautiful champagne with a hint of peach, and it's not too light which is just perfect for summer. Plus, I got the last one at my local counter, so it was meant to be. And then, of course, at one of my many trips to Sephora, I also picked up Laura Mercier's Indiscretion. Like Lauder, I'm not huge on Laura Mercier and I'm rarely intrigued by their products, but once in a while, they'll come out with a stand-out product that makes me stop in my tracks and swatch. And it's usually a highlighter. And this year's is Indiscretion, a gorgeous soft rosy apricot with gold shimmer. Of course, my local Sephora sold out of it on the first day that they launched the summer collection, so when I was downtown for afternoon tea a couple weeks ago and saw that the Bloor location still had five in stock, I immediately grabbed one.

Estée Lauder Bronze Goddess Illuminating Powder Gelée
Laura Mercier Face Illuminator Powder in Indiscretion
Bobbi Brown was having their Friends & Family sale last month which entailed shoppers to 20% off everything, andEbates was having 8% cash back on all purchases from the Bobbi Brown website, so you know I had to take advantage. I was never really into Bobbi Brown before (are you noticing a trend here?), but I've recently gotten more and more intrigued with her products, especially after Liz featured one of their gorgeous Brightening Bricks on her blog. Add that to my ever-growing lemming for her Shimmer Bricks (can you believe I didn't have one?), and next thing you know, I bought two of each. I figured I should get some lipstick, too, since it's what made Bobbi Brown famous, so I bought three neutral shades of her Rich Lip Color. Not really sure how this formula differs from the other ones, but it's supposed to be lightweight, full-coverage, and long-lasting with a smooth, moisturizing feel. Anyone try these before? How do they differ from her original range?

Bobbi Brown Brightening Brick in Coral and Cranberry
Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick Compact in Nectar and Rose
Bobbi Brown Rich Lip Color in 31 Uber Pink, 32 Uber Beige, and 33 Uber Nude
Speaking of Ebates, I got a nice fat paycheque from all the shopping I did last quarter, so obviously, I did what anyone would do... and spent it on nail polish. Even though they're typically more autumn/winter shades, I ordered all four polishes from A-England's new Rossetti's Goddess collection. Whereas only one or two shades from A-England's last few collections intrigued me, all the shades from Rossetti's Goddess were just screaming my name. Nail Polish Canada is offering all four shades for $40.50, which is like getting one shade for free, so I ordered the set. I also ordered all six shades of Essie's Summer 2015 collection (also being offered as a set for $45) 'cause I thought they'd be fun cream shades to layer with glitter, as well as a new bottle of Seche Vite and a bottle of Seche Restore because I want to thin out some of my older polishes that are getting too thick or chunky.

A-England Rossetti's Goddess Collection Nail Varnish in Proserpine, Captive Goddess, Jane Morris, and Incense Burner
Essie Summer 2015 Collection Nail Polish in Pret-a-Surfer, Salt Water Happy, Private Weekend, Chillato, Peach Side Babe, and Sunset Sneaks
Rainbow Honey hasn't piqued my interest in a while (since last summer, actually), but their new Patisserie collection for Spring was just too cute to resist. What actually made me check it out initially was their adorable limited edition French macaron hand soaps, which come individually wrapped in gift-worthy boxes. I picked up all six scents which came in a set for $18, plus two of the nail polishes (Cotton Candy Meringue and Gâteau de Citron) from the Patisserie collection, the infamous Heisenberg (their Breaking Bad-inspired polish that had been out of stock for ages) and Konpeito! (which reminded me of unicorns, so I had to have it). And as a gift, they gave me a bottle of Peachy Sangria (peach, gold, and champagne glitters) and Pâte de Pistaches (pale pistachio green cream) for free.

Rainbow Honey French Macaron Hand Soap in Petit Four, Rose Macaron, Orange Confites, Pâte de Pistaches, Tea Biscuit, and Gelée de Fraises
Rainbow Honey Nail Lacquer in Heisenberg, Cotton Candy Meringue, Konpeito!, Peachy Sangria, Gâteau de Citron, and Pâte de Pistaches
Since finishing both my Fresh and Clinique face scrubs this past week, I decided to go into Sephora to look at some new options. My friend Adrian who works at my local store recommended me the REN Micro Polish Cleanser, which also foams up into a delightful creamy lather that smells like orange Creamsicle. So I grabbed that and I also picked up a big bottle of Ole Henriksen's Truth Serum (which, coincidentally, also smells like orange Creamsicle) to use when my Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair runs out (I think my skin has gotten used to it so I'm not really seeing any differences with it anymore). Then last weekend, my friend Cynthia went to the Shiseido warehouse sale, and scored me some awesome deals: two tubes of my favourite Pureness Deep Cleansing Foam (for $16 each from $28), two bottles of Pureness Balancing Softener (for $16 each from $32), a jar of Pureness Moisturizing Gel-Cream (for $22 from $42), and a bottle of the discontinued White Lucent Intensive Spot Targeting Serum (for $80 from $140). Suffice it to say, I'm set for skincare for a long while, and am hereby on a skincare ban (which is way more do-able than, say, a blush ban).

REN Clean Skincare Micro Polish Cleanser and Ole Henriksen Truth Serum Collagen Booster
Shiseido Pureness Deep Cleansing Foam (x2), Pureness Balancing Softener Alcohol-Free (x2), Pureness Moisturizing Gel-Cream, and White Lucent Intensive Spot Targeting Serum
The Body Shop Shea Body Whip, Mango Body Whip, Satsuma Body Purée, and Pink Grapefruit Body Purée
Finally, I went into The Body Shop on a whim (and with time to kill while waiting for Viv to get off work), and they were having their "Buy 3, Get 3 Free" promotion. I've been looking for lighter weight body moisturizers since all those body butters that I stockpiled during the winter now feel super-thick and sticky. So I ended up getting three Body Whips and three Body Purées for half-price, and split the deal with Viv (four for me, two for her because I am way more anal about moisturizing than she is). And that's it. I swear.
What did y'all buy last month? Any good deals/steals? Anything I need to check out?

Bobbi Brown Scotch on the Rocks: Bronze Glow Highlight Powder

For the holiday season, Bobbi Brown released a limited edition collection called Scotch on the Rocks. I'm not usually into Bobbi Brown, but when swatches of this Bronze Glow Highlight Powder started rolling out, I knew I had to have it. So when Sephora was having their VIB sale a couple months ago, I made sure to snatch that baby up, and it became my first ever Bobbi Brown purchase. Now, I apologize for this late review because I think most retailers will be sold out of this by now, but if you're lucky, you might still find some in-store (Barneys seems to still have some available online). It is meant to enhance "gorgeous skin with a subtle, warmed-by-the-fireside glow" and is suitable for "anyone who wants to give skin a soft, sheer highlight that's warm, never ashy or frosty." Each Highlight Powder comes in a special edition tortoise shell mirrored compact, comes with 8 grams of product, and retails for $54 CAD or $45 USD.

Bronze Glow
Bronze Glow

Bronze Glow is a light-medium warm copper bronze with a golden sheen. This is a new and limited edition shade. It has a lightweight, silky texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is slightly darker and less shimmery than MAC Global Glow Mineralize Skinfinish, lighter and less shimmery than MAC Cheeky Bronze Mineralize Skinfinish, slightly lighter and more bronze than MAC Trace Gold Blush, less yellow than Becca Topaz Shimmering Skin Perfector, and darker and more bronze than Urban Decay Aura Naked Illuminated Shimmering Powder.

So, so, so gorgeous, and works on all skintones. Fairer complexions will likely use this as a soft glowy blush, but medium to deep dark complexions can use this as a beautiful highlighting shade. This formulation is extremely lightweight, but incredibly soft and silky; it's sort of like an extremely finely-milled version of baked mineral products. It has amazing colour pay-off, too, so it can go anywhere from soft, illuminating warmth to a serious J. Lo glow. Either way, it makes your skin look warmer and healthier, as if you went away on vacation, so it works all year round. This is a very similar formula to MAC's Extra Dimension Skinfinish and Estée Lauder's Pure Color Illuminating Powder Gelée (they might actually be the exact same thing), which isn't really surprising, since they are all Lauder companies. What is surprising is that it hasn't been made permanent by any of these companies yet.

April Pick-Ups & Deliveries: Part II

So, as I mentioned yesterday, I ended up hauling way more beauty products than I had thought. I couldn't help myself, though — Sephora was having their 15% off VIB event, and then my friend who works for Dior told me there was a weekend where she could get 35% off so I should let her know if there was anything I wanted, and then my other friend who works for Estée Lauder told me she was going to the employee store so I should let her know if there was anything I wanted... And, well, you know I can't resist a deal.
Urban Decay Build Your Own Palette (with Breathless Eyeshadow) and Eyeshadows in Bordello, Last Call, and Chopper
YSL Rouge Volupté Lipstick in #10 Provocative Pink and Shu Uemura Rouge Unlimited Lipstick in PK 365
Dior Bird of Paradise Collection Diorskin Nude Tan Paradise Duo Iridescent Blush & Bronzing Powder in 002 Coral Glow
Dior Bird of Paradise Collection Dior Addict Lipstick in 771 Passionnée and 751 Exotique
Bobbi Brown Beach Body Oil ($10 from $40)
Origins A Perfect World Highly Hydrating Body Lotion with White Tea (x2 at $8 each from $31)
Origins Have A Nice Day Super-Charged Moisture Lotion ($10 from $40) and Make A Difference Night Skin Rejuvenating Gel-Cream ($10 from from $40)
I'm going to New York in a couple weeks, so I tried to control myself during Sephora's VIB event since 15% off isn't that much less than the retail prices in the States (especially given that our retail tax is still much higher). I was debating between Urban Decay's Naked2 Palette and the custom palette, and even though the Naked2 Palette is cheaper and you get more bang for your buck, I've been eyeing the custom palettes for a while now. And let me tell you, it took me nearly half an hour for me to even decide on those three shades (I ended up choosing shades that I would use all the time, so cost per use would be lower than, say, a bright turquoise or dark green). The palette actually comes with an eyeshadow already in it (Breathless, a widely flattering medium warm taupe-brown shade), but I ended up loving it so much that it was worth getting for me. I'll probably build another palette when I'm in New York, since they're $4 cheaper per eyeshadow in the US. As for the lipsticks, Shu Uemura is now being carried at more and more Sephora locations, so when I saw that I could get 15% off, I decided to splurge on a lipstick in a gorgeous strawberry pink shade. And I also took the opportunity to replace my YSL Rouge Volupté Lipstick in #10 Provocative Pink that I lost, since getting a small discount is better than none at all. 
As for the Dior stuff, I was so, so tempted by the Summer collection that when my friend told me she could get me 35% off, I had to jump on it. I would've bought more, but I'm still trying to budget (admittedly, I'm doing a half-assed job), so I just got my favourite items from the collection. I really wanted both of the Paradise Duos, but at a retail price of $56, I really couldn't afford both even with a discount, and decided I liked Coral Glow more than Pink Glow. Finally, at the Estée Lauder employee store, my friend gets 70% or more off all their brands so, again, I had to jump on the chance. They didn't have a great selection this time around, but I managed to get a bottle of the Bobbi Brown Beach Body Oil (I am now a big fan of body oils, and thought the Beach scent would be great for summer), two tubes of my favourite Origins body lotion, plus the day face lotion I love (I bought it last year and loved it but hated the bottle — however, for $10, I couldn't resist) and a lightweight night cream that I wanted to try a while ago (it's actually discontinued now, but again, for $10, I couldn't say no). Despite all that I spent, though, I am happy to report that I didn't buy any of it at full price, so it's still a win for me!